you can't wipe out a tent city and then watch A Wonderful Life on TV

[raven]

Yesterday I went ice-skating with chiasmata, which was delightful. The last time I went ice-skating was at Deeside about twelve years ago, so I did as well as you might expect. Actually, better than you might expect. Five-year-old mini-skaters zipped around me while I made slow progress and concentrated very hard on the laws of physics. I fell over exactly twice, which is about a hundred and eighty-four times less than I expected, so I chalk it up as a success.


I mention this because it was, along with some impromptu cake-baking, a significant thing of joy for the last couple of days. Another was Maria and foulds dressing up as each other for my benefit. Yes. This is a good, good thing, for all that I found it slightly disturbing in how plausible it was. I mean, it's not exactly a surprise to me that they look somewhat alike - two terms ago they were perfectly cast as Sherlock Holmes and Holmes' (female) subconscious, and when in costume looked indistinguishable from behind - but I am now convinced that they represent the opposite ends of the gender spectrum for one person. But yes, I digress: people dressing up to cater to my whims is always of joy.

But alas, it is one of few things of joy. In an already-quite-crappy week (it's fifth week, hurrah), in which I had some unrelated angst, Balliol told me with not quite two weeks' notice that I have mock Finals at the end of next week (oh, hurrah, hurrah - questions on Ethics, International Relations, Political Theory and Descartes to Kant, have I ever mentioned how much I don't know about any of those things?), yesterday also featured Baby's First Law School Rejection and a phone call from the lovely people at the bank to say someone's cloned my card.

Re: law school, well. I wasn't expecting to get in anywhere this year anyway, but still, you have hope even if you pretend you don't, right? So that made me gloomy, and it's never good, even if you're not gloomy to start with, to be told that someone's cloned your debit card and run off with four hundred and eighty quid. AARGH. One thing that worries me a lot is that the bank noticed the odd activity, thank goodness, but rang my home number rather than here, so my parents passed along the message and got me to phone up - but they went to India bright and early this morning, and won't be back for three weeks. If the bank had noticed just one day later, they wouldn't have got in touch with me for nearly a month and I dread to think exactly what would have happened.

So, item one on today's to-do list: go to Balliol and beg them for money. I think they'll be able to give me about a hundred pounds before asking too many questions, and that should be enough to get me through the week before I get my bank card back. (At the moment, all the money I have in the world is the £22.50 I have in my wallet. Ick.)

Sigh. Right, off to be productive. I am going to Queer Cabaret tonight - I have a dress! It has ribbons! - and then tomorrow morning, at ridiculous o'clock, I'm going to Leeds with chiasmata, a thermos of coffee and an enormous tin of fairy cakes. We're going to visit biascut and glitzfrau, which should be fun! And I will try not to think too hard about the week of total suck that follows.

...yes. Also, 9000 words of fic, what? I need to do actual work some time maybe.

Comments

[walkertxkitty.livejournal.com]

Yesterday I went ice-skating

I've only been once. I had a fantastic time, even though I spent more of it on my rump than on the skates. It's something I'd like to do again, but where are you going to find ice in Florida? (They do not, apparently, grasp the idea of an indoor rink.) Glad you had a good time, it sounds like you needed it.

Balliol told me with not quite two weeks' notice that I have mock Finals at the end of next week

I forgot to ask, after all these years (or maybe I did and I forgot...I am nearly 40, you know), if this is anything like the American midterms? It doesn't sound like it, because we know when ours are coming and can prepare for them. Yours sound like a surprise exercise in the Inquisition :D

to be told that someone's cloned your debit card and run off with four hundred and eighty quid

Last year, when we were traveling, someone broke into the truck and took our wallets while we were still unloading things into the hotel. It's definitely not drama one needs. Hopefully you'll get it sorted out soon.

Also, 9000 words of fic, what? I need to do actual work some time maybe.

I blame you for my addiction to fan-fic, you know.
I now have two novellas in two different genres and several stories on the backburner which have to wait until those two are cleared out. Next time you say "Try it, you might actually like it" I am going to imagine you're asking me to eat a slug :D

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

It was a lovely time. Indoor rinks are usually the best kind - we have an outdoor one where I live up north, but it's never in use, because it's never cold enough!

if this is anything like the American midterms?

