Monday through Thursday

OK, so I'm crap at keeping this up, as it were. But I've been under a bit of pressure writing my first proper, MA standard essay. When you haven't done anything like it for 15 years, it becomes quite a challenge. Not only that, but I find myself questioning everything - is this good enough? What are they looking for? Who ate the last chocolate digestive?

While I was worrying away at my essay on Monday, I received a phonecall from a very good friend who's a violinist in the Royal Opera House orchestra, asking if I wanted to go and see the final dress rehearsal of Carmen the following morning. I considered it for a nanosecond and then accepted. So, on Tuesday morning, there's me standing in the pissing rain outside the ROH stage door in Floral Street waiting for my ticket, watching the horse and donkey being delivered ready for their stage debut. I ended up in the coffee shop supping americanos with members of the cast in full costume and make-up, before being ushered to my seat in the orchestra stalls. The house was full and the opera was stunning all the way. This is how the other half live. It was only 11 o'clock in the morning, and there I was, jobless and skint enjoying some of the very best in artistic performance London has to offer. Mustn't grumble, can't complain.

Just enough time to rush home and walk Jude and get myself back into town to meet H for dinner before making our way to the New Ambassadors theatre to see Love Song, the new comedy by John Kolvenbach. Starring Cillian Murphy and Neve Campbell, it was an excellent play, although I'm not sure if it was comedy or drama. Great performances though. Not a bad day all round!

On Wednesday I spent most of the afternoon in the library at Birkbeck, before meeting up with my personal tutor (oh yes) to discuss and agree the title of my research project for the spring term. We finally agreed on...wait for it: Investigating public spectatorship via technology and materiality. It's a corker isn't it! Don't ask me what it means - I've only got to do it!

Thursday was spent in the British Library, with an evening lecture on Convergence and Music in Art History which was interesting, followed by our little Christmas party. Everybody brought in drinks and nibbles which we proceeded to consume in the lecture room until the security guard kicked us out at some ungodly hour.