<3
Medic outdid himself this Christmas ^.^ As well as a cute little stocking filled with jokey but meaningful presents (Jazzles, of course, a MILLION pound note, adorable lollipops and other cuteness) he'd also concocted a suprise.
He'd set up another one of his cryptic clue chains (in a cootie-catcher no less) and it all led to my big present ... A TRIP TO PARIS!
I swear, I am spoilt! Utterly ruined :-p I don't know if he realises that Paris contains one of my favourite shops in the world- Gibert Jeune (http://www.gibertjeune.fr/page/public/index.php) - the cutest bookshop ever. I don't know if I'll be able to tempt him in, or if he'll indulge my passion for coffee shop people watching, but it'll be fun to find out!

His family also went all out on my gifts! I was honestly only expecting a little token thing, especially as his parents had offered to take along with the family to see the RSC 'Matilda' musical*, but I got so many wonderful things! I already felt like part of the family, but now I feel included even more :-)

Other than that, my Christmas has mostly involved essay work and revision for exams. Far less thrilling :(


*Absolutely brilliant! Go see it- witty lyrics (written by Tim Minchin) and very talented (but not bratty) children all combined with innovative set design and perfect costuming. Loved it!

I hate Invention and Tradition :( I understand that literary criticism is important- but the criticisms and theories studied on this module seems so far removed from the texts we're supposed to relate them to (or, at the very best, it's a tenuous link) that it seems rather pointless.

Plus, it's making me grumpy and stressed out and that's just not on.

Gah.

Taylor Swift lyrics are starting to describe my life scarily well:

'Today was a fairytale
You were the prince
I used to be a damsel in distress
You took me by the hand
And you picked me up at six
Today was a fairytale
Today was a fairytale

Today was a fairytale
I wore a dress
You wore a dark grey t-shirt
You told me I was pretty
When I looked like a mess
Today was a fairytale

Time slows down whenever you're around.
But can you feel this magic in the air?
It must have been the way you kissed me
Fell in love when I saw you standing there
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale
It must have been the way
Today was a fairytale

Today was a fairytale
You've got a smile that takes me to another planet
Every move you make, everything you say is right
Today was a fairytale
Today was a fairytale
All that I could say is now it's getting so much clearer
Nothing made sense til the time I saw your face
Today was a fairytale.'


Oh dear. I am far too soppy for my own good. I like things like Stiff Little Fingers, The Stranglers, X Ray Spex and Dropkick Murphys. Taylor Swift should not be on my playlist. She certainly should not be on there multiple times! Stupid being in love... really screws with your music tastes ;-)

As always, I am totally irrational and I will probably come across as a whining, ungrateful brat of a girl- but I swear my parents are, once again, diverting all their attention towards my sister's achievements and regarding me as little more than an irritation.

I KNOW my mother doesn't really have any interest in my degree. She's not a big reader, and doesn't really see the point of me getting a degree in English when my intention is to teach. If it was up to her, I'd do a straightforward QTS style degree and go straight into a job. She also didn't see the point of me taking a year out, and she definitely didn't want me travelling (although I admit that was more out of concern over my safety). I just find it a little disheartening when she glances over my essays with only a 'I won't really understand it, so I'll not read them' and then spends an hour explaining how well my little sister's driving lessons are going.

I do get it, one of my mother's passions is driving and so she enthuses when my sister does well at it. What I don't get is why I'm suddenly seen as a disappointment because I didn't bother with it myself. I even had my sister telling me that our mother was upset because she wasn't able to buy me my first car. I realise that I'm damn lucky to have a parent wanting to invest time and money in something that many other people struggle to finance. I just wish she'd show as much enthusiasm in the things that I do enjoy, especially my degree and my plans for the future. It doesn't really help that, after my secondary school recommended me to therapy after noticing symptoms of depression, my mother told me to 'stop being weird and get over it.' To be fair, she came along to a couple of sessions when my therapist suggested it- but there was always an undercurrent that she thought I was just 'acting up'.

For the past few months it's all been about my sister. I don't remember either of my parents getting as involved with my university plans as they are with her. Maybe it's because she's the youngest, and they're realising the 'empty nest' thing. Maybe I just did more for myself, and had friends already at university so I could get any information from them. I don't know, but I know that they seem much more interested in what she wants to do. Hell, she's getting her new car tomorrow- and I know it'll be another few weeks of getting sidelined again, or only being told how my sister reminds my mother of herself or something.

I guess I just got so used to having my own space and my own life, it's weird going back and try to fit back in. Don't get me wrong, I do love my parents and I appreciate the other means of support I get from them. I've just noticed that, since starting university, the whole dynamic has (understandably) changed and we no longer really feel like a family.

Bleh.

Actual NY update coming later, I'm currently working through my written holiday diary- so it'll be a short while ^.^

I will mention a freaky-ass dream I had on holiday though, as the memory of it is still haunting me a little and writing usually gets rid of the lingering dream ghost.

I was back in secondary school, and started looking for Medic. However, although I knew I had a boyfriend, I had a mental block as to who he was and what he looked like. It was the sort of feeling when you know a song lyric or the name of something, that whole 'it's on the tip of my tongue' syndrome. Now usually that's nothing more than a mild annoyance until you wake at 3am knowing EXACTLY what you needed to remember, but in the dream it was terrifying- I remember panicking that something was wrong with me, and feeling like a huge part of me was missing and would never be found. I woke up in a mini frenzy and just had to reach over and reassure myself he was still there!

