The Week So Far (In Numbers)

The week so far has comprised (but has not been limited to)

1: iced coffee, pub quiz, new packet of polo mints, new blog post, picture of a dog sent by a friend, outfit that accidentally matched my best friend's, moment when I laughed out loud while walking down the street alone, bowl of rice crispies, mug of green tea
2: heart shaped biscuits, selfies, hours spent playing Bye Bye Love on guitar, boxes of blueberries eaten, conversations about blue smarties, Weetabix eaten
3: different nail polish colours worn on alternate nails, nights when it's taken an age to go to sleep, bowls of muesli
4: missed calls
5: pancakes, songs from David Bowie's Young Americans
20: cry-laughing emojis sent
25: pints of water consumed
45: minutes of v chill and jazz music played in a bid to help me sleep
75: minutes spent waiting for buses (over several days) (approx.)
90: minutes of yoga (over several days)
648382942 million: plays of The Boy Is Mine by Brandy and Monica (approx.)
978737272 million: plays of Say My Name by Destiny's Child (approx.)

I've Been Thinking... - Things For This Week.

Hi!!!

Here's a collection of things for this week - things to watch, do, read and listen to - which will make your week go from good to great (or at least, better). Enjoy.

WATCH: Derry Girls on Channel 4 (on Thursdays at 10pm) and All 4.

Derry Girls is an utterly hilarious portrayal of youth, set against the backdrop of 1990s Derry in Northern Ireland. Full of very real characters, genuinely funny jokes and the effort and energy of a great cast and crew, you'll be doing yourself a favour if you watch it. It's easily one of the best shows I have seen in ages and I am the biggest fangirl of it. You can see the first two episodes HERE.

LISTEN: Swimming Tapes on SoundCloud.

I recommended some bands that I have been enjoying on SoundCloud recently in THIS post and Swimming Tapes were one of them. They are the band to go to for soft, dreamy guitar tracks which are the perfect way to inject bright and fun feelings into your life this week. Find their SoundCloud page HERE.

READ: Star Wars, The Debate Wars: Jedi vs Sith on Chronicles of the Red Herring.

Even though we have both been blogging for ages, my best friend and I have never collaborated on a blog post (at least not on our current blogs), until now. It took us ages to find a topic we disagree on but eventually we found one - I'm on the side of the Jedi, she prefers the Sith. In the post we discuss everything from weapons to memes - and I took the memes very seriously. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, it was great to work on something together, and if you're a Star Wars fan, I think you'll like reading our Light Side vs Dark Side debate. It might be going up here soon, too, but just in case or if you'd just like to get on with it and read the thing I've been rambling about, we'd both really appreciate if you went over HERE and read it - and as always feel free to share your opinions in the comments - especially if you want to talk about memes.

DO: Sign petitions to help protect the homeless.

This will take all of five minutes to do but it is so worthwhile. The council for Windsor want the police to remove all homeless people and rough sleepers from the area by May (aka the month of the Royal Wedding). THIS petition asks for a long-term solution to help Windsor's homeless population rather than the dehumanising proposed short-term measure. THIS petition asks for the repeal of the 1824 Vagrancy Act which makes it an offence to rough-sleep or beg in England and Wales. This law, despite being two-hundred years old, has been used as recently as 2014 to arrest and charge people. Poverty is not a crime or an inevitability - rage against it.

Thanks for reading - I hope I've helped you find some ways to fill your time this week.
What are your recomendations for this week? Do you have any other comments or suggestions for future posts? Feel free to leave a comment below if you do.
I hope you have a great week - you got this.

GingerSnaps xxx

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do - Music - The Bands I've Been Listening To On SoundCloud This Week.

Hi!!!

I love SoundCloud. It is easily one of my favourite platforms and, for any music obsessive, it is an essential to have bookmarked. I personally mostly use SoundCloud to find new artists and to listen to songs by said artists if I love what they do (especially those who are yet to release full EPs or albums). I thought I'd share three bands I've been listening to - and loving - on SoundCloud this week.

Swimming Tapes.

Swimming Tapes make dreamy guitar pop with soft sunshine vibes. The music they make is like Fanta - fizzy, orange, fun. There's an intricacy to the layering of their songs and a gentle, hazy quality to the vocals and to the overall sound of the songs. Everything feels fresh - even though there are some vintage influences I can here, absolutely nothing about their sound feels recycled or like I've heard it before.

Start with: Queen's Parade.

Husky Loops.

Specialising in oh so cool and super magnetic music, Husky Loops are the band to check out if you love smooth, slick rock. Making dynamic and seemingly effortless use of electronic elements and often taking the unexpected road whenever the opportunity arises, be it in the middle or at the end of a piece, moves their songs away from the standard and predictable, creating a sound that really stands out.

Start with: Fighting Myself.

TOUTS.

If you like bold sounds, blunt lyrics and punk music, you should definitely check out TOUTS. A three piece punk band from Derry who have managed to carve out a space for themselves in the genre which carries all of the fire and fight it should but is still listenable. It isn't noisy for the sake of being noisy, something that has always bothered me about certain punk groups - punk should have something to say and sometimes people turn their amps up to disguise when they don't. TOUTS have plenty to say and say it with Northern Irish vocals and a certainty that they are right, which is what makes them.

Start with: No Name.

Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoy exploring the recomendations in today's post.

Who have you been listening to recently (particularly on SoundCloud)? Do you have any other comments or suggestions for future posts? Leave a comment to let me know.

Speak soon.

I hope you have an utterly brilliant day!

• GingerSnaps xxx