Sesquipedalian Ebullitions

2004-05-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Isn't it amazing how long it takes to get dark these days? Almost ten o'clock and there's still light in the sky. I've actually had quite a productive day today, I started the dreaded revision... actually I'm feeling much better about it now. I've learnt all the noun endings - all cases, all genders - for Old English, and I've done quite a few of the assessed exercises too.
We went to one of the cafes on campus for dinner and ended up talking to the Christian Union reps for an hour. They're there every day with a new questionnaire for you to fill out while you eat. Frankly I don't like evangelism and I wasn't pleased to see them there, but the others chatted away for ages. I didn't take a questionnaire, but now I wish I had... a couple of the questions could have had good answers, like "If you could ask God one question, what would it be?" which is crying out for the answer "Which religion is the correct one?" Speaking of religion, I came across these awful people today:
http://www.godhatesfags.com
Go there, click 'contact us', and tell them what you think of them. It's the least they deserve, spreading hatred in such a way. I mean, they suggest you should thank God for giving the world AIDS and 9/11. Don't be put off by their 'We do not read abusive email' spiel. Tell them who's really going to Hell.

2004-05-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

Just got back to uni after having spent a few days at home... It was meant to be two days, but it turned into three, and then into four. I was happy to be at home but I worried all the time about the revision I consequently was not doing. This seems to be the pattern of my entire life so far, being too lazy to revise but worrying when I am not revising that I should be.
I watched the Eurovision Song Contest with my sister last night, it was pretty cool. I really liked the Netherlands' entry but unfortunately they didn't win... sadly neither did our lovely James Fox. He's from near where I'm from, and my dad's firm was his main sponsor for the contest - my dad gets to meet him and get his autograph next week. He couldn't care less of course but I think it's pretty cool. And what's with all this fuss about the tactical voting? Have these people never watched it before? That's what it's supposed to be like! And it's not as if it really matters who wins anyway, I don't think; isn't it meant to be a bit of fun?!

2004-05-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

I'm really supposed to be revising now - my first exam is in two weeks. But I just can't seem to get down to it. I keep starting, and then remembering I haven't got something I need, and then on the way to getting it, I get sidetracked and start doing something else. It doesn't help that I just got a letter from a penpals club, with 15 addresses to which I am supposed to write. Now I much prefer writing letters to revising, so guess what I'm doing most of? It can't be good.

2004-05-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

I saw possibly the best website ever today. If you like cute stuff, and you like simple but addictive games, then you should take a look:
http://www.orisinal.com
The bees-in-bubbles game is the best! And the guestbook is totally original.

2004-05-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Anybody got the lyrics to Zak and Sara by Ben Folds?

2004-05-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

There were lectures today even though it's a Bank Holiday. On one hand, it's a bit mean; on the other, nobody else gets six months' holiday a year...
We had History of English this morning. Our lecturer finds us troublesome and she's forever trying to sort us out by standing up in front of us and saying, "Now if anyone has any problem with me, speak up and tell me what I'm doing wrong." I mean, really. Who's going to do that? But today some people actually did. It was like a public stoning or something. The poor woman got quite upset. Now I feel really bad about the harsh things I wrote on her feedback form. I'm even contemplating taking her classes next year to make up for it. No, actually, I was going to take them anyway, I like History of English.
My big achievement of today, however, was changing all the colours on this page (from beige and orange) to blue and turquoise. Much nicer I think. It's also come to my attention that if anyone is actually reading this, I have no way of finding out. So I'm going to put an Email Me link in the sidebar, and please (I'm begging you now) email me and let me know what you think.
And finally - Happy Raspberry Popover Day. (If anyone knows what a raspberry popover is, I'd be glad to find out).

2004-04-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

To all the Cypriots, Czechs, Estonians, Hungarians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Maltese, Poles, Slovaks and Slovenians reading this - welcome to the EU! I hope that your accession brings you every benefit that you hoped for.

2004-04-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

We had a really odd conversational analysis lecture today. To begin with there were like 70 of us squeezed into this tiny room. Then in walks this guy that none of us have ever seen before, and he puts on this Irish folk music and then goes running back out. Well naturally I start to think that it might be some sort of behavioural experiment, so I just sit there, saying nothing incriminating, and wait. After a while he comes back, now wearing a bandana, writes something on the board in Chinese, and wanders around the now silent room waving a packet of Starburst and asking everybody their name in Mandarin Chinese. (I know that's what he was saying because I was sitting opposite two girls from Taiwan and they helpfully told me.)
Anyway, it turned out that the reason we didn't recognise him was because he is 'on loan' from the other uni in town, and the reason he was talking in Chinese was to demonstrate that for conversation to work, you have to gear what you say to the people listening. I liked him a lot because he gave me a box of Smarties for answering a question; there's nothing like free chocolate to endear a person to you.
Afterwards we went to McDonalds. I swear the man in there recognises me now and knows exactly what I am going to order... I got him today by having a Rolo McFlurry, which I have never had before, presumably because they have only just been invented. It wasn't as nice as an actual packet of Rolos would have been.

2004-04-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Turns out to be a good thing that we didn't pay for 'The Mexican'. It wasn't a very good film. I mean, it had Brad Pitt in, but that was about all.
It's got awfully cold here... over the weekend it was 25 degrees, but now it's nearly cold enough for gloves again. I really don't get this northern weather.
I wasted a couple of hours today researching the countries that are joining the EU on Saturday. Turkey has 44% inflation! I couldn't believe that. I hope the EU can help them out with it a bit.

2004-04-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

I had intended to write several very long first entries but now I'm being watched and I can't write when I'm being watched. Plus I have to move so that we can watch 'The Mexican' on the computer screen (we haven't got a tv.) We were going to go out to a movie, but a) we only went there yesterday, b)we haven't got any money, and c)we can't be bothered. We found 'The Mexican' in someone's kitchen the other day though, so at least we can watch it for free.