I am in the process of cat sitting. Here is how that is going:

I'm cat sitting a cat and I don't know if I've told you this before but I'm allergic to cats.

I took on this role as it offers me a lovely house for the next three weeks and some space to sit and edit my films continuously, but then, side note: the folk I'm house-sitting/cat sitting/whatever for have Netflix. I've never had this before, I suppose I don't now, and actually neither do they - they're on someone else's account. (Which is cool and hilarious in a similar fashion to that of sharing accounts with that thing where you listen to music online and it has every tune ever and if you listen at the same time as someone else on the same account you have to have a space bar war pausing and starting the music till they give up listening to music on that same account - I have forgotten the nam eof this SPOTIFY. It's called Spotify, but yeah the sharing accounts similar to Spotify but I think on Netflix more than one can use it at the same time yes? I really type as I think, I really do.) Anyway, back to me meeting Netflix: I've had my eyes opened to television that never stops and now understand all those Netflix jokes I've read in memes and on the internet before such as:

'Netflix just asked me if I'm still alive'
I get those now, I get those, that joke.

Although what I didn't get for a really long time, even with Netflix, was the true meaning of:
"Netflix and chill"


I know now.


But Netflix is great, and terrible, so so terrible. It just keeps feeding you TV, no adds, not even full end credit sequences between episodes, and, when you finish one series it delves you straight into a whole new show. I don't know why I'm telling you this seeing as I seem to be the last one in this new chilled world. Everyone else has already experienced Netflix. EVERYONE. In the past three days I've watched three whole series and two and a half films and 6 miscellaneous episodes of other shows and read every synopsis of every Third Rock From The Sun episode ever, purely to try and find the one where they all experiencing dreaming for the first time. During this time I have also been working, practicing the fiddle, been to the opticians - nailed it! And had meetings and visited family. So in other words: I haven't been sleeping or eating anything other than toast. Netflix is the worst.


I was going to write about allergies and the cat and Netflix took over my blog post. Now when I'm not watching it I'm typing about it, but last (?) comment on Netflix: if you do have it check out Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a lot of it is very far fetched and overly cheery, but the dialogue is so good, Kimmy is fantastic. Also please, please, please watch Obvious Child, what a great film.


Allergies.

Yeah I'm allergic to the cat, actually at the opticians appointment she pointed out that my eyesight is excellent (I made only two mistakes with those letters that get smaller, like a stupid version of the Star Wars start credits, one was an X not a "K" like I said, the other was an A and not an "Upside down triangle" which is weird because an upside down triangle would be like a V. Stupid Marjolein, stupid.) but yeah my eyes are all good apart from the swollen puffiness and itchy irritation caused by allergies.

And that's from the cat I'm cat sitting.


And that was today's blogpost. Netflix.

Image courtesy of: http://swingsetindecember.tumblr.com/

If I could dance as well as Kyoko...

...well that would be just great.

It is getting late but I still haven't had my tea or sat down to watch Kingfisher yet, that's right I am home alone! (kind of technically, if I used technically in the right way, I never was that well minded). Mam and Dad are away, don't worry I am not afraid of a party starting as they are back in a matter of hours once the boat docks, and no one would come anyway. Because it's a Thursday.

So I have been staying up late, eating a lot of peanut butter, eggs and chocolate chip cookies and watching films on the telly loudly, like Grand Torino. Wow, good film, also I can't help but feel like it was  Eastwood's way of saying every racial slur he's ever come across in his life and get away with it. Well he did.

I have been looking after myself well and talking about it on social media (only tonight) look at these MS paint JPEGS of what I've been doing:

  

Obviously I will never be eating 's toast again. Just joking, I'd eat toast anywhere, I ate some off the floor of my car today, not whilst I was driving I shouldst add.

I share things that I could have written in but that would have needed context.

In other news, since I lost blogged... which was last November, standard, I've been doing a bit of filming; Maddrim Media has been working on several films since 2015 started already, breaking the potential curse of Catcus where he takes away our ability and love of shooting films. That is a very real, but very unknown threat, that since being broken, we will revisit... never.

Also I was asked by the lovely Lisa Ward (sometimes known as LISUR, to be honest never really known as LISUR). for the release of her Liminal EP. So I am going to go ahead and link it in here:

It was so much fun to work on and an absolute pleasure to edit together, thanks for asking me LISUR, and also to Craig, Deebs, Sarah and Ewan who were also in the video and performing in the song. And the dogs, thanks to Lisa's dogs Sam, Arya and Fizzgig, love them so much!

More exciting news is that Lisa will be on this Saturday's episode of the Voice! So please watch, for Lisa and for Will.I.Am's metaphors, his metaphors. Those metaphors.

You can also get more information via Lisa's Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/sheltielisa


I could have more news for you, but I think I am done, 

Instead let me be all Buzzfeed and give you a list of top life hacks, here are a list of a certain number, like ten, here are ten life hacks:

LIST OF TOP TEN LIFE HACKS

1) Never eat a spoon full of peanut butter whilst waiting for the person/A.I on the other end of the photo to pick up.

