Binge.

As a child it was akin to heresy to admit TV was a favorite pass time. Teachers and parents alike harped on about  physical activity and the all-powerful healer of ‘some fresh air’. I have never seen a hatred so ardent as my Dad’s loathing for The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. 

To these adult’s credit, TV and movies in general were rarely prioritized for me  as a potential activity. Unfortunately I think  due to this perceived ‘gap’ in screen viewing my habits are now the definition of unhealthy and obsessive. Not only has binge-watching effectively taken up any and all ‘alone’ time, when watching with other people I quote IMDB movie trivia so obsessively  its as though I’m attempting to impersonate  Robert Osbourne  (the one no one asked for or wanted). 

Netflix is the joy and bane of my life. No question it has effected my productivity. The sharp increase in my own and other’s viewing time and the obsessive nature with which I consume content has made me think about the future of TV and how TV affects me. Here are my thoughts and questions. 

1. Has the rate at which I finish shows made me less appreciative of the work or some of the subtleties  that contributes to a high-quality show?

2. Have my standards for rating a show being raised or lowered? Do I just now want a show with shock value or an attractive cast to immediately enjoy it? Or do I now expect all elements of a show cast/cinemotography/story-line to be of a high standard?

3. Do I have my own opinions of these shows? How do my initial impressions hold up after reading critical reviews  and fan feedback?

4. Inevitably by the third season of a show I reach a plateau of enjoyment and begin to anticipate my next show, is this die to general decline of all shows at this point or over-exposure to a single medium?

5. Is this model of release for TV shows (whole seasons released at once) indicative of the future and if so how will this change the amount/quality/variety of content produced?

6. Socially,  how will this model of release impact us both in our interactions (I know half of my time spent with friends is centered on watching new show) and our expectations for how exciting or polished our lives should be? 

As I ponder these somewhat irritating questions  I'm going to make an effort to shut off and appreciate some of that fresh air. While I sit on my beloved Mac there’s a whole real world I’m ignoring.  Arthur’s seat here I come. 

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23 Things that Make Me Happy

I live at extremes. Extremely happy,  hyper, hungry, hungover I’m not a particularly subtle person. However like anyone I do have my down days and those days are awful. 

So instead of curling up in my bed and crying over my dissertation I thought I’d make a list of everything that makes me really, truly happy. Something to reflect on when the Scottish days turn darker and the flat threatens me with frostbite (since tragically I am no longer in charge of the heating).  

When my dog Sage comes and curls up next to me on my bed without being asked.

When I haven't seen my friends in ages and we run up to each other and give each other those proper squeeze the life out of you hugs.

The kind of laughing that continues until I am weeping. This happened recently on a packed train. People started staring which made us laugh even harder. It was the best and the worst. 

When my friends and I are too cheap to go out for karaoke so sit on youtube and scream song lyric videos.

Opening the lid of a dominoes pizza box. 

Male cologne or deodorant, the right amount is the point where you're almost suffocating.

The smell of a summer barbecue. 

When I say something relatable and people get really excited and say OMG SAME.

When my Mum calls me Bethie or writes it in a text.                                                                                                      **Disclaimer: HATE when anyone else calls me this and Bethy-poo really needs to die a death.

This is so lame but I really like exiting the taxi on a night out. You're all dressed up and doing the celebrity modesty shimmy exit. You are a star!

Relatable dancing

The song Dancing in the Moonlight. It makes me half weepy, half a 1970’s interpretive dancer. 

When someone compliments me in person on something they saw on my social media.

When I gain a  follower I actually know  social media.
The made in chelsea theme song #banger. 

Playground ziplines. My dream home would have a room devoted to these. 

When all singers but especially men sing really earnestly and sort of high pitched. It’s like they’re kind of cry singing. 

Long dresses, the kind you have to hold up with one hand. 


Immaculate  handbags. Tidy handbag tidy mind. 

Drunkenly passing out in bed and finally feeling safe. 

Long-Haul airplane flights: the in flight movies, the regular drink refills, the proximity of the bathroom. Bliss. 

Drinking games. Always confusing, always end abruptly, always reveal too much. 

Any kind of Shrek reference.

Getting up ridiculously early. Like 4am early.

The music from Michael Flatley’s River Dance: Lord of the Dance.  

Skip to 2:31 to see the Lord of Dance himself. 

