I am currently in the final throes of this year's essay writing. Armed with instant coffee and lots of peppy music (though I've got Across the Universe playing in the background at the moment), I have a few literature essays to put the final touches on and then that's it. I can't wait to actually get a good night's sleep on Tuesday. Monday night will be spent stressing over whether or not I actually did a good job. But Tuesday... Tuesday will be bliss.
Writing literature essays has always been easy. I'm thankful that they're the last ones on my list, because if I had to attempt that damn Concepts history essay at this hour in the game I think my brain would melt and leak out my ears. The only thing that bums me out is that the texts we covered for this particular class SUCK. I've never been a fan of Frankenstein, I didn't really get North, The House of Bernarda Alba was pointless, and the last time I tried to read The Tempest I fell asleep. At least the essay topics are enough to hold my interest, though I'd admittedly be able to write much better essays if I actually liked the literary works I'm writing about.
I was so exhausted Friday after staying up all Wednesday night to finish aforementioned Concepts essay and then going to Olie's birthday party and staying up all night again on Thursday that I almost canceled the plans I had made for Friday night. I'm glad I didn't. It was good to see everybody. Since we don't have lecture anymore, and I don't live on campus like most all of my school friends do, haven't really seen some of them in a while. Good times. And I rediscovered dark ale. I was surprised to find out just how much I'd missed it.
Everyone also loved my new hair. Have to say, I don't get tired of people telling me how much they like it. Though to be fair it wouldn't matter if they didn't because I love it so much. First sort of uber-stylish haircut I've had. And if you'd told me a year ago (before I cut off all my hair for the first time) that I'd be able to pull off a cut this short, I'd have said something witty to convey my disbelief.
Some of the Beatles love songs are just perfect. Perfect. How did they do that?
Anyway, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with this school stuff. Hopes that work would calm down with Julian and Sonja back at work have been hopelessly dashed. The upside is that I've been trying out new recipes and expanding my culinary repertoire. I'm also trying to educate myself in what wines go with what foods. It helps that I'm now in charge of doing the grocery shopping (which I do online, hooray for ocado.com). Sunday nights are now spent with cookbooks spread around my room and dinner ideas scribbled down with their accompanying shopping lists. Good times. I'm glad to report there have only been a few misses (like the time I misread tsp and put waaaaaaay too much honey in that chicken dish).
I should get back to work. I've got two more weeks of frantic studying, then it's all over until school starts up again in the fall. Conrad doesn't get done until July or something like that, so I'm going to be bored out of my mind during the day without school to occupy me. Guess I'll get a head start on my summer reading. Remind me again why I decided to take a class on Old English...
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
So long as I keep myself amused...
Today is one of those days where I wish I could be an uber-hip art student. Wear lots of black eye-liner. I even learned how to roll my own cigarettes so I could get started on crafting my new chic persona. Not really. Learned how to roll ciggies for two reasons: it's cheaper, and I'm hoping the extra effort required to get a cigarette ready for consumption will help keep me from chain-smoking (a bad habit I got into whilst sitting on the beach for two weeks).
I am sad to report that I am no longer a bronze goddess, however I did finally get my burrito. Despite the Chipotle-esque setup, Tortilla just isn't as good. But it's still one of the top two Mexican joints I've been to in London. I'd probably go back. But first their staff needs to learn the menu, so when I ask for 'carne asada', they don't stare at me blankly.
Anyway, onto what I've been up to over the past couple of weeks.
