every twelve seconds, someone remembers

I’ve had a good day. But driving this morning was horrendous, I kept doing mad things and stalling and spazzing out all over the place, and Brian would say things like “So why do you think you just did that?” and I would be like… because I suck? When parents get back from Madeira I’ll be able to practice between lessons again. I don’t think it helped that my leg still ache from crouching lots yesterday.

And anyway, the rest of today has been lovely. This afternoon I found two cheap gorgeous shiny things in Loros that made me very happy. Charity shopping <333 Then I bought an apple and wandered back to Chris’s house and watched Dogma. In which Alanis Morrissette played God, very literally. It was so disturbing.

The sun was shining as I walked home after, and it was all so pretty and one of those times where my mp3 player kept picking the right things. Saeglopur came on just as I was reaching home, and I couldn’t stand to stop it halfway through, so I wandered round to the back of the house and sat on the wall, like that day we went to Junktion thingy, and just gazed round and took everything in.

Then went to see Thoroughly Modern Millie with Paul and grandad this evening. Mrs Meers was so awesome, as were her two Chinese men. ‘Saaad to be all alune een de world’, etc. I wouldn’t mind seeing the film version now.

First Sunday of the month tomorrow, so it’s two church services. I might stay up for another half hour now so I can break lent and eat some of Sam’s chocolate brownie.

Feeling remarkably content and relaxed, so I will now… go and bask in it. Or sleep.

if I’d only thought of something charming to say

End of term, hurrah. Except for Monday. Speaking of which, I still have at least one more string quartet to compose and an appraisal of my vocal comp to write. But then again, it would be a huge shame to be caged in MS on the first day of holidays with not even work to keep me occupied, so perhaps I should leave it until then.

Managed to be in both school and church choir yesterday, which must be the first time in about a month. Also skived the whole-school house quiz of yesterday afternoon in favour of doing this music coursework. I’m not a fan of LHS’s ‘compulsary fun’. That might be a Chrisism, but I can’t remember. We watched House in the evening (and made cinnamon… stuff), and it’s interesting to see how my feelings towards that show have changed. Since I watched Grey’s.

I thought today’s Burton service was good. It seemed… not as meaningless as some years. The address was simple and powerful, and I wonder if she’d figured out her audience’s defiantly atheist/agnostic/apathetic majority, because she seemed to direct her message away from being a good Christian and instead towards being a good person. I liked it, anyway, and I’m glad that I had that one as my last. Weird flashbacks to last year, but hey, shit happens.

Speaking of which, I rather enjoyed this afternoon’s paintballing. Though when I say ‘enjoyed’, I tacitly include ‘would probably aim to never do it again’. But it was quite fun. I definitely left Stafford with a bruise, though I don’t know about anyone else. I stripped off when I got home and checked I had all limbs, etc, and I found only two large bruises. The thing that pisses me off, however, is that the worst of these (a huge lumpy monster on my thigh) was caused by a member of my own team hitting me from behind AFTER THE WHISTLE HAD BEEN BLOWN, presumably because it was the end of the last session and they wanted to finish off their paintballs. I was standing up and safety-locking and everything. Fucker.

But yeah, that was the only shitty thing that happened. I enjoyed the rest, though like the majority of our team I spent more of the day being dead than anything else. =) Was sorry to not see you there, Ed.

Was hoping to go down to Chris’ tonight, but I’m exhausted and bruised and legs are complaining, so instead I sit here and read and stuff. And sleep eventually.

I have some serious possession issues.

lightning in a clear blue sky

I just got an email inviting me to my own gig next week. How awesome.

Well, technically it was only the Charlotte sending out their weekly listing of what’s on, but it was kindof cool to think how many others could be reading it. ‘local Leicester 4 piece Sylph feature male/female vocals, violin and glockenspiels’. And yknow, drums and guitar and bass too. I’m not nearly so nervous about this outing as, even though some things went wrong on Friday, the sky did not fall and I did not get Ostracised From Civilised Society. Well, I still spend my lunchtimes with Lou, who is sortof teetering on its borders. But point was: not so nervous, yay.

