A to Z of Me: W

W

Walking – I walk pretty much everywhere, if I could actually walk everywhere I needed to go then I would never have started taking driving lessons. I'm not a fan of driving in the slightest (I'm both a massively nervous driver and passenger).

Weird Habits – everyone has them right? I have a few of my own, mostly food/eating related. I eat things “in order”, either least favourite to most favourite or by colour depending on what it is. For example skittles I eat in groups of colour, first one of each colour in a bunch then the remaining citrus’s in threes, then the “odd numbers” red first, green, yellow, purple and finally orange. Kit Kat’s I bite both ends off, then eat the chocolate, edges first then top. I’m weird with food. I also have my own mini-size cutlery that I always eat with. Non-food- I have volumes on a multiple of five or 11 and stop the microwave/timer at 5 or 1. I’m odd.

Warrington – this is where I was born and grew up and will forever and always be my home. Walking around there on the weekends still feels like I'd never left and I'm not 100% sure I want to. Not forever. I probably will have to for a job, but I'll miss it. It's the perfect combination of easy to reach shops and supermarkets and lovely green open spaces. I genuinely love my hometown (after having spent half my teenage years bitching about it, isn't that always the way).

Words – I like words. I like learning new ones, I like words from other languages, words are more often than not pretty to me. Or aesthetically/audibly pleasing. This is one of the many reasons I am signed up to the OED Word of the Day emails.

A to Z of Me: V

V

Vodka – vodka is my tipple of choice, mixed with Pepsi Max preferably. Actually the first alcohol I drank (aside from stealing my grandads beer as a baby) was VKD which were vodka based alcopops. I drank a lot of Bacardi in college as well, and since then can't drink it really without feeling ill. Oops. So now I mostly just drink vodka with diet mixers.

Veterinarian – when I was much younger I wanted to be a Vet. I actually did my first work experience in year 9 or 10 (whenever they sent you) at a local vet surgery. Mostly I did paperwork, made tea and cleaned but I did get to see a few surgeries happen and such. It was a cool experience but I have neither the brains nor the ability to deal with non-blood based bodily fluids to have continued pursuing it.

Vegetables – I love vegetables, I really do. I'll happily heap my plate high with broccoli and carrots and asparagus and mushrooms long before I even think about adding proteins or anything. Granted it's not that great calorie wise any more when you realise just how much vegetable is on there, but I'm getting some of my five a day!

Vampires – My most favourite horror trope creature of all, unless they sparkle *grumble*. I like my vampires dark and bloodthirsty and vicious. But yes, if something has vampires and looks good then I am all in!

A to Z of Me: U

U

Unpopular Opinions – I have a lot of them. Just as an example of the beauty ones; I don’t get the Zoella hype, or Tanya Burr, or a lot of the big youtubers to be honest. Nor do I get the Naked palette thing, or MAC hype. I used to have a MAC eyeshadow, I sold it… And one non-beauty – I don’t really understand the Disney obsession (the princess etc one, I’m all for Avengers/Marvel love, and maybe Star Wars if they don’t screw it up), I mean I liked the films as a kid? I kinda like some of the newer ones, but mostly I’m not bothered (and I have never seen Frozen, nor do I want to, and that Let it Go song… I won’t say what I want to do to that). Ps. I don’t like Friends either.

Unique – there are lots of things that make me different, but I don’t think they make me unique. However there are a couple of things I think make me pretty unique. For starters I have a wonky ribcage, one side sticks out more than the other. It’s very hard to explain, but one side sticks out way more at the bottom. I never broke them (someone asked once), I was just born like this. It’s kinda cool, but also the bottom of my ribcage sticks out nearly as much as my boobs and it makes corset wearing uncomfortable. It’s probably not unique at all really, but I’ve never met anyone like that.

Undecided – really it should be indecisive but I ran out of I’s. I’m terrible at making decisions. If you ever want to keep me busy panicking then try to make me decide between two or more things, or pick sides. I can’t do decisions.

Unicorn – “You fell in love with a unicorn. It was beautiful, then sad, then sadder. I laughed, I cried, I puked in my mouth a little.” I don’t have one. Not sure I ever will. Not sure I even believe in them.

