Wednesday 24 February 2010

Birdies

There are posters around campus warning of a dangerous bird called Duckzilla. I had originally dismissed said posters as a silly, childish prank. However in ensemble today I found that a friend had actually been bitten by a goose! Apparently the waterfowl are out to get us.

In other duck related news I saw a coot fall through the ice today. It made me giggle.

Sunday 21 February 2010

Being British.

Excuse me while I just go off on an English one... but...

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE WEATHER?

Yesterday, I thought we were heading into spring, this was quite exciting, since it was very warm and sunny (in the sun although actually it was still quite cold - the ground was all frozen) and I thought we were going to bypass the whole yucky rainy spring thing, and go straight into the sunny warm spring thing where I can wear pretty dresses and such. I got to run around in the sun yesterday at Lacrosse and it was lovely. We're working on some top secret plays so that we can befuddle the seconds in our match in a couple of weeks. At one stage we were told to do sit ups everytime we dropped the ball, so now my camp hoodie is all muddy, so I'm going to have to wash that before Camp Reunion times next weekend. It was all very nice and sunny and pleasant. I was planning to get up this morning and do some work, wash my hair, and then go watch the girls play rugby.

These plans were foiled a little when I woke up this morning and realised we had MOUNTAINS of snow. Ok so not quite mountains, but plenty of snow, plus it was still snowing. So essentially we have gone from late spring weather, right back to mid winter weather... WHY? I think this is very silly and irresponsible. As much as I enjoy larking about in the snow, I would rather all the snowy bits got lumped together and then all the warm bits got lumped together, so I don't have to rethink my clothing choices quite so much. It's just a little inconvenient. Although I did have fun chasing through the snow and pelting people with it, less so when David then pelted ME with snow as I was struggling to get in the front door, filling my lacrosse boots with snow as he did so....

So all in all, crazy weather times. Still all's well that ends well...

Tuesday 16 February 2010

Laundry

I am in dire need of doing some laundry. I am running out of clean socks and I only have two towels both of which are past their prime now. However since it is reading week I don't want to get out of bed. I'm comfortable in bed. Besides I think I've missed this morning's window of laundry doing opportunity since it will take 50 mins to wash and then a similar amount of time to dry, and it is now 11.30 and I have to be at Voices at 1. This doesn't leave enough time for laundry. I shall do laundry this afternoon. Unfortunately I have been saying I'll do it tomorrow/this afternoon for several days, which has left me in the current position of severe lack of clean pyjamas. It is a puzzling conundrum. Safe to say this morning I have done work on the sleep part of my two fold reading week plan. After choir I shall work on the reading section of the plan. And do laundry. Promise.

Saturday 13 February 2010

Valentines Day

Ok. Ok. Ok. So I know I promised an America update in my last post but this just a quick post to say HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE! Because I got two Valentines ALREADY today and I only just woke up! Which I think is a record. They were both from friends in America, I believe it's a bigger deal over there, well in any case when people complain about it it's always because of either Hallmark or America. So I'm thinking it's a bit like Halloween? Anyway. The reason I'm telling you about this is because I wanted to show you my Valentine's Day gift from my fantabulous friend Noodle :

In case you were wondering what it is: it's a cartoon picture of me. It's so adorable :D It's the best Valentine's day gift EVER. :D

Reading Week

These are exciting times, for next week it is READING WEEK. And this means that I get to have a whole week without seminars or lectures, I'm looking forward to having time to do some of the reading I need to do for the next couple of weeks, reading some of the books I was given for my birthday, and doing some reading to get ahead on my next essay so I don't have a mad panic at the end again. That's the plan in anycase. And to catch up on some sleep. My plan is two fold. Read and Sleep. I think it's a good plan.

I'm gonna have a couple of days break from reading though, and just work on the sleeping section of the plan because I'm a bit tired of reading and I'm still battling the vestages of this coldy thing that won't leave me alone. Except I slept for about three hours this afternoon. So now I'm all perky and awake. Which isn't so great. But hey. I'm going to watch the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics and then go to bed.

The opening ceremony seems really good so far, I'm enjoying the interactive elements, particularly the drums and the flashy lights. Also the exciting indian things, the fake snow and the little kids in big furry hats. Although I'm not enjoying the crazy scottish lady pointing out the bleeding obvious all the way through the spiritual mystic bit. I wish she would shut up. She's as bad as Terry Wogan on EuroVision. It's all very pretty. Not convinced by the giant glittery bear though.

I heard back from FISH and I have a job there over Easter, and I need to send of a couple more things for BUNAC so that I can go back to work at camp over the summer. So everything is going to plan pretty much. It's all rather marvelous!

I went to go see RENT last night, the musical group at Uni is doing a performance of it, and one of the girls in my seminar group was in it, and I've only seen a teeny tiny part of it (we watched it at camp one night and I literally got one song in and then fell asleep) so I thought I'd go along. It's not really my kind of thing, but the music was really good and it had a very bitter-sweet story line and it was well acted and sung. It was a fun evening out.

My next post was going to be muchos excitement about America and where I'm going and all that kind of stuff, but I guess I'll do that in my next next post. If that makes sense. This is me over and out!

Thursday 11 February 2010

Physiognomy

I previously said that my essay was going to be on how uglyness is portrayed in The Woman in White, this has changed a little however since it transpires that the ugly woman I wanted to talk about is not in fact ugly for a woman, but beautiful for a man. This is an interesting turn of events, and has led to much confusion in my essay writing (also my research would suggest that her eyes reveal her to be 'a great lover of women' which is slightly annoying since I've just ridiculed this idea).

