Weekly Update!

Bar Crawling, Cupcakes and Roast Dinners

This week started with a chilled out very productive day where I steamed through three readings for my course, cleaned out my rabbit, tidied the house, caught up on some telly and read some of my book, together with eating a considerable amount of chocolate digestives. On Tuesday I hit the gym, and then that night was LUFS final social of the term- a bar crawl around town. We started in Spoons at 8pm, and then went to The Friary, Hustle, Lounge and ended in Revolution with kareoke and shots. Hustle had a 'party night' on, so we were given balloons, jelly shots, party bags with goodies, three drinks for £5 and there were party games and a magician who did card tricks. He also made us a very interesting balloon man! It was a brilliant night, if only the same could be said for the quality of singing in Revs!

Wednesday was lovely and sunny, so I met my friend in town for a Yummy Cupcake (Dime bar if you were wondering) and then cooked a really good pork roast dinner in the evening for my boyfriend Chris and I, before some of our friends came round to chill out later on. On Thursday my parents and grandpa came to visit, and very kindly cleared my garden of weeds and rubbish ready for summer, and my mum dyed my hair for me. That evening I went to Chris' to catch up on some Shameless, it seems every time we are nearly finished with one season, they make another one, so I reckon we'll be watching it a couple of seasons behind forever!

Friday was another gorgeous day so we barbecued (see previous post) and on Saturday I auditioned for next terms LUTG plays, and went for a few drinks at my friends house in the evening. Fingers crossed that I get through to the play recalls, announced tonight! I'm having a lazy day today after being knackered yesterday, acting really takes it out of me, and heading to the quiz later on for the last one of Lent term. A nicely balanced week.

Days Out...

Ashton Memorial

So, the sun has decided to come out from behind the clouds this week, resulting in sunglasses being purchased, legs coming out of hiding after Winter, and rekindling of the infamous barbecue season. With this in mind, yesterday my friends and I decided to head up to Williamson Park near our houses in Lancaster, for a laze in the grass, some yummy food and a few iced bevvies.

So, coolbag stocked with sausages, cider, mustard, mushrooms, barbecue sauce and my lovely lime green plastic wine glass, we trekked up to the park, and chose a prime spot on top of the hill next to Ashton Memorial. The view from the top is gorgeous, and though it was a little hazy yesterday, the peaks of the Lake District were still visible to our right, and Heysham power plant to our left- I know which I'd rather look at!

We set the barbecues going and cracked open the bottles, while we waited for the perfect temperature. Once ready, I put on some open cup mushrooms with cheese squares on top, which tasted nice and nutty, and were a welcome change from traditional barbecue fayre. I then had two sausages with wholegrain mustard in part baked baguettes that I had prepared earlier (always ready!). Though rather 'brown' at least they were cooked through, which is more than could be said for my friend Geoff's chicken legs. I had planned on putting some cheese in with my sausages, but an over-friendly golden retriever put paid to that idea, by snaffling it all when he came to investigate our meals!

After we had eaten, a chilly wind brought us back to reality, reminding us that it is only March, and we were being far too ambitious thinking we could stay past seven o'clock. We went back to the nearest of our houses and watched some typical Friday night telly, before I headed home. A nice start to 'Summer' one might say!

Spring Reads...

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote- 3 stars ***

I found this book particularly interesting, as despite being based on a true crime, the piece as a whole comes across as a fictional novel, mainly due to the involvement of the author's imagination in terms of the characters and plot. By this, I mean that although all of the characters really exist(ed), comments on specific events that happened over the period of the police investigation, and detailed insights into the character's lives are given, that could not possibly be proven.

This technique really intrigued me, as I had to continuously stop and remind myself that such two villains as Dick Hickock and Perry Smith did live, and did murder all four of the Clutter family in the brutal way described in 'In Cold Blood'. The tale, which is both intriguing, heartbreaking and harrowing, was like reading a textbook based around the Clutter murders, but with a fictional story to accompany it so that the criminals became human, neighbours became personable, and policemen investigating the affair became part of a normal family, showing the hardship that the case wreaked on their home lives.

