Swords, Scorcery and Magic.

Leaving for Glastonbury in less than 24 hours. I have never been more excited. I haven’t finished packing, but my red gloss hunter wellies have arrived, I’ve had my ticket for a couple of weeks now, and plans are in place for obtaining alcohol supplies. I’ve been so busy over the past few weeks, I’ve not really had a chance to look that closely at the stage times or anything, but I’m excited to create a plan of action and fit as much as I possibly can into 5 magical days. I will definitely not sleep tonight.

I’ve been away for a while because I went back to uni to collect my stuff, and then I went to visit some family. I have spent the last two days painting my nails and doing washing. I wish I could show you a picture of my nails, because I am so proud of them – I’ve never been able to paint nails very well, and it has actually come out pretty well. But, I can’t use my camera properly 😦 and it means you can’t see anything, because it is all blurry.

Between loads of washing and waiting for nails to dry, I have totally rekindled my love for Disney. I love everything about anything Disney, and I had forgotten how many amazing classics they made. When I get back from Glastonbury, I might just spend a week watching them all, back to back. Also, when I’ve finished my degree, I might run away to Disneyland. I’ve got nothing else planned, and it will mean I can avoid the real world for a little while longer.

I’ll post something real and proper when I arrive back from Glastonbury. Hopefully lots of pictures and amazing stories to tell!

 

Begin At The Beginning And Go On Till You Come To The End: Then Stop.

I have had a wonderful weekend, which rounded off my stressful week alone very nicely. Catching up with old friends is always wonderful. After a quiet few at a bar, we returned to my abode and discussed literature… and sometimes I consider actually talking like that all the time, because it amuses me. Basically, I’ve just finished reading “Apathy and Other Small Victories” by Paul Neilan – what an amazing book! It only took me a day, because I literally could not put it down. Laughing out loud most of the way through at Neilan’s fantastic dry, sarcastic sense of humour, this was probably the best book I’ve read in a very long time. The beginning of the book starts with the end… the protagonist is arrested by two police detectives, and then we jump back to a few months previous as the story unwinds. This began a discussion about the type of authors that use this technique. It was put forward that only bad books do this, because it means they can be lazier with the plot. Whilst I can agree with this in theory, I totally disagree with the notion that it applies to all books with this layout. I can’t actually name any others – but I’m sure they can’t all be awful? Films are an entirely different kettle of fish, so I guess you can’t really tar everything with flashbacks in with the same brush. Either way, Neilan doesn’t use them conventionally, as the book is all written in first person, in present tense. Although it has a fairly slow pace, it fits with the tone in which it has been written. I don’t want to say too much, because I wouldn’t want to ruin it for anyone – I urge you all to read this book; even those of you who don’t like reading. It isn’t hard to read, it is pure hilarity and I promise you will laugh.

After late night book group, early rise the next morning for a cooked breakfast. Any local folk will know, Sherborne is the place to go for cafés. With the most impressive breakfast menu, The Three Wishes was hastily decided upon. Food was ordered, and when it came, it was amazing. I had scrambled eggs on toast with bacon – not on the menu, because I’m an awkward kind of person but they were happy to oblige. I honestly think that those scrambled eggs were the best I have ever had – and I will just pray that my mum doesn’t see this. I spent two years at sixth fom in Sherborne, and I think that every time I even considered popping in for lunch the place had been full, so I’m glad that finally, I have had the chance to experience the reasons for their popularity.

After breakfast, a spontaneous trip to the beach. I cannot think of a better way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon. The traffic going into West Bay was queued back for about 3 miles, so we took a slight detour to Eype. For those of you that prefer your beaches to be less crowded, Eype is the place to be. Dogs are allowed on the beach, but most people are considerate enough to remember that other people like to enjoy the area, even if they don’t enjoy dogs so much. It was so hot, we decided to have a little bit of a nap, and now I have a fluorescent chest. I look like a beacon, and it is very, very sore. But constantly warm, so I guess you have to take the negatives with the positives. It was then decided to walk to West Bay, along the beach. Less than a mile, so not too strenuous, even in the heat. I took another panoramic shot with my camera as well, and I still need to figure out how to get the stitching perfect – but I’m pretty pleased with the results regardless. As you can probably see, its mainly the part of the middle section that appears darker than the rest which I’m not entirely happy with, but I’m sure after a bit more practice I’ll sort myself out. After a lovely ice cream at West Bay, we had to walk back to get the car. This time, we decided to walk up the hill. That was a lot more like hard work, and definitely felt longer than a mile. The beautiful views totally made up for that though. The sea actually looks like it might be nice and warm. It wasn’t, we are definitely still in the UK. After Eype and West Bay, fish and chips in Weymouth were decided upon. I have missed the beach so much in the Midlands, it is so nice to be 45 minutes away again. And for my first day at the beach all year, I don’t think I’ve done too badly. It was practically a coastal tour. Tired now though, and after a 6am start today, I’m going back to bed. And if anybody can tell me where the quote that is the title of this post is from (without having to use Google) I will love you forever.

Totally Addicted To (All Your) Base.

The effects of computer games (especially on young, violent children) has been widely debated for many years. With the more recent portability and accessibility of technology and the wider usage of it, the idea of technology addiction has been discussed over the last couple of years. The University of Maryland (NOT affiliated with a fried chicken eatery located in the Midlands)  published a study at the beginning of the year regarding the effects of technology withdrawal, and they called it “Unplugged”. 125 of the volunteers were from Bournemouth, and for 24 hours all they could access were land line telephones and books. No Twitter, Facebook, emails, text messages, television or radio for this period, and they all kept diaries recording their feelings.  Isolation, anxiety and fidgeting; symptoms that they said they had experienced which are all comparable to those experienced by drug addicts trying to kick the habit. The more recent “Square Eyes” poll conducted by esure insurance backed up this research, and also suggested that we spend more time looking at screens than we do sleeping.

Since I’ve been home, I have been without a mobile phone – it will be two weeks tomorrow. I think it is more frustrating than anything else, mainly because I don’t have the numbers written down anywhere else – which means relying solely on Facebook, emails and the land line. Any fleeting feelings of isolation could be attributed to the fact that I’m home alone, and we have no neighbours (bar some chickens and sheep – and I’m not entirely sure they count). I still have access to all other technologies (albeit a ridiculously slow internet speed which means I can’t even watch stuff on YouTube), so I can’t really compare. On the other hand, it has been two weeks, and although slightly inconvenient, it hasn’t really affected my day to day living, or personal health and general well being. 24 hours really isn’t that long? And if you took this study further, into other parts of our lives, I’m sure you would find similar results. Stopping a fitness fanatic doing any exercise. Forcing a foodie to exist entirely on microwave meals. Taking away a driver’s car. I can’t think of any more right now, but I’m sure you get the picture. For all those of you that don’t feel the same way, the University of Kent is devising ways to enable people to put down their iphone/blackberry – so don’t worry, help is on its way.

In other news, it is now officially less than 3 weeks until Glastonbury. I’ve had an email telling me my ticket should arrive soon, but that was a while ago and it still isn’t here. Nervous anticipation. I did go shopping yesterday though – and I was very good, not my usual ridiculous money frittering self – I’ve bought 2 pairs of shoes, a hat, a headscarf and a lip balm for under a tenner. Hooray for me! Still need to acquire a tent and some wellies though…