And Then There Were Three

My mother is here! We're going to do some dull shopping for food today, and just hang out together.
In other news, I got yet another birthday parcel today. Will the torture never stop? My mother is no help at all; she suggested we should make it harder for me and put all the presents on display, rather than keep them hidden as I've been doing.

The Ultimate Test

I got post today. All three items were a mixture of good and bad.

Item the first: my credit card bill (dull) on which I owed nothing (yay!)
Item the second: a parcel from my grandparents (mother's side)
Item the third: a parcel from my grandparents (father's side)

I was ready to tear open the parcels and giggle with glee over whatever was hidden inside, when I realised that my grandparents, being organised individuals who still think the post between the UK and mainland Europe takes two weeks, had sent me my birthday presents early. My father's mother even showed remarkable knowledge of my character by having written on the outside of the envelope that the parcel is a birthday present and not to open it before the 3rd of April (except she said it in a way I don't know how to translate into English, it was more like: 'This is a birthday present! Don't even think about it!' ('it' being opening the parcel early)).

So now I have to exert self-control.

I am glad my mother is coming to visit tomorrow and is staying until the day before my birthday, because the exertion of self-control for almost AN ENTIRE WEEK is far, far beyond me.

Birthdays are hard work, I'm telling ya.

Grrrrrrr

I am sat in the archives trying to write my essay and it won't work. I hate this! Need to write 3500 words before Thursday, and I only have a quote and no original thoughts... Grrrrrr....
Where's my inspiration gone?

Wish Me Luck!

I just finished my Work Experience application to Penguin, so let's hope for the best! Now I still need to write a letter to the HR Department asking if they have any real jobs or summer placements for me...

