Seriously??

So I'm getting over an illness (just started antibiotics yesterday), need my sleep, but had trouble falling asleep because of a cappuccino from earlier in the day (reminding me why I hate caffeine). I finally fell asleep around 1AM after an hour of lying in bed. Around 2:15AM I am awoken by my flatmates and many of their friends returning drunk from the one pound drinks night at the local bar. I have to yell at them THREE TIMES to keep it down. I fall asleep for literally fifteen-minute intervals between each of these times, only to be woken up again. The non-flatmates finally leave and I fall asleep, annoyed that I have to be up at 7:30AM and fully resolved to bitch them all out in the morning.

And then at 4AM the fire alarm goes off. It's almost 5AM now and we only just got back inside. Picture standing outside in the middle of the night in London in December. "Cold" just isn't an adequate term.

Seriously? FML.

Seven Day Meme - Day 2

Day one • a song
Day two • a picture
Day three • a book
Day four • a site
Day five • a youtube clip
Day six • a quote
Day seven • whatever tickles your fancy



Illustration of Jane and Mr. Rochester after the proposal scene in Volume II, Chapter VIII. Engraved by Fritz Eichenberg. Reproduced from the 1943 Random House edition of Jane Eyre.

For those of you who have seen the film Definitely Maybe, this edition of Jane Eyre is the one that April's father has inscribed to her before his death, the one which she is constantly looking for. But before it had a starring role in this movie (which I really like and think you should probably watch if you haven't), it had a starring role on my bookshelf. I found it for $2 at the Mission Viejo Library bookstore and was so surprised with my good luck that I almost couldn't believe it.

I love black-and-white engravings. And the engravings in this edition of Jane Eyre so appropriately reproduce the intensity, the emotion, and the gothic character of the novel. When I think of this scene in the book, I inevitably think back to this illustration. You can't see their faces, their backs are turned, but they shelter in each other, and the curves of their bodies are echoed in the curves of the trees. This image foreshadows what is to come just as well as Bronte's narrative does. And it's just so beautiful. I feel like all illustrations should be like this.

If you want to see more illustrations, you can check out this short article about the book, posted by someone else who owned it and loved it before watching Definitely Maybe.