Putting Down the Phone on 2020

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so 2020 is nearly over and it's that time again where I look over the resolutions that I set myself at the start of the year and see what happened with them...

read this post when I set them: https://annasnothere.blogspot.com/2020/01/ring-ring-its-2020.html 

get 1000 followers on instagram

this time last year, I was 10% of the way there, and now I'm nearly 30% there. when I looked at the resolutions I'd made for this year before writing this, I was shocked that this was a dream. it still is, how cool would it be to be able to reach more people, but 1000 is a majorly big number! I'm super happy that I have grown, and who knows what might happen with my socials, but no, I didn't make this one come true.

finish book 2

soooo, I didn't finish the book, but I am still working on it. the reason it's not finished is because I've started writing a tv series with my bff! it's taken a lot of my writing time, which I love, but it does mean that the world of my novel hasn't been visited for a while. I do hope to finish it, but I'm focusing on my tv/film career, rather than my author career right now!

make a ball gown

ok, so this didn't happen. I don't want to sugar coat it, but I'll give my reasons why it didn't. so, I wanted a specific fabric and colour and there is an amazing fabric shop, however due to covid, it wasn't possible to go. over lockdown, I was able to make and alter a lot of clothes with the supplies and fabric I had, but my dream ball gown wasn't possible. I was able to buy some fabric and I'm making a pretty fairy style dress, but I recently had my room redone so everything was put on hold, so hopefully I can finish it in 2021, and start the ball gown haha!

visit family and friends

LOL um ok, that couldn't happen! hahahahahahah! but seriously though, when lockdown restrictions were lifted, we were able to go on a family holiday to see other family which really was lovely. I was also able to visit my bff in Scotland TWICE which I really appreciate. Sure, I haven't seen the people and done the things we wanted to, but with the small snippets of time I have been able to, I've really cherished it. However, we have picked up the phone more, continued writing letters and video chatted weekly. It's not what we want, but actually we're all dealing with it pretty well (even if I am slightly over zoom quizzes now).

live the life I love

wow, I've really let myself down this year. nothing I wanted to do has happened haha! but I have fallen in love with life and what I'm doing with it and what I might do next with it. I cut my arm badly after getting angry near the start of the first lockdown(https://annasnothere.blogspot.com/2020/04/i-did-this-one-handed.html) and I vowed to not get angry at silly things again. it sounds stupid, but thinking back since it happened, I may have had a little cry, but I've not shouted and I've tried to keep my calm in situations. I currently have 2 part time jobs which I'm so lucky to have, especially when a lot of the world right now don't have work or have money issues. I've decided with my bff that we'll move to London next year which is so totally exciting, and my current life is pretty lovely! so I guess I'm not fully living a life a totally love yet, but I'm starting to fall in love with it and the possibilities it has on offer.

So, I may not have been able to tick everything on my list, but I think I've ticked the best one on there. I don't feel sad by it, I feel quite motivated to take the year we've had and try again next year, knowing that it's all ok whatever happens. what will you set yourself to do in 2021 future anna?

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2020 Look Back

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hello future anna! it's that time again where I look over the past year and answer some questions about it! I've done this for the last few years, so it's nice to continue the trend. obviously 2020 hasn't been what we thought it would be at all. it's had it's crazy ups and downs and a lot of stuff has been changed, postponed or cancelled all together. it's not been fun, but it hasn't been bad. So, let's get into the answers...

 Was it the best year of your life?

I think that we've established that it hasn't been haha! holidays and concerts were cancelled which was sad, but I was still able to celebrate my birthday (socially distanced of course), I made a new short film all by myself, I spent some wonderful time with my family (due to the national lockdown, but we had a good time with it), and a lot more. Sure, it's not been the best, but it's not been the worst!

did you move?

nope, although my whole room was recently done up and I now have an ensuite and walk in wardrobe! so I didn't technically move, but it does feel like I have a whole new room!

did you make a lot of new friends?

I guess I've met new people by getting new jobs, but I wouldn't say they were friends as such. I think through the lockdown, I've realised that I don't have loads of friends, but the ones I have are amazing and beautiful and they care for me just as much as I care for them which is a wonderful feeling!

what's the hardest thing you went through?

this is a difficult one haha! my first thought was the lockdown, but I'm an anxious introvert, so having to stay inside is actually my dream come true. so maybe it's having to go back into the world. even when we could after the summer, I didn't want people for judging me for saying no to plans now that we could actually meet. it wasn't even the virus that scared me, it was just that I'd spent all this time inside and I'd been safe, so why would I want anything else?

did you achieve a goal?

