| Lucy's profiledon't worry, be happy :)BlogLists |  Tools  Help |
|
July 26 Happy Holidays...I've been in a bit of a mood lately, you might have been able to tell. I'm angry at myself - all the things that I meant to do in the last three weeks or so and didn't, mostly through apathy. I'm angry at the shops for being such a mess, sales or no, and not selling any normal clothing - all I wanted was a cotton summer skirt and a nice white strap top... I'm angry at the fact that I could only go to Ellen's tonight for five minutes, and I didn't even get to buy a trashy magazine at the shops because I had twenty pence too little. I'm angry at the camera company for not sending a replacement camera case when they said they were going to, so I'm having to take the camera on holiday in an old pencil case for protection instead. I'm angry at my parents, especially Dad, for getting uber-stressed at all sorts of stupid things. Holidays are meant to be relaxing, not a chore. I'm absolutely bloody furious at the DSA. There have been so many times in the last couple of days for which it would have been useful to have a driver's license. Granted I might not have passed on Monday, but at least that would have been my cock-up, not their's.
The taxi comes at quarter past five in the morning tomorrow to take is to the airport. Holidays in our household are dinstinctly en famille, but hopefully the pretty views and the nice weather will compensate for any problems there. Plus, the Barks are gonna be there for the same two weeks as us, so Peter will have people of his own age to play with instead of irritating us (goes the plan).
Here's to hoping I come back in a better frame of mind.
Tschuss! July 24 The Day ArrivesI would very much like to be informing you all that I have just passed my driving test. In fact at this moment, I would very much like to be informing you all that I have just failed my driving test. I would very much like to have taken the bloody driving test at all.
Five of us waiting for the 11.41 slot at Kings Heath test centre, psyching ourselves up. An examiner comes in. Not mine. Another one does. Not mine either. Two more come in, and call up the other two girls. Ron and I are left in the waiting room with four other instructors and BRMB for company. One of the first four examiners comes back in. "I'm terribly sorry to inform you that you won't be able to take your test today. Our fifth examiner is already fifteen minutes late from returning with his previous pupil, so he won't have time to do your test today or it will run into the next one."
What?? Just make the said examiner work an extra fifteen minutes at the end of the day! If a GP overruns, they don't just skip a person. True, you might have to wait for a bit but at least you get the appointment in the end!
The ever-so-genorous DSA are not charging me for today's missed session. They will send me a letter 'sometime soon' informing me of my next appointment, 'probably in three or four weeks' time'. They will also send me compensation forms so that I can claim back up to an hour and a half's lesson fees. Great.. In the meantime, we will be out of the country for two and a half weeks, so I won't have driven a car for ages, and I won't be able to find out whether or not I can actually do the next appointment, 'cos like hell will they send the details out by next post. One and a half hours barely covers the test day itself, forget any lessons to remind me where the gearstick is (ok, I'm exaggerating there, but still) - and knowing my luck, they'll stick the test three weeks today when I've just got back from Austria, and haven't even had 24 hours in which to have a practice lesson. Either that or on the Thursday morning when I need to be at school, and you need to give three full days notice to change an appointment or you pay double the fee.
Grrrrrrrr.
Seeing as I had paid for Ron's time for an extra hour, I went and took my frustrations out on the dual carriageway leading to Wythall at 80mph. The sun was hot, the window down, and the breeze floating through my hair. It felt fantastic.
Bet they did it in bloody alphabetical order. July 22 The Nature of the InternetSo, a little experiment..
Occasionally I post links on here to stories on the BBC News website if I want to discuss a particular issue, or think that people might like to read something. Well here comes another:
This site is, in fact, the BBC's own 'blog', commenting on bits and pieces in the news. The particular article discusses the nature of 'blogs', including their uses to newsreaders, and the privacy (or lack thereof) of posters. Daniel Pearl, investigating, claims that if he or his colleagues at Newsnight are talked about on the internet, he always knows and can find the entry. While this is rightly criticised in comments as being a little narcissistic, it clearly acts as a direct and valuable stream of feedback to the BBC, and admit it, have you never typed your name into Google to see what it would come up with?
