Oasis

Sometimes in the unrelenting slog, life offers you an oasis.

Accept it, take it, seize it: willingly, joyfully. Good friends and simple pleasures are the things that will keep us going.

Kittipedia

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Birthday Treats

Sean *sigh*

I treated myself: it's my birthday. Not merely to a picture of Sean, but to a spendid luxurious Mulberry handbag, and other treats. And it's still five minutes to midnight, so that's all part of the warm up. I'm indulging myself right now in rolling back the years.

Letts Schoolgirl Diary, 1982

Well, I am 16 today! I got a lovely watch and a cardie and other little presents from my friends. Went to extra French at dinner and did a dictation in German. After school, Helen came round and bought me some perfume. Went to the VIth form leavers party. Had birthday kisses (well, snogs more like) from Meakin, Elmo and Peter Isle. Had a slow dance with Mark Corden but he was a really sloppy kisser. Went to bed at 1am as it is our last day of school before O levels start in two weeks! Happy birthday to me!

Boots Scribbling Diary, 1985

It is my birthday and Whit Sunday yet I am revising for an exam which is tomorrow, even though it's bank holiday Monday! I hope there is a question on Zola, since I have over-read in that area (all that racy sex, murders etc: excellent) and other stuff maybe less well prepared. Turns out Katy and I have come bottom in the housing draw and cannot live in college accommodation at all next year. May well be time to play the "first year of women" card..... Attempted to make soup in the new pressure cooker but we didn't set the top properly so now it has sprayed vegetables at very high pressure onto the very high ceiling. Laughed so much my stomach is still hurting, then went to Fitzbillies and got Chelsea buns. With candles in. Happy birthday me.

Boots Scribbling Diary, 1986

Whit Monday. Set my clock at the crazy time of 7.30am to make sure I didn't miss the exam, but woke up every hour or so anyway (not that I was worried!) In the morning I had C20th French Lit paper. I did a section A essay on the nouveau roman which was quite good (if unstructured), chose essays on Ionesco and Proust, they were ok too. After lunch I had C20th German Lit exam: an essay on Buddenbrooks which had only the most tenuous link to the title, then wrote a Brecht essay on a quote I couldn't quite get the nuance of. Hauptmann and Freud questions were better, but I must do some more reading. I was left with no choice of questions at all. The evening was the best part of my birthday by miles, went to the Eraina with Andy, Alan & Nigel, Katy has more exams tmw. I have no more till Thurs. French prose. Bonne anniversaire.

Boots Scribbling Diary, 1987

(scribbled) am: German Prose, 3 hours, Sidgwick Site. pm: German Translation, Sidgwick. Fuckin' RUBBISH way to spend my 21st birthday 6 hours of VERY HARD Finals papers. Did not go out out or anything as headache and two more 3 hour exams tomorrow.

Wow, I must have been quite intelligent, once! I've decided not to post the other entries I've got as they are showing me that I have made a series of bad relationship choices (tell me something I don't know!) and that I am a slow learner (tell me something else I don't know).

I'm in a really awesomely good mood and I intend to stay that way. Happy birthday to me!

Soho Afternoons

Here's to long boozy lunches that carry on in the pub until 6pm.

Sometimes you just don't wanna go home.

Kitten Caboodles

Look at me

Look at me

Look at me now!

It is fun to have fun

But you have to know how.

I learned a lot on the weekend's course. Practical tools to improve my life and my interactions with other people. [I also learned a lot about how cults function, but that's another story].

Now I need to start putting the lessons into practice. But one thing I have realised is that fretting about the past, and worrying about the future, can distract me from enjoying the moment. That's got to stop. Let the frolics begin!