(U's are hard, darnit)

A to Z of Me: T

T

Television – I am somewhat of a TV addict. The number of shows I try to keep up with on the regular is ridiculous, my sidereel account is a list of shame. I do manage to get exercise and try to have some kind of life outside TV, but when you're alone and isolated then sometimes TV is the best you can do.

Travel – my mum travels a lot for her job and I've been lucky enough to get to travel with her a few times, especially as a kid when my sister and I weren't old enough to be left alone at home we would often travel out during school holidays (other times we stayed at my grandparents). I've been to a lot of amazing places Rome (as a baby, I don’t remember), Paris, Lake Como, Toronto, Niagra Falls, Chicago, Lake Michigan, Florida, San Diego… lots of places. Plus as much as I can’t sleep on planes (unless, I have learnt recently, I am very drunk) I really like long flights. Doubly so when there are good movies on. Mum’s travelling has other bonuses as well, she has so many airmiles and hotel points we get to go on holiday and stay in hotels for essentially free (I’ll be spending a few days in New York after my conference in May with mum entirely on her Holiday Inn points), plus she’s one of the top tier reward members in a lot of places so we get access to the airport lounges and the Concierge Lounge in the Marriott if we’re with her.

Tentacles – I’m weirdly fascinated with tentacles, you might have guessed from my diatribe on how awesome Octopi are. They just look really cool and they’re so useful and clever. Seriously tentacles are awesome. Feel free to insert your own “meanwhile in Japan…” jokes here.

Times Tables – fun fact, I STILL struggle with my 6, 7 and 8 times tables. I seem to have a mental block with them in general, believe me I studied for hours after school and we used to do them forwards and backwards every day in class. I just suck.

Time – or rather, being on time. I almost never am. If it’s something like an appointment or exam then I’m usually suuuuper early, if it’s something I don’t have to be on time for, I’m usually late. I’m trying to do better but it’s kind of part of me now.

A to Z of Me: S

S

Self Harm – I struggled with this for many years, never really badly (I've never had stitches or been rushed to A&E) but I have more than a few scars that will probably stay with me for life. I'm mostly recovered now, but I admit I've slipped once or twice.

Supernatural – my second really big fandom, and the first I ever really poured money and time into (hello Rogue Events Conventions!). I binge watched the series and caught up to the start of season 8 to watch live, if I remember correctly, and have since been to three conventions with another two lined up and spent more money than I wish to think about. I wouldn't say that I'm obsessed but it's a big part of my life.

Sugar – I have a sweet tooth the size of the London Eye and it'll probably be the death of me. I'm really looking to cut down on my sugar intake this year, I do already sweeten my drinks with sweetener and now I'm hoping to cut out the sugary snacks in the day and replace them with fruit. I've been a sugar addict for most of my life, the worst of my binging as a small child was multipacks of Mars Bars. Hopefully I'll beat it.

Swearing – It's not cool or ladylike or any of that, but I can swear like a sailor and often have to catch myself when I'm around my mum or little kids to stop me from getting into trouble. I like making up some really fun and interesting words too, cockwomble anyone?

Storytelling – I don’t mean lying haha! When I was younger and had more time I used to write stories, okay they were never very good and they were more often than not heavily inspired by something I enjoyed reading at the time (I wrote several pages on unicorns heavily inspired by both The Firebringer Trilogy and The Unicorns of Balinor), as I got older I started writing fanfiction. Yep, I’m that person. I have a lot less time to write now, but I’m always making up stories in my head. And usually forgetting them before I get a chance to scribble them down. Oh well, one day!

A to Z of Me: Q & R

Two in one, these letters are getting difficult!

Q

Queer – I identify mainly as bisexual but I do like the queer label more as it suggests less of an obvious man/woman split and feels more encompassing of the fluidity of sexual orientation and gender. Really it's all a good way of saying I'm not straight.

Quotes – I like quotes, and lyrics which are kind of quotes. Some of my favourites are (in no particular order) “Facilis decensus Averno” (the descent into Hell is easy), “Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.” Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (I could have chosen many, many Oscar Wilde quotes, he is extremely quoteable and very wise. See here Oscar Wilde Quotes), “Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?” Terry Pratchett, Going Postal. And for that reason Sir Terry will never really die. Terry Pratchett is extremely wise and quoteable as well, I suggest going here to his quote directory on Goodreads and reading many of them. Especially Vimes' Boot theory of socioeconomics. I won’t bore you will more.

