Hello lovely people,
I actually did that first time, hah!
I'm one-armed and I still did it!
Welcome! If you’re new to the channel, hi, I’m Jessica Kellgren-Fozard. I know, it’s
a tricky surname to pronounce. I make videos about life with a chronic illness and disabilities
but sometimes... I don’t.
Like today’s video! (which is sponsored by Surfshark)
Today we’re going to be studiously ignoring the rising sense of panic we may or may not
be feeling-
- and if you’re feeling like you’re ‘totally over’ this entire thing and just don’t
care enough to panic any more because you’ve reached the end of your emotional bandwidth
then that’s a completely valid feeling too.
I haven’t left my house in over a month with the exception of some fun car journeys
around the neighbourhood and… back to my house. So I thought I’d throw together a
list of things that I’ve been enjoying and in the comments you can share your own lists
and we’ll help each other out by spreading some joy
[Disney princess sigh]
- wow, sometimes I’m like a parody of myself
Moving swiftly on and in no real order despite the fact that I’ve put them in numerical
descending order:
10. Having my best friend around to hang out with every day! I’m a very fortunate human
in that I’m married to my BFF and she lives with me so we get to have fun together every
single day and don’t ever have to be in different rooms or more than a meter apart
because she used to go to work and that sucked because we don’t really like being away
from each other for more than five minutes and yes that is the most lesbian thing ever.
- but did I mention she’s really cool…?
So number 10 is just ‘codependency’ and I’m okay with that.
9. Making IGTV videos.
- Who knew?!
I completely poo-poo-ed IGTV when it first came out and there are still many things I
find annoying about it (it still doesn’t have integrated captions… why?) but since
lockdown started I’ve found it much easier to work up the creative juices to make short
form, fun, cute little videos on IGTV
- if you’re not already following me on Instagram my handle is @jessicaoutofthecloset
I think it’s partly because I feel more pressure when it comes to long form video
content like this. I want to talk about the current situation but at the same time I don’t,
I just want to carry on as normal, but then wouldn’t it be weird to carry on as normal
and not reference anything…? Like the fact that I’m wearing a sling?
I dislocated my shoulder a lot in the last week.
And at the same time, there is just so much going on in my head right now, it’s hard
to be creative and have the bandwidth to make things. But also this is my job so I can’t
tell my boss that I want to miss one of my twice weekly uploads, even though my boss
is me, but also you, but at the same time creating things makes me happy and gives a
structure to my week.
So making cute IGTVs sparks my creativity for longer things like this, which is pretty
great when you think about it!
8. Watermelon Gloop. I am… not a super make-up obsessed person. I think we all know by now
that my grasp of skincare routines is slim. And I’ve seen lots of IGTV make up videos
that feature gloop in pipettes and never once wanted to have my own but then Becca Cosmetics
sent me this glow nectar and I am in love.
- Not just because it’s sparkly gloop. I swear I do actually have more nuance than
a magpie.
It’s really lightweight, it smells delicious and my skin loves it.
Also it means I get to say the word ‘gloop’ over and over, which is excellent.
Gloop!
See...
7. Grey’s Anatomy. Have I mentioned Grey’s Anatomy enough in recent videos? Yes? Well
that’s okay then because I’m going to talk about Private Practice. Private Practice
is a spin off from Grey’s Anatomy featuring Addison Montgomery,
formerly Addison Montgomery-Shepherd,
who was a pretty kick ass neonatal surgeon on Grey’s Anatomy but then got her own show
Private Practice, where she was also a kick ass neonatal surgeon. That’s the kind of
thing they say on the show:
‘kick ass’, because they are American.
She’s one of my favourite characters AND apparently there are a lot of character crossovers
so it’s really important that I watch all of Private Practice so it can feed into my
Grey’s Anatomy addiction. BUT unfortunately Private Practice ended in 2013 which means
it’s pretty difficult to find online…
Happily though I have a solution in today’s sponsor, Surfshark.
Surfshark is a VPN app and browser extension that allows you to access the internet safely
AND without barriers. A Virtual Private Network encrypts your data when you log on to public
wifi, meaning that hackers can’t gain access. It also hides your IP meaning you can set
your location to anywhere in the world and thus watch videos that are available in those
countries but aren’t in yours… like Private Practice on American Netflix.
- Because we all need Addison Montgomery in our lives.
You’ll also be able to unlock some great content that’s here on YouTube, no matter
which device you’re watching from because Surfshark’s VPN because it’s the only
one that lets you use one account across unlimited devices. Meaning I can watch Private Practice
on my phone, my ipad, my laptop AND my desktop!
As great as it is to have access to my favourite TV shows, a VPN also adds an extra layer of
security when you’re online: keeping all of your passwords, photos and videos safe.