Something To Pass The Time

After the Beautiful Lady had tidied and cleaned her castle, and taken care of the dirty clothes and dishes, and made herself a nice cup of tea, she realised that with nothing urgent to do and nothing to procrastinate about, she was bored. Should she take up some embroidery? Should she take up an educational text and improve her mind? Should she help the needy? Should she knit clothes for the many babies she would no doubt one day have with her Knight In Shining Armour?
The Beautiful Lady decided against all of these options, and chose instead to go on a quest. She put on her prettiest warm dress, dark-blue leather boots and her cloak-for-adventures (which was dark-blue, also, and had never been used before). She told her Prime Minister she was going on a quest and to mind the country while she was gone, please. He asked, with her permission (he would never have asked without it), 'What sort of quest will this be, Mylady?' The Beautiful Lady said she did not know as yet, but that it was perfect quest weather (dark and grey and cold and windy), and that she had done everything else to abate her boredom, and just listen to me I am your boss after all. The Prime Minister, who had intended to ask about embroidery and the needy and baby clothes, saw The Beautiful Lady meant business and told her to have a nice trip and did she have enough money with her? The Beautiful Lady said she thought she did and left.
Although generally, The Beautiful Lady did not like walking if she did not have a clear goal in mind, her quest spurred her on to previously unknown heights, and she happily started walking. When she came to a crossing she took the road that looked most quest-like, and for every crossing afterwards she did the same. For several weeks, nothing very thrilling happened. Once, The Beautiful Lady was almost robbed of all her money, but she found she could kick harder than she (and her attackers) had anticipated, and got away unhurt.
When The Beautiful Lady was getting a bit fed up with her quest and started thinking about going home, she got to a lake. The lake was in the middle of a forest, a forest which started just outside The Beautiful Lady's castle and seemed, to her never-ending. The Lake In The Middle Of The Never-Ending-Seeming Forest was surrounded by a Lovely Green Meadow and some Not Quite Lovely But Not Bad Either Rocks. Although the forest had been quite nice-looking, and The Beautiful Lady had enjoyed most of her quest so far (except for the almost being robbed part and the time she had to hide in a smelly tree to escape a wild boar's notice), this lake was, as she saw it, the Most Beautiful Thing she had ever seen.
The Beautiful Lady decided her quest was over, and that she would live by the lake from now on. No more silly castle where all she could do was wait for the Knight In Shining Armour for her, oh no! She would live by the lake and fill her days with walks in the forest and live off the things she could find in it.
The Beautiful Lady wrote a letter to her Prime Minister telling him she was going to live by the lake from now on and to only disturb her if there was really no one else who could do what they wanted, and to leave her alone for the rest of it if he wanted to keep his job. The Prime Minister wrote a letter back that with her permission, he would like to keep his job and was there anything she needed? But The Beautiful Lady ignored the letter because she was busy building a hut. When her hut was done, she felt hungry, and she went out to get some food. So she lived quite peacefully for several years, until one day, when she felt like having a good long walk. She packed some food and set out to see where the forest would take her.
After a few weeks, The Beautiful Lady had had enough of sleeping on the mossy ground and decided to go back to her Hut By The Lake. She had enjoyed her time in the forest, where there were only plants and animals, and no Prime Ministers or Knights In Shining Armour to worry about. Cheerfully, The Beautiful Lady started her trek back to her Hut By The Lake.
When she got to The Lake In The Middle Of The Forest, however, The Beautiful Lady saw something that made her very sad. The first time she had seen the lake, it had been a beautiful, undisturbed, and tranquil place. Now, with The Beautiful Lady's hut and her footsteps on the shore, as well as other obvious signs of The Beautiful Lady's presence, the Lake In The Middle Of The Never-Ending-Seeming Forest was Just Another Lake. The Beautiful Lady realised her quest had finally come to an end. She tried as best as she could to erase the marks she had left on the forest, and went back to her castle.
When The Beautiful Lady got back to her castle, it looked so comfortable and familiar that she almost burst out crying. As she got to the front door, her Prime Minister came to greet her. 'Welcome Home, Mylady, we have missed you very much.' The Beautiful Lady thanked him for his kindness and told him to get her a bath ready, and be quick about it because I need to wash several years of forest life out of my hair.
When The Beautiful Lady was all clean and dressed in one of the dresses her Prime Minister had gotten ready for her return, she asked him how everything had gone in her absence, and found that her Prime Minister had done a great job ruling her country. He was so good, in fact, that The Beautiful Lady saw no way but to marry him so that they could continue to reign together.
And they lived happily ever after, without knitting or embroidery, but they did help the needy and read many many books together.

My Name Should Be Procrastinator The Great

I seriously need to tidy my room, it is a horrible horrible mess. And I need to clean, there's dust everywhere... And I know how happy I will be when my room is finally all nice and tidy and clean-smelling. And I've finished watching the available 'Heroes' episodes on the internet.
But I should have some food first... I'm starving!!!

The Road Less Traveled

I did everything I wanted to do this week except what I had planned for today. I did go and see the doctor, but I wasn't feeling great (I had a headache because I slept funny) so I gave myself a break and relaxed. I think I am finally getting somewhere with this whole self-love and being less hard on myself thing. I am just going to try to do what I can and enjoy life. Today I feel very optimistic about my life, and working on this letter for Penguin (I need to make some small changes, why do they always seem harder than big ones?) makes me feel quite good about myself. I know my writing on here is more diary-style and not always very good, but this letter has made me see I'm actually pretty good at this whole writing malarky! Anyways, I know it's gonna take some time, but I am definitely feeling much better about myself and the world.
Oh, and I am still working on Awesome Lady, she has a lot in store for us...

I Am Penguin, Hear Me Roar

I just finished my Cover Letter to Penguin, and sent it off to my father who will hopefully say it is awesome and needs no changes whatsoever. Or you know, be honest and give some good criticism. I would really love to work for Penguin, and although this is just an application for Work Experience, it would be great if I could get my foot in the door...

