Hermione's hideout

In terms of politics, I tend to be a floating voter rather than committed to a single party. However, when the next General Election comes round (and the sooner the better - this country is getting less like a democracy and more like a dictatorship; OK so not on the scale of Zimbabwe or North Korea, but some would say "It's only a matter of time"; our current PM wasn't elected, we were all told that Blair would see out the whole third term in office), I think I'm going to be voting Conservative. Why? Because of this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8104481.stm

Initially, when ID cards wewre first mentioned, I didn't really have an opinion. But as more and more details come out, I've been getting more and more against it. It's going to cost billions, apparently - is that really a wise use of money when there's an economic recession, when the NHS is struggling, when so many other things are far more worthy and essential? Also, given the Government's tendency to lose large quantities of confidential data on laptops, memory sticks, etc. (and this has happened with worrying frequency), do we really want them entrusted with such sensitive data?

The Government claim is that it will help in the fight against terrorism. Except that's not true - the 7/7 bombers were all British citizens. Also, people have been forging passports, driving licences, etc. for as long as they've been around - forging ID cards won't be a problem for those involved in forgery. They'll find ways; they always do.

The article states that Alan Johnson says "We remain on progress to bring in what we believe has widespread public support." I've discussed this issue with quite a large number of people - and I haven't spoken to a single person who's in favour of it. Everyone I've spoken to is dead against it.

George Orwell wrote 1984 as a warning. This Government is using it as a textbook.

No2ID.

Found this on the Catholic Herald website: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000563.shtml Cue rant.

For goodness' sake! If you disagree with Catholic beliefs, you're hardly likely to go for a job in a Catholic school or similar! It's like the whole thing with the adoption agencies - if you're a gay couple looking to adopt, you're hardly going to go to a Catholic adoption agency when there are other optionss, are you?!

So we can't do anything that might offend those of non-Christian beliefs; yet they're perfectly free to discriminate against us, and the moment we say we're being discriminated against, we're told to shut up and stop being so narrow-minded. We can't advertise Christmas carol services because it might offend non-Christians - so much for religious freedom. I'm not one to shove my religion down people's throats, but at the same time I'm not going to hide my beliefs. Yes, I'm a Christian, yes, I'm pretty much a Catholic. I'm quite happy to respect others' religious beliefs - but I'm not seeing much reciprocity here from those who are high up, powerful and prominent. There seems to be a trend amongst the people in the public eye to say that you're not allowed to discriminate - unless it's against Christians/English folkies". Don't believe me about the folkies? YouTube "Roots" by Show of Hands. That song sums up the frustrations and anger of a LOT of people.

I remember my first year as an OT student, on placement. I was in Primary Mental Health (which is mild-to-moderate conditions), and I was in east Lancashire. I was advised to not wear my crucifix necklace, not because of a safety hazard (ie. a patient lost it and tried to garrotte me or something with it), but in case it caused offence to people of other religions (of which there are a number of sizeable communities in East Lancs). I know as health professionals we're neutral, but I don't kick up a fuss about, say, Muslim or Plymouth Brethren patients wearing headscarves.

A few times I've been told to keep quiet/basically lie about my faith, "in case it offends people". Well, you know what? Discrimination works both ways. I've had so many Evangelical/fundamentalist Christians giving me hell (pun intended) about my beliefs. Their favourite line seems to be "You're going to Hell because of XYZ" - and invariably their reasons are based on false teachings and/or prejudices.

If I applied to work in, say, a Jewish or Muslim school, I would respect their dress codes etc. If it was too extreme for my liking, shock horror, maybe I WOULDN'T APPLY THERE! This seems to be an aspect of common sense that a lot of people seem to have lost. 

I am sick and tired of being told what I cannot do in case it "offends" people (a lot of the time the offence is perceived rather than real anyway) without having it reciprocated. It goes both ways.

Edit: have also found this: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/features/f0000424.shtml Couldn't really put it any better myself.

I shall endeavour to keep this a fairly short post, (fail) and just kind of summarise things about which I will probably post in greater detail at a later date.

First major thing: I have finished my degree! I am going to be graduating with a 2:1 in English Literature from one of the best English courses in the country, from a Top Ten uni (Exeter is officially a Top Ten university now). This is despite dyslexia and fibromyalgia (which kicked off between first and second year) - I'm pretty damn pleased with that! As well as running a uni society (though admittedly TolkSoc is substantially easier to run than, for example, Symphony Orchestra!) And being one of the main organisers, the secretary and chief steward, for a major folk festival. There will be people on my course who will be graduating with 2:2s, possibly even 3rds, who spent the entire three years clubbing, drinking, doing drugs and/or having lots of sex. Those tend to be the rahs (preppies, for my friends on the other side of the Pond!) because Daddy will get them a nice cushy job with someone he knows and it doesn't matter what degree classification they get.

