Against the Current concert

Last night me and my sister went to see one of my favourite bands, against the current, as her present to me for my 18th birthday.

When we got to the venue I saw the band through a window and tried not to freak out while my sister stood next to me rolling her eyes at me. We had to wait outside for a little while and we saw the band (and people who had VIP) go upstairs. Not long after we we're let into the building and we gave our names and got our hands stamped. Then we waited some more.

When we were finally let upstairs to where the concert would take place, there was not a lot of people. Even as we waited not many more people turned up, I was confused because they're such an amazing band and normally there are a lot more people at their concerts. But oh well because we were in the front row.

There were two bands that played before ATC. I don't remember their names (I think one was called Miss Fortune and the other was something like Call It Reckless I'm not sure) I apologise for not remembering their names. But both bands were pretty good. Although the atmosphere was kind of awkward because there weren't enough people there, props to the girl in the second band for her amazing enthusiasm though! 

Finally, when ATC came onstage, things became a lot less awkward and much more amazing. Since I was in the front row, at times Chrissy was literally standing right in front of me (and up a bit due to the stage, but not that much because she's very short). They were amazing. I was singing along to pretty much all the songs (there were only a couple I didn't really know) and they all done an amazing job. At the end they said that they would stay behind and say hi and sign things and whatnot. So obviously I waited for them to come back.

The encore was kind of tense because we weren't loud enough (because there were not enough people) but they did eventually come back and do one more song. Afterwards I bought a poster and a CD so I would have something for them to sign.

Chrissy was the first to emerge to sign things and whatnot. A queue was formed. I was last in said queue. But eventually we were at the front and I was shaking. She signed my poster and took a picture with me. Then she took a picture with my sister. I ended up having an actual conversation with her (without looking like too much of an idiot) and I told her that going to the concert was part of my birthday present, at which point she wished me a happy birthday and gave me a hug.

Then we waited (I forced my sister to wait with me) for Will and Dan to show up. Will showed up first and he signed my poster and took a photo with me and I told him how amazing he was. Then I went back to waiting for Dan. But a security guard asked us to leave, but it told him that I was waiting for Dan to come back to sign my poster and thus convinced him to let us stay a few minutes longer. I had to ask Will and Chrissy if Dan was coming back and Chrissy said he was and she brought him back. Then Dan signed my poster and took a photo with me. By this point we had to rush out because security wanted us out.

Overall it was the best night of my life and the best 18th birthday present I could ever ask for. 

Claire :)

Ambulances and the Cinema with Friends

It's Sunday, and you know what that means. It's time for an update post. I get to tell you all about my week, because that's what I do now on a Sunday.

Nothing really happened on Monday, so we'll skip to Tuesday. On Tuesday my sister was taken into hospital. She had an ambulance and went to A&E, the full works. You see, she had been suffering from the same migraine for three days and so the paramedic that came to the house decided that she needed to go to the hospital. She's okay now though she came home the same day and she's getting better.

On Wednesday I walked the greyhounds, and when I was walking Bandit and Pepper in the morning they saw a rabbit on the field. So you can guess what happened, they both pulled and jumped trying to get to it, while I was holding onto their leads for dear life. It was all okay though, they didn't get the rabbit and I didn't get dragged across the field.

Thursday morning I was at the kennels again and it was a lot more uneventful. In the afternoon my grandparents came round and I had some lovely chocolate cake. Then in the evening I went out to the cinema with my friends Amy and Paige. We had loads of fun, Paige and I waited for Amy at Burger King because she works there and Paige was trying to avoid eye contact with Amy's coworkers, and we got a free drink. Then when Amy had finished we went to the cinema. We saw the maze runner. Yes, I saw it again and I am not ashamed. It's an amazing film and they hadn't seen it before so it was fine. They really liked the film too and Amy said she would read the books, not sure if she'll ever actually get round to it though haha! We went to McDonalds after the film, and I still had some of my BK drink left and so I took it with me to McDonalds and I got a McFlurry and I'm sure I got a few weird looks. We had about 20 minutes before we were being picked up, yet Amy still decided it was a good idea to order a meal and a McFlurry and a smoothie. She ate it pretty fast though. Paige had a wonderful sparkling water (I think that's what it was) that someone had left behind in McDonalds. It was a really good night, although I had a really bad headache through most of the evening. It was really nice to see a couple of my friends.

Nothing happened on Friday or Saturday, so that just about wraps up my week. Mostly uneventful, except Thursday to be honest. I haven't got a lot planned this month, apart from going round Paige's, seeing fireworks and sleeping round hers. Other than that this month will probably be quite uneventful. However, the vampire diaries starts next week!

