Public Service announcement: I am off back to London tomorrow *waves madly at all Pikeable people* and sharing myself round several people. Because I am nice and friendly like that, and I wouldn't want to wear all your floors out.

Also, given timetabling and other general over-booked-ness, it looks like my one and only Prom chance of the year is going to be on Saturday (definitely the earlier one, though I think I'd like to try and stay for the later one as well, while I can!) So I'm going - I've caught a couple on BBC4, but it simply isn't the same; watching things on TV - whatever they might be - never are.

* posted by nat 10:48 PM

I don't understand hair. More specifically, I don't understand mine. I think that on one level I am grudgingly in awe of its escapist tendencies; on another slightly freaked out.

Take yesterday. Yesterday the boiling hot weather turned into rather muggy weather; it wasn't too uncomfortable, given I wasn't really doing anything, but it did make sense just to plait my hair and pin it up, because it's fairly thick and is best kept out the way in hot weather. It lasted fairly well all day, it got a bit out of shape but that didn't really matter. Anyway, I left it like that when I went to sleep, as it was still rather hot, yet when I woke up this morning, there was really no evidence it had ever been in plaits at all.

Now, I don't really think I'd been moving around much during the night, as it's only a single bed - and 2'6" at that - and I share it with two large cushions, a red Thai elephant, and well over a dozen cuddly toys, most of which are frogs, a duvet and a throw or two. Now they all managed to stay in the bed, so there wasn't really much chance for me to move about, yet my hair has come entirely unraveled!

Evidently my hair is a seperate entity, clinging parasitically to my skull. I wonder if its drilling into my brain? That could explain a lot.

* posted by nat 12:49 PM

Monday, July 29, 2002

31.25 %

My weblog owns 31.25 % of me.
Does your weblog own you?


Oooh. But is it the same 31.25%?

* posted by nat 4:34 AM

Sunday, July 28, 2002

which mr. men/little miss are you?
take the quiz & find out! :)

* posted by nat 6:19 PM

Note to self: spend more lazy days drooling over Kaj Jackson. Drool.

* posted by nat 5:54 PM

El turned up at 2pm. "I didn't know what the plans were!" I pointed out that we had had the plans conversation at ten minute intervals the previous night. She looked surprised. "Did we?"

Anyway, we went and played squash for an hour (That is, we were in a squash court. The rest is debatable.) then went and ate blueberries outside St. Thomas', before getting home and playing Rummikub with Helen, had fish and chips for dinner then went up to the Foley Arms and met Heather and a few of her friends. Which was... wierd. (I've only seen Heather about half a dozen times since I was 13.) They went on to the Picture House but we declined (we're too cool for the Picture House*) but we did hitch a lift down to the top of the road with them - six of us so El squashed into the legroom space in the front seat and grabbed onto my knees. Good job we weren't going far. In terms of car journeys, it still doesn't beat my eight people in a Trabant in Pribram, but 6 people in a Peugot 106 is getting there...

* We came home and watched the final episode of ER again!

Spot update: thing has congealed into large scab, which makes me look I've been the victim of a one-fanged vampire. Super.

* posted by nat 12:19 AM

Saturday, July 27, 2002

Went downstairs. Viewed state of post-curry kitchen. Retreated.

Now gearing up for second attack. I must get through to the fridge!

* posted by nat 12:15 PM

All you need is El, a few bottle of alcopops and - instant entertainment!

Watching the final moments of Big Brother - something that has become a bit of a tradition that I do with El, we've realised - was entirely secondary when faced with El trying to go flying (as in, emulating small child zooming around with arms outstretched) straight in front of a car on the Hagley Road, spilling radioactive raita all over the lounge carpet (though I think that was Neil), treating the neighbourhood to very loud Vanessa Carlton, doing bridges on the floor, screaming loudly at every possible eviction moment and getting some unrepeatable comments from the Mastermind chair. And did I mention the rolling around on the floor giggling like idiots?

Classic evening in.

* posted by nat 1:26 AM

Thursday, July 25, 2002

Lost Kenyan cyclists on their way down the motorway? The Commonwealth Games have arrived!

(Though I had to say the Opening Ceremony had me slightly worried - the first bit up was this whole mish-mash of dance and music styles from all over the place, and then in marched The British Grenadiers tow-row-rowing, and cleared everything else off. Hmmm. But we got the fireworks eventually!)

* posted by nat 11:58 PM

Oooh, injunction to stop the Ahmads being kicked out. Let's keep all fingers crossed.

I have been in a major snit about this all day. First I feel very uncomfortable that anyone would even break and enter into any place of worship - and I have a nagging suspicion that had they been inside an Anglican church, the police would never have been allowed to even try it. (Or maybe never even considered it.)

And second, I feel worse as it's right on my doorstep. Not that I was about to go anywhere near Lye though, it's been prettytense all day. Sigh.

* posted by nat 8:46 PM

I have spent most of the day in pursuit of chocolate; it has therefore been a good idea not to venture beyond the confines of the garden, lest I do something silly, like spend lots of money on chocolate I don't want, and definitely don't need. Instead I'm just gnawing on my fingernails, and doing a good bit of reading. Even some Turkish. (Though once I get out of all the grammar tracts and start learning a bit of functional language, I'll feel even better!)

