dalekdays

Has been a while. Er. In summary of the last month or so through the medium of expressive dance!:
*I am steadily morphing into an emo hippy
*I can bake pear crumble (and it is goooood)
*My last few essays didn't go too disastrously; now I'm free to do straight revision for the US history exam next Thurs. I'm refusing to panic!
*I created the worst laundry timing ever - the reminder on my phone buzzed practically just as Obama was standing up to be sworn in D: "Nooooo! I wanna hear about hope and change! HOPE AND CHAAAANGE!"
(On that note, I am a born cynic but want to be proved wrong, which is fab, because I hate being wrong.)

Anyway. I'm so tired it's ridiculous... may crawl into bed and read for a while. History books, so I'm not just being a lazy arse.

Thanksgiving parade getting Rickrolled by the man himself. Oh God. It's at times like this that I wish I was American. Why do we never have any acts of epic awesomeness over here?! Note to PM: Country needs cheering up? Solution: Moar lulz.


I'm not sure what it says about this place that I can't wait to go see Donny tomorrow. Ugh. YAY FOOD! I even miss sodding Frenchgate :( TBH, if I wasn't going home I'd have ended up getting on a train to somewhere random just to get away for a bit... I started thinking that a day trip to London would be nice, but that's a bit lonely (and expensive) to go all the way dahn Sarf... Feel a bit claustrophobic, if that even makes sense. Anyway. Christmas shopping, yay!

Ooooh we have a house to live in next year! Had to hand over deposit so now I'm poor once again. Boo. I think they're judging that South Yorkshire bursary thing today though *crosses fingers* soooo... plz give me it.

Bored now D: Would like pizza. Have no pizza. It's a sad sad situation...

... Well, I was all impressed because it said 'restore from saved draft' when I clicked on Post, but apparently it just saves blank windows too? What.

You know you need a new icon when it's a DW series out of date and was clearly made using MS Paint.

I got my first two essays back and I got a 2:1 in Lit and US History :D I think reading week has frazzled my brain as I'd have to read my own history essay to remember what Jacksonian democracy was...

Here's where I would like to start off on a looong paragraph about how awesome The House of Mirth is, but I think I'll restrain myself. Mostly. I totally did the 'say whatnow?' thing when our tutor mentioned that Lily is not actually real. Oh dear. I've only ever got so involved with a character in Wuthering Heights - don't even mention Cathy Earnshaw to me, srsly. Actually, in some ways they're not that different - both are in conflict with themselves and can't be with the man they belong with. But do they belong with Selden/Heathcliff? They'd be terrible relationships! There's no way out of the female characters' shitty lives! It's so depressing?! ...Oops. JUST BOOKS, KATE.
I even turned off the film version in disgust after thirty seconds because Gillian Anderson was making Lily's every line sound so knowing and as though she was having a big laugh with everyone about how pathetic their society really was... nooooooooooo! That's not the poiiiint! *falls over* 
I even bought The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome off Amazon, to see if Edith Wharton was really that fabulous continuously.
...I did the loooong paragraph thing, didn't I?

The TG Blackpool episode is on on Sunday! I think my pause button will get broken if they show much of the crowd from where they were filming on stage. I know I'm the one with bare shoulders because I was very annoyingly sunburnt afterwards. I can't believe now that I really did stand there from 5pm to 9.30pm... that was dedication or madness, I'm not sure which. (I'd even waited for them to let us in since 3 in the afternoon. Dear Lord.) And then walked down the promenade, down a few piers, to the pub, to Burger King (oh, that burger was amazing), then back to the B&B. Where Coronation Street did some filming once, apparently. And now it's on the telly :D
The Children in Need thing wasn't quite as inappropriate as I expected, but still funny. But... were they meant to be in '1981'? How could Alex meet the Stig (some say he can travel in time)? Never mind. If I start over-analysing, I'll end up writing fic. And that never ends well.

The moment around 4am this morning, sitting on a bench in the rain outside Bar One in front of the big screen, when the words "Barack Obama" and "President" flashed up in the same sentence suddenly on CNN... that was just beautiful. I was still kind of dubious about whether the US would actually manage it until then, to be honest. But YAY! The crowd actually did go wild; the atmosphere was fantastic. (Unfortunately, by that time they were only serving soft drinks at the bar. Wanted celebratory Malibu 'n' Coke. Sadness.) Ooh, that hotdog/fries/onion rings combo at 1am was also a highlight. I really fancy buying some hotdogs/mustard/breadrolls now. (No. No. Think what's likely to be in them. ...But they taste so good!) Watched some history being made - fabulous :D

Was then on Facebook until 5.30, went to bed, got up again at 8.30 for seminar. Hee. Will sleep properly tonight, honest. (Oh shit, it's Bonfire Night! I won't at all, will I?)