Capote's use of words often seems deviant from traditional figurative language, yet he creates images that describe completely the picture he is trying to conjure, helping the reader reach a full understanding of not only character's personalities and thoughts, but also their appearances, for example:

'It was as though his head had been halved like an apple, then put together a fraction off centre. Something of the kind had happened; the imperfectly aligned features were the outcome of a car collision in 1950'

Another aspect to this book that I enjoyed, were certain passages that occurred now and again throughout, that hinted at the philosophical, and will stay with me as I found them quite thought-provoking. Two such examples are included below:

'If one bird carried every grain of sand, grain by grain, across the ocean, by the time he got them all on the other side, that would only be the beginning of eternity.'

''"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is a breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is as the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset" - said by Chief Crowfoot, Blackfoot Indian Chief''

Despite this being one of the longest of my course books so far, I zoomed through it in less than a week, as I found my curiosity was not satisfied until I had reached the final page. Overall, it is a breath of fresh air upon fiction, even now being 45 years old, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Weekly Update!

Cheese, Art and Farming?!

I've had a really good time this week. Except for crucial work and lectures/ seminars, I gave myself the week off as a reward for completing the dissertation. On Monday night, the fashion society all came round to my house and we had a cheese and wine night, which was gorgeous! We had about ten different types of cheese, olives, crackers, apple, grapes and chutney, and we gorged and quaffed until we were nicely tiddly and full to burst. We had some classic comedy moments as well, which is always a giggle.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I chilled out at home, watching rubbish TV and eating lots of chocolate and drinking tea. I also popped into town on Wednesday for a few bits, and had a gander at the market which always smells and looks delish.

On Thursday I went to see Ed Pien's 'Momento' exhibition, at a free art gallery with my boyfriend, before he cooked me a lovely curry. It was interesting, it was just one big room with a rope construction, that reminded me of those rope climbing frames you get on children's playgrounds. It had mirrors placed around it and a film playing that caught on the mirrors, so it had quite an eerie feel to it. We were only there for about twenty minutes, but considering it was in a place I'd never been before (The Storey Institute) it was good to discover another part of Lancaster. Afterwards I went to watch LUTG's production of The Rivals at the town hall (see previous post).

On Friday I went to the gym and then had a few friends round for some drinks and a takeaway. They arrived after my corner shop had closed, so we didn't get very drunk, but it was pleasant nonetheless.

Saturday was the arrival of Campusfest, an event on campus that is in its second year. During the day there are stalls and performances by societies, and in the evening there are a few different bands and dancers, topped off with a firework display. It was really good last year, so I was looking forward to it. The day was gloriously sunny, which makes a change for Lancaster,

and after arriving at about 2pm, we settled on a table for the day. We saw the bellydancers and ballroom dancers perform, and had a wander around some of the stalls, which included decorating cakes with the baking society, and playing Guitar Hero with the gaming soc. We went to the bar for a while to watch the rugby (I just followed despite not being a huge fan) and then had bratwursts for £1.50 for tea and watched some of the bands.

Later on in the evening (after borrowing a hoody now the sun had disappeared) I bought a bottle of wine and a white chocolate crepe from The Pancake Man, and watched October Skies and Fables, two bands that some of my friends are in. They were both really good, and it was super chilled, almost like a proper festival. We then headed off to Sugar later on for some dancing. It was really nice to have something to do to fill up a Saturday for once, other than moping and sleeping!

On Sunday I was doing a favour for my friend Danielle. She has applied for a position with Saatchi and Saatchi, and she is required to make an advert for them to judge her on. She chose to do the Yeo Valley advert, so four of us spent the day prancing around in farmer's outfits, 'rapping' and fooling around. It was really good fun, and we also got to see some super cute baby animals on a local farm we filmed at. A jam-packed week that tired me out, but was an awesome way to kick-back after weeks of work stress!

Spring Performances...

The Rivals by Richard Sheridan

Last night I went to see The Rivals performed in Lancaster Town Hall by the university theatre society. It is a play set in Bath in the 18th century and was first performed in 1775. It mainly features around the characters of Jack Absolute (played by post grad student Leo Patel) and Lydia Languish (fresher Amy Batty).

