So lectures have started and its back to the grindstone for me. This semester's modules: English History 1216 - 1399; Barbarians of the Dark Ages - Anglo-Saxons and Vikings; Victorian Aristicracy and Democracy. Barbarians is looking good so far. I'm the only person in my seminar group who did it last semester too, so my tutor, bless her, talks to me like I'm her best friend. I haven't had my Eng Hist seminar yet - first one's this afternoon - but seeing as how its only my fave period, should be great. The Victorian one's the dodgy one. I hate modern history, with a passion, and this is very modern (and very boring) history, of which I have absolutely no background knowledge. So should be interesting. Also, the tutor must weigh at least 20 stone and wears braces. As in trouser hold-ups. I didn't know real people actually wore those. Next thing, he'll be wearing leather patches on his elbows. Plus, every ten seconds he stops, for about ten seconds, and just pauses, standing there. Very bizarre.

Ooh, I went to a special lecture last night given by Bettany Hughes, a historian who produces history programmes for the BBC and Channel 4. She lectured on how to have history programmes commissioned and how they're made. She actually pitches programmes herself and then goes off and makes and presents them too. She made that Seven Ages of Britain programme that was on last year. My ideal job would be as a historical consultant on historical dramas, such as say, ooh I don't know, North and South (ahum). I'm thinking it would combine my two greatest loves - history and TV! But I think what really happens there is that programme makers just call in academics who specialise in a period they're covering, rather than have in-house specialists. So maybe factual programming is the way to go! Slight problem of less attractive actors to meet in that line, though. Hmm, dilemma.

Week of Nothingness is going well. At least to the extent that I haven't actually done much. But the feeling of nothingness, of 'yay I've got nothing to do except nothing' hasn't been quite what I was expecting.

Probably, because I have had some things to do. Just small things, like call up the water board or pick up the boyf's repaired phone from the city. I think that's been the problem. And no, I'm not THAT lazy. Its hard to explain. I haven't been getting up until 11am, and then watching the obligitory Charmed double bill on Living until 1pm (yes, I KNOW). Then I was getting dressed, and then I had to have lunch, and by then it was about 2.30pm, not long till darkness and the day is half over, and I've done bugger all. I think this would have been all fine and dandy had I literally had nothing to do, but when you know you've got a few little things to do but you're not doing them and they're nagging away at the back of your mind, its stressfull! No, really - it is!! (Have I convinced you yet?)

Also, I think that the fact the the boyf's been busy at work (you know, that thing - what's it called again? Oh yeah - earning a living) and t'other two flatmates have busy revising for exams and doing essays, and I've been sat on the sofa. Yes, this is what they were doing when I was doing my exams, but that's not the point. It was this feeling of lazyness (?) that led me to do the washing up ALL BY MYSELF three days in a row. I even dried up and put away as well.

However, today, t'other two housemates have also finished their exams. One is getting very drunk in the pub as we speak (or, um, type and read, but you know what I mean) and the other is here with me, lying on the other sofa, music channel surfing, surrounded by accumulated crap and washing up that hasn't been done since my activity burst burned itself out, so feel better in that I have a lazyness companion.

I don't know when I'm well off do I? Come next week when the work starts again and the library becomes my second home again, it'll be a whole different kind of moaning that I'm doing.

Oh, went to see Alexander last night, in order to make uo my own mind whether or not it was crap. Mind made up - resounding YES. A film me and the boyf have the same opinion on. We BOTH thought it was the worst film ever. Shame really, beacause it could have been so good.. Don't waste 3 hours of your life on it, unless its purely just to be able to say "yes I too was witness to that awfulness." Irish Macedonians - why?

So I'm approaching the middle of my week of nothingness, and it hasn't turned out QUITE as I planned so far.

Friday night I drove home to Wales to spend time with The Family, hamster in tow. Saturday was spent doing a bit of retail therapy with Mum. Sunday, me, Mum and Dad drove down to Aberystwyth to see my brother's halls in uni there and for a mini tour or the uni and town. So far so good.

Yesterday was a bit of course too. I intended to be back here by 3pm, but because of a few hiccups with my car in the garage, i.e. more needed doing thatn it was booked in for, etc, etc, so I didn't get back until 6.30. I did listen to UK Radio Aid all the way back though, which was good (see below).

Then came today. I didn't get out of bed until midday, as planned. However, I soon got bombarded with tasks to do from my other housemates. The abridged version: payment of bills, payment of rent, enquiries re council tax, enquiries re court summons (past residents, not us). I then had to go food shopping. THEN tackle the mountain of washing up (only fair - I have nothing to do (humph) and everyone else is examing it). Today's day of nothingness therefore only actually started at approximately 5.45pm.

Hopefully tomorrow will go better.

Oh, yes, UK Radio Aid. It was very entertaining and I hear raised over 3million quid in 12 hours for the Tsunami appeal thingy. I found Prince Andrew's contribution of Ascot tickets particularly fun, if only because of Johnny Vaughn later referring to it as 'Prince Andrew's Ascot Package' (cue lots of giggles from Johnny and Liza Tarbuck at 'package') or 'Prince Andrew has asked his mum ...' (ie HRH the Queen).

And its finally happened! My exams are OVER! I had my last one, ooh, approximately an hour and ten minutes ago. I had to go and have a sandwich and a drink straight after because I was so nervous this morning I couldn't eat any breakfast and my belly grumbled all the way throught the exam.

I have had three exams this week; Medieval England on Tuesday (possibly the best of the bunch), Seventeenth Century England yesterday (went fairly well) and Barbarians of the Dark Ages today (the worst of the lot, but still not as bad as I was expecting, so there is hope for my degree yet!). There is now a whole week of exams left, in which I have NOT ONE! So I intend to stay in bed until 12 everyday, watching Sunset Beach followed by a Charmed double bill on Living, WITHOUT worrying that I should be doing something more productive BECAUSE I'VE GOT NOTHING ELSE TO DO. Should go some way towards making up for the distinct lack of Christmas Holidays that I had. Yes, I know, I didn't exactly do A LOT of work over Christmas, not as much as I should have anyway, but that was sort of the point. Because I didn't do as much as I should have, I spent the time when I wasn't working worrying that I should be, so spent the whole time I was at home in a stress of one sort or another. Ah well, a whole week of nothing before it all starts over again. A half term, if you will. Sort of.

Apologies for lack of bloggage. This can be explained in several ways. Mostly, though, by the return of the boyf to Wales the day before Xmas Eve, so lots of time spent with him; me doing intensive revision for my impending exams; and my membership of the Armitage Army, in that hours have been spent with my laptop on my knee and the 'refresh' button being pressed repeatedly to see if any new posts have been written. Addicitive isn't the word.

Now, however, I am back in Leeds in order to get lots of pre-exam work done with minimum distractions. This does mean, however, that over the next two weeks posting will be sporadic to say the least.

So until I post next, keep reading (to increase my hit counter), donate money to the Tsunami appeal (see below) and send out 'good luck in your exams' and 'you will meet and marry Richard Armitage, if not then Gerard Butler will do' thoughts to me. Ta!

http://www.dec.org.uk