Of course, it may only apply to 'proper' blogs, like Blogspot or whatever (don't you find internet snobbery hilarious?!), but I am posting this to see if he does, indeed, know that I am talking about him. He claims he will post a comment if so! (though actually for this one he'll need a NET passport.. but don't most people have hotmail addresses?)
On a not completely unrelated issue, I feel rather as though I have been talking to myself lately... July 21 Have I Ever?Yes I know that I'm a hypocrite. I'm also a very bored hypocrite who's current most pressing activities are a) searching for my camera case, b) sorting out my sock drawer, and c) painting my nails. And while it's quite nice to have the time to worry about what colour the ends of my digits should be, I don't see the point in doing too much about it *right* at the moment.
So, nicked off the space of someone who left a comment, HAVE I EVER...
1. Made out for more than 3 minutes?
no 2. Slept in a different bed?
yes.. (who hasn't?? unless I'm missing the point of this question..) 3. Made out in a movie theatre?
no 4. made out with 2 different people in one night?
no (good girl!) 5. Thought your cousin was hot?
no. Kat thinks one of 'em is though! 6. Been in love?
despite what I thought when I was 14, no! 7. Slept?
regularly.. 8. Taken a shower with the opposite sex? no 9. Gone over the speed limit?
well.. yes! though not grossly! 10. Painted your room?
yes :D just! 11. Drove a car?
and legally
12. Danced in front of your mirror?
I wouldn't call it 'dancing'..
13. Gotten a hickey?
a what? 14. Been dumped?
no *proud!*
15. Stole money from a friend?
no 16. Gotten in a car with people you just met?
don't think so.. 17. Been in a fist fight?
no 18. Snuck out of your house?
not unless you count 'hide and seek' 19. Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back?
who hasn't? 20. Been arrested?
no 21. Made out with a stranger?
no 22. Left your house with out telling your parents?
probably 23. Had a crush on your neighbor?
eurgh, no 24. Ditched school to do something more fun?
hehe, yes! 25. Slept in a bed with a member of the same or opposite sex ?
in a totally innocent, platonic way! 26. Seen someone die?
no, thankfully
27. Been on a plane?
many a time
28. Kissed a picture?
don't think so..
29. Slept in until 3?
I think the record is 1..
30. Love someone or miss someone right now?
yes. in many different ways. 31. Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by?
yes :)
32. Made a snow angel?
only a snow bear 33. Played dress up?
hehe yes 34. Cheated while playing a game?
yes. although apparently when I was little, I asked my Granny if she would close her eyes while I cheated, kinda negating the point of cheating!
35. Been lonely?
yes 36. Fallen asleep at work/school?
yes
37. Been to a club?
no! 38. Felt an earthquake?
yes
39. Touched a snake?
yes 40. Ran a red light?
don't think so.. though there have been a few emergency brakes.. 41. Been suspended from school?
no 42. Had detention?
no! though there was that near miss with Mr Bissell in Y8.. 43. Been in a car?
yes...
44. Hated the way you look?
don't get me started 45. Witnessed a crime?
not that I can remember 46. Been lost?
both literally and metaphorically *sniffs*
47. Been to the opposite side of the country?
yes! though 'opposite side' is an interesting description when you live in Birmingham. 48. Felt like dying from embarrassment?
not quite that bad.. 49. Cried yourself to sleep?
yes
50. Sang karaoke?
not in public! 51. Done something you told yourself you wouldn't do?
yes
52. Laughed till some kind of beverage came out of your nose?
hehe yes! tis painful! 53. Caught a snowflake on your tongue?
yes 54. Kissed in the rain?
no 55. Sung in the shower?
our shower has a really nice acoustic! 56. Had a dream that you married someone?
don't think so 57. played getting married?
Rachel was the bride.. was I the vicar or the bridesmaid? I don't remember..
58. Got your tongue stuck to a flag pole?
no *raises eyebrow* 59. Ever gone to school partially nude?
no, that's just the L6. *didn't say that...* 60. Been a ?
indeed..
61. Sat on a roof top?
yes, on the garage methinks 62. Didn't take a shower for a week?
on the basis that we only had a bath for 17 years of my life
63. Ever been too scared to watch scary movies alone?
don't like scary movies! 64. Played chicken?
not that stupid..
65. Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?
well, paddling pool!
