30 Days Have September...

This week has been a scattered mix of awful and wonderful, and it is only Thursday. My lectures so far (except for one) have been brilliant and I am so excited about the upcoming semester that it is almost sad. I have a lot of reading to do this weekend, so there will be not much time for me to be messing around doing nothing, like I have for the last few weeks. I'm still far too used to lounging around in my pyjamas and wasting the day away doing pointless things, and I need to break these habits pretty quickly. I cannot believe that it is almost October; time has gone so quickly and I am more than a little frightened. My life is changing with the season and rather than panic and cry, I have decided to embrace it and see what happens.

This could be interesting.

Cinderella Was A Liar.

I started reading when I was young. Like, really young. I loved books, I loved words and I loved the magic that authors could create on paper. Fairy tales were my favourite, for a very long time. And then I grew up. I realised there was no such thing as magic, or happily ever after, and that nothing in life is free. There are no wishes and magical relations to come and make things happen for you; everything is done off your own back and no one will help you. Not really.

The first time I got called cynical I was so angry; I claimed, and still do claim, that it is not cynicism, it is merely a practical view of the world. I believe I will get where I want to with hard work and determination, and if I don't the fault is entirely my own. I believed in fate, but I believe we make our own fate happen. We have to put in something to gain whatever it is we are chasing. Love, money, success...Everyone is chasing something. But you're going to keep running unless you take responsibilty for your life.

Love was something I had a hard time believing in. I've seen love in its best and worst forms. I've seen commitment and betrayal, utter devotion and a complete lack of trust. I watched someone have their heart broken and completely lose their way. I've watched a misinterpreted infatuation become blown out of proportion and I've seen someone take a backseat while everything they want moves further and further away. There is no set story or standard plot for love to follow, but there is a fundamental structure that all relationshps should be built on. When that is fractured, even slightly, there is no hope. No matter what you tell yourself, no matter how many apologies are uttered or gifts given, you broke something basic. Buildings don't stand once the foundations are broken.

And so here's the thing. Cinderella, she was my favourite. She had nothing. Essentially, she was nothing. But there was something in her that spoke out to the Prince, and yes, she needed her fairy godmother's help; she needed the gown and the pumpkin and everything else to get noticed, and she only had a narrow time frame to work with (a good night is usually in full swing at midnight...who on earth would want to leave then??). But she made it happen. Her Prince Charming fell in love and she left behind her glass slipper (accident?) so he could come and find her. He found her and he loved her and they lived happily ever after. This does not happen in real life. Prince Charming will smash your glass slipper, and smash your heart with just as much ease, and with no obvious remorse at all. The truth is, sometimes it is too much to believe in happily ever after, because when it doesn't come the disappointment is all the more devestating.

Cinderella was a liar.

But I'm intrigued to see how this plays out for that other character, the one not mentioned in the common version: the lesser one who broke it from the start.

Your Door Loved It. Your Door is a Massive Slag.

We came, we lashed, we conquered.

This is round 2 ;)

So we've done it. Returner's. Like Fresher's, but much more epic and with a less severe flu. I only did 4 nights, but they each grew steadily louder and messier. They were some of the best nights out I've had, and I cannot wait for more. House parties, clubs and cocktails will fill my nights this year (and the occasional essay I'm sure) but I can hardly wait. And if this last week has been anything to go by, they are worth looking forward to.

As well as the catch up and the dancing, I've also been getting back to work. Lectures kicked off again today (at 11am. No early starts for me) and I was pleased to discover that it was actually quite fun - not counting the mad rush up the hill between lectures, of course. This year has only been going a week, and already I know it is going to be amazing.

♥

The End of Summer

Now summer is officially over, the season and that period of time where there are no lectures and seminars to worry about. We've been in the house, working (me a lot less than others, I will admit) and preparing for the coming year. For some, the work has already begun, back on campus for hours on end. Myself, I don't start again until Monday but that means that this weekend I have to buckle down and finally finish the book I have been saying I will finish all week. (I'm fairly certain it should not take this long to read 'Great Expectations'.) So that means barricading myself in my room, giving my laptop to a housemate to eliminate the distraction of the internet and then cups of tea. Lots of cups of tea.

Those Girls At Number 9

And so it is official. As of Friday, the five of us were all moved into and settled into our house. This meant food shopping, carrying more boxes and suitcases than I can remember and the reunion that has been, in some cases, around 12 weeks coming. But the transition was easy and by the Friday night, it was like nothing had changed. We were all dressed to go out in town, laughing, and taking pictures with Laura's polaroid camera; pictures that are now stuck to the fridge. And tonight it's all about the nice dresses and pretty shoes, with an even bigger group of girls, as we all go out for cocktails. We are all of the mentality of making the most of the time before lectures start. It's almost a shame: this is the kind of student life I could get used to.

The Best Medicine.

Now, here's the thing. I'm known to giggle, a lot. I can't help it. And it's always at the most imappropriate times, like when someone has fallen over or is getting told off. I don't know where it comes from, but more often than not it will burst out of me, and I will eventually fall into uncontrolled laughter, and more often than not will end up crying as a result. What I like most, though, is laughing at things that are childish and that won't result in someone being offended, such as the above. You always feel better after laughing, dizzy with amusement. And so an explanation about the pictures above: Henry, the house hoover but also the house pet (see him in his house??) clearly adores the red chair, and as for the fridge magnet poem...well, there needs to be an element of crazy injected into every mundane situation.

Ribbons, Stripes or Polka Dots?

Back at the house, I've found myself back into indecisive mode in terms of how to decorate my bedroom. I was always hoping to have something Wonderland-esque about my bedroom but it is becoming harder and harder to figure out how to do that without spending money that I can't afford. Although Wonderland inspired furniture would be lovely. So I'm trying to now decide what I want. I can't decide whether to have glaringly bright colours, all thrown together, or to go more muted with white and pink. Seeing as I will be spending a lot of time in here, the decision is crucial. It is going to take a lot more Googling before I finally make a decision.