Hannibal at the Gates

I found this really cathartic. The most terrible people I have encountered:

1. C., bullied me from the first day of 5th grade to the last day of 8th grade.

2. C., I don’t know whether it was social awkwardness or what, but you made me feel completely unwelcome in my small group of high school friends by constantly mocking my virginity and gender.

3. Creepy guy that always stares bullets at me every single time I go to the Episcopal church. Still there after seven years.

4. N., at least two-time rapist/sexual assailant. No, we are not cool.

5. D., because even if it’s true, asking “Do you actually still think we’re friends anymore?” at the age of 22 is beyond cruel. Unforgivably cruel, but I suppose that was the point. I did think that, and I was devastated.

6. A., you may have held higher office than me, but that doesn’t mean you should have de facto dissolved my office. I don’t know what was up with you during that fiasco of a year that (you) ran the club. My feelings were hurt.

7. K.’s creepy friend who tried to knock my door down. You terrified me.

8. Dr. F., you are a godawful professor gog magog mahabhrata ontological axiom praxis. Grats on making your freshman western civ. completely incomprehensible to freshmen.

9. J., fucked with my head for kicks because I befriended you way back when you were a nihongo weeaboo, before your rebirth as superhipster.

10. J., were you really shocked that I was interested in you? Seriously? You’re so fucking beige.

11. K., the landlady, who would have begun eviction proceedings against me because “black men were seen coming from my apartment.” You are a racist sack of shit.

12. D., your parties may have been awesome, but I never forgot when you  used smoking as an excuse to feel up my chest several times.

13. L., spent your nights with me and your days fucking that anarchist. IIRC, we both ditched you roundabout the same time.

14. S., tried to fire me from Occupy.

15. J., alcoholism does not mean that you can invade my personal space.

16. R., spreading gossip about me was the shittiest way possible to try to get me to move out. It’s interesting that your term of choice for me was passive-aggressive, because you gaslighted me for around four months straight while always being too passive and avoidant to bring anything up to my face. Two-faced sneak.

17. J., you never knew what you were talking about any time that you opened your mouth. You’re a con-artist.

The British isles had a different way of determining dates from the rest of Europe until 1752. The English used the Julian calendar (Old Style), while the rest of Europe used the Gregorian calendar (New Style).

William III of Orange sailed from Netherlands on November 11th (New Style), and arrived in England on November 5th (Old Style).

And ‘remember remember the fifth of November’? Fawkes Night is celebrated traditionally on November 5th, as anyone whose watched V for Vendetta knows. The attempt to blow up Parliament and the arrest of Fawkes happened on November 5th, Old Style. But because everyone now uses New Style, it actually happened on November 15th.