Angry? I haven't even started getting angry!

Right. I am seriously pissed off right now with the O.U. at the discriminatory way they have organised their "weeks". But I'll come to that later. First, an update as it has been quite a while since my last post. Last time I was working through my TMA3 & looking forward to our trip across Northern

Europe just before Easter. Unfortunately, I didn't get the TMA3 done in time as I was really unhappy with my efforts for the 2nd part and kept changing it again & again to make it read well on top of answering the question. It was certainly much harder than I had initially thought. Luckily our tutor said I could hand it in over the Easter holiday if I was really struggling. This really helped because I then relaxed and got a lot of foundation work done on the essay before we went abroad.

The trip itself was fun and the break was most welcome. Bonn-Koln-Maastrict-Aachen-Eupen-Waterloo-Lille-Bruges, all in 5 or so days. Our old friend Claudia from eons welcomed us to her glamorous flat in the former West German capital and it was really great to see her again (she's still gorgeous). The Dom at Koln was (as ever) impressive and now free of all its ugly scaffolding at last. I was a bit worried about climbing the tower this time as since the last visit I now suffer from an on-off chest problem but I made it! I wish someone had been there to take a pic a picture of me raising my hands in joy as I completed it! Unfortunately our Kiwi friend really didn't like the narrow winding staircase on the way up and stopped just before the very top. Poor her.

Maastrict, Aachen & Eupen were nice and old fashioned but not much to report on here (the cathedral in Aachen is nice, though). Waterloo would have been brilliant to see except that they now charge 12 Euros to walk up the monument hill when it used to be free (and it was pissing down as well). We declined in disgust at the sheer rip-off and had our ABBA moment in the car instead. Lille still is charmingly French and all that but we had our 2nd disgusting meal there in three visits. Never eat in a cheap "traditional" restaurant there, go to Le Coq Hardi in the town square. Much nicer food. In Bruges I finally go to see the interior of the Church of The Holy Blood. Wow. What use of vivid colours & iconography. Utterly fabulous. Then, home on the ferry. I was kind of depressed it all went by so quickly when we got back. Still, seeing the bright lights of mainland Europe once again was life affirming for me.

Now, here's the story of how I got behind in Block 3 and how it's the fault of the fucking O.U. Folks, they decided in their infinite wisdom that Block 3 must start the week that we hand in TMA3!!! Not immediately after the deadline but starting the Saturday before the deadline. It's crazy, isn't it? There was me desperately trying to get my essay in on time, failing by a day or two, then I have to start immediately on the next part. Even with the Easter break I am now so far behind it's a fucking scandal. Did they think this thing through? Properly? I'm on page 50 of Block 3 and there's still another 150 pages to go and I have to finish all of this well before May 5. And they are giving us these bloody 'essay' exercises in the book which aren't helping me catch up.

I know I am having a good old rant but the thoroughness of the block so far and my slow, slow progress in catching up with it is really depressing me. Which is a shame as I should be enjoying this as History is the good stuff. I'm off now to take the tablets and consult my tutor for some kind of help on this because I can't go on getting angrier & angrier about this injustice. Not good for my studying habits. I am still going to make a formal complaint about the mismatch of dates as I do think that was outrageously unfair timing. Perhaps that'll take the steam off. In the meantime, what the hell am I gonna do to catch up? ;(