Presents and stuff.

I should have updated earlier; stuff's been happening. I think I may have been busy, of all things.

Today was my last day of school. The carol service is tomorrow and the sixth form entertainment is on Wednesday. I've been at Merchants' for six years, but I've never seen a sixth form entertainment. For some reason or other, I've always been away on the last day of the autumn term.

This year, I'm missing it for Medlink. I have no idea what my feelings regarding Medlink are at the moment; on the one hand, it will be an experience, an opportunity for learning, a catalyst for decision-making, etc, and on the other hand, I think I may come home feeling very, very depressed. Time will tell.

Because of my imminent absence, I exchanged most of my Christmas presents today. I can finally say what they were! Becca got coffee beans - caramel latte and double chocolate truffle - and a "Caffiene" mug from Grin. I mentioned I'd had trouble acquiring them, but spared her the knowledge of how much. Meg got Winnie-the-Pooh lollipops from the Disney Store. Much as I am opposed to biting Eeyore's head off, they were very cute. Meg got me a large box of Roses, so for once the gifts were evenly matched.

I already knew what Becca got me, but it was very nice all the same. I never mentioned it here - it was one of the tops I wanted from Grin (seems that every time they bring in a new one, I want it), and it's cool and pink and has printed on it, in faded white lettering, "sex & drugs & rock 'n' roll." I love it.

So I feasted my eyes over that for a while, and then went off to registration and then to English. We finished book one of Utopia. Finally. Therefore, I got let out very early and ambled off to the library to return Maskerade and The Eyre Affair. I didn't have time to read Maskerade again, but I did read (and enjoy) The Eyre Affair. It features the adventures of Thursday Next, literary detective, and while I didn't find it as screamingly funny as I think I was supposed to, it was what I call a really fun book, one you look forward to picking up again. The book gets its title from Thursday's jaunts into Jane Eyre, to capture Acheron Hades (who always makes me think of cucharita), and one of the newspaper comments on the back cover calls it "a silly book for smart people." I concur. I grabbed the sequel from the library today - Lost In A Good Book.

While I was there, I bumped into Mrs Barry again, who still can't remember what Patrick's message for me is. She took my number to give to Patrick (who doesn't yet know he's getting a phone for Christmas). Yay. So I tramped off to the common room in a good mood, where Charlene gave me a present. I did not expect Charlene to give me a present. Not at all. But she did, and I appreciated it. It was a Terry's Chocolate Orange, which I carefully put in my bag and then offered around the Roses. There are none left now, which is a good thing; they're made for giving to everyone. I kept the big purple ones, though. They're my favourites.

I didn't go to French General. A mistake, as it later turned out. Mme Menzies is apparently on the warpath, threatening detentions all over the place. But after the Ethics segment, I carefully ignored all the people trying to tell me to go and see her, and went into the centenary hall. Becca was in the soundbox again, this time for the Upper Four version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. I realise that Millionaire is a global phenomenon, that it got exported to America, that there is even an Indian version called Kaun Banega Crorepati, but even so, I find it amazing that there is such a thing as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: The Album. But there is. And that was what Becca and Sara were using today.

That was the idea, at least. First of all, the mics didn't work. Becca gave me a pleading look, and I discovered they wanted me to crawl under the stage and change the plugs around. I sighed, and did it. It was curiously peaceful under the stage, dark and pleasant and muffled, but somewhat uncomfortable. There wasn't enough room to crawl, so I had to squirm around like a snake to get to the back wall. I plugged them in, and they worked.

So far, so good. I retreated back to the soundbox with the others and made helpful noises - "They're doing ask the audience!" - while they played the sound effects off the album. I have to say, the Upper Four version was crap, but it would have been crappier were it not for the sound. I thought the host in particular was bad, until Becca discovered her mic wasn't plugged in. That fixed things.

At the end of it, they called "Sara and friends" to come down and get a small token of their appreciation. Sara came over all embarrassed and wouldn't go down. I tried to make Becca go. She wouldn't. They bickered about it. The audience looked up to see what all the fuss was about, and were in time to see Becca (accidentally) smack me in the jaw so I went down like a skittle. In the end, I went down to the stage, yelling, "I'm not a tech! I bring sandwiches and make helpful noises!"

They gave me the "small token" (another box of Roses, ironically enough), and after turning off the lights and crawling under the stage some more, Becca and I went off to registration, fully expecting there to be an angry message from Mme Menzies. There wasn't, thankfully; just a message from Mrs Wigmore asking to see the various Drama Festival groups. I groaned somewhat; I had to see three teachers this afternoon. Mr Evans was nice about my mock (I was not happy - I only got a B) and didn't let Mme Menzies see me, and Mrs O'Connor was very nice about my English and politely inquisitive about my mobile. When I say "mobile", I mean a wooden-and-paper creation with objects hanging off a frame. It's Rice-Oxley's latest development - revision mobiles. Each hanging paper thing has an important biological fact on it. I was most proud of the fact mine balanced - you could hold it steady on the tip of one finger.

Caroline was sitting in today on Biology and Chemistry. She's up from boarding-school, having already broken up, and I did bombard her with questions somewhat. She did say, the politics of the people she goes to school with would make me cry - "They all go fox-hunting!" When she's here, it does seem like she's never been away. I enjoyed seeing her again.

And so I went home, waiting for Becca to catch up. She's borrowed Mrs Wigmore's Death costume, meaning she was not travelling light. She told me something I didn't know before - apparently, the eighth Drama Festival group is being split up among the others. The group consisted of those people unaffectionately known as Them Lot. Becca considers we'll be lucky if we get Nina and Rosie put into our own group. I do not want them to interfere. Not with anything, but particularly with the script. That is my job. By unspoken consent, Becca is going to direct, and Nicola and Meg are artists-and-scenery-painters, and Bev choreographs, and Charlene and Katrina Shout At People, and I write. That is what I do. Therefore, I do not want them interfering in the slightest.

The interesting thing is, they'll be lucky if they end up in our group. Some of the others are attempting to do Grease (Gemma and Becky O, natch) and Chicago and Fame. In thirty minutes? With a class of Lower Fours? Who may not be musical?

No. This holiday, I am going to write that damn script. With Becca, of course, and it is going to be Snow White. Simple and classic. And yeah... that's it. The term's over, the holidays are starting, I am now one third of the way through this year and one sixth of the way through my A-levels, and Medlink's tomorrow.

Argh.