Late Breaking Ridiculous News

Today I'm toeing the fine line between not doing anything and getting enough done so that it seems like I actually did something today. It's difficult, but I figure if I get three shows archived today, I'll be good. Anyway, that's not the reason I'm updating. No I have a much more interesting reason for updating.
Did you know you could feel the back of your thighs? I didn't, at least not until today. I took my second kick boxing class last night, and while there wasn't any point where I thought I was going to puke, I'm feeling the effects today. It's good though, all this pain and drinking two bottles of water in one sitting. As Allison told me last year, in a emasculating and "god aren't you just the biggest idiot" way, pain is a part of a good work out. Unless it's ballet, but as I told my mum after the first class, there's nothing like ballet (other than ice skating and gymnastics) in the real world. So bring it on, bitch.
Okay, now the real reason I'm updating today. Back in January Lily Allen accidentally sent Ricky Wilson a topless picture of herself. I find this story both highly disturbing and highly amusing at the same time. Highly disturbing because why would you send anyone a topless picture of yourself when you're a celebrity and the person it's being sent to isn't your significant other, but highly amusing because it just is. So that's my celebrity story for the month. The fact that it's about two of my favourite artists, completely coincidental.
Finally here's a quote from a 1985 interview with Mike Watt and D. Boon of the Minutemen. I find it hilarious, but that's because I'm weird.

[The two had been discussing why people had been dying in Central America and Watt had stated that one of the reasons was rascism. Now the quote]
Boon: But they weren't Spanish. The Spanish married all the women and had all the children. The just killed the braves and married the women.
Watt: That's not racism, huh?
Boon: Well, the English did it a lot better. They just murdered everybody in front of them.

Paranoid Ravings

So here's just a little glimpse into the paranoia that dwells in my head:
I have a stats tracker on my Blogger blog that keeps track (surprise, surprise) of everyone who visits my blog. Most people stay for no seconds, but some people stay for a minute or so. I always check those people who stay for a minute or so, just to see where they're from and what parts of my blog they were checking out. Granted the stats tracker isn't too, too in depth, so I really only know what page a person started on and what page they left on. However the other day when I was checking my hit counter (I use Site Meter in case you're wondering) I noticed that someone from my university had been at my blog for one minute and thirteen seconds. That kind of freaked me out I'll be honest, especially considering where they started (Nov. 2008) and ended (this month). I know on the LJ version of this blog there's at least one person from school who reads it (there may be more but they aren't my friend) but outside of that there's no real way to check who the hell is reading my blog. Being all paranoid and stuff, I looked up the IP address I was given by Site Meter. Turns out it was a library computer. Really I just hope whoever was reading my Blogger blog didn't figure out who's writing this. Or doesn't know me and therefore would be unable to figure out who's writing this because there are some people who I would prefer never found out about this blog. I'm weird like that.

Two Weeks of News

Sorry for the long ass break in updates. In an effort to keep my blog emo free I haven't been updating as much. There's been much emoness in the past two weeks (life shattering realizations can kind of make a girl sad) and work has drained me of the rest of my energy. Yes folks, I'm back at WPFW archiving shows for the Minott. Granted there's been a shit ton of craziness happening behind the scenes at WPFW, mostly changes in staff and crazy hooha like that. Still, it's the same thing I did last summer, I'm just not doing it five days a week. Also, I would like to point out that it takes a crazy short amount of time for CNN and tourists to get really frustrating/annoying. CNN has gone from semi-bullshitty to really insane bullshitty in just a year and I blame it on the old media's discovery of social networking sites. As great as Facebook and Twitter are for keeping up to date with friends and family, I don't really trust it for news reporting. It's like relying on The Mirro for accurate news on DW. As for the tourists, it's the same complaints as always: They don't know how to walk up escalators, their kids run wild on the Metro, and they don't know how to share the side walk. I'm all for people visiting the sites in DC and appreciating the history and all that, but for christ's sake I need to get to my stop and you're in my way!
So in an effort to work out a lot of my pent up frustration towards certain people, I've decided to take up kickboxing. I took my first class yesterday and right now I'm so sore I can't move properly. We started the class with six minutes of jump roping (can't do that very well) and ended the class with six minutes of jump roping (really couldn't do that). There were leg squats and push-ups (and explosive push-ups) and jumping jacks and curl-ups and a lot of punching. I didn't feel my abs until early this morning, but the squats were almost immediate. Really, everything is just incredibly sore. And I'll be doing it all over again on Tuesday. I've gone crazy obviously.

Money, Sex...Cat

Well it seems that the pop culture juggernaut known as Twilight has finally lured me into its evil trap. Yes folks, I watched it and am still laughing. The great thing is that I took notes! So here they are, incoherant and not always in complete sentences.

• awful voice overs
• they're suppose to be in high school? all of them? seriously?
• awful emoness acting makes me sad
• robert pattinson, not so bad though, still laughable, but not as bad as kristen stewart
• oh god the contacts of doom!
• we are made of wood...balsa wood
• "you don't say hi to me"...or make eye contact
• this dialogue is amazing...ly awful and stilted, except for robert b/c he can act kind of
• edward: over protective stalker/psycho
• can't decide if this is more or less ridiculous than logan's run
• "money, sex, money, sex...cat"
• how do you grow up and not know about vampires? seriously? i mean they have one on seasame street for christ's sake
• not only does this movie hurt my soul, but the music hurts my soul too
• pattison can't always keep control of his american accent, and it's so cute when he slips :D
• "here comes the human!"
• jasper is constipated
• normal couples don't try and dance to claire de lune [because it's basically impossible, given that there's no clear beat or time signature, and I'm fairly certain it's in some weird time signature anyway]
• well that was creepy as fuck [Edward suddenly appearing in Bella's room for longer than two seconds]
• characters i like: dad, evil vampires (aka the people i'm not suppose to like)
• no! not muse, don't use muse during a baseball game!
• competitive vampire baseball: much cooler than normal baseball
• yay mormon doctor!
• i can't be bothered, this movie is too stupid
• i hope they pay for the damages done to that studio
• while edward sucks out the venom in the backgroud: yay fire! yay fire!
• i can't finish my sentences either! not only can't i leave you, i can't...i can't...:acts all flustered:
• prom? seriously? god this movie...can't finish the sentence
• they really can't dance, can they...:sigh: it's like the end of logan's run: stupid and pointless
• pattison's earnestness makes this whole thing so much more painful
• nice ending though (love the evil vampires)

By the way, I'm going to be working two days a week at WPFW. Wish it was more, but we'll see if I can fanagle some more days out people other than Gloria. Still two days out of the house is better than none. So yeah, that's about it for me. Went to see Elvis Costello last night and he played "Brilliant Mistake" which immediately made me think of David Morrissey, but otherwise not much has been going on for the past few days. Until next time (probably next Thursday, we shall see).

Honey, I'm BAAAAAAAAACK

So technically speaking it's between three weeks since my last non-emo update. I do realize that's a bit of a lie (I mean when was the last time I wasn't being seriously emo? I can't remember is the correct answer), but we're going to go with that standard because if I was to be honest it's been...well it's been a very long time since I wasn't at least mildly emo. So now for some non-emo-ness, I promise.

Header 1: University of Westminster Might Actually Happen :D
So since the last proper post on this blog, I arranged a meeting with IAS and spoke with the head of the program this past Thursday. Turns out his biggest concern was the fact that I mentioned that I was depressed. Once he found out it was over a boy (yet another grown man telling me what asses men are) he wasn't so concerned. Didn't mention that I'm going into therapy partially because of said boy, nor did I mention the fact that I have SAD, but I actually know how to handle SAD so I'm not too concerned at the moment. I was mostly just really relieved to hear that Mr. Musick (I kid you not) is more than willing to step up to bat for me and seems really positive that I'll be accepted. Of course all of this means that I can now start worrying about the application process and writing 300 to 500 words about "why I wish to join the Study Abroad Programme." :sigh: My life can be so difficult at times ;)

Header 2: Dear God, I Have All This News
So in the weeks since I went on hiatus, I've been collecting news articles like a bandit. This is mostly because some really interesting news has cropped up that I wish to comment on, and even though I'm going to be recording a demo show (for U of W, don't ya know) using most of these articles, I feel I should point them out for you, my wonderful readers. So here we go:
Blur announce that they're planning US and European dates for some time in the future. While I'm not exactly "for" this whole Blur reuniting thing, if they do come to the US, I will pay exorbitant amounts of money to see them. I'm hypocritical and crazy like that.
Americans will actually get to see the Doctor Who specials before they become redundant. BBC America has finally gotten the rights to DW, which means I'll actually get to rewatch the already aired specials, and probably see the unaired ones too, before I'm fifty, which is really good. I'm also very excited about new Torchwood and all of this being aired around the same time. My brain may explode, but it will be from dorky happiness instead of sad insanity.
In another piece of Blur related news, the band will be coming out with a Blur primer for the uninitiated. I'm pretty sure I could download most, if not all, of the tracks mentioned from Zune from their original albums and have the same experience as buying the compilation. Still, it's a nice way for the timid to get to know the band while also potentially earning the band a nice chunk of change. Yay capitalism.
For some inexplicable reason, the tabloids thought that the Kaiser Chiefs were being dropped by their label. This is not true, obviously. I'm fairly certain t'Chiefs are the biggest name on the B-Unique label and dropping them would be more than idiotic. However I am very pleased to hear that Whitey is going to be a dad. I don't know why that makes me happy, but it does.
I'm not really into video games. I don't have the right kind of coordination for it. However, I love Guitar Hero and Rock Band, so we all know that I'm going to want the latest version of Guitar Hero. And not just because it has The Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Muse, Kaiser Chiefs, the Killers, and David Bowie. No I want it because it has Coldplay ;D
Speaking of the Arctic Monkeys, they're going to be releasing an album soonish. In fact it's going to be released on the second day of school (also known as August 25th.) I'm very pleased, to say the least, since it's been a really long f-ing time since they released an album and I miss being able to mercilessly mock them for being obvious award bait. That's all I can say about that really. Though I hope Sean "Puffy, whatever the hell his latest nickname is" Combs doesn't have any actual involvement. There have been rumours ya know.
Finally, the Cribs will eventually be releasing an album, in my estimation this winter, based on how long it's taken them to record the damn thing, and Ashes to Ashes has been renewed for another series/season which makes me very happy since I never want it to end.

