The Other Valhalla [entries|archive|friends|userinfo]
Valhalla

[ website | My old LJ Account ]
[ profile | this valkyrie ]
[ archive | past adventures ]

More snow! [Dec. 21st, 2009|09:46 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | amused]

It's more than ankle deep by now, and more's on the way! (Which, for the area, is amazing.) Predictably, my metabolism has kicked into its winter feeding frenzy. (Which is bad, because I can't currently do my jogging routine -- with the current state of the streets that would be suicidal. But the fact that I miss it, shows that I'll likely keep the habit. It's grown on me.) I'm currently in bed with my laptop and a tin of oil sardines, which probably means I've reached a new level on the official weirdness scale. (Pffft, like I care.) What can I say, I've had so much chocolate I kind of don't want any more (which is an O_o occurrence for me). The fish was originally intended as a basis for horse-friend's stag night (how do you say that for women? Doe night?) last Saturday, but I forgot. I had volunteered to stay home (since I'm not too much involved with most of her friends) and do the dog sitting, but of course I was included in the several hours worth of warm-up drinking. (Which ended with me not only taking care of the dogs, but also making sure that the girl who collapsed halfway through (during her own drinking game, with her own home-mixed liquor, no less) and subsequently also didn't go to the city with the others, slept on her side, not her back, and to occasionally check if she was still breathing. Yay. ":-/) Otherwise, the evening was fun, though. Horse-friend got dressed up in a skimpy "female santa" costume, and managed to look stunning rather than silly in it. (She's one of those lucky few people who can wear absolutely anything and be smoking hot. *envies*) Her boyfriend was pretty miffed he only got to see the photos afterwards, heh. (His own stag night was pretty traumatic, seeing as his own bastard friends made him run round the city centre in nothing but underpants (not even boxer shorts). -- Just as a reminder: we had -10 to -15°C and heavy snow here. Brrr.) The next morning, or, well, around noon, horse-friend was already bouncy again (I have no idea how she manages that -- I had a lot less to drink, six hours more sleep, and was still more hung over) and we took the dogs for a good long hike over the snowy hills, which was awesome. Somehow, I'd take moments like that with my friends over all the parties in the world.

ETA: Oh, and Happy Midwinter's Night, everybody! I wish every night of the year could be that long and snowy -- don't you? ":-D
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I love my life! [Dec. 17th, 2009|03:30 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | cheerful]

Which is surprising, because I'm still fucking BROKE, for no reason other than lazy bureaucrats not getting their asses in gear. Hrmph. I'm also not getting uni stuff done at the moment, because... er, I guess I'm also lazy. At least I don't make anyone's life but my own harder with that.

But anyway, whatever, HAPPY:

It's gotten cold here the last few days, but I finally got around to getting a fire started in the oven today (because it's the first day in forever that I returned form uni early enough to make it worthwhile; also, I needed to borrow money to buy some coal first), so I'm no longer spending my nights huddled in bed, with socks on, a T-shirt under my PJ's, and a blanket over the duvet. (It was some ten degrees below zero outside. I'm normally pretty cold-resistant, but considering the house is badly insulated, that was uncomfortable even by my standards.) Warm now! \o/

Yesterday, it started snowing, and right now it's snowing again, which also always brings me warm fuzzies. And thanks to the cold previous days, the snow isn't turning to mud before it even hits the ground, like it normally does. There's not even a cm high yet, but everything is looking pretty already. I don't give a shit about Christmas, but truly snowy holidays would get me in a festive mood anyway.

Today, mom brought the dog over, because I woke up from the rustling and whistling of a mouse gong through my dustbin. She hasn't caught it yet, though, so my suspicion is that it either lives behind the wardrobe, or under the floorboards. Crap. But anyway, it's good to have company! Animals beat people in that regard any day.

My internet hasn't died either (yet) -- though if it does, don't be surprised, it's been hiccuping for a while now. ":-/

Also, I have tea, biscuits, and whooly socks, and am wrapped in wintery cosiness all over.

And to make things perfect, I have new Te fic, whee!
LinkSpeak!

[Dec. 13th, 2009|04:00 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | wistful ]

*sigh* The sunset is gilding the condensation on my windowpane, and the clouds are looking all grand and dramatic. Suddenly, I feel sorry for having wasted all day in bed with my laptop, but it's too late now.
This shouldn't feel like a metaphor for my life as much as it does.
LinkSpeak!

Dear World -- FUCK YOU [Dec. 11th, 2009|10:04 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Mood | pissed off]
[Music |"music" supplied by roommates]

Dear Headache -- please go away. You are the last thing short of internal haemorrhage I need right now.

Dear Roommates -- go THE FUCK away, so my headache can, too.

