Scabby TGI...

Can I just say TGI Fridays is ridiculously expensive for the type of food they serve. I was looking at the menu and I though WOW- pricey. Then when the bill came I was even more horrified! It was 71euro for THREE people! The prices listed on the menu which were already extortionate didn't include VAT or the service charge. To be honest the food wasn't even that nice. I will NEVER go there again!

We went to the cinema last night aswell. We saw The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past starring Matthew McCona-whatever and Jennifer Garner. It was alright- had some funny moments but I don't know- it was missing something.

Hmmm... last night didn't really go that well did it?

I'm grumpy!

Laters

Sal

Exams, Stupid Planes, Books etc!!!

As usual I have left an awful long time since I last posted. I just lose track of time with all college work and that. Speaking of which, I'm finished my first year of college, how mad is that? I'm in the middle of the dreaded exams at the moment- more on that later.

I must inform you of the dreadfulness that surrounded our trip to London to go and see Strictly Come Dancing the Live Tour- it will haunt me for the rest of my life. The Monday before we were supposed to fly out (which was the Friday) it started to snow. I just got this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach but I tried to ignore it. By Thursday, the snow storm had intensified and we heard on the radio that several flights from the airport had been cancelled. The next morning my Uncle K, came along with his Range Rover to bring us to the airport. It was looking good, the runway was clear and several flights to London had already gone out. We were waiting and waiting. Then that horrible voice came over the intercom to tell us our flight had been delayed. So we sat down and just waited and waited. Until about 10 minutes later that horrible voice came on the intercom again to say the flight had been cancelled. Well, I cried my eyes out- I was so looking forward to it. We went to the Aer Lingus desk to try get a flight with them but they had nothing. So we ended up missing the show. HOWEVER, at the beginning of March, Ticketmaster UK contacted the Father. They are giving us six complementary tickets to the show next year!!! So it's not all doom and gloom!

On the crohn's front amazing things have happened. I appear to be able to eat almost everything- except acidic fruit and spicy stuff. But I can eat peaches and plums! I can also eat peppers and RAW carrot... It's amazing! I never thought I'd see the day. I have yet to try out popcorn again- I'm waiting until I see my Dietician (which won't be until June) to seek her permission for it! Fingers crossed she won't see any probem with it. Before I was diagnosed I ate popcorn every night! And none of that microwave crap- we done the proper stuff in the saucepan! YUMMY!

Onto results and such. I was very happy with my first set of results from college. I got 5 first-class honours in Financial Accounting 1, Business Law 1, Research Methods 1, Business Communications and Computer Applications and 1 second class honour in Organisational Behaviour. This semester I'm quite happy with the way things are going! Going into the exams I have:

27/30% in Economics

15/15% in Financial Accounting 2

22.8/30% in Business Law 2

22.5/30% in Introduction to Business

28.5/30% in Business Information Systems

18/30% in Human Resource Management

This mornings exam was Business Information Systems, arguably one of the most boring subjects on the face of the earth. I wrote for 2 hours solid, all the questions I had practiced came up so it went really well. What I find kind of odd is my right hand started getting cramps in it. Why is this odd when you were writing for 2 hours solid I hear you ask- well, I'm left handed, that's why! Strange!

I've read so many books since I last posted so I'm only going to talk about a select few. But here's some pictures:

Ok, Falling for a Dancer by Deirdre Purcell has been my favourite book for a long long time but I finally have a new favourite book! The Thornbirds by Colleen McLoughlin- oh my god- the sadness of it! Curse you Ralph de Bricassart, I was crying my little heart out reading this book! It's pure amazing, if you haven't read it I suggest you go find yourself a copy because it is the EPIC of all epics!

Speaking of Deirdre Purcell, I read her follow-up to Falling for a Dancer, which is called Francey. I was expecting it to be amazing... so I was very disappointed with what I read!

Another epic which I decided to read was Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, now it didn't let me down but it was very sad! I was nearly crying but not quite! Not saying it wasn't good, just think I wasn't in a particularly emotive mood that night!

Anyway, I'm supposed to be studying for my Business Law 2 exam tomorrow! Chat to y'all again!

