What makes everyone's life instantly better?



Baby seals, that's what!

So yesterday my dad and his girlfriend popped up to see me and we decided to have a bit of a day out near the east norfolk coast- go see a wind pump, have a ramble, y'know. But when we got to the windpump we discovered that there was a beach that was home to a whole group of seals! We wandered down there and it was just AMAZING. As well as this beautiful little cub there were at least 10 adult seals, bobbing around in the sea, keeping an eye on the humans and just genuinely being beautiful. This was the first time I'd ever seen a seal (let alone a whole group) out in the wild, and we were literally two metres away from the little one.

It was definitely one of those moments where (corny as it sounds) you just stand and marvel at nature, and feel thankful for the world. Natural high!

How how HOW is it September already? Crazy times.

Although Bank Holidays basically mean nothing to you when you're a lazy student, I had a pretty good one. Saturday I bummed around writing, Sunday I went down to my dad's in Kent (BBQ times!) and yesterday I went out with a couple of my home-friends (I want to call them my homies. teehee) I'm now kind of knackered though...

Which kind of works out well because me and my mum are going to the Sanctuary tomorrow.  I've never been to a spa before, I'm kind of excited. Though organised relaxation does sound like a bit of a contradiction in terms.

Then end of the week meeting up with Alan and then packing for my return to Norwich - which happens on Saturday. Me and Chris are going to spend a week doing some sightseeing in Norfolk (cheapskate holiday) and then I'm going to work on my dissertation essay. Oh yes, yes I am.

So its all busy busy busy and kind of crazy. I guess that's the start of the school year for you.

Last night I was watching the third episode of True Blood and LaFayette makes a references to "clutching his pearls". And I got really REALLY excited because I KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS thanks to my Gender and Discourse class last semester in which we studied African-American Gay Vernacular. Expensive college education? Totally worth it, folks.

Well I'm back from the 'Wich, not sure how the job interview went but I should know by tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I won't get it since almost all the questions were customer services orientated, which I have very limited experience of, so.... Ah well its all "experience" etc, and I am at least pleased that I got the interview.

I actually noticed the announcement of the Booker longlist this year (mainly because I was reading the Guardian online before my interview to kill time). I was suprised to find that I have not read a SINGLE one of them. I was seriously seriously shocked. I like to think I keep up with current books etc, so this was a pretty poor showing on my part. To be fair there are a few I have been planning to read, when I have the money to buy books again :'( The only downside to relying on the library (particularly my tiny local library) for your reading selections is that there is obviously a gap between publication and arrival in the libraries, which is bad for the impatient toddler in me who wants things NOW. Maybe I could see if I could work through previous Booker winners or something instead, although to be honest with you, whether or not my library will stock them is debatable, and I am too lazy to go to our borough's central library where I would have more chance. Dilemma!

I am currently really enjoying reading through all of Sarah Waters books, all of which I borrowed from the library. My friend recommended her to me ages ago, but it was only when all the publicity for her new book came out (and another of my friends met her and got a really funny message from her written on her arm!) that I remembered. I've now read all her Victorian ones and am currently reading The Night Watch. She's brilliant - the perfect mix of rollicking good yarn type stuff, and amazing writing and intellectual underpinning. As I was reading Fingersmith I even started to think about how I want to write an essay about her books (something on the theme of surveillance and desire possibly via Judith Butler) and then I realised that I am insane, and this is what being a literature student does for you. 

I enjoyed keeping a list of all the books I read in 2008 so I thought I'd do it for this year too :) I don't think I'll set myself a target, however, this year - I found myself getting bizzarely worried towards the end of '08 that I wouldn't make the 50 as if it REALLY REALLY mattered. Hee.

For posterity: last year's list.

( Books, books, books )

It is so weird. I come on livejournal every day. I think I just assume I've been updating, when I really really haven't. In almost a month.

So, I carried on with work for a bit, and then about two weeks ago (ish) I finished. Despite the fact that for most of the time I was there I was miserable due to having to work with 'The Clive' (he is seriously a monster) I left feeling fairly upbeat. Probably cos they told me how amazing I was, how much they were going to miss me, and gave me a bottle of wine. It all helps. Probably just an elaborate trap to lure me in for next year though!

