I have now learned what my final degree classification will be for my BA and it is high enough that I am able to go on to do the History MA for which I hold a conditional offer (so formal!)

Right now I am in the process of trying to decide which route through the degree I want to take – there are several alternatives that I like the look of, which have pros and cons to them. I am going to talk to the Prof in August, but I need to do my homework before then.

The main question at the front of my brain is which compulsory course to take. There are several to choose from, the compulsory element is a language course, with Latin being strongly encouraged. I have done some Latin, and the course I passed recently used the same text books at the beginners Latin on the MA course.

I could then do the Intermediate Latin, but I am not sure my skills are really at the Intermediate level. This could be my fretful side talking, but I think it’s not unreasonable.

That said I am also interested in doing courses that may not require a desperately high level of skill at Latin – courses based in Northern European history – for which I would take a northern language instead. I know the Prof is keen that everyone comes out the end of this degree with a good level of knowledge of Latin. Hence I am doing my homework and my pondering before I go to see him in August. I have also emailed the tutors on the other courses that I am considering to see if I can have some indication of the steepness of the learning curve as for those courses I would be coming from a complete standing start.

Watch this space, there may be more updates.

I need to write about Venice, and Waterhouse and Futurists and … many other things. Perhaps the next few months will see some activity from me on here. Or maybe not. I’ll do my best but I’m not promising.

Dubious characters were seen reflected, before someone was discovered the audience saw something in distorted reflection. Once I noticed it I couldn’t not see it. I’d need to watch it again and concentrate on those kinds of things to be sure, but it would be interesting to do that, or maybe prime other people to go see the film with that idea in mind. I also wonder how many of the plot twists are signalled by that kind of prompt.

No, I am not planning on heading off on a Film Studies track, I’ll stick to my plans to dive into the Renaissance a while longer.

The other activities, like filing my notes with colour coded bulldog clips, or playing Minesweeper, these I have an every harder time justifying.

Writing Artymusings, well, that comes somewhere in between I think. I can, almost, convince myself that it’s relevant to my course, but really, I am displacing like mad here.

Totally atypically of me I am just now ahead of the curve with a lot of this stuff. I have the raw materials for one essay, if I really pulled my digit from my orifice I could have a reasonably credible draft written by the end of the weekend. It is currently my plan to attempt that. Although, as the main reason that I’m ahead on the essaying is because I am behind and entering panic mode on the dissertationing I’m not sure this is entirely a good thing. But, I am in Polyanna mode so I’ll take it as good.

One problem that I have is that I find it FAR easier to work in one particular library, it’s a small place, not usually very full, quiet, has nice desk space with places to plug your laptop in easily, is quiet, and all of the books that you need are Right There. You can just wander over and get them. It isn’t a lending library so most books are there most of the time (unless of course one of your classmates is preparing for the same seminar and has snaffled all of the ones you need first, but then you can go and beat said classmate around the ears with a placemarker – one of the large bits of cardboard you have to sign and put in the gap where you took a book from. See, the downside of the system, random violence if your name gets recognised. But I digress…)

Did I mention this place is quiet and civilised? I think I may have done. I love it there. And I get a heck of a lot of work done in a few hours there. I could head back tomorrow or I could try the unthinkable and attempt to write at home. I am much less good at working at home. I mean, there’s a cat that needs stroking, and there’s a kettle right there for making coffee. And … well, it’s home, it’s where I like to be, and it’s full of distractions.

The library is a bit of a hike to get to, but when I do get there my productivity soars. I may try writing at home tomorrow and if that doesn’t work take to slogging back in to town with my laptop on my back. Like some kind of technologically enabled snail, carrying my world on my shoulders. Or was that Atlas? No, he carried the heavens. Did anyone carry the world? I really should be better at these classical references by now.

OK, I know the Masters needs a bit more work than sitting in a library, and even a Bachelors rewards thinking outside the confines of the course listing, but as a general idea I don’t think it’s too far off.

Most importantly I have new pens. In lots of colours, with which to write my notes. It was only by an act of furious will that I managed not to buy a new notebook, or two, I looked longingly and was tempted but managed to resist. I like office consumables though, I like them a lot. But I have a lot of notebooks, so here I am, being good, having not bought any more dead trees and am working hard. Really, I am. Working very very hard.

Or perhaps I’ll be the only person who ever knows that this page exists, but it will be archived forever, and in a thousand years someone will be writing a thesis about ancient technology and will happen across it. I can see it now,  a footnote in a doctoral paper, wondering whether this really is all that there ever was, or maybe, just maybe,  the archiving failed and the world has lost a great resource concerning the state of art history in the early C21st but they will never know.

I suspect something closer to the former than the latter, because, in the end, I am a realist, and occasionally even moderately sane.