Lydia, filled with romanticism from reading books, falls in love with poor officer Ensign Beverly and plots to elope with him. This young man is in fact Jack Absolute, a wealthy heir who has been betrothed to her by his father Anthony Absolute (played by Robbie Love) and Mrs Malaprop (Zoe McNamara), Lydia's elderly aunt and caregiver. Jack doesn't know his proposed suitor is Lydia, and rebels against his father, but upon finding out, he continues pretending to be both people, resulting in many comedic scenes.

As well as this main plot there are various subplots, but a clear focus is placed on the relationship between Lydia's cousin Julia (Yasmin Delves) and her partner Faulkland (Matthew Bosley). Faulkland is the jealous type, and constantly frets about Julia's fidelity while she is away. This is seen with great amusement by Jack and their other friend Bob Acres (David Helm), who is another suitor for Lydia. As you can tell the storyline becomes increasingly entangled, until the end act builds to a hilarious drama where nobody seems to know who they are!

I have seen many LUTG performances, and acted in two myself, and I must say that this is definately one of the strongest plays I have watched. There wasn't a weak performance among the cast of fifteen, and there were some brilliant casting decisions, in particular fresher Lisa Coleman as conniving cockney maid Lucy, and Bosley as Faulkland was genius. He not only managed to evoke sympathy with the audience despite his crazily active imagination, but also successfully portrayed the emotions he felt in a convincing way so he didn't become a comedic stereotype, as the role could have been.

Unfortunately the play was only on for three nights, so there is no way of catching it now, but it was a hugely entertaining evening, so a big well done to all involved!

Inspired by people-watching

Turning Point

Tessa walked through the glass double doors and instantly hated the bustle of the place. The coolness of the air outside had made her eyes sting, but the artificial heat within the walls of The Brasserie made her feel claustrophobic and vulnerable. She squeezed the hand of her three year old son who trotted beside her and he gazed up with eyes that hadn’t seen a lot of the world yet. She wished she could protect him from the burden of growing up so his eyes could stay that way forever.

Her friends, whenever they came round for coffee, would always swap stories about the ‘adorable’ questions their children asked them. Things like, “Why is Auntie Susan so fat?” and “Why are those doggies jumping on each other?” But stories like this only caused a shadow of dread to settle over Tessa, and the laugh that was forced from her lips would sound hollow and fake. She couldn’t bear to think of the day when Bertie would ask, “Why are you getting dressed mummy, when you get back into bed when daddy leaves?” or, “Why don’t you answer the telephone when it rings?” It is one thing for a child to ask questions, but it is another when there are no reasonable answers to give to them.

Her husband Daniel pulled out a chair for her to sit on and then went to the bar to order some drinks. She sat down and helped Bertie to look at his menu, moving the green napkin and extra set of cutlery out of his way. She thought it seemed a little adult to bring Bertie here, but Daniel had assured her it was child-friendly. Glancing at his broad smile to the barman as he paid, she felt a sudden twinge of guilt. If a meal out as a family once a month was enough to persuade him that she was happy, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

Meg took a sip from her wine glass. She hoped the garlic from her starter didn’t linger on her breath, as she had already decided that she wouldn’t reject a kiss from James at the end of the night. Her mother would gloat over the success of the evening, having introduced the couple two weeks previously; she always was one to make sure she got the credit she deserved.

“So what is it you do Meg, your mum mentioned you were in retail?”

“Erm yeah, I’m a window dresser for Selfridges, it’s pretty much my dream job. I get to put gorgeous outfits together that cost more than I earn in a year, and I’ve met loads of amazing people. It’s really good to be part of an industry that’s constantly changing, you know?”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine anything worse than being bored at work, that’s the main reason I went back to college. Sales just wasn’t the area for me. Some people talk to you like you’re worthless, it did my head in.” Meg nodded, admiring the plushness of her surroundings. She had never been to this place before, and it seemed pretty upmarket. She hoped that James would pay the bill.

The waiter brought over their main courses, and James topped up their wine. The smell from his steak and the sight of the blood as he cut into it caused Meg to feel slightly faint. She considered making a beeline for the toilets, but didn’t want to seem rude. Eyes firmly on the art-deco wallpaper above him; she focused on the flavours from her moussaka and hoped that the wave of nausea would subside. He seemed to be worth it so far.