Since then I've been getting busy to go - yep, I am finally about to leave for America! This Saturday! Part of my feel hyper over panicked about it, whilst the other half just doesn't really believe that its going to happen. The weirdest things keep freaking me out: like when my mum told me they do the weather ONLY in farenheit! I was all: "But when I watch the weather, I won't understand what they're saying... how will I know what to wear?!". Then my mother told me to get over myself and open a window. Ha. And like, I know clothes sizes are different, but what about shoes... What about bras!? Again my mum was being all practical and saying "just try different sizes on if you can't convert" but I insist that these are legitimate fears about moving abroad.

And that's before I get to worrying about all the big stuff i.e: the fact that I don't have my housing assignment yet (!!!) I really am pretty worried about that one, it has to be said. I may even have to ring the housing people before I go (I'm pretty sure they all hate me already at Clark, because I barrage them with emails). Its so stupid, even though I *know* I'm unlikely to get any communication from them before 2pm minimum (it took me a long time to figure out the time difference, genius) I still refresh my email pretty obsessively.

I'm also not packed yet.

Nor do I remember all the things I need to have for immigration. And I'm not sure where I put my list.

See this is full scale panic... but at the same time I do very little about it because I don't quite believe its happening. I am a perverse type of person.

In fact its even less than a week until I reach the big two-oh. Scary. I intend to spend my last week doing the two things that typified my teenager years: drinking, and revising. Both in the sun assuming that its lasts. :) The weather has been so spectacular.

I have done some reading today (this book called Verbal Hygiene, which is suprisingly interesting) but mostly I have been considering what a serious lack of good (for lack of a better word) "sexy" songs there are. Like seriously, does anyone get turned on by the sounds of Barry White? I mean obviously somebody must, there appears to be a whole industry based around that fact. And I'm not adverse to cheesy music a la Barry White but its not exactly in the mood is it. I even thought of trying to make a mix, but I realised I have very few songs I could think of. I would put Goldfrapp's train on that mix, and definitely something from Metric. Oh and clearly One More Night by Stars. But what else? This really plagues my thoughts, I may have to do some investigating into it.

I also changed my lj layout with some codes from refutare. I really like the colour scheme I came up with. Seems like summer to me.

Sunshine also means spending lots of money on summer outfits. God I love this time of year.

So, Amazon is stopping its DVD rental service, and transferring accounts to lovefilm. I have no idea whether lovefilm is any good, or even what other dvd rental things might be good, so I wondered if anyone could recommend a cheap good one? Just before I throw all my eggs in one basket, just because amazon tells me too!

David Cameron last night pledged to give a third of jobs in his first government to women in a highly controversial plan that risks infuriating male MPs. The Tory leader wants to ensure female politicians are not mere 'window dressing' but can influence decisions affecting women's lives.

Cameron is prepared for a fight, with one aide warning that if men are upset by the plan 'then so be it'. The Tory leader believes women ministers will devise policies that matter to female voters, such as proposals for working mothers to be outlined later this month.

From here

This absolutely infuriates me. Not that I'm against promoting our government being more representative. But promoting women so that they can 'influence decisions affecting women's lives' is beyond insulting. Nobody would say that a male MP is promoted in order to influence decisions affecting men's lives: no, male politicians get to determine policy for the entire population of the country. That the scope of a female politician's aims whilst working for her country should be motherhood and... well I'm struggling to think of other "women's issues" that regularly make it into mainline politics. Maybe that's because I think dividing down the gender line is ridiculous. I can just about see that working mothers comes under 'female' (given the biological neccessity) but surely fathers are interested in the working arrangements of the mother of their child? Women give birth to both male and female children. The whole economy and society feels the knock on effect of individual problems repeated across the country. So surely, actually, this one isn't really just confined to women either?

This whole thing about women only being able to talk to and about women really bothers me at the moment; especially as I am having an ongoing argument with my housemate (another lit undergrad) who refuses to read books by women as "they aren't meant for him; they can have nothing to say to him". And this is a guy who calls himself a male feminist- whatever.

Less than a book a week, that sounds more than manageable! Hopefully not all of them will be university related... This is such a good idea as well- to be honest, I can only remember a handful of books that I read in 2007, but hopefully this will help me to be in a better position next year.

* indicates that is a reread. If I've written a review on Goodreads I will link to it :)

( List. )

51. A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans