Sing a song of sixpence?

A little meme for you all

2007-01-17T18:45:00.001Z

"Each player of this game starts off with 10 weird things/habits/little known facts about yourself. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 10 weird habits/things/little known facts as well as stating this rule clearly. At the end you need to choose 10 people to be tagged and list their names."

1) I used to play team lacrosse for my school. Never thought I was sporty, did you? :p

2) My first kiss was to the tune of Firestarter, by Prodigy. I never did get the guy's name.....

3) I write poetry. I promise you, though, it is not angst! I have never written an angsty poem in my life. I also enjoy writing fiction - always have done, used to get it read out at school - but I am such a lazy git I doubt I'll ever get round to finishing anything.....also everyone is doing it and I've always hated being one of the crowd!

4) I pull the ends of my eyebrows out when I'm stressed. Which is all the time. Then I have to draw them in again. Please don't stare at them when next you see me!

5) One of the best moments of my life was playing Bartok's 3rd Piano Concerto. For many many years I had wanted to be a musician and for a brief moment, I was one. Also, the ego boost of having an entire orchestra there JUST to accompany you is amazing!

6) I can't draw very well, I'm not an especially tidy musician (I can play, but not especially regularly!), I can sew in a functional way but not very precisely, my writing is all over the place.....but one thing I CAN do neatly with my hands is knit and crochet. Wool and I work together well. Anyone want a scarf for their birthday? I've got one in blue, purple and turquoise in a fairly manly sort of stitch.....

7) I had elocution lessons as a child. I have subsequently refused to use the received pronunciation which I, er, received. One day, though, I shall become a batty professor with the most perfectly rounded vowels you will ever have heard :D

8) I am terrified of church bells. I think it's called campophobia, which makes me sound like I'm scared of effeminate homosexuals. It's a very strange fear and one I only discovered at the age of 15 when climbing a church tower in Lubeck with a friend of mine. I was fine until I saw the bell, at which point my legs froze and refused to carry me further. I dragged myself up the stairs by my arms in order to look at the view from the window, gasped "Very nice!" and half-ran, half-fell back down about two flights to safety. These days, I don't go up church towers

9) I have a prescription of -10 in my left eye and -9.5 in the right.

10) My favourite colour is grey, not purple. Now there's a surprise!

Er, yeah. I tag everyone.

:D

Happy New Year! Look at my Livejournal for my life.....

2006-12-12T23:45:00.000Z

Agh, want to post about women who work as prostitutes but am so tired. Will post tomoz ho[peflly - if not I'll tell uou all how tired I am!

Still know this exists.....just!

2006-12-11T09:50:00.000Z

Boy trouble, which oddly enough is not bothering me like it should. Had another dream about him last night where he tried to be arsey and jealous (something I have occasionally tried to provoke before, unsuccessfully) and I was having none of it. I think that if I'd remained asleep I'd have dumped him. This is turning into a recurring theme of my nocturnal imaginings. If he'd only give me a ring I might actually do it.
The thing is, I'm pretty much not bothered by anything he's doing/not doing atm. And when he does ring/come over, I'm faintly irritated by him. This to me sounds like the end of a relationship. Another thing is that I've stopped learning things from this relationship, which also suggests stagnation. Also the fact that I keep thinking about all the other people in this world who could make me feel special and loved DOESN'T smack of a long-term future with the current boy.

I'm particularly thinking of girls atm. I think that, back in the summer, the trigger switch for my latent lesbianism was well and truly pressed. I have subsequently bought a mini skirt, a waistcoat, a men's shirt, I've cut my hair very short and have discovered the joys of gothy eyeliner, I have started properly hanging out with my sister and the LBG lot and I've kind of fallen for a girl in college (only a light-hearted mini-crush! She is taken, you see). But it seems that I am no longer repressing the thoughts or trying to hide the fact that I find women as attractive as men :) and next time I want a girl!

Otherwise things this weekend were lovely. I had a 12hr day at work on Saturday and was put in charge of the whole kitchen in the evening, despite never having worked in the kitchen on an evening before! But it was very quiet so we spent most of the time doing crosswords. I came home to my mum's delicious fish in homemade batter and carrot+potato mash which was utterly DELICIOUS and is soooooo something I'm trying next term when I want to impress! (Maybe for whoever my sweetie is on Valentine's Day!) On Sunday the parents and I went to look at golf clubs. Yes. My mother took up golf for the sake of her shoulder, and then my dad wanted to try, and then I did. And now my shoulder hurts like mad! When we got back I got out a load of recipe books to leanr how to make sweets and things so I can be REALLY impressive and stop Chris going on about how wonderful Cat is! If we are still going out, that is.....I don't think the shoulder was helped by my painting the hall on Sunday evening either, but it was good fun and I had paint on the soles of my feet after!

Ok I go shower now, then maybe into town for ingredients for sweeties :D Peppermint creams, truffles, praline.....mmmMMMMMMMMM!

Argh catch up post

2006-12-02T13:45:00.000Z

Potted history of last few days, mostly lifted from LJ:

"Monday 27th: Last Reel Club of term tonight - was merry and joyous and involved Schiehallion, which I possibly like EVEN MORE than the Eightsome Reel, although only because it involves Highland steps, although so does the Eightsome so I don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe I was just enjoying dancing with Ron :D And the Eightsome was marvellous, I was a man and got to do proper Highland rocking step which I learnt this evening, with the arms and everything (because I was a man, you see)! And I called Silver Tassie without once referring to my crib because I am just funky hehehe!
Rocking step is so great! I can't wait for the Highland class next term (I think) and of course all the scottish classes at IVFDF! Woohoohoo! By this time next year I want to be able to dance the Highland Fling.....er, argh. Maybe. But I haven't been dancing Highland since I was in the crib (cradle?) so I probably won't be any great shakes at it :)

And afterwards I hurried across town to catch the end of the musical rehearsal at Peterhouse, only to discover that everyone apart from Chris and Rosie had buggered off about ten minutes before I arrived, but at least it gave me an excuse to get some cash out so I could go BACK across town and join the other Scottish dancers in the pub, where I ordered a large gin and tonic before regaling everyone with the story of the Anzu bird told in my own style, with reference to Augusta McMahon, who I intend to be when I am grown up.

I love the scottish dancers! They are lovely lovely nice people. Me and Isla talked for ages in the corridor afterwards and it's all lovely and happy and panto is happening tomorrow which will involve

saf2285

in her lovely PVC outfit and me groping her bum and general funness and joy, and then my first ever Molly dancing which WILL kill me, and then there's the Assyriology party tomorrow night which will include SPICED CIDER which is so much better than my essay on Early Dynastic burials.

Joy and sparkles! I have a feeling I may have sparkled a little bit tonight :) *warm happy glow, tinged with alcohol and a sadness that I won't be dancing for some time after this week :(*"

"Tuesday 28th: Hmm. I was a wee bit pished last night, even when I wrote that. Anyway, I want a bit of a scottish dance ramble so I am indulging myself :)

However, first of all, I have a blue elbow. This has come about by my absent-mindedly donning a shirt which had a blue ink stain in the elbow (don't know how it got there, since I don't own any blue ink pens) but now it won't wash off! Most peculiar :D

Dancing last night! We did Trip to Bavaria, which is always an entertaining choice especially as by this point almost EVERYONE is singing along! Last term we had only Donald singing, then I joined in, then Daphne, and last night there was a wonderful rousing chorus from the whole room, thoroughly entertaining the newbies who haven't done it before :D:D:D
And I love Schiehallion! It's a fantastic dance and I'm so proud that Ron asked me to dance it. Ron is the big man of the Reel Club, an expert in Scottish dancing and the guy who runs the Hugh Fosse Society, so his asking me to dance the most complicated dance in the programme with him was quite a compliment! And we had so much fun with the highland stepping :D
Yay for dancing and scottishness and fun and so on. And I'm going to Molly this evening! Argh!

Ow. Burnt tongue. Careless drinking of tea can cause pain."

"Tuesday 28th, evening: I have now officially entered the world of morris! I danced my first two molly dances tonight and I seem to have been drafted into the side for Warwick Folk Festival :-O Wowness! I have waited for this day for ages and ages - am so glad my ankle seems to have coped with tonight's exertions.

Wow! Morris! Molly! Oh, the excitement!

I am the happiest I've been in quite some time!"

"Thursday 30th: My hair is fluffy and still pinky purple, my toenails are blue (paint, not medically related) and my brain has been screwed over by reading stuff in the library and I'm generally losing track of everything!

Last night I got mistaken for a man by one of the Jimmy's guys - I think he made the mistake with a few other people but the fact I was wearing a suit helped, I suppose. It was funnier when he asked Bendy if he was a girl, but that wasn't serious. He was a great guy, he was called David Hill and he came and joined in with the dancing at the end and tried to feel up Chris (at least I think he did, I wasn't watching but the comment "I'm not that sort of girl" suggests something went on out there) and was just generally a star! They really enjoyed The Matrix though, it was lovely - and they all sang along to The One and Only :)

THEN I went to Clare and saw Mr Benjamin Lambert in a beautiful blue dress portraying God in the Clare Christmas Panto "Paradise Lost". Utterly hilarious. I especially liked The Messiah ("please can I be a real boy, please?") and Sin was tremendous. Gabriel was portrayed as a squeaky Kum-By-Yah-singing guitar-strumming American type ("my dyspepsia's never been so bad!" "I never knew my parents and really you need a father figure and *sob*") and I must confess I came away with just a bit of a crush on Satan - such a good actor and a wonderfully camp performance :D

And Wednesday night was the most exclusive dinner in Cambridge - the Assyriology Dinner - and it was amazing! Posty came up with the idea of setting us a crossword in our exam this year since we're only doing college exams! And there were some wonderful jokes and a ziggurat cake, and I cooked the main course and it was ALL EATEN UP! And the placemats were beautiful and Matthew tried to carve the picture from the Hammurabi stele on the top of one of the candles, and it looked amazing! Wooo!"

"Friday 1st (or maybe Saturday 2nd, it was late!): Tired. Now the Red Ribbon Ball is over I'm feeling drained and uninspired, and still I can't sleep. Maybe it's that I now have to face the end of term and the prospect of living at my parents' for 6 weeks. Maybe it's the thought of packing. Maybe it's exhaustion from feeling that I have to do everything by myself for myself, that I can't ask for or expect anything and the continual fear that all the good things will just crumble around me right when I've got them balanced out nicely. I wish there was somewhere safe I could go and forget about things for a while but there isn't and even Handel isn't lifting my spirits.
There's always a down after the ups, though, isn't there? I've had my fun this week, now it's the last night of the panto and the after-show party, which knowing me will end miserably. I just wish I didn't have to go home after all this. I'd rather be alone in Cambridge than in Leam with my family. It's so lonely."

"Saturday 2nd: Wow. No miracle worked by the fast jig but a bouree has done the trick! Wahey for french dancing in mini skirts!"

So that's that. Totally not looking forward to the aftershow party, but then again Helen will be there which is nice, and Saf has promised - indeed has demanded - to come and sit with me when/if I get sad, so I'm not totally screwed :) I love having nice friends who care! They make life such a joy.

Also, Bellowhead, "Frogs Legs and Dragons Teeth". WOW.

I've found my flip flop!