“She’s an absolute fucking bitch mate, you need to show her that she can’t dick you around like that, it’s out of order.” Jake watched as Olly’s hand gestures became more animated as he continued. “Do you think if you’d done that she’d just be sat here nursing a pint? Bollocks! She’s a woman, she’d be straight ‘round to your parent’s house telling them what an arse you are, or cutting your clothes up or something.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, hey?”

“What? Mate look at you, sat here moping, spurting out Shakespeare, where are your balls?”

“She’s probably taken them with her, wherever she’s gone.”

Jake finished his pint and stood up to go to the gents. He wanted some peace. Olly was the only one of his friends who was free when he found the note, and he was now regretting meeting up. He didn’t want to talk about it; he just wanted to get gradually pissed and then maybe fall asleep on the sofa watching late night repeats of Family Guy. Perhaps going to his parent’s house as he first thought would have been a wiser move. At least his mum wouldn’t suggest he throw paint over Jess’s car, and his dad might bring out the whisky.

As he walked through the door to the toilets he bumped into a large man with a thick gold watch clearly visible on his wrist. Jake wished he owned such luxuries, as it would certainly help the situation he now found himself in. He was already dreading getting the bill, as Oliver’s choice of venue was slightly above his normal budget, and that was before all of this had happened.

Alec returned to the table and put a chunky hand on Naomi’s shoulder.

“So, who’s for some champagne to seal the deal?” He smiled at his guests, and gestured over to the waitress who was loitering in the corner in wait for his next request.

“A magnum of Veuve, eight glasses, and have one yourself” he added, with a wink at the brunette.

A risky investment from a couple of years ago had finally paid off. It meant a substantial pay rise for each of the area managers, and plans being drawn up for an extension to head office meaning the business could branch out into foreign waters.

It was worth a celebration. He’d give Naomi a bonus too. She always kept the wives sweet at these monthly dinners, and employees who were getting laid without having to pay meant less grumpy meetings and fewer disgruntled workers. For how discreet and loyal she was, the money he already paid her was a drop in the ocean.

Naomi had been Alec’s ‘wife’ for the past three years. As he looked at her now, she smiled warmly, her chestnut brown bob reflecting the dimmed lights. She made a joke to the other women, the Scottish lilt to her voice emphasising her easygoing demeanour. Alec had been careful to choose a girl who wasn’t too pretty for him, as he didn’t want people guessing that he paid for her. Their relationship was strictly professional. Alec was no longer interested in sex, one of the reasons why his ex-wife had left him, and he was far too busy to waste his time looking for a real relationship. The arrangement had suited them both.

Naomi accompanied Alec to business events, social dinners, and went on holiday with him twice a year. In return he paid the mortgage on her apartment, as well as an hourly rate when she was with him. All she had to do was look pretty, sound intelligent and steer clear of gossip that might reveal her identity.

The brunette arrived with the champagne.

Weekly Update!

1 Completed Dissertation, Food- Greek Style, and Pancakes!

This week was the best and worst, in that I had to write the last of my dissertation like a madwoman, but then also had the satisfaction of handing it in and relaxing afterwards. The main reason I was in such a rush to finish was that I spent most of Monday hungover after a spontaneous drinking session with my dad on Sunday evening, and had to make mountains of cakes and biscuits (luckily aided by my mum) to sell at our fashion show on Tuesday. Tuesday was then spent in lectures and rehearsing/ performing in said fashion show. Exhausting!

So Wednesday I had to crack down, and managed to finish the first draft by 1am, which I then edited on Thursday morning, had bound, and handed it in by 4pm. I celebrated by having a pot of tea with my friend (because I'm that crazy) and then in the evening I went to The Trojan Horse, a new Greek restaurant in Lancaster with my boyfriend.