As for what I'm doing after I graduate...I don't know. I'm trying to find a job in the Exeter area, because I do not want to go back home. I love my parents, but I hate the area. Really REALLY hate it. For those of you who are familiar with the name (mainly Brits, I 'd imagine), our biggest local celebrity of recent times has been Jade Goody, and she's the epitome of the area. Need I say more? I have a life in Exeter. There's folk stuff, I have friends, I have a D&D campaign to play, I can do level 2 and hopefully level 3 BSL at the deaf school here - there aren't many places in the country that do level 3, and I suspect that the nearest place to home that does it is City Lit, in central London. I can't do that. I do have temporary work - I'm interpreting at Soul Survivor, a major Christian festival, in the second and third weeks of August. I've got friends who've been before and they've said that they're always desperate for signers. In a Christian context I'm basically fluent, and Kim (from my old church at home) has given me a really good reference because she knows I can interpret, and interpret well. She's seen me in action!

After summer? No idea. This is not a good time to be graduating, given the current economic climate. And jobhunting is frustrating to say the least - on the way back from TolkSoc last week, Mike and I were talking about this, and we're both frustrated because all the job adverts insist on "prior experience", but he said (and I agree) that if nobody will give us a job, how the heck can we get any experience??? So one of my first places to ask around is opticians', because I do have prior experience in that area. There are a lot of things I can't do, but I can certainly fix specs!

I have a diagnosis. The hospital finally got round to diagnosing me (took Drs. N and T joining forces and going on the warpath - and you do not want to get on the wrong side of Dr. T!) It is indeed fibro. Now I have a diagnosis, it made it easier for the wheelchair thing. And I HAVE WHEELS! There will be photos soon, when pantouffles and I get a chance to (ie. when it's not absolutely chucking it down with rain, like it's done pretty much all day today)  take some. Indoor light doesn't really do it justice. It's rigid-frame titanium, so REALLY lightweight (for fibro, the lighter the better because of fatigue); the frame is black with rainbow sparkles - RAINBOW SPARKLES!!! - and the wheel spokes are bright yellow. It is FUNKY! It also needs a name. pantouffles and I have decided that it is Bridget's half-sister.

Last week wildelover and keeperofthecats came over to England (specifically Exeter) for a few days, just to visit me! It was so so great to finally meet them in person and I had a brilliant time, as did they. Much squeeing was done! I only wish they could have stayed longer. Oh well, they may come over next year again. And at some point I will definitely go out to Iowa to visit them. Am contemplating a North America round trip, to visit them, Lisa, Liz (a Kenyon student over here for a year), domina_malfoy , maybe if possible see logospilgrim . And anyone else on my flist who'd be up for it! Not sure when it would be - that would depend on job, money, etc. The usual stuff.

Liz insists that my bookshelf is breeding D&D books at the rate tribbles reproduce - though I've got a loooooong way to go before it's anything like jedda 's! Currently it contains the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual (no, wait, that's currently in my rucksack, but regardless, I have it), all for version 3.5, as well as a Spell Compendium, Masters of the Wild (guidebook for Barbarians, Druids and Rangers, the latter of which is what I play) and, now, for some fun reading, "Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress: A Girl's Guide to the Dungeons and Dragons Game". It was recommended on the girl-gamers facebook group I'm a member of. Oh, and apparently I fit the girl-gamer stereotype - I'm a cat person. I fit a stereotype? Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *runs screaming for the hills wheels screaming for the hills*

And completely unrelated, but the reason I have the Burnley FC badge as my icon for this post - BURNLEY ARE A PREMIERSHIP SIDE! Yes, really. There will be more about this soon, because such a momentous occasion deserves a post of its own. I was there. It was fantastic. It doesn't feel real! Maybe it'll hit home more when the fixture list for next season comes out on Wednesday, and instead of seeing teams like Leicester, Cardiff (thank goodness we're not playing them next season!), Plymouth, Ipswich, etc., we'll be seeing Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Everton, Spurs, Chelsea...hang on a sec, haven't we beaten most of those clubs in Cup matches in recent years?! And the season's not even started yet and we've already nicked one title from Blackburn - before, they were the smallest town to host a Premiership club (because the last time we were in the top flight, it was Division 1 and the year was 1976); now, because the population of That Place is about 105,000 and the population of Burnley is somewhere between 70,000 and 80,000 (depending on which source you're using), we are now the smallest town to host a Premiership side.

No, it still doesn't seem real...

Yoinked from pantouffles 

1. First Name: Katherine

2. Age: 24

3. Location: Exeter

4. Occupation: Just finished my English Lit degree at Exeter

5. Partner: No

6. Kids: One day

7. Brothers/Sisters: Only child

8. Pets: None right now, though if we do have pets, it's always cats

9. List the 3-5 biggest things going on in your life:

a) End of university: just handed in my last essay and now I need to start jobhunting - not the easiest thing in the current climate, especially being a fibromite

b) I'm definitely getting a wheelchair! I'll be able to do ceilidh-dancing and sport again!

c) Football (soccer for those of you across the Pond): Burnley are a Premiership team! I haven't posted about it yet coz of coursework, but soon there will be something here.

d) Faith stuff - I'm still not sure which side of the Anglican-Catholic divide I fall. Oh well, in God's time not my time.


10. Parents: Mum's annoyed that Dad still hasn't noticed she has pierced ears. This was done back in November...

11. Who are some of your closest friends? In no particular order (and just some I randomly selected from the list of people I consider my closest friends so if you're not on here): Catherine, Joanna B, Caroline


Can you fill this out without lying?
I wouldn't intentionally lie on this sort of thing.

