I haven’t written anything in a while because I have only just returned to reality after a blissful week at Centre Parcs in Norfolk. Man did I need it. Just after Xmas to the end of Jan, was a bad time at work for Rach and the end of my first semester, so assignments galore. It was a time that I now refer to as the “Black Hole”. The holiday was really nice and relaxing, lots of trees, wildlife, watersides. Had an ace Shiatsu
massage…I would recommend it to anyone ( I have LYMPH NODES….and they
were DRAINED!!!). Really bizarre coming back to the hustle and bustle of Leeds. A little voice in my head keeps on telling me to relax and let it flow and so far I’m remembering to listen.

The course is getting really intense, the last batch of assignments proved
that I couldn’t leave it to the last moment and stay sane. However it still
remains a much happier affair than being a Filing Monkey. Certainly doing
the rounds in learning programming languages. Last term got a foot in the
door in C++ ,SQL and Z, this term learning Java, XML and some Access
programming (muggins here is taking the Advanced Databases option). Also
taking the initiative to learn some Visual Basic, since I hear this is
useful out in the real world, and continue my C++ programming (since that’s
what computer games are written in).

Already beginning to think about getting a job in computing après le course
(well with a 10k Career Development loan one has to be forward thinking).
Got a bag full of pamphlets and books(!) from the Careers centre the other
day. Going to discuss my project and job placement over the summer with my
tutor tomorrow. I have to sort this out myself, and I think I have
a good enough idea. The main worry is that I may over stretch myself.

So life is a bit surreal at the moment, trying to see as many people as
possible since I haven’t seen them properly in 4 months or so (yup even Xmas
was a bit of a wash out on the socialising front), and getting used to being
able to do things other than assignments (but knowing head crunch time is
only 4 months away….and the more I get done now with reduce the pressure
later).

Life is fun and bouncy, and when a hint of grey turns up in the day, all I
have to do is laugh and remember I chose it that way.

Had a truly awful day today. Completely fudged my demo of my Dataform, not surprising since I only had two hours to develop it.

Oh well only two days till Centre Parcs (me on Holiday yay!]

Question of the day “is it coincdence that I watched the last episode of the Prisoner today?”

Answers on a beer mat please

finally got a game of Science and Industry over at Wireplay. I’ld fully recommend you try it out, a very good teamplay game, with thinking and killing!

Right off to bed now

Only a week to go now until all my University assignments and exams are out of the way, and I am relaxing at Centre Parcs in Norfolk.

Today passed through a barrier of understanding, in that I now understand SQL….about fucking time. Been struggling with the Database assignment that never ends for the last week, (after a late start on Wednesday…after recovering from the Weekend of Mayhem…one of the worst moments in my life happened on Friday..and no I don’t want to talk about it now) and I’ve missed the deadline, so I’m going to loose marks for being late. GAH!

Never mind at least I should pass

Right buggering of..time to find a server and blow the crap out of someone!

Well here we near the end of one of the crucial days in the Black Hole, being sucked in more tightly into the concentrated pressure and focus that is necessary to complete assignments at post-graduate level.

Tomorrow I write up my essay on Microsofts’ Project Management methods and have another crack at my C++ programing exercise.

Not quite used to feeling hungry all the time, as part of this diet I’m on (still haven’t lost any weight…still its early days. Rach is doing really well having lost almost a stone in a week.

getting quiet into Wasteland Halflife especially now that the Bot support has been beefed up considerably.

Oh well Tomorrow another day.

Man I’m I hung over, my stomach feels like a septic washing machine, and I sit in a little green cloud of my own fart gas.

Oh well life goes on, as does Uni Work (yawn!)….but its nice and sunny outside.

Its all ups and downs in the run up to me finishing my assignments. Today has been especially bleak. Slogged away and got my Project Management Essay started, which I will finish over the weekend and probably be ecstatic about tomorrow which will probably be a huge up turn.

Hoo Hum.

I was just getting comfy in the Black Hole of Work….did five hours yesterday, which me getting stuck on two counts. However all the diligent hard work paid off in spades today, as things generally sorted themselves and Mr Newt is light years nearer the light at the end of the tunnel.

+ I’ve also been accepted as a Beta Tester for the hot Animal Arena mod for Quake 3.

YAHOO!!

Finally getting over post Xmas crappyness. Pulled some muscles on my Left leg on New Years’ Day and have been doped up on pain killers since, but the swellings gone down so tomorrow should see me hurtling around again.

Been a very productive day in the black hole of work; read and understood my Z formal specification notes ( very dry logic based pre-programming language to ensure system critical software is written correctly in any language) + searched more for Journals on the internet, this time for Project management articles.

Overall very successful, but off to play Science and Industry now.

“Computer games don’t affect kids,
I mean if Pac-man affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music.”