I fancied writing a new post, as I have quite a lot of time on my hands tonight, the parents having gone to bed pretty much as the program about the Amish teenagers on Channel 4 finished, and my sister having retreated, hermit crab-like, into the recesses of her flat-screen tv appointed room. My girlfriend is probably deep in Skype conversation with a uni friend off to China tomorrow, and so I'm rather on my lonesome. Or so I thought, because in a flash of inspiration, I remembered that with the internet, you're never quite alone at all. And tonight, not because it's important, and not because it's interesting, but for the simple reason that I feel like talking about it, I want to to consider a set of miniature topics. I realise this is unconventional, and that bloggers seeking fame are advised to find a niche, stick to it, and give long and detailed expositions on the area of their choosing. But I am an innovator (apparently a male trait due to risk-seeking personas, thank you The Naked Woman, by Desmond Morris for that one. It's not all good news though, the risk-seeking strategies evolutionarily encoded in men also mean at age 30 they are 15 times more accident prone than their female counterparts) and as such, refuse to shy away from this ground-breaking approach. I choose, as my starting position, Careers, and then will move along to two more, at least tangentially connected topics. My main reason for choosing Careers is probably because I spend most of my time talking about it of late with my partner. (Incidental note - I think I will now start to call my girlfriend my partner - it has more gravitas. Incidental note that occurs as I write this incidental note: possibly might make people assume I'm gay. Will talk to girlfriend/partner about what she thinks.) Anyway, after an inexcusable amount of rambling, here we go:

Careers.

It's not a 'come hell or high water' type thing for me, but at the moment, I quite fancy being a solicitor. Apart from the obvious draw of the profession that solicitor is, in fact, an anagram of 'clitoris'. There are lots of things going for it. Decent pay, varied work, and a sense of involvement in bigger things. But my goodness if it isn't tricky to get into. I'm applying again for internships this year, after a stunning failure last year, and hoping for a bit more luck. But sometimes it does feel, especially considering the type of people I went to uni with - many of whom are all over high-flyer careers already, that the boat has left without you. I've got my hopes set on a vacation scheme at Slaughter and May this Christmas - I think I have more than a rubbish chance, but as last year showed, the track record is not exactly superb. I would just like to get one really, as I do really feel once you have one, it would become exponentially easier to get the next, and in turn the next, ad infinitum. Plus I use phrases like ad infinitum, and someone has to love that right? (Speaking of latin, I today learned that 'invictus' was Latin for 'unconquered'.)

Sartorial elegance.

But if you've got a career, and god willing, I will do some day, then you have to look the part. I actually think I'm quite a good dresser, but perhaps could do with toning it down a bit. I saw a classic suit for sale  at Charles Tyrwhitt (most difficult shop in Britain to spell?) which I fell in love with, in a terrific shade of blue, lighter than navy, but just about doable for formal stuff. Imagine my face on the below picture:



I KNOW. Brilliant isn't it. Don't get me wrong, I adore my suit, and, bespoke as it is, nothing else is really going to fit as well. But seriously, how nice is that for a second suit? I even think it's three-piece, which is of course, preferable. I also quite fancy getting a nice new handkerchief, maybe polka dotted. Is that too banker-ish? I don't know. I feel all materialist, but in a good way. It's like the burning you get when you accidentally get Deep Heat on your genitals - all-consuming, but invasively pleasant. This is what the girlfriend/partner must feel like when she buys most os ASOS.

Pet


I have a pet, a great pet, but when you're a grown-up (and if you have a career and sartorial elegance, well, frankly, I don't know what else to call you except perhaps 'object of envy') you also need a pet. Even in London I think this is true. Imagine taking Fido/Trixy/Cornelius/whatever it's called for a walk in the morning chill of an early start in Hyde Park. Or relaxing on your grown-up sofa in your grown-up flat with your down-right grown-up cat (possibly a rescue cat for extra grown-up, socially responsible brownie points). I'd even be happy with a rabbit if it could be housetrained. I did historically always want a monkey, but since that case where a monkey ripped off a woman's face, I'm rather beginning to think better of it. Possibly a substitute of one of these badboys might do it.

Personality Tests

Ok ok, I said I'd do three, but the little monkey made me think about that monkey in The Golden Compass (or The Northern Lights if you weren't a horrid little American brat like I was when it came out). Plus it's slightly related to the Careers bit because of psychometric testing and stuff, so it kind of takes us full-circle nicely. Although, honestly, I really don't care about that, I only want to find out my daeaeeeaaamon or however the hell Pullman decided to spell it....

(I've gone to do an online test)

...hmm, looks like I'm a magpie or a raven. Not sure how I feel about that, especially as the profile doesn't sound like quintessential Danny. Plus, I'm not sure a magpie is going to be badass enough for me really. Might retake. But it's like a massive effort. I guess that a magpie is good enough. Actually I just saw the picture below and I'm warming to the idea. He looks pretty dangerous. Bet he's scrappy in a fight too. Yeah ok. Magpie, you're cool.

Labels: bored, random

"The circle of human knowledge, illuminated by the pale, cold light of reason, is so infinitesimally small, the dark regions of human ignorance which lie beyond that luminous ring so immeasurably vast, that imagination is feign to step up to the borderline and send the warm, richly colored beams of her fairy lantern streaming out into the darkness ; and so, peering into the gloom, she is apt to mistake the shadowy reflections of her own figure for real beings moving in the abyss.

Sir James George FrazerThe Golden Bough

April 2010 / May 2010 / June 2010 / July 2010 / August 2010 / September 2010 / February 2011 / April 2011 / August 2011 / September 2011 /

Hello Canada / New, and arguably not improved. / Sherlock / BONJOUR MES AMIS! / Losing London / Plain old Texas / ISLAND / I LAND / I'm so popular. / Shakespearean folly / Rev Road /

The title of this blog comes from a poem by Coleridge, A Wish: Wriiten in Jesus Wood, Feb. 10th, 1792, Plus most blogs are moans anyway. Including this one. lol manuscripts

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I'm a 23 year-old student in London Cambridge London, studying English Literature Law. It's hard to really think of anything truly personal I can put here that might give you some idea of who I am, so I will just tell you that my favourite Shakespeare play is Richard II, my favourite chocolate bar is Snickers, and I have a bit of a thing for instant coffee, especially if someone else makes it for me.

I'm interested in Renaissance Literature, Higher Education policy, and libraries.
I'm completely in love with a Scottish girl.