[	Current Mood	|	chipper	]
[	Current Music	|	The much quieter hum of this computer	]

Well, I've spent all day (and I do mean ALL DAY) unhooking, moving and reconnecting computers, getting hot and sweaty in the process (that 17" monitor was heavier than I remembered), then installing virus protection and a firewall on this one, then updating it. . .

Well, I'm back on line. About time.

Let's see how long it takes for me to get broadband (quite a while since dial-up is fast enough right now)...


I'm really looking forwards to a shower.

Later.

[	Current Mood	|	frustrated	]
[	Current Music	|	Hum of the computer.	]

Well, I'm now the victim of an out-dated computer. I have very minimal virus protection (read: Almost none) so I can't connect to the internet to do any more than pick-up my e-mail. Therefore, until such time I hook up my new computer with full virus protection and firewall, I'm only going to be able to update my LiveJournal from libraries or from other better protected computers.

Until the next entry....

Later.

[	Current Mood	|	annoyed	]
[	Current Music	|	Cream - Wheels of Fire CD1	]

Can some one please explain to me why "boys" must pee outdoors? I don't understand it - there could be a toilet less than 100 yards away and they'd pee in an alleyway.
Are they dogs in disguise?
Do they have a morbid fear of enclosed spaces - no, that can't be it, since I saw one performer that had at least 400 quids of clothing and goods duck into the brick alleyway next to Chetham's VERY near Victoria station.
It's sick and disgusting. It makes back streets smell like toilets. Since there's a relative plethora of them in Downtown Manchester (even if you have to ask to use a pub loo)...
It drives me nuts!

Arrgghh!!!

/rant

Ok. *deep breath*.
Went to dentist (for a filling - ick, eww!) then did shopping for food today. Cooking broccoli quiche now then having rhubarb yoghurt for dessert. Doing more homework when done eating. The excitement is more than I can bear...

Later.

[	Current Mood	|	bored	]
[	Current Music	|	Foreigner - Foreigner CD	]

Oh thank goodness, the last day of the beet soup. I made a recipe-and-a-half this time, merely due to the fact I thought Z. was going to take some back home with him on Sunday. That didn't happen. Not that I really mind. It's good simple soup - beets, potato, onion, garlic, veg. soup stock, dill and lemon juice. Then after you ladle it into your bowl, add pepper and sour cream (if you want to).
But, three days of it are quite enough for me - never mind the adverse colouring of my waste products...

Ok, book update - finished "Kushiel's Dart" day before yesterday (good ending), and started "The da Vinci Code" along with "Nathanial's Nutmeg" - this is a nicely written book on the 17th/18th century spice trade centred around nutmeg and the island it was mainly harvested from - I'm going to take my time with it.
Edit: I've just finished "The da Vinci Code", so tomorrow I can start (thank goodness) "The Curse of Chalion".

Off now to do some more homework. When that's sent in (towards the end of the week) I get a break from assignment homework (got a multiple choice thing to send in in a week) until the beginning of June. I'll need it.


Later.

[	Current Mood	|	drained	]
[	Current Music	|	Hum of the monitor	]

I'm feeling slightly queasy. Went out today to Leyburn - Dales Food and Drink Festival. It was small, not difficult to get to and relatively cheap £2.50 entrance fee and free parking. There was a car boot sale on in the next field across the road. Very nice seeing different "stuff" than usually found in local car-boot sales. I bought a patience double card deck set from the 1930's for a quid, a couple pieces of early Tupperware for 50p, and a book on Texas Bluebonnets - because it brought back very pleasent memories of being in the Girl Scouts in Texas and camping in woods and seeing fields and tiny meadows sprinkled with bluebonnets - being told "Do not pick them, they're endangered and if you are caught, you'll be put in jail." I do think that last bit wasn't true, but it did the trick - noone picked bluebonnets.