I made a short film which was so exciting! I haven't made one of my silly "do it by myself with just some friends" for a few years, and I know I would've hated myself if I hadn't have used the lockdown time to make one or do something, so I'm pretty happy with that!

did it go by fast to you?

now I'm looking back, yes it did, totally!! but a few months ago, it was all going so slow, like time had stopped altogether. 

did your clothing style change?

no, not really, but I do push myself now to actually wear things that I've bought and were just hung up to look cute. I know what I wanna wear and dress like, and currently don't have many things like that, but I'm making the most of what I've got!

what was the dumbest trend in your opinion?

there was a tiktok trend where people would complete jigsaws and then someone else would just throw it off the table and destroy it. as an avid jigsaw lover, those videos hurt my heart, just like the people in the videos who had built them. sad times.

what's something you wish you could redo that you did this year?

maybe I would redo the lockdown. that sounds mad to some people, I know, but I think I'd use my time better, knowing what I know now and do a whole lot more! sure, I'm so happy with what I did and achieved, but it would be nice to have the blue sky days and no responsibilities again.

how many relationships did you get in?

I'm still in the one I entered with!

what's something you did that you never had before?

I tried mushroom pate and fell in LOVE!!! it's great on bread and crackers and in vol-au-vent cases! yum! I also was able to get my great grandads film camera working and took some lovely photos, I really do love film photography. I also had stitches for the first time haha! I cut my arm a few weeks into the first lockdown and had to go to hospital to be fixed! I've always wanted to go to hospital for something (not in a weird way, but my sister was there as a kid and I've seen films and ya know, I just wanted my own experience), and my wish came true haha!

was work good or bad? why?

so this year I was lucky enough to get 2 part time jobs. it's just a few hours a week but they're local and I'm so lucky to have them when so many people have been through so much with work and money this year. I don't love them and I don't hate them, I just keep telling myself that it's just for now and it's not my forever. like I said in a previous answer, it's nice to have met some new people and have a laugh with them, so that's nice.

best memory you made?

oh goodness, let me have a think. to be honest, the start of the year feels so long ago and everything feels so mushed in the middle that it's hard to remember. maybe when lockdown eased up and me and my boyfriend went to York for the weekend. the sun was out, we ate some good food, I wore a top I'd made and even though things were still not 100% normal, it was nice to have a little bit.

so those are all the questions answered! it's different from any previous year, but at the same time it wasn't all a loss. some people may read this and think I'm so bizarre for finding some happiness this year, but that's just my truth on the matter. we're going into 2021 with the virus, but hopefully this time next year, I'll be able to say we've been able to manage it and we can go and live again, although I'll still probably say no to plans haha!!

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My Thoughts: Dolly Parton's Christmas On The Square!

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lol, this was meant to be posted at the start of December on a website there to help young writers. it wasn't, even though I messaged them to ask about it (they even replied and said it would be!!). I gave them the near whole of the month as the benefit of the doubt to see if they'd post but they didn't, so I'll post it on my own blog then xoxo

if they see this, hi, no bad blood I hope, but it's a Christmas film and I want my words to be shared before Christmas and seeing as you're not posting it, I'll do it! 

Anyway, here's my review for Dolly Parton's Netflix film!

I settled down with a cup of tea, ready to get into the Christmas spirit and I wasn't disappointed. Netflix's latest festive film is based on a stage play called 'Christmas on the Square’ and features 14 original songs written by Dolly Parton herself. From the start, we feel like we're watching a classic, old-fashioned seasonal movie. It's predictable, and has throwbacks to films A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life (mentions to George Bailey and Clarence are fun little Easter eggs), but doesn't every festive film? I think it's something that you'll either love or hate, but I think that's the case with all films like this, some people want to get into the spirit whilst others just don't.

 

For me, it did feel a little over the top. It felt like we were seeing a theatre set come to life, and personally, it would've had a greater effect if it was performed on stage to an audience. Being a film instead, it felt slightly cheesy, not having the full effect of really pulling us into the story and connecting to the songs. 

