The Last of the Squid Warriors
In Which I Basically Live in Pubs
Wednesday
Klotzman came to visit me! I got it all wrong and had a great deal of difficulty finding her, but finally we were united and I took her to the flat.
Also took her to kitmaking. Had a good time being snarky with Lauren, who I love among my mateys bc I can be mean to her and she gets it’s not real, but just cathartic when one is seen as a rather excessively sweet person. Also she helped me sew my undertunic, which was good bc I’m so miserable at it and I hate it, rar. The drama of the evening was when Veronica accidentally pressed her hand onto the arm of the couch where previously she had unfortunately stuck a needle. She stood up saying help, help, and we all saw that it had gone right through the fleshy part of her hand under her thumb, and the wrong way, as well.
*shudder*
Worse of all, it wouldn’t come out, bc it was too small and slippery, so Chris proffered his pliers wot he uses for the chainmail and Abbey very bravely pulled it right out.
Damn.
Thursday 25
Finished my Coleridge essay with bare seconds to spare. Whew. At 4 there was a lecture by Alan Chapman, my personal hero, about the history of Great Britain.
Kelly and I went to Sainsbury’s and got a punkin. It was only 99 p!
And Kelly was the Mummy to-night and made us Philly Cheese-steaks for dinner.
We also went to Catweazle with Chris. Sadly he didn’t get to play, but it was an awesome hippie enclave in Oxford, which reminded me powerfully of the Teahaus. There was this old dude dressed as a devil who danced around with great enthusiasm to this one band, and I thought, that’s me in fifty years. Hell, that’s me now.
Friday 26 October
I cannot believe it, but I did absolutely everything for my Cunningham tutorial the day of. I didn’t bother reading the book, 'cos it’s Wuthering Heights, not only have I read it before, but I dislike it. But I can only presume my slackitude didn’t show, bc Professor Cunningham just said it was good and then talked for an hour. Fortunately he doesn’t like it much either.
I don’t care what the crazed Heathcliff fans think, Jane Eyre it a million times better on every level. Ran home in the autumn biting cold grey evening feeling ever so free and joyous.
Was expecting, on my return, cozy punkin carving, but no-one was there, except David, which perturbed me to the point of putting on red lipstick, then Kelly and jemma and I went and joined Abbey who was in the Eagle and child with Ross and Philip, carousing over their anglo-saxon fair swag and apparently interpreting every single thing that was said as innuendo, particularly as related to punkin carving.
We were very merry. I love Wychwood so much.
I had got powdered milk so was able to make a sweet omelette for dinner, which made me happy, as I am very vain of my omelets, as they are always perfect and pretty and delicious.
Samedi
Kelly and I carved the punkin, sitting on newspaper in the kitchen and listening to my official punkin-carving song, “Starman” by Bowie. Also the Beatles and Cat Stevens. It was great. I love the way punkins smell and their slimyness and seeds and all. It’s a serious childhood association thing. Lauren made bacon and we all had the most cozy time.
Lauren and I walked about town looking at things. She was freaked by headless deer carcasses at the butcher’s in the Covered Market. We went home via Cowley, and stopped at my new favourite place, the eastern grocer, for dates, halawa with chocolate, and some bizarre thing in a jar called Alasia that appears to be peanuts, pistachios, and figs in honey, but doesn’t explain itself.
Also Tesco’s for pork pies, chicken, and hummus.
Then naan bread at zak’s.
Got home quite cold and tired with my feet hurting from my lovely new pewter Edwardian boots. So I texted chris to come round the flat instead of us going out. He came by when we were watching the mighty boosh. I was so pleased to see my happy family all watching the boosh: alex, jemma, abbey, and lauren. Then we all talked for a long time.
Dimanche
Wychwood and Lamb and Flag.