I re-visited my semi-punk rock late teen years. It was fun. Went to a couple of gigs, saw some fun bands. The best of the bunch was Los Mendozas. If you ever get a chance to see them, DO IT. It's four guys from Brighton that get dressed up as luchadores (in little boy short speedos and masks), then proceed to recount a typical day in the ring for a Mexican wrestler through semi-hardcore songs. The costumes in and of themselves are worth seeing. You also get treated to the absolute worst fake Mexican accent I've ever heard...it wound up sounding like a cross between British, Mexican, and Austrian (and god knows how that last one snuck in there). There is so much hilarious banter between the guys in between songs, by the end of their set you feel like you've just watched a comedy act, not a band. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time. Should you feel like checking them out, head to myspace: http://www.myspace.com/losmendozas
I will say though that at the second show I sort of felt like I'd intruded on a boys-only club. The few girls that were there looked waaaaaay fiercer than I do and sort of lurked around the fringes of the crowd with their boyfriends. That's not to say I wasn't entirely amused just watching all the fellas in the crowd do nothing more than nod their heads in time with the music (until the pit broke out towards the end of the Mendozas's set). To be honest, the people-watching was probably the best part of the whole affair. Although I will say that I'm completely out of touch with the new genres of kids. Either that or they're slightly different over here. The one kid who was dressed up like a scenester turned out to be part of the punk band that opened the show. The hardcore band looked like a bunch of bro guys out of Riverside (and kept annoyingly dedicating their unintelligible songs to random different causes, like hippies and single moms and people who survive cancer). The kids that were recognizably punk with mohawks and crap turned out to be there for the hardcore band. And it seemed like there were quite a few emo kids lurking about too. No hipsters though. Well. Might've been a couple at the bar in the front. Seems to me like you have to have a decent-paying job to pull off the hipster look since the clothes are so damn expensive.
All in all, it was good times. My ears hadn't been subjected to decibel levels like that since I stopped working for an airline. And while it wasn't really punk rock that night, I was reminded of the punk show I went to instead of going to my senior prom.
I almost accidentally killed myself last Wednesday. With poisonous gas.
How did I manage that?
Since a lot of my time spent doing chores is time spent ironing, I get a little fussy about how well the iron is functioning at any given point. I was about midway through the pile on Wednesday when I noticed there wasn't really any steam coming out of the iron. So I rummaged around for some iron descaler, and went about cleaning out the limescale deposits that build up because I put tap water in the iron's reservoir. Everything was going wonderfully when I noticed that the limescale, while leaving the inner tubing of the iron, was now adhering itself to the iron plate. "Can't have that all over the clothing," I thought, so I proceeded to put some additional descaler onto a bit of paper towel in order to clean off the iron plate. It was still hot. About three seconds after I started rubbing at the scorched buildup, I noticed thick white smoke, and then it hit my nose. Felt like a million needles jamming into my nostrils. Managed to get a lung-full of it too, before I realized I'd just introduced an formic acid-based cleaner to a heat source. Swearing profusely, I set down the iron, opened up all the windows, and ran out of the room. On their own, formic acid fumes can give you nasty respiratory tract chemical burns (the million needles). When heated, it also produces carbon monoxide (the poisonous gas I almost killed myself with). I'm pretty much an idiot. I laughed pretty hard though once I got out of the kitchen of death. My throat was pretty scratchy for a couple of days.
Other than that, I've been studying for finals. I'm a little stressed out about it, but deep down I'm sure I'll be fine. This is the first time I've had to study for a test in a really long time though. Took a couple of study sessions to get back into the groove of things.
The work front should be mellowing out soon. Julian flies out to Berlin tomorrow to start shooting a 10-week project (he'll be back most weekends). Sonja starts on some obscene 6-month shoot the week after. It'll just be me and Conrad, which should alleviate a lot of my stress in some regards (though I'm sure it'll add to my stress in other ways). I almost want to say he and I have turned a corner, but I'm pretty sure that'll jinx things and he'll go back to being a terror. So I'll just leave it at that.
Anyway, I'm starting to drift off (finally), so I'll stop here. Probably won't post anything up again for a while since it's looking like I won't be doing anything exciting until after finals are over.
The weather's been really sucky lately. It hailed. And poured. I miss sunshine.
I am sad to report that I am no longer a bronze goddess, however I did finally get my burrito. Despite the Chipotle-esque setup, Tortilla just isn't as good. But it's still one of the top two Mexican joints I've been to in London. I'd probably go back. But first their staff needs to learn the menu, so when I ask for 'carne asada', they don't stare at me blankly.
Anyway, onto what I've been up to over the past couple of weeks.