R

Roses – these are by far my favourite flowers, especially the deep red and more unique coloured ones. I’m not a fan of the scent, weirdly, but looking at them could make me happy for hours.

Rage – I have anger issues. I’m not proud of that and I try my best to control them, but I am quite irritable, especially after a long day or long week. And I have almost no patience with anyone. Still, I am getting better, in the past I’ve broken two phones and a pair of straighteners from badly losing my temper and throwing things. I also have an impressive dent in my bedroom door at home and broke a chunk off my wardrobe from the same. I scare myself sometimes.

Reading – have I mentioned this before? Ah well, I love to read. I wish I had more time for it to be honest. I used to be the bane of my mother’s life on holiday because I’d take four books with me and end up needing to buy another three because I finished them. This is why the Kindle App on my Hudl is awesome, I can take twenty books and it takes up zero space!

A to Z of Me: P

 P

Piercings – I have eight of them and I want more, if I can get over the fear of pain I have every time I go for one (I plan to get the other side of my nose pierced, or possibly my septum, once it's warmed up and I'm not a snotty mess haha). I've liked piercings, especially the less 'standard' ones for a long time. Since well before I was old enough to get any by myself. I think I was 12 or 13 and browsing BMEzine (if any of you remember that!) and loving the surface piercings and stretched ears. Of course as soon as my first ear piercings were healed I started stretching them. If anyone would like to know more about my piercings or the process of stretching them or anything then I'd happily do some posts on them, just ask!

Podcasts – I've mentioned podcasts in a few of these posts, that's because listening to them takes up a large part of my time. Perhaps takes up is the wrong phrase, I like having sound playing when I am doing things, I don't like being in the quiet – I get anxious and distracted and it generally isn't constructive for me. Most of the time if you see me with a headphone and not on youtube/watching tv in I am either listening to a podcast or some kind of audiobook, I do have music playlists that I listen to as well, but podcasts are my listening material a lot of the time. I learn things from them and they're great ways of getting more indepth analysis and break downs of tv shows I'm invested in. Some of my favourite podcasts are (in no particular order): Caustic Soda, Night of the Living Podcast, Nerdist, The Devil You Know (Constantine), the How Stuff Works network of podcasts, A Matter of Taste (Hannibal), Last Podcast on the Left, Sawbones and Supernatural The Road So Far.

Puns – I really like puns, good or bad. I'm the kind of person who laughs at “Dad jokes” and thinks “oh deer” was one of the best Christmas jumpers I saw all year. I also really like slightly dirty puns, well I like dirty jokes of all kinds. I have a terrible sense of humour.

Purple – Guess what my favourite colour is....

Procrastination – I am a terrible procrastinator, as I mentioned when I talked about lists (link) I can make to-do lists for days, but I just waste time getting more and more detailed and not getting things done. I'll also trap myself down internet rabbit holes while doing actual research and end up not getting the work done I was supposed to. And that's before I've started taking a five minute break to go on reddit. Yeah, it's surprising I get anything done whatsoever. I'm getting better at not procrastinating and actually USING my lists.

A to Z of Me: O

 O

• Outdoors – I love being outdoors (uh, rain aside), I feel much better when I can be outside in the fresh air. Days when I've been cooped up inside all day are days when my mood goes floorwards and in a bad way. I feel awful and upset and my anxiety levels go through the roof.
  
• Octopus – I'm kind of obsessed with octupuses right now. I mean, tentacles are fascinating anyway *insert “meanwhile in Japan” joke here* but octupuses in general are just so cool. I mean look at all these facts!
  
• Orthodontist – I had braces as a kid, mostly to just move some teeth forwards so that I didn't end up needing a bunch of work done later to allow my wisdom teeth to come in, or worse – work on my wisdom teeth. It also rejigged a few of my front teeth, the lower ones have gone back to being wonky, but my canine (which my adult tooth had started growing in blooming sideways!) is fine. Plus I got to have purple and black bands on them, which was awesome.
  
