Cypress moon; or, market research

[raven]

lilka has this theory that if there is a gay gene, then some sections of it somehow code for a love of the Indigo Girls. I don't know how true this is, but I downloaded Touch Me Fall from thunderemerald and now have it constantly on repeat. As for the gay thing, I don't know. Hannah's a fan, and it comes up the Buffy episode Conversations with Dead People when Cassie/the First is trying to get Willow to commit suicide: "I can see it now. Candlelight, the Indigo Girls playing, picture of your dead girlfriend on your bloody lap." Can anyone recommend me Indigo Girls songs? Or better yet, send me them? I can't use any filesharing programmes on this computer any more.

Anyway. Moving on from there, I am more tired than I thought I knew how to be. Seriously, the sleep-deprivation thing gets very old very fast. I was all right in the morning, at least, not so bad; Cath had an early birthday present for me because she's going to Martin Mere tomorrow. I've been meaning to hunt my own old Martin Mere project to help her out with it when she comes to do it, so I had a rummage round last night. I didn't find it, but did find any number of interesting things. All my old textbooks and exercise books, some stuff from primary school(!), back-issues of the Birkenhead school magazine going back to 1991, and a battered old document wallet holding all my treasures from SG-5, the first convention I actually went to. There's all my notes, Chris Judge's autograph, the pink wristband (Clare broke hers, I remember), some fanzines (which I plan to re-read in the bath) a little Jackfic badge, all sorts of stuff. I met Colleen at that convention. I can't believe it now.

Today, I went into school against my will, mostly. Cath's birthday present for me was a frame (which is enormous, the right size to put about a dozen pictures of the residents in) and an Eat Me, Keep Me Eeyore. Don't ask. There can never be enough Eeyore in the world. Miranda is talking about banana cake, and I love everybody. This may just shape up to be the best birthday ever. Touchwood. I got some stuff in the post today, which I haven't opened yet. Tomorrow, methinks.

Hopefully I'll feel better. I was tired enough to walk out of Politics, pleading a splitting headache. It is being made no better by everything else going on. Miss Brandreth is apparently ringing in changes all over the shop; Merchants' is becoming corporate. She's started by having the entire school painted blue and yellow. This includes the mural. Anyone who ever went to my school remembers it - the one between the side-door and the sixth-form stairs - and it's been painted blank yellow. They refuse to let us paint another mural over it. New start, she says. Change for the sake of it, I think. And besides, that mural was a work of art. Sarah wants to buy some paint-pots and just handprint our way across it. I'm strangely tempted by the idea.

Today, they had market researchers in. Apparently the head is terrified by the falling intake (no assisted places, less people, it's quite simple) and wants to attract more people. Personally, I hate the way the lower school now comes almost entirely from Stanfield, and is much less selective than it was when I arrived. About a third to a half of applicants got in then; now all of them do, and so many are spoiled rich kids. Stanfield itself isn't selective, and everyone from there gets in. It's annoying. I admit I was a special case, being the only person to have come from a public primary school that wasn't Stanfield, but still.

The market researchers are by themselves annoying. They came into the library and remarked that it was "old-fashioned." I wasn't there at the time, but, well, really. Of course it's old-fashioned, it's four hundred bloody years old! If they paint it blue and yellow - and yes, they're threatening - I may have to start hitting things.

To finish, the obligatory Chemistry, for mettanna:

1. pH + pOH = 14

2. pv=nRT, where p is pressure (Pa), v is volume (metres cubed), n is number of moles, R is the ideal gas constant (8.31) and T is temperature (Kelvins).

3. Asymmetrical carbon atoms result in two enantiomers, positive and negative, that rotate plane polarised light in opposite directions. All alpha amino acids except glycine show this type of stereoisomerism.

4. Amino acids are zwitterions (from German for "hermaphrodite"). The COOH group donates a proton to the amine group, resulting in ions in aqueous solution - however, I think they will not conduct electricity. [My notes say "I think..." while everyone else's notes say "Iona thinks..."]

5. When all else fails, reduce things with lithium tetrahydridoaluminate.

Going to bed now.

Comments

[minttown1.livejournal.com]

I sent you some songs. Or am in the process of doing so, as they're uploading now. They'll be at your gmail address once they go through.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! *downloads frantically*

[thunderemerald.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, I'm so glad you like Touch Me Fall. It's my favourite song in the entire world....

