'Did someone say Fristmas?'

As if my excitement for Christmas couldn't be any greater than it had already been, my excitement for Christmas has become even greater than it had already been: I've been officially invited to a celebration of  'Fristmas' ('Friends Christmas') on the day we finish exams - we're talking the full Christmas works: the food, the presents (Fris Frindel of course), the crackers, the drink (there was even a specific reference to mulled wine somewhere, no joke), but with the added pleasure of company of friends, and minus the excruciating displeasure of having to make conversation with weird uncles and listen to nana farting all through dinner. Whoever came up with this Fristmas idea should seriously be given very extensive supplies of both mulled wine AND hot apple cider.

I'm looking forward to it soooo damn much now. Despite all my talk of Christmas spirit, I have to say I had been a little worried about being stuck with family for the entire holiday. This will be our first Christmas spent 'normally' since my Mum died, and I know though we'll try our hardest to make it as enjoyable as we can that there's going to be times when we all feel dark and lonely. It really is going to be strange... Even as I write that it's our first normal Christmas I'm amazed by how unthinkable this idea is to me, how mysteriously time works; it has been so long since it happened, and yet it could still be yesterday to me. It's been the longest and the shortest time of my life. And I don't mind that that's going to be an unavoidable part of our Christmas from now on, that it's never going to be a wholly joyous event in our house, that there'll always be a cloud. It's just that when those lonely moments arise it's being around my friends that puts a smile back on my face, and I couldn't imagine not seeing them at all, being stuck in our empty house in the middle of Winter... And aside from that, there are the more obvious reasons why I'm looking forward to Fristmas, the chance to get absolutely langered namely. So bring on the Fristmas!

In other news, I finally have an update on the Missing Artist (breath, reader, breath; I know this is exciting for you): Our Art Teacher has informed us that he will be visiting us some time in the coming year, as he is 'otherwise engaged' with art stuff in London... shit. Still, better late than never!

Missing

No sign of the famous artist today... I bopped into the art room today full of anticipation to be greeted not by a supremely talented young artist fast becoming recognised internationally as such (as he rightly should be), but to my dismay the only one to be found there was a cantankerous old gremlin-queen on a P.M.T related hissy fit about Michelangello (ah Mr. O'C, we love you really). I felt dismayed, but was determined to uncover the truth behind the absence of our 'guest speaker'.

I should explain: it was in fact said gremlin-queen (I'm going to stop referring to him as gremlin-queen now because I actually respect him a lot and think he's an amazing teacher... he can just be a bit of a bitch from time to time...) who had announced to us last Friday that on Monday Cian McLoughlin would be 'flying in from London', where he currently has an exhibition, to speak to the class about continuing a career in art. I didn't question the obvious absurdity in this because I figured since Cian Mc Loughlin is a former student of O'C's he was allowed to call in a favour once in a while. But when McLoughlin never showed today, and O'C was subsequently in a supremely 'trollish' humour, I began to smell a rat.

Inquiring as to the whereabouts of the missing artist after a horrifyingly boring art history class on the Cistine Ceiling, O'C snapped that he had been 'delayed', in a tone which suggested perhaps there were underlying causes at play; his manner put me in mind of an embittered ex-lover , perhaps, whose heart had been broken by some insensitive bastard along the way, or of a hurt and confused Ghilberti, teacher of Donatello, who was eventually overtaken by his more talented pupil. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the man (but mostly I just hated him for the shite class we had just had.. but anyway).

Now all I can do is hope that Cian McLoughlin will keep his commitment, if he's not jetting of somewhere else because of his sold-out high-powered money-spinning 'fame art'... Ungrateful little brat... I gave him all I had... And he discarded me like an old oil paintbrush that hadn't been washed properly in white spirits immediately after use... ahem.

Wow @ Artdude

Cian McLoughlin, one of my favourite artists ("and he's also a past pupil of my school - just throwing that out there, as you do... You know, I do a bit of sketching from time to time myself... What? Oh, these things?... Oh no, they're nothing special, just preliminary drawings really in preparation for a more major work of mine... Oh, you couldn't possibly think that! What? Why, yes, I'd be delighted to have you commission me to create a piece inspired by the the next up and coming dramatic production in the Temple Bar Arts Centre, though I can't for the life of me think why I would even be considered for such a prestigious commission as this, but you definitely will not regret this decision, my beloved patron..."), is coming in to speak to our class next week. I can barely believe it. I'm a little sick in my stomach. This is like how a normal person might feel if... Bono (as soon as I typed that I realised how embarrassingly uncool that would be and I'm about 20 years too late) came into give their class a talk, on the the virtues of carefully selected eyeware.

Just look at his stuff. It's absolutely awe-inspiring. It's like he a creates this dark room behind every drawing he does and has the figure emerging out of it into the light, making it all feel so real. And check out his website for more of the mindblowing same.