2006-11-20T12:31:00.000Z

Well, quite a lot has happened since last I posted, but I can't be bothered to share most of it.
Significant things include:

1) CULEish parties - Halloween and fireworks
2) Evil stomach bug
3) Much panto rehearsal
4) Reaffirming many important friendships
5) Fosse and Drury society of joy!
6) Dyeing my hair purple (though it's now faded to a sort of pinkish red kind of colour. Don't have any photos of me so I can't post what it looks like!)
7) Boy's 21st
8) My friend Saf's big 21st birthday ball

To talk about things in order, I have spent much time with various friends, improving relationships and hopefully establishing lasting friendships. This is especially important for me, as I find it very difficult to make friends and even harder to keep them! But anyway, to this end there have been many one on one lunches and social occasions which have been most enjoyable, and now I have people with whom I can share deep dark secrets because I know I can trust them enough not to betray me! Hurrah!
This has also involved some crying on shoulders, mostly on my shoulder, which while distressing is also a lovely feeling because if there's one thing I love doing it's trying to help people! So I have been feeling a much more rounded and caring person lately, and it helps me to put things in perspective - on the whole, at least.
Also along these lines was my helping Saf organise her ball - more specifically the ceilidh part of it, since that's my area of expertise! After a couple of worrying weeks of bands saying "Sorry, we're away/busy/engaged/recording," I finally managed to get hold of the marvellous Swindlers and Gentry, with whom I've worked before, so they came and gave us a fantastic ceilidh and I got my own round of applause during the speeches at the dinner, which was most gratifying if a little embarrassing! So yeah, if you're booking a ceilidh in the Cambridge area, go for The Swindlers and Gentry because they are a lovely band! They enjoyed playing for us - they said we were the best crowd they've ever played to. I told them that this was because we're almost all in panto and thus perfectly happy to throw ourselves into things and make fools of ourselves :D

Ah, panto. I am having serious trouble with the rehearsal schedule, especially since I'm such a small part that I don't feel inclined to go to too many rehearsals. It doesn't help that my other half is playing the dame and I'm having a few problems in that area atm - the OH area, not the daming area. However the dancing and singing so far has been muchly fun and not as boring as I thought it might be - I've even learned how to moonwalk.....well, kind of at least!

CULES parties are fun. That is all I can say! But not quite as fun as the FOSSE AND DRURY SOCIETY of pure undistilled joy! Last time we danced the Celtic Cross, which is an exceedingly complicated dance in a star set, which I'd never seen before. We need to start thinking about a display for IVFDF fairly soon, and I've a feeling that this'n may well be put forward!

After the dancing, almost immediately, in fact, I came down with an evil stomach bug of doom, which was miserable and upon which I am NOT going to dwell. But it did make for my nextdoor neighbour being very lovely and giving me juice and offering chicken soup (wisely refused!) - but it's the thought that counts.

***Caution. Relationship rant follows***

Since then I have been feeling...well, not so sound in body and definitely not so sound in mind. Most of the issues are due to tiredness, I'm sure, as well as trying to catch up on work while fitting in rehearsals, ball organising and my boy's 21st birthday, for which I made a cottage pie (which took me most of the morning) and generally fretted a lot to make it nice. I have been down ever since, because I feel under-appreciated. I worked hard to give him a happy day and I know I succeeded but I didn't receive any especial acknowledgement, and Saf's ball distracted attention, as did an especially fun birthday card he was given. I know it's childish to dwell on things like this and that I should be doing it for his enjoyment alone, but when combined with all the other factors that are making me feel skanky it's really not helping. Last night at rehearsal, he barely spoke to me - admittedly I was a little cool with him, but I was feeling unhappy and that makes me clam up utterly. I need him to make the first move and it tires me out when time and time again he doesn't. The general lack of communication also bothers me. He's been very stressed this week and as such has disappeared into a work and panto filled void, leaving me wondering where he is, what he's doing and when I'll next be able to spend time with him. Last night he did actually tell me when next he's going to be free, but I've the feeling it's too late. I'm just too tired to deal with everything atm and have the strong desire to crawl underneath my blanket and hide in my own little world of Akkadian and dance. I wish there was some way of suspending relationships temporarily! I could just do without stressing atm.....and it doesn't help that I have to see him every night at rehearsal and that he expects everything to be the same whenever he sees me.

And it's damned cold atm and that always upsets me. My fingers are in such pain, and the central heating ISN'T FUCKING WORKING!

Ah well, at least I have Cecilia Bartoli to cheer me up by singing opera at me (from a CD, of course, not sitting around in my room). If ever I am down and need reminding of all the good in the world, I listen to opera and am reminded of how much beauty there can be. Which coming from someone who up until about 2 years ago hated opera is quite something.....

Oh yes, and I've found my flip flop. It was in my bag of washing.

A little more from the land of Camb

2006-10-22T09:40:00.001+01:00

I have lost a flip flop. Just the one. I've looked all over my room but I have no idea where it's gone. This means I'm now going to the shower in one flip flop (a flip?), which looks weird. I suppose I could go in bare feet, but that would be simple.

In other news, the essay of prehistoric doom is dying! I spent 3 hours in the UL killing it (and playing solitaire just a little bit) and have as a consequence discovered a new form of fear - descending from the 6h floor in the lift.....I found it best not to think on the way down, but I was exceedingly relieved when it got to the 1st floor without mishap. Also managed to get myself locked in by not leaving at 25 to 5 (it's open til 5, ffs!) and then finding the door locked. Cue brief moment of panic when I thought I was going to be stuck there overnight before I discovered the other door was open.

Ah well. I had a lovely lovely night out last night, followed by a lovely lovely night in, followed by an angle-grinder, which I hope is sorted out now.

2006-10-21T08:50:00.001+01:00

Read My Result
Take the Test

Whew

2006-10-07T13:11:00.000+01:00

It's been quite a week. From regular clockwork life with the parents (except for the occasional spontaneous combustions), I have fallen back into the Camb madness. Readers of this blog will have observed that not everything has gone smoothly - however, I am feeling much less pathetic than I was last post. Apologies for boring the pants off anyone in the first part of this. I will try to make up for it with amusing anecdotes etc later on. I have highlighted points of note, so you can skim those if the idea of such a bulk of text terrifies you.

Sunday:
Got up. Packed. Had brief row. More packing. Finally (2hrs late) waved goodbye and set off Camb-wards. Unloaded. Pissed down with rain (fortunately just after completion of unloading).
Shopping, and I remembered how much I hate the Camb Sainsburys. Unexpected meeting with both Ben and Helen in the middle of the street! Unpacked. Flying visit to a slightly poorly Isla. Arrival of boy. Cooked stir-fry - uneventful but for the fact that we did too few noodles so I kept the plates warm over bowls of boiling water while he hurriedly did some more. Pleasant evening, marred slightly by his suggestion that he was going to go home instead of stay the night (he changed his mind. The trick is not to let them know you are changing their minds for them!)

Monday:
Tried to throw boy out at reasonable time, but he hung around a bit. Faffed. Meeting with Amy due to sudden announcement that the Reel Club DID have a stall at the Freshers Fair after all!
Spent most of day feeling slightly ill, boy-related. Went to visit Ben in his new flat with spiral staircase, and danced like an idiot to some gypsy-punk. It was quite amazing. I wish I fancied Ben, because he'd make a far better boyfriend than almost anyone else, being the simplest man I've ever met. Dancing in evening. Forgot the CDs, then forgot the folder with the CD list on. Didn't forget squash and brownies though. Danced, pubbed, Isla came back and we talked til 2 in the morning. Went to bed very tired.

Tuesday:
Dragged self up earlyish, got to Freshers Fair to set things up. Was given a yellow rose by an old *ahem* friend. Saw boy as related in previous post, so spent most of day feeling ill and sick. Gave in and called boy. Thought he was coming over, but instead he rang me. Almost cracked, put down phone, txted saying I needed to see him, went over, cried on his shoulder for about an hour unable to speak, was put to bed. Slept very badly.

Wednesday:
Buggered off from boy's at some ungodly hour, went home and cooked carrot and coriander soup for me and Saf. Took longer than expected, so turned up late to Freshers Fair. Isla, Colm and myself, otherwise known as the Dream Team, were on, so was muchly muchly fun. Imbibed a peculiar drink known as 'Shark', which contains caffeine and something called taurine, which is as yet unidentified but was probably the cause of my hands shaking so violently by the end of the fair! Also taught to juggle and forced to sign up to the society mailing list. Fun fun. Unpacked fair and beat Isla and Colm back to Newnham, being on a bike while they were in a car.....also was given chocolates to go with my rose :) Tidied room for Saf, only to discover that some bastard had turned off my water. Not only my water, but all the water in the damned building. Being obsessive-compulsive, this is possibly my worst nightmare, but the bottle of wine Saf brought helped alleviate some of that! She ate all the soup, and we talked for a long long time about boys. Useless bastards, the lot of them. After she left, I called the boy and was permitted to stay the night once more. Dropped in on sister for a bit, then went over to boy. Ended up in a medics party which was good fun, then went back and to bed. Slept rather better.

Thursday:
Woke up at 6.30 to go to loo, came back and the boy had turned ill: I offered to make passionate love to him and then he ran downstairs to retch over a toilet bowl. Hopefully not connected. So I spent the wee hours looking after him, thus neatly breaking my sleep for the fourth night in a row. Went to a faculty meeting, which as I predicted to the boy, went something along the lines of, "Here are some bits of paper. Come back at 12 and I'll tell you what you'll be doing this term." Useful. On returning to boy discovered he was a lot better, also sound asleep so I had to ring him twice to be let in :-s Considering I had been trying to help him, he said some slightly hurtful things, but also was grateful for my presence, apparently. Returned to faculty to find out what I am meant to be doing this term. Tried to investigate the Linguistics paper further, which involved Johanna and myself wandering round MML like lost Freshers, asking people at random where linguistics might be. Eventually we found it, only to find it clashes, so it's Prehistory for us then! According to my DoS, I "bombed Arabic". Ah well, no surprise there. Spent the afternoon photocopying texts for this term (wahey for Gilgamesh, once again!) and trying to avoid the rain. Attended CULES squash and was introduced as "she studies something very weird which I can't remember the name of, and she's very tall". Was mostly very bored at the squash after Helen left. Retired to pub, having once again been subjected to some of the boy's hurtful remarks (they aren't intentional, just thoughtless.) Was miserable for some time, before going off to talk to Saf and Kim who always cheer me up. Then the boy gave me a plan of action for the rest of the evening, which was truly amazing, and Saf and I were left in wonder. And on the way back into town, he even offered to come over the next evening briefly, which was almost unprompted, though he also advised that if I asked to come over again, he would have had to find a polite way to tell me to go away and boil my head. Cheers. That made me feel nice and wanted. I think I may well be something of a hobby to him. Ah well, he spends a fair amount of time on his hobbies, so that's okish I guess. It's not like I don't say hurtful things to him sometimes, though they tend to be defensive. Met Johanna in Sainsburys and we arranged a dinner on Sunday night, hopefully. Went home alone to my own bed and slept like a baby.

Friday:
Gilgamesh. I can truly tell I'm back in Cambridge when the furthest I've walked all day is along the corridor to the shower in the morning. Boy came over "for forty-five minutes" and left 2hrs later. It wasn't as if it was me making him stay, either (though I have found a most effective way of getting him to!) Anyway, that was fun, and I still got the bed to myself at the end of it - perfect.

Saturday:
Gilgamesh and baroque music. I went even less far today, since the bathroom down the corridor is now working, but there is a ceilidh tonight on the other side of town, so that'll fulfil my exercise requirements. I think the Matric Photo may be going on under my window atm. Joy.