Laters

Sal

Get-a-Booty Mission

Well, the Christmas holidays have finally drawn to a close and I have returned to college. This means that I have also returned to feeding myself i.e., making breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t mind really. I quite enjoy cooking. I actually find it kind of relaxing. So I’ve been planning ahead by trying to decide what I’m going to have for lunch and dinner. Breakfast isn’t all that hard- a bowl of weetabix and 2 slices of toast, there’s not a lot of planning needed for that.
But lunch and dinner? They are extremely important because as I’ve discussed many times before I have crohn’s disease. This means that I need a very balanced meal. It also means I need red meat AT LEAST three times a week and I also have to find other iron sources on days when I’m not having red meat. So let’s say I decide I want gammon steak for dinner. There is virtually no iron in that, so I’ve created something so extraordinary and tasty that my dietician was glowing with pride- Black Pudding Mash. It’s quite simple really. It’s mashed potatoes with black pudding broken up and mixed through it. Now I’m first to admit that it looks absolutely awful but God it tastes GOOD!
On other days when I have say, chicken, I don’t bother with a source of iron with my dinner. Instead, I have chicken liver pâté on toast later on in the evening. Oh- it is so good. I know it sounds absolutely rank but trust me, it’s not!
In order for me to be able to absorb all this wonderful Iron, it is also essential that I drink Ribena with my dinner which is packed full of Vitamin C. I can’t eat ANY fruit or fruit juices so this is my only source of that particular vitamin. And let me tell you it works wonders because the last time I had a blood test my iron was up 2 points!
Speaking of blood tests and things, I have a hospital appointment 3 weeks after I return to college. This means that I am going to be on what I like to call the “Get-a-Booty Mission”. Last time I was at the hospital I got on really well. Normally when that happens my next hospital visit doesn’t go so well because I think I have a tendency to get complacent. Well, let me tell you, I am full of grit and determination to never let that happen again. My targets are to get my weight to 51.85kg or over (preferably to 52kg), my protein to 20 and my Iron to 12. They are huge targets, I know. But as my old biology teacher used to say, if you don’t aim for it, you can’t achieve it! They were all so happy for me in the hospital the last day that I just really feel I’ll be letting them down if all those levels were to drop again!
So over the past few days I have been busy typing up menu plans and searching for iron rich recipes and just some tasty recipes too to help me on my way to a big booty. One that I found was a Beef Stir-Fry. Naturally, I had to alter it because I can’t eat chillies or peppers (although I’m not altogether convinced about the latter) but it still sounds so so so tasty. The beef is marinated in dry sherry beforehand, so what could be wrong with it? Also, I’ve recently discovered that there is very few cooked vegetables that I can’t eat so I want to try stir-fried vegetables in Soya sauce when I’m cooking something like roast chicken.
Maybe that’s enough talk about food for now... the mother thinks that I’m becoming slightly obsessed with it... but I can’t help it... it’s just so tasty. But you can see that there is a lot of planning involved in a crohn’s sufferer’s diet!
Laters
Sal

Strictly Between Us!

Well, so far 2009 has been interesting to say the least. The wonderful father surprised us with something... there will be more on that later on. Also, I had a hospital appointment yesterday and I got the all clear. However, that is as much detail as I’m going into on that subject- kind of personal! Also, I went out for a meal with the family on New Year’s Day. Oh my God- Yummy! The only word to describe it!

Now, normally I don’t talk about books until the end of the blog but I only have the one so I thought I would get it out of the way. So the latest book that I have finished is “Bleachers” by John Grisham. It was quite boring to be frank. Nothing happens except some dude it dying and they’re thinking about memories of him. I’m surprised at you Mr. Grisham! You’re books are usually really good!

On to more interesting things- the New Year’s Day meal! For starters I had Mussels in a creamy garlic and white wine sauce! This was very adventurous for me and I have to admit when they were put on the plate in front of me I was horrified because they’re kind of orange- to me that is not a very appetising colour. But I pretended that I didn’t see the colour of them and marched on and popped one in my gob. Now, I wouldn’t go bonkers about them or anything but they were quite nice, the sauce was lover-ly! The father had chicken and vegetable soup and the sister and the mother had skewered Thai chicken. There was no complaints from them about their. On to the mains, I had braised lamb shank with roast carrots. It was by far the BEST lamb I have ever had. The lamb literally fell off the bone! Succulent, I think is the word all them posh critics would use! The mother had the lamb special which was chops with a herb crust. I tasted it- it was good but not near as good as mine. The sister had barbery Duck with a hoi sin sauce. She ate it ALL! So it must have been good because the sister very rarely clears a plate! I couldn’t taste it because of the sauce (stupid crohn’s). The father had Sea Bass with a Lemon and Dill sauce. Now, I’m not a fan of white fish but it was absolutely gorgeous. The mother, the sister and I all had shortbread with berries and cream. Tracy loved hers. I liked it well enough but because I can’t eat fruit it was a bit bland because I could only eat the shortbread and the cream. "Well then why did you order it? I hear you ask?" That’s simple, their dessert menu was rubbish! So all in all, it was quite a good meal. Although, the more I think about the mussels, the less I EVER want to eat them again!

