January, January

January, January

Okay so it’s the last day of January, one of the things I wanted to do this year was post on every month so I’d have twelve hopefully fun filled blogs by the end of the year.

January did not start out awesome.

Okay so I’m sitting here listening to some Paramore and going through my January memories.

I guess New Year was pretty boring just sat with the family and blah, blah, blah.

First Saturday was awesome though, 3^rd if I remember correctly? Well we went to the Catty (Cathouse). We took Kieran though. We only took him because our friend Grant is scared of “social gatherings”. He is the most awkward boy you could ever meet! So back onto the point it was me, Kieran and Rhys. Rhys and I had a bunch of fun. Kieran I’m not sure. Yeah it was incredibly fun though, dancing, singing and talking to people.

Then of course there was a big boring gap.

Then there was Wednesday 13^th January. Up at 8am and out the door for 10am with Grant. Down to Port Glasgow train station were we bumped into Louise, Reagan and Kieran. We were all incredibly ecstatic! So on the train up we all took pictures and chatted. Then we raced up to the top end of Buchanan Street to get in queue to meet YOU ME AT SIX!!

We sat and queued for about 6 hours? It was fun though we went wonders and all that had some wee banter. At one point on our little wanders, Louise, Kieran and I were in HMV on Argyll Street, a woman was talking to us about the ym@6 signing and she said have you got your stamp yet? Puzzled we said, “No are they doing stamps?” yeah so we then ran all the way up Buchanan Street and just made it! Grant had fucked off though, and he nearly missed the stamp guy completely! So we ran to the back of the queue to find the stamp guy and get his hand stamped. Fortunately he did get it stamped. So another hour or so and we were finally getting in to the live set. They played about 7 amazing songs. During the last song though, we all went to the front of the signing part. So there we were for another 15 minutes. Waiting on them to come and meet us. Then they came and I was babbling like an idiot as usual. I did get a Kiss from Chris and a high five from Dan. That was awesome! So afterwards Louise, Reagan and Kieran went home but Rhys – who met up with us earlier that day – Grant and I went to the back of the building where they would be coming out, not satisfied with meeting them once. So once there we met a few nice people. We were there about an hour before they came out. Security was tight. No one at the back even got to meet them! They just came out and straight into the van. Once they came out though it was madness! Everyone RAN after that van, myself included, so anyway there was rumors going about that they were headed to the catty and so we went there and met a few cool people, one we sat and spoke to for a fair bit was Meagan, she was nice, we waited with her to get a bus home and then went for our own since the guys didn’t come to the catty, it was amazing though! Now I have a signed album.

That was probably one of the wilder days. So again there was the boredom.

Then there was Twenty Twenty! Monday 25^th January. I left school at break and went and got ready and left for Glasgow myself. Rhys was staying at school. So I managed to get up for about 12 and there were a few people there, Rachel, Laura and Lauren and Jake and Clare – they travelled down from Aberdeen like wow – so they invited me to sit with them. They were awesome and then about one Twenty Twenty arrived! First to get out the van was the beautiful Sam Halliday! I was like Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi! He did say Hi back and then it was Sam and Sonny! I got hugs of Sam and Sonny and I was like Hix10 to Jack as well and I’m like “I’ll get past saying ‘hi’ soon” he just started laughing like yeah. So that was awesome. Then the New Cities came and then THE BROADCAST! I actually love this band, I seen them last year with Mission District. I went up straight away to chat with them, I talk to the lead singer guy Azza on msn and such so I feel like I know him kind-a like so I’m just like ‘Can I get a picture Azza?’ and he’s just like ‘aw yeah wicked’ and then my heart stopped. So anyway got a picture with Steve and Adam as well and Marc, well Marc had fucked off at this point. So anyway at one point I had went to Subway for a drink and The Broadcast guys were like just sitting there eating a subway! As boring as it sounds it just amused me that these four guys who play awesome music and are just awesome are sitting in the same Subway as me. So anyway I’m walking out and I kind-a looked at Azza and smiled. Then I walked into the door. Can you imagine the embarrassment? I’m smiling at the guy I adore and then BANG I walk into the stupid door! Yeah so anyway I also tried to get Azza to threaten Rhys into buying a ticket but Azza was like ‘I’m not going to make him buy a ticket, if he wants to buy one then cool man but he doesn’t have too’ he said this in a jokey voice, then he says to Rhys ‘but please buy a ticket, it would mean the world to us if you did!’. They’re just amazing guys. So then Gap Year Riot turned up and went in. Time passed and Dave and another guy from Gap Year came outside for a minute and the doors locked on them and they must have been out for at least 40 minutes. Then this woman was going in and she had a key like and Dave and that guy go to walk in and she’s like ‘sorry I can’t let anyone in’ and everyone who heard laughed at her and then we all started saying who they were and she’s like –in the most cheekiest voice ever- ‘well I didn’t know that did I?’.

Anyways just waiting about after that and then I see the guy who signed my head at Mission District I was just like ‘Hey didn’t I meet you at TMD’ and he’s like ‘yeah I signed your head.’

I know most of these wee stories will not mean much to anyone reading this but y’know these are wee things that make me laugh and I want to be able to look back at this and remember them.

