Washington-Post-blog-baaarooke

Listening to music and seeing artists perform live is a part of my life. I love discovering new songs or artists and I am the kind of person who can listen to one song or album or repeat and not get bored.

I thought something fun that I can do is share a song or artist who have somehow captured my attention in the hope that it's something new and amazing that someone else can also love.

This week I bought the new single from Lily Allen, "Hard Out Here" after seeing the video on youtube. This is her first official single release since 2009.

The song itself is a catchy, punchy tune that tackles the way women are portrayed as sex symbols and the tough road we still face - especially of women in show business. It's been a song that has not been without controversy, obviously a subject like this is going to generate opinions from both sides of the fence.

I like this song because it's un-flinchingly honest, it's edgy and it's a fantastic pop song.



She uses the word "bitch" so many times I'm sure Jesse Pinkman would be proud.

I've been listening to Lily Allen for years. I'm so glad she's back and hasn't lost that sneer and attitude that has always made her stand out from the crowd.

 - Brooke

This week was filled with all kinds of normality. I worked 6 out of 7 days however I still had plenty of things to be grateful for.

I keep having to pinch myself to believe that the two days I spent with blogging royalty actually happened. The two days were totally surreal and inspiring and I've walked away with so many new ideas and a newfound focus and determination to make something of this little space on the internet. I digress - let me start at the beginning

What is the Blogcademy? 

The Blogcademy is a two-day workshop run by Gala Darling (www.galadarling.com), Kat Williams (www.rocknrollbride.com) and Shauna Haider (www.nubbytwiglet.com) that is designed to help aspiring bloggers gain the insight and direction needed to take their blogs to the next level. It's the ultimate insiders guide to blogging from three very successful, talented and amazing women.

Why did I go? 

I love blogging (something I can proudly say, and something I would have felt weird saying a few years ago). I began blogging on my myspace page (back when it was still a thing) and moved to this URL in 2008. I love that it gives me the freedom to write about things I am passionate about and love - I've just never really been super dedicated to this space. I've posted sporadically and have been one of those bloggers who is always apologising for my absence. I want to change this and I needed the direction and the "how to" which I believed I could gain by attending this course.

What did I learn? 

These headmistresses know their shit. I learnt so much in two days that my head is still spinning. I'm a processor so I'm going to have to give the information some time to sink in BUT there were a few key things that stood out from the rest.

  1.  You must have a plan and goals for your blog - here I am, a 30 year old professional woman who creates business plans for work every year and I didn't think that this was something that would be important for my blog. I work in a very goal oriented business with budgets and plans for everything I do, so I'm surprised I have never looked at my blog in the same way.

  2.  Consistency is key - for EVERYTHING you do. This is something that sounds so simple but is probably the hardest thing to maintain. I have been guilty many times of neglecting this space and I had a great conversation with Gala about this. I just need to see this space as something I should be proud of and give it the attention and love it deserves and that means applying the work ethic I have in my job to this blog. It's going to be hard work but I'm ready to get it done.

Was it worth it? 

I didn't post a Gratitude List last week due to my excitement and distraction by The Blogcademy (don't worry there's a post coming on that). This weeks Gratitude List is jam packed full of fun amazing things to make up for it.



1. THE BLOGCADEMY - The highlight of my week/month/year. I can't even begin to explain how happy I walked away from these two days. I was so blissed out on Friday afternoon that the almost 2 hour commute back home didn't bother me. I could see my hula hoop from Hooplovers.com in my rear-view mirror and I smiled all the way home. My re-cap of the two-days is coming (it's in the drafts being carefully edited before posting).

2. A quick stay in North Melbourne - I didn't want to have to stress about traffic so for the two days that  I went to the Blogcademy I decided to rent a small studio apartment in North Melbourne. It was a last minute decision and it was the best decision. It was nice to set up shop in a small little space and be by myself for 2 nights. It gave me a chance to re-charge before the next day in quiet.



3. Seeing Franz Ferdinand live - on Thursday night I went to the Forum theatre tired and mentally exhausted but it didn't last long once Franz Ferdinand hit the stage. I found myself bouncing around, dancing and singing and basically having a fantastic night.

4. Creating Vision Boards - Since I moved to a new store I needed to update and re-new my vision board for at work. It's something I really love doing and I think I'm pretty damn good at it. I love creating collages and this is the perfect excuse. I also scoured the internet looking for some inspirational quotes and have plastered one of the walls in our back office with these quotes. It looks bright and cheerful and exactly what I want when I am sitting out there.

5. Chinese food for another b'day - I didn't realise exactly how many family b'days there are in October / November until I started writing these lists. We've had 4 different b'days in as many weeks. Last week it was my sisters turn and we went out for delicious Chinese food at one of our favourite places followed by one of my Mum's amazing sponge cakes.

This week I want to make sure I do something nice for somebody else - I want to share the kindness and happiness I've experienced this past week with somebody else. I'm not sure how or what but I'm determined to make someone smile unexpectedly.

 - Brooke

P.S Thanks to Lucy at My Day My Way for the shout out - it's nice to find another blogger being grateful for their week

Wellington New Zealand - June 2012








 - Brooke

So it appears I'm not the as good at scheduling posts as I thought I was. I thought I had this ready to post on Monday night, but it appears that didn't happen. Lesson learnt

Here are the things that happened through the week that made me smile



1. I've been so busy and stressed out these past few weeks due to the fact that I was moving stores at the end of the month. Not only was I moving stores but I was opening a brand new store in a totally new location on November 1st. It was a lot of work but I'm so happy with the new store. I'm so happy it's finally open and my thoughts and energy can shift to this new team and new location. It still feels a little surreal right now.

2. Having my Sundays back - with this new store comes 6 day trade, which in turn means I get my Sundays back!!!!! I'm so used to working in a 7 day trade location and working full weekends that I'm not going to know what to do with all this free time on a weekend. It's perfect timing too with summer fast approaching, this means I might actually make it to the beach this year *hooray*



3. Birthdays - we celebrated another 2 birthdays this week. Cute little Seth and Evie both had birthdays during the week (that picture of Seth KILLS me - he was trying to blow out the candles but was just filling his cheeks with air and making the noise, not actually blowing on the candles).

4. I went and saw Thor 2 (or Thor: The Dark World) at Gold Class on Saturday evening and while we didn't get to try the Rocky Road Popcorn (they were sold out which has just peaked our interests even further) it was an amazing experience. There is something about the Thor movies that I just love. It is pure escapism. It was extra nice as the Gold Class cinemas we went to has had a re-furbishment and have super comfy new recliners (except they aren't as long in the legs and I had to curl my legs up on the foot rest).



5. Finding new ways to wear my Black Milk maxi dresses (especially my blue galaxy one) - I CAN WEAR THEM AS MAXI SKIRTS!!! This was a revelation for me this week. I want to wear my maxi dresses as much as possible but I kind of feel like it can be a bit much for day-to-day wear but throw on a casual t-shirt over the top and voila it's more casual. Perfect!

 - Brooke