Today is a good day!

Would you like to know why today is a good day?

• I did my examined interview this morning at uni and I think I did well. You get watched and examined through a one way mirror as you and your partner (someone random that you don’t know that well from your class) take it in turns to interview each other about a random topic in order to demonstrate you social work interview skills. It’s terrifying and doing badly doesn’t fail you necessarily but being watched by our lecturer and service users makes you want to do well. Which I believe I did...I felt good about it, a few things that I could have done better but mostly good. The main things is that it’s over. Jane and I were first, the rest of our class will have theirs over the next 3 weeks…I can’t imagine having to wait another couple of weeks to do it!
• I finished my Human Growth and Development Essay!!!! 3000 words later and it’s done! I’d written half before today but this afternoon I was feeling motivated from the interview and came home, sat down and wrote. I started at 2pm and suddenly PJ came home and I realised it was 4.30pm and I had just finished. I’ll admit to a few breaks to get a drink and do a bit of facebooking but not much- mostly I was just typing away.
• One of the problems in the Brombley house has been resolved and that makes me very very happy.
• I get to have a night in tonight in order to relax and reward myself for finishing the essay!
• My girls night with Claire and Teresa went very well last friday, it was so much fun and another affirmation that we’re right to be looking at living together.
• Sunday morning I went to St.Ebbes and loved it! It reminded me of Long Furlong and I just really enjoyed it. Have been invited to join Teresa and Claire’s focus group on thursday so may well do that.

There are of course some negative things going on:

• My grandma and grandpa aren’t very well, this isn’t a new problem but with christmas coming up there have been more conversations about it. http://kalbrombley.blogspot.com/2008/11/uncertainty.html
  Read my mum’s blog about it if you want the details. Just keep praying for them and us all. In particular my dad, this is bringing him down and I hate seeing him down.
• I still have quite a bit to do before christmas which is a constant stressor but it comes and goes which isn’t too bad.
• It’s cold! And although I prefer cold and dry to cold and wet…if it isn’t going to snow then I don’t appreciate being so cold! I came home from uni yesterday and got so cold walking back from the bus-stop that I phoned ahead to ask for the fire to be turned on and then proceeded to curl up in front of it for a long time!

 

I think that is everything I have to say at the moment. Today is a good day. Life is going pretty well. I’m happy again. Christmas is coming and I love this time of year.

Things are good.

Much love xxx

Re-draft

I’ve just redrafted this blog, I’d written some things about a recent media storm that has been going on and how I’d stumbled on facebook groups that saddened me and slated my career choice. But this is a public blog and I don’t want to risk saying more.
Just know that it did upset me a little bit and I’m forcing myself not to go back to those groups.

in other news I’ve finished one of my big essay assignments :D still need to do a bit of editing but am very happy!
the other big essay is coming on nicely too, plan to do some work on it this weekend.

this weekend PJ is away and Dad is away on Saturday so Mum and I are going to have a mother/daughter day on Saturday…no idea what we’re going to do but it involves shopping I’m sure!

Today I plan on doing the food shop for the family, I try to help out where I can and I actually don’t mind doing the food shop!

And tonight Teresa and Claire are coming round for a girls night. Mum and Dad are out, PJ will have left for the weekend away and we’re going to have a bit of a bonding night since we’re looking at probably living together next year. They are lovely girls, Teresa’s doing occupational therapy and Claire’s doing physiotherapy so we’re all health and social care students which means we all want to be in Marston (the area where our campus is) and we’re all christians, we met at the CU and just clicked, none of us are real clubbers or partiers which is nice and we just get on. So I invited them over to mine for a future-housemate-bonding night!! should be good fun :)

I think that’s all I have to say…other than there’s rumours it might snow this weekend :D :D :D
Those who are regular readers of my blog will know that I am a huge fan of snow and this news that it might just happen excites me to no end!

Much love xxx

Not alot to say

I know it’s been a week since I last blogged…I’ve been putting off blogging because I’m not really sure what to say.

It feels like one problem after another in the Brombley house, nothing too serious, just not very nice so prayers would be appreciated.

