Hullo!

Three things to blog about today, and structure is always meant to be a good thing. So, in this blog I shall:

1- Discuss Cambridge and its Shire, including a short mention of the Genius Cloud.
2- Advertise something, but nicely. (Bonus: a discussion of why this does not mean I need to quit the SWP.)
3- Be Generally Happy

But not in that order, because that order's stupid.

I'll start with the ad.

(Imagine that the following is a voiceover, ooh, by Eley himself, why not?)

"SF is whatever we point to when we say it, and this means that we can really be creative. Escape Pod is a podcast produced by Escape Artists Incorporated, and if you like SF, or just free-thought, you really should head over to escapepod.org. Whether we're being provocative or just thought-provoking, we're always interesting- and you can be sure of that. Or at least, that my brilliance when doing a girl-voice will entertain you. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this subtle and strange-sounding reference: it's Story Time."

(Why does this not mean that I am a traitor? Because since I live under capitalism, it is impossible for me to escape it, except through revolution. This is also why boycotting is of limited effectiveness: it doesn't change the system. Not talking about science fiction podcasts on my blog does not change the system. You could, if you wanted, argue that I re-enforce the values of capitalism. But to that I would say: perhaps, but I wear enough badges to balance it out.)

So, onwards.

This blog is being typed on a really stupid-looking, supposedly ergonomic, but really really stupid-looking keyboard, in my aunt's house, which is of course in Fen Ditton, in Cambridgeshire.

It is cold here. I miss the heat island effect- a lot.

But, it has been good seeing the cat, the nerd, and the academic (Radar, Jim, and Rosie, respectively.), and it was also good getting to meet Dominic's Cambridge Friends yesterday. How do I describe them? Irfan looks a lot like China Mieville, if you squint. Joe, the Nazi, was too quiet to argue with; Sophie is quite obviously a lovely person, despite her private-schooled past; Michael is a cynical Irishman who likes Salad Cream on chips, so that's all good; Owen isn't studying architecture at all; and I can't remember anyone else properly. However, I feel the very most important thing to blog is: these strange, strange students actually have their names outside their doors. Like in the films; like in the books (oh, I should mention the libraries, shouldn't I? Oh, this counts.)! Honestly...

And now: for general happiness:

I'm happy today, because I have bought two new necklaces that could only be improved by being unicorns, but so could everything, so, oh well. I also bought really Nice Socks to be Worn in Drama, a one-pound red, shiny purse that looks a little Colleen-ish, but will scuff and look rather nice when it does, and two DVDs (Dr. Strangelove and 2001: A Space Oddesey. As Amber said: "The second one has famous music."). I'm going back to London tomorrow morning, so that will be nice, and I swear, with Steve Eley as my witness, that I will work on my case study.