66. Been told you're hot by a complete stranger?
yes :) 67. Broken a bone?
twice! not the same bone though..
68. Been easily amused?
very! 69. Laugh so hard you cry?
almost 70. Cheated on a test?
don't *think* so.. 71. Forgotten someone's name?
yes 72. Blacked out from drinking?
no! 73. Played a prank on someone?
ah the memories..! 74. Gone to a late night movie?
not late late 75. Made love to anything not human?
no 76. Failed a class?
*remembers all those gymnastics lessons, desperately trying to do a forward roll* 77. Choked on something you're not supposed to eat?
no, just my normal food 78. Played an instrument for more than 10 hours?
if you count singing 79. Cheated on a girlfriend/boyfriend?
no 80. Did you celebrate the 4th of July?
yes! :D I still remember the street parades and the fireworks and the candy floss *goes all nostalgic* 81. Thrown strange objects?
very strange 82. Felt like someone?
empathised, yes. out-of-body experience, possibly not.. 83. Thought about running away?
not seriously 84. Ran away?
no 85. Had detention and not attend it?
no 86. Made parents cry?
no 87. Cried over someone?
sad to say 88. Owned more than 5 sharpies?
sharpies? 89. Dated someone more than once?
nope 90. Have a dog?
nor any other pets 91. Own an instrument?
personally? clarinet, tin whistle, recorder, voice box ;) .. and we have a piano and a really annoying miniature keyboard that is permanently out of tune 92. Been in a band?
not as in a rock band. I was in the accompanying band for Bugsy Malone though :D 93. Drank 25 sodas in a day?
no 94. Shot a gun? let's take a guess at no 95. Been on myspace for more than 5 hours?
am boycotting myspace :) 96. Have a major crush on someone right now?
not a major one.. 97. Have a religion?
yes. though it's not the most important thing in my life 98. Thought about what people would say at your funeral?
hopefully nice things. but that ain't for me to decide! PS. Go see Stage 2's production of 'Cider with Rosie' at the Crescent Theatre. You can say plently about Stage 2 (and I usually do) but the end results are amazing! July 19 Carpe Diem?This isn't going to be a particularly cheerful entry, just to warn you.
About four weeks ago, Veronica Barber was diagnosed with colon cancer. She died last Monday. Her funeral was today. She was 49.
I didn't know her that well, but her daughter Charlotte is two years older than me, and was in choir for as long as I was, first as a singer, and then as accompanist. Veronica was a piano teacher herself, and very much involved in the local community, through schools, church and music. She spent a large amount of time with the choir over the years, particularly as page-turner for Charlotte; Roger, her husband, did all the recordings for us. Charlotte had requested that we sing at the funeral as a link, I guess, as tribute to that, and possibly as support for the family as well.
Everyone found it difficult, of course, but Anne had given us some advice beforehand, which was not to emotionally connect ourselves to what was going on, at least until after we'd sung. We musn't look at people, and if needs-be, we were to sing 'Humpty-Dumpty' in our heads to block out the emotional impact. It sounds callous, but it was good and necessary advice - certainly it got me through, and even though Anne herself had to leave for a couple of minutes half way through because it got too much, I think that treating it as a job and nothing more meant that we held it together properly, which was probably quite important for Charlotte's sake.
"There are no words", was what Veronica's brother said in his tribute, and it's true. What can you say to the bereaved of a disease that sudden, that acute? This is not the first instance I know of of someone dying early from an illness - far from it. I can name a handful of people in my year at school alone who have lost parents to cancer or similar, yet each time it comes as a shock. Each time you think, 'who will be next?'. I can't grasp what it must be like to lose a parent and I have come close enough myself.. thing is, I've been lucky. My dad has leukaemia. Has had for years, ever since I was little. He's still with us, obviously, but the 'what if's remain - what if his strain had been acute rather than chronic? What if he hadn't come through chemotherapy, either time? What if his next hospital check-up reveals a dangerously low white blood count? Yet each time he's come through, and I still don't think that I've fully appreciated the magnitude of what could have happened. When he was having his second major batch of chemotherapy four years ago, apart from one crumple in a Biology lesson, Mrs Farnsworth (my form tutor at the time) remarked how well I was coping with it. But the truth is, I didn't feel like I was having to 'cope' in a big way. Dad was reacting well to the medication, the time off work seemed more like a precautionary measure, and in a way, I was much more worried about Granny, who had just had to be put into a nursing home. Yet occasions like today bring back what could have happened.
