That's it, finally finished, the last 2,000 word assignment of my Uni course has been typed, proof read half a dozen times and printed out, double spaced as always. Come Monday it'll be on its way to UNE in northern New South Wales, thus ending a chapter of my life which started in early 1996. Here I am, almost nine years on, having digested a significant amount of French grammar, numerous plays and novels and a side serving of philosophy à la Descartes, topped off last year with a couple of semesters of Latin to get the requisite credits and wrapped up with this semester's effort, Images of Europe, a study of French and German film since WW II. Hopefully in the run up to Christmas I'll get a letter confirming that it's all over.
Apart from a couple of years in the middle when I got run over by the divorce steamroller and suspended any attempts at studying (it's hard to concentrate on Diderot when you're being financially emasculated), it was a great learning experience and mostly fun. Mostly fun, I say, because re-learning Latin at 1st year level in your late 40s is a damned sight harder than doing an O Level when you're 16, believe me. The best thing about it all, I met the Handbrake, the love of my life.
So, if you're bored with life, check out UNE and enrol for an external degree. You'll meet some like minded people, expand the mind and deprive yourself of all your spare time for years and years. After that you can sit there and think, 'Now what the hell am I going to do with my life ?' Me, I'm going to watch crappy TV shows like Home and Away, read novels in English and ... Blog ! Yes, I shall Blog. No, dear, I won't let my new found source of amusement prevent the bathroom from being painted !
Hooray! You finished it! Congratulations!
Posted by: Kirsty | Sunday, 24 October 2004 at 08:35 AM
Thanks Kirsty, it's good to be finally through it, doesn't feel like it took nine years though. I'd like to have a go at learning Russian (eventually) but common sense (and The Handbrake - she insists I also capitalise the direct object from here on in) tells me to take it easy for a while - blogging will suffice !
Posted by: IanH | Sunday, 24 October 2004 at 11:11 PM