What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
Peppermint tea

Have you ever kissed anyone named Matthew?
No

Have you ever kissed anyone named Lisa?
No

Where was your profile picture taken?
Facebook: Boxing Day 2007 in Waltham Abbey. LJ: don't have one of me

Can you play guitar hero?
Not played

Name someone that made you laugh today?
Julia

How late did you stay up last night and why?
Till about 2am, which is about normal for me because I'm semi-nocturnal

Do you believe exes can be friends?
Yes, because that's the case with me

Calling or texting?
Depends who and when - I only get free minutes after 7pm and at weekends

When was the last time you cried?
Last night - pain flare.

Where is your biological father right now?
Probably asleep, at home.

Where are you right now
In my room at uni, on my chair

What bed did you sleep in last night?
Mine (well, the uni one)

What was the last thing someone bought for you?
Liz on Tuesday - in order to celebrate handing in our essays and being free of BART, we went to the Long Lounge and got the fruit-and-chocolate-sauce thing (she paid coz I let ehr use my printer and paper).

Who took your profile picture?
highstone 

Who was the last person you took a picture of?
diminutivefox and vote_incitatus  during D&D last week - our party split up so while Rhodri took Sam into another room, we played Jenga

Was yesterday better than today?
No, today was better than yesterday - yesterday, I was still suffering the effects of pulling an all-nighter on Monday night so I was somewhat out of it still.

Are you mad about anything?
Not right now.

Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
Yes

When was the last time you were extremely disappointed?
January, when the unfair away-goals rule in the League Cup stopped Burnley from getting to Wembley

Are you a bad influence?
I'm not sure! Depends on opinions!

Night out or night in?
Tend to favour night in, usually with DVDs, chocolates, biscuits and friends.

What items could you not go without during the day?
Keys, watch, specs, notebook and pen, book, phone

Would you share a drink with a stranger?
Highly unlikely

Who was the last person you visited in hospital?
Zoe

What does the last text message in your inbox say?
"Are you watching the game tonight?" - from my cousin, in reference to the Champions' League final, on TV

How do you feel about your life right now?
Fairly. It could be a LOT worse.

Do you hate anyone?
Extremist nutters of any persuasion

What is the most frequent name in your outbox?
Probably Rhodri's, for D&D reasons. Or maybe Liz's.

Can you tell if someone lies?
Sometimes - depends how good they are

Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
Depends if it would pick up amitriptyline

Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
Can't remember, so probably not

What song is stuck in your head?
Nickelback: Far Away

Someone knocks on your window at 2am, who do you want it to be?
It's generally Liz, needing a change of scenery

Wanna have kids before you’re 30?
No idea

How do you sleep?
With my eyes closed and with medication (wretched fibro)

Do you think too much or too little?
Waaaaaaay too much!

Who was your last missed call on your mobile phone?
Home phone - Dad tried to phone me to ask about what was happening about food while I was still at Wembley celebration promotion!

When will you next see the person you fancy?
No idea because there's nobody I fancy as far as I'm aware.

Can you handle the truth?
Yes. I'd rather know the truth than be left wondering (generally driving myself crazy wondering)

What was the last book you read?
D&D Monster Manual (v3.5) and Neil Gaiman's "Coraline"

Do you hate the last person you had a conversation with?
Nope

Is there something you always wear?
Clothes, watch, specs, crucifix necklace

What were you doing 3 hours ago?
Watching Have I Got News For You on iPlayer

Who was the last person to tell you that they love you?
My mum

Did you have an exciting weekend?
Not particularly - had a 3,000-word essay due the following Tuesday (it's now in). However, we did FINALLY destroy the vampire drow that turned Sam's character into a vampire, in D&D.

Have you ever crawled through a window?
Yes.

Are you an emotional person?
Can be.

Have you ever dyed your hair?
Red (freaked my mother out coz I didn't tell her I was doing it); tried doing it black, with semi-permanent, but it was hard to tell it was dyed.

What's something that can always make you feel better?
Chocolate and tea.

What do you want right now?
To be able to find a job in the Exeter area.

Have you ever worn the opposite sex's clothing?
Yes.

Look behind you, what do you see?
Bed, pyjamas, cushion, D&D v3.5 Player's Handbook, pencil case, about 3 specs cases, wheelchair voucher application form, rucksack, phone charger, notice-board, sewing box

Have you ever worked in a food place?
No

Have you ever tampered with the food in the place you worked?
N/A

What would you name your future daughter?
Not anything stupid.

Any summer plans for 2009?
Working as an interpreter at Soul Survivor (big Christian festival) for half of August. Apart from that, jobhunting.

Did you fill this in without lying? THis is the one question you cannot lie on...
Yes.

More to come later, but for now, watch this, for the most petulant, pointless, unjustified, theatrical reaction to an automatic red-card offence that I've seen in years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylqz0a3ZQvk&NR=1

just a short post, to let you know that at my hospital appointment on Monday, they finally diagnosed me. As I've suspected for a good, what, 18 months, I do indeed have fibromyalgia. The consultant did the tender-point test. The first one she went for was my elbows (which are the most tender of my tender spots - I can only very rarely rest them on any surface because it hurts so much), so that induced an "OW!" from me. That then set off all the other tender points so they were more sensitive - which is probably a good thing, coz it made it easier to diagnose!