So anyway then we eventually got in, I went straight to Merchandise and bought the ‘I got down with Twenty Twenty t-shirt and their two EP’s. So I went to my wee place at the front and just got quickly changed into my TT tee. Ailsa’s face was priceless when I took my top of she screamed my name I’m like yeah Ailsa draw attention to me. So the Broadcast were on first and I was just so amazed. I just love these guys live! I used up most of my battery filming them! That was worth it though since they linked my video on Facebook. So yeah they were completely and definitely amazing, I love them live, so I have tickets for April to see them, can’t wait. Then up were The Gap Year Riot, – they’re a Glasgow band – they were pretty amazing! I only knew one of their songs but the rest were awesome! I want to go see them again in March I think it is? Yeah so the next act was The New Cities, they’re from Montreal – I think so anyway, Canada and they are absolutely amazing! The energy from them was just epic and like wow, my most commonly used descriptive word ‘wow’, yeah they were really awesome anyway. So then it was TWENTY TWENTY!! They came on and my heart stopped, I kind of had to force myself to start breathing that finally I was seeing them! They opened with ‘Yeah but no’ and from then things just went from good to amazing, I also got some really cool pictures of Jack. So the gig, even though I cannot describe how amazing it was due to my lack of vocabulary was really, really remarkable and just one of those significant days. It was truly astounding and the night went perfectly!

So afterwards I met everyone from the band and got pictures and all that Jazz meeting them all was fantastic and I asked the Broadcast to sign my ticket for their gig, the look on Azza’s face was just amazing, he just looked so stunned and exultant. It kind of made my day in a way, his expression, I can’t even describe. So after meeting all the bands I said bye to a few people and then we walked to Central with Laura, which was fun we just talked about random stuff and then we waited till her train came and then we went for our own.

So I guess that was a pretty good day.

Last Saturday of January we went to the Cathouse, which was entertaining.

So I suppose this month hasn’t been too bad, when you compare it to this time last year the highlight was missing school and going to Braehead to see Twilight. So things have changed a lot!

February should be fun!

Amanda xx

In 2009...

Just a little bit about me and what I did in 2009!

New Year’s Resolution: To have as much fun as possible.

January 1^st

Me, Myself & I

Of these things I am sure of, my name Is Amanda Grierson, I have a slight tendency to obsess over things, then get over them soon after. I know that I would love to write a fiction book and have it as a best seller; I also know that I will not leave school with good qualifications.

I know that I want to work with animals and in the next year own a pet, preferably a dog. I know my new year’s resolution isn’t a difficult one and therefore I hope I am able to keep it.

I love the program Eastenders; I believe that it was Jack who killed Archie Mitchell. My favourite series is Gossip Girl. I do enjoy going out with my friends, I like going to the Cathouse and I also like going to gigs. I love sitting in and reading a good book. I also love listening to music anywhere. I do enjoy a good puzzle, of any kind.

I love social networking websites; preferably twitter but I also use bebo, myspace and facebook. I have the whole shebang.

My appearance I will keep brief; I have super short brown hair - I aim to have a purple hair dye in it – which I like to keep in a messed up style, using backcombing and hairspray. My eyes are a muddy green colour. I am on average a size 16 and bra size 36F. I would prefer to lose weight this year but I don’t want to make it a resolution because that would mean I would likely break it. I’m a size three in shoes, sometimes a four. My favourite shoes at the moment are my black converse.

I love my phone, it is an LG GW300, it is roughly 1.3mp camera but I don’t mind that much, it has internet as well I adore that little fact. I am an Orange customer and my package is dolphin, this means when I top up £10 a month I get 300 free texts and unlimited internet.

I aim to do a lot better in school but I know I won’t. I find school a waste of time and although I know it isn’t it is my belief. I also have neutral feelings about something until it is proven true, then the feeling that should be felt kicks in.

I have no religious views, I don’t believe in God, the Devil, heaven, hell even Allah.

My favourite colours are purple and black. I do have daily favourite colours, like the colour I feel. Ye ken?

My moments that stick out from 2009 are the gigs; Lily Allen, La Roux, Elliot Minor, Mission District, the Noisettes, MPHO, Come on Gang, Mission District, The Broadcast and Circle Stop. Another thing that sticks out is meeting Calvin Harris and Tim Minchin.

This year we also met John, he is from Dalkieth in Edinburgh. He was lovely. Grant started talking to him on a Doctor Who forums website and they had been talking for about half a year, then I started talking to him. So we all decided to go to the Irn-Bru carnival. Grant, Rhys, john and I. So it was pretty much boring, well the Irn-Bru carnival, my favourite parts of that day was walking to and from the SECC. Talking to John, Rhys decided to walk ahead that day so I could be with John and he dragged Grant with him, so it was unbelievable, we just chatted so much, so in 2010 sometime we are all going to the pictures with John, so that should be interesting.

In 2009 I also went to Ireland with my Granda for 19 whole days, so yeah, that was well a lot and it nearly killed me, I lost loads and loads of weight whilst there and had so much fun. I met a few good friends and I was surrounded by animals so It was really good.