Hopefully my next posts won't be quite as dull as 'My life, isn't it great everyone?' But I wanted to post this so I could remember what exactly has happened to me this week! I am tired and still full of stress at the boy, but am also getting back into my work (evil cursive Old Babylonian, you make my head ache! Why don't you leave spaces between the signs???) and have lots of friends around, so on the whole I'm happier than I was a week ago :) Now to decide if I'm going to go for a panto this term or not, and if I want to take up juggling!
There. Isn't that nice?
Next week, "What I hate about Cambridge"!

Another blurgh post - apologies

2006-10-03T16:25:00.000+01:00

Why is it that the little things are the ones that matter most?

Today, my other half and I were both at the Freshers Fair with our respective societies. I went down to deliver some flyers to a different stall, and to say hi to him and the other cule who was there. I had been there less than a minute before he announced that he was going up to say hello to his diving friends who were in the same room as my society. Off he breezed with barely a goodbye, I delivered the flyers and went back up as he was coming down. Being somewhat annoyed with his behaviour I was quite quiet, which he put down to tiredness. He disappeared back downstairs and when it got to 2 o' clock, his shift was over, and he left without saying goodbye to me.

Now, I know these are not grievous crimes but it made me rather upset and I've been feeling ill for most of the day through stressing over it. If he'd been a bit thoughtful, he might have considered that I would like to know that he was leaving, or that saying goodbye to one's girlfriend is an excuse to go and see her. He could even have suggested meeting up some time later, but no. He just left.
It makes me wonder how much I actually mean to him. I know he likes my company, but it seems that unlike me, he is happy to go for quite a long time without seeing me. I mean, I don't want to spend every minute of my time with him, but if presented with the opportunity to spend some time together I'd jump at the chance. I'd be happy to see him every day. Is this a woman-thing? Is it just not as important to boys that they see their girlfriends regularly? The not-knowing when I will see him next, or even why I won't be seeing him (because he rarely tells me much of what's going on in his life) is making me feel permanently ill. And that is not conducive to work, which, after all, is what I am here for.....

Attack of absent-mindedness no. 10028774

2006-09-28T13:52:00.000+01:00

Ye gods, I'm absent-minded.....
This is quite embarrassing, but I just have to share it.

I was paid £300 in cash by work, since their cheque bounced. Not feeling safe carrying this much cash down to the bank, I took £100 to pay into the bank and concealed the other £200 around my room (to foil the burglars that were going to turn up and pinch it all).

I have subsequently forgotten where I hid it.....

Admittedly I've located some. The rest.....pfft. God knows. It's going to take me ages to find it all.

Drunken ramblings of an Irishman

2006-09-28T00:26:00.000+01:00

I am drunk again
There are too many parties going on this week
I had no idea I was popular at work (or indeed at home!) but everyone is going on about how much they are going to miss me which is very touching and makes me feel tearful because I never realise that people actually like me and am really quite amazed when they say they do (in much the same way as I'm amazed that the boy wants to go out with me)! But it has been a wonderful few days of parties and it hasn't finished yet, oh no indeed! And I had my pedicure today and it was lovely and my nails are now a vivid shade of pink and I fell asleep when the girl was doing it, it was so relaxing, and the other girl there remembered me from my old school (but I didn't remember her :-s) and I bought some jeans today which actually fit down to the bottom of my legs and I am very pleased but they were extortionately expensive compared with what normal people have to pay so that is sad. I am going to go away now and I will probably regret this post in the morning so it might disappear.....rather like my cursor has done, don't know what I did to it but it isn't there any more.....:-s shizers. Ah well, my computer will probably sort itself out by morning.
Oh dear
I am going to miss everyone at work! Especially Kate because she is lovely. :'(
Good night.

Some more stuff (and in multicolour too!)

2006-09-24T23:35:00.000+01:00

1) Cecilia Bartoli is a f**king amazing singer
2) So is Barbara Bonney
3) So is Andreas Scholl
4) So is Emma Kirkby
(5) Yes, I have been listening to a lot of baroque arias recently)
6) Watching a snail eat is actually quite disgusting
7) The Historian is a really shit book. I feel utterly unable to bring myself to attempt to finish it
8) I'm with Stupid is actually, surprisingly (and other adverbs), quite funny
9) Bouncing cheques really are not funny
10) My socks are still acquiring holes at a ridiculous rate, so much so that I'm beginning to think there's a curse on them.....
11) Trying to buy jeans when you're long-legged and skinny is not a simple task. Oh no indeed. Buying exciting liqueurs is also not a simple task, but only because at Vom Fass there's so many to choose from, and alas only finite resources with which to buy them. I settled on chocolate, but I think I should have had the peach.....

Next week I will be:
1) Working (Monday and Tuesday)
2) Drinking (mainly Tuesday night, my leaving do)
3) Getting a pedicure (Wednesday) - *excitement!*
4) Getting my hair cut again (Thursday)
5) Pinching a lot of music (ongoing) *shifty look*
6) Going to the theatre! Wow. Shakespeare (Julius Caeser), naturally, since I live so near the RSC :D
7) Packing (ongoing). Moving! Woo and argh together.

For kicks, I pinched this off Hane and did it:

1.One book that changed your life? Con Brio by Brina Svit. It opened my mind to the possibilities of literature. I learned a whole new way of writing from reading Svit’s prose – the subtlety, the manipulation of time, the gradual exposure and clarification of characters, the small but pervasive ideas…it taught me a lot.

2. One book you have read more than once? Most of the books I have read. To name one, Spellbinder by Stephen Bowkett has some of the most real and physical prose I have ever encountered, with a glorious plotline and a host of vivid characters. If I can ever write something that good I shall die happy.

3. One book you would want on a desert island? The Encyclopaedia Britannica, or the Henry-Louis De La Grange biography of Mahler, in all its 4 enormous volumes J

4. One book that made you laugh? Spike Milligan’s autobiographies (the many volumes thereof), though they inspired many more emotions that just humour!

5. One book that made you cry? His Dark Materials left me utterly shaken and exceedingly emotional. Pullman is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful and engaging writers I have ever had the fortune to read. Also The Courage Consort, which is an unexpectedly poignant novella.

6. One book you wish had been written? A bloody dictionary for Sumerian would be a great help to me next year…..

7. One book you wish had never been written? All those billions of books where the girl finds her perfect partner after long searching and they live happily ever after, because the world is like that my arse. It puts too much pressure on people, gives unrealistic expectations and limits our acceptance that every relationship requires some compromise

8. One book you are currently reading? Sharpe’s Sword, The Three Musketeers, The Historian (crap, don’t buy it) and Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel. Of the four, the second and fourth are probably the best if we’re talking literature, but I’m enjoying the Sharpe most. Very, very well written.

9. One book you have been meaning to read? Ach, so many. Fiction and non, religious, philosophy, humour, action etc ad inf. To name but one, Puckoon by the inimitable Spike Milligan has long been on my list.

10. One book which disappointed you? Countless books have fallen short of the mark, but then I am notoriously difficult to please. Most recently The Historian has really irritated me. It has a decent plotline and yet is so badly written I haven’t been able to finish it in over a month. Not good at all. Other more famous works include Harry Potter which is singularly clunky and unoriginal, The Crimson Petal and the White, The Colour of a Dog Running Away (I felt most aggrieved by that particular disappointment since the book started so promisingly!), most books by Ben Elton and Peter Pan.

11. One book which exceeded your expectations? I have to agree with Hane and say Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Also The Count of Monte Cristo was a most pleasant surprise. I had no idea that a book that old and that thick would be quite so readable, but I’d finished it in but a few days! A rare treat.

2006-09-22T21:00:00.000+01:00

Your Heart Is Purple

For you, love is about establishing and developing a deep connection.

If it's true love, it brings you more wisdom and inner strength.

Your flirting style: Sincere

Your lucky first date: An afternoon at a tea house

Your dream lover: Is both thoughtful and expressive

What you bring to relationships: Understanding

What Color Heart Do You Have?

Oh dear, I'm spending too much time online

2006-09-22T20:59:00.000+01:00

Your Inner Muse is Euterpe

You are most like this muse of music.

While you may or may not be musical...

You love music and set life to your own personal soundrack.

And you are good at making anyone's heart sing!

What Muse Are You?

Woo

2006-09-21T18:33:00.000+01:00

George Bush being twatted. Of Joy :~D

:O

2006-09-14T16:33:00.000+01:00

Horror of horrors of horrors!
The Cilit Bang Remix has gone!
:'(
Life will never be the same.....

For anyone bored/interested

2006-09-14T14:03:00.000+01:00

Have a peek at my photos from Warwick this year :D

Headlines

2006-09-13T18:35:00.000+01:00

Things that have happened recently:

1) The Wine Bar opened, giving me the opportunity to play with my corkscrew and to entertain small 5 year olds with the idea that there is a Borrower in my apron pocket.

2) Bromyard Folk Festival; only the Saturday but it was well worth it. I got to have a fangirl moment when Jon Boden Jon Boden!!! walked into the main tent and stood right next to me! *eek! fangirl!* Seeing Chris Stout play live was incredibly exciting too, but the best moment was when I wandered past the art centre only to hear the familiar and unmistakable strains of his fiddling. The tune he was playing was Hillswick - he was doing his sound check, and I had arrived just in time to hear the end of it. Sitting in the sunset with my cider, listening to my favourite fiddler of all time for the first time live in my life. Couldn't have been better. The moment lasted all of five minutes before I suddenly became aware of some singing. Sea shanties. How very intrusive. However, we couldn't work out where they were coming from, until one bright spark twigged that the sound was being broadcast through the tannoy system! (We were sitting in the Bromyard FC ground). Most entertaining :) Then the great man himself appeared, and borrowed a corkscrew from the sound guy so he could open some wine! (Wine! At a folk festival! How very high class.) More about the wine follows. During Chris Stout and Catriona McKay's set, the man himself got up and wandered off the stage, leaving Catriona to play a solo. She hadn't started said solo before he was back, muttering, "Have you got the keys?". He then turned to the audience and said, "The reason Catriona was going to play you a solo was so that I could go and get some more wine from the car. Unfortunately, she's got the keys! So if you could just, without the audience noticing, pass me the keys....." There followed a swift and unsubtle change, and he retreated once more to much laughter, returning with his drink.
So my idol is a wino? Well, here I shall insert the words of Snack from Father of the Pride, for no other reason than they are vaguely connected and make me laugh:
"Hey! I've taken to drinking in the afternoon, and to make it more socially acceptable I'm pretending I'm into wine!"
Anyway, that aside, there were some more humerous moments that evening. During Spiers and Boden's set, "Squeezy" John Spiers was entertaining about his local Morris side, Abingdon Morris; "They generally don't like you....." *pause to general audience amusement, before resumption* "They generally don't like you to play their tunes, they generally don't like you to dance their dances, and to be honest they generally don't like you to watch them dance the dances....."
Real comic star of the night was Vin Garbutt, humerous folk singer of Middlesborough. Who'd have thought that a heart operation could be so funny?

3) I seem to be having an odd effect on my socks. They are spontaneously (no, really) developing holes. I have gone through 7 socks so far this week (the boy is blaming me for a hole in one of his, though I think that's just him trying to wind me up). However, it gave me the excuse to purchase MORE SOCKS! when in Birmingham yesterday.

