Birthday Blueberry Treats

I'm about to blaspheme, but this blueberry pancake recipe is actually ... better than Nigella's. I have been using Nigella's American Pancake recipe for several years and always found the mix not quite right, though they tasted good. Perhaps just a bit too heavy. These little pancakes are excellent and light and fluffy. The best bit is the fact that the blueberries burst a little while cooking, and as you eat them, providing a wonderful juicy taste. I served them with maple syrup - didn't need that much which was nice - and the rest of the fresh blueberries. I bought far too many blueberries so I'm going to be eating them for days now, not that I'm complaining. They went down well with the birthday boy, and Rob joined us for a few too. Next time I'm going to try some raspberry ones or maybe even strawberry :D

Happy birthday to you

May I present Arlo's birthday cake! A wonderful strawberries and cream concoction, which would be the perfect addition to a Wimbledon time tea party. Rob, my flatmate, and I shared the whisking task for the cream topping and filling, and was rewarded with the task of eating the remaining cream left in the bowl. 

The cake is, yes yet another, BBC Good Food recipe from Olive magazine. I couldn't find any of the pink sugar that it suggested you use, so I just adorned it with strawberries. Also, as someone else suggested, I have placed strawberries inside the cake. I'm hoping this turns out well! I had a little cream and jam explosion at one point due to being a bit to generous near the edges. I must recommend that if you try this recipe use a good fruity jam, especially if you are not adding the extra strawberries. Bonne Maman Strawberry is a personal favourite of mine and I have slathered the cake in it. Because I only had the one tin, I had to the make the halves one at a time. I simply used half the amounts it suggested for the full cake each time, rather than having to split the cake mix in half later on.

 

I can be - reasonably - safe in the knowledge that Arlo will not check anything online before he leaves thus ruining his cake based surprise. He is driving up to Liverpool as we speak. Tomorrow is a day of weddings and cake and new people to be friends with and looking attractive. I'm fairly sure cake and keeping trim do not go together well...

Veggie Fritters

Who said healthy food had to be boring or hard to make? Well, I don't know if anyone ever said that. But these are healthy and cheap and yummy.

Best veg to use are either fresh courgettes - have to be fresh or they start getting too watery - or a squash like this. If you use squash, be sure to remove all the pithy bit in the middle where all the seeds are. 

Ingredients 

2 courgettes/half a squash

2-3 tbsp self raising flour

1 egg

25g of parmesan

Grate the vegetables up and then mix with the flour and parmesan. Leave this to stand for a few minutes until some of the liquid from the veg has been absorbed. Then add the egg and mix thoroughly. Put a wok/frying pan - preferably non stick - on maximum heat with a little oil. Once it is really hot, drop tablespoon fulls, or small shaped patties, of the mix into the frying pan. Fry on each side for 30seconds to a minute, until lightly browned, then reduce the heat and let them cook further for about another minute on top. Serve with hummous and fresh veg!

The second carrot cake this week

This is probably the point where I should stop making carrot cakes. But I had already peeled a carrot when I made one the other day and I had 4 eggs to use up... so yeah. Another one. This one is slightly different, in that I followed a different recipe - this one - but missed out the pineapple, lemon, orange and walnuts as I didn't have any (turns out I did have a few walnuts, grr), so added a tonnes of sultanas like in the original recipe I used. I used the icing style from that one too, as it was much more fun. Though just vanilla icing as I have no orange juice either. I hope this cake is nice. It looks good and has risen well. It only has taken an hour, and a tester comes out clean so I'm happy with that. This is the cake:

Update: This cake is so good. I don't think I want to share it, but I will.

Carrot Cake

This week I delved into the world of carrot cake. I had planned to make one earlier in the week as my flatmate, Rob, had mentioned something about leftover carrots. But long story short, work got in the way and I never got round to it. Until about 10.30pm last night. I was baking my usual Chocolate Coca Cola cake, thanks to Nigella naturally, for my friend's little sister who got 4 A's in her AS levels and was coming to stay that evening. While I was doing it I thought, right I have all the ingredients, let's get cracking.

The recipe I used was this one. I only used 100ml of olive oil, as that was all I had left, so I improvised with a little melted butter to help moisten it up. Also I didn't have any orange peel so I used a splash of orange juice, which has worked out quite nicely. I was going to ice the carrot cake, but once Arlo and I unwrapped it at his house and decided to "have a little nibble" that idea was thrown out the window. It works very nicely without the icing, which would have also had a splash of orange juice in it.

Here is the result:

I'm thinking of making ratatouille tonight for Arlo and myself - mostly because every time we come here we resort to easy food, like chips and tinned spaghetti and I eat too much and barf because of all the fats I'm not used to any more. The only thing that I am not susceptible to is McDonalds and that's because I've built up immunity to it from working there! Seems quite easy and all we need to find is an Aubergine and two little courgettes in Prestatyn. I'm hoping this is quite easy.

On another note, I'm doing more things to prevent revision from my maths exam, like trying to learn "But for Now" on the piano. Got all through the melody at the start and into the chorus, and my chords were keeping up. Once I got to the chorus however, my poor memory of reading music kicked in and it all went pear shaped.

Ooh ideas

I have finally decided what this blog is going to be. It's going to be a recipe blog. I'm going to put up all the nice yummy things I make onto here, and it'll be more of an incentive for me to cook more things. I know its been done before, but hey, now its my turn.

First up is the yummy scrummy meal I made the other night. Mushroom, courgette and mozzarella tart. I decided to make this after buying a pot of mushrooms for a whopping 47p at Tesco and having a variety of odd vegetables in my fridge. So I typed in mushroom and courgette, as those seemed like closest to the ends of their happy lives, and voila I found this little gem. Very very easy to make and very nice. It turns out like a little posh pizza. Also, for those people who like day old pizza, you'll love this. I keep picking at it, because its so lovely! Simple and reasonably cheap. It can be quite easily manipulated for other left overs I feel. Good for students like myself.

I figured I should probably do something cooking wise. I love cooking and entertaining. Cooking for other people is one of my favourite things - seeing their faces when I've made them something scrummy. I'm still quite a novice and as I'm a student I'm always having to look for cheap ideas. But it's always nice when you cook lots of food and can tuck into a meal like this:

After making my little Japanese style banquet Arlo, my boyfriend, remarked that I was a wonderful little women. D'aww.
This consists of Tonkatsu, Ginger Pork, Courgette Tempura (not the most successful of tempura so far), Garlic fried Beansprouts and Rice seasoned with Star Anise.

UPDATE

Update: he now has a face and paws. He is also now a meerkat, not a monkey. Ross suggested him to be a dinosaur, but meerkat it is.

Is this a monkey or a meerkat? I cannot decide. I'm pretty sure that it's neither. It's the latest of my sympathy dolls. His tail and arms were supposed to be massive. I'll take a photo of the outline I used as a demonstration of how wrong it's gone. He's pretty interestingly shaped though.

