A Photo Per Day || April

4/30/2017


So another month has passed us by, and to be entirely honest, it's been incredibly hazy for me. April didn't have any defining moments, nothing special happened that I can write about in this month's overview blurb. I read a lot, walked a lot, and was with my own mind far too much. Not really exciting, is it? Me and my better half did celebrate our two year dating anniversary, and my hair was transformed from a dreary brown to a more thrilling red. But.. that's it. Heck, one of those was impossible to photograph. I think my photos reflect the mehness that was April for me. It's a lot of outdoorsy shots, books, and throwbacks. Which is somewhat depressing. So, my hope for next month's A Photo Per Day is to share photos that I actually took the day I upload them. I want new memories, it's tiring always living in the past. But for now, here's April.
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01/04/2017: You know when you just need to read something that makes sense to your brain, but struggle to find anything? Well, that's usually my problem. But today was my lucky day. I suddenly feel less alone, and less crazy. It feels as though someone stroked my soul and said "It'll be okay". Thank God for words. 
02/04/2017: My heart throbs with the need to be outside. Back here. Clean air, the sound of laughter, smell of the ocean.. I can practically taste it. I tried to go for a walk today and the discomfort was unbearable. Fibromyalgia is rearing it's ugly head. I sometimes forget that some things are just out of my reach right now. It's a hard reality to swallow. 
03/04/2017: Throwback: My little kitchen helper. I can't help but mini squeal at his cuteness. Those ears are adorable. I'm the proud mama of an amazing cat. Most certainly the highlight of my everything. 
04/04/2017: Superfood Pasta aka: working my way to a Transformation Tuesday. Grilled halloumi, pasta, pesto, broad beans, avocado, red onion, sugarsnap peas, red and yellow peppers, rocket, and cherry tomatoes. Yum. 
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05/04/2017: Wooden bridges that lead to an adventure in the forest. If I was 6, I'd be looking around for the fairies that floated along the water and the nymph's that dance between the trees. I miss having that kind of imagination. I look forward to having children and reliving it all through them. 
06/04/2017: Currently Reading: Wild by Cheryl Strayed. "The breaking of so great a thing should make a greater crack" - William Shakespeare. I'm 40 pages in and this book has already made me cry twice. So beautifully written. I'm already seeking escape and adventure. Late night and a #friyay feeling, here I come. 
 07/04/2017: Throwback: Me, sporting a fetching sailor costume (#stoptryingtomakefetchhappen), and my Granddad circa 1999 (98?). If I had the courage to dress how I wanted, it'd be all fun costumes and petticoats 24/7. Not to mention satin slips and all the collars. Maybe one day I'll be head strong enough (and have a more stable income) to do so. Who doesn't love a sailor? My Granddad gifted me this photo yesterday as an Engagement gift and it's the most thoughtful and sentimental gift I've received in donkeys. It's the little things in life. Memories and family matter. Which is why my brain is a jumblesale of confliction and worry right now. I need an outlet. PS: Shoutout to Bruno just sleeping in the background. What it must be like to live the cat life. 
08/04/2017: Happy Caturday from myself and Mr. Bruno "Buki". I'm not feeling overly well (fibro is kicking my booty after a few emotional days) but I'm planning on a blogging day tomorrow and it's nice having something to look forward to. I need to get myself a schedule, yet I can't really because my health is so unpredictable. Blegh. Frustration isn't strong enough of a word. 
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09/04/2017: What more do you need on a Sunday blogging morning? I find it really amusing how us British folk have Frosties, whereas Americans enjoy some Frosted Flakes. Why do theirs sound so hip and cool, whereas ours are named as though a 4 year old chose it? I ask the big questions. And two coffees aren't enough caffeine to get me to write a decent caption, it seems. You live and learn. 