It's Reading Week next week, so can have much sleep then. I don't know yet when I'll go back to Thorne - definitely going for pub quiz on Thursday, which means missing Fuzz, but it also means possibility of winning cash. Yay. Surely I'll know more things now? If I was going this week there'd be a question about the election which I'd probably know the answer to - I think last night I managed to learn the American political system pretty well, as before I got there I was like "270 what?" but five hours, much CNN, one hotdog, and several rum and cokes later, I felt much more knowledgeable.

Should go find food.

Saw this on HH:

...Can only conclude that the end of the world is nigh.

Phil: Yeah, whatever, I'll stare menacingly at anyone.
Richard, your photo acting fails.
(Why do I find Phil more attractive than Hammond in this photo? And OMG the touching. But is it wrong that I simultaneously want to replace RH with Sam, and Gene with Clarkson? SO CONFLICTED.)

Something else that made my head hurt with the bizarre: The headline "Smith delighted with Superman gay kiss" on DS. But... it wasn't.

Has there been too much ghey in this post? There has. Therefore:
* I wasn't killed to death going to see An Ideal Husband tonight. Am quite proud.
* Howlascream was awesome.
* I can't stop writing really angsty/fluffy fics in my head which involve zombie invasions and either Life On Mars or Top Gear. I blame Dead Set. (And my general depravity.)
* On that subject, I think the bit with Patrick getting eaten slowly and shouting at them as they did it was the only thing I've watched lately that's actually disturbed me, although it's apparently been done before (It was the phrase "bowels full of shit" that got me. And that he was a pretty interesting character - "you break from the group and the group breaks you" - perceptive as well as an arse...!  Kelly turned out to be as bad as the rest of them when she suggested crippling him, and Pippa became the sympathetic one when she was the only one to say "I don't like it". Also, Joplin - kind of empathised with him, but at the same time he was completely repulsive. It was really well-written, anyway. Well done Mr. Brooker :D)

I just lost my fabulous ear-covering hat in Somerfield, after paying for shopping, and panicked. Anything but the hat! I was wandering round looking distraught and then was v. happy and relieved to discover it in the meat aisle amongst the chickens. I got some funny looks, I can tell you.

Not too much to do today - just finalise draft of essay and I have to read The Ideal Husband before I go to see the play tomorrow night. If the postie brings me my ticket, that is...

Ooooh election on Tuesday. (Would not get this excited about UK politics. Fail.)

Top Gear is on tonight, wheeeee! Have stocked up on fruit juice (my liver is resting) and chilli Doritos. I really can't wait until the Blackpool episode, as I may just explode in happiness if any of the actual light-switching-on (...) is shown. Oh come on, they have to show the "Gay for James May" banner.
Oh! Apparently the Children in Need thing is Ashes to Ashes meets Top Gear. (*restrained squee*) Damn, I wish it was Life On Mars. It's a cooler song and much more relevant and slashable. Although... A2A does have the angst factor. Seriously, just those few seconds in the first episode where Gene looked at the newspaper article/photo of Sam stuck on his office wall, downed a drink, then walked out, with "Nothing lasts forever" playing in the background... ah, I'm tearing up thinking about it. :( They may as well go the whole hog and have Hammond and Hunt both being like "You seem familiar..." Oh God, the inappropriateness. THEY STARTED IT.

Yay, I get a surprise bursary of £1200! ILY, University of Sheffield. OOOOOOH I can afford rum and coke....rum and coke. And food. Yes. Obviously. That's more important. *sneaky eyes*

Now have another 2000 word essay to write :( but this one is Theatre and therefore fun. Yay. I'm off to see An Ideal Husband at the Lyceum on Monday night which should be good.

HALLOWEEN!  OMG there was a dude last night dressed as the Tenth Doctor and it was awesome. I had to run over and tell him so, and his response to my thumbs up was to bring out a sonic screwdriver. I nearly died of silly fangirl glee.

Number of people dressed as the Joker: at least two.

Will probably do the same tonight as last night - just get gothed up and wear a witches' hat. Oh God, there will be people dressed as killer clowns wandering around. I might be a little bit on edge (!) if I catch sight of one. Oh dear. THEY AREN'T REAL. (But will I know that by 2am, remains the question?)