Stay in school. Don't do drugs. Be happy. Love you all.

Claire :)

The Fangirl Tag

This is another tag thingy, feel free to steal it from me, I only found it on the internet.

1. First person I've ever obsessed over?
I think the first person I ever really properly obsessed over was Niall Horan, I stalked him all the time on the internet.

2. Current obsession?
I have so many obsessions right now so I'll just give one example, and that would be the maze runner.

3. Favourite band?
I have several favourite bands, but I guess I'll have to say 5sos.

4. Favourite singer?
Ed Sheeran probably.

5. Favourite youtuber?
Dan Howell and Phil Lester. Ha. Two. Sorry, I am incapable of having one favourite for anything.

6. First concert?
5sos, which is also the only concert I've ever been to.

7. Favourite movie?
I love so many movies but right now it's the maze runner and I'm hoping to see it again next week. (If no one can go with me then I'll actually go and see it alone)

8. Favourite actor/actress?
My favourite actor is Thomas Brodie-Sangster and my favourite actress is Jennifer Lawrence.

9. First celebrity crush?
Nat Wolff when he was in the naked brothers band.

10. Ever got made fun of for what I like?
Yes, a few times, mostly by my friends because I like one direction.

11. Favourite book?
What kind of a question is this? That's like asking a mother to choose her favourite child! One of my favourite books is Paper Towns by John Green (because John Green is some kind of god put on this earth to make me laugh and cry till I can't breathe anymore)

12. Favourite tv show?
Wow, the vampire diaries probably.

13. Favourite fictional character?
Again, I can't choose just one, but I will give you an example; Alec Lightwood, from the mortal instruments series. Sassy Alec is life.

14. Something I love about a fandom I'm in?
In the maze runner fandom, you can pretty much ship anyone with anyone and no one will mind because everyone is shipped with everyone and no one judges your ship.

15. Something I hate about a fandom I'm in?
The 5sos fam are becoming a bit rude now, mobbing the boys and such. I don't like it.

16. Would I ever take a bullet for the people I fangirl over?
Yes, every sing one.

17. Do I ever hide the fact that I like someone out of fear of getting teased?
Not really, I don't care if people think I'm weird.

18. Have I ever met any of my idols?
Yes, I have met Tanya Burr and Jim Chapman. Both are youtubers.

19. Do I have any merch of the people I fangirl over?
So much merch, I might drown in it all.

20. Favourite fangirl moment?
My own personal fangirl moment was when I met Tanya and Jim and I was so awkward and weird and I feel bad about it. I was literally shaking, I am such an antisocial person, I don't know how to act in front of people.

Claire :)

Monty the Great and a Very Crap Holiday

I have some amazing news! I got another dog! His name is Monty and he's a retired greyhound (wow such a surprise). He's only 2 and he was disqualified from racing because he turned and looked at another dog (which is a pretty stupid reason) and I will try to keep you updated on how he settles in and what he gets up to.

I was on holiday for a few days, but it got cut short due to reasons I shall not disclose. It was a pretty good holiday, by the sea, in a caravan. I ate way too much food, but it's okay because food is great. I'd been there before so it was nothing new, but it was nice to get away for a few days. I done so much washing up though, and getting fresh water, getting rid of the dirty water. At least I didn't have to empty the toilet one, eww. That's why I have caravans, it's all too much hassle.

I am currently reading Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, though I have yet to get really into it because my sister is ill and she's been distracting me from the novel. I finished the iron trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. It was amazing, I will try to write one of my review/ramble thingys about it, if I find the time (and by that I mean; if I can be bothered to write it).

The Originals is back on TV and I am extremely happy about that, just waiting for the vampire diaries to come back now! I've been watching this new show called the strain and it's really creepy but I can't stop watching it. I'll be so terrified but unable to take my eyes off the screen. It's a good show though, my whole family watch it, except my dad forbids us from calling them vampires and insists that we call them 'the infected' because my dad hates fantasies.

I don't have too much else to say, it's been a long week, I have too much washing to do and I am very tired. Monty has settled in really well, however, he is tall enough to reach the counter tops and so you have to use one hand to make your food and the other to keep him at a safe distance. All in all, he's a very lovely boy and I'm glad we got him.

So, I guess I will make another update post next week, I'm asking it a regular thing (if I can) to make an update post every Sunday. And I will try to post other, more interesting stuff, throughout the rest of the week. Let's hope that I can find interesting things to write about, and that I post it.

