Guilty...

I'm feeling very guilty about not having blogged for so long (as dad subtly reminded me by sending me a text message that just said "Blog more!" - text messages about blogs, there's some sort of technology discussion to be had there...) so I thought as I have no lectures at all on Fridays (jammy, I know!) I'd do a quick update.

Well, I'm all moved in and settled in my grogeous flat in Leamington, which really is everything I'd hoped it would be, and so homey and comfortable. It really doesn't feel like a student flat, which makes coming home from campus so much more pleasant :) My flatmates are SO lovely! I hadn't met either Laura (known as LT) or Lynn (known as Linith) before I moved in, but they were so friendly and so much fun that we got on straight away, and we've had lots of fun outings together already, like the school disco at the union that we all went to (with other friends) for Laura's birthday last weekend!
(Lynn and Me)
Also for Laura's birthday, we decided to buy some pet goldfish, so we know have one each in a tank in the living room! It's almost a real house!

My course this year is amazing - I'm doing modules in Modernism+Postmodernism (English and French comparative literature), Modern Sexualities (French), Modern French Language, and Shakespeare and other dramatists of his time (English). The Shakespeare one is right up my street, since we're looking at the plays as performance texts rather than just works of literature - we've been to see two plays at the RSC in Stratford upon Avon already this term, and been to a full-day conference about The Tempest at the Courtyard Theatre too, with lectures and then a workshop with actors and the assistant director from the RSC production! Lots of fun, and really interesting too. I'm keeping on top of my work and writing up all my lecture notes neatly, which is pretty impressive considering how much extra-curricular stuff I'm doing...

I've been stewarding at the Arts Centre lots - I'm now a head steward, which means I get to be in charge of the team of stewards for either the Theatre or the Hall, and organise what they're doing, as well as being in charge of any programmes/money etc and generally running front of house for whichever event I'm working. I'm really enjoying it, so apart from helping them out before they took on all the new stewards for this year, I've been working as much as possible because it's fun! I also got to see the National Theatre tour of Alan Bennet's The History Boys when it came here, and Shared Experience's Orestes - plus I met Jimmy Carr when he was doing a comedy gig in the Butterworth Hall, and got a signed programme for Tom!!
I've also got into lots of dancing (hip-hop, lyrical, tap and body conditioning [which is like an hour in the gym, but for dancers - exhausting!]) and Musical Theatre - I'm going to be in the chorus of Chicago this weekend (a weekend show - rehearsed and performed in 48 hours!) and I've got a part in this year's theatre show Copacbana as a Copa Girl! All very exciting - I'll make sure I put details of Copa up nearer the time so you can all come and see it, but it will be at the end of January.

Apart from that, I'm getting over a bad cold (fresher's flu, even though I'm not a fresher - not really fair!) and enjoying hanging out with my old friends and getting to know new ones - there are some really lovely people in the Music Theatre society, and some of the new stewards are fun to know, too - I've even been practising my French on the Erasmus students! Some of my friends from my year abroad have got in touch recently, too, which is so so nice - particularly Miguel, who lives in Puerto Rico so I never get to speak to him, but he phoned me when he was in Portugal for the week to chat! He's getting on really well, moving to Colorado soon to do a massage therapy course and then hoping to come to Europe.

Right, time for me to do some work now! Hope all are well, and speak to you soon,
love Lxx