*hands out tea and cakes*
May. 11th, 2010 09:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
laliandraHey you guys!
Not dead, or time travelling. Just faily.
So, other stuff forthcoming. But, whatever, I just want to catch up with everyone, say hi, hang out, you know the kind of thing.
This last weekend I spent with my three ex housemates. I hate just calling them my friends because I lived with them for a long time - with Belle for the best part of 4 years, actually - and it feels inadequate to use such a catch all word as "friends" that I use for people who have not nursed me through tonsillitis, seen me naked, sung along to whole of the Sound of Music, talked me through my dissertation and know who the Invisible Friends are. You can find out more about them in a rambly thing I wrote about moving out of my last house.
Anyway, they all live in London now. Wren lives on a canal boat that her boyfriend rebuilt from practically nothing, which is kind of hilarious and bohemian, and very cool. She has just got a job at Hampton Court Palace. Belle is tutoring after finishing an intern-ship at UNICEF, and wants to be an English teacher, and Sal is going to do voluntary work overseas. I don't see them as much as I'd like.
It was a very cool weekend. I got there on Friday, by coach. I seem to have perfected the art of not making people want to sit next to me on the bus, which is a life skill and probably also a troubling reflection on my ability to look like a crazy person.
We managed to get free beers in a Cuban bar, which was a better reflection on all of us, and had pizza and concerned our fellow diners by appearing to talk in code and making very loud excited noises about everything, especially the puddings. We also talked about my ongoing unemployment.
Belle *very serious*: Have you considered a life of crime?
Me: Um...
Belle: My boss at UNICEF asked me that!
Wren: You do have a very deceptive face. Just promise you won't go into terrorism.
Me: I was thinking something more along the lines of international jewel thief.
Wren: I'm sure it's a very glamorous life and not at all dangerous.
Me: Exactly. Now I know what to put on my Career Objectives.
Me and Wren were staying in the spare room in Belle's house, and even though we were both really tired, in the best tradition of the sleepover, we stayed up really late talking about nonsense.
Wren: Who is that guy who sings 'Summer of '69'?
Me: Bon Jovi? Oh, no, Bryan Adams. I get them confused.
Wren: Oh yes. I get him confused with Phil Collins.
Me: But they aren't anything alike! One has bad hair and is Canadian and the other is the fat drummer from Genesis. It's not like you are getting him confused with Ryan Adams.
Wren: There is also Ryan Adams? Who is he?
And so then I sung a lot of songs by people who were Big In The 90s. I'm still not sure if Wren knows who Ryan Adams, but my version of 'Baby, When You're Gone' was pretty good for 1.30am, if I say so myself.
On Saturday, over breakfast and Earl Grey tea, we looked at election maps and tried to work out what the hell had happened in our national election. The answer, No one Knows! Which is... confusing. Frankly. But it was interesting to see all the speculation, and also to mock the Conservatives. It's always a fun game, but tempered greatly by the thought of David Cameron representing our nation to the world. So. Upsetting.
We went to Covent Garden for lunch, which was awesome as usual. On the way there all my friends were very harsh about tourists on the Tube and I tutted at them and reminded them of their hick roots. Although, it is annoying when people stop suddenly in the middle of the corridor because they are lost. God, I'm such a hypocrite. While waiting for Sal and her boyfriend in the café we managed to accidentally steal a chair from Noted Comedian Frank Skinner.
Then we went to The British Library. It was AMAZING. Their Treasures of the Library exhibition is incredible! I saw the original copy of Jane Eyre. JANE EYRE in Charlotte Bronte's own hand. And Jane Austen's early writing and the first draft of Tess of the D'Ubervilles with crossings out and rewrites. It was so cool. We had so much fun. I love my geeky friends and our massive amounts of dorky glee.
Then we went back and made lasagne and Wren filled me in on about a year of Home and Away. It's a seriously ridiculous Australian soap opera that we used to watch together. It mostly consisted of finding out which of the characters had slept with which others, who had died and who had been allowed to live Summer Bay and have a normal life.
Wren: And so she got cancer and died and now her brother has come back oh and do you remember Martha well her boyfriend was thought to be dead only he wasn't and she has only just found out...
Me: Did she have to go stare pensively at the sea?
Wren: For like, a whole episode. She just watched the sea and cried.
Me: I love Home And Away.
Belle's Boyfriend (who has never seen a single episode in his life): What about Bob?
Wren: What?
Me: Oh, he's dead.
*about a minute later*
BB: What about Dave?
Me: Oh, he's dead.
BB: How sad.
Me: Yeah. He drowned looking pensively at the sea.
On Sunday we went to Brick Lane market and people watched and clothes watched, which is like people watching only with more emphasis on their outfits. We had coffee and tea about once an hour because it was so cold. I also lusted after a lot of really gorgeous steampunk jewellery, including some lovely pocketwatch pendants.
All in all it was most delightful! On the bus back I curled up with some podfic (<3) and then wrote some fic. It was probably for the that no one came to sit next to me. I find it hard to write with someone looking over my shoulder.
Since being back I have caught up on my best new show (Over The Rainbow! My love knows no bounds!) and started on Kaz's best show. She sent me all of Season 2 of Supernatural on DVD. I was warned about the shows extremely poor attitude to women (someone once described it as "the show that will not suffer a bitch to live") so I went in with very low expectation. However, NO ONE WARNED ME THAT IS TERRIFYING. Holy hell. I watched some episodes alone and at night and this was a very, very bad plan. I scare easily and dislike horror movies. AHH.
Well, that is what I have been up to? How about y'all? I have missed you! Have you done or seen anything cool? Are you okay? Is there anything you want to ask me?
