Reading

"The atoms that had been herself would mingle with the oxygen and nitrogen in the air. Instead of ending up buried in the ground, she would become part of the sky: that was the way to look at it. Her invisible remains would combine, over time, with all the wonders under the sun. When it snowed, she would be part of it, falling softly to earth, rising up again with the snow's evaporation. When it rained, she would be there in the spectral arch that spanned from firth to ground. She would help to wreathe the fields in mists, and yet would always be transparent to the stars. She would live forever."

-Under the Skin, Michel Faber

The Body module has the absolute nicest set of texts ever, second only to the sci-fi and fantasy module so far. But the rest of the modules this sem are not bad, really. I need to get down to reading Rebecca once there is a pause in deadlines. Oh, and whiny Dracula too (stupid whiny crew of men...)

But Dracula is quite funny sometimes, actually. And like all long-winded A Level texts you tend to remember the crazy bits. Like this silly instance of extreme understatement, where Jonathan Harker realises, for the first time, that there is something very wrong with his host. Happened when he realised Count Dracula standing right behind him, but couldn't see him in his shaving mirror:

"But there was no reflection of him in the mirror! The whole room behind me was displayed; but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself. This was startling, and...... was beginning to increase that vague feeling of uneasiness...
(etc, etc...)
When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away, and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe that it was ever there...
(etc... he takes a while to get to the point)
Then seizing the shaving glass... and opening the heavy window... he flung out the glass, which was shattered into a thousand pieces on the stones of the courtyard far below. Then he withdrew without a word."

And how did our incredibly mild Jonathan react? Scream bloody murder and fling his shaver aside and run for life?

Not quite.

What follows immediately after the dramatic confrontation was,

"It is very annoying, for I do not see how I am to shave, unless in my watch-case or the bottom of the shaving pot, which is fortunately of metal."

......

One of the reasons why Dracula isn't as scary as one might think.

I think one of the main reasons why I remember this out-of-point bit so much was because Dylan used to find great pleasure in quoting "It is very annoying, for I do not see how I am to shave" to Shell and I, with lots to smug approval, much to Shell's exasperation and my amusement. Hehe. Seriously, I think that's the only line he remembers from Dracula -_-

Sheesh.

Random other-stuff...
My mum got me a very very pretty watch today =) Oh and Dr Y. accepted my Body proposal! I didn't have to redo! =)) And I finished exercise 5 =))) And the haze is gone and the air smells good! =))))

Looking forward to the end of the week where the next three deadlines'll be cleared up =)