an unusually cheerful entry

[ontology]

Today I got a package from the marvellous charismitaine, full of books (including The Ladies of Grace Aideu and a Trina Schart Hyman-illustrated The Sleeping Beauty and new-to-me books to get to know!) and cosy gloves + armwarmers and bookmarks and a button and A VIENNA TENG T-SHIRT. Which was too small for her and fits me exactly and aslkhglhg!

So now I can display my mad love for Vienna in public. Also the shirt is v. pretty and has lyrics on it and yay. (The thermal underneath is also new and pretty but mostly I am wearing it cos the weather is cold. I had another excellent Goodwill day on Monday.) In case there is a soul left on my f-list who has not come to know the beauty that is Vienna Teng, I offer the quietly epic "Love Turns 40", which still gives me delightful shivers after a year of listening. (And there is an accordion, along with piano and upright bass and an excellent string arrangement.)

* * *

Also I have been sleeping entirely too much and I'm not really sure why. I usually have difficulty with normal sleep patterns, but I was in bed at a not-unusual time (for me) on Saturday night and spent Sunday morning so exhausted as to cause mild hallucinations. I hate sleep-deprived hallucinations, because they almost always consist of me thinking that I am perfectly awake and doing whatever it is that I ought to be doing: in this case, listening to my father's sermon. I was so convinced that I was sitting upright with my eyes wide open and then I'd wake up and I hadn't been! It's worse when we're all at church -- Mum occasionally takes Heidi to the church we attended before Dad got the job here because they have children's church and we don't yet (mainly due to Lack of Children), and it happened to be one of those Sundays -- because Mum will see me falling asleep and shake me or jab me, which makes me very irritated because I am fully convinced of my wakefulness, and discovering that I have been sound asleep all of this time only makes me feel crosser. Oh well, at least I don't snore.

So that was Sunday, and ever since then my need to sleep has been severely disproportionate to my lack of sleep the night before. Not that I've been going to bed at eleven like a normal person, but my habits haven't changed much, except that I find it even more difficult than usual to wake in the morning, and spend quite a lot of the afternoon falling asleep again, waking up, convincing myself that I will go wake myself up in a minute, and finding that the minute has stretched into an hour. I wonder if there is some virus lurking in the depths of my system, waiting to spring; so far I haven't felt anything except a mild uncomfortableness in the sinuses this afternoon. Blah.

Still with the weird feeling of disconnection. Don't know what to do about that, either.

Comments

[last-archangel.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I want that shirt! So lovely! Maybe I'll buy it for myself for my birthday. Or my half-birthday, which is actually much closer. :)

(You're totally pretty, by the way.)

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Definitely one of my favourite artist shirts I've seen. Now I'm just hoping that someday someone will see me in it and say "....VIENNA TENG!". (And, hey, according to the website it's not terribly expensive, either. ^-^)

N'aww, thank you! ♥

[bornofstars.livejournal.com]

*flails*

I have that shirt on my wish list. And it has Drought lyrics on it? Oh my goodness, I want it even more now. Also, "quietly epic" is the perfect way to describe Love Turns 40. ♥

I've heard that sleeping a lot is a symptom of depression, so that might be why you're experiencing some trouble. = /

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Ack, I could have sworn it was "Drought", but it's actually "Homecoming" and "The Atheist Christmas Carol". But in scribbly Vienna handwriting! I've had my eye on it for some time too, cos it's just so pretty, and Vienna-ish, and it's the nicest of the shirts she has anyway. (I really like the Green Caravan tour logo, but I don't like white t-shirts very much; they tend to get dingy if I own them. :p)

I've always read about irregular sleep as being related to depression, but I've been depressed for years, in fluctuating degrees -- well, I've always had a really weird relationship with sleep, too. About two years ago I had the most wretched insomnia. I'd all but forgot about that. Lord, I just wish I could get all of this rubbish over with. :p

[airys1.livejournal.com]

I've seen Vienna Teng mentioned before, but I've never actually listened to any of the music. I've just listened to the track you mentioned and wow, haunting voice! Very nice musicianship as well..

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Yay! Heh. I like introducing people to splendid new music. ^-^

[shorelle.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a lovely shirt! VWhat lyrics are on it? Vienna Teng is sublime -- I wish I could hear her perform live, though I doubt she'll ever cross the Pacific. It saddens me that her music doesn't get more recognition, so huzzah for recs! :D

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

It's got "The Atheist Christmas Carol" and "Homecoming", all scribbly Vienna handwriting. I have a bit of a Thing for scribbly handwriting. ^-^

Argh, she came within about an hour of me last year, and the tickets were gorgeously inexpensive, but it was a twenty-one-and-over sort of place. I had about three minutes of mad excitement and then a plummeting fall. Alas.

She's got big enough to tour Europe, at least -- so maybe there's still hope. ^-^

[trolliepop.livejournal.com]

I've had times where I was half-awake and could have sworn I was either in class or up and getting ready for class. But then I actually wake up and realize I'm late for class.

[greyeyedpixie.livejournal.com]

Such a beautiful shirt~ :)

[suangelita.livejournal.com]

I have decided that I will listen to the Austrian person/band/thingamabob if you will succumb to whatever odd things I throw at you. After all, I'd best introduce S and H to "Where There's a Whip" today... ^_^

Speaking of sleeping, you can sleep, just don't oversleep or you'll miss "Stardust"...

I'm not getting enough sleep, so if you share, maybe we can even out! ^_^

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Whatever? I totally do not trust you. ^-^ (And it's a woman. Named Vienna. She's Asian-American.) Also I keep getting "Where There's A Whip" stuck in my head, and the Orcs look like zombie tortoises and aaaack.

