The Philisophical Works of a Pseudo Author

I'm assuming, once the DVD comes out in March, that perhaps there might be other fan vids on youtube than the heaps and heaps of Fili/Kili slash? Or worse, Thorin/Fili/Kili slash? Also, set to much better music than seems to currently be on offer. One can only hope.

On that note, the fan vids after the EE of There and Back Again are going to KILL ME. I'm going to need therapy or some other fandom that doesn't kill off main charactes.

[On that note as well, everyone on my f-list has read the Hobbit right? We all know how this ends?]

Still going...I will not read The Hobbit. I will not read The Hobbit. I will finish Cloud Atlas so I have some idea what the hell is going on when I see the movie, and I will spend the next week squeeing over Richard [the III, honestly, which Richard did you think I was talking about?] and then finish Battle Royale. I will not read The Hobbit. Not until August 2014.

Lastly, there are some really depressing character driven Spooks fan vids on YouTube. To be fair, the writers and Lucas North have made it rather easy on the fans. Richard Armitage (yes, yes, other Richard, though apparently he might have been named after the King? Which amuses me? In a really ironic sort of way?) does tortured (pun entirely intended) really well. I feel this will come in handy in about, oh, 17 months?

See, I totally made a circular post. Aren't I awesome?

Uh, Fili & Kili fic is going...well...had to go track down the script again. I seem to be quoting Bilbo more than anything. I should probably be worried about that.

Spooks fic is up to the second commercial break. No one has died yet, but I have high hopes for at least some blood later on. Of course, I wrote the ending as the teaser so I know where it ends up...basically. Always start a spy thriller with a gun to someone's head.

And Castle this week? Can I just say? EVIL BASTARD. It's sort of like Heroes all over again, except worse. And I am missing Alexis and Martha these days. Feels like it's been ages since we've seen them. Or any Castle/Beckett kissykissy.

Again, circular post. I need to...bake a lot this weekend. And eat a lot. And see Lincoln and Richard. How is this my life? It's awesome.

I feel this icon is justifiably appropriate.

In about 45 minutes we get to see the unveiling of the Richard III reconstruction. I am EXCITED. I miss archaeology. I am very, very proud of the U of L Arch Dept. today. I am massively thrilled to be living in Leicester right now. I am super happy the exhibit opens on Friday (going Sunday). And, lastly, it is more than a little fantastic that #RichardIII became the top trending subject of Twitter today. Take THAT SuperBowl.

I miss Scotland. I make no pretenses about that. No matter how much I love living in England, and being in Leicester especially, I miss Scotland almost daily. And it's funny, because I've spent about a grand total of a month of my life there, but it feels like a lot longer. It feels like I fell in love with a country I was born to - even if not born in - and it's been ages since I last saw it. It'll be a while longer, and probably not this year, before I see it again.

[To think, I could have gone to Newcastle. Or maybe not.]

Last night I went to my first ceilidh in 3.5 years. It was rather awesome, despite the fact the teenagers couldn't learn the dances, and the caller sort of sucked, and they always picked the hardest variations because there were so many people. I stepped on toes, had mine stepped on, bumped into people while whirling, and very nearly lost my glasses at one point, but much fun, cider and exercise was had. Hell, I feel skinnier this morning than I have for months, which I then completely negated by eating an entire English fry-up (minus the black pudding, as I forgot to buy it). The first dance last night hurt and then the rest were just exhilerating. By night's end I was on a high, despite the vigorous dancing and the alcohol (1.5 pints of cider, thanks very much).

I didn't sleep particularly long, as someone kept waking me up [to be entirely fair, once was the fire alarm at 1am at the building behind, not the flatmate beside me] but when I did sleep it was very deeply. Woke up before 8 to sun, birds and no wind. It appears to be the perfect day outside, all the more as I slept with my window open, so my room actually smells fresh and aired out for the first time in ages. Will keep it open the whole week, if possible.

Now there will be a very long walk, to work off breakfast (ceilidh worked off the entire pizza and garlic bread I had last night, my treat for being awesome with the diet all week!), and hopefully a book read. I've already lazed the morning away watching a pretty good movie with Anna Friel set during WWII and a London girl who marries a Canadian serviceman and gets sent to rural Alberta to wait out the war. It was a feel good movie; sometimes I need those.

I have to book Ireland today; I really do. At least the hostel only needs a deposit, but the flights have to be paid for up front.

I would very much like to skip the seminar lecture this afternoon and go into the city to see the Duchess of Cambridge (and the Queen and Prince Philip), but I am honestly too exhausted to walk that far. I am really too tired to even go to the seminar, but I signed up, so I'll show up. It's the first one that hasn't been cancelled due to teacher sickness this year!

I've seen the Queen and Philip anyways. But it would be fun to see Catherine, since I missed her in Canada last year! Oh well; I am certain there will be many other chances in the next few years.

