The Day I Met Joe Sugg!

Hello!

Last Saturday, the 24th October I finally met one of my all-time favourite YouTubers, Joe Sugg also known as Thatcher Joe. Joe has recently published his very first book Username: Evie and has embarked on a UK tour to promote it and meet some of his millions of subscribers in a range of cities up and down the country. Last month, I was one of the lucky few to fight my way through the mad internet rush in hope of getting tickets for my sister and I to meet Joe during his tour. Somehow, I managed to get on to Ticketmaster and before I knew it; I had received an email notification to confirm that I'd successfully managed to book tickets to meet Joe Sugg-brilliant!

The month flew in pretty quickly and before I know it the day had arrived! We were going to meet Joe Sugg! Despite it being the weekend, it was a fairly early morning for us so that we could pick up my Grandparents who were accompanying us on the journey to Glasgow and get there in time for the signing to begin as we didn't fancy being at the very end of it to be completely honest! So I flung a mug of chicken noodle soup down my throat, (strange breakfast, I know) got dressed, covered up my ghostly face with a layer of makeup before flinging on my Dr Martens and one of my many hats. And I was ready to rock and roll!

I've created a short vlog which I've posted on my YouTube channel which you can view via the link at the bottom of this page and see more of what happened, but I thought I'd give you a brief account of the event anyway. The video is nowhere near perfect as I have so much to learn but I certainly enjoyed creating it and I hope you enjoy watching it!

We arrived at the St. Enoch Centre where the signing was being held and already, there was a large queue of people waiting despite the fact that there was still around a hour and twenty minutes (something like that) until the event was due to begin. So we followed the line down the shopping centre until we reached the end which constantly seemed to be growing longer as more and more people joined it. Around ten or twenty minutes later, we were approached by a member of security who asked us to come with him. So we followed him to the very front of the queue where he opened up a separate area designated to people with mobility/or health problems and cannot stand for any length of time in a long queue.

As we stood waiting, I kept refreshing my social media pages in hope of any updates from Joe to pass time as we waited. After a while, my iPod decided that it no longer wanted to cooperate with me and that it didn't want to connect to the WiFi. Thanks mate! It was around this time that I heard people in front of me mention that Joe had just posted a video of the queue from the floor above us on Snapchat. Surprisingly, no one seemed to have spotted him but word spread like wildfire and it became a little trickier for Joe to film sneaky videos of the crowd.

Our tickets were soon scanned and each ticketholder was finally handed a pre-signed copy of Joe's book Username: Evie. Seconds later, one of the security guards began ushering some of us into a room which was set up for Joe's meet n' greet. This was probably the first Youtuber even that I've attended that actually went smoothly. On previous occassions, there was always a problem in some shape or form because of my wheelchair. So I was impressed with how this was handled at this particular event. Aproaching one o'clock, Joe showed face, again from the balcony vlogging everyone waiting downstairs. As you can imagine and will be able to hear in my video, the room was filled with loud screams of excitement. So, a word of warning to you in advance; don't put your volume up too high whilst watching the video!

Seconds later, a door on the left hand side of the room opened as a few people stepped out into the room followed by Joe Sugg with his camera in hand, vlogging us as he entered. I'm extremely excited to watch his Glasgow vlog in hope that I might be able to spot myself. I mean, how cool would that be?! As soon as everyone caught glimpse of Joe, the room erupted in excited screams-what a welcome!

No sooner than Joe was standing behind the screen, the first girl was called up to meet him followed by her friend and then me. I stood beside the screen waiting for my turn and was then waved over by one of the security guards to let me know that it was my turn to meet Joe. So I followed his lead and walked behind the screen where Joe was standing right there in front of me. It all happened pretty quickly as they was a thousand people waiting to meet Joe. I said hello to Joe, got a wee hug and one of the many security guards offered to take a photograph for me which made life so much easier for me as I have the world's shakiest hand thanks to my CRPS. So Joe and I posed for a photo which actually turned out pretty well I have to say and the security guard handed me iPod with an image of Joe and I showing on the screen. I thanked him for doing the honours and of course said thanks to Joe as well. Just as I was heading out to find my Mum, it hit me that I hadn't said goodbye. So quickly I turned round and said goodbye to Joe before making my way back over to Mum. And the moment was over. Obviously, I didn't get to chat with Joe for too long but he came across as very sweet and genuine person.

After my sister, Laurel had met with Joe we made our way out of the ST. Enoch Centre and met back up with my Grandparents. Mum and Laurel popped into Lush in Buchannan Street to pick up a few bits n' bobs whilst I waited outside with my Gran and Grandad trying to conncet to the city Wi-Fi to post up my photo. As I scrolled through my social media accounts I noticed that there was still wristbands left for another meet n greet with Joe and his friend, roommate and fellow YouTuber Caspar Lee in December when they are visiting Glasgow to sign copies of their new DVD "Joe and Caspar Hit The Road". Now, I don't have the world's best sense of direction but I was pretty sure that Argyle Street wasn't too far away and it turns out I was right. After asking my Gran where exactly it was, I realised it was literally just a little further down the path from where we were standing. 'Perfect!' I thought, that would make the perfect Christmas gift for Laurel. So after a bite to eat and a refreshment from Costa, Mum and Laurel popped round to HMV in hope that the wristbands wouldn't have sold out. During this time I sat in Costa with my Grandparents, constantly refreshing the HMV Argyle Street twitter feed keeping up to date with just how many were left. A little while later Mum and Laurel reappeared with the good news that they'd managed to get hold of two tickets/wristbands despite the fact that all of Joe and Caspar's fans were beginning to flock the store after Joe's signing. So we were pretty fortunate I must say! And of course, that's one Christmas gift off the list!