Now on to the father’s surprise. On Monday evening, the mother came home from work and she hid a little note under my place mate. It read:

“Guess where I’m going on the 6th Feb
Would you like to join me?
Strictly between us!”

I know, very cryptic altogether. I hadn’t a clue what she meant. We begged her to tell us and eventually she told us we were going on a trip to London and then, the real bombshell was dropped- We’re going to see Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour in the O2 arena! As you can imagine, we were gobsmacked and also VERY happy. I was extremely giddy for the rest of the night. So giddy, in fact, that I was unable to eat my dinner. I still get a bubble in my tummy when I think about it!

Laters

Sal

Goodbye 2008

Well 2008 is coming to an end... I can’t say it hasn’t been an exciting year. A lot of things have happened since the moment when 2008 was rang in. I got through my mocks, then I got through my Irish and French orals, I got through the ACTUAL leaving cert, I started my first job, I got my ACTUAL leaving cert results and did way better than I could ever have expected, I moved away from home and I started college. And what is even better is, I did all that stuff without getting really sick from the crohn’s! But even though all that stuff is amazing (well to me anyway- I am a nerd after all) all that stuff is on the academic side of things. What I’m trying to say is... I have no social life. So that is my New Year’s Resolution... to get myself a social life!

So on to other things of note in 2008, mediawise. We had another amazing series of Strictly Come Dancing. Many people were convinced that the crown was going to go to Austin Healey but when he got knocked out in the Quarter Finals, the competition was knocked into disarray and no one knew who was going to win. But the crown was finally handed to the very deserving Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup after they danced a most amazing showdance in order the get their hands on that coveted glitterball trophy!

Padraig Harrington won not one but TWO more majors. He is now, most definitely, Ireland’s greatest sport’s m an. And if anyone says otherwise, I will hurt them. First he retained his British Open title and then he went on to win his third major in the US PGA! YOU ROCK PADI!

The Pork Scare! A typical example of the Irish media’s scare mongering, as thousand’s of perfectly edible cuts of meat were thrown out and wasted. It was a crime. I was particularly distraught during this time as I live on bloody pig meat- ham, rashers, black pudding, sausages... it was a horrendous time for me and everyone who had to live with me!

Poor Bertie was forced to step down as Taoiseach after much speculation about his finances (frankly, I don’t care where he got his money as long as he wasn’t stealing it for the taxpayers!) I’d say he is thanking his lucky stars that he got out when he did. Brian Cowen has really been landed in it!

Probably the biggest and best story of 2008 is that of Barack Obama. The first Black Man to be elected president of the USA! It’s about time! Also, isn’t great to have yet another left handed man in the White House? Now there’s a man you know you can trust to run a country! CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA! AT LAST!

Well, that’s my round-up of 2008. I know there is a lot of stuff I didn’t mention but I have talked about what mattered most to me... now on to books. I have read 3 books since my last post.

The first book is “Captain Fawley’s Innocent Bride”... it was my first experience of a Mills and Boon novel... and let me tell you it won’t be last. The mother told me that I would probably be able to guess the end as soon as I read 1 page but there was a few twists in the tale which kept me guessing! I loved it!

The next book I read was “Driftwood Lady” by LD Tetlow. It was a Western. It was ok, definitely not the greatest book I’ve ever read. At times, it felt like a ten year old had written it. Plus, there was too much repetition in it. It did my head in a bit if I’m honest.

The last book is absolutely wonderful! Another Mills and Boon, but this one was ten times better than the first, and that is saying something! It was called “Marianne and the Marquis” by Anne Herries. It was just brilliant. First of all it was set in Cornwall and Secondly, it involved smuggling... love it!

Happy New Year

Later

Sal

PS: I'm so excited, Grey's Anatomy is starting back on Monday! WooHoo!

PSS: I'm going out for the traditional Family New Year's Day Meal tomorrow so I shall let you know how it goes!

Festive Greetings

My apologies for the complete lack of blogging! But I have started a new era in my life and it has taken quite a bit of getting used to. Blogging has been the last thing on my mind if I’m honest! Since my last post, I got my leaving cert results which far exceeded my expectations- more on that later. I have also started college and have moved out of home (well- I come home every weekend). With all these changes I have also been trying to control the ould crohn’s disease which got a little bit temperamental in September and October but it has calmed down now... thanks be to Jesus! I have just finished my first set of college exams and I am now back home with the parents and the sister and I get to relax for a WHOLE month... bliss!