Nothing like it at all, I'm afraid. I haven't had any exams for almost two years, and my Finals are in June to test me on everything I've purportedly learned in these two years. They are very important exams, will determine my entire degree class, so in preparation for them, I have these mock versions at the end of this week.

Next time you say "Try it, you might actually like it" I am going to imagine you're asking me to eat a slug :D

Ahahaha! I'm so pleased to hear it. Fanfiction is still my favourite thing after seven years of writing it, so I'm very pleased indeed.

[snowballjane.livejournal.com]

Hooray for skating, skating is Good.

Sorry to hear about the card theft though. Arg!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Skating is delightful fun! I'm terrible at it - I have no sense of balance at all - but I had such a good time.

[absinthe-shadow.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Sorry about the rubbish things. Yay about Jon and Maria!

If you need to borrow any money while it's being sorted out, I can paypal you some/give it to you in person when we meet. (In case Balliol's £100 runs out!)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*loves* Thank you, dear. I really appreciate the offer. Balliol are doing me fine right now, but, yeah. You are love. x

[half-of-monty.livejournal.com]

Can you not get at money cause of no card, or have the bank frozen your whole account? Because if you're just waiting for the card, you know you can get money out by queuing up at the till inside? You need your account number on eg an old statement, and some other form of ID, eg passport / driving licence. (I cancelled all my cards last year while jetlagged and very stupid).

Btw, I've been lurking here but not sure I said hello properly - I'm Elizabeth of the light entertaining variety.

[sir-rosealot.livejournal.com]

Or just write a cheque to 'cash', in which case you don't need all the other stuff.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

How do you cancel your cards by accident? :)

The bank have actually unfrozen my account now, so I do have a little more cash than I was expecting.

[half-of-monty.livejournal.com]

Er, you turn up at your boyfriend's parents' house very jetlagged, while the whole family is out watching his sister be a circus trapeze artist. You potter around for a while, fail to get the internet to work, and then wonder where your wallet is. You think you left it by the front door. You realise that the front door has been a bit ajar all this time, as it's sticky and you're not used to it. Your wallet is no longer by the front door. You panic. What is particularly bad is that you'd stashed the front door key in the wallet, and so it's now in the hands of a thief who knows which house it is. Remember, this is your boyfriend's parents' house. You panic more. However, at least you still have enough brain left to know how to cancel all your cards.

Then you find your wallet at the bottom of your suitcase and curse rather a lot.

[emerald-embers.livejournal.com]

Ouch! Hon, if you need an emergency loan at any point, I'll totally pop by the bank next week and stick £50 in for you :X, just say the word!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Oh, sweetheart, you're so lovely. College have given me money, bless them, but thank you so much for offering. :)

[foulds.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Seriously, if you need money, ask. Admittedly, there's only so much I can do thanks do John's auditorium fee, but, yeah, I can help a little

x

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*loves* Should be okay on college's money, bless them.

Also! You! You remembered what I said about the mangoes! I've been sitting here for the last hour eating them compulsively! Thank you!

[balthaser.livejournal.com]

isn't it 'you can't wipe out an entire city and then watch.....'?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

...quite possibly. *blushes*

[rosariotijeras.livejournal.com]

Hug.

And, you can just ask your college for money?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thankee. And yes, yes I can. They have a fund for what they call short-term hardship - £100, which they don't want back for a while, just to tide me over.

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, I know that feeling; I got a phone call from the bank saying that my card had been frauded. They wouldn't have picked up on it if I hadn't been doing my Christmas shopping in Dundee at the exact same time.

*hugs*

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Horrible bastarding fraudsters. You got everything back in the end, didn't you?

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, I had already done my Christmas shopping and they blocked my card and the transactions and didn't take anything; it did result in a rather embarrassing incident at Morrisons where they informed me that my card was blocked.

[tau_sigma]

Oh, Iona. *hugs* I am sorry I couldn't talk when you phoned - I will be at home until Sunday, when I will be back in Durham from about 8 in the evening, and possibly bored and alone for a few hours. Hope we can talk soon! And oh, good luck with mock finals and things, and I hope next week doesn't suck as much as this did.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

No worries, dear. Sorry I have sort of disappeared off the radar - this week is indeed sucking rather a lot. I'm swamped and grumpy, so not such great fun to be around! I'll try and call just as soon as I can, because it really would be great to chat.