 

Dolly Parton, as well as writing, composing and producing, plays the angel watching over the town, specifically the character of Regina Fuller. I loved seeing Dolly as this angelic figure with a fantastic sparkly white wardrobe and motherly feel to her. After it being released that she donated a large sum of money to the Covid-19 vaccine efforts recently, she really has come to light as someone who is more than just a country singer. Doing some light research on her, she really is a fantastic woman who has no plans in stopping. She really does emit fairy godmother vibes, and I'm sure that some people will find her role slightly OTT, but you can't deny how fabulous she is. Christine Baranski plays the mean Scrooge-like character Regina incredibly well opposite Dolly. We know that she is a top singer and performer, so to see her be challenged with this mean role was a lot of fun. Of course, we can predict that her heart and mind will change, but it really struck me how well Christine plays out emotions and can fill a space with her song, especially through the few twists and u

Turns that the story offers. I'd love to see these two brilliant women together again in the future, but until then, I can enjoy them in this, although I don’t know if I can see myself re-watching the film soon.

 

Someone I'd love to mention is Selah Kimbro Jones. She plays the character of Violet, who is Tiny Tim-esque, but really brings some spark to the role. First of all, her voice stands out against the adults around her so much. When she began, I couldn't believe how talented she was, and to duet with Christine, she really is one to watch. For a film that screamed Hallmark, Selah did well to play a child who had gone through so much yet with the help of the town she was happy again. I was happily surprised with her skill as an actor, even though she was so young. To be the only main child role, it must've felt quite intimidating, especially with the cast having some real stars, but she was professional and real in her portrayal.

 

For a new film, it had a great diverse cast of performers and dancers which really bought everything to life, but there still wasn't the disability or LGBT+ people or storylines shown that we do want as a modern audience. I guess in every film there will be something lacking, and it was that in this film for me.

 

Simply, this festive film is there to raise Christmas spirits as well as look at the characters just trying to find love, understanding and forgiveness. It's simple and nothing new compared to what's already on the market, but at the same time it does have a glimmer of something different, and I think that's predominantly down to the people in it, as well as the music. I'm not saying that it'll be in the charts, but with Dolly Parton being a major part of it, who knows what may happen.

So, it's been a few weeks since I've watched the film and I think the only people I know who have seen the film is me and my family lol! sorry Dolly, we still love ya!

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My Thoughts: Taylor Swift's Album 'evermore'

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IT’S TIME TO LISTEN TO MISS TAYLOR SWIFT’S NINTH STUDIO ALBUM! A random announcement a few days ago told us that we could expect a new album so much sooner than anyone ever expected. To celebrate her 31^st birthday, Taylor has given us her next child, the sister to her previous album folklore (which you can read my thoughts on here: https://annasnothere.blogspot.com/2020/07/my-thoughts-taylor-swifts-album-folklore.html). She wanted to carry on writing, so we will carry on listening. 

 

I always write my reviews like this, where I listen to each song and give my thoughts as we go through the album, so it may work best if you already know the music or if you want to listen along as you read! So, here we go, let’s listen to evermore!

willow

 

Oh ok this is so different from folklore. I love how beautiful the lyrics are and the way the song flows like wind passing by a willow tree. We used to have a willow tree in a garden in a house that we used to live in and I loved it and it’s so sad I can’t sit under the willow trees and appreciate this haha! “I come back stronger than a ‘90s trend” I just adore how taylor writes, how each album shows us her getting stronger and stronger in her talents. This song really is beautiful in how someone is just wanting their love to take their hand and drag them along for the ride, and I think a willow tree is the perfect imagery for this. ALSO, let's just take a moment for the music video because I've been watching Dickinson on Apple TV and the vibes were like it and it was gorgeous going along with this story continuation! love love love!

