For your amusement

It's a slow day. These sent to me by my esteemed colleague:

Mark Twain's The Awful German Language

The Onion's Courageous E-mail To Boss In Drafts Folder Since December - which would be funnier if it were less true.

Yes, but no

It is definitely cooler in the mornings, so I think I will carry on with this unholy early rising business. Although the afternoons are just as bad, at least I can go home sooner... There was a massive thunderstorm last night - lightning and thunder rolling on for ages - but it didn't help bring the temperature down very much. This morning is cool, but humid.

I went into the main shopping street yesterday afternoon to get a few things. Cash and a bank statement, some more mugicha (which I have become quite addicted to at the moment) and a bag. My beloved black waist pack - which I use as a shoulder bag - which was just the right size for a Lonely Planet and a small camera, had developed a rip which has now progressed into a hole large enough to put three fingers through. I reluctantly took all the charms and other bits off it and went to find something to use until the custom replacement I'm working on with a lady selling bags at the craft fair I was at a few weeks ago is ready.

So, something to last for two months until I'm back in the UK. Not a backpack, as they're too hot. And since I've started making my own lunch again, something big enough for the lunchbox would be nice. I ended up in a sports shop, where I finally got some camping cutlery - I've been looking for some for months so I don't have to keep getting plastic stuff from the supermarket all the time. Of course, I have to remember to bring it with me... I also saw a nice Sigg bottle - well, I saw the cute child bottle covers first, then looked at the adult bottles and found a 1L one that looked perfect for bringing mugicha into work. Why no cute covers for adults? Discrimination... mutters

Then I found the swanky 'sports' section - more of an exercise in branding and trendsetting. But I fell hard for two things, a Hawai'ian flower print belt (why the print is universally used on menswear I have no idea) and a messenger bag, just the right size, with a beautiful red and white on black crashing wave and chrysanthemum design, obviously Japanese inspired. Adjustable shoulder strap with a padded shoulder section in the same print, black on white chrysanthemum print lining, padded laptop pocket and lots of internal pockets and compartments, which I love. The belt was on sale, but still 20 EUR. The bag... was 70 EUR. I don't think I've ever spent that much on a bag. I'm going to try to sneak in a few hours of overtime...

Success!

Thursday brought feedback on the translation assignment for Social Studies - I got a fantastic mark for it, and I really enjoyed doing it although I spent most of the annotations picking holes in the author's thinking. I managed to mistranslate one word and get a passive the wrong way around in the last section, which threw the whole thing off, but apparently everyone had got the same word wrong. Most of the Social Studies sessions were a concerted attempt by the tutor to get us back on track and keep us on time as we kept talking around and off the topics. But very stimulating nonetheless.

The dissertation and annotated translation sessions were very interesting and helpful in terms of what you need to do. Unfortunately, I still have no idea which I want to do, or what I want to do at all. Either one, now that I've had them explained in detail, is a lot of work. But I can't submit a proposal until I've handed in my last essay, which will be in November as I'm going to ask for an extension.

Feedback on the presentations was good, although the debacle with the laptop put me well over time - the tutor assured me that it was just over five minutes since I got the slides up (we have five to eight minutes in the exam). I also passed the Japanese prose section, although I would have liked to do better. I really need to practice the letter and report sections and keep on reading in Japanese to get my marks up.

Most of the students managed to meet up on Thursday night for dinner, which was a lot of fun even if we were all ready to drop. The first-year students from my course were finished, as was the lone Japanese Language and Society student, although some were staying on to use the library. The librarian had unfortunately gone on holiday, as I wanted to ask her for some things...

Friday was mostly Social Studies, followed by feedback on the Japanese to English translation mock exam and final feedback. I was ready to drop. Coffee and chocolate every two hours, and even that wasn't doing me much good. I passed the Japanese to English mock with a strong mark - really happy with that. We finished up early and headed over to the pub for a quick drink with a few of the tutors and course staff.

I headed back to the library and was there until it closed at 7:00pm. Although there were several of us around, everyone disappeared off - that happened last year too, leaving me feeling quite alone at the end. I picked up a fried rice takeaway and headed back to the halls. Watched Appleseed Ex Machina - gets quite overblown at times, but extremely watchable and well, pre-cyborg Briareos is just fnar.

