Good news, everyone!

celebrating with expletives

I got a 2:2, which is what I expected (when I was stable enough to not be expecting failure, the disapproval of my friends and loved ones, and being put down for my own good). My mum was so excited! And my dad told me that he's been published, which is SO fantastic. My dad's pretty much the best.

Ben got the First that he SO deserves, not to mention a bajillion exciting authorial opportunities. That boy's going places, I'm telling you. B. John Shaw Liddle, keep an eye out.

Also, gay marriage is now legal in New York! Seems to be a good day all round, really. I hope you've got something to celebrate, wherever you are.

I went to a fancy dress party last night, actually wearing a fancy dress for once. It was SO fancy. I haven't uploaded the photos yet, but here is an artist's impression:

Much love to the incredible @irkafirka for that picture! Trying to remember which children's illustrator this reminds me of. It's a bit Horrible Historyish, but I don't think that's it... answers on a postcard please. Anyway, yes, I'll upload photos at some point. I've been taking a lot more lately, which is a lot of fun! They're all going up on my Flickr account, as usual, but here's a couple of recent ones I like:

A friend of mine had a bit of a squabble with Mock The Week's twitter. She doesn't think women are as funny as men. I disagree. Knowing you're a comedy junkie, I'm here to ask you what your thoughts on this generalisation are. (Is? Are? Dammit!) Thoughts?

Are. I do have thoughts on this subject! Big, uneducated, confusing thoughts!

I can see why the question gets asked. Ask anyone to name the three most famous / popular comedians, and I'd be surprised if a woman's name gets mentioned one time in a hundred. I think a lot of it's to do with the way it's televised. Look at any stand-up show, any quiz-comedy-panel-show, and you'll see one woman. Maybe two. Women are underrepresented in mainstream comedy, and that can lead to three possible conclusions: either 1) women aren't as funny as men, or 2) women are being excluded because society discourages female comedy.

2) might sound implausible, because we tend to think "that doesn't happen any more", but how many things has society assumed women don't want to / can't do? How many times has it been wrong?

I still haven't worked out why there are things that people find funny from men that they don't like hearing from women (though this is just my gut feeling; I haven't researched it), but hopefully we'll see the gender gap close in coming years.

I submit these videos as evidence that some women are, in fact, hilarious.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6aYLOf8CUQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTRTXhX0ee4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCzRRakqQWU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJ4Uwf009k (This one has Hugh Laurie in. I make no apology for this.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7IW7mbvDdk (This one's barely even funny but it's got Johnny Depp in it, and I think I've lost sight of why I'm doing this.)

Also, I want to thank you for giving me an excuse to watch lots and LOTS of Smack the Pony videos XD

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Ask me things! (Questions preferred.)

Pretty sure I'm marrying Bruce

Guys! Guys, I just got the most AMAZING OFFER from a man who, I'm sure, is going to become a dear friend of mine. Check it out!

Dear Manager,

(Alright, admittedly I'm not a manager. But I DO come across as quite managerial in my personal and written communications, something that Bruce here clearly picked up on.)

  

This is Shanghai Eyescomfort Co.,ltd, specializing in making ANTIBACTERIAL, SKIDPROOF, BREATHE FREELY NOSE PADS with high quality and pretty competitive price. The latest fashion nose pads is unprecedented, such as:

Keeping eyeglasses in place,

Keeping your nose pads far away from dirt, and be clean and hygienic,

Keeping your nose skin fresh, natural, healthy.

(See? See what I mean? Ah, Bruce, you know only too well the pain and suffering that non-fresh nose skin can cause. You mean you've found a solution for this, Bruce? Oh Bruce, what was my life before you?)

Our products are all-new designed, which are more suitable compared the traditional product(PVC,silicone) for human skin. Besides, we have the patent for the nose pad. FREE SAMPLES are available.

The attachments are the pictures, please kindly have a look.

Best Regards!

Bruce

Pictures? Yes! Check it out!

Stylish!

Ergonomic!

I don't know how he got my email address, maybe from that nose pad appreciation forum, but boy I'm glad he did. Email me again, Bruce, and soon. I miss you. I miss your touch. I miss your insights on which substances are suitable for human nose-skin.

Your loyal friend and customer,

Anna.

a barbecue and a waterfight

"More or less exactly" is an oxymoron that I find myself using lately. As in, I've been single for more or less exactly a year. I can't be sure of the date because I didn't blog about it at the time, and without the internet to serve as my external memory I'm more lost than a puppy filling out a tax return.

I was seriously thinking about writing a "how I feel about stuff and things" post, but to be honest I don't have anything interesting to say about the subject. I lost my faith, and that was the only dealbreaker. Fin. So instead I want to share some awesome stuff I've been doing!

Two nights ago some friends and I had a beach BBQ. It was honestly the loveliest sunset I've seen in a very long time. Here are some pictures of that:








And then yesterday we had an epic waterfight, of which there are no photos, because I was too busy watergunning fools (and getting cups of water thrown over me because Aston's a dirty cheater.)

This but with guns and laughing

I'm really looking forward to seeing my family in a couple of weeks; we're going on a sort of road trip holiday thing so that'll be cool.

Much love to y'all!

Bristol: JoCo

Bristol, you are so good to me.

The first time I ever went to Bristol, I met a bunch of awesome beatboxers, and I somehow manage to go back to Cardiff (yay!) instead of Plymouth (boo) where I actually lived.
The second time, more epic beatboxing, and a hug from Hobbit (who BY THE WAY is @hobbitbeats on twitter),
The third time, I met Mr. Jonti Picking aka Weebl, and nerded all over the place for a full weekend, not to mention taking some awesome photos that I'll show you as soon as my friend uploads them (meaningful looks at Dave),

And last Thursday I finally got to see Jonathan Coulton and Paul and Storm performing.

Ici, la photobomb.

I'll say it again, Bristol, you are SO good to me.

A hundred years

Today we rowed on Roath Lake. We got the hang of turning. We went around the tower twice, avoiding other vessels. We joked about pirates.

It's a big lake, lined by willow trees, but the great grey beauty was held in such a little moment - when a tiny signet, following its swan mother, shrugged and wriggled and flapped its stubby wing-nubs. I stopped rowing, wanting this moment - passing by these tiny, fluffy bird-pups - to last as long as possible.

We didn't fall in.

Then we went into Roath Park Conservatory where it was so warm that we fell asleep on a bench for a hundred years.

To my older self

When you are older, Anna, and working hard, and you look back on your university days with wistful nostalgia, I want you to remember how you felt now. Remember that the world caved in on you and you almost caved with it. Remember the feeling that any way out is better than writing another essay. It's not true objectively, it's just a temporary stress-based madness...

If you really do start to miss the drunken sundays and days off and creative coursemates, remember that it came with chaos, wasted weeks and deadlines that cracked your head.

Rose-tinted glasses won't suit you anyway.