Then off to the food and drink festival. Not big, but very nice, the main tent with the vast majority of food and drink was stuffed with people practically until the last half hour. There was a speakers corner, but that was literally overflowing with people wanting to listen to Gervaise Phinn wanting to talk, and to be honest, if I'd gotten there in time to get a decent place, I'd have listened as well. He's a (possibly ex-) schools inspector with yorksire school district, and he's written 4 books on his "adventures" in his work. Very good, nice, humourous writing. He's a good speaker as well. But I missed it. *shrug*. There was also a farming exhibition, a beer tent, a small selection of things for children to do, a tent with cooking demostrations, and three other tents with "things" in and the edge of the field used for the bar-b-que stands/booths. Didn't get a lot in the way of food - smoked mackerel pate, slice of vegetarian quiche, some bakery goods, mixed apple juice (apple and rhubarb and apple and elderflower), a small pot of hawaiian salt(pink) and some nice ginger ice-cream. Most of it's already been eaten (minor details below).
Oh, I also bought a alpine strawberry plant - I do like them - the strawberries are very small but intensly flavored (if you can wait until they've ripened enough) and best of all, the slugs don't like them.

Got home about 5pm, went straight out and did planting. Filled a large container, resurrected an old container by weeding and adding extra compost then planted the alpine strawberry in the new container, put two varients of artimisia plants (southernwood and wormwood) in the resurrected container, a borage into a larger pot, my house plant into a new larger hanging basket and generally made my container herbal and flower garden a bit cleaner and happier. I've now got over 20 large containers in my back yard. I love it, but it's not done yet.

After that went inside and had some beet soup (YUM!)I'd made yesterday, along with most of what I'd bought above. . .

Eek! My brain is shutting down. There was more that I wanted to say, but I can't remember it.

Later....(night night)

[	Current Mood	|	peaceful	]
[	Current Music	|	Dull roar of traffic	]

Fun today, even with the drizzleing (sp?) rain, so I went to Manchester University and finally paid my fee for my ongoing choir class, almost went to a student fair at the Acadamy, but money was tight *grumble*. I'll have to find out when the next one is.

Went off to the Printworks, where Ben and Jerry's Ice cream were having a free cone day, and since I love free things and icecream, it was a very good combination - I did donate to a Manchester playground charity, though, since that's why they had it. I think they have this kind of thing once a year. I'll be looking forwards to the next one. *G*

Then on the way home, drove through a flurry of what my Dad called "pink snow", but I call flowering cherry trees "living confetti", because with the time of the year, it feels like there's a long succession of "wedding" ceremonies outdoors.

So, now I'm off to do some more beaded rope crochet - which is getting really boring now, but it needs to be done. Have some spaghetti, and salad with alfalfa and broccoli sprouts, Do some molecular biology homework, read some more of "Kushiel's Dart" (I'm now at page 728, and it's getting a little repetative in one detail, but the story is still great) and do a little cross stitching. Not necessarily in that order *S*.

Oh! before I forget - I found a nice website with details of all radio frequencies throughout England:
http://www.mediauk.com/directory/radio/


Later.

[

Current Mood

|

giddy

]

I've been looking for recipes of vegetarian haggis after tasting a really great one at a Burns' night over a year ago - I'm not a really big fan of MacSween's - but it will do if I'm really desperate.
But then I found this on Google...No, go look at this page (web address under the italics) - I'm not even distantly Scottish, but I found this unbelievable - laughed? I almost cried....*snicker*

... After testing it was decided that the vegetarian haggis was more acceptable to consumers." The final version is a samosa which captures the full essence of the ...
http://www.qmuc.ac.uk/marketing/press_releases/pr120102A.htm

(the page dates from 2002 in case you're wondering)

I'm mildly curious about the sales of the product...but not quite enough.

Later.

[	Current Mood	|	calm	]
[	Current Music	|	Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow CD	]

Yep, 2am and still awake. Darn nap.

So I was crocheting a beaded rope (one of a few in mid-stream) and suddenly realised I'd forgotten something off the last entry:

There ARE farmers markets at Ashton-Under-Lyne (Market grounds at Market St/Bow St.) on the last sunday of the month - the next three are on 30th May, 27th June and 25th July. Opinion reserved until I've been to one. - and the continental market is happening alongside the July farmers market (or is that the other way around?). internet link for the farmers markets: http://www.tameside.gov.uk/eandp/new/ashmarkt.htm#farmers

Ok, back to the crocheting.