Header 3: All the Strange Things I've Watched in the Past Month
Since I've had way too much free time on my hands since coming home from school (way, waaaaaay too much free time) I've taken it upon myself to watch some movies/shows that I feel I need to see before I die. Hence why I've watched all of Life on Mars and Logan's Run. By the way, if you've ever thought "hey, Michael York was pretty good in that Three Musketeers movie, I should watch Logan's Run", don't. It's awful and an hour too long. However it's so incredibly bad that it's good in a weird way. But still an hour too long.
Another one of the movies I've watched recently is The Shining. My dad is a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick and so I kind of automatically assumed he would love The Shining. Not so much. Mum likes and Sophs hasn't actually seen it all the way through, which I found to be kind of odd since she's the cinephile of the family. I really liked the film though, mostly because it's allowed me to introduce a new strange mannerism into my conversations: Tony (aka Danny's imaginary friend). Of all the strange and wonderfully over used imagery The Shining has given the world, I'm really surprised no one has picked up on Tony. I think that was my favourite part of the entire movie. I'm just sad I already knew all the twists and scary bits (thanks pop culture) and none of it phased me really. Except Tony. Tony was great :D

So that's it. Set lists for Cake and the White Rabbits will be up as soon as I've figured out all the song titles.

This Is Not a Come Back

This is just the desperate need to rant like a mofo.
This is a very long story. It starts with my mum's near mental break down last fall and her going back into therapy. Actually, it started well before then, but the less time I have to cover the better. Anyway, after my mum started seeing a shrink again something rather important came to light: My grandmother probably irreparably fucked my mum up by being a narcissist. Now I'm not saying this lightly or in any kind of jest. My grandmother's a narcissist and being the child of a narcissist does some pretty fucked up shit to your psyche. You can become a narcissist or, like my mum, constantly need to please everyone and be perfect. Obviously there are other ways to deal with your mother being a narcissist, but that was how my mum dealt with it and why she nearly had a mental breakdown last fall. However by discovering and working through the issues that arise from discovering that your mother is a narcissist, my mum also figured out something I've known for 3 years or so: my dad's a completely needy self-centred ass. He's not a narcissist, but pretty damn close. He's also a hypocrite but that has less to do with being a needy self-centred ass and more do with his parents and having socialists sympathies while also being a really good corporate lawyer (yeah, he's just even more fucked up than my mum and that's not easy to be.)
Because dad's a needy self-centred bastard and mum is trying to be her own person, there's been a shitload of tension in the house recently. Now I've had my issues with dad for quite awhile, but I've been completely alone in my beliefs that he's a hypocritical needy ass. On the other hand Sophs (the sister who's dad's favourite) thinks mum (now that she's "seen the light") and I are just complete bitches who don't understand dad and need to get off our high horses (or at least that's the vibe I'm getting.) Now I've seen a divide in this house since, well for as long as I've known that my dad's just a complete ass. There are those of us who express our emotions and opinions (me and mum) and those of us who bottle it up and then go all ragey-mcrage when it gets to be too much (dad and Sophs.) [Apologies for the random linkage, I had a drink and I really can't hold my liquor] However I might have exasperated that divide tonight by basically saying that Sophs was on dad's side and against mum, to Sophs. Granted I was pushed by Sophs into saying that after she said some shit about getting out of this house, but I regret having opened my mouth anyway. It just makes things more complicated than necessary and they're already complicated enough as it is. However I'll be working through all this starting next week with a psychologist (actually just a social worker, but that's good enough given the circs) other than Farber (the creepy, creepy old man*.) I might also get to work out my pent up issues with the buttmuncher (otherwise known as the ex) which I'm happy for. The long and short of all this is as follows: Narcissism fucks with everything and Nora from A Doll's House is in no way a narcissist. A real narcissist would never have married someone like Torvald. 0_o
:sigh: Hopefully The IT Crowd will come tomorrow and I can spend all day just watching that. Or something.
*When I was still dating the buttmuncher, mum saw Farber at the pysch office and told him that I had a boyfriend. He was extremely pleased because he thought I was using him as some sort of replacement for a real boyfriend. I've been creeped out ever since I can't see him any more. Unfortunately my new therapist works at the same place Farber does, so there's a pretty good chance I'll see him. And crush his ego. But when I tried to talk to him last summer about my dad issues he blew them off and kept pushing me to get a boyfriend. And we all know how well that worked out. So he'll just have to deal.

Self-Imposed Exile

I think I'm going to pull a Garbo and so will be disappearing from both blogs, Twitter, and Facebook for a period of time. Not that I've been updating any of those things very often, but Facebook in particular has me agitated and I really don't have anything to say. So with that I'll leave you lot with a bunch of links that I've been meaning to post. No snarky commenting though.

• Dollhouse renewed for the win!
• An interview with Kathy Foster of the Thermals that contains the best description of the Cribs known to man:

  They’re from Wakefield, which is outside of Leeds...It’s three brothers plus Johnny Marr. The guys that sing and play guitar and bass are twins, and then the younger brother plays drums. They’re getting really big in the UK...People just go crazy for them...singing every word and pointing at them.

• Kate Nash goes to LA to pick a producer. Whilst there she also plans on making up for lost time with BF Ryan, which I don't begrudge her at all*.
• The BBC Trust checks to make sure BBC Radio 2 and 6Music are just really pointless.

*Seriously I don't. I'm not being sarcastic in any way. Kate and Ryan are one of the few couples in this world don't make me seethe with rage. So I don't begrudge her whatsoever.

Updates from Purgatory

So I've been a neglectful blogger. I haven't updated in two weeks and my last entry was not really an entry. Needless to say I owe this blog an update. Thing is I'm finding it hard to write about anything. I've done jack shit in the past two weeks other than take exams and watch British crime procedurals/sci-fi shows (more on that in a moment.) My family continues to be more crazy than I thought possible and Facebook continues to annoy me with it's continual need to remind me that certain people exist. I look at my front page and question why certain people are on there, why I continue to be friends with them when all they do is annoy me. Eventually I'll stop being lazy and get rid of those people from my friend list, but not any time soon. I'm far too lazy.
So British crime procedurals/sci-fi shows. In the past week I've watched both series of Life on Mars (which by the way was awesome) and I'm almost update with Ashes to Ashes. They are both amazing and I've listened to more David Bowie in the past week than I ever would have thanks to those shows. So yeah, I'm quite pleased about that. I mean I'm spending most of every day in my room, but for my sanity that's probably better. Onwards and upwards to my family.
Oh my family. They're all a bunch wack jobs. Every time I come home I re-realize all over again how mentally fucked up they are and every time I have to remind myself to act like a civil person and scream every time they open their mouths. And so I spend as much time as I legitimately can away from them because if I don't by the end of the summer I will lose my mind.
Now more important things. I don't have the GPA (if we're going by the letter) to study abroad at University of Westminster. I've sent a plea to international academic service people seeing if there's anything I can do to still go there, but I'm currently look at other programs. I'm looking in Wales for god sake (no offence to any Welsh readers. You're all really lovely.) I haven't given up on studying abroad, I'm just slowly giving up on studying at the University of Westminster. Which makes me sad and waiting for IAS to respond my email is making me more than a bit anxious, but this is what happens when you fuck up. And I'll be the first to admit that I fucked up. But I know I have back ups and I can make excellent pleas on my behalf. It just makes me sad and disappointed in myself. I could go on, but that's just boring and you all know how much I hate being boring.
All right well that's about it for me. Umm, I don't know when I'll be updating, probably when I hear from either IAS, WETA, or WAMU (yay volunteer positions!). Until then.

Really Random 10 Questions

1. Do you believe in good and/or bad luck?
I do believe in both good and bad luck. I also believe in karma and fate, which good and bad luck play into.

2. Do you believe there is one man/woman luckier than all the rest?
No. Just people who are luckier than me at the moment.

3. When was the last time you considered yourself lucky?
Not for many moons. Over two months in fact.

4. What is the most unlucky thing to ever happen to you?
Christ I don't know. I don't think there's a single unlucky thing/event that happened to me, more like a string of rather unlucky years.

5. Where do you think luck (good or bad) comes from?
Karma and fate. Mostly karma though.

1. If you could give out Best Picture, Best Actor/Actress and Best Director Oscars to any movies (not necessarily all from the same year) to people/films that haven't won, what would they be?
I would give Cary Grant and Fred Astaire best Actors for most of their movies, cuz they totally deserve them. Otherwise I've not got an opinion really.

2. What is your favorite genre of writing (short stories, novels, nonfiction...)?
I like Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett and nonfiction about British history and pop music history.