09/04/2017: Thrifty Book Haul || Click HERE to read. I love me some secondhand books and giving money to charity at the same time? Win-win. Have a looksy at the books I found in my new haul post. My #TBR list is definitely growing. 
10/04/2017: Do reds have more fun though? 'Tis the question. I took a giant leap and had a game of "let's dye my hair". I wanted it way more copper (think Felicia Day), but it's a start. It's weird. But a start. My nose is now attacked by the smell of boxed dye. Fume explosion. 
11/04/2017: I wish my mind was as calm as this water. Instead my head feels like a waterfall. My waves are bashing against the rocks and soaking through the wood of the trees. So if you need me, I'll be sitting here waiting for the calm. 
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12/04/2017: LDR: 5 Tips On How to Help Your Relationship Survive" || Click HERE to read. New post on little tips and tricks to make the miles easier on the heart. I've been in two long term relationships that have been separated by distance and let me tell you, it's hell. Pure hell. But love is love and when you find it, the feeling in your heart when together is worth all the agony it takes to get there. You just learn to adapt. Give it a read if you have the time, or comment here with any other tips you've discovered along the way. I'd love to hear them! 
14/04/2017:  I'm craving Summer. Warm sun on my skin and snowcones. All the snowcones. Look at the prettiness! 
12/04/2017: Repost @billiamswn with @repostappHow adorable are these two good looking fellas? The dynamic duo.
13/04/2017: #TBT: The busy streets of Germany, alive with people and decorated with wonky street lamps. What more could you want? I loved this trip (even better because I got to spend it with the beautiful @tinkcrbcll). I really like this photo. The way the gentleman's pants compliments the flowers. The imperfections of the stones on the grounds. The buildings. Vintage goodness. 
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15/04/2017:  Have y'all (cool enough to say that yet?) read my latest book haul? Click HERE to read. Thrifty goodness! . I'm almost done with Wild and I've loved every second of it. Cheryl's character is everything I've needed over the past few months. Her ability to be wise, lost, found, spontaneous and reckless all at once.. it's inspiring. And helping me feel sane. Often characters are one dimensional, whereas she is made up of smarts and mistakes. It's reality. Pure and simple. Have you read it? What are your thoughts? May write up a book to movie review, if I risk tainting these beautiful pages with a movies mind-eye. 
15/04/2017: Happy #Caturday! Throwback to house renovations and a wailing kitty. This was actually captured mid-yawn, but let's just pretend he was yelling. It's far more amusing.
16/04/2017: Happy Easter! This pretty much sums up how my morning has been. If there's one day of the year where you can eat chocolate for breakfast, it's Easter! (And Birthdays, and Christmas, and Halloween..)  Enjoy the sugar rush!
16/04/2017: Yesterday I added a new daily on the app Habitica for myself (blog post coming soon about the app itself, just FYI) - to take a new photo everyday that is worth keeping. My camera roll tends to be crammed with Instagramable photos, but not memories. Nothing I'd print and put in a album, you know. Now, I truly believe that both are important (30 year old me will no doubt want to know what 20 year old me was reading), but my goal is to be mindful about snapping more shots of the people and animals surrounding me on a daily basis - no matter how annoying they may be (looking at you, Lily! Aka: the fluff ball in this photo). Wish me luck! I want my lives! That's a Habitica reference, just in case you think I've gone mad. Plus, taking photos is often my happy place. I felt meh today. Not pretty, not overly happy, just.. meh. But I know I'll forget that in future when I look at this photo. Instead I'll think of how cute she looks, or that I miss my red hair (as I don't think it's staying for too long). This is what I'll have to remember this day by, and I'm okay with that. 
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17/04/2017: New Post: A review of the infamous Finleys Bar & Grill! || Click HERE to read. 