4) Speaking of Birmingham, yesterday I indulged myself, having earned a considerable amount this month. I bought a dress of a somewhat gothy style *blush* which is still absolutely goooooooooooorgeous. I may wear it tonight, in fact, for no other reason than it's there and I can. And most excitingly of all, I finally gave way to my cravings of over a year now and bought myself a rather smart waistcoat. It's the start of an inevitable slide into cross-dressing which I have been resisting for far too long. Now I merely need a suit jacket, and possibly some trousers. And a tie. And then I can go out properly dragged up. *delight*

5) This weekend turned out to be dirtier than I expected.

6) The bathroom door is sticking once more. For some as yet unexplained reason it has begun to do this every year - last year my mother was stuck in there for over an hour, prompting cries of "Oh dear, I'm stuck in the lavatory!" Father has now removed the lock, which is amusing whenever we have guests - compounding the general bemusement directed at our peculiar hot tap which turns the wrong way, causing merry confusion and much spraying of boiling water when the uninitiated attempt to turn it off.

7) For amusement value, I shall relate the tale of the boy calling last night. He rarely calls me, not out of lack of caring but through general inability to understand that I like to hear from him even if he doesn't have very much to say, so whenever he DOES unexpectedly call, I'm generally so surprised that I tend to ask immediately if he is ok. Ah well, at least I don't open the conversation with 'What's wrong?' God knows what I'd do if he bought me flowers.....Anyway, he rang me last night, just in time for the conclusion of a rather exciting and, for me, relevant Poirot episode, set in Egypt. Ahh the excitement (But they broke into the tomb by smashing the door seal!!! How could they???!!! There's a world of stuff we can learn from door seals! Bloody tomb raiders.....) However, even without his call I would have managed to miss the denoument as I was attempting to cook dinner at the same time. And thus last night I properly graduated into womanhood, as I was on the phone, watching the telly AND cooking all at the same time - the true definition of multi-tasking!

Moving on.....

Bad things that have happened this week:

Much rowing with the BQFH.
Missed most of Saturday due to argument and a large traffic jam, therefore didn't get to dance or sing.
Failed to educate boy on why women enjoy talking to their other halves and that it isn't an odd thing to call each other once or even twice a day.

Amusing things said this week:

1) Boy: "So, how was your morning?"
Me: *long protracted growl* "Fucking bitch queen from hell!"
Boy (cheerfully): "Yes, how is your mother?"

2) PC World advert: "Norton Internet Security, now half price!"
Myself and my father, in unison, "Bugger!" (having bought the full price version just days before)

3) Jonny: "It must be terrifying going out with you!"

Things to make me happy

2006-08-27T14:10:00.000+01:00

Just back from Edinburgh (well, yesterday) which is a truly marvellous city, but very tiring.

Current music - Shostakovich: Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings
Current mood - tired and mithered

Things to make me happy:

1) Kind people. And it's amazing how many of them there are. This week has been emotionally quite draining, and yet at the same time I've discovered just how friendly complete strangers can be, even those who are quite clearly worse off. For example, on Friday, in a state of melancholy, I passed by a homeless chap and responded to his request for some spare change with a shake of the head and carried on going, staring at the floor - only to be answered by a call of, 'That's ok, sorry to bother you, hope you feel better soon love.' Amazing how guilty that one comment made me feel, and yet shows how compassionate people can be sometimes. Another incident involved the man I was sitting next to on the way back, who witnessed my few tears at leaving the boy, and once I'd dried up said, 'Are you alright, love? You'll see him again soon, you know.' Unexpected sympathy is really quite startling!

"Isn't it true what small can do?"

2) Second-hand bookshops. Edinburgh is FULL of them! This week I picked up a marvellous selection. I have a beautiful red-bound copy of The Three Musketeers, another of the book that follows, Twenty Years After, a copy of 'Anna of the Five Towns' which I have been searching for for AGES, and a Jean-Paul Sartre (in the original!), and all that for less than £20! Fabulous. I'm just kicking myself for a fool that I didn't buy the two books in the Musketeers series that follow 'Twenty Years After', which were stunning Victorian editions but unfortunately cost £15 each. Which would have made it rather less of a bargain.

3) My hair. I have *shock horror* had it cut off! It's now really short and is wonderfully quick to wash and dry and has received many many compliments for its utter funkiness. Photos here (or they will be later on when I add them to Flikr). The only photo of my hair is also of me on Rocky Horror night, so rest assured that I don't always look like that!

4) Shostakovich, especially his Second Piano Concerto

Things that make me happy aside, I am not going through a very good patch atm. I am feeling swamped by a sense of loss. Many of my good friends are being forced away from me by the machinations of some unpleasant twist of fate, and I am having trouble relating to my boyfriend, no matter how hard I try. It's all combining to make me feel a little bruised and delicate, hence the current tearfulness! Hopefully I'll get used to the situation soon, and in the meantime I have my books and my job to take my mind off things! I just hope I don't come across as clingy over the next couple of months - if I do, please take it as a compliment because it probably means that I'm terrified of losing you!

And to end, have a peculiar quiz:

Your movie star name: Chocolate Anthony

Your fashion designer name is Hannah Paris

Your socialite name is Bonnie Berlin

Your fly girl / guy name is H Joh

Your detective name is Cat Oakham

Your barfly name is Chocolate Gin

Your soap opera name is Claire Lime

Your rock star name is Fruit Mentos Kangaroo

Your Star Wars name is Hanshe Johchr

Your punk rock band name is The Chipper Orange

The Amazing Meganame Generator

Joys and woes

2006-08-11T20:51:00.000+01:00

Well, I haven't been here for some time! And so I shall start somewhere in the middle, meander to the end and then go back to the beginning, because that's fun.

1) I got a job at a cafe. It's very cool and I have graduated from skivvy to kitchen wench because I'm dead sexy. Nice people, nice place.
2) Today I was bought a bright yellow umbrella! Anyone that knows my obsession with enormous brightly coloured umbrellas will understand how overwhelmingly excited I am about this (although not in that way.....it's not a fetish or anything)
3) I have begun playing the cello again. It's such a wonderful instrument - in fact it's still my favourite :D. Unfortuntely, the callouses on my fingers have disappeared since I haven't played the thing for about 2-3 years, but it's slowly getting less painful.....
4) I have been seized by a desire to create attractive pieces of art for friends rather than buying them cheap shop cards. Unfortunately my lack of card has resulted in me missing several important occasions.....oops. I have rectified the situation now, though, and it won't be long before those beautiful pieces of art are gracing the mantlepieces, bedside tables and wastepaper bins of those I know and love.
5) Today, I indulged a craving I have had for about half a year. Yes folks, I bought a mini-skirt! Look out for these sexy legs on a street-corner near you. (If you haven't seen my legs before, I suggest you try here)
6) Alas, I am having boyfriend problems. The problem is mainly that I've forgotten who my boyfriend is since he went to Edinburgh at the end of last month. I have been trying to pluck up courage all week to call him and tell him all is not right, but I've been chickening out. Cowardy custard (tart).
7) I am newly in love with El Greco. He is an ultimate dude. Also, what the f**k was Hieronymous Bosch on?? That painting is from the 15th century - can you believe it? I love Surrealism, but I had no idea that it began before Dali and that lot! Marvellous! I saw paintings by both of these in the flesh (oil and canvas) at Upton House last weekend. What an experience!
8) I really need to tidy my bedroom.
9) I have far more jewellery than I thought I did.
10) Lennox Berkeley. That's all I have to say on that subject. Found some pieces of his in my cupboard last week. *sigh*
Fantastic.
11) The house is being taken over by fruit!
12) Have some photos of my garden :D

Cuteness

2006-07-17T19:05:00.000+01:00

Off to Upton House yesterday - spent all my time there sitting in the shade eating fudge and reading my Cubism book. I have photos somewhere.....

Pretty, n'est ce pas? I do like that place. It has an excitingly steep vegetable garden and some big fish. Wouldn't mind living there, were it not for the hoards of tourists.
However, going to Upton is a fairly regular occurence for me, it being near home, but yesterday's trip was exciting for one reason; namely my spying, to my utter delight, this tiny little pygmy shrew scurrying along the edge of the swimming pool!

It's really hard to see in the photo. I'd never seen one before, but I can tell you they are the tiniest cutest little mousey things ever. My vocabulary is clearly not up to the task of describing the adorable nature and diminutive proportions of the creatures! Anyway, I was mightily pleased to have spotted the wee beastie and spent ages watching it while everyone else buggered off to get some tea. Unromantic lot.

The rest of the day involved thinking about doing some planting before going to pick fruit and seeing this sunset:

and this frog:

Sitting here drinking Darjeeling, very concious of the fact that I'm supposed to have started peeling veg 15 minutes ago.....

Since Helen went to Devon.....

2006-07-16T21:06:00.000+01:00

- I got a job, at Victoria Coffee House. I wandered in off the street and asked if they had any hours going, and I started that very same day! Hurrah for spontaneity! (Which I just spectacularly misspelled. Dope-brain.)
- I saw my boy
- I learned about modern art - the library is a wonderful place! I have about 7 books on art; one on Klimt, who was a Symbolist (I think), one on Kandinsky (Abstract), one on Pre-Raphaelite women (it's ok to like them because they use wonderfully bright colours!), two on Modern Art and Painting in general, one on the Post-Impressionists and one on the Cubists. I love Cubism. I am having to employ my brain quite a lot when I read the books, because they are full of fascinating yet complex ideas about art, beauty, perspective etc ad inf. I am hoping to become a more rounded and thoughtful person through this study, but if I keep on reading about the Cubists I have a horrible feeling my perspective will suffer.
(sorry, that was quite appalling)
- I finished 'The Scarlet Letter', which I thoroughly enjoyed, although it was quite a tough read
- I bought some terribly exciting plants, which I have yet to plant into a bed (and also don't know the name of). They look like bright furry flames! One's bright pink, one is red and the last is orange. They're gorgeous, and I've bought some begonias and impatiens to go around them and create a truly garish front bed. However, the ants have once again foiled me, so I am going to have to get rid of them before I can do any planting in that particular area. Having experience of ants, I feel it may be wiser to move the projected bed elsewhere.....
- I read another Sharpe book, lent to me by Chris when he came to stay. I think it could have been part of the reason why.....
- .....I had some very weird dreams which have left me feeling a little drained, and also mean I've been sending some very peculiar messages to some people.....apologies, anyone who has received such. I shall stop reading unsettling literature before I go to bed, and that goes for my bf's ex's blog too! It's too weird!
- I rediscovered Bartok's 3rd Piano Concerto, and it seems I can still remember some considerable amount of it. Go me!
- I discovered the rather exciting LJ group 'Men In Kilts' (it's not a fetish, honest!)
- I saw Peter Pan, the film not the Disney, and I thought it was truly marvellous! And I wasn't at all irritated by the child actors, which is rare for me :)
- I got a tan. No, really. Honest. It's faint, and it's probably lighter than most people's ordinary skin colour, but it's a tan alright! For someone who hates the fashion of tanning oneself, I am absurdly delighted by this. I think it's the novelty.
- I re-read some Harry Potter, and am even more firmly convinced that it is clunky and unoriginal, and filled with irrelevant and peripheral plotline which if trimmed out would make for a much more fluent read.
-I did some writing for the first time in a long time, and was pleased with the result. However I haven't looked at it since Monday and I know it'll need a lot of intense work to make it as near to perfect as I can get. I am looking forward to doing that at some point in the near future when I'm bored and less tired than I am this weekend - too hot for anything other than lolling around! No wonder I've been in such a strange mood!

