Sinister: Home Sweet Home

[Madeleine McNeil]

So, I finally moved into my swish new house. There is a front door, a back 
door, stairs, a doorbell and something really odd: another person in it. I 
have a housemate, and within a month I will have two. I'm not very well 
versed in the rules of house sharing as I have never done it before (I did 
live with the ex at one time, but I don't think he counts as he mostly sat 
very still and thought about things).

Becky, my new housemate, is a friend so I can't avoid talking to her. What 
does house sharing protocol say if your housemate comes into your room for a 
chat but you want to be by yourself? Do you suddenly have to become sociable 
when you live with other people? I'm not sociable, never will be. And then 
there's learning to share. I've never been very good at that. I don't even 
want to share the rooms in my house, let alone my tea bags. I see her 
walking around and I think "Look at her swanning about in my house. How 
rude!" then I realise it's her house too. Learning curve, though, as I keep 
telling myself.

I do *heart* Ken Chu, you know. Sometimes I think I *heart* him almost as 
much as Kenneth P.Y. Chu. He's a clever wee bastard, but awful nice with it. 
Snog him, girls, you know you want to.

I also think I *heart* Big Stu G. He's a clever bastard too, but not so wee 
as Ken. His post was grand and made me laugh.

There has been talk of weather, autumn specifically. I do like autumn, and 
round the corner from my new house is a lovely big park with a road running 
parallel to it. All the leaves from the trees land on the pavement and it is 
the most wonderful street in the world for leaf-kicking. I do worry about 
dogshit when I leaf-kick, but it's worth it. Another one of life's simple 
pleasures. You don't even think about it, you're just wondering along and 
then the next thing you know, you swishing along in crisp russets and browns 
and oranges and a walk to the chippy becomes a regression to childhood.

Something I learnt at university today: there is a word for the technique in 
a book of using the weather to symbolically to describe a character's 
intrenal feelings: Pathetic Fallacy. I like the idea of that. Also, I had a 
lecture abouit Dionysus and stuff and it made me think of The Secret History 
by Donna Tartt, which is in my Top Three All Time Best Books. I read and 
read and read that book when I was about 16 or 17 and it was one of those 
stories that stays with you so long, you're suprised when you turn around 
and one of the characters isn't standing next to you. Reading for pleasure 
is not allowed at the moment, as I have too many texts to plough through for 
university, but I may dig it out and treat myself.

Who has read it? Who is your favourite character? (Off list, of course) Do 
you think you can tell something about a person from who their favourite 
character is in a book? I mean, I know you can probably get an insight into 
a person from who their favourite Wizard of Oz character is, or something, 
but what about books without a main sympathetic character?

Content - it's been a while since I managed to get any of that in, and it's 
still rather tenuous. I went out last night for a proper student night 
(Scream pub, cheap booze, meat heads from the Sports Societies, cheating 
game of pool, flirting with barstaff, total shame and embarrassment at how 
*false* I was) with a lass from my course. She is a B&S fan, although she 
only has the green album (that's what she called it) so I will make her some 
tapes of the rest. She's a very nice girl and it makes me happy that I have 
finally made some friends at university. I have now made (counts) five 
friends!

There has been mention of The Sinister Under 20s Club. A fine idea, although 
no spitting beer on defenseless girls' heads as there was at my old youth 
club. Vicky Vodkabird and I formed our own wee club: The Old Codger's Club. 
I think Honey and Linda may be members, but I'm such an Old Codger I've 
forgotten. Vic and I always carry clean pants and a toothbrush, we never kip 
on floors, we often prefer a quiet meal and a chat to a yeard of ale and a 
kebab session. We prefer comfort over "fun" any day.

Big hugs and love to D i s c o Princess Honey. She's a lovely lass, you 
know. A bit of a goody two shoes, but I'm working on messing up her school 
tie and putting ladders in her tights.

Oh, and Ulla the Sillustrator is just about the best person ever ever. Look 
at her drawings if you haven't already, they are marvellous.

I had planned on the post being better. I was aiming for about 50% of the 
Llew/Chu standard but I think I've only managed about 15%.

Love
Madeleine
xxxx

This post was going to be far better than this. It really was. I wanted to 
be about 50% as good as Llew and Chu, but I fear it is nearer 20%. 
Apologies.

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