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I would have mentioned this yesterday but I had to go to bed, so...

Clematis update!

OK, no time to chat. I have to travel across the country to go to my cousin's wedding (I'm excited).

Things of note this week:
I went to see King Lear performed in the grounds of an old country house. There was so much eye gouging going on at one point that I almost thought that I was watching CLAMP. Almost, because there is nothing scarier than the possibility of actually confusing CLAMP with Shakespeare. (Also, there wasn't enough angst and tragic death for it to be CLAMP SHUT UP SHUT UP)

I started voluntary work at my local record office today. I'm dealing with slides from the 80s, so it's not as interesting as it could be, but it's not work experience unless you experience the bad with the good.

I spent yesterday evening creating a new desktop background for my laptop. Firstly, because I'd had my other one since Easter and secondly, because I clearly can't cope without a picture of Fay in front of me at all times. Click for big, it's 1280x800, take it if you fancy.

Image taken from here then edited, lyrics are taken from Move Your Feet by Junior Senior (which has an awesome video, including exploding dolphins at the end)
I could have gone for angst!Fay, but I wanted sparkles and kittens!Fay, so that's what I made. I was reminded about this image in my last post. It is a brilliant image; it manages to be both wonderfully drawn (so much movement and foreshortening!) and also the current most camp image of Fay that I have seen (no doubt he will up the stakes again at some point).

So, for reasons that still escape me, Tsubasa chapter 125 came out yesterday. No waiting until Wednesday...maybe I just wished hard enough to see the next chapter...?

OK OK. I restrained myself from writing about the previous chapter, but I can't hold back any longer. HUGE chapter 125 spoilers coming your way!

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Clematis update!!

I'll try and up the frequency of the updates from now on.

So, I've finished working for the freemasons. I can definately say that I've learnt stuff during my time there, both about working with archives and about freemasonry in general. The best thing I saw while I was there? A masonic jelly mould. No word of a lie, it makes a jelly in the shape of a masonic symbol. I would like to meet the person who thought that would be a good idea.

On Monday I start more voluntary work at my local records office. Woooooooooo no more commuting!!!

On two London buses last week. I. saw. adverts. for. Snakes on a Plane! SNAKES ON A PLANE! It's definately coming out over here in the next few weeks. I'm so excited. The movie might be a big letdown, but then, that's probably quite fitting.
EDIT: I just saw an advert on TV :OOOOO

OK, I'm not going to mention the latest Tsubasa chapter...I just...I need to read the next chapter soo bad.

Reeght-oh I have to go watch Jackass the movie now.

So I was watching this documentary on Dr. Samuel Johnson and realised that it would be awesome if he was actually...

Samuel L. Johnson

"I'm writing a motherfucking dictionary!"

My day at work today was filled with greatness. I spent half of my day with my nose stuck in a book about the history of freemasonry and I spent the other half of the day with my nose stuck in the early 19th century letters, about which the history was written. I've probably said it before, but I'll say it again; old handwriting is beautiful. But, frustratingly, it's really hard to read!

OK OK, a new Clematis page is underway, I'll try and get it up this weekend I promise.

I've got so much to say today. Mostly because I haven't posted in here in ages, for which I apologise.

Firstly, in an exciting bit of site related news, I've added a new link to the links page. Yes, Linda has finally made her blog public, go visit if you like, she's lovely.

So last weekend I was kinda busy with going to Wales and visiting Siân. It was lots of fun, there was a beach and ice-cream and an old country house with grounds.

There was also a carnival, a fair, and a man on a motorcycle.

After Wales I was a bit tired. It was also my birthday on Monday. I'm now 22 *gasp*
To celebrate I watched the Libertine. It was a good film, but perhaps a bit too lewd for my liking. But it was set in almost the exact same time as when Samuel Pepys was writing his diary and it was really nice to see all the old clothes (so pretty!). I also watched Princess Mononoke, which I can't believe I've never seen before. As with all Ghibli films, it seems to be on that extra level of weird that I just can't seem to comprehend, no matter how hard I try. But, as with all Ghibli films, it was animated superbly, and really you don't care if you don't understand it because it's just so nice to watch.

