Soppy

Today is my boyfriend Will's birthday. I am not just being a completely uninterested girlfriend, and sitting here writing this as he sits alone drinking a solitary glass of prosecco, fyi. As a sort of birthday treat before the proper birthday treats commence (oh no, not that, I just meant before the expensive restaurant reservations and cool bars and all the birthday steak and champagne) I am chilling beside him sipping a beer and writing on this whilst he plays GTA on his PS4, as for some reason he likes it when I watch him play video games and actually, I think this is a pretty nice Wednesday afternoon. (Especially as I know there will be steak and champagne and amazing London views in just an hour or two).

I find Will pretty difficult to buy presents for. I've always thought boys were tricky, I remember even when I was younger and not in a relationship, thinking my goodness if I had a boyfriend what would I possibly get him for his birthday? The only things I could think might go down well, were those sold from HMV, and even then, not the most thoughtful present, a Jay Z CD. I'd sort of assumed that when I did get like, a proper boyfriend, I'd suddenly know - that it would be some sort of acquired wisdom which appeared when I changed my relationship status on facebook, but alas no.

He like technology, and he cares about what he wears but I don't know enough about the latest gadgets to choose the best one (and err potentially earn enough to) and although I think he always looks great, I find it difficult to gauge whether he will or won't like something. One Christmas, I designed him some Nike ID blazers, and I've seen him wear them maybe 3 times in the 2 or so years since, and I think those times were more for my benefit than his!

We tend to take the day off on each other's birthdays, go out and do something fun which the other one plans and pays for (hence the plying him with steak and champagne later) but I always want to get him a little something something to open. Just a little gesture present. Last year I bought him frownies, as he frowns in his sleep and when I try and hold his face in a way to stop him frowning it only makes him frown more! I worry that if we are still together at 40 I will be looking across the table at a man who has the frownlines of an 80 year old, so guess that was a little bit of a present for me too..

And today I gave him a present which is a little bit of a present for me too - Phillipa Rice's comic novel, Soppy. Because a) he likes comics and graphic novels a bit and b) as the comic novel is about Phillipa Rice moving in with her boyfriend, illustrator Luke Pearson, and March also marks a year of Will and I shackin' up together.

And I just love it, and I think Will does too.

It so honestly and so lovely-ly (realise that is not a word, soz. Soz soz is not a word either) describes what a normal hum drum relationship is like, and just how perfect that hum drum is.

You recognise so much of your own relationship in Phillipa and Luke's, and it is rofls galore.

Phillipa - who is also the creator of My Cardboard Life (an online cartoon about a piece of cardboard, Colin and a piece of paper Pauline) does the cutest drawings, with lots of great details that make the book come alive a little more.

I don't want to break copyright laws left right and centre, but here are just a couple of strips I particularly recognised from my own life, which will hopefully show you better than I can describe how marvellous on marvellous tablets it is, and encourage to go out and buy the whole thing. I'd really recommend it, for yourself or your beau.

 

At this one, Will was like, "I thought I was the only one who liked their girlfriend watching them whilst I play video games!" I at least, am glad to know that I am not the only girl in the world who has spent a Saturday afternoon watching their boyfriends fight dragons...

He definitely falls asleep on me, pretty much every time I let him choose the movie too!

Err yep, totally did ruin my Macbook pro design by sticking a Homer Simpson photo on it...and I love it!

PS. The cupcake in the first photo is from "Juscakes" on Bethnal Green Road. If you have ever walked down Bethnal Green road you will have walked past that cake shop and thought, oh my goodness that is the most amazing smell ever. Well I can tell you, those cakes are no Subway (whose taste never matches that amazing smell) those cakes taste like Juscakes shop smells!! That is not even butter cream on the top, that is like, full on whipped cream!!

It is no Soppy, but this is the list I made about moving in with your boyfriend - Pros and cons of moving in with your boyfriend as told by Beyonce's visual album