Hertford, cats and music

This weekend I went and stayed with my sister and brother in law in Hertford. It was just what I needed; a few days away from the bustling busy life in the city, the ever mounting kipple in my room and the closing in exams at the end of August. It was so peaceful, and very good to see my fam. I hate that they're so far down South and that I don't get to see them more often. I suppose it makes me appreciate it much more though. I spent a lot of the time playing with their cat, Toshi. Toshi was adopted when she was a tiny ball of fluff of unknown sex, so they named her Toshi after Toshiro Mifune. Not the most suitable name when it turned out she was a little girl! She's absolutely gorgeous and I always like to snap photos of her.

I'd love to live somewhere beautiful like Hertford. Near a city, but in the country and full of boutiques and quiet enough to remind you to relax. With lots of greenery, naturally. There were many barge boats there, including one that was a hotel wonderfully enough. I could happily live on a canal boat sailing around the country at whim. Perhaps one day I will.


Now I'm back in Liverpool, complete with a ridiculous amount of music from Julie and James and Japanese Conversation. I have managed to hoover up, learn how to work the heating system, do a load of washing and handwashing, and do some studying. I feel I have been rather productive since I got back.

I've been working my way through 'M' it seems today, having listened to Morphine's "The Night", the best of Marc Bolan and T Rex, Manu Chao's "Proxima Estacion" and Maps "We Can Create". All excellent music, I suggest all of it.

Oh Fiddlesticks

Well. Fuck.

Dear body,
I know that it's hard to always be functional. I mean, coordinating all those organs and processes must be a real chore. But not that I'm saying you don't put in a large amount of effort as it is, could you please put in a tiny bit more effort? Perhaps concentrate on healing one of the areas that constantly goes wrong, such as my head? That way, when your run of the mill sickies comes along it won't be such a big deal.
Yours truly,
Lizzie.

The latest is a wonderment of stomach cramps, back ache and nausea. Oh I am so lucky.

I'm thinking of relinquishing my spot on the volunteering for Dr Fenton. If he can find someone well enough to do it all the time it'd be better for him. Also, I need to be realistic with myself. Maybe I need to slow down. What is really important right now is passing those exams at the end of the summer. I need to be well enough to sit them and study for them. If my body's going to keep throwing up problems at this current regularity, I won't have the spare time to study as I'll be helping out more. I don't know, I really want to help and I've really enjoyed helping. But those exams are so important. Going to speak to my sister about it this week. See what she says.

New Dawson's Creek notings:
1. Fuck they have a black principal. How forward thinking of them. Dawson's Creek non white population has now gone up to 4 males.
2. Wow Joey really doesn't wear a bra that much. She and Bessie were folding up a sheet in the first episode of season 3 and both of them were rocking the swinging free style.
3. I think Jen is starting to waddle more. I have just spent some time on the internet to try and find an illustration of this. This is the best I've found so far: example 1. Imagine that picture continued with her feet spread frog like.
4. Remembrance from Season 1 - no wonder she didn't win the talent show. Joey Potter slowly destroyed 'On My Own' from Les Miserables one miserable baby voiced word at a time.

Thankyouplease.

Hurrah

Despite BT's ever brilliantly frustrating attempts to thwart the ease of moving into my new flat, we finally have a working phone line and, more importantly to the Web 2.0s of the world such as myself, we now have the internet. Up and running and working and connecting. Excellent. BT's last attempt was to send me an email saying the phone number had changed, which it hadn't. Ignoring all the several conversations with the incomprehensible uttering woman, it would have been moderately difficult.

I have been watching more Dawson's Creek. The latest things I have noticed are:
1. How slightly racially lacking this show is. Continuing on from my last mention of this, Dawson came in drunk to his 16th birthday party, spotted a slightly racial guy and went 'wassup dude'. Well done The Creek.
2. Grams' hair was dyed for an episode where it looked like she'd get a date. Then suddenly her gray roots were back.
3. The best line ever appeared in this program. It is so dated that Pacey remarked "Have you seen this guy's house? He's so rich they have a satellite dish". Other dated remarks include Joey's "I'm not going to get kissed again until the millenium".
4. I used to wear my hair like some of Abby's awful hair dos. I was 11. She was supposed to be a sex starved 16 year old. No wonder they killed her off.
5. Jen is still waddling.
6. The 90s really loved see through material in dresses. I know this because I have a cranberry coloured dress with a see through material shrug. At Abby's funeral both Jen and Andie were wearing dresses with see through bits. That's 1/3 of the main cast and 2/3 of the females. Excellent.

And I'm not going for 10 today. We'll see how many other thoughts pop up.

Also also I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince the other day. Sadly I cannot remember as much of this book as I wanted. Just got Arlo all the audiobooks so I can remind myself of how much they missed out. However, from what I do remember, I think I can conclude that this is a good one. I felt that the last one had just about gotten it right. But this one, it hit the nail on the head. I didn't bawl my eyes out when Dumbledore died like in the book - for the record if you did't know that and are all now 'aww spoilers' you have no excuse to not know that - but I was pretty sad. They didn't really go into the 'Half Blood Prince' bit that much, but I expect as they have 2 films to spread the last book out over they can go into that as much as they want. Kind of defeating the point of the film I guess, but meh. My one teeny tiny little big request is this. Please please please dear god can they perhaps teach Bonnie Wright aka Ginny Weasley how to use vocal intonations. She seems to be quite flat. I don't want to be mean and bitchy. But please, a little more urgency/fear/happiness/romance/emotion in your voice might boost the character seeing as she is the love of Harry P's life and thus is terribly important. That is all.

I think that's all. I'm getting quite tired now. Have been doing field work all day at Manor Wood, otherwise known as "Man I Cannot See Anything But Fucking Ferns and Bogs and Nettles" Wood. Ho ho ho I am hilarious. But yeah, several dead voles today. Apparently non waterproof traps, cold rain and mud do not do well for poor little rodents. We rescued one from the brink of death and put him in Becci's pocket to heat him up then Jen made a crisp packet nest for him complete with bedding and grain. I hope Voley lived. But yeah, I forgot my lunch. Error. I was so hungry this evening as a result. Not only did field work in general make me hungry but the fact that all I'd eaten was a slice of wholemeal bread and jam in the morning made it all the more worse. Tomorrow, I shall take sandwiches and nibbles. Good plan.

Night night.
Nos da.
Sleep tight.

Breakthrough

And not as in the Queen song.

There has been something in my life that has haunted me for a long time. I don't want to fully disclose what it was, just for personal sake. But whenever something would happen that reminded me of that event I would get flashbacks to that awful time and I would freak out. Kick, scream, punch, cry. Whatever the reaction, it wasn't pleasant. That had happened for the last 6 years as vicious and raw an emotion as it had ever been.

