Yet again, this is a very delayed update. I really am terrible at this whole blogging thing! It doesn't help that I'm not making particularly great progress on these challenges of mine, so I haven't had masses to write about... I know, I know, I'm a total letdown. However, I do have one or two bits and pieces to share, so I'm not going to procrastinate any longer - I AM updating today!
So this week was my first week back at uni, and I'm getting back into the swing of things, slowly but surely. It feels like absolutely forever since I've been sat in a lecture theatre! For once, I've actually kept up to date with my reading, and I went into every class this week feeling prepared... unfortunately I later realised I wasn't prepared enough, when we had to do a task involving restructuring the arguments of a philosophical paper written by the guy who taught me last semester, and I spent the entire hour completely dumbstruck and unable to understand a word. Philosophy is hard! As much as I love metaphysics, it really messes with your mind. This week has taught me that I really need to do my set reading earlier in the week and spend the night before rereading it and familiarising myself with the arguments and points within, rather than reading it for the first time the preceding night. This week has also taught me that I really need to be working on my dissertation... I had a pipe dream last semester that I'd have half of it down by my next supervision meeting. I've done NONE of it (besides a lengthy library session earlier this week where I read one of my supporting texts and collected useful quotes), and my meeting is at 10 on Monday morning. Eek! Looks like I'll be spending a lot more time in the library...
On the bright side, I've made a hell of a lot of progress towards my exercise goals. I decided against parkrunning on Saturday as a metric fuckton of snow fell earlier in the week and by the weekend it had reached the icy stage. Turns out I made a good decision, as overnight on Friday about another foot fell and I ended up kind of stranded at The Lad's house. However, it's not all bad news! This week, ladies and gents, I managed to run 5km on the treadmill for the first time ever, in just over half an hour. I'm absolutely over the moon, I wasn't sure if I was capable but seemingly I am! So far I've found that I actually find it easier towards the end of the run - I get a sort of adrenalin rush and get really into it. My ankles absolutely cane now though - if anybody has any recommendations regarding running shoes, please let me know, because my shabby old trainers are definitely not the best footwear for running, especially considering I need to start taking it outside now. I have very, very weak ankles and my arches are collapsing where they rock in, so trainers with a built-in instep would be ideal. Lifting's taken a backseat this week as building up my stamina on the treadmill has kind of taken priority, but I can do 20 reps on 15kg now, so I might try to take it up to 20kg next week,
Continuing on the exercise theme, The Lad and I took a trip yesterday to view a bike we found advertised on Gumtree, and I'm pleased to say I am now the proud owner of a swanky bicycle, courtesy of my lovely boyfriend! Now I just need to learn how to ride it... the seller was rather adamant I tried it out, which was not particularly easy given the slush, accompanied by the fact that I'm a shit cyclist. The Lad ended up having to hold on to the back of the bike, which made me feel about 3. I can't abide being watched when I'm attempting something I'm not very good at, so that wasn't exactly my finest hour... once the snow's melted, I'll be taking it to the park round the corner where there are no parked cars for me to crash into and lots of grass to cushion my (most likely numerous) falls. I'll put up photos of it when I've sorted out my camera - must get that sorted!
As for the rest of my goals, I'm not doing particularly well. I haven't read any of my book in ages, I haven't listened to my Russian (I got quite disheartened when my shocking memory caused me to forget a rather significant amount of new vocabulary as I was going along), and I doubt the NHS want my blood at the moment, as it's pretty much pure alcohol. Buying a bottle of tequila for last night's party was definitely not one of my better ideas - I woke up at half nine this morning in my bed, with no recollection of how I got there. Apparently The Lad put me there after finding me passed out in the hall. So I missed most of my own birthday party. Wonderful. My head is pounding, I probably reek of sick and I still have to tidy up the front room, which is utter carnage. The mere sight of alcohol makes me dry heave at the moment, so I might delay the clean-up operation until I've had a shower and feel slightly more human. Any notions of doing dissertation work ahead of tomorrow's meeting have fallen flat, I think anything I write will be gobbledegook at this stage. I'm going to shamefacedly return to the foetal position I assumed earlier, fester a bit, and then attempt to put my house back in one piece, before writing to my grandparents, who would thoroughly disapprove of my appalling behaviour. Learn from my mistakes, dear readers, and don't drink tequila until you pass out. Especially when you're the host.
