Chivalry, Is It Dead & Does Anyone Even Care Anyway?

Some things in life make me cross. Generally being around 'the public' is one of them. (I'm not really a people person). But some things make me more cross than others-today for instance (you knew that was coming didn't you?). I was sat on a train, minding my own business, when it began to slow down to pull into my station. I put my hand on the pole to indicate (so I thought) that I wanted to stand up. All of a sudden the aisle next to me filled with blokes, all pushing and shoving. One of them nearly hit me in the face with his holdall. By this time we had pulled into the station, and I actually couldn't stand up because there was someone so close to my face, and I had no wish to scrape it along some strangers bum just in order to get off the train. It's not like I had masses of stuff (one fairly small ruck sack and a carrier bag), but I just couldn't get out of my seat. And you know something? Not one of the blokes jostling me waited for me to get out before they pushed past me. In the end I just shoved my way past the next person in line, muttering angrily under my breath.
So I ask the question, is Chivalry actually dead?
Now I know my feminist friends are probably going to be reading this in horror thinking "But Jenni, you're an independent modern woman! Why should you want men to wait for you?", and don't get me wrong-I hate the way men objectify and lust over women along with the rest of you. I think far too many men have far too little respect for women as a whole, and it's something that really does need to change.  But I actually find it quite nice when men show a little bit of courtesy towards me. In fairness, I would have been just as cross if it had been women stampeding past me on the train too, so I guess all I wanted was for someone to be polite enough to offer me the chance to get out before them, rather than shoving my shoulder out of the way as if I wasn't there.
But ladies, let me put this to you, as I am genuinely interested in your answers. Say you were walking along a corridor with a man you knew, a friend, a colleague, a boyfriend etc, and he stepped ahead of you to open the door for you and allow you to go through first. Would you feel pleased that he thought of you, or would you feel patronised that he felt the need to help you out? I personally have never felt offended when this happens to me, I see it as more of a compliment really. I don't think he's saying "You are woman, woman cannot open door", but more enjoy the pleasure of having someone do something nice for me. I have never objected if my boyfriend offers to carry one of my bags for me, or when he walks on the outside next to the road so I don't get hit by a runaway carriage. It makes me feel good, coz it's like he is looking after me. I don't understand why people take so much offence to it, personally.


But let me know what you think!
Is Chivalry dead, and if it is do you miss it/think it should come back?

Jenni

My Week, The Highs and the Lows

Something different this week, because I am bored of posting more pictures than text. Here's a summary of my week, then.
Highpoint: Tuesday. Got inked. Have wanted this done for ages, and now I am falling in love with it a bit more every day. Good job really, considering it's on me for the rest of my life-eek.

Lowpoint:  Wednesday night (Technically Thursday morning.) Minor emotional breakdown at half past 5 in the morning. Very very grateful for having a friend in Australia who was awake to tell me that I was being stupid and to go to bed. Sound advice. (Thank you!)

Lowpoint: Thursday, busy busy.

Highpoint: Thursday. Sign Language class-first of the term. Hard work but very gratifying. I can now say elephant in sign language, and who doesn't want to do that? 

Highpoint: Thursday evening. Skype with Amycakes. Who spent a large portion of the conversation with a rubber duck (named Felicity) on her head. 

What can I say? My friends are weirdos. I also made her fall off her chair laughing 2 and a half times, because I am awesome. 

Lowpoint: Friday afternoon. A very stressful train journey for a girl who doesn't deal well with being surrounded by lots of people...

Highpoint: I got my cuddle. And then I went and spent a lot of time in Asda with Nate and Zoe and Jason. I bought nice clothes, and it was actually rather a lot of fun. Yep, we are that cool. 

Highpoint: Saturday/Sunday. LITTLE SHOW. Fabulousness. Dancing like a drunken old lady, being one half of the cutest Tweedles around, performing one of my favourite songs with 8 other wonderful voices, getting on stage without any costume catastrophies and actually feeling sexy in my corset. Never having to sing Katy Perry's Firework again, going wrong within the first 30 seconds of stepping on stage, and making everyone else in the cast giggle. Awesome people. It was, quite frankly, brilliant. 

Lowpoint: The end of Little Show. The end of me constantly being busy on a Sunday. All my friends doing North Notts and me being on the periphery watching, and hearing about it. Sigh. I know it's for the best and all, but I am gonna miss those guys/being busy. But I guess you can't have it all.

So for now, that's me.

Jenni x

My Week In Photos Parts IV & V

"Jenni! We did not get a 'Week In Photos' post last week!", I hear you cry.
I know, I know, and I am very sorry about this. I have just not taken many photos recently.
To make up for it...I am going to give you a special, limited time only offer of TWO WEEKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. Which is nothing but your time, so it's not much of a bargain, I am afraid, but here goes.

26/9/11-2/10/11
Monday
First day back at uni after summer, first lecture, first 9am start, first day of being perpetually exhausted.
I got through it, just, but it was a close call.
Tuesday
Second day of lectures, second 9am start, 2nd can of Relentless in 2 days...
Oh and this-

Give It A Go Chocolate Tasting. Best job in the world??

Wednesday

Wednesday was a looooong day working at the Fresher's Fair. 

By the end of it I was aching all over and all I wanted to do was sit in a hot bath until I was entirely wrinkly and then have a massage. 

It broke me!

After the Fresher's Fair was finally over, I limped my way to the USLES casting session, and was very pleasantly surprised by the vast numbers of people there to audition for us. So many in fact that we have ended up with two entirely separate casts for the Uni and the Kids cast shows. As President, I am VERY excited about this!  I am playing "Clean Dick", which also makes me jolly.

