Freee

Okay, so I’m currently sat in a free whilst writing this – even though it will most probably be posted tonight, as I do believe blogger is blocked.

I am immensely bored with nothing to do except learn a list of spellings – but when you’ve written them out like twenty times, it gets tedious.

I have half an hour left to go and the time is going reallllll sloooww (hey, that rhymes!) anyway I’ve just received a text from my sister saying that she has got us tickets to go and see MIKA. I’m so excited, his gigs are more like shows, or were for his last album, however, his songs have gone all club like so I really don’t know what to expect.

I swear these minutes are dragging. I have REP next and the people in my class are so lovely; it shouldn’t be too much of a bad lesson. Then, this afternoon, I have the college magazine which sucks cause it’s an enrichment and is compulsory (it takes up two of my frees). But hey, it was the best of a bad bunch … I mean I could be doing rugby?

Anyway, I should really return to these spellings unfortunately … wish me luck! x

College life

So yesterday I entered the world of college life. It’s a beautiful place full of … work and … very intimidating people, but the subjects I’ve taken themselves are actually quite alright (so far). We’ve been told to read this book called The Company of Wolves, it’s like an alternative take on Little Red Riding Hood, though very disturbing in some parts and quite gothic. I think I’m gonna like it though. My REP, Critical Thinking and History classes seem nice, it’s just my English lit and language classes that are both kind of scary; Tall men with beards. Also, I’ve noticed that almost everyone is ginger too. All these ginger guys walking around ... quite funny. And then if it’s not ginger, it’s a bleach blonde surfer hairdo - bless them!

Then you get the buses. Not my friend. They came at the right time on Tuesday, and we got to sixth around an hour early, that’s alright though … time to explore. But then today was awful. We waited half an hour (7:10am – 7:40am) and not one bus showed up. This is quite worrying as it takes around an hour to get to sixth and college starts at 8:45. Also, it was enrichments today and they opened at 8am so we all wanted to be there early to bag a place in a good subject. We ended up getting there at 8:35 and no computers were free. I managed to get a place on the college magazine eventually which is really good. It was either that or photography and no one could find photography on the list so the magazine it was.

That’s my two days summed up. It can be a lonely place, but I’ve made a friend, he is also ginger, looks kind of like Ed Sheeren but is very nice! Annnnd, he is also on the college magainze with all the same frees as me, so hopefully I can buddy up with him and his friendlings.

Other than that, not much has happened in the life of moi. I have got an interview back from Clint Boon which is amazing and will be featuring in the next Woodnote. He has drawn himself too which is rather cute so yeah, check it out in the next issue.

Blue Monday and Batman

The picture in the paper (which made me gain like, 5stone) ... I'm the one wearing the orange jumper.

I went to see Batman, The Dark Night Rises, today. Was extremely good and I started filling up at the end; are you meant to cry at Batman? Can't say I've done much more today. Listened to a bit of New Order, I've only just started getting into them which is highly embarrassing! I should have listened to them ages ago. I mean ... I've always liked 'Blue Monday', just haven't ventured past it. Kind of like The Primitives, I've listened to 'Crash', but didn't really get deeper than that for a while.

Anyway, whilst I was on holiday, I purchased a New Order record completely blind. I played it when I got back and they're so good! So if you've been like me and casted over them, please give some of their other things a listen cause I think they're verging on being one of my favourite bands. And if you've never heard of them, listen to 'Blue Monday' or 'True Faith', class tunes! Also, do check out The Primitives, they're also ace.

Results day

Hookay, so yesterday was results day. I was so nervous and haven’t eaten/slept properly for the last few days, but everything has turned out alright! I was one of the first people in my school to receive my results and I opened the scary brown envolope with two other friends. To be honest, I didn’t expect the results I got; I thought I had done worse! I ended up getting 3 A*s, 6.5 As, 1 B and 2 Cs (one of which being in further maths?!?!?!?! And the other was our 16 week course in Psychology).

I’m so happy with what I got, and one ofmy A*s was in art which is a huuuge shock! A*s in art are unheard of, and my teacher kept saying that I wouldn’t get the grade I wanted … I mean, I guess she was half right .. I didn’t get the grade I wanted, I got far better! So yesterday was an extremely good day.

Today, I enrolled at sixth form. I’ve chosen to do REP (Religion, Ethics and Philosophy), English Lit, English Lang and History Modern, hopefully it will get me onto an English course at uni in two years. I was also in the paper today. We were asked to jump in the air with our results (which was highly embarrassing) and then were interviewed afterwards. It’s a lovely write up though, says something like ‘’Abigail Gillibrand, an aspiring Journalist got a string of As and A*s’’ … so proud of my little self!

So yeah, I’m really chuffed with the past few days, things have seemed to run very smoothly which is ace, but all these sleepless nights and early mornings have left me drained. I think it’s a hot chocolate and bed for me!

