This Halloween was awesome! On the weekend I went to a fancy dress party at a friend’s house, got a bit drunk, and had a lovely evening. I spent the previous week on holiday, so had to prepare a costume at the very last minute with whatever I had lying around the house. I ended up going as Leela from Futurama – I didn’t bother taking any full-body photos of my costume because it was so monumentally shit. At least everyone recognised who I was!
Then on Monday, I was offered a job! I’m now working as a receptionist; the hours are ideal, and the people there are lovely. I was very nervous and shy on my first day today, but other than that it went really well. So I’m over the moon right now! However, I have had to dye my hair, mostly in order to appear more professional and less young (everyone always tells me that I look like a rebellious teenager with my purple hair and piercings; it doesn’t help that I have a young-looking face anyway), but also because I’m more than a little bored of the hair by now. I could muster up the enthusiasm by dying it magenta or something, but I think the time has come to go back to a normal colour. It’ll be nice to have a break I suppose, and if I ever become a full-time musician, I’ll dye it again. 
Farewell, purple hair. We had some good times.
So yes, I’m now employed, and no longer have to sign on! Being an unemployed graduate was a miserable experience, and I have so much sympathy for those unfortunate enough to still be looking for work. My self-esteem has been slipping over the past few months as I put so much effort into each job application, each one ending in a rejection… but I’ll write about that subject in depth in Here. In My Head. #11.
Both the party and the job offer came at an ideal time – winter always brings out my sociable side. Now that the clocks have turned back and the weather has taken a turn for the worse, the nights are longer and darker, and I really crave company to fill those long nights – parties, sleepovers, cwtching up with a hot chocolate and a film, etc. I tend to get SAD during the winter months – I think the end of the year reminds me of dying, the way the environment decays and falls away, the fact that every year builds up towards December, only to begin the same monotonous cycle all over again in January… That sounds very melodramatic when written down. This is coming out all wrong. All I know is that when winter comes around, I start thinking about my death, and what will happen to my soul, and the fear of the unknown takes over me. Thankfully, in the past twelve months or so my mental health has improved greatly, and this year I want to avoid SAD completely if I can. The more time I spend with good company, the less I dwell on the morbid thoughts that float through my head at this time of year. I’ve managed to fit lots of things into the next two months to keep myself busy and happy, including visiting my good friend Rose in Nottingham, performing at the Swansea Feminist Network fundraiser, Reclaim the Night London, Reclaim the Night Cardiff, and the new SFN radical feminist reading group. I’m also going to try and do a few tasks from “365 Ways to Change the World“. I’m looking forward to keeping myself busy and having lots of fun despite the miserable season. Plus, Christmas is on its way, and nothing cheers me up more than an excuse to stuff my face and buy presents for people.
Music News: I’ve become a columnist for feminist music blog The Girls Are! I’m writing a fortnightly column about being a female musician breaking into the local music scene. My first column is going live sometime in the next week. Keep your eyes open for it!
Zine News: Spill the Zines is still ticking away nicely, though I’m having trouble getting people interested in writing for us. I can handle the workload of editing the blog now, but I’m worried that it’ll slip by the wayside now that I’m working. 
Also, Pandora Press #2 is on its way to the printers! Here’s the cover I designed for the zine. I’m not 100% happy with it, but it’s okay.
Pandora Press #2
Other News: I’ve uploaded my graphic design portfolio to Facebook. I find myself designing posters and zine stuff for the Swansea Feminist Network a lot recently, so I thought it’d be nice to gather them all in one place, and possibly offer my services to others for a small price. Take a look.
