Drifting

I decided to get off my sofa this weekend and went for a visit to The Creative County to see T. We had quite an active weekend in all; walking in the rain at the quaint Baggeridge Park, cycling 5 miles to a crooked house, which as you can see from my picture is indeed, very crooked, and even had a go at Sailing at Himley Park. I say sailing. We sort of drifted if anything.


Not dissimilar to how I'm going through life at the moment; drifting along hoping the wind might catch soon, or that I'll come across something exciting in the water, like a job.

I had an interview last week for a position as a receptionist at production company in London. It went well I thought, I answered the usual questions well; 'where do you see yourself in five years', 'why do you want to work in television' etc., but alas I didn't get it. I'm not too upset by it though, and besides, the reception area looked quite cold, I probably would have hated it anyway.


Apart from that, job prospects are looking thin on the ground. My temping agency aren't doing much. The lady who represents me seems to keep forgetting who I am every time I call and consequently keeps giving potential work away to other people. Apparently though, assuming that she remembers me, there is a job going at a toy company near to where I live. The job title is advertised as 'sales administration' but I've done enough temping to know that that really means answering phone calls from Mummy Perfect complaining that her brat child's Timmy doll isn't peeing like it should be.


Today, thousands of students across the country are in panic, as A Level results are in, but Universities cut places. In my current situation I feel like telling them all its ok, that university isn't all its cracked up to be and that after three years hard work you'll just end up sat on your sofa in your pyjama shorts, eating chocolate brownies and blogging about how hard it is to find work. I know deep down that's not true at all, and that I don't regret a single moment at Uni, but I cant help but feel a little disheartened by the whole thing. Its like my nice framed degree certificate is looking at me, confused as to why its on my wall, and shouldn't it be somewhere else? Like on the desk of some accountant or lawyer?


On the plus side I went to the first recruitment meeting for the First Light Digital Documenters project and I have to say I am quite excited about it. The people are lovely, and the entire project sounds like a lot of fun. As production assistant I'll be getting to grips of lots of things as my team go about planning and producing short documentaries on various 'mygames' programmes happening in Birmingham. Although its unpaid, I'm going to learn lots of skills and it'll look all nice and shiny and job-friendly on my CV. I'll hopefully blog about my progress with the project as it goes along.


There is also The Network next week in Edinburgh which I am very excited about. My timetable looks good and I'll even be taking part in an EastEnders workshop where I'll meet Max and Jack Branning. Which, considering my sofa lifestyle at the moment, is just about the most exciting news I have ever had. Again, I'll hopefully blog about it while I'm there, let you all know what I've been up to and if you insist I will try and get some pictures of me with some celebrities. God, the things I do for you.

Packing

Packing is horrible.

There are many different methods to packing. Some, like T, blitz it in a few hours, beginning only on the day that they will be moving out. My method is quite possibly the polar opposite of said approach. I pack slowly. Really. Slowly. I started a week ago and have been packing bit by bit everyday since. I don't know why I do it this way. Maybe, subconsciously, I actually enjoy it, and that by doing it day by day I am therefore prolonging the activity. Or perhaps its because I'm a lazy sod who cant be arsed, does 5 minutes worth and then gives up. I'll let you decide that one blog readers.

On this occasion packing has been particularly slow, because I am moving it home to a considerable smaller room. If you can call it a room. So instead of chucking everything in bags, I am going through it all. Sorting it. Throwing away things I don't need.

And that brings me to my second problem. I have some sort of disability where I cannot throw things away. Tickets stubs. Pretty boxes that for the last three years I've not yet found a use for, but one day I just might, even my notes. Yes you heard me readers. I am not a note burner. I was not one of those who left there last exam and celebrated like a pagan over the flames of my notes. I keep them. God knows why. I have them all, from first year. I am a hoarder. Oh god. I'm my nan.

It's two days until I leave University. Forever. Sounds dramatic doesn't it? The feeling of indifference is still there - but I know that there is a torrent of emotion that will spill everywhere the minute I'm on the M6 heading south. I had a lovely weekend with everyone. Pangaea was great. This is the huge end of term festival where the entire Union is opened up with beaches, bands, orchestras, games, you name it its there. Everyone parties until 7am and then walks home to continue the celebrations there. I left at 5am. I don't remember wanting to leave at 5am. I have memories of my friends telling me I probably should and sort of just, going. Like a hypnotised drunken mess. It wasn't until I was on the bus that I remembered I had no keys. So I spent three hours passed out in my friend M's bed until someone could let me in. Excellent. Following that was Parklife. Another festival, but in Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield. Equally as good, but with cider at £4 a bottle there wasn't a chance of me getting as drunk as I was at Pangaea. I'm a student. I'm frugal.

This has been followed by the summer school I'm working on. 100 14 years olds for three days. Delightful. Although this year I am supervisor, which in some respects means taking on more responsibility, but in other respects means choosing the best group to hang around with, or the best workshop to sit in on. (Most of the time this is the ones that involve food in some form). It's fun, but hard work and tiring. Story of my life.

Right best get on. My things aren't going to hoard themselves you know.

A Feeling of Indifference.

I finished my exams two weeks ago. Thats right, TWO weeks ago. You would have thought, dear blog readers, that on finishing my exams and therefore ending my three year long relationship with university, that the first thing I would do is blog about it.

Well, apparently not. It is only now, on a rare day off, that I realise I haven't blogged about the 'end'. After some pondering over why on earth I didn't leap at my laptop the minute I drunkenly came in the evening of my last exam, I realised that blogging has very much been a tool of procrastination and distraction since I began earlier this year. Now though, I have nothing to procrastinate and distract me from, and it would appear my blog has been the victim of this freedom.

Finishing exams, and University, has left me with a feeling of indifference. Similar to how I felt when I finished my dissertation, I am neither joyous nor sad. I predict however, that the sadness will hit once I have moved home to that place I am so fond of, Didcot. The next week is quite hectic, with end of term parties and then a summer school that I'm supervising, so I have begun the process of packing now, and already this has begun to make me feel slightly melancholy. All the things I have procured over the last three years, silly memorabilia that at one point was probably part of some hilarious in-joke between myself and my housemates, but that is now just a bit of crap.

A part of me is relieved. Living with 9 people is hard, as is the mess that comes with it. I wont necessarily miss the mice, the mysterious puddles of water that appear on the bathroom floor, or the left over takeaways that one particular housemate seems intent on leaving outside my bedroom door. And while a part of me longs for fresh food, cleanliness and quiet, I know that the minute I have all that, I will miss all this.

I wont go on too much, or I really am in danger of getting emotional, and I think I'll save the memories and dedications for another time, perhaps after the madness that will be this weekend.

On a different note, I had my first interview last week. It was for the position of production junior at a small production company based in Manchester. Having not had a 'proper' interview before, it is safe to say I was more nervous about this than my exams. I went along, and after a very short interview, was home half an hour later. Immediately I thought it was so short because they didn't like me. I didn't get the job, so maybe I was right. Who knows.

But, all is not bad news. I found out last week that I have made it onto coveted scheme, The Network. This is a five day placement involving workshops, master classes and activities for those wanting to make it in television, at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival. Thousands of people applied and only 100 got on, so as you can imagine I am very happy!

So, as university comes to an end, I am plunged into a hiatus of uncertainty. But for now, I have an amazing summer ahead, with Italy, Benicassim, and now Edinburgh to look forward to, some amazing people to spend time with and some doors to open and explore. Bring it on world, I have my lashmina on and I'm ready to PARTY.