Night peeps :) xx

Summer Hols 2012

Hey guys, just got back from a holiday in Whitby. It was lovely and we caught the hottest week of the summer so far. I went with my family and we visited all the little villages nearby. From Filey beach to Pickering Castle, it truly is such a beautiful place to see. The first day we stopped off in York and walked along the high street. We fell across a small Viking market which was so cute, they had a room full of outfits that people had worn in films too; Keira Knightley’s dress from The Duchess, Heath Ledger’s  blue/grey outfit from the 2005 movie Casanova. We went to many castles and country houses too, one of them being Castle Howard where Brideshead Revisited was filmed. We saw Whitby Abbey, where we managed to save some newts that had fallen into a grave, and the Dracula experience. It was pretty lame if I’m being honest, but I was so scared! We went round and all it was was a dark walk through, then some guy at the end jumps out at you with a horrible mask on! Yes, I did scream, but it wasn’t that scary! Talking about Dracula, we saw so many bats just hanging from the walls of old buildings and one was chilling on the floor of a museum.

Nearer the end of the week, we all went dinosaur fossil hunting along the beach and actually found some! I discovered a Gryphaea which is kind of like a sea muscle, they’re known as a ‘Devil’s Toenail’ which is pretty cool. My mum came across some shell fossils and my sister found an ammonite. My dad however, well he was quite content with his piece of concrete he found within the first five minutes- Though nearer the end he did pick up some fossilised coral!

On the way home we called off at Leeds and went into a record shop. They said that they could start stocking Woodnote there which is so exciting! It’s going to be in a shop!! I bought a pretty sweet hat, and a few records – Inspiral Carpets, The Charlatans, Blue Monday, The Soup Dragons. They stocked Carter Tutti Void’s Transverse too which was cool; can’t look at it for too long though, makes your eyes go all weird!

Overall it’s been an ace week and I think we’re off to Chester sometime soon too which will be lovely! Then the next big thing will be my results day on the 23rd. I’m so nervous but I’ll let you know how I go on. Thinking of going into journalism so I hope my English and History grades are good!

Fingers crossed xx

Best year ever!!!

A year ago today if you’d have told me what was going to happen in the next 12 months, I totally wouldn’t have believed a single word. From taking all of my GCSE’s and my sister leaving home to go to university to producing my fanzine, Woodnote, and selling it at a Charlatans gig, it has been one heck of a year.
It was the 27th of July 2011 that I first saw Tim Burgess live and got to meet him and Mark Collins. It was a fantastic night, with the support act being Joseph Coward … who would later become an amazing friend; I didn’t think that it could get any better. That summer my sister packed up and headed on out to Leeds uni. It was so sad seeing her go and every time she comes home it’s always tainted with the sadness that she’s got to go back! The day she left, not only did everything change, I felt a change in myself, as if I’d have to be more independent and go my own way- instead of relying on her to guide me through my life. Childhood suddenly froze. The end of an era.

I’d taken art for GCSE and was told to draw and collage in the style of Sandhi Schimmel. I chose to draw one of my huge inspirations, Nik Void. Once I’d completed the piece I sent her a picture of it. The response was amazing! She asked me to draw Gabe and Dom from the band FF too and said that she’d use them altogether. I was delighted with the fact that she’d even taken time to look at my art, let alone ask me to draw some more. To show her gratitude she sent me her CD, a FF T-shirt, badge and a small note signed Factory Floor. It’s such a great feeling to have one of your idols admire your art!

Then, one evening, I don’t really know how it came about, but Joseph Coward suggested that I should start a fanzine. He said he’d help me out for the first issue and provide me with an interview; kind of me helping him out too. And then I guess the next day was the birth of Woodnote. That has been such a crazy ride. Getting interviews from such amazing people, Tim Burgess… Tom Caulfield … Joseph Coward … Nik Colk and Gabe Gurnsey. It’s also helped me meet awesome people too. Asking for reviews and talking to people with the same interest has been so great!

The zine helped me get to meet Tim Burgess backstage again too, and I even got to sell the second issue at his gig. I’m so grateful of all the support everyone’s shown for it, it’s been a hell of a journey, and I’ve only just released issue 3!!

I guess on top of all of this, I’ve completed my GCSE’s! It’s a huge relief to have nothing to do and everything to be over - though I’m quite nervous to get my grades back. I so hope I’ve done well with the amount of work I’ve put into it all.

And to make an ace year even better, I have met some amazing people that will be friends for life. Holding a great x-mas party that is still talked about today, and just having a good set of friends to rely on has been a change to my lonesome school life.

So that’s kind of my year summed up. It’s been crazy, emotional and amazing. Seriously … I don’t think I would change anything right now, things are looking fine!

Magic Mike

I went to watch Magic Mike with my friend the other day, when we walked into the cinema, there were only three other people sat down, and they were all around 70+. We thought we had gone into the wrong movie … Why were 70 year olds watching a film about male strippers?

Anyway, we sat down and the film begun … there wasn’t really a story line and it got off to a slow start. The guy staring in it was Alex Pettyfer which was funny, me and my friend came to the conclusion that he looks just like Joseph Coward (with a beard), which made the film even more awkward to watch! Half way through the film, the old people walked out and never came back! Think it was too much for them or something!

Anyway … I put these pictures together … What do you think? They could be the same person right?