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Some blogger!
So evidently I’m not doing so well at this whole keeping a
regular blog thing… in my defence, I’ve been bogged down in some particularly
foul essays which I stupidly left to the last minute (with the benefit of
hindsight, maybe stopping procrastinating should have been one of my 21 goals),
and a very shoddy Internet connection… okay, okay, they’re not the best excuses
in the world. I suck. I’m sorry.
Luckily, I’ve not been so useless with my remaining 20
goals. I’m getting back into my gym routine this week after being snowed under
with coursework this week – weirdly enough, I’d actually missed getting all
sweaty and feeling like my lungs have collapsed! Pole was cancelled this week
and weights have sort of taken a back seat lately, but I’m making good headway
on this running malarkey, having managed to run about 3.3k in 20 minutes in the
gym yesterday. Considering I generally don’t run as a rule, I’m pretty damn
pleased with myself. However, that’s just on a treadmill, and actually running
outside is going to be considerably trickier. I had a little practice when I
was at home, but I need to do more, so I’ve registered with parkrun (http://www.parkrun.org.uk/),
who organise weekly 5k runs (I think normally at 9am Saturday mornings – hell’s
bells!) nationwide. I’m planning on going to the event on the 26th
at Temple Newsam, a stately home with lovely grounds not too far from me.
However, they also run events at the park which is literally next to my flat,
so I may do that one instead in future, seeing as I can afford to roll out of
bed about half an hour before it starts that way! It’ll be a great opportunity
to get some practice actually running a 5k course (I don’t have a pedometer at
the moment – must invest!) with a group of people who will hopefully act as
motivation for me to up my game. I’m not too bothered about the speed, but I do want to keep going for the whole
course and not have to walk sections. The 26th isn’t far away now,
so I’ll be posting about how that goes when the time comes.
The goal I’m aiming to cross off the list will probably be
giving blood. I’ve rung the centre and they apparently release appointments on
the day, so I will have to pick a day when I’m up early and not hungover (there
aren’t too many of those… not because I’m an alcoholic, but because I’m lazy)
to book myself in and head on down there. I’m sort of looking forward to it,
although after a friend described himself after his first donation as “fucked
up” (thanks for that, “friend”!), I’m more than a little apprehensive. Still, my
former housemate and I are planning to go together for moral support.
When I first announced this project of mine, I was lucky
enough to have a great support network of friends and family around me who were
positively brimming with information, tips and offers of help, for which I am
incredibly grateful. One person who’s been particularly supportive is none
other than my lovely boyfriend (who will henceforth be known as ‘The Lad’ – it’s
easier to type). Since returning back up North from my home down South, after a
long break from seeing each other, The Lad has presented me with a couple of
little gifts as part of my birthday present to aid me on my way towards
achieving these goals of mine, plus there is talk of us scouring Gumtree
together in order to find a cheapo bike I can practice on… seeing as I’ve been
known in the past to crash when attempting to cycle, I don’t want to wreck a
brand spanking new one. The gifts he has presented me with thusfar are a USB
memory stick with Learn Russian mp3s on there, and a little packet of chili
pepper seeds! I never used to be a big fan of chili, but I love it now, so it’s
an excuse to get cooking – not that I ever need one, I love cooking! Anybody
got any bright ideas for meal ideas?
In addition to USB sticks and chili pepper seeds, I’ve also,
courtesy of my lovely friends and family, acquired several books – some of
which I picked out, and others which are a total surprise. I already have about
a third of my 21 books now! First on the list is Ghost Light by Joseph O’Connor, which is actually a book I bought
for myself, but some of the ones I was bought are intimidatingly long after
such a long time without reading for my own enjoyment, so I figured I’d ease
myself in slowly. I’ll be reviewing everything I read, so keep your eyes peeled
for those.
