Rebecca's Reading Rambles

Thank goodness! It's now my third time round of being a student, and this time I think I've finally cracked it! I seem to be able to do this better now, I am actually studying better than I ever have and here's why... I'm better at motivating myself. I kinda get who I am now and what works for me, which I didn't 3 years ago when I was ending my undergrad and starting my masters. YouTube and biscuits WORKS for me. Write a page = eat a line of a chocolate bar. Win, win. Or wine. Wine also helps, and makes you write faster. Just always remember to edit your work when you're sober. I'm studying something I actually like. This seems so obvious, but in academia you have a wide subject choice and within that you have choices about modules and essay titles. It's so much easier to want to do something if you actually like it. But balance your life with it too, you need some down time and self care time too. Food and sleep are essentially no matter how much you...

Hi pals, So I've been a little busy, hence I have been a little off grid for the last month. So those of you who read this regularly and have been looking for content you may have missed, do not fear! I haven't posted, for an entire month. Oopsie. I'm sorry! But I'm back! And I endeavor to continue to post once a week from now. I've missed writing, you know? This blog has been an essential part of my writing process for almost four years now and my career change can only benefit from the additional writing practise. So, yes, I have changed career again. I am nothing if not indecisive. Well, I like to think I have actually spent the last few years discounting careers that I am not suited to and narrowing my field of choice to find something that I can love. And hey, who knows, I may have found it. I've been a paper delivery person, in retail, a cleaner and trolley dolly, administrator, phone operator and all-singing (literally) librarian. No...

So I posted a few weeks ago about one of life's biggest questions: are you a bath or a shower person? And now it is time for round 2. I'm bringing you the biggest questions of our age, the questions that we all want answering and ponder in our lives. Today: new bedsheets or old bedsheets? Now hear me out all of you new bedsheets people, we have already discussed just how lazy I am in reference to my personal hygiene and how much I detest showering because it's just such a big work up. I feel very similar about changing the bed. The whole routine of having to strip the bed (which is the best part of the whole thing I do admit), remove all the cushions I have on my bed, air out the pillows and duvet, strip the sheets and duvet cover and then air the mattress for a while, and all that's only half of the job. And I may even have to turn my massively heavy mattress! Then you've gotta wash the bedding, dry it and find a clean set, enough pillowcases t...

So, as you can probably tell, things are a little mad in my world right now. 1. I'm preparing to return to University. This is bringing excitement, a lot of trepidation and the intense need to organise myself. Now. I have several journals on the go at once. 2. And i'm leaving my job. Which is making me sad. I like it there. But it's not enough. Time to think of me and return to studying, to bettering myself. And masses of debt. 3. I feel as though i'm in this weird between job limbo. I haven't quite left yet, but what I'm working on runs until the day I actually leave, so I still have lots to do but don't need to hand it to anyone because it finishes as I do. And then I move on to completely new pastures. It's weird and scary. 4. I'm going to have to change my facebook name/ edit all my privacy settings on everything that I have out on the internet (a lot) so my wonderful new students cannot find me. Damnit. Suggestions for my new teachery ...

So in case you haven't seen yet, I am branching out into pastures new and exciting and audible.... I'm now podcasting! A little while ago now I think I teased that I had a big project on the sidelines that might take off but I wasn't all that sure, well pals, it has! (I also possibly teased about it earlier, but I've been sitting on this a while to ensure that it was actually going to be produced, I'm a cautious person.) I am a co-host of Literarily Made, a monthly podcast about literature and the arts with my dear pal Abi. We are now up to Episode 3 online, so take a listen over on soundcloud under our record label www.soundcloud.com/splendid-fred-records to check out our first few fancy episodes. Each episode discusses a text or idea that we've decided to delve into surrounding the arts and literature. And each episode is also in the format of an essay question, because we're witty and really miss studying together like the good old days. We met a w...

I recently devoured new YA novel Freshers and it's made me all nostalgic again (a regular occurrence tbh). I remember the frantic nature of being a student, the firm friendships that were so tested under the pressure of university deadlines and keeping up a constant social calendar. And the arguments over whose turn it was to take the bins out. But mostly it made me long to live with friends again, to do it all again and better this time. This is my constant rumination, (thank you therapy) that I always feel as though I could have done it better. I wasn't a typical 'fresher' because I commuted from home. I went out once during freshers week, with a dear pal from home who was also a fresher and we spent the evening nervously dancing in our playsuits on the sweaty dance floor, watching other people who had formed instant friendships with new housemates, while drinking enormous 'cocktails' (that had virtually no alcohol and just made you super bloated, I learnt ...