Bunking Off

I've just spent the past four hours NOT READING and NOT WRITING ESSAYS - I know, I know, but what can I say? I'm just one of life's rebels, I guess.

Now for the disappointing bit. I haven't spent the past four hours in the pub, or having debauched sex (or non-debauched sex either, for that matter). I haven't been shoe shopping. I haven't been in a nice cafe eating chocolate cake. Did I mention I hadn't even been to the pub?

No, no, no. Because, it turns out that not only am I a rebel, but I'm also a rebel who is desperately in need of clean clothes. Academic work has taken over my life to such an extent that I realised today I'm living in a nasty, messy flat with very few clean clothes remaining. So, I've been doing laundry. Lots and lots of laundry (I have to keep this posting short because I've got to go and get the sixth load out of the machine any minute now).

I feel justified in taking an afternoon off (even if it is just for domestic chores) because I had a particularly harrowing supervision yesterday. I knew my essay on Ibsen (that Scandawegian PEST!) wasn't one of my best when I sent it off, but what I wasn't expecting was a slating that lasted nearly 45 minutes. In front of two fellow students who hadn't submitted essays, and therefore escaped a slating all together. I'm sure my bottom lip and chin was wobbling while she was spouting forth her criticisms. Immediately after the supervision I made Mo join me for a gin and tonic. Then I came home and cried. An over-reaction, I know, but you tell that to my hormones. I then e-mailed the supervisor asking if my essay was really that bad, told her I was feeling somewhat bruised and asked for advice on improving my essays to avoid aforementioned slating in future. She wrote back and told me the essay was, in fact, fine and would have got a 2.1 if she had given it a mark. So... there's Cambridge tough love for you.

I've realised now that it can't all be about academic work. A slating wouldn't have bothered me in the least last year but when all you are doing is academic work, criticisms like that really get you where it hurts. Because at the moment, that's all I'm doing.

What have we learnt, children? From now on, more boozing!