Look at me, I'm a motorist!

Well... I did it. I passed my driving test. First time. Holy shit. I nearly collapsed with shock when yer man told me. MADNESS!!! It's so great though, I've been motoring around the place ever since. Myself and Col road-tripped down to Nannan and Grandad last night, the look on their faces was priceless when we showed up at the door! But yeah, bottom line is, I passed and now the world is my oyster... well, Ireland is my oyster. I'm gonna go to Dublin sometime soon, obviously with mam for my first time, but after that I'll be able to do it whenever.

I have a new cousin! Dympna had a little baby girl, Rachel Genevieve (I'm so jealous of that amazing name!) last week. Nannan kept a newspaper from the day she was born, and there's a gorgeous picture on the front page of Emma Watson and Rupert Grint at the Harry Potter premiere (another thing I'm jealous of, what a cool day to be born)! I'm so thrilled for Dympna and Phil, I really really am. I haven't been down yet to visit, but I'll go down as soon as possible to see Rachel while she's still tiny. I'm gonna be her uncool older cousin, there's 23 years between us! Eep! How embarrassing! Still thought, hooray for new family members!

Speaking of the Harry Potter premiere, I saw Deathly Hallows 2 twice in one weekend... it was awesome. Loved it. I even cried a little bit, it was very emotional!

Google+ ... what?

I joined Google+ today because for some reason, Facebook is officially uncool now. I don't really get it, but hey, I'm sure it'll make sense eventually.

The Film Fleadh was last week, meaning the weekend was a drunken, sleep-deprived, film-overloaded mess. Good fun though. Eoin, Neev, Rebecca, Nuala, Jess, etc etc etc all came up for it, it was awesome. And a film Billy worked on won the animation shorts, and McNulty's film came second. I went to the screening on Twohig's pass because he couldn't go... God, my friends are so successful! Anyway, the bottom line is, the Fleadh kicked arse this year. Which is good, because I had a pretty shite time last year.

My driving test is approaching... I would be absolutely shocked if I didn't fail. Like, completely stunned. I have so many bad habits and I can't reverse around a corner without hitting a kerb or ending up in the middle of the road. Aaaahhh... why did I leave it too late to postpone?? Whyyyyy?????? Oh well.

John Peavoy Sleeps With A Basil Plant Which He Believes Gives Him Sexual Powers

... the title is the last thing Anne said to me before I started typing this. We're just back from a road trip to TESCO, how exciting! The joys of having a car, or as Peavoy calls it, my Pussy Wagon.

Kelly's had another of their ridiculously difficult table quizzes last night, but this month's one was Simpsons themed! And instead of coming last, I was on the winning team! Woo! €150 voucher for Kelly's, thank you very much! Our team consisted of myself, Diarmaid, Donal and Mark. We got 78 right out of 80, and it would've been a perfect score except that we worded two answers wrong. One of the answers was the Ironic Punishments Division (we answered Department of Ironic Punishments) and the other was The First Annual Montgomery Burns Award For Outstanding Achievement In The Field Of Excellence (we wrote Monty instead of Montgomery). Ah well! If we'd gotten 80 right out of 80 they would've thought we were even bigger freaks than they already thought we were!

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do when I finish working on Joe and Jack. I've decided I want to take a holiday, by myself, to some big city that speaks English (for the simple reason that I'll be on my own, not that I have anything against non-English-speaking countries - hey, I've been to Tokyo for feck sake). I'm thinking either San Francisco or Los Angeles. Originally it was LA, but John said he's been there and doesn't recommend it. He said San Francisco is smaller and more pleasant, while still being a city. I dunno... I'll have to have a big think about it. I have plenty of time anyway, we're only on our third episode!

'No One's Gonna Love You....'

You know that feeling where you feel so unloved that you just wanna sit in your pyjamas, listening to 'No One's Gonna Love You' by Band Of Horses at top volume and sobbing into your entire tub of ice cream?

No? Oh, me neither! I was just kidding! Obviously!

