Chicken little, the smog is falling!

I woke up today to the sight of sunlight streeming through my bedroom curtains. Went online for a bit, and had to close the just opened curtains as the sun was making it hard for me to see the screen properly. And it wasn't until i had gotten to uni and the lecture i had in the morning had finished and i was walking into town with Amy that it occured to me... This is Birmingham. Birmingham doesn't have sunlight. Or blue sky.

You tell the time of day in Birmingham by how light the smog is. It goes from dark smog to light smog then dark smog. We had BLUE SKY! and you could see CLOUDS! Why didn't anyone inform me that the apocolypse was due for today?! Or has someone invented a pollution vaccum cleaner and not informed people? Seriously, if you have, TELL SOMEONE! You might get a medal or the nobel prize or something...

Did you know that Ben & Jerry's do stdent discount?! So it's only 5 C... ice cream is colder than that... isn't it? And ok, so i'm wearing a couple of layers... it's Ben and Jerry's people! And when you're craving chocolate, a discounted Ben and Jerry's is perfect.

And i don't have to feel bad about eating it either cos i got TKD in an hour.

The importance of screen checks

Sometimes, when filming, it is important to make sure that the shot is lined up correctly, that the actors are in the correct place and that nothing is interferring with a shot that shouldn't be. Like, for example, cars in a desert scene in a show where there are no cars present...

Seriously, watch "War Stories" carefully.

In other news... I have signed my contact fo next year, so i have somewhere to live. Yay me. Oh, did you know that Richard Dean Anderson has the same birthday as Tomo? Well, you do now.

Been feeling a little homesick lately. Which, as it was pointed out to me, is kinda strange cos technically i am home. But it doesn't feel like home. Not like Cramlington does. I dunno. maybe i need to be here more. Or maybe it's the knowledge that i'm moving to another house in the summer or something.

I was thinking about calling up friends and asking if they wanted to go out sometime this week when it hit me that i'm 200 miles away from hime, never mind some people i was thinking of asking. M'eh. Maybe it's just me going through that phase in my head again.

Had a feeling that the guys next door were slightly drunk earlier. They seemed to be intent on ruining all of my favourite Oasis songs... wonderwall, Dont look back in anger, Chapagne supanover, Stand by me, She's electric... They were all being shouted out by the lads. Badly. Out of tune, out if sync... you name it, they were doing it. And i even have Tomo to back me up on this...

Show: (You have to ask?!) FIREFLY!
Song: Half the lies you tell ain't true- Sterophonics
Quote: Also... I can kill you with my brian.- River
Quote 2: Ah the pitter patter of tiny feet in combat boots... SHUT UP!- Mal

Next year

In theory i have just sorted out a house for next year! Go me, i wont be living in a box! And it has so much more than the house i'm in too! It has a DISHWASHER and a TUMBLE DRYER! Believe e, you don't know how much you take things for granted until you don't have them anymore. To quote Jack O'Neill, "Cliche i know, but there it is."

And it's in a good location too, just up the road for where i am currently. So i know the area, i know what bus routes are nearby, and it'ss now so uch easier to get to Erdington centre than at the moment. Currently i have to go up the road past Gravely Hill station to get ontot he correct bus route, but the house it situated right next to Gravelly Hill station. As in, opposite it!

Hmmm, might make visits easier. Just get the train in to get the train home etc. Whee. I'm having such a good week!

Gonna go do my iorning. Hmm, maybe i spoke too soon...

Career Management

But before i mention that, just a quick note to say that i now have my yellow belt... As in the actual belt! OH, yeah, i kick ass!

OK... I have just sat through the biggest load of C*** ever... otherwise known as Career management... It seems to be the same sort of idea as Key Skills was... Oh the joys! And the lecturer seems to think that we all have the mental equivalence of 5 year olds, cos we had to do a matching excerise and he was like "The first gorup to get it right would normally get some chocoloate, but we ran out. Sorry."... If you don't have any chocolate... don't mention the chocolate. And since when did we need chocolate anyway?!

And now we have to keep a "learning journal" of our ideas, thoughts, and reflections on these... Hmmm... and here i thought i already had one of those... called my blog! OK, so it's a slight difference in that no-one is going to read the journal, in theory, but we have to use it to write an essay on the learning and development or something like that that we gained through the next 5 weeks of that module.

