Week 4: Hello, Sun.

Is it only week four?! It feels like end of term already. That is, though, because it's the exam term and exams get done pretty quickly. I had my last and only exam on Wednesday, which was alright in retrospect but awful at the time (and very confusing in terms of the set up - not quite like sixth form). My boyfriend's last exam is next Wednesday so he's slightly hating me for finishing so early and apparently having 'nothing to do' - even though I have a list I need to get through and I haven't had a day yet where I've done nothing or had nothing to do.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were not very interesting at all because I spent my entire time (okay so I slacked off a bit but TRIED to spend the entire time...) revising. If you've been reading my previous posts, you'll know I've been looking for work experience within the media. Well, I got an invite from Tim Dagger at the media centre on campus (tucked away under the Aston Webb building) to come in and have a look around and discuss a potential work placement. It all went very well and I'm awaiting information regarding dates and times. In addition to that, I emailed ITV and asked if they had anything for me. I got two separate replies. One was clearly from the secretary, or equivalent, telling me to apply in the normal way via the website. The other was more helpful. I was invited in for a day to see how everything works (which reminds me: update and print off CVs). I could choose this day due to what fits in my schedule so I waited for my exam to be done and the media centre interview to clarify a few things then gave them a date. I suggested either today or tomorrow. They chose tomorrow. At 9.30am. It'll take me about 45 minutes to walk there from my flat (I timed the way back when I went to find the place before). That'll be interesting! I'll report back in next week's post.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent mostly chilling on the Vale. That was looovely! The sun and clear sky was making it be in the mid 20sC. I brought out a blanket and a book and chilled there for ages. I'm now quite nicely tanned and nearly constantly yawny. The Vale is such a nice place to relax when the weather's nice. Anywhere you look, there's a BBQ and people are playing frisbee or cricket or rugby. Apparently it's going to cool down mid-week so this weather must be enjoyed whilst it's still here. It feels more like a holiday camp now because of the amount of people hanging out there and the majority of people actually in bikinis and shorts, carrying towels to rest on. Yesterday I made some sausage rolls (from scratch, people!) and me and the boyf had a picnic of sorts and caught some rays.

It's all good.

Week 11: Not enough hours in the day

I'm HOME!

This week has been rather confusing. I've been a bit of a passenger, really, because my timetable has pretty much ruled everything. I've not been able to do much of what I want. At least that's what it feels like, now. On Thursday I had a performance, the marking for which I'm still confused about, so I've been in rehearsals every day. I must say, it was a very enjoyable piece. This one was directed by a third year student to merge the third year module of Directing and the first year module of Theatre Practice. The tutors stepped back completely and let the third years rule over it all so that was pretty interesting. I was lucky to have such an awesome third year to work with because I heard a few horror stories about some groups who weren't necessarily comfortable. It all worked out, though, so it definitely isn't something to dread. I absolutely adore everyone who was in my group and had apprehensions about how well I'd get on with everyone so by the end I was really happy that there were no issues. We all picked up a few hilarious stories about living in houses infested with mice, too. My director was a legend!

On Friday I had to do the dreaded Theatre Crafts exam. It does count for 50% of that module but the impression I got was that they use the results as more of an indication for how well each person might do in the second year equivalents. In second year, you have to choose between the four theatre crafts that you are introduced to in first year: costume, stage management, lighting and sound. If you don't like any of them, there's the ancillary choice which you set up with another subject. I was torn between carrying on Christian Theology (ancillary) and lighting and sound. I found lighting really interesting and sound was just Vici all over: gadgets and the theatre put together. In the end, I chose lighting as my first choice and sound as my second. Lighting does include quite a bit of physics. I do remember quite a lot of it at GCSE level, though, and I didn't do too badly then (though it was my worst subject) so I'm hoping for good times if I get to do that. The second year classes get emailed to us in May.

I finally did something mildly interesting! I went to Cadbury World. Well, my boyfriend took me there. There are certain things you must do if you go to certain places. If you go to Birmingham, you have to go to Cadbury World. The tickets were £10.50 for students (NUS is accepted but the website also says equivalents are also good... they didn't check our ID) and the walk round the whole place took us about an hour and a half. Maybe slightly longer. You can make it, pretty much, as long as you want because there isn't anyone there to guide you. There are certain sections where you have to queue but that's fine. It's quite an interesting visit. And there's free chocolate. Lots of it. On entry I got a curly wurly and a bag of buttons. Half way through I got a bar of dairy milk. At the end I got a cup of melted chocolate. Needless to say I felt a little full and sick afterwards. On the walk up, we could smell the chocolate in the air. It did make me feel a bit like a child, which is always good. I definitely recommend a visit!

When I go home, I must remember not to bring so much stuff. I did it again. I filled a suitcase. And a bag full of books. And a shoulder bag. And my laptop bag. Deciding to get the train at peak times wasn't necessarily one of my best ideas, either. I got a taxi from Tennis Courts to Uni train station (could've taken it to New Street... didn't think of that) and managed to get a train that was almost leaving. That meant I was early into New Street. I thought I'd be coy and get on an earlier train to Sheffield but I didn't get a seat the whole way there. The train happened to be a replacement which was one carriage shorter than its pre-decessor and had a first class carriage which effectively made it two carriages shorter. So, a train that was two carriages shorter than it was meant to be, which was late and which carried at least twice as many people as it was meant to in the first place. That's a bit of a busy train. Because I wanted to surprise my Mum with my early arrival home, I timed the train to Doncaster from Sheffield so I'd get to my house at about 7pm. That meant waiting in Sheffield for 40 minutes. 30 minutes of that had to be staring at a train I could've taken had I not been bothered about timings. Why oh why do I like to make things slightly more complicated? Eventually I got home and my plan worked perfectly. Phoning my Mum, not mentioning where I was, then ringing the doorbell mid-conversation confused and surprised her in all the right ways. Sorted.

Now I'm home, I've enjoyed a few lay-ins and have promised myself a few times already that I'll stop procrastinating and will actually get down to business with my essays. I have 7500 words to write again. A 3000 word essay for Dramatic Medium about the emergence of the independent director. A 2500 word essay for PTPC (Performance: Theory, Practice and Critique) about the ethics artist appropriation and multi-culturalism. And a 2000 word essay on working with Stanislavsky's rehearsal techniques. Don't ask me how I'm going to do them whilst at home where I'm most slack.

Having fun at Cadbury World

Yes, we were really there.

It's EASTER!

Week 4: A slow week

This week really has been slow. The only 'news' to report is the mess in my kitchen, which seems to be a permanent fixture. And that's not really worth reporting about.

I suppose I could give some good news to potential Drama students:
After week 11 of term 2, timetable is void and the only lectures/seminars/classes you have to attend are those of your MOMD (extra module outside your main discipline - I chose Theology). Luckily for me, I won't have any lectures in term 3 at all because my MOMD lectures finish at the same time as my Drama classes. I only have an exam to look forward to and a few essays to write. I'm waiting for results from some essays I did over winter, actually.

Apologies for a bit of an empty post but, really, nothing exciting has happened this week, as such. I didn't even get third from bottom in the quiz.