Preparing for interview.

Before I forget - shipperkitten, which college are you applying to? Patrick wants to know.

The great thing about interviews is you learn once again who your friends are. Well, there had to be some good points to them besides the opportunity to make a fool of yourself. For the record, and so I don't forget, I'm going down to Oxford on Sunday morning. Should be there by afternoon, stay the night, meet people, get stressed, have a written test on Monday, interview(s) at Balliol on Tuesday, more on Wednesday (possibly from other colleges) and be home by Wednesday evening. School through the rest of the week, and I have to see all my mentors and the head(!) to tell them how it went.

Talking of the headmistress, I went to see her this morning to look at my references. They are actually very nice, very positive, and sound rather a lot like my school reports. That word "intellectual" comes up again and again, and my favourite bit is the end: "Iona has contributed to this school in a variety of significant but entirely unconventional ways." Pedar finds this hilarious.

So far, so hoopy. I am nervous and refuse to deny it. I have a lot riding on this, and I just want to do well, come across as an interesting, intelligent person, and not make a howling idiot of myself. Is this so much to ask, I wonder.

I also got my AS certificate today, weirdly enough. Only six months after I sat the exams, but at least it's official now. I took them, I passed them, I got a pretty shiny Harrison scholarship badge (that I refuse to wear) and much with the yay. I also have a librarian's badge that sits on my tail. My one comfort is it is far prettier than the thirds' ones.

Going back to that for a minute, every teacher I have seems to know about it. I'm surprised and touched by the sheer number people who have stopped by to say good luck, even Mr Evans (who no doubt thinks I'm selling out on my political principles - Pedar says I am, and if I get in he will sell his principles too) and it makes me feel more nervous, but better. If that makes sense.

In other news, Miranda went to Germany today and has promised to bring back sauerkraut. I wasn't entirely sure what sauerkraut actually is. We had both been sent out of English to do coursework, but naturally gave up on that in favour of chatting in the lower library and waiting for the internet to come back so we could look up sauerkraut. It turned out to be a form of fermented cabbage.

At twelve, Sam arrived (actually, she's arrived on LJ too - eternalwings - but I don't think she's using it) and Miranda left, with much waving and good luck wishes and promises to bring back something German. "To the Angelmobile!" she declaimed.

"To the Angelmobile," I agreed, and she went.

After lunch (where they had run out of doughnuts), I went up to the common room to be met by Laura, Sarah and Fidan. "Iona," Fidan said seriously, "sit down."

I sat. "What?"

"Close your eyes."

"Last time you said that, I ended up with Spider-man stickers in my hood," I remarked, but I did it.

"Hold out your hands."

I did, and felt them put something on my palms. "Now open your eyes."

They'd got me a big bag of blackcurrant liquorice. I don't think anyone in the history of the world has ever felt quite so moved by blackcurrant liquorice. "To take down to Oxford with you," Sarah explained. To bring me luck.

"Maybe you'd better eat them afterwards," Fidan said thoughtfully. "You don't want to go in with a black tongue."

I thanked them mushily and went to lessons in a decidedly upbeat state of mind. Its being Friday, we finished with food in Biology and the usual sugar-induced silliness that accompanies it - Steph wants to invent her own phylum for tinsel-based life-forms - and then I went home through wind and rain and semi-darkness. I debated over it, but eventually decided I'd make today my last day going through the park. It's getting darker.

In hindsight, I should have gone the long way. The outside gate was locked, and I turned round in a huff, ready to go back round and miss my train, but I was stopped by a girl who had just discovered the locked gate as well. She asked me which way I was going, I said to Blundellsands & Crosby station, and she showed me a quicker route round.

While we were walking, we got to talking, as she recognised my uniform and tails. "You're going to university next year? Got any interviews?"

I told her.

"Oh, be yourself, you'll be fine," she said cheerfully. "I had a mate who got into Cambridge for law. I really hope you get in!"

And she waved happily before disappearing in the other direction, cigarette glowing in the relative darkness.

I include this anecdote only as proof of the way it seems everyone, even people I meet randomly in the park, seems to be rooting for me. I am genuinely grateful for everyone.

And to finish on a lighter note, I give you:

( a silly picture of me )

Captioned: "Yes, that is an upside down loneraven", it's the picture Hannah took of me the other night after that spectacularly drunken conversation with Colleen. I like it, myself; you can even see a rather put-upon Mozart and a bottle that's just rolled out of shot. Always fun. The rest of the pictures are here.