Later.

[	Current Mood	|	amused	]
[	Current Music	|	Roger Taylor CD (self compilation)	]

I'm in the first half of reading "Kushiel's Dart" by Jacqueline Carey. Wow! What writing. I'm used to reading many forms of science fiction and fantasy, and this is (so far) a great one and even at 1015 pages, I'm not finding it hard going, though I do wish (just a tiny bit) I'd gotten it in hardback as the typeface wouldn't have been quite so crammed then. The next one in an apparent series is "Kushiel's Chosen" I'm DEFINATELY going to get it when it comes out in Paperback, even though there's the chance there will be the same problem in book length and typeface.

I read about "Kushiel's Dart" from the website of one of my (many) favorite authors, Piers Anthony. He gave it a great review, so I looked it up. Unfortunately, at that time, the book was only out in Hardback (late 2003), and luckily when I was looking around in Leeds last week for a copy of a US folk music magazine (I was there for a tutorial at the University), it was out in paperback. Many bookstores are having 2 for 3 sales right now, and I bought mine at Borders Bookstore along with "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown (I'm planning, if I like this one, to buy "Angels and Demons" later) and "The Curse of Chalion" by Lois McMaster Bujold (She's another one of my favorite authors - and her writing so far has been wonderfully consistant, so I'm looking forwards to reading this. Just read the first two chapters - it's very good, just like I was expecting, and nothing like her other books. It's historical fantasy, Early Spanish history influence. It's going to be hard not to continue it until next month, but I'll try. ).

Along with these, I'm reading a couple of books from the ones I bought from Costco (relevant entry "about" three entries back)- namely "Lucrezia Borgia" (nice writing - a little convoluted, but nevertheless interesting along with good chapter annotations at the back) and "Cleopatra" (this one isn't that good, so I'm going to finish the chapter I'm on and start on "Harriette Brown's Memoirs" (one of the leading courtesans of Regency London)).

Ok, enough writing about books - I must go and read some science ones *sigh*...


later.

[	Current Mood	|	anxious	]
[	Current Music	|	clock ticking	]

It's been inspired by reading some of Sarah's works. *sigh*
The poem has just been written off the cuff - so it sounds "bitty".
I had to do it....



Ring the heart 'round with strings that do not bind
That plays the music true when inspiration find
That holds not back a note of sound true and clear
Whether 'tis love, heartbreak or fear

Wind them snugly so that the strings the soul can see
And place upon them lightly the barest breath of harmony
Give them space so that other melodic strings may meet
From other hearts or souls which sings a song as sweet

To help you carry on in this world sometimes dark and cold
That can give true warmth and comfort strong and bold
But that can tell the story true to those you love and care
That sing your heart's harmony so sweetly true and fair

Without fear of rejection and completely without shame
And those who would despise you are without honours claim
For those strings are singing loudly of courage, love and light
To give you that undying comfort deep in any night.


Later.

[

Current Mood

|

energetic

]

I have been having a great laugh at the antics of the US government.

"This will not be another Vietnam". *he he*
Bush promoting assistance to Iraq *LOL*
Bush saying the UN peacekeepers should take over....*big laughs, almost wet pants*

Then the kicker....
Kofi Annan saying quite nicely - "fuck you Bush"...

Now that, that was great...I like Mr. Annan - he gets my respect now.

oh, I'm doing a test of a new avatar.

Later.

[	Current Mood	|	awake	]
[	Current Music	|	Van Morrison CD - Moondance	]

I like writing in my Journal, now. Not something I used to really like doing, but I at first became accustomed to it, then I began to worry about the content and look of the piece. Now it's a VERY minor obsession.
I'm still not the most conciencious of writers, performance-wise (as can obviously be seen by the frequency), but I think that's due more to my feeling of the happenings/writings being of worth to enter in this journal rather than my procrastination. C'est la vie.

