Mega-catchup-post: six weekends
Some of this is so horrendously out-of-date that I've totally forgotten, but I'll try to remember little fragments thereof. Warning: this post may be written in nattish and/or entirely incomprehensible to everyone.
10/11 February
To the Wise Guys gig on the Sunday afternoon, and bounced around like a loony. Great gig - some new songs (Relativ, Paris (guessing at titles for these two), an unnamed reggae song), a few old favourites. Clemens sang "Nur für Dich" as an encore, a song Lohengrin finds depressing and womble2 finds stupid. I just like Clemens ;-) Oh, and a song about a certain ex-German-National coach. I take issue with them ripping the piss out of my hometown boy! This was all topped off by a filk of Thriller called - wait for it - Schiller! Argh! Not just my hometown boys but my distant relatives now, eh? I could seriously go off this group...! (Oh my God, though, Ferenc could read me whatever he wanted to if he did it in that voice...) Anyway, was abandoned after the show (womble2 went to spend some brother-time with zzumbouk, everyone else just kind of randomly buggered off), so I attended the afterglow session by myself - and completely froze up and failed to talk to anybody. Someone else asked for a whole-group picture, and so I got up the guts to ask for one as well, while everyone was there. That's how I met downybearded1 and her lovely friend Tina (who is not on LJ, but should be). They made me feel so much more at ease, and walked with me toward Richmond station, stopping for ice cream along the way - strawberry and mango ice cream is gorgeous, by the way!
17/18 February
So, this dancing lark, eh? I went along to the CDC Cuppers event, with the main intention of spectating, and possibly entering if I could find someone to dance with me at short notice. I didn't, so I spectated. Ran into the fair Polyhymnia at the beginning of the event, so at least had someone with whom to sit and watch - and watch we did. Saw a Debianite that I've been too chicken to speak to do pretty well at Quickstep. I remain too chicken to speak to him, because I'm like that. At one point I thought I was hallucinating when I saw my MA supervisor (some of you may remember the journey that ended here) turn up, but he is in fact the Rock'n'Roll team coach. I got dragged into holding the video camera for the RnR competition, because I'm a mug :) What else? Polyhymnia and I named someone Enigmatic Constipated Pigeon Boy, but I'm not saying whom. I was also very entertained by the beautiful Miss F (yet to be properly pseudonymed) in a man outfit dancing the team competition (as a leader) with a chap in a skirt following. Also, same-sex rumba is the hottest thing in the world ever, possibly even hotter than same-sex Argentine Tango, and that's saying something. *wipes brow* I also approve of the fact that the Cuppers prizes are sweets from a bag. I do wish they'd post the results on the website, though, but I fear they've given up on that now.
23/24/25 February
Then, the fiercely-anticipated FOSDEM! Got the Eurostar to Brussels, mostly managed to get 'round the place in one piece (only a few arghs over the purchase of transport tickets, reasonably swiftly resolved), got to the usual Yoof Hostile, then off to the Roy for drinks. It was a bit crowded and noisy, though, so eventually people decamped to a different bar, where we got the most pwfftastic kriek I've ever had in my life, which I topped up with Coke and made a sort of bizarre cherry-Coke-kriek, which tasted surprisingly nice. Saw people I'd met before (particularly at DC6), and met a few new people, including a random bouncy Israeli, a squishy baby troll, a quiet Johnian who shares a name with a character out of Rilke, and palfrey. Was much better prepared for travelling this time, and actually brought things like socks and a coat. Hurrah. Looking forward to the next one.
3/4 March
Went to a tea-dance organised by the CDC on the Sunday. Highlight of the afternoon: seeing various serious ballroom types dancing the Macarena. Have decided they're probably approximately my age. Asked various people to dance whom I'd previously not dared to ask. Afterwards, investigated the new Mexican place across from Downing that has taken over the premises that used to be Pho. Tasty stuff. Not totally authentic, but tasty.
10/11 March
Saturday: Went to a recital that Polyhymnia gave - mostly modern stuff, but also some Clara Schumann pieces. Fell madly in love with a setting of Aedh wishes for the Cloths of Heaven, which BQV says she sang at Grade 5. Perhaps I ought to try it, if I can get my paws on the music in a suitable key. Got talked into singing a funeral for some Wolfson fellow even though my voice was pretty much gone and I wasn't suitably dressed. I was lent a very long gown and stood in the back. Pub afterwards and a good time was had by all.