I first heard of Finleys from an episode of My Ghost Story and instantly wanted to go be nosy. Sadly, we didn't have any paranormal experience ourselves when visiting but we did have some yummy food. If you're thinking of taking a drive there yourself, check out my post of facts that you're unlikely to find elsewhere online. This is why I love blogging, I can now give the answers to the questions that I so desperately wanted the answers to prior to going. Take and give and all that jazz. 

18/04/2017: Sometimes you just need some classic chips covered in salt, pepper and extra vinegar. It's a comfort thing. Though I'd happily exchange these for a crispy sweet potato version. A girl has her favourites.
19/04/2017: Currently Reading: A Year Of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman. I'm around 1/3 of the way through and enjoying it, though it is far from what I expected. Been a while since a book surprised me in that way. It's definitely making me want go to the ocean and take a sniff. What's your current book of choice?
20/04/2017: Bluebells have officially sprouted and spread like wildflower. It's a beautiful sight. This is the first year I'm going into Summer knowing that I'm an outdoorsy person, so that's something new. Yeah. New. Speaking of new.. I was talking to my mother last night about Fibromyalgia and the symptoms I've seemed to gained from losing others. It's like a carousel, I just keep spinning in it. It's entwining around me like ivy. But my problem is, there are so many symptoms and now I'm never sure if my low days and mental struggles are caused by the chronic illness, or if this aspect of my life is curable. This is probably nonsensical, but alas.. my current thought train. I don't want to seek guidance as I'm fearful they'll just shrug and go "Could be caused by the Fibromyalgia. We can refer you somewhere." Again, I silently add. I don't know. My brain is a muddle. So.. Let's just look at the flowers. Walking Dead reference there? Yeah. You're awesome.
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21/04/2017: Sunsets are beautiful to watch. I did it once with my better half and now it's officially on my "to do more of" list. The small things in life can be the most memorable. 
21/04/2017: A new Book Review is up on the blog! A Year Of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman.  || Click HERE to read. This is by far my favourite paragraph of the entire book. The words are beautiful and rest softly on my heart and mind. I just want to reread them until my eyes grow tired. Beautiful. Oh! There's a drinking game involved with my blog post. Take a shot everytime I say "beautiful!". Kidding. Kind of.
22/04/2017: "Listen to the trees as they sway in the wind. Their leaves are telling secrets. Their bark sings songs of olden days as it grows around the trunks. And their roots give names to all things. Their language has been lost. But not the gestures."
23/04/2017: New post alert! "Interview With A Podcaster" || Click HERE to read. Get a glimpse at the man behind the voice of Future Flicks@somenerds's @billiamswn gives us a rundown of everything you need to know about having a podcast and offers helpful suggestions, as well as a Ghostbusters quote. What more can you want? Give it a looksy if you have the time! There's some good advice crammed in there.
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24/04/2017: Chapped lips, unruly eyebrows, uneven skin tone, and a nose that doesn't suit the other features. Welcome to my face. I wrote a post not too long ago commenting about how I ought to appreciate my features for what they are, and I stand by that. So.. Here's me balancing the odds. Nice hair colour (boxed but.. yolo? I still don't know how to use that.), fairly clear skin, eyelashes that are semi visible without mascara, lips that aren't bleeding. Does that last one count? I'm going to say it does. I find it rather nice that if I make an effort with my hair, I'm semi okay with my face. Same vice versa. I suppose that's a lucky trait to have. To be honest.. Since watching so many vloggers and reading blogs, I've become appreciative for my skin. I'm never entirely happy with it (who is?), but I'm comfortable enough to be barefaced and I'm ever the thankful one to bloggers for helping me gain that trait. I'm not a confident gal by default, but I can throwaway the foundation and be okay with it.  That's why blogging about your own problems is never waste of time.
24/04/2017: "Hollowness: that I understand. I'm starting to believe that there isn't anything you can do to fix it. That's what I've taken from the therapy sessions: the holes in your life are permanent. You have to grow around them, like tree roots around concrete: you mould yourself through the gaps." - Paula Hawkins, The Girl On the Train. 
25/04/2017: Bath Musings: "Blame my mind, not me." || Click HERE to read. Bath Musings is a new series I'm starting on my blog that is somewhat of a real time journal for my bad mental health days. I'm nervous as all heck but I think it's necessary to discuss such things, and as I explain in the post, it may (hopefully) help me realise that I'm not actually flawed as badly as I feel. Lately I've been really struggling with fogginess (is that a word? maybe). My reality is not seeming like my reality and it's a hard thing to open up about. Partly because I feel as though someone will read it and think that I'm a loon. Alas, here's to stepping out of my comfort zone and being brutally honest to strangers. What else is the Internet for?
26/04/2017: "I am just a leaf. Just a leaf falling from the tree so that a new body may grow."
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27/04/2017: Currently reading: Paper Towns by John Green. Okay, that's a lie. I've just finished Paper Towns and it was okay! I went in with quite mellow expectations, not fully knowing what it was going to be like. Halfway through, it was coming across as meh to me. But that could've easily been put down to my last read A Year of Marvellous Ways (review up my blog! Click HERE to read.), and how much I loved that. So I had to face that dreadful reality that all us readers how to face at some points of our lives - this book isn't the one I was reading before. I can't expect the same results. Sucks, I know. But alas, I continued reading with a clean slate of a mind and grew to really enjoy this story. Margo has to be one of my least favourite YA characters ever, but I grew attached to Q and his friendship group. The last 4 or so chapters were easily my favourite and I found myself hoping that they'd be longer. The roadtrips, laughter and friendships definitely let an imprint on my heart. I can only wish to have the same. John Green's writing is as beautiful as ever, and a good hearted easy read. Perfect for Summer, if I do say so myself. Have you read Paper Towns? What did you think?

