Ok, first off, my sincerest apologies to everyone back home. I know you've been asking me to write a new entry for awhile, and it's taken me forever. But that's only because I've been so busy having fun and traveling-- and doing school work, of course-- that I literally just couldn't find the time. And it's better to be going out and doing new things rather than just sitting in my room.... right? Right. So I'm just going to take a leap here and assume that all is forgiven.
Alright, moving on. So in my Short Story Workshop, we've been focusing on something called flash fiction, which is basically any story under 1000 words. Typically, they're only about 250 words, with mini-sagas coming in at just 50. I know it sounds a little weird, but writing a 50 word story is a lot harder than it seems considering you have to create a scene, develop a character, progress a plot point, resolve a conflict, and come to some sort of conclusion all within the span of a paragraph. But I thought that as a bit of a practice run, I might tell you what I've been up to flash-blog style and sum everything up in 250 words or less. So here goes:
Halloween was fun, party was good, still lots of candy in my room. Classes getting better, although not easier. I'm getting to know my classmates better since we're left alone to talk a lot during our seminars, and I'm realizing that they're not so different from American students-- well, except for their awesome accents. My mom and Jean visited, and I got to go to London for a weekend (AMAZING), visited Oxford to have a drink at a pub where C.S. Lewis and Tolkien used to meet up and discuss their writing (also AMAZING), and spent another weekend in the beautiful Stratford-Upon-Avon (needless to say, AMAZING). I met a lot of Cassidy's that week, and they're all extremely entertaining. Spent last weekend in Dublin with some friends and found the city basically disgusting but still a lot of fun. It was a bit of a nightmare actually flying there, but that's a story for a another (longer) entry. Saw Jamie perform as a Beatrice-Joanna in Milton & Rowley's production of The Changeling which was phenomenal (and she was, wait for it... AMAZING!). Had more crappy Hub food, and usually tried to follow it up with good pub food or kebabs. Ate more Nutella sandwiches than is medically advisable. Watched a lot of The Office. Went to the cinema nearly every week. Aaaaand had my worst Thanksgiving ever (it's just not the same without your family, even when you're using Skype).
Ha! I did it-- 240, according to word count. I came in just under the limit. Not too shabby, I think I mentioned all the important parts. Ok, well I hope this was enough to suffice for the time being. I promise to write more later on, maybe fill you all in on my horrible Ryanair experience. But for now, there's coursework to attend to.
Alright, to be honest, I'll probably go on Facebook for awhile, check my email, maybe skype my family. But eventually, I will start on my coursework. I has to be done. It's just so hard to find the motivation sometimes....
Cheers, my American peeps.
P.S. I'm really missing home today, for some reason. I mean, really missing home. Why can't I be chilling in the living room, watching football with my dad, wearing my big, comfy Cowboy's sweatshirt, eating fresh la brea bread and prosciutto di parma from the Italian deli and Dubliner cheese, making fun of Tom Brady's stupid hair, and laughing at the new Troy Polamalu commercials?? That is what I should be doing on a Sunday afternoon. Not coursework. Just saying.