My work’s going well, I’m about half way through both my essays which is excellent.

I got the job I went and interviewed for :) just got to wait for the paperwork to go through.

I’m very tired :( its starting to be that end of term feeling.

I’m going to go, facebook a bit, play a few games, watch some tv and go to bed! not very productive but exactly what I feel like doing!

Much love xxx

tomatoes have no smell…

tomatoes have no smell, but the vine does…that’s why they sell tomatoes on the vine.

interesting fact for the day…social work is a very informative course :p it actually came up because we had a guest lecturer in for part of the afternoon to talk about sensory impairment and obviously we ended up talking about taste and smell and that’s when this fact came up.

anyway, my godmother is home from her trip to the Dominican Republic and I’m sure she’ll have caught up with my blog by now and since I’ve been hanging on every word of hers (written by her husband Colin in order to keep us up to date with what’s happening) I thought I ought to blog again so she has lots to read! she’s always nagging me to blog more and since she’s been away I’ve blogged 4 times I think…isn’t it ironic? kinda like buses, you wait for one etc etc.

I’m still procrastinating a little bit, I could do some work now but my brain isn’t really working. Particularly coz I need to prepare for lectures tomorrow (I have started doing that) I just don’t think I’m going to get much essay work done tonight.
I have reserved 3 books in the library and am planning to pick them up tomorrow or wednesday, whenever they’re ready :) and I’ve been doing a bit of journal surfing over the weekend (the internet is a wonderful thing!).

in other news:
-I’ve kinda realised that St.Aldates isn’t really working for me, nice church but I just feel a bit lost, which I thought would be nice..just to get lost in the crowd but I think feeling part of a community is so important to me that it doesn’t work. So I’m going to try St.Ebbes on Sunday morning (that’s the other thing…I don’t like going out on a Sunday night, I’m just too tired by that point)

-I’ve already started making loose plans for next year…Teresa is a very good friend I’ve made in CU, we just clicked and we’ve talked about moving in together next year, maybe with a few other girls from the CU. I swing from being very excited about the idea, to being very scared. I do want to move out and living with friends will be so good, but I don’t want to rush things and end up back where I was…we’ll see! I’m trying to trust God with this one.

-We’ve been talking as a family about maybe going to America sometime next year to visit my godmother and her family. I’d already thought about going in May after I finish for the year, PJ wants to go and snowboard with the boys, Mum would like to go, we’d all like to go. Dad has some airmiles that have to be used before March so we’re looking out for good deals…hopefully one, some, many, all of us will end up going out. Auntie A has said she’d love to see us in any form so we’ll see how it works out.

I think that’s everything for now. My general feeling at the moment is that I’m still happy and enjoying myself but I’m stressed about assignments and very tired. I’m sleeping alright but my brain’s been working hard so I’m just tired, emotionally, physically, mentally, I’m tired.
In 5 weeks I’ll be done! Sounds alot but in 3 weeks my first essays are due in and after that the next 2 weeks will fly by.

Alright I’m off to prep for lectures and am going to try and get an earlier night if possible.
Much love xxx

procrastination is over...kinda!

I'm out babysitting at the moment and have done a fair bit of work and my brain hurts so I've decided to stop and write a bit of a blog :) I can't post it until I get home because I don't have internet here which has been a positive and negative so far...I can't distract myself on facebook which is good, but I also can't do as much research as I need to in order to do more to my essays which is bad. But since I've done everything tonight that I needed to I think I'm ok and can just carry on with research and writing tomorrow.

I do have alot of work to do though, especially since it's week 7 of term already! that's really kinda scary! I probably ought to explain my course a little bit since I talk about assignments but haven't really explained any of them.

I have four modules this term and various assignments for each of them:

- Partnerships in Practice: I have a 1500 word essay to write for this, a choice of two themes that we've covered and it's due in 1st December. This is the module that every health and social care course has to take pretty much and it focuses on inter-professional working and we get mixed up and have various lectures and seminars. It's pretty boring to be honest, I mean it's nice to get to know people from different courses but all in all the module itself isn't very interesting and the essay itself isn't too difficult, I'm just not that motivated to do it because I'm not that interested. So far I've written the introduction, done some reading and outlined the essay, I just need to get on and do it!