This week I am looking forward to:

- making some money
- going to London - off to the Modernism exhibition at the V&A
- Warwick Folk Festival!!! Can't wait! Also, my cousin is performing there, and it'll be lovely to see her again :)
- Isla visiting (for the festival, of course) which naturally means dancing! Woo! My ankle is much less painful than it was so (fingers crossed) it should be fine for the weekend. Hopefully it shouldn't be too hard to drag her along to the French dancing workshop, despite knowing most of it already! There will presumably be some fun Bouree moves we haven't tried yet. Yay for French dance!
- planting my bed.....we can but hope.

An apology.....

2006-06-11T21:28:00.000+01:00

.....for the boringness of my blog. You will find my life here. Anything else is fake. Don't believe it.

Goths!

2006-06-11T21:00:00.000+01:00

You scored as Ethereal Goth. You are an ethereal goth... you favour Projekt and Dead Can Dance and have very refined tastes. You like the fine arts and probably prefer red wine to snake bite.

Ethereal Goth

71%

Anything-Goes Goth

54%

Death Rocker

33%

Fantasy Goth

33%

Old-school Goth

25%

Industrial/Rivet-Head

21%

Romantic Goth

21%

Understanding Outsider

17%

Confused Outsider

17%

Cyber-goth

Perky Goff

What subcategory of Goth best fits you?
created with QuizFarm.com

2006-05-26T18:19:00.000+01:00

You scored as 4th Doctor. Wild, eccentric, wacky! do you want a jelly babie?

4th Doctor

100%

3rd doctor

83%

5th Doctor

83%

7th Doctor

75%

9th Doctor

50%

1st Doctor

33%

a Dalek

33%

10th Doctor

33%

6th doctor

33%

8th Doctor

33%

2nd doctor

17%

Davros

created with QuizFarm.com

2006-05-25T09:19:00.001+01:00

This is the blog read by not-Cambridge people (and Isla and Colm) so I can have an exam rant here and not too many people will read it!
*SHIIIIIIT*
Oral exam on Friday, followed by dinner with Saf, so hopefully she will stop me from getting completely trashed, because that would be a bad idea, wouldn't it, boys and girls? I am most scared about the listening exam (impossible), followed closely by the topic discussion (no vocab) and the liasing and interpreteing (not a fucking clue). The only section I feel vaguely confident about is the section worth a bit 10% of the entire paper, which is a whole 1/7 (don't bother to correct the mathematics of that, Tris, because I really don't care) of the overall grade. So that's not really a lot, is it?
Fuck.
Once that's over, I have to memorise ALL my set texts, hope that I remember some vocab for the unseen paper, learn about 6000 years of history and memorise an enormous pile of vocab. And the worst of it is that I actually DID work pretty damned hard this year! So why the hell hasn't it paid off? Maybe I'm just not up to Cambridge.
Ah well. The only reason I'm worried about the result is - well, a mixture of pride and fear of parental reaction to a bad grade, coupled with the fact that if I want to do postgrad, I have to have a fairly decent Part 1 mark. So that's got me stressed. However, if I don't get a decent part one, it clearly wasn't meant to be, so I'll have to find some other dream to hijack hehehe.

Yeah. Stress. Joyous. Add relationship stress - it's a bad time to start seeing someone, this term! - and you have a complete me.

Just going to end with a positive note. My friends are all absolutely wonderful. Don't think I don't appreciate you, because every day I think how lucky I am to have you guys, and you make my life very happy just by being there. Thank you for everything, and if ever you need me I'm here, with or without tea/brownies/grapes/coffee/hugs/MSN/advice according to your own individual wishes :) Much love to the lot of you xxx and thank you! xxx

2006-05-18T20:13:00.000+01:00

What kind of pirate am I? You decide!
You can also view a breakdown of results or put one of these on your own page!
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

2006-05-18T17:28:00.000+01:00

yea

2006-05-18T17:22:00.001+01:00

and a rude bachelor duck

2006-05-18T17:22:00.000+01:00

more ducklings!

2006-05-16T08:40:00.000+01:00

Pinched off Helen, who pinched it off someone else I think. Never mind, it got me started this morning :D

Six things in your room:
1. My bed. Most important.
2. My enormous pile of books
3. My computer
4. Digital radio - most useful for the Tests
5. A lovely view over the garden (you can't live in a better place than this
6. My ridiculously long scarf

Six things you say most:
1. What?
2. Shut up Hannah!
3. Groovy
4. Oh. I forgot to eat again.
5. I am so fucked/I think fucked is an appropriate adjective to insert here
6. I'm sleeeeeepy

Six things you can't live without (this is for term time only, in the holidays I have a different list of things):
1. Friends
2. Internet :-s
3. Dancing (and music)
4. Socials
5. The radio
6. Hope!

Have you ever:
1. been out of the country? Once or twice. Berlin is the furthest (and the best!)
2. Been to a bonfire? Of course! I'm mates with Phil! The man who set fire to a bottle half filled with petrol so he could have a torch.
3. Broken a bone? Just the one, in my foot
4. Had a dream come true? Bizarrely, yes. Though hopefully that won't happen with last night's dream.....
5. Had a crush? Hahahahaha!!!! *hysterical laughter*
6. Run away from home? I've wandered off but always come back

Six things in the last 24 hours:
1. Been confused? Yes
2. Cried? It's gone beyond tears.....
3. Felt stupid? Naturally.
4. Missed someone? Yeah
5. Sang? To myself, a little bit. Don't think I even joined in at the Reel Club.
6. Talked to an ex? Haha no.

2006-05-14T16:41:00.000+01:00

as is this

2006-05-14T16:37:00.000+01:00

this post is entirely random

Hahaha!

2006-05-05T10:33:00.000+01:00

Noncategorial
You scored 55% femininity, 56% masculinity, and 35% uncertainty!

Your soul isn't really girly, manly, or anything else! You are unclassifiable! You're probably asexual or nonsexual.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 38% on femininity
You scored higher than 93% on masculinity
You scored higher than 12% on uncertainty

Link: The What Gender Is Your Soul? Test written by Catdracona on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Feeling random, so have some randomness

2006-05-05T09:32:00.000+01:00

Things I am currently 'addicted' to:

1) Tea. I woke up this morning and didn't make my usual cuppa immediately. Roughly 5 minutes of faffing later I began hallucinating the smell of tea. It was really strong. Very odd.
2) MSN, though I am definitely learning how to turn it off when I need to :)
3) Internet quizzes. Recently I found out that I am apple green, that I have a 'bright star' soul and that were I a Harry Potter character, I'd be Nymphadora Tonks. Very interesting but totally irrelevant. I haven't yet worked out how to stop doing these.....
4) Gin. Haven't had gin for about 2 weeks and it's killing me. (No, I'm not an alcoholic)
5) Chocolate. Of course.
6) ff.net. Very embarrassing.
7) Blogger. Not so embarrassing.
8) Chris Stout - brilliant Shetland fiddler who Isla introduced me to recently and whom I adore wholeheartedly (apart from that corner of my heart that is reserved for Bellowhead!)
9) Programming. For those among you who think that I'm now computer literate, I'm referring to dance programmes. My success at the Reel Club the other night has given me a buzz for it! Looking forward to next time :)
10) Eating chocolate spread straight from the jar.

Guilty pleasures:

1) ff.net. GO fanfic. It's so shit but I can't stop reading it!
2) skyehawke, home of the fanfic of one Sam Vimes, who is absolutely wonderful at Terry Pratchett stuff. So it's not quite such a guilty pleasure really.....
3) Lie-ins. Should be up at 7.30 every day (apart from Sunday when it's legitimate to lie in until at least 9). However I got up today at 9.17. Feel the guilt radiating off me.....
4) Coven meetings (otherwise known as I Hate Men). But it's so much fun to get together over tea and complain about our respective other halves. However since I've only been going out with my other half for about a week (if that), I feel guilty for starting so early on the poor boy.
5) Eating chocolate spread straight from the jar.

Things I should do:

1) Eat more than 2 meals a day. Not eating is a self destructive process.
2) Accept that the boy is male and is going to act like a male. Also that he can't take subtle hints, even if he's slapped in the face with them.
3) Stop eating chocolate spread straight from the jar (yes, I know I've made this resolution before)

On Woman's Hour today: 'For those with spare time on their hands, how to make a napkin ring from a single hyacinth' Nice to know they're still keeping up with modern times on Radio 4 :)

Also, from ISIHAC yesterday, Tim and Willie's Blues (in a calypso form) on the subject of the West Indies (read out loud):

'Woke up dis mornin',
My wife had gone
To de West Indies
For de sun.
Now you questioning me,
D'ya make 'er?
No, Trinidad
With Freddie Laker!'

A.

2006-05-05T09:27:00.000+01:00

Because they're all bloody useless! Dear me. I really haven't got the hang of men yet!

Q.

2006-05-04T23:05:00.000+01:00

Why do I always pick the useless ones?

The week so far.....

2006-05-04T10:19:00.000+01:00

Now the proud owner of a duduk, which I can't play. Also the less than proud owner of a blister on my left middle finger, caused by playing the cello for the first time in about 2 years on Sunday night, when I also learned how to salsa in Clare Cellars. A night of great learning.

The first Reel Club with me at the helm on Monday night - was terrified that it would all go wrong, but it was ok (apart from the tiredness of the 5am Molly Dancers - maybe I shouldn't have put J. B. Milne on the programme.....good thing we never found the cribs for that 32x Strathspey 80x Jig medley, really.....) In fact, Naomi saw me the other day and told me that the programme was really good! *glows* Also my first go at calling - not that I had to do much since everyone knows Reel of the 51st. Tried to call Spiffin' and failed miserably, but at least in style!

Also failed to convince my head of department that I wasn't dozing off in his class on Tuesday:
'Before you fall terminally asleep, perhaps you could give us lines 9 to 15?'
'Me? I'm not falling asleep! Not at all.....um. Yeah. Line what?'

Also managed to fall asleep in the library instead of working. Blame the boy. Last time he comes round on a week night.....

After a day of productiveness yesterday I went to Kim and Andy's for Desperate Housewives last night, which was wildly entertaining due to E4's utter incompetance! Utterly marvellous! See here for details :) (so lazy) Also saw the boy unexpectedly, but didn't take him home. Such strong will and resolution!

So yes, it is now all official. Not that he asked me or anything - no, he just casually dropped it into the conversation that some of his friends were trying to find out who his girlfriend is. I almost said, 'Oh, didn't know you had a girlfriend. Is she nice?' but I resisted.

Right. Off to research minority groups. Woohoo.
Possibly will have some tea and chocolate spread first. That's the only problem with the library - I can't take my cuppa with me! There really should be an eating room as well as a group study room.....
Toodles xxx

Mediterranean?

2006-04-30T00:22:00.000+01:00

Despite my knackeredness and a gentle suggestion that I should really go to bed, I have decided to attempt a post for today.
So yes. Um.
Well yesterday the boy came round and we were nice and almost chaste together on the bed (with the possible exception of the removal of socks) until suddenly at midnight, while I was comfortably curled upon his shoulder, the fire alarm went off. We dragged ourselves downstairs to find that someone had set one off - whether accidentally or on purpose remains a mystery. Suffice it to say that, though I technically live in a girl's college, he wasn't the only male specimen to issue forth from the hall! Rather amusing. He was also the only one who didn't look uncomfortably like he'd just been caught with his trousers down.