If anybody wants me... I'm killing myself!

Adding to the happiness

I passed my 8th Kup grading! Oh yeah, I'm a yellow belt now! Go me!

And Neil, my instructor, has decided that EVERYONE will be grading on the 9th February... I only just graded for crying out loud! But we're getting a VIII degree master in, and there's gonna be a presentation or something, so it should be fun.

What is NOT going to be fun is the biochemistry essay i VOLUNTEERED to write for my tutorial. OK, yes, it is a past exam paper and it'll be good practise.. but it's BIOCHEMISTRY! Still, i like the subject, mostly, and it shouldn't be too hard. After all, the info was given to us in 3 lectures, so i'll have the notes and everything.

I think i'm going slightly mad...

Song: Joe Jackson- Stranger than you
Quote: "We gotta go to the crappy town where I'M the hero!"- Wash

Good day

Ok, i KNOW i haven't updated for a while. But right now, i don't care!

I got a 2.1 in my Mycology lab reports!!! And as it's me, i was only 1% off getting a 1st!! Oh yeah! Go me! *dances around* SSSQQQUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

And i enjoyed my biochemistry practical! ME! It has "Cheistry" in the title, and i ENJOYED it!

Hehehe... there's a chance i'm hyper...

I have decided that i have eaten too much take-out etc for food last term, and that i should cook some more. So far i have cooked every night since being back here. And i'm still alive, so yes, i CAN cook... I just choose not to! Course it has surpriseed my housemates, who havent seen me cook much last term.

We have a new housemate. (I dont think i mentioned this before. I could check... but can't be bothered to... Anyway, if i have mentioned it, i'm mentioning it again.) He's a French Exchange student, and he's great to talk to.

I was explaining my disliking of some of the lads down the road (they're obnoxious gits), and he didn't understand it. But he has this french-english dictionary of slang. And either "git" is stronger in France than here or because it's used so much here it doesnt have the same effect, but he was totally shocked! And it's strange, within the house he's made me feel more welcome than i felt all term last term. So that's good.

Firefly. Need i say more?!

Ok. think i'm finishing this now.

Just yo-yoing around...

Quote 1: Captains and kings may rule the world, but it is the presence of those we love and the memory of those that we have lost, but who continue to live in or hearts, which bring beauty to living and make all that we do worthwhile- anon

Quote 2: Edmund: Whoa Horse-y. Horse: My name is Philip! -The Chronicles of Narnia- the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Song 1: Pink- Family Portrait.

OK, so I know it’s been a while since my last update, and I apologise for that. Let’s see, what have I been up to? Well, lab reports, but then it seems like I’ll forever be doing something like that, so maybe that should be taken as read from now.

Well, the week preceding Christmas I felt like a yo-yo. We had our A level presentation thing, which was pretty dull. They had the certificates on the seats, but before we could just pick them up and, well, leave, they were all collected back in, only to be handed back in a couple of minutes in front of everyone.

And then there were the current yr 13s (who shall always be known as yr 12s… hey, what do you know, we say it too!) presentations of… um… something… I wanna say subject awards…

Anyway, they then got the person who had given us the certificates to stand up and say some “closing comments”; at least that’s what it said it was in the programme. Apparently she was the admin person for Northumbria or something like that. Anyway, she rambled on for 15-20 minutes about the hardships of her job, about how much people had to work to get into uni, and advice about the new tuition fees. Well that’s great… except we DON’T pay the new fees, we’re ALREADY at uni, and no-one really cares about the hardships of your job… That’s what a counsellor’s there for! Closing comments my ass!

Oh, and Irvine, Iriving… Stalin re-incarnated, has quit. She has moved on to be the head of Southlands Middle… which is incredibly strange, what with it GOING soon! But you still have to feel a little sorry for the very small people… having her! And why is it she was only there for 3 years?! What, she decided to make our lives like hell, and then said, “Right, that’s me off!”? Cos THAT’S fair!!
Apparently Reeman is getting head of 6th form now. Is it just me, or is he a Thunderbird in disguise?!

