Lost Stamina
How am I in the library again? I had visions (heh) of running far far away from the Radcliffe Camera never to return. After last week's blissful Monday submission of all things important (i.e. essays of doom), I had a self-imposed vacation which was beautiful. Right in time for spring. Thank god it was mostly rainy and gloomy while I was writing those damn things because if it was anything like the weather we are currently experiencing, I would have been too busy frolicking in some kind of flowery field to ever worry about silly things like conceptions of feminine sanctity or the rise of ritual theory. Far too busy. But even with a week (and then some) of enjoying those flowers guilt-free and without essays hanging over my head, the guilt has returned. Stupid presentations. And thus: back to the library. But that week was enough to completely sap all of my carefully honed stamina for library time. Now I'm back to my old trick of getting to the library, taking 10-20 minutes carefully arranging my appointed desk, connecting to the internet, doing the obligatory facebook/email/cnn/livejournal check and then.......
either falling asleep or becoming ravenously hungry to the point of distraction.
I worked hard to overcome the soporific/starvation effect which somehow my body had adopted some time way back in Hilary term, but alas. Apparently a week was enough to bring me right back. So how do I avoid this? By posting random things that have no consequence whatsoever.
The downside to the massive amount of paper writing that has comprised the majority of this month is that very little has happened of note (as is blatantly obvious from my last few posts, all of a library-related nature). But after a week, just a week! of freedom, all of a sudden I feel I have so much to tell. And only a minor amount of guilt in using up precious library time to write about it. So let's journey back one week and a day when Laura's life resumed a somewhat normal appearance: the submission of essays of doom corresponding with the beginning of Trinity term.
Essays submitted? Approx. 10:30 am. Overcoming only a minor printer crisis and the necessary ridiculous levels of Oxford bureaucracy. The plan following this? Drunk. Get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible. The only thing that rivals the release of stress following the submission of those essays is the realization that those essays will determine whether you live or die in this crazy academic town. That's a whole new level of stress. How best to compensate? What this town does best. Drink. Drink a lot.
So thus began the first day (which turned into really a week....) of a lovely perpetual state of semi-inebriation. Glorious. Absolutely glorious.
The rest of the week coalesced into this lovely hazy wandering about from pubs to cafes to bookshops; really just remembering that this town does involve other things than libraries. And of course the amazingly beautiful spring weather helped things exponentially. *sigh of contentment*
Right, any highlights?
A lovely (albeit random) journey into London on Saturday to have lunch in an oh-so-official private London club. The East India Club. Who ARE the British? Honestly. Where the women have to be escorted at all times. And sign guestbooks. This place looked like it jumped out of a Masterpiece Theatre production. Seriously. Nothing says British seriousness than illustrious former members' portraits staring down at you as you "luncheon" on cold cuts and perfectly aged wine. All those years of steadily ignoring my mother's table manner lessons? Made blatantly obvious in 2.5 seconds.
But apart from the massive amounts of tourists *shakes fist angrily* once we emerged from the club, it was glorious day in London. Right out of the movies. Perfect weather, beautiful people, lovely shops. Ahhhhhh. It was a refreshing change to go into London with no real purpose. No museums to visit. No people to pick up. No attractions to stop by. Honestly, just a lazy day walking around. Something that will hopefully be done much more in the future. If I manage to escape the library ever again....
And now? Swinging nicely back into term. Which means: lots of cafe time and little actual work. Glorious. Apart from this horrific presentation next week, my levels of procrastination have resumed their natural high. Thesis? It's due in August!!! Plenty of time! That's what June is for!
Right well, we'll see how long this attitude lasts. I'm sure after the obligatory supervisor meeting sometime in May....oh wait, this requires an explanation unto itself.
My supervisor is currently doing one of two things:
A) Working secretly with Italian communists in some secret location deep in the heart of Rome planning a coup to take down the capitalist pigs of the world
B) Communing with yaks on top of some mountain somewhere in a Buddhist monastery.
Yup. Those are really the only viable options.
Why?
Because he quite explicitly made it known that he would be out of contact (no phone, no email, no fax, etc.) for an entire month. I'm sorry. Where in God's name can you go at this point in Western Europe and be completely out of contact with the rest of the world for an ENTIRE month? Seriously. If Tibetan monks have cell phones, then truly the world is inter-connected. There is no excuse. Although I have to say, if a coup is indeed the explanation behind it, hopefully I'll be spared as a minor disciple to the rebel leader. That or I'll be among the first shot. Hmmmmm.
