2 Point Suspension

Another month has passed and it truly has been a wonderful one. I’ve now moved out of Martin’s place and have been renting a room for a whole month now. I love where I am. In a perfect world I would be closer to the sea but I’m only a short walk from there now and a short walk from the city centre. So… almost the perfect location! The important thing is that I’m now officially a Brighton resident and have been for a few weeks now.

Job hunting is still causing me some problems but, for now, I do have a part time job with an online jewellery shop. All I need now is for that job to offer me more hours or to find another part time job to run alongside it. Then I’ll be set for the next few weeks (or maybe longer).

I also collected Thlayli from my parents’ house so now he is officially a Brighton resident too. I am so happy that he could move in with me, I really don’t know how I would cope having to leave him behind. I know he would be well looked after but he’s a very special rabbit to me. I still need to collect the rest of my possessions and try to get my hands on a very cheap bookcase but I’m already feeling very settled here.

Halloween weekend was amazing! My friend held a suspension/art event on the Saturday and I suspended for the very first time, it was a 2pt suicide. It was one of the most relaxing experiences of my life. Having the hooks themselves put in was uncomfortable at the most. The weirdest part for me was when my last toe came off of the ground, my brain took a few seconds to try and understand how my body didn’t need my feet to support it. Once I was off the ground I really relaxed into it. It felt like I was floating in water but still being able to breathe, so no wonder I found it so relaxing! I was off the ground for just over 12 minutes before I asked to come down. My back was very stiff during the after party and I needed a little bit of help getting dressed but other than that I had no problems. I will go in to more details when I get round to writing a full experience on it.

The after party was great fun thanks to some absolutely fantastic company! Some of my closest friends were there and I also had the opportunity to make new friends who I have come to adore.

Last week the lovely Emma came back down to Brighton (all the way from Scotland) and we checked out Brighton University. Emma is thinking of moving down here and, quite frankly, I would like nothing more. We got to hang out for the best part of the whole week and it took me a couple of days to fully recover! Messy times.

October and November have been wonderful months to me. I have been so busy getting my life on track and spending quality time with close friends and some super new friends. Friendships that I hope will grow.

It’s been a month since my last entry so I suppose it’s time for an update.

Most of my time has been filled with home hunting and working.

The very good news is that I have now found a place to live and I move in the early part of next week! From what I’ve gathered so far I’ll be living in an ideal location with some great people. Not only that but Thlayli can come and live there too! I can hrdly contain my excitement and have already started buying things for my new room.

It’s time for me to go job hunting again, selling life insurance really isn’t for me. I find it impossible to sell a product that I honestly don’t believe in. This week I will be hassling my job angency to see what there is to offer. Luckily for me I have enough money to keep me going for the next couple of months so that if I didn’t find something better for a while it’s not the end of the world.

Now it is only a few days until Halloween and the Rites event. I am so incredibly excited but I am absolutely fretting about what to wear! My dress arrived today but I’m not even sure if I like it. I may have to think again.

In other news! I have had a (very much needed) haircut. It really is something special!

For the past week I have been staying with the wonderful Martin in Brighton. My time there was spent walking the streets with a wad of CVs and applying for any job that I’m qualified for. I walked so much that I have a large blister on the ball of my foot! It was completely worth it as I managed to get a lot of interest from agencies who passed on my details to several employers (by the end of the week my phone didn’t seem to stop ringing). Friday I had an interview at 4pm and after a short amount of time there they offered me the job on the spot. I took it and I start my training on Monday! Exciting beyond words! The job isn’t exactly what I would like to be doing but it is along the right line and it’s my ticket to the city I love (and the people there that I love dearly).

Now comes the next stage: finding a flat! Martin is very generously going to let me stay with him for this week and, hopefully, by the weekend I will have my very own flat sorted. I have so much to do and will be exceptionally busy for the next week or too but the excitement of it all is keeping me going. Every moment of it is going to be worth it when I walk through the front door of my own flat in the city that I already see as home. It will be a beautiful moment.

This is really happening! It hasn’t quite sunk in yet!

Today I finally received my P45 and on Tuesday I receive my redundancy pay. Two less things for me to bitch about I suppose! Haha.

The most frustrating thing is that with the money I’ve been religiously saving recently I have enough money for a flat deposit AND two months rent. I just don’t have the added security of having a job for when that money is spent. I’m so close but still so far.

Job hunting is still pretty much the same as ever. I did actually hear back from someone today about a Telesales job but, quite honestly, I think I fluffed it. At least now I feel like my CV whoring is finally getting me somewhere.

I still can’t stand the cowards and time-wasters but I guess that’s something none of us are ever free of.

My greatly reduced internet time seems to be paying off! I’ve spent a fair amount of today online for job hunting purposes but yesterday I managed to get quite a bit done! I filled a black sack with crap I don’t want anymore (more bags to soon follow), I fixed a few items of clothing that have had buttons missing and holes for months (yep I sew, surprised?), I’ve been sourcing materials for my Bizarre Ball costume and have been keeping my room beautifully tidy.

