Bye bye ancient Greek

I have no staying power. One week into Ancient Greek classes and I quit. I wanted to at least make it to reading week, but sadly have realised that the earth goes round the sun every 24 hours, rather than every 5 days, and hence there are not enough hours to fit everything into.

Yesterday was the training day for Arts Centre stewarding. Oooh, I feel important. Especially with the news that we get our own torches to direct people to their seats. Wow! So far I’ve signed up to steward the Halle orchestra and some kids movie. The gross thing is that we don’t get our own T-shirts, but have to share them. The shirts only get washed every Sunday, so if you’re stewarding on Saturday night, you are wearing a shirt worn by maybe 6 or 7 other people during the week. Yuk!

I am also ill. I am not a fresher and I get lumped with fresher’s flu. NOT FAIR! I hope that it clears up soon as Anthony is coming to stay with me on Saturday. I don’t usually snore, except when I’ve got a cold, so he might not get much sleep. There are 4 bathrooms in my flat that he can go and sleep in if he can’t cope! It’s really nice to see old friends. I went out to the free concert on Tuesday with Gina which was fab, although it made me feel rather young that I was still at uni when she is now a 9-5 working woman. Still, my time will come. Not too soon I hope!

Very sad news this week about Paul Hunter, the snooker player who died of cancer aged only 27. (Being from Sheffield, I have a moral obligation to be obsessed by snooker) Paddy texted me on Tuesday morning (our flat is so big that we communicate by text, rather than actually knocking on each others doors!) to tell me. Very sad. Hopefully we’re going to see the snooker when it comes to the Arts Centre in November. Jimmy White! Yey! I am a huge fan! (And yes, snooker IS a sport.)

: 12 Oct 2006 16:17 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Top B madness

Yey! I’m now a steward at the Arts Centre! Don’t know why I didn’t go for it before. I go there so often, I should be able to claim squatters rights by now!

I am also re-living my undergraduate mis-spent youth, just to prove that I am not grown up yet. I was in the familiar position this morning of attempting to do my homework, 5 minutes before class started, with a hangover from Top B. Yey! I love student life! Top B was fantastic. It was so nice to get back into going out and I’m so glad that I’ve got some fab people to go out with. After Charlotte and Kate left last year, I wasn’t sure things would be the same, but I wasn’t banking on having completely crazy (and totally adorable) flatmates. There are still quite a few of the old classics crew around and so was also out with the lovely Rod, Sophie, Jess and Eli last night (Karl decided he was too ill to join us).

This blog was meant to be all grown up, and a place for me to discuss my research. Well … it may turn into that somepoint in the future. But for now, it will just have to document the drunken nights out instead.

: 10 Oct 2006 14:19 |  Comments (5) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Thanks Conor!

Follow-up to To work or to play?? from Alison's blog

Oh, and I should also add Conor to my team for the RAG quiz last night as the poor boy had to text me the answers to most of the Sport round. Text a friend is allowed, right?!

: 09 Oct 2006 14:45 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

To work or to play??

Well, I have so much to do, but feel that I really need too start going out otherwise I am a fake student and not a real one. Started last night with the RAG quiz where our team (my lovely flatmates Christine, Rainbow and Indira, my old friend Mel and my tutor from last year, Tim) managed to come 48th out of 110 teams. Not bad going, especially as we were randomly picked out to win chocolate. Yey! The fun continues with Top B tonight!

In terms of work, well … I need to do more! I haven’t even started the review that Dan told me to do, although I have been into the library and got books out. Mainly that was simply for the novelty of being able to get up to 20 books out, and see the librarian stamp them as not due back until the 15th January. I feel really important!

: 09 Oct 2006 14:39 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Trackbacks (1) |  Report a problem

End of week 1

Well, if I thought that doing a research degree would give me a bit more free time than a taught MA, I was very sadly mistaken. My fault really as I appear to be doing 3/4 of an undergraduate degree on top of the MA. Hmmm … obviously didn’t think this one through …! I started a night class in History of Art this week which was ok, although at the moment there are far more questions than answers. I’m used to looking at pieces of art and being told what they mean, either in lectures or by reading books on them. However, in the class we have to give our own opinions on the art, and are never told what the artist’s view was. Ancient Greek is still going ok, although 3 years on, I’m still as terrified of Margaret as I was in Latin! I’ve also just started the Domestic Space module, purely for my own enjoyment. It felt good sitting at the back and knowing that I would never have to sit an exam or write an essay on the subject!

Things are still good on campus, and it was fantastic to get back into going to the Arts Centre. On Thursday I heard a fantastic pianist at the lunchtime concert, and on Friday the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra was performing with the wonderful Guy Johnston on the ‘cello. It was rather strange going to a concert on my own though. Automatically I looked for Charlotte and Anthony in the audience before realising that they were causing chaos in Newcastle and St Albans respectively. I’ve just had an interview to be a steward at the Arts Centre, so hopefully I can start to see the concerts for free. Fabby!

: 08 Oct 2006 11:25 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Ancient Greek

I’ve just had my first class of Ancient Greek and it wasn’t half as awful as I remember the Latin classes. However, things could change somewhat as we have only done the alphabet so far.

There was even more free wine consumed at the kitchen meeting last night for Tocil flat 1. Sadly though, I think that’s all the free wine I’m likely to get for the rest of the year. I am also, very excitingly, the kitchen rep for our flat. 3 years of living on campus and it’s finally happened. I can now retire happy. This means I am in control of the bin rota for the kitchen. Oooooh! The power!!

: 04 Oct 2006 13:40 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

More free wine.

I love university! There was free wine flowing at the 1st year Classics party we gatecrashed yesterday, and even more at the postgraduate party today. However, I sobered up pretty quickly after seeing my tutor and being told I have to write a 2,000 word review of my favourite journal articles, assessing and criticizing their arguments. Hmmm … back to work I suppose.

I didn’t make it to Top B last night. Somehow staying in my room seemed so much more attractive than queuing for hours to get in and then queuing some more to get a drink. God, I’m getting old!

: 03 Oct 2006 14:50 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem