Nearly over

This term, that is; I'm finishing off reports, finalising the course review and questionnaires, and making space on my desk. Students are bunking off, giving the college a wonderful sense of peace and quiet. I also need to do a bunk at some stage, in order to do the weary round of christmas shopping.
Nearly over, too, is this evil, vile and nasty year, and the sooner it's gone, the happier I'll be, even though some positive things have occurred - more of that in another post.

Just been doing resits for assignments over the past term. Uniformally atrocious. What pissed me off, however, were a couple of the students arrogantly assuming that I could let them do their retakes whenever it suited them! One guy turned up ten minutes before the exam was due to finish. Prick.

angus and I studiously ignore the fact that there seems to be an angel with a tree wedged up its butt in the corner of the living room... 

bah humbug.

I am in a sodding evil mood. I blame having to go into Reading Town centre on Saturday to do Christmas Shopping. Every year, I promise myself that I will get it all out of the way really early on - like january, say - and every year I end up doing it at the last moment. Ditto Christmas cards. I find the surging crowds of shoppers an infinitely depressing sight, and the impression I get is of a mob grimly undertaking a task. There is no pleasure in it whatsoever. It is also monday, and I have dozens of exams to mark by wednesday, as well as course reviews and god knows what else. For some reason, the students in the college today are exceptionally ugly - they're loitering round the corridors like a bunch of slobbering trogs. Oh, bollocks to it all.

The Joy of Monday...

...actually, I don't mind it too much: My classes are pleasant and, even though they're back-to back, it means my day goes quickly. Having a full schedule means that I don't have to cover other classes, a perennial bugger as lecturers tend to go down with all sorts of mysterious ailments at the beginning of the week.

We put up the christmas tree yesterday - yes, I know it's early, but I'd have to put up with my son going on about it for days if I hadn't. It looks good, but we need to get some more room decorations - the current batch have died. Made roast chicken last night, complemented with chestnut stuffing. yum.

And on the good news front, I got a �200 rebate from the council! Hurrah!

friday once again..

..and I'm about to escape. I like fridays, well, who doesn't, mainly because I don't have to teach lessons, and I can get away with the semblance of looking busy most of the time. Also, thanks to the college's generous (ha) policy for those who work two evenings a week, I get a half-day off. This doesn't really work for several reasons; first, I'm here for a total of eight hours on a tuesday and thursday evening, so a half-day is a bit tight, to put it mildly; More importantly, I frequently have so much admin crap to do that I end up getting out late. For example, I am currently revising the sodding course review documentation for the part time programmes - not fun, and my boss didn't enjoy my, erm, pithy comments that I'd scrawled initially. I have also now been appointed exams coordinator, almost without my knowledge. Our secretary flung a piece of paper entitled 'exam dates' on it at me, then Boss said , 'Ah, yes, I'd been meaning to mention...' Cheers for that. Now I must needs deal with Ethereal Eleanor, the exams officer who sounds and acts as if she's been pumped full of prozac.

I'm trying to lay off reading through the novel. Although I'm tempted to get into editing it to death, it might be a better idea to wait until I get some initial feedback. I've also found myself kicking my heels for the past week - I'm restless and bored. Time for a new challenge; Suggestions, anyone?

proof that I won! 

martin, vicki, graham, me and nur last friday.