I re-visited my semi-punk rock late teen years. It was fun. Went to a couple of gigs, saw some fun bands. The best of the bunch was Los Mendozas. If you ever get a chance to see them, DO IT. It's four guys from Brighton that get dressed up as luchadores (in little boy short speedos and masks), then proceed to recount a typical day in the ring for a Mexican wrestler through semi-hardcore songs. The costumes in and of themselves are worth seeing. You also get treated to the absolute worst fake Mexican accent I've ever heard...it wound up sounding like a cross between British, Mexican, and Austrian (and god knows how that last one snuck in there). There is so much hilarious banter between the guys in between songs, by the end of their set you feel like you've just watched a comedy act, not a band. I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time. Should you feel like checking them out, head to myspace: http://www.myspace.com/losmendozas
I will say though that at the second show I sort of felt like I'd intruded on a boys-only club. The few girls that were there looked waaaaaay fiercer than I do and sort of lurked around the fringes of the crowd with their boyfriends. That's not to say I wasn't entirely amused just watching all the fellas in the crowd do nothing more than nod their heads in time with the music (until the pit broke out towards the end of the Mendozas's set). To be honest, the people-watching was probably the best part of the whole affair. Although I will say that I'm completely out of touch with the new genres of kids. Either that or they're slightly different over here. The one kid who was dressed up like a scenester turned out to be part of the punk band that opened the show. The hardcore band looked like a bunch of bro guys out of Riverside (and kept annoyingly dedicating their unintelligible songs to random different causes, like hippies and single moms and people who survive cancer). The kids that were recognizably punk with mohawks and crap turned out to be there for the hardcore band. And it seemed like there were quite a few emo kids lurking about too. No hipsters though. Well. Might've been a couple at the bar in the front. Seems to me like you have to have a decent-paying job to pull off the hipster look since the clothes are so damn expensive.
All in all, it was good times. My ears hadn't been subjected to decibel levels like that since I stopped working for an airline. And while it wasn't really punk rock that night, I was reminded of the punk show I went to instead of going to my senior prom.
I almost accidentally killed myself last Wednesday. With poisonous gas.
How did I manage that?
Since a lot of my time spent doing chores is time spent ironing, I get a little fussy about how well the iron is functioning at any given point. I was about midway through the pile on Wednesday when I noticed there wasn't really any steam coming out of the iron. So I rummaged around for some iron descaler, and went about cleaning out the limescale deposits that build up because I put tap water in the iron's reservoir. Everything was going wonderfully when I noticed that the limescale, while leaving the inner tubing of the iron, was now adhering itself to the iron plate. "Can't have that all over the clothing," I thought, so I proceeded to put some additional descaler onto a bit of paper towel in order to clean off the iron plate. It was still hot. About three seconds after I started rubbing at the scorched buildup, I noticed thick white smoke, and then it hit my nose. Felt like a million needles jamming into my nostrils. Managed to get a lung-full of it too, before I realized I'd just introduced an formic acid-based cleaner to a heat source. Swearing profusely, I set down the iron, opened up all the windows, and ran out of the room. On their own, formic acid fumes can give you nasty respiratory tract chemical burns (the million needles). When heated, it also produces carbon monoxide (the poisonous gas I almost killed myself with). I'm pretty much an idiot. I laughed pretty hard though once I got out of the kitchen of death. My throat was pretty scratchy for a couple of days.
Other than that, I've been studying for finals. I'm a little stressed out about it, but deep down I'm sure I'll be fine. This is the first time I've had to study for a test in a really long time though. Took a couple of study sessions to get back into the groove of things.
The work front should be mellowing out soon. Julian flies out to Berlin tomorrow to start shooting a 10-week project (he'll be back most weekends). Sonja starts on some obscene 6-month shoot the week after. It'll just be me and Conrad, which should alleviate a lot of my stress in some regards (though I'm sure it'll add to my stress in other ways). I almost want to say he and I have turned a corner, but I'm pretty sure that'll jinx things and he'll go back to being a terror. So I'll just leave it at that.
Anyway, I'm starting to drift off (finally), so I'll stop here. Probably won't post anything up again for a while since it's looking like I won't be doing anything exciting until after finals are over.
The weather's been really sucky lately. It hailed. And poured. I miss sunshine.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Just a side note...
I have serious goings-on to report, but first I feel like a teensy weensy side note:
Daniel Radcliffe is going to reprise his Equus role on Broadway. Great. Why is nobody else creeped out by the idea of seeing Harry Potter go full nude for a big sex scene on stage? Gross. I know he's legal now and all, but he's still little Harry Potter. Do you think people would be down with seeing Haley Joel Osmont doing the same? How about Freddie Highmore (when he gets old enough)? I know child stars grow up and go through puberty and all that crap, but some of them will forever be child stars to me. Like Christina Ricci. And she's done some stuff that's out there.
