st anselm summer ball

On the 25th of April, we Gabsies attended the annual St Anselm Summer Ball, theme James Bond, for which I designed the tickets and they looked pretty freaking sweet. The theme went no further than my awesome tickets.

As far as dates go, I was set. Anisah and Becca and I were going as a trio, Anisah being our female James Bond and we being her Bond girls. 

The night began innocently enough with a posh champagne reception on the patio outside. After waiting ages as the sun set and it started getting ridiculously chilly outside, we were finally let in for dinner, where all the fun starts.

We were lucky (and by lucky, I mean horrendously unfortunate) to be sitting at the High Table, directly across the Warden of Slems Hall, a very awkward man to say the least. Slightly intimidating only because you had no idea what he was thinking or what he thought of you or why he had that funny look on his face. Add on the fact that this dinner was so incredibly "high class" that we had about 7 forks, 9 spoons, and 3 knives. Not really, but you get what I mean. So on our side, it was a mess of 'which fork?!' 'START OUTSIDE THEN IN OUTSIDE IN' and actually cutting up our salads. Salads. We were slicing lettuce and already sliced cucumbers and tomatoes into even smaller bits. Who does that? Then, just to make things a little more exciting, they slapped on a giant LEG OF LAMB. A WHOLE LEG OF LAMB as the main meal. Still on the bone and everything. And they expected us to consume this leg of lamb using utensils like civilized human beings. I think the extreme look of concentration and determination on my face explained it all. While we all struggled and pulled and forked and tore at our leg of lambs, the Warden calmly sliced through his and his girlfriend's as calm and clean as he could be. He shamed us. So you can imagine how the majority of this meal went -- us staring in horror at the challenges set for us, commenting on said challenges, whispering and giggling like silly little girls (this was mainly Anisah's job) and talking just a tad too loudly about the people around us who could clearly hear us (namely, the Warden, who Anisah kept calling the Don). 

The 'Don' also continuously asked us if we wanted some wine all night long and we continuously kindly denied. Eventually, he commented on how odd it was that the adults were drinking more than the students so I tried to ease the harshness of his rejection by saying that Anisah and I didn't drink. 

Him: At all? 

Us: At all. 

Him: *quickly scurries to find a non-alcoholic drink he could serve us* 

I really think he just wanted to pour us something to drink. Later on, after we'd given up on our lamb legs, dessert arrived in the form of a berry cheesecake and cream. Anisah took the cream first and struggled with it a bit as she poured it on her slice and then handed it to me. I struggled more. I swear that jug was not meant to be poured. It spewed all over my plate as I gah'd and uprighted it so it wouldn't spill all over the table. I passed it to the Warden who again very calmly and cleanly poured cream all over his and his girlfriend's slices. (I don't know why his girlfriend can't do anything for herself.) After watching him do so, I gave him a small clap and said, 'Wow, I applaud your creaming technique.' Yeah, I actually said & did that. He kind of just looked at me, with a funny smile on his face, in wonder that I had said such a thing . I turned to Anisah. 'Did he hear me? Why is he looking at me like that? I don't think he heard me.' To which he responded, 'It's all in the wrist.' 

Yeah.

Afterwards came a small magic show and the Ball bit with the dancing and the band and the musicing, which was fun and dandy and just like any old high school dance, really. There was a techno-ish band that was playing (one of their members is one of the other American girls at Gabs) and Anisah and I kept plotting to go up and mob the lead singer who was beautiful and a boy. It kind of went like this:

Me: Let's go eat him.

Anisah: Okay. 

*grabs me, we run two feet*

Us: WOOOOookay we're there.

Just as things started getting a little, er, not nice (ie de-pantsed and abhorrently drunken), we set off to go home. 

Just was we turned the corner out of Slems, we saw a gang of young guys turning the corner up ahead. We slowed down, obviously replaying in our minds the warnings of walking home late at night and gangs of guys and dark roads. So Anisah decides this would be a good time to turn around and scamper off in her massive heels. So I ran after her and left Becca and Reagan to fend for themselves. We got back to Slems and stood around, planning to either call a cab or grab some guys to walk with us. We were in the midst of this worrying dilemma when the gang of guys suddenly showed up ... walking into Slems ... where they live. 

