Sorting out my Study [Notebooks] June 30, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Notebooks.10 comments
Being at home at my parents means that I am organising my parent’s stuff – however, it has also given me the opportunity to dig around my own room for some notebooks, diaries and albums from my childhood. Did the study today, here are some of my finds:
Wooden Cat Notebook bought in France in 1998. With a cat design on the front. Inside are sheets of squared paper and a pencil. I loved the style of this notebook but never found a true purpose for it – probably why the majority of pages remain unused today.
I made the cover of this one for my AS Level Art project. It was a Paul Gauguin themed book (inside I did various copies of his paintings). The cover itself is done using batik, using stock scenic imagery from his paintings. It is also very textured with different stitches, sequins, and beads, as well as being cushioned.
This is one of my favourite notebooks of all time – purely because Little Women is my favourite easy reading /feel good novel. The note book is full of little quotations, which make it an enjoyable read in its own right.
Of course anyone who reads regularly will know I’m a big fan of paper journals/diaries. Here is what has been found so far…
Now I got to decide what to do with these finds given that they are just stashed on shelves.
For the full collection check out my Flickr Set.
Job offer…Accepted. June 29, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Job hunting.5 comments
So I’ve been having a pretty relaxing time at home with the family. Unfortunately I forgot just how FRUSTRATING it can be living in the country – very slow internet (if and when it works) a severe lack of phone reception which doesn’t help when anxiously waiting to see if you got a job. The stress that I went though this morning hoping that the phone would be smart enough to pick up the phone call – or at the very least direct them to my voice mail.
The call came when I was standing in the queue at subway (the only thing my dad can “cook” for lunch). And they informed me I could have the job if I wanted it. Didn’t need to think about it – took it straight away. It’s an administrative job in a medium-sized law firm – which in my book is pretty good going. When I say administrative its an ORGANISING job. After giving the interviewer tips on how to improve their system (I’m glad they took it in the positive way it was intended) I start next week – and everyone is like “oh you don’t get much of a holiday” I’ve had 3 weeks – that’s too long – I’m itching to get started.
That said I can now enjoy the rest of the week at my parents.
For those still job hunting, keep at it. It will be worth the wait.
Keeping Track June 26, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Organisation.10 comments
Life has gotten busier since leaving university and more complicated – simply because I don’t have the same rigid timetable. Unfortunately my page-a-week moleskine diary which was perfect for my studies is feeling the strain.
The solution: Purchasing a page a day desk diary (2009 ones are going cheap at the moment). I have chosen one that just says the date at the top, no times/schedule along the side – just a page for you to get creative.
Here is an example of a page:
I’ve split it into categories:
Jobs, to do list, plans for dinner, and blog.
(yes, little time & sunshine = pigging out)
Following a simple but rigid pattern to keep track of my to-dos and my job applications (will also note deadlines, when I should get a response by, and brief details of the job – there is a point where there are so many on the go it is just confusing).
In addition I’ve been noting my expenses, and notes on things I want to blog about etc (although I do a fair bit of the blog notes online).
My second example is slightly different – has the same overall structure, but I’ve allowed more free flowing thoughts:
Here I’ve had a lot more to-dos and of course packing to go on holiday – so the orange writing is my packing list.
I’ve found this idea really helps because recently I’ve been writing everything down on scraps of paper such as job application info and flat hunting info – I have so many pieces of paper with a phone number on it and no name – it was just getting ridiculous – this method allows me to pull everything together in one place with plenty of space.
I’m sure everyone has a diary method that works for them, so this is just a snap shot of my current method to share some ideas.
p.s. the interview went okay today, I hope I impressed. Should hear soon as the start date is pretty close.
Passing through… June 25, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Job hunting, Personal Life.add a comment
Been ever so busy of late – give me exams any day. Just thought I’d give you all a wee update whilst I’ve a spare 5 minutes.
I have successfully secured a flat for the end of next month, after much searching, viewing, and stressing. It is a 2 bedroomed new build (again) but slightly smaller, but has gas (much to chef’s delight) and a car parking space (to my delight). So I’m sure I’ll be blogging about organising a move in the near future.