Between spending most of Wednesday night importing the Sheffield and SOAS library searches into a program called EndNote Web (referencing tool) and then half of Friday in the library building up lists of interesting books, I decided to take it easy on Saturday. First I got a day ticket on the tram and headed in to have a look around and most importantly get my hair cut. Then it was back to the halls to clear out and hand back my keys. I settled in to the outdoors area of the pub up the road with a trashy novel, determined to enjoy the sunny day.

I enjoyed it a little too much as I later found out - the back of my neck burned! I had some lunch and coffees, then moved on to wander around town and picked up some CDs. I had earlier wandered around Waterstones, and bought two brain-off novels (Dead Witch Walking and Magic Bites - both highly entertaining but prefer the latter) and also two 'worthier' volumes, A History of Misogyny and The Descent of Woman. I almost finished one book on the train, as we were delayed by signal problems. Himself had checked for anywhere open late, so we had a lovely Chinese meal before heading home.

On Sunday I was up to pack, then we went into town to meet up with friends for lunch before I headed off again. There was another delay with air traffic control in Frankfurt after a thunderstorm, but we weren't too late. I dawdled in the bookshop in the main station - which has English books - but ended up not getting anything. I really miss the library...

Monday was back to work and turns out we have a desk move. More searching of the content management system for updates, my brain was pretty much shut down by 3:00pm with the heat, and when I went to find my new desk it had no PC on it... so instead of trying to come in early to beat the heat, as I had planned, I now had to come in late so they could put a computer on the desk. Spent half of today waiting for the content management system to do a full checkout. Brain dead by 3:00 again. The German team said in a meeting that the paperwork for the air conditioning had only just been signed so it would be in in November. I can never tell when Germans are joking, but I have a horrible feeling they weren't.

So, I am going to try going in early tomorrow. I'm also making my own salad at the moment, as I'm sick of everything in the supermarket. And my beloved black bag, which I got in Loft in Nagoya back in 2002 or 2003, has finally developed a massive hole, graduated from the tear which I noticed before the craft fair. sigh

Although I decided I would have a week off, I did end up thinking about a topic for the presentation at the exam weekend - I think I'll do it on biofuels, the pros and cons and next stages. Should work in the same pattern as the last one. I'll do up a new study schedule at the weekend. And in the meantime, I bought the eBook of the sequel to Magic Bites, Magic Burns. More brain-off time.

Done and dusted

Today was predictably tough. It didn't help that I started it off taking far too long to reformat and print things in the Information Commons (aka library) and ended up running into the three-hour Japanese to English translation exam five minutes late having had no coffee in between. Three hours can seem like a very short time. I was just about all right until I put all my papers back together and saw the instruction in bold block capitals on the front page about writing on alternate lines... dammit. The tutor was thankfully not bothered.

The English to Japanese paper was harder than it looked - it was short, but long sentences with lots of clauses are hard to rearrange into decent-sounding Japanese, if I even really know what that sounds like. The presentation, apart from the hiccup of the office telling me that most definitely I was not to use my computer because one would be set up and ready to use with a USB stick - and then there being no computer set up. Fancy that. The tutor was completely unsurprised as she lent me her laptop.

We ran late on the presentations - both me and the guy before me kept answering questions for ages until we both took about half an hour each. It was good though. I panicked a bit but nothing substantial and hopefully it will be out of my system by the time the real thing comes around in September. We'll get feedback on that tomorrow and on the Japanese to English on Friday.

After running late on that I had a brief consultation with the Social Science Readings tutor, mainly to ask if it was okay to ask for an extension, as I'm going to be studying for the final exams until I leave Germany, and will be in Japan right up until the essay is due. I may need time in SOAS to get the essay to where it should be, but that will only happen in November.

Not only did June disappear, July is almost gone too, and the rest of the year seems to be pretty much accounted for...

We met up after the lectures and mocks were all over - the girls went to Meadowhall shopping center while the boys went for beer. We shopped until 9:00pm (I got some new shoes, as after destroying the laces on my current ones, I found that the upper has separated from the sole) and then went back to do beer. A few of us bowed out early due to exhaustion or to prepare for the seminars tomorrow. I'm too tired for that now, but will get to it tomorrow morning.