Carpe diem? Certainly, yet.. all the cliches are there. Love like there's no tomorrow. Tell that someone how much they mean to you. Yes, but don't be afraid to have an argument, if circumstances render it necessary. My paternal grandmother died early from either leukaemia or some sort of cancer when Dad was 22, but famously didn't tell anybody that she was ill 'because you could never have had a good row with them'! It's that sort of attitude that I want to have if I'm ever in the same situation. Death is cruel, but the living must continue to live - and from what I've seen, that is a principle by which the Barbers are standing firmly.
God bless. July 17 Painting ProgressMy god, it is HOT...
 Finally started on painting my room today! After a heavy-duty clearout, a lot of discussion about colours, and about six different paint samples (ranging from 'Tuscan Glow' and 'Almost Oyster' to the rather enticingly named 'Nude Glow'), we finally settled on 'Apricot Crush'. Or rather Mum did... I'd have still been deciding tomorrow or the next day! Kat and Cat both very kindly offered to help, and between us, we've got all the ceiling done, all the gloss on the skirting boards, and the first coat on the walls and alcove. I have to say, it looks pretty damn good, although it was slightly tricky at one stage when we discovered that the 'Apricot White' paint was a near exact match to the stuff that's already been on there... made it quite hard to see what had been done and what hadn't, 'cos of course it touch-dried within minutes in the heat.
After a second coat tomorrow then, it will all be done and pretty, and ready to move back into! I've been sleeping in the sitting room in the meantime.. on my mattress fortunately, so it's not too uncomfortable, but it's a little disconcerting when I wake up in the morning and the sun isn't pouring in at the window like I'm used to.
Have alighted on a fantastic diet plan - antibiotics! A couple of weeks ago, at Lis' house, something bit me on the foot. It itched like fury for the first week, then I didn't think anything more of it until two or three days ago, it started going a funny colour and half my foot was inflamed. Not nice, in other words. I've been prescribed these pills, then, to reduce the infection, and they're these ones that have to be eaten on an empty stomach or an hour before food. So I have to regulate my food carefully, or it'll interfere with the medicine, meaning that I can't just have a snack when I'm hungry! Voila! July 16 Time To Sing!As rather hastily mentioned yesterday, this weekend has seen the 20th anniversery celebrations of the choir I used to sing in. Quite a few people came back - mostly people who have left within the past four or five years, but the odd couple of 'old-timers'. It was soooo nice to be singing again, as part of a lively and enthusiatic choir, producing a good sound. Inevitably, the make-up of any choir will alter over the years, particularly if it's one like us that doesn't audition; a lot of strong voices left about two or three years ago, shifting the focus to a younger age group. Obviously that was great for the younger ones, but I think that it's one of the reasons why I stopped enjoying it so much.
Still, yesterday was fantastic - four strong parts (even alto and tenor :) ), and no one singer dominating in each one, which is what you need for a good balance, singing decent music! Laura Godwin's top Bb in Bohemian Rhapsody just blew everyone away - and to be fair, that's why she's training to be a professional singer! What was really nice was that because for anyone returning it was a special occasion, with none of the 'here-we-go-again-with-another-concert', everyone enjoyed it more and made more of an effort to put on a good show. There was also more of an acknowledgement of what the choir is about - it is not CBYC or Ex Cathedra, it doesn't audition, and you are not going to get perfect results every time. It is a fun choir, and I think that yesterday helped us appreciate that in a way that it was hard to before. Though that's probably easier for people returning... I still think that I made the right choice to leave when I did. Speaking to Nikki in particular, who clearly was not enjoying some of the more tedious aspects of rehearsal, made me glad that I had not been subjected to them all year (the rehearsals that is, not Nikki, obviously!).
