Saturday, May 27
College is almost over. Despite the odds, I've made it to the end of the year. One more deadline to go, next Friday, and then I have three months ahead of me of sleeping in til lunchtime and not feeling guilty about it because unlike in previous months, I shouldn't be doing work. It was a great feeling that, this morning, and I look forward to more of it. But speaking of college, as I was, more marks have come back, and I got another First, this time on the essay I had to write. I still have many outstanding marks and I don't expect to perform so well with those, with the exception maybe of my photography, but what matters is that I
can get these marks, and that next year, if I continue with the course, that I do get them.
I've been doing well in other areas too. Last night I went out with Robert Dane to a gig and the first club I've been to and stayed for more than 30 minutes at since I was 18 or so. We went to the first All Tomorrow's PartyPartys night to see
That Fucking Tank, who I still hadn't seen, and who were a bit too heavy for my liking,
Jean Genet, my first time for them too, and The Warm, who I had seen and who are wonderful. Jean Genet were who I wanted to see most. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, other than a lack of clothes. Bob promised me nudity and Robert and I were both disappointed to discover he and Helena kept their pants on. And their fluorescent pink and green tights. And their pink and green wigs. Helena took to the stage wearing only tit tape on her upper half, leading Robert to learn many new things about breasts that he claimed he wished he hadn't known, including that they bounce. He's so innocent. Well, when it comes to women, anyway.
Personally I thought Jean Genet were fantastic. They were mad, bouncy, bright, fun and don't take themselves seriously. They were easily the best band I've seen live since the
Seven Inches. Afterwards though Bob said it was the worst gig they had ever played. They didn't really fit in with the rest of the lineup and the crowd didn't seem too impressed with their are they / aren't they pissing on each other antics. I was sold though and am now their fan / devotee / groupie. I got them to sign my programme!
After the Warm, Robert and I decided to head off to
Suck My Left One. Bizarrely, at the bus stop was Thea, from my course, and Kit, who was taking A-level Photography when I was. They appeared to be going to a party, brandishing bottles of wine around. I think we got to the club about 11pm. Thirty seven people were already there (I asked, I didn't count). We sat with Ali and her boyfriend, someone else who's name I can never remember. Progressively it got more and more crowded until we left at quarter past 12. I managed to talk to loads of people though - Ali, Bob, Helena, Ronan, Amy (who was amazed at the cleanliness of the toilets compared to the ones at Bar Phono, which apparently hadn't been cleaned in 10 years), another Bob who I've been talking to on OKCupid, Peet, Ian from the Seven Inches, Gemma who had been on my College Diploma course and who was working behind the bar, and other people from Manifesta. I think I did really well at managing with the crowd, and when we left my anxiety wasn't too bad and it was more a logical move than anything else. There is hope!
Something that I realised last night is that I seem to be accumulating skinny boys who I want to bed but can't. I 'm now up to four.
B - is gay
R - has a girlfriend
bloke who's name I can't remember - is a friend's boyfriend
Conor Oberst - isn't aware of my existence.
Why can't I get some women to lust over for a change?
22:52
Thursday, May 25
Typography Tutor: "You have a habit of finding something, getting very excited about it, working on it, then abandoning all responsibility for it. You need to stop that."
Me: "You know me too well."
15:56
Saturday, May 20
I have spent most of the last week sewing things. Thus I am now thoroughly sick of sewing and have a numb patch on my index finger from pushing a needle so much. But why the sewing, you're (probably) (not?) asking. Well if so you've got a very short memory as I mentioned it only a couple of posts ago. I am making toys of the characters from
Catherine's animatic. They're mostly done now, which is good news for my finger. Photos to follow on Monday, honest.
Yesterday was another Brown Day, special occasions which happen once a term where all three years of Vis Com get together and do something. In September it's a fair to raise money for a cancer charity. In the spring it's mostly ignored. And in May we all go to the
Sculpture Park. Well, some of us did, as this year the designated day was rainy and grim. Nevertheless, fun was had, sculpture was ignored, geese were worried, groundsmen were annoyed, badminton was played (with cherry tomatoes), champagne was quaffed, and a boomerang got stuck in a tree. Afterwards we went to the pub and I ranted about how shit my coursemates are and I floated my Big Brother proposition to David: that once a term we should all vote a student off the course. He liked it.
Tonight I was meant to be going to
a burlesque night with Robert Dane. Except when I rang him at the time he was meant to be here, he was still in York. So I curled up for a while, depressed. Then did more sewing. Tomorrow: writing about sewing. Thank gods it has to be handed in on Monday, I couldn't take much more.