For the first time, this week, the trigger occurred, but nothing happened. It's gone. Someone in particular helped me get over it. The horrible memories are replaced with good ones. I couldn't believe it.

But that's also scary. The fact that he could banish something that plagued me for so long, in so little time. Perhaps it was just natural getting over it, but I don't know. All I know is that its gone and he's the new thing I think about. The vulnerable scared shitless side of me is going crazy right now. But at the same time I'm happy.

I don't think this post made any sense.

The last few days

... have been good.

My mum just whipped BT into shape. Some £150 debt had somehow appeared on their address and thus I was being forced to pay it. But mum shouted and now its gone and hopefully my phone line is sorted so I won't have to keep coming into the library to blog about pointless things.

I've been watching far too much Dawson's Creek for someone a) no longer in the 1990s and b) someone over 17 this last week. I am half way through season 2. I have noticed several things:
1. Jen (Michelle Williams?) waddles. Not a little bit, like a lot. She has no grace whatsoever in this program.
2. Fuck me is Joey (the one that married Tom Cruise) a whiny little annoying cow.
3. I want to hold a 90s party.
4. where the hell has Bessie's black boyfriend gone? He was overemphasised to the point that I don't remember his name - Jody, Body, Brody? - but now he seems to have disappeared. Now the only black guy in the whole show is an extra that has popped up in a camera pan at the school dance and in a camera pan across Capeside. They like black people in their shots apparently.
5. Dawson is weird looking. I'm sorry James van der Beek, but there is something unnerving about you.
6. I have a horrid feeling I have, at some point, talked like these precocious scripted weirdos.
7. Why did everyone have bad shoes in the 90s? Like, what are these sandally things? The ones with big wedges that were usually black and plasticy with elastic straps across them.I remember having some. Was there a bulk order for every girl around then? Either way, they were FIT.
8. I could cut the teen angst filling up my room with a knife. I swear I need to make my life more dramatic. "I just started doing art" "Oh yeah, that's a nice hobby" "It's my life dream you bastard you asshole what do you mean hobby oh fuck you I'm going to cut myself".
9. On the back cover of the Dvds it doesn't mention Andie McPhee but it mentions her brother. Oh told.
10. I felt I should get to ten. But there really isn't anything here. Oh actually, how about... Dawson's dad. DILF.

Clearly, Pacey is the only lead character that I don't have some large problem with, despite the frosting.

That is my thought for the day.

Have you ever had that feeling; fear? The irrepressible, all controlling, sucking you into a black hole feeling. I've had it once, truly, at Christmas when I was in hospital struggling to breathe and barely holding my exhausted body back from giving into the voice in my head that was telling me just to give up, for a little bit at least. That was pretty scary.

Today I am scared. Luckily it isn't the consuming fear I mentioned, but I am pretty scared. I had a seizure last night, a little impromtu one, while James, Towler, Tom, Shona, Arlo and myself chatted in my garage after the rain ruined our little barbeque. While I was talking to James I could feel my torso shaking uncontrollably so I told Arlo to get me to bed. I got as far as the kitchen before I collapsed to my knees after tripping over my feet. Which was fair enough. I mean, I'd been fighting it all day and I didn't call off the little evening itself, so it wasn't so surprising that one would happen.

It's today that's the scary bit. In my parents house on my own feeling spacky. I can feel myself being a moody pissy little bitch too which doesn't help. Every time I stand up I get the worst head rush you can imagine. My left foot keeps dragging and I know it's just a matter of time before I trip up.

I had hoped this afternoon to go to Liverpool with the boys. One wanted to see some New York chiptune bands, upon listening it sounded a little like Nintendo music combined with a beat. I had a feeling I wouldn't be up for the gig itself, but then we could kip at mine and the boys could go off to the gig and it'd all be roses. But having walked around my house for a little bit this morning I realised it wasn't going to happen. I told the one who wanted to see the band I didn't feel I was up to it and, understandably he got annoyed. I kinda don't know how to fix this though. Erm, I'm sorry that my migraine induced seizures almost barely got in the way of your life? I hate having people mad at me, so this is driving me crazy.

So yeah, self pitying galore today. I'm just nervous I'm going to hurt myself and send myself steps back again. Just feels like this self perpetuating cycle. And reading that back makes me sound like a self harmer! Oh dear, that was not the intention. Ah well, I think perhaps I should just publish this thing and forget about everything.

Another thing that is pretty scary at the minute is my new relationship. I mean, I'm still kind of scared of all this, the vulnerability and openness. I can't seem to shut it off with him though. I have this insatiable urge to be with him, which is scary. The most scary bit is I'm scared he'll find all this too much reality. I just feel terribly insecure about the whole thing and I keep looking at him and wondering if one day he's going to realise that I'm young and immature and a pest. Time will tell. I'm going to stop being self pitying and go read or something. All this is helping no one.

Bits and bobs

Today I am a drugs mule. Towler is feeling under the weather, and what cures dislike of being home in Wales more than Lucky Strikes and triple Malt Whiskey? Nothing better, surely? Thus I am armed with both, about to trek off to see him. Though first I have to finish my tortillas and sour cream, yum. Granted, it's no hummous. But there is no hummous in my parents house. Mother is quite anti chickpea it appears, so I'm currently going cold turkey.

I moved into my new flat on Tuesday. That was somewhat of an effort, but luckily I had helpful friends and parents to carry all my belongings up several flights. Everything fits in quite nicely in my room and it looks quite nice. Rob is moving in as we speak so hopefully we can finalise everything this week. Internet is being ordered, phone line is being connected. Excellent times.

I saw Transformers 2 this week. That was quite a bit of a mistake and only the fact that I was in my beloved FACT and could relax back in my seat distracted me mildly from the direness that was Michael Bay's concoction. Why the hell was RC now three robots? I liked that they shoved a constructicon in there, though initially I didn;t recognise what was going on with it. I thought the parents were quite amusing. Was there any real need for Shia the Beef's college room mate to be following them around all the time? He was about as useful as a sea cucumber on a hot day. Could they have stolen much more from the Matrix? The Decepticon's planet looked awfully familiar to the real world from the Matrix and the whole putting the bug into Shia the Shit was terribly similar. Not sure if it was supposed to be a homage or something, but it annoyed me. The end battle sequence was too long, though playing spot the sky as suggested by Glyn provided a suitable distraction - one minute it was sunset, then morning then mid afternoon blue. Not good Bay, not good. Where can I get a pair of white pants like Megan Fox? They only got slightly dusty right at the very end when she fell over, despite all the previous explosions and falling and dust and general dirt. Also Megan Fox running in slow mo sounds like it should be pretty fucking hot. It would have been, had she not been pulling a face like this. Out of all the millions of transformers there are, hey let's make some stereotypical black robots that are of no significance and have gold teeth and rings and ridiculous accents and faces I just want to punch. Also, I miss the garishness. When half the robots are steely grey it takes me 2 minutes to work out which is which. At least they got 1/3 of RC the right colour, though god knows why they bothered to put her in when she had no contribution to the plot whatsoever and for some reason had tripled. The only bit I genuinely laughed at was the old robot saying "My dad was one of the first robots! He was the wheel! You know what he transformed into? NOTHING!" I found this funny, though later realised it was innaccurate as he mus thave transformed into the wheel, but still. Let's not go crazy now.