Debbie was there, with her lil baby Theo (*who is completely and utterly gorgeous in every way!!! squeaks!*). Alison, Jess and Ruth had all come back, which was nice, although I've seen Ruth more recently, so there was less of a nostalgia trip to be had there! Emma is reputedly in Australia atm... Helen was back, although she's still semi-there in capacity as a helper (and daughter of Sally, who can't keep away!). Nick, Rob, Ed, Dave Wright, Steven obviously, Ben and Freddie Partridge were all there to bulk out the tenor and bass sections.. and Laura, Liz, Liz, and Jenny for the sopranos. The only face who I was not particularly glad to see again was an alto called Debbie (also) who.. well.. to put it bluntly, she's a bossy cow who thinks she's more important than she is, and uses the fact that she has a large cleavage to get her way with the guys. But there we go. I'm clearly not alone in disliking her, which is some reassurance.
Anyhow, it was good to be back! I could tell that I haven't sung properly in a while though.. half-way through morning rehearsal, my throat was closing up, and it took a large amount of water to get me through the day. The only other unfortunate thing was the circumstances in which things were taking place... more of that at a later date possibly. But for the most part, a positive experience!
And you all missed one hell of a concert! July 15 Got To Rush...No time for a long story... will probably blog again tomorrow or something when I've more time.
Just a little advert..
Tonight, Saturday, is my ex-choir's 20th anniversery concert. They've got a lot of the old members back, myself included - ceilidh yesterday, rehearsal this morning, concert this evening. There's a load of stuff going back years, so together with a lot of the good voices having come back, it's going to be an amazing concert! So if anyone's interested in seeing/hearing what I have been doing with myself for the past eleven years' worth of Saturday mornings (shit, eleven years...), it'd be great if you wanted to come! Starts at 7.30pm. It's in St Francis Church in Bournville (no religious connotations btw, just we happen to be using the building. We rehearse in a Quaker Meeting House!), which is on the main road going through Bournville, right next to the entrance to Cadbury World. I honestly can't remember how much the entry fee is but it won't be much, and there'll be an interval. Over by 9.30? Sorry for the vagueness..
Afraid we can't help with transport, really - five fills the car. But yeah, it'd be great if people wanted to come. :) July 13 RUDE!Admittedly the Edexcel syllabus for Music wasn't going to suit everyone (myself, par exemple..) from what I remember from looking round Kings Norton, but to axe it altogether, along with Music Tech? And on those justifications? I think not! And actually it provides a good alternative to AQA/OCR depending on where your strengths lie in the subject, which for Music is potentially more important than for something like Maths or English.
You wouldn't axe Art on the basis that it's subjective and needs a lot of different types of paint. 'Too complex'?
This is what comes from privatising the education system, methinks. A Resolved Way Of ThinkingI know it's not January 1st, or even September 1st, but I can't help feeling like I need to make some New Year Resolutions... probably because leaving school is a 'new beginning' (or something cheesy like that) in itself! So New Year or no, here we are:
No obsessing over guys
By which I do not mean 'become a nun and take a vow of chastity'. I just mean no getting hung up on any one individual, unless he has done/said something to indicate that getting hung up on him (so to speak!) would not be a fruitless exercise. = a lot of hassle saved!
Get out more
Cat invited Kat and I to go to her bar yesterday evening - she was trying to find out shifts, and thought it might be nice to meet up. So we went, and although my evening was curtailed somewhat by an order to be back at Bournville station 'by 10 o clock or else', it was really nice to just go and sit and drink and relax! Hopefully this one will be aided by a full driver's license soon *crosses fingers*.. though that too depends on me staying TT! ;)
Stop spending money
Either that, or earn some fast! Basically I've got a lot more going out than I have coming in, which isn't a particularly happy state of affairs. However this leads me on to
Stop worrying about not having a job
because realistically, it ain't happening. I had a sudden realisation the other day - if I were an employer, would I employ me? The answer was probably not. Who is going to want an 18 yr old, going on holiday in two weeks time, going to university in the autumn, who can't do heavy lifting because of a back problem? And doesn't have retail experience. More to the point to employ a L6 who is going to be in Brum all summer, then will continue on a Saturday job to avoid having to train up anybody else. I'll keep my eyes open in case, but maybe I'd just be better curbing my (already limited) spending habits and finding better ways to enjoy myself!
