We are the pirates who don't do anything, we just stay at home and lie around...

I have discovered spotify, and am listening to various thing such as HIM, AFI, Veggietales and Reliant K. Its pretty cool although I did get an advert warning me about unprotected sex which was a rather unexpected!

Friday went OK, I initially felt ok about it, then rubbish and now I feel OK again as I didn't receive and email today or Monday rejecting me straight off so I can't have been that bad. The day went rather smoothly really, I managed to get my train fine although I was sat listening to Dora the blooming Explorer for two hours! I met Haydn and I looked around Jesus college which was a really cool rabbitywarreny building. Very stereotypcially Oxbridge college. I also managed to find St Hilda's college which, from what I saw, was filled with feminists! Apparently they only started admitting men to the college last year so I appear to have perhaps picked the wrong college! Anyway I enventually found the plant sciences department and waited in the, very wooden, reception area. I was interviewed by Prof HG Dickinson, Dr SA Harris, Dr IR Moore and Dr AS Hay. They started off by asking about why I wanted to do a PhD and specifically at Oxford, unfortunatley I had to explain why I had applied so late which was a bummer but couldn't be helped. Then we spoke about the paper I was given to read, this was probably the worst bit, I spent a few question in silence just trying to figure out what to say before having to ask for it to be rephrased. It probably wasn't as disasterous as I thought but it was very uncomfortable at the time. Next we spoke about my Littorina project, again not a great topic of conversation for me! I think my grasp of the subject wasn't quite up to the standard they were probably looking for but I guess you never know. It didn't feel like 45 minutes but it definitely was by the time I left! I was briefly asked about my dissertation which I felt I answered very well and sounded enthusiastic about after being a tad resolute about my project. It was good to leave on a positive note. The train back was fine (no Dora!) and Karen came and met me in town where we went and had Thai tapas and cocktails at Bia Hoi which was really tasty! I now like thai food as well as Chinese, oh how cultural I am!

Today I got confirmation of my offer from Nottingham, I need a 2.2 at the end of this year. So that is going to be definitely acheivable as a back up. I am now a whole lot more positive about what's going to happen compared to a month ago and am now really looking forward to moving on in my academic career, I know its going to be difficult being apart from Karen but I genuinely think we'll be able to make it work because we really want to do it! I have absolute faith in our relationship. Karen asked me what I felt had changed in the past year, from a God conversation at church, I feel that our relationship has moved forward in leaps and bounds. We are even closer than before and are seriously considering our future together rather than just (cutely) joing about it. Things are so much better.

You are a force, you are a constant source, Yeah you are a shining light...

I have my Oxford interview tomorrow. I'm very very nervous. I really hope I give a good account of myself and that I manage to look spiffing in my suit.

I've been really busy the past few weeks, what with being at Karen's, then the Lake District, then at home, and finally back in Sheffield working so haven't really got round to blogging. I'm feeling a lot better about pretty much everything since the last time I wrote. I have an offer (of some sort!) for an MRes at Nottingham, had a job interview on Monday and now my PhD one tomorrow. Its all been go go go! I managed to acquire a suit and new shoes which I look rather dashing in. I took some pretty good HDR photos in the Lakes and Chippa now thinks I am interesting to follow when going for walks! I had a great time at home with my parents and little bro and actually got a large amount of work done whilst I was there. I came back to Sheffield and have been so relaxed and feeling fantastic now that I am reunited with Kazz that work seems to be getting easier, especially finding out I will definitely be somewhere next year! I haven't heard from Edinburgh or Manchester but I'm not really fussed now I have something good and I am going to make the most of it!

Carpe diem my friends!

Mr Sandman showing his beam, when he walks into the room the walls lean in to listen...

I am at home for the next week in an attempt to get well and get some work done. Its been a pretty hectic couple of weeks. First was the last week of term before Easter, Varsity week and various goings out! I shot the Women's 2's, Men's s'3, Women's 1's and Men's 1s hockey over the course of the week and managed to get four or five shots published in the Forge Press which I am very proud of. I'd love to turn this into a paying hobby to do at the weekends, as I really feel that I am improving immensely. We went to the pub on the Thursday and it was good to see everyone before we all disappeared for Easter, sadly there won't be too many nights free to meet up in the next month or so due to the final push for dissertations and revision. Fortunately my exams are spaced nicely and I'll be done by the 5th of June so will have loadses of time to sort out Morocco stuff and have a great time with Karen and the rest of the gang.

We had a great couple of days in the Lakes, a wonderful walk up to High Dam with Chippa! I took a reasonable amount of photos and should eventually get round to editing them once I have got Crufts and Varsity out of the way. On the Wednesday we went to Bowness and Windermere and had an ice cream, super tasty! Then we went to Lakeland and bought some really exciting salt. Why yes I am a student and do lead the most typical student life, not. It doesn't matter what I do, no matter how mundane or boring it may seem, as long as it is with Karen I genuinely don't care because it makes me so happy. On Thursday we went to Holker and stalked deer, I really need a longer lens, and a wide angle and a tripod (hehe :~). Once we got back to Preston we went to dog class and I was interrogated as usual and had cake, it was pretty good cake but my cake was way better in my and Karen's opinion, plus mine was far more calorific, a key point int judging cakes. We spent a lot of time playing on Professor Layton and the Mysterious village, which we eventually completed the storyline for. It was pretty good, and its fun to do stuff together like that! I was taken show shopping on Friday as I need some shiney shiney shoes for the ball and various other engagements. I really don't like shoe shopping, I don't see what's wrong with my Merrells. =P I didn't struggle too much but I'll sort it out on my own soon enough.

I found out that I have an interview at Oxford a week on Friday which is absolutely terrifying. I have booked train tickets for my day trip and will heopefully have the chance to explore Oxford and take some photos too. Its going to be an interesting experience and hopefully it will go better than my Cambridge interview for undergrad! I'd really like to get this PhD, to be setteled for the next three years would be great for us, Karen would have somewhere to direct job searching after her PGCE year and I'd be very very proud of myself. I also got contacted by a professor and Nottingham who linked my application to his lab, if I definitely got an offer from there I and not Oxford I'd take it in a shot. Whilst people have spoken against a masters I genuinely think it would be difficult for me to enter the job market and then as Dr Graves said it may be difficult to lift myself from a technicians job to a PhD although I don't know for sure. At least things are going in the right direction for the time being.