Just so I can't back out of it, here's my plan for the week:
Today:
write letter to Penguin
go for dinner with Catwoman and friends
giggle with glee over my Girl's Own Annual that arrived today
Wednesday:
get up early, wash hair and eat breakfast
get haircut!
classes
Thursday:
go into town with the American Chick
drop of CVs to everyone who might possibly have a job opening (pref. bookshops)
Friday:
work on essay at Museum of English Rural Life
go see doctor
go to sports centre and see if I can do anything that won't get me laughed at by jocks

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed And Someone Not So Blue

I just got an email from Ebay that I won the Girl's Own Annual from 1894 I was the only bidder for. So wahey! for me winning and no one else losing because of it, and wahey! for me finally properly losing my Ebay virginity.
I am impatiently waiting for the second episode of Heroes to load. I thought I'd watch the first episode to see what the fuss was all about, and although it's different from other shows and I didn't think it was something I would get into at all, I now have to know what happens next! Damn cliffhangers and me being a sucker.
One of the Germans came over to borrow a dvd earlier tonight, which I think is funny because I own about 20 and I basically know all of them by heart. I usually borrow dvds from The Catwoman, because her housemates have a ridiculous amount of dvds, most of which I haven't seen before. I am probably the person with the least dvds and cds (and definitely mp3s) of all my friends, so someone coming to me to borrow a film really amuses me.
Today is quite a good day, I am happy I didn't hang my laundry outside to dry because it has been raining quite badly, but it's that nice Spring rain where everything smells really fresh and lovely afterwards. Hooray for Spring!

Look At What You Made Me Do, Wench!!!

I am so bored that I am going to reread The Princess Diaries for my Popular Fictions class this Wednesday. I can't believe that it has come to this.

I Am Dull

Today I got up around half past nine, and didn't do much all day. I mean, nothing interesting. I did laundry, washing up, made porridge (and ate it), did some reading for my course and some reading for my essay, and watched 2 episodes of Charmed (I have decided to stop because it is just too crap and dull). I also looked at the sunshine outside a lot. There's no sun in my room, but I have very big windows so I can see the sunbeams across the street and pretend I am in the sun... I am like the Little Match Girl, really.
Anyways, I know I haven't been blogging much, but to be honest, not much is happening (except the anti-deps are finally kicking in, I think, and it feels pretty nice), and I am just waiting to be done with my essay (which might take a while as I have no argument or plan as yet) so I can have some fun with my mum and friends on my birthday! I know 23 isn't old when you look at it in the grander scheme of life, but when your younger brother is officially an adult, everything seems to change...
I am bored now, gimme something to do!!

Crying For No Reason

Is no fun.

Awesome Lady: The Stranger

It had been a long day for Awesome Lady. She had spent the whole day spring cleaning her apartment in between fighting crime, and in the evening, when even the floor behind the toilet was sparkling and most of the criminals were either in hospital or behind bars, Awesome Lady finally settled down with a glass of wine and a good book. Johnny Cash was playing in the background, and Awesome Lady slowly relaxed.
Of course, she should have known better. Unable to even read the second page of her book, Awesome Lady's danger radar made her fly across town, to the newly erected cathedral. When she got there, it was so dark she had to switch to night-vision to be able to see. Night-vision wasn't one of Awesome Lady's strongest powers, but she could make out general shapes, and more importantly, she had a very keen sense of smell, and could usually smell out a bad guy before she saw them. Stood outside the cathedral, Awesome Lady soon figured out that the culprit was on the roof, so she flew up as stealthily as she could.
When she got there she was stunned to see a woman who was both incredibly beautiful and monstrously ugly. 'Shevila...' Awesome Lady gasped, 'what on earth?' But the She-Devil gave her no time to recover from her surprise and leaped on top of Awesome Lady. Awesome Lady fell over, her face digging into the roof tiles. Shevila's claws were digging into Awesome Lady's back, and the She-Devil's teeth started shredding the flesh on our superhero's arms. Awesome Lady was too stunned to move until she felt the Demoness's teeth in her arms, and then she used all her strength to jump up and throw off the Foul Fiendess. She jumped on her feet, ignoring the pain in her back and arms, and kicked the Princess of Darkness, who almost fell over but managed to balance herself with her two tails. Before Shevila could gain her composure, Awesome Lady was on top of her, kicking and punching as fast and hard as she could, but with every blow Shevila seemed to gain strength. She was laughing manically, relishing the violence raining down on her hybrid body, and when Awesome Lady had exhausted herself, Shevila stood up, took Awesome Lady's throat in her left claw and started squeezing.
Realising the Savage could not be beaten by using violence and that she would die if she did not come up with something soon, Awesome Lady feverishly tried to remember her father's hurried lessons after her fight with the Prison Guard had almost killed both of them. Almost entirely invincible and gaining strength from violence, Shevila was assumed to be a legend by most superheroes and The Gentleman of Justice, who preferred concrete nemeses to the more spiritual ones, hadn't spent a lot of time teaching his daughter about the Many-Named Serpentess. Awesome Lady's brain, troubled by the lack of oxygen that was fast becoming a serious problem, could not see a way out. Knowing when she was beaten had never been one of Awesome Lady's strong points, but she had to admit that this time, she could see no way out. She gave into the darkness and thought of her parents as she slowly slid into oblivion...