When we first walked in we were a little on edge, as we were the only people in there, but then we were taken upstairs, where a few other tables were occupied. We shared two starters- peppers stuffed with feta cheese, and Dolmades which is sticky rice with mint wrapped in vine leaves. For our main courses we each ordered Souvlaki, basically kebabs, which came with chips, pitta bread, salad and Tsatziki, and the portions were huge. I had a vegetarian option which had courgette, mushrooms, peppers and halloumi cheese, while my boyfriend opted for the pork version, and we swapped a kebab each so we could try both. After a bit of a rest I chose a dessert as well- I was celebrating! I had a triple chocolate surprise, which was delicious, if a little difficult to eat given that it consisted of different types of chocolate layered over each other. The whole meal including a bottle of the house wine came to just over £40, but an error with our student discount meant we got it all for £29- shh!

On Friday I had a much deserved lie in and then hit the gym before going out for my friend's 21st, which was a standard night in Sugar really. I think I felt the need to go out as it would be expected having handed the big D in, but I wasn't too fussed, and came home relatively early. On Saturday I had the most amazing lazy day, without a hint of guilt. I lounged around, watched some bad telly, read a book, made a fabulous curry and then went round to my friend's house where we played card games and got drunk. It was much more what I felt like doing, so I really enjoyed myself.

Yesterday I ventured to the gym again, and then did some work before having a delayed pancake day as I missed it with being at the fashion show. I managed five of various flavours before feeling ridiculously full, but I think that is a fair achievement!

Spring Reads...

On Bullfighting by A.L. Kennedy- 2 stars **

This book was really interesting, despite being short and on a topic which doesn't interest me at all- bullfighting. It is told almost in diary format by the author, a Scottish woman who is suicidal, and she takes on the project of writing the book as a means of escaping her life. It discusses a wide range of things such as the sport's history, links with faith, the famous faces associated with the sport, and the many traditions that accompany it.

I particularly liked the parts that explained the uniform that the matadors/ torreros/ picadors/ peones and novilleros wear, as Kennedy goes into full detail about what they look and feel like, how they are constructed, what they are made from, the price and history of the different items. Considering I thought it was just like wearing a costume to perform in, I found it enjoyable to discover some new facts that I would otherwise never have known.

The language that she uses is passionate and shows the reader that it is a subject that she enjoys discussing, and I think it is obvious that she uses it as an escape from the depression from which she suffers. An example of this writing is:

'Lorca, who followed the corrida and who, in his youth, even had himself carried through the streets of Granada, costumed and bloodied as if he were a matador who had received a fatal cornada (The term for all but the most glancing penetration by a bull's horn.)...He was a friend of Ignacio Sanchez Mejias, a gentle-eyed, polymath, bisexual and wholly reckless killer of bulls. After Mejias' death in the ring, Lorca wrote a poem in his memory.'

It was a different read to my normal, and at times was a little self-indulgent, but overall was well worth dipping into, especially as at only 167 pages, it doesn't take much time to complete.

Strutting our stuff!

For Oxfam!

On Tuesday it was the long awaited Oxfam and LUFS fashion show. After weeks of planning- sorting music, baking cakes for our cake stall, adjusting clothes to wear and decorating the room the night finally crept up on us.

We all arrived at 5pm, ready to have our hair done by the ladies at E.T Hair, and practise our walks on the (very professional looking) catwalk. The time to perform arrived very quickly, after a mad rush to get everyone coiffed and pretty. My hair was very Louis XIV, I felt like I should have pencilled in a beauty spot! After originally saying I wanted an updo, I changed after seeing how massive they managed to get my curls, as I didn't want them to be tamed!

A band called The Microtones played first, followed by a campaign video explaining what the money raised was going towards, and then it was our turn. We had four themes, French, UK, USA and African and each person had between two and three outfits from Oxfam that we had adjusted to make them more flattering/ sellable. I had a floor length velvet skirt and a cream chiffon blouse with gold buttons and shoulder pads and a pale grey necktie for the French theme, and a black bodice with some printed harem trousers for the African theme.

After our Oxfam section there were a couple of performances by the university dance society, followed by a set by another band called Makrel Jak. We then wore three outfits from two local shops for a second catwalk. I wore a pair of purple and pink high waisted trousers with a black top with crossover straps, a peach coloured corseted formal dress, and a flower print sweetheart top Motel dress. They were all really nice, and it was fun to wear something that I wouldn't normally. Although we had choreographed walks, the cues got a bit confused so we had to improvise, but luckily it wasn't obvious to the audience.