Dear Student Loans Office People -- fuck yourselves with a rusty scythe and then GO DIE IN A FIRE. First you conveniently lose/ignore you had it in the first place one of the papers and only tell me one week before the application deadline (at a point where I had already been waiting for my money), leaving me to scramble for a replacement. Then you leave me hanging for another month and don't even answer the phone. And when you -- finally -- answer my (increasingly desperate/pissed off) emails, it's to tell me you won't be able to "review the application" -- never mind send the money -- before January? Seriously? You are aware that if I didn't have family living nearby, I wouldn't have anything but cupboard-corner rests to eat and generally live off (like, you know, buy coal for heating and such, as it's mid-December) for the next three + weeks? And even that family won't help me pay January's rent in time, because they don't have that sort of money to spare, either. Also, that Christmas thing you're supposed to buy gifts for? Yeah. It's a good thing we don't do that at home anyway (only the kids get presents, everyone else gets socks from granny and promise each other aid in the next strenuous undertaking around the house or garden), and the only thing I have to spring for is the Secret Santa thing in my circle of friends' gift exchange, plus the drinks for the evening. Because otherwise this'd be a damn sad Christmas! WTF happened to the Welfare state I supposedly live in???

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the plus side, I inherited a wonderfully warm winter jacket. It's blood-red (ew, colour! in my wardrobe! *g*) and probably a man's jacket (the sleeves are too long for me, and it doesn't fit around my hips, so it keeps riding up), but good quality and sporty looking. Also, warm and for free and almost new to boot. Yay!
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Urgh! [Dec. 9th, 2009|10:15 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Mood | tired]

I spent all day in uni today (again). The fact that this makes me feel awful -- caged in and sapped of all creative spirit -- says clearer than words how wrong I am in academia. (Note to self: never write an entry about all the reasons academia isn't for you; it'd be novel length.) I just wish there was some sort of alternative that wasn't worse where lack of free time is concerned. ":-( That lottery billion may feel free to descend on my bank account any day now.

Right now, my roommate has that abominable asshole friend of his over again, and the guy is somehow incapable of being quiet, or, you know, only normal-people levels of loud and annoying, not special ones. I need to get up at six, so fucking let me sleep! *deathglare* The worst thing is, no matter how much I complain, he just doesn't seem to understand the mere concept of being unwelcome. My roommate himself has told him to go away to his face on several occasions, and he hasn't gotten it. Hell, I've called him an asshole to his face and never even greet him anymore, and he doesn't get it! I mean, I'm socially inept and fail at picking up cues, but that wasn't possible to miss, except if you're INCREDIBLY FUCKING DUMB. *fights rising urge to kill*

I'm so very tempted to skip uni tomorrow, but this is starting to get habitual again, which is not good. And anyway, I'd only spend most of the day in bed with my laptop, reading (probably pitifully mediocre, because it seems I've been through all the good stuff) porn and not getting shit done, and then feel vaguely guilty (mostly because the porn won't have been worth it -- I never feel bad skipping for good porn *shrugs*). Or riding again, but this is getting out of hand to the point where my hobbies are starting to collide for TMI physical reasons. Yes, I've been riding that much lately. *facepalm*
LinkSpeak!

Miscellaneous news [Dec. 8th, 2009|07:49 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | busy]
[Music |radio crap ]

I haven't updated in a while, have I? Well, nothing much has happened, and uni has been keeping me busy. (By my standards of busy, anyway.) So, the latest news is trivia, but have them anyway:

- Stupid student loans aren't coming in, argh! Now the rent's paid, I'm so penniless, it's not even funny! Same shit every year: they take their sweet time working through the applications and leave you high and dry in the meantime. Fuckers.

- Especially since my old bike gave up the ghost two weeks ago as well, and I needed a new one (because it's my only means of getting anywhere). Fortunately, I found a good one that same day, and could afford it with some borrowed cash from grandpa. It's one of those lovely old Dutch ones that are still better after fifty years of use than most bikes you buy brand new. I'll avoid the mistake of riding it downhill in the future, though, because while the brakes work okay under normal circumstances, they gave out on me on the slope. That was the kind of situation that's only fun in hindsight. ":-/

- Despite these issues, I now got me the overdue haircut and a ton of comfort food -- the last of my money wouldn't have sufficed for a winter jacket anyway. This way at least I feel badass and well-fed while I prepare to freeze my arse off. So far it hasn't been too bad -- for once I approve of the disgusting, warm & muddy German Lowland winters -- but the temperatures are announced to drop this week...

- Arabian is hard work! The prof is good, if strict, though. Only the textbook is weird, in that it seems all set to confirm every awful cliché ever: the vocab of the first few chapters contains a ton of religious words, plus fun stuff like "army," "war," and "weapons." Yeah. Because everyone who speaks Arabian is a militant religious fanatic. *facepalm*

- I did what I always do when I'm stressed: escape. I spent more time on horseback than in uni the last week, and that may well be why I'm in a relatively good mood, considering the fact that my still-not-done assignments are eating me alive. Luckily, [horse-friend] is busy at work at the moment, so she doesn't mind me borrowing her mare all the time. Yes, I know my problems won't solve themselves... but I still feel better if I avoid thinking about them as much as possible, and riding is a very good way to do so.
LinkSpeak!

See, I love autumn storms... [Nov. 23rd, 2009|09:46 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Mood | cranky]
[Music |Duran Duran]

...except for the part where I get soaking wet on my bike. Also, rain dripping from the ceiling. Again.