It was right... D:

The wails of horrified fangirls from the NTA audience were quite funny though. Oh, I'm glad I'm taping this.

(When it's sunk in properly, then I will be sad. Now I'm just enjoying the view of LJ frothing at the mouth, as predicted.)

All I can say is, John Simm had better come back before Tennant leaves. I'm clutching at straws here, people!

Aw, I'm watching an interview with him on BBC News - the byline is "David Tennant - soon to be former Doctor Who" XD

Please to be Phil Glenister/Stephen Fry/James May*/Simon Pegg/Russell Brand next?

Heeeeee.

*Think about it. He'd be awesome.

Rumour mill being horribly, horribly plausible: David Tennant quits Doctor Who. News embargo until 10pm?! Oh dear Lord. If anyone needs me, I'll be frantically refreshing t'internet! I might cry if it is announced.

...Although, I shall comfort myself with the thought that the implosion of fandom will be spectacular.

*wibbles*

I finished my history essay! Skipped a lecture, started at 12noon, finished at 9pm - 1900 words of Jacksonian democracy later :D Well, I'd stayed up until 2am last night organising the notes so I could just sit down and do it today, but it was quite a bit harder than I expected... University = not easy. (The funny thing is, I had a look at my 1920s America essay from A level, which I think was about the same length, and thought "Well, no wonder I only got a B, I didn't even reference correctly..." And I remember how we were all moaning because we "only" had about three weeks to write it in. Hehe.)

Halloween! I've never been so excited about it before :D Fuzz! I'm going to get a ticket for Hallo'scream on Friday too which will have killer clowns wandering around... quality. And Max and OB. Yay! Basically, just many excuses to dress weirdly. Wheeee! But what can I dress up as? :/ I only really have a witch's hat, black lipstick and a goth wig. And some purple stripey tights and a gothy dress... Actually, that's not bad XD

OMG James Bond fiiiiiilm! How subtly can I convince people to go with me? (Who goes to the cinema by themselves? I mean... only if there was like a Doctor Who film on or something. Or Top Gear. Or Life on Mars. Or Let the Right One In! God, I want to see that movie.)

Am now off to bed for sleep. Will probably have nightmares involving nullification and the lack of universal suffrage. (And Big Brother/zombies! Man, Dead Set is awesome.)
...On the subject of TV things crossing over... The 8th Doctor radio thing with the spoof of Top Gear was really bad and good at the same time - I mean I was cringing and giggling uncontrollably at the same time, especially when 'Ferret' (yeah) crashed into the moon and died... and Sheridan Smith was trying to think of names of mammals to stop the ship from crashing... My point is, I thought that was inappropriate but funny (because, come on, it's Doctor Who/Top Gear) but then apparently in the Radiotimes there will be a feature next week about a Children In Need thing where Richard Hammond meets Gene Hunt. Top Gear/Life On Mars - so wrong and yet so right XD Oh dear, I'll be cringing, won't I? But will he replace Sam in Gene's affections? And will Richard wonder why there's a blonde Jeremy? ...The slash may kill me. All that remains is Life On Mars/Doctor Who, which is ridiculously easy. Come on, CiN! Take the logical step!

I can't wait for Halloween for three reasons:
1. Max and OB at the Union
2. James Bond film coming out
3. What, are you kidding? Decorating chez Howden; creating ridiculous costume? Wheee.

I quite like the Alicia Keys / Jack White theme too.

I'm doing much washing in order to procrastinate from the Jacksonian democracy essay due on Wednesday. I did the first draft of LIT101's first assignment yesterday. (But of course it's the final copy HST118 one that needs doing. *twitches*) I don't even know what my argument will be... bugger. Okay. As soon as I've handed it in completely, then I shall journey down Ecclesall Road to the nice cheap Tesco for dark rum/coke. Now that's motivation. (I have discovered a huge flaw in Bleach - they don't have dark rum. I always get sodding Bacardi. I may actually start nipping next door to the main room, which has a better bar but less good *tunes*, and transporting them into the room of moshy goodness. Yay.)

Watched Saw finally last night. Thought it was OK but Se7en is just better somehow. (I'm doing the italics thing again, aren't I?)

Ooh! I'm really looking forward to the US election next week (lol) simply because the Union bar is apparently open until 5am showing it with American themed drinks etc. Obama/McCain drinking games FTW. Also,it's better than the X Factor (...) because it kind of changes the future and such.