3. Are there any CDs to which you know every word? Movies?
Employment, Yours Truly, Angry Mob, Franz Ferdinand, You Could Have It So Much, Under the Iron Sea...I could go on really, but I won't. As for movies, no. Never Mind the Buzzcocks episodes, yes.

4. If you could write and cast your own movie, what would it be about and who would you cast?
I don't know what it would be about but I would cast Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson and Johnny Depp. And Jo Brand for no particular reason. Also Bill Bailey and Phil Jupitus, and all their scenes would be together. Yeah, that would be a really strange movie.

5. What's the best song to wake you up? Put you to sleep?
Best song to wake me up would be..."Darts of Pleasure" or "Na Na Na Na Na." Or Lily Allen's cover of "Oh My God" or "Never Gonna Happen." However music doesn't really put me to sleep, so I don't know.

Decision Time

I've decided, for no particular reason other than that I have, that the man I end up with for keeps (ie get married to) will be a very strange amalgamation of the men I watch on the tellie/computer screen and the men I listen to. Which is why I doubt I'll ever marry an American :knocks on wood: because you can't be a strange amalgamation of x number of British men if you're American. I just doesn't work. Anyway that's what I've decided. I should get back to studying now. I won't, but I should.
Edit: I should add I've also decided that the future hubbie will be older than me. Even if it's just a couple of years, he'll be older than me. Now back to QI where I will continue to feed my older-man crush.

I Feel Fine, Think I'll Go For a Walk Now

For anyone worrying, I'm fine. Stressed to the extreme, but no longer losing my faith in humanity. I'm also no longer furious with the world, just mildly irritated. As for those of you on LJ who have commented on recent entries, I know I haven't replied, but that's because I'm just a horrible person who finds communication to be very awkward, no matter the format. So, thank you to all of you for your words of support and advice. As I often say, I'm really just a horrible person. I'm surprised no one has figured this out yet, so I'll just keep saying it: I'm a horrible person.
What's stressing me right now is the lack of studying I require as compared to nearly everyone I know. It's stressing me because this sort of thing always stresses me. Not being normal in certain arenas stresses me and so we have Nore stressing about not studying. Of course I'm also stressing about exams and packing which is normal and then of course we have grades. I'm feeling more pyscho this year than I did last year, but then again I also don't have a pyscho as a roommate, so there's kind of a trade off. I'm torturing myself instead of someone else torturing, though I'm not sure which is worse. :sigh: I really do hate the end of the year.

Feeling of the Moment

I just want to get this off my chest: I currently hate almost the everyone. I'm including the entire world in this definition, which might seem a bit ridiculous, but take into account that it's festival season (and has been for quite awhile) and you've got at least a 1/16th (wild guesstimate) of the world with whom I'm at least very annoyed with. Then take into account the number of people I know who know the ex and that's another very small percentage of people who may cause annoyance (damn you Facebook, damn you to hell.) Then of course we add in all couples on campus and we've got yet another small percentage that irk me. Put all of those small percentages together we've got about, I dunno, another rather small but significant percentage of people who I hate right now. I blame stress and my subconscious (more on that in a bit). Still, there's a great number you people who I hate right now and I just needed to write it down. I also blame my sprained ankle. It only adds fire to my anger. Still one my persevere despite one's own inner turmoil.
Last night I had a dream where I got to yell and scream and smack the ex. Oddly enough another friend was there facilitating this whole thing, except he seemed to be on the ex's side, but it didn't really matter. The fact that I'm dreaming about him disturbs me to no end, but then Facebook (damn it's non-existent eyes) had to keep showing this photo of him with his slag. 'Course the only reason I knew it was him was because I clicked the damn thing. And this stupid sprained ankle thing makes me feel like an awkward idiot. Everything just seems to be going wrong and I can't stop it. I need something good to happen to me or I might just lose all my faith in life.

Zero

I'm so in love with this song, so I'm going to post the lyrics. Also, just as a side note, the way Karen O sings sometimes reminds me of things I don't talk about in my blog :cough:sex:cough:

"Zero" --- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz

Shake it like a ladder to the sun
Makes me feel like a madman on the run
Find me, never, never far gone
So get your leather, leather, leather on, on, on, on

Your zero
What's your name?
No one's going to ask you
Better find out where they want you to go

Try and hit the spot
Get to know it in the dark
Get to know it whether you're
Crying, crying, crying, oh, oh
Can you climb, climb, climb higher?

Shake it like a ladder to the sun
Makes me feel like a madman on the run
No you're never, never far gone
So get your leather, leather, leather on, on, on, on

Your zero
What's your name?
No one's going to ask you
Better find out where they want you to go

Try and hit the spot
Get to know it in the dark
Get to know it whether you're
Crying, crying, crying, oh, oh
Can you climb, climb, climb higher?

Was it the cure?
Shellshock!
Was it the cure?
Hope not!
Was it the cure?
Shellshock!
Was it the cure?
What's your name?

Your zero
What's your name?
No one's going to ask you
Better find out where they want you to go

Try and hit the spot
Get to know it in the dark
Get to know it whether you're
Crying, crying, crying, oh, oh
Can you climb, climb, climb higher?

Was it the cure?
Shellshock!
Was it the cure?
Hope not!
Was it the cure?
Shellshock!
Was it the cure?
Hope not!

What's your name?
What's your name?
What's your name?
What's your name?
What's your name?
What's your name?
What's your name?

Life Imitates Life

I'm in a goodly amount of pain right now. You see I twisted my ankle and well, that hurts I'm discovering. I can't really bend my ankle in any way. The only reason I'm writing about this is because, while I was on stage (which is where I twisted my ankle) I had an almost identical reaction to the idea of fainting that I did the last time I fainted. Namely, when I started feeling very flush and the lights suddenly got very bright my brain told, "We will persevere through this, and we will not collapse dammit." Of course it didn't help that I was in the middle of singing the premier of an original composition by a) the head of the department and b) my theory prof (same person, two roles.) And just like last time, I fainted. Of course last time I didn't do something horrible to my ankle, but it's amusing in a macabre way. Now I have to finish this damn research paper or I'll be royally screwed. Also I would just like to end this entry with following piece of information: I lieu of an ACE bandage, I'm currently using a pair of panty hose. Hurrah ingenuity.

Edit: First I realize that the title of this entry doesn't make sense unless you're in my head, so I will explain: My favourite lead singer had a habit of breaking one of his ankles every year. He hasn't done it recently, but when I realized that I had sprained my ankle, it was like "Ha, I did a slightly less debilitating version of what he's done in the past." Hence (my) life imitating (R's) life.
Today however was quite amusing. A friend of mine, Sam, was in the balcony for the performance and for some reason thought my fainting was some creative/artistic choice made by Dr. Long, ruined by my horrible acting. I laughed really hard and then got to tell my story to my entire theory class. I suspect I'm going to be explaining my hobbling around for another couple of days before the whole music department knows and therefore I don't have to explain it anymore. Still, I'm all stiff upper lip and carrying on like always. 'Cuz I'm secretly British.

Happiness Is

This is just a short observation that I wanted to write down before I lost it: There are three things in this world that make me truly happy

• Truly great music
• Great TV (I just finished watching a new episode of Bones with Stephen Fry, which is why I'm writing this in the first place)
• A great book (both fiction and non-fiction)

I don't need much more than that. In fact the only item I would add would be great friends. So that's it. Life is good right now and I can't really ask for much more than that, nor would I dare to.

Sad Songs and Waltzes

I'm stressed. And I'm worried. For the first time this year I'm purposefully blowing off an assignment because I just can't handle doing it right now. I don't think I'm going to just not do it, I'm just not doing it tonight. And that worries me because I haven't done that this year and since entering college I've generally tried to avoid that kind of behaviour. It was a behaviour I left behind in high school, or at least a behaviour I tried to leave behind in high school. But this project is 1/7 of my grade and I'm not incapable of doing it. Which is why I'm stressing. This semester has to go well for me and thus far my general feeling is that it's not. I know I'm not doing particularly well in Classics, I have a good chance of pulling my grade up to a B in Asian Civ, absolutely no clue in music history (thanks for getting those papers back Roach) and so-so in Theory. I need all of these classes to be Bs. It might not be possible in Classics, unless I do fabulously on the final and actually turn in the paper for Troy and there's a very good chance of getting a B in Asian Civ. I could be doing a lot better in music history than I currently think I am, but since I haven't gotten any of my papers back I can't be sure. Which gets us back to theory. I did really well on the first test and so-so on the second test. Past analysis and comp projects lead me to believe that I'll do fairly well on the comp project, as long as I don't get myself to far into something crazy, and I'd do well on the analysis project if I was turning it in on time. But I'm not. And so I stress. Until this project is turned in, I won't be calm. Quite frankly, until I know that I have a 3.0, I won't be calm. I'll be worried and stressed. None of which is conducive to doing well. It's a vicious little circle I live in. A vicious never ending circle.

