white_hart gave me F.

Something I hate: Fear. I quite like being scared, in a safe fashion (like watching a film, or roleplaying), but real fear is something I'd like never to experience again.

Something I love: Fresh air. I could probably think of something else, but the view from the window is influencing me :)

Somewhere I've been: France, 3 times. Not very many compared to some of my friends, and all before the age of 13.

Somewhere I'd like to go: Florence. I've never been to Italy, and Firenze is home to a museum of the history of science which I'd love to visit.

Someone I know: Frances Hardinge. Author of many really good children's and YA books. She's a wonderful person, and an evil roleplayer :)

A film I like: Fellowship of the Ring. I love Lord of the Rings (the book), and I think Peter Jackson and co. did a great job in converting them to the screen. However, of the three films, I think the first is the best.

Let me know if you would like a letter!

I have started a blog. It will be random, rambly and probably cease after two weeks like every other time I've started a blog. You can read it if you want, or not. I don't promise it will be interesting. Because nobody ever reads the 'About' page:

"This is a personal blog where I will talk about anything I feel like. Subjects will likely include knitting, depression, computer games, roleplaying games and occasionally films and TV programmes (don’t worry – I won’t post spoilers!)

The title comes from my roleplaying hobby, but also because quite often I feel that I’m just pretending to be an adult!"

http://gem-bob.com/justpretending/

(And I lie - in my very first post I spoiler the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

(Crossposted from facebook, because venta isn't on there afaik, and I'd be interested in her input as well as others!)

Was discussing the Opies earlier today (husband and wife team who collated children's rhymes etc.) and I found the wikipedia entry on 'truce terms' used by children (the most widespread geographically being 'pax'). It doesn't mention Yorkshire, and I can't remember any such word being in use. Tell me, oh facebook LJ peeps, did you have truce words? And where are you from?

Does anyone else get calendar anxiety? It's a term I've coined to describe the anxiety I feel when I have more than x appointments/events coming up, where x is generally quite small. The events are mostly fun ones at the moment, yet I still have the anxiety.

It's suddenly hit me this week, as Tuesday was the last session of Generation, the RPGSoc society game I've been GMing. All the things I've been putting to the back of my mind until 'after Generation' have now catapulted themselves to the forebrain.

The really weird thing, is that instead of feeling like everything will go wrong, I feel like it has already gone wrong. I don't even know what 'it' is! I had a dream about school last night, so apparently my brain is so desperate to find something that's gone wrong, I'm having anxiety dreams about being shunned for being a teacher's pet! Yes, that used to be a valid thing to get worked up about, but it happened 15 or more years ago!

My brain is full of things I want to do, but when I try to do something, all my thoughts skitter away and I'm left with no desire to do the thing I was going to. It's extreme procrastination and attention-deficit rolled into one. The upshot of the procrastination bit of it, is that yesterday I went charity-shop shopping and bought All The Things for more Odyssey costume and props. Whether I actually get round to making bed sheets into secondary character costume remains to be seen...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18736948

Warning - it's about firefly mating habits.

Sir Charles Swaisland, a volunteer at Rhodes House Library, passed away on Monday. He was 92 and active until 5 days before his death. To give some idea of his character, here is an article written in 2009 about him and his wife.

I first met him last October, and hardly knew him, yet he made everyone feel like a friend. In January, I wished him 'Happy New Year' and he responded with 'Well, I think that calls for a hug!'. His response to 'How are you?' was always 'Surviving'.

He was one of those awesome people that you generally only hear or read about; I feel very priveleged to have known him, even for only so short a time.

These are the recipes of the cakes I baked for the Odyssey weekend:

( Chocolate cakeCollapse )

( Spiced orange cakeCollapse )

( Lemon drizzle cakeCollapse )

All these cakes can be frozen. Wrap in cling-film and/or baking paper, then wrap in a carrier bag and stick in the freezer. Defrost in the wrappings and the cakes don't get soggy as the condensation is on the bag instead of the cake.

Possibly the worst thing ever said to me by a doctor:
"Why are you depressed?"

This was the emergency doctor I saw the other week when I had a (possible) gallstone attack, and he asked what medication I was on.

Let's pretend that I didn't answer him with 'um... [list of vague stuff]' and instead said something like "I hadn't realised medical science was so stumped about brain chemistry and psychology that they had to ask the patients!"