Fast Times in Leamington Spa.doc

There's a saying that goes, "if you want something done, ask a busy person." After a year of being occupied just by school (and enjoying the privileges that come with the schedule) I've switched back to my old habits. In the Queen's uni years of old I could have five different commitments going on the side in addition to attending classes and working at Lonestar. This type of schedule demanded that each task was alloted its own due and nothing more. Currently in the Spa, I'm balancing three part time jobs: dissertation revisions, retail work at River Island and going to the gym. It means that I'm working seven days a week for the next seven weeks, but also that I'm more focused now than I have been at any time in the program.

I started at River Island on Monday. I really like the feel of the store and the attitude of the overall image. It's one of the most popular high street shops in the UK. Admittedly, after working at the ultra-organized and corporate Lonestar in Kingston, most other places of employment seem chaotic. It's kind of the feeling I've gotten at River. I like the co-workers and the hours, but I don't really know what I'm suppose to be doing yet. I'm hoping this will become more clear in the coming weeks. You can only coast the floor for so long and fix and fiddle with clothes. Maybe this is the real secret of retail employment?? At the very least, whatever the job might entail, it's a great stop gap for seven weeks. The four hour shifts on Tuesdays and Thursdays are a breeze - my full days there are Monday and Wednesday. For the first two weeks before I hand in my dissertation draft I'm pulling twenty hours a week, but this will increase to 29 after December 6. I'm ready for it. My favourite perk is the 75% discount on two pairs of jeans at the start of your employment. I think I'll be cashing this out tomorrow. From then on I get 30% off of the regular priced stuff.

This week hasn't allowed me to pine for Berlin, which is probably a good thing. While the visit seemed oh so brief I jumped into a 24 hour schedule with little room to miss the life of leisure. On Monday after work we had a boys night in Leamington. Poker, beer, and chips. How much more stereotypical can it get? I headed over to Jamal's and joined Adam, Stu, Ridzal, Nik, and Matt for a friendly game. My playing usually rolls out the same way. I'm in the middle of the pack for the whole game flip-flopping between third and fourth place since I play really conservatively. Ultimately my defensive play (only acting on really strong cards) lets me down once things get aggressive later on in the game. Ah well, it's still loads of fun. The game went from 9pm until 2 in the morning until we finally had a winner crowned. It was nice to take a break from evening revisions and let loose with the guys.

This week has absolutely flown by. With four days of work, keeping up the gym visits, and whatever time left over spent on dissertation revisions and socializing, I have had little time to catch up with correspondence and generally chill. But I like it. I also have a bevy of great things to look forward to in the coming days: week one of seven at work finishes tomorrow, Courtney is hosting American thanksgiving on Friday, we're presenting our dissertation research to the department on Friday, and I have the weekend totally free and clear. I'll need the time to finish this second draft to send to my supervisor. Next week I keep the busy schedule, but with a little less urgency in terms of hitting my deadlines.

I also am BURSTING with excitement to meet with Emma Jane Hunter and her parents in London town next week. The Hunters are hitting the city for four glorious nights and Em and I have plans in the works to take the city by storm. It's a wonderful gift to look forward to. More on that in the next post.

Doc's Prescription of the Day: Poker was loads of laughs, and a good workout for the brain. Card games are fun.