Pass my driving test
So I can be free!!! July 10 Once Upon A Time There Was An Overfull Bedroom..Room update: two large boxes filled with books and school stuff. I reckon there's another three or four box-worths to go. Everything dusted before being boxed up. Receipts sifted and sorted - most chucked. Cards taken down off strings - sorted and chucked as appropriate. UCAS boxes gone through. Phone numbers of six admissions offices programmed into my phone (not that I'm being pessimistic...). Two spiders evacuated. 2005 calendar put into recycling. Couple of newspaper cuttings taken off walls.
Doesn't look that much really, but it took quite a while...
Mum's way of being supportive has been to clear out her desk as well. Not that it's needed anything like the time and effort of my room, but I think it made her feel a bit better, and it was a good alternative activity to marking schoolbooks. She uncovered a newspaper clipping from a few months ago, and it is so cute, I thought I might put it on here... do read!
Once upon a time there were three bears who very rarely met in their little house in the woods because Daddy Bear left before dawn to avoid the congestion charge, and Mummy Bear had to network at Pilates classes when she finished work.
Every night Baby Bear would plead: "Is anyone going to read me a bedtime story?" According to a survey, parents start out reading to small children but abandon it as they grow up, to the point where just 3% of children aged 12 say they are read to every day. Only one in 10 children aged seven to 12 say they have a daily bedtime story or reading, but there is clearly some embarrassment among parents over this. More than a third insisted they did read to their seven to 12-year-olds every day.
Children's laureate Jacqueline Wilson pleaded with parents to keep reading. "Daily sessions are a fantastic chance for parents and children to communicate."
The survey, for Scholastic Book Clubs and Fairs, comes before the publication next week of Great Books to Read Aloud, a list of more than 70 recommendations. Endorsements come from the education secretary [as was, thank goodness..], Ruth Kelly, the chancellor, Gordon Brown - who reads his son the Thomas the Tank Engine books and does all the train noises - and Cherie Blair.
"So will you read to me now?" asked Baby Bear. "Don't be silly," said Daddy Bear. Baby Bear downloaded an MP3 file from Bedtime Stories for Small Mammals, and cried himself to sleep as usual.
Maev Kennedy
I know that when I have kids, I'd like to read to them regularly. Whether or not I will be able to do so will depend on what my life is doing at the time, I realise, but one thing's for sure, they will have a treasure trove waiting for them when they visit their grandparents' house. Mum loves children's books - right up until not-so-long-ago, we have been accumulating more, not less! We visited the Oxfam bookshop in Harborne about a year ago, getting rid of some of the less precious ones, but we still have a huge number that none of us have had the heart to give away. To be fair, Mum still uses them quite a bit for work, and whenever Rachel or I go out babysitting we take one with us in case.
So that's another two long shelves piled high with books, waiting to be boxed up so that I can paint my room! July 09 Summer-CleaningSpent the last couple of days feeling kinda icky. Not ill exactly - no green spots or anything - just icky enough to not want to do much bar sit on a sofa with a hot drink and a magazine, or the telly on, feeling sorry for myself.
The big task for the coming week is to tidy my room. And by tidy my room, I don't mean my normal trick of shoving stuff into drawers or cupboards just to clear a bit of floor space - I mean clearing and sorting the drawers and cupboards as well. Properly! Which is gonna take quite a long time!
Today's job was to start with all of my school papers, as well as a bit of the surface mess - the general idea being that the less CDs there are on the floor, the easier it is to get into bed, and the less cracked CDs I end up with. Which seems to me like a good plan!
After doing a bit of work upstairs, I brought the mounds of paper downstairs, one subject at a time, to sort and file in front of the men's Wimbledon final (which, to digress, was absolutely amazing.. Mr Middleton's 'inches from the edge of seat' graph would have gone into minus territory! Way better than any football match, hands down!). I had kinda had a blitz before the exams, but you know what it is.. before any given exam, you grab a few important pages out of plastic wallets here and there to cram-revise, shove 'em back into the folder at the last minute, then when that exam's done, you're onto the next one. I chucked out a few rough notes here and there - all the STEP III practice notes went 'cos they were giving out bad karma - and a whole Music draft went into recycling. I even uncovered all my French coursework notes from last summer, and the 'Matin Brun' stuff. It was very theraputic, watching the 'scrap' pile grow, though it's kinda weird to see an entire year's work reduced to seven folders!