And it’s not just malicious data stealing that you’ll be protected from, Surfshark
will also defend you from tracking, surveillance and commercial targeting! No malware, no phishing,
no insecurity when you’re online banking, lots of medical related dramas.
- not sure you’ll find one about dentists but let me know if you do!
Just click the link in the description of this video and use code JESSICA for 83% off
plus one extra month for free! AND Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so there’s
really no harm in trying it...
6. This Tree. It’s a really cool tree. We haven’t lived in the new house for 12 months
yet so it’s lovely to see the garden going through all of the seasons. Plus the garden
is really important to us when we’re on lockdown and our house looks like this
The end of the garden means a lot to us right now and this tree in particular is very special.
I’ve always wanted to own a tree, particularly one that’s older than I am, and this one
is a beauty. I loved sitting in its shade last summer and watching the leaves go brown
in autumn. I waited all winter for it to come back to life and this spring I’ve learned
that it has blossoms in this funny yellow-y colour.
I would like to put a circular bench under the tree and turn the space behind it into
a special area for my roses.
The garden is our next project!
Obviously.
Once everything is out of it.
5. This cape is finally getting an outing. My good friend Jenny gave me this vintage
nurse’s cape because she knew I would give it love and I’ve been waiting for just the
right time to use it. And now it has been given a chance to go to work as you saw in
my Coronavirus Myth Busting video! Congratulations cape, you’ve made it.
4. Besame highlighter. I’m not normally a highlighter person. I may be such a ‘not
highlighter person’ that you can’t see the highlighter I’ve put on my face
It's not a lot of highlighter okay but is there, just believe it;s there
Can you see it? Can you see it?
Can you see it?!
It's there, ok.
Highlighter scares me a little and so I only put a tiny bit on.
But I’ve decided I like highlighter
now and I like this one the best. This little beauty is from Besame’s limited edition
Mermaid Lagoon collection. They make really amazing ranges based on vintage Disney properties
like the Sleeping Beauty palette I showed you in December but this is one of my absolute
favorites.
It’s so cute!
3. Having a really good excuse to order takeaway. I get weird about food… and it’s cost
sometimes. It’s- it’s a thing.
I will waste my time working out which box of apples
is 0.003p cheaper and then go for that one even though I actually like the other one
better.
But hey, there’s a massive global drama going on and I have much bigger things to
worry about so apparently I’m just really appreciating an excuse to put this one hang
up on hold! [relieved sigh]
Also this is what my kitchen looks like right now and getting groceries is a little eh AHH
But definitely better than before, thank you to everyone who helped us with solutions) so
I really don’t have the space to be choosy about where my food is coming from or panic
too much about the cost. I can just focus on looking after myself and if I’m too stressed
about potentially getting ill to cook and my wife is too stressed about me potentially
getting ill to cook then yay there are many restaurants currently delivering.
Self-care is important.
- But a tiny bit of me deep inside wants to yell ‘First World Problems!’ and then
run away…
It’s just a tiny bit though so… progress?
Please order often from your local Chinese owned businesses because they are not doing
so well right now. Thanks.
2. People respect our healthcare professionals more. As someone whose continued existence
is very much thanks to the National Health Service and comes from a medical family and
is married to an NHS worker, I have a deep respect for those in the medical field especially
at times like these. We often hear politicians talking about cuts to the NHS like it’s
just something tiny and insignificant and we have to get over it
but it’s a vital part of the UK and we’re
very lucky to have it.
If there is one sure good thing to come out of the coronavirus it's a renewed appreciation
for healthcare professionals and those who support them.
As such, on the 30th April I’m going to be taking part in a huge fundraising livestream
with many other YouTubers to raise money for the NHS. It will be available to everyone
for free on the YouTube Originals channel. There will be lots of challenges, performances
and surprises from 4 until 8pm!
I’ll keep you updated on Twitter but make sure you subscribe to the YouTube Originals
channel and turn on notification so you don’t miss it.
1. Walter and Tilly. Thank you to my dogs for doubling the number of souls living in
my house right now and being a great source of inspiration and… comic relief. Mainly
that. Sometimes I’ll just be standing there brushing my teeth, and I turn around to see
Walter (who moves completely silently) standing there glaring at me from the dark like a furry
waxwork Dobbie the Houseelf. And then I scream in surprise! But then I laugh so…
- I guess that’s more of a horror movie than a comedy.
But they are also really, really cute. So please enjoy a montage of my dogs…
[happy jazz music]
Thank you so much for watching this video, even if it was essentially a glorified favourites
video. I hope you’ve really enjoyed it. I release new videos on Tuesdays and Fridays
so I’ll see you in my next one.