28/04/2017: If you're an anxious person or just have trouble winding down, I can't recommend lavender oil enough to you. I find it extremely hard to fall asleep 5/7 nights of the week. My mind won't seem to stop pestering me. This 79p oil obviously isn't going to be an instant reliever, but it helps far more than the other pricer things on the market. Put a few drops in your bath, mixed into your nightly lotion, or even add a couple under your pillow. Put on some fairylights and take plenty of deep breaths. Drink some caffeine free tea (or red wine, I vote for the latter) and you'll be thankful for this budget friendly remedy. What are some of your tips for relaxing on a budget?

29/04/2017: I went on both of these rides today. A fair bit wild for me. I think I'm having an early life crisis. Fun nonetheless. 

30/04/2017: And as we come to a close on April, I will keep to my apparent theme this month and upload an outdoorsy photo of nature. I really need to get out more, but you know, to new places. 

- Anne x

January: HERE
February: HERE
March: HERE


Bath Musings Ep.01 || "Blame My Mind, Not Me."

4/25/2017


Bath Products Used: Lavender Oil. 5 drops.

Songs Listened To: Gabrielle Aplin - English Rain (Full Album) 

Minutes Wasted: 30ish.

In less than two months I'm going to turn 21. 2 and 1. 21. Twenty-one. I'm not even worthy of a Taylor Swift song yet. I ought to be freaking out about ageing or something, I know, but instead I've been overcome with panic over how slowly I'm ageing. I'm tired of being in me, in this body, living with this mind. I want to call it quits. Part ways with a handshake. Life is dragging, but instead of dragging forward, like it ought to be, I feel as though it's dragging me down into this tub of water. Blegh.

Okay, that was a heavy first paragraph. I apologise. This possible new segment is meant to be a post cluttered with my bath musings and I'm sometimes overly bleak. Blame my mind, not me. Now there's a line that I need tattooed on me somewhere. To be perfectly honest, I've been foggy lately. My mind, that is. Not me. My mind. Wait, do they have to go together? Because I don't really want that. I sometimes feel like my brain is made up of twins - one is hopeful, dry but giggly, and the other.. well, she just stares blankly into space not really taking anything in. Do I have two people in my mind? Oh lord. Now I have that mental image. Literally. Mental. I hope not. Or do I? See, this is my brain. Half of my thoughts make no sense when I'm like this, and I hate it. 

Foggy? You may ask. Yes, I respond, foggy. Like everything is just covered by a thick layer of fog, or dust, and I have to squint just to see the familiar things around me. Nothing really makes sense. Things feel, and look, out of place. My room doesn't look like my room, and I get confused about the feelings that arise in me when I'm around loved ones. I begin to question whether what I feel is what I actually ought to feel, or if I'm making it all up as I go along. It's a mess. My mind is a mess. Again, my mind, not me.

All of this makes no sense to me when I'm having a good day, which could be tomorrow. It could be in a week. But, in this moment, this is how I feel. Maybe that's why I'm "inspired" to start this segment. It's probably going to seem like a mess of a ramble to anyone else, but I don't know, I feel like I owe it to myself to document these things and hopefully, it'll help me in the long run to see how illogical this is. I know it's all illogical. When I'm questioning whether my fiance finds me pretty enough to not stray, or whether my mum wants to spend an evening with me.. I know it's stupid. But it's like my mind can't control itself. Nothing makes sense. Why would they want to love me? I can barely stand my own company. Lie. I can't stand my own company. I keep myself up at night by blasting music into my ears, or reading until words no longer appear like words to me, all to drown out my inner thoughts because they dislike me too. It's a game of pin the thought on Anne's heart and I keep losing.  

