Essay day

Lots of English schools are closed today because our teachers are off striking in order to somehow raise their own pension packets. Two things: because they're not working, they don't get paid for today (clever...) and they're also not going to change much. Petitions and pressure groups, people! Those are the only things that will work at this point! That or replacing David Cameron (our Prime Minister, and an idiot) with someone who can do the job better.

I'm not looking to start a political debate here, I'm just saying. I'm not saying I'd do a better job, just that he's doing a bad one.

In other news... As we have a day off I've been watching The Godfather (I say been watching because it's almost three hours long so there are breaks every now and then), cooking lunch (took half an hour; SO worth it. I hate fast food. Just because it takes less time does not mean it's good for you. In fact, the rule is kind of an inverted thing. What you really want is either raw food all the time (salads and stuff, but I like meat and fish and hot food in general so that's not really possible) or food that takes long enough to cook that you actually RESPECT it. And take the time to ENJOY it. I get up half an hour earlier than I need to, because I want TIME to enjoy my food and appreciate where it's come from. The fact it's usually coming from the toaster is something to be ignored. I don't like to wolf stuff down. Among other things, it makes me feel sick. It also means I feel hungry more quickly afterwards.

Today has also been an essay day. That means I've done essays all day (probably quite self-explanatory but for those who didn't somehow work it out, there you go). Today is German essay day. I'm doing topics like wine-growing in the region of Rhineland-Pfalz and the commersialisation of Hallowe'en. We have to be pretty specific this year with what we choose to write about. It is difficult but enjoyable.

Right, I'd better finish this next essay ("Watching television on your Laptop saves electricity and money").

Happy reading, folks!

Aaaaaand BACK to the future!

So basically before the holidays we were doing a lot of stuff at school to prepare us for university, for having to apply to university, for alternative options, etc. etc. (i.e. THA FYOOOTYAHHHH) and we had to fill in UCAS forms online, including where we wanted to apply and for what course (and so on and so forth). I did mine pretty early, got most of it done by July 25th (except the personal statement bit and some other stuff) and then I got the WHOOP WHOOP ONCE IN A LIFETIME invite to go to UCL (in Laaandaaan!) for a couple days, for Law, my favouritest subject in the whole wide world aside from ice skating (okay so favourite academic subject). So, I'm going there tomorrow. It's to prepare for the Law course at uni and the LNAT I'm also going to take to get into a couple of the unis who want it. Not all do. It is the National Aptitude Test for Law; obviously I'm hoping to pass with flying colours.

There is, however, a catch. Well, kind of two. A) I have to get up early tomorrow morning - so I should really reeeeally be asleep right now... five fifteen, baby. Ooh yeah. I like the smell of a painful awakening in the morning... ugh. B) it's the weekend before we go back to school- I usually spend this weekend chilling out, instead of spending lots of money to go to Laandaan (woo!) and stay in a swanky hotel with my muzzer, as she insisted upon accompanying me. C) (added erkness) I have to wear a skirt. Now, while I like my legs all that much (okay not THAT much), it's gonna be bloody freezing and I doubt there will be large quantities of cream of chicken soup to ease the pain. Mllluurrgrhhh...

So yeah. Five fifteen. It's quarter past midnight now... so I have five hours. Wh-- Oh, sod it. Goodnight folks, and happy reading!

Accumulation of timetable

Well, I've got my timetable. I had to decode part of it, not pleased but I got there in the end. I have double German first thing on a Monday morning- the only thing that is really annoying on the whole two week schedule, really. Nine out of ten days I finish at one, which is good because it gives me plenty of time to go out and do other things (besides the huge amount of homework I know I will have). I'm pleased, I never have more than four hours of school in a day. Well, I will, much more, but most of it won't be structured class learning. For sociology our class is quite large, as well as for Law, but German has a maximum of six on a good day so there's lots of time to make sure work is of a high quality.

I'm truly glad that we start school soon, because I'm over bored. I did some more drawing...

I also did a Codeword. I love codewords, there's barely any way to cheat (barely) so they take a while, which is the entire point. I'm still trying to fill time. The drawing does this as well, because I don't want to be doing things that are half-assed. I've made a small wall montage out of some of my artwork.

So there you have it... My not-so-interesting life for today. Oh, yes, the news! UpstairsMan actually managed to not have sex last night. I was shocked and in awe of his sudden restraint...considering he's been bloody loud every evening for the last week or so. Happy days.

Also, I was unintentionally very rude to someone today. Now wondering how to make it up to her (apparently spoke in the wrong tone of voice). She was really pissed off.

Happy reading, folks!

Time filling

I've taken to time filling. For those of you who don't know (most of you, I guess) I barely passed my Art GCSE. I can't draw observationally. Not well, at least. And I can't imitate other artists' styles, which is what they asked us to do. Don't think I was idiotic to take the course if I so blatently couldn't do all the things we tried to complete for classwork and coursework... I actually signed up for ceramics, but we somehow ended up with the wrong teacher - one who wasn't qualified to let us play with clay, as I so kindly put it. This teacher and I didn't get on at all, to be quite frank. I went to a maximum of thirty percent of those lessons. For most of that thirty percent I messed around. It was great, honestly.