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COOK: Tagliatelle with Caramelised Onions and Dill Yogurt Sauce

So the first thing you’ll notice if you live with me is : I never cook. Never.  My supermarket basket is filled exclusively with salted snacks, pre-made sandwiches and microwave popcorn. On the odd occasion I want hot food Dominoes is merely a phone call away. 

However it wasn't always  this way.  Back in High school  I wasn't sharing a flat for 5 people with a kitchen for half a person. I used to love cooking and baking. I even had bake-offs with my friends ( hint just double the sugar in the recipe and you'll win every time). 

Now back at home where I can command the kitchen I got back into the groove and adapted this Turkish recipe. My Gran told me “lovely Beth” and my Grandad (the quiet type) scraped his plate which equals a winner winner chicken dinner in my mind. 

Here is it:

Tagliatelle with caramelised onions and dill yogurt sauce

(This comfortably served 3)

INGREDIENTS

  

4 medium onions very finely sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

2 bay leaves

Lots of Salt and Pepper 

2 tbsp cinnamon 

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3-4 tbsp sugar 

145g tagliatelle (pasta)

50g Greek yogurt

1½ tbsp milk or buttermilk

2 tbsp dill 

finely crumbled feta to serve

METHOD

1. Put the onions in large pot with the olive oil, bay leaves and cinnamon. Cook over a medium heat, stirring the onions, until golden.
2. Add the garlic and cook for a further two minutes.
3. Add a splash of water, turn the heat down and leave until the onions are caramelised, about 35 minutes. Check on them often and stir to ensure they’re not too dry.
4. 15 minutes before the onions are ready, begin to boil the tagliatelle in water with a little salt. 
5. When the onions are totally soft, remove the lid, season with lots of salt and pepper and boil until any excess liquid is evaporated.
6. Add the yogurt and milk or buttermilk to the onions and heat through but don’t boil. 
7. Drain the pasta and toss it into the pot with the onions, adding the dill.
8. Serve the pasta with a liberal amount of crumbled feta and a little dill on top. 

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13 Personal Questions

So as the title of this post suggests I though I would do a more ‘personal’ post! This tag has been kicking around the blogsphere for years, I first saw it on Zoella’s blog circa 2009. I tag Queen G (youcancallmequeeng.blogspot.co.uk). Here we go!(Mario)

1. What do you order at Starbucks?

Americano no milk and then liberally add sweet and low (about a bucket’s worth). 

HOWEVER the best  drink I ever had at Starbs  was the Caramel Waffle Cone Frappuccino. Upon taking my first sip I realized what Lizzie McGuire was talking about, This is what dreams are made of. 

Coffee, me and a friend 

2. What's one thing in your closet you can't live without?

My white Keds. 

3. What's one thing that most people don't know about you?

Maybe that I really like to draw, especially cartoons. I  am literally terrible at it but for some reason I find it really therapeutic. 

A misconception about me is that I’m not a very outdoorsy person. But I love walking, hiking and have never met a tree I haven't tried to  climb. 

Up a tree, as per 

4. What's one thing you want to do before you die?

• I am desperate to visit Santorini
• I want to adopt a dog and raise it myself 
• Finally I want to ride on the back of a motorbike

(Oops that's  three not one). 

5. What's one food you can't live without?

I mean there is probably no one food I couldn't live without. But in terms of a food group, probably carbs. Big fan of bread based products.

My favorite food group in the form of cake 

6. What phrase or quote do you live by?

Regret is pointless. Unless you did something really morally wrong, the decisions you made in the past were made for a good reason. 

Whether that reason makes sense now or not isn’t really relevant, it did at the time. Without access to a time machine no one has the benefit of hindsight. 

7. What's your number 1 song on your iPod/iTunes?  

Good things by Oscar. That song has such nostalgic indie vibes, I think because Oscar sounds exactly like Morrissey from The Smiths. 

8. What kind of style would you describe yourself as having?

Comfortable, oversized, casual. Very beach meets Scottish weather and Beth is very cold a lot of the time. 

9. Favorite Number?

16

10. Two Hobbies?

Blogging and running. Bonus: Intensive Netflix binging

11. Two pet peeves?

Most of my pet peeves are things I do myself which is infuriating as it makes me a blatant hypocrite.

• I hate getting interrupted or when someone seems bored by the conversation we’re having. 

• Toilet humor. It makes me uncomfortable and weirdly angry.  And it's not like a squeamish person, I worked for a year at a care home!

12. What would you most like to change about yourself?

Personality wise, maybe how anxious and worried I get about minor things. Looks wise, I wish I was naturally tan. 