• Organisation – something which I totally lack! Haha. I do enjoy putting things in specially allocated places and writing lists and trying to be organised, but then I end up with twenty different boxes for things and it just creates more mess. As for trying to get things done... well I always forget something and rush last minute. I'm a wreck.
  
• Obedient – okay so I had some headstrong teenage years but now I would much rather just follow instructions and do what I'm told and just generally be one of the sheep. Unless you're talking feminism/mental health issues, then I speak out. But in work, just don't rock the boat. I like being one of the mindless worker drones okay?

A to Z of Me: N

 N

North – I am a northerner, I've lived in the North West all my life and I just don't quite feel right down south. Everything is cheaper up here anyway ;). Though I would move southwards to a different country, mostly for the warmth!

Nostalgia – I feel like I'm too young to have nostalgia, but then I remember that I'm 24 and there are kids alive and online today who have never used a floppy disk. Heck there are probably kids online today who never suffered through the dial up tone or “get off the internet I need to use the phone”. I have a lot of nostalgia for a lot of things, including those I am strictly too young to have (benefit of old parent)

Numbers - I have a number thing. I like sevens, multiples of five, palindromes and numbers which ascend/descend in dingle steps or as doubles (eg 123 or 84). It's not OCD or anything, just weird number things that make me happy.

Naive – Not so much now, though there are still a good few aspects of adult life I am sure I am more than slightly naive about, but I grew up for a long time as a pretty naive kid. Until I was a bit older I never even thought to start looking things up on the internet (though I did look up rude words in French dictionaries!). Practical experience... lets just say I was fairly late.

Navigation – I have no sense of direction and I suck at geography, so if you ask me to direct you anywhere then you're pretty much out of luck. That being said, I'm rarely lost when I'm wandering about Bolton, or anywhere if I have a map. And if all else fails I'll walk and backtrack and try new routes until I work out where I'm going. It's never failed me yet. Or at least, not for a long while.

A to Z of Me: M

 M

Music – To repeat the old cliché, music has saved my life several times. I'm not very musically talented myself, I'm tone deaf and only got to grade one piano, but I love listening to music (and yes, singing along badly) and often find myself relating to the words and expressing feelings I am otherwise unable to by using song choices. It's really freeing and if I could explain it better it would be a great way of explaining to people how I'm really feeling.

Mythology – I grew up reading (and listening to) more mythology stories than almost anything else. I've kind of lost my memory for some of it, but as a youngster I could school the average person on Greek, Norse and Roman mythology for days. Especially the first two. I also knew a few stories from Native American and African (those being how it was listed, I'm sure that's un-PC and makes me a racist). I still deeply love mythology, it's one of the reasons I like the Thor movies more than I probably should.

Money – I am bad with it. I'm trying to get better. I very rarely take money out of the “lifetime savings” account (ie. The savings account my mum started before I was born that's been going my whole life. It is healthy looking, and will go towards a house) and I now have a seperate savings account for conventions and gifts. But still, managing money is something I struggle with. I go between periods of crazy spending, see all my eyeshadow hoard, and never wanting to spend any money, see it taking me nearly a month to even start looking for a new phone after mine broke, seriously I used a £9 Nokia brick for over a month. I am trying to work it out though, so win!

Maternal Instinct – I do not, in fact, have one. No really. Crotchgoblins do not like me, I once pointed out that a fetus was not entirely dissimilar to a teratoma and I do not have the patience to handle a misbehaving demon. It's not that I hate kids, I just have extremely low tolerance levels and children rarely fall within them. Plus babies are super ugly and I do not want to get fat and go through agonising hell.

A to Z of Me: L

 L

Learning – I really enjoy learning. I don't enjoy school much or studying one subject for a long time, but I love learning little bits of all different things. Of course there are subjects I am more interested in (science, abnormal psychology, creepy and nsfw history for example) and things I don't really have any interest in (poetry and sport for example, the uncultured yob that I am) but in general I love learning new facts and info. There are loads of learning podcasts I listen to such as the How Stuff Works network and Caustic Soda and I love them. I also get the OED Word of the Day emails, I'm that person.

