eBay Auctions

So, I've realised I have far too much stuff! I've got lots of DVDs I don't watch and loads of jewellery and clothes I don't wear, so I might as well make a little money out of them and send them on to good new homes :)

I've started going through the jewellery. I've collected so much over the years! The milestone things won't be going, I'll be keeping presents from my grandparents and things, but jewellery given to me by my ex-boyfriend will be going - he gave me some beautiful things, but I can't keep them, it feels so strange to keep them around and even stranger to wear them, so it's time for them to move on.

It's a huge job to tidy my room - it shouldn't be, but it is. I'm hoping that by getting rid of a load of things I will finally have some space to move! It's also good to go through things and make sure that the things I have are things I really want to keep, rather than things I'm just hanging on to 'just in case'. Once I'm done with my DVDs and jewellery I'm going to start going through my books and doll things - I've got text books I no longer need and wigs & eyes that can go to new homes :)

Autumn clean out!

Master of Arts

Surprisingly, my dissertation has been marked really quickly and I found out late last night that I passed! There's a Module Assessment Board meeting on the 30th, which will officialise the marks, but I passed and that's unlikely to change!

I'm so happy! Everything I've stressed over for the past few months, and all the hard work I've put in for a year has been worth it. Part of this also relates to the incredible moving forward and happy times I've had since 2009 - I had my heart cruelly broken (dumped over the phone after 6 years - very nice) but I picked myself up, moved on with my life, applied for my MA course, then I met B...2010-2011 has been the best two years of my life so far, I've done so much and met so many great people. Passing my MA has just been the latest achievement, but I know there will be more.


I'm feeling so confident and so happy today!

Free Woman!

So this is my first post as a woman under no deadline stress! Life feels a lot different now, I can tell you!

Yesterday was a bit of a strain, I realised in the morning that I'd forgotten to put page numbers on my dissertation, so I had to run both copies back through the printer with the text blanked out, just to add numbers at the bottom, then I had to rush to Bangor to get the two copies to the binder's. I did get it all done and I was rewarded with snuggles from B and fruit toast with lots of butter :)

My trip to Liverpool was straightforward enough, I had a bit of a worry that the desk might have closed early in the LRC because I got to Liverpool for about 4pm, but everything was fine and as soon as I handed it over and got my receipt, the weight off my shoulders just lifted. I got back on the train to Bangor and met up with B, who took me home, made us gnocchi with roasted mediterranean veggies and garlic bread and gave me even more snuggles. He'd even got chocolate ice cream, but we were too full to eat it last night!

Today was nice, I had a lie in till about 12, and B got us croissants and maasdam cheese for breakfast - we even had some chocolate ice cream while we lazed around watching The Daily Show and Blackadder II. If this is what every Tuesday morning is going to be like - I'm looking forward to them! 

Deadline Eve

Well, it's over. Two copies are sitting in a boxfile, ready for binding tomorrow morning. I felt so elated when I finished, I can't describe it.

Two weeks ago, I thought I'd be relieved if I quit...I don't think I'd feel half as relieved as I do now. Whatever happens, whether I pass or fail...I've done what I can now and I can relax.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day, I have to go to Bangor in the morning (that takes 25 minutes from Penmaenmawr) to get my work bound (that takes 3 hours), then I get the train from Bangor to Liverpool (that will take 2.5 hours), then I walk up to Aldham Robarts LRC, hand in my work, then go to the John Foster Building and hand in my signed ethics form...(this should take 30 minutes with walking from and to Central Station), and then I get the train back to Bangor (another 2.5 hours.) My day is going to take over 8 hours to accomplish.

Thank goodness I can just go back to B's place and sleep straight afterwards. Time for bed. Goodnight :)

Deadline Looms!

Well, after a very, very trying few weeks, I actually feel like the end of my dissertation is not only within reach, but that I don't think I've done such a dire job of it.

My work is due in next Monday and I have 3000 words left to write before I hit the lower limit. I've got a questionnaire ending on Thursday, after which all I have left to do is write up the results, make sure all my references are in order, then print it off and take it to Bangor to be bound. If I print it at home, the binding is cheaper, so I'll definitely be doing that. Binding takes around 3 hours, so I can drop it off in Bangor to be bound Monday morning, have a few hours with B while it's being done, then after it's completed I can get my tomes, hop on a train to LJMU and hand the damn thing in. At. Last.

It's fair to say I have not enjoyed the dissertation experience, but I don't think I expected I would. I didn't like it the first time around, and that has been hanging over me since I started the MA...so with that much trepidation of course I was never going to be eagerly awaiting the dissertation.

B has been amazing. Every time something went wrong he was so supportive, and last week, when I wanted to just quit because it was so stressful and nothing seemed to be going right...he met me off the train with a bunch of yellow roses and a pot of Ben&Jerry's ice cream. He won himself a zillion well deserved boyfriend points for that.

So, next Monday I will be free of my dissertation, I will be going to have a celebratory tea with H (one of my MA classmates) and then I will get on a train, go back to Bangor and sink into B's arms and just relax. *sigh*

I'll make you an offer you can't refuse...and a holiday too!

I'm now a godmother XD It was such an honour to have been asked, and I'm so glad yesterday went really well at the church. There was a bit of drama in the morning when B and I were getting ready - my dress had to be pinned to my bra because it kept wanting to fall down *facepalm* I had a few clumsy moments, but thankfully I wasn't holding the baby, so I didn't drop him!

B looked very gentlemanly in his suit and he said I looked lovely in my dress - sadly I don't have any photographic evidence because my camera was in my handbag and the parents and godparents of all the children being christened were stood by the altar the whole time and my bag was still on our pew! Oh well! We will have to get dressed up again just for photographs!

I'm working hard on my dissertation today and tomorrow because Wednesday to Friday B is taking me away to Liverpool for a little break. It's going to be so nice to get away from stressness here and also actually have a holiday on my holiday from work. Before I know it I'll be back in the petrol station, so I might as well make the most of it.

We're staying in the legendary Adelphi Hotel! Wednesday we're going for tequila, sambuca and desperados beer at Bar CaVa (the decor inside is awesome, squishy leather sofas and vintage movie posters instead of wall paper), Thursday evening we're going to the Anglican cathedral for the Twilight Tower Tour they run between March and October. Friday is home day, but we'll find things to do before we go get the train! While we're there we also want to go to Tapas Tapas, Wagamama and Pizza Express - we don't have these things in north Wales! :( Please send some our way!

Liverpool is one of my favourite cities, a home away from home, so it will be lovely to be able to see the city from the tower of the Anglican cathedral rather than from street level. I can't wait to go!

Dissertation Grumbles

Aside from planning a new doll (which didn't take all that long), I don't feel like I've been all that productive today. It's one of those odd days. I've done quite a bit, but when I look back on it...not a great deal.

I went to Bangor University library to renew some books and get some new ones, for some reason that took up a lot of time that could have been put to better use, but at least I have some more material to go through for my dissertation. I wanted to be done with it by now, but there's virtually nothing I can put in my literature review. It's supposed to be around 5000 words, but all I've got is 890 and that's scraping the bottom of the literature as it is. I hope that there'll be some miraculous work yet to be discussed in these books otherwise I'm really stumped.

I keep fiddling with the word limit wondering how far under I can go without being penalised. I'm going to try for 16,500, which is 1000 under the word limit, but I might be really lucky to get to 15,000 at the moment. Ugh. I just want this to be over now.