Bit of an update
Hmmm ok I am going to give this whole writing actual journal entries a go....
The Summer
All in all I suppose I shouldn't complain. Heh, that is a great way to start isn't it? Will really set the tone I think. To its credit I have managed to do most (if not all) of the things that I think summer is for which is to catch up with my friends back here in Manchester, to actually spend sometime with my family and to relax and unwind. Of course this being the start of my third year I have also been tasked with researching my dissertation. Yea, lets start with those first.
I have managed to see almost all of my old friends while I have been back and may get to see a few more before I have to make the move I am now getting pretty desperate to make. Summer time birthdays suck for Uni friends but they are a great way to see the people you are still in touch with at home. Happy Birthday to Sarah (no not that Sarah) and thanks for inviting me to a hilariously fun trip out. I also went drinking with a few old sixth form friends one of whom brought along a massive Lovecraft Tome that was apparently a Christmas gift from a few years ago, I would have been a bit teary if that sort of weakness wasn't a free pass-card for them to mock me for eternity. School friends egh?
So yes there has been much reuniting and chatting and revelations of life beyond what we could have only dreamed a few years ago.
In regards to spending time with my family this summer receives the swotty badge of top marks with the family holiday being actually really pleasant. Not only that but I have been tagging along with my Dad to the football again which has been brilliant and tickets are booked for a match that I will travel down from Lancaster to see if necessary (Bolton Wanderers vs. Manchester United: 25th of September). And finally I have spent numerous long sunny hours in my older sister's back garden tearing the place apart with the plan to refurbish it. My favorite park was knocking down a wall with a sledge hammer.
Still there has been much more time to spare beyond that which has meant there have been games to play, (I have beat the Starcraft 2 campaign on Hard, Brutal is still kicking my arse so hard I am vomiting boot polish. Also the Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth Game is a joy to play but is also pretty damn difficult, as it should be in my opinion) there have ben books to read, I have nearly finished the Great Gatsby again, such a great god damn classic and have picked up the first graphic novel of Scott Pilgrim Verses the World.
But it hasnt all been fun and games! As said there has been srsus busness *looks serious* to get on with and that has been dissertation research. Over all I have managed to get a fair amount read with the intention of seeing my way through a few more text books and articles before I need to get down to the planning stage. Currently the focus is on this guy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Abelard
but that has come about from a slight shift from my original topic which was the early development of the University movement in the Middle Ages. Still I am enjoying it greatly and I suppose I should be thankful for that if nothing else.
I am sorry to say that the summer has not been a fantastic one though. It makes me feel like a first grade douchebag for whining about a period of time I have spent mostly doing very little but that has been the problem really, I have had a fairly lonely summer despite what feel like attempts to go out and be productive and have a good time. When you have so much time, nothing really seems urgent and I find it more difficult to focus. I really have started to feel like I am losing my temper with summer and just cant wait to get back to doing some proper work and putting in some real hours.
But to end on a happy note I am going to talk about the Yellow Sign. It was brilliant! I had such a tremendously good time and like to feel that RPed the hell out of that game. Real thanks need to go to the refs obviously, the work on costumes, props, the setting and the monster (I still cant believe how awesome the Dark Young was!) really ensured that the atmosphere was kept up and that the weekend gave the kind of immersion that is hard to get anywhere else. Other many happy thanks should go to the other players who this time round freaked me out as much as the refs (those people know who they are) and especially to Jen for handling all the cooking which was lovely. And of course I am not forgetting the FOURTY pints of Irish stout.
As I don't want to just keep rambling without a topic I will end this here on a final note about the Yellow Sign. It really did save me from a sour mood and seeing so many people all together made me realize just how much I have missed everyone.
Seeing you all very soon,
Connor
The Summer
All in all I suppose I shouldn't complain. Heh, that is a great way to start isn't it? Will really set the tone I think. To its credit I have managed to do most (if not all) of the things that I think summer is for which is to catch up with my friends back here in Manchester, to actually spend sometime with my family and to relax and unwind. Of course this being the start of my third year I have also been tasked with researching my dissertation. Yea, lets start with those first.
I have managed to see almost all of my old friends while I have been back and may get to see a few more before I have to make the move I am now getting pretty desperate to make. Summer time birthdays suck for Uni friends but they are a great way to see the people you are still in touch with at home. Happy Birthday to Sarah (no not that Sarah) and thanks for inviting me to a hilariously fun trip out. I also went drinking with a few old sixth form friends one of whom brought along a massive Lovecraft Tome that was apparently a Christmas gift from a few years ago, I would have been a bit teary if that sort of weakness wasn't a free pass-card for them to mock me for eternity. School friends egh?
So yes there has been much reuniting and chatting and revelations of life beyond what we could have only dreamed a few years ago.
In regards to spending time with my family this summer receives the swotty badge of top marks with the family holiday being actually really pleasant. Not only that but I have been tagging along with my Dad to the football again which has been brilliant and tickets are booked for a match that I will travel down from Lancaster to see if necessary (Bolton Wanderers vs. Manchester United: 25th of September). And finally I have spent numerous long sunny hours in my older sister's back garden tearing the place apart with the plan to refurbish it. My favorite park was knocking down a wall with a sledge hammer.
Still there has been much more time to spare beyond that which has meant there have been games to play, (I have beat the Starcraft 2 campaign on Hard, Brutal is still kicking my arse so hard I am vomiting boot polish. Also the Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth Game is a joy to play but is also pretty damn difficult, as it should be in my opinion) there have ben books to read, I have nearly finished the Great Gatsby again, such a great god damn classic and have picked up the first graphic novel of Scott Pilgrim Verses the World.
But it hasnt all been fun and games! As said there has been srsus busness *looks serious* to get on with and that has been dissertation research. Over all I have managed to get a fair amount read with the intention of seeing my way through a few more text books and articles before I need to get down to the planning stage. Currently the focus is on this guy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Abelard
but that has come about from a slight shift from my original topic which was the early development of the University movement in the Middle Ages. Still I am enjoying it greatly and I suppose I should be thankful for that if nothing else.
I am sorry to say that the summer has not been a fantastic one though. It makes me feel like a first grade douchebag for whining about a period of time I have spent mostly doing very little but that has been the problem really, I have had a fairly lonely summer despite what feel like attempts to go out and be productive and have a good time. When you have so much time, nothing really seems urgent and I find it more difficult to focus. I really have started to feel like I am losing my temper with summer and just cant wait to get back to doing some proper work and putting in some real hours.
But to end on a happy note I am going to talk about the Yellow Sign. It was brilliant! I had such a tremendously good time and like to feel that RPed the hell out of that game. Real thanks need to go to the refs obviously, the work on costumes, props, the setting and the monster (I still cant believe how awesome the Dark Young was!) really ensured that the atmosphere was kept up and that the weekend gave the kind of immersion that is hard to get anywhere else. Other many happy thanks should go to the other players who this time round freaked me out as much as the refs (those people know who they are) and especially to Jen for handling all the cooking which was lovely. And of course I am not forgetting the FOURTY pints of Irish stout.
As I don't want to just keep rambling without a topic I will end this here on a final note about the Yellow Sign. It really did save me from a sour mood and seeing so many people all together made me realize just how much I have missed everyone.
Seeing you all very soon,
Connor