Wake me up!

I've come to the conclusion that, in the long and short, having a job simply means one thing - getting up at a certain time in the mornings...99.9% of the time earlier than one would like to. To make this as pleasant as possible, it's vital to start the day well. Yes yes, breakfast is mega important blah blah. But even before that, one factor plays a huge role in a morning routing. The alarm clock. Oh yes. This little friend is the one who tears you from your blissful slumber, awakens you from your pleasurable dreams and confronts you with the reality of your working day. What a little shitter.

To make this brutal awakening as bearable as possible, I firmly believe that one should be well acquainted with one's alarm clock and only use the best possible method. Should it really be your phone? I divulge..

The mobile phone - my go to favourite. Always on me, always a safe bet. Word of caution: it would be wise to use an 'alarm tone' rather than a song/MP3 file. If I use a song and then hear it during the day, my body goes into shock. True story.

The mother - a gentle awakening..perhaps a kiss, perhaps a cup of tea. Aaaah. Then again it makes me want to say "Mummy I can't go in today, I feel sooo poorly!"

The wake up light - from the likes of Philips etc. Claims to 'imitate the natural waking up process through sunlight' and often accompanied by technological tweeting of birds. Way too freaky.

The classic - I got given a really cute Snoopy alarm clock when I was about 12. It was one of those really old-school kinds with the bells on top. Sooo retro. When it went off I nearly pooped my pants and had a heart attack. It is now decoration only. (and obviously tells the time...)

Therefore my advice? None of them are pleasant, but it's probably safest to go with your phone alarm. Realistically you'll have it on you anyway. Oh and place it on the opposite side of the room, then you physically have to leave the bed to turn it off.

The only fashion advice you'll ever need...

The other day I went to Sainsbury's across the road wearing my pyjamas. Now I know full well that in the wider world, socially this is just not ok. However, I'm in my last semester of university (yes, scary) and so I simply HAD to do it. Students can get away with wearing pretty much anything...'this old thing? Yeah, it was my Grandad's jumper..' and sometimes I do just love to spend the day in my pyjamas. Nonetheless, university has provided me (obviously amongst other things!) with me a few valuable dressing tips...

1) The sales are there because the shops want to get rid of their leftover stock. Face it, that leather corset with the edgy zip detail is there because it's gross and no-one wants it. Those £10 would be better spent on a cinema ticket/dinner out/ANYTHING else...

2) If you want comfort, embrace comfort. Just like when you're craving chocolate, surprise surprise, your body is telling you you need a pick-me-up, when you want comfy clothing, that is literally all that will suffice! Be it for a journey, a library session, a hang-over day or a mooch around town.

3) Leggings are only socially acceptable if you're a girl, are under 25, your derriere is covered and they're OPAQUE ie a THICK black material where we CANNOT see you under garments. 

4)You'll be drawn to particular clothing styles probably because you feel comfortable in them and they suit you, so embrace that! Buy things because you like them and they make you feel good not because Kate Moss looked good in it. Then again, K-dog obviously has the exact same fashion style and taste as me... 

5) If in doubt, wear black; it's smart, it's casual, it's smart-casual. Oh and it's slimming.

Pyjamas, but never nighties...

For Impact, out university magazine, I recently did an interview with U.S. comedy duo The Pyjama Men which I thought I'd share...

*The highest selling act to ever play at The Soho Theatre in London, a 2010 sell-out run in London and a TV project in development…it’s no secret that comedy duo The Pyjama Men, a.k.a Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez from Albuquerque, New Mexico, are in hot demand. So I was extremely lucky to bag an interview with them…

Did you find it easy  breaking onto the comedy circuit?

The main thing is to just keep showing up and doing your comedy wherever you can. I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but if you do the effin’ work, something will come of it. Some people make glass eyes and get super into the glass eye business. We didn’t go that route, but we work just as hard as those glass eye barons and it’s going well.

What was the motivating push that convinced you to do it?

We gave up everything else to do this and when doing something ridiculous is all you got, you really
 want it to work out.

Where do you get show ideas and influences from?

There were plenty of comedy films we liked growing up, like Airplane, Top Secret, Naked Gun… But in a way we were lucky because we grew up in the small desert city of Albuquerque in New Mexico. There was no scene, no one to set an example and so we just did what we thought was funny or interesting and because of that we were able to make our own style…for better or worse!

You’ve toured America, Canada, the Edinburgh Fringe…how do you choose your destinations?

We go where the work is I guess. In the same way zombies go where the brains are. Doing Edinburgh afforded us a lot of opportunities to do things internationally (and to get drunk). It can all be traced back there, really.

Do you adapt your shows a lot to suit the different audiences in different countries and do you find that reactions and reception differ greatly from country to country?

No, because we’re not topical. Our stuff is more about characters and how weird humans are – picking up on idiosyncrasies or exploring relationships. We look for ways to tie our bits together through strange narratives, but it’s not specific to any one place or country.

Who is the best audience and who is your ideal audience?

Jee…I guess the best audiences are the un-jaded ones; being too cool to laugh is the saddest thing that can happen to a person.

How long does it typically take you to write a show?

We work for about six weeks before we open a show that is just a sort of skeleton and then we improvise within the structure in front of an audience. So it’s hard to say because a lot of the writing happens on stage and we keep that process going until we close the show.

Do you have someone to edit or help write your material?

No, it’s just us. We’re a small operation.

Which one of you is funnier…and why?

I’m funnier because I have a secret weapon – Mark writes my jokes.

Any tips for aspiring comedians?

Do your own thing. Trying to fit into a mould gets you nowhere. Take it from us. Ever heard of us? No? Okay well, do what ever you think will work.

Oh and have you ever performed in nighties?

No, you idiot, we’re the Pajama Men.

On that note…thanks guys!

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