Sunday: invited by the lovely Miss F (still pseudonymless) to Formal Hall at Catz. The food was very tasty, and the company most pleasant: a shiny young pwff who is more Japanese than I am and wields a camera with menaces, and an engagingly mad Australian girl who psychoanalysed us all. Apparently the shiny young pwff and I are both INTP (no, really?), and Miss F is something like ISFP, I think. Alas, the hall itself was a bit noisy due to thespy types next to us, but we had a very civilised evening of cheese and wine afterwards in the Catz MCR. Got home around 1 in the morning, I think.
16/17/18 March
Friday: My first CDC ball. Dinner beforehand with a small group, then coach to St. Ives. Made it my mission to dance with both halves of a particular partnership. Some mission that was - accomplished it within about three dances, much to my squeefulness. Tried a few dances I hadn't done before, I don't dare try Paso yet though. Maybe next week ;-) Am very impressed with the Beautiful Man Inna Waistcoat, who dances gorgeously and still puts up with my stumbling around like a foo'. Moderately surprised to note that my hair makes whipping noises during tango; I didn't think it was that long or that voluminous. Got complimented on blue and green streaks in hair by random girls. Went afterwards to party hosted by mjg59, but I suspect I should have gone straight home, as most of the people I'd wanted to see had gone by the time I got there.
Saturday: Cold supper with visiting Italians - I wasn't doing the concert in question but thought I'd come along to the dinner, mainly to see people as I'd been away from Wolfson (having had the FOSDEM plague for a while on various Mondays in succession) for most of the term. Tasty - had not thought of the combination of beetroot, feta and walnuts, but it rather works.
Sunday: NCS concert of Rossini that I've been looking forward to for a while. Went jolly well, even the slightly under-rehearsed Schumann. The divine Miss F and our Rilkean Hero came to watch, as did womble2. Solo went surprisingly well, considering I'd been VERY nervous on account of only-just-gone plague. Hurrah. I love Rossini.
Um, that was a bit stream-of-consciousness, I fear. Never mind. I might post something else later that makes sense. And if you believe that... ;-)
10/11 February
To the Wise Guys gig on the Sunday afternoon, and bounced around like a loony. Great gig - some new songs (Relativ, Paris (guessing at titles for these two), an unnamed reggae song), a few old favourites. Clemens sang "Nur für Dich" as an encore, a song Lohengrin finds depressing and womble2 finds stupid. I just like Clemens ;-) Oh, and a song about a certain ex-German-National coach. I take issue with them ripping the piss out of my hometown boy! This was all topped off by a filk of Thriller called - wait for it - Schiller! Argh! Not just my hometown boys but my distant relatives now, eh? I could seriously go off this group...! (Oh my God, though, Ferenc could read me whatever he wanted to if he did it in that voice...) Anyway, was abandoned after the show (womble2 went to spend some brother-time with zzumbouk, everyone else just kind of randomly buggered off), so I attended the afterglow session by myself - and completely froze up and failed to talk to anybody. Someone else asked for a whole-group picture, and so I got up the guts to ask for one as well, while everyone was there. That's how I met downybearded1 and her lovely friend Tina (who is not on LJ, but should be). They made me feel so much more at ease, and walked with me toward Richmond station, stopping for ice cream along the way - strawberry and mango ice cream is gorgeous, by the way!
17/18 February
So, this dancing lark, eh? I went along to the CDC Cuppers event, with the main intention of spectating, and possibly entering if I could find someone to dance with me at short notice. I didn't, so I spectated. Ran into the fair Polyhymnia at the beginning of the event, so at least had someone with whom to sit and watch - and watch we did. Saw a Debianite that I've been too chicken to speak to do pretty well at Quickstep. I remain too chicken to speak to him, because I'm like that. At one point I thought I was hallucinating when I saw my MA supervisor (some of you may remember the journey that ended here) turn up, but he is in fact the Rock'n'Roll team coach. I got dragged into holding the video camera for the RnR competition, because I'm a mug :) What else? Polyhymnia and I named someone Enigmatic Constipated Pigeon Boy, but I'm not saying whom. I was also very entertained by the beautiful Miss F (yet to be properly pseudonymed) in a man outfit dancing the team competition (as a leader) with a chap in a skirt following. Also, same-sex rumba is the hottest thing in the world ever, possibly even hotter than same-sex Argentine Tango, and that's saying something. *wipes brow* I also approve of the fact that the Cuppers prizes are sweets from a bag. I do wish they'd post the results on the website, though, but I fear they've given up on that now.
