The Return from Easter, pt 1.

Following the three weeks off from Easter, it meant the deadline for handing in the finished version of the final year project. Whoop-dee-do. Back in September when we started this shit, I was pretty sure I'd be pulling an all nighter, which would be my official first all nighter. Every other time for other assignments I'd be able to finish and get at least some sleep, albeit it going to bed at 5am with a wake-up of 7am. I guess I only have myself to blame though.

With only 2 days remaining before the project needed to be handed in, I was still stalled. Only the day before I could make a little progress, which forced the all nighter. Then, only some 3 hours before deadline I was able to come up with a solution for the code, which meant trying to hammer out a sufficient testing and evaluation sections, tidy up the what would be 86 page report and get it printed and bound (twice) before 4pm, with zero hours of sleep. I got it done in the end, even if I am fully aware of the piss-poor nature of my testing and evaluation sections. Oh and I realised a few days later that I left some crap in that I was going to change. Fuck. It's done now though.

I will say that that all-nighter was quite eventful though. I found myself eating cornflakes straight from the box, having a nosebleed (or aneurysm, one or the other), wasting time on Akinator and talking to people who I didn't expect to be up at 5am, as well as talking to those that I did expect to be up. I can say that I'm thankful for the company, and I'm sure it's the same for them too. Had to celebrate with a McDonalds at 4.30pm after not eating since my cornflakes-athon at about 3am. Waking up at 9.30am Tuesday and going to bed at 1am on Thursday isn't that fun, kids.

With that project out the way... that meant I had 48 hours to start and hand in an assignment! This one though was pathetic. The program doesn't need to be explained and requires about 4 lines for the minimum marks, and that was what we were aiming for just to get it done, given that the assignment was for the worst lecturer there. He doesn't explain shit. And his assignment sheet wasn't much help, it was about 3 lines long. May as well have said "pfft, do some shit." And he probably got shit. Glad I (hopefully) don't ever have to use Linux again! I was more concerned trying to play PlayStation One classics on my PC using the PS3 controller than that coursework.

Now to try and get a presentation done for the project for Thursday next week, and hand in another report on the Friday. Will I rest then? No. Exams. Fun. Thank god we got to celebrate the conclusion of the project report though.

The Remainder of Easter

Continuing on from where the last post left off, this is the tale of the last two weeks of Easter.

The second week of Easter was, in all honesty, good. The sun came out, it was warm and fun times at birthday parties were had. Balloons, 15 minute repetitive drum n' bass songs (MACHETE), pathetic dancing, the birthday girl being slightly drunk and two random drunkards going down a closed Helter Skelter at 4am makes a good night.

Only negative things about that week being lack of sleep and the arrival of hayfever. But meh. Walking around town with no jacket, no bag, listening to my iPod feels suave.

The final week of Easter break saw the continuation of hayfever, but then the realisation that the final year project needed to be done and dusted by Wednesday the 21st. That meant the onslaught of report writing, then reaching a brick wall. It's hard to continue the report when you're at the testing stage of the report, but your code isn't doing what it's supposed to do. It's a catch 22. Those were some long, boring, tedious days. I got so frustrated and angry with it at one point I just had to get out of the house, making my way to fucking Tesco of all places at about 8.30 in the night.

Though just having sun around made things a little better. Although it was a mockery given the situation of impending deadlines. And hayfever.

February's Nothingness.

Nothing happened really. At all. I just don't really care any more, I'm just on auto-pilot until Easter/summer.

I suppose I could somehow eke a few more lines of content out of the 28 days of the second month.

Monday, 1st of February meant I had to had in Milestone 2 of my project. I did. Haven't touched it since. Oops. Valentine's Day is crap and a marketing ploy. Plus I'm alone. ¬¬ So I spent it listening to metal, though I'm not fussed anyway. Even worse though was that we didn't and still haven't had pancakes for Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day on the 16th! Grrr.

I did attend a birthday outing for McHodge though. That was pretty fun. And I got to drive. Snow also returned briefly. That was not fun. Fuck off snow.

That's about it I think. Yeah, wow.

I am now enjoying the emergence of some sun and driving to uni (or at least the train station to go to uni) regularily. It really does feel great driving along with the window down (despite not really needing to) blasting some Soundgarden, Metallica, SOiL or Between the Buried and Me (Selkies FTW) to really disturb pedestrians by you.

March is going to be hell though. 3 courseworks (2 to start... I think) to be in in 2 weeks, within days of each other too, milestone 3 to start to hand in the first week back off Easter as well as 2 other courseworks in after Easter too. So Easter's gonna be hell too... but I'm oddly really looking forward to it. Birthday parties, driving, hopefully sun. could be great, if not greatest.

Barring the hideous amounts of shit I have to do too. ¬¬

Yeah, that's it.

A rather sucktastic January. For the most part.

Where December left off being a bit shit, January continued the trend. Snow. Ugh. Fucking snow. It came, we enjoyed a couple of days, then it pissed off. Then came back again. Ugh. Everyone was bored of it, but still it stuck around. In fact, it caused myself and Jimmy to get stranded in Wherethefuckareweville (aka uni).

Speaking of which, returning to uni sucked too, as the "oh shit, why didn't I do ANYTHING over Xmas break" feeling kicked in hardcore style. For the second week back I had to start and finish two tedious courseworks, AND start milestone 2 of my final year project to be in some 2 weeks after that. And then factor in that the first week was practically a write-off concerning contact time due to snow, as was half of the second week.

Naturally, the day I had to give in one of these courseworks I had another attempt at my driving test in the morning... which I failed, again, this time with only 2 minors. As if the day couldn't be any worse, I would end up fucking up that coursework, then the aforementioned snow-relating stranding occurred. Awful, awful day I couldn't wait to be over with.

The following week I was left to my own devices, with my parents away on holiday for the week. Cue relative boredom, and bacon, chip shop and McDonalds. Lots of bacon, chip shop and McDonalds. Oh, and my mate telling me that I couldn't come to TNA on the 27th, meaning I'd effectively be going on my lonesome (bar the my friend's work mate who was joining us). Something that I'd been looking forward to for 6 months, and after these 2 months, something I needed.

As for the project milestone 2, it ended up not too bad, it's just a shame I left it that late and didn't get what I was doing until some 5 days before the deadline.

So that's a pretty shitty January for you.

BUT. There were a few shining lights:

On the 14th, in the midst of shitty snow/tedious coursework week, I got myself a new iPod Nano. It really is quite wonderful. Yes, I realise how vain/nerdy it sounds, but hell it was a peak in a crap couple of months. Also, I'd never owned an iPod before. Ironically, my SanDisk Sansa DIED as soon as I got home.

The next day, Friday the 15th, with my parents going away that day, my friends came over and we played Smackdown. A lot. And guitar. And Modern Warfare 2. And I got Facebook raped.

I also experienced Metros for the first time. That was fun, baring a VERY drunk and annoying Jim, and a 9am lecture the next morning. And despite having to go alone to watch TNA, that was fantastic also.

Oh yeah, another small thing, I FINALLY PASSED my driving test! I was able to take the spot of a girl who wasn't quite ready (no, don't go there ¬¬), and somehow I managed to pass. Albeit with ELEVEN minors of a maximum of sixteen. Ha. But fuck it, I'll take it. It was worth skipping that lecture to take it, it seems.

So, after a mixed at best January, here comes February. Mmmm.