As she lost control of her powers, Awesome Lady's body slowly shut down, changing into the less demanding form of the Fluffinator. Pink, fluffy and cute, the Fluffinator burned into the skin and eyes of Shevila, who let go of her victim's throat and slunk off into the night.
The Fluffinator collapsed on the roof, unable to do anything but slowly gather strength. As she gradually changed back into Awesome Lady, she started feeling her back and arms, and wondered how she would get home. Her regeneration took several hours, and when Awesome Lady was ready to think about getting up the sun was starting to rise. She looked up to see the sunrise, and noticed a figure sitting a few meters away. Immediately alarmed, Awesome Lady pushed herself to an upright position and got ready to fight. Then the figure moved out of the shadows and into the colourful light of the starting day.
Awesome Lady had never been at a loss for words, but right now she couldn't make a sound. She also could not take her eyes of the man that was standing on front of her. He had a golden skin and a mane of black hair, interspersed with blond streaks. What would have looked ridiculous on any other man looked completely natural on him. The man looked like he should have been in an advertisement for the perfect superhero (there was no doubt he was a superhero), with his muscular body and bewitching green eyes. But the most remarkable thing about him was his not his looks. It was the sense of raw strength, nobility and kindness expressed in his face that made this stranger so captivating to Awesome Lady.
Then he spoke, and his accent suited his appearance so perfectly that it was too much for Awesome Lady, and she almost fell down again. 'That was quite the fight you had, earlier.' Although Awesome Lady wanted the stranger to admire and like her as much as she already admired him, she couldn't help herself getting angry. 'You were watching?!? You saw how she attacked me and you didn't do anything? What the hell were you thinking?? I could have died!'
The stranger looked at her and laughed. 'You look cute when you're angry.'
Awesome Lady looked at him and he winked. She turned around, frustrated, and flew home, his laughing ringing in her ears.

Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love you....

I would really like a cat and I think the cats agree that this is a good idea. I have already had a cat sneak into my room through the open window while I was at my computer, and twice cats have come into the kitchen and let themselves be petted by me. Then, as I came back from the kitchen tonight, a cat hastily fled back outside through my window. He must not know yet that I am favourable to feline inhabitation of my room... He will, I am sure, be informed by the other cats shortly and then he will no longer fear me, but visit me regularly when I am bored or doing work I do not want to be doing. Because cats can sense that, you know.

I Would Love To Write An Interesting Post, But Unfortunately I Am Boring

Well, the title sums it up, really.
Nothing much is going on, I am feeling okay and happy with what's going on in my life. I am finally beginning to understand the concept of unconditional love, and I think this might make my life slightly easier... I don't actually have to do anything to make my parents (and friends and family) love me, because they already do. It is a concept that I need to get used to, but after talking to my dad I think I might finally understand. In any case, thank you everyone for your support, and I have a feeling I will pull through! Big kiss and hug to all of you for your love and awesomeness. Will try to think of something fun to blog about soon.

