What's that? You don't have wife and kids? Me neither. We should get to know each-other better.
Which is the topic of this post. Getting to know each-other. You don't have to participate. But it would be nice if you did!
Middle name:
Wood. It was my Mum's maiden name. My Grandad loved the Wood clan. He kept saying that I wasn't a Ritchie, I was a Wood! Michelle gave me the nickname Woody when I was younger because she knew it wound me up. I've grown to love it though!
Nicknames:
So many nicknames, very few are actually used! Most common are L, Ritchinator, Penguin... things like that! Less common are Rich-tea, Biscuit, Ketchup, Lorlin... as said, so many.
Describe yourself:
I'm eighteen. I've got a blonde inverted bob and hazel eyes. I'm pretty damn short, but let's just pretend that I'm fun-sized.
Family:
Mum and Dad. I can always depend on them, no matter what. They recently celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary. Love them to pieces! The only other direct family I have are my Uncle, Auntie and six year old cousin. He's the cutest little kid ever.
I didn't really have that big a family to begin with, but the last few years have had their fair share of tragedy. In 2006, my Grandad died after falling through a roof he was fixing. In 2008, my Auntie (who I referred to as Nanny, who also lived with us) died of fluid to the lungs. And in 2010, we lost my Grandma to cancer. I'm just getting over their deaths just now. Losing loved ones is a very difficult thing to overcome.
Current occupation/education:
At the moment? Still jobless *sobs*.
Decided to stop trying John Lewis after the eight rejection email.As for as education goes, I'm doing a HND in Creative Industries: TV and loving every single second of it.
Best friend:
I don't have one best friend. I tried to sit down one day and choose just one person, but I literally couldn't. It's between Megan, Kristina, Sara, Michelle, Halle, Chloe, Kelly and Dougal. Seriously, I can't choose between them. All I know is that the world is a brighter place when I'm with them.
Life aim:
Direct a movie that I am truly proud of, or at least become camerawoman for a film that I am proud to be a part of making.
Favourite movie:
Toss up between 'Fight Club' and 'Inception'.
'Inception' is the movie that inspired me to want to become a filmmaker.
'Fight Club' is the movie that made me realise how beautiful the art of filmmaking is.
Both are very important to me.
Favourite song:
Either 'In the Mourning' or 'Misguided Ghosts' by Paramore.
Can you play any instruments:
I can play bass and ukulele. SLAAPPPAAA DA BASS.
Earliest childhood memory:
Burning my hand on a towel rail in my bathroom. Stupid Lauren!
Fears:
Spiders, failure and the Makro store-room.
Basically, my Dad thought it would be funny to push me towards the giant store-room in Makro. They have huge walls (obviously, they're a whole-saler) and the store-room stretched all the way up one of these walls. You couldn't see much of the store-room itself, but you could see an ominous orange light glowing behind a series of plastic wrap strips that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. My Dad thought it was funny to push the trolley, along with his daughter, who was sitting helplessly in it, down the aisle towards this store-room. Obviously, he wouldn't let me go through the store-room, but it has seriously messed me up regardless. I had nightmares about this damn room. Not just one, and not just directly after this incident. I've had about twenty, the last one was when I was around fourteen.
Irrational, yes. But still terrifying for me!
Diseases, allergies, ailments, disorders, etc etc:
Cyclothymia (mild form of bipolar disorder) is the worst I've got to deal with, so I'm thankful for that. I'm kind of grateful for it, in a strange way. It has made me want to educate people on mental disorders, and try to break down the taboos that surround them so more people will be able to open up about the problems they are dealing with.
I also go between suffering from insomnia and hypersomnia. Some weeks I'll average four hours sleep per night. Others, it'll be twelve hours. Either way, I'll still be shattered when I wake up. It's a pain in the ass.
Also, hayfever. Because I'm so tough, I'm allergic to flowers.
Passions:
Writing is probably my biggest passion right now. I'm trying to write a novel at the moment, which I'm pretty proud of thus far. Also need to write a script for my college project.
I love music, especially live music. Miraculously, flaresnseagulls have allowed me to combine my love for writing and my love for music by letting me review gigs for them.
Then of course, there's film. Nothing makes me happier than a trip to the cinema. I'm up for watching anything... anything besides horror.
Photography was a huge one, but I'm slowly beginning to lose interest. I'll need to get back on that soon.
Best day of my life:
It's a tie between:
- Paramore's gig in Edinburgh in August 2012. I met a lot of amazing people during that afternoon waiting outside the venue and at night... I got to see my favourite band performing at the top of their game. Hayley even laughed at my headbanging attempts.
