Journal Entries
IRL
Posted Mar 2, 2012
I'm afraid I've been spending rather less time than usual on hootoo lately, but it's not you, it's me. Today marks the two-year anniversary of my coming to Ireland for a six-week work placement 
And while I've spent most of that stuck in the middle of nowhere courtesy of the National Trust, when I went back to being a student, I decided that this is the year when I finally have a social life, and signed up to as many clubs as possible. Too many to attend - I'm already missing out on the juggling club, sci-fi club, choir and tai jutsu, because they were at the same time as other clubs 
But it's settled down into a nice weekly schedule now.
Monday evenings, I go to my friend's for a riding lesson. Just two of us and an instructor, which is great, but the horse I ride isn't so great, it spends half the lesson humping because it's too tight in the back to move freely. But at least it's a horse. 
Tuesday evenings is Dragonslayers night - the university gaming club, now the biggest club the university has, with the 400th member signed up last week!
Wednesday afternoons is the equestrian club meeting, usually a group riding lesson. Evenings alternate between gaming at Nerdtopia (a games/sci-fi shop and café) and hosting a role-playing night at my house. The latter has been put on the back burner a bit, partly because I still have to translate the next campaign from Dutch. Mostly, though, it's because I've been asked to join the musical branch of the Greenwood Players, providing live music (probably on recorder, possibly drum) for their Shakespeare production at the Lyric in April. 
Thursday evenings, historic fencing with an SCA group - we'll also do archery once we have light outdoors in the evenings.
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are pretty much free, though there is usually the opportunity for more gaming on Saturdays (sometimes a 24-hour session), a hack out on the impossible horse on Sundays, and a desperate scramble to finish a paper due on Monday Sunday night. 
(I did mention the whole full-time university course and looking for a job thing, right?)
But most weekends have been packed lately anyway. The second weekend in February I went to Galway for the intervarsity equestrian tournament (didn't win, didn't fall off, trousers stayed on!), the third was the absolutely wonderful Manchester meet 
and last weekend I had a cycle out to Comber on Saturday and the year's first Ulster Rural Riders hack at Castle Ward on Sunday.
I'm about to leave for a weekend near Enniskillen, for heavy fighting and combat archery practice with the SCA. I'm going via Springhill, to say hello. 
Next weekend is a much-needed break, the weekend after that, I'll be away on a five-day field trip to Cumbria, and for the weekend after that, KB, Trig, Mini and I are descending on the Zens for a walking weekend. 
So I'm afraid I've not had too much time online lately - I'm hard pressed to even get any guruing and a bit of drawing done, let alone simply talking to people.
But I still consider my internet weirdoes my best friends 
I'm sure I'll be back properly soon...
Discuss this Journal entry [18]
Latest reply: Mar 2, 2012
Koosday
Posted Feb 6, 2012
There's an ad campaign on for some kind of disco, and they've stencilled "Koosday" all over the pavements in the parks I was cycling through this morning on the way to Uni.
Like I needed the reminder - today should've been my father's 60th birthday. 
Discuss this Journal entry [9]
Latest reply: Feb 6, 2012
Bleh
Posted Feb 2, 2012
Seems my little yellow pills aren't working as well anymore as they did once. 
I've been on hormone pills since June, and they seemed to make a real difference with the Mystery Illness that's been annoying me for years.
But lately, it all seems to be coming back. I sleep too much, and can't get motivated to do much of anything productive, my immune system isn't doing its job very well, the stiff achy joints are back, and I'm losing hair and seem to be gaining back the weight I'd lost in the last six months. 
Been waiting for an appointment with an endocrinologist since June, too, and starting to wonder whether the NHS has simply lost the letter... Urgh.
Discuss this Journal entry [24]
Latest reply: Feb 2, 2012
Thanks for the warning!
Posted Jan 17, 2012
The invasion must be underway. Gmail just felt the need to inform me - in the space usually reserved for an ad - that "you can make a lovely hat out of used aluminium foil". No link to any external site. 
Discuss this Journal entry [46]
Latest reply: Jan 17, 2012
Kitchens to libraries
Posted Jan 11, 2012
I've just been banished from the kitchen for being too dirty, even though Yarreau isn't usually what you'd call houseproud. 
You may remember that kitchen from previous journals. This time, we're converting the *old* kitchen to a library, because the house is overflowing with books.
We've already dismantled the kitchen furniture and carried it out to various barns, and knocked the tiles and some loose plaster off the walls.
Now comes the really fun part - getting rid of the ceiling! It was covered in horrible styrofoam tiles and so low that my brother-in-law could put his hand flat on it while sitting down. But there are a good 25cm of height and a few lovely rustic beams to be won by pulling it all down.
It's not every day you get to take a pickaxe to the ceiling. But hanging off the plasterboard with both hands and shouting "RRAAAAAWR" until it comes down is even better.
Oh, well, I'd better go see whether I can at least get a cup of tea and a slice of cake if I show up in my bathrobe...
Discuss this Journal entry [20]
Latest reply: Jan 11, 2012
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Malabarista - now with added pony
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