Long Time No Speak

Once again I left it months before I bother to post a blog. I'm not very good am I? Yet I can waste plenty of time on Facebook talking nonsense!

Well I'm almost at the end of the first semester which means I'm half way through my final year at University and so far so good. The first draft of my dissertation has been handed in, reviewed and I'm currently working on the second. I've finally got a 2:1 in an English Lit assignment so I'm buzzing about that too. My elective module hasn't really taken off yet. I'm involved in the production of an in house publication for the University known as Impact. I go and interview lecturers and find out what sort of research they do for the courses they teach etc. I like talking to various members of university staff and finding out what goes into degree courses.

My internship with ceth has been a busy one. Vic and I have been asked to do kinds of things for the publishing house. We're creating lots of databases for MA students and assist with the planning of a Crossover Fiction Conference that will be going ahead next year. I'm fairly new to crossover, I've never picked up a copy of Harry Potter in my life and it turns out there is much more out there! There are all kinds of questions being asked and I'm finding it fascinating. I'm currently working my way through a novel called Uglies while I battle with Atonement for my Film and Literature module.

Speaking of Film and Literature....this has turned out to be a really interesting course. Films are adaptations of the novels they're based on and we forget that when we see the film. We always walk out of the cinema saying it was rubbish but I've learnt that films can never be exactly like the book. What helped me to understand more about this was our assignment. We had to take an extract from a novel and adapt it into a screen play, taking into account the camera angles, actions of the actors, props, scenes etc. It was really hard to do but I got there and got a good mark. So now, not only do I read differently but I watch films differently too. This course has been truely amazing to me.

I've had quite a few money problems this year. I only worked 10hrs a week over summer and that is when all the trouble started really. Come September when I received my student loan, money was going here there and everywhere as I caught up with myself but of course this has had consequences. So I sold all my good clothes, shoes and books on ebay. Even turned some jewellery into cash but I'm well and truely out of funds now, and I've nothing left to sell. My job at the uni is only 10hrs still so not enough to live on! My friends, family and boyfriend have been amazingly supportive and understanding about it though. Friends buy me lunch now and then, my boyfriend bought me a week's groceries last week (as well as taking me out to cheer me up) and my parents are stumping my rent this month. I want to throw them a party when I graduate so I can thank them all for being so patient, generous and understanding. Nobody can get through a degree without support...it is that support that keeps me going on the treadmill!

I tried to go back to the gym last month too. It worked for a couple of weeks but then I fell ill for a while. I'd got some sort of virus infection and it really knocked the wind out of my sails. I couldn't eat or sleep and had fever sometimes. I'm still not 100% but lots of TLC has done me good and I'm continuing to work as hard as I can. The gym is on the back burner now because I can't afford it which is a shame because I was really starting to enjoy the classes I was going to with my friend.

Despite my hurdles I keep on going and James has been wonderful. He took me out this weekend with his friends. Just for a few drinks on the Saturday and to a gig on Sunday night which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately I'm shattered now! I didn't drink much...I can't drink anymore but there wasn't much sleep involved and thats me wiped out for the week!

So I guess that is me up to date for now. I've no intention of planning Christmas until I've got my final assignment out of the way!