Tonight I’m scrapbooking. Life with no TV and limited internet is brilliant. Seriously.

I have come to the conclusion that I am thoroughly bored of the internet at the moment so I’ve decided to take a bit of a break from it. I have my iPhone so I will still be accessing the internet when it’s necessary but I’m just bored of sitting online and not doing anything constructive with my time.

I’ll be popping in every now and again to apply for jobs, update my blogs and update my websites but that will be it. I can still be contacted in all the usual ways, however (and if you would like my e-mail address etc feel free to ask for it). I’ll still be available on MSN as my phone leaves me signed in on there.

I’m not sure how long this will be for. Probably until I’ve moved quite honestly (whenever that will be). Instead my time will be dedicated to finding a job, making a bit of money here and there and getting on with something more productive.

Mod Free?

Today I have been playing around with camouflage make up. It took a bit of practise to perfect but once I knew what I was doing it was amazing (and scary) to watch my tattoos disappear in front of my eyes.

Combine the make up with retainers and you have a fully employable Kirsty.

So, I’m still job hunting. I admit that, at first, I didn’t dedicate as much time to applying for jobs as I should have been. My reason for this was that I was waiting to hear back from the job I wanted the most. Just before the beginning of the Bank Holiday weekend I decided that I could wait no longer so over the last three days I have applied for about 10 jobs. I know I should have upped my game before but I was so keen to get the other job that I wanted to wait. I have sent out other applications previously and, quite frankly, I’m getting rather annoyed about not getting any feedback as to whether my applications have been successful or not (I’m guessing not). A short e-mail would be nice. Oh well. I guess that’s just how it is at the moment.

Finished Fins

It has been nearly two months since my appointment where my fins were completed but I have now, finally, got round to getting pictures of my finished fins!

All the progress and waiting have been worth while. It also means that I can solely concentrate on the fish elements of my leg project. Next to come is my Moral Eel tattoo. I am very excited about it. More information coming soon!

More pictures are available on my website (www.crystoth.co.uk) and on my flickr account.

Yesterday I received the news that I have been made redundant. It is a shame because I did like my job there but I understand that they would only have taken this action if they had absolutely no other choice.

They’ve been fantastic. Yesterday, officially, was when I get my months notice but they are not asking me to work through my notice so I will be paid for the next month but will be able to job hunt at the same time.

This does leave me with the perfect opportunity to really work on relocating to the city that has felt like home to me for so long; the one and only Brighton.

I have an absolutely wonderful friend group. Full of people I adore there and for many weeks now I have been spending every weekend there. It really does feel like home. Not only that but it has been my dream to live by the coast for many years now.

I know my bosses feel bad for making me redundant but I understand completely so they really shouldn’t. This is a positive thing for me and it’s the next step to reaching my goals.

This is my first proper update for a long time. The fact is that I have just been so busy having a great time with my Brightonian friends. I’ve been spending as much time with them as possible so the internet has taken a huge backstep in my life. This is wonderful. It also mean that I have been networking with ‘real’ people as well as networking online.

I can’t help but  feel like I am going off the rails ever so slightly, but actually, I’m quite enjoying it. I’m not going mad I’m just doing things I wouldn’t have done before and now I’m much more wired and dynamic. On top of all this I am feeling even more confident and happy! I feel like I could really win at this “life” thing. I am feeling really good within my skin and it like I’m really sussing out who I am. And finally I am thoroughly enjoying being single; it feels as if anything is possible. I don’t feel indestructable and there is no risk of me doing or going to do something silly but I just feel like I’ve really progressed with my life and emotions recently. I just feel like I can really succeed at this life and make something good out of it and I have the independance to be able to do this myself. I have also had the opportunity to know (with a little help from my friends) where I have been going wrong and I am now learning from my mistakes and growing further.
In short: I feel fabulous.

My recent events:

Saturday 20th June 2009

This was such an amazing day! I met up in Brighton with a few absolutely amazing people from BodyMod.Org. So good to see such lovely people again… and to meet a couple of new faces. We sat on deckchairs, ate gourmet burgers and wandered around the fabulous Brighton. Not forgetting a little venture down on the pier. I really miss every9one already but hopefully it wont be long before I get to hang out with them again.

Monday 22nd June 2009

The aim of today was to get the fins on my legs to a finished (or near-finished) state. So with today’s appointment with Alex that was the goal and, with maybe the exception of possible touch-ups, that goal was met. More shading was added and the red was made so vibrant. I am made up with the results. Now I have the swelling to look forward to…

After my appointment I made my way back into Brighton to spend time with more of the wonderful people I have met because of BodyMod. We went out for a few drinks and lots of get conversations. Leaving my friends in Brighton and making my way back home breaks my heart every time. It would be a dream come true if I could move there and I’m currently working on it! I am willing to do prettymuch anything (workwise) just so I have the opportunity to move there. I’m making that one of my main goals.

This film will never fail to fill me with joy…