Easter

Since Easter '07, this holiday has been a bit strange for me. Before 2007, Easter was just another holiday were I went to church, suffered through incense and listened to really good music. It didn't mean that much because I'm not a particulary religious person. That's still true, but now the holiday has two meanings for me, which is why it's a strange day for me.
Two years ago I became obsessed with Doctor Who. Since the new series started, the first episode of each series has traditionally been aired around the same time as Easter (except last year because Easter was so ridiculously early.) At the same time I was started getting obsessed with DW, I was full on obsessed with the Kaiser Chiefs. 2007 saw the end of that full on obsession (though I'm sure some would beg to differ). Within a week of each other, I watched my first "as it airs" episode of DW, saw my fangirl dreams come crashing to a fiery end, and celebrated Easter. It was all a bit traumatic (you try singing an 11:15 service after staying up until 3 in the morning, most of which was spent screaming) and sticks all together in my mind as one big blob. Kaiser Chiefs/Easter/Martha (first epi of the 3rd series don't ya know). And that's was the beginning of the duplicity (in meaning) of Easter.
Last year was unremarkable though. Easter came very early and while I'm sure I went home, I don't really remember what I did. Other than suffering through incense, but that's a given. Doctor Who started up a week later, but didn't even get a mention in either of my blogs. But I do remember the time difference being a big jarring because I just assumed the two (Easter and DW) went hand in hand.
This year's DW Easter episode didn't mark the beginning of a new series, but acted more as a reminder that Tennant's era is swiftly coming to an end. And in much the same, this year's celebration is acting as stark reminder that my sophomore year is swiftly coming to an end as well. It's a bit odd though, a holiday that's meant to be seen as a renewal of the year, even in it's original form, acts more as a reminder of endings for me.
So I've lost the thread of this entry (stupid Easter dinner/train back to school). In essence, what I'm trying to say is that Easter isn't an exactly religious holiday for me, it's more a day when I get new DW. Because I'm going to burn in hell. :sigh:
Proper entry in 30 minutes.

More Stuff/Different Stuff

So I "realized" this morning that yesterday's insanity was due to a distinct lack of any meds. I realized this when I got this eerie feeling when I was about to take my pills this morning that I hadn't looked in my medicine draw since Saturday. And this was confirmed by my birth control pill packet. I spent most of this morning feeling slightly woozy because I hadn't taken an iron supplement since Saturday and so my iron was low. Fun times.
I had a music history test today and it was crap. I don't think it will be as bad as my last test, but it was still crap. So much bs, it smelled. I would blame the teacher, because she's very blameworthy, but just because she's shite doesn't mean I shouldn't try a little harder in this class. It would be an easy A if I tried. Sadly, not even London is enough motivation to make me give a shit about this class. :sigh:
Today I found out that the general manager of the radio station knows my name. It was really strange because I just sort of assumed that she had no idea who I was, other than someone who goes to all the meetings and regularly does her show. She even wanted to know if I was interested in being an officer. It was truly odd. I my mind I'm seen as wallpaper to most people and so it's always bizarre to find out that I'm not. Anyway, the GM knows my name. Weird stuff.
By the way, if you're interested my radio show is on Wednesdays, 9-10pm EDT on wmwc.umw.edu. It's good times and general insanity. So yeah, there you have it.

Closure and Hyperness

I'm so fraking hyper right now, it's almost not funny. And I've been almost this hyper all day. It's insane. But yeah, here are some lyrics. It would seem that I've reached some semblance of closure, all without the ex's help (big shock there.) So here are lyrics :D

"Merry Happy" --- Kate Nash, Made of Bricks (the other italicized bits are the important bits...everything else is just nice)

Watching me like you never watch no one
Don't tell me that you didn't try and check out my bum
Cause I know that you did
Cause your friend told me that you liked it

Gave me those pearls and I thought they were ugly
Though you try to tell me that you never loved me
I know that you did
'Cause you said it and you wrote it down

Dancing at discos
Eating cheese on toast
Yeah you make me merry make me very very happy
But you obviously, you didn't want to stick around

Dancing at discos
Eating cheese on toast
Yeah you make me merry make me very very happy
But you obviously, you didn't want to stick around

So I learnt from you
Do do do da do do do do do da do do do do do da do
So I learnt form you
Do do do da do do do do do da do do do do do da do

I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone
I can watch a sunset on my own

I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone
I can watch a sunset on my own

Sitting in restaurants
Thought we were so grown up
But I know now that we were not the people
That we turned out to be

Chatting on the phone
Can't take back those hours
But I won't regret
'Cause you can grow flowers
From where dirt used to be

Dancing at discos
Eating cheese on toast
Yeah you make me merry make me very very happy
But you obviously, you didn't want to stick around

Dancing at discos
Eating cheese on toast
Yeah you make me merry make me very very happy
But you obviously, you didn't want to stick around

So I learnt from you
Do do do da do do do do do da do do do do do da do
So I learnt from you
Do do do da do do do do do da do do do do do da do

I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone
I can watch a sunset on my own
(do do do da do do do do do da do do do do do da do)

I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone, yeah
I can watch a sunset on my own
I can be alone
I can watch a sunset on my own
(do do do da do do do do do da do do do do do da do)

Business Update

Here's whats been going on for the past four-ish days.
Saturday
Most of Saturday was spent whiling away the time until later that night. I really didn't do anything at all, though I must say Dollhouse is an amazing show and it's the first time I've seen a Whedon production during its original run-time. Saturday night however I went to see my school's production of The Vagina Monologues which was absolutely amazing. I was really impressed with the whole thing and would highly recommend everyone who reads this blog going to see it next year. Obviously not at my school, unless you're someone who is at my school and is reading this. In which case 1) why are you reading this and 2) go see The Vagina Monologues next year.

Sunday
Sunday was more boring than Saturday, mostly because I spent three hours all by myself in the media lab. At least I was getting paid, but seriously, no one showed up. I continued to be really tired, which was a theme that started on Saturday, but seemed more prevalent on Sunday because I actually tried to sleep on the couch we have in the media lab. I would not suggest anyone else doing that, it is very uncomfortable.

Monday
I thought about skipping classics because we're just watching Troy and I could watch that on my own time when I was more awake. Decided against doing that because I found out that my music history class was cancelled and so I went to watch Troy. It was more ridiculous than I remembered it being, but sometimes it's fun to watch ridiculous things. I also battled my way through registration. That was not fun and made my exhaustion all the more prevalent. So after work on Monday I took a nap and slept through the radio station meeting. I only feel a little bad about this since I've been to every single one of those damn meetings this semester and I'm sure we'll have another one next week. Monday was also the night of the Ben Folds concert, which I'm still recovering from. The audience was comatose (though there were a few jumpers and rockers like me) and one person on my flist over at Facebook said that the whole thing took too long. I wanted to comment and ask if he'd ever been to a professional rock concert before, but was too tired. The actual concert though was excellent and the openers, Jukebox the Ghost, were really awesome too. As will all Ben Folds shows, I didn't write a setlist, though I suspect I could have this time. Still, the whole thing was mucho fun and I was sad that I couldn't stay the whole time. Damn you early classes!

Tuesday
Yesterday I ended up being a good little student and not only did band set-up in record time, I also went to my Asian Civ. class. Had skills, then band. In band we finally met the soloist who is performing with us on Friday and damn. He's a saxophonist and his fingers move so fucking fast...even jaded Nore was impressed. I was literally leaning over while we were practicing so I could look at his fingers while he was playing. It was amazing. Kind of like Ben Folds. I also had my lesson, which went better than I expected since I had only looked at the piece he had given me last week once. However my exhaustion, both from the night before and in general, was slowly taking over me. I didn't get a nap though which made me sad. I did watch new House, Gossip Girl (OMG Vanessa and Chuck are not cool, nor are Nate and Blair. Chuck and Blair forever!). I also watched new Law and Order: UK which always makes me happy. Then I went to bed.

Wednesday
I took a nap today! And I have my show tonight. I've listened to all of Ida Maria's debut album and deem it good. I've listened to part of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' third album and deem Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Tonight's show, while being prepared at the last minute, should be good. I'm still tired. I could probably sleep forever if I wanted to. I'm seeing Larissa tomorrow, which should be interesting since by now she should have talked to Farber. We'll see. I might update. I've got a six page paper due on Friday and I'm not excited. Or prepared. Nor have I started it. Oh well. We shall see.

A Welcome Feeling

I'm not completely over him. Certain things still hurt, like looking directly at him, but I'm getting close to the place where I'm at with Miles (except not as obsessive): Bitter and sarcastic. With Miles, I haven't really moved past that, but with the ex, I think once I get fully into that mindset, I'll be able to move on this summer (god how sad is it that the "summer" isn't that far away for me.) I didn't cry tonight, partially because his new slag wasn't there, but also because he looked ridiculous. Imagine a hipster, but with a fancy suit tie and flip-flops. Sure he's skinny enough to pull it off, but **Ricky did it so much better. Hell Alex Kapranos could pull that look off with more panache and Alex Kapranos creeps me out most of the time. It was just kind...sad. It also helped that Ana and Heather were being particularly nice to me tonight and encouraging my evil and scathing comebacks to nearly everything he said. And almost everything during the three episodes the club watched tonight. But seeing him dressed like some hipster ass just made something in my head click. Because to me, I'm better than most hipsters and seeing the ex dressed like one, it just clicked. I'm better than him. I'm not controlled by my sex drive* and I'm doing fairly well in my life. I've had some set backs over the past month, but really, I'm in such a much better place than he could ever dream of being in. I guess I'm just glad I could enjoy DW without leaving the meeting close to tears. That was nice as well.
Now I'm sleepy and am going to go to bed. But first I leave you with these lyrics, because lyrics are wonderful.

