Male coverage

All around my college at the moment are posters advertising awareness for domestic violence. They say things such as, " Are you a dream boyfriend by day and a control freak by night?" and, "Are you his princess one minute and a stupid tart the next?" The one thing that most of them have in common is that they are all centered around the males being the abuser and the females being the victims. This is the most common type of abuse we see but the roles can be switched.

Women can abuse men too but the reason we don't ever see it advertised is because men don't report it as often. Society teaches men from a early age that they should be strong and not cry or be seen as weak. We teach our young boys to stand up and be a man when they say that they feel inadequate. And most importantly, they are told that they should be above women in every way. This is why they don't report abuse from a girlfriend or wife, because we teach them that if they are below a woman, they are cowards, they are less of a man, they are the lowest of the low. 

Yes, domestic abuse is a big problem for women but it is a bigger problem for men. Female victims are given coverage, males aren't. 

Stop teaching boys that they must be stronger than girls, it doesn't do any good for their health. 

Thank you

As it is no longer the Easter holidays and I can't sit around procrastinating anymore, I would like to say thank you to some very special people. 

To Netflix, who gave me a generous fifteen seconds to decide between episodes of Scrubs and Once upon a time to decide whether I would be doing anything productive with my day. 

To Asda, for providing my very nutritious super noodles, smoothies, and donuts for energy as I waded through the Game of Ice and Fire series that I was re-reading before season five came out on TV. 

To my employers, one who took me out to a farm to see goats and get paid for it, and another who I had to go to and stand around in a shop for hours to earn some money so I could go shopping myself. 

To Amazon, who let me spend most of my wages on awesome t-shirts that didn't cost that much. Also, thanks for lowering the price on a book I wanted, it helped the pain I felt when I checked my balance in my bank. 

And finally, to my internet. Thank you for the opportunity to meet new people without leaving my house, to read and write stories that I didn't need to pick up a pen for, and to browse endlessly through pages of stuff I didn't need or want to see. 

Thanks for becoming the slippery slope that has lead me to the bottom of the procrastion pit (my room). I hope to experience you again next half term. 

Assistance

I have a grown up job! Well, I'm a sales assistant at a clothes shop and this makes me invisible to customers unless they specifically want something. Two things happened today while I was at work that I thought I'd share. 

One: I can listen in on people's conversations. 

When working at a till, the customers don't realise you can hear them and they don't actually take any notice of you until you ask them a question, like "do you want the hangers?", this basically means I can hear all about how your boyfriend is a lay about and how much your little bratty children, who are currently pestering you for sweets, are costing you this holiday. Today I overheard three mothers shouting at their children for just standing in the wrong place, a male trying to deal with his ex who had just found out he was cheating on her, and lots of fake tan ridden barbie dolls on the phone or talking to their mate about how they got with a well fit bloke last night. Thank you retail industry for giving me the chance to witness this rubbish. 

Two: I can't take things personally

I was cleaning up a area in the shop and a woman came up and asked if I knew where some navy jogging bottoms were. I calmly explained that it was only my second day and I didn't know anything about the layout of the shop and where they would be. She then shouted at me "Your meant to be a sales assistant, assist me!" I would have gladly told her where I would shove my assistance if she didn't shut up but I can't do that if I want to keep my job so I pointed her in a random direction and when she left, I hid behind the collum for five minutes. Now my mate said she might get a job in this shop a few months back and I can definitely say that she wouldn't of been able to handle that at all. 

Some customers are genuinely nice and try not to cause you trouble if you don't deserve it by some are just nasty because they can be. 

Pies piper

The story of the Pied Piper is a old one but is still relevant in life today. In every group of people you will ever meet there will be a person that everyone follows as if they were a leader but they don't act like it. In short, every group, every lunch table, every club, has a Pied Piper, the one who leads the rest with their tune. 

The Pied Piper may not think that they control the rest but there are those who see the dancing of the children when they are being lead merrily away and they know, like the adults of Hamelin, they can't do anything about it. 

There was a Pied Piper of Boscombe

They lead them away and watched 'em

Dance to their tune 

In the mid afternoon 

Under the trees with no blossom.

Toe the line

Respect boundaries, that's it. If you know that someone you like doesn't like you, no matter what their reason, don't pester them. If your best mate doesn't want a hug that day, don't continuously ask for one or ask why they are being "moody". And I don't know how many times I have to say this you makes, if a girl doesnt want to talk to you or be near you then don't ask her if she is on her period, it's the last thing you will ever do. 

Luckily I don't have to kick my mates arses into shape over issues to do with me because they are decent people and they know I will stab them but when trying to sort things out with each other, they don't do it in the best way. 

Telling a girl two years younger than you that you cut because of how she makes you feel isn't a good thing and WILL NOT  impress her. And saying that you feel bad for telling her doesn't help either, after that you don't get the right to say anything. 

To the female population

To the female population,

The time is upon us when we will start to shave our legs again

But you don't have to,

We will sit in the sun and try to catch a glorious golden tan

But you don't have to,

We will wear shorts, skirts, and clothing that may show skin

But you don't have to. 

This summer, when people around you start changing themselfs because the sun might come out remember that you don't have to follow suit if you don't want to. If you don't want to shave your legs and still wear shorts, you can and you should know that I won't judge you for it. If you don't want a tan or you can't get one naturally because you burn ( like I do! ), then don't feel pressured to get a fake tan or lay on the beach for hours because it may harm you. If you don't want to wear crop tops, shorts, mini skirts, or t-shirts, or any type of clothing that shows some of your skin then you don't have to! It is your body and you can do what you want with it this summer but please don't do something if it makes YOU uncomfortable. 

Deal with... Me, myself, and I

I have multiple personalities. Not the mental disorder, but a lifestyle choice. When around different people I am, myself, a different person. For example, around my old school friends I am pretty wacky, weird, childish, but around my out of school friends I am a lot more grown up as they have been around for much longer and have grown up with me. I also have a interview personality who deals with interviews and adults, and a more relaxed, open personality that I feel that I can share with my closest friends and people that I trust. 

Recently my relaxed personality has cause me and my friends some trouble. 

Someone I knew met me when I was with my old mates. They knew the grown up, cheeky little sod that I felt I could be in that situation but I got to know them pretty well and I thought I could open up a bit. I could not. They decided that I was in the wrong for being two different people and not being what they though I was. 

I can't help the way I act anymore as it is just something that happens whether I want it too or not. I like my personalities, they help me deal with things in a calm and responsible way. 

Don't like it? Then deal with the one that doesn't take any crap. 

Life is a musical

Wouldn't it be cool if life was a musical? 

I've never seen Rent or Wicked but I know the words to at least three of the songs, I re-watch High School Musical every couple of months, and do think about breaking into song and dance daily but I know for certain that if my college made a musical, I would be a background character that just Happens to be in the corridor when they are singing because my story isn't interesting. 

If the musical universes were real then we would have witches defying gravity, cats dancing around, chimney sweeps bouncing around on rooftops, a pie shop under a barber who's customers keep disappearing, and a alien transvestite that  builds a man for his/herself and I personally wouldn't have a problem with any of that if it meant I got a decent role. 

Most of us can relate a song or melody to a memorable time in our life's, we just don't express it with glittery costumes or dancing.... Unfortunately