Calum and Lola
Halfway through my MA!
I've now finished the first year of my TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) MA - hurrah! It's been a real voyage of discovery and I've learned a lot about myself as well as about linguistics and the English language.
I've learned that studying non-stop for seven hours is really not a good idea and that Green and Black chocolate and copious quantities of black coffee are essential study aids.
I've also learned that studying with your friends in the library every Saturday can be great fun, as well as really useful.
I have my friends Marketa and Debbie to thank for keeping me sane when the assignments were piling up and we all felt we would be crushed by the weight of work.
At times it's seemed so hard I've felt like giving up, and I very nearly did but my tutor, Nick, gave me the confidence to continue. Thanks Nick.
As they say in the film Galaxy Quest, 'Never give up, never surrender'. That's now become my motto and so far it's served me well.
Computer Says No
People who know me know that I hate to be late with anything so I made sure I handed my MA assignment in a week early.
Thank goodness I did because the following week my computer had a major blip and I lost EVERYTHING!
PC World to the Rescue
I took my ailing computer to the computer clinic at PC World (who were incredibly helpful) and they told me that, yes, all the program files had gone (I had sort of worked that one out for myself) but they had no idea what had caused it.
It wasn't a virus, it wasn't anything. It had 'just happened'.
That's one of the thing that bugs me most about computers. Sometimes they just do things for no good reason and no one can work out why - a bit like people really!
Anyway, they told me to do a Complete System Restore which basically meant starting again from scratch.
Yes, it was a pain reinstalling everything and it did take hours and hours.
But it worked! And it was also a hell of a lot cheaper than having to buy a new computer (although I did covet a beautiful shiny laptop in the shop - well, I can dream).
Did I have back up? Yes, I did but it wasn't complete so although I was able to rertrieve some files, all my photos disappeared, never to be seen again. I was planning to put them all onto CDs when I'd finished studying but hadn't quite got round to it. Sometimes life is too short. The weird thing is, I'm not nearly as bothered as I thought I'd be.
However, it could have been a lot worse.
I had all my MA stuff on a memory stick so no work was lost and the photos I really cared about, I'd already put onto CDs. Needless to say, all the photos I've taken since have been religiously backed up so I won't lose them again.
Every Cloud ...
While looking through my CDs I came across some shots from a photo shoot Lola had in London when she was six years' old and won a modelling competition.
I remember the excitement of the day and how lovely the photographer was. He made us all feel very relaxed and said Lola was a 'natural'. We never did pursue a modelling career for her. it would have meant dragging her round the country and we were happy just to have the beautful pictures.
The photographer took pictures of Calum, too, which he didn't have to do, so that was really kind of him and I'm very grateful.
After the shoot we went out for dinner at TGI Fridays in Covent Garden and had a brilliant evening. The children thought it was fab. All in all, a very happy day.
Lola will be 14 in July and she's still lovely but finding those pictures again was definitely my silver lining.
Calum next to C-3PO
Yoda - very small he is looking
Joe meets R2-D2