Probable plan of action for tonight: Pick up washing. Add more washing. Make notes on internet articles. Eat chocolate icecream when satisfactory progress has been made on notes. Retrieve more washing. Listen to emo music. Panic about essay. Watch telly. Remember I was supposed to have read The Recruiting Officer for tomorrow. Finish reading said play around 2am. Sleep. ...God, my life's ridiculous.

Things on my desk:
TV
3 unopened tins of baked beans
The Declaration of Independence
...

Also, someone just skateboarded past my window and I didn't find it the slightest bit random.
How the hell much Henderson's Relish do I have to pour into cheap beans to make them taste of anything more than sugary tomatoes?
I have two essays to write which I was panicking about earlier, but now am more optimistic. Well, there's a Philip Larkin poem which I can discuss so at least it'll keep me happy writing it. (I have much love for emo librarians.)

Oh my God, I bumped into Trinity Academy on a sixth form trip at dinnertime in the Union. It was bizarre. They were in uniform and everything. I knew a few of them so was like "OH HAI!" Should have asked them to give me a lift back to Thorne on the minibus. Aw, I actually can't imagine going back to school now though. Feel old. :D

The next person who stares into my room as they walk past my giant window-wall...! *shakes broom* (Oh wait, we actually have a broom somewhere! I... No. No.)

OOH I saw the trailer for the new series of Top Gear! And I had to remind myself that I don't even drive. Seriously: "STIGVEYRONEEEE!" may be a little over the top. (But EEEEE!)

I just remembered... one of the competitions the Eng Dep runs is creative writing, which has to be based on one of the IALS texts we study. Picture my reaction of badly restrained glee at the lecturer saying "...so you could do something based on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, or..." WE CAN HAS WRITE SLASH FANFICTION. DUDE. For a cash prize. I'm so there.

Should go do work.

Why am I on LJ at silly o'clock when I have lectures in the morning? Indeed, a question that needs to be answered. Can't be arsed to go to sleep. Wish it was Thursday and I was in Bleach. Wait, it is Thursday! But I'm not drinking/moshing comically yet. Boo. Give it 21 hours.

On the work front: am really enjoying Eng Lit. The history module I chose - not so much, Mainly because we have to hand in a 2000 word essay in two weeks and I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING *hyperventilates* Why American History? Why not something simple like Psychology? Which for the first year consists solely of things we did at AS/A2 level? I annoy myself sometimes.

I think my favourite module is Introduction to Theatre, in which we have done so far Antigone and this week The Second Shepherds' Pageant. I'm currently reading The Duchess of Malfi for next week. I quite like the pace actually, as we don't spend time pissing about going "This is a metaphor... it shows... stuff..." like at GCSE etc.

Finished Trainspotting. Might go see if there are any clips on Youtube. Was very weird.

I'm really looking forward to the new James Bond film. May even go on first day, if I can drag anyone along. Also: Why isn't the Swedish version of Let the Right One In being released here; and 30 Days of Night was really bloody terrible. (ISWYDT.)

It may be obvious that I like putting things in italics.

I am 19 today (eek).
So in the time-honoured fashion (?) I am listening to morbid music and waiting for t'others to get here so there can be cake.
:D
p.s. The world didn't end.

Headline: Tate, Simm to return to Doctor Who
Me: OMGSQUEEEE

It emerges that this information is from The Sun.

>:(

It's probably for the best, as I would probably explode in glee if Simm!Master reappeared alongside Tennant. Also, the conclusion of Donna's story was heartbreaking and a proper ending, so, awesome as she was, I think bringing the character back would ruin it. (The Master, however, can come back anytime because he just pwns the Doctor in sheer level of win. I mean, his almost-last-words were "I win!" LOL, I was giggling through the tears. Also, his hawtness serves to make the Doctor more hilariously conflicted and angsty, so that's a thumbs-up from me right there.)

CAKE!

Blackpool was awesome. I got to wear a bigass Victorian dress for one of those old style photos on the pier and hung on to the barriers in front of the stage (for four hours, hell yes) in order to see Top Gear switch on the illuminations. 'Twas fantastic. Except James didn't show up. :( Even so, I was still squeeing like a mad person along with the thousands of other fangirls crushing us forwards (who also greatly enjoyed screeching at Boyzone and Scouting for Girls. Good Lord, my ears).

