A bit of a disappointment

I got the result for my discourse analysis of the Boundary Mill postcard. 65. Absolutely in line with my average so far and a comfortable Merit level (60-69). But I tried so hard to do better. There is something lacking in my essays which I don't seem able to correct. Maybe the learning advisor can help when I see her in a couple of weeks time. I intend to go to campus for a whole day and also spend some time in the library. Maybe what I am lacking as a distance learner is constant hands-on access to a real-life library and current journals.

But this course is not my whole life. I have a serious retirement to organise and live. And a wardrobe to plan and buy.

Handed in

5,000 words about an advertising postcard from Boundary Mill handed in. I've tried really hard with the literature review this time so I think its better but probably not good enough. My confidence in putting together an essay is very low but I know I can write a good report and I know my analysis is good. But I worry that by trying to do the literature review, which I am weak at, I might have lowered my mark. I intend to send some of my work to the learning advisor for comment.

Only 6 weeks to go til I get the result.

I was just shouted at by an electrician I just cancelled. Basically, he turned up but didn't do the job because it was more complicated than he'd worked out at his first visit. He said he couldn't do the burglar alarm side of it at all. After we'd cleared out half the bedroom cupboards and shrouded the bed in plastic for nothing. We arranged for him to come back at a later date but meantime we got somebody else in who's done a good job on electrics and alarm. But I'm 'Bang out of order'. Ooops!

Structure improving

Yesterday I was really depressed about the assignment about the advertising postcard for Boundary Mill. Yes, I know, trying to write 5,000 words about a discount store postcard. What did I expect?

I spent  yesterday afternoon doing little more than staring at what I had written and doing a bit of 'rearranging the Titanic deckchairs'. But today, I have been a lot more focused and I fixed the structure. I am going to follow Cook, who deals with material (its a postcard), language (words, grammar, colour, typeface, layout) and then people (readers, writers). I now have over 4,00 words, although they won't all make the final cut. I still have a tendency to retreat to my spreadsheet and count something else. Because I can. And I'm a nerd at heart. All those years of maths and IT are deep in there and I still feel I'm a cheat as an arts graduate. Me, with a BA!!

And the next problem is what to wear next weekend. Its the start day for the next module, which is stylistics. And I don't know how the weather will be. Its getting a bit warm for full-on winter but its certainly not summer. Is any of last year's spring wardrobe smart enough?

Shopped and dropped

I met a friend at Boundary Mill and we shopped all day - I can't remember the last time I did that and it was such good fun!! Its between seasons and that meant the bargains were exceptional - I got three black evening tops, two of them Alexon, for less than £20.

Its a Boundary Mill direct mail that I'm analysing for my next assignment on multi-modal discourse. I believe in gathering data from my own real life. TSH has taken a picture of the current plush Boundary Mill to show how different it is from the home-spun image and the chimney with smoke which is on their logo.

The previous afternoon, we saw Mother Courage and her Children at Lowry, Salford. We all really enjoyed it.

Last night I was totally exhausted.