I can haz bukkit?
LinkSpeak!

Quick update [Nov. 23rd, 2009|12:02 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | determined]

Weekend was hell. I barely slept, and was consequently in the foulest mood since Attila after he fell off his pony. (Including the need to decapitate people and burn things.) Developed the theory that roommates were trying to drive me out before the end of the month. It made enough sense that I already made plans for initiating a rapid move next Saturday. Turns out there was (mostly) a chain of unfortunate coincidences at work there. Talked it out with A last night and we agreed to try and make this work with minimum annoyance on all sides until February. (I can't actually move out till then because I'd have to pay rent anyway, stupid three-months' notice.) As things currently stand, I probably will rent stepdad's flat. There's no way in hell I'll ever get a flat of my own that size and that well-situated for this little money otherwise. Also, I could keep a cat or dog there, which wouldn't be possible in most places. I'm looking at one other flat this Wednesday, but... Let's say I've come to think it's not that bad an idea as my initial knee-jerk reaction suggested. Felt better after ten solid hours of sleep this morning, and find my outlook on life drastically improved. Uni papers are still hell, though.
LinkSpeak!

Squee? [Nov. 19th, 2009|07:20 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | relaxed]

There are some spontaneous impulses you just don't question. Like the urge to RUN! NOW! I had after returning from uni this afternoon. I currently don't get to do that as often, because uni starts at 8 am thrice weekly, which means getting up at six, and while I wouldn't mind getting up earlier, I try to let my roommates sleep in the mornings -- in the (evidently futile) hope that they'll do the same for me at night -- and I'm not usually up to sports in the evenings. But maybe the additional sausage from lunch wanted to be sweated out, or something. Or maybe it was but a symptom of a general feeling of... antsiness I had all day. *shrugs*

I wish I had more of a writing urge, though. ":-(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's no news on the living situation, except that my roommates and I finally had our talking out, where I told them, what the hell, I'll move out (to which they were surprisingly D-:" -- tough luck boys, if I say something, I follow through), and refused further half-baked compromise. If I've learnt one thing from these last ten months, it's that I need to live alone. I can't really afford it, but I need to. Living with the family was worse in some ways, better in others, but at least I was used to them and their bullshit. Strangers will always be strangers, who come up with weird, stranger-type ideas. (One of roommate C's other complaints -- after "You never clean the bathroom!", to which I truthfully replied "Neither do you two!" -- was that I always keep my distance. So what? I didn't move in here to make new friends! We're not married, and I'm therefore not obliged to spend my free time with you. I'm always friendly, except if you piss me off, and it took repeated insults from a certain asshole friend of yours before I gave up on politeness and bitched back, which I think is all you can ask for. I just want to live here, with my books, my internet, and some fucking peace and quiet. And anyway, we don't have hobbies besides occasionally watching The Simpsons and the evening news together. We are not the hippie commune a town over; there are no mandatory group activities here. What's so hard to understand about the concept of apathetic co-existence? I like it, and there's nothing wrong with me for that, so stop trying to say it is. I'm not saying something's wrong with you because you can't be alone and quiet, either. It's a difference of opinion, that's all.) Yeah, we talked everything out in great and excruciating length. ":-/ (I probably mentioned I hate talks like that?)

Bottom Line: Bleh. Roomshare life plainly isn't for me.*

I've emailed Dad about the flat, but he hasn't written back yet. It's probably too expensive anyway (though, well, he did buy(!) my stepsister a flat of her own, so he could well give me reduced rent... the fact that I'm not genetically his offspring shouldn't matter that much), but I'd like to rule that opportunity out rather than wonder whether I missed a chance later.

*(Scratch that. Human company plainly isn't for me!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The academic news is good, though! I'm starting to be carefully (very carefully) optimistic about the papers I had almost written off as doomed. YAY. (Except for the part where I actually need to get them done. Now. Which means I hardly get the fanfic porn internet time I require to function. *headdesk* I'm trying to catch up on comments though, I promise!)

Even more YAY: my favourite prof (favouritest of evar, you might now say) has agreed to mentor my MA thesis!!! SQUEE!!! (He was scarily relaxed about that aforementioned paper of his that I've been procrastinating since February. I can't help but wonder why I've been dithering about it so much! Nevermind. It's all SQUEE now!) ":-D
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Update [Nov. 13th, 2009|05:25 pm]
[Tags|, , , , , , ]
[Mood | worried]
[Music |Amorphis ]

Cut for length and family wtf?-ery. )

In other news, NaNo novel is at 16,555 words! (Yes, that's including last years 8000+ words. So what? I was feeling in need of an ego boost.) *beams*

LinkSpeak!

Urgh [Nov. 10th, 2009|07:57 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | tired]
[Music |White Lies]

I drudged through uni all day, dreading this afternoon, but somehow the guys weren't inclined to do the scheduled talking when I came home. I'm not sure whether to be relieved about it, or annoyed that the matter is not settled today after all. I'm still torn between depression (the curling-into-a-little-ball kind) and the desire to smash things, or better yet, heads. (Like the Hulk, only less green.) It's not a good state of mind to be in. (Especially seeing as I should be working on my overdue assignments and learning my Arabian vocab.)