Anyway, went to the pub after the award thing. Which, for me, was a kinda bizarre thing to do. Had to go to my mum’s to get my ID, and then walk to the other side of town to get to the pub, to get back to my mum’s after being there. But it is sorta my fault. The only decent pub in Crammy is the Brockwell, so if someone says “do you want to go to the pub?” I only go if it’s at the Brockwell. So yeah, the fact I was walking across town through fields in the dark is totally my fault. And sorry Mamo-chan, I didn’t see your bird. Or your non-existent quagmire… but that might be with it being non-existent…

Spent the next day at my dad’s, simply on the basis that I was going to the pub that night. See, I was semi-sensible that day. The pub is only about 5 minutes away form where dad lives, so a much better idea. And i got to see people that I hadn’t seen since we broke up in May, so that was cool.

Wednesday saw me back at mum’s. Sensing a pattern yet? Helped mum with the Christmas shopping. Not much to say for Wednesday.

Thursday I was back at dad’s, again for the reason that I was going out in the evening. It was fun. Got one of the spot prizes. Something to do with the number of white rhino in Africa or something. Anyway, we got the prize! Yay us!

Got in at about half 11, and as everyone else was already in bed, I decided not to turn on any of the lights so as not to disturb anyone. So I’ve just put my coat away and I’m taking off my shoes, when I hear Judi’s door open, and a tentative “dad?” coming from upstairs. So I call out “No, it’s just me” and carry on with what I’m doing. Come upstairs to find dad in Judi’s room and her crying in her room from relief from shock, cos she thought I was a burglar or something!

I can’t blame her too much I guess. I mean, she was out when I went round and by the time she had gotten back I was already out, so there was no real indication that I was staying there that night. Apparently it was the sound of me putting my coat away that confused her the most. For the life of her she couldn’t think why they’d go through the coats.

I felt a little mean. After all, I didn’t plan on coming in and freaking her out. I have now been instructed to have big neon signs, and a parade. 76 bloody trombones… and now I’m quoting Buffy…

Friday I was back at mum’s. She had been out for her work’s Christmas party the night before; and had somehow slammed her hand in the taxi door. So I was left with an over exaggerating mother about her broken hand. It wasn’t broken, just badly bruised. Drama queen. Must have been taking lessons fro Judi! Went to see Limehouse Lizzy in the evening with Sarah and co. It was a great event. Really enjoyed it. And that ended my week as a yo-yo.

Spent Christmas at mum’s. Dad came round on Christmas eve; and we continued on with some traditions, such as having a salmon for tea. It’s nice to know that even a year on we can still do things together without there being much tension in the house. Last year there was a fair bit of tension, but then again last year at Christmas dad had only been in his house for about 2 weeks or so. It’s strange to think that a year has passed already. So much has happened.

Christmas day was fun. Dad came round again. Got a good hoard of presents, and this year apparently I have gone to uni and become an alcoholic. At least, among quite a few family members I have. There were a few Stargate related things… that MARK got! Hmm… me sees them moving down to Birmingham quite suddenly and without warning… Or not. I’ll see how much he annoys me this week…

Boxing day we played games most of the day. Had a buffet. Spent time with the family. And it’s nice doing that. Taking a break from work and just spending time together. Went and saw King Kong on the Monday. It’s a cool film, but sometimes there was too much CGI in one shot to then have the actors in it too. So some of it could have been done better, but it was still good.

Um… not much to say about the next week. Went to the dentist… also known as mum’s work. Hopefully I’ll be getting my gum shield sometime this week for my tae kwon do sparring.

Went to the pub on Friday. It was cool, cos I met up with some people that I didn’t think I would see. And I saw MIKE!! wOOt!! Ain’t seen him in god knows how long! And then Kris and Sam turned up, then Aidan showed, and I saw little Kirsty who I ain't seen in ages too. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go, but I’m glad I did.

Saw Narnia yesterday, and oh my dear sweet lord that is one hell of a film! And it actually follwed the storyline, unlike some films that are based on books that go off on a tangent on some things and miss stuff out completely. So yeah, GO SEE!!!

Right. I think that’s me done for this post. Oh, and in the time it has taken me to write this, I have had about 20 texts… I feel wanted! hehehe