Arlo foolishly fell for the few "appease the fanboy" moments such as oh hai a constructicon. Yeah I'm a fanboy, I'll admit it. He was arguing he liked it because of that. My argument is that is what they were there for. So that people would be like 'meh at least they did such and such'. I was ranting about it in the street and a random guy agreed with me. It was a big pile of steaming poo poo.

But there is something else I noticed that I had not previously considered. Steven Spielberg. He is slowly but surely ruining most of my childhood favourites. Granted, Shia Le Bastard is doing a good job too, but Spielberg is actually helping to make these films. Some of his recents are Tranformers 2 as producer, Indiana Jones 4 as director and 2 assistant director on Star Wars III. I love Spielberg. He's done some bloody good films. How can I dislike the man who wrote Animaniacs. But please Spielberg, please. Maybe we should stop now? If Tin Tin is a pile of poop I might have to come hunt you down and glove slap you. I mean, I would be too scared to, but darn it I'm going to rant like I am going to!

Oh dear, this has turned into a Transformers 2 review. Well UNSUPRISINGLY Transformers 3 is being made. I am not paying to see that. But I may waste a few hours of my life so I can rant about it and call people that enjoy it ridiculous cretins.

Kisses

I wonder how kissing started.

When you want to kiss someone, you get that burning feeling deep in your stomach which flips and twists with all the butterflies. You feel a wave of trembling that builds in your toes and tickles up your legs until you just feel like you might explode if you don't kiss them. Your eyes keep flitting to their lips. You feel an insatiable urge to just grab them.

How did that start? Is it part of our biologically imprinted mind? Is it in the roots of our deepest thoughts? Is it a cultural thing that took off? If so, how did it get going? The idea of touching lips together just sounds a bit weird when you look at it mechanically. But then, if you're going to look at things that way, then sex must be a joke. It has been argued that kissing allows you to taste and smell another person, to sense whether they are compatible for you. That makes sense. The way someone smells to me is very important. At the minute the smell of a nice aftershave is like catnip for me. I just go crazy for it.

All this mystery behind kissing is probably why your first kiss with someone is so strange and wonderful. The feeling of a new person upon your lips and their breath entwined with yours. First kisses come in a multitude of places; under the stars, at a restaurant, while stumbling around drunk in a bar, when you least expect it.

My recent first kiss was just bliss. Under the war memorial in the gardens by St George's hall, in the dead of night if that even exists in Liverpool. It was a quiet and cold night. It was possibly the most passionate kiss I've ever had. He kissed like the world was ending, and I was the last kiss he was ever going to get. Someone said to me that regardless of where this relationship actually goes, that the kiss sounds like its going to be a memorable one. I definitely think so.

Musical Musings

While my last.fm happily shows off my omnivorous music taste with its recently listened to list, I fear that it is terribly one sided. My top 8 artists are Sia and Norah Jones, who I listen to less at the minute as they were what I was most in to last year when I joined the site, Regina Spektor, Amos Lee, Laura Marling, Elliot Smith - who I don't even listen to that much, I just have all his albums and once ran through them all in a big go hence the high number, Ane Brun and Ben Kweller. All this is very chilled out and relaxed music or music I can sing along to.

When I'm in I usually have shuffle on so that I can listen to all sorts. At the minute my last 6 listened to tracks are:
The Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Chris Cornells - Billie Jean (cover)
Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
Mr Mister - Broken Wings
Franz Ferdinand - Matinee
Ocean Colour Scene - The Circle

Despite this, the music I listen to on my mp3 player is very different. Happy fast music keeps me walking quickly and puts me in a good mood. I was on the bus listening to Queen's I Want It All followed by some Kimya Dawson. I like music like this.

It means that when I'm sitting on the bus and I start thinking and my internal thought voice starts chatting away, it's more like I'm summing up the end of a tv show, sort of like Zach Braff does at the end of Scrubs. It's silly, but I quite enjoy it.

Oh, the Eels song My Beloved Monster just came on. Tune and a half.

Today is going quite strangely. I didn't wake up till about 12, which is very unusual for me. I guess my body needed to crash out finally. I've had a pretty hectic week. Then Ryan turned out to be in Liverpool with nothing to do, and seeing as I haven't seen him for a year or so we met up and I introduced him to Wagamamas. I had a massive ramen, which contributes nicely to the good feeling I've got going on. We bummed around for a little while in town then I had to go as Batters and Jack are driving up and coming to stay for a night out and some fun times.

Can't believe the news at the minute. 5 of the Labour cabinet have left today. They seriously do not want Brown as the leader.

Double Post

I know, I know. The internet faux pas that is double posting. I'm pretty sure it doesn't apply to blogs, only forums, but still. Was just thinking about the future. My future. Doesn't belong to anyone else. Just me.

I was thinking about if I ever got into a new relationship, and the first thing that sprung to mind was the Quiz by Hello saferide. I always loved this song, but it has never really been as significant as now. Well, not now, but in my future. The song is basically a questionnaire of things asked to a boy by Hello saferide herself, her name escapes me, but it boils down to her wanting someone to just be there for her when she needs them.

I think its going to be a long time before I'm willing to make myself vulnerable enough for a new relationship. The idea is positively frightening, to allow someone else to really see me and know me and understand all my foibles and ways and funny little things. Such as the way I refuse to eat sandwiches not cut into triangles and the fact that I act quite confident but am really just shy and insecure underneath it all. To trust them with my life is a scary idea. With my body's general loathing for being functional, thus providing me with 3 trips to A&E and a residential in the Walton within the last 7 months, I have to know that I can trust someone to look after me. And with the events of recent, featuring two seizures experienced on my own on my bedroom floor, I am worried I may become less trusting of people. More particular perhaps.

Anyway, here are the lyrics:
"You look nice alright
and I like the way you nod after everything I say
like it actually means something to you.

And I like your record collection
Townes and Jens with a hint of Rickie Lee
And you've cleaned up the bathroom, made a really nice soup
but a bit too much sci-fi in your shelf with DVDs.

But there's some things you need to know about me:
I'm weak right now, real weak right now
I need proof before I dare to open this heart
so I prepared a quiz for you:

Would you freak out if I said I liked you?
Do you walk the line?
Is your IQ higher than your neighbour's?
And is it very much higher than mine?