This may or may not be very coherent, and I'm not going to make it very long coz I'm going to bed soon.

I spent Easter in Exeter this year. Didn't make it to the Easter Vigil at Sacred Heart - if I went Saturday I wouldn't have been able to do Sunday as well. So I went on Sunday morning. If I do settle in Exeter (this is entirely dependent on the job situation) I will be going there regularly. Fr Paul's spoken quite highly of them, and if Fr Paul speaks highly of somewhere you can be assured that he's right! Very sound, Bible-based homily (as someone who spent quite a bit of time with Evangelicals, I know that there's often a perception that Catholics don't really adhere to the Bible - well, that's not the case here!) I got chatting to someone beforer Mass started, so I now know someone there. I went the Sunday just gone, too, and although Mass at the Chaplaincy will be starting again this Sunday, I want to go to SH.

I still don't know for sure where I'm ultimately going. I know that I'm definitely going to get confirmed into either the Anglican or Catholic church; just depends where God wants me. I'm in no rush - it's all in His timing, and I don't need to worry/stress, because He knows far more than me so He knows when the right time is. So I'm trusting Him.

Believe it or not, my friend C from home who's get a generally-less-than-stellar-view of Catholics might actually come to Mass at the Chaplaincy one Sunday! It'll be interesting to see what she makes of it.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. May it never be forgotten. I was 4 1/2 at the time and very vaguely remember hearing about it on the news, but it really penetrate then.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/7997924.stm

I'm in Exeter for Easter this year so I decided to make the most of it (especially as I don't know if I'll still be around here next year - it very much depends on the job situation). There was an ecumenical service at the cathedral yesterday morning, which I went to, along with diminutivefox I don't think I've ever seen so many Christians in one place before! By the time the service started it was standing room only (there must have been a good 50 people standing just from what I could see (which wasn't a huge amount as we were sat on the side with big columns in the way). There was a time of reflection during which we were shown a video of clips from "Jesus of Nazareth" set to Bryan Adams' sone "Everything I Do, I Do It For You". I'd never considered that song in this context, but it's actually incredibly appropriate, if you listen closely to the words.

After the service there was a "Walk in Witness" around the city centre. It was set up like the Mystery Plays of the Middle Ages (though there were only 4 plays, as opposed to the 12 of the York cycle), with a number of small stages around the city centre. The stories that were performed were: garden of Gethsemane, Peter's denials of Jesus, the trial before Pilate, and the Crucifixion. It was really powerful stuff and was performed really well. Seeing it dramatised in such a way really brought home to me just how horrendous it was - with the crucifixion scene, the actors put their wrists through loops on the crosses with big nails attached to the loop in front of their palms. Even though I could see that that was what it was, I still couldn't look as they did the hammering the nails into the palms.

The article about it on the BBC website.

I'm going to the Easter Vigil at Sacred Heart this evening and then the 11am Mass tomorrow, after which I'm going to my friend Carol's for lunch (she was at the events yesterday and we saw each other - obviously so she invited me round).

Got a letter through today from the "Complex Care Team" about a wheelchair!!!! They're going to contact me soon to make an appointment!!!!! This is AWESOME news!!!!!

Would be nice if the Rheumatology department at the hospital could also get in touch, but that would be asking for a miracle. Maybe I'll hear from them next week.

I can tell that it was Gulam who forwarded it on to my home address - "lucky win!!" is written on the envelope!!! To be fair, it was! I now understand why Plymouth are just one point off the relegation zone - if the goal was about 20' wider and higher, they might be a little higher. The only shot on target they had was when Eagles went on one of his short ego-trips and tried to do something fancy instead of just booting the ball clear, thus giving the ball to Argyle.

On Monday Mum and I went over to the club shop to get the Capital Punishment DVD that's just come out (highlights from the Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs League Cup matches). While we were in there there was a bloke about my age flicking through an Argyle programme that was on the desk, and he tried to persuade us to buy it. Kept reducing the price (joking with the ladies behind the till - "I don't think I'm authorised to lower the price") and when it got to £1 he said he'd sign it, too - and we couldn't say no to that!!! So we agreed and then he gave me the £1 coin back! It was Martin Paterson, one of the Burnley players. I do have to get him a Flump, though (for the benefit of the non-Brits, it's a marshmallow sweet). I think that's a fair exchange!

I'll rant about my area's highest-teen-abortion-rate-in-the-country this evening.

Meant to post about this before now, but didn't get round to it, apparently. In my dissertation research I came across the following quote:

"This dispute [between different Catholic factions in early modern England] was, on the surface, a series of arguments about the patterns and institutions of clerican authority via which English Catholics were governed from Rome - arguments which were often characterised by the heights of supreme bitchiness of the kind to which only middle-aged clerics can aspire."
Catholicism and Community in Early Modern England, p251.