ETA: On the plus side, the new girl from upstairs just invited me to her room-warming party next Saturday. At least the quarrel really is limited to me and my two downstairs boys then... Also, that's how you do it correctly: a) have your party on the weekend, b) warn people in advance, and c) invite them, instead of having a party under their nose and then wonder why they complain!
LinkSpeak!

I think I remember why I hate humanity [Nov. 10th, 2009|08:57 am]
[Tags|, , ]
[Mood | distressed]

On a general level, because stuff like this happens, in the 21st century, in what's one of the supposedly most progressive nations on earth. It makes me rage, and that's not even my country! There was progress the last several decades, now why do they do everything to reverse it?
German politics are a crapfest as well, the lower classes being screwed over by people they were dumb enough to vote for despite clearly knowing what was to come.
See, I was raised by my grandparents, who were born in the 1930s, and grew up in the war years. From their point of view, every generation has had it better than the one before. And I think a little of the belief that this will go on indefinitely has rubbed off on me. On a rational level, I'm cynical about all of it, but a small part of me feels betrayed. Times aren't supposed to get worse.

On a personal level, I've got trouble with my roommates, because, apparently, asking to be able to sleep at night is an imposition on their right to make noise whenever they wish to. They all seem (out of nowhere) to agree on this, and dumped a tirade of you're-not-like-us-and-don't-fit-in-here-anyway on my head in the middle of last night. Just great.
In response, I went to my room and had a crying fit, because it appears that, against all reason, I am still capable of being surprised by something like that once in a while, even after a lifetime of not fitting in anywhere at all. We've scheduled a talking-out for after uni this afternoon, but it seems they're all set to throw me out. That devastates me because I can't really afford to move yet again and, worse, I wouldn't know where to go. I like it here, and it took a a whole lot of searching to find a place that close to perfect (so that I apparently neglected finding the right people -- what the hell, I thought we got along?) and the idea of having to move to the city because I can't find anything else out here, only to have to negotiate living with new people and be hated for no discernible reason yet again, drives me insane. I can't live in the city, I just can't. And brilliant, now I'm crying again, and hating myself for being that weak, as always. Just why does having to interact with other people always have to end in such a mess? I can't see having done anything wrong, yet somehow I'm the perpetual outsider. It's a bit of a theme of my life. See, it's not like I mind -- on the contrary! I leave everyone alone, and all I want is for people to leave me alone in return. But apparently, that's too much to ask? People hate me when I want them to like me, and they hate me just as much when I give up and just want to coexist with a bare minimum of respect and otherwise mutual ignoringness. And then everyone acts all surprised when I don't give a shit whether humanity goes extinct tomorrow. Is there no way at all to do this right?
LinkSpeak!

*sigh* [Nov. 2nd, 2009|08:03 pm]
[Tags|, , , , ]
[Mood | peaceful]

Not written anything for NaNo yet... I was hoping to, especially since J called me yesterday morning to tell me our planned RPG meeting wasn't happening due to the Master's alcohol poisoning -- WTF? I was out to party as well, but carefully didn't drink much so I could play! *pouts* (The party was great, by the way, even though the DJ wasn't the best, constantly fumbling the fade-in and -outs of songs, and playing largely obscure and undanceable stuff, except if people requested something else -- which after a while everyone did, which in turn made a bitchy DJ who hacked off the songs halfway through to play ones he (but no one else, as evidenced by the empty dance floor) liked. Seriously, that's not how you do it! Also, except the zombie-masked club staff, no one was really dressed up for Halloween, leaving the single group in "blood"-spattered and ripped white T-shirts, and J and A in their "sexy witch" outfits standing out a bit.)
Anyway, writing: Somehow my writing mojo got channelled elsewhere and I wrote two (probably awful) anonymous comment ficlets for the DC Kink Meme (thanks for the inspiration, Vulgarweed, though I suspect you wanted people to do GO, not other fandoms, but anyway, thanks) instead. Yay, me? Whatever, any productivity is good productivity for me these days. ":-/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a different note: whoever invented the Spanish subjunctive needs to be shot. Seriously, I had no idea I could hate any linguistic feature that much! (Russian verb aspects are a close second, though.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Much as I rant about my roommates from time to time, they do have their advantages: in contrast to living with the parents, the atmosphere is usually relaxed. Right now, soothing seventies music (folk rock and reggae) is playing in the living room, it smells of home-cooked food, the dog is snoring on her sofa, and the light is cosy. Much better to come home to than screaming brats and a bitchy mom! ":-)
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Happy Halloween + Cinema Rec [Oct. 31st, 2009|06:04 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Mood | cheerful]

