Twenty Questions: Part One

I saw this tag over on Laura Jane's blog last week, and thought it would be fun to give it a go to share a little more about myself with you. The tag has twenty questions, so I'm going to split it in to two posts as it's a lot to read in one go. So, without further ado...

1. List five random facts about yourself.

-I love wearing green eye make up. It's my signature look.

-I'm an introvert. I like being around people but I need time to myself to recharge, too.

-I haven't had a hair cut in about sixteen months (due to my back injuries). I'm dying to have it cut shorter.

-I miss going to concerts more than almost anything.

-People are always surprised when they find out I like rock music.

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have.

-Small spaces/being trapped. I can get very claustrophobic when I'm in a small space with no control over getting myself free immediately. I've freaked out in the car wash, in a MRI scanner, and even during a hydrotherapy session supported with floats and no control over my movement.

-Spiders and daddy-long-legs. I hate them. I will scream like a little girl if I find one near me.

-Being alone forever. I'm comfortable with my own company, and I'm an introvert, but nobody wants to be spend their life alone. I worry that I will.

3. List 5 things you'd tell your 16 year old self if you could.

-Don't be so ashamed of your body. There is nothing wrong with how you look. Ignore the bitches who tell you otherwise. In ten years time you will look back and realise how slim you were back then, and be sad that you hated yourself so much for being ugly and fat.

-Baggy clothes do not make you look smaller. You will just look like a hobo.

-Don't be so shy and scared of drawing any attention to yourself. Most people don't bite. You have a voice, and your opinions, views, and interests matter. You matter.

-Remember how you always say you'd never be seen dead in a dress...? Just wait a couple of years and you'll understand why I had to mention this.

-Don't waste the next ten years. You'll never get those years back. Go to uni. Have fun. Work out what you want to do instead of getting lost in a miserable rut.

4. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

-Music. Music always makes me happy.

-Fall Out Boy's reunion. I'm so excited that they're back with new music for the first time in three years. They're one of my all time favourite bands, and their music is so uptempo it always makes me happy. I just have to play one of their songs and I'm instantly in a much better mood.

-Dresses. I don't know why they make me so happy. They just do.

-Longer days. After such a long, never-ending Winter, it's lovely to finally see the days getting longer.  I feel less inclined to want to hibernate when the evenings are light. And the thought of Summer on the horizon is welcomed, too.

-My new comfy bed. I recently bought myself a new double bed, and a memory foam mattress as my old mattress was actually contributing to my back pain. I never realised until I returned home from a week at my sister's, and it felt like I was lying on a jagged rock! Now I'm a little more comfortable, and sleeping in it is a treat. Memory foam is the way forward!

5. If you could have 3 wishes, what would you wish for?

-For my back to be better; to be pain free, and able to live my life again. (Yes, that's technically one wish).

-I'd wish for a very long holiday to New York in the August heat. My last holiday there was perfect.

-To have a large house overlooking the sea in Cornwall. It's always been my dream to live by the sea and live a surfer's life style.

6. What is your dream job and why?

This is something I still haven't worked out at the grand old age of twenty-seven and three quarters, but I shall have to begin a life from scratch when I've recovered, so I guess I could do anything!

I'd love to work with animals in some scenario. Animals just bring me a lot of joy. I actually studied animal care at college full time for two years from 2001-2003, but haven't worked with pets since my early twenties.  I regret not going to uni to study for a degree in the field when I was eighteen. I'd be blissfully happy working as a zoo keeper, or in a rescue centre, for instance, although I don't know if I'll ever be fit for manual work ever again.

I'd also love to pursue visual merchandising, as it's something I did for several years before injuring my back from constant heavy-lifting. (Although, perhaps that's a sign I shouldn't do it again?) I loved creating displays just from ideas in my head and seeing customers shopping from and enjoying them.

Equally, I think I'd enjoy a role which allowed me to bake all day long. I find baking so therapeutic. And then, there's also fashion. I like the idea of being a buyer, personal shopper, or doing some role which allowed me to help other plus size ladies find their perfect outfits and feel great about themselves. I guess the possibilities are endless! Who knows where life will take me when I'm back on my feet...

