Moments and Moths

Week 1 - summer's end

Ever since I can remember I have loved moths. I know it's an odd thing to like, most people like kittens or puppies, but to me moths are wonderful. I find them fascinating, in part this is due to there beauty and freedom; and also because they have such fragile, short lives and yet they live them to the fullest... And that is why I truly adore moths.

I guess that's what led me to try work here, at the Natural History Museum in London. That's where I am now, I have nothing better to do so I though I'd start a journal. So here goes.

Day one, August 27

Well I guess I should start by introducing myself: I'm Matthew, Matthew Thompson, I'm 18 and I work part time. Oh and I go to college. That's about it I'm afraid, there is nothing much interesting about me. I don't even have a girlfriend, come to think of it I don't have a friend who is a girl.... And I don't really have any friends ( unless you count Mr. Nibbles my cat, who is more of an unwilling victim than a friend) So yeh I guess you could say I'm not the most popular guy in my college, but at least I'm smart.... That counts for something right?

Unlike most I go to college to learn, not to meet people, or play sports.... You are probably beginning to understand my severe lack of friends. I don't mind though, as long as I retain my grades I don't care if I have fun or not. To be perfectly honest there is little to no one at my school who is remotely nice or interesting, the boys are all bravado and the girls are all glitz and glamour. Overall, none of them have an brain capacity bigger than a peanut, but they all have egos the size of Buckingham Palace.

Day two, August 28

It's fun just walking around the museum and watching people. It's kinda cool to see the mishmash of people who come here; some people are actually interested in natural science, others have been forced here on a school trip, but the majority have been dragged here as a 'fun' family day out. Even then no one really visits the my department, they're all to busy gawking at dinosaur bones....

I've had a pretty boring day today. Done nothing but watch the world go by really, it's holidays you see. Well it's the last week of the summer holidays, and I can't wait for them to end.

Day four, August 30

I missed a day, Not like anything important happened anyway. I just grouped the Apamea genus of moth into tribes and sub-tribes. Trust me it is less complex than it sounds and a lot more fun.

Today I had a few visitors to my department: a small group of foreign tourists looking for the "furry elephants," a man in thick spectacles and tweed (so I assume he was an entomologist) and an adorable elderly couple. Other than the man in tweed, they all spent about 5 minutes in my area; I'm beginning to wonder if its me...

Day five, August 31

It's Friday today and Friday means it is time to stalk my classmates on Facebook and snapchat as they slowly enter a vegetative state of drunkenness. That is always concerning; the moment you realise that Clive the computer dork, with the khaki shorts and oversize t-shirts, is seeing more action than his WoW character (or you!), you know that evolution went wrong somewhere.

Day six, September 1

Saturday. There is a huge party tonight; it's at some popular guy's house and will, no doubt, involve copious amounts of alcohol. I've been invited for some bizarre reason (guess Clive wasn't boring enough)! I'm going, mostly because I have nothing else to do and partly because I want to watch the carnage unfold.

Day six - The Party.

Wow. I don't know what to write. I feel speechless but I'm buzzing. I'm not drunk, and I'm certainly not high, but I am buzzing. Exhilarated. I have to write this down, it's too incredible not to spew it all into this book.

So this girl. God I never thought I would be this kind of guy but wow! She is just... Wow. Anyway, so I arrived at the party and all was going as expected; I was bored and people watching (just minding my business, sipping some water) when this girl just swooped in and stared chatting to me! That NEVER happens!

She was so nice and we just talked for hours; they practically had to kick us out at the end of the night.

Holy hell! This is crazy, legitimately crazy! I was so dumbfounded I didn't even get her number (rookie mistake, I know). All I have is a name: Eleonora.
As in Semiothisa eleonora. Is that a sign?