What a weekend! It's quite nice to not have an horrendously long coach journey back to Exeter from IVFDF, but the flip side of that is that it was hectic. As you can see from the icon thing, it was us who were hosting. This involved being up at Devonshire House for 9am for most of committee, at Knightley (the music building) at 8:30am for our tech monkeys, and about 10am for me and Julie (I, of course, being in possession of wheels for the weekend). We were informed that the first IVFDFers would be arriving about mid-morning. Technically this wasn't the case because Hazel arrived Thursday early evening (she crashed on my floor Thursday night so even though she isn't and never was an Exeter student, she is a veteran IVFDFer, she got roped into helping set up). There was soooooooo much to be done. Signs to be put up everywhere, arrows, PA, databases, tickets, wristbands...It did take pretty much all day to do! Aberdeen arrived at about lunchtime, having flown down, so we let them crash out in the baggage room.

I'm not going to go into great detail, but it was AWESOME. IVFDF 2009 is officially the biggest ever IVFDF. In total, including individual-workshop, Friday ceilidh, Kate Rusby concert, Saturday day, Saturday evening, Saturday season, plus a couple of others, we sold over 1,100 tickets. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. I got to some of the Saturday evening Committee Band ceilidh and some of the Survivors' Ceilidh, and obviously the wheelchair dance workshop that Joanna and I were doing. That went down really well - we borrowed about 8 chairs from Shopmobility, and had about 25 people show up, including dainul and hmmm_tea (was nice to actually meet the latter in person and be able to put a face to the name!) Everyone learned a lot and, at least equally as importantly, had a lot of fun. Rosie took lots of photos!

Spent a lot of Saturday talking to some of the Durham 2010 committee, because it's been many years since Durham last hosted. Also bought some clog earrings from the clog man.

Got to some of the Committee Band ceilidh on Saturday evening. It was good, although there was one bad point (and quite a big bad point). Bear in mind that I've been ceilidh-dancing since before I can remember. I did one dance with someone from Brighton Morris Men, and he was the worst dance partner I have ever had. I've had some pretty bad partners and I've done a lot of dancing, but this was definitely the worst. We did Old Man of Ballingee, and must have done it about 15 times through in total. He didn't listen, I had to shout every single figure and move at him throughout the entire dance, and used hand-gestures to show him what he should be doing. He did it completely wrong every single time (I'm not exaggerating, either). I was so so so close to just wheeling out of the dance in the middle of it, I was so hacked off. The only reason I didn't was coz it wouldn't be fair on everyone else. Normally the thing that annoys me most is people pushing my chair around without me saying it's OK (because pushing someone's wheelchair without permission is an invasion of space - it's the equicalent of someone putting their hands on your backside and giving you a shove), and although he did do this a few times, it pales into comparison with the other stuff. I didn't even stay for the acknowledgement curtsey/bow at the end of the dance, because I wanted to make it perfectly clear that it was not on. He did apologise later and I think he was expecting me to say something like, "It's ok, really", but I was still furious so I said rather sharply that if he actually bothered to listen to the instructions it might have gone better. I was very short and curt with him. I'm at my bluntest when I'm furious (I can't help being blunt - I'm a Northerner, I'm a folkie and I'm culturally part-Deaf, all 3 aspects that tend to be blunter) and I was VERY blunt.

Survivors' Ceilidh was good. I danced a few and enjoyed it immensely. I've not done any dancing since November, so it was wonderful to do some (must continue hassling NHS for my own chair). Shoulders are killing me now, but it was worth it. As soon as I got back to my room, it was straight into the shower! Oooooh, that felt good. Hot showers are good for fibro-shoulders. I feel clean and relaxed now. It's a chillout evening, and I am not setting my alarm. Sleeeeeeeeeeep...

Sorry for the slowness in updating. Have been in a bit of a flare.

We decided to make good our exit from this town, as some of the corrupt and less-than-pleasant people in the town were aware that we were sniffing around. Alan and Thomas were going to try to obtain the other 2 relics that we knew were in the merchants' houses; we headed off out of the town and walked for the best part of an hour before setting up camp in a secluded area. We took it in turns to keep watch. Nothing much until Gresha was on watch. Wolves. So she woke the rest of us up and we prepared ourselves for our first real fight. There were 3 wolves. We injured 2 of them quite badly and they scarpered (though not before one of them had bitten Gresha's leg) and killed the other one. Battle over, I made a Survival check and rolled a 20, so Rhodri declared that I made a delicious wolf stew, one of the best meals we'd ever eaten. Unfortunately I wasn't able to salvage the fur, but to be honest I prefer the combination that way because at least we were able to have a decent meal. Then we resumed sleep.

We woke up and continued on our way to a little hamlet that we knew was being affected by bandits. It took most of the day so we were pretty knackered by the time we arrived. There were only a few houses and one pub (more a pub than an inn); we were able to crash on the floor of the pub. We decided to try to get a good night's sleep.

This we managed. Early next morning, we woke up before anyone else in the hamlet. Gresha, Scan and Runa stayed at the pub while Shepard and I went for a bit of a wander. During the course of which we made a Listen check - and then turned round to see this bloke in a black cloak pointing a crossbow bolt at us. I asked him what the heck was going on, but he didn't answer, so I fired one of my arrows at him (and missed). He then rushed up to us and stabbed me. Shepard decided to disable him. The conversation went like this:

Sam: Can I freeze his nuts off?
Rhodri (checks PHB): Yes, you can. It'll kill him...
Sam: I'm totally freezing his nuts off!