13. Guilty pleasure? 

Humiliating but true: listening to Aqua. Yes the band that gave us Barbie Girl. I could listen to their album Aquarium on repeat for days. 

Dancing, probably to Aqua

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What Not to do in London

If you follow this guide Harry. 

Agh London, home of the red phone box, Sherlock Holmes (whose hottest interpretation was played by either Robery Downey jr. or Benedict Cumberbatch I have yet to make a definitive choice) and a questionably clean river.

Why London you ask? Well my friends it’s cheapest exotic location you can reach by Megabus. 

My traveling companions were none other then Dan and Han. Equally bourgey* and equally savage in their judgement of anyone is not part of our family. 

This post follows tradition of my previous travel guides in advising the general public what not to do when visiting this great and hella crowded city. 

Do not stay in a hostel in a dorm room of 24 other people. 

For the love of God buy the private room. Saving 5 pounds is not worth your sanity. Being kept awake till 3am by steam-train-snoring Sam and cruch-a-lot-of-crisps Cathy will drive you to sympathize with convicted murderers. 

Do not visit the restaurant Polpo

Listed in the book 1000 places to eat before you die, I can confirm I would rather die then eat at Polpo again. The pork belly was more fat than pig, and undercooked peas should not appear in any dish but especially not a salad. 

Also paper napkins on lamps are a fire hazard not quirky hipster decor. 

Do not visit every Topshop and Urban Outfitters in every London borough. 

They are all exactly the same. And after the 5th one I should have accepted that.

Did not see any of these famous faces.

Do not Expect to see any British Youtubers.

In hindsight I realize why would in a city with a populace 8.674 million would I expect to see any kind of celebrity at tourist attractions?  Zalfie would cause an actual riot in central London. Yet for some reason during every tube ride I would surreptitiously scan every face hoping for that TMZ worthy selfie. 

Do not Take the ‘free’ photo at any tourist attraction.

The only free part of these photos is the disappointment you feel after seeing the abysmal quality. You also 100% have to pay to get a copy.

Do not hesitate to push strangers to get the prime seats on the Megabus.

You can bet everyone else will be overly aggressive and it’s for a good reason. With no assigned seats a calm demeanor when boarding will result in tragedy for 9 hours. Namely your seat mate being a creepy man with a pungently  smelling  fish sandwich.

Do not watch the street performers

1. Inevitably hyping the crowd will consist of 90% go the performance. 
2. The skill in question is typically fake or very VERY mediocre
3. They will force you to buy their mixtape and get very angry when you politely decline.

Do not take the Olympic park walking tour.

Some would question the legitimacy of a random woman leading a tour that does not take you any where near the stadium but focuses on the pollution levels and wildlife of a nearby stream. 

Sadly we left our skepticism at home and spent 2 hours on a tour of the London wetlands. 

Try to save money on food.

This is unless you want hungry vibes, followed by storming off back to Edinburgh vibes, followed by a long tense wait at Nandos that is anything but cheeky. 

For Food you should try:

Freak shakes at Molly Bakes (milkshakes topped with baked goods including cookies, brownies, cake and marshmallows).

Anything at the Borough Market although particularly Raclette at Kappacasein. 

Happy travels my friends x

*bourgey: The qualities of being bourgeois, things that the bourgeois like, things that make the bourgeois the bourgeois. 

e.g. That gated community is so bourgey, they have people to do their lawns. (courtsey of urbandictionary.com)

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July Favorites

Another month and more stuff that I’m loving. 

Personal Highlights of this month include:

• Graduation ball with my squad 
• Upgrading to a new flat (flat tour to follow)
• Finishing my last exam

Drink

I’ve always been a strictly spirit and mixer kind of girl. Even breaking way from vodka and lemonade rut and switching to margaritas (pretty much tequila and lemonade) I never ventured into new alcohol pastures.  

This all changed after grad ball.  After going an entire day without any fluids upon entering The Balmoral and being presented with a glass of prosecco, I didn't hesitate chugging that baby down. And surprisingly it wasn't terrible.  This month has allowed me to explore the wonderful world that is white wine aka. Rose, prosseco and champagne. What can I say? I am now a classy lady. If a very inebriated one. 

Books

I recently re-read Fallen Skies by Philippa Gregory. Set post- WW1 it details the life of Stephen Winters an upperclass gentlemen suffering from shell shock. He meets Lily a showgirl and against the wishes of his family marries her believing she can ‘cure’ him. 

