encroaching madness

[helenic]

Today has been three times crazy and it isn't even lunchtime. I got to my latin language supervision at 11am only to find it had been moved to 1pm, and I had to cancel lunch with Josh, who has an hour spare between trains and whom I haven't seen since Christmas. Cycled back to college to cook, seeing as I wouldn't have another chance until 3pm, and a quarter of an hour later came back to the faculty for my Herodotus lecture at 12, only to find that I was in a third year seminar on Plato's Symposium, and Herodotus has been moved to Wednesday. Added to the fact I can't locate any of the books on my Tacitus reading list in the library catalogue, I'm beginning to feel more than a little insane.

Oh, but today is beautiful. This last week has been beautiful; a half-mad mess of love and tears and far, far too much to drink. My brother and his girlfriend came to visit for the weekend for formal hall and King's indie night, and then rag carnival day on Saturday, with drums in the market square and jugglers and dancing. I bought stripy socks and we found a book fair in the town hall, full of the most gorgeous antique editions. I fell in love with a leather-bound Grimm, with exquisite acrylic illustrations protected by greaseproof paper, in which every highlight and star seemed to leap like light off the page. I held it enraptured for almost twenty minutes; I couldn't bear to put it down. It was £50 or I would have bought it; that and the first edition Lord of the Rings, and a gigantic twin Alice complete with the Hunting of the Snark and dizzying, sinister opium illustrations. Neither of us wanted to leave.

On Thursday the crocuses bloomed in the quad, suddenly revealing themselves in swathes of colour, yellow and purple avenues lining the path to the chapel, and snowdrops. Iain and I sat on the steps in the sun, talking of summer despite the chill air; the sky was Mediterranean blue. The whole of college is filled with fragrance. His present finally arrived two weeks late from Hong Kong: Fong Sai Yuk I and II on dvd. We celebrated unvalentines day Alice-style, with kisses on my bedroom floor and the sunlight shining on our faces, making his seem more beautiful than ever.

I wrote on his thigh in blue biro; I want to stay here till the end of time, till the earth stops turning … Gonna love you till the seas run dry. When I awoke the next morning there was a perfect mirror of it on my belly, imprinted from pressing against each other as we slept. The more I hear it the more I suspect that's the greatest love song ever written. We tried to make lists in the style of High Fidelity, but couldn't decide on the other four. What do you think?

Comments

[chandelier.livejournal.com]

your week sounds like a brilliant shade of
a smile. hope you manage to get on top of the books & timetables soon

love always
x

[libellum.livejournal.com]

thankyou darling ♥;it's always a rollercoaster of adrenaline and emotion. I'll never quite be on top of it all, but when I really push myself I can get alongside it...

lovexx

[mettle.livejournal.com]

top five...? oh...

there can't be one, surely?

how about the spiritualized 'ladies and gentlemen...' album in it's entirety?

or, let's stay together by al green. that's my number one on any list.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

maybe there's one for every day, or for every moment that seems to exemplify love? I haven't heard ladies & gentlemen but am at this very moment searching for it on kazaa.

I'm not much of a fan of al green, although your mentioning that song has got it firmly going round in my head.

[mettle.livejournal.com]

Maybe I could make a copy of the album for you. If you like. It is incredibly beautiful and should be heard in one burst. Other beautiful love-related albums are 'When It's All Over We Still Have to Clear Up' by Snow Patrol, and 'The Dynamics Of Modern Communication' by Junkboy. Oh, and, of course - everything the Cocteau Twins have ever done.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I've got the tracklist, so shall be sure to listen to it in the correct way. Thankyou for the offer though. And I heartily agree about the cocteau twins.

I hope you're okay?

xxx

[mettle.livejournal.com]

okay, i'm glad. sensible that is.
cocteau twins are often my bedtime soundtrack.
along with yann tiersan and sigur ros, they're perfect during twilight hours.
i'm as ever : sleepy and full of chocolate. i hope you're okay too.
xx.

[nepasavaler.livejournal.com]

what is that song? it sounds familiar...


as for others, i agree with mettle. ladies and gentlemen is one of my faves.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

lamb, gorecki. I've been listening to nothing else for about four days now.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_pyrexia/]

that is magical how that printed onto you
from his thigh
and that song
oh
(heaven)

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I was stunned by it at the time. I didn't know what it was at first - I thought maybe he'd written it on me while I was asleep - only I couldn't read it. Like it was a strange language. And then I looked in the mirror and there it was, a reflection of my love for him. The imagery is clichéd, but it was still overwhelming.

xxx

Re:

[http://users.livejournal.com/_pyrexia/]

aww but it is the sweetest thing.
like a faerytale.

[likeyesterday.livejournal.com]

Oh...sounds like you have had a gorgeous week, hon!
xxx.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

up and down, as usual. But I try not to rant in here about work as much as I do in real life. It would get tedious after a while :)

xx

[leafofgrass.livejournal.com]

Night and Day as performed by the one and only Frank Sinatra has to be up there...

Of course, I could be betraying a purely Americanized sensibility pertaining to love!

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I was waiting for someone to say Sinatra. I always think it's a shame when great songs are clouded by repetition. I don't think I know that particular song but I'll definitely look it up - I'm not a fan of his voice but the songs are very often genius.

[devevre.livejournal.com]

I too would pick Lamb as the creators of the greatest love song ever written, but I would go for one of their songs on Fear of Fours: Softly. Possibly I'm biased though because it reminds me of when Mr Jones and I were just beginning to get together. Gorecki comes quite close...

And I meant to say, I promised to send you a card but somehow being me (synonymous for disorganised) it never went anywhere. Still want one?

xx

[devevre.livejournal.com]

Actually - Lullaby on Fear of Fours, also.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to download Fear of Fours so I could make an intelligent reply to this, but they've been remotely queued for a week on kazaa now and I think I'm going to have to start again. Watch this space though; I have a feeling I'll love it.

And yes, I'd like a card. Would you like a letter?

xxx

Re:

[devevre.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'd love one... tell you what, I'll put my address on the card when I send it.

xx

[emilyx.livejournal.com]

i've added you, i hope you don't mind, let me know if it's okay :)

[safeinthecity.livejournal.com]

hmm, I did wonder why you didn't make entries anymore.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

ha yes! welcome to my secret hideout...

I thought you'd abandoned your journal too. Do you have a new place, or is that also secret? I'd quite like to get back in touch, actually.

xx

[safeinthecity.livejournal.com]

This is my current one. I did abandom LJ completely for a while though.

When I randomly noticed your website was alive again I came looking.