It's exhausting to live with my mind. I know so many have it worse, and I can't begin to imagine how others manage to live like this daily. My heart goes out to them. At least, it will tomorrow. I hope. Right now, it seems to of got lost in the midst of the fog.

- Anne x

Interview With A Podcaster

4/23/2017


Starting as an entertainment reviewer for SomeWhatNerdy, Billiam soon switched to the big leagues of podcasters and has since become known for his series Future Flicks. A weekly podcast where he discusses all upcoming movies as well as any news in the movie industry. Following alongside Future Flicks, he has Movie Nights. A series in which he reviews the latest blockbusters or favourites from the past. He's a lone machine in his work, which astounds many. After a tiresome day in retail, he'll come home at the pm and sit down at his computer ready to discuss this weeks releases. His hours are relentless but he doesn't give up his passion. He's the movie guy. The voice who guides you to the theatre.
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So, straight off the bat, what persuaded you to start podcasting?
The SomewhatNerdy guys started a podcast. Snarfkris, Critter, and Danger. And I didn't see why I couldn't start one too. I had been listening to podcasts for a while before they started theirs, such as Nerdist  and Acquisitions Incorporated, and so the question became "What would I talk about?" On the site I was all about movies, so why not that? What was the worst that could happen? No one listens? That's not a good enough reason to stop you doing something. If nobody does, I could stop. Easy as that.


What do you wish you had known when you started?
I wish I would've known that having a boom for my mic would really improve my sound quality. Speaking of sound, during my first few episodes, I purposely tried to put on my announcer voice, actually I don't know when I officially stopped, but I believe that when I just started talking like I how I do naturally, as in when I get high pitched from being excited or when I go deep when getting dramatic (*wiggle of the brow, wiggle of the brow* Humour of an 8 year old, Anne.), it sounds more natural. And finally, I wish I knew when my listeners would start growing. That an audience grows slowly. Because I am gaining more listeners, but it's just a slow and steady process. Almost a year into it and I'm at about 250 listeners. That's not a lot, but it's more than I ever thought I'd get. That many people tune in each week to listen to a no-named nerd talk about movies.


Did you have any worries about putting yourself out there?
Kind of. The Internet can be a mean place. I tend to take criticism personally at first, and it took some time for me to learn to take it constructively. So that was a worry, and still is a worry. But luckily I haven't been reprimanded, yet. The only things that have ever been said to me were regarding minor corrections on phrasing and things like that. For example, when I got the name of our network wrong, the “SWN Podcast Network”. I was calling it “The SWN Radio Network” and Snarfkris told me “Hey, this is not a big deal at all. But if you can, can you remember that the name of the network is yada yada” and he corrected me. So not a big deal at all, right? But I dwell on it. Like “How could I be so dumb?” “How could I make that mistake?” So now, you know, I've learnt to not dwell heavily on those things. After all, at the time, it was a bigger deal to me than it ever was to him. So that was one of my worries as I always knew that's how I would handle things.


Future Flicks started in blog form. Do you think a podcast feels more intimate with the audience versa a written blog?
Yeah. On a podcast I can talk without being scared that my words will be misinterpreted due to the lack of tone in text. Like there are often times where I make terrible jokes in the podcast and use a sarcastic tone to show that I'm a) not serious and b) mainly I'm trying to point out something. And when I tell the listeners "thank you for listening" you can really hear it in my voice unlike text, where it can come across cold or fake. To quote Dr. Egon Spengler from Ghostbusters; "Print is Dead”.


What made you choose podcasting over vlogging? As Youtube seems to be one of the main platforms for reaching an audience right now.
Podcasting is easier to start. And also as the SWN guys were starting their own podcast, I thought I would follow suit for the site. I did attempt to record a vlog and it looked really, really bad. But every once in awhile I practice with new programs or equipment, hoping to one day have something worth uploading. But for the foreseeable future, it's my silky voice you'll hear and not my dashing face you'll be seeing.


What equipment do you think is necessary to have a good quality podcast?
It really depends on how much you're willing to spend. Because I got okay sound quality with a cheap boom, a cheap pop filter, and a blue snowball microphone. Then as time goes on, you can save up and get better things. If you're going to have multiple people on your podcast, you need a soundboard and if you get a soundboard, you need a xlr microphone. Because soundboards don't have an input for a USB mic. There are converters but I've read too many reports that they interfere with sound quality. The SomewhatNerdy Radio Podcast started with, if I remember correctly, 30 dollar mics and they have professional sounding quality. My second mic was more expensive because I love gadgets, but I didn't HAVE to get it.