Ok, enough.

Happenings over the past few days - went to Costco - main purchases were books - three cookery (Rick Stien, book of Muffins and general cheap vegie), a set of 7 historical/biographical paperbacks about women (Cleopatra, "Unnatural Murder", Elizabeth the Great, Harriette Wilson's Memoirs, The Courtesans, Mary Tudor (The Spanish Tudor), Lucrezia Borgia), and a child's book (Angelina Ballerina and other stories) - this one partly for a gift, and partly to copy a drawing to do as a cross stitch for the godchild I'm also giving this book to (that sentence sounds odd).
Also went out downtown, and the weather the past few days has been strange - as if winter isn't quite ready to release it's hold over to spring. Sunshine, clouds, rain, overcast, hail/sleet, rain and more sunshine (sometimes mingled).
When I was downtown I bought a book, and some other bits and pieces.

Tomorrow I'm off again downtown to get a DVD set and something else. God, my memory is just so bloody great....

Right, I'm off to finish a bracelet and catch a program (Six Feet Under).

Later.

[	Current Mood	|	tired	]
[	Current Music	|	computer chip fan.	]

I startout hating the real start of the OU "working" period for us students. I mean, I can basically kick back and relax, but two weeks before that first assignment is due and I start to creak into action, knowing that the critical period is upon me.

Shame on me. *shrug*

But I do get to work. Then three days before the mailing/due date and I'm speeeding along. I always send it off at the last possible moment. Have done that throughout my student life. No matter if the assignment is a major project or a three paragraph critique.

Done all that this last week. Both assignments off in the post. The brain's in high gear - or is that the chocolate binging talking?

Maybe so, due to the fact that once I sent off the second assignment - first assignment for two seperate courses (with two more courses yet to work on), and I'm working on a christmas charm bracelet, typing this, preparing and eating dinner, starting a beading project, helping my partner over the phone with his grammar and planning what's happening tomorrow (I'm out to buy a ticket for the Deep Purple concert in November - if it's not sold out.). *deep breath*.
And all this in the space of 4 hours.

I hope I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight, 'cause I've got to get up at 8am and go to a tutorial.

I've not been getting any real sleep for the past three nights - simply due to me running on assignment adrenaline. God, please help me. . .zzzzzzzz.

*yawn*

I'm out - going to bed now....

Later.

[	Current Mood	|	working	]
[	Current Music	|	the noises outside my window	]

As far as I can tell, violetisblue started this. . .the first one of these I read, though, was at madam_h's journal.

Before I start this - I don't eat land-based meat that can walk and/or fly. But I have done in the "distant" past. Nothing wrong with any of it, I just don't like the taste.


--What's the last thing you ate?

Chocolate.

--What's your favorite cheese?

I like most cheeses - but not heavily blue ones, or STRONG flavoured ones - Raclette, Feta, Cottage, Cream, Goat, Port Salut, Brie (not the rind), Mascarpone, Buffalo Mozzarella and Applewood Smoked Cheddar are among those I enjoy. . .

--What's your favorite fish?

Bought: Haddock, rainbow trout or whitebait.
But there's nothing to compare to a trout you've caught, gutted and cooked yourself - bliss.

--What's your favorite fruit?

Raspberries, strawberries or melon (preferably cantaloupe or watermelon) But I like the vast majority of FRESH fruit, definitely excepting pears (in any form) and grapefruit.

--When, if ever, did you start liking olives?

Depends on the olives. I've always liked US canned black olives (which I can't get here in the UK), but I've recently come to like green Queen olives, marinated in olive oil and herbs.

--When, if ever, did you start liking beer?

I liked Bass Pale Ale as a youngster (8-10 years old), but can't stand any of it at all as an adult. Foul liquid.

--When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish?

Always have. Can't eat oysters anymore, but, My favorites are crayfish(langoustines), clams (in any form), tiny cooked prawns, cockles in vinegar and crab freshly cooked with melted butter on the side.

--What was the best thing your parent/s used to make?