7. What are 5 passions you have?

-My Blog. I've really come to love this little blog of mine. I've put so much time and effort in to it over the last year, and I've become so passionate about plus size fashion and acceptance since creating it.

-Music. I've been passionate about music since before my age reached double digits. I love music. I need to listen to it every day. There's a song for every mood and situation, and I just couldn't live without it.

-Going to concerts/gigs. Nothing makes me feel the same way being in the crowd of a good concert does. Being in the same vicinity of my idols... listening to them playing my favourite songs. which always sound incredible live... the adrenaline rush... the enjoyment... sharing a connection with a venue full of strangers... the good times with good friends... and the possibility of sharing a moment with my favourite musician(s)... There's just something addictive and enjoyable about seeing a live show. I'd go to one every night if I could.

-Dresses. I adore them. I love my steadily growing collection, and I love the thrill of finding a new beautiful frock, especially when it has an incredible print I don't already possess.

-Travelling and sight-seeing. I love to get away from home, and see other parts of the world. The old me enjoyed exploring new places, and jumping on a train to spend the day in London, or to visit friends hundreds of miles away, or to go to concerts in random cities across the UK... just because I could. I miss that freedom and impulsiveness.

8. Describe your most embarrassing moment?

How long have you got? I've done and said so many things in the past which still embarrass the hell out of me. Even years or decades later I embarrass myself with the memories and ask myself ''why did I have to do that?''

One of my worst ever moments happened at work about six years ago. I worked in retail and my boss came over to cover the till so I could go for lunch. I stepped aside to let him past, and went to walk away. Only, I didn't realise in stepping aside I'd hooked my right foot underneath a metal shopping basket stand that was beside me. So instead of walking away, I fell flat on my face on the stone floor. And I mean, literally flat on my face. My jaw hit the floor, and my entire body was parallel with the ground. I fell in front of my boss, another colleague, and two lines of customers. I was mortified. I quickly got to my feet, brushed myself off, and hid around the corner. It soon became apparent something wasn't quite right with my left arm. I ended up in A&E. I eventually found out I'd broken my wrist, and spent seven weeks in a purple cast acquainting myself with the fracture clinic.Way to go, me.

9. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

-Noisy eaters.

-People (customers) who talk on their mobile phones at tills, don't acknowledge the sales person at all, and expect to be served. So rude.

-Parents that let and encourage their children to treat shops as play areas.

-Bad manners. Why are please and thank you lost on so many people these days?

-People who never attempt to use basic spelling, grammar, or punctuation on Facebook statuses, so you're left trying to decipher the jumble of text speak with twenty exclamation marks on the end. 

-Society's attitude towards fat people. I can't stand fat hate, or people who think it's alright to make fun of anybody the slightest bit chubby.

-Being interrupted or ignored when I talk.

-The words 'amazeballs' and 'amaze'. I HATE them. 

-People who post photos and videos of their kids on Facebook a hundred times a day. I have no problem seeing such statuses once or twice daily from each person, but I don't think everybody needs a play by play of their every action. I don't need to know if their child has used the potty or eaten a wotsit.

-The way so many people are racist towards "foreigners" and immigrants being in the country, adamant that they're all taking their tax money, and are all scamming council houses, and benefits. I often hear it from the mouths of people doing just that themselves! If I read another Facebook rant on the subject I might scream.

10. Describe a typical day in your current life.

My days are very groundhog day like at the moment, since I'm mostly confined to bed, so this won't be very interesting.,, I wake up in the afternoon after a night's (morning's) broken sleep. (I don't sleep well due to the pain). Check Facebook, and Instagram on my phone and iPod. Get up and use the bathroom. Take medication. Quickly check on my blog and eBay listings. If I can manage it or have an appointment to go to, I'll get showered and dressed. Then I'll take photos for any blog posts I have planned whilst it's still light. Start working on blog posts whilst listening to music or watching a movie or two. Have dinner if I can stomach anything. Watch a little TV. More medication. And the rest of the day/night is usually spent working on my blog, surfing the net, using Tumblr and Pinterest, reading blogs, and reading a novel, with more medication to take twice during the night. I read until I fall asleep around dawn, and wake a dozen times over the course of the morning until waking properly in the afternoon. The end.

To be continued...