The other thing that I did this weekend around visits from A&E and whilst downing handfuls of Neurofen like candy was go to Obliviate 2009, the Harry Potter fan meet up, with duranorak. It was awesome. I have amongst other things a bag with my username stitched on it, a customer drabble written with my OTP¹, a Ravenclaw badge, a sugar hangover and artwork of a highly dubious nature. Despite my being somewhat tired and out of sorts due to having got up at ohmygod oclock in the morning and being subjected to a surprise procedure I met a number of marvelous new people who mostly hung out at or near the Ravenclaw table. melusinahp has now joined the group of people which includes my uncle who haven't recognized me with my hair up.

1. Which for those of you who are interested is Hermione/Books. Yes, really. Hermione doesn't give a shit about you, she's in the library!

Tags: fandom brings the crazy

Over the weekend I saw Surrogates and I suppose it wasn't too bad as movies go, I did however have a number of problems with the world building. I should say now that my concerns are just about the movie, for all I know the comics could have been much more complex and socially aware.

( Abandon hope of lower case sentences all ye who enter here )

Tags: emily versus culture, let me tell you internet

For some very tedious reason I had to go to Camden this Saturday in search of more shirts, after wandering through the new stables market and lock markets I have one pressing question : where have all the goth shops gone? No, really. I remember when as a teenager¹ I could go to Camden and find any number of shops on the high street that sold a variety of dubious velvet cloaks and skirts and frilly shirts for the sartorially challenged. Now there's just the Dark Side which is now selling Lip Service almost exclusively, even worse the Black Rose now appears to be wholly devoted to cut price rockabilly gear. Where do you go to get your clothes nowadays or am I doomed to shopping online and hoping that the sizing is correct?

1. BACK IN MY DAY.

Tags: let me tell you internet

I went to see Amanda Palmer on Friday with thisdistance and latexiron¹, I've never managed to get tickets to any of her gigs before usually because I've not heard about them or been to lazy to order tickets until it was too late so it was lucky that they added an extra show this time. I must say if Shunt didn't already have the best venue space in London I'd been tempted to consider Union Chapel, it's not just a renovated church space as a concert hall but a church with a stage and I think I could get used to being seated during gigs. It was even better than I had expected it to be, it was also one of those strange experiences where it felt like something had slotted in to place and I finally got several songs played live that I had not appreciated previously. I may also be the only person there who hadn't realized that I Google You was written by Neil Gaiman, I fail at fangirling.

1. Although he came from somewhere completely different so we didn't find him until afterward.

Having woken up at 7¹ a whole two days after I've been paid I decided to try and do something useful with myself and start spending the money so I can go back to living off toast, so I dragged myself out of the house for the alternative bring and buy sale. As I went without Mathias I had no-one to remind me that I certainly don't need more skirts as I hardly wear the few I own so I managed to escape with a respectable two plastic bags of clothes, some of which may see the light of day soon, and some rather lovely shoes. I think I've used up all of my desire to be outside for the day and shall curl up on the sofa with DVDs until I can sleep again.

V Movie was rather wonderful by the way, but djpsyche makes a worryingly convincing hippy.

1. Thank you work for giving me the gift of unnaturally early morning the few days I week I can theoretically sleep in.

Yes I have been to see HBP with duranorak already, of course I have, and I may even have worn a Slytherin tie¹ but you can't prove a thing. I think they did a very good job of picking out the few plot lines that made HBP more than just the prequal to DH but still had to have a long and twisty trip to the Department of Exposition, I think I'm getting used to it by now. I was also taken to see Moon by Michael a week ago so feel that I've fulfilled my indie bandwagon quota for this month, it's genius and you should all see it for reasons other than the much touted return to a retro scifi aesthetic.

Thank the lord for iplayer, our tv isn't working and I was informed by Rachel today that there's some sort of pre-raphaelite BBC costume drama. This will either be excellent or terrible.

1. Because that's how I roll. Whilst bar tending. In the dark.

While the squash worked out very nicely indeed but I managed to burn one of my fingers on the roasting dish as I was getting them out so now I'm sulking in front of the tv with some frozen peas and neurofen.

I am trying to figure out how to roast butternut squash for lunch but the Internet is being a little difficult about giving me a reasonable recipie, the suggested temperatures and times are all over the place! As such I think I'll have to make it up as I go along, I see no way that I can do anything worse than setting the oven on fire. Again. I may even throw some ingredients in the bread machine later if I'm going to be this charmingly domestic, or more likely I'll snap and go on a murderous rampage.

I've not been writing as much recently, I find that I'm tired all the time and the first things I drop are social networking sites, then socializing and then I start to regard leaving the house with great suspicion. It doesn't look as though it will be getting any better soon I have resolved to keep moving regardless, life with me does tend to be one push to get myself out of the house after another so I don't suppose I should be that surprised. Mathias has bought bottles of champagne to lure me out to a picnic¹ as soon as he finishes crashing around upstairs or "tidying" as he likes to call it.

1. OUTSIDE. IN THE SUN. You can't tell me that's normal.

Berlin was just as wonderful as I remembered it, although I was very surprised by how many shops and restaurants were closed on Sundays. We spent most of our time going to museums, looking at politically identified architecture and enjoying the weather as far as it's possible to do so while covered in sun block. Treffen was quieter this year, and we only went to three bands, but given that those aren't usually the reasons I go¹ so I wasn't disappointed although I did manage to miss Andy and Elin by contriving to be on the opposite side of Leipzig from them whenever any of us were free to meet up. Any hope I had of doing a comprehensive writeup has fallen by the wayside thanks to going back to work.

For some unholy reasons I've agreed to go to a Manic Street Preachers gig next week, I'm trying to listen to the Holy Bible in preparation but may give up and read Phonogram again instead.

I have voted today because as you know I have very strong feelings about that sort of thing, thank you Naval upbringing.

1. Mocking peoples horrible outfits-with-whiteface, drinking and being on holiday around a pile of goths.