Just you wait. I'm going to find something REALLY HORRIBLE to inflict upon you. (...Hey, I think I have Leonard Nemoy's "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" on my computer somewhere, because my father, who is sadistic, sent it to me. Hmmm... *wicked laughter*)

I'll have you know that I was up at nine thirty and would've been out of bed earlier if it weren't for the headache! And I even ate breakfast! So! :D

I'm thinking we should attach wires between our heads and run some currents through and see what happens. Or that could be a really bad idea...

[suangelita.livejournal.com]

Where there's a whip... *whip lash* There's a way...! ^_^

You misspelled Leonard Nimoy's name! Poor Spock. You've hurt his feelings... :P And I've heard it several times, so it's not going to be sadistic to put me through it. ;)

I'm afraid of what might happen if we attached wires between our heads and ran some currents through them... very, very afraid...

[charismitaine.livejournal.com]

There are lots of people who don't believe me when I tell them about 'Where There's A Whip', and then I have to explain why I own the movie on DVD, and have the Read-A-Long Picture Book, but still want to dismember Peter Jackson...

I'm nothing if not a paradox.

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

You know, I don't even believe in "Where There's A Whip". And I've seen it twice. (The song, not the whole film, GOD FORBID. Maybe if I'm ever on really loopy pain medication.)

[charismitaine.livejournal.com]

I've seen the whole film...many, many times. I watched it a lot when I was little (and I actually didn't realize it was supposed to have anything to do with the book until I was at least ten). I have a deep nostalgic fondness for it. This doesn't translate into any attempts to defend it or anything (someone once tried to explain to me why Bashki's LotR was awesome. I explained to them why it wasn't. He--it happened to be a full grown man--threw a temper tantrum and called me homophobic for not agreeing with him, because he also happened to be gay. I'm not homophobic--I'm you-phobic, silly Bashki-loving man!), but I'll still claim it, just as I claim The Last Unicorn as one of my favorite movies--I don't care how jacked up the animation is, or how outdated the soundtrack is (besides, I love the soundtrack on its own too), I think it's beautiful and shiny and Christopher Lee is made of win.

[burningstarsxe.livejournal.com]

I am constantly sleeping too much. I never get up until after 9:00. Of course, I'm never in bed until 11, but still. That's 10 hours of sleep, and one is only supposed to need 8. My dad usually only gets 6 or 7 and he functions quite fine. Sheesh.

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Adults are incredibly irritating that way. My parents are nearly always in bed before I am, and up far earlier. And they like sleeping! Curse this teenage body. :p

[tsunamisama.livejournal.com]

At some point, bed at eleven like a normal person becomes a very good idea. I discovered, after Japan, that ungodly hours just didn't work for me anymore, no matter what my brain and habits were trying to tell me. :P

[suangelita.livejournal.com]

Well, the hours you kept in Japan were rather... unusual...

Though I'm sure I don't know why... ^_^

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

Alas, I've been keeping ungodly sleeping patterns since I was two. :p Perhaps this is why, unconsciously, I chose career paths that involve erratic hours (writing, filmmaking). The in-between bits when I work as a clerk/waitress/general lackey will be interesting.

My entire being functions so much better at night. Curse you, social mores!

[builtofsorrow.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for Vienna! (I haven't listened to her in far too long though.)

I've been getting an obscene amount of sleep lately. Like 8+ hours. It's ridiculous. (I got fewer than 4 hours last night though, so ha! Take that Sleep!!!) Perhaps this is Something's way of telling us that we all should hibernate until Spring arrives.

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

You know, hibernation is beginning to sound really excellent. I JUST WANT WINTER TO GO AWAY, OMG. KILLLLLL -- ! Er, yes; all of these months of being chilly and cooped up and sunless are beginning to get to my brain. :p

[charismitaine.livejournal.com]

YAY! I'm so glad you got it! I was really excited when I went through your wishlist and saw that you wanted a Vienna Teng shirt specifically--there was an OMGYAY! I can grant a wish! moment that was very gratifying XD And I'm glad it will be proudly worn now! It was going to waste. I'm so pleased you like it :)

[charismitaine.livejournal.com]

Also (I forgot to say) the button says 'Smile in German'. In German. XD

[faeriemaiden.livejournal.com]

It fits like a dream, and OMG SO PRETTY. ^-^ Alas, I know no-one Not On The Internet who even knows Vienna, so there is no-one to make jea -- er, squee with, but I am hoping that someday I will be at a festival or a coffee shop or some other picturesque and interesting place and someone will see my shirt and say "ASLKHGH VIENNA TENG!" and there will be a Meeting Of Minds and it will be splendid. Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Also, is The Ladies of Grace Adieu not the prettiest book EVER? And Trina Schart Hyman is horrid and evil because her pictures are so detailed and full of personality that I keep making up the bits of the story that the words aren't telling in my head and it tends to want to be bigger. (This is why, as I have mentioned, there is this GIANT ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON FUNGUS GROWING IN MY MIND-CAULDRON.) Other books I have not yet read, but did you even know that Pakistan is one of my parents' Special Things? And I've been wanting to begin on LeGuin for a while but never really knew where to start at all. And your college book thing (...what do they call them, anyway?) gets to go join lady_moriel's. ^-^

♥!

[charismitaine.livejournal.com]

We call it our literature & arts magazine (and it has me in it!). The Ladies of Grace Adieu is definitely one of the prettiest books I've seen in ages--why do books not have imprinted fabric covers anymore??? I love them. Not that I don't adore a lovely dustjacket, but I don't hold them while I read the book, and a fabric cover is so pleasant to hold!