It was absolutely freezing in Glasgow and the sky was filled with icy rain so it was fair to say that we didn't hang around for too long. Instead, we headed back home to my Grandparent's house and tucked into some delicious Chinese takeout before we made our way back home to watch the X Factor on TV. I had a brilliant day and am very excited to meet Joe again and of course meet Caspar for the first time in December, perhaps I might even vlog the occasion again! But in the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this post and the vlog I filmed to go along with it. It is nowhere near perfect but I certainly had a lot of fun creating and will enjoy watching it in future!

 

Meeting James Bowen & Bob the Cat!

A few days ago I was very fortunate to meet one of my favourite authors James Bowen and his gorgeous ginger tom cat Bob. I first heard about them whilst watching the British Animal Honours in early 2013, their story was incredible and I almost immediately purchased a copy of their book "A Street Cat Named Bob". From the very first page I was hooked - I couldn't put the book down! Before long a sequel "The World According to Bob" was released, which I enjoyed just as much as I had with the first. Recently, a new book in the series "A Gift from Bob" was released.
The series of books tells the story of James' life as a recovering drug addict, busker and big issue seller. One day James returns home to his flat in London and finds a little tom cat sitting outside a neighbour's door, the cat appeared to have an abscess on his leg. Realising that the cat had no home, James took the little cat in and nursed him back to health. Ever since Bob and James have been inseparable. Their bond is a special one; it is truly amazing to read their heart warming and inspiring story about their journey together over the years since they first met in 2007.
Having spent so much time in London over the years I could visage everywhere that James mentions in the book. My mum remembers walking through Covent Garden a few years ago and noticing James and Bob in the distance. Unfortunately, we didn't get the opportunity to speak to them as I had just had surgery and wasn't feeling so good- I think we were in a rush to get back to the hotel or hospital so that I could rest. But as you could probably imagine; it was so lovely to finally meet them both at their signing in Glasgow.
We arrived just over an hour before the signing was due to begin - we had previously heard that their signings are extremely busy and the Glasgow one was definitely no exception! Fortunately, we had arrived early enough to avoid queuing outside in cold winter's day that it had turned out to be. There apparently was a long line of people spanning right up the street all waiting to meet James and Bob. The queue inside was also quite long and had a few twist and turns throughout the store. Waiting in the queue was however, a pleasant experience, we met and chatted with some of the loveliest people. I always enjoy attending events such as signings and concerts as I've met some really nice people over the years.
The Waterstones' staff were extremely helpful and kept everyone up to date with everything that was happening. The staff even had a big box of Cadbury's heroes which was passed round the queue to keep everyone going as they waited. A big issue seller was also invited into the store to sell copies of the magazine to those who were waiting. It was lovely to see the such tremendous support towards the seller. The big issue vendor was such a nice man and it was wonderful to hear his enthusiasm and excitement towards how far James and Bob have come over the years.
An announcement was made by staff that people with mobility issues (such as wheelchair users like myself), children and elderly people would be able to stand at the side near the signing table so that we could be taken first to have our books signed. I am so grateful that this happened as it made things so much easier for me. Of course I would have been more than happy to wait in the queue however, this helped avoid extra pain/exhaustion that I could have potentially experienced due to waiting in a long queue. Sometimes the smallest of things can be a challenge but I must commend how well this was organised!
James arrived at half past 12 with Bob perched on his shoulders, just like I had seen in videos of them on both YouTube and television. They got setup at the table, had a few photographs taken and made sure Bob was comfortable sitting in his chair. Then I was called up to the table to have my books signed!
It was such an exciting moment for me-I'd been hoping that they would soon visit Scotland and at last they were here!
 Bob has to be one of the most gorgeous cats I've ever seen, he has big green eye that inquisitively watched as he took in his new surroundings. He was wearing one of his scarfs that people they'd met over years had kindly knitted for him. In this instance the scarf he was wearing had white and purple stripes and I'm pretty sure it had 'Bob' knitted on it too.
James kindly signed my copy of his new book "A Gift From Bob". He even printed Bob's paw print on the book (as you can see in the picture above) using a stamp-how cool was that?!
The queue being so busy meant that time was limited meeting each person, so it was a pretty quick in and back out again. However, it was definitely worth it and was so wonderful to see so many people turn up to the signing! I'm delighted I got to meet them both and hope that James and Bob come back up to Scotland for future signings!