Went with friends to see the movie version of the very popular semi-historical novel "Die Päpstin" yesterday night. It basically takes the rumours about "Pope Joan", which have been around since the 13th century, at face value, tweaks events here and there and gives them some extra action. The result is surprisingly gripping. Fairly close to the book (if not so much the historical sources), we see Johanna's life from childhood on and follow her on the stony way to papacy. The actress makes a believable cross-dresser, and the other performances are good as well. The are a few eye-rolling moments best described as Mary-Suish (which was only to be expected), and some historical (the horses don't even surprise me anymore, but... huge stone castle east of the Rhine? In the ninth century? Really?), as well as logical (not a single field anywhere? what do people eat? why can't people wash their faces but their armour shines?) inaccuracies. Overall, the depiction of the era is realistically nasty, and the half-decayed glory of Rome well-evoked. (Yes, their Vikings were appropriately horn-less as well -- to the point where some of my friends didn't get that they were supposed to be Vikings.) The film also manages to condemn religious fanaticism and the failings of the church as an institution, without being disrespectful to religion itself. I know, cinema is really fucking expensive these days, but this movie is definitely worth it! Especially if, like me, you have a thing for the earlier middle ages, and the general lack of interest in the period (by historians and movie makers alike) makes you sad. I went in with low expectations, so it was definitely a great surprise!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To everyone who celebrates it: Happy Halloween! I'm so-so about the holiday, but it's a good excuse to get all nostalgic with the black nail polish and too much eyeliner and some satanistic-looking old band shirt or other: J, A and I are going to party! Just like in the old days* when everyone was still living close by. And a good thing too: I'm in the mood for fast car rides and some really cheesy heavy metal to sing along with tonight!

* (i.e, until two years ago)
LinkSpeak!

*happy* [Oct. 28th, 2009|05:42 pm]
[Tags|, , , , , , , ]
[Mood | procrastinating]
[Music |Guano Apes ]

Skipped uni from noon on today and did some garden work instead -- some twenty wheelbarrows full of dead leaves needed clearing away. (Yes, I know there's something wrong with you when nothing fills you with more giddy elation than neglecting your expensive tertiary education for menial physical labour. I've been that way all my life and just can't help it. As I said, if I could make a living mucking out stables and doing garden work, I would.) It's been one of those beautiful last sunny October days, with blue sky, green meadows, and trees all possible shades of flaming red and yellow, when staying inside seems a crime against Nature. I normally love the grey, misty autumn days more, for their sweetly melancholy mood, but today was simply perfect. A day to breathe and feel free and stick your middle finger to a world that wants to lock you up and smother you.
It wasn't at all cold (quite the opposite, seeing as I could work with sleeves rolled up), considering we already had first frost several weeks ago), but I had tea afterwards anyway. I love my new kettle to bits! (Even though it drips a bit after pouring. ":-/) I have a hard time getting used to drinking it without milk, but I've heard it's a good deal healthier that way.

After a conversation with a friend recently, I've paid more attention to my taste in music, and have to say he was right: I tend to like songs best that are simultaneously kick-ass and sad and can be interpreted either way according to my own mood of the moment. Hm.

Talking about music: "Papillon" by The Editors is the Perdido Street Station theme song, y/y? (Not normally my type of music -- too electro and lacks guitars -- but I like that song!) Everytime it's on the radio I get creeped out by association. "X-D

And talking about books (wow, my transitions are smoooooth today): I want to try again with Dragonslayer (last year's oft-renamed project that didn't get far past 8000 words, but counts as a success by my pathetic standards) for NaNo, but... well, the uni stuff I've been procrastinating is slowly getting past "urgent" into "certain profs will shoot me on sight" territory.

I'm also still debating with myself whether to sign up for Makesmewannadie's RareLitBigBang... I want to, even though/because it's right during my MA thesis writing time. What am I planning on? Procrastinating one with the other by turns? *facepalm*
LinkSpeak!

Busybusybusy [Oct. 15th, 2009|09:14 am]
[Tags|]
[Mood | tired]

Sorry to everyone I still owe emails/replies/reviews/meme responses, but today is the first day I have the brain space to do so. RL was just insane these last few days (still is, technically, but I'm taking a break). Uni has started again (with all the usual attendant chaos, which for some reason surprises me anew every semester), German Rail is doing crap with buses again, my cough has gotten worse from standing around drenched and cold for an hour thanks to them, it turned out that my main class will be held by the prof whose lecture last year I constantly walked out of after giving my signature (because it was a 101 class and I haven't needed anyone to explain to me what a knight is and how the feudal system works since I was in elementary school, plus her tone was pretty damn condescending -- I'm not sure whether she recognises me, but at least the class is good, content-wise), it also turned out that the MA students get a mentor now, and mine is probably going to be the prof whose stuff I've been procrastinating since February (yes, some mistakes really do come back to bite you in the arse), and the friend I mentioned is miffed at me for not having that party.

