Sorry about my lack of entries in recent times; I've been taking a bit of a break from this journal.

My mission to the distant health centre to get my ears syringed was an absolute disaster. It was raining heavily, the streets were swarming with Christmas shoppers, I got very lost and when I arrived, there was a notice on the desk saying, "No ear syringing today." I went home the following day, and tried to get them sorted at my town's clinic, but I couldn't get an appointment due to Christmas. Eventually, I got one at the university health centre, and they're all right now. Also, I saw Projekt, an electro band, who were pretty good in spite of hearing trouble.

I spent most of my time at home listening to Children Of Bodom and working on my C project, then returned to York on 30th December. For New Year's Eve, I went for a drink with Alex and Andy and we saw the year in outside the Minster.

Not a night we're going to forget in a hurry. When I set off out, the weather was fine. When we left the pub, there was a veritable blizzard going on. since there was no way we'd be able to get a taxi and my shoes had absolutely no grip, the drunk Alex and Andy had to literally drag me back to my room. What's normally a half-hour walk took an hour and a half, sleeting blasting in our faces the whole time. A bonding experience, if nothing else.

I was having quite a boring time, playing The Sims a lot and trying to finish my C project and revise for my upcoming exam, until Thursday, when Ibid said, "Do you want to come to The Pit tomorrow?"

As The Pit's at the other end of the country, and would cost me £50 to get to and I was meant to be revising, I said, "Of course I want to come, but I can't." But then I thought, "Oh go on then!"

I woke at 8.30 on Friday. Having packed and made breakfast the night before, I managed to set off just before nine and happily, a train I would have otherwise missed had been delayed a little, and I managed to get a seat. The train had a smoking carriage - quel novelty! I spent the journey revising.

On reaching reached London, I was distraught to learn that the cost of a single tube ticket has gone up from £1.60 to £2.00. Quel inflation!

I reached Canterbury at 2. I was supposed to meet Ibid at her house at about 3.30, but she had a lecture from 2-3, so I decided to go and meet her there. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to get to campus in 27 minutes! Considering it used to take me 33 minutes to walk down the hill from the campus to the station, and that was at a fair old whack, without backpack, and I wasn’t hurrying or anything, I don’t know what’s happened, especially since I’m v. out of practise with climbing that hill.

On campus, I immediately ran into Ian, Klair, Emma, Neil, Tiggs and Vicky, but missed Ibid coming out of her lecture, so I headed for hers, stopping briefly at Soppygit’s en route. I'd asked Klair, Emma and Neil if there were any interesting developments happening on campus, but they said not. Somehow, though, they'd neglected to mention a huge building that had sprung up, making one of the footpaths off campus three times its normal and right length. Bad and wrong. I showed Ibid my Dutch textbook (which she found fascinating) and we wrote two and a half sides of A4 for Our Film. We ate, then set off to The Pit.

The Pit was q. strange. I paid £1 to get in, out of the goodness of my heart, and had “Ex staff” written on my hand. There were loads of new DJs, including Matt who did a cyber set in the middle of the night. There’s official society election thingies happening soon and they had scary plasticky membership cards to give out. All very officious. Lots of scary unknown and fantastic-looking people turned up, but the place was v. packed and much of the old crowd were present. Sat on the door for a bit and wrote on people's hands. Once you join the rock society

Everyone was expecting the event to finish at 11, but Bryn convinced everyone it could carry on til midnight, and took over DJing duties with all of two compilation CDs and my assistance. Lots of people danced and I was told some people were going to start a Bryn chant. He was in a bad mood, though, due to accidentally leaving his sleeping bag in his parents' car.

I bought a new pair of New Rock boots cheap off female Charlie. I am highly amused to have been able to do this, since I'm 5'2" and she's 6'2" but they're only a size too big for me. Better, they're snow-worthy and very comfortable.

On Saturday, Ibid and myself went round to Soppygit's, where we wrote The Philosophy Stop. We went into town where we met Bryn and Re-Enactor Dave for coffee, and read it to them, likely striking much fear into the hearts of the cafe's other patrons. We also went to Waterstones, so Bryn could buy me belated Christmas presents: “A Series Of Unfortunate Events 9” and since it was in a special 3-for-2 offer, “Secrets” by Jacqueline Wilson and a strange-looking book called “Doll”. Then we went to Marks and Spencers so Soppygit could buy food and we could stalk Dave’s ex Sarah who’s now a manager there.

Int evening, Bryn, Ibid and myself saw "The Last Samurai" at the cinema, which was ok, but not great. Afterwards, we went back to Ibid's and listened to Yoj Division and HIM and stuff.

On Sunday, I met up with former classmate Kitty, then went round to Soppygit's - my old house - to collect some post. We chatted a while, then she walked me to the station. In the train to Nodnol, I ended up in a small compartment with a student and two Men O Kent who smoke, drank and talked to student bloke until he got off and then to me.

On the train back to York, I once again found a seat, then spent the whole journey reading the autobiography of Klaus Kinski which I got Ibid for Christmas and she’d lent to me. She’s still got my Six Stage Suicide CD I entrusted to her last January though!


Monday 12 January 2004

Today I woke to the sound of many ducks chorusing “Wake! Wake! Wake!” I struggled, as always, to get out of bed, but I managed it at that mystical time of 8.47 I often seem to get up at. Checked livejournal, went to the shop to buy stuff, attempted to see one of my lecturers, but he wasn't in. I'd been sent loads of information about work placements, so I listed them in order of preference. One of them's in Melbourne, which sounds very appealing, so I checked out the Melbourne metal scene online.

Being back in Canterbury and talking to Kitty who's currently doing a Master's at UKC has made me seriously consider doing a Ph.D there next academic year, so I looked at the UKC website and wrote to my potential supervisor to find out about applying. Ibid tells me house prices are due to go up in Canterbury next year, but the course there sounds v. v. good and I’m scared of having to move to either Oxford or Bath instead. Kitty tells me some of her classmates are interested in the same area as me, so I'd best apply post haste!

Then I did beeploads o revision and spoke to Bryn briefly. Tried to go and see my lecturer again, but failed. Spoke to my corridor briefly in the kitchen. Went to Cinematography meeting. Came back, e-mailed Alex and Berna (over different matters) and phoned Mum. Stared at some meaningless trigonometry a bit, then decided to be brave and try and include more pointers in my C program.

Wahey! Not only do they make my program look infinitely funchier, but it actually works now! Glory be to pointers, and peace to the things they are pointing at!