HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! / Getting in the Mindset

Hello!

After a brief lapse in the general doing of things, and the complete deterioration of my health, I'm just about back on my feet.
I've landed myself the small part of Agatha in the Uni musical Guys and Dolls - hopefully a fun stepping stone on my way to superstardom in next year's show - and am now obsessed with getting my hands temporarily on a trombone and teaching myself to play one necessary tune from said musical, as that's what Agatha does. She plays the trombone. I don't play the trombone.

My birthday on the fifth - BUY ME PRESENTS. And come to my sparkler party.

Right. Ok. Onto work.
I'm really finding lectures fascinating, since they're delving into things I only touched on at A Level. The materials used are also really interesting.
The only problem I find is the amount of information I daily find myself attempting to force into my mind.
I desperately need an Athens account, because I need to get essaying.
Tomorrow, I'm going to write my introduction, and on Monday during one of my breaks, I'll be setting up an Athens account and reading up on Bruzzi (I think that's right...or is that the First Lady of France? I dunno) and stuff like that, and finding quotes.
I also need to get googling. I've noted down a number of theorists names that I think is pushing triple figures now, with the intention of looking them up.
I also really want to google my lecturers (makes me LOL when lazy people on my course pronounce it lechers) and have a look at some of the work they've done.
I bet they're on IMDB.
That's one of my lifetime ambitions. To be on IMDB. And to have my own wikipedia page.
Although wikipedia is actually pure evil. Don't ever go on it. And do NOT quote from it.

What I'm loving at the moment:
80s Documentaries from our man Hugh Chignell about weird swimming people and obnoxious children who like ducks,
Complaining about fly-on-the-shite 'documentary' The Family because it's just...well, it...to use truly classy critical and analytical terminology...it sucks balls,
People getting stressed out in lectures because they're just trying to make a point and everyone gets so bitchy and no one else seems to understand their point of view!!!,
Marian's tights (where do you get them???),
And my family coming down and making me all happy and helping me live on when I was on the brink of death from fresher's plague...all good!

Watch this space - soon to come: things that are even more helpful and academic.

PS. Leave your sink dripping, just a little, for a day. I know Gordon won't be happy, but I did it - accidentally - and this like black fungal shite formed round the drippy area. Dad said: 'That's carbon. This must be an area of really hard water'.
You heard it from Dr Dad. But is this bad?
Here is your homework: Find out if carbon kills you, and if so, how fast. Then do the drippy test.

Happy learning!

20 Fresher’s No-Nos, in no particular order

Some general rules from Fresher’s Fortnight at Bournemouth University.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to have any personal experience of the following

DO NOT:

Go ANYWHERE until you discover when the cheapest buses are and where from.

Abandon your flatmates.

Buy little food regularly. Buy enough for a week and MAKE IT LAST.

Try living off tuna.

Pull people because you can/you’re ‘supposed to’ in Fresher’s week.

Buy/eat things as a reward for something/to cheer yourself up.

Take out more cash than you need.

Let the IT people get away with not helping you!

Lose your virginity in a fit of passion perhaps disguising excitement at your new-found freedom.

Become the person everyone wants to get drunk (it basically means you make them feel better about themselves because you’re a dick).

Start smoking.

Give in to any form of peer pressure.

Presume you understand your timetable.

Ignore your fresher’s flu. Fix it! Benylin saves social lives.

Get a double unless someone else is buying.

Go out late with no coat/jumper. Sure, it’s warmer than home, but it’s still Autumn. And it rains.

Settle for the closest food store. Find the cheapest!

Snack while waiting for your pasta/rice to cook. You will eat EVERYTHING.

Let your appetite balloon due to middle-of-the-day boredom.

Drink so much that you feel immune to alcohol until you reach a particular cut-off point when you suddenly realise you’re about to puke.

Hi, everyone!

Hey, it's 2:10 in the morning and I'm starting my first ever blog...
This is my life. This is the thrill of the ride, people. Yay.
Nah, it's going pretty well actually.

I'm on week something (low in the single figures area) of my time at BU, and enjoying it.
Due to unfortunate events early on, I have become a bit of a hermit in my room, but don't let that make you think I've got on with much work so far...

Well, Ok, I've written a million sets of notes about what I SHOULD be researching and what my first assignment (on the effects of bygone documentaries and documentary-makers on those of today) will EVENTUALLY contain, and I actually managed to borrow a book from the library, which was due strangely early...please tell me how you can read a umpteen-thousand-word reference book in four days?
Anyway, at least I'm feeling guilty about the lack of research, which means I'll inevitably get round to it.

Enjoying lectures, though some people seem to think they're turning into bitching sessions.
I always seem to be learning something new in them, especially the images ones, because despite my decent grades in A Level Media Studies, I'm always finding out new stuff.

I am proud to say going out at night has not yet affected my attendance or interest for lectures, seminars etc. I'm not saying it's clever, or that you should do this yourselves, children, but I got in at six o'clock yesterday morning, was prepared to make it to uni for nine (yeah, I find it hard to understand my timetable - I was actually due in at eleven) and did not fall asleep or lose concentration for a single second all day.

A lot can be said for the powers of coffee.

HOWEVER, I am spending too much money. I should get a little thermos, so I don't blow everything at Costa. Also, I'm getting very fat from my diet of pure carbs, pastries and general boredom-eating.

So. This has been very constructive.
Perhaps this first post can be seen as the first step towards my achieving perfect-student-hood - admitting I have a problem.

Or several.

I'll get better.

Drop in again soon, when I'll have something constructive, interesting and positive to say.

x