Overall, I’d say I’m making fairly good progress this early
in the year! However, my nails are a mess, I haven’t bought a single newspaper
and at least one of the essays I just wrote is so shit that this degree may be
slipping away from me… must try harder! In the meantime, I’m going to stick
some Russian on and immerse myself. Dos svidanya!
P.S. I do actually plan to start including some photos in this blog at some point, but unfortunately my camera has given up the ghost, boo hiss. Once I have a functioning one, I'll start making this thing a bit more exciting.
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Happy Birthday to me!
Welcome one and all, to my shiny new blog! I've flirted with blogging before, experimented at length, but unfortunately I'm a terrible procrastinator and eventually the length between posts just gets so bloody embarrassing that I give up altogether, and my blog becomes buried in the depths of the vast Internet. I'm determined that this year will be different.
So, quickly, a bit about me. I'm Kate, I'm a student oop North, and I am 21 today. It's supposedly a grand occasion, and people have been continually asking me what I want to do, what I would like by way of gifts, and so on. I'm quite fortunate in that I have a very generous family, so I'm not really wanting for anything, plus my birthday comes so soon after Christmas that I've already been showered with presents. However, there are plenty of goals I've been meaning to achieve, but have never got round to making any headway towards: targets that I've wanted to meet, but fallen short of. Now that I am, as of today, a proper adult, I figure it's about time that I got off my arse and did something about it. And given that my birthday is so close to New Year, I could do with making a few resolutions. So here it is, my birthday present to me: a list of 21 goals that I plans to have achieved by the time I turn 22. Some of them are big things, some of them are little things, and some of them are just about being a better person. I'll list them here, along with a brief explanation as to why I chose each one:
1.) Learn Russian.
My degree is actually BA Philosophy and Russian Civilisation. I'm one of only about 2 people on my course who don't speak a single word of Russian, and it can be a disadvantage on occasion. I've been meaning to learn Russian since last year, and was even given a set of Learn Russian CDs by a friend, but somehow never got round to it, not least because I no longer have a disc drive on my laptop. My boyfriend has managed to download some MP3s which help you to learn the language, so no more excuses!
2.) Complete at least one 5k race.
Back in February 2011 I decided I was sick and tired of being the big girl, so I started a new exercise regime. I go to the gym around 4-5 times a week, plus I pole dance on Mondays, but one thing I've never got the hang of is running, much as I've always wanted to. My dad used to do a 10k every summer, and I've had friends who've done the London Marathon. I'm not quite sure I'd ever manage to run quite THAT far, but I think 5k sounds sensible. I've actually made a start on this already - I managed to run a mile in about 10 minutes yesterday, and I was over the bloody moon. If I can keep this up, maybe I'll be able to run a few races this year, but I'll be really pleased with just one.
3.) Get down to 9 stone and STAY THERE.
With a combination the fitness regime described above and a fairly strict diet, I've managed to lose about 3 stone since I started uni. However, being at home over Christmas has meant I've been rather naughty on occasion. I never want to return to the state I was in before, so this year I've resolved to maintain a stable weight. I'm only 5'3", so 9 stone is a good, healthy weight for me.
4.) Learn to ride a bike.
When they said you never forget how to ride a bike, they lied. I have to re-learn every 5-6 years. This time around, I want to remember! Hopefully I'll be able to find a cheap second-hand bike on Gumtree so I can practice regularly.
5.) Be able to lift half my body weight (around 30kg).
I need to build up my upper body strength in order to achieve the goal below, so I'll be doing weights in the gym. I've just about managed to lift 20kg before, but it's bloody hard, so I'll have to build myself up slowly but surely.
6.) Climb to the top of the pole at my pole dancing class.