21:48
Thursday, May 18
I'm in college and have been to check my results for the personal project which was handed in last week. It's the one I did the
tattoo photographs for. Anyway, I got 75, which is a First. I'm a happy, if somewhat warm and tired, bunny.
12:02
Monday, May 15
I've been having a busy time, or something akin to it, which is my excuse for the lack of blogs. Rory came over and there was hugs and pizza and we went to a gig but it wasn't too great so we came home early. I went to the Manifesta meeting and I think, in future, I'll probably go to them regardless of whether or not Ali is too. I think it's time to just say Fuck It, and inflict myself on them anyway, as they're the kind of people I need to get involved with.
On Wednesday I went to see
The Open with Robert Dane. There wasn't very many people there, which was good, and I even got the nerve up to approach the stage. Unfortunately it was about 30 seconds before they finished playing, but you can't win 'em all. Thursday is my photography day at college and I got lots of printing done. The tutor says depending on presentation and back up work, I could end up with a first. This made me very happy. He did give me his cold though, which I am still suffering from, and that has made me very sad indeed. And very snotty, too. Spectacularly snotty, it could be said.
Mark came over to see me on Saturday. There was a distinct lack of nakedness, damn you, Relate! There was a good dose of hugging however, and a curry, and I got to whinge at someone about being ill, which may possibly have been the best bit. He went home yesterday. Speaking of Relate, things have been going well with it all. I'm managing the insertion exercises and am moving along quickly. This is very good news as it seems Helena is coming over from Brazil again in August and I need to be healthy and healed, ready to pounce on her! Mmm, Helena...
10:59
Friday, May 12
I'm in college and it's hot and I'm tired and I have a cold and I want to go back to bed and I have loads of work I need to do and I have to blog and it's so hot and I don't want to have to transcribe Ivor Cutler talking phonetically but just go home to bed and sleep and wake up well but I can't and it sucks. Meh.
10:43
Wednesday, May 3
Ah, summer is here. How do I know? Because the sun was shining, birds singing, and the fucking neighbours had their doors and windows open, blasting their shit music into the street for all to hear. Cunts.
But yes, summer. The trees have leaves and blossom. The daffodils are dying off but are being replaced with tulips. The skies are blue and have wispy clouds. You can leave the house without a hat, coat and umbrella and not have to worry
too much about the threat of rain.
My parents are back from Egypt. They weren't blown up and returned to bring me a papyrus with my name allegedly written on it in hieroglyphics. In exchange I gave them three very dirty forks to put in their dishwasher. Let's hope they don't take as long over washing them as tends to be taken with adjusting clothes which are sent over for alterations. (Approximate turn over time: 18 months.)
My college project might have been saved from the dreaded fate of apathy and lack of arsedness. Being unable to conceive anything I wanted to do with the character I had created (my snowman), my tutor told me to think of some thing which I actively wanted to make, and that we could work the brief requirements in afterwards. And so I shall be making toys of characters invented by Catherine. I can't remember all her four characters, but two of them are Johnny the Emo Elf and Mr Mescaline Man. Oh yes.
I spent the weekend over with Alice and Andy again, finishing shooting the photography project. There was another fire in the communal gardens of the housing co-op and sitting round it talking was good fun. We all jumped over it, as is Beltaine tradition. The two hodgehegs from the previous week were there too, though they didn't jump over the fire. Afterwards I became a little depressed as it seemed to me that everyone there is part of a good community which helps each other and socialises together and just generally is the kind of thing I want to be part of. Andy pointed out that he's been complaining about the bitching and backstabbing which has being on there for the past two years, though things are slowly starting to heal over. He also said that I was more than welcome to come join the co-op and be a part of it myself. I pointed out the walk to college wasn't very feasible and if I had the choice of moving from one area with a dodgy reputation to another with a dodgy reputation, I might as well stay where I am. Hopefully things may improve after the summer when the people I spend time with in college move to Hyde Park too, and I will have more people nearby than just Robert Dane to pester.
This weekend Rory will be here. We're hoping to go to a gig on Saturday, then on Sunday he goes home, but I should be going to the
Manifesta meeting. That's another place I could do with taking more participation in, as it could lead to more friends, more exciting experiences, more gigs to go to, and just generally Good Things. I just need to get over my stuff about believing new people automatically hate me, and that I have nothing positive to contribute, first.
22:40