"Men's Needs" --- The Cribs, Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever

Have you noticed
I've never been impressed
By your friends from New York and London?
I'll level, accusations like the press
til you realise that you've dressed yourself in tatters

Because a man's needs, man's needs
Are found on greed, are found on greed
A man's needs, man's needs
Are lost on me
A man's needs, man's needs
Are found on greed, are found on greed
A man's needs

I'm not bothered, what you say or how you dress
I'm a mess, so you've always seemed inviting
But really, this all seems quite meaningless
And I remember, that you never seem to see

The fact that men's needs, men's needs
Are found on greed, are found on greed
A man's needs, man's needs
Are lost on me
A girl's needs, girl's needs
Just don't agree, just don't agree
With a man's needs

Have you noticed, I've never been impressed
By your friends from New York and London?
But really, this all seems quite meaningless
And I remember that you never seem to see

The excuse that men's needs, men's needs
Are found on greed, are found on greed
A man's needs, man's needs
Apply to me
You say your man's needs, man's needs
Apply to me
I don't agree
A man's needs

Oh-oh! Oh-oh!

*Another thing that helped was seeing an acquaintance of mine's ex (which was news to me) with some girl who is also an acquaintance. It just sort of confirmed in my mind that men really are controlled by their sex drives. I feel bad for the acquaintance, because she's wonderful and the guy she was with seemed like a total ass, but it helped me in a weird way. Mostly though, it just helped to see the ex looking like a twat.
**I just have two things to say about this picture: Ricky looks so ridiculously happy to have his arm around Kylie Minogue. It's so cute. Also, that was almost exactly what the ex had on tonight. Except Ricky looks hotter and far less ridiculous. And a third thing: guuuuuuuhh. That man has such power over me. It's rather sad. :D

Definitions For the Masses

This is mostly just to make me feel better. And in the bizarre case of someone reading this who knows me and wondering why I'm going to be muttering the following word over and over Friday night. But mostly it's just to make me feel better.

slag: Noun. 1. A prostitute or promiscuous woman. Also occasionally heard with reference to such men. Derog.
2. A contemptible person. Derog.

Mind, you can also slag someone off, but that's the verb form of the word. The form that I'll be muttering 24hrs from now* will be the noun form, so need to confuse you lot. Another piece of information to store away for a rainy day.

*Honestly though, I don't know how I'm going to handle tomorrow night. I mean last week I came up two really good reasons not to go to DW, but unless a fuckin' miracle happens, I'm going to be stuck going this week. And I really, really don't know how well I'll be able to handle it. I'm having a hard enough time keeping myself from going off the deep end and the last thing I need is to see them. Together. God, couldn't he have waited another month? Is it that hard to keep your goddamn junk in your pants? Granted, I'm not helping myself by thinking about it. I just have pressure coming in from all sides and I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above the water. I hate myself for being like this and I hate him for being the fuckin' catalyst that put me here. I just need something good to happen to me. Something to remind me that life isn't completely shit.

Something Different

So this weekend I did something different. Instead of becoming a hermit and depressing myself, I went out and did things. The whole "let's do something different" started on Friday, the best day to do something different. Instead of going to DW and depressing myself (a common theme with me) I went to see the school's improve group and then went a 80's dance party being sponsored by the radio station. The improv group had it's moments, but a friend of mine was there, so well worth the whole experience. The dance party was like any party: slightly awkward, but for a change of pace, the music was actually really good. Another friend of mine was there as well and we awkwardly danced together, so it was an awkward good time. As I told my mum it was the first time in far too long that I didn't cry when I got back to my room.
[I feel I should point out that I'm suffering through a migraine at the moment, so this isn't going to be best written entry. I have so much caffeine running through me, it's a wonder I can type/think at all. So yeah, apologies for that.]
Saturday night I went to see the orchestra. The acoustics are interesting in Dodd. The orchestra can be heard just fine, but the concert featured soloists, who couldn't be heard as well. Still the concert was excellent and re-realized that I really do like Romantic/Impressionistic composers. I was sitting with some upper class friends of mine when the friend of mine from Friday (whose name is Stephanie and will probably be roomming with next year) came over, with Tom from last year, and we sat together during the second half of the concert. Then the three of us and another friend of Tom's went and got ice cream downtown. It was well fun.
Sunday was the Elizabethan feast. I was worried that the butt muncher (my new nickname for my ex that I came up with this afternoon) was going to be there, so I was a bit nervous about the whole thing. However a friend of mine was there (Ana this time) and I sat with her and her friend and the butt muncher didn't show up so a good time was had by all. Unfortunately I didn't get to stay the whole, what with having two tests today. Both of which went fairly well in my opinion. But Sunday ended up being much better than I thought it was going to be, so yay! For the first time since the semester started I actually had a really good weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this up for the rest of the semester. We shall see.

Therapy and OK Go

Sunday night I figured out, after some thinking, that I'm depressed. Yesterday I admitted this fact to my mum (because mum gets to know everything) who told me to go seek counsel at pysch services. This morning I made a emergency appointment with pysch services. This afternoon I told my entire life story to one of the counselors, Larissa. There wasn't a single topic we didn't touch on. I talked about mum, I talked about dad, I talked about Sophie, I talked about Miles, I talked about my childhood, I talked about my previous boughts with therapy. There was not a single topic Larissa and I didn't touch on. It was kind of cathartic, just saying all of it. It was also nice because she confirmed that Miles was a traumatic event in my life, that I haven't been exaggerating that fact. The only downside is that she's going to be communicating with Farber. I don't know why that irks me, but it does. Mum came up with a good suggestion though: Email Larissa and tell her to tell Farber that this is what happens when Nore has a boyfriend. She becomes an emotional wreck and therefore should not have a boyfriend who's an ass. And aren't we all glad she didn't have one in high school because right now she'd be at NOVA. I'm not going to follow through on that suggestion though, because that's just spiteful, and I'm above that (most of the time.) So yeah, I'm back in a therapy of sorts. 0_0
Now the play list from OK Go's show. It should be noted that about half of the set list was made up of new songs, so when I actually know what the new songs are called I'll edit this entry with the correct titles. For now most of them will be notated as follows: (New). It's just easier that way. Anywho, play list!

OK Go 3/7/09 Recher Theatre

• (New) Shoot the Moon
• Get Over It
• A Million Ways
• (New)
• (New)
• Oh Lately It's So Quiet
• (New)
• It's a Disaster
• Do What You Want
• What To Do (with handbells)[yes I realize the video isn't from the show I went to and yes I did record the performance I saw, but a) don't know how to upload it and b) don't want y'all to hear me sing]
• (New)
• Don't Ask Me
• (New)
• Here It Goes Again

Encore

• (New)
• A Good Idea at the Time
• Invincible

Until next time.

Honestly, I Was Doing Better

Well...not really. Another barometer reading.

"Mr. Brighside" --- The Killers

I'm coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I’m falling asleep
And she’s calling a cab
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head
But she’s touching his chest
Now, he takes off her dress
Now, letting me go

And I just can’t look - it's killing me
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside

I’m coming out of my cage
And I’ve been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I’m falling asleep
And she’s calling a cab
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Now they’re going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it’s all in my head
But she’s touching his chest
Now, he takes off her dress
Now, letting me go

'Cause I just can’t look - it's killing me
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside

I never...
I never...
I never...
I never...

Oh Those Silly Brits

So here' something everyone should know: I love the UK. If the UK is mentioned at anytime, anywhere, it will make me smile. Also, I will instinctively correct the pronunciation of Reading (it's pronounced Redding, those silly Brits.) However, this does not mean I'm British or that I've ever lived in the UK. It just means I know things. Like how to pronounce the name of a town in Berkshire (not Yorkshire, like I originally thought.) Let me repeat: I am not British. I just wish I was.
Also, who goes to Dover and doesn't see the Cliffs? I don't think there's anything else to do, other than go to a museum on transportation. Cliffs and transportation museum. :rolls eyes: Honestly Roach, you just continue to disappoint me.

My Fangirl Personality is Winning At the Moment

This afternoon I wrote the following on my Twitter account (yes I have a Twitter account, you should already know this): "There are certain guarantees in life and one of them is if I see of a picture of a certain lead singer I will start to drool". Of course I was and am still referring to a certain Mr. Charles Richard Wilson (took my 10 seconds to remember his proper first name, I'm still quite sad.) You see earlier this evening I decided to check out t'Chiefs news page in the vain hope that they'd announced some tour dates in the US. [You see I spent a great bloody chunk of time last night re-re-recopying my set lists from the past four years and after realizing I have 3 from t'Chiefs, I thought, wouldn't it be nice to see them again.] All I got was an announcement that they were disappointing me again. However they did provide a link to some really fantastic photos of my favourite lead singer. And Whitey. And Peanut. But mostly Ricky, which made me drool because he looks really fit. Of course later on this same evening I was looking for a picture to illustrate my radio show and looked briefly through my extensive collection of Wilson photos. That made me happy too because I'm still a horrible fangirl. And I need all the distractions I can get.
Things are slightly better though. The weather is beautiful and after a little over an hour of doing homework (Asian Civ.) I finally got to dance around at the amphitheatre which made me happy. I always like dancing around the amphitheatre, it's almost as much fun as reading about the emergence of Communist China (j/k, it's way more fun than that.) I basically got everything I wanted done today done which is also good. And I promise there will be a set list from OK Go soon. Probably not until Wednesday though. School sadly gets in the way of doing that kind of thing. But I will say this: 1) Couples need to not make out in front of me (though I do have excellent impulse control) and 2) The new OK Go album should be brilliant based on what they played Saturday. But seriously, couples should not make out in front of me during a really horrible and boring set. It just makes me mad and nobody wants that. Least of all me, because sleepiness and anger don't mix well.
I'm listening to Magical Mystery Tour right now. Some things never change.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

