So I'm planning what the hell I'm going to do with myself for 3.5 weeks when I'm done school. Here's how it looks so far:

Sept 22 - get the shipping company in to pick up all my shit except for one suitcase's worth, my backpack, and my laptop.
Sept 23 - take the laptop, suitcase, and backpack and head down to London, to drop off the laptop and the suitcase with either my friend A, or at my friend R's.
Sept 24 - ?
Sept 25 - ?
Sept 26 - ?
Sept 27 - Head up to Durham. Meet M. Catch evensong at Durham cathedral, then head up to Newcastle for the night.
Sept 28 - Hadrian's wall (sleep at Newcastle).
Sept 29 - Show M around York (I love this city, and playing geeky tourist in it is so much fun! Sleep at Newcastle again).
Sept 30 - Go to ? (this will either be Glasgow, Edinburgh, or Inverness).
Oct 1 - Fly from Inverness (or Glasgow, or Edinburgh) to Stornoway. Rent car from lovely car rental place at airport that will provide me with an automatic, since I'm still incapable of driving standard. Spend a quiet evening at the B&B since there's dick all to do in Stornoway on a Sunday.
Oct 2 - Drive around the Isle of Lewis. Take in the Broch, the blackhouses, the whalebone arch, the standing stones, etc.
Oct 3 - ? May spend a second day on Lewis. Or I may take the ferry back to the mainland and head to Inverness
Oct 4 - If I didn't go back to the mainland yesterday, I'll go today. If I did go back to the mainland, I'll be joining M and some of her friends in Inverness for a tour of Loch ness and Skye. Sleep in Inverness (probably at the youth hostel - 5-star hostel in Inverness, it's quite lovely, really!).
Oct 5 - ? (Explore Inverness)
Oct 6 - To Edinburgh. Meet with the ladies at the Herald House Hotel.
Oct 7 - Edinburgh.
Oct 8 - ?
Oct 9-17 - ?
Oct 18 - Head to London. Pick up stuff.
Oct 19 - Fly home to Canada.

Anyone have any ideas on what to do on the question mark days? I have free accommodation in Kent, Norfolk, Aberdeen-ish area, Glasgow-ish area, Preston, Chester, Aberystwyth, Swansea, Bournemouth...

Any ideas whether or not there's really more than one day's worth of stuff to do on Lewis? I've had mixed reviews... and I've never been to Skye, but _have_ done Loch Ness and don't really need to see it again...

And if you'd like to join me at any point, you're more than welcome!

I Am Reading
Academically: The saying of Iohn late duke of Northumberlande uppon the scaffolde at the tyme of his execution the xxii daye of Auguste 1553.
For Fun: The Scarlet Letter
Pile of Books on my Windowsill: unchanged

I got sunburned.

It was my own fault. I was outside for two and a half hours at midday yesterday, with no sunscreen.

Wanna know the funny bit? It hurts, but I don't really mind. Small price to pay for the hours of enjoyment of the bright summer sunshine which, I'm sure, will be all too fleeting.

Guess I'm just a bit of a masochist.

With the sole exception of Brazil in 2002, every team I support manages to lose.

I am so fed up.

ARGH!

This has nothing to do with anything.

But is it just me, or does John Terry (England footballer) not look an awful lot like Matthew Macfadyen (English actor)?

I know this is rather girly of me, but the resemblance has been bothering me since the beginning of the cup. Seriously. It's like they could be long-lost cousins or something. Hell, for all I know, they ARE long lost cousins or something.

I seriously had the biggest crush on Macfadyen when he was still in Spooks (MI-5 in Amerispeak - it was/is on A&E - you should watch it!). I've not seen Pride and Prejudice yet, though, as I still really believe I'll not like it (and I have an irrational hatred for Keira Knightley). The said crush hasn't really transferred onto Terry, which is probably a good thing.

In other news, Germany won tonight, and while I didn't get to see Cristiano Ronaldo cry, it was good enough for me. He's been an arrogant little prick all through the tournament, and I've been quite glad to see that my irrational hatred for the spoiled little brat has been picked up by the rest of the English nation in varying degrees. Sure, he can play when he puts his mind to it, but all in all, he's a child that cries when he doesn't get his way. Anyway. 'Twas a lovely game this evening with many a great run from either team, and it was nice to see Khan play - he's such a fantastic goalie, even if he is a little past his prime.

And so, tomorrow, I have only one thing to say... "Allez Les Bleus!"

Hence the no posting (and how was that for awesome alliterative-ness?).

(For someone who usually posts at least every other day, I do, in fact, feel badly that I've not posted for a bit).

Homesickness is somewhat alleviated. I wallowed in it for a couple of days, then slowly eased myself back into the world. It worked!

France won against Portugal. That little arrogant prick Ronaldo got some come-uppance. I was happy. Don't get me wrong, Rooney wasn't exactly in fine form during that incident either, but Cristiano Ronaldo.... argh!

It's bloody hot here. If you've been paying attention to my weather pixie, you'll notice the weather has been in the mid-to-high 20-degree range. Ha! That's nothing, you'll scoff. Why, that's precisely the sort of temperature it's been at home in Alberta! Right. Well, factor in the humidity, and I can't even walk to the library without feeling like a ball of sweat. Ew. The tank tops that barely saw sunlight (that'd be 'vests' or 'camisoles' for you UKers) last summer (partly because I was in a neck-to-toe dress five days a week) have been getting a good workout this summer. Not to mention that I've discovered that my skin does get a little darker than palest pale when exposed to sunlight. I would hesitate to call myself tanned, though.

The giant spider that lived outside my window last fall is back. It makes me scared to open my window while I sleep, which I'd like to do as I could really use the fresh air... but he only comes out at night, with her little minions... so I open my window during the day for fresh air, but when he makes his appearance, it gets slammed shut again.

Campus sucks over the summer. The grocery store closes stupid early, the library closes stupid early, the bars close at stupid hours, and food service is severely reduced. I may, in fact, go mad.

My illness seems to be gone (the Cold FX my mother sent is probably helping, even if it's just the placebo effect...), with the exception of the odd cough... but being asthmatic that's only to be expected.

11,500 words to go on the dissertation. Maybe I'll get it done after all. I suppose if I keep slogging away and getting 500-1000 words each day, it'll be all right.

I have a friend whose wedding is coming up in September. I was going to cross-stitch her something, but it's not going to be done in time for the wedding. What's a good present to send to someone who's already got a household set up and who doesn't really need that kind of crap? I open the poll up to the general public...

I Am Reading
Academically: Theatre of Horror (Richard van Dülman)
For Fun: Watching The English (Kate Fox - bloody hilarious!!)
Pile of Books on my Windowsill: 4 - 1 read, 2 unread, 1 half-read.

before having a complete and utter homesickness breakdown.

I mean, last time it was only 2.5. I'm getting better. But last time I got to go home soon (thank God for Christmas), and this time I still have another 3.5 months to stick it out.

This always happens. I get busy, I forget about all my troubles, and then the busy-ness ends and I'm left with my dull, shitty life again.

So, I again present you (sorry, I know this is repetitive, but it helps me to work out exactly what my problems are and try to figure out how to deal with them) with a point-form list of the shit that is my life at the moment.

• I figured out that it wasn't the brown-eyed boy that I really cared about - it was more the idea of having someone as a partner/interest and he was the only available person. That, unfortunately does not make me feel any less desire to have someone in life to rely on, talk to, lean on, hug, kiss, etc. And I'm not seeing any chance of that in the near future (although if England had won yesterday I probably would have hugged the cute boy in the pub next to me and blamed it on the 'alcohol'). So, yes, I'm jealous of his new relationship, but not because he's taken, if that makes any sense whatsoever...
• Paris was a great distraction. It was over too quickly.
• Football was a great distraction. It allowed me to think of something other than my dissertation for a few hours each day. It was over too quickly. I got caught up in it and really am quite heartbroken, both myself and for the English nation, that England didn't get any further. I am heartbroken that Brazil didn't make it as well. Shocked, and heartbroken.
• Having T up for the weekend was absolutely fabulous. We got to chat about the ideosyncracies of the English, compare notes... unfortunately it also reminded me of what I'm missing back home, and now that she's gone, I'm dwelling on it.
• I'm worried about my dissertation. I've got 6500 words done, but still need to come up with 13500 more in the next month. I don't know if I can do it. I really don't. I'm scared.

I do know that you are all thinking of me and wishing me the best and are proud of me. I appreciate it. I really do. And I wish there was more I could do to show it. Know that I'm thinking of all of you and your troubles as well. I apologize for being incommunicado this week, but for the first time in a while I've been busy and not able to check blogs every 5 minutes, and I'm sorry that I've not commented and that I've not given you all the attention you deserve. I'm sorry that I'm not stronger and that you have to listen to my problems when I know you have problems as well that deserve a shoulder to lean on.

I'm sorry.

You may or may not have gathered from reading this blog that I'm a bit of a tomboy. Not a big fan of high-heeled shoes... would rather be wearing my 'slouch fit' ripped jeans and a tank top than a skirt and nice top. Makeup is rare. And I like football. And I like to think that, for a Canadian, I'm fairly well-educated when it comes to football.

This is why I have this deeply ingrained feeling right now that all is NOT right with the world. Really.

England went out. Let's face it. They were up a good team, and even a man down they fought it out like absolute champions (fucking ref!... although Rooney brought that one totally on himself). I was prepared, however, to quit crying (ok, I didn't actually cry, but it was close), and dig my fingernails out of my palm from where they'd been clutched around the cross I wear on my neck (not that I believe in any sort of Christianity - it's a Celtic cross, I have Scottish blood, but I digress...), and get on with supporting my other babies.

And now they're out too.

England out. Brazil out. All in the span of 6 hours.

What the fuck?!?!

"Stands not within the prospect of belief" and I am now at a complete and utter loss.