However the main aim of this post is to explain what I have found about myself through careful scientific physiognomological examination.
- My eyes suggest that I am sanguine, somewhat languid, considering the whole rather than attending to the minute, despising the little and disposed to the comprehensive.
- My nose is noble and full of spirit.
- My mouth suggests I am mildly descreet, peaceful, humble and attentive.
- My forehead is 'seldom found except in very intelligent, wise, rational and justly thinking people'.

In short I believe this so called 'psuedo-science' to be very accurate and believable. I do not know why it is so widely discredited.

Wednesday 10 February 2010

WATCH OUT AMERICA...

... COS HERE I COME!!!!

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Failure at Life

So I feel bad because it transpires I have more readers than the one I thought I had (just to clarify - I thought it was just my Dad, but it transpires it's just my Dad, plus Lisa - HELLO!) In any case I also haven't upadated for a while so this is threatening to turn into a bit of a monster post, nevertheless here goes....

CU Weekend Away
Having finished my essay (I never did cut down the 46 words I was over, I simply gave up on life) I did my presentation (which I think went OK no one complained in any case, and I made some really rather beautiful handouts complete with pictures from the musical) Anyway having done with work, I packed my little bag and pootled of to sunny Shropshire. There are two small things I should point out at this stage; firstly, I was very close to forgetting to bring my sleeping bag, and secondly, despite being sunny, it was also the coldest place this side of the Antarctic. I had to wear every item of clothing I brought with me every single day. I've never been so cold in my LIFE! It was quite ridiculous. Also ridiculous amounts of fun. I also got ridiculously little amounts of sleep.

Trip Down South
The morning after I got back from Shropshire I missioned it down south to have my FISH interview, which I think went fairly well, although thinking about it I think they said they'd get back to me this week if I'd got the place, but I haven't heard yet... very strange! Hopefully it'll all turn out OK. In any case I had a very pleasant journey back down south, turns out they have free interwebs in the trains these days so I could do work and prepare for my Seminar as I travelled which was very pleasant. It was lovely and warm at home and I got fed nice food and fruit and vegetables and given tea and sent back on my merry way. On the way home I had so much internet I could even skype to America. Which was super exciting. Also slightly disturbingly I almost fell off the map of England as I approached York, luckily the map shifted just before our train went careering off into the oblivion.

My Birthday
Tuesday was in actual fact my Birthday; a day for epic celebrations and joy to the world in my opinion. In this vein I got up early to open birthday presents and then after my first lecture baked fairy cakes to take to Voices. I had originally thought this would be quite challenging but actually in the event it wasn't as hard as I thought, I'd never made cakes without an electric whisk but they came out ok, even though my arm did hurt after. In addition to this cooking extravaganza I also made myself steak and Chips for lunch. In the eveningtime I went to the pub with the housemates and some friends from CU. I was given a chocolate cake (yum!) some finger puppets (oooh!) a very nice hat and note book (yay!) AND, most excitingly of all, a picture frame with a picture of all my housemates and little messages from them. It's really really nice! Also the men of the house bought me a bottle of pink sparkling wine. It was a rather fantastical birthday!

Extreme Wednesdaying!
I thought that since I was doing a subject which involved very few actual contact hours I should fill my time usefully by doing something other than lazing around and reading. Unfortunately, this has culminated in an experience I call extreme Wednesdaying. It goes a little like this: Seminar, followed by lecture, followed by hasty lunch, followed by lacrosse (accompanied by stitch and uncomfortable feeling of food boggling round stomach) followed by ensemble, followed by CU, followed by slight panic when I think I've lost my clarinet, followed by locating said instrument, followed by dinner, followed rather swiftly by bed. In short a very tiring and slightly stressful day.

Birthday Weekend
At this stage I forget what happened in the interim period and suddenly guest appear for my birthday weekend. This is very excitable, involves me getting lost in York town centre (again) eating lunch at Nandos and then going to the pub (again). I received more exciting presents including a notebook you can record all the books you've read in, (which is exciting, it's got all these stickers in so you can organise everything, it's epic), a really nice new Bible, which will be handy for referencing in Essays as well as following what happens in CU, and a blow up globe (which is turning out to be more useful than I thought it was going to be, although storing it might prove to be a problem). We also went to a college party, which despite being a little dead was actually rather fun and we did much dancing to crazy 90s music.

Post Birthday Excitement....
...the world has become a flat and boring place. I have had to get back to work; I'm currently working on an essay about how uglyness is portrayed in Woman in White, although I'm struggling to find an angle. It isn't helping that what started as a slight cold, has been transformed by a combination of stress and extreme tiredness into full blown sinusitis, which is always exciting, and is also making my brain roughly equivalent to slime. However in my researches I have discovered a magical way of quantifying beauty, which led to the whole house sitting down and figuring out our beauty scores to find out who is the most beautiful. As yet the matter is unresolved however it is leading to much hilarity.

In other news
- I had my interview for America this morning, I don't think I did too well considering brain = slime situation, but at least it's done, I should hear by tomorrow, which is a little terrifying.
- Today at Explore we had cookies and ice-cream, this was by far the highlight of my day.
- The cleaner has cleaned the FRONT of our oven to such an extent that we can no longer figure out what temperature we are setting the oven to, since all the markings has been rubbed off, however the INSIDE still is covered with baked on grime.
- I have discovered that it is not an unfounded fear of mine that I smell of meat if I spend too long in the kitchen; today I was actually asked whether I'd had steak for dinner. The George Forman is a terror in disguise as a useful cooking tool...

Phew!!!
Tomorrow is another epic day of a wednesday, which is a little worrying since I really should get to work on my essay, but I am trying not to worry about it too much, there is also a Vanbrugh music social in the evening, which it would be really nice to go to, but we shall see...

Well that was an even longer post than I had originally imagined. But I think I have covered everything!! This is me over and out!!