Mum's was "Country Fried Pork Chops" and her Lamb roast dinner. Dad's was his Green Chili Burritos and his "overnight Oxtail spaghetti sauce".
When I gave up meat, these were the dishes (plus Turkey Thankgiving dinner with all the trimmings) that made me ALMOST reconsider.

--What's the native specialty of your home town?

I don't have a home town. But I live in Manchester - and since it's become quite cosmopolitan, there is no native speciality anymore.
But it USED to be: Sunday roast dinner (beef or lamb) with all the trimmings (including but not limited to: sprouts, cabbage, roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding with gravy) and fish and chips. (there's definitely other dishes, but my memory fails me)

--What's your comfort food?

Depends on where, when and what state of health I'm in. Worst case: Osuimono broth with udon noodles and lots of seaweed. Best case: Fried egg (runny yolk) sandwich. Both cause bliss.

--What's your favorite type of chocolate?

Milk. My favorite - Something Thornton's don't make anymore - Their Fruit and Nut bar(it had cinnamon in it) and was mind-meltingly divine.

--How do you like your steak?

Mooing and still on the cow. Steak - Blergh.

--How do you like your burger?

Ditto. Burger - ick (e-coli in waiting)

--How do you like your eggs?

White cooked, yolk runny if cooked whole (a side of bernaise sauce if I'm feeling decadent). Scrambled: soft with butter and pepper. If an omelette: with swiss cheese (god bless the cook at Phoenix college who introduced me to these *sigh*).

--How do you like your potatoes?

Cooked in any form without meat/poultry. I bow to their hold over me. All hail the mighty potato.

--How do you take your coffee?

I don't. Evil coffee.

--How do you take your tea?

Depends on the tea. Herbal - with honey. Black - sugar and milk. Spiced Chai - vanilla sugar and milk. Green - plain.

--What's your favorite mug?

At present, either the big mug with the winter solstice sun king that I bought on sale, or the huge Ikea blue tea bowl with handle.

--What's your cookie of choice?

Depends on where I am. Most times it MUST contain chocolate. In the US, Girl Scout Thin Mints or Nabisco Oreos. In the UK, either Jaffa Cakes (the ONLY time I like orange and chocolate together), Time Out biscuits or Jammie Dodgers (the middle eaten last).

--What's your ideal breakfast?

If I have the time to make it - either a full vegetarian breakfast (tomatoes(tinned) on toast, hash browns, fried egg, baked beans and mushrooms) or a swiss cheese omelette. Either of them with buttered toast and chai tea.

--What's your ideal sandwich?

Hummus and salad with avocado and alfalfa sprouts.

--What's your ideal pizza (topping and base)?

Green pepper, pineapple and mushroom on thin crust.

--What's your ideal pie (sweet or savory)?

Rhubarb or apple crumble.

--What's your ideal salad?

Fresh greens, tomatoes, shredded beets and carrots lightly drizzled with balsamic vinegrette around slightly melted brie in the middle and cranberry sauce on the side.

--What food do you always like to have in the fridge?

Cheese, butter, pickles, peppers, plain bio-yogurt, some type of juice, condiments, udon noodles and milk.

--What food do you always like to have in the freezer?

Mixed diced vegetables, spinach, popsicles.

--What food do you always like to have in the cupboard?

Pasta, 4 kinds of Rice (including Japanese short-grain), baked beans, falafel mix, 2 types of lentils (puy and green), ramen, canned soup, dried goats milk, canned beans, canned tomatoes (both whole and chopped), 4 kinds of honey (all cold pressed), applesauce, chunky peanut butter, tuna, all the baking stuff for bread and cake, dried beans and concentrated tomato puree.

--What spices can you not live without?

Cumin, cinnamon, ginger (fresh and dried/ground), coriander, allspice, green cardamon, cloves, fennel seed, black and mixed peppercorns, garlic (fresh and dried/ground), red pepper, and (yes, I know the following are not spices) oregano, coriander leaf, sweet basil, mint, flat-leaf parsley, lemon and salt.

