Exams!!

This week hasn't been such a good week for me. It started off ok, with stuff in the flat being sorted out and it generally being quieter after that, but the prospect of 2 exams next week has been hanging over me like the Sword of Damocles.

I think I've seen one person in the entire week, when I've not been out doing that whole University thing I do. I've just been shut up in my room, not talking to anyone in the flat (either because I'm not on speaking terms with the noisy folk anymore, or because the quiet folk have gone on a trip to Amsterdam) revising media law, which is without a doubt the most BORING subject on the planet.

Right now, I'm sat writing this and playing Dragon Age: Awakening just to avoid doing any studying later this evening. I tend to find that revising at night takes away from the otherwise crushing boredom I feel when stuck at the flat with nothing to do. I can't believe I actually paid for these exams myself, either. They're not compulsory, they're optional, so I figured I'd get them out of the way first. Of course it would have to be after I paid 88 pounds for both exams that I found out there is literally no way I'll be doing anything fun on Valentines day. Law exam in on V-day itself, and Reporting exam is the day after, leaving me no time in between to fulfill my duty as one half of a couple that is together on that most irritatingly soppy of days.

Yes, for the record, I am one of these despicable, nauseating people who has a boyfriend. I actually have something to do on Valentines day other than stuff myself with expensive chocolates while watching Love Actually and weepinge. Boyfriend is going to cook me dinner, which is a relatively special and rare thing because as we women all know, men don't really cook. Especially if they're poor students. This man can cook, however. Usually his talents stretch as far as tuna pasta and instant noodles (always with some sort of mix of herbs and spices that makes even these things taste wonderful), but he's going all out for V-day, apparently. Special pots and everything. The boy puts me to shame. 

When we'll do that, though, is beyond me. Possibly after my last exam on Tuesday, which would be a nice treat. Then, parents are coming over for a visit that weekend, and we'll all going out for an indian meal at one of the really swanky restaurants in Manchester- all 4 of us.

Guess that means I'll get a better week after the fail I've had this week. Could really do with something nice to look forward to. Right now, though, it's almost time to get stuck into privacy laws, the Human Rights Act and Ofcom Codes of Practice.

Yawn....

Obama-rama

 

Yup, it's the magical day we've all been waiting for. 8 years of possibly the most dire examples of political leadership the world has ever seen are finally coming to an end. I can hardly contain my happiness.

But rather than reel off a bunch of Bushisms and leave it at that, I'd like you to spare a thought for all the US comedy shows that made so much money over the past 8 years from playing Bush speeches instead of thinking up genuine jokes. Shows like The Daily Show and The Cobert Report have pretty much relied on Bush's idiocy in order to keep going, so maybe the seriousness of Obama's presidency will act as a way of culling all the crap from US tv.

I won't let it be a secret that I'm a Obama supporter. I mean, look at this guy, he's exactly what America needs. I'm not supporting him because he's everything Bush is not- the way he has treated his time as President Elect has been really impressive, and if he can go the same way about his time in office, then he might just fix the world.

That is, if some crack-head doesn't assassinate him first. This is the problem with the American public- if they are given a president that tries to truly make a difference, they  stick two-fingers up at the chance and blow his brains out. Take Lincoln for example; led America through the Civil War, abolished slavery in 1862- what happened? Shot in the head at a theatre 3 years later. John F Kennedy; campaigned for equal rights- shot in motorcade in Texas. Yes, I know, these two have constantly been referenced in connection with Obama, but I'm just saying that Americans do have a tendency to bugger up every chance they get for change. I'm not saying that Obama will get assassinated, but it's also not impossible. The fact that he's  also America's first black president- much as I resent bringing that fact up (frankly, his skin colour should have no political  influence whatsoever),  makes it even more possible that he will meet with an unfortunate end- because let's face it, certain areas of the US have yet realise that equal rights exists.  Obama may not be the kind of  president the US deserves, but the president it badly needs.

So don't ruin it, America.

 

(By the way; the exam went well)

Pre-Exam Word Explosion

I have a politics exam tomorrow, and because of how bloody jittery I am right now, I simply can't concentrate for long periods of time. I've tried breathing in and out deeply, lying on my bed, convincing myself that things cannot possibly go as bad as the last time I did this exam, listening to some calming music... I've done a lot of nerve calming stuff. This post is going to make no sense, therefore.

I know, I have a terrible approach to exams, whether I've revised or not. At least all the nerves have decided to hit me now rather than right as I enter the exam room, which is what normally happens. They effectively take all the knowledge I spent months revising and set fire to it and have a sort of demon-summoning dance round the blazing inferno while I'm sitting there in the exam thinking about how much I want to get up and run out of the building. I've always wondered what would happen if about 30 minutes into the exam, while all is quiet, one of the students suddenly bolted out of the hall screaming in terror. Would the invigilators chase after them, or would they just stand there in their usual hypnotic mixture of boredom and tiredness as if nothing had ever happened?

If I hadn't been conditioned from birth to behave myself in all social situations, I'd be up for an experiment.

Exam invigilators have the most boring job in the universe, and I always end up feeling a twinge of pity for them as I leave the exam hall. They're normally either teaching assistants, science technicians or other part-time employees at my school, and I always wonder what they're thinking about as they saunter up and down the aisles of desks. Are they wondering what series of misfortunes lead them to becoming an invigilator and what ever happened to their childhood dream of being an astronaut? Are they contemplating whether taking exams is at all worth it, or whether we are just animals trying to hide from ourselves by creating such things as money, jobs and education? Or are they just thinking about what they'll have for dinner?

In my school, the invigilators play battleships, using the seating plan as a grid.