'cause we got the streetlights / we got this whole night

[raven]

It's twenty-five degrees at eleven pm, which is something of a trial in an upstairs flat which takes the notion that hot air rises very seriously. But I'm actually quite enjoying it, prowling around and letting the night air in. I do love this flat very much, and plan to make a Proper Post about it, when I have finally unpacked my clothes and assembled the last bit of flatpack furniture and thrown out all the cardboard. (ALL the cardboard. All of it.) I did assemble a flatpack hatstand on Friday. It is an amazing flatpack hatstand. It is a gothic black wooden monstrosity. It is sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor because I cannot think of anywhere else to put it. I am very pleased with self in re: hatstand.

It's been a really nice weekend. I was Up North most of all week, which was very very tiring - I went to see the last Harry Potter film, which was nice, and had a lovely day with hathy_col wandering around the marina and watching the Red Arrows and the airshow - but mostly it was tiring. Shim is away, but when I got back I was so glad to be home I could have kissed the doorhandle. Anyway, so I went to Leeds, and that was very lovely; I had lunch with lizbet yesterday, and we went for sushi and went window-shopping and giggled and looked at lipsticks, and I should do that more often; and then I went off to see tau_sigma for her combined housewarming and birthday party and that was lovely too. We ate pizza and drank wine and played Articulate, and the evening was sticky and mellow and the same sort of gold-tinted as the wine, by the end of it; this morning I had a headache, which I deserved, and came home via the East Coast mainline, which tends to restore my mood.

For tau_sigma's birthday, I got her the first two Temeraire books (and actually meant to write on the flyleaf and completely forgot; sorry, my dear!) and re-read the first on the train. What struck me on the re-read is that despite the trappings of Napoleonic-Wars-adventure story mixed with fantasy-with-DRAGONS!, it's very much a love story at heart. It's such a classic narrative arc, two people who go from being indifferent and resentful and other such bad things to being the centre of the other's world. And of the two, I actually think Laurence has the more complex characterisation: he's drawn in such a way that his contours only become apparent in relief, against other people. I especially love the evolution of his friends-with-benefits arrangement with Jane Roland - I really want fic about it, actually, how they're fond of each other but they don't love each other, and they've negotiated how to get what they need from each other. It makes sense to me.

Anyway. I'm home, I'm hungry, I'm going to Israel on Wednesday - so excited! I am buying a HAT, that is how excited I am - and Shim returns tomorrow and my day's plan involves throwing out cardboard. I'm happy.

Also guess where I'm going to keep my HAT when I have bought it. I am going to keep it on the HATSTAND in the middle of my kitchen floor. Yes. I really am happy.

Comments

[highfantastical.livejournal.com]

Eeee, jealous in the best way! I've always wanted to go to Israel. Have a truly fantastic time with your hat, my dear. :)

LOOK I HAVE AN ICON SPECIFICALLY FOR HATS.



Too jealous to spell, apparently. XD

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*grins* Thank you, my dear! My hat actually looks rather a lot like the one in the icon. Less impressive. :)

[minutia-r.livejournal.com]

Huh! I realize I'm just a random person on the internet with whom you've had a couple of polite conversations, but hey, I live in Israel! If you want to get together while you're here, you should totally drop me a line!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I did not realise! Bear with me...

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

ISRAEL! Janey mac! I am super impressed and really rather jealous. Please post LOTS about it.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Hee! I will! I have spent all of this morning vainly searching for my CAMERA, foul lost thing.

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

HATSTAND! That alone is happy-making.

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

(Also, Balliol are on University Challenge tonight. This might be interesting to you; equally, you might think I am utterly mad for mentioning it. But still, the information is there if you want it.)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Hee! I was very interested, but alas still have no TV. :)

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

It was very exciting! (Doctor Who bonus round; be still, my heart.) I suppose you could watch it on iPlayer, but if you don't have a TV licence that might be somewhat illegal.

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Wait. You're going to Israel? Sweet! Know where you're going when you get there, yet?

Have fun and safe awesome travels!

yay happy :)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Yesyes! To Haifa, for the most part, but also Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. I am very excited. :P

[not-vacillating.livejournal.com]

I went to Leeds

Sorry to have missed you.

Have a good time in Israel with your HAT. :)