So, seen as I’m a nerd, my first topic of discussion is going to be my leaving cert results. I’m going to be quite boastful so I fear my head is going to get rather large. Having missed two months of sixth year and struggling through school with sheer exhaustion I managed to do damn good in my leaving cert. I’m very proud! For those non-Irish people, let me explain. The maximum you can score is 600 points. Most people study 7 subjects and then they count the best 6. For an A1 you get 100 points, an A2 90 points, a B1 85 points etc. It is extremely hard to get 500 points never mind 600! Well, mo chairde, I got 515... I was rather chuffed... in fact the mother and myself bawled our eyes out with sheer disbelief and joy! Here’s the breakdown:

English- A2
Maths- C1
Home Ec- A2
Business- A2
French- B1 (So proud)
Biology- A2 (but in fairness, that’s no shock. I have crohn’s disease- which is a disease of the digestive system and the digestive system came up in the exam).

So anyway, I got more than double the points I needed for my chosen college course, so I had no worries when the CAO day came around. I’m now studying Financial Services and I love it... obviously, I am a nerd after all.

In order to go to college, it was necessary for me to move away from home. It took a long while to get used to. First, just meeting new people can wear one out and then having to cope with brand new subjects and then having to feed yourself at the end of the day. And due to me having crohn’s disease, I couldn’t just stick a pizza in the oven I had to make everything from scratch. Because of all this, the disease reared its ugly head and I had to go into hospital for 2 days for tests and stuff. But I’m used to it now and at my last hospital visit, all the blood results were up and so was the weight... so I’m a very happy bunny.

Now on to my favourite topic of conversation- yep, you’ve guessed it- BOOKS! You might expect me to have read millions of books since my last post, but alas’ that is not the case. I will start from the last book I read which was “The Confessions of a Demented Housewife” by Niamh Greene. This book could be quite funny in parts but it wouldn’t set the world on fire. Sometimes the main character can be so dense you want to scream.

“The Teahouse on Mulberry Street” by Sharen Owens. I have to say I wasn’t expecting much from this book. But it turned out to be a really pleasant and light read. It could also be quite amusing in parts, particularly with the “Creepy Crawley’s”.

Of course, it wouldn’t be my blog if Meg Cabot wasn’t mentioned. I read “Airhead” by Meg Cabot. I have to say it wouldn’t be my favourite. It appeared to be unfinished to me which is very unlike Meg Cabot. I know it’s the start of a new series but the ending could have been a lot better.


I have also read two more Jeffrey Archer books, one which was far superior to the other. “A Prisoner of Birth” was a very good story but it couldn’t have got more farfetched. However, the courtroom scenes were savage!!! The other book was “As the Crow Flies”- typical Jeffrey Archer. It had me hooked from beginning to end and the ending was so sweet! I absolutely loved it!
Probably the most tragic story I have ever read is “The boy in the striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne. I did not see the ending coming and it is absolutely heart breaking. I couldn’t recommend this book highly enough!

That’s pretty much it. I’m reading a really good book at the moment. It’s so romantic. I’m not ashamed to admit it- it’s a Mills and Boon! More on that in a later post... which hopefully won’t be in 6 months time!

Oh my God! I saw The Killers in concert in August. They were absolutely amazing! The only thing that stopped me enjoying it to the full was the fact that I had to stand for 5 hours... my back was in absolute agony. But it was an amazing concert. They sang all the classics- Mr Brightside, Read My Mind, All These Things That I’ve Done. I love ‘em! I just bought there new album Day and Age... It’s not near as good as the first two but it’s still a good record!

Woohoo! It’s Christmas... don’t you just love the holidays with the smell of pine needles and Christmas pudding and the strains of “Fairytale of New York”? I’ve got all my presents bought so I can just relax and eat until the 19th January when Semester 2 begins.

Talk Later

Sal

Where do I begin...

Jaysus, can't believe I haven't posted a blog entry since the start of March!!! I guess that is what happens when you are studying for the gruelling Leaving Cert... which I'm delighted to say is ALL OVER NOW! And it wasn't too bad! I'm actually quite happy with how it went. Here's the rundown:

English- Paper 1 was a doddle as always. I was very happy with my essay. I based it in Glendalough and it was an auld soppy romance... you can't beat 'em... although I hope it's not a someone from the city who is correcting them because I may have insulted them... oh well. Paper 2 was ok aswell. The unseen poem was so easy! Although I think my Othello essay may have been a bit dodge.