So, to prove to you I can draw (somewhat, they're kind of little designs I do when I'm bored but have paper and the right equipment to hand) I'm going to put up some images of the stuff I did today.

So yes, there you go. The last photo, with the three boxes, has what I call a "feathered" effect. It takes about five minutes to do a box, and they're about three or so centimetres high and a centimetre wide. I love being able to just sit at a blank piece of paper and draw things like this; I'll try and put up more pictures of some of my older work. Today I started using a cotton bud (pic. 1) and very sharp rubber (cut off larger slab, picture 1) to help with blending and precision. They're very useful, though you have to be careful with the amount of graphite you use because it goes REALLY far on the bud! I use one end of the bud to sweep graphite on (so I load it first) and the other to sweep it off (creates a softer, lighter lookk without using the eraser). I had fun.

Happy reading, folks!

P.S. School tomorrow, kind of. We'll be getting our timetables. I hope they're not killers. I shall voice my contentedness (or lack thereof) tomorrow...

The boredom has set in.

I have done my homework, written my personal statement (entire first draft), watched about twenty movies, been ice skating, tidied up... I'm now getting to the stage where I create weird art projects just to fill my time. Today, for instance, I spray painted a white T-Shirt with sky blue spray paint. before this I'd made clouds out of stickyback plastic and stuck them to the shirt, so now it's finished and the plastic is off, I have what can only be described truly as a SkyShirt. I quite like it, but I'm not sure how well it'll fare in the wash.

I now find myself watching mundane programs on T.V. or doing various other strange things. The worst thing is because I've properly stopped growing I now have very little appetite so I have to make a conscious effort to eat. Before it was a "should probably be eating less" situation, now it's more like I have to ask people to remind me at various points in the day. I'm sure when term starts I'll be hungrier as I'll actually be having to leave the house and walk around and do things (naff stuff like learning). I've done lesson plans for when I go back... I've pre-made a timetable sheet... For god's sake, there is nothing else to do. These holidays, they feel so great when they start, after all the exams and the effort and the latenights and hard work. But after three or four weeks, you become disillusioned with the idea of six weeks of no routine and nothing useful to fill your time. You have to make conscious efforts to do anything remotely constructive.

What makes it worse for me is I live in a basement flat and the man upstairs has a new girlfriend. Kudos, UpstairsMan, this one's not as loud as the last one, but please stop having two-hour long sex sessions. At one in the morning. Or at seven in the morning. I want a wake-up track, I'll find something off Youtube like "She's Got You High". What I DON'T want to wake up to is you getting bizzay to the rhythm of my alarm clock, thanks so much.

One day I will record the sounds and post it through their letterbox in CD form, each track a different date or something. There's nothing like embarrassing someone in STYLE. It does actually give me joy, sometimes... But only when people really deserve it.

The worst bit is the end (now) of the holidays, because my bodyclock's out of whack and I nhave to learn to go to school all over again... just like every year.

Also, I have found out something new. On days that start off rainy and then get hot, your flat will be somewhat infested with garden spiders. Remember this if you are afraid of spiders. Particularly because they are bloody MASSIVE (Grade 2!) and therefore run fast. Faster than you. That's a very frightening prospect.

I highly suggest you click that Grade 2 link and watch intently. I relate to the man very strongly on this subject.

Happy reading, folks!

Shenanigans

It's the summer holidays for me! I'm not sorry to see the back of school for a few weeks for many reasons. Here are a few-

Gym, ice skating, free time, no homework, no teachers, family, friends, meeting a really lovely guy at ice skating, hair dye, sun, France, travel, swimming, Aggie. In no particular order.

Okay, so I have a date on Saturday (whoo!) and tomorrow I'll be dying Aggie's hair blonde. The bottle says "decolourant"- very reassuring as I'm sure you can imagine. It's enough to strike the fear of blonde into anybody not familiar with the lightening/hairdying process. So far we've given the hair one bleach and it ended up orange,,, So we'll be soing it again. This is in preparation for blue or green hair dye, which is much more permanent and vibrant if you bleach your hair first. I'll probably streak mine too.

Went out with Ross today, he's back from Spain (and very tanned, bastard). We went to town to get a new phone charger - fun stuff - and I was wearing my new teeshirt. It says, "Nobody gives a fuck about your facebook status". The guard of the carpark came out of his booth to photograph it. It's surprising that I get so many smiles when facebook appears to be somewhat dying out to Google+!

So yes. Date on Saturday. Should be fun, I haven't dated in a while now. I like to wait between relationships, otherwise it feels wrong and rude. And slutty, that too. This new suitor is lovely from what little conversation we've already had.

In other news, I cut my hair again- shoulder length. I hate it longer because it's so difficult to care for. try streaking an afro, though. Tiring work! (I attacked my little sister with the remnants of the hair bleach).

Trying to catch some sun... Difficult, it's England. I got about five minutes today, am very impressed with non-existent tan! I love and am very pleased by my new teeshirt, you can buy it here.

Going to France this coming Tuesday/Wednesday! Excited, check. Packed, nowhere near check. Hoping to look good in a bikini by means of recent gym sessions, they're very effective because I am a mesomorph :D (for explanation see mesomorph post, type it into the search box)...

Happy reading, folks!