I think this is worse than the Califonia jet lag. I just felt really tired after that. But with the luggage and all, my shoulders really ache and I don't get to sit around for 6 days and do nothing! I'm not going to make it to the city again today, though. 4 miles is more than I have in me. But I seem to be getting the grocery shopping stuff done, at least.

The flight over was decent. Drank a bottle of free champagne (Go Upgrades!) and I guess that helped, because I got a few hours of restless sleep. And then I had coffee for breakfast. Probably all that got me through until late afternoon when I napped before meeting Chantel (yeah for mini-Laurier reunions. Twice in a week!). The girl beside me was going to a wedding in Leicester, ironically, for a cousin. She hadn't been back to England in 20 years. We chatted quite a bit while they served dinner, which I didn't eat, since it was 10:30pm!

I am moved into my term time room. It was available before they thought it would be. There are only 2 other girls in the flat so far. One is from Wales and is in the medical department, so she started 3 weeks ago. The other is from southern Pakistan, but has family in Edmonton! She knows all about winter in Canada. They should both be relatively quiet people, especially the one in medicine (research oriented). The others should be in by Sunday. Guess they might not be international students, since they aren't here yet.

Registered and paid for accomodation so far. Settled everything I think I need to at the uni. Campus is a disaster zone. The city is replacing gas lines all the way along University Ave and, of course, it's not finished on time. The entire road is dug up and construction vehicles are parked on campus. And the 'reno' they have been doing to the outside of buildings on campus is still a work in progress, so there are baracades up everywhere. Nixon is finished, in so far that the buildings are done and open, but the landscaping is a work in progress. They are hard at work on my little back corner, and the forescast is to finish by Sunday. At least they go home between 6pm and 7am. Because it's LOUD. But once they do finish, it should be quite quiet back here, as it is the far corner of the property and doesn't back directly onto anything except that large white roofed warehouse, which I've now been told is the offsite storage for the library (who knew?). You can hear the trains when they pass by, but they aren't breaking or whistling, and they pass quickly. Like GO trains.

The room is decent. About the same size as Opal, but with more storage. It looks well lived in, but it's very clean, as is the kitchen. All new appliances in there. It will do. Especially for the big difference in price from Opal!

Had a good visit with Chantel. Uni has made changes this year for the sub-wardens and everything is much more complicated and involves a lot more of her time, which in her final phd year, she doesn't have much of. Will be busy for her, but I'm sure we'll do evenings together on occasion. She gets half-price tickets to the theatre at Morrisons, so that's good! If only there were good movies out...

Went grocery shopping today for the week. Cost £23, so I am hoping I can do groceries for the week for under £50, including a night out. Food isn't any more expensive than last time, which surprises me. And I can live without alcohol and meat quite well. Some things are ridiculously cheap; like cereal and eggs. Good!

Will have to do bank and cell phone tomorrow. Hopefully I will have the energy by then.

Have already added a desk lamp and laundry basket to my room. Everything is unpacked and hopefully I'll get to the office store tomorrow for pins so I can decorate the room and it won't look so boring! I'll need a fan if this weather continues. 30* humidex today...without air-condioning and I'm on the sunny side of the building. And it's really loud with the window open. Hopefully better by next week. 16* and the landscaping should be done! One of the lanscaping crew is Scottish and he's hilarious to listen to, at least. Another has to be from Yorkshire, I think, and is barely understandable.

I am off to Stonehenge and Salisbury tomorrow. I've been waiting to go for TWELVE MONTHS (read: TWELVE YEARS) and so am very excited, even if it is supposed to be cold and I have to get up very early.

The Queen and Prince Philip are coming to U of L. To open the library. I am partly amused and partly really excited. Also, MS refuses to cancel classes that morning, even though the Chancillor of the school has told all the departments to do so. So, we're going to skip a very boring lecture on collection systems. And Katherine is going to know exactly where we are.

Mum and Edie are coming out for graduation. Considering that's a seven hour flight with a three hour train journey on either end for 48hrs, I suppose I should be grateful. I did tell her to come. The Aunt's first trip overseas is going to be a whirlwind, that's for sure. But I get to wear robes!

The Chinese girls in my flat forced me into a kimono yesterday. Pictures will be forthcoming, but once I had it on I didn't want to take it off. Apparently you can get very nice ones for ridiculously low prices in China. That's so unfair.

You know, this year I made a promise to myself that I was going to participate in class whether I felt comfortable or not. So, today, the first day of our small group classes in our specialty subjects, I talked...a lot.

In fact, only three of us actually did talk. Because the others just sat their starring at each other. I wanted a debate, people! I was saying really opinionated things, and no one was arguing with me! Not even Jon!

There is an Irish girl in my flat.

I'm in love.