- Pink's Hampden concert in 2010. I spent the day with Halle and a bunch of other, amazing people before getting to see Pink and people like the amazing Butch Walker perform. Then, we went and got a subway. Brilliant end to a brilliant day.
- A simple day out at the park with my Grandparents, back when I was a little kid. It's a great wee memory that I hold very dear to me.
Beliefs:
I wouldn't say that I'm a Christian, or a Buddhist, or any other religion that you could possibly think of. I'm open minded to all possibilities and respectful of others beliefs. No-one has all the answers. Who are we to say what's right and wrong anyway?
Near death experiences:
I almost drowned when I was a child... in a shallow end of Kincorth Academy's pool. Seriously. Before you send your child to swimming lessons... TELL THEM THAT THEY CAN STAND UP IF THEY'RE FINDING THINGS DIFFICULT.
Sexual orientation:
I am straight. Which a few people refuse to believe! If I were bi, or gay, I'd come out and say it.
What I miss:
A lot of things. I'll look past on a few blog posts or even have a flick through some of my Facebook photos and miss how things used to be. I miss the friends that I'm not even acquaintances with now. I miss being able to go to school every week day and speak to my friends for the next six hours. I miss not having to know exactly what you're doing with your life, or where you're planning on going. Most of all, I miss the loved ones that I've lost over the past few years.
Favourite place:
It's between my house, Megan's house (the Stewart's are hilarious) and the Starbucks on Union Street. It always reminds me of Sara and Dougal and the fun times we've had there.
Favourite quote:
"That's how life can be. Any struggle or pain you experience just gets to the top. And you can't get there without making the climb. A few years later, you won't remember exactly the way the pain felt or how long it took. You'll just remember the view from the top. In fact, you might smile at the fact you had to work to get there" - Hayley Williams
I wouldn't say that I'm a Christian, or a Buddhist, or any other religion that you could possibly think of. I'm open minded to all possibilities and respectful of others beliefs. No-one has all the answers. Who are we to say what's right and wrong anyway?
Near death experiences:
I almost drowned when I was a child... in a shallow end of Kincorth Academy's pool. Seriously. Before you send your child to swimming lessons... TELL THEM THAT THEY CAN STAND UP IF THEY'RE FINDING THINGS DIFFICULT.
Sexual orientation:
I am straight. Which a few people refuse to believe! If I were bi, or gay, I'd come out and say it.
What I miss:
A lot of things. I'll look past on a few blog posts or even have a flick through some of my Facebook photos and miss how things used to be. I miss the friends that I'm not even acquaintances with now. I miss being able to go to school every week day and speak to my friends for the next six hours. I miss not having to know exactly what you're doing with your life, or where you're planning on going. Most of all, I miss the loved ones that I've lost over the past few years.
Favourite place:
It's between my house, Megan's house (the Stewart's are hilarious) and the Starbucks on Union Street. It always reminds me of Sara and Dougal and the fun times we've had there.
Favourite quote:
"That's how life can be. Any struggle or pain you experience just gets to the top. And you can't get there without making the climb. A few years later, you won't remember exactly the way the pain felt or how long it took. You'll just remember the view from the top. In fact, you might smile at the fact you had to work to get there" - Hayley Williams
Role models:
Celebrity role models are definitely Pink and Hayley Williams. The role models in my life would be my Mum and my friends. Kristina especially. She's such a caring wee soul.
What you've stolen:
I stole a mars bar when I was like, four or five. I thought that supermarkets were a wonderful place where you could walk in, pick up food and leave. All for free. What? It was my first trip to the supermarket. I picked up a mars bar, put it on top of my head, put my cap on top of it and walked out.
My parents didn't realise what I did until they walked out of the store and we got in the car, which was when I thought "Hey, let's whap oot the Mars Bars". They ran back in and paid for it as soon as they found out, bless them.
Funny thing? I don't even like bloody Mars Bars.
First kiss:
It was one of those "Oh God, it's going to be so awkward if I push you away, so I might as well give into this" kisses. It wasn't pleasant and I felt guilty for the next week for leading him on.
First boyfriend:
Still haven't had a proper boyfriend. Which is kind of sad, in a way. I've been asked out, but never by anyone that I really liked. C'est la vie.
What I'm like drunk:
I don't know. I don't drink. It's never really appealed to me before, so I don't see the point in doing it, just to make others happy. If people don't support that decision, then I don't particularly want them in my life.
Pets:
I've got a featherless cockatiel. What? did you really expect me to have a normal pet?
Biggest achievement:
Probably learning to drive. I haven't achieved that much in life thus far to be honest
Feel free to answer the questions for yourself in the comments. I'd love to hear your answers.
Also, send in some more questions for me to answer. Don't be shy. I'll answer just about anything.
