shimmery green eyeshadow and some other matters

Where were we? I was being fail and had a lot of exams. ( On the subject of the fail.. )

I am not sure, really, what snaps the brain out of this place. But, at any rate, yesterday I felt hideous, and had an awful, long to-do list that included things "learn about civil litigation YES ALL OF IT", and while I managed to register to vote, which was something, I didn't then do anything else productive until about eleven o'clock at night, at which point I wrote my two final purimgifts stories, shimgray having come over and bestowed coffee jar, kiss and plot.

And then today, I woke up, took a shower, went to class. Picked up a mock exam paper for later. Had a conversation with an acquaintance while waiting for the tutor to appear, at the end of which we were much closer to being friends. Went home again, did the paper, went out for more coffee. Came back, did another mock paper. Did my ironing. Realised I needed to do another wash. The washing machine flooded and I dealt with it. It is amazing, how much the small competencies of ordinary life don't amaze me, until they do.

I suppose the one final test that your mental health is on the way up is, if you're me, and you're only going to school and to the Co-op for instant coffee, you nevertheless spend a meticulous five minutes in front of the mirror with a small brush and a shimmery green eyeshadow (Scarlet & Crimson; jacinthsong gave it to me for my birthday and I hadn't been in enough of an eyeshadow-buoyant mood to try it until today), and another meticulous five minutes with a cheap and cheerful black eyeliner with silver crystals. I don't think I liked the overall effect - the shimmers in the green eyeshadow are gold and the silver clashed, but the effort of finding this out was cheering all by itself.

(Hi, people who are new to my LJ. Sometimes I don't go on for whole paragraphs about my make-up, but only sometimes. I really like red lipstick. Like, a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. This is basically the only thing you need to know about me; all the rest follows by inductive logic.)

Let us see, what else. So, I wrote my purimgifts stories. Over the weekend there was Star Trek fic - Engagements - for those who were too busy having exciting weekends to spot it. Er. My first exam is on Saturday and I am intensely grateful to have some of my ability to get out of bed back.

Er. I am reading a lot of Rumpole, which is also cheering; the sell-out act at the Zodiac-that-was - that is to say, a small, formerly cool indie venue on the Cowley Road, claim to fame Radiohead - is Peter Andre, a fact that would horrify me if it weren't so nicely surreal; my tutor has taken to signing off all his emails "Be careful out there", which is sweet if not entirely confidence-inspiring where exams are concerned. My litigation tutor, also my personal tutor, is six feet tall, built like an oak, constitutional historian turned barrister, and gorgeously, unrepentantly Scouse. I love it. He has this habit of putting would-be witnesses at their ease by saying, "Hi, where're you from? Oxford Glasgow Leeds Burnley wherever? Yeah, me too!"

Until he gets to me, says, "Where are you from - oh, shit, I actually am an' all."

Speaking of which! I am returning to said northern shores late March sometime, and Shim and I are Planning A Holiday. He calls it a walking holiday, but I suspect a walking holiday for me would involve a lot of walking and wondering which bit was the holiday, so I would rather call it a public-transport-holiday; but anyway, yes, we plan to set out from Liverpool and take in various bits of Ireland, both the Republic and Northern Ireland, and also some of the Highlands and maybe Iona. It will be an Adventure, yes. I am looking forward to sitting down and planning it properly.

Oh, and! The neighbours who have the very loud sex are moving out in a month. I am overwhelmingly better disposed towards them. Also better disposed to them because, well, I wandered in to the kitchen, and heard the chap teasing his girlfriend for her deep, undying love of Britney Spears, and said, "Aha, is it you who plays 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' on repeat at the same time every morning?"

"Oh my god," she said, tomato-like, "you can hear it, oh my god it must be so loud, I am so sorry."

I waved my hands around and made "it's okay" noises.

"No," she said, "seriously, I had no idea. Do you think I would have done it if I'd known you could hear me?"

A fair point. And they have been much quieter since.

And that is that. First exam on Saturday. Tomorrow I may even go to class again.