Well, at least everything is fine with the other friend and her death threats. I went to see her on Monday, listened to the whole story, established that the woman didn't know her address or how she looked, only her name (but she's not in the phone book, so whatever), and it wouldn't be risky to leave the house. We went to the police, where a really nice officer took care of the matter, amusingly enough giving my friend the exact same advice I'd been giving her. (Apparently, I can rely on my common sense.) After that she contacted the guy to give him a piece of her mind. Since my job in the whole affair was to talk her down and cheer her up some, I can probably say I was halfway successful. I got her out of the "waaaah, someone out to murder me" panic, but now her only recently overcome depression is back. That asshole of a cheater and his crazy wife really scrapped her trust in humanity once more. Anyway, she hasn't heard of either of them since, her roommate's boyfriend opens the door when it rings for now, and I hope that's the end of it. *crosses fingers*

ETA: It's interesting to note one main issue in the conflict: the guy my friend was dating and his wife are Muslims. So even if their marriage doesn't work, they can't easily divorce, because she probably depends on the man financially, and maybe their families wouldn't take kindly to seeing the marriage break up, either. It is probably also why she's been giving my friend hell, not her husband -- typical of women in a strong patriarchy. If that doesn't enforce every stupid stereotype there is, I don't know what would. ":-/
LinkSpeak!

Holy shit! [Oct. 12th, 2009|09:46 am]
[Tags|]
[Mood | angry]

A fried of mine is in trouble: the guy she has been dating for the past two weeks (coffee and lunches, nothing serious happened) turned out to be married. And instead of ripping her husband a new one (which I'd approve of in this case), his wife's been terrorising my friend all night. (And she didn't even know he was married before that! Otherwise, she'd never have met with him. If there's one person who still believes in the sanctity of marriage, it's her.) I'll go see her on the next train, and then we'll go to the police together -- with an answering machine full of murder threats it's probably better to be safe than sorry!

So, my question: anyone here been in or know of a similar situation? Advice?
LinkSpeak!

Things I don't need in my life -- Part 267 [Oct. 10th, 2009|06:59 pm]
[Tags|, , ]
[Mood | bemused ]

Arranging a dildo party.

A friend of mine just called me. Apparently her new part-time job is selling stuff at the equivalent of the long-since* out-of-fashion** tupperware parties. Only with dildos.

And she wants me to have one. At my place. (This would be half as bad if I wasn't living in a roomshare with paper-thin walls. And with perpetually-dazed hippie boys, who'd probably enjoy an invasion of giggling hipster/metaller/geek/yuppie (yes, I have an eclectic taste in friends) girls about as much as the other way around.)

See, while I can vaguely understand wanting to share your hobbies with like-minded people, even if you happen to be a boring housewife with no hobbies besides the latest kitchen supplies, I think I must draw the line at masturbatory practices. Seriously, I do not want to know what size/colour/shape dildos my friends prefer, and most importantly, I don't want them to know that about me. My friends are largely the people I share hobbies with (fantasy/RPGs, movies, music, horses), or who went to school with me and sort of stuck around out of habit. I'll happily discuss sex with most of them, no problem, it's, in fact, a major topic of conversation.*** But gritty details? NO, THANKS! TMI! DO NOT WANT! It's fine as long as it's hypothetical. For example, I can appreciate venting frustration about being single, sharing the sentiment that we'd all like to fuck Johnny Depp,**** or comfort someone about the fact that her boyfriend is a bore in bed, or debate about which BDSM practices we would be interested in trying, but I do honestly not want to know what anyone rams into their vagina (or elsewhere) on a nightly basis in lucid detail.***** It took me years of my adolescence to train myself out of a sexual interest in my friends. It was hard work. Don't undo it.

And I'm not the only problem. I think they'd feel the same. Knowing them, I have exactly three friends who would enjoy that sort of party. 1) the one who came up with the idea, 2) the absolute and utter pervert who is kind of embarrassing to take somewhere public because she'll never ever shut up about the TMI, even if it's horrid details, and 3) the friend I can talk about absolutely everything with without much shame on either side, even though we are never of the same opinion on anything at all, but who is very tolerant and, while prudish to the extreme herself, tends to view other people's deviance with a sort of endearing, almost scientific curiosity I can't help but find entertaining.

All in all, I'm just not comfortable oversharing with my friends. With the exception of aforementioned three, they are just not that kind of friends. (Which I think is part of the problem: the friend whose idea that was is not part of any of my other groups of friends. She doesn't know I relate to them differently than I do to her.) And anyway, oversharing is what I have the internet for. At least people here largely understand and share my particular brands of perversion.

~~~~~~~~~

* At least as far as I know... the last one in my family happened some time in the 1990s. I don't think anyone in my age group has had the horrid idea to have one yet.

** And good riddance!

*** At least it's that way with about half my circle of friends. The other half are hopeless prudes, which is why the idea of talking to them about sex in even the vaguest allusions is somewhat mortifying. In fact, I'd rather go see the dentist for an hour.

**** I'm not a sociologist, but I strongly suspect celebrity crushes are to a large degree about the female bonding that happens over them.

***** Also, again, I even less want them to know that about me. My friend's think I'm freaky enough as it is. There is absolutely no need to confirm this and/or make it worse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See, after that call, I imagined that dildo party actually happening, and was torn between bone-deep horror (Forget Chthulhu! There's the Eldritch Dildo to fear!) and hysteric giggling, but the writing of one LJ entry later, I can finally appreciate the absurd hilarity of it all. (Note for posterity: In the unlikely case anyone ever makes a movie about my life, I want to be played by a genderbent Rowan Atkinson.) Now I'm almost tempted to write a circular mail to my entire address list (yes, the boys too -- I encourage equal opportunity embarrassment squick suffering whenever possible) and invite them, if only to imagine their O_o and D-:> faces and get their sputtering replies. (It would have the added benefit that I could forward those replies to said friend to dissuade her from further attempts.) So, thanks, LJ. And Internet, I love you. For very special definitions of the word, you're keeping me sane.
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Life is awesome! [Oct. 6th, 2009|11:46 am]
[Tags|, ]
[Mood | mellow]
[Music |Leaves' Eyes]

Well, as long as I repress how very much I'm still procrastinating my uni stuff, anyway. (Not thinking about that, no sir!) Everything else is definitely awesome: I have tea and music, there'll be fish and potatoes for lunch, and am actually getting some writing done. (Well, if something can ever technically get done, at my (lack of) speed. *sigh*) Also, it's finally autumn, and absolutely beautiful. I can breathe! I'm also jogging again, and it's satisfying. Also, it's cool enough that I can wear my beloved half-boots, and have gotten myself a lovely pair of new high boots* as well as that teapot+stove I was talking about a while ago from ebay. Cheaply, because, yay, ebay! But well, since it's ebay, I'm only very carefully happy about these things until they actually arrive.

* Yes, I'm one of those people who wear boots over trousers, even though they probably shouldn't. But well, I never listen to the fashion police anyway, and boots over jeans is so very practical, especially when you're in the habit of spattering everything below the knees with mud almost daily.
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Huh. [Oct. 2nd, 2009|08:15 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | discontent]

I'm feeling weirdly restless tonight. It's such a beautifully bracing evening; I want to go out and do something. For some reason, singing karaoke is high on that list. WTF, self? I'm a bad (read, ear-bleedingly horrible) singer at the best of times, and my current cold is unlikely to improve matters. So, very random urge there. Where other stuff is concerned: sadly, the only friend I'd feel like going out with (read, the only one who isn't happily paired up and therefore currently unavailable) is going to hit the Russian disco with some study colleagues, and while she asked me along, Russian techno really isn't my sort of music, not to mention that I'll stick out like a sore thumb for a) my unwillingness/inability to fit in with the general style of fake blondeness, miniskirts, and too much blue eye-shadow and b) not speaking much Russian ("Hello," "Goodbye," "Which way to the Kremlin?" and "The toilet of my hotel room is broken" are about the only phrases I can recall, and ill suited to getting laid).
I should probably write, but I can't make myself sit still for five minutes. Gah. I think I really miss my jogging routine (but I've heard you shouldn't run with a cold), and it annoys me that the hiatus will have set my training weeks back.
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Another general update -- because thinking up entry headers is hard [Oct. 2nd, 2009|03:01 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | angry]

One of my roommates is moving out... Which is sad, because he was easily the nicest of the lot, always ready to call the others on the kind of sexist and homophobic bullshit the average guy seems to spout unconsciously all the time.
I think I'd be sorrier, though, if the new roommate wasn't a really hot girl. *facepalm at self* Way to be shallow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As to the currently running debates -- the Lambda awards and the Polanski rape case -- I think there's not much point in uttering my own two cents on these matters. Not least because everyone else has said it so much better already. But also (probably because I'm still coughing my lungs up and feeling shitty, and procrastinating my uni work to a by now problematic degree), because I can't quite muster the strength for actual heartfelt outrage at the moment.

It's both just so very... unsurprising. Straight people not noticing their own privilege and whining over reverse discrimination all over the place? Must be Monday. Asshole rapist trying to evade punishment and getting support from all sides, because hey, his art is much more important than the life of the woman he traumatised? Well, art > all is not exactly a new argument, either. It's a fucking dumb argument, but it's not news.

The only somewhat eyebrow-raising (and very depressing) thing here is how many people are on Polanski's side, even though he confessed his guilt thirty years ago and there shouldn't be any doubts in a reasonably well-working mind that he belongs behind bars. What's more depressing, as someone on my f-list pointed out, is that the only reason anyone is against him at all, is the victim's age. If she'd been a grown woman, she would have gotten all the blame and no one but her would remember the incident now. We are, as a society, still far too prone to listen to rape apologists, and that's the only bottom line I get from this case.