Right, well, on that note, perhaps I should get back to work. Prove to the supervisor (when he eventually does re-emerge from....wherever) that I'm worth saving during the overthrow of world power.
Sigh. This will have to be quite the presentation then.
either falling asleep or becoming ravenously hungry to the point of distraction.
I worked hard to overcome the soporific/starvation effect which somehow my body had adopted some time way back in Hilary term, but alas. Apparently a week was enough to bring me right back. So how do I avoid this? By posting random things that have no consequence whatsoever.
The downside to the massive amount of paper writing that has comprised the majority of this month is that very little has happened of note (as is blatantly obvious from my last few posts, all of a library-related nature). But after a week, just a week! of freedom, all of a sudden I feel I have so much to tell. And only a minor amount of guilt in using up precious library time to write about it. So let's journey back one week and a day when Laura's life resumed a somewhat normal appearance: the submission of essays of doom corresponding with the beginning of Trinity term.
Essays submitted? Approx. 10:30 am. Overcoming only a minor printer crisis and the necessary ridiculous levels of Oxford bureaucracy. The plan following this? Drunk. Get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible. The only thing that rivals the release of stress following the submission of those essays is the realization that those essays will determine whether you live or die in this crazy academic town. That's a whole new level of stress. How best to compensate? What this town does best. Drink. Drink a lot.
So thus began the first day (which turned into really a week....) of a lovely perpetual state of semi-inebriation. Glorious. Absolutely glorious.
The rest of the week coalesced into this lovely hazy wandering about from pubs to cafes to bookshops; really just remembering that this town does involve other things than libraries. And of course the amazingly beautiful spring weather helped things exponentially. *sigh of contentment*
Right, any highlights?
A lovely (albeit random) journey into London on Saturday to have lunch in an oh-so-official private London club. The East India Club. Who ARE the British? Honestly. Where the women have to be escorted at all times. And sign guestbooks. This place looked like it jumped out of a Masterpiece Theatre production. Seriously. Nothing says British seriousness than illustrious former members' portraits staring down at you as you "luncheon" on cold cuts and perfectly aged wine. All those years of steadily ignoring my mother's table manner lessons? Made blatantly obvious in 2.5 seconds.
But apart from the massive amounts of tourists *shakes fist angrily* once we emerged from the club, it was glorious day in London. Right out of the movies. Perfect weather, beautiful people, lovely shops. Ahhhhhh. It was a refreshing change to go into London with no real purpose. No museums to visit. No people to pick up. No attractions to stop by. Honestly, just a lazy day walking around. Something that will hopefully be done much more in the future. If I manage to escape the library ever again....
And now? Swinging nicely back into term. Which means: lots of cafe time and little actual work. Glorious. Apart from this horrific presentation next week, my levels of procrastination have resumed their natural high. Thesis? It's due in August!!! Plenty of time! That's what June is for!
Right well, we'll see how long this attitude lasts. I'm sure after the obligatory supervisor meeting sometime in May....oh wait, this requires an explanation unto itself.
My supervisor is currently doing one of two things:
A) Working secretly with Italian communists in some secret location deep in the heart of Rome planning a coup to take down the capitalist pigs of the world
B) Communing with yaks on top of some mountain somewhere in a Buddhist monastery.
Yup. Those are really the only viable options.
Why?
Because he quite explicitly made it known that he would be out of contact (no phone, no email, no fax, etc.) for an entire month. I'm sorry. Where in God's name can you go at this point in Western Europe and be completely out of contact with the rest of the world for an ENTIRE month? Seriously. If Tibetan monks have cell phones, then truly the world is inter-connected. There is no excuse. Although I have to say, if a coup is indeed the explanation behind it, hopefully I'll be spared as a minor disciple to the rebel leader. That or I'll be among the first shot. Hmmmmm.
Right, well, on that note, perhaps I should get back to work. Prove to the supervisor (when he eventually does re-emerge from....wherever) that I'm worth saving during the overthrow of world power.
Sigh. This will have to be quite the presentation then.