Anyway, on to today. I read an article on the collapse of the `Abbasid empire, I noted with glee that the library is now open for longer hours thanks to exams, I went to Ed's picnic and met lots of wonderful random people and we made putty models of half-owl half-walrus type beings with bits added on. We also played with Ed's vibraslap (a Valentine's present - 'The way to a man's heart is through his vibraslap!') and discovered it was better when hit with a banana ('It works better when you use a banana!' 'Let me try.....Ooh, you're right, it does work better!')

Then was Dr Who time, and I love K9. He is the cutest.

Then time for the Bus revue, which was muchly funny. I discovered that I had in fact met Michael the Musical Monkey before the Annual Dinner last term - I was at a Northern Food Party in summer last year, where there were mushy peas. Michael came along in a green shirt - pea green in fact. It was so strikingly green that someone remarked that he had just the right shirt for a mushy pea party. Alice then chipped in with, 'Yes, Michael, may I compliment you on your pea-ness? Why are you laughing.....oh. OH!'

Kim and I went to get chips after the show, and we were giggling an awful lot ('It's like being drunk only without the alcohol and slightly more verticality') and I was trying to tell her a story about Magdalene College's vegetarian food. The conversation went thus:

'At one point, they had such an inadequate mediterranean budget that.....did I just say mediterranean?'
'Yes you did!'
'Why the hell did I say mediterranean?'
'I don't know!'
'It must have been written down somewhere and I read it out loud by mistake. Hmm, can't see it. Ah well, anyway. Story. So they had such an inadequate mediterranean.....I've done it again! I've said bloody mediterranean again! What the hell is wrong with me?'

So yeah. Um. That was my day. And as the boy wouldn't let me go to the party this evening (suggesting instead that I get some sleep) I shall drag myself off to bed! Good night! xxx

Prepositions

2006-04-27T11:07:00.000+01:00

Awkward little buggers. I hate them. Apart from when they are useful, which at the moment is not at all.....dratted items.

Does anyone have any idea what ladaa might mean in English? I am still trying to translate my text about the Gynaecology Unit and it is FULL (and I mean full) of this blasted preposition, which means, variously:

'At, by (place or time); in the presence of, in front of, before, with'

How very useful. It also means a lot of other things in different contexts, only I can't find the one I need. Gahhhh!!!

`adam ishbaa` al-raghba al-jinsiya

2006-04-26T21:28:00.000+01:00

Which roughly means 'a lack of gratification of sexual desire' - a phrase lifted directly from the text I chose to translate from Arabic into English for my supervision tomorrow. This may give you some idea of what the text is about. I thought it was about mental illness - an understandable mistake to make since the words for fertility and mental illness are pretty much the same. Didn't realise my mistake until almost at the end of the passage when it started talking about menstruation.....however it is too late to choose another now! It'll be fine, she says confidently, taking her life into her hands.
I saw a duck today. It was in the little courtyard that leads from my side of Sidgwick to the library. The interesting thing about seeing a duck in this courtyard is that it is very small and enclosed by very high walls. Not to mention a long way from the river. Usually there are no birds there. And yet, suddenly there was a duck, wandering around the courtyard and quacking to itself. It was a large enough surprise to jolt me out of my usually internal dialogue (between me and myself) and say out loud, 'And there's a duck in the courtyard.' It was gone by the time I left the library, so I'm beginning to wonder if I imagined it.
However, I am not the only one to have had a strange experience with birds today. Tris MSNed me almost as soon as I got back to my room, saying, 'THERE ARE 15 PARROTS OUTSIDE!!!'
He lives in Central London.
This inspired Fan to say, "Well, parrots are common in London. No wait, I'm thinking of pigeons. Same thing really..."
I also had a mock Akkadian exam today, and it's going to be scary. I'm not very good at writing things down until they're entirely clear in my head. And unseen texts are never entirely clear, so I'm a little buggered.
I'm still obsessed with Good Omens.
And now I'm off to watch Desperate Housewives. Toodle-oo peeps xxx

Bellowhead and assorted

2006-04-23T23:32:00.000+01:00

My ankles are aching. And my wrists feel as if they are about to fall off. And my ears have gone slightly deaf and my throat is sore. And I had no tea tonight.
Why? You may be asking that, and you may not be asking that, but I'm going to tell you anyway, because tonight was the night of the much awaited BELLOWHEAD CONCERT (which is harder to type while holding the shift key down than it really sould be - perhaps I should use Caps Lock in future.....).
And it was fabulous.
Utterly splendid.
Tremendous.
Marvellous.
Effervescent.
Wonderful, excellent, and totally groovy, spiffy and wicked!
So groovy, in fact, that I was jigging along so violently and compusively that I failed to take many photos. However, here are the few I did acquire - for once posted in the blog piece itself rather than via Hello - thank Helen for that! :)

A very blurred photo of the band, featuring Jon Boden's pink tie. And another featuring the famous Sousaphone (the metallic shiny circle just above the silhouetted head).

Another image of same.

These two clearly demonstrate how good the music was - I even stopped to focus both of these properly, then got carried away while taking the shot! The one with two stripes is the fiddlers, the other is god knows what.....

The gig was stupendous fun, as earlier intimated. Saw quite a few acquaintances and friends there, had a bit of a gossip and was once more tempted by the Molly people to come over to the Dark Side - I am leaning in that direction, and even Isla is convinced I will be a morris dancer eventually; she knows how Scottish is just not hitting all the buttons for me!
On that note, Katie and I were having some fun in the second to last number, 'The Prickle-eye Bush' - one of my favourites, which we were singing along to very loudly and doing actions to suit the words (not hard), before launching into a little bit of Molly dancing (well, as much as space would allow). I think we were enjoying ourselves rather too much, but then again, is that possible?
The evening was nicely rounded off by an incident in the car park involving an unexpectedly -spouting ticket machine, followed by Isla's, Colm's and my entertaining inability to get Isla out of the back seat of Colm's car. It was rather like one of those moments when you have five people standing around a jar of jam all saying to each other, 'Nope, it won't open.'

In other news, today I spilled hot tomato juice over my coffin, to match the blanched leather of my bureau caused by the spillage of hot water yesterday. Which absolutely didn't happen.

Also view this item:
This is my sock, or more correctly WAS my sock. I was putting it on and a huge hole appeared in it. Miraculous, eh? No idea what could have caused it.....
Ahem.

(brute force. you have seen what I can do to socks, you have heard how I kill things. Be afraid.....)

Hair

2006-04-22T21:59:00.000+01:00

More specifically the fact that I washed it at 10am this morning, and it's now 10pm and it's still not dry. Now that's impressive!
Dr Who goodness back on our screens! I think David Tennant is actually a pretty damned good Doctor. Not to mention the fact that he's a little foxy.....Mm. Foxy Doctor.
:D
Also managed some work today in the library, despite the presence of the constantly sniffing girl who was making quite a racket, I can tell you! There's very little that's more annoying than someone sniffing constantly when you're trying to work in a library. It's inconsiderate, and also, I don't want to catch it! And before anyone says, 'Oh, but she can't help it' yes she bloody well can! If you're that ill, you shouldn't be in the library anyway, for the sake of the other users. Gahhh!

Ooh. Briefly soap-boxed there. I do apologise!

In other news, I have definitely not damaged my valuable 19th century bureau by spilling boiling water on it. Indeed no. Ahem.
:-s
Rod Stewart's Great American Songbook albums are amazingly good easy listening, btw.

An intriguing question

2006-04-21T21:26:00.000+01:00

Why oh why is it that Easter eggs, even after they have been partly consumed and their circumference decreased, will NOT fit back into the foil wrappers they came in? Is it some sort of conspiracy? Does the foil shrink in between unwrapping and rewrapping? Or am I just an incompetant idiot*?

I apologise for the split infinitive, but I feel strongly about these things.

*This question does not require an answer.

2006-04-17T13:19:00.000+01:00

Well, thanks to severe incompetance, my cress developed mould after 3 days of my care, so I will have to start again with something less easy to kill, like a pet rock.
Otherwise I haven't worked very hard, but I have started thinking a lot about angels. To that end I have re-read considerable portions of His Dark Materials and have bought and consumed Good Omens in one afternoon, a feat of which I really shouldn't be so proud since it's keeping me from more important matters like my Part 1 exams which I need to pass with colours which, if not flying, should certainly be coasting on a thermal somewhere fairly high up if I wish to fulfil my desire to enter the academic world. Also involved in my angelic research have been some of the poems of William Blake (Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Songs of Innocence and Experience and soon to include Milton) and Paradise Lost. I really want to make a film of Paradise Lost. I think it would be a fabulous visual experience! Milton is wonderful. Every prospective writer ought to read him before even thinking of beginning. And Pullman too, actually. Unfortunately too few do.....

I also wish to know who Scarlet Emperor is - your identity is eluding me, Sir/Madam.

2006-04-10T22:37:00.000+01:00

My cress seeds are sprouting :)

2006-04-10T19:42:00.000+01:00

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris.
You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

What European City Do You Belong In?

2006-04-09T20:57:00.000+01:00

the Scarf of Doom

Yay!

2006-04-09T20:53:00.000+01:00

Have finally finished the Scarf of Doom, now also known as the Not-quite-Moebius scarf. It has weighed in at a marvellous 12ft long (roughly) and is very pretty if utterly impractical.....
In other news, I'm trying to grow cress. This shouldn't be a hard task, but my green-fingered efforts so far have included the manslaughter by neglect of five or six cacti, which are famed for being hard to kill. On the other hand, the stench of cress in my bedroom will perhaps remind me to take care of it. Then I can eat it :D

2006-04-09T20:52:00.000+01:00

An earlier image of the same, also featuring The Fat Cat, and my dad's feet

2006-04-09T20:51:00.000+01:00

My grey cat, seen here having just awoken from lying flat on her back fast asleep.

A sailor's yarn

2006-04-07T18:25:00.000+01:00

Currently tied up in yarn and bits of my scarf. It's getting a bit silly - it's the length of me from head to floor, and then back up to my breasts. I must cast off soon.....

Boat Races and assorted parties :)

2006-04-05T10:42:00.000+01:00

So we lost. Who cares? It was a good weekend for a party!

But to start from the beginning, this was a weekend of random firsts for me, once again. First trip to London completely alone, which led to some interesting navigation of the Tube when I realised the Circle Line which I was trying to pick up at King's Cross was down between Edgware Road and Liverpool Street - ah, the joy! Lalala. So yea. I met an old friend and another old friend half an hour late in High Street Kensington, and we wandered around doing shoppingy type things and eating at a place called Wagamama which does Japanese food and is utterly fabulous :) Then went back to www.dinoftheworld.blogspot.com's halls (which are right next door to the Albert Hall!) and played my first game of chess in AGES, which I lost. After that we went to www.dinoftheworld.blogspot.com's house in Blackheath, which is a totally marvellous place and not at all like London. His dogs are mad and silly and apparently one of them is in love with me. Awwww. And his mum is great and gave me loads of cakes and I slept in a half tester bed which was another first! :D

So having woken up ridiculously early in the morning, I had nice breakfast, was given an umbrella by www.dinoftheworld.blogspot.com's mum and set off to Greenwich, which was about 15mins that way *points*, and got to Toni's house in plenty of time to get to the boat race. We met the others at the station and while we were waiting, played the 'How many light entertainers can we fit into a photo booth?' game. The answer was 6 quite tall ones. Then me and Toni polka-ed around the station for a while before we all headed off to watch the race. We won the seconds, lost the firsts, got rained on quite heavily and drank Pimms - another first, at least for this summer! Afterwards we all trundled off back to Toni's and started the party :D Was marvellous, and the girl crying in the loo wasn't me for once!