Stay in school. Don't do drugs. Have a lovely week. Don't forget to smile.

Claire :)

The Maze Runner Ramble

The maze runner is one of my favourite book series's of ALL TIME! I remember that I started reading it because I had lent my friends two of my books (TID incase you're wondering) and she was like "since you've lent me two of your books, would you like to borrow one of mine?" And thus she lent me TMR and I read it. Obviously.

From the first chapter I was hooked. Who can resist a book about a bunch of (gay) guys stuck in a maze with no apparent way out? Not me. So I was struggling with trying to read it and get my work done (I was still at hell *ahem* I mean sixth form at the time) but I read it within a week I think and then had to wait to borrow the second one.

My favourite character became Newt at some point during the first book (with Minho following in a close second) and thankfully it didn't take me too long to catch on to the slang in the book, such as shank and greenie. I really love the slang, I think it's great and I constantly call my sister a shank and she doesn't understand what it means. But I do miss Chuck and Alby, and I always will. I cried so much when they both died, I was like a water fountain, only less pretty.

The second book, the scorch trials, was also amazing (probably my favourite book in the series) mostly due to Minho's amazing levels of sass. I would like to point out that I called out on Brenda and Jorge when we first met them in the book, I knew they had something to do with WICKED, it was too good to be true (although they do end up helping the gladers).

I think it was when I read the scorch trials that I really started shipping lots of the characters (mostly thominho and minewt and newmas) as that happens with most things I read. I think I shipped so many characters together in this series because they all have such great bonds with each other already. I love the bromance. After I had read TST I finally got my own copies of the books in order to read the rest, plus I really wanted my own copies because of how much I love the series.

The death cure was almost the death of me. Newt. I need not say more. I cried for hours, threw the book across the room, yelled, screamed. I was heartbroken. However, it was a happy (ish) ending. Not how I imagined it would end when I first started the series. We had the return of Gally too so that was fun. Teresa died. It was a rubbish death, one minute she was there, the next she was gone. I think she could have had a better send off. You know, sadder. I didn't cry. I wish I had, I wish it had of pulled at my heart strings like the other deaths did.

The maze runner movie. Okay this was amazing. First of all, Thomas Brodie-Sangster was Newt. So I was freaking out whenever I saw him. Secondly, can I mention that I saw an early screening of TMR. I saw it like three days before it 'officially' came out in cinemas in the UK thanks to my friends step dad wining a competition. I know that some top the things weren't in the right order and a few things were added and changed, but that always happens. I would be shocked if it didn't. But I think overall, it was really good.

The effects were amazing, the maze changing was so cool and the actors all done an amazing job (obviously) and portrayed the characters so well. It was simply perfect and I am hoping to see it again (at the cinema) with some friends because I could watch it 50 times in a row and still not be bored (not just because if Thomas Brodie-Sangster) it as just that good.

I haven't read the kill order yet, but I will very soon. I know that James Dashner is writing a prequel to the maze runner and I am looking forward to it very much, he is an incredibly talented writer. I am also looking forward to see the scorch trials at the cinema too, well done to the amazing Wes Ball, the maze runner was spectacular god knows how amazing TST will be. If you have read TMR or seen it, I suggest you do at least one (or both because both are amazing) because you will not regret it.

Claire :)

Interviews, Amazing Books, the Essay of Greyhounds and Malec

Hey there, I swear lately all my blog posts have just been updates. I'm sorry. But I enjoy sharing all my news and whatnot with you. First of all, I have a job interview on Sunday, at Burger King. Wow. My dream job haha! No,but seriously, it's a job so I'm happy I have an interview. Although, it's a group interview (which I think is weird but hey) and one of my amazing friends work at BK and she said that her interview included roleplay and presentations. I HATED doing presentations at school, it was just awful. But I'm going to try my best and see how it goes.

I got four new books today. I ordered them last week because I'd borrowed the first two from my friend Lish and I really loved them (bit of an understatement as I am obsessed with them haha) so I ordered them with the money I got from my grandparents.

The Maze Runner series by James Dashner. If you have not read any of these books then you really need to. My friend borrowed a couple of my books last year and she said "Hey, since I borrowed a couple of your books, are there any of mine you want to read?" And so I borrowed The Maze Runner from her, and I loved it. Then, of course, I borrowed The Scorch Trials from her. Once I finally had some of my own money, I decided to get the whole series for myself. So now I have all four of the books (The Death Cure and The Kill Order being the other two books in the series) and I cannot wait to finish reading the series.