LET'S CATCH UP.
Not dead, or time travelling. Just faily.
So, other stuff forthcoming. But, whatever, I just want to catch up with everyone, say hi, hang out, you know the kind of thing.
This last weekend I spent with my three ex housemates. I hate just calling them my friends because I lived with them for a long time - with Belle for the best part of 4 years, actually - and it feels inadequate to use such a catch all word as "friends" that I use for people who have not nursed me through tonsillitis, seen me naked, sung along to whole of the Sound of Music, talked me through my dissertation and know who the Invisible Friends are. You can find out more about them in a rambly thing I wrote about moving out of my last house.
Anyway, they all live in London now. Wren lives on a canal boat that her boyfriend rebuilt from practically nothing, which is kind of hilarious and bohemian, and very cool. She has just got a job at Hampton Court Palace. Belle is tutoring after finishing an intern-ship at UNICEF, and wants to be an English teacher, and Sal is going to do voluntary work overseas. I don't see them as much as I'd like.
It was a very cool weekend. I got there on Friday, by coach. I seem to have perfected the art of not making people want to sit next to me on the bus, which is a life skill and probably also a troubling reflection on my ability to look like a crazy person.
We managed to get free beers in a Cuban bar, which was a better reflection on all of us, and had pizza and concerned our fellow diners by appearing to talk in code and making very loud excited noises about everything, especially the puddings. We also talked about my ongoing unemployment.
Belle *very serious*: Have you considered a life of crime?
Me: Um...
Belle: My boss at UNICEF asked me that!
Wren: You do have a very deceptive face. Just promise you won't go into terrorism.
Me: I was thinking something more along the lines of international jewel thief.
Wren: I'm sure it's a very glamorous life and not at all dangerous.
Me: Exactly. Now I know what to put on my Career Objectives.
Me and Wren were staying in the spare room in Belle's house, and even though we were both really tired, in the best tradition of the sleepover, we stayed up really late talking about nonsense.
Wren: Who is that guy who sings 'Summer of '69'?
Me: Bon Jovi? Oh, no, Bryan Adams. I get them confused.
Wren: Oh yes. I get him confused with Phil Collins.
Me: But they aren't anything alike! One has bad hair and is Canadian and the other is the fat drummer from Genesis. It's not like you are getting him confused with Ryan Adams.
Wren: There is also Ryan Adams? Who is he?
And so then I sung a lot of songs by people who were Big In The 90s. I'm still not sure if Wren knows who Ryan Adams, but my version of 'Baby, When You're Gone' was pretty good for 1.30am, if I say so myself.
On Saturday, over breakfast and Earl Grey tea, we looked at election maps and tried to work out what the hell had happened in our national election. The answer, No one Knows! Which is... confusing. Frankly. But it was interesting to see all the speculation, and also to mock the Conservatives. It's always a fun game, but tempered greatly by the thought of David Cameron representing our nation to the world. So. Upsetting.
We went to Covent Garden for lunch, which was awesome as usual. On the way there all my friends were very harsh about tourists on the Tube and I tutted at them and reminded them of their hick roots. Although, it is annoying when people stop suddenly in the middle of the corridor because they are lost. God, I'm such a hypocrite. While waiting for Sal and her boyfriend in the café we managed to accidentally steal a chair from Noted Comedian Frank Skinner.
Then we went to The British Library. It was AMAZING. Their Treasures of the Library exhibition is incredible! I saw the original copy of Jane Eyre. JANE EYRE in Charlotte Bronte's own hand. And Jane Austen's early writing and the first draft of Tess of the D'Ubervilles with crossings out and rewrites. It was so cool. We had so much fun. I love my geeky friends and our massive amounts of dorky glee.
Then we went back and made lasagne and Wren filled me in on about a year of Home and Away. It's a seriously ridiculous Australian soap opera that we used to watch together. It mostly consisted of finding out which of the characters had slept with which others, who had died and who had been allowed to live Summer Bay and have a normal life.
Wren: And so she got cancer and died and now her brother has come back oh and do you remember Martha well her boyfriend was thought to be dead only he wasn't and she has only just found out...
Me: Did she have to go stare pensively at the sea?
Wren: For like, a whole episode. She just watched the sea and cried.
Me: I love Home And Away.
Belle's Boyfriend (who has never seen a single episode in his life): What about Bob?
Wren: What?
Me: Oh, he's dead.
*about a minute later*
BB: What about Dave?
Me: Oh, he's dead.
BB: How sad.
Me: Yeah. He drowned looking pensively at the sea.
On Sunday we went to Brick Lane market and people watched and clothes watched, which is like people watching only with more emphasis on their outfits. We had coffee and tea about once an hour because it was so cold. I also lusted after a lot of really gorgeous steampunk jewellery, including some lovely pocketwatch pendants.
All in all it was most delightful! On the bus back I curled up with some podfic (<3) and then wrote some fic. It was probably for the that no one came to sit next to me. I find it hard to write with someone looking over my shoulder.
Since being back I have caught up on my best new show (Over The Rainbow! My love knows no bounds!) and started on Kaz's best show. She sent me all of Season 2 of Supernatural on DVD. I was warned about the shows extremely poor attitude to women (someone once described it as "the show that will not suffer a bitch to live") so I went in with very low expectation. However, NO ONE WARNED ME THAT IS TERRIFYING. Holy hell. I watched some episodes alone and at night and this was a very, very bad plan. I scare easily and dislike horror movies. AHH.
Well, that is what I have been up to? How about y'all? I have missed you! Have you done or seen anything cool? Are you okay? Is there anything you want to ask me?
LET'S CATCH UP.