Damn freaky psycho-nightmares. What happened to the good old monsters chasing me kind of fear? Less of the mindgames, more of the giant squids ^.^

Hey Journal- remember when I was scared of going to Uni, and really didn't want to go at all and thought I'd much rather spend my life in Spoons, growing old and drunk? NOW I'VE FINISHED MY FIRST YEAR AT NOTTINGHAM AND I LOVED IT SO MUCH!

Special memories include:

Comfort soup with CourseFriend
My first lecture, which was mostly spent going 'WTF? Do you get this- like at all?' with CourseFriend and random others. Free Indirect Discourse FTF Woolf.

Meeting SockFriend and him totally ignoring me because I wasn't in his block. Then hearing about him from Coursefriend, but imagining him as a tall black guy as I didn't realise she meant the same person.

Naps and spooning time with SockFriend, and then stealing his socks (hence the name)- a game we need to revisit soon.

Jumping on Medic at the Baywatch night with the line 'I need another drink. Stay here, DON'T MOVE'. Dirty dancing and not inviting him in for a cup of sex coffee after.

Crazy dancing to Queen and Black Eyed Peas :-)

CourseFriend being totally right about everything. ^.^

Dogpile naps with Coursefriend, SockFriend, Medic and SorryFriend.

Arrested Development and 'it's a medical massage' :-D

500 Days of Summer

Fireworks night, ice skating, CookieShake, roses, Jazzles love <3

Pre-lecture coffee.

Salmon and cucumber sandwiches.

The mystery of single-sided printing in the library.

Christmas feast :D

Plus about a million more things :-)



But yeah, we survived ^.^ I survived, which was something I never expected a year ago :-) I found best friends, fun times and a man who makes me happier than I ever believed I could be.

LOVE IT :D

^.^

Dear Past Self,
I'm SURE I told you to start revision earlier. This is not my fault. I'm blaming you entirely. Well, you and TV Tropes.

With no love,
Present Self.





Dear Future Self,
Don't screw up the American History exam. It's all in your hands, so make me proud.

With love,
Present Self

I used to be a lot more into it before Uni, now I feel like I need a new fandom to get all squee-y about ^.^

I don't write much, and most of what I do write will never get posted, but I enjoy reading.

x

Medic squee!!

(Yes, I know, Medic squees make up MOST of this journal- but this one is extra special!)

For our six months, Medic had set a bit of a cryptic clue hunt for me, all leading to a Robin Hood exhibit at the castle ^.^ Now this is exactly the sort of Medieval stuff I love! I got to have a go at archery (I was not as bad as I thought), try out jousting on a pull along fake horse thing (which I now want to have in my garden), pull a boar (yeah, I know- average Friday night out in Sheffield) and watch as Medic acted all manly loading squidgy foam rocks into a trebuchet. Oooh! I also got to hold the world's heaviest owl...but Medic was only trusted with a teeny little barn owl ;-)
There was also a wonderful exhibit showing the props from the new 'Robin Hood' movie, which looks AMAZING! ^.^ Cate Blanchett's costume is TEENY! Hopefully we'll be seeing it tonight with Coursefriend and Sockfriend.
We went back again on Sunday just in time to see an awesome (but scary) fighting display from the guys who do the battles in things like 'Robin Hood' and 'Gladiator'. Medic was practically swooning, and has signed up for a weekend course of learning how to fight with swords, axes and big sticks. It looks fun, but may just be a tad too manly for me! I'll stick with my wooden sword and damsel hat!

So yeah, he treats me like a princess, then lets me play at being a knight ^.^ I love him so much :D Can't wait to see him with a fancy sword and some awesome moves :D

x

Ahh trawling through lyrics is always a fun way to waste a night ^.^



"You don't have a clue
What it is like
To be next to you
I'm here to tell you
That it is good
That it is true
Birds singing a song
Old paint is peeling
This is that fresh
That fresh feeling
Words can't be that strong
My heart is reeling
This is that fresh
That fresh feeling"

"I am thinking it's a sign
That the freckles in our eyes
Are mirror images and when we kiss
They're perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate
That God himself did make us
Into corresponding shapes
Like puzzle pieces from the clay
And true, it may seem like a stretch
But it's thoughts like this that catch
My troubled head when you're away
When I am missing you to death"

Yes, I'm an indie whiner with a bit of hopeless romantic thrown in. It does not make for a good end result :-p

Back at Uni soon, with only one essay and one seminar task to complete :D I know I said I'd finish them all but, seriously, who believed that? ;-)

I need to sort out modules for next year, but I assume Coursefriend and I can do our usual "FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT!" at the office staff and everything will be sorted for us. As it should be. ;-)

Oh and the Stanza eBook app thing is THE BEST INVENTION EVER! Due to copyright laws, most classics are FREE :D Currently reading 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', but I just keep swooning over how many freebies I can get and downloading things for the fun of it ^.^ I bet I would've saved a LOT of money last year if I'd known about it. Most of my reading list was on there :-p

x