I started pole dancing around March time last year. It took me about six months to learn how to get upside down, but climbing still evades me - I just end up with multiple bruises and friction burns! The pole's about 11ft, and I've managed to climb a little bit of it, but I always get stuck partway up. Whether that a mental block or a lack of physical strength I don't know, but either way I WILL touch that ceiling, come hell or high water!
7.) Get a high 2:1/first class degree.
I graduate in the summer, so I've got one semester left to really knuckle down and achieve this. I'm on track so far for a good 2:1, but I've left my work really late this Christmas holiday. Here's hoping I can pull it out the bag.
8.) Get a job.
Once I've graduated, I need a job! I've applied for one or two internships and I'm just waiting to hear back on those. Even if it's just admin, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
9.) Rent my own property.
And if I've got a job, I can pay rent. No more sponging off my parents!
10.) Learn to drive.
It's four years today since I've been able to legally drive. I've always been too scared to even try because, as much as it shames me to admit this, I still struggle to tell my left from right, and I'm so uncoordinated on the ground, I'm not sure that adding a car into the equation is the best idea. Nevertheless, being able to drive would make life a hell of a lot easier for me (not to mention my mother!), so on the list it goes.
11.) Raise £1000 for charity.
For the past five Christmases I've volunteered at one of the homeless shelters Crisis opens up over that period - it's actually the thank you party for the volunteers tonight, which saves me organising anything for myself! Generally speaking, I think it's more beneficial to donate time than money, but my dad's done a lot of charity work himself and has raised thousands. Any funds I raise will go to Crisis, as I have personal experience of the work they do, and I know just how the money would benefit them.
12.) Give blood at least once.
I've been a bit selfish about donating in the past - I'm pathetic about pain - but this year, I need to change that.
13.) Write to my paternal grandparents once a month.
I've written to my dad's parents a couple of times, and even sent a parcel once, and seeing how happy that makes them, I defiinitely need to do it more often. My mum's parents I see more regularly and occasionally talk to on the phone or email, so writing to them isn't such a big thing, but my paternal grandmother is essentially bedridden and they don't have a computer. Letter writing is their main form of contact, so I need to do it more regularly.
14.) Grow something.
This is a random one I found on the Internet when I was looking for ideas when my creativity failed me, but I think it's a good one! I'd like to maybe try growing chili peppers.
15.) Get a new piercing.
I love piercings, and when I was a bit younger I kept sneaking off to get them done without telling my parents... who always eventually found out. I've only got them in my ears at the moment, but I'd like to get something a bit more, well, exotic. I'm thinking of getting a triple navel piercing; however, this might have to wait until after I've given blood, since you can't give blood for 4 months after a piercing.
16.) Stop biting my nails.
I actually managed this for a couple of months, but I've failed -my nails, whilst not exactly bitten, are short and stubby. I've found that for me, the key is keeping them painted, as being a vain cow, I'm reluctant to chip the polish!
17.) Visit all 4 countries of the UK.
This idea actually came from a book by Freya North called Chloe, where a young woman is sent on a quest of self-discovery in her godmother's will, and must spend each season in a different country of the UK. I went to Scotland once when I was about 11, I've always wanted to see Ireland and I've never been to Wales. Although I'm based in England, there's plenty of it I haven't seen or would like to revisit.
18.) Go abroad.
While the above goal would in itself consist of several little holidays, I haven't been abroad in a few years now. Now that I've finally renewed my passport, there's nothing stopping me - I had to turn down a couple of holidays last year due to endlessly delaying my passport application!
19.) Read 21 books.
I never read for pleasure any more, and it's something I've really missed, so I need to make time for it this year. Today alone I've received three new books - I'll be reviewing them on here as I finish each one.
20.) Subscribe to/regularly buy a newspaper, and actually read it.
I'm ashamed to admit that I spend far too much time on the Daily Mail website, and that's where most of my news comes from, biased and ill-informed as it undoubtedly may be. Despite reading it, I remain woefully ignorant when it comes to world affairs, leaving me at a disadvantage when I try to argue with my Communist boyfriend (who regularly bemoans the fact that I peruse the Mail's site). Here's hoping I'll eventually be able to win some more of our (numerous) "discussions" (aka arguments!).
