20 posts tagged “school”

I know that summer is already on the way out as it is getting darker in the mornings and evenings, and that the US Open is fast approaching. It's probably not a moment too soon as I've finally had enough of August. I am loving my summer Fridays but hating being so sweaty and hot. I've started to yearn for cool days and being able to wear sweaters. For starting school again and being able to study over a warm seasonally flavoured beverage. For festival season to be over and to figure out how to use my remaining leave for the rest of the year. As much as I love USA cable channel it would be nice to have a bit more choice in what to watch. For the last few months I feel like the only shows I've had on the DVR were Burn Notice, Royal Pains, In Plain Sight and Psych. Mad Men starts tonight which I am very excited about but it would be nice to have a bit more variety. To catch-up with the Winchester brother, find out how House is doing at the mental hospital,  what is going down with Spock in the parallel universe and see if Stargate Universe really is as dark as they are touting it to be. I guess I am ready to start wearing socks again. Well, until it starts to get properly cold, dark and then I'll start longing for vitamin D and 95F days.

It's been two weeks since my last yoga class. I am distracted and suffering from heart palpitations therefore it must be exam time! Tomorrow is my last day in the office before I jet off to London for exam boot camp and I can't bloody wait. I love being able to get away from all the usual day-to-day distractions, and to be able to spend time solely studying. (Well solely studying and going to the theatre and catching up with friends and family. But mostly studying.) I am feeling calmer than previous years. Probably because I *only* have two exams and I have over a week to cram and prepare. Fingers crossed.
 

If money didn't matter, what job would you most like to have?
Submitted by Rainbird.

I am pretty certain that Alex thinks that I am under the impression that money doesn't matter and that is why I am bent on studying classics and not law or accountancy. So to answer your question if money didn't matter I'd be in school full time rather than part-time, and would go on to get lots of masters.

It started with returning from Seattle to a blizzard and eight inches of snow, and ends with a weekend of spring like temperatures. Ah, I do love the tail end of winter.  But is it really the end of winter or is mother nature frakking with us? Apparently temperatures are due to plummet again next week so it is not quite time to box the puffy coat.  It is however time to start planning for my trip to London to sit my exams. This year they are really early on in May which is making me nervous but I only have two exams so technically less to-ing and fro-ing between subjects than the last three years. Though, I do have to keep refocusing myself on the "studying" part of my jaunt to London, and not get too carried away with picking plays to see and arranging play-dates with friends and family.  As a BIG carrot I've booked a mini-break to Florence with my Mum for after the exams so if that doesn't keep me motivated then I am not sure what will.  

If you could be an expert in any one field, which one would you choose?

Classics, baby, classics.

I am working on a ten year plan to become an expert, and I'm on year four. Six years to get my BA part-time, two years to get languages (two dead, two modern) via a post-Bac, grad school and then I will be an expert in something. At this point it could be the Greeks or just as easily the Romans, and then is it history or lit or art or a combo. Oh what exciting adventures await me (and by default Alex). 

Good:

• Yoga glow
• Caffeine buzz
• Last Restaurant Standing back on BBC America
• Fox's Lie To Me isn't half bad, and Mr. Orange deserves some mortgage money
• Enjoying Henning Mankell novel 'Before the Frost'
• Courses are making more sense and looking forward to exams in May (sort of)
• It's fun to be focused on researching specific topics for essays
• Burn Notice

•  Hell's Kitchen needs to dropped from the DVR
• Caffeine buzz now equals not being able to sleep
• I am only able to read a few pages of Mankell novel a night, and have to fight the strong desire to make it my commute and lunch read
• Exam panic setting in so much information to squeeze into tiny brain
• Two essays to write this weekend
  

I've been trying to keep off the "interwebs" so that I can get back on track with my studies, and the good news is that I am in a happy place at the moment. Yes, I did get up a 5:30am to read three more topics on Octavian's transition to Augustus so that I could go out for lunch today, and I do have four topic worth of notes on Greek architecture to type up when I get back. But, I DVR'd The Beach yesterday, and I think I'll spend the afternoon watching that whilst tippy-typing away. As much as I love Danny Boyle I boycotted this film because DiCaprio was cast instead of McGregor, and it has taken a long time for me to accept that DiCaprio is actually a good actor (probably better than McGregor in the long run) and that he merely had the misfortune of being in Titanic.

