100!
I made it. This is officially my 100th blog post. I have managed to blog every day since mid-September, and nearly all my posts have been useful or interesting (yes? No?)
This has come at a perfect time as well, because today I need to concentrate all my efforts on finishing a lab report that I have barely started – so I thought today’s post could be a good excuse to do a bit of a round up of the last few months. And share some pretty pictures, yay!
Well, on the topic of my lab report: the most obvious milestone for me in the last few months has been starting my Psychology MSc. Since then, it has been non-stop – most of it fun, a lot of it stressful but all of it fascinating.
Unfortunately, starting my MSc has meant that I’ve had to leave some things behind, such as my beloved Horniman museum, but I still get a chance to go back and visit. And of course, there are little reminders of the Horniman all around me…
I haven’t lost all my fun though: I still sing quite frequently, and even got a couple of double bass concerts in this season (although one had to be cancelled last week due to snow). I managed to go clubbing once or twice, did a lot of cooking and baking, and had several wonderful meals out (including finally trying out Time&Space for Ben’s birthday).
I have to interrupt myself briefly, just to say that doing this round up is making me realise that I have actually been quite busy over the last few months, which is reassuring and also quite emotional. Ignore me.
I have been to visit friends, I have had friends come to stay with me, I have been to soooo many extra-curricular lectures, and had wonderful cultural days out. I even had a silly day out sledding with Ben when the snow hit.
In amongst all the shenannagins of having my brain scanned but not zapped, all the cocktails and the pottery painting, and even my first trek to IKEA via public transport, I have still managed to sit back and relax.
I have read a huge amount (by my usual standards) of books this year (so far! I aim to read a few more before 2010 is out) – 37 is the count so far, and that’s excluding all the text books and journal articles I’ve had to read for uni. I’ve dabbled with Kesey, Banks, Parker, a very special seagull, and then a whole bunch of NON-fiction (madness!) – Music from Sacks and Levitin, Language with Pinker, Neuropsych with Broks and a mammoth book on depression.
I’ve been busy, you’ve been busy – we’ve all been busy bunnies. Maybe it’s time to chill out and enjoy the holiday season? I have a wedding to go to this weekend (my eldest brother got married in August, and now it’s my other brother’s turn!), and that pretty much heralds the time for festivities. I best get this lab report out of the way, then…
Thanks for indulging me – it’s been a fun 100 posts. Here’s to many more!
Loss is nothing else but change…
…and change is Nature’s delight.
Thanks to Marcus Aurelius for putting it so succinctly.
Why so reflective? Well, today was my last official day as a staff member at the Horniman Museum (voluntary or otherwise – my duties have been varied!)
I first started at the museum back in June 2009, totalling my time there at a year and three months. I started out as a frightened volunteer, answering questions and guiding people around the museum. I learnt a lot about bees, and defended the fox in the Nature Base from over-enthusiastic children.
The Horniman’s distinctive clocktower
I quickly made myself known to various staff members – mainly the Learning teams and the Visitor Assistants. I soon found my duties expanding, as I volunteered my services around to different departments. I was at a Cafe Scientifique balloon debate, a family Play Day, I received Disabilities & Diversity training…
The Natural History Gallery, with the famous walrus
My eagerness to help “behind the scenes” got me a short stint (2-3 weeks) helping to kick start the audit of the Hands On Base, and the Learning team made further use of my organisational skills by letting me help with school bookings administration.
Frederick Horniman’s beautiful conservatory
After chumming-up with a fellow volunteer (who was involved with the marketing team), I was paid to help steward the museum’s annual “Fusion Fest”, a cultural event in the Horniman’s 16 acre gardens. After this, I got to know everyone in the marketing team better, leading to my temporary and ad hoc paid employment doing market research (they have asked me back on more than one occasion to help with projects). Last week, they even asked me to help out at a high profile fund-raising event, which was wonderful.
Just to prove that I was there…
But, nothing is forever. I should really be excited, as my reasons for leaving are concerned with personal growth: I start my Psychology MSc next week (I may have mentioned this before, as I am starting to stress out, rather…) and that will take up the lion’s share of my time. But in addition to my studies, I am an enthusiastic volunteer at SANE (a London based mental health charity, who do wonderful work) and a committed member of the English Arts Chorale (who make my life difficult by being based in Reigate, Surrey). And obviously, there are the day to day runnings of things, and the one-off events that come up from time to time (like playing the double bass – it’s been a while!). I’m also considering taking up another volunteer position to further my CV, possibly at The Stroke Association or the Royal Hospital For Neurodisability.
And did I mention that I (would like to) have a social life?
So, something had to give, and I made the difficult decision of pulling away from the beautiful Horniman. Whilst I have vowed that I will return as a visitor, and I have told various departments that, free time permitting, I would be happy to help out at events, I can no longer commit to regular volunteering.
It has been a really wonderful experience (with its ups and downs, and a lot to be learned!), and I will miss it, a lot.
Remember me?
I’ll be honest: I do occasionally remember I have a blog, and think “Oh, I should really post something” but somehow, everything else is far more important. Even sitting on the sofa, vegging at the TV.
But I have had a busy week! Not only have I been grappling with London Met’s PY1026C module (Research Methods 1), but I have managed to struggle through the entire thing with some awful cold/tummy bug. Hurrah.
I didn’t manage to finish my final lab report today, but as that’s only due by Wednesday, I’m not stressing overly.
But it was surprisingly enjoyable – our lecturer (one Giovanni Moneta) was hugely entertaining, and actually made basic statistical analysis a joy to learn. Whilst I am still a bit miffed about the set up at London Met, I am glad I attended the course, if just to hear him use boxing as an analysis for psychological research:
“I’m a good boy – I train every day”
“Who gives a shit? Punch him out!!”
Other things I have been enjoying lately include German pastries (holy crap, that website hits you like an 18-wheeler), watching Ben get scared and helping out at the Horniman Museum‘s fund-raising event:
The Horniman Conservatory
This involved me lurking around the Gardens of the Horniman, holding a clipboard and chatting to about 100 perfectly fabulous middle-class benefactors. I had a great time, learnt a lot about the Gardens’ redevelopment plans, and was even given delicious canapés, prepared by the wonderful Suzanne James and her team.
Finally, I would like to share with you my most recent and most favourite clothing purchase:
That’s right: it’s a jumper with a “fox stole” design. I adore this. I saw it in Time Out two weeks ago and had to have it.
At £38, it is not something I would usually buy (what with having no money…) but it was too good to be true. It’s a silver fox, people! I was so pleased when I finally got hold of it from Debenhams (I went in twice to find they didn’t have it in my size until a shop assistant offered to have it delivered free to my flat), that I wore it two days in a row. I even had a compliment from the wonderful Miranda Richardson (a story which I have told to death now – let’s just accept that I met her).
However, upon first washing – and I was VERY careful to follow the label’s instructions to the letter – PART of it shrank. Not all of it – just part. Now, as it is 1% Angora (the white parts of the fox are slightly fluffy) I would imagine that if anything shrank, it would be these parts. However, only the head end shrank, not the tail. Bizarre.
But yesterday I went back to Debenhams at Clapham Junction, and they replaced it, no quibbles. They even refunded me £7.60 as said jumper is currently on sale 
I will be washing the fox by hand from now on. It is simply too wonderful to risk!