So that was the end of him. We looted the body, naturally, and took the black cloak he was wearing. We then decided it was probably best to head back to the pub.

While this was going on, one of the others who'd stayed behind (can't remember who now) heard a noise on the roof. There was another black-cloaked man on the roof, obviously looking for them. So they end up taking this guy out. Runa and Gresha, being of the religious sort, buried the bodies. By this point the other people were up, so we had some breakfast and then made a move, off into the forest.

This passed uneventfully for a while, but then we got set upon by 5 bandits. More combat! We killed four of them and wounded the one who was obviously the leader of the little group - we wanted him alive so we could question him. The session ended with Scan tying him up.

So it's done. Our characters all have LJs of their own!

Tarian (me): tarian_corrith 
vote_incitatus : gresha_letters 
diminutivefox : runa_monaghan 
serenhybrid : scans_lootbag 
Sam: morockshepard 

Right, I'm actually going to be getting back on top of this now!

Shepard and Gresha opted to go back to the inn at which we were staying, with Runa, Scan and myself going to Alan's as we were concerned for his safety. Today was his day off so he might be at risk - if he and Cedric knew too much for the bandits' comfort, I highly doubt they'd hesitate to bump him off, too. He'd been seen at lunchtime, but not since. When we arrived there was no reply from either the front or the back. Scan, being a rogue, has the very useful skill of being able to pick locks, and after about 10 minutes was able to get us in. While Scan was doing this, Runa was being lookout in case any neighbours got at all suspicious - we really didn't want to be drawn to the attention of the Watch when carrying out possibly-not-entirely-legal actions! Bear in mind that the Paladin is Lawful Good...!

After checking for traps, Scan took the downstairs to search and I took the upstairs. Didn't seem to be anything downstairs as far as Scan can tell. I, on the other hand, encountered a locked door. I can't pick locks - I'm a Ranger, not a Rogue - so I tried to bust the lock through sheer brute force - not the easiest of things to do when you're 5'8" and only weigh 130lbs! Although it seemed to be slightly affected, I'd have had to have kept at it continuously for quite some time (and acquired multiple bruises) if I was to have any luck whatsoever with it. So I borrowed Scan's Morning Star and used that. It certainly worked - I succeeded in reducing the door to splinters! Rhodri found this particularly hilarious because this was the first physical-combat attack role of the campaign...and it was against a door!!! And I rolled a 6 on my d6!

But hey, it worked! We got into the back room! In it were a whole load of boxes, all with the same singular word on them. Not particularly helpful for us, as it was in a language that neither of us knew. So we made a note of it - if anyone was going to know what it was, it would be Shepard. In the meantime, Scan swiped 3 Thunderstones and a flask of what we later discovered to be Alchemist's Fire. There was also a map of the bandits' locations, which we swiped, as well as Alan's copy of Cedric's report, a Healer's kit and 40 crossbow bolts. The reports we came across were relating to bandit attacks - including the one in which Curtis died.

We then found a concealed door. This definitely warranted further investigation, so Scan got to work and soon we discovered a cell-like room behind it. There were traps by the door and window, which Scan disabled. All that was in the room was a chair. Oh well. Admittedly Rhodri had to work quite hard to try to convince us that there wasn't anything sinister about the chair, that sometimes a chair is just a chair. Scan and I weren't entirely convinced - appearances can be deceptive and all that. The big unanswered question that hung in the air, though, was What is that room for? It appeared to be some kind of holding cell. Perhaps a bit suspicious?

We realised that it was time we were heading back to the inn where Shepard and Gresha were, so we did so. We showed the word to Shepard and he cast a translating spell. The word was in Undercommon and meant "evidence".

Anyhow, we turned up early to where Thomas had told us to meet him, at some warehouses. He was already there. It was not long after that that we met Alan. Cue guilty consciences... We had a little success in persuading him that we really had broken into his place with the best intentions - like checking he hadn't been murdered by bandits or the shifty-looking guy or anything. I think he was eventually partially pacified, especially as we had to get into hiding around a particular warehouse because there was some secret meeting taking place between, basically, the bad guys.

Once we'd got into our respective hiding places, several lots of people arrived. One of those people was Captain Jack of the Watch. Another was shifty-looking guy (vote_incitatus and diminutivefox did come up with names for some of the men, but I can't remember off the top of my head). Also there were 2 merchants of the town, and some men we didn't recognise. We did find out some useful information, though - shifty guy was making plans to move the relics, and Cedric was killed because he knew too much. These guys knew we were in town and poking around.

They eventually left and Scan followed some of them a little way but lost them. We had, however, learned that one of the merchants, who paints himself as a pillar of the community, is actually distinctly corrupt. He had one of the relics in his house. So we decided to try to get it. This involved Runa (who, may I remind you, is Lawful Good) trying to charm said merchant and worm her way into his house. He didn't fall for the memorable "So, have you heard the Good News about Pelor?" line, or a couple of others. So she had to keep him talking. Meanwhile, Scan, Shepard and myself snuck round the back to try to get in that way. Somehow Scan managed to do that, sneak up the main staircase - in full view of Runa, no less! - get into the study, get the relic piece from the safe and sneak away...though we did have to employ our second physical-combat roll of the campaign.