What do you use to edit?
Audacity. It's a free program that offers basic editing tools. You're able to combine different things, like if you have a song you need to use and don't have a soundboard, Audacity allows you to merge different audio files, take out background noise and just cleans it up and makes everything sound better. I don't even know how to fully use it and I make myself sound passably professional.


What platform would you recommend people to upload their podcast to?
Soundcloud. Get a Soundcloud account. From uploading on there you can get your podcast up on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and any other podcast listening app. How do you go about that? That is unfortunately unknown to me as I do not set it up. Snarfkris did it for me. But there are tutorials online, you just have to summon your Google-fu.


How long does it take you to complete a podcast, from start to publish?
Ho, ho, ho, ho. (*this is where I, the interviewer, noticed how remarkably similar Billiam's laugh is to Santa's expression of glee. Interesting.*) If I have a full night dedicated to it and I'm able to stay focused e.i. no distractions, 2-3 nights of 3 hours a night. The problem is.. distractions. But keep in mind that I base my estimate on a podcast that I do by myself where I have to do research prior to recording. and I'm the only one editing. When I allow for distractions it takes 4-5 days of an hour or so a night. This is on average. I'm working on intro music for each of my segments, like news and new trailers, so I don't take that into account.


Does the time differ depending on how many movies are coming out, seen as your podcast is based solely on the releases?
Yes. And also how interested I am in the movies. Episode 34, I believe it was, was one of the shorter ones. Because there were a lot of just bad looking movies coming out. And then thus, the more good movies coming out the longer it will take. Like episode 35 had Chips, Life, And Power Rangers. All movies I wanted to see. More recently the week of April 7th had 16 films and that episode took about an hour.


Do you think it's necessary to have a rough script?
It depends on the kind of podcast you have. For Future Flicks, because I'm by myself, I have lengthy notes. I'll still come up with stuff on the spot and you know, shoot off the cuff but I need help keeping myself on track because I don't have somebody else to check me. But if you have a bigger podcast with more than one host, I suggest just basic notes. Like just naming the topics for different parts of the show and that's it. I know that The SomewhatNerdy Radio and the Watch Your Mouth podcasts just have topics and the fun of listening to them comes from their banter. For me, I need a little more than that. I have no one to play off of so I need more notes.


Do you think you need more than that because you're afraid making mistakes?
That's why I do such heavy research. Even if I know a certain actor has worked with someone else before I'll still double check. Because despite my awesome outward appearance, I do make mistakes.


Whaaaaat?
Yeah, right. I also need more because the internet is unreliable as a source.


Doesn't that make it difficult when your podcast is based off of things you see solely online?
Yes, but that's why I check different sources. IMDB is most often accurate but there are discrepancies between the website and the app. So I'll double check the movie on the IMDB site, the app, Reddit and any other source.


Do you think having guests on your regular series is a good or bad idea? As in friends or whatnot.
Well, the next goal I have is to get guests on the show. Friends would be easy, but what I want is actual interviews with people in the industry. I'm not going to aim for Matt Damon right away, I don't think my heart would take it if he said no or yes. But just anyone I can get, the problem is I don't know how to start. A coworker of mine at my day job used to be a movie critic for a local paper. I want to interview him.


An interview as a segment in your weekly Future Flicks, or a different podcast all together?
Included in Future Flicks. A part of the podcast as a whole. Just a few questions about their projects. I believe people, even small time people, would be more willing to say yes if they got to plug their project.


How would the interview process work?
Not too sure. But when I can sustain myself off the podcast and my nerdy ramblings, I'd like to have a studio, even just a tiny office in some building somewhere. Or even a private place at home. Somewhere I can record with a better set up so people could Skype in or visit for interviews. Right now I'm recording in my room and I can't really say: “Hey movie industry person, come to a small town in central California and sit in my room while I interview you!”