So, after all that and another week of work it was the weekend again. As a birthday spectacular, I envited everyone to stay at my house. It was super. There was a picnic and rain and noodles and ducks and an escalator and PIRATES (more on that story later)

Everyone had fun...

...Nick had a foot in his face...

...and Linda had the best meal of her life, ever.

Among the presents I recieved were a watermelon and a lovely selection of pamphlets and reading material (I'm so lucky).

Read on for Pirates of the Caribbean possibly, but not really that much, spoilers.

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New Clematis page.

Oh my God. I'm watching Big Brother at the moment. Maaan! Jayne is so annoying!!!
Grrrrr! I can't take it! I'd rather watch Shahbaz than her! *headwall*

But enough of that mindless aggression. I promised it so here we are, graduation photos! Note the rain. Oh, there was so much rain!

So it seems that when I said 'more later' in my last post, what I really meant by later was very early Sunday morning.

I have had no time to myself this week. Seriously. I'm doing voluntary work in London, which means no money to leave home, which means a 1 and a half hour commute to work in the mornings. As a result I get home at about seven in the evening and before I know it I have to go to bed because I have to wake up so early. I'm glad I'm only working for a month, I don't think I could manage it for longer.

So I'm currently getting some work experience in archiving. This means that I spend most of the day shifting heavy old books on and off shelves and getting really dusty because the red leather bindings like to rot away. Oh, it's been interesting though. The oldest records I've seen have been from 1842 and they have such beautiful handwriting in them. Crikey, I wish my handwriting was like that (I think I have the handwriting competency of a 10 year old; somewhere along the line I lost the ability to do joined-up writing too).

Hahaha and the most interesting part? I'm working for the freemasons @_@
It's quite exciting, I'm surrounded by their funny symbols all day (on books, on regalia, on door handles...). So, have I uncovered any great conspiracies yet? No. Have I gained an in-depth understanding of the workings of their old people's homes? Yes.
It's strange, as a society, they seem really queer and insular and yet utterly mundane at the same time. I love it.

My interesting freemason fact for you:
You can tell if a person in a portrait is a freemason by looking at his feet. If the feet are roughly forming a 90 degree angle (but they don't have to touch at the heels) kind of like so then the person is most likely a freemason. It symbolises standing on a set square or something...
However, I say, however, the artist and cynic in me says that masons may be quite hard to distinguish because, seeing how no-one ever stands with their feet exactly parallel to each other, it's quite common to draw feet in a similar angle, be the subject a freemason or not.

Although, if the person in the protrait has his feet at a 90 degree angle AND is wearing the full masonic regalia, then YES, he is a freemason.

Kind of related but not really at all, at least, I'll have to wat until the story pans out a little further. I watched the first episode of Le Chevalier D'Eon today. An anime set in pre-revolutionary France with conspiracies, secret symbols, murder, religious quotes, zombies (?) and a protagonist who looks like a girl? YES PLEASE.
It was really fast-paced and quite confusing, but well animated and also exciting. Why do I have to wait until August for the series to continue? *weeps quietly*

-Adjourned-

Started work today. 1 and a half hour commute. Really tired.

More later.

New Clematis page ahoy.

Alrighty. I'm away visiting Sam this weekend. So I'd better go to bed and I'll see you in a bit.

So, I had my graduation ceremony yesterday. I was so nervous! But it turned out to be ok, and I wasn't late, and I didn't fall over, and it wasn't as long and boring as I thought it'd be.
The ceremony was in the abbey, which is a pretty cool place for it. I couldn't see the stage directly from my seat, but they had loads of TV screens set up so we could still watch. We had to walk onto the stage and shake hands with the chancellor and the only thing I could think was:

'WE HAVE A CHANCELLOR?'

I'd never heard of the guy before, some good student I am.

So it turns out that the academic robes are some of the most preposterous and awkward things to wear ever. Not to mention the fact that they're too hot for summer. I was able to keep my hat on only if I didn't move my head at all. But because I felt important in my robes (I liked the fact that we got to wear the blue hoods for masters students, instead of green for the bachelors) I tried to keep them on for as long as possible and went walking all around town in them.

Bad news about the graduation day:
1. It rained the whole time we were in Bath. Proper non-stop rain.
2. My Dad woke up on the morning of the ceremony and couldn't look left. (I've experienced this before, it's difficult, yet amusing)

Photos will come later, when my Mum uploads them from the camera.