On another side note, while checking imdb.com for Radcliffe's age, I stumbled across an interesting bit of trivia: he claims to be a fan of Huey Lewis and the News. Interesting. I doubt it's true, but interesting nonetheless.
That's all for now. I promise a real entry in the next couple of days...
Daniel Radcliffe is going to reprise his Equus role on Broadway. Great. Why is nobody else creeped out by the idea of seeing Harry Potter go full nude for a big sex scene on stage? Gross. I know he's legal now and all, but he's still little Harry Potter. Do you think people would be down with seeing Haley Joel Osmont doing the same? How about Freddie Highmore (when he gets old enough)? I know child stars grow up and go through puberty and all that crap, but some of them will forever be child stars to me. Like Christina Ricci. And she's done some stuff that's out there.
On another side note, while checking imdb.com for Radcliffe's age, I stumbled across an interesting bit of trivia: he claims to be a fan of Huey Lewis and the News. Interesting. I doubt it's true, but interesting nonetheless.
That's all for now. I promise a real entry in the next couple of days...
Sunday, April 06, 2008
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....
Just in case you wanted to know: it's snowing right now.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
When can I start pulling out my hair?
ACK!
I'm still jetlagged and staying up all night, and now I've picked up a little bit of a cold. Rats. I haven't left my room since Sunday.
Finished unpacking today. That was momentous. Had to re-arrange my room yet again since somebody else did the same whilst I was in California.
Started blocking out my studying/paper writing this afternoon.
Got a call asking if tonight would be okay to have a "chat" which I assume will be all about my job performance and the email I sent. I'm hoping to still have a job once that's over.
So right now, I'm basically sitting on my bed, freaking out about how much work I have to do in order to do well on my finals, all the while biting my nails until both Sonja and Julian are home and we can have our "chat".
Oh, and I've got a cat meowing at me because I think she wants to be fed.
It's been two solid days of listening to calming music in the hopes that I'll chill out. NOT WORKING.
I'm just hoping that I can keep my cool during the "chat" because I've definitely worked myself up over lots of the issues I have. I suppose worse comes to worse, I can stay with Helen until school is done, then head back to the US for summer, start temping again, sell my car, save my pennies, and come back in the fall.
I'm surprised I don't have wicked heartburn right now.
Hey, if I do get fired, I'll treat you all to the amazingly brusque, professional email I wrote them detailing all the things that piss me off.
My room looks nice though. Just needs a quick vacuum.
Crap. I need to do something constructive while I'm waiting. And blogging doesn't count as constructive.
I'll let you know how it turns out......
I'm still jetlagged and staying up all night, and now I've picked up a little bit of a cold. Rats. I haven't left my room since Sunday.
Finished unpacking today. That was momentous. Had to re-arrange my room yet again since somebody else did the same whilst I was in California.
Started blocking out my studying/paper writing this afternoon.
Got a call asking if tonight would be okay to have a "chat" which I assume will be all about my job performance and the email I sent. I'm hoping to still have a job once that's over.
So right now, I'm basically sitting on my bed, freaking out about how much work I have to do in order to do well on my finals, all the while biting my nails until both Sonja and Julian are home and we can have our "chat".
Oh, and I've got a cat meowing at me because I think she wants to be fed.
It's been two solid days of listening to calming music in the hopes that I'll chill out. NOT WORKING.
I'm just hoping that I can keep my cool during the "chat" because I've definitely worked myself up over lots of the issues I have. I suppose worse comes to worse, I can stay with Helen until school is done, then head back to the US for summer, start temping again, sell my car, save my pennies, and come back in the fall.
I'm surprised I don't have wicked heartburn right now.
Hey, if I do get fired, I'll treat you all to the amazingly brusque, professional email I wrote them detailing all the things that piss me off.
My room looks nice though. Just needs a quick vacuum.
Crap. I need to do something constructive while I'm waiting. And blogging doesn't count as constructive.
I'll let you know how it turns out......
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