Our father who art in PANIC

I seem to have neglected to mention that the Arts Tower in Sheffield has a paternoster. I had seen it last year, but assumed the doors had been taken off for maintenance.

The woman who walked in in front of me on Monday got straight on it, but I baulked and watched it for a while before trying it. It's very like having an old funfair ride in the building. Other students have been happy to wait for the one other working lift to avoid the paternoster, but I use it every chance I get. It's still vaguely terrifying.

Especially yesterday, when we were on our way to a lecture theatre below ground. Now, I had planned to find out what happened when the paternoster reached the bottom of the building by putting a piece of paper on the floor of a car and watching to see if it came up again... for all I know the cars flip over. But I was so busy talking to one of the other students (who would go on it) that neither of us thought of it until we passed a dimly lit sign on the side of the lower ground floor, stating that the lift would now be going up.

Cue panic.

We were simply shunted to the right, and indeed started to go up. It's very disconcerting when you have concrete all around. But I suppose it had to be safe, or Health and Safety would have ripped it out of the building long ago.

Needless to say, I will continue to use it as often as possible while I'm here. But now, off to try to do some printing, which I was dreaming about last night. The halls have the hardest beds I can remember sleeping in. I have got a cheap rate on a hotel for the exams in September, now just need flights and train...

Fear is the enemy

Monday is over, and it's been really good. We had positive things to say at the feedback session - the modules this year have been really good - and our criticisms were well received. Whether they'll lead to anything is yet to be seen, as they're pretty much the same as last year - rampant disorganisation.

The two tutor-led sessions, on structure of Japanese and English texts and writing letters in Japanese, were excellent - everyone learned something, and the teachers enjoyed them as well. Including the misunderstanding-tutor, who I'm getting on famously with. Phew. It's graduation week, so more on-campus cafes and so on are open this year.

Add to that a nice dinner with lots of fun conversation in both languages (my Japanese is really rusty...) and it's been fantastic. Tomorrow looks good too, with three more language workshops and a library session. Wednesday still looking like the apocalypse. Thursday and Friday are feedback on the mock exams and lots of lectures for the last module, all of which will be useful and informative.

The slight hiccup was on arrival at the halls, when the guy working nights who let me in (by the time he left the room, I knew not only his name but also his course, who he's worked for for the last few years, his country and its political situation...) forgot to give me any of my internet access details and ignored the fact my card didn't work in the outside door. So, when I discovered later that although I had bedding and towels I had no toilet paper, I couldn't go to get any at the 24-hr Tesco around the corner as I would lock myself out. But all sorted out by a slightly irate man at the main office this morning. Turns out it happened to all five of us staying here.

Need to work on my presentation, then review report writing before the session tomorrow. Although I am rather sleepy, and without a source of coffee at the moment. We'll see how long I last.

Omen

I have the schedule for next week.

Wednesday will be the Day from Hell. Three mock exams in a row followed by the presentation.

And the tutor I had a meaningless misunderstanding-turned-email-war with will be there.

And she'll be handling the presentations.

It's time for chocolate...

High and low

The flight over to London was lovely. Got stopped and taken aside by airport security twice to have the Wii Fit board wiped down for explosives, and generally got more interest than if I had a puppy with me. Frankfurt airport staff have perfect English and are generally a very good-humoured lot.

We came over the east coast of England while light was falling and got a beautiful view of fat rivers winding their way into the sea, with a gorgeous sunset overhead. I kept looking from one to the other, amazed at both. Then we went over London with all the lights on, turning over Canary Wharf and getting a great view of Tower Bridge, the river, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye.

The craft fair went well, not as busy as last year, but sold quite a bit - including some larger pieces than last year, and some that I've had for ages - made some new friends, got some presents for people and also have started planning a new bag with a lady who makes them who was there. We're going to try to use some of the fabric I brought back from Japan, which I still haven't learned enough sewing to do anything with.