I just want to spend a bit of time talking about the Retired Greyhound Trust in this blog post, just because it's something that's really important to me. As you may (or may not) know, I volunteer at my local RGT. RGT is the place where all the greyhound who were raced and trained to race go after they can no longer race as well as they used to (or just never make the cut in the first place like out Ellie) and they go there until someone comes along and adopts them. Unfortunately, as greyhounds are no longer puppies when they arrive at the kennels, they don't get adopted particularly quickly and some of them are there for months on end. There are always lots of dogs at the kennels and those dogs rely on the volunteers and whatnot to look after them. All the supplies are pretty much reliant upon donations and wether the dogs get walked or not depends on volunteers. There are some days when these dogs cannot go out for a walk at all because there is no one to take them.
A big part of the reason I volunteer is to see how happy these dogs are when they get to go out for a walk. When I go to get one out of their kennel, they jump up at me and give me lots of kisses because they're so happy to be able to go out for a walk. Every Wednesday (all day) and Thursday morning I go up there and help walk the dogs and groom them afterwards. I get quite attached to some of them and it's always lovely when they finally find a home and no longer have to live in kennels. Because these dogs have raced for many years and some of them were probably treated badly, like my Maya who flinches every time there is some kind of smacking noise and is scared of pretty much everything. And so to see them finally find a home and a family who loves them just makes me so happy and I know that I wouldn't trade my two girls for anything.
The greyhounds that end up at the kennels are the lucky ones. I've heard that sometimes the greyhounds are killed after they can no longer race. A lot of them are hit when they're being raced and the racing isn't always safe either, there are lots of greyhounds out there missing a leg. And some of the trainer cut off the greyhounds ears so they can't be traced if they have abused the greyhound. And it just really gets to me that some people can be so cruel and I know that other dogs get abused too, but I'm just talking specifically about greyhounds because they mean a lot to me.

Sorry for the massive essay on greyhounds haha! Anyway, I shall now shut up before I start taking about greyhounds and change the subject to The Mortal Instruments. Mostly, just the characters, or more, two specific characters. And some things that Cassandra Clare has revealed will happen with them. Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood. They are going to get married! I'm so excited! And, they're going to adopt a child/children. I just wanted to share my excitement with you and squeal like the fangirl I am! I cannot wait to read about it, I hope they adopt a little warlock. It would be so cute. The child would cause so much mischief and Alec would be chasing it all around the place, trying to stop them from breaking anything or accidentally summoning a demon (Magnus would say it was just one time and wasn't bound to happen again but Alec would just glare at him) and the child would steal Alec's jumpers and use them as blankets and spill Magnus' eyeliner everywhere. Magnus would just shrug and say that the child is "too cute to be told off" and so Alec would roll his eyes and cuddle with them.
You need to stop me when I do this to myself. I'm sorry. It would be so cute I just need it to happen already. I constantly fangirl over Malec, they're just so perfect.

That's all for this post. I hope you all have a wonderful day and I will post again soon (I hope) and I'll try to make it about one thing and not twelve. Stay in school. Don't do drugs. Love you!

Claire :)

Updates and New Books

Hey there, today I'm just giving you all a few updates and whatnot. First of all, on Tuesday it was my mum and dads 25th wedding anniversary and I spent all day tidying the house, making drinks and food, and just being a good host overall. I worked really hard all day and ended up being given £30 from my grandparents. So overall, it was a success. I do know that I'll probably end up spending all the money on books (even though I shouldn't because I have too many that I still have to read) just have to decide what books to buy.

About a week ago (less than a week I think) I won two books from goodreads first reads and they said to allow 4-6 weeks for them to arrive, but they arrived today.

They are both beautiful hardbacks which makes me really happy. The Relic Guild is a fantasy novel and the back says "In his long years in the Labyrinth, Samuel had witnessed many strange and terrible things, and nothing was ever as it seemed..." I'm really looking forward to reading it. The Fair Fight is set in Victorian times and the characters seem to vary from very poor people, to incredibly rich ones and it has a few 5 star ratings on goodreads already. I shall read both these books as soon as I can and review them on here and on goodreads.

Link to Thr Relic Guild: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22041733-the-relic-guild
Link to The Fair Fight: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22430677-the-fair-fight

I will be posting a lot more about books on here as I'm really getting into reading again and loving the idea of reviewing book, especially since I got the books from goodreads. But I will still post about other stuff too.

Claire :)