Carmarthen

A new year marking a change in my life; a move out of education. I took a year out before I went to university, travelling around the world with The Puppet Lab performing a shadow puppet adaptation of The Tempest. This was an unforgettable experience and something which was essential for me in order to return to education with any excitement, asides from the actual travelling itself which would take a lot longer than one blog to describe. I did keep a blog while I was going to all of these countries, which was on the website linked above, although I only think I have hardcopies of it now. Maybe I will write about my experiences one day. It is something I often think about, but never feel like I could do, and I know that one day I’ll wake up with a powerful urge to write everything down. However, although I was away from home, Edinburgh, for eight months I was in education the year I left and returned to it the next year. Although I begin this year in education I will be leaving indefinitely in six months. Dropping into something completely new and, although frightening, incredibly exciting.

Until then I have to attempt to graduate with the best qualifications I can achieve. This is where the most stress I feel will come from. Not from the lecturers, nor from my parents or friends or anyone, but from myself. I am constantly worrying about whether or not I am doing my best, if I’m working as hard as I can be. The answer is sometimes ‘no’ which makes me very annoyed, so I have become more and more motivated in this first week of January and have all intentions to continue. This blog is enabling me to strengthen my motivation as I began with the intention of writing it every other day. So far I have written it everyday, except for yesterday as I was travelling down here, to Carmarthen, all day. This is the problem. Not travelling, but Carmarthen. At my parents home in Edinburgh I have easy access to the internet. Here it is not so simple. However, I am not going to let that idea, really only an excuse my laziness tells me, stop me from writing, if not every day, every other day. Once I have something to aim for I will find it a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable to do all of the other uni things I have to do. The hardest thing about motivation is when I am lying around doing nothing and I have to bring myself to do something. Once I start it’s easy. It’s the starting that’s difficult.

Carmarthen also presents a problem in the form of a small town providing little in the way of entertainment. Edinburgh is hardly London, but in comparison to this small South West Wales town, there is a never ending choice of ways to amuse myself. Again, I am going to have to find something to talk about and make it interesting. Discover the hubbub of Carmarthen; the rural ‘scene’. On my ‘Hitlist’ this month, at number one, is ‘Sweeney Todd'. I believe it comes out on general release on the 25th January and I intend to be straight there.I thought the bbc adaptation starring Ray Winstone was fantastic and I am looking forward to seeing it with a different edge on the big screen. It combines my love of Johnny Depp, Tim Burton’s magnificent Gothic style and, perhaps best of all, the music of Stephen Sondheim. I have never actually seen his musical, but being a musical lover I have, of course, heard the original West End Soundtrack of which my mum has a copy on record. It is brilliant. I saw one fantastic modern musical in 2007, ‘Across the Universe’, which was a Beatles musical. I read some poor to moderate reviews of it, but in my opinion it was wonderful. Julie Taymor is a brilliant director, it has Eddie Izzard in it, the surreal colourful imagery was beautiful, it features Bread & Puppet and the music was The Beatles! If that isn’t enough then I don’t know what it. This, along with ‘Moulin Rouge’ has to be one of my favourite modern musicals. They aren’t so popular these days, but with the release of these two and ‘Hairspray’ and now ‘Sweeney Todd’ this may be an injection of life into the 2008 cinema experience. I can only hope. I am leaving out ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ which is a modern rock musical and one of my favourite films, but it is sadly not recognised by far too many people. I am aware that a high majority have no interest in seeing it, but I also know that everyone I have showed it to like it. A lot. I just had to advertise it briefly there. It’s brilliant. It almost makes me want to be a drag queen.

So ‘Sweeney Todd’ is something I must see. I am going to be cheating a little bit as I am heading off to London for a few days and then up to Glasgow for my boyfriend’s birthday. This will take up about 10 days in total and I’m sure it will be very eventful. I know already that my cousin in London is taking me to the pub she works at in Kentish Town and we will be ending the night in the Underworld which will be a blast from the past! It will be hilarious. I can already picture both of us dancing and singing very loudly in the centre of the dance floor. I’ll be in Glasgow for Burns night, although I don’t know if we will be celebrating it. I might have to encourage some poetry and (veggie) haggis with a dram of whisky. The night after, the 26th, we are going to see the Peatbog Faeries who I saw at Belladrum Festival last year. The are, as best I can describe, Celtic pipe music with a fast punk beat. Very energetic and an exhilarating experience. On his actual birthday, the 28th, we are going to see Seasick Steve. All I know about him is he played at Connect Festival,its first year last year, and I met him. He had a long grey-white beard and wore dungarees. I can’t say anything more. I have a feeling he will be enjoyed for providing a novelty experience, but I am willing to stand corrected. That is the end of January. Until then I need to delve deeper and discover what Carmarthen has to offer.