So that's the easy stuff done. My desk's gonna be the hardest part, 'cos that's where all the bits and bobs that have no other home live. Over the years I've accumulated all this stuff which I never really use, but can't quite bring myself to throw away either - concert programmes, particularly nice cards, little novelty gifts, photo stands. Then there's stuff like receipts (I found several from before Christmas!), a couple of nice clothes tags, reed cases, my travel pass from Zurich.. all of the stuff that you keep in case, or as mementos, but makes for clutter in the mean time. I've put off sorting my music pile - I know it needs doing, but I can't face it. I don't want to chuck any of it out as sheet music's expensive (you never know when you might need it), and a lot of it carries strong emotional attachment. Like the oboe part from the Mozart flute concerto that I sight-transposed for the term, just so I could play in it, or Wind Band music from Year 7 - not that the third clarinet parts were/are particularly interesting, but it's the memories that they bring back.
I need to have the clear-out now, 'cos in a week's time, everything has got to be moved out so that the paintbrushes can move in! Then I'll have a nice, clean, shiny bedroom in which I can actually do stuff, rather than avoid because it's such a tip. Just think.. the L6 are still in school...! July 07 A Little True For My Liking..You know how much you long to disprove horoscopes, just because they are mumbo-jumbo which blatently couldn't apply to an entire twelth of the population at the same time, or because they are so vague that they could apply to anybody?
It would seem that the horoscopes are disproving me...
"Capricorns generally come up with the perfectly witty answer one day too late. Impulse and intuition take a back seat to their excellent self-control. The day ahead is an opportunity to let go of the inhibitions that characterize you, dear Capricorn. Yield to your instincts a little, and see what occurs. A little more socializing wouldn't hurt, either. Even Capricorns are entitled to some fun now and then!"
On the other hand, I don't plan to hit Broad Street tonight, it may surprise you... This is a bear with a sore head (not to mention sore throat), and cinema at Rubery is about all she feels she can manage.
The past month/week catching up on me, methinks.
Update: This bear, in fact, now has a high temperature and feels ever so slightly sick. So going out didn't seem like the best idea, and she is putting her feet up for the time being. July 06 Really?One little quote to leave you with, spotted by Mum in Tuesday's paper...
'"The best and most significant step for European integration would be to oblige every child in Europe from the age of 14 to read Book Four of [Virgil's] The Aeneid"' - Boris Johnson
Lessons on how to have a steamy and passionate affair, leading to suicide? The woman vows to hate Rome forever, that ain't European integration! Though thinking about it, she isn't European.
Another very obvious criticism to make, but I'm not quite in the mood for more Tory-bashing tonight.. Let's just hope that he knows of a better translation than the one we had! Though actually, book 4 was better than, say, book 10.. must have been on the basis that I can remember what happened in it.. July 04 A MessageI really enjoyed last night. All of it. It's ironic, really - I pride myself on honest, blunt speaking, calling a spade a shovel when occasion demands it; yet at times last night, there were all these words swimming around in my head, and could I form them into a single sentence? Je pense que non. Ich denke nicht.
Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned ____ , but in a weird way it helped. Probably because if I still intrinsically minded, you would have been one of the last people I'd've told, for fairly obvious reasons; although again, maybe that's another misjudgement. It was also nice? reassuring?, for some reason, to hear about you and ______ . After the initial "Oh! Really?!", one or two things started to make some more sense - not earth-shattering revelations, just one or two small anomalies fixed.
You clearly didn't take the hint. Either that, or you did and you just didn't want to, but never mind. I fully admit my ineptitude at flirting! But for the minute, I'm gonna be confident, like you said, and hope that it was ignorance rather than anything else that meant that nothing happened. It's easy to go with the 'what if's. What if my make-up hadn't all smudged by half-way through the evening? What if I'd had time to paint my nails before coming out? What if I'd used a different scent? But would it really have made a difference? Maybe, maybe not.
It's so frustrating that that's it. The last time I'll see you properly. Yeah, I know there's Results and Speech Days, but everyone's tense on those occasions, everyone trying to talk to everyone in a more formal sort of context. Last night was the last time for relaxing, for reminiscing and for dreaming. It was like the vague thoughts and notions that have semi-consciously been in my head for a while coming together in one clear intention. Sadly too late.