Was so tired on Friday night I thought I was going to come down with something. Couldn't stay awake, throat hurt, head hurt, sniffling. But I was okay in the end, and stumbled back to the flat in Frankfurt slightly delayed by an air traffic control problem just before midnight - still early enough to get a decent train and U-bahn connection home.

Then downstairs neighbour decided to play the keyboards. At 1:10am.

I decided that undignified as it was my only option was to shout out the window gently requesting that he stop. I am going to have to a) speak to him (although if he thinks playing the keyboards at 1:10am was a good idea in the first place you wonder if it's going to do any good) and/or b) get someone at work to speak to him and/or c) ask to be moved.

I could do without this with a week to go to the residential. My hard drive is also making an odd noise and says it could do with a software repair that I need the disc that it came with (currently in Reading) for. Next weekend, when I'm there...

Anyway. Apart from the noisy ending a wonderful time, and most indebted to himself's parents for all their help. It's a gorgeous village.

Deferred pleasure

I have to admit that I haven't been reading the feedback for my MA work as soon as it comes in.

I was somewhat alarmed to find how long I haven't been reading it for though - since the beginning of the year. Not something to look on with pride.

But although I have obviously been dreading it - particularly since getting into an ultimately senseless debacle over comments with one of the tutors - it's actually all quite good. The patents tutor invites me to take up translating patents as a profession. The tutor I had the altercation with gave me an excellent mark on round 2, although my basic grammar is still not what it should be. And the Japanese to English translation tutor gave me a very high mark for my last assignment and a cheerful 'keep up the good work'.

Not much going on. I have been alternating between studying for the residential on the week of the 21st and procrastinating about it. Flying to Heathrow on Thursday night to get ready for the craft fair on the weekend - as I haven't been in the country to organise anything I'll just have to hope for some unprepared version of beginner's luck. At least all the display materials from last year are still in a crate in the attic, so I'll just have to get some change from the bank and polish up any tarnished silver and get everything to the right place.

(If you're anywhere near Kings Langley and Abbots Langley - just outside Watford - go to the Festival of the Arts! All this week! Especially to see Kindertransport! And the craft fair is in the hall of the beautiful St. Lawrence church in Abbots Langley.)

And this time - I have to buy the chickens from the quilting group and give them to Mom instead of keeping them for myself as I did 2 years ago.

Ahem. This has all turned into a bit of a confessional...

Better

Today started out just as hot as yesterday, but the rain started after lunch and carried on all day - I'm now sitting beside a large open window, and I'm a bit cold but it's so nice after yesterday that I'm loving it.

Making progress with my translation assignment for the residential week, and hope to switch on to something else soon. The weekend will be reserved for the thing I'm most worried about, the presentation. I need to get a bit of grammar study in too. I also really need to improve my kanji and handwriting skills, but I'm not sure I can do anything with them in two and a bit weeks...

Other than that, some things are much cheaper here than in the UK - I got 50 Loratadine (active ingredient of Clarityn) for 16 Euro, and also got some free glasses wipes and green tea flavoured sugar free gum in the bag with them. I already had some glasses wipes - 1.50 Euro for 20 - to clean the DS with.

I will be moving at the end of the month - Nintendo have decided to move all their contracts to a new agency and so all the contractors are being moved. No concrete news on where, just that we need to move 31 July and we'll have free internet. It also probably means I'll have to go and update my registration, so another trip to the local government offices... At least I'll have a few days to get my German together after the residential!

Not the best day on record...

30 degrees. And that was when I checked at about 7pm, so it could well have been hotter during the day. Was completely zombified at work. Really hoping the air con does arrive soon (it has been promised for next week).

Got home just in time to say hi to someone taking their laundry down to the basement... which is what I was hoping to do. I had even left work bang on time after getting in a little earlier than usual - mainly because the internet connection was down. So, I got ready to go to the laundrette instead.

I decided to have an ice lolly - only to find that the teeny freezer on top of my mini-fridge really doesn't work. They were mush. I should throw out everything else in there as well...

But I got a machine and dryer right away at the laundrette, and another resident has fixed the internet connection, and I have a litre of water and a cold glass of caffeinated soft drink. And I did play my Japanese learning games at the laundrette, and treated myself to an ice cream from the place across the road from there. So, not all bad.