Go West (Country)

I'm going to start this post with an apology. I'm sorry I haven't updated this blog for over a month. There... done!

Now on to the news of my studies over the past five weeks or so. I've finished and submitted TMA03 - the one about Dalai Lama and Plato. I also got my result for TMA02 - a rather pleasing 80%.

Even though I haven't written anything on here, I have done plenty of studying. I worked through the chapter about The Faber Book of Beasts and read most of the poems in the book. I also contributed to the OU forum (an experience I won't be repeating too often, if I can help it).

I've also managed to write a few poems and a story or two, although not as many as I would have liked. One of the poems, did however, manage to win me a box set of 'Game of Thrones' books and DVDs. To win, I had to say who my favourite character from the series was, and why. Having never read nor watched any of the series, I had absolutely no idea, but twenty minutes of research was all I needed to come up with this:

Who is my favourite character
That appears in 'Game of Thrones'
Somebody from House of Tully
Or Greyjoy, or Baratheon?
No... I think I'll have to choose
One of the Stark's instead
And who's the daddy of them all?
It's Eddard (known as Ned)
Honour and justice the noble traits
Of the Warden of the North
And best of all, on television
He's played by Bean of course!

 I have also received two read and review books (which I haven't even opened yet), so the next few weeks are going to be just as busy.

As for the next step in my study journey. I've just finished reading the chapter about Tradition and Dissent in English Christianity and am just about to start reading about Pugin, ready for TMA04 which is about St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham (the other option is Shostakovich; a chapter I don't even intend to read).  

I'll report back after my virtual visit to the 'West Country'.

Road Block

For almost a week now I've not been able to write anything, unless you count the umpteen Facebook statuses and replies to other people's posts. I've also managed to revise my CV, but that was more of a chore than a pleasure. I haven't written any poems, stories, or even this blog!

It isn't just writing either - I've hardly done any reading. I've attempted to start reading several books, but got no further than half a dozen pages in each. I do have one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels sat on the shelf, which I haven't read yet, so I'll have a go at that tonight and see how it goes.

I have managed to do a lot of 'not very much at all', as well as watching a lot of TV and films. I have managed to get out of the house a few times as well.


I really need to get back into the habit of reading and writing again, so that I can continue with my studies as I haven't managed anything since sending off my first assignment. OK then... here goes... Chapter 5: Stalin, here we come!

Missed Opportunity

Saturday was the first Day School for my OU course at Leeds Rose Bowl, but I didn't go. I intended to, but only had a few pounds left and had to decide between bus fares or food... I chose food!


What was really annoying though (and also a lovely surprise), was when, out of habit, I checked the balance of my bank account at the ATM - my grant money had been paid in (although I didn't get the letter until today).


So, with my wallet now full of cash, I headed off to Leeds anyway, although sadly too late for the Day School. Instead, I went straight to Waterstones to purchase the rest of my set books for the course: The Faber Book of Beasts (ed. Muldoon, P.), The Burial at Thebes (by Seamus Heaney) and A World of Difference: An anthology of short stories from five continents (ed. Prescott, L.).


I also decided to buy myself a few writers' magazines and pay a few months broadband in advance, so that after last week's fiasco, at least I know I can stay online.


That wasn't my only surprise on Saturday. When I returned home, I had received a small parcel through the post from Waterstones - a proof copy of a new book which I need to review. The book is called 'Toxic Treacle' by a Yorkshire born author called Echo Freer. It is a young adults' novel, set in a world where there are clear but complicated laws regarding the mixing of males and females; where everyone has specific roles to play; where relationships between male and female are purely for breeding. I'm only on page 70 at the moment, but am enjoying it so far. When I finish, I will post a link to the review.

A trip to Leeds

I had a shock yesterday morning when I got home from the shops. My Internet wouldn't work! I phoned Virgin to find out why - a call that lasted almost half an hour and cost me the full £10 that I'd just topped up. Apparently, the £30 I'd paid off my bill hadn't gone through in time as I'd paid using PayPoint. Anyway, it meant that yesterday I had no internet... no email... no jobseeking... no Open University... and shock, horror, NO FACEBOOK!!!


It did mean that I could get on with a bit of reading and writing. I read a little more about Faraday but I'm still struggling to take in all the science bumph. As this reading isn't essential for the assignments, I may just skip it and move on to Stalin. I also finished reading 'Moon Over Soho' by Ben Aaronovitch, which is about a Detective Constable who is also an apprentice Wizard. Next up is 'The Windup Girl' by Paolo Bacigalupi.

As for the writing... I did a little tweaking of my Cleopatra/Faustus assignment. I edited some of the information in my CVs. I also wrote two poems about yesterday's ordeals with Virgin. The bulk of my time yesterday though, was taken up writing the first draft of the first chapter of a story I've been thinking about for years called 'The Leeds Witch'. Please DO read them, and as always, your comments and advice are gratefully received...