Can you sleep when I grind my teeth?
Do you look away if I slob when I eat?
Will you let me be myself?
Can you at all times wear socks?
because I'm still scared of feet

Do you talk in the middle of Seinfeld?
Do you read more than two books a month?
Do you get racist or sexist when you've had a few?
Is it fine if I make more money than you?

Have you slept with any people I work with?
Is there anyone you'd rather wish I'd be?
Do you still keep pictures of old girlfriends?
Are they prettier than me?

And if I'd fall, would you pick me up?
If I fall, will you pick me up? "

The questions about the old girlfriends is such a loaded girl question. The feet thing doesn't apply. Feet don't bother me really. Mine are always cold though which is pretty awful really. I think something about whether they'd forgive me for taking up most the bed when I'm half the size of the average person would be more apt.

These are just things passing through my head on this late evening. My finger tips are still hurting from playing so much Ukulele. I think 30 Rock is going to be the best step forward.

All hail Betsy the Ukulele

Today I went to go buy a keyboard, but there were no cheap ones. So I bought a ukulele instead. To be honest, it was probably the better buy. I've never played a uke before and I've always loved how happy they sound so I thought I'd get one.

This is her. Her name is Betsy. She kinda looks like a Betsy. She sounds lovely.

So far I've tried to have a go at 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale (who I just found out has Laura Marling as a band member - no wonder the female voice sounded familiar!!). Also had a quick bash at Time of Your Life by Greenday.

The only one I've managed to play and sing to is Somewhere over the Rainbow in the style of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, with the Wonderful World section thrown in, though I am less good at this. My rhythm is slightly more chilled and relaxed, with slaps instead of a 4th strum. Breaks it up a bit better and its easier to play that way. I am really enjoying it actually.

Found some tabs for one of my favourite songs at the minute, Skinny Love by Bon Iver, but I feel the uke might take away the sadness from the song. But who knows, I'll give it a shot.

Some things today have been very good and some have been desperately sad. I just hope that the bad things get better. I am a person of optimism, perhaps why I enjoy the happy clappy sounds of Betsy, so I always feel that things can surely only get better. I hope they can.

Also the non/semi/quasi/anti/possible date went really well. So a trip to the zoo is on the cards. I will try to restrain the zoologist within me, but I know its not going to happen.

Exciting times

Today I head back up to Liverpool after a few days of relaxation in Wales. Just what the proverbial Doctor ordered, I think.

I'm being picked up at eleven by a young man in a car, who is taking me for a drink then dropping me off at the train station. I'm not quite sure if this is a date and how much of a non date status it has, but either way, it seems as though I have pre date nerves. I've not seen the young gentleman in question for a few years which is scary enough but also I have no idea how this could go. I genuinely think it will go well, despite this. Also, as its quite chilly I have been agonising over which outfit to wear for this quasi-date.

Seeing as I haven't seen him in a long time, I might play a game where we have to say one thing about ourselves alternatively. That way it'll spur off things to talk about that we didn't realise we had in common ....

Hang on. Isn't that what speed dating essentially is?

If this pseudo date is a date, then its possibly the first date I've had in years. Which is why I'm a bit anxious. Ah well, either way it'll be nice to catch up.

I was just listening to 5 Year's Time by Noah and the Whale, which I feel could almost be an appropriate first date song. The lyrics sing of happiness in five year's time with sweet moments at the zoo, but goes on to admit that there is a possibility that that might not happen and they might not even know each other in 5 year's time, but either way there'll be love wherever the other person goes. It's a very optimistic song about new love. I very much like it. Twee happy-clappy optimism does float my boat.

Anyway, I have to go get some hamster food for poor little Pepper in Liverpool before I get picked up for my anti-date so Lizzie out.

2am

2am is a bit of a funny time. I know I should go to sleep because I want to be up in 6 hours, but I'm too awake. I could just stay up all night. Except I know that that won't work. I haven't stayed up for two days since the days of sleepovers in my young teenage years. I love my bed too much.

Today I came home to Wales. Things in the house are less than peachy, so a little rest and relaxation in the house of my parents is a good thing. As the train was rolling through Wales a smile just came to my face. I love sitting in the window and watching home get closer. I've seen the view a thousand times but some things, like the big ship and the blue sea, make me happy and fuzzy inside. Not literally fuzzy, but the feeling of fuzziness. Fuzzed up, if you may.

Mum, Dad and I sat out in the back yard listening to the birds in the sunshine with Coca Cola on ice. I found myself swirling it, as though I was mixing my usual Captain Morgan's. Sign of an alcoholic/student methinks. It was good. I told my parents about all the good and the bad, and vice versa.

I had crab terrine on onion bread for tea. That's kind of like a pate. It was excellent. The onion bread tasted like I had dipped normal french bread into onion soup. It was also excellent. I love the food at home. Everything feels luxorious and I don't have to think about how much I'm spending and whether I should make enough for leftovers tomorrow. We had palma ham and melon for starters and apricot tart for dessert. I am spoiled.

Tomorrow I'm going to get up at 8am, or that is the plan. If I keep blogging and wasting time I feel it may be a 9am start. Then I'll get the photos printed for Quentin, and go for a walk with Daddy, give the parents all the music they want, go see Star Trek with mum, go see Quentin, eat some food and hopefully go watch the sunset with Jack in Abergele. Busy but good times. Then Wednesday, equally busy day of morning coffee, a train home, a horror film and then a fire in Kim's back yard. Not the arson kind, more the camp fire variety. I plan to make smores, or at least toast some marshmallows. Om nom nom.

I think I should at least try to sleep.

The Book of Love

I watched the last ever Scrubs episode this morning, and since then haven't been able to get Peter Gabriel's cover of the Book of Love out of my head. This may also be due to the fact that I've had it on replay for the last hour or so and my last.fm is going to start to look like a Peter Gabriel tribute page. It was originally done by the Magnetic Fields, though I've not heard this version. Peter Gabriel's voice is just so vulnerable and soft. It's a perfect song, though I would say that as I'm a sucker for strings.

"The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing.
But I, I love it when you read to me
And you, you can read me anything.
The book of love has music in it,
In fact that's where music comes from.
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb
But I, I love it when you sing to me
And you, you can sing me anything.
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know
But I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings"

This song is beautiful and it would be the perfect wedding song, really.

For me, right now, it almost makes me feel a bit melancholy. I don't have anyone that I could sing this to, or listen to it with them in mind filled with the warmth and tingling fingers of love. I hope that I will find someone who inspires this sort of love in me. I mean, I'm only 20, the best is yet to come and the whole world is laid out in front of me. I just hope. There's nothing wrong with a little hope.