23/24/25 February
Then, the fiercely-anticipated FOSDEM! Got the Eurostar to Brussels, mostly managed to get 'round the place in one piece (only a few arghs over the purchase of transport tickets, reasonably swiftly resolved), got to the usual Yoof Hostile, then off to the Roy for drinks. It was a bit crowded and noisy, though, so eventually people decamped to a different bar, where we got the most pwfftastic kriek I've ever had in my life, which I topped up with Coke and made a sort of bizarre cherry-Coke-kriek, which tasted surprisingly nice. Saw people I'd met before (particularly at DC6), and met a few new people, including a random bouncy Israeli, a squishy baby troll, a quiet Johnian who shares a name with a character out of Rilke, and palfrey. Was much better prepared for travelling this time, and actually brought things like socks and a coat. Hurrah. Looking forward to the next one.
3/4 March
Went to a tea-dance organised by the CDC on the Sunday. Highlight of the afternoon: seeing various serious ballroom types dancing the Macarena. Have decided they're probably approximately my age. Asked various people to dance whom I'd previously not dared to ask. Afterwards, investigated the new Mexican place across from Downing that has taken over the premises that used to be Pho. Tasty stuff. Not totally authentic, but tasty.
10/11 March
Saturday: Went to a recital that Polyhymnia gave - mostly modern stuff, but also some Clara Schumann pieces. Fell madly in love with a setting of Aedh wishes for the Cloths of Heaven, which BQV says she sang at Grade 5. Perhaps I ought to try it, if I can get my paws on the music in a suitable key. Got talked into singing a funeral for some Wolfson fellow even though my voice was pretty much gone and I wasn't suitably dressed. I was lent a very long gown and stood in the back. Pub afterwards and a good time was had by all.
Sunday: invited by the lovely Miss F (still pseudonymless) to Formal Hall at Catz. The food was very tasty, and the company most pleasant: a shiny young pwff who is more Japanese than I am and wields a camera with menaces, and an engagingly mad Australian girl who psychoanalysed us all. Apparently the shiny young pwff and I are both INTP (no, really?), and Miss F is something like ISFP, I think. Alas, the hall itself was a bit noisy due to thespy types next to us, but we had a very civilised evening of cheese and wine afterwards in the Catz MCR. Got home around 1 in the morning, I think.
16/17/18 March
Friday: My first CDC ball. Dinner beforehand with a small group, then coach to St. Ives. Made it my mission to dance with both halves of a particular partnership. Some mission that was - accomplished it within about three dances, much to my squeefulness. Tried a few dances I hadn't done before, I don't dare try Paso yet though. Maybe next week ;-) Am very impressed with the Beautiful Man Inna Waistcoat, who dances gorgeously and still puts up with my stumbling around like a foo'. Moderately surprised to note that my hair makes whipping noises during tango; I didn't think it was that long or that voluminous. Got complimented on blue and green streaks in hair by random girls. Went afterwards to party hosted by mjg59, but I suspect I should have gone straight home, as most of the people I'd wanted to see had gone by the time I got there.
Saturday: Cold supper with visiting Italians - I wasn't doing the concert in question but thought I'd come along to the dinner, mainly to see people as I'd been away from Wolfson (having had the FOSDEM plague for a while on various Mondays in succession) for most of the term. Tasty - had not thought of the combination of beetroot, feta and walnuts, but it rather works.
Sunday: NCS concert of Rossini that I've been looking forward to for a while. Went jolly well, even the slightly under-rehearsed Schumann. The divine Miss F and our Rilkean Hero came to watch, as did womble2. Solo went surprisingly well, considering I'd been VERY nervous on account of only-just-gone plague. Hurrah. I love Rossini.
Um, that was a bit stream-of-consciousness, I fear. Never mind. I might post something else later that makes sense. And if you believe that... ;-)