I'll miss you. I really mean that.
You know who you are. The Ball!The Leavers' Ball last night was definitely an occasion to remember!
Most of yesterday was spent on - guess what - shoe shopping. Kat was returning the pretty shoes she'd bought me from Next, as ironically, they were too long! I also wouldn't have been able to walk in them, but that's another matter... Mum came with me into town for moral support, and then over to Merry Hill. Long story, won't go into it now, but I ended up with some pretty pink flats that went amazingly well with the dress! They turned out to be really comfortable as well - ball or no, that's a pair of nice shoes for me! *dances* Miss Cornell was later to shout in my ear that I was to promise her to find the confidence for some high heels.. She's welcome to find me some! But I can't walk in them, having not got used to the posture, and I don't exactly need the extra height, so I reckon that the shoes I got were absolutely perfect!
Kat did my hair for me. Styling mousse, about 30 hairpins and some of Sandra's fixative spray later, I was ready to come home, get changed and go out to the ball, stylishly driven by my coachman (Dad) in the magical pumpkin (the Astra).
The evening itself was, at the risk of sounding like a cheesy American, simply awesome! Most of it was spent with the same couple of friendship groups, perhaps inevitably, but I spoke to a good number of people who I may easily not keep in touch with for whatever reason, so it was nice to have an opportunity to say goodbye. The committee (well, Paula, as far as I could see!) had done themselves proud, and the band that Joe had got in was just perfect. 'pparently, a keyboardist or something who usually plays with 'em had got food poisoning, and he'd drafted in a saxophonist instead. Not that I'd wish food poisoning on anybody, but that guy was seriously good! Contrary to some opinion (*ahem!*), I did do quite a bit of dancing - or at least while the band was playing! Fortunately I was the one holding the camera, so there are no incriminating photos to display just how bad my dancing is. I do, however, have the evidence to prove just how bad backstage's dancing is! :D Guys, that was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time, but you know what, it made the evening!
Much to Miss Plackett's approval, I purchased my first drink - Archers and lemonade, for the record. It was all right.. bit expensive, but that bar was! Kat kept telling me that I was drinking it wrong, but either I was behaving worse than I thought, or it didn't really have that much effect. I *think* the slightly throbbing head was more down to the volume of the music 'cos it went away after I'd sat outside for a bit, and it's not like the glass was that big. Maybe I should have had another and seen what would have happened...
Everyone really looked the part, it has to be said! A lot of the dresses were gorgeous, and people had clearly gone to a large effort for the evening. One thing I don't understand, however, was why everyone else's make-up stayed put better than mine.. (By midnight or thereabouts, Gareth was convinced that I'd been crying because my eyes were all smudgy! Granted, I don't have as much practice at applying the stuff, but is there some rule that geeks must also be unkempt?) The guys, while less original for the most part, also looked pretty damn smart.
I'm in the process of trying to sort my photos out from the evening. There are some really really nice ones, quite a lot which will be nice once I've removed the red-eye, and only two discoloured, which ain't bad when you consider my track record at digital photography! Hopefully I'll have posted them by this evening, for everyone to enjoy! :) July 01 To The QCAThis is official conformation of the fact that exam candidate 20153/9137 has quite frankly had enough.
She would like to point out the stupidity of timetabling STEP II and AEA Maths on the same day, as six hours solid Maths is enough to drive even the most hardcore geek insane, and anyone taking the former will be most likely taking the latter as well.
She would also like to point out that even if they have to be timetabled on the same day, it is sheer cruelty to put them on the last day of exams, when everyone else has finished and has been out partying for close on a week. She has not been impressed.
Still, things are looking up for candidate 20153/9137 as you can't put external exams in July, mwahaha, and even if she has screwed up the last three, she is beyond caring. She also has much more important things to think about, such as a Hollywood-themed costume for Paula's birthday party tonight, collecting her dress from the cleaners, and getting a more natural suntan so that when she goes on holiday, she does not look like such a freak in her bikini.
In fact, this is the last that you will ever hear from candidate 20153/9137, as she has now left school for good.
Thanks a lot for the stress of the past four years' external exams...
Signing off! |
|
|
%3a+July%2c+2006&referrer=){kind=small}