Revelations

Today is a gloriously sunny day, where people are breaking out the BBQs, getting their legs out and walking into town rather than taking the gloomy shelter of the bus. Despite this, I have somewhat squandered it seeing as I've been to the cinema to see Coraline, sat inside at the pub and now am sitting inside again on the internet, about to finish off the last episode of Desperate Housewives.

Coraline, for the record, was excellent. Described by Andy as 'the most Lizzie movie he has ever seen' due to its strange quirkiness and start-stop animation, with added 3-D for good measure.

Amongst all this sun, I have realised that this is one of the first times in my life that I'm not preoccupied with a man. First of all, this is quite shocking that it's taken me to be 20 for there to be a period in time where no man is standing out, offering a date and a few sweet words. At first, my ego was a bit confused and my unbelievable success rate became diminished the other night, but now I'm feeling good about it. I feel good about myself and I'm enjoying all this time with my friends. Things are definitely good. The summer of singledom has a good shine to it, I think.

I mean, it'd be nice if a man did offer me a date and a few sweet words, but right now I'm enjoying this sense of freedom and carefree attitude. It's very refreshing. Sally has advised me that it will get old, but for now, this is good.

Boys, they be shit. Written whilst heavily intoxicated.

Please do not take the title light heartedly. It's 2.23am and I decided to leave the Peacock due to the blarg feelings of further drinking and the pain in my shoes - which appears to be due to the fact that thye completely need re-heeling. Jesus.

Talking to Sally and Kim for advice on living up the single life makes me think that, yes, boys are shit. Kate crying added to this fact. One rejection and one drunken offer averages out to an okay evening I guess.

I know it sounds stupid and probably big headed though its not because I'm actually pretty insecure, but I've not had a knock back of rejection for like... 5 years? Something retarded like that. This is all part of the learning process I'm goign through which is good. But yeah, something I've got to get used to again. I'm just feeling very drunk and awake but sleepy and yet desperate for someone to talk to and interact with at the least.

Either way, I'm probably incoherent. I'll go watch scrubs, like I announced as my housemate and I stormed into the house.

Star Trek and Peach Schnapps

Star Trek.

Wow. I have never seen a film with so much lens flare in it my whole life. But, bajeezus it was bloody good. I am of the Next Generation ... generation, so my knowledge of the times of Kirk et al is a bit limited. I thought the casting was excellent, and Simon Pegg had me in stitches. I also got a little excited when they asked who had hand to hand combat skills to which Sulu replied yes, though it turned out it was just "fencing". Despite the fact that his fighting style wasn't really fencing, it was a film with both Star Trek and sword fighting in. WIN!

Jan came with us to check that the film was as good when sober as opposed to half cut. Apparently, it is. Though it was annoying that we all got sat at the front in silly seats, but still. Phwoar what a film.

Then we went back to Shona's for ring of fire - though not typical Earle Road rules which involve mixing, danger shots and general cruelty. The peach schnapps made me feel a little ill. Next time I'll just stick to the vodka. Though Towler was necking pure vodka during the waterfall and even tried some of Mike's home made weed vodka. Not for the faint hearted, to say the least. It's smell was described as "paint stripper" and it's taste was apparently much worse, as explained by Towler through all the manic, strangled giggling to ignore the fact that he'd just ingested something purely distasteful.

Now I'm in bed, in the morning trying to get myself up to go make Lucy's birthday cake. Everyone else has an exam at 10.00. I should have picked that physiology probably, but either way it would have been a poor performance. Thank god I still didn't have my heart set on being a vet - I'm shit at physiology!!!

Right, I'd better get baking. 1 coca cola chocolate cake topped with coca cola icing and smarties coming up, plus a batch of muffins for the zoo tomorrow! Ahh the things I do for friends.

Singledom

This afternoon is my last exam, thank christ for that. It's actually going to kill me though. I know frick all about hormones, except perhaps a bit on oxytocin and vasopressin. Bleehhh. I will just aim to get the 30% on my disclosed essay then all I need is at least 50% on the other two sections to get a 60. Ideally, I'd love a 70% or more, but yeah I doubt that's going to happen. Unless everyone does shit and they raise the boundary.

If singledom is anything to go by my next week and a bit of activities, I can safely assume that it means residing in a pub or bar.

Okay so today's Tuesday, right? Exam at 2.30. So the latest I'll be out is 4.30 then straight to the Font for 'Yay Lutheh is 21' and 'Yay no more exams' drinks. Then I have fencing 6-8. Then back to the pub :D

Wednesday I'm dying my hair, going shopping and perhaps the cinema and then going out in the evening with Shona, Mark, Jonny, Towler and whoever else turns up.

Thursday - pub at 12 to meet people finishing the physiology exam. Then pub quiz in the evening. As to what I'll do in between the two pub times, I have no idea.

Friday night is big night out with the bioscience kids! Messy times.

Saturday afternoon-evening is Mike's BBQ. So lots of good food and extremely strong home brewed alcohol. I like it.

Sunday is the End of Year meal at Bistro Jacques. They give free bottles of wine with the student 2 course meal.

So yeah, by the time I'm completely hung over on Monday I might go home and see my family for the day.

Then Uganda reunion on the Tuesday :D :D :D
That's going to be the highlight of the week I think. It's sad that Suzanne, Rob and Stewart (the lecturers) can't come, but Keith (technician) is coming. It's going to be so good. We're going to a South African restaurant in Ellesmere Port to eat exotic animals and drink and dance and spend too much, but most importantly, be in good company.

So in conclusion, expect my blogs to be less than coherent this week.

Things change

They do change. Sometimes you're afraid that the change is a big and frightening monster that snaps at your face and pushes you down the stairs. Sometimes, it's not that bad.

Me and Andy broke up. That's a pretty big change. The worst bit is knowing that all that pain in his eyes is my doing and there's nothing I can do to change it, because otherwise that would be me going against my feelings. I think that pain there is my big scary monster.

At the minute, I'm lying bed on this chilly Sunday morning, playing the Eels and watching animal web cams on zoochat. For the record that's not something gross - they aren't in stockings and bras. Just sleeping/swimming/eating/moving. It's been left on the orcas at San Diego Sea World for some time now. The best one is of a Tapir mum and baby. Ignoring all that, this is a nice morning. I know for a fact that this is probably one of the last things I can do to avoid freaking physiology work. I've messed on facebook, looked up music, been on bash.org, passed through zoochat and now I'm on here, all before 9am. I missed my alarm but luckily Jason's creaking floor woke me up, as I know I'm supposed to be awake long before him.

Luckily I got a nice long sleep. Friday, after all the messy stuff, I went to my coursemates and caned a lot of beer. I was, to say the least, a mess. I keep thinking about that night. It was a good night.