Loneliness – this is something I struggle with a lot. I am working on it though, through blogging and internet forums like reddit.

Latin – I find Latin to be a really beautiful language, I have for years, and one day I would like to learn it. However I know it's really complex and while I'm devoting 90% of my working brainpower to my PhD (I don't have a lot to start with!) I'm just going to admire from afar.

Literature – okay so this is an odd one. I enjoy reading, but I don't like the classics or studying literature. English Lit was the hardest of my two english exams, I hate trying to do in depth critiques or analysis of the written word. Yep, I'm uncultured, my sister has read all the classics, I'm the philistine in our family.

Lists – I am a chronic list maker. I just really like making lists, to do lists, shopping lists, inventory lists... anything that can be stuck in list form I'll probably write that way. My main problem comes when I'm trying to actually get the stuff done FROM the list. I can write a to do list, then a list of steps to get things on the to-do list done, then I'm out of time. I guess I use lists to not do things from the list. But that's something to explain in a whole different point. 

A - Z of Me: J & K

Double letters for you today, because J and K are hard! haha

 J

Jam – I am a jam addict. I don't buy it any more because I will literally sit with a jar of jam and eat it by the spoonful.

Jerky – another food one, oops. I discovered jerky in America I think, or it was some my mum brought home from the states. Same kind of thing really. Jerky is amazing, it's a great snack and filling and I really wish we could get the cheaper bulk bags over here like that states.

K

Katie – hey look, it's my name! Actually my name is Katherine (not Kathryn, Catherine, Cathryn or any other variation thereof I've had it spelled as by others) but when I was a very little child my Grandad refused to call me Katherine. So I've been Katie from there on out. I like it much better to be honest.

Kiss – My first kiss was at 16, I was drunk playing spin the bottle. Yep I am all class. It is still probably one of my all time favourite kisses though.

A to Z of Me: I

I

Indie Cosmetics – as any of you readers know I am a huge fan of indie cosmetics, I bought my first set from Fyrinnae and Geek Chic in Feb 2012 and I haven't looked back since. At this point I think 90% of my collection, especially the eyeshadows and perfumes are indie.

Internet – I am an addict. Enough said I think.

Ipod – I love my ipod. It's the only piece of tech from Apple I own, but it was worth the money, 160GB of memory? Yes please!

Isle of Wight – fun fact, I spelt white wrong for years because we went to the Isle of Wight every summer for holidays. It is a beautiful place with the right weather, though being there with family and not a lot to do for people in their 20s if it's not warm enough to sit on the beach means I haven't been back since I was 16. Maybe I'll go again one day, but for now it's a happy memory.

Insecurities – I have them by the bucketload, but doesn't everyone? Most of my insecurities revolve around my appearance and my ability to do things. I don't like the way I look, hence the insecurity about it, I won't go into that too much. I am also insecure about my intelligence and abilities, I don't feel smart or that I am capable of doing things especially in the academic spectrum. I am working on getting more confident in what I can do but it's a long hard road.

A - Z of Me: H

It's back! I actually quite enjoy writing these posts, some of the upcoming weeks I'm rather struggling with though (I'm sure you can guess which ones). Still, after much delay here's the continuation of the A-Z of me, H.

H

Horses – Horses are far and above my favourite animal, have been for years and years. There were many dissappointed christmases when I didn't get a pony. I still dream of having my own. Horse riding was the first sport I really loved, and if it wasn't for the cost I'd go back and do it again. I really really miss it. I have a fondness for chunky horses, the cob and draft types, though Arabians are my joint favourite breed alongside Fresians.

Hellboy – The first real comic series I loved, still do. I started reading the graphic novels after I fell head over heels in love with the first film (seriously, it was the first film since Disney in childhood I watched repeatedly so much I could almost quote verbatim) and fell in love all over again. It's all the perfect mix of fantasy and horror and humour and adventure. I stopped buying the volumes for a while in uni and now I need to go back and complete my collection. Then I can start on Hellboy in Hell.