I feel I owe this blog some happiness, so that's what I'm going to do. Write about some happy stuff. :D
I've been working on losing weight mostly since the new school year started, but a little bit over the summer as well. Well all my efforts (avoiding vending machines, eating Weight Watchers meals) have seemed to have paid off. I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and it would seem I have lost somewhere around the 20 lbs mark. I'd probably have lost more if I didn't have a weak spot for Caesar salads with crispy chicken, mozzarella sticks and garlic bread (along with pizza and bagels) but I'm not perfect. Still it's nothing to sniff at. So yay me! And don't worry, you won't be hearing about any of this again, unless something dramatic happens, like I lose a bagillion pounds overnight. In which case, I need all of you to start looking for cute fat babies. 0_0
In other bright and happy news I'm seeing OK Go tonight!! Which means I'm seeing two bands in a single month, something I haven't done since this past summer. I think I would be more excited if I hadn't been home for a week and therefore hadn't had so much time to think and dwell and become seriously mopey. But still, it should be fun and hopefully the venue is a good one. I've never been to Recher Theatre before, but since it has theatre in its name, it has to be better than the Sonar. Quite frankly anything's better than the Sonar, so...yeah. Still it should be a really great show and I am excited. I can't guarantee a review, but you lot will definitely get a set list within the next few days.
Now for two rather hilarious links: Australia by the ever wonderful Weebl and some very good reasons why you should wear safety goggles. I find them amusing anyhow.
Also I love Dollhouse. :D

A Barometer of My Feelings (aka some lyrics because I can't write right now)

"The Winner Takes It All" --- ABBA

I don't wanna talk
About the things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me
Now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play

The winner takes it all
The loser standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny

I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I'd be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules

The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear
The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
It's simple and it's plain
Why should I complain.

But tell me does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you?
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name?
Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say
Rules must be obeyed

The judges will decide
The likes of me abide
Spectators of the show
Always staying low
The game is on again
A lover or a friend
A big thing or a small
The winner takes it all

I don't wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You've come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self-confidence
But you see
The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all...

It's Beatle-tastic and Emo-tastic All at the Same Time

God I feel depressed. Thus making it hard to write anything at all. But if I don't do this, I won't and thus the great and interesting Beatles news would never be reported by yours truly. So here it is!
First up we have the degree I always wanted thanks to the Liverpool Hope University: the first Beatles-related MA. Yeah that's right, people some very lucky people get to spend x number of years getting a Master's on the Beatles. Needless to say, if the whole radio thing doesn't work out, I'm going to be applying for that program. Hell, I'd apply right now if I could. Sadly, still need that BA.
I need a new best friend who has Rock Band. You know why? Because there's a Beatles version being released next fall. Either that or I'm going to buy it myself and donate it to the Washroom so I can play on their console all the time. Yeah, that Beatles obsession never really went away, it's just laying dormant for now. Mwhahahahaha!!
Well I'm glad I did that. First time in months I've done something like this. Doesn't necessarily make me feel better, but at least I did it. And there's something to be said for doing something even though you don't really feel like it because you don't feel like doing a damn thing. I could say why I'm feeling this way, but...I feel like I'm being overly dramatic about the whole thing (42 guesses as to what I'm referring to, first person to get it gets virtual cookies). I mean I've never been through something like this and so I don't have any real reference as to how long the healing process should take or whether I'm just being a drama queen. It's just...difficult. He's not evil like Miles and so I feel I can't be angry or upset with him or turn into a villian, but I so want to. I want to turn him into this evil schmuck (what a great word) so I can vindicate all the things I'm feeling because if he's evil than I deserve to feel them. But he's not and so because of that I feel like I'm not allowed to feel the way I do. Angry, betrayed, upset, hurt, confused, etc, etc. I keep wanting to go up to people and ask them how I'm suppose to handle this, how am I suppose to move past this, but I can't because a) that would be really weird and b) most of the people I want to ask are in no way neutral. I feel like at this point I should have moved on, I should be over this, but I'm not and I have no idea when and that's nearly as frustrating because I don't want to feel this way any more. I don't want my chest to clench every time he updates on Facebook, I don't want to be terrified that I'll see him on campus, I don't want a thousand little things to remind me of him. I hate this. But I can't seem to move on. I can't seem to let go. And the worst part is I don't know if it's me, my psychology, or if this is just how these things work. I feel as lost as I did when this whole thing started and I'm still asking the same question: Why can't there be a blue print? I would really like one right now.
So much for not talking about this.

In Lieu of an Actual Entry, Some Lyrics

Adam Ant --- Goody Two Shoes (from Friend or Foe)

With the heartbreak open
So much you can't hide
Put on a little makeup makeup
Make sure they get your good side good side

If the words unspoken
Get stuck in your throat
Send a treasure token token
Write it on a pound note pound note

Goody two goody two goody goody two shoes
Goody two goody two goody goody two shoes

Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside

We don't follow fashion
That would be a joke
You know we're going to set them set them
So everyone can take note take note

When they saw you kneeling
Crying words that you mean
Opening their eyeballs eyeballs
Pretending that you're Al Green Al Green

Goody two goody two goody goody two shoes
Goody two goody two goody goody two shoes

Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside

No one's gonna tell me
What's wrong or what's right
Or tell me who to eat with sleep with
Or that I've won the big fight big fight

Look out or they'll tell you
You're a Superstar
Two weeks and you're an all time legend
I think the games have gone much too far

If the words unspoken
Get stuck in your throat
Send a treasure token token
Write it on a pound note pound note

Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside

Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside

Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside

Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside

Quickie Revies: Lily Allen

Lily Allen: It's Not Me, It's You is a musically intriguing little pop confection with a slightly intellectual core. Sometimes when Ms. Allen gets up too high on her horse the songs fall flat, but for the most part she leaves sociological observations left to those who can actually do it and just observes her world to very best of her ability, which in most cases in excellent. Recommended songs: "The Fear," "Not Fair," "22," "Never Going to Happen," "Fuck You."

I was going to talk about Different Class and This Is Hardcore by Pulp but I'll have to get back to you on those two. Excellent albums though, really glad I gave them a listen.

A Snowy Spring Break Update

Apologies for the infrequent updates. I had mid-terms last week and how many times you do you guys really want to hear "gaah I hate my life?" Because really, that's all I would be saying. Gaah I hate my life. Except for today of course. Today I showed signs of improvement. You see I watched a rom-com today (Ever After if you must know) and didn't cringe or cry or want to die. If that's not improvement, I don't know what is. And did I mention I was watching said rom-com by myself? Yeah that's right, watching a rom-com by myself without any crying or cringing. Lost sound for about 15 minutes for no apparent reason, but that's fixed. Anyway, I'm home and will be seeing OK Go next Saturday. Good times. Mind you I have to deal with my family and their none stop insanity, but if I stay in my room long I won't have to deal with them too much and I won't loose my sanity in the course of a week. Hopefully I won't loose my sanity anyway. What little left I have.
Anyway, that's it for me, for now. Unless of course someone could tell me what 00110110 is in normal people speak. I never was very good at conversion.
Oh, one last thing. Nikki was mauled by a German shepard mix. Were it not for the fact that half of her body is covered in scars, you'd never guess it. That's why little dogs are awesome.

Cocker by Name, Cocker by Nature

So it's been awhile since I last did a proper update. This is for two reasons: a) not that much has been happening and b) I'm very tired. My heart's still recovering (which I now predict will not end until the end of the semester or I get a new boyfriend) and this week is mid-terms. My pen pal has convinced me that I really do need to listen to Pulp so I've doing that for the past day or so as well. Jarvis Cocker confuses me though. As I wrote in a note I made about him he is both constantly on the prowl for more sex and what would have happened if David Bowie had been from Sheffield and was into new wave. And I'm dead serious when I say that. On the other hand I can't help but associate him with an episode of NMTB were he's doing this really stupid looking dance to "Common People" and then (this was a connections round) being associated with the lead singer from Spandau Ballet (I'm not going to tell you how their connected, it's too confusing.) So on the one hand I have this guy who sounds like sex but reminds me of NMTB. It's very confusing for me poor brain. In any event, I've listened to Different Class almost twice through and I still like Blur better. I've got one more album I need to listen to and hopefully my brain won't explode from listening to Mr. Cocker's voice too much.
In other news, UMW is having a con. On a Sunday. And Ben Folds is coming to play on a Monday. The scheduling at this school is very strange. Speaking of scheduling I've decided that I'm going to take elementary astronomy for my science requirement because I really like stars. I have one more class to choose (none of my other required classes are being offered next semester) and I'll have a full schedule. Of course I'll also be counting down the days till I'm in London (because I will be in London a year from now dammit.) So yeah, scheduling and Mary Washicon. I'm not cosplaying, but see no point in not going. It's all of five minutes from my room. :shrugs:
I've been wearing the hat and keep getting compliments, which I find strange. It's way big on me and I keep worrying that it's going to fly off. It has flown off twice, once at Union Station and again yesterday into the bushes near my dorm (that was well annoying.) Tomorrow I have a recital that I'm actually not dreading and hopefully it will go okay. I also have my show tomorrow and have to start on another paper for music history. I can't wait till Friday. Until next time.

