Swiv's Idea of a University
Created | Updated Mar 24, 2004
The theory worked. The one where I concentrate much more in between running around like a headless chicken. In the last week I have achieved hitherto unknown stretches of concentration. Well, unknown this academic year; in the second semester last year I managed amazing consistency of working habits.
So I spent what was effectively a week away from university – but only a weekend at home by the time you knock of the two days of train journeys. Those days were quite productive though, despite some fairly annoying travelling companions, as I just sat on the train and worked and even if I didn't focus fully, 10 hours of semi-work still adds up to about half that in fully useful work. I managed to get some stuff
done whilst I was at home, but I spent most of my time bonding with the new puppy and ensuring that the other doggy didn't feel left out. I had the interview-thing too. I think it went quite well, but they're going to let me know in 'three to four weeks' – now about two to three weeks. Keeping fingers crossed. Parents are probably getting exciting new extensions put on house, which would give more room to work in and I wouldn't have to take over the kitchen table with my crap for the year.
I'll be doing that for the next fortnight though. It's the 'Easter' holidays starting this weekend. Next term starts on Easter Monday, so it's not really an Easter holiday so much as a couple of weeks off. Or, in my case, a couple of weeks in which I'll have two hours less class time in which to work. With fifteen thousand works to write in about four weeks after the break, I'm trying to get a kick-start now. The reading is nearly all done, so I just have to set up at the kitchen table and get writing. I'm thinking of having a little chart: 15000 words, 14500 words, 14000 words... on the wall so that I can cross targets off and feel satisfied.
I've begun to put together an Appendix for my dissertation (yes, before I've written the actually work) – a list of all the Roman dictators and where they are in the major sources so that I can have an easy crib to use when I start trying to footnote. I'm desperately trying to get through a pile of books in the next thirty-six hours so that I don't have to take them home – I already have practically the complete works of Herbert Butterfield to pack, I don't want to add
Divus Julius and Gelzer on Caesar to the pile. However, I don't particularly want to read anything more on Caesar, as I hate the character and am going to have to try very hard not to be shriekingly judgemental of him in the final piece.
Away from study, the Gilbert and Sullivan society performed The Gondoliers last week and I was tootling away on my trumpet for that. It was very good. Unfortunately it's not exactly one of their funniest operettas, so by the last night I was ready to snooze through a couple of moments, but generally the cast made it bearable for us to sit through five times - as did the lovely person who donated a tin of
Heroes to the orchestra on the last night: whoever they were, I really quite love them...
Anyway. Back to the grindstone now: I have another three hundred years worth of dictators to feed into the Appendix.