We also went around the Roman Baths, which is always a fascinating place. I love watching the water flow through the Roman channels that still work to this day. While there, my parents and I decided that the two words in the English language that are the nicest to say are:

1. Flue
2. Plumb

Try it! They just roll off the tongue.

OK. OK. Here's where I talk about Tsubasa chapter 121. Spoilers ahead.

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I liked this:

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I would love to die rampagingly, that would be amazing. But shut up I have no idea what they mean about the prostitutes >_>

Speaking of death, seeing as we're on the subject, in recent months I have discovered two great ideas for funerals.
1. Nick mentioned that he would have his funeral in Rio.
2. Steve said he'd play the Darth Vader theme instead of a funeral march.
Awesome.

I spent most of today trying not to apply for this job that I really want to get (as the thundercats would say, "Procrastination! Ho!", that was the thundercats right? I have been known to confuse them with He-man on occasion). I also went to the hospital with my Dad to get his hernia looked at.

The air was really thick and heavy this afternoon. Then it thundered. It was wonderful. But now it's hot again.

I'm going on a trip for the next two days because I have to go graduate. It should be exciting but I hope my gown isn't too hot. By the time I come back Tsubasa chapter 121 should be out and the next entry will probably be filled with my spazzing or crying, depending on how it goes; only time will tell.

*gasp* And I almost forgot! These CLAMP interviews are interesting.
Here and here.
See especially, the reason for the all the eye loss business, the reason for the xxxHolic drawing style and also by God they can draw 20 pages in 2 days??? They must be machines!

I finally gave in and drew fanart for Ouran High School Host Club; it is definately my favourite series of the moment.

Hikaru, Haruhi and Kaoru (click for big):

I had no particular reason for drawing these three. In fact, it was hard to choose who to draw, because I like all characters and all pairings equally. OK, well I do have a soft spot for Tamaki (aka Daddy), because his dramatics are funny. Also, I lean slightly towards Tamaki/Haruhi, because Tamaki's reasoning for it (that he and Haruhi are the main characters of a love comedy and are thus destined to end up together, while the others must therefore be homo side characters) makes so much sense.
But really I LOVE THEM ALL :D

Ouran episode 13 was good. It had the quality of animation that made the series stand out from the rest in the first place. It really kept the feel of Alice in Wonderland too, as in really weird and not a little scary (seriously, that story freaks me out). But maybe I just really like dream sequences.

xxxHolic episode 13 was OK (Doumeki is great in this story). But I feel that the lack of Tsubasa references in the xxxHolic anime made this episode seem less ominous. In the episode the wings are parasites, which is scary, but they were not made intentionally by someone, as in the manga. But they'll never mention Fei Wong Reed in the anime (and you know it has to be him who made the wings), so if they did mention that someone made the wings, they'd always have to leave this arc open-ended.

New Clematis page.

So, the final episode of Jyu Oh Sei was a rollercoaster ride. I was on the edge of my seat for almost the whole thing. This was a good series, the plot was interesting all the way through. I think I'm going to have to watch it again :3

It's a little sad that Jyu Oh Sei is over. I won't dwell on it though, because Honey and Clover starts straight afterwards! I can't wait :D

xxxHolic episode 12 was very good for a filler episode. It was both funny and scary (I was reminded of The Ring), just what I'd expect from xxxHolic, good good.

Right, I really have the urge to fanart right now. It'll either be Clow/Yuuko or Ouran High School Host Club (I'm surprised I haven't drawn any Ouran fanart before. What have I been thinking?)

So so, I've been all over the place for the past few days.

On Sunday I left Bath for good and moved back in with my parents. I still haven't fully unpacked yet. Trying to fit ~3 rooms worth of stuff into one room = frustrating. Man, when I stop being so lazy I'm seriously going to throw loads of stuff away. I'm going to become streamlined! I'm a hoarder by nature, but when I don't have any shelf space on which to put my manga I know something has to be done *determined pose*

Also of note was a visit to the freemasons on Monday to get me some voluntary work in their archive, how exciting!

But but, there's still another week to go before the next Tsubasa chapter *whiiiiiiiiiine*