My Daddy Loves Me

My father phoned me tonight and we actually talked about important stuff. I sent him a letter telling him about how I am taking anti-depressants now, and he phoned me to see how I was doing. I told him about all the bad stuff I've been feeling lately and he was extremely supportive. I don't think I have ever missed him more than I do right now. I cried so much during our talk, but he never once dismissed my thoughts or made me feel stupid and/or silly. I talked, he listened, and he even said he loves me. I mean, I know he does, but hearing him say it meant so much to me. He told me he loved me and that I am his dearest, and you know what? Hearing him say that made me feel really happy and really sad at the same time. I miss him, and I realise now that I have been unfair to him in the past. My father is a nice guy and he loves me and he wants the best for me, and he knows me better than I give him credit for.
Now I need to go get some sleep so I can survive tomorrow.

I Have Nothing To Say, Really

There are things happening in my life, but right now I don't seem to have the energy to write about them. My boots have died so I have no good shoes to wear, I bit my nails so now all my fingers hurt, especially when I type, and last night I had quite a fun night out with some of my coursemates.
In other news, the Johnny Cash site has new t-shirts and I want almost ALL of them. I need to find myself some moneys...

Grrrrrrrr

The Stoner broke a glass of mine today. It is an orange/yellow glass that I am especially fond of, which I got for a birthday from a good friend (then), and I am pissed off with about her breaking it, even if it was an accident. Grrr to her. Gonna read some Cloud Atlas to cheer myself up (getting to the end of the book though, so I'm trying to read it slowly and quickly at the same time...)

Count Me In!!

As the Wench says, everyone does like a 'How much have I read' competition, so here goes:

Bold for ones I've read
Underline for ones I've read part of
Italic for ones I want to read

Top 100 Overall

1. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings , JRR Tolkien - I just cannot get past Tom Bombadil... Give me time, I will manage
3. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter Series, JK Rowling
5. To Kill a Mockinbird, Harper Lee
6. Bible
7. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four, George Orwell (8th equal)
9. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (8th equal)
10. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
11. Little Women, Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22, Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare, William Shakespeare
15. Rebecca, Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
19. The Time Travellers Wife, Audrey Niffenneger
20. Middlemarch, George Eliot
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald F Scott
23. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace, L.N Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams - Blegh, dull.
26. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll - Blegh.
30. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame - I had to for my course, though. Not too exciting.
31. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia, C.S Lewis
34. Emma, Jane Austen
35. Persuasion, Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S.Lewis - I agree with the Wench, how is this separate from the Chronicles?
37. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh, A A Milne
41. Animal Farm, George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown - Sigh.
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney, John Irving
45. The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins - Okay, I listened to the audio book, but it is the same only read out so I'm counting it!
46. Anne of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
47. Far from the Maddening Crowd, Thomas Hardy - This is next on my list as my grandad gave it to me over the Christmas holidays.
48. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
50. Atonement, Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi, Yann Martel - I have finished reading this last week, it is awesome. Go read it!
52. Dune, Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikrem Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
60. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Still not sure whether I like it or not.
61. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
62. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History, Donna Tartt - Her other book is utter crap, this is quite good from what I can remember.
64. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
66. On the Road, Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick, Herman Melville - I like Melville!
71. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
72. Dracula, Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses, James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons, Arthur Ransome - Sigh again, but in a different way.
78. Germinal, Emil Zola - This is an amazing book, my all-time favourite.
79. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession, A S Byatt - Really couldn't get through this.
81. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell - I am actually in the middle of reading this, it's really good so far.
83. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Mitch Alborn - Have heard this is shit.
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection, Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
94. Watership Down, Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas
98. Hamlet, William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl - Is this seen as his best book? Weird.
100.Les Miserables, Victor Hugo