Different Directions

As I have decided to take a short break from studying, I needed something else to keep my brain busy. After conversations on the A215 Creative Writing (October 2012) Facebook Page, I've decided to write the occasional short story. This is in addition to the poetry I'm already writing. To view my efforts, use the links to the left of this post, and please bookmark them so you can pop back later...

Going the wrong way

I need to be really honest with you. This week I seem to be going the wrong way in terms of my studies. I keep attempting to do my 500 word essay about Doctor Faustus, but I always manage to find something more interesting to do.


I've read and re-read his 'last soliloquy' several times but just can't seem to get my head around the use of language, and how this contributes to the characterisation. I understand about 'blank verse' and 'Iambic Pentameter' but just can't quite connect this to what it tells us about Faustus.


I think I'm going to leave it for another couple of days and see what else I can get done...

Pin in the Map

I had a day off studying yesterday, but it didn't stop my creativity. I managed to write two poems, although I needed a bit of inspiration from friends. I also plan on doing a few more over the next week using the ideas that I was given yesterday. You can view all of my poems on my Facebook Poetry Page.

 Another obsession over the past few days has been Pinterest. It gives you the opportunity to collect pictures and videos as you surf the Internet, and 'pin' them to boards. As well as boards for weird, beautiful and interesting things that I find whilst 'Stumbling' using StumbleUpon, I also have boards for films that I've watched and books that I've read (but only since 1st February), and also my favourite places that I've ever visited. What started as 'trying it out' has quickly turned into yet another addiction, adding to my procrastination.


Whilst Stumbling yesterday, I also came across a fantastic Open Source download called Storybook. It's a novel writing tool similar to the expensive Scrivener. When writing a story or novel, it lets you organise your story in scenes, rather than writing it from start to end as you would with a normal word-processor. You can also create separate profiles for every character and setting, and manage multiple plot-lines. I think I'll be playing with this quite a lot...

Gazetteers and References

I didn't read as much as I wanted last night so I've still not moved onto Faraday (I will eventually... Honest). I was thinking about what to do on Saturday after the Induction Event at Leeds University. I've no money left (apart from the £5 I've put on one side for my bus ticket), so I won't be shopping. The event will finish around 12.15pm which leaves the rest of the day clear, and as I will have a 'Day Ticket' for the buses, I might as well get some use out of it.

I decided to start by looking at the Gazetteers on the AA100 website. They list locations around the country to see examples of works I will be studying throughout the course. After a bit of scrolling and clicking I've discovered that there is a great example of Pugin's architecture at St Anne's Catholic Church in Keighley, and examples of Benin art in the Leeds City Museum (there are others at the Leeds Discovery Centre, but this is only for pre-booked tours). I can't decide whether I should visit any of these or leave them until I'm actually studying them (possibly on the same day as a tutorial).

As I was scrolling through the coming weeks I discovered that NONE of the Ancient Sacred Sites, Roman Villa Sites or Eighteenth Century Houses listed on the website are within West Yorkshire. The nearest being in York, which although only another hour by bus would be another £6! I think a bit more research might be required to find something similar locally.


I also spent a little time today working through the online activities for using the Harvard Referencing System, and then followed this up by adding some references to my pre-prepared assignment and advising someone on the AA100 Facebook page. Now back to my reading...

Getting Ready

Well, I still haven't finished the book, so still haven't moved on to Faraday. It hasn't been a totally wasted day though. I spent an hour or so preparing my document for my assignment. I'm still trying to find my way around Open Office, as previously I've always used Microsoft Word. The free version of Word that came on my laptop though has an annoying little animated advert in the bottom corner which you can't turn off (without buying the full version), and always seems to crash my computer (obviously nothing to do with the half dozen tabs I have open on Firefox).


With a bit of playing around, customising toolbars and changing default settings, I managed to get it to do what I want, although I am disappointed that there is no option for a 'live' word-count or even just a word-count button to save me having to go to the menus. 

For my first TMA I've set up a document with a header containing my name, OU identifier and TMA number; a footer containing page number; title, question (copied and pasted from the PDF version of the Assignment Booklet) and bibliography for parts 1 and 2 (part 2 separated by a 'Page Break'); and just because the idea has been swimming around in my head for a couple of weeks - my introduction paragraph for Cleopatra. This has helped a lot because I now know that six lines of Arial 12pt, is approximately100 words.


As well as this, I've also set up a LinkedIn account to help with my job search, and following advice I received in an email, I shall be including details of LinkedIn,  my Poetry Page and my Blog on any future CVs that I send...

Travels Through Time

I didn't really fancy the leap to Faraday in Chapter 4 today. Not because I don't like the subject matter, because I know I will find it extremely interesting once I get going. The historical aspect of this course is really fascinating (who did what and why did they do it?).