Maths- Aah, good ould maths. Believe it or not I actually stuck with the higher level thanks to my wonderful sister! Paper 1 went really well for me... unsurprisingly I wasn't able to do any part cs but I tried them and all... and sure isn't that the main thing! Paper 2 wasn't quite as good... the probability questions weren't as easy as I had hoped but there was like 3 theorems on the paper!!!

Irish- It was ordinary level... enough said!

Business- To be honest I came out of my business exam a little bit upset. I got stumped on a questions about the advantages of privitisation and it was all I could focus on. But when I got home the mother made me go through the whole paper again and I realised it went alot better than I originally though. Still I'll be happy to just get a C3.

Home Ec- Oh my God! I was so happy with this exam. I absolutely aced the Question 1... which was on Lipids! YEAH! The teacher had predicted it would be on the paper so you can only imagine how happy I was when I saw it. The elective on social studies wasn't quite as good though and it will have brought my grade down! But overall I was very happy with it!

French- My god... how easy was the aural? I have never ever had an aural so easy! So I was delighted with how that went! The written exam wasn't too bad either. I got to write about Glendalough... again! I tell you, glendalough is going to help me pass my leaving cert! The comprehensions, however, were tricky... but they always are!

Biology- The best exam of the all. It went so well! And whats best is... the digestive system came up... I mean, who knows the digestive system better than a person who is missing a foot of hers and has crohn's disease? The short questions were really challenging but the long questions were just brilliant!!!

So there you go, two years of constant studying and it all came down to 8 days of exams... it's all over now. I just have to wait for the results to come out on the 13th August... fingers crossed, eh?!

Now, what else have I to tell y'all! Oh yes! The quiz team? Well, first we got through to the 4th round... we were delighted with ourselves we beat this really posh boy's school by 10 points. So we were so shocked to get through to the quarter finals... there we bet another boys' school by only 2 points to get through to the All Ireland School's Quiz Semi Final! But sadly, that's where we were knocked out... but we got iPods... I mean, that is a deadly prize for only getting to the semis!

Oddly, I haven't read hundreds of books since my last post. Between the March and the leaving cert I read like one book! which was A Woman Of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford. I read the other four after the exams...

It was an ok book but man was it loooonnnng. I thought I was never going to get to the end of it. It's a very good story of revenge and forgiveness, I probably would have enjoyed it alot more if I hadn't of been spending all my time studying!!!

You can always rely on Marian Keyes for a really enjoyable read. This Charming Man is very different from her other books. There is a lot of things going on and it can be a little confusing... but stick with it because it all comes together in the end and it is just a brilliant brilliant story... very dark but brilliant!!!

Why oh why are these books so addictive? They are just brilliant. I haven't read one in over a year... and suddenly I find three brand new books in my local book shop!! Anyway, both of these books are brilliant. Not a lot happens in Only in Your Dreams but after you read it you really really want to move onto Would I Lie To You which throws out some surprising storylines... especially about Dan... I didn't see that one coming!!!

Meg Cabot rocks!!! How can she keep turning out this absolutely hilarious books! This one ends on a cliffhanger and I will have to wait like a year for the third Queen of Babble book to come out... probably even longer because I don't live in the USA!

Here's what else has happened since my last post:

1) I got 420 in the mocks- be shocked if I get that in the real LC!

2) I have a new baby cousin... he's so cute!

3) I have my Debs date sorted! But not the dress... going to Dublin tomorrow to buy fabric for the dressmaker!

4) My health has never been as good and I have maintained my weight over 8 stone and I never felt sick once during the exams!

5) I bought tickets to see The Killers in Concert! I plan on sending Brandon Flowers a packet of strepsils a week before the gig... because the last time I had tickets for The Killers they had to cancel because he had a sore throat!

Yeah... that's all I can think of for now!

Laters

Sal

Confirmation of My Nerdiness!!!

Well- I finally have confirmation of my nerdiness. Even though I missed so much time in fifth year and 2 months of sixth year... so far. I have managed to get honours in maths, business, French and biology in my mock exams. I got a C1 in Irish but because I'm doing pass it doesn't count. So from the four honours subjects I have 260. If I got two more C1s (In home ec and English) I would have 400! Which would be amazing considering everything that's gone on and I only need 300! Just shows how much of a nerd I am doesn't it???

