The Miscellaneous Goings On Of Tom - Valentines Day Edition 💌

💘Happy Valentines All! 💘

This time of year always sucks for me, never exactly been lucky in love (while the majority of that is my own doing) but this year I think I'll be using the day to appreciate myself. "Bit arrogant/selfish" you say, but hear me out. As I've expressed over the last year I've been on a significant mental health journey to be able to learn to love myself and considering the day is all about love, why not love yourself today? I'm a great believer in the fact that you can't love someone else properly unless you love yourself. It was a challenge having to relearn that I have value and I have worth on this planet, so to all my fellow single people out there, we aren't on the rubbish heap, we aren't forgotten, we're just on our own path, trying to find ourselves and hopefully someone to join us along the way, but as cliche as it sounds these things can't be rushed in my opinion. Whilst I still roam the woods hoping to bump into (in the words of Type O Negative) my druidess, I am just happy to be alive, thriving and becoming the man that I was meant to be. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy for all those who have found their significant other and are in loving, progressive and safe relationships, this day is for you without a doubt, but right now, the people who find themselves on their own today need the biggest love today. The pandemic has been hard and I am witnessing first hand the strain that it is now putting on myself and my friends emotionally, in a way that the physical distance isn't too far but the emotional distance is so vast it feels like we're on the other side of the world. It is a horrible feeling, even if these times are unprecedented as they keep saying, especially when video calls no longer seem to fill that void much anymore. It's something that weighs on the mind in such a despairing way, it can be hard to see the positives in the situation as the forms of entertainment we've relied on start to disinterest us and the constant use of time to work becomes more of a drain than a work of passion. Whilst I remain motivated in what I do, the lack of a scenery change leads to being uninspired on some occasions, but hang in there and preserver and you will achieve your objectives in your time, there is no rush, you don't need to impress anyone but yourself. Either way, you don't need me to tell you how much we miss just sitting in the same room as our closest friends and family, but we need to all cut ourselves some slack in a few areas because we've never been through anything this bad before. With that in mind, by relieving your own self-pressure, doing the little and simple things you enjoy, that is self-love, it doesn't have to be a massive overhaul overnight, these things take time. I think it is important to enjoy today but also to be mindful and reflect, even so, the reunions we will have once we are free will be just as emotionally charged with love just like today. Stay safe out there people, and I hope you have a loved filled day. For me, it's a date with my TV and the Guinness Six Nations! 🏉

What I'm Listening To At This Very Moment

I'm currently taking a semi-hiatus with my Viking and Anglo-Saxon studies to explore that ancient and mysterious people, the Celts. As a result I am aiming to immerse myself in the music of the mystic and magical islands that I call home walking the bridges of traditional folk and our own unique brand of underground metal. The Brythonic Celts (a.k.a Wales, Cornwall, Bretton) and Goidelic Celts (Irish, Scottish, Manx) are a source of inspiration to me, as are Primordial. This song is just epic in all contexts of the word. 

What I've Been Jamming To This Week

Not a lot really, been a quiet week for music, so instead I reworked a song I used for a university project, which back then was inspired by grunge and hardcore. Hopefully I can release it for you all in the future alongside the original as it show the improvement in my audio production work. Also, the 6 Nations Championship started last week so I've been in full rugby mode recently. Given Scotland's run of form I did revisit my favourite Scottish black metal artist, and since he's been remastering his albums I have to share with you the awesomeness of Aura. 

Stay Safe & Have A Lovely Day 💝

Whilst today is also shrouded in corporate greed, I hope you've enjoyed my little input today. I apologise for my quietness of the last week, things have got on top of me a little bit but I am aiming to be back and raring to go next week. For any history lovers though, over on my history blog, me and my fellow contributor Andrea compiled a list of our favourite historical power couples (I let you guess which my contribution was), and you can look at that here. I want anyone who is alone today know, they have my whole heart, today can use anxiety and self-loathing but if you are reading this I'm here for you and I hope my words have offered some comfort whilst you rock out to the music I have supplied. To everyone else, stay safe and have a lovely day!