We smashed a window.

Yes, really. Physical-combat rolls: 2. Monsters/enemies: 0.

But hey, it worked well enough for us to get away!

And that is where we finished.

OK, I got behind in my updates. I had an exam to revise for, plus A MAJOR FOLK FESTIVAL THAT WILL BE AWESOME to catch up on paperwork for plus to continue working on (3 weeks tomorrow - not that I'm plugging IVFDF 2009 at all...)

So. D&D.

We woke up the next morning and Runa shared with us what she'd been told by the Watch guard the previous night. Decision taken was to go and talk to the Watch captain (Jack) and see if he can tell us more. A rather unpleasant character - fairly stereotypical Watch captain (overweight, slimy, ugly, etc.) He gave us Cedric's report but there was a page missing, which was decidedly suspicious. We decided to go out to the Watch station on the edge of the forest and see if we could eke out any useful information (like the captain's hours, as there was a possibility of breaking in to his office when he wasn't around to see if we could recover the missing page).

We arrived at the Watch station on the edge of the forest and were able to talk to Thomas, one of the Watchmen. He couldn't say much because there were other members of the Watch around (it being a Watch station, it's to be expected!) but he was able to give us the missing page. I'm a little curious about why he had the page with him; kind of suggested to me that maybe he didn't trust the captain (it's kind of hard to, it has to be said). Along with that, he gave us a note to tell him to meet us in a particular place an hour after sunset. He also told us the captain's hours: 7am-5pm.

After that, we went to what was presumably either Cedric's house or his parents'. We talked to his father and learned that Cedric had an older brother, Curtis, who was a merchant until he was murdered by bandits. He and Cedric were close. After we'd learned all we could, we left. Needless to say, Runa did most of the talking (having rolled a ridiculously high Charisma score!)

We officially started our D&D campaign yesterday!!!

Characters:
serenhybrid: Scantine "Scan" Threadbringer (Halfling Rogue)
vote_incitatus: Gresha Kilbarand (half-Orc cleric)
diminutivefox: Runa Monahagn (half-Elf Paladin)
catmint_1984: Tarian Corrith (human Ranger) - NB. This may or may not be her real name, as she's run away from her aunt
Sam: Morock Shepard (human Wizard; archaeologist)
Rhodri: DM
faenel will come into it next week.

Backstory:
There are a large number of supposedly free cities, mainly controlled by the aristocracy. There are some old kingdoms as well, whihch control own territories, but they're rather smaller.

 50,000 years ago, a civilisation disappeared. This civilisation was very advanced. The citizens vanished. The buildings are still there. Over this 50,000 years, the normal races developed and formed kingdoms, had squabbles, etc.

Eventually they found the ruins of one of the old cities, from a race called the Entals. One thing the civilisation created was these stone arch-shaped gates.There are lots of these cities left uninhabited around the world, linked by these gates. Those are the free cities. Each archway is about 30ft wide and 50ft tall and they're permanently open. It's just an archway with another city on the opposite side - a bit like The Last Battle/The Subtle Knife. You can't walk through the back of them. Different ones have different numbers of links. A couple of the gates can't be opened - nobody knows how to open them. The Ental left a lot of their technology behind but now nobody knows how to use it. Most of the normal buildings are derelict. There are gaps in the network because some of the gates are broken.

They know where all the cities are geographically - you can tell by watching the stars. Time is always the same on both ends of the gate; when going through the gates, you travel through space but not time. Several cities have several arches. Most cities have 2 or 3 arches. There are ruins of smaller towns/outposts that don't have gates.

Campaign:

Shepard has been going round the various inns in this particular city, looking for people who would be interested in an adventure. While he is doing this, 3 characters (Scan, Gresha and Tarian) see these notices and make inquiries at The Dragon's Balls inn. Scan and Gresha play dice (Gresha is unaware that Scan's dice are weighted). Tarian happens upon them a little later and joins them.

While this is going on, Runa encounters Shepard, and they team up and make their way back to The Dragon's Balls, where they meet the other 3. Arrangements are made, contracts signed, and the following morning, after a decidedly unsatisfactory breakfast that leaves Gresha feeling decidedly ill, they set off on a coach. When they arrive at their destination, a small town, they opt for the much nicer inn at which to stay (the other one looks very much like a spit-and-sawdust kind of dive, and Shepard is more than willing to pay everyone's accommodation at the much nicer inn).

At about 1am, Scan and Tarian are woken by noise coming from the seedy inn. Being the curious sort, they wake the other 3 and go to investigate. A young Watchman has been killed in the brawl, stabbed. Nobody really knows details, and the Watch are there by this point. Shepard, who only very reluctantly got up in the first place, stomps back to his nice bed. Tarian, Scan and Gresha are unable to find out anything, so they go back to bed. Runa, on the other hand, is able to discover quite a bit from the Watchman she talks to. She discusses it with Shepard (Tarian and Scan are asleep again by this point - they figure that Runa will tell them important stuff when she thinks it best).