Thursday

I went to my Nate's house after uni, and pretty much slept through to the next day, for I was a very tired girly!  I just can't cope with 4 9am lectures in a row-I am only a student after all!

Friday

I can't recall I did much of note, apart from went home (Nottingham home rather than Sheffield home) to prepare for dress rehearsal weekend. 

Saturday/Sunday

Dress rehearsals for The Little Show at the two venues. Hard work but good fun.
ONLY ONE REHEARSAL LEFT!!

3/10/11-9/10/11

Monday

Presidential training-I am now qualified to say "We're not insured for that".

First USLES Committee meeting of the year.

First USLES rehearsal of the year-awesome times. Looking forward to our show very much!!

Tuesday

No lectures, which was odd and left me feeling a bit displaced in the world. 

Met up with Roz for a brief flying visit, which was a lovely catch up.
Saw The Wombats at the O2 Arena in Sheffield-which was pretty damn awesome.
Went Geocaching with Elita and actually found one!

Such a feeling of accomplishment! 

Wednesday

Rode the Paternoster with Elita and admired the gorgeous view from the top.

USLES's second rehearsal-get to know your characters!
Thursday
BusyBusy-lots of lectures all crammed in on a Thursday for no good reason.
Friday
Bit more of a chill out day this one, spent a lot of time preening myself coz I am a peacock.
(Also coz my Nate was coming around and I am, somewhere underneath, a girl)
Saturday
GIAG Yorkshire Wildlife Park trip. If it hadn't have been raining all day, it would have been a fab day out!

This is Casper, the only lemur brave enough to play in the rain.  A bit cheeky too!

Also went to Goose Fair with Nate and Zoe and Jason! Fun times.

No photos though, due to the rain and the chavs likely to nick the camera!

Sunday
Final Little Show rehearsal, eek! Looking good though!

And on to the next week!
I realise this is very delayed-what can I say? Rubbish!

Until next time,
Jennibear x x

Hello Sunshine...

I have, quite ironically, had this song stuck in my head today. I say quite ironically, because if you have ever spent any time in the mornings with me you will know I am a very grumpy person indeed. My housemate said "Hello Sunshine" to me at about 8.45 the other day and I actually growled at her. I am, I think it's fair to say, unequivocally not a morning person.

Another housemate sent me a picture the other day of "How to feel more alive in the mornings" or something similar. It was filled with nauseating advice such as "get out of bed and do 10 star jumps-the blood flowing around your body will really wake you up". It was clearly written by someone who already is a morning person-because I can't think of anything I would like to do less when I have just got out of bed. Apart from another one of their suggestions-"Have a cold shower, if you can bear it."-I can't, and neither can any sensible bear-like lumbering sleepy mass. My preferred way to wake up and be fairly able to tolerate the day is when the hour is at least in double figures.
However, this morning something fairly miraculous happened. After my 9am POINTLESS tutorial, which lasted for all of 10 minutes, I was cross, and grumpy, and veryvery tired. At which point me and a course-mate decided we were going to ride the newly re-opened Paternoster lift in the Arts Tower. Why yes, it is the tallest one in the UK. I have wanted to go on it since my first open day way back in 2007, but it has sadly been closed since I started at Uni. Not today though. Today we rode it all the way to the top, and got out to see if we could find a good view, which we did-in the toilets of all places. Thankfully, there weren't too many people around on the 18th floor at quarter past 9 in the morning, so we spent a good while just drinking in the sights across Sheffield. And oh what a view!

My city is, quite frankly, gorgeous.

The sun was streaming through the clouds, and we could see for miles. B-E-A-Utiful. And all of a sudden, I didn't feel tired or grumpy any more. It was just so lovely being up there looking out over the city which was still barely awake itself. If it wasn't so weird just hanging out in the girl's toilets, I would spend much more time there, just waking up.

So. There is my advice to you grumpy morning faces. Find something beautiful that takes your breath away, and you shed the grumpiness like an uncomfortable jumper.
On the other end of the spectrum, I am going to bed.
G'dnight x

Atheists; The New Evangelicals?

As you may know I am at university currently, woop and yay. At university, people join societies to meet with like minded people and to generally have a nice chat about it every once in a while. Also yay. Some of my friends at university are in the Atheist Society. Fine, no issues thus far.
I recently read this on one of their posts: "Child rape by Priests makes me feel physically sick. How anyone can be associated with this disgusting institution by calling themselves a Catholic is beyond me."  
Now this is where I find myself a stumbling block. I have no issue with people being in the Atheist Soc. I can appreciate that like minded people want to club together and chat about the things that they believe in (or not, as the case may be) together. My issue falls in the condemning of other people's beliefs just because of things that people in the organisation did. Don't get me wrong, I think it's deplorable that this has been allowed to happen within the Catholic church, but I don't think that people who worship as a Catholic should be tarred with the same brush. I don't think that Catholicism is a bad thing, and I don't think that anyone has any right to tell someone what they believe and live their lives by is wrong. I am an Atheist, but I don't begrudge anyone their faith. I don't rush up to people in Churches shouting that "God isn't real!" because everyone has to make their own mind and heart up. I totally understand that people draw strength, and wisdom and morality from their religions, and I don't think anyone from anywhere should be telling people that their belief system is wrong. Religions, as a whole, are very good at this. Anyone who believes in anything other than what they teach is, usually, damned. What intrigues me is that in this case it is the Atheists, the very people who go against major religions sort of...acting a bit like one. Evangelical Atheism...the very idea is terrifying.