We sat in the pub for AGES. Hours and hours, playing 21, the completely heinous and hilarious game where you count around the circle in roman numerals, except every time you reach 21 there’s a new rule, which usually involves changing “i” to “no,” “v” to “daddy,” and “x” to “don’t touch me there”; new rules accumulating until you can’t point, or answer a question by the Question Master, and so on. Chris said that when he was old and eccentric he would keep newts in his ears and have attack weasels. Why is he so amazing?? Then we played Never Have I Ever.
Lauren and I went to Hussain’s for kebab, and he gave us chips on the house, ‘cos we were cute, I suppose. And my donner was the BEST thing I’ve ever eaten in my life, oh man it was amazing. It was so fresh and warm and vivid in the frigid air.
We met wychwood at ANOTHER pub, the Gloc, for quiz night. Quiz was fun and I got to draw vampires also I got the Frankenstein question right through my literary experience, which was sweet. But I was v. tired.
Feeling a little down, I found Lauren at the King’s Arms. She cheered me up by blowing smoke in my face. I had a blackcurrent squash and caught the last bus home.
Monday
Got me books. Many giant heavy things they are, being on Dickens. Bah. Carted them around town. Had awesome hummus wrap at the café crème and then a coconut milk steamer at the alternative tuck shop to warm me up in the chill air. Saw Abbey in the English Faculty and History Faculty libraries. Oh, one Good Thing: on impulse I went into hmv and they had the Vikings! So I bought it. Kelly and Abbey and I had tea at the Queen’s Lane tea shop. I had a cream tea with clotted cream and jam and all, and it was soooooo good it made everything better.
At home I showed everyone The Vikings and they admitted its mind-blowingness. What an awesomely idiotic film.
Another good thing: David’s back! He had been gone all weekend golfing in Birmingham. I missed him.
Tuesday October 30
Cinq heures et demie:
And I meant to get my work done early this week. Bollocks. I basically have one day again. But this time, two due on Thursday. The horror!
Spent all day cleaning my room and updating my blog. Now in half an hour I have to go to “The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia?”, a play that Casey is co producing, about bestiality, I gather. Anyway, Abbey wants to see it.
Wednesday
Klotzman came to visit me! I got it all wrong and had a great deal of difficulty finding her, but finally we were united and I took her to the flat.
Also took her to kitmaking. Had a good time being snarky with Lauren, who I love among my mateys bc I can be mean to her and she gets it’s not real, but just cathartic when one is seen as a rather excessively sweet person. Also she helped me sew my undertunic, which was good bc I’m so miserable at it and I hate it, rar. The drama of the evening was when Veronica accidentally pressed her hand onto the arm of the couch where previously she had unfortunately stuck a needle. She stood up saying help, help, and we all saw that it had gone right through the fleshy part of her hand under her thumb, and the wrong way, as well.
*shudder*
Worse of all, it wouldn’t come out, bc it was too small and slippery, so Chris proffered his pliers wot he uses for the chainmail and Abbey very bravely pulled it right out.
Damn.
Thursday 25
Finished my Coleridge essay with bare seconds to spare. Whew. At 4 there was a lecture by Alan Chapman, my personal hero, about the history of Great Britain.
Kelly and I went to Sainsbury’s and got a punkin. It was only 99 p!
And Kelly was the Mummy to-night and made us Philly Cheese-steaks for dinner.
We also went to Catweazle with Chris. Sadly he didn’t get to play, but it was an awesome hippie enclave in Oxford, which reminded me powerfully of the Teahaus. There was this old dude dressed as a devil who danced around with great enthusiasm to this one band, and I thought, that’s me in fifty years. Hell, that’s me now.
Friday 26 October
I cannot believe it, but I did absolutely everything for my Cunningham tutorial the day of. I didn’t bother reading the book, 'cos it’s Wuthering Heights, not only have I read it before, but I dislike it. But I can only presume my slackitude didn’t show, bc Professor Cunningham just said it was good and then talked for an hour. Fortunately he doesn’t like it much either.