 

champagne problems

 

NEW YEARS DAY VIBESSSS. Ok, so the other love of my life is Katy Perry and in her most recent album, she has a song called Champagne Problems so I was hyped to see that Taylor had one of the same title because you never know, we might get a collab one day! But this one is so sad and the complete opposite to Katy’s. So someone has been proposed to, but the girl has said no. It’s beautiful and touching, yet heartbreaking. In TV shows, we see things like this happening and we often gang up against one of the characters, but it’s interesting to learn about proposals and how they are kinda final, and that it’s ok to not want that. It’s obviously sad, but it shouldn’t always be a bad thing. It’s ok to have feelings. “She would’ve made such a lovely bride, what a shame she’s fucked in the head” I hate how this girl has to make everyone else happy and ignore her own feelings, so good for her! I really love this one. AND THE BRIDGE OMG

 

gold rush

 

Looking back and using history as a metaphor, this song kind of echoes songs from Lover where Taylor worries that her love will leave for someone else. I love how we no longer know if songs are about her life or made-up people, it really adds mystery but also allows us to connect to the songs more in my opinion as they’re not just hers. I really love how the verses somehow sound so different from the choruses. “My mind turns your life into folklore” throwback to folklore! I just love the idea of stories being passed down and these two albums totally embody that, this song confirming it.

 

‘tis the damn season

This one sounds really different to the others. This feels like a follow up to Illicit Affairs from the folklore album. I adore that song, and a lot of the lines in this seem to mirror ones in that. It’s like the woman in the affair seems to have fallen in love and wants more and is seeing what’s happening as a true relationship, so suddenly they’re not the ones cheating. It’s beautiful and straightforward, yet strange and hard to understand. I love how it talks about going home, but home could also be the person being sung to.

 

tolerate it

 

This song is lovely. It tells the story of someone wanting love from someone who isn’t really paying attention to anything they do for them. It’s so sad. The character singing is doing so much, and the line “you’re so much older and wiser” makes me think that it’s a young person with an older person, trying to impress them and keep the excitement going but it’s not working. I love how the lyrics pull this story together in such a beautiful way, and the fact that it ends in the same way it begins just shows us the circle this couple will keep going round until one of them decides to pull out. SO CLEVER! Normally, Taylor’s track 5 on each album is the big ballad about love, and I was not disappointed with this.

 

no body, no crime ft Haim

 

I frickin love Haim, so let’s go!! OMG ESTE has she killed someone nooooooo omg. Ok good, sweet bass face Este is fine, it’s the man. Cool. OMG NO IS ESTE DEAD? I just love how it’s written like some gossiping wives chatting. OMG VERSE 3!!! Damn this is it THIS IS IT!!! Go that friend going off and killing, but their ain’t no body, so she didn’t do it, she can’t have, she was with Este’s sister. I am shook. This is it; this is my favourite so far!

I'm just listening to it again and I have literal chills, "he did it" oh my goddddd yes!!!!!

 

happiness

 

This is so different compared to the previous tune haha, I love how it’s hopeful and special in a way of understanding that happiness will come after bad, but there can be happiness in the bad too. Taylor has only gone and done it again, write something so beautiful. The bridge is next level, playing on teenage games and accepting how we all have good and bad in us, and it’s ok if things don’t work as long as we remember that they once did. This song is delicate, and I adore it. It’s simple yet mind blowing in its execution. There is happiness.

 

dorothea

 

This sounds like old Taylor!!! Dorothea is referred to as the girl who left her small town to chase down Hollywood dreams by Taylor. It makes me think of ‘Hey There Delilah’ by the Plain White T’s, how love will always continue even if someone goes away and becomes someone else. It also makes me think of Taylor’s song ‘Lucky One’ seeing how famous people are just people who have come from somewhere, and we always wonder if they’re still that person. I just really love this one and the perspective of the story, and of cause all the ooh-woohs hahah!

 

coney island ft The National

 

I’ve never been to Coney Island, let alone Brooklyn or New York, but it’s often used in songs, most notably for me by Lana Del Rey, calling herself a “Coney Island Queen”. It’s nice to see it in this light, as someone thinking about the happiness there, but obviously that juxtaposing against the truth of the situation. All of the arcade references are sweet, showing us how relationships feel the need to win big bears to prove their love, when just communication and acceptance is needed. OMG NO IS THE GUY DEAD??? I adore this one and I need to know what it all means!!!!! It feels like the person is so loved yet is being forgotten, and they both regret it yet there’s nothing to be done.

 

ivy

 

The beginning of an affair grows like ivy in this song, you’re welcome for that pun! I love the metaphors used to write it, and it makes me wonder if it’s the prequel to Illicit Affairs from folklore. This sounds so beautiful; with the country aspects I really have fallen in love with it. Onto the bridge and the affair seems to have been discovered. I love the use of “you started it”, suggesting it as a joke in how the love for you started all of this, but maybe the person has come clean about the affair and due to them, a true war has begun in their lives. 

