Onward!!

A guy who works part-time in the same department as I do decided he was going to quit come exam season. He’s been doing rounds, filling public room printers with paper and toner, getting paid for 10 hours a week. He told me that he will no longer be working after mid-March, which is when term ends.

He said that he wants to concentrate 100% on his exam preparation, because if he doesn’t do as well as he would want to, he would blame the part-time work he’d been doing. I told him that maybe working at least some hours would make him concentrate on studying more efficiently, but he was adamant. There was no way he would work over the exam period, which for him extends from the month-long Easter break and the run-up to exams in May and June. I don’t feel the same way; in honesty, I can’t afford to think that way. But I can’t help thinking whether concentrating on studying exclusively would push my grades up.

That’s the kind of University this is. End-of-year grades and results matter to so many, because they directly affect chances of getting the highest-profile internship. This colleague of mine is a law student, and is coldly ranking the highest-profile law firms found in London, only setting for the very best. I’d settle for just a relevant internship. After all, then you can keep moving up. Right? Right?

I ended up having a blast in my birthday party. It was nothing too fancy, just friendly people relaxing and having a good time without any sense of overachieving. Since it was the easiest thing to do, I ended up booking a table at a pub I’d heard good things about. A good thing, too, as throngs of people descend on the place every day – and that Friday was supposedly “quiet”! I’d tell you which pub we were at but frankly it’s such a little gem of a place that I’m afraid more publicity will ruin it. In the words of one of my friends: “I didn’t know places like this existed in London!” I’ll definitely be taking people there in person, though. Their own brews were excellent and their food, though a bit pricey, was brilliant. It is also rare to get honestly positive, kind and friendly staff in pubs in London. I’m glad this place made an exception.

I was glad everyone got along swimmingly. I met some friends of friends, and I introduced some work friends to coursemates and vice versa. After the pub closed, those of us left ended up walking to Old Street station, stopping for kebab on the way. As there was a fair amount of sharing of portions and associated fumbling, some salad ended up on the floor of the place. Sweeping the us and the tomatoes outside, the proprietor asked us whether we eat like that at home as well. I guess the short answer to that is that a) I don’t eat kebab at home (let alone from a styrofoam box) and b) At home, I don’t eat food while with friends, standing up and tipsy.

Once at Old Street, the last few of our tenacious crew conceded and went separate ways – among them a crazy Norwegian on his bike, another not knowing exactly which way home was, and another wishing he didn’t have to work the next day. Seriously, what a blast – I can’t wait to do it again.

This is my second birthday since I moved to London. Last year it snowed and all transport in the city was a mess. This morning it was pleasantly mild, and I was only slightly late for work.

I guess that’s a big difference in how I’ve felt the passage of time this academic year. The months have gone really fast, and it seems that though I’ve learned a lot, I’m also horribly unprepared for the coming exams. There are 7 weeks of teaching left this year, and it doesn’t exactly help this feeling I have of being old that time just seems to be speeding up. It’s not yet up to the point that I feel like the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but sometimes it feels close.

Where has another year gone? I can only make sense of it if I think of the insane amount of strange occurrences, unique characters and other stuff that has happened over the course of the year. Otherwise it doesn’t feel like the time has really gone by.

My birthday is coming up and I’m at a complete loss as to what to do about it. My mind is blank save for contingent valuation methods and political philosophy. Should I just invite everyone I know to a pub? But would that end up being weird, with different circles not mixing at all? Should I go for dinner somewhere with good value for money and go to a gig in some sweaty bar? Or would that turn people off and make communication impossible until after the gig is over?

I’ve got essays to write and work to do, and organising social events around that is a challenge. Being a student, money is also an issue. I wish I was one of those social geniuses that can make a night out of anything.

If it’s value for money you’re after, or that warm feeling you only get from eating something incredibly bad for you, you can’t go wrong with a proper British café, preferably with plastic fixed seats. The LSE-independent Wright’s Bar café doesn’t have plastic seats, but every other detail is nearly perfect.