Santa delivered a large supply of sharpies. By @eandertonallen
By Beth Anderton-Allen
Santa delivered a large supply of sharpies.
Santa delivered a large supply of sharpies and a new portfolio, so I’m a happy penguin. But having a break off SCA has been a bit weird, I almost feel as though I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m finding that too much free time is a little boring and I seem to be getting fidgety. So, I’ve been trying to keep myself occupied with the Christmas tasks.
As soon as I got back to Brighton I decided to contact some old friends from college who I hadn’t seen in about 3 years. We all used to be really close and then drifted apart when we all went to uni. A trip to the pub for a few pints was swiftly organised. We ended up moving to another pub and happened to bump into a group of people who we all knew but hadn’t seen in years. It was a strange coincidence, but it was really nice to see what people were up to now.
On the drive to visit my family, I stopped off in a motorway service station for a coffee. I sat there for a while and just watched people as they went by. Individuals from all walks of life pass through there. It was interesting to watch people frantically rushing around as they travel up and down the country to see their families over the Christmas break. Whilst I sat there it became apparent to me that, since leaving London, I’ve really noticed just how much of an ageing population we are; so maybe we should take this into account when creating our ads.
I have actually ended up watching quite a few films that I would never have considered watching over the Christmas break. Mainly because my mum has made me sit down and watch them with her. But I’ve not watched many classic movies or ones directed by particularly great directors. I’m one of those people who enjoys watching Bridget Jones or a film where I can quote ‘None for you Gretchen Weiners’. So, I decided that I would watch Woody Allen’s American classic Annie Hall. Apparently, it’s his funniest screen play. The opening lines go, “There’s an old joke,” begins Woody Allen, talking straight to camera. “Two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of ’em says, ‘Boy, the food at this place is really terrible.’ The other one says, ‘Yeah, I know; and such small portions.’ Well, that’s essentially how I feel about life – full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it’s all over much too quickly.”
I have also been trying to challenge myself by reading George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s going to take me quite a while to get my head around it because I don’t really enjoy reading fiction. But I’m sure I will get there.