After our final catwalk, there were another two bands that played; The Lash and Tailored to Fit, and then we helped to tidy up. It was a brilliant night, the turn out was good, and we made £102.35 for LUFS, and a lot more for Oxfam- success!

Weekly Update!

Bombay Sapphire, Fashion Show Plans and Home Cooking!

As the dreaded dissertation deadline looms, I am becoming increasingly less sociable, so this week contained the final few nights out before I chain myself to my desk next week!

On Monday after a productive Fashion Soc meeting, I went to watch a few friends play some dart matches and have a couple of glasses of wine. I ended up going home and cracking open a litre bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin that my parents brought me back from Jersey, and sharing it with my boyfriend and his housemate. So much for an early night!

Tuesday passed by in a flash, and on Wednesday I did a promo photoshoot for the fashion show that we are doing with Oxfam next week. We have a page in one of the local newspapers, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for it to buy one as a souvenir. On Wednesday evening a couple of the exec came round to sort some of the final details. We had some drinks and a laugh while we chose the songs we wanted to do the catwalk to. It was chilled but fun all the same, and we all got pretty excited for the upcoming event!

Thursday was fairly unproductive as yet again a session at the gym meant I wasn't ready to work until mid afternoon, and then an impromptu visit from my old flatmate started a quick chat that turned into an hour and a half talk. In the evening my boyfriend came around and I cooked us both kedgeree which was delicious.

On Friday it was my friend's 20th birthday, and as a present to him my boyfriend and I said we'd cook a main course and dessert for a group of eight of us. I went shopping in the morning for my ingredients, and also had a fitting at Joseph & Co for the clothes that I am modelling from there for the fashion show, the two dresses I was given are beautiful, so I'm mega excited now.

Our friends came round at half 6 for the meal, which was chilli con carne, followed by sticky toffee pudding, made completely from scratch. I was really impressed with how it all turned out, and it went down a treat. The only annoying thing was that as I preprepared the baking tins for dessert with butter, by the time I came to cook them it had melted which meant the puddings stuck to the tins slightly. But covered in toffee sauce and custard, noone could tell!

After we had eaten a few more people came round to mine for drinks (one brought a very impressive homemade birthday cake for Matt), and then we headed to Wetherspoons and The Sugarhouse. I wore the dress I bought in Liverpool, and got compliments left right and centre, it was amazing! A woman on the bus and a complete stranger in the club both came up and said how lovely I looked, which always make a night better.

Today was supposed to be spent doing work, but a slight hangover and a mountain of washing up prevented a surge in productivity, so I am happy that I've managed to clean the house, do some creative writing critiques and write a couple of blog posts, it's not been a completely wasted day!

Spring Reads...

Making It Up by Penelope Lively- 3 stars ***

This was another example of creative non-fiction that I had to read for my course. This book was slightly different though, in that the author took snippets from her life and then created a series of mini fictional stories from them. It was a refreshing way of doing it, but I am still undecided whether it is technically fiction, as the stories are very loosely based. She says of it:

'To write fiction is to make a succession of choices, to send the narrative and the characters in one direction rather than another. Story is navigation; successful story is the triumphant progress down exactly the right paths, avoiding the dead ends, the unsatisfactory turns. Life, of course, is not at all like that. There is no shrewd navigator, just a person's own haphazard lurching from one decision to another. Which is why life so often seems to lack the authenticity of fiction.'

The book is well written, and has some lovely description in parts, that almost hints towards poetry:

'A house that contains books has concealed power. Many homes are bookless, or virtually so, as any house-hunter discovers. And then suddenly there is a place that is loaded - shelf upon shelf of the things - and the mysterious charge is felt. This house has ballast; never mind the content, it is the weight that counts - all that solid, silent reference to other matters, to wider concerns, to a world beyond these walls. There is a presence here - confident, impregnable.'

The only problem I had was that some of the stories were not as interesting as others, in fact some even edge on being boring, a cardinal sin in writing. It was worth reading though, purely for the interesting slant on the genre.