Right now, I'm ostriching still. As long as I concentrate on something else and bury my head in the sand/revision, I don't have to think about the horrible stuff. However, I'd happily put physiological control systems up on the list of 'horrible stuff' so herein lies the issue.

No doubt I'll be back on later and do a day-by-day blog of Uganda.


.... oh my god, why didn't I think of that before.

Well it's been a ridiculously long time since I updated this. I didn't even do a Uganda blog. I'm sure I will eventually. With piccymatures and everything.

Right now I'm just sitting in bed, trying to bring about a sense of consciousness. Thus I think writing my blog might help. Shit, I am obsessed with the word 'thus'. I must endeavour to stop using it.

I can't stop listening to Skinny Love by Bon Iver. It's such an amazing song. The singer broke up with his girlfriend, Emma, and his band in an Autumn and moved out to Wisconsin to live in a wooden hut. His intentions were to 'hibernate' but when he left he'd written his album "For Emma, Forever Ago". I love the tune to the song. But then you listen to the lyrics. His heartfelt, raw and bleeding emotion just pours through the lyrics "If all your love is wasted, then who the hell was I?". Just grabs me by the heart. I can't stop listening to it. Today I have listened to it perhaps 4 times. I'm on my second go in a row. Last night in the library, probably 5 times of the whole album on repeat, as it's quite short.

Right now I'm feeling pretty cack so I'm fairly sure listening to depressing music is barely going to help. I had managed to avoid a seizure for almost two months, but I gave in today. I was fighting with myself all through Dr Lycett's second lecture, pinching myself to distract from the pain in my eyes, in my head and the uncontrollable twitching of my arm. I tried to breathe slowly, but that made it worse. I tried to tell myself in my mind to calm down and stop. But I didn't fall for that. I decided to push myself through to the end, which was silly. At the end of the lecture, fighting back the tears of fear, I told Lucy to get me home. They scare the hell out of me. Seriously, I know I've had quite a few and you'd think that by having more you'd be used to them, but no. I just don't always know what was going to happen. And having one, while perching on a bollard while three of your friends look on, concerned and completely unsure of what to do iwas a novel experience for me. I've managed to always be in my room or Andy's room previously. I couldnt' stop twitching my legs and now they completely kill. Afterwards, I tried to get up to walk away and the wind blew me over. Kept losing control of my mouth.

Luckily, Lucy and Matt took the mick out of me a lot. I find that detracts from the scariness of it all. I still feel pretty shaken up. It was so awful, because there were just so many people about and all I wanted to do was hide away and tell the seizure to go away and leave me alone. I just hate it all so much. I still feel pretty upset now. It almost feels like I've taken a step back in a way.

So yeah, I've lost three hours of studying time so far today. I can't really concentrate. Writing down exactly what comes into your head is easy. But trying to force things into your head when you're tired and post seizure is hard.

Bad day.

More pictures of new hobby

Forgot I created some more catimals.

This is Sylvia. She is the identical twin of the one I made for Towler.

Identical ish. She's the other way round and her stripes are vertical.

They look like they were conjoined from where I put the outside sewing.








Luckily for the next one I learnt how to sew invisible stitiches or he'd have a very odd looking head. He is a space invader .... cat? ... made from Jason's old space invader style top. So yeah, he's pretty odd looking, but was fun to cut out and sew. I like his horns :D

Poo Poo Poo

Busy busy week of work work work.

Though there was some Nando's based fun, involving towering frozen yoghurt. Always good. Except the way I say frozen yoghurt - "frozen yo-gurt" like Americans instead of "yoh-gut". Oh well, I am awfully Americanised.

Am supposed to be seeing Ben Lee tonight, but instead I am feeling terribly sorry for myself. Andy's bust his back so I refuse to let him go or he'll be in pain the whole time. Now I can't go. Damn me and my obscure music taste - no one else knows who he is goddammit :(

Ahh well. I have had a good gig run. And yeah, this is only the first time in about 3 years that he's been to the UK. But I'm sure I'll get another chance.

I'm going to sulk and get a pizza instead. Over-eating will comfort me in my moment of sadness. I may as well eat and eat all the things I like anyway seeing as I will be living off potatoes and rice in Uganda.

IN EIGHT DAYS :D

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

New hobby alert!!

I found the idea for my new hobby a while ago on a funny little website, and since then I've been bugging myself to make one. So I had a few hours to kill this afternoon and a shirt donated by my friend...

This is the result!

He is sad because someone stole all his organs and stuffed him with pillow stuffing and then sewed him up with bright yellow thread. Poor little cat-bear. He hasn't got a name yet, that's for my friend Towler to decide.

I made the scarf out of some shoe lace I found.

I showed my housemate Jason and have thus been provided with a grey t shirt to make more with! I really enjoyed making him actually.

Going to make a female version for myself now! Not sure how she'll turn out, but I'm excited. Will give her longer legs as his are a bit small!

Gloomy Saturday Afternoon

It was really sunny before. Where has the sun gone? I had the blinds drawn, the window open, Buena Vista Social Club blasting...

Now it's all gloomy and grr.

It was pretty awful weather in Cardiff too. The day James and I went to the Bay it completely soaked us as soon as we left his house, so we bought an umbrella and it didn't rain again all day! I shall probably put some Cardiff pictures up shortly. We went to the castle and had the walkie talkie doodahs that told us things about the castle. We also got shouted at because my flash kept going off. Oops.

Been doing animal behaviour reading all day. Quite proud of myself actually, though I don't want to lose my streak. Up to lecture 8 or so of 18, roughly. All fueled by dried mango, om nom nom.

I'm home alone. This is bizarre. Not used to being here solo.

On other notes, YAY RUGBY! Bit of a dull match at times, but at least we pulled it back.





I think we can all establish that this was a terribly pointless post.

I should not be trusted with computers: A vista messup.

Well. I learnt several things the last couple of days.
1. Installing things off a usb is generally not a good idea, especially if it requires your computer to restart.
2. The product key for vista is on the bottom of the laptop.
3. Microsoft are stingy bastards for not sending out recovery discs any more.
4. Making your own recovery discs is a time sucker upper.
5. I am no good at computers.

So yes, I pestered Philip to fix it, and he saved all my stuff off my C drive so I can reinstall vista to there eventually... just need a recovery disc to start with. The first two I made have both fallen at the first hurdle.

Being in Phil's office was fun, though. I was playing with the spray air and spinning chairs and some sherbert I found in his desk.

6. An office is a playground when empty.

Fencing was good too. Realised I am desperately out of practice but that's good as it's spurring me even more to go again and again and get better and better. Got some nice ideas of things to do for the rest of the year to go out with a bang.

At least I have dinner to look forward to: Baked sausages in apples and onions, honeyed roasted parsnips, roast new potatoes with garlic and rosemary, roasted tarragon carrots and probably some mint peas to round it off. Yum yum yum.