Horror – I used to be utterly terrified of scary films as a child, even Sleepy Hollow was far too scary for me to watch when that came out. Yep. What a massive change from today when there are few films that actually scare me (I think Insidious is one of the more recent ones to do so, though I haven't seen too many of last years big releases and none from this year yet) and not a great many that will gross me out much, aside from a couple specific squicks. I do enjoy them though, and I'm much pickier about what I'll watch these days.

A-Z of Me: G

G

Grandparents – My grandparents are a massive part of my life, they practically raised me! I used t spend all my school holidays with them, pretty much, and they've always been a part of my life. Well, my grandparents on my mum's side, I've never really been close to any of my dads family. I'm closer to my Grandad than my Grandma, he used to push me on the swing and he made a whole bunch of playsets as a kid. Still, I have fond memories of cooking with my Grandma. We still spend every christmas with them and I'm regularly over there when I'm home at weekends.

Graphic Novels – I prefer them to comics books, I can read more in one go and they feel like more of a money saving option. Plus I started out with Graphic Novels before single comics, compilations of Johnny The Homocidal Maniac and Gloomcookie, followed very quickly by Hellboy. I still have them, and a bunch more. I'm always wanting to add to my collection.

Gemstones - I love them, they're gorgeous. My favourites are Amethyst, Sapphire, Emerald and Opal. Diamonds don't interest me outside of them chemistry and their properties. I'm a terrible girl.

A-Z of Me: F

F

Fire – Fire is a big part of my life, my mum works in Fire Safety writing standards and doing certification for products and factories, I was brought up in and around her work. Now I'm a grown up my PhD is also in Fire Sciences, specifically Fire Materials Science formulating phosphorous based flame retardant coatings. Plus, what's not to love about fire? Aside from the whole burning thing. It looks stunning and I adore the smell of woodsmoke.

February - my birth month had to get a mention on an A – Z of me!

Fears – I have a few fears, mostly they're pretty run of the mill; I'm not a massive fan of heights, or at least heights where I'm not fully secured so really it's more a fear of falling than heights themselves, I do get super nervous standing on wobbly chairs. I'm not too big on clowns or spiders either, and now my grandparents are old I am forever in fear of them dying though again I imagine that's fairly normal. But for slightly odder ones I'm scared of phone conversations. If you make me ring someone I will end up in a wobbly, half-tearful mess, especially if anything goes even slightly wrong with the call. I hate phones, with a passion, I'll text or email instead wherever possible.

Fossils – growing up I was fascinated with fossils and fossil hunters, tying in to my fascination with dinosaurs and the prehistoric world. I remember going fossil hunting on the Isle of Wight and religiously watching a video we had about dinosaurs and fossil hunting (it was 3D, with the funny red and blue glasses).

A-Z of Me: E

 E

Eating Disorder – not much to say, I've posted about it before here. Sadly, not much has changed.

Eyes (and eyebrows) – my eyes/eyebrows are my favourite feature. They might not be to everyone's tastes, but I really love the shape of my eyebrows right now and I love being able to colour them with eyeshadow. And I just like the colour of my eyes, I've inherited my mum's grey eyes – they look blur or green depending on the environment (what I'm wearing, the weather, so many things).

Emotions – I suck at emotions. I suck at having them and I suck a million times more at actually talking about them, so far I can get as far as angry/sad/happy (which isn't even identifying a full range of emotions) but I can almost never tell you why I feel like that.

Ebay – I LOVE a good eBay bargain. It's also where I pick up a lot of my cosplay stuff, especially wigs (or rather, did pick up my cosplay stuff back in the uni days. I haven't cosplayed in ages). I haven't had much luck selling anything on there yet, but it's always one of my first ports of call if I'm on the lookout for something new.

Elfen Lied – one of my very earliest anime series and still one of my favourites. Not one for kids though.

A to Z of Me: D

 

D

Depression – This is something I have struggled with for a very long time. I've been in therapy, tried meds (didn't like what they did to me) and feel like I will likely still struggle with it for the rest of my life. But life goes on.

Drag – I love drag queens. They're amazingly talented and strong people and holy moly their makeup skills are beyond flawless.

Drinking – I like a drink now and then, and I'd love to learn how to make proper cocktails (I had a book with recipes and tips once). Vodka diet coke is my tipple of choice if you ever end up in bar with me somewhere.