As for more Indigo stuff, I am ALWAYS ready to share! Just tell me how you prefer to receive files (regular email, YouSendIt, or AIM), and I'll get on it. :)

[thunderemerald.livejournal.com]

(For now, I'll send a few to your gmail account. I <3 gmail.)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

And I <3 you! Thanks so much; I'm loving all this new music.

[thunderemerald.livejournal.com]

<3 you too! Seriously, let me know if you still want more, 'cause I got plenty. All the albums, all the live stuff, most of the rarities, a lot of covers, etc etc. (And let me know what other people are sending, too, 'cause it would be silly for you to have multiple copies of the same song.)

Happy listening! :)

[balthaser.livejournal.com]

Is she painting over the Mr Men?
And, since when was yellow one of the school colours?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

The Mr Men were painted over two years ago, and since September, apparently. The mind is well and truly boggled.

[balthaser.livejournal.com]

You need to text me when you get the train in the morning. xx

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Done deal. :)

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

The market researchers are by themselves annoying. They came into the library and remarked that it was "old-fashioned." I wasn't there at the time, but, well, really. Of course it's old-fashioned, it's four hundred bloody years old! If they paint it blue and yellow - and yes, they're threatening - I may have to start hitting things.
If they do that IM GONNA HIT THEM! I will personally stick myself to the wall so they either have to stop painting or...paint over me....Ill get back to my story

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

You're the one who's going to be around to see it. *sigh* Mrs Barry says they're definitely doing it.

[shipperkitten.livejournal.com]

Blergh, hate Chemistry. Exam is on Friday and I got my mock result back today... It was about what I was expecting since I didn't revise for it and left out half the questions. ;)

I got 70%. Considering I lost ten marks out of 300 last year and three of those was because my coursework results weren't in the range of of the average of my class (they were however in the other two classes, gah!)... my teachers hate me. And my parents are at parents' evening right now. *Wibbles*

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Emily! I revised and got 40%! I definitely win in the going-to-fail stakes.

You're going to be fine. Your teachers have probably never met anyone like you before.

i'm going to be resitting, I know it.

[shipperkitten.livejournal.com]

But I don't know the things you have been quoting that well! Eek! *Is ignoring LJ and only checking email for the next BSG download link*

[quackaquacka.livejournal.com]

Elena started a petition about the mural, actually. It's in my bag right now because no-one's actually been on my bus for ages, and I was supposed to get them to sign it.

I'll bug whoever's on the bus tomorrow. "Sign this! Sign this! Sign this!"

[eternalwings.livejournal.com]

Ill sign it! I love signing petitions.
Can we start one to stop the library being painted?

[balthaser.livejournal.com]

The woman is mad. The library looks good old fashioned because of where it is placed in the building. The door blocking the door downstairs (below the old headmistresses room upstairs?) looks too new and out of place. But, apart from being slightly too small, it's perfect. The shade of wood and dark red chairs help to give it a 'feel' about it. At least the downstairs from when I was last there.

The upstairs felt 'creaky' to me, but exposed brick and dark reds and dark brown wood to me is a library. A library from an old public girls school. You cannot fuck with tradition and you ought to keep at least some of your past in the architecture. Though saying that, I'd be very happy if they rebuilt the whole of the Derby Wing as that is just an eyesore.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I'll sign with pleasure. The woman is a nutcase, don't you think? Mad as the proverbial hatter.

[mettanna.livejournal.com]

Ahh, thank you! Just so long as i remember not to write 'Iona thinks...' in my exam. Some of that actually made sense to me, but please, for the love of god tell me you're not doing the Salters OCR course, module 3? Because there's a lot you're saying that i'm convinced we haven't done. Erk.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

No, darling, don't worry! I'm doing AQA Module 4, Further Organic and Physical Chemistry. I'm glad I'm helping in any case.

[mettanna.livejournal.com]

*clutches chest* Oh thank god! And also - you poor thing, it sounds a lot nastier than ours, somehow. *hugs*, you are being a great help to me though, most definitely.

Hey! Look at that, it's your birthday now :) Have a wonderful day, and try not to think too much about chemistry :D Happy Birthday! *mwah*

[amchau.livejournal.com]

Or better yet, send me them? I can't use any filesharing programmes on this computer any more.

But I can do the latter and then the former. E-mail coming soon.

[amchau.livejournal.com]

Hum. Seven files sent in a .zip archive; but it took over an hour to send, so it might be too enormous. If so, say so and I'll zip them one at a time and send them, or whatever.