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Soooo, I just gave in my notice at [place of internship], which is exciting and scary and a little sad! I finish this Friday, and after that, I will have three not-so-very-long months until I jet off to Leicester to start my MA. Which is also exciting and scary, not least because I will be living on my own for the first time; one of the things living in Dublin spoils you for is being within an easy commute of two of the top universities in the country, including my first choice for my undergrad. Needless to say, I am eyeing the whole thing with some trepidation, since unlike yon happy-go-lucky undergraduates I haven't got the cushion of a first-year workload and catered halls to help me get to grips with surviving solo. I'll be rocking out postgrad-style, October to October, and I've got to hit the ground running. With that in mind, I've decided that the next three months are going to be devoted to getting my shit together - both in the sense of actual necessary material possessions (clothes! textbooks! storage! stationery!), and in the sense of forming Good Habits and Life Skills, so I can ninj my way through the basic chores of daily living, and don't steer myself into a nervous breakdown any earlier than I have to.
Therefore, for the next three months, I am going to:
→ Study. I haven't in more than a year, and have added brain-mush complications to boot; you should see how long it takes me to finish a book I'm actually enjoying. I am going to get into the habit of sitting down at my desk, reading, and taking notes for a few hours every day. I'll start with 2, avec pomodoro technique, and build from there.
→ Exercise. Google Maps informs me that the road I live on is 750m long; walking its length twice brings one just shy of a mile. I am going to do so every day - and the little tub of lard known as our dog can come too.
→ Cook. Don't get me wrong, I can cook just fine - so long as I have a recipe in front of me. And every time I do so for anything more elaborate than a sandwich or stir-fry, it is a Production, ending in a full dishwasher and an exhausted yrstrly. I have picked up some basic student/3-ingredient cookbooks, and as soon as I persuade my mother (who rules over the kitchen with an iron fist), I mean to cook family meals twice a week, and for myself on weekends. I will learn to be more comfortable and confident with ingredients, and to cook healthy, non-boring meals with minimal mess and hassle.
→ Do my own laundry. LOOK, THE WASHING MACHINE SCARES ME OKAY.
Y'all have seen this list, now. You are witnesses, and should guilt me appropriately if I flake out on any of the above.
You will also notice that the above battle plan does not contain an entry for 'work to save up some money, you goddamn lazy bum'. That's because, aside from the fact that there aren't jobs to be had, never mind for people who are going to vanish after three months to pursue some ~fancy learnin'~, it's simply... not a priority. I'm lucky enough (SO LUCKY) that I can afford not to, and, well. I'm going into a 12-month program. It's going to be intense. Leicester's School of Museum Studies is one of the foremost museology centres in the world. They literally write the books on this stuff. I cannot afford to burn out and fuck up - and those of you who were witness to my last year of undergrad are probably aware of the gusto with which I can burn out and fuck up. Case in point: that last year of undergrad became my technically-second-last year of undergrad. Whoops!
My point being that this summer is going to be about preparing for grad school in more than one way, and that I need to be two things when I land in Leicester at the end of this September: competent, and relaxed. I know myself, and the delightful pitfalls that come with being Highly StrungTM. I know that the best way I can spend the summer is in training myself in the art of how to function like a normal person, and in recharging my batteries. And I know my delightfully practical and sympathetic Professional Headology Lady would agree with me.
That still doesn't make me any more sanguine about the prospect of breaking this to my parents.
\o/
Therefore, for the next three months, I am going to:
→ Study. I haven't in more than a year, and have added brain-mush complications to boot; you should see how long it takes me to finish a book I'm actually enjoying. I am going to get into the habit of sitting down at my desk, reading, and taking notes for a few hours every day. I'll start with 2, avec pomodoro technique, and build from there.
→ Exercise. Google Maps informs me that the road I live on is 750m long; walking its length twice brings one just shy of a mile. I am going to do so every day - and the little tub of lard known as our dog can come too.
→ Cook. Don't get me wrong, I can cook just fine - so long as I have a recipe in front of me. And every time I do so for anything more elaborate than a sandwich or stir-fry, it is a Production, ending in a full dishwasher and an exhausted yrstrly. I have picked up some basic student/3-ingredient cookbooks, and as soon as I persuade my mother (who rules over the kitchen with an iron fist), I mean to cook family meals twice a week, and for myself on weekends. I will learn to be more comfortable and confident with ingredients, and to cook healthy, non-boring meals with minimal mess and hassle.
→ Do my own laundry. LOOK, THE WASHING MACHINE SCARES ME OKAY.
Y'all have seen this list, now. You are witnesses, and should guilt me appropriately if I flake out on any of the above.
You will also notice that the above battle plan does not contain an entry for 'work to save up some money, you goddamn lazy bum'. That's because, aside from the fact that there aren't jobs to be had, never mind for people who are going to vanish after three months to pursue some ~fancy learnin'~, it's simply... not a priority. I'm lucky enough (SO LUCKY) that I can afford not to, and, well. I'm going into a 12-month program. It's going to be intense. Leicester's School of Museum Studies is one of the foremost museology centres in the world. They literally write the books on this stuff. I cannot afford to burn out and fuck up - and those of you who were witness to my last year of undergrad are probably aware of the gusto with which I can burn out and fuck up. Case in point: that last year of undergrad became my technically-second-last year of undergrad. Whoops!
My point being that this summer is going to be about preparing for grad school in more than one way, and that I need to be two things when I land in Leicester at the end of this September: competent, and relaxed. I know myself, and the delightful pitfalls that come with being Highly StrungTM. I know that the best way I can spend the summer is in training myself in the art of how to function like a normal person, and in recharging my batteries. And I know my delightfully practical and sympathetic Professional Headology Lady would agree with me.
That still doesn't make me any more sanguine about the prospect of breaking this to my parents.
\o/
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Do not worry about not working - Basic Life Skills and Not Having A Breakdown are very important, and I will be spending the summer in much the same fashion after recovering from Finals (AND REREADING MY PRECIOUS NEGLECTED AUBREYAD).
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