Currently though, I'm grockling. It's good for you!

The small blue stars are a product of me messing round with the code and trying to add permalinks in, just in case you were worried!

Spot report: It's still there. It's still very large. It's still very annoying.

* posted by nat 8:07 PM

Don't ask why I am up at 3am, rather ask, why have I got a huge huge huge spot on the side of my neck? Am I growing a new head? That would really be rather inconvenient. So let's hope not.

* posted by nat 3:15 AM

Tuesday, July 23, 2002

Is this achieving something useful? I drew a frog.

Ok, so it took all of ten minutes, but I spent most of that trying to work out how PhotoDraw or whatever it's called actually works...

15 minutes later.. Ok, so I drew another one. I think maybe I should stop while I'm ahead!

* posted by nat 3:12 PM

Monday, July 22, 2002

I have a parent back in the house. This immediately necessitates mass shopping expedition to Waitrose, to buy vast quantities of chocolate soya milk. And wine. We even got dishwasher powder. The hot water has also made a return, but I'm still trying to gas myself whenever I turn the oven on.

ER in the middle of the day is bad for me. It means I don't get anything done in the mornings, then I eat lunch in front to the TV, and by the time it gets into the afternoon it's too ate to do anything else. But on the other hand, I'm catching up with ER, so it's not all bad.

Father was subjugated to his first sighting of Big Brother today. He lasted all right for about 15 seconds, until he saw Jade. Comment: "What is THAT?!" Then I TimTammed, which precipitated almost the same comment.

I also talked to mother on the phone, and we have named the new basil plant Gloriana. I tend not to name plants, as they tend to die whenever I'm around, but I felt this one needed a name. And I have watered the hanging baskets today! I just want to make that clear.

* posted by nat 11:29 PM

Sunday, July 21, 2002

I spent most of today searching through my cupboards - I think I have somewhere upwards of a hundred CDs, and they seem to be stuffed in all kinds of corners - for my Tarkan CD, because there's only so much longer I can stand listening to that annoying cover of Simarik. (About ten minutes, and it's the 'kiss kiss' song - I expect it's been out for ages, but I just haven't been around to hear it). The original is far superior! So now I have found it, I have opened all the windows and am educating the neighbourhood.

The Turkish lyrics translate into English something like this - or there's a rather muddled translation here, next to the Turkish lyrics.

Now I am off to see how the heck I can spell Simarik properly - The 'S' needs a cedilla and the 'i's all need to be the undotted-doesn't-sound-quite-like-a-schwa-but-close-enough. It might be an idea to work this kind of thing out soon, as I suppose I'll be needing those Turkish characters in a month or so.

* posted by nat 7:21 PM

*celebrates return of blog with quiz* - how else can one do it? WHEE!

* posted by nat 12:11 AM

Mmm. Hyde Park is fun in the summer. I people-watched, I bird-watched, several people tried to sell me cannabis (I am, alas, too poor, but better, distrustful), and there were so many places that sold ice-cream that something had to give. That would be my resolve, and it gave in far too easily.

But I still don't understand why I got funny looks for doing headstands up against a tree for a while. Maybe it's just the place was so full of stoned people I was confusing them. I also managed to successfully confuse a few Americans.

WOMAN: (looking at family of coots) Excuse me, do you know what kind of bird that is?
ME: (knowing full well it's a coot) Er, I think it's a coot.
WOMAN: A /coot/?
ME: Er, yeah. I think.
WOMAN: They are so adorable! Look at their feet!
ME: The great crested Grebes are better. Every time they dive the chicks keep coming up right under one of their siblings, who then jumps one foot in the air and starts a fight.
WOMAN: Er, right. ::backs away::

I spent far too long in Oxford, too, the first half of the afternoon was spent talking TEFL, "classroom management" and literacy (with Grace) and the second half comparative linguistics (with Richard). And a few others. Very lazy, very gentle, and all the usual Oxford surreality. The Phoenix in Jericho is showing Musime si pomahat (Divided We Fall) - it's only taken two and a half years to make it to the UK, I see. I plugged it in the pub.

* posted by nat 12:09 AM

Monday, July 15, 2002

I keep thinking there's no point making an entry unless I can get this working again, but I'm being as inept as ever unfortunately, and today of all days, there ought to be an entry.

So here goes - I'm home, I catapulted around relatives and friends, flerdle came, we catapulted around the country (Just over 1000 miles in five days: 1) wandered round Derbyshire, climbed Mam Tor, saw Chatsworth Gardens 2) North Wales - Snowdonia, Caernarfon, Vale of Ffestinog 3) Warwick Castle, Kenilworth Castle, Stratford 4) The Brecon Beacons - Mellte Waterfalls, Hay-on-Wye 5) Bath, Wells, Cheddar Gorge, Glastonbury. All tremendous fun but now I'm suffering from two slow days and have finally collapsed!

And then I got vast quantities of Giotto! Wow!

Discussing upcoming Celebrity Big Brothers, by far the best combination mooted was Angus Deayton and 5 hookers. The cocaine would have to be stashed in the toilet though, as the only part of the house that isn't filmed...

(Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Bloooo-oooooog! Happy Birthday to you! *solemnly blows out one candle, stuck in a potato*)

* posted by nat 11:35 PM