All this typing has allowed me to finally finish off watching MI5 (Spooks) season 5 on DVD. The show definitely has a tendency to veer towards the melodramatic but overall it wasn't a bad season. Loved the finally where eco terrorists were planning to blow up the Thames Barrier and flood London.  Everytime one of the scary maps depicting which areas of London would be under 10ft of water I knew that my mum would be safe on her hilltop residence. Also, I much prefer the icy Ros Meyers (Hermione Norris) to the raspy Zoe (Keeley Hawes - why does that actress always sound out of breath? Too much time in corsets in costume dramas?).  What I am really looking forward to is getting to season 7 with Richard Armitage playing a double agent with the Russians. Cue flashbacks to John Le Carre novels. 

Venturing out of the flat today for a spot of lunch, and a mooch around SoHo. If I get my notes typed up today then there is a good chance I will be able to read some fiction over the weekend, and I have a Scandinavian thriller that I am desperate to dip into.

I think my Mum had a good visit even though during the evenings she was trapped between my love of USA and Alex's Food Network obsession. Ah it was episode after episode of House, NCIS, Ace of Cakes, Food Network Challenges, etc. She now knows more about Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray than anyone else in South London. To round things off my Mum's flight was overbooked, and Virgin Atlantic upgraded her to Upper Class. Thank you very much Sir Richard for making my Mum's Christmas all over again! 

Now we are both getting back into our respective routines. Mum to whizzing around London on her Freedom Pass, and me to a heady life of yoga, sushi and Greek columns. I have less than a week before heading back to life as 9-5 drone (I must admit that there have been moments were I have felt a lingering curiosity to check my work email but then I remember how much I make, and the urge passes) and I am trying to make the most of my remaining time off so I have compiled lots of lists. Lists of topics and reading for school. Lists of yoga classes to be taken (and flabby bits to be firmed). Lists of recipes to be cooked or baked. Lists of chores to be done in the flat.

Here's to uber productivity over the next 5 days.

I think I had a pretty productive long weekend. Did some cooking. Watched some TV. Bought some sweaters. And, most importantly finally started to get a handle on my Greek & Roman Architecture course. It's been rather overwhelming up until now. The huge 800 lb gorilla in the room, if you will.  All the new terminology made my teeth go on edge, and the thought of having to memorize all the plans and photos - aarrggghhhh. I think last year I had it easy (barring the Roman lit course) Greek history was a direct follow on and covered much material that I was familiar with, and Homer. Well, Homer is my homeboy so no worries there. It really help just being able to spend 4 days slowly working my way through 5 topics. I had wanted to start on Tony and Cleo for my Augustus class but it wasn't to be. As pediments and Corinthian columns started to make sense I wanted to persevere onwards.

The good news is that I have Friday off so I can switch focus, and hunker down with naughty Tony and Cleo. (Though my biggest problem with that time period is separating fact from HBO sanctioned fiction!)

Smiles

• Made it to work 4 mins early
  
• Ended up not having to buy new yoga pants, and therefore "saved" money
  
• Because I didn't go to yoga I had the inclination to make banana bread when I got home
  
• Extended episode of House
• Four day weekend (Bourne marathon here we come!)
• Going to stay positive and aim to catch-up with majority of school work
  
• Freezer full of left overs
• Enjoying reading 'The Iron Hand of Mars' a Falco mystery
• Colbert Christmas special is still on DVR and to be enjoyed
  

• Forgot my pedometer and yoga pants (this is what happens when you don't dress for yoga in the first place)
• Squeezed myself onto an over crowded train so that I would make 9am meeting
• 9am meeting canceled
  
• Had to work late so couldn't make it to yoga in the end
  
• Extended episode of House only gave us an extra 8 mins and the commercials felt like they ran longer
• Two seminars starting next week