Sunday, September 28, 2003

The Sound Of Summer Packing Its Bags

Well, during the week Ulla left, and today Allen and Emily do the same. Me, I’m staying to the bitter end, leaving here on Tuesday morning. My flat above the butcher’s shop on Green Lanes won’t be ready until the weekend, so I’ll stay in my sister’s flat until it is.

I won’t have Internet access in the new flat, so expect my posts here and e-mails to get a lot less frequent. Phone calls and letters from people who know me will be gratefully received.

The job search goes on. I’ve registered with several employment agencies, and will look at some of the part-time jobs available from the Uni careers service. There was also a job in the paper that might be worth going for.

See you in the future.

Friday, September 19, 2003

Do You Wanna Make Tea At The BBC?

Not really, but quite frankly I'd take it if they were to offer me such a job. Today I got my rejection letter from the Mary Evans Picture Library. On the plus side, this means that I don't have to worry about finding somewhere to live where I can get out to SE3 easily. I may even be staying in Green Lanes.

On a brighter note, yesterday I bought my celebratory things. The Memento DVD (so I can watch it forwards and clear up any confusion from the first time I saw it), and the British Sea Power album, 'cos I need a band to get into now that Pulp are gone. I can't resist a band that calls its first album "The Decline of British Sea Power". Maybe I'll go and see them at ULU next month.

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Over The Edge

It finally happened: two days ago I ceased to be a Student and became Something More Than Student. It ended with a questionnaire, an envelope, and a pile of dissertations. For around fifteen minutes I held in my hands the result of months of labour, and then it was gone.

Afterwards I walked around UCL. The international undergraduates had arrived. It was weird for one of last year’s ghosts to see campus come back to life just as he was leaving.

In the bar I talked with people whose names I should have known, but had somehow forgotten. Ned spoke with someone I couldn’t see, and then vanished. I was informed that while the fat at the front of my torso is too firm to be enjoyable, the fat at the sides of my torso is of the finest quality.

Only one question remains: “What now?”

Sunday, September 14, 2003

Approaching Terrifying Freedom

Gah. Attempted to be clever yesterday, by going into the Institute and printing out my dissertation ahead of time. Unfortunately, the Institute has started shutting down completely on Saturdays. A wasted trip, then, other than wandering round Waterstones seeing what books I’ll buy after Monday, when I will officially allow myself to buy things again.

Last night we had a barbecue for Jen’s birthday. I enjoyed myself, at one point being so drunk that I mistook the illuminated window of one of the neighbouring houses for the moon. We managed to leave some beer in the freezer so long that it, er, froze. I look forward to finding out how reconstituted beer tastes.

If anyone wants to know what an interesting Blog entry looks like, check out the most recent entry at “Mind On The Run”. Piracy, minor celebrities, and spoon-faced morons. One day my Blog will be that good.

Monday, September 08, 2003

Fiddly Jobs (Redux)

Well, my hunt for a job to allow my decadent London lifestyle to continue goes on. Last week I applied for a job as English Heritage’s hired research goon. Today I applied for a remarkably similar job with the Mary Evans Picture Library. As the Mary Evans Picture Library is in the part of London marked “here be dragons” on maps, I’m hoping to get the English Heritage one. The Picture Library also wanted a hand-written letter of application. Grrrrr.

In the paper yesterday there was an ad for a job at a “Cartoon Gallery” in SW1. Could this be my way to get a more humorous job than Tom The Elizabethan Sailor?

Today’s fiddly job was going through the bibliography and making sure that everything was referenced according to the UCL standards, and in alphabetical order. This time next week, my work on the dissertation will be no more. This is a good thing.

Apparently my sister ran 10k in 65 minutes, which sounds pretty good.

Sunday, September 07, 2003

The God Of Small, Fiddly Jobs

I spent today going through my dissertation and removing words like “and”, in clever ways, all to try and get the word count down. I’m allowed no more than 15, 000 on pain of being fired. Out of a cannon into the Sun. I am still over, but by so little I should get away with it.

Last night I got drunk and had a kebab with Ned while watching the football. Good God but the Macedonia Vs England game was dull. I mean, I know it’s the result that counts and everything, but really, this was bad. Contrast it with the Wales game, which, despite going badly wrong for the Welsh, was at least exciting.

My sister ran the 10k race in Richmond, today. I wait to find out how it went.

Wednesday, September 03, 2003

If Nothing Else Of Interest Occurs, Bake

Well, last night I baked the Athenian Walnut Cake once again. Things are supposed to get easier the more times you do them, but this was improbably hard. Last night I had to do several things that I have no memory of doing last time I made the cake. And 700g of walnuts is too much for anyone. Despite this, and the fact that the core of the finished cake was (oxymoronically) solid goo, the cake was well received.