Cool. Speaking of, what's next for Future Flicks, do you have any new podcast series that you're currently working towards?
Yeah, my friend Walker and I are working on a series of Let's Plays that we will put on Youtube but will also have a podcast review that will go alongside it. And also a couple different friends and I want to start doing themed Movie Nights. Like do all of the Die Hard's, or go down every movie Ewan McGregor has been in. Stuff like that. And then we'd watch the movies and discuss them.


No solo projects?
Future Flicks takes up enough of my free time.


So what keeps you inspired enough to keep recording every week?
You gotta keep working towards your goal. I'm not holding my breath that I'm going to be super well known, but I do hope that one day I'll be able to support myself not just from the podcast but from other SomewhatNerdy stuff like blogs and such.


You also have a segment called Movie Nights with Billiam. Do you prioritise the movies you see on what you think people will be more interested in listening to?
That's.. a little hard to answer because Movie Nights as a whole takes a backseat compared to Future Flicks. I haven't done an episode for that in a few months now, though I want to start again. But when I am doing it, I either make it one of the big ones or just something I really loved/love. Or something that I think will make for a funny episode.


What advice would you give to newbie podcasters?
Just talk about what you love. If you don't care about it, people will know. And also, despite what I previously said about the boom, just get started. The minute you have enough equipment, get started. I have a friend who has a podcast called Uncorked Gamers and they just have one mic and no editing software. They just do what they love.  Practice first. And don't stress over the numbers, or don't focus on them too much. Like, Snarfkris knows what my listenership is really at because Soundcloud is unreliable for data. And I think it's good that I can't, because then I'd look at the numbers everyday. Also when it comes to numbers, keep in mind that the late winter - especially the holiday season - is the slowest time for podcasts. If you start at that time of year, you won't get many listeners at first. Heck, even if you start in the spring. Just don't be shocked when your numbers drop. And don't be shocked when people don't comment. It took me about 30 episodes before I got my first comment from someone who wasn't a part of my website. So it's okay. People are still listening. Oh, and hashtags, hashtags, hashtag. The proper use of social media can help a lot.


What are some of your favourite podcasts to listen to?
Honestly? I truly enjoy everything on SomewhatNerdy. That's the SomewhatNerdy Radio Podcast and Nerds Of the Squared Circle. I've said on my podcast that I'd listen to them even if I wasn't part of the family and I mean it. The Watch Your Mouth Podcast is amazing too. Besides that, I still enjoy listening to The Nerdist when they interview people I'm interested in. And James Bonding is fun. Most recently The Uncorked Gamers, they're great, though some episodes can get a little weird, but it's rare.

As we've well established, you love your movies. Where did that love stem from?
I've been watching movies ever since I was a little kid. I think most of us have, so the trend continued like normal but I remember that every weekend, or mostly every weekend, my Grandpa would take me to go see whichever movie I wanted - no matter how dumb he thought it was. In return I'd go see movies he wanted to watch. So for every Ghostbusters or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I saw Apollo 13 or whichever movie had big Oscar buzz. When I got older and was able to do stuff on my own, our days together grew shorter. I just visited him on weekends for lunch and then headed off to do my own thing. I can go on about regret for not spending more time with him near the end, but I'll save all that for therapy down the line. Instead, I'll say that I never forgot the tradition of going to see the latest movies each weekend and still wish my Grandfather was here today. I know he wouldn't listen to my podcast. He hardly knew how to work his TV. But I know he'd be proud and would go along with me should I need a movie buddie.


Lastly, are you single?
No, I am engaged to be married. To a one RootingBranches. Not even Matt Damon could steal me away from her.


Sad times.

Disclaimer: Regrettably, Billiam's laugh does not actually sound like Santa's "ho, ho, ho". I was only teasing.
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To catch the latest episode of Future Flicks, check out Billiam's account on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, The SomeWhatNerdy site, and any other podcast listening app. 


Be sure to give Billiam a follow on Social Media:


Or contact him directly at BilliamReviews@gmail.com

Just share the love! I may be a little bias, but he's a great guy with a wonderful podcast that he puts his heart and soul (not to mention.. time) into. Listen to one episode and you'll be itching for the next. Trust me on that one. I'd like to quickly thank him for joining me on this post. I'm not well acquainted with the podcasting world and I found it interesting to find out the ins and outs. 

If you have your own podcast or are thinking of starting one, be sure to shoot me the link. I'd be happy to give it a listen and some support. 

- Anne x

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