2) Pants before trousers. (if you are American then - I can't believe you found this blog, I can't believe anyone does. Google)

3) Don't waste time learning keyboard shortcuts, google search them "E squiggle" "euro sign" "that e with from Pokemon so I can make it look like Pokémon"

4) Are you sad this list doesn't have pictures like a Buzzfeed one would?

5) watch a lot of good films, but you can really get by so long as you've seen: Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness and The Yellow Submarine and Topgun and Brain Dead.



6) In any stressful situation, or situation where you look not breezy this always works:

Any Friends quote ever works. 

6) Watch Outrageous Fortune, why has not everyone seen Outrageous Fortune? And I'm talking about the Kiwi tv show, not the Bette Middler film (no disrespect intended).


I have to stop now because I no longer like the way I'm typing. Or I need to blog more and develop some sort of coherent narrative. Or I should never. blog. again. Actually I need to update that review blog; been to the pictures recently and saw Birdman and Ex-Machina, both great, great films, I would also say I've seen Wild, but I still have to see that one, and Big Hero-6. ENOUGH.

Also the images are all credit elsewhere, if anyone is keen to know comment below and I will eventually update the credits. In the meantime: Be Excellent To Each Other.

"I am a leaf on the wind; watch how I soar."

This blog post was written in (INSERT SPOILER HERE)'s memory. RIP.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My name's Kid Rock I'm a Capricorn.

Beware of the spoilers for life if you are reading this and you are a 9 year old bairn, or in my case 11. The year a lot of magic was lost for me, see previous blog a while ago about Hogwarts and Pokémon: 11 years old Blog Post

Today's post was written whilst listening to Kid Rock's 'Welcome 2 The Party'

Kid Rock courtesy of: http://www.chartattack.com

Merry Christmas one and all! As we near the 12 days afor, or at least we sit in December, we can truly start enjoying the festive, get excited about the 25th and look forward to the days when perfume adverts will no longer plague our tv screens.

Last night I swam through the stars

Last night I saw something I had been waiting for years to see.

There are images in your life that will always stay with you, for instance I will always remember my cousin as a toddler sitting in the back seat of the car, strapped into her car seat as we were parked outside the local shop. It sounds really simple but there was this beam of sunlight shining right onto her, illuminating the dust floating through the air as she stared out of the window. It was so bright that, although I remember this image clearly, the colours have faded. A picture of innocence and childhood so beautifully lit.

Last night I saw something that I hope will never fade from my memory, I doubt it could, it was honestly one of the most beautiful and spectacular experiences.

In Shetland we call it mareel, but elsewhere, perhaps there is a better name for it, it is bioluminescent plankton. I think in some places it is known as sea sparkle, while, not as a beautiful word as mareel it describes it perfectly. You see the mareel glow when the water is disturbed, by wave or by hand or any creature travelling through it. My Dad had told me the best conditions to see it in, in October, on calm night, just after the sun has set when there is still a faint light in the West.

So, last night after I finished tea I got my lifejacket and a towel and ran down to the banks to the sea.

My plan was to row up the voe where Dad said he used to see the mareel as a boy after casting lines. I got down to the beach and before pulling the row boat down went and stood by the water. The night was so still you could see the stars reflected on the sea. I looked closer and at first I thought I was seeing more stars, but they were in the water, I immediately assumed it was something reflecting the last of the light, then I realised I was seeing mareel for the first time. It may sound a bit ridiculous that I didn't immediately clock what it was, but I just never expected to see it so clearly straight away. I walked out into the sea and my footsteps disturbed the water causing the mareel to shine. It was beautiful, I swirled my hands in the water and the ripples lit up and glowed. I was planning to row out immediately but I was so excited by it, it was beautiful, I ran up to the house again and got my sister Floortje down to the sea to show her.

I suppose it is clear now where the title of today's blog has come from, but I couldn't contain myself, I had to strip off and swim into the sea.

It's one thing to stand looking down into the water as the mareel lights up, it's another to be right in it, swimming through it, my arms reaching forward and lighting up the water I'm in. It was like swimming through the stars.

I couldn't swim for too long, it was pretty cold and I find it pretty terrifying swimming in the sea in the dark. You have no idea if a seal is right there two meters away, that would terrify me. I love seals, but swimming up to one  on a dark night in the cold sea I just couldn't handle.

I really hope I can catch the sight of the mareel again. It was so beautiful, especially last night as it was teamed up with the stars gleaming down and the mareel glowing up from in the water. That was another thing, before I always thought it as something glowing on the surface, but it's throughout the sea, which I suppose I really experienced when swimming through it.

Anyway, I thought I would share my experience with the mareel with you, because it really was one of the most boannie things I have ever seen, and I find it weird, thinking back to all the times it has been right there, at the shore, but I never had travelled down during the right light, at the right time of year to see it.

I hope to see it again.




Shetland words:
Mareel - bioluminescent plankton
Voe - an inlet of the sea, like a fjord but on a much shallower scale with hills either side rather as mountains. I'm assuming here all fjords are surrounded by mountains. Which is awesome.
Boannie - beautiful, like Scottish bonnie, to be honest not sure about this spelling at all. Just taking liberties with this one.
Banks - Maybe it is used commonly throughout Britain, but it means the beach for us basically.


"Gyan doon to da banks tae see da Mareel."