The view from my room in France is a little bit magical this morning.
Iβm here for my mum and stepdadβs βnot-weddingβ (Celtic handfasting and other hippy stuff, but no legal marriage), so today Iβm making these gorgeous paper flower decorations with my mum and her sister-in-law πππΊ
France today has involved me studying male menopause in Actual Paradise, and also serving Looks while going to the pizzaria π
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This guy is in the Guardian claiming that graduates are overqualified for their jobs in England and NI because they don't have skills for graduate jobs, with no evidence, and no mention that there's a MASSIVE lack of graduate jobs in NI in particular???
My job is considered a school-leaver job, and I'm overqualified. I'm not in this job because I lack degree-level skills (the fact that I'm also doing a funded PhD would indicate I'm at a decent graduate skill level), but because there weren't grad jobs that suited my degrees.
I'm in Scotland, but a major part of me leaving NI was the HUGE lack of graduate jobs. My opportunities essentially amounted to working in a call centre or retraining to go into the tech industry. Blaming grads for not being employable is an easy way to avoid structural issues.
To think, if strangford had voted a bit more Green, there could have been two MLAs drunkenly stumbling around Ards singing Breakfast at Tiffanyβs very loudly (not together though, obvs, he was still a DUPer). Arenβt yous all sad you missed out on that.
Yous might think Iβm joking but it is literally one of about five songs I insist on putting on when Iβm drunk. My mum even has it on the playlist for her hippy wedding reception this weekend, because she knows Iβll pure belt it when Iβve had some wine in me.
I've been v deeply suicidal at various stages of my life, for various reasons. Friends, family and meds have helped me get to a stage where I'm mentally healthier than ever and it doesn't cross my mind for weeks at a time β₯οΈ
My worst suicidal period, and the time I was most in danger, I was still going to work, uni, and probably didn't seem much other than a bit down. Friends & family helped me feel safe enough to admit how bad it was and get better support - providing that space is so important!
Also every suicidal period for me has been triggered by structural issues, such as being put on a 2 year waiting list for medical conditions causing chronic pain, or being flat out broke from being unemployed and unable to get benefits. It's not a coincidence.