I have finished another book and it is ANOTHER Meg Cabot book... what can I say, the woman is hilarious! This time it was Size Doesn't Matter... it's the third book in the Heather Wells mystery series. It was really funny and it had a fantastic ending!

Went shopping today. Had to buy a present for the mother as tomorrow is Mother's Day. Me and the sister bought her a charm that says "Ma" on it for her birthday! It's so cute! We already gave it to her and the good news is she loved it!

Thats All Folks!!!!!!!!

Laters

Sal

PS: Sorry this entry is so short but unfortunetly mo chairde I have to go study home ec! You know me and my nerdy ways!

Another Day, Another.. Book

Well, after reading one book for two whole months I've actually finished another one in less than a week. That book is "The Princess Diaires: To The Nines" by the brilliant Meg Cabot and I have to say it is most definetly the best book of the whole series. I can't believe the turnaround with Lily and as for JP... it's quite shocking!!! The incident in the chem lab is pure brilliance... great example of Meg Cabot's comic abilities!

Now, I know this goes against everything I am (A nerd) but I haven't done any study AT ALL this weekend. I figure I needed a break after all those friggin' mocks!!! I'd sat I'm not the only one now... We were all wrecked after the first week... so you can imagine what we're like now!!!

I went shopping yesterday with the mother yesterday. I had to get a birthday present for my friend C. She won't be expecting it all (Not because I am a scabby cow or anything- In fact I'm far from scabby I LOVE giving people presents!!!) because her birthday was the 18th November... HEY- I was in hospital recuperating from major surgery, I didn't have time to think about shopping for presents. So anyway, I got her a lovely pair of dangly earrings and a pair of funky fluffy slippers!!!

Well, I went to the dressmaker yesterday... she absolutely loved the design I have picked. She's recommending that we get it made out of raw silk (pricey!!!). It's going to look really amazing though when it's finished!!!

Well, it seems that Dustin the Turkey is going to be representing Ireland in the Eurovision song contest. When I first heard he was trying out I thought it was hilarious and a brilliant idea. And then I heard the song. It's not even funny. They could have come up with something like "32 counties"- that was a really funny song. But "Irlande Douze Points" is just crap and it sounds like car alarm music! I think we can officially say what we have saying unofficially saying for quite a few years now- THE EUROVISION IS A JOKE!!!

Laters

Sal

Thank Crunchie it's Friday!!!!!

Thanks to be to jayzus I have finally finished the stupid smelly mocks. It was English paper two today and you know what, it actually went quite well. However, I only wrote two and a half pages for each essay but I feel I got my point across and as the English teacher always says "It's quality not quantity".

The question that I did on Othello was about the theme of Jealousy and Revenge and how Shakespeare portrayed it. I was delighted that came up because i had actually written a whole page on that yesterday in a condensed format so it was just a matter of padding it out. My conclusion- Let me tell you it KICKED ASS!

The question that came up on the comparitive section in Theme Or Issue was how the treatment of a theme/issue can add to one's enjoyment of a novel/drama/text/biography etc. I was quite pleased with this and it was my longest of the three essays. And considering I always had trouble with that one... Well, let's just say I'm very proud of myself.

The poetry question ROCKED MY SOCKS! First of all, Philip Larkin came up (and he is like the best poet EVER!) but the essay was based on this statement "What Philip Larkin's poetry means to me"... I mean, how easy is that... you can write about whatever you want.

Then the unseen poem was about the feeling you get when you finish exams, which was very appropriate when you think about it!!! I know what I feel FREEDOM!!!

In other news... I have got myself a summer job!!! I know I know... I'm very organised. But I'm just so thrilled to have it sorted because I need to money considering I'm going to be living away from home when I started college IN SEPTEMBER. I find it so hard to believe that I'm starting college in like 7 months time. I have to save up to buy a laptop and also if I want to remain in the luxury that I'm accostomed to... a job, well, it's essential really ain't it?

Oh my God... I thought I was going to have to go back to hospital last night! nothing to do with the smelly crohn's or anything now. But my right calve swelled up like a balloon and I couldn't straighten my leg... I don't know what was going on. But eventually the awful tightness eased. But it's kind of coming back again... it's like three times as bad as the shin splints! And they are bad.

Also, I'm going to the dressmaker tomorrow for the first time about my debs dress. I can't wait!!! When I was in Dublin last week I got a swatch of this beautiful emerald green fabric. Exactly what I wanted!!!

Anyhoos,

Later

Sal