No, the reason I didn't move on to Chapter 4 is that I'm in the middle of reading 'Time Riders - Gates of Rome' by Alex Scarrow. It's the fifth book in the series about a group of kids who were snatched out of time minutes before their imminent death and taken to a lock-up under the Williamsburg Bridge in New York to work for a top-secret agency. There they repeat the 10th and 11th September 2001 over and over, watching for subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) changes which may indicate that someone has gone back in time and altered something.


I won't go into plot details, but the gist of each novel is that something has happened in the past which they have to go back in time to fix; aided by their tube grown, genetically engineered, super-human 'support units'. Whilst it is classed as a 'Young Adults' novel, I think Scarrow has a fantastic imagination which he is able to express through his writing in an engaging manner, without resorting to his characters swearing at the drop of a hat.

Now according to the Time Riders website, the book isn't due out until next Thursday, so maybe I've done a little time travelling myself...

To Hell and back

Leaving Cleo back in 1st Century Egypt (at least until it's time to start my assignment), we now wander down the passage of time to the beginning of the 17th Century. We find ourselves in a German University, knocking on the door of one Doctor Faustus.


Never has a bloke been so clever but yet at the same time so stupid. Here he is with the perfect job, having worked his way up from a poor family to being a Doctor, but yet not satisfied. So what does he do? Look for work in a different profession? Study something different and maybe specialise in a different field? No... he does what everyone would do... sells his soul to the Devil.


After a little more heavy reading (Christopher Marlowe certainly had a way with words), we discover that Mephistopheles is a bit of a crafty sod and doesn't always give Dr F everything he hopes for. Sure he has a lot of fun and travels the world, but when it comes to paying his debt he's still got nothing to show for it.


Long story short... he waits until the last hour before he's due to go to Hell before deciding he's made the wrong choice. Well that's where I'm gonna leave you... this is the bit I've got to study for the second part of my first assignment so I'm not going to write about it here. Next stop 19th Century France...

See the Pyramids along the Nile

Having decided that I was indeed doing the right thing I couldn't wait to get started. I was still weeks away from the official start date, but needed to get in front. I'm currently unemployed, having given up working last year to help look after my disabled Mum. I realised that when (if??) i find work, I will have to completely change my daily routine, and as I tend to think best really late at night (or is that really early in the morning? - it's currently 1.15am), it would mean having to study when I'm NOT at my best.


Book 1 on the course (AA100- The Arts Past & Present) is all about Reputations. Why are some people famous and others not? What makes us remember some people but forget others? So as you've probably gathered, this book is about famous (and some not-so-famous) names from history.


The first chapter in the book is all about Cleopatra. You all know everything about her right? Bathed in asses milk, bitten by an asp, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony... but what about her Greek ancestry, marrying two of her brothers... where does this appear in the films? Well apparently the 'modern' view of Cleopatra was brought to us courtesy of the Romans. I must say I am hooked! Much more interesting than today's so-called celebrities. Now I'm just off to watch all the films so I can answer my first assignment...

Beginings

Around five weeks ago now, I received an early Christmas present. A box full of books, CDs and DVDs... my study materials for the Open University. After checking the contents I placed it in a corner and immediately forgot about it. After all it was Christmas... and there was partying to be done!


Once Christmas and New Year were out of the way (and the living room back to a state of normality) it was time to get the box back out again. I set up a study area in the corner of the room. Desk, bookshelves, boxes of pens and pencils, laptop and printer, and calendar and whiteboard on the wall. All set, ready to go and only three weeks until the website opens... and a full month until the official start date!


Eager to get going, I took the Study Companion from the shelf and devoured it in a single afternoon. I spent the evening navigating the eternal sea that is the OU website, and still working under full steam I read the Assignment Booklet from cover to cover. Just the tonic I needed to slow me down a little!


I haven't studied since school, twenty years ago so seeing the questions for the assignments started me thinking whether or not I had made the right choice. Arts? Me? When I was at school I dropped History and RE before GCSE, just managed to scrape a C in English Language, D in Music but only F in Art & Design... should I have considered a BSc instead? My results were much better for Maths, Geography (Physical), Economics, Chemistry and Physics.


But no! I just HAD to go down the Arts route if I was to develop my writing skills. You see, after my Mum died last October, we found a book in the bottom of her wardrobe. It didn't look particularly important or exciting, just a dog-eared, greying school exercise book; the type we used to use as jotters (or for doodling when we couldn't be bothered working). But it was what was INSIDE the book that was important.


For about fifteen years, my Mum had been writing poems. They were never going to win any awards, and were unlikely to be published in a Faber Anthology. A lot of them though were about her seven children - Me, my two brothers and four sisters. She had been writing all this time and never shared them with anyone. It was then that I decided I would start writing every day and share MY writing with the world. I just hope she's looking down and reading this over my shoulder, because Mum - this is all for you.


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