21.) Keep a regular blog.
Last, but certainly not least, I've always wanted to blog properly, but I never really had anything much to write about. With the start of this challenge, I now do! I'll be posting progress updates on here on a regular basis, so keep your eyes peeled!
So there you have it: my 21 goals, with 365 days in which to complete them. I'd better get cracking! But first, it's time to celebrate... I may be an adult now, but you're never too old for a party!
So, quickly, a bit about me. I'm Kate, I'm a student oop North, and I am 21 today. It's supposedly a grand occasion, and people have been continually asking me what I want to do, what I would like by way of gifts, and so on. I'm quite fortunate in that I have a very generous family, so I'm not really wanting for anything, plus my birthday comes so soon after Christmas that I've already been showered with presents. However, there are plenty of goals I've been meaning to achieve, but have never got round to making any headway towards: targets that I've wanted to meet, but fallen short of. Now that I am, as of today, a proper adult, I figure it's about time that I got off my arse and did something about it. And given that my birthday is so close to New Year, I could do with making a few resolutions. So here it is, my birthday present to me: a list of 21 goals that I plans to have achieved by the time I turn 22. Some of them are big things, some of them are little things, and some of them are just about being a better person. I'll list them here, along with a brief explanation as to why I chose each one:
1.) Learn Russian.
My degree is actually BA Philosophy and Russian Civilisation. I'm one of only about 2 people on my course who don't speak a single word of Russian, and it can be a disadvantage on occasion. I've been meaning to learn Russian since last year, and was even given a set of Learn Russian CDs by a friend, but somehow never got round to it, not least because I no longer have a disc drive on my laptop. My boyfriend has managed to download some MP3s which help you to learn the language, so no more excuses!
2.) Complete at least one 5k race.
Back in February 2011 I decided I was sick and tired of being the big girl, so I started a new exercise regime. I go to the gym around 4-5 times a week, plus I pole dance on Mondays, but one thing I've never got the hang of is running, much as I've always wanted to. My dad used to do a 10k every summer, and I've had friends who've done the London Marathon. I'm not quite sure I'd ever manage to run quite THAT far, but I think 5k sounds sensible. I've actually made a start on this already - I managed to run a mile in about 10 minutes yesterday, and I was over the bloody moon. If I can keep this up, maybe I'll be able to run a few races this year, but I'll be really pleased with just one.
3.) Get down to 9 stone and STAY THERE.
With a combination the fitness regime described above and a fairly strict diet, I've managed to lose about 3 stone since I started uni. However, being at home over Christmas has meant I've been rather naughty on occasion. I never want to return to the state I was in before, so this year I've resolved to maintain a stable weight. I'm only 5'3", so 9 stone is a good, healthy weight for me.
4.) Learn to ride a bike.
When they said you never forget how to ride a bike, they lied. I have to re-learn every 5-6 years. This time around, I want to remember! Hopefully I'll be able to find a cheap second-hand bike on Gumtree so I can practice regularly.
5.) Be able to lift half my body weight (around 30kg).
I need to build up my upper body strength in order to achieve the goal below, so I'll be doing weights in the gym. I've just about managed to lift 20kg before, but it's bloody hard, so I'll have to build myself up slowly but surely.
6.) Climb to the top of the pole at my pole dancing class.
I started pole dancing around March time last year. It took me about six months to learn how to get upside down, but climbing still evades me - I just end up with multiple bruises and friction burns! The pole's about 11ft, and I've managed to climb a little bit of it, but I always get stuck partway up. Whether that a mental block or a lack of physical strength I don't know, but either way I WILL touch that ceiling, come hell or high water!
7.) Get a high 2:1/first class degree.
I graduate in the summer, so I've got one semester left to really knuckle down and achieve this. I'm on track so far for a good 2:1, but I've left my work really late this Christmas holiday. Here's hoping I can pull it out the bag.
8.) Get a job.
