Experiments.

Over the last few days I have been experimenting with Haiku. I'm not sure if the experiment is working well or not. In other words, I'm not quite sure if I am grasping the straws correctly. Here are a couple of the Haiku I have scribbled:

Day the first:

Sleek, black, prowling cat;
Graymalkin - do you come?
Magical Moll-cat.

Day the second:

LCD screen.
Giggles and shrieks of delight;
computer literate.

Day the third:

1.
Glistening white weight;
curvature of lifeless bough
magical winter.

2.
The angry sun
gold and red in cloudless skies.
Beauty - a statement.

I think I like the last two. Oh, but would number 1 work better as:

Magical winter;
dormant boughs bow beneath
glistening white snow.

Oh, maybe that one! Yeah, I think that one sounds much better. Wow, blogging helps me edit. Didn't think that'd happen!

Oh so tired!

Knackered! And for no apparent reason. I think I need to stop reading before I go to bed.

Nothing much has been happening since the birthday celebrations on Sunday. I can't believe Principessa is four already. It feels like only yesterday I was in the horrible delivery room, with Melanie and H for support, hoping it wouldn't take too long for Princi to be born. 17 and a half hours later... Ouch! I'd say cats aren't in labout for that long, but then I didn't give birth to a litter of mewling kittens. Thank god! There would have been something seriously wrong then!

Well, must get to the creative scribbling. I have now been assigned my tutor, and the actual start date of the course is looming (27th Sept). So, the plan for the day is:

• to bash out a few more freewrites
  
• maybe do a few clusters around the TMA prompts
• attempt some 'pen portraits'
• do a couple of haiku

all in the next two hours! Then Princi is back from nursery. So, upanattam!

Of wardrobes and cathedrals.

Today, I took Principessa (with Grandand's help) to the cathedral to see the Prince Caspian 'experience'. The first stop was face-painting. She was really looking forward to that part, and becoming a tiger! Then we had a wander round, and Princi did some little craft-type things. Upon further wandering, Princi wrote a prayer-balloon, and then we sat and watched a little puppet show after we finally found Aslan. The picture doesn't do the Aslan statue justice at all, it was beautifully carved.

I have to say, I was in awe of the cathedral. I've lived most of my life in Liverpool, and today was the first time I have ever stepped foot into the cathedral. It is vast and impressive and imposing all at once. The stained windows are absolutely fantastic. I just wish I had full use of my legs so that I could explore the place fully. It really is breath-taking architecture.

Of essays and choking.

TMA08 results day. I should say yay me, but instead I felt a bit bleurgh me. 84%. Now, I know. 84% is a good mark. But it's still not there for getting the 'top class' results. Yeah, yeah, I said I'd be happy just to pass, but as I have a good mark, what in the hell do I have to do just to push it that 1% further and get that elusive 85% to get a first class rating? Argh! I have only managed it once, on TMA03 (90%), but have not even been hitting close to that since. So, based on that, I think my niche is gladiators. That's not good, is it? There is no gladiators specific course! I think I may have to work very, very hard to get what I want from the creative writing course, when it does actually matter what esults I get. Ho hum.

Unfortunately, procrastination beckons now that I can once again get onto the forum. Yay! But I shall control myself (yeah, as if!) and read some more of the course book and do some writing (daily haiku is not my friend at the moment, just can't get into it). And the writing thing is making me consider a wordpress blog even more, as I could put some of my scribbles on separate pages, rather than in the body of blog entry.

As for the choking... I had a visit from a speech therapist this morning. About a year ago I told my consultant that I was having problems if I choked, in that my choke reflex didn't seem very strong, and it took a lot to stop me choking when it happened. Today was the consultation for that problem. However, because the choking fits are so random, there is nothing that can be done, as for them to find out what causes the problems they would have to observe a choking fit. Which is perfectly reasonable. Hopefully, I'll not have another three weeks of choking fits for a while *fingers crossed*.

Locked out!

Oh noes! No access to the Open Uni forums! Noooooeeeeesssss! I can't cope with that! I'm all Grrrr Arggghhh right now.

At least bedtime is good. Sean Bean is a great Principessa-put-to-sleeper! And I'm enjoying listening to the stories as well. I'm looking forward to getting a little bit of time to myself so that I can listen to The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer, read by Jack Davenport. *Flibble* Interesting dreams lay ahead!

Well, off to tend to pebbledashing Principessa. And to do some studying, I suppose, now there is no distraction from course fora.

Looking forward to bedtime.

Not mine, although I do enjoy my sleep. Nope, looking forward to Principessa's bedtime. Not because it means she'll be quiet (that is a bonus!), but because of what will happen at bedtime.

Recently, when I've taken Principessa to bed, we have listened to a story on the iPod. Over the last week it has been The Wolves In The Walls written and read by Neil Gaiman. Before that it was Dr. Seuss's The Cat In The Hat Comes Back read by Kelsey Grammer. But tonight, oh a treat! As she has been enjoying the audiobooks so much, I decided to invest in a few more. One of the new audiobooks is King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Benedict Flynn. Now, as it's Arthurian mythology it was a must buy, but I hadn't looked at who was reading it. Imagine my joy at discovering that Sean Bean is the narrator. Yay! *Swoon* 'Twill be a happy bedtime tonight! Now all I need to do is find an audiobook narrated by Jack Davenport!

Anxiety.

My course materials finally appeared today. Argh! I am stressing out. The onset of A215 is a reality now, not just an electronic anomaly on the hard drive. Eeps! Currently in the process of copying the audio discs to iTunes.

With the closing of A103, A215 begins. A103, however, has left its mark. Before studying the introductory humanities course I am ashamed to say I had never heard of Rachel Carson. The first essay I had to write was based around an extract of Silent Spring. I enjoyed that essay, but still I haven't got around to buying the book. Then, in the final essay, I once again used the reactions towards Silent Spring and Rachel Carson as part of my argument as to how women's actions began to change science in the 1960s. So, when Elizabeth Bear mentioned the name Rachel Carson in her blog yesterday, I had some sort of inkling as to the reference. This made me happy.

As long as I have knowledge, I will always be happy.

Oh my!

300 posts! Well, I never thought I'd manage that. I quit my first ever blog on 99 posts, then the second blog on four posts. Way hay, congratulations me!

Anyway... I once again picked up Dust by Elizabeth Bear the other day and have been reading it when I have a spare second. When I first picked it up I couldn't get into it, my brain just wasn't in the right space to process it. With Principessa being ill over the weekend, reading seconds have been few and far between, so it's been slow going. Until last night. The story hit the ground running, and I became completely enthralled! I had promised myself an early night, but the book had other ideas. I was loathe to put it down to go to sleep, but my eyes threatened a boycott (why does boycott have two 't's? Is there really any reason?) and the cocktail sticks were becoming ever so slightly riotous against the rallying eyelids! I will resume reading again once I've finished on the net. (Now very tempted to buy the Promethean Age series.)

But... maybe I should do some writing first?