an immensely unusual day
thanks in part to Mark's generous donation of caffeine and to the knowledge (oh schadenfreude, what a beautiful thing) that Ellen was going through hell to - i completedy my Woolf essay at 5am this morning. an essay about women, no less. my goodness, i am becoming a better student.
i decided to check my email before i went to bed, only to find that my darling mother had sent me an angry (CAPS!LOCK), "disappointed" email berating me about my last essay. what tact. i think she singlehandedly shattered any confidence i had in my writing capabilities. somehow, it seems impossible for anyone at home to understand that 62% is actually a good grade. anything above 70% is clever, and if i were to maintain my 80+% grades here - everyone would be blown away. it's a different country, it's a different school system - why does no one get this?! anyway, it was not a pleasant email and i was not amused in the slightest, despite her efforts to assure me that she's only lecturing because she loves me.
i was going to just fall asleep, but i felt so shite that i ended up crawling into Chris's bed and bawling my eyes out. being dead tired didn't help my mood, no, but he managed to calm me down enough so i could pass out. that man puts up with so much!
anyway, woke at 8:30 to shower before my doctor's appointment. turns out the docs are useless here too! regarding my 5week+ cold, she maintains that it's probably just one of the infections that's been going around. i should take it easy, not party, sleep lots, have vitamin C, and drink fluids -- all things i've been doing anyway!! she said if i'm not feeling better by Friday to come in then. i feel like booking my appointment now because i know full well i'll still feel like shite then and i was really hoping to cheer up by the time i visited Sheffield. she did clarifiy that my reddish eyes are something different, and prescribed me drops for that. not a complete waste of my morning then. came back, edited my essay, did the referencing, printed it out, and handed it in. i'm feeling confident. came back, napped till 2:30, yay!
before seminar on Wednesday i have to read Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author and Henry IV - what joy! but now that the dreaded essay is finished, i do feel so much better. all i have to worry about now is meeing part (a big part!) of Chris's family this weekend. oh, and Christmas shopping. i'm going to have to buy just as many presents over here as i do at home. funny how that worked out.
what else... oh! we lost Anna. no one had seen her since yesterday afternoon, and until 7:30pm today - we had no idea where she was. Anthony first noticed when she didn't go to their lectures, and we thought it really weird that she was never in her room or answering her mobile. eventually we started panicking and called Aaron, our block tutor (read: don). he in turn spoke to the porters, who spoke to Jane, the Goodricke Provost. she got security in here and they opened Anna's door. i was legitimately terrified there. Anna is a clever woman, she can take care of herself, she always tells us where she's going, she's very conscientious and we knew she wasn't out being stupid. however, in that moment, we were all scared of the possibility that something had happened to her in her room. until Aaron came out and said she wasn't there, we were holding our breaths. the only other options seemed to be the hospital or her parents, but Jane didn't want us checking those venues until tomorrow. when Anna did come in, it was obvious she wasn't okay. she said she just wanted to go away for a bit, and felt really guilty about us worrying. she swears she's alright now and i hope she is. didn't say where she went (not a boy's, although the thought crossed our minds, haha) but she seemed to feel safe there.
Chris, Mark, and Jack have gone out for drinks in town. they always stop by here before they leave, and i just have to grin. they're bundled up in their winter gear and look absolutely adorable. i love the easy camraderie between men. they strolled away, Mark singing "These boots are made for walking" as they went.
before i forget again, here are some photos of the snow we got yesterday. just a light layering, but it perked me up.
yeah sorry, these were all taken from Chris's window. i - unfortunately - do not have a lakeside view. weeping willows are one of the most common trees on campus and even in winter they're beautiful. i didn't get a chance to go outside till most had melted. alright, that's it from me for now! i'm off to read some weird Italian modernist drama now, until Danilo finishes Skyping Dave, that is.
i decided to check my email before i went to bed, only to find that my darling mother had sent me an angry (CAPS!LOCK), "disappointed" email berating me about my last essay. what tact. i think she singlehandedly shattered any confidence i had in my writing capabilities. somehow, it seems impossible for anyone at home to understand that 62% is actually a good grade. anything above 70% is clever, and if i were to maintain my 80+% grades here - everyone would be blown away. it's a different country, it's a different school system - why does no one get this?! anyway, it was not a pleasant email and i was not amused in the slightest, despite her efforts to assure me that she's only lecturing because she loves me.
i was going to just fall asleep, but i felt so shite that i ended up crawling into Chris's bed and bawling my eyes out. being dead tired didn't help my mood, no, but he managed to calm me down enough so i could pass out. that man puts up with so much!
anyway, woke at 8:30 to shower before my doctor's appointment. turns out the docs are useless here too! regarding my 5week+ cold, she maintains that it's probably just one of the infections that's been going around. i should take it easy, not party, sleep lots, have vitamin C, and drink fluids -- all things i've been doing anyway!! she said if i'm not feeling better by Friday to come in then. i feel like booking my appointment now because i know full well i'll still feel like shite then and i was really hoping to cheer up by the time i visited Sheffield. she did clarifiy that my reddish eyes are something different, and prescribed me drops for that. not a complete waste of my morning then. came back, edited my essay, did the referencing, printed it out, and handed it in. i'm feeling confident. came back, napped till 2:30, yay!
before seminar on Wednesday i have to read Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author and Henry IV - what joy! but now that the dreaded essay is finished, i do feel so much better. all i have to worry about now is meeing part (a big part!) of Chris's family this weekend. oh, and Christmas shopping. i'm going to have to buy just as many presents over here as i do at home. funny how that worked out.
what else... oh! we lost Anna. no one had seen her since yesterday afternoon, and until 7:30pm today - we had no idea where she was. Anthony first noticed when she didn't go to their lectures, and we thought it really weird that she was never in her room or answering her mobile. eventually we started panicking and called Aaron, our block tutor (read: don). he in turn spoke to the porters, who spoke to Jane, the Goodricke Provost. she got security in here and they opened Anna's door. i was legitimately terrified there. Anna is a clever woman, she can take care of herself, she always tells us where she's going, she's very conscientious and we knew she wasn't out being stupid. however, in that moment, we were all scared of the possibility that something had happened to her in her room. until Aaron came out and said she wasn't there, we were holding our breaths. the only other options seemed to be the hospital or her parents, but Jane didn't want us checking those venues until tomorrow. when Anna did come in, it was obvious she wasn't okay. she said she just wanted to go away for a bit, and felt really guilty about us worrying. she swears she's alright now and i hope she is. didn't say where she went (not a boy's, although the thought crossed our minds, haha) but she seemed to feel safe there.
Chris, Mark, and Jack have gone out for drinks in town. they always stop by here before they leave, and i just have to grin. they're bundled up in their winter gear and look absolutely adorable. i love the easy camraderie between men. they strolled away, Mark singing "These boots are made for walking" as they went.
before i forget again, here are some photos of the snow we got yesterday. just a light layering, but it perked me up.
yeah sorry, these were all taken from Chris's window. i - unfortunately - do not have a lakeside view. weeping willows are one of the most common trees on campus and even in winter they're beautiful. i didn't get a chance to go outside till most had melted. alright, that's it from me for now! i'm off to read some weird Italian modernist drama now, until Danilo finishes Skyping Dave, that is.