And we finished with everyone going back to bed.


Rhodri's a pretty good DM; if I hadn't known it was his first time DMing, I wouldn't have guessed. I'm really enjoying it so far!

Tomorrow is the official start of our D&D campaign, and I'm really looking forward to it!!! Even better, technological issues have been resolved - mainly in the form of the arrival of serenhybrid's webcam. I have a microphone (courtesy of DSA equipment) and Rhodri has a webcam, which he'll be bringing round so we can use it. And earlier serenhybrid and I tested out what we do have (her webcam, my microphone). We can hear each other and I could see her. So she should be able to see us as well tomorrow! And we'll be able to D&D even though one of our party is hundreds of miles away!!!

*epic bounce*

*sighs* I've not posted before now about the match, partly coz I've not had the time but also the heart. It was going so well...

Tuesday night was bitterly cold. Mum and I wore the ski-type trousers we originally got for Norway last year. I am so glad we wore them!

We were sat about 3 rows up from the front, in the corner, near the wall that separated us from the Spurs fans. Our end was probably sold out. I've not been to White Hart Lane before. It's quite a nice ground, although I would have appreciated a bit more leg room (this was more of a problem for Mum as her legs are longer than mine). Still, it's nowhere near as bad as Luton or QPR (at Luton, there's so little leg room that my legs were too long for them by the time I was 11). The people in front of us refused to sit down, even though I told them (reasonably politely) that I'm disabled and can't stand for very long, and because they were standing (these are people in the front row) I could hardly see anything.

First half, Spurs simply couldn't handle us. Bentley got booed every time he came near the ball (he used to play for Bl*ackb*rn). Wasn't too impressed with him, it has to be said - he was probably the worst player on the pitch (he was substituted at half time); the Spurs fans don't particularly like him, either. Eagles was tearing holes in the Spurs defence/midfield - they just could not handle him. 15 minutes in, we went 1-0 up! It was a really good goal. Eagles cross, Paterson nicely slotted home. Cue wild celebrations from the Burnley fans. And the moronic yobs sat (well, stood) just to our right decided to rush over to the wall and hurl abuse at the Spurs fans. They shoved me to the ground and if Mum handn't yanked me up immediately I would have been trampled. I'm still sore now from it. The stewards were really lovely - they let me and Mum go and sit down in the Disabled section for the rest of the match. I didn't feel at all safe remaining where we were initially.

Second half was a completely different story. Apparently Redknapp (Spurs manager) gave them a right rollicking  for the entirety of half-time. They were up for it and on fire. They won 4-1. Two of their goals followed on from incidents where we should have been awarded a free kick. Not happy about that. That said, some of our defending was pretty atrocious. So it's going to be an uphill battle on the 21st. Still, at least it's at Burnley.

Other stuff. Back in Exeter. Had a DVD night on Friday, then Saturday we started our D&D campaign (character creation). Rhodri is DMing, then we have me (obviously), Sam, vote_incitatus vote_incitatus and diminutivefox diminutivefox, and serenhybridserenhybrid joined us via Skype, which was very cool. I'm really looking forward to this! Then it was Jeremy's birthday party, which neo_venatorapweiler and apweilerneo_venator very kindly hosted. It was a good party. Not too many people, they were all people I knew, it wasn't too noisy. At one point I was talking to Elizzie about the DLP, and it turns out that Elizzie helped her move in (she was a Freshers' Week volunteer). She also got a very strong impression of DLP being a complete spoiled rich brat. So it's definitely not just me! (Not that I ever thought it was). Also, Friday I went to see the flat that fanged_geranium fanged_geraniumhas just bought, as I'm going to be renting a room from her once I graduate. It's right near the city centre but quiet which is nice. Also, it's right near apweiler and neo_venator's flat, which is good.

OK, better finish here as I've got to leave for Mass.</lj></lj></lj></lj></lj></lj>

I am finally home for Christmas. I handed my essay in on Friday morning, and I think I've done reasonably well. In the past I've been told I'm not analytical enough, so I've done a lot of close reading and analysed the language/imagery. I then got the train up to Granny's. Nearly five hours from Exeter to Leeds, but it was all on time and I even got started on my dissertation research (brought some library books home for the holidays). It was only at Bradford that we ran into problems - the train broke down. So we had to wait for ages on a cold, dark, wet, windy, exposed platform. Oh well, got to Granny's eventually. Then we drove home on Sunday.

Monday Mum and I went to Sainsbury's. Thankfully it wasn't absolutely horrendous - this is why we don't go down on Christmas Eve to do the big food shop. We spent relatively little, according to the girl on the till - there have been several people who have spent in excess of £400 - even £500!!!!! Yesterday I finally sent out some of my Christmas cards!

I've spent most of my time with my nose very firmly in a book - specifically, "Catholic Culture in Early Modern England". It's one of the uni library books that I'm using for my dissertation and the original plan was just to skim through it, reading more carefully anything that looks potentially useful - but it's absolutely fascinating, so I'm reading the entire thing!

So Merry Christmas everyone! I'm off out in about an hour to midnight mass at the local Catholic church. Never been before.