Monday was very much a post-party day. Woke up feeling miserable (but that was partly tiredness, partly time of the month) but fortunately got to spend some time with someone I wanted to spend time with, which was pleasant. Then a hideous sound drifted up the stairs. It was 'Jerusalem' being sung by many voices in various keys, accompanied by a metallic banging. Hardly had the company leapt out of bed when into the room burst Ben Parker, dressed only in his boxers and repeatedly bashing (Gt stem!) with a spoon a poor colander which had never done anything to him! Accompanying him were various others, but honestly I can't remember who they were, having been traumatised for life by the sight of Ben in.....well, not very much. I shudder at the memory. Anyway, it turns out that this was our call to breakfast, so I got dressed and we descended to take our seats at the breakfast table, whereupon I got out the cakes which I had been given by www.dinoftheworld.blogspot.com's mum the day before and placed them upon the table to cries of much joy. The rest of the day was a bit random, but I ended up back at home having stopped off in Baker Street to visit the famous detective who's name I shall not mention for fear of exploding. I have been watching/listening to/reading far far FAR too much Sherlock Holmes.....oh no! I said it! I - aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhh...............

*BOOM!*

*sounds of plaster and dead pigeons hitting the floor, followed by silence*

More quizzes - how fabulous!

2006-03-31T12:26:00.000+01:00

How to make a BlackCat

Ingredients:

1 part intelligence

1 part humour

1 part beauty

Method:
Add to a cocktail shaker and mix vigorously. Serve with a slice of lovability and a pinch of salt. Yum!

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

Would also like to add that I have a new blog over on LiveJournal, but it's ok because I prefer this one and am only posting random rubbish on LJ :)
If you're interested: http://9headeddragon.livejournal.com/

thing

2006-03-30T22:25:00.000+01:00

The cat went mad again today, bless him.
Also I perfected a new way of sleeping while studying. Lie face down on the bed, propped over book in an attentive manner. Rest chin on hands, place feet against ceiling, doze off (get woken by mother is an option, but not recommended should one want a good hour or so's kip). Happy revising all!

Joy and oddness

2006-03-24T11:23:00.000Z

Has anyone else tried using that mint and teatree showergel?

If not, don't. It's hideous. To quote Simon, 'It's like washing yourself with acid snow.' I am now stinging in interesting places. Grration.

Yesterday was an odd day. As per usual I was awoken by my alarm clock of joy, only it wasn't of joy as I had forgetfuly set it to Radio 4 - never the best thing to wake up to.....and as per usual, to return to the story, I reached out to tap it gently on the snooze button. Clearly my left arm was rather more irate about having been woken up at an unearthly hour (9.30) than I was, because instead of gently tapping the alarm clock, it knocked my glass of water all over it, which caused an immediate cessation of sound, and also of any other function of the clock. In a state of more-than-half asleepness, I pondered turning to clock off at the mains (to avoid being electrocuted) or indeed getting up to find my phone and set the alarm. However, sleep of course won, with the result that I woke up at 11.30, with much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the lost hours. Then I did no work until it was time for pubmeet. Ah, joy!

What else happened this week?

Well, the 22nd of March happened - that happened on Wednesday.

Now just need to pack up all of my room in time for curry this evening.
And I don't even like curry.....

So, in summary, Mint and Teatree showergel is wrong, pouring water on alarm clocks is a bad idea if you actually want to get up, and packing sucks. And perhaps not all men are kooks after all.....

Toodles xxx

2006-03-21T01:31:00.000Z

Since I have been nagged to blog, I thought I'd go over the top by posting 3 text blogs and this amusing picture of a cardboard box which was discovered when CULES hit the Fulbourn venue this week. It struck us as a bit.....random.....

2006-03-21T01:15:00.000Z

I don't know why having no lectures makes me think it's ok to go to bed after 1 in the morning.....some deep rooted psychological thing, I guess. And I've been so good this term too.....well ok, not so good recently, but up until a week ago Thursday I was a paragon of virtue, a model example, the very pineapple of punctuality! And now - phut! It's not like I even have a decent excuse.....tonight, at any rate.....ahem *looks around innocently* No-one has noticed! No-one has noticed!

One for Isla

2006-03-21T01:09:00.000Z

Received a scribble on my facebook wall today; can anyone guess who might have added 'rhodedendron' to the spurious words list? :P

Diary of a nobody.....

2006-03-20T19:24:00.000Z

Men are all kooks. This is Norwegian for 'cock', with an English plural suffix. It sums up my feelings, not to mention the fact that it's a great word!
Yes, I'm still fed up.....
More so now than I was before, in fact.

On a more positive note, my internet appears to be back (for now, at least). I spent yesterday mostly in the pub (in a non-drunken way) and there are no more lectures until about the end of April, so that's all good - just need to motivate self to do some independent work now! Would help me if I had clarification on certain issues, as this would help me focus my concentration rather than worrying about other matters and being generally neurotic. However, men are kooks, which isn't helpful, though it does mean that my eviction from the 'I hate men' coven on the accusation that I was 'in a relationship' was only temporary and has now been revoked :)

Play went very well :) Big laughs, very responsive audience and I got to stand onstage entirely alone and shriek 'Help!' a lot, which was more fun than anything else that evening! *boing*
Aftershow party was almost lethal, though.....

Erm.

Last Thursday was fun. We went to Andy's house and played silly games. Much pubbage this week, and I have new stash yay!

Right, time to stop procrastinating and do something relevant.

Arse

2006-03-14T21:35:00.000Z

I wanted to write a blog post about how I'm feeling shit, which I really shouldn't be right now, but then I realised that would make me like all the other bloggers in the world, and rather sad. (As Andy put it today, when I was explaining roughly how the 'Diary of a Nobody' goes: 'So it's basically LiveJournal then?')

So instead I shall redirect you to this fantastic site which Fan sent me:
http://www.17beechroad.freeserve.co.uk/WarringtonCycleCampaign/facility-of-the-month/index.htm
because it's funny. And better than me moaning.

In other news the play went well. Even the bits where it went wrong. And I haven't achieved my essay deadline, because I am useless. And I have become half a president.

Also amusing: got sent this today from Gill, our half-president of CULES, which made me giggle :)

"Jack and the Beanstalk"

Giants! Talking animals! Chris in a dress*!

Marvel at the incredible special effects! Be dazzled by the magnificent
nordic disco hits! Scream in horror at the terrifying giant**! Swoon at
the touching love scenes! Be astounded by Jack's amazing growing stalk!
Panto returns again in fantastic form as Jack and Jim struggle to rescue
the Princess from the evil Inglebert The Evil, aided/hindered by cows,
giants, talking geese and their mum. Don't miss it!

*again.
** clinical trials show 50% scarier than other leading brand giants.

2006-02-27T22:09:00.000Z

Reviving the Tanner

2006-02-27T22:08:00.000Z

Enter a doctor

2006-02-27T22:07:00.001Z

The Mummers: Robin Hood and the Tanner fight!

2006-02-27T22:07:00.000Z

IVFDF: Junction 24 ceilidh

2006-02-27T22:06:00.000Z

The Tanner dead, Robin begins to have some regrets

2006-02-27T22:02:00.000Z

IVFDF: Junction 24 ceilidh

2006-02-27T16:06:00.000Z

Additions to 'Places I have fallen asleep':

1) At the Boka Halat ceilidh at the end of Saturday at IVFDF, about 2 metres from the band
2) Just now while sitting directly opposite my Modern History lecturer (as in about 2 feet away)

I woke up when I dropped my pen. I have some really interesting notes.....

.....

2006-02-22T11:08:00.000Z

Add to that this morning's achievement of 'Right through my favourite lecture with lecturer who is going to be supervising me on this week's (non-existent) essay later on today, 1 time (but isn't that enough?!)'

I need saving. Any knights in relatively untarnished armour out there?

2006-02-21T22:10:00.000Z

la~

Interesting places I have fallen asleep in during the last week:

2006-02-21T21:59:00.000Z

1) In the break of my history lecture, 1 time
2) In my history lecture, right in front of the lecturer's nose, 1 time
3) In the OS library, 4 times
4) In my college library, 1/2 time (almost)
5) In the pub, on the same night, 3 times
6) In my armchair, 6 times
7) On my bed in the middle of the day, 4 times
8) While 'working', 9 times
9) While entertaining friends, 3 times
10) In lectures with my head propped on my hand in an attentive pose, 2 times
11) In the arms of a handsome young man after hours of passionate love-making, 0 times

Something tells me that it's just not quite fair.....

=.=

2006-02-13T14:22:00.000Z

Chocolate spread out of the jar is the ultimate comfort food

This week

2006-02-12T13:30:00.000Z

New resolutions:

1) Do some work
2) Be happy
3) Make time for nice things
4) Stop stressing
5) Make sweet dumplings
6) Stop making stupid resolutions about not eating chocolate spread from the jar

Resolutions

2006-02-07T14:00:00.000Z

Resolutions for this week:

1) Stop over-analysing my lovelife
2) Do some work
3) Stop swearing so much (or at least use euphemisms like 'Bollcoks' or 'Balak's')
4) Stop eating chocolate spread from the jar

Must also remember to give biscuit tin back. And take off my nail polish (or re-do it). And must start going to Arabic lectures.....

Going to see Martha Tilston tonight! (If we can get in) Sam and Isla are coming too so my no-gossip resolution will have to be put aside for now.....
Bought a couple of newspapers this morning; one in German and one in Arabic. And even read some articles too! Woo!

And on the subject of no swearing, I used 'blasted' in an email yesterday. Quite impressive! However it was to my aged professor so anything stronger may have been inappropriate.
Well, certainly would have!

Fnar.
That's a good word, fnar.

Wedding bells

2006-02-05T17:26:00.000Z

Much to the relief of my various friends, I have decided to stop mooning and angsting over the boy. No more sitting down examining in fine detail every minute aspect of his behaviour, no more 'does he doesn't he?' chats, in short, no more gossip. Besides, I have decided that I am far better suited to celibacy than to relationships. That way I get to do everything exactly how and when I want, which is much better.

So bearing that in mind, today I married Ben, quite randomly and in exactly the way I've always wanted to get married. Wedding photos will be posted when we take some (we don't even have rings yet). All that remains is for him to bump off his previous spouse, using a cunningly disguised giraffe. In celebration I went to Boots and bought some tights, only to be told at the till that they were 3 for 2. Fantastic! So I now have lots of tights =)

In other news: I did some laundry, quite a lot in fact, so my room is now warm and damp and slightly citrusy in scent, though this is due to my clementines rather than my washing powder. I also did some Gilgamesh, and now have an essay to finish. I also discovered that Akkadian has possibly the oldest ditto sign in history! It is really quite fabulous and saves boring repetition of text in parts of the Flood story =D
I didn't get to Sainsburys in time to buy any bread, though =.=

But never mind. The Co-op stays open until 10pm on a Sunday! Yay for the Co-op of joy!

Ceilidh on Saturday next as well. Oh joy!!!!