- Human Growth & Development: I have a 2500-3000 words essay to write for this, we choose 2 members of a fake family in order to demonstrate two theories we've learnt over the module. It's due in 2nd December. This module is basically psychology, we take it along with the Osteopaths (don't ask how our courses fit together, we're not sure they do!) and it's taught by my personal tutor who is lovely and makes it interesting. Plus I've always liked psychology and I'm getting to go back over the things I learnt in 6th form. So far I've written the introduction, done some reading and outlined the essay...kinda the same amount I've done for PIP...I'm just slightly more interested in writing it! That doesn't mean I have the motivation though...I need to get my rear into gear and just start writing!

- Professional Communications: I have to put together a portfolio that includes various methods of communication we've learnt over the course of the module. It's due in 8th December. This module is all about communication funnily enough, it includes written reports, book reviews, critical analysis, powerpoint, excel and many other things. The assignment I had to hand in a couple of weeks ago was a formative critical analysis, I'm still waiting to get that back actually. I've got quite alot of these bit of evidence together so I'm less worried about this module actually. unfortunately the lectures themselves I find quite confusing so can get myself worked up about whether I'm doing it right.

- Fit for Practice 1: I have to put together a portfolio that includes various bits of information that I am indeed Fit for Practice. Due in 16th December. We also have to do an interview examination and a shadowing day in the next couple of weeks. It's the module that prepares us and authorises us to do our placements. If we fail this module there's no retaking, we'll be asked to leave the course....very scary! I've done a few things for the portfolio but I can't do the main bits because they depend on my actually doing my shadowing day and interview. I'm also a little nervous about the examination but I think I'm doing well at developing my interview skills so I should be ok.

 

And that's effectively my course for this semester! By 16th December I'll be done and that's just over a month away which is scary, time is passing quickly. Soon it'll be christmas which I love!!! and new year and everything like that. Plus I don't go back to uni until the first week in February! hehe I'm not a slacker I promise, Brookes just has a weird semester system instead of terms. I'm happy though!

Alright, I'm going to go and watch some TV for the rest of my babysitting time! The child I'm babysitting is asleep in bed so I'm able to just do work and then relax :) right now I'm writing this and also watching the EMA's (loving Katy Perry's presenting but hating Beyonce's outfit!) will write more soon I'm sure.

On one final note, I'm sure that I'm supposed to be doing something tomorrow but I'm not sure what...I thought I was just imagining it until Mum asked me what it was I was doing coz she thinks I mentioned something! So know I'm very worried coz I seriously don't have a clue what it is! Hopefully nothing and my mind is just tricking me!

Much love xxx

echo over

I'm pretty much over the echo...instead I replaced my emotions with intense, irrational fear of our house! PJ was out last night and I suddenly heard a creak from upstairs...and once I'd heard one I started to notice every little noise that the house makes! This wasn't helped by the fireworks outside that made me a little jumpy too.

So I texted PJ and asked him to come home a little early...actually I think it worked out that he got home around normal time but I felt better knowing he was on his way and once he got back he humoured me by checking upstairs for mass-murderers....there weren't any, you'll be pleased to hear.

I've been continuing to watch Sex and the City and the emotions aren't so bad (the original post said 'are so bad' that was a mis-spelling!) , if I let myself stop and think for too long then I start to feel it but I'm controlling it a bit better now I'm aware of it.

I haven't done nearly enough work for this weekend so I'm going to try and do a bit today before popping into the light parties at church. Then tonight I'm going to Aldates with Hannah (she didn't stay over last night, it got too complicated!) and I'm pleased I'm going because it's been a couple weeks since I've been to CU or church in oxford and I need to get back into it- my knee just made it more complicated but since my knee is doing much better I'm going back.

I think that's all I have to say, I'm going to take a shower, eat some breakfast and do some work. I'm up earlier than I expected, I just woke up and couldn't really get back to sleep...never mind- I have independent study tomorrow morning so don't have to be up early tomorrow either.

Much love xxx