Pen Pal

I have a pen pal (a moniker I'm sure he would appreciate.) It's fun and as has been very cathartic because we mostly just talk about music with some side lining into the personal stuff. He really knows his stuff about British music and it's been so refreshing to have someone know as much, if not more, than I do. He also knows a bit about Doctor Who which is always a plus because my sci-fi geek side is as important as my British music geek side. I told my mum about him this morning and her first reaction was worry and "are you sure he's not some old guy?" I personally am not worried because I use my brain and have never revealed any real personal information. Except that one time I mentioned the exact town I live in. But that was four years ago. Still, it's been so nice having someone to distract me from last weeks (almost two weeks) event. Besides, he's "forcing" me into listening to all the bands I know I should be listening to but just haven't gotten around to listening to. Of course he found me through LJ which just adds a layer of oddness to it that I appreciate in a strange way. It's fun though, this pen pal stuff. Lots of fun.

I Can't Be Expected to Be OK After a Week

"What'll I Do" Irving Berlin

What'll I do when you
Are far away
And I'm so blue,
What'll I do?

What'll I do when I
Am wondering who
Is kissing you,
What'll I do?

What'll I do with just
A photograph
To tell my troubles to?

When I'm alone
With only dreams of you
That won't come true,
What'll I do?

What'll I do with just
A photograph
To tell my troubles to?

When I'm alone
With only dreams of you
That won't come true,
What'll I do?

"To The End" Blur

All those dirty words (Jusqu'a la fin)
They make us look so dumb (En plein soleil)
We've been drinking far too much (Jusqu'a la fin)
And neither of us mean what we say (En plein amour)

Well you and I
Collapsed in love
And it looks like we might have made it
Yes, it looks like we've made it to the end

What happened to us? (Jusqu'a la fin)
Soon it will be gone forever (En plein soleil)
Infatuated only with ourselves (Jusqu'a la fin)
And neither of us can think straight anymore. (En plein amour)

Well you and I
Collapsed in love
And it looks like we might have made it,
Yes, it looks like we've made it to the end
When you and I
Collapsed in love
Well, it looks like we might have made it
Yes, it looks like we've made it to the end.

(En plein amour)
You and I
Just collapsed in love
And it looks like we might have made it
Yes, it looks like we've made it to the end

(En plein soleil)
(En plein soleil)

Every Record Ever

Now that I've been all emo and shit, here's something highly amusing (and somewhat true) that I got from Cracked.com.

You know it's true, I know it's true, thus it is brilliant. Also, credit for the art work is at bottom right corner. Enjoy!

It's 5th Grade All Over, Except This Time I'm Older

I cried in my bathroom last night. It was the first time since Wednesday I had a proper cry about what happened. I think it was due to a mixture of really good break-up songs (ABBA "The Winner Takes It All") and news/pictures about Katsucon. I felt really pathetic, using the fan in the loo as a way to mask the crying and I didn't feel much better, but I've been trying not to cry since the initial shock so I think it was for the best. I keep using that phrase, but half the time I don't actually believe it. I also have this rather fucked up hope that the bastard will realize he didn't have a good reason for doing this, will ask me back and I'll get to hurt him like he's hurt me. I had the same hope with Miles and look how well that turned out. Which brings me to another point: I had a dream where Miles played both himself and the bastard. That was very strange, if completely relevant. Both betrayed me, both broke up with me out of the clear blue sky and both did nothing to help my trust/self-esteem issues (though I would say Miles was the origin of my trust issues, the grimy little fucker.) Still, it was strange waking up with Miles' face in my brain. The grimy little fucker.
I just want some closure. I want a proper reason and a chance to air my grievances. I want everything I didn't get with Miles. I never got closure, I never got to tell him what he did to me. I doubt I'll ever get that with the bastard, mostly because I won't be able to talk to him, but I want all of it nevertheless. Because maybe if I get closure, I won't hurt as much as I do now. Again, I doubt that's true, but I can hope, since none of it will happen. I'll just solider through and cry in my bathroom when necessary.
On another, somewhat related note, I brought back the hat I bought the bastard for Christmas. It's my hat now and I'm going to wear it as a sign of my (non-existent) strength. It's too big for me, but I don't care really. It's the hat and now it's mine. And I'm wearing it on Friday, just to prove the point. Doctor Who is as much mine as it is his, even more so because I was the reason he really got into it. We'll just see how Friday goes.

Aftermath

I feel I owe you the reading public some kind of explanation for yesterday. Obvious point of fact is Hunter broke up with me. I'm not going to go into details because a) I might start bawling again and b) it was a fairly generic break up. Though his reasoning did include an ingrown toe-nail. Anywho, the point of this entry is to say this: I have so many freakin' amazing people in my life. I've gotten more hugs in the past 24 hours than I usually do in a month. Even people who are friends with Hunter were there for me, calling to check that I was okay. I just am so thankful and grateful to everyone whose been so nice to me over the past day. Especially Joe because he called Hunter a loser, and not just because he's my friend. That made my day. So even though I can't think too hard, have to be constantly distracted, and have to avoid a certain area on campus (which is really awkward), I'm doing okay. And that's entirely because of the wonderful people in my life. Yay them.

Over

I'm speechless right now, but have to mark this day. It's over. All the frustration and tears, for nothing. My mom's getting the v-day gift or at least what I've completed of it. I hate him.

Sad Happy Sad

This is a rather pathetic entry, but if I posted this on Facebook or Twitter, it would just seem even sadder, and I have my standards. I just found out through and AV Club inventory list that Marketa and Glenn have broken up. I'm inordinately sad about this fact. However I can't keep a sad face while listening to Lily Allen (album review later tonight, promise!), but just so you know, I am sad on the inside.
In other news, I finally get to show off during a recital. I'm thrilled, just absolutely stoked. Now if I could play the A harmonic minor scale really fast, it would be absolutely perfect. Still, I'm excited about a recital for the first time since forever. :D
I'm still on the inside though. They were perfect! :sad face:

V-Day Part 1 cont.

Right now I'm taking a break from reading about Japanese history with all of it's incredibly difficult-to-pronounce names and will instead update you lot on my v-day gift for Hunter. I am seriously desperate to avoid work, but if I start watching Gossip Girl again, I will never get this reading done. So, the v-day gift.
Originally I was going to get the bf a fob watch. Then I discovered that fob watches cost as much as one of my dresses and as much as I care about the bf, it seems a bit early to spend that much money on him. So then I was completely lost as to what to get him. I searched and searched, trying to think of something geeky and romantic, with nothing to show for it. Until ThinkGeek.com came to the rescue. I got a flash drive that's packaged in a fake cassette tape fashion (I tried to link to an image, but the site is cooperating with me, so just picture a cassette tape with a small flash drive in the middle.) It holds 90 minutes of music, which has been broken down into two play lists, the first of which I finished last night and second of which I'm almost done with. The second play list is entirely British and consists of all my favourite British artists (well the majority of them anyway). One song each (otherwise the whole thing would be Kaiser Chiefs) and I'm just waiting on Lily Allen's second album to be released so I can decide whether I'm going to feature a song from that album or her first album. I suspect he won't like any of it and will think I'm a big weirdo for making him two play lists while he get's me DW fan art, but I don't care. If he hasn't already figured out that music is my life, he'll get it now.
I also got a card from Etsy.com that says "Shut Up and Kiss Me" with a little Eros* at the bottom. It's stupid and dorky, but so is a card with "XOXO" on it. V-day is just cheesy, and there's nothing he can do about it. I haven't gotten to really celebrate this day since elementary school, so I'm going all dorky and cheesy over it. It's fun to be dorky and cheesy every once in a while.
*Eros, Cupid. It's all the same when you get down to it: A pudgy little guy shooting arrows so people will have sex with each other. And yes, my classics class is going very well, ta.

V-Day Part 1

I've programmed the first part of the play list I'm giving to Hunter for V-day (even though he won't get it on V-day :grumbles incoherently about cons and their stupidity:). It's the mushy romantic part, but about half the songs aren't mushy and romantic, one of the songs isn't even romantic ("Istanbul" for all its wonderful qualities can not be called mushy or romantic) and two, maybe three, of the songs could be considered don't right anti-romantic. Still, it's the sentiment that counts in my opinion. I also told an old friend of mine who's going to Katsucon to punch Hunter in the arm if she sees him. Granted I gave a rather non-descript description of him, but still I think "tall, gangly, and wearing a ridiculous scarf" just about covers it. The chance of the two of them actually seeing each other is astronomical :knocks on wood:, but still it would be highly amusing if Hunter came back saying that some random chick punched him in the arm and said it was from me. Would definitely make up for missing V-day, more so than fan art. In any event, the second part will be pure Brit-pop, which is my way of torturing the poor boy. Still, that's what he gets for missing V-day. Musical (and possibly physical) torture. I'm eeeeeeeeevil.
Edit: Did I mention that one of the songs on mushy romantic is You Can Have It All? Yeah, my idea of a romantic play list is kind of strange.

Amphitheatre Escapades

Well I just had a really lovely afternoon. The weather is gorgeous (currently 72 degrees Fahrenheit) and the sun is shining, so around 12:30 I decided I would enjoy this glorious weather by spending the afternoon at the amphitheatre. So I packed up my books (classics, Asian Civ, and music history) and headed over to the amphitheatre. When I got there, there were already two people there which surprised me since usually I go when no one else is there. Still, I settled down on the steps and started reading one of the many Homeric hymns I have to read for class tomorrow. When the two people that were there left, I started wandering around, as is my wont, and generally enjoying the weather and the freedom of being alone at the amphitheatre. I was listening to my classical mix, reading Homeric hymns and chapters from the Iliad and the Odyssy and just really enjoying the weather and not worrying about a damn thing. The first track on my classical mix is "Bolero" by Ravel and in the middle of said track, I decided to enjoy my freedom and the weather just a little bit more by dancing around like I actually know how to dance. So I was pacing and dancing and leaping about like I'm wont to do when I have this strange feeling that someone else is in the amphitheatre seeing me make an ass out of myself. So I look up from my book (yes I was dancing and reading at the same time, I'm just that good) and who should I see but Heather, Lauren, and Hunter, staring at me. I just about pissed myself from embarrassment. Of course they didn't realize it was me until I stopped dancing, but still. It was an odd moment to say the least. I'm usually much more aware of my surroundings. Still, it was a wonderful afternoon. And dancing to "Bolero" is a lot of fun.

