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.

This is my United States of Whatever...

Today it is sunny which is nice. I went to the gym and had a fairly comprehensive workout and a super hot shower.

I am just about to eat lunch and head into uni for an afternoon in labs/reading.

The weekend was fairly hectic what with waking up for winkle picking at 7am on Saturday and finally getting to bed after Pop Tarts at 2am on Sunday morning. Winkle picking was rather good fun and the weather was great although a bit windy. I did manage to get some photographs which I converted to jpegs last night and shall finish editing tomorrow most likely.

A woman from Hong Kong wanted to use a hockey photo I took in a publication but wasn't going to pay me for it so I had to politely decline. However it is nice that people like my photos.

The winkles are a pain in the arse - they don't like to show you their genitals which makes them annoying to sex although we do have more than enough for our experiments!

I am staying at Karen's tonight which I am looking forward to. Plus this weekend we get to go to the lodge and have a bonfire and fireworks and lots of scrumptious food yay!

Karen hasn't heard from Hallam yet and is a bit worried but I think it will be OK and hope and pray that she gets an interview because she definitely deserves one!

Anyway its lunch time and I sm starving.

You electrify my life, let's conspire to re-ignite all the souls that would die just to feel alive...

Its been a hectic week! After Karen's little mishap missing her flight due to the field centre messing up her connection I met her Dad and we drove down to Heathrow which was a lot less awkward than I thought it would be. It was really interesting hearing about Kuwait and Saudi from his and ultimately a business point of view.

Anyhoo I digress; we had a very expensive meal in a very expensive hotel which was booked on the cheap. =P Then slept until the ungodly hour of 6am when we went to pick up my muffin. She sauntered out of arrivals and was amused when I accused her of being late and then horrified when I told her that her mum had put me on the insurance to drive up to the lakes that night.

We managed to get back to Preston in around about 4 hours which was impressive. Karen slept for most of the afternoon and we eventually got out to the lakes in the evening after I nearly crashed in my first time in the clio, that was fun. The next day it started to rain and then proceeded to do so for the entire week. We managed to get out a few times for walks and I hopefully have some good shots from the estuary and up at High Dam where my lovely new ND filter got its first run out.

After much hugging and bacon eating on my part we went home on the Friday afternoon and had a lovely meal out and went to dog class where I attempted to take photos using my MF 50mm which was challenging but a few shots have come out.

Got the train back to Sheffield late Saturday afternoon and chilled out on the evening. I eventually planned for Boulders on Sunday which went well with our new kids but challenging in that we have a fair few noisey little boys! However we shall persevere and we have a new victim (leader) potentially as Harriet from my cell group answered my plea for help. Its going to be a good year.

Today I had a good day at work, I found out not only was I doing things right but that I will get to spend the last week of work in Sheffield in labs rather than up in York which is great as I like being in labs. But mostly because I get to spend a whole week with Karen. Hopefully it will be the first of many where I am in a lab and she is in a school. =)

I can't wait until term starts again to see everyone and go out lots again! And also to work, I really need to get down to starting my project.