At least we know we could outrun them in heels if we so needed to. Off we went, back to Gabs, Anisah with one bare foot as she got a cramp halfway through the trek, and to sleep. After recounting all our crazy stories to those who had sadly missed out, of course. 

another note

I really do not appreciate all the Facebook statuses informing me of people finishing now as I have a month left. They better start again in, like, July.

"the college experience"

Every time I talk to adults about my studying abroad in the UK, they always ask something along the lines of, "So where do you think education is better, here or the US?" To which I always want to respond with, "Well, I'm here aren't I?" but rather choose to go with, "Well, I wouldn't know." Because I don't know. I've never gone to college in the States so what do I have to compare to?

Expectations, that's what. It's hard to explain what I mean by 'the college experience.' It's just all the experiences and adventures and learning and living that I imagine characterizes your uni years. Walking across campus late at night just for kicks. The establishment of a Human vs Zombies game. Sitting out in the quad, the common room, the lounge, anywhere where all the students were at. Roaming the quaint streets of a college town. Always having something new and interesting to attend, a night out, a film showing, a cultural event, an art show, a constant feeling of being alive and new and part of it all. I don't know what 'it' is but that's part of my problem, I think. That I don't have 'it' to be part of. Maybe I've not been looking in the right places. Or maybe I'm just not looking enough, or at all. 

There's just those inherent expectations of what university is going to be like and I feel like I'm still waiting for those expectations to realize themselves but I can't imagine how long it's going to take. Or maybe I need to get up off my ass and do something instead of sit back and wait. But what do I do? I don't want my college years to be filled a constant pressure of the fear that I'll never get into grad school, I'll never be hired, this is all worthless. I want them to be some of the best years of my life. But I won't know if they are until I'm way past now and I think that bothers me most, that I can't trust in the unknown. 

I wish my brain would shut up about these things and just let it go.

rainy days

As much as I love being tall, it does have its inconveniences. I spend every rainy day dodging the threatening edges of low umbrellas held by average-sized people.

whew

I am finally mentally free! For now.

I've just finished the most horrendous piece of work I've done in my life ever -- bar my AP Euro exam -- which materialized itself in the form of my lab write-up. It was disgusting and I never want to think of it again ... until I have to do several more of them next year.

I celebrated by doing absolutely nothing today, after going to a lecture and then handing in my assignment. I just roamed campus with my friends, promoting our week of fundraising for Children in Conflict. We went around everywhere, every cafe, every lounge, every whatever, asking for loose change, handing out flyers, and just hanging out. Then I went to the writing society meeting which was excellent as always and tonight, we're off to the Slems pub quiz.

A quick note: I've submitted a couple old pieces to the writing soc's first collab mag thing and hopefully a couple will go through! One of the girls on the editing committee told me she had been hoping I'd submit a particular piece (Kindergarten, of course) which made me smile and she says she's pushing to have it put in. Also, I'm reading The Virgin Suicides which Anisah bought me for my birthday. I think I'll be putting off The Savage Detectives until I can sit in some sunny grass barefoot to read it. And Becca and I are definitely on to Dr Who season two with our beloved Tennant -- it's amazing. Lastly, Kanye's 808s & Heartbreaks is GLORY and I am also currently obsessed with 3OH!3 for whatever reason. They've been playing in my head all day ... 

"I said, shush girl

shut your lips --

do the Helen Keller

and talk with your hips."

Much recapping of the past couple weeks to come ... 

the fray

Last night, pretty much everyone I know in Manchester went to see the Fray. Not really, but seriously, there were quite a few people I knew there, they just kept showing up. 

The Fray, was, as always, superb. They're not one of my favourite bands but I saw them live at the Greek Theatre a couple years ago and liked them enough to see them again this year. I just love them. They're the kind of band that, if you just kind of liked them before, you'll adore after seeing in concert. Dunno, must be their charm. The guy who opened for him was some randomer from CALIFORNIA, WOO. Yeah, I definitely gave him a good cheer, scaring half the people around me as I erupted. It's Californian pride, people, get with it.

still kicking

... but barely. I've got to tell yous about last weekend's Ball and how I lost the Life Sciences Committee Secretary position and how we're going to see the Fray tomorrow! But I am not mentally free until Tuesday afternoon so I'll get back to you on all that. Ugh. And I just rolled over the glass of a frame and cracked it and I needed that pane and dinner is going to be crap and I have beaded keychains to make and fml.

At least I got all the superglue off my hand. And a 2:1 on my history essay! And the second season of Dr Who sitting on my shelf! Sigh.