Daydreaming – I daydream a lot. I used to use it to start writing stories and things when I was very little, now I mostly just use daydreaming to distract myself and to escape from things for a while into my own head.

Driving – Driving is something I really struggle with, I'm incredibly nervous in the car as a passenger let alone behind the wheel, but I'm getting there! Nearly two years into my driving lessons and I'm test standard now, a couple of tiny picky things aside, so hopefully before too long I will no longer be a learner! It's much slower than pretty much everyone else on the planet but I feel like I've come a long way from the person who got panicky about the cars driving along on the other side of the road.

A to Z of Me: C

Chemistry. Chemistry was my degree subject, it's also one of the basis subjects for my PhD so as you can imagine it's a huge part of my life. My mum also did her degree in Chemistry and works in a Chemistry based field (with fire), you could say it's in my blood.

Cold. I am perma cold, I think perhaps my blood is made of ice or something. Seriously I was wearing a hoodie and a leather jacket in San Fransisco in JUNE a couple of years ago. My hands also have really terrible circulation, leading to them being cold, semi-numb and a little blue frequently over the winter months.

Colourful Hair. I'm becoming somewhat known for my colourful hair in my office, and in general really. I think it's only been totally my natural colour (or a dyed version close enough to my natural colour to cover up the brightness last minute) two or three times in the past 6 or so years, maybe longer. Job hunting was a depressing and dull time in my life haha. I will feel like a part of me is missing when it comes down to dying it normal again after my PhD is over.

Comfort. This is why I will never be stylish, I value being comfortable far too much. Yes I like my skinny jeans, but those I buy are either a little too big or super stretchy, and I'm often wearing a comfy warm hoodie as opposed to whatever looks the best. It's also why a large percentage of my shoes are boots or skate shoes and not high heels (which I utterly adore the look of but just don't feel great in). There are reasons I'm a beauty blogger not a fashion blogger.

Conventions. I'll be at one next weekend! I really enjoy conventions, I've met some awesome friends there and no matter what drama might happen while travelling or even while I'm there I also come away with a massive smile on my face and bouncing off the walls telling everyone how amazing it was. I think they may forever be one of my biggest sources of spending.

A to Z of Me: B

This week it's time for the letter B! No set of images this week I'm afraid, sorry guys but I'm going through packing up last minute for an equally last minute work conference in Croatia and time is a premium. I still have the list though!

Bolton – this is where I am doing my PhD, admittedly it's not my favourite place in the whole world (far from it) and I could ramble about the University and it's flaws for a while, but they gave me a chance when I shouldn't really have one (heck, I don't even have a masters!) and it's home for now. Or where I live for now, I don't think I could really call it home.

Broccoli – I love broccoli, I will eat massive plates full of the stuff no problem. And I'll eat it for days on end. It's my favourite part of cooked meals on the weekend. Yes I'm a total weirdo, I don't even care.

Books – I have enjoyed reading and books for as long as I can remember, I remember reading The Hobbit back in Primary School and not wanting to do any actual work because the book was better. Surprising I made it really! And my mum used to get so frustrated with me on holiday when I got a bit older (or the weather was bad) because instead of playing in the sea or on the beach I used to read and I'd go through six or seven books, usually I'd only take one or two so we always ended up buying more. I don't get to read nearly as much as I'd like to now, as I don't have long train journeys to use up time on and with work, the gym and blogging my reading time suffers. It's a shame but I am slowly plugging my way through books.

Barry M – Barry M was one of the first makeup brands I started buying with my own money and is probably one of my first addictions, they're still my biggest go-to brand for nail varnish. I really should count the number of Barry M bottles I have, I imagine it's kind of crazy!

Beauty – Kind of an obvious one I guess, but let's face it beauty and makeup have been a big part of my life in the last few years. Well, since college really (when I first started properly experimenting with makeup). I started fairly late, I wore some really dodgy eyeliner and concealer when I was 13 but never really cared much until college. I wish I had some pictures from back in the day, it wasn't great, but I feel like I've improved. It may not be super impressive MUA levels of skill but it's a lot better than badly applied neon green eyeshadow and wonky liner!