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Two surprises in one day? My heart! [Sep. 29th, 2009|07:20 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | pleased]
[Music |Mother's Finest ]

- Got a pile of the eBay books today, and collected them personally, because the guy lived close and I could save the shipping this way. Considering they were fairly geeky books (and, let's face it, fantasy geeks are only slightly higher on the bottom end of the social acceptability hierarchy than Trekkies), I was expecting someone, well, stereotypically-geeky-looking to deliver them... (But don't worry, I got my prejudices cured.) That guy? Totally pretty! (Slim, black hair, nice cheekbones, and the most stunning blue eyes... *drools*) I kind of missed him at the meet-up place at first because of that, but since he did have a pile of books along... Well. *facepalms at self* (In retrospect, I kind of wish I had bothered dressing up a little this morning -- or at least not worn the torn and frayed jeans I pretend are punk, but that in fact only make me look poor and/or slovenly.)

- My frantic cleaning rage yesterday seems to have had an inspiring effect! When I came back from town, someone had actually cleaned the Bathroom Floor of Doom! (I don't quite dare ask which of them it was, for fear he might break down and crumple in a crying heap with the PSTD.) It's still not clean by normal people's bathroom floor standards (and seriously, why do parents teach their daughters house-cleaning stuff, but not their sons? It's the 21st century, damn it!), but I do appreciate the bravery that went into the effort.
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Adventures in Housecleaning [Sep. 28th, 2009|09:21 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | amused]
[Music |radio]

After the bitter disappointment of last night's elections, and after book-shopping-on-ebay therapy failed, I had to vent some rage today, and... Wow, I actually did something useful! (All cheer!) I cleaned my room (which didn't take long, because I never let it get too bad) and all the ground floor windows (the upstairs boys can mind their own grime), which took me several hours. That should be an indication of how dirty the fuckers were. I strongly suspect they haven't been cleaned since they were put in. (As they already have double glass, I estimate that this nebulous date was some point in the 1980s.) I got the inspiration when looking out and wondering whether that vehicle parked on the opposite side of the road really was the mail man or just some random yellow car. All I could make out were the colour and a vague car shape.

My roommates were of course filled with delight and glee, because (for everything but dishes, which happen in rotation) we have the convenient rule for dirt you didn't make yourself (if you make dirt, you clean it), like most of the, er, sedimentation that happens over time, is that it's left around until someone caves and cleans it. (That someone usually isn't me, because I'm not easily bothered by a little dust. It's what shoes are for.) Of course, if you do that, you lose. (I don't know what you lose, but you definitely lose something. Piggy points, probably. Or squalor cred.)*

But well, as I said, I needed something to vent. So I set out with heavy cleaning equipment, sleeves and jeans legs rolled up, and my CD player blasting classic heavy metal.
Roommate A: "It's a war, isn't it?"
SV: "Indeed, my friend, it is! If I don't return, tell me family I died bravely." *grimly eyes window* "Lie, if you must."

2 hours later: SV's rage is mostly vented. There are still half the windows to clean. The CD player is now playing woeful Joan Baez ballads.
Roommate A: "Let me guess, you lost?"
SV: "I prefer saying that we have entered peace negotiations... But I would have won if it hadn't been for these damn hippies!"

In the end, I cleaned all of them. Even the kitchen one that doesn't open (because someone has cleverly built the work surface in front) and has to be ascended to on a wobbly ladder from the garden, and the one that has half a hedge bursting in if you open it. I think I killed about a bazillion spiders, and made a far more obscure discovery: two of the windows were a lot cleaner than the others. Roommate A admitted to having cleaned them at some point. Which made me wonder... why not the others while you're at it? Until I realised, the clean ones were those that are easy to open and easy to reach. So, maybe his logic was that cleaning the same windows several times made up for never cleaning the others? It being the same amount of work and all?

* General Observation: Humans can make a contest of just about anything. Even about who wins at bad things. Or at not doing something. Probably because only winning stupid contests is still better than never winning anything at all. We are practical that way.
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Urgh [Sep. 26th, 2009|01:29 pm]
[Tags|]
[Mood | ":-( ]

I seem to have caught a cold (I'm pretty sure it's not a flu, since I'm not feverish and only my head hurts), complete with sniffles, coughing, and sore throat. Add one bastard of a mosquito to that, and you'll see why I'm sleep-deprived. And of course my blood pressure is all shot to hell. I almost did a 19th-century-lady-style faint at the supermarket cashier. So much for getting my uni stuff done.

ETA:
And so not going out tonight, either. Gah, I party so rarely; I was looking forward to that! But a) sharing my germs with a crowded dance floor = not cool, b) sweat + drafts = bad, c) blood pressure still dizzyingly low, and d) sleeping is still the best cure.
The other cure is sage tea with honey. As good as pharmaceutical medicine against the throat ache, and much cheaper, as well as better-tasting. Since tea season in general is starting again, I need to get my one of those useful tea kettles that have a little candle stove underneath so I don't have to brew every single cup anew.
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SV's home! [Sep. 23rd, 2009|01:53 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Mood | happy]

Catching up on DW/IJ/LJ, may take a while yet, because wow, folks, you've been busy while I was gone. And I planned to be productive after my return... But not with that much procrastination fodder! (Also, holy shit RL eMail inbox.)

So, life is good! Autumn is finally here, I have epic porn (Te porn! Happiness!), and am listening to the British Forces Radio (which only has reception here when the weather is bad) -- not because they have good music (mostly they don't), but because it's good to hear some English once in a while, as opposed to only reading it.
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