Although the characters are pretty unlikeable to begin with, this story swiftly improves as the plot reaches its crescendo. Additionally there are two major twists that I for one did not expect. 

Films

Craig also made this appearance in Skins!

So I’ve recently gone on a Craig Roberts binge, mainly because: He starred in Submarine, possibly the most indie film ever, and I'm living the Tumblr life these days. The films in themselves weren’t amazing but Craig Roberts was a definite stand out. One to watch. 

The films ranked from best to worst were as follows:

1. Comes a Bright Day (co-starring a certain ginger grey’s anatomy doctor)

2. The Fundamentals of Caring (co-starring Selena Gomez who I would rate as  6/10 bland in this film)

3. Neighbors (co-starring Zac Efron’s body)

Music:

So I never was much of a rap or hip-hop fan barring Eminem, because let’s be honest who wasn’t on the Lose Yourself bandwagon (Mom’s spaghetti). My playlist recommendations are now full of these new genres  again in keeping with my more Tumblr aethestic. 

Drake: Too Good, One Dance, Controlla, Jumpman, For Free

Childish Gambio: Bonfire, 3005 (throwback), Sweatpants IV. Sweatpants

Shakka: Say Nada

Felix Snow feat. Ro Ransam: Lamb 

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That’s all for now, because all the fun really starts in August! 

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What I Eat in a Day: HUNGOVER EDITION

During my time as a YouTuber subscriber and blog post devourer I see these posts time and time again. Usually the person has body goals, legs for days, abs of steel or is promoting some kind of fun restrictive diet. 

What I think I look like chilling after a night out. 

What I actually look like. 

What I look like at 3pm. RIP me. 

Regrettably aside from being a vegetarian (which is akin to being a carnivore these days #plantbased #ordie) I fit none of these criteria. My diet is terrible and to compensate for the lack of protein I tend to shovel in the carbs. 

However I LOVE looking at photos/GIFs/videos/films of tasty food. I live vicariously through other’s diets. And I’m just exceedingly nosy. 

For those who are curious, here’s what I eat when I’m craving the worst kind of food. HANGOVER FOOD. 

Stay hydrated my friends

Breakfast 6AM: Water or Milkshake 

I always wake up with a raging thirst. I fill a jug of water as cold as our kitchen sink can manage,  and hobble back to bed to sleep off the impending nausea. 

Occasionally I make the foolish choice and buy ice-cream the night before. I come home, try to eat the ice cream completely wasted, fall asleep mid-spoonful and end up with a Ben and Jerry’s milkshake all over my bonnie blonde hair. I wish I was making this up. It is a tragic sight to behold. 

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Brunch 11AM:  Large Dominoes Pizza

Why so late I hear you ask? Well sadly and I have legitimate issues over this, Dominoes does not begin delivering till 11am. Although this is a travesty it does allow the time to let my flatmates and I recap our drunken escapades from the previous night. My pizza order is usually some varied veggie combination. Staples include: stuffed Crust, cheese, pineapple, sweet peppers,  and onions.  I rarely finish the entire pizza, but eat a solid 4.5 pieces (with garlic sauce OF COURSE). 

***

12:30PM : More water.

The pizza salt really kicks in and so does the raging thirst. 

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Lunch 2PM: Cadbury's Fruit and Nut Chocolate

How to further counteract the sodium racing through my blood stream? With something teaming with sugar of course! And when it comes to over excess of sugar nothing beats DAIRY MILK.  

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Snack 3PM: Black Coffee and more pizza

As young and free as I feel in the morning energy levels fade fast after a 4am bedtime and 6am rise. I chug a black coffee with Sweet and Low and snack on a slice of now cold and oh so slightly stale pizza.

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Dinner 9-10PM: 2 Corn on the Cob

I end the day later than I should but with the food of the gods. I grill 2 cobs of corn for around 30 minutes at mediumish heat, rotating at the 15 minute mark. Before grilling I bathe the cobs in butter and liberally sprinkle salt and pepper. And when I say sprinkle, most would say drown. 

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Looking back on this menu I would say:

• Portion sizes not great. 
• Sodium and sugar levels not great. 
• Hydration levels over compensating af
• BUT look at all the vegetables I managed to pack in!!

I would also like to add my skin really suffers after all this greasy food and I tend to break out the day after. However at the end of the day this food is undeniably delicious. As much as healthy alternatives could be introduced I have no desire to try and alter perfectly good food. Sorry not sorry. 

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