Que Sera

I'm sorry I haven't been updating. My life swings between melodrama and insania depending on the hour and the day. Classes are going well, even if music history does become more frustrating with each passing class. Mostly things are fine I suppose. I'm just stuck in this rut that won't be going anywhere until March by my estimation. Next week is intercollegiate band, but I'm not really looking forward to Saturday for multiple reasons. Still, things aren't so terrible. In the grand scheme of things I'm actually in a very good place. It just doesn't feel that way most of the time. C'est la vie.

Like Father, Like Daughter

I'm a little scared right now. I've always known that I had my dad's stubborn streak and high-mindedness about certain things. I also know that much like my dad I'm prone to self-deprecation, which works in my favour to a certain extent because at least that part of my personality keeps my ego in check. However more and more I'm realizing that my dad and I have something else in common, something that I don't particularly like: passive-aggressiveness. My dad being mad at me has always been worse than my mum being mad at me because my dad doesn't yell. There's no outward show anger at all. He stews until he hits his boiling point, which doesn't happen often. He mostly just stews and acts in a passive-aggressive manner towards the person/people he's mad at. With yelling at least you know what you're getting.
For the past few weeks I've been extremely frustrated with Hunter for a myriad of pointless reasons. I haven't said anything, but lately I've made snide and sarcastic remarks when he and I actually get a chance to talk. Today when he said he was going to hang out some knitting shop down town I told him I hoped he had fun with his yarn. Even though the statement was typed I was thinking it in my head with a bitter and sarcastic tone. What scares me about this is that it's so easy to just continue down this road, never confront the issue, just make pithy and cutting remarks instead. I'll continue to feel bitter, Hunter will remain completely unaware of the problem and nothing will get better, it will just get worse. This relationship is so important to me, but inertia is working against me and I'm too much like my dad. I'll let the problem stew until I hit my boiling point at which point everything will go to hell and a hand basket. That scares me, but I seem incapable of doing anything to change it. People say the first step is admitting you have a problem, but then what? How do you fight inertia?
God, I've gone so emo. At least I still listen to relatively happy music.

AV Club Q&A

I usually don't copy and paste things whole-sale into my blog unless their lyrics. The few times I've quoted from other blogs/articles, I usually have a witty comment to add. In this case, I don't. I simply wanted to share the genius of 2 AV Club writers. Enjoy:

What are your pop-culture "sacred cows"? What entertainment opinions do you consider so inarguable that attempts to argue the subject provoke instant rage or frustration?

Steve Heisler

That's a perfect segue into something I argue constantly: the early Beatles are just as substantial and worthy of merit as the later stuff. Endless praise has been lumped upon everything past Rubber Soul—and I'm not denying the pure, unfiltered genius that gave way to Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and just about the entire Beatles oeuvre. It's just that even at Please Please Me, the Fab Four were making the kind of experimental yet commercially viable music they made later. This was just its early stages. Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison (yeah, Starr not so much until the mid-'60s) took the rock 'n' roll not yet popular with white America, mixed in raw blues and skiffle (high-energy, country-inspired folk music), and gave it a smiling face—together, that's no small feat. Plus, those guys were in their late teens/early 20s at the time, which is still pretty amazing to think about. McCartney ensured the timing was airtight, Harrison handled the kick-ass guitar solos (his "Can't Buy Me Love" ditty, while short, is a personal favorite), and Lennon penned more honest lyrics than most bands. (Listen to "Help!" and "I'm A Loser," and try to ignore the upbeat tempo.) In short, opening with "Tomorrow Never Knows" would have been career suicide; the early stuff made the audience for that career-changing track.

Donna Bowman

I'll cheer Tasha's principle and apply it to my favorite lump-dismissal rage-inducer: musicals. If I had a nickel for every time somebody told me, "Oh, I don't like musicals," I'd open my own nickelodeon. You don't like entertainment in which music is integrated with the action? I'd say you don't like entertainment, full stop. Now, I understand that accepting certain conventions of certain musical entertainment forms, like people singing to each other instead of talking, takes a suspension of disbelief. But these same people generally have no problem with the suspension of disbelief needed to accept action movies or romantic comedies. Convention is convention; throwing out one because it's preposterous on its face makes as little sense as mandating the teaching of counter-evidence for evolution, but not for the theory of gravity.

The "I don't like musicals" assertion that sends me all the way 'round the bend actually came up in the "Guilty displeasures" thread—Singin' In The Rain. The person who could find Singin' boring or silly is not a person I care to have existing in the same world as me. Such a statement, as is often the case, tells me more about the person making it than about the movie. If there was ever a movie that displayed the ability of musicals (and, I would argue, cinema itself) to simultaneously communicate sophistication and sincerity, it's Singin'. Anyone who is able to accept joy into his life will at least be able to understand its greatness. Only a truly dedicated curmudgeon—the kind of person who sees a dark cloud behind every silver lining—could dismiss it as worthless.

Dichotomy

You know a class is going well, and you really trust and like the people in that class, when your professor starts playing "Dancing Queen" and nearly everyone, without hesitation, starts singing along. That is the sign of a tight-knit group of people. Another sign is when you unanimously decide that your music history professor sucks and you start calling her Dolores Umbridge, because that's who she reminds you of. It's an odd dichotomy though. I'm loving my theory class right now but loathing my music history class. Today I wrote out the bridge from "Lucid Dreams" (the not funky version from the album) and the bridge from "Perfect Symmetry" during music history. I don't need to take notes, because Prof. Roach/Umbridge is teaching directly from the book. Meanwhile in theory we're singing "Dancing Queen" and discussing theme and variation techniques. I'm actually taking real notes. It's all very strange in my opinion.
Meanwhile over in Asian Civ. I'm cursing British politics. It's odd for me because usually I avoid thinking about Victorian era British politics and politics in general because it invariably annoys me. However the subject can no longer be avoided and now I'm very annoyed. Not that the Chinese were completely defenceless or unaware of the problems being created by opium, but declaring war on a country because they destroy your illegal product seems completely idiotic to me. Yes, I know they didn't want to lose silver, but still. Opium was illegal, so why make a fuss over its destruction. Lord knows you can get more. Nonetheless, Asian Civ. is excellent.
On a last note, I have three homes: Pollard (morning home), the Washroom (afternoon home) and my room in Arrington (evening home.) Because of the way my schedule has worked out and my own need not to spend more than four or five hours in my room, I generally don't get back to my room until 5 or 6 most days. This makes me happy and I've gotten a lot of extracurricular reading done which also makes me happy. But yes, I have three homes.

Meme-y Goodness

Empire Magazine has revealed its list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows ever:
1. Bold the shows you watch/used to watch.
2. Italic the shows you've seen at least one episode of.
3. Too much work so I'm leaving this out but if you want you can strikeout the shows you've never seen. I'm not doing it because that leaves no shows untouched and who has that kind of time?--which is entirely gypsylady's sentiment, but I concur wholeheatedly
4. Post your answers. (By the way I got this from faithharkness @ LJ)

50. Quantum Leap
49. Prison Break
48. Veronica Mars
47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
46. Sex & The City
45. Farscape
44. Cracker
43. Star Trek
42. Only Food and Horses
41. Band of Brothers
40. Life on Mars
39. Monty Python’s Flying Circus
38. Curb Your Enthusiasm
37. Star Trek: The Next Generation
36. Father Ted
35. Alias
34. Frasier
33. CSI: Las Vegas
32. Babylon 5
31. Deadwood
30. Dexter
29. ER
28. Fawlty Towers
27. Six Feet Under
26. Red Dwarf --- I so need to see this it isn't even funny
25. Futurama
24. Twin Peaks
23. The Office UK and US
22. The Shield
21. Angel --- Do bits and pieces count?
20. Blackadder --- I only want to watch the ones with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, but I refuse to buy it
19. Scrubs
18. Arrested Development
17. South Park
16. Doctor Who --- But if you didn't know this already, for shame
15. Heroes
14. Firefly --- Shiny
13. Battlestar Galactica original series and the new one.
12. Family Guy
11. Seinfeld --- But I never enjoyed myself
10. Spaced --- I own it on DVD and it has Simon Pegg. Of course I watch this
09. The X-Files --- The theme tune always freaked me out and still does
08. The Wire
07. Friends
06. 24
05. Lost --- Off and on sort of thing
04. The West Wing
03. The Sopranos
02. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
01. The Simpsons --- It's been many moons since I watched this, but it use to be a staple of family viewing on Sundays

Twitter is Invading

This comes from the Behind the Sofa Twitter account. I feel I should get a Twitter account now, but I won't. Anywho, here's the quote:

Breaking News: a BBC insider reveals that 70% of Dr Who's special effects budget in 2010 will be spent making Matt Smith look human.

Granted this is from the same group of people who compared Mr. Smith's looks to Young Frankenstein. Which is true, Mr. Smith really does look like an eyebrow-less version of Frank Boyle. >_> I do like Matt Smith, honestly. It's just so easy to make fun of him.