I don’t care what the crazed Heathcliff fans think, Jane Eyre it a million times better on every level. Ran home in the autumn biting cold grey evening feeling ever so free and joyous.
Was expecting, on my return, cozy punkin carving, but no-one was there, except David, which perturbed me to the point of putting on red lipstick, then Kelly and jemma and I went and joined Abbey who was in the Eagle and child with Ross and Philip, carousing over their anglo-saxon fair swag and apparently interpreting every single thing that was said as innuendo, particularly as related to punkin carving.
We were very merry. I love Wychwood so much.
I had got powdered milk so was able to make a sweet omelette for dinner, which made me happy, as I am very vain of my omelets, as they are always perfect and pretty and delicious.
Samedi
Kelly and I carved the punkin, sitting on newspaper in the kitchen and listening to my official punkin-carving song, “Starman” by Bowie. Also the Beatles and Cat Stevens. It was great. I love the way punkins smell and their slimyness and seeds and all. It’s a serious childhood association thing. Lauren made bacon and we all had the most cozy time.
Lauren and I walked about town looking at things. She was freaked by headless deer carcasses at the butcher’s in the Covered Market. We went home via Cowley, and stopped at my new favourite place, the eastern grocer, for dates, halawa with chocolate, and some bizarre thing in a jar called Alasia that appears to be peanuts, pistachios, and figs in honey, but doesn’t explain itself.
Also Tesco’s for pork pies, chicken, and hummus.
Then naan bread at zak’s.
Got home quite cold and tired with my feet hurting from my lovely new pewter Edwardian boots. So I texted chris to come round the flat instead of us going out. He came by when we were watching the mighty boosh. I was so pleased to see my happy family all watching the boosh: alex, jemma, abbey, and lauren. Then we all talked for a long time.
Dimanche
Wychwood and Lamb and Flag.
We sat in the pub for AGES. Hours and hours, playing 21, the completely heinous and hilarious game where you count around the circle in roman numerals, except every time you reach 21 there’s a new rule, which usually involves changing “i” to “no,” “v” to “daddy,” and “x” to “don’t touch me there”; new rules accumulating until you can’t point, or answer a question by the Question Master, and so on. Chris said that when he was old and eccentric he would keep newts in his ears and have attack weasels. Why is he so amazing?? Then we played Never Have I Ever.
Lauren and I went to Hussain’s for kebab, and he gave us chips on the house, ‘cos we were cute, I suppose. And my donner was the BEST thing I’ve ever eaten in my life, oh man it was amazing. It was so fresh and warm and vivid in the frigid air.
We met wychwood at ANOTHER pub, the Gloc, for quiz night. Quiz was fun and I got to draw vampires also I got the Frankenstein question right through my literary experience, which was sweet. But I was v. tired.
Feeling a little down, I found Lauren at the King’s Arms. She cheered me up by blowing smoke in my face. I had a blackcurrent squash and caught the last bus home.
Monday
Got me books. Many giant heavy things they are, being on Dickens. Bah. Carted them around town. Had awesome hummus wrap at the café crème and then a coconut milk steamer at the alternative tuck shop to warm me up in the chill air. Saw Abbey in the English Faculty and History Faculty libraries. Oh, one Good Thing: on impulse I went into hmv and they had the Vikings! So I bought it. Kelly and Abbey and I had tea at the Queen’s Lane tea shop. I had a cream tea with clotted cream and jam and all, and it was soooooo good it made everything better.
At home I showed everyone The Vikings and they admitted its mind-blowingness. What an awesomely idiotic film.
Another good thing: David’s back! He had been gone all weekend golfing in Birmingham. I missed him.
Tuesday October 30
Cinq heures et demie:
And I meant to get my work done early this week. Bollocks. I basically have one day again. But this time, two due on Thursday. The horror!
Spent all day cleaning my room and updating my blog. Now in half an hour I have to go to “The Goat, or, Who is Sylvia?”, a play that Casey is co producing, about bestiality, I gather. Anyway, Abbey wants to see it.