Why... WHYYYYY

Crap. It has indeed been over a month since I last posted, and I have no real news. Went to Slane with Gulla, drove to Cork, went to the IADT grad exhibition, worked a lot, partied a bit. But what have I been doing recently, you ask? As in, in the last 24 hours? MAKING SHIT OF MY HAIR, THAT'S WHAT!!! Arrrgh! I decided in my infinite wisdom and raging peroxide addiction to do my own roots. Left the bleach on too long, ended up with yellowy-white roots. Had to do the rest of my hair that colour too. Now my whole head is yellowy white. And it looks rotten. My eyebrows are still black, my eyes are still brown, and now my face looks pink. WHAT THE CRAP WAS I THINKING!?!? Why do I always think I can do a good job of my hair myself!? FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS!!!! ALSO I APPEAR TO BE BECOMING ADDICTED TO CAPS LOCK!!! AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!1 So I'm going to a hairdresser in town on Friday evening to get him to work his magic on my hair and put it back to normal. I'm willing to pay above the odds to make myself NOT look like an X-Men reject anymore. And I'm too afraid to go to Valarie because the last time I made a bollox of my hair she did such a lovely job making it right, and I don't want to seem like a complete idiot by destroying it again, less than a year later. Urgh. Why, Schwartzkopf. Why do you have to make peroxide so cheap and easily accessible. Why. Sigh... Fair the well, nice blonde hair. Twas nice knowing you.

Mayday!

...aaaaand it's the first of May, so it's officially summer. Woo! Not that it really matters since I'm a working woman now, but still, it's nice to wake up to sunshine in the mornings. I spent my first day of May with none other than Mr. Hamilton, he came up to visit since I was on my lonesome in the apartment, what with Anne and Peavoy gone a-gallivanting. We had an awesome time - movies and wine last night, and we went to the aquarium today and drew fish. It was so much fun! It's just a pity he couldn't stay longer. :( Oh well, after his reaction to my lovely apartment I'm sure he'll be back again soon!

I visited Dad in hospital this morning (Andy went off for a wander around Salthill while I was there), he's coming home for his weekly break from the treatment on Tuesday. Then I drove from the hospital back to Salthill - and some stupid bitch in a Jeep opened her door just as I drove past, I nearly knocked it clean off. God dammit!

On Friday night I went to see Toby Kaar playing the Roisin with Grace. It was so much fun, and he played all my favourites - except Bread! I would've been disappointed if it wasn't for the fact that I enjoyed it so much. I introduced myself after the gig, he's a lovely guy and said I can use his music for my showreel if I want. Score! I'll probably use either Mexico or Bayleaf, depending on what suits it better. I met him in Kelly's a few hours later, I was locked, and I think I gave out to him for not playing Bread. Oops! I was in Kelly's with the Morley cousins for Barry and Darragh's birthday, it was a fun night! Grace came with me and got on like a house on fire with my cousins. Of course she did - she's awesome!

I think I'm gonna go crawl into bed with my laptop and watch some crappy sitcoms, and then sleep for a long time. Night night.

Welcome to the world of tomorrow!

Wahey! We are online! The NTL guys arrived yesterday to install our wonderfully fast broadband, I hardly know myself!

I'm in the apartment by myself at the moment, John is in Dublin and Anne is cycling in Connemara with her sister. John's coming back today though, I'm meeting him in town for lunch I think.

I can't believe I have a whole week off left... this is crazy! What the hell am I going to do with myself?!

That's what a fool believes

My posts are becoming increasingly sparse due to my lack of internet at home. HOWEVER, the NTL installation person is coming to bestow access to the world wide web upon us on Tuesday. Yay! Until then, I am currently posting from my parents' house.

Dad is back in hospital getting his interferon treatment. It started  last Thursday, and he'll be back out of hospital in a month. It's gonna be weird having him in there for so long, but sure it needs to be done.

I went to visit Andy in Meath the other day. It was so nice, we just sat out in the sun, then watched a ridiculous amount of TV, had some beers and chilled out. It was just the relaxing break I needed, I came back feeling like I'd had a holiday, even though it was only one night.

I was out last night with Adah, Shauna, Ethan and Adah's mate Fiona.... in Tuam. Yep, Tuam. It was... interesting. Ah no, it was lovely to get to go out with the cousins, even if the club we went to was an absolute hell-hole. Well, what did I expect, in fairness?!

I like this picture. It's cute.

Oh, the guy who let me use his music for my disaster of a fourth year film, Toby Kaar, is playing the Roisín this Friday. I'm gonna pop along to see his gig because his music is awesome and I'd like to say hi and thank him for letting me use the track. I'm looking forward to it!

Also, Russell is coming to Galway with his girlfriend! How mad is that!? He sent me a message on Facebook last week saying they're going to London, and will probably come to Galway shortly afterwards. I was so shocked, I can't wait to see him again and meet his lady! Woo!

I think that's all the news I have for now. I'll write again when I get internet in the apartment! Welcome to 2011, Claire!

I heart redheads!

Another thing I love, apart from bassists and androgynous girls, is gingers. Particularly these ones!


Josh Homme

Dear lord. This man is beautiful.





Domhnall Gleeson

Just discovered this one recently. Extra points for being Bill Weasley.




Hayley Williams

Probably not a natural redhead, but I'd love to look like this woman.

Sneak peek!

It's been ages since I wrote!

I'm at home in my parents' house at the moment, but I have started my new job and moved into my new house. And it's awesome! The show we're working on is called Joe and Jack (formerly Jo and Jack but it appears to have been changed), the following ad was in Kidscreen magazine today so I feel it's probably okay to re-post it on my blog. Hopefully.... 

Isn't it cute? It's so fun to animate such sweet characters. No crazy mecha for Claire.It's Margie's anniversary tomorrow...  I can't believe it's been a year already. Christ. So we have a mass and stuff to go to tomorrow.

That's about it for now, I'm tired.

I heart androgyny 3

Ooooh!

I wish I could dress like this!

I want!

Ch-ch-check it out - awesome Secret of Kells watercolours! Oh the prettiness!

Sigh... so beautiful!

Girl-tastic

If there's anything more girly than diamond shoes or a diamond tampon, I don't want to know about it.

New house nerves

I got the keys to the apartment on Saturday, woo! So myself and Amy put on our rubber gloves and spent all day Saturday cleaning the place with brillo pads. It was tough work but well worth it, it looks so lovely now! Amy is the absolute best, I love her to bits. We rearranged some of the furniture too, so it kinda feels like ours now, instead of just someone else's house that I happen to be staying in. I stayed in Amy's that night, it was fun, I miss hanging out with herself and Richie. I was going to stay in the apartment but I have too much new house anxiety, every little noise freaks me out! I'm so jumpy. I'll have to learn to calm down.

Myself and Grace won tickets to the Heineken Green Spheres thingy last week. There were two gigs - The Go! Team and Cut Copy. I was looking forward to The Go! Team but I'd never heard of Cut Copy so I wasn't looking forward to that one so much. Sigh.. TGT were a bit of a disaster. We were drinking in Grace's house for a while first, and then went to the Black Box for the gig. At 9pm. The band didn't arrive on stage until after 12. Ugh. We were so pissed off from waiting that we left 20 minutes into their set, it just wasn't worth the three-hour wait. Then we went to the Roisin, but it was fucking NUI rag week and sure Cuba and half of Galway is closed down, so all the awful, obnoxious, shit-faced drunk, aggressive, nasty kind of students ascended upon our favourite pub and made our night there really awkward and horrible. We left after less than an hour. DISASTER ARRRGGGHHHH! The following night, however, was awesome. We went to Cut Copy in the Radisson, danced our socks off, and I went home in a much better mood. Woo!

Here's a cool picture of some Pokemon in honour of Black and White, neither of which I am going to buy because I don't understand any Pokemon after the first 151. I know, I'm old.

Super friends

Moving into my new apartment next weekend (it's now Monday, we're getting the keys on Saturday). I'm really looking forward to the little things - giving it a good clean, putting my bits and pieces in my room, that sort of thing. Am I getting old? Probably, yes. I found a box of cool old stuff in the attic, stuff from my room in the old house, that sort of thing. There were some nice photo frames there so I put pictures from Annecy and stuff in them. Here's one of them:

I love this photo and I love my friends! Annecy was fun, I'd like to go this year but I think too many of us asking to get time off for it, when we're just in the door, is taking the piss. I'm really grateful for this job, I don't want to jeopardise anything.

I heart androgyny 2

....Emma Watson, please, never grow your hair again. And also marry me.

Bollocks

It's one of my new friends' birthdays today, and I'm supposed to be going out with them, but I don't think I can. I have a history with her best friend, and it ended weirdly... cue extreme awkwardness. Boo-urns, I'd like to have gone to this party. Oh well. :(

It's also Johnny Cash's birthday today.

(I'm aware this is Joaquin Phoenix.)

My three aunties are here for the weekend, myself and dad arranged for them to come up to surprise my mam. She's had a really rough few weeks what with dad being sick and all, so dad asked the girls to come up to see her. It was so funny, the look on her face was actually priceless! She deserves a good pick-me-up though, like I said, it's been rough.

Election count today... I voted yesterday afternoon. I gave my number one to Michael Crowe (FF) and my number two to Derek Nolan (Labour). I'm happy enough with my choices, although Crowe almost definitely hasn't gotten his seat back! Nolan should get in though. I hope the voters of Dublin don't elect bloody Lucinda though, after her comments about gay marriage.. bitch. Spokesperson on equality my arse. Hence why I voted Labour number two (so he can get my vote after Crowe is eliminated lolololol) - they have a good policy on gay marriage. Fair play!

Successful times

So, I paid a little deposit on the apartment so it's officially ours! Woo! I'm so excited! I dunno... I just get a good feeling from it. It's cute. I'm hoping F and A will come to visit, and Reid has told us to book our couch for him too. Fun times ahead!

I finished up my weight loss thingy in the gym today, it seems to have been fairly successful. I mean, when I went in my body fat thing, or hip to waist ratio, or whatever it is, was supposed to be 0.8 and mine was 1.2, and now it's down to 0.9, which is cool. I'm fairly pleased with that! If I wasn't moving to the other side of the city I'd continue with it, but alas, this cannot be. I have the prom on my doorstep thought, so I'll be able to walk or jog on that... I think I mentioned this before, anyway, i'll need to keep working to fit into that damn dress!

I'm off now to watch the new episode of my ultimate guilty pleasure TV show:

...whatever, I love it, I don't care!

I heart girl bassists

Something I love just as much as androgyny - girl bassists. Here are a few of my favourites:

Paz Lenchantin

She's not just talented, she's also really cool and pretty and just generally awesome. And she was the bassist for one of my all-time favourite bands (A Perfect Circle). Love her!

Hilary Woods

Not only is Hilary a great bassist, she's also Irish, which is kinda cool.

Lyn-Z

While I don't agree with everything Mindless Self Indulgence say, you have to admit that Lyn-Z is bitchin'.

Iracema Trevisan

I spent more time trying to spell this lady's name than finding the picture of her. CSS played an amazing set at Electric Picnic two or three years ago, and I still love them because of that.

D'Arcy Wretzky

A list of female bassists wouldn't be a list of female bassists without D'Arcy!

Apartment!

So... we have an apartment! I went viewing two apartments today, both in Salthill.

The first one was very nice, it was just above a shop, spitting distance from work. It has lovely wooden floors throughout and is very, I dunno, airy or spacious or something. It looks bigger than it is. And it's got a wee balcony that looks out over the sea, which is very relaxing. The bedrooms are a good size too.. I think I already have my room picked out! The landlord seems like a nice guy too.

The second one was a disaster. Firstly, we couldn't find it for ages. Then when we did, the guy didn't even turn up. He was from an accommodation agency too, so he should've been more professional about it. Urgh. We (mam and myself) waited in the rain for forty minutes for him, and he didn't show, despite his secretary receiving increasingly pissed-off phonecalls from me. So, needless to say, we're gonna take the first one, the one above the shop. I'm pretty pleased with it, I get a really good feeling from it.