Speaking of which, Lou’s most recent abuse of our ‘craaaazy [noun]‘ joke was while we were discussing periods. As we do. She has a “craaaazy menstrual cycle!”.

Other than that, school was mostly dull.

sparkle the world with what Alice found…

I’ve had a wonderful evening. Grandad took me over to Lou’s to get ready and stuff and then we went into school for Burton Dinner at 7. We were on a lovely table, which included Mrs Burn and Dr Eadie and Mrs Chambers, who are fantastically funny company. We had a lovely meal and then a few prizes, like at Founder’s, but form ones rather than individuals – our form was the ‘genius’ form, and Lou’s was ‘loveable’. And Saara gave a fantastic off-the-cuff ramble/vote of thanks, which besides the prizes and the requisite thank-you flowers also involved stories about prepackaged muffins in food lessons and making animal noises in Stoeter’s maths lessons. Dr Eadie nearly set fire to the menu as all this was going on. I haven’t laughed so much in ages.

Other of today: spent most of the my school day (/morning) working on string quartet exercises in MS. I had a violin lesson for first time in ages. Sam, Grandad and I did a very small but effective Tesco shop. Umbrellas cd arrived.

It makes a huge difference seeing people I really like in the mornings, and I wish that could happen every day. There are only so many reasons I have to visit Mr Bunting first thing. Anyway, just so you relevant people know that was appreciated.

(Stu: Are you free tomorrow night to watch House? Email is buggered.)

Night, all.

i trade crusades like cards

I’ve found some kind of contentment, now. With things in general. It’s getting light and sunny again, and I’m pleased at the thought of getting out in the holidays and just being with friends. I’m not dreading summer. I have plans, and hope.

Got back from school at 5 (no orchestra!), which was awesome. Grandad picked me up and when I got home it was bright and sunny and still light and I would have walked down to Chris’ just for the fun of walking had he not been busy.

Spent an evening trying to do more quartet exercises. And alright, finishing watching Desperate Housewives. And most recently, writing up some words I scribbled while trying to get to sleep last night and sharing musical thoughts with Chris.

Music this morning was interesting. Our entire set freaked at having to get all music coursework in for Friday, because nobody is going to manage that except Stafford, and he’s just a weird overachieving freaky person, and Chris spent much of the lesson sitting next to me being hysterical as his composition went crazy and started playing itself back in an exciting combination of whistles, drum beats and cymbal crashes. It was fun. I have four string quartet exercises to do and an appraisal. Fuck off.

Anna Nalick – Breathe (2am)

The only reason I have never shared this song before is because I assumed that everyone must already know it just because it’s so good. I realise it doesn’t work like that. This is one of my all-time favourites, and however many times I seem to listen to it, it does not get old. I’ve had it about year and a half.

Oh, and – Def Poetry – Marty McConnell. Spoken poetry of the passionate, powerful kind. “I live in search of a cause worth dying for.”

your face is all that hasn’t changed

Stars – Your Ex-Lover Is Dead

cause Lou wanted it and cause it’s so good, and so on target. Also:

Stars – Soft Revolution

just cause it’s awesome.

Stars are a band I really need to get more of. They’re one of those bands where they’re good on first listen and… just get better after that. Great lyrics, which is something that I find so essential in the music I listen to, but such a good use of instruments and harmony too. It doesn’t sound as intricate or skilled as it really is, it just sounds… right. And if the 6 songs I have from a 13 song-album are any indication, it’s a very very good album.

Just baked some muffins (some maple and ginger and some with added chocolate chips because yay, Sundays) and in a bit Chris is coming over for Lost. Before that, need to shower and tidy room and back pack and… stuff. Ew, school. And Stu needs to email me back about Grey’s because we both just saw the new one today and asdhgasjdhgasjhgf. again.

unigen-i-i-te, eh-eh-eh-eh…

‘my surprise highlight of the night.’

= SCORE.

Um, just got back from Vivaldi Gloria/Zadok the Priest concert. Was very good. Got pretty flowers for doing alto solos! They now sit in a pinkish vase on my desk and are busily complementing my wall, how thoughtful. Sam got 6 bags of Haribo for leading the orchestra, ahahah.

