Sustained Criticism

When I'd chirped my customary "Are you looking for anything in particular?" at a customer, she turned around, smiled broadly and told me how pleased she was to see me. I have no idea who in the world the woman is. She's not a teacher, I've kept decent track of those (for fear of the catching me unawares). So who is she? I have no idea. She was convinced I could do anything I wanted to, she assured me, after asking what I was doing during the week – automatically assuming that I'm not just working. Where does this boundless faith in my abilities come from?

We had my grandparents over for dinner: it was loud, we had too much wine and food, always good fun.

I officially want longer hair. Shoulder-length, I think. My hair-dresser will have a fit when I tell her, hah! She never gets over how much hair there is on my head, and even gave up blow-drying it straight with a loud "Fuck this!". Also definitely going to Montpellier this summer, and lobbying for a new trip to Hong Kong.

We had four hours of grammar as an introductory lecture yesterday. It was challenging, and fun. Four hours of grammar was fun. I think I'm finally where I belong. Though it seems only a handful of us are going on to do a Master. I also have the best lectureplan in the world. I start no earlier than 10:15, and have Fridays off. Life will be good. Now all I need is a job.

Wedding tomorrow :]

My hair is in love with the Wella Lifetex series, thank god. Using the mask as a conditioner is the best idea my hair-dresser har ever come up with. Not only is my hair managable, it looks and feels healthy. So, I am almost back in love with my hair. The only thing missing is a flash of new colour, and forty-somthing foils going into the works.

I'm also desparingly hooked on The Wire.

I finished Faulks' Human Traces, some time ago. And I think I've written that it was a brick before? Well, it took sheer strength of will to stick with it through the insane digressions and long lectures, but in the heart-breaking beauty of the end. As Daniel dies in the mountains, Sonia knows her husband has been unfaithful, Thomas suffers from alzheimers and is as lost as his patients was, and both he and Jacques feel that they have achieved nothing, it was all worth it. Not because I revel in their misery, but because it was all so very human. This reviewer says it all better than me, really. I'm too feverish with spring and time off to make a particularly note-worthy writer.

I think I read something in-between as well, but I can't remember what, so I'll just move on to Venus as a Boy, by Sutherland. Very easily read, reminiscient of stream-of-consciousness, but not quite it. Short, to the point, and intriguing. And from London. It was haunting, I still think of those last lines. Cupid's (protagonist) final realisation still twirls about in my head. It was played as a monologue, it seems, at the National Theatre of Scotland. I wish I could have seen it, it must have made a tremendously powerful play.

Oh, I must have finished Jane Eyre some time ago, too. And now I am reading Wide Sargasso Sea, which is Rhys imagining the life of Rochester's wife, before she burnt down Thornfield.



On a non-literary note, I had my hair done today. Picture here. My hair-stylist decided she wanted to make it messy, and I think I'll have to admit that it is very cute.