The funniest bit, though, was when there were only a few hundred of us waiting to get in - we'd been there since half past 3, and I don't think they actually opened the gates until half 4 or 5, by which time we were packed by the outside barriers. When the stewards finally did open the gates, because we had all been prepared to wait there for so long and were therefore insane dedicated fans, I was prepared for a huge disastrous flattening of epic proportions (while the seagulls mutant turkeys watched). However, all that happened was this huge fangirl mountain leapt forwards and sprinted for the stage, screaming. (I'm not pretending it wasn't me too. I was running whilst trying not to fall over from laughing too much.) About halfway there, this really frowny steward yelled "DON'T RUN!" at us, seriously like the world's ultimate headmaster. So we all slowed down and walked past her in a dignified manner. And then once we were past her, sped up again, with much glee, to grab a good spot. XD

I did finally manage to finish reading that bloody book the night before we went, and on the trip read Dubliners. Didn't find it that illuminating or anything. But I do quite like Paradise Lost, it's all epic and some of the lines are so ridiculously pretty. It does kind of work alongside Doctor Faustus, which I now love (such a tool!). But now Sheffield have sent me another reading list, this time for the first module. Oh dear. I really can't wait to move in and for freshers' week now - ooh, quizzes! BBQs! School disco! Treasure hunt! FREE FAST INTERNET!

Huge boo, hiss to bouncers in Donny. I'm 19 next Wednesday, you jumped up tossers. (CAKE!) Ahhh, and it shows the extent of my geekery that I'm excited about the CERN experiment. Will it mean the end of the world? Will I be able to eat my cake first? I'll have to stick the telly on all day and tell people "No, I cannot come out for epic drinking, I'm waiting for the results of the particle collider."

Blackpool tomorrow! Squee. I'm charging up t'mobile so I can collect some lovely pictures (shut up, I might mean of the illuminations). There is a Doctor Who museum that we will visit on Saturday. Ooh, it's two out of three of my fandoms. If only an orange Ford Cortina shows up. 

Still have 200 pages to read of eighteenth century scandal. Oh dear.

Earlier today I got to thinking about the Master and the Doctor (as you do) and decided that their relationship (new series, anyway, I haven't seen anything from before 2005) is a bit oddly similar to the Hannibal/Clarice one. Except with less cannibalism. And more time travel. I now have a mental image of the i-bite-off-yr-nose-oh-wait-i-kiss-u-instead moment from the film, only with moar Time Lords. Oh good Lord. The things that my brain produces. 

Also, I now really want to read the book, because I can't remember how much more proportionally awesome it was than the film. I know the ending was all mind control etc. (see?! the Master can hypnotise people!) and so presumably didn't involve sticking Clarice in a retro fridge. Actually, how on earth did she get out of that? And where was she hiding the handcuffs? And why didn't Lecter just try to cleave through the metal joining the handcuffs together, given that the movie practically gave him superpowers anyhow? Gah.

Panic was unnecessary; have phoned uni. Will not have to live in a cardboard box in the Botanical Gardens. 

Went out for a very good Chinese in Spotborough last night. Ohhh, the decor in that place. It was all black and white and swirly and gorgeous. There was a black chandelier and everything. Everybody was saying that the wall behind us (which had wide stripes of alternating black and, er, blacker black) was too dark, but I was thinking "I want that in my life." XD I'm such a weakling for gothic. (At least I know that My Chemical Romance are inherently funny.)

I've decided that rum and coke tastes like bonfire toffee, which always reminds me of reading a particular magazine from childhood (specifically, lying on the floor in my bedroom eating them continuously and reading a short story from the back of the Lion King Magazine, which I think had a monkey in it - if I saw it, I'd know). So yes. That's my excuse.

So Lloyds TSB have sent me a new card which has a different debit number to the card I used to set up a payment plan for rent, which expires soon. So I have to make sure the uni knows or I will have no home. So I phoned and left a message and asked them to call me back but forgot to tell them my friggin' phone number. So I'm an idiot. Noooo. I'm in a bit of a flap now because I was so pleased that I had sorted out accommodation etc. and also because there will be someone at the other end of that answerphone message going "What a twit" or similar. Ohgod. I hate it when that happens. And it does, often. I really am very good at embarrassing myself, it's quite freaky.

Still have to read that sodding book before Friday so that I can take a lighter one to read on the train to Blackpool. Yay, Top Gear switching on the illuminations! I know we'll be stuck at the back, but such is life. It's better than being at home watching the Dave channel. I've never been before, and I do like a bit of travelling, so it should be fun. I shall take my rainbow hat. :D

Three of my books arrived! Yay.