7. Clearly food I create has to have other flavours and cannot simply taste of 'potato' it must be potato, garlic and rosemary!

York

Okay, just a little bit belated. This weekend I visited my friend Tom in York, where he's studying History and Politics. I cannot believe how stunning that city is. Even the campus is pretty awesome - it's all built around a lake in an almost figure eight shape. Everything is on campus too, as opposed to the University of Liverpool having Greenbank and Carnatic well out of the way.

I could not believe how many ducks there were. And coots. And swans. And geese. I also cannot beleive how few pictures I took of the wildlife - I am a poor zoology student. At Tom's halls, Alcuin, which for some reason sits a lot higher than any other part of the university, has semi nocturnal rabbits everywhere. At 1am on the saturday I was wandering around, slightly wine infused, naming as many as I could. I ran out of names fairly quickly - partly due to the amount of rabbits and partly due to the amount of wine I had consumed.

We did all the exceptionally touristy things such as visiting the Minster and walking up the 267 steps in spiral staircases up to the top of the tower. I was a bit nervous about this due to the blaring signs warning people with millions of problems, including asthma to stay away. Luckily, we were at the back of the 50 people climbing the tower, so got quite a few little rests on the way up. The view from the top was magnificent, if a little flat - where are the mountains!? I believe only Welsh people will understand this sort of confusion. We noticed two people kissing in some grounds beneath us, so we boomed out in a voice of God stylee 'YOU TWO, STOP YOUR CANOODLING!' They looked up, very bemused. We waved. They waved back. We laughed. They hid behind a tree.


I also spent far too much money at Betty's. Oh Betty, do stop making such lovely things so that I won't spend all my money in your shop. I can't believe I spent £16 on afternoon tea. To be fair, the pot yielded at least 4 cups worth of tea... but still. That is a lot. Here is a nice picture of us all looking quite refined. I'm pretty sure that 'quite' is the operative word here, for Towler looks ever so sinister behind all those lovely cakes. image could really do with a crop but I'm lazy, so no.


Such a beautiful place. Perhaps somewhere I could live in the future? Who knows.

OH GOD I NEVER WANT TO EAT AGAIN :(

I'm sitting here lamenting that I'm missing a grand total of three lectures today - two of those taught by the excellent Brian Moss who speaks so fast and so constant and has no words on his slides so that you are constantly touch typing/scrawling for a good hour. By the end of it you are begging for mercy while your hands throb with the ache of gained wisdom.

Anyway, I hate feeling ill. Bad tummy, most likely caused by the Burger King I scoffed on the train home from York. Bad head because I'm rubbish like that.

Junebug are keeping me sane, however. Good old Junebug. They're a three piece band from where I live (ish), two of which are brothers Latham. Ralphie has his own solo (ish) stuff. So happy and power poppy and nice. Like a big cuddle in the sunshine. Plus they have two songs that remind everyone from Abergele about their home life - Abergele and Sweet Mellow Water. Good times.

Hehehe Wizard, one of my roborovskis, is in her ball and is stuck on a slipper. D'aww.

Spent Saturday and most of Sunday in York. It was lovely seeing Tom, who lives there. It's his birthday today actually, yay happy birthday Tom! We did all the typical touristy things like visit the Minster and climb to the top, Jorvick viking centre, the Dungeons - which I was terrified in because the actors kept picking on me as I squealed most out of the group - Clifford's Tower, and the one and only Betty's! Best tea room in the whole world and I still can't believe I spent £16 on afternoon tea!

Sleep time now.

Thursday Mornings, yeuch

Well Thursdays are pretty poo. I'm taking a module called Advanced Zoology, which my tutor runs, which basically consists of endless calibration curves. Today I get to play with crabs for a bit at least.... then take lots of haemolymph (blood, ish) samples from them. Hmm.

Feeling quite delicate today too. Last night we had a pot luck dinner party at my house. This is where you all bring a dish or two with you and then everyone shares out all the food. This time we had a 5 bean bake, ginger pork (mine), mozzarella and tomato starter, crusty bread, yakitori chicken (mine), balsamic and soy chicken (mine), vegetarian chilli with cheese and sour cream to top it, tonkatsu (mine), a fuckton of rice (mine), tiramasu and pecan pie. And mojitos. One of my friends, Lucy, is fairly inept at cooking according to herself so is in charge of cocktails. I'm not really sure why I feel iffy. Could be from eating that huge quantity of food.

Oh yeah, we had chocolate seashells too which my friend started trying to identify. You know you've hit a low point at a dinner party when the marine biologist shouts 'Yay I got a Mytilus edulis'.

On another note, the Lonely Island is the only thing keeping me alive in these early times... Well, 8am is kind of early. Being British, it's something I've not really come across, though I'm sure plenty of Americans are familiar. Natalie Portman's rap about her real life is my favourite. Clean version via.

Also, I'm now a ginge. I did it as a prank on my housemate who is obsessed with red heads. I came down and he was like "Oh god, CONFLICT".

Anyways, time to go stick some crabs :/

The very best complaints letter in the whole wild world

Take that, Richard Branson. Your virgin air ways upset people.

Read the most hilarious complaints letter, here.

First day back at uni

And yeah, sure, I could finish my month overdue essay that I've written just over 50% of and am already struggling, but no no. Looking at cute cartoons, below, and this is just so much more fun. You draw a little line drawing and it'll create some snazzy generative drawing from it. So, you go from this appalling simple line drawing self portrait:


To this:


Who cares about writing about plants when you can draw them on this??

There is nothing better...

Than a baby otter. D'awuh. Check out Natalie Dee's website of cute images then go look here for ones to wear.

Food with faces is certainly the best kind

My friend randomly linked me to this when we were talking about how good My Neighbour Totoro is - if you have not seen it, dear God, go buy as it is the perfect film to watch on blue days where you feel like poop.

Bento, for those who are unaware of what it is, is basically a Japanese packed lunch except that it can be made to look incredibly artistic and usually has a brilliant balance in terms of eating healthily. But Anna has gone one step further when it comes to making it look presentable by creating characters. This is called charaben, for the record. Some of her creations are mind bogglingly beautiful but she also provides a 'how-to' on each of them so that you can make your own. I plan to attempt a totoro, which is today's how to, at some point. I might post a picture of it so you can admire how appalling it is in comparison to this beauty above.



Have a look see via.

First One

Okay, for the record this isn't a blog devoted to loving the Common Otter. My friend Maia just loves Lutra lutra right now and I was stuck for a name. So sue me for lack of imagination!

I'm not really sure what I'm going to blog about. Food probably. I like food. Perhaps music. We shall see.

To be honest, I should be writing a 2000 word essay on plant niches, but this seemed like a more interesting thing to do. It's a month late, but I have until the 5th of February or something. I'm sure it'll be okay..... Maybe.