Once I've graduated, I need a job! I've applied for one or two internships and I'm just waiting to hear back on those. Even if it's just admin, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
9.) Rent my own property.
And if I've got a job, I can pay rent. No more sponging off my parents!
10.) Learn to drive.
It's four years today since I've been able to legally drive. I've always been too scared to even try because, as much as it shames me to admit this, I still struggle to tell my left from right, and I'm so uncoordinated on the ground, I'm not sure that adding a car into the equation is the best idea. Nevertheless, being able to drive would make life a hell of a lot easier for me (not to mention my mother!), so on the list it goes.
11.) Raise £1000 for charity.
For the past five Christmases I've volunteered at one of the homeless shelters Crisis opens up over that period - it's actually the thank you party for the volunteers tonight, which saves me organising anything for myself! Generally speaking, I think it's more beneficial to donate time than money, but my dad's done a lot of charity work himself and has raised thousands. Any funds I raise will go to Crisis, as I have personal experience of the work they do, and I know just how the money would benefit them.
12.) Give blood at least once.
I've been a bit selfish about donating in the past - I'm pathetic about pain - but this year, I need to change that.
13.) Write to my paternal grandparents once a month.
I've written to my dad's parents a couple of times, and even sent a parcel once, and seeing how happy that makes them, I defiinitely need to do it more often. My mum's parents I see more regularly and occasionally talk to on the phone or email, so writing to them isn't such a big thing, but my paternal grandmother is essentially bedridden and they don't have a computer. Letter writing is their main form of contact, so I need to do it more regularly.
14.) Grow something.
This is a random one I found on the Internet when I was looking for ideas when my creativity failed me, but I think it's a good one! I'd like to maybe try growing chili peppers.
15.) Get a new piercing.
I love piercings, and when I was a bit younger I kept sneaking off to get them done without telling my parents... who always eventually found out. I've only got them in my ears at the moment, but I'd like to get something a bit more, well, exotic. I'm thinking of getting a triple navel piercing; however, this might have to wait until after I've given blood, since you can't give blood for 4 months after a piercing.
16.) Stop biting my nails.
I actually managed this for a couple of months, but I've failed -my nails, whilst not exactly bitten, are short and stubby. I've found that for me, the key is keeping them painted, as being a vain cow, I'm reluctant to chip the polish!
17.) Visit all 4 countries of the UK.
This idea actually came from a book by Freya North called Chloe, where a young woman is sent on a quest of self-discovery in her godmother's will, and must spend each season in a different country of the UK. I went to Scotland once when I was about 11, I've always wanted to see Ireland and I've never been to Wales. Although I'm based in England, there's plenty of it I haven't seen or would like to revisit.
18.) Go abroad.
While the above goal would in itself consist of several little holidays, I haven't been abroad in a few years now. Now that I've finally renewed my passport, there's nothing stopping me - I had to turn down a couple of holidays last year due to endlessly delaying my passport application!
19.) Read 21 books.
I never read for pleasure any more, and it's something I've really missed, so I need to make time for it this year. Today alone I've received three new books - I'll be reviewing them on here as I finish each one.
20.) Subscribe to/regularly buy a newspaper, and actually read it.
I'm ashamed to admit that I spend far too much time on the Daily Mail website, and that's where most of my news comes from, biased and ill-informed as it undoubtedly may be. Despite reading it, I remain woefully ignorant when it comes to world affairs, leaving me at a disadvantage when I try to argue with my Communist boyfriend (who regularly bemoans the fact that I peruse the Mail's site). Here's hoping I'll eventually be able to win some more of our (numerous) "discussions" (aka arguments!).
21.) Keep a regular blog.
Last, but certainly not least, I've always wanted to blog properly, but I never really had anything much to write about. With the start of this challenge, I now do! I'll be posting progress updates on here on a regular basis, so keep your eyes peeled!
So there you have it: my 21 goals, with 365 days in which to complete them. I'd better get cracking! But first, it's time to celebrate... I may be an adult now, but you're never too old for a party!
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