Yesterday was good too. Bandaids! Everyone’s already talked enough about the problem on Killer’s cover that might/might not have been Chris’s tuning, so I don’t think I will. I think the rest (particularly stuff before) went well, and I heard some really good comments about us. I felt fairly calm about the whole thing, too. It helped to have support though, so ty to Lou and Paul and Stu especially, who stood at the front and gave me encouraging looks. And Ed, who went to the station to fetch Pippa after her train was delayed. What a hero.

It was very awesome indeed to have access to the green room and all of its hasty backstage action… being able blithely walk through the door that said ‘bands only’. Well, not through. except at the end where I managed to kindof shut myself in it. I enjoyed most of the bands, but Undercovers and Flowe especially. The evening also resulted in what I think is one of the coolest photos I have ever seen. (Drew’s chest, for any who don’t instantly recognise it.) Ed, you have to send me all yours too.

Also managed to get my vocal comp recorded yesterday, with the help of Dr U and Christian. It was all rather amusing, and quite quickly done, so Ed and Chris and I then had time to go to Noodle Bar before the sound check. School was dullish, for Lou was not there and I had Stevens’ triple latin without any of her distraction methods. :(

So yes. Now I’m going to…

So yeah. That’s who I really am.

I have been sortof dreading tomorrow for a very long time. I realise this is unnecessary, but I’ll only fully believe that afterwards.

Um. Today was okay. Plato mock over, at least. GS mock multiple choice, not essays. Sorted a time for recording vocal comp with Dr U. Choir this evening was very nice.

&whatever. Night night.

00:03: and it was worth it. =)

shed my skin, my scars

Ahahah. I’m in another good mood now, because I’ve finished learning Plato and I’ve just seen this Bryanston picture again (as Lou said, all of us except Joe look like tards). And Jon just commented on a dodgy Greek quote of Lou’s that I unwittingly put up on Facebook thinking that no-one else would be able to read it. How amusing.

Speaking of Greek and amusing, Lou and I had a lovely time at Mr Bunting’s again this afternoon. I collapsed when he put his spangly speedos out to dry on the radiator. And in translation later there was a bit that went something like εα! τις εστι; (‘ah! who is this!’ – Greek tragedy is fond of such phrases) and we didn’t know which one of us was currently translating so Lou went ‘Um, who’s this?’ and Mr B was all, yes! and moved onto the next bit. It reminded me of those quiz show parodies where the answer to all the questions is ‘pass’.

Very little else happened today, once again. Another Iliad mock, more study of Wagner in which Nhoj and I turn pages of a very large score very quickly and I eat a tasty fudge muffin (last one, sniffle) while sitting opposite Dr Underwood and he doesn’t bat an eyelid. How I love him. Today we also deviated exciting from the normal course of the lesson by writing WANKER on Holmes’ hand.

Then after fun Greek lesson I got ambushed by not-sailing Ed and went over to MS to see if he had remembered any of mine and Paul’s (very memorable) violin lesson. He still can’t play anything. but his Sad Bitey Fox is quite good. and that’s what counts.

Aandsleep.

“The past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.”

So there’s really nothing been happening the last few days, but I just had to post now as a strange burst of happiness has come over me. I am stressing the fuck out over so much in the next few days – Iliad test, Plato test, alto solos, BAND AIDS *scream* – but at the moment it just feels very far away. Here I sit with a vague smile on my face and ukelele music in the air. no, really.

Jake Shimabukuro – Blue Roses Falling

I think… I don’t have any agendas. I think I can be someone I like again. It feels nice.

Very little happened today, as I was in bed from 6pm to about 11am. More happened on the rest of Monday, seeing as it was ’strange freaky weather’ day. Me and Lou were really honestly trying to go to McDonald’s for lunch but it was so bloody cold that we chickened out while passing Noodle Bar and went there instead. The rest of the day was dull, but that bit was fun.

And right, I’ve listened to this far too many times now, and I need a shower too. And at the moment I’m discussing groping Rooty vs. groping Jepson, which is a sign I really need to stop talking to Stuart and get the hell away from msn. Night night.