IVFDF

2006-01-25T22:15:00.000Z

I cannot describe how excited I am about IVFDF! A whole weekend's worth of dancing! It couldn't get any better than that, unless Bellowhead were playing of course!

Addiction

2006-01-25T14:46:00.000Z

Jaffa cakes are bloody addictive. I sat down five minutes ago and am halfway through a box. This worries me. I will have to eat them all then I can't eat them all at once any more. Hehe! 5 points if you get through that line without saying 'eh?'.

Other things I am addicted to:

!) Chocolate, especially dark chocolate
") Tea, though interestingly enough not caffeine - it seems I'm more into the warmth and cosy sensation a cup of tea brings
£) White wine, although in a very much not-alcoholic way
$) Sleep, especially at night and in the daytime
%) Showers, or any other hot water on skin sensation (though I'm not fond of boiling water)
^) The internet, which is ruining my life (although exposing me to important things like Al-Jazeera which is most useful :))
&) Stupid polls and quizzes
*) The CULES messageboard
() The Archers
)) Wake up to Wogan

Things I am no longer addicted to:

#) This Morning, with Fern and Phil (mainly because I have no television)
@) Facebook
?) The Today Programme

At the end of term I will be seen starring as Mrs Otis in The Canterville Ghost. If ever we get a script, that is. Time to brush up on a New York accent (though I may just borrow Lydi's - Pennysylvania isn't so very far away!) If only Mrs Otis were a Brummie. I can do Brummie.
And I'm going out for a curry tomorrow night (though without the curry).

And now, as I'm down to my last jaffa cake, I shall bid you all a fond farewell.

*stands on top of tower, shrieking with manic laughter as fades to black*
Ahaaaahaha! Ahahahaha! Aha hah hah haa.....
*silence*
*thump*
*brief exclamtion, followed by curses*
*muffled bumps and crashes as fumbles way to door. Door squeaks open, briefly showing chink of yellow light, then closes with ominous creaking sound*

Good old Stephen

2006-01-23T18:44:00.000Z

'It takes a lot of balls to tell someone you're a eunuch'

It's catching!

2006-01-22T23:54:00.000Z

And yet.....so true.....

Greed:	Low
Gluttony:	Very Low
Wrath:	High
Sloth:	Medium
Envy:	Medium
Lust:	Low
Pride:	Medium

Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz

Zip

2006-01-22T17:19:00.000Z

Zip.....

Back in Cam now and working hard, of course, of course, lala.
Ask Helen if you don't believe me. She had to talk me down on Wednesday night after my panicking about my Arabic supervision. Which actually went well. So there hehe!

Zap.....

And I went out for lunch with Joanna yesterday - randomly - we met in the street and went to the faculty (the excitement of Camlife!) to collect our essay title (oh God, what anoraks) before running into one of our baby first year ECANEers RAGing in the street with a gallabiyya and a stupid hawaiian hat (always nice to have something to tease them with in our joint lectures!) but we didn't give him any money (though I have promised him my Roth, since he's doing Hammurabi this year). Then I met Gill from CULES who enjoyed her stay in America with the Wiccans and Pagans, so we are going to have an Imbolg festival which will be terribly exciting! then finally Joanna and I extracted ourselves from company and made it to The Bun Shop where we had a very lovely lunch before I went to my CULES audition and made a very shabby attempt at a New York accent. If only I had to be a Brummie. It's Wilde's Canterville Ghost this year, and I really hope I get something decent in it! Ah well, who can say?
I'm off to study the Tanzimat.
Ciao

Boiiiiinnnnng!!!

2006-01-18T16:25:00.001Z

and my fat cat will feel left out if there's no pic of her!

2006-01-18T16:25:00.000Z

Just for my daemon, here is my orange cat :)

2006-01-16T23:36:00.000Z

2006-01-16T23:32:00.000Z

it's a Jaff-cat!

2006-01-07T23:30:00.000Z

come along come along will be fun fun fun

2005-12-21T17:15:00.000Z

Haven't posted in a while.
Hmm.
Maybe later.....
For now, go and look at this

Cheshire?

2005-11-24T12:19:00.000Z

I have further proof of my catness. Look at these, and tell me I'm not a Cheshire cat:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanrichardson/

Notice how the size of the smile is directly proportional to the level of inebriation.

Reasons I am a cat:

2005-11-23T21:43:00.000Z

1. I sleep a lot, and in some very unlikely places
2. I like to be warm and can always find the central heating in any room (and am almost guarenteed to curl up next to it)
3. I dislike the rain
4. I hate swimming and only do it when absolutely necessary
5. I am fastidious and tend to tidy up after myself
6. I climb trees a lot
7. I purr when my hair is stroked
8. I like to be clean and tidy
9. I'm good at recovering my composure
10. I can be found curled up in some unlikely places
11. I tend to have good balance
12. If anyone is tossing a ball to and fro, I will be following the movement with my eyes
13. I am independent
14. I like to fall asleep curled up on people

Old joke. So old that it's now three times the age of the universe.....

2005-11-22T00:58:00.000Z

As you can see, incessant pokage of Chris (in an online sense, mostly) has finally produced the wonderful image below! Reports on the birthday party later when I have spare time.....that'll be about 3 years then.....

2005-11-22T00:57:00.000Z

Who?

2005-11-17T14:37:00.000Z

Robinson's I'm-not-a bike shelter

Arghness

2005-11-17T14:10:00.000Z

It's been one of those days. Well, it's been one of those weeks, but today has been especially one-of-those-days-ish. To start with I forgot to change my radio station, and so was woken up by Melvyn Bragg and a bunch of others discussing the philosophy of pragmatism, which did nothing for my morning-after-the-night-before state. Then when I went to have a shower, the cleaner had turned up and shut our bathroom while she cleaned. Understandable, and I have nothing against cleaners, but since my bathroom was out of action I was forced to endure a tour of the other bathrooms in my hall; and believe me, I now know why everyone calls the bathroom on my floor 'really nice'. The showers in almost every bathroom I tried are those push-button types, which technically should stay on for about a minute, but in almost all cases went off immediately. Now what is the point of that? Utterly stupid to have to stand holding the shower on, thus rendering oneself incapable of opening the shampoo bottle.....
So eventually I found a shower which was able to stay on for a decent period of time. Shower done, I had breakfast and so on, before settling down to work. I was proceeding nice and gently through my supervision exercise, when suddenly I remembered some other work that I had been set to do for today, and for The Dragon, even worse! So I rushed down to the library to complete said piece of work, skipping a (not very important) lecture and almost missing lunch in the process, before my afternoon started (supervision at 2, lecture at 3, supervision at 4)
Finished at last! I hopped on the bike to arrive at my supervision early for once! Only to discover that my supervision is off because my supervisor is in Denmark. I was informed of this by Martin, the guy who's lecture I skipped today.
So yes, so far so good.....and I currently have a wasp in my room, about which I am really cross - it's bloody November!

Anyway, yesterday should also be posted here. I had a dull morning with lectures and lectures (did however acquire a translation of the Poor Man of Nippur, which will save me a lot of time preparing for Martin's lectures, if ever I go to them.....). Lunchtime I went over to Serena's, who I haven't seen for AGES, and that was all very pleasant. I took this photo (see above) in Robinson when I was parking my bike. Serena was cooking for us, so I offered to help, and managed to slice my thumb open while cutting peppers (for the first time ever!). Much hilarity and outpourings of mirth (blood?) ensued.
So we had a nice natter, and I got to slag off my ex a bit (which I don't do very much nowadays, partly on account of everyone slagging him off for me.....), and then I returned for a good afternoon's procrastination before the Dr Who Party in the evening! Wooo!
And it was terribly fun! We drank stuff (in my case red wine, white wine and schnapps with a Jelly Baby dissolved into it) and ate pizzas and watched The Genesis of the Daleks. There was talk of doing a montage of Tom Baker peering around corners in a suspicious manner, and the general concensus was that the BBC made our own effort look professional. Especially the bit with the clam (BBC, not us).
The evening ended in Cat's room, with chatter about the films and stealing things from Chris (I stole his hat and scarf, Saf stole his birthday party).
I have also come to the conclusion that Jon is exactly like my uncle Andrew, who is himself an amateur ac-tor. The likeness is uncanny - they even sound the same.
Anyhow, thus is my life. Am off now to refresh the work for my supervision with The Dragon *scary fantasy-film-style music plays to fade-out*

New things :)

2005-11-15T15:07:00.001Z

Well, as can be seen from the photo below (oh, it is seems to be above, in fact), I am now the pround owner of a new hat. The Trilb comes straight in at No. 1 for smartness and elegance; however it has fallen short in craziness, beaten by both my yellow bobble hat (see below) and another item of manic headgear which I have unfortunately (unaccountably?) left at home.
In other news, my mother has damaged herself, so I was at home this weekend picking up the pieces (which, incidentally, is how The Trilb came into my possession) and getting not-very-much work done. Sadly this jaunt to the family domicile has also resulted in my thinking it's the end of term, so I have run out of the manic energy I've been living on for the past few weeks and have gone *flump* (that's the sound, not the marshmallows). Am now on the verge of collapsing, in spite of the amount of sleep I had last night (8 hours, would you believe?!)
Also Fan hasn't contributed greatly to the getting-work-done campaign, since he sent me series 2 of Yes Prime Minister, which I picked up on Sunday and have now finished (bar half an episode). However, this does not stop him being great (Fan, you're great, and don't worry, I have got some work done!)
I like Fan.
I also like Helen for being kind and listening to me rambling on about random rubbish in the evenings.
She is very lovely

Also check out the alliteration in that. I am a master *nods head approvingly at own genius*

Anyway.
What else? Well, I think I am losing weight, but that isn't interesting.

Filming of Dr Who went very well. I had cardboard boxes thrown at me, and then threw bits of magazines at other people. Also I am proud to announce that the vital starring role of 'Doctor's girly bike' went to none other than my own dear Frieda, who deserves every credit for being most tractable on the day of filming, and not playing up for the Doctor (otherwise known as Chris) at all. Which is more than she does for me, bloody fickle bike that she is.

Argh. Have run out of ideas of non-boring things to put into blog. But that's only because I forget things that happen to me, sometimes before they actually happen. I can't remember yesterday, but then I was asleep for most of it.

Ok. Sod this, I've written something, it's not like any of you beggars out there bother reading it.

2005-11-15T15:07:00.000Z

The Trilb, my newest hat :)

Hmm

2005-11-08T23:07:00.000Z

I feel the need to blog again.
Well, actually I don't, but Fan is nagging me.
I am very busy.
CULES has started to take over my life.
I need sleep.
And a lump of chocolate cake.
Mmmm cake.

Will possibly blog soon.

Ben Parker's secrets to a happy relationship No. 35/ 'If you're going out with someone, you occasionally want them to be naked'

2005-10-24T18:32:00.000+01:00

I have a new hat :D

2005-10-21T18:12:00.000+01:00

The sky tonight....:) I'm getting really lazy.....

2005-10-17T09:13:00.000+01:00

Look at the view today! It's gone cold all of a sudden..... *shivers*

2005-10-15T17:12:00.000+01:00

Another of my views. This is all just laziness - one of these days I'll get around to actually blogging!

Yummy colours

2005-10-10T18:22:00.000+01:00

I like smarties :) I especially like spilling them out on a plate and eating them one colour at a time :D
Many things have happened but I'm feeling lazy. Will post at length anon.

Pip pip