I also got my first boyfriend in 2009, although I use the term boyfriend loosely. Matthew Henry, I asked him out and then went to the pictures with him a month later, because I was on holiday. Matthew was 16 and I really, really liked him and I still do but there was a big thing about the Noisettes gig and Matthew wanted to go and I wanted him to go but no one else did. So because I love my friends I did what I thought I had to do, but they’re not entirely guilty. I didn’t exactly have fun on the day we went to the pictures but I was incredibly shy and the part that kills me most is I made it so boring, I could feel myself in the cinema dying to turn around and just look at him but I refused to, just because i didn’t want to be put in an awkward situation, you know when you look at someone and they hold your eyes kind of thing and you just can’t seem to look away. See that really panics me and I just start feeling really sick and horrible and just bleugh!

Of course this year was the one my uncle David got married to Shelley Clink. They got married in Guthrie Castle in Forfar. I was sleeping in the castle with my Granny and her beau John. I loved the weekend! We got there and I got to see my entire dad’s side of the family I haven’t seen in years! Like my Canadian cousins Hannah and Mhari, my aunt Janice and Uncle Willie. I also got to meet my new family members and there was Nick.

Nick was one of the waiters; I’d say he was about 18? He kind of caught my eye, whilst I was with my family and at one point we walked past each other and it was like a kind of spark between our hands that were close to each others; so I decided to kind of go stand by myself and I was a little drunk so I thought I can do this. I had a can of juice in my hand and then I seen Nick coming round so I was smiling at him and looking at him and he was doing the same back; he was also pushing a trolley type thing and then about two minutes later he had walked into the wall because he was looking at me and not where he was going, he blushed, bright red and I giggled then he went into the door and a few minutes later he reappeared and I was mucking about with my phone and the back fell of it so at the same time I reached down to grab it so did Nick, then smiling – my stomach was in so many knots – we both got up and he asked if my phone was okay I said yes its always like that and then he asked me if I was finished with my coke – being a waiter and all that – I told him no and then he started walking towards an open door, I stared after him and then he signalled for me to follow him, so once out in the fresh air we were speaking a bit more, we just asked random questions and then once walking inside I slipped and Nick caught me, my heart was pounding, I was surprised he couldn’t see it, so we spoke again, he told me his job was done at midnight – so Cinderella, I know – and then as we were walking inside he turned to me and kissed me! I was blushing red and smiling and I don’t think I was breathing properly, it was unimaginable! I was just so happy. Afterwards Nick left and I went back to my room there was no point of being there after that. So all in all it was a fantastic weekend, also, at the speeches David’s was so wonderful! He had nearly everyone in tears; it was just so lovely and sweet. So yeah one of the best weekends ever.

Another fantastic weekend would have to be the one when I first got drunk with friends. Rhys, Grant, Danielle and I.

We were supposed to have been staying out all night but Grant and Danielle decided to catch the last train home.

So at the start of the evening I told my nana I was staying at Danielle’s and then borrowed mothers dress and the bottle of vodka I bought the previous weekend down to Rhys’ and Danielle and I got ready down there, I must have looked a right mess, I was wearing a bright metallic pink dress! So about half six we were ready to leave and then we caught the train to Glasgow.

Once in Glasgow we went to Subway and such so then we sat there till about 9 or 10 then we went to George Square with my vodka and Grants 11p coke. So I was the only one who seemed to get drunk and then we were just wondering the streets of Glasgow and then Danielle and Grant decided to go home but Rhys and I just refused and went back to George Square. We were sitting the freezing going fuck, what are we going to do? So still sitting there an old man approached us and asked us for a cigarette and I gave him one, he stood and spoke to us for another 15 minutes or so, I told him my name was Clare and that I was 17. So then eventually his lovely looking son dragged him away.

Rhys and I then decided to go to the cat house a.k.a the catty but they asked us for id so we were like fuck that and went for another subway, then after that we went to Buchanan bus station and sat there by this point it was about two in the morning.

After a while of sitting Rhys and I went to McDonalds so I could get some food to warm me up. I was so unbelievably cold! So after that we more or less sat at the bus station half asleep. Then at about 8am we managed to get a bus but being me I left my LG viewty at the bus station, so there I was phoneless and then I had to walk up to Rhys after getting off the bus so I could get my bag and then went home, by the time I got home it was about 11 in the morning and I went on the computer and had breakfast and by 12 I was falling asleep at the laptop so I decided to go to bed. It was pretty awesome if you ask me.

Also late 2009 Rhys Grant and I started going to the Catty under 18’s and let me say this its fucking fantastic, no one really judges you there, you can just be yourself and the people seem pretty cool as well and they play music for everyone! So that’s awesome too. You can dance and sing, meet new people and just generally have a great time!

So all in all 2009 has been a fantastic wee year!

I’ve met new people, I’ve had new experiences met new people, gone to different places and all that jazz. I feel like I’ve grown up a whole lot more.

This time last year I had long blonde hair and terrible, terrible clothes!

Now though, I’m going to gigs, the catty, more indie kind of person and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I love my life now, I am a completely different person and I am totally relieved. I have honestly changed for the better. So here’s hoping this year is as good.