--What sauces can you not live without?

Tamari and Shoyu, balsamic, malt and cider vinegars, ketchup and mayonnaise.

--Where do you buy most of your food?

Morrison's, Tesco and Asda for general, Eighth Day (and Unicorn Grocery when I can get there) for health food/organic, Barbakan(when I can get there) for SPECIAL bakery/deli goods, and the "local" Chinese supermarkets for fish, seafood and oriental.

--How often do you go food shopping?

Between once and four times a week.

--What's the most you've spent on a single food item?

*thinks* - Well over 20 pounds on something, though god knows if I can remember what it was. Ah well. *shrugs*

--What's the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own?

Right now, besides the microwave and the fridge, my beloved cast-iron enameled casserole (with lid) by Le Creuset.
My most expensive electric item WILL be a professional stand mixer (with 6 quart bowl) by KitchenAid when I get the space.
Then there's my 1930's 3 ring gas cooker. When it eventually gets overhauled, sandblasted and re-enameled, which I'm sure will cost me at least 450 pounds.

--What's the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen?

a pair of fancy chef's graters on sale.

--What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without?

Other than my kitchen knives or my balloon whisks? My juicer. I adore fresh carrot juice and fresh orange juice. Luckily it's easy to clean.

--How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients?

Depends on what I feel like. On average, twice a week.

--What's the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients?

Multigrain bread.

--What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig and poultry?

When I used to eat meat, the list included lamb, wild turkey, duck, rabbit, pheasant, deer/venison, goose, ox, veal(as it USED to be raised), domestic goat and snake.

--What's the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor?

Yesterday.

--What's the last time you ate something you'd picked in the wild?

Don't remember. It happens often enough to make it non-notable.

--Place the following cuisines in order of preference (greatest to least):

These four in any order: Italian, French, Sushi, Chinese. Thai and Indian are joint last - I dislike both.

--Place the following boozes in order of preference:

The only one I'll drink: Rum.
Brandy, I'll cook with. The rest: Whiskey, Gin, Vodka, Tequila - don't want to know. . .

--Place the following flavors in order of preference:

(The first 4, any order). Lime, Garlic, Basil, Ginger, Caramel, Aniseed (this last one, ONLY in anisette cookies).

--Place the following fruits in order of preference:

If FRESH: Any order.
Cherry, pineapple, watermelon, orange, apple, banana.

--Place the following activities in order of preference:

Food, Sex, Movies, Fashion (historical only), The Internet, Sport.

--Bread and spread:

Homemade bread (NOT sourdough) with butter. If "flavoured" spread, then high-fruit raspberry or morello cherry jam.

--What's your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order?

Something I can't get in the UK - Del Taco. Green Chili bean burrito and their crinkle-cut fries with ketchup.
The closest I can get to one I use in the UK is Subway - their veggie delite 6" sub on wholewheat, with everything except pickles dressed with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper.

--Pick a city. What are the three best dining experiences you've had in that city?
Fort Worth, Texas (approx. 1973-1978): Angelo's barbeque, that little hole-in-the-wall louisiana/creole cafe (I forgot the name) that's probably LONG gone, and the Second Edition with their homemade hush puppies and crab or oysters or lobster or crayfish or clams or clam chowder.
Edit: For desserts, I'd have to say The Back Porch - it made the BEST (without question) homemade ice cream. The only two flavours that even came close were Baskin-Robbins' Daquari Ice and A forgotten organic farm here in the UK who made brown bread ice cream. *sigh*.

--What's your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? Bacardi and lemonade if it's been BAD and I can get to a bar/pub. Other than that, fruit juice, water or tea.

--What's the next thing you'll eat?

I don't know. Let's see what I fancy in a few minutes. . .
Edit: it ended up being cheese-on-toast.


Later.