 

cowboy like me

 

We’ve got even more country here, from the sound to the cowboy imagery. Two people are falling in love when they don’t think they should be. It makes me think of Getaway Car from Taylor’s album Reputation, two people on the run, bandits, yet here it’s more metaphorical in how they see each other and the world. It’s kind of like a ride or die situation, yet neither is that invested to fully be a ride or die with each other. “but that was all before I locked it down” it’s interesting to see these people slowly leaving their cowboy-esque lives to understand and love each other fully. “I’m never gonna love again” so do they end up together? Or have they loved too deep that they’ll never find anyone like it? Or are they together and together is all they’ll ever know? I hope they’re ok. 

 

long story short

 

Ooh I love the feel of this one. Apparently, this song is a quick overview of the public feud Taylor had with Kanye in 2016. I love how it feels like something on a previous album with its more pop-y elements yet fits in perfectly with this. It’s such a shame to know how badly this all-affected Taylor as there are so many songs and moments where she mentions it or uses it as inspiration. “now I just keep you warm” it’s like Taylor knows that she bought Kanye fame and money through what happened and she’s lined their pockets slightly through it, so yeah, she’s paid for their heating, they’re welcome haha! I love the last line, yes take that survival and own it!!!!

 

marjorie

 

It’s track 13 and it’s dedicated to her grandmother which is lovely because track 13 on folklore is dedicated to her grandfather. I think this song is so lovely for people who have lost loved ones, in coming to terms with what’s taken place but at the same time how we don’t have to just forget and move on, those people do live on in ways. It’s kind of like her grandmother is speaking to her, telling her things to do and understand in life, and now she’s gone, Taylor won’t forget what she was told. The bridge really is special, in understanding how time is precious, but we often don’t understand. It makes me want to continue writing letters to my family and friends, really appreciating each moment, whether big or small. I think epiphany is such a special song, but I love this one a whole lot more because I can relate to it in a way that I can’t with the other.

 

closure

 

Um hello, is this Taylor swift? It’s like folk has gone industrial, slightly rock in the deep depths. The narrator talks about an ex who can’t understand why she’s still mad at him. Like, you have no control over your emotions or other people’s so stay out of it dude! I think forgiveness is important and needed, but it should also be allowed to not accept or forgive if someone is truly hurt by what’s happened. Of course, it doesn’t help blah blah, but you can’t control or understand what someone else is going through, so leave them be. This song isn’t what I thought it would be, but I really like it.

 

evermore ft Bon Iver

 

Like her collab with Bon Iver on folklore, we are given a piano ballad, nicely the album’s namesake to round it all off. It’s so sad to hear her sing about sadness and pain, knowing that it can’t always be goodness. The relationship and life is unhappy, and they will always be reminded of that which is a heart-breaking shame. The layers of Justin Vernon’s verse are truly gorgeous, and when they come together, wow, they really work together wonderfully and I’m so glad we now have this and Exile as collaborations between them. From thinking the pain would last evermore, it’s lovely to hear the growth, knowing that it won’t last for evermore. I think this song perfectly captures the journey of this album, experiencing pain, loss, great highs and happiness. We often can only focus on the bad, but this lets us know that there will always be good.

 

Ok, How You Get The Girl from 1989 has just started playing, love that for me!!!

 

So that’s Taylor’s 9^th album evermore. There are two bonus tracks but they aren’t out yet unless you have a physically copy and I don’t so I can’t talk about them, but the bonus track on folklore, the lakes, IS AMAZING, so I’m sure that I’ll love these ones too!

 

It really was a beautiful album, different from folklore, yet a mirrored image in the way stories have progressed or changed. I just love these Taylor eras so much and think that they truly show off her writing abilities in ways that her albums haven’t done before. It’s poetry that I can sing really loudly in my car, so I love it!

 

If you don’t have time to listen to the full album, my recommendations are: willow, champagne problems, no body no crime, dorothea and marjorie. I love them all as you can tell but if I had to cut it down, after my first listen those are the ones I love most! Omg long story short and closure though are *chefs kiss*!!!! Damn they all are!!!!

 

So, those are my thoughts after my first listen to evermore. I can’t believe we have been given two Taylor Swift albums in the space of just a few months, but I’m here for it! I love you Taylor!!!

 

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