Archive for October, 2010
Grand Finale
Here comes the big week. The horrible week. Deadlines, in particular. But also a big personal event that makes my gut wring itself into half a dozen knots just to think about it. But yes, deadlines! I have a presentation on Tuesday, which quite appreciable suddenness has become tomorrow with the tick-tock noise of my clock. Well, that was just a figure of speech because my clock is a digital Casio that doesn’t make any discernible noise.
I’m stressed, but certainly doing better than a week or two ago.
That said, I have no idea where I will be come the end of this week. I foresee myself being in a terrible position. So much for optimism, but sometimes you have to make a realistic estimation or two. In all likelihood, this week will not end well, and it’s best to be prepared in some way. Mentally, at least, if that’s the only form of preparation one can afford.
Meanwhile, ideas, ideas, going round and round my head like a carousel. I have an inkling of what I’ll do next. I just don’t know if I should trust this idea yet. No pressure though, because I have my other writing to be worried about first.
Difficult times need good music, and I’m currently hanging onto the irreplaceable Concert for Bangladesh, but also a couple of David Bowie albums and some Patti Smith. It’s reliable music. Medicine music. Music I know I can depend on. There’s also some early Beatles, but I suspect that these tracks will be off the playlist come the next weekend.
There is the slight–and by this I mean half the breadth of a hair–chance that the week will turn out to be best week of them all. The sort of week that changes your life. I sincerely doubt that, however, but… best of times, worst of times, maybe, though skewed towards worst.
And in the words of Mr. Beckett, who will surely not appreciate my misappropriation of his writing, I can’t go on, I’ll go on.
d
Trickle, Flood
Happening Things, Things Happening
Things are happening. Little events, miniature milestones, they get put behind me one by one as the deadlines start to clear. Yet, time also runs along very happily with no intention of letting me catch up. I’m sure this paradoxical visage of the passing of the days is a familiar one to most and one that I’m sure I’ve mentioned more than a few times in the brief history of this blog, but so there.
This Week, And The Next
I’m to prepare for about three presentations in the coming weeks. That’s normally work enough, but I also have a paper to write and I need to get started on some FYP things as well as one of my essays. Oh and a test. I have a test on Friday. It is the one postponed from two weeks ago. And I have other personal things to worry about. One this week, and one the next, in fact. It’s all not looking very kind, but that’s the way it goes.
Reading
I have to read. I really do. For one thing, I realise I got the order muddled up and read my texts out of order. Now I have to read Midnight’s Children, which is by no means a short book, very quickly to make sure that I know (somewhat) what’s being said in the lectures.
I also have a huge waiting list again. I’ve recently purchased a few books, and I’ve also received some as presents. Most recently, yesterday I received two from my sister, including Soseki’s I Am A Cat.
I think it may very well be that I will have no space left for reading books not related to work. Or maybe I might be able to squeeze in something before the semester ends. I’m not sure, but not entirely optimistic. If so, I want to be able to do a book that isn’t so short, just to end the semester with a bang or something.
It will of course have a lot to do with what happens in the next few weeks, which I imagine will be rather testing on my moods, and moods tend to dictate my book choices.
Slides
Right! Back to making some slides! By the time you next hear from me, more of these milestones will have passed, and we’ll be closer to some other frightening dates, but till then!
d