[	Current Mood	|	mischievous	]
[	Current Music	|	The hum of the computer and monitor	]

I get the bils for a house I'm looking after. Well, I say bills - they're really accounts of when the metre reader comes to waste his time and the gas and electric boards hope that something has been useing resources besides the house alarm.
The house alarm uses about 3 units a quarter. That comes out to 33p. This in turn means that the bill is in CREDIT for about 3 pounds. *snicker*
I have a feeling this REALLY makes the electric company seethe. The house uses electricity, but they end up giving more in credit than is used.


Later.

[	Current Mood	|	hopeful	]
[	Current Music	|	Most Records CD sampler, Track 10: Taffetas - Deni Kele	]

Well, a while ago, I was at a toy store in Heaton Chapel and picked up a set of playing cards by Heritage Playing Cards - it was a "herbs" pack. Recently, I finally had the chance to go onto the web site: http://www.heritageplayingcards.co.uk
I recommend it highly. In fact, I think if I have the chance to save up a little bit of money, there's about 4 other packs I want to buy from them.


Other things: My Dad is back from his biannual trip (he goes twice a year, just in case I've used the wrong word.) and has broght back my usual beads, findings and pewter charms haul from shipwreck beads. Since the company had moved (yet again) into MUCH larger surroundings, there's a new catalog. DAMN THEM!!! I thought I was safe from drooling over the implied bounty. I was wrong. More ordering is yet to be done. Arrgghh....

The brain fails me on the rest of the report. . . *sigh*. More later, hopefully.


Later.

[	Current Mood	|	drained	]
[	Current Music	|	The click and whir of the fan heater	]

I'm tired, I should be in bed. But the internet has capured my eyeballs.
*grrr*

That's it - I'm posting these results and then no more internet for the next 4 days. Well. . .I'll try, anyway.



Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me
videre?
"Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you
just glad to see me?"
You're smooth, okay, but you also need a
girlfriend. Bad.


Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

*snicker* I think just some sex would be in order right now, really. *EG*

Oops. That's it, off to bed for me....

Later.

[	Current Mood	|	tired	]
[	Current Music	|	Paul Weller - The Strange Museum	]

I was in class (which is held in the architecture building of the University of Manchester) and on one of the blackboards was written this question:

In using "beautiful" to describe natural or human objects, we imply that beauty is inherent and we should agree upon it. Is beauty subjective, intersubjective or universal?


I myself have been thinking about this and I think the answer is not that simple. As with many things based upon a personal viewpoint that takes cues from society and hormonal cues, I think the answer has to be: both subjective AND intersubjective. I don't think beauty is universal. Human beings are not brought up world-wide to a single idea/concept of "beauty".

But I know this answer is not as well written as is should be - but I have at least said something about it. (and it is 1:30 am, after all.). Maybe, just maybe I'll expound upon it in the future

Later. (goodnight)

[	Current Mood	|	full	]
[	Current Music	|	the click and whir of the heater	]

Yesterday I got a real shock. Witing for my order of vegetables with cashew nuts in a good local chinese, I thought I'd peruse the local rag and see how much houses are selling for in my area, not hat I'm planning on moving, it's just to see what the house market is like. Imagine my shock to find that my mid-terraced house would sell for a possible 40 thousand pounds! Last year, I could have gotten 26 thousand. What the hell? Is the housing market that mad? Obviously it is, but my god, 40K. Wow.

In other happenings today, I went to an antique textile fair at the Armatige sports centre in Fallowfield and only bought a textile directory due to the fact I had no real cash on me, but I'm very lucky that I didn't. There was clothing from assorted periods, jewellry, books, beaded items, lace, gloves (handmade), shoes, fabric, patterns....anything and everything to do with textiles. If I'd had a couple hundred pounds in my pocket, I'd have spent it easily. *sigh*.

But, to make up for that, I went afterwards to a turkish grocery store (Venus foods) and spent 20 quid on groceries - mainly fripperies, but my tummy is now happy with a small dessert of various types of turkish delight. I'm also looking forwards to eating bread that I can put my rose jam on, making lentil soup and snacking on pickled hot peppers amongst other yummies.

Ok, I now have to finish writing up a marginal spanish translation of a vegetarian ravioli recipe from a Jamie Oliver cookbook (yes, mine).

Later.