Found this today on Bryan Lee O'Malley's twitter:

Ah Ramona... you'll always be the girl for me. <3 It's a pity B.L.O'M. comes across as such a prick on twitter. Oh well.

Aside from this I have no other news. I got a cheque today from the Revenue Commissioner. For six euro. Six. I'm owed about two hundred. This bloody country...  Elections in a few days and I still haven't fully decided who I'm gonna vote for! It's so confusing. I'm not going to get into it here though.

A friend of mine's mother died the other day, which is terribly sad as that family has experienced more than its fair share of loss in recent years. Strange how life works out sometimes. RIP.

Alcho-mo-hol

...that's not a photo of me, I just thought it was cute so I robbed it.

Dear Lord, I am so tired! And kinda hungover... urrrgh. Was out last night, we went to Dignity, a gay bar in Galway. I wasn't so sure I wanted to go, but Grace and co. were going so I tagged along... and actually had a lot of fun! And I ran into an old friend from Dublin there which was nice. Oh, and a guy who studies film at IADT... weird! For a little college there's no escape from its students! Stayed at Alex's house and had to walk home this morning/afternoon, with a pounding headache, from Doughiska. It was kinda horrible but kinda nice, walking along in the pissing rain, having an aul' think.

I really want to get a new tattoo, I want it to be on the front of my shoulder, y'know, just there between the boob and the shoulder. And I think i'd like it to be a bird, but I dunno... is that too hipster? I don't want to be misconstrued as one of those dickheads.

I think I'm gonna go get a cup of hot chocolate and go to bed. Here's a cute picture to leave you with.

Dad's home!

So dad got home from hospital today! Yay! He's still very sore and has a tube stitched into his side, draining fluid out into a bottle.. but he's home. And on the road to recovery. (Fingers crossed.)

I was on DeviantArt today (shudder)... I don't honestly know why. Anyway, I saw this photo and it made me wish that firstly, I'd continued playing guitar, and secondly, that I'd continued my photography project. Sigh. I have the attention span of a child with ADD. Anyway, here's the super-cute photo in question:

Speaking of cute couples, two of my friends, one old and one new, went on a date last night. I'm not gonna name them, but they are very cute and I hope it works out for them. 

As for me... 

....I'm kidding! Honestly, I am. I just wanted to use a meme. And I had no reason to use the likes of Bachelor Frog. 

OH INTERNET, HOW I LOVE THEE! <3

I knew I named this blog Twentysomething Angst for a reason...

I heart androgyny

Just came across this picture online and had to post it because it's so cute.

Ellen Page.

Nom nom nom!

In the beginning....

Hey homies, Claire here with my sparkly new blog. This one will be different to my Livejournal in that I'm using it to ramble about stuff, instead of just posting crappy drawings.

SELF DEPRECATION LOL

For those of you who don't know me...

Yeah. That sums it up really.

So... I'm just back from visiting dad in hospital, hopefully he'll be home by tomorrow. Hopefully!

Bought my dress for Aoife's wedding yesterday, it's really awesome. Turquoise and black - how can you go wrong with that? My favourite colour combined with my most-worn colour. Pretty cool.

New Skins last night. I love Franky, she's no Naomi or Emily (who is, in fairness?) but she's still very cute. Can't believe she's the little kid from The Golden Compass... I almost feel bad for thinking she's so cute.

.....almost!
Can't believe I'm actually back watching Skins again. I haven't even seen the last four or so episodes of season four, I couldn't bear to see Effy slow-blinking and Freddie pouting through four more bloody episodes. Urgh! Heh... 'bloody'... (SPOILER)

I went to view a house this evening with mam, it was this place in Salthill for myself, Anne and Peavoy. It was shit. We definitely won't be taking it. Ah well, better luck next time! If Amy and Richie managed to find a house in less than two days, I'm confident we'll have a house by the time work begins in three weeks.

That's all for now... I'm tired.

Night night.