In addition to flat hunting, there has also been more job hunting on the go, finished a couple more training contract applications, and a few immediate job applications. Have an interview tomorrow for an admin job in a city centre firm – nervous as hell and also stressed as this means careful time juggling and a lot of train travelling. I was unable to find suitable shoes to wear to the interview today so will have to wear my old ones, which are REALLY uncomfortable and mean I will be (most likely) hobbling home afterwards.
As those who follow me on twitter will know, I am also due to be flying home tomorrow to visit the parents. So I’m attending the interview, then going home, to finish packing (because I’ve still not done that) and then heading back into town on the train and then getting the coach to the airport. Fun stuff. All in a days work.
That said, I suppose I ought to be at least trying to get some sleep. nighty night.
Grade Guru: Feedback June 23, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Note-taking.add a comment
Some of you may remember that last month I did a post about the website Grade Guru – the note-sharing website which compiles notes made by students (more beneficial to the LLB students rather than LPC/BVC).
In my previous post I (along with people who commented on my post) were questioning the service, mainly with regards to how it works, usefulness and plagiarism.
Today I got a comment on the original post from the founder of grade guru, so I thought I’d bring it to everyone’s attention as I know it will be of interest to a few people who read my blog.
The comment was as follows:
Travis, thanks for checking out GradeGuru and blogging about us. My name is Emily Sawtell and I am the founder of GradeGuru. I wanted to take this opportunity to answer a few of your questions (and those of your commenters as well). GradeGuru operates in the UK and US and this semester we saw a significant increase of notes coming from Law Students. Of course, it is still early days for our community so we’re relying on thought leaders like you to share your knowledge with the rest of the community. Currently you get points for each set of notes you upload based on the quality of the notes (1-5 stars). The quality is determined by a team of peer reviewers that work internally with GradeGuru. After 3-5 days from the time of upload, you will receive a set of points that you can then redeem on the MyRewards page for cash and other prizes. We’re working towards developing new functionality to allow you to demonstrate your thought leadership based on your contributions and activity on the site.
GradeGuru has taken a strong stance against plagiarism by partnering with TurnItIn.com, the leading anti-plagiarism tool and the platform chosen overwhelmingly by academic institutions for ensuring originality in students’ work. If students were to attempt to submit materials from GradeGuru as their own for a course that uses TurnItIn, that material would be flagged as unoriginal. Furthermore, our site is stamped with the “Protected by TurnItIn” logo. This badge sends a strong signal to students about what they can and cannot do with GradeGuru resources and is a significant deterrent from unethical use of the site – our research supports the notion that students understand the seriousness of plagiarism and the implications of getting caught.
Emily Sawtell,
emily_sawtell@mcgraw-hill.com
Sorry for an absence in blogging June 21, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Personal Life.5 comments
So the exams finished and I decided to take advantage of having free time for the first time in a while – that and the endless to do list I’m working my way through. Therefore I’ve not really been procrastinating by sitting in front of the computer.
For the majority of the past few days I’ve been sitting in a tent watching cookery demonstrations at Cheltenham Food Festival, sampling truly delicious food and making pasta. And even earlier in the week I went to the Banksy exhibit in Bristol.
Hopefully in between flat hunting and preparing to visit the parents – I shall have time to do some proper blogging this week.
I’m now… Unemployed June 17, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Exams, Job hunting.7 comments
So the exams are officially over, no more trips into uni (except to collect my results). Now the pressure is on to find a job. Unemployed: is something I’ve never been and it scares me.
This academic year due to relocating I obviously couldn’t continue my part-time job, and because of LPC and commuting, I decided it wasn’t really feasible to get one, I could get by.
A lot of friends, unable to find a job have just increased their part-time job hours, or returned to the job they had pre-LPC, others are running away from it all and going on holiday, and some have been lucky and found a job just doing anything. I’m the only one who seems to still be hanging on. Silly thing is I know if I was still in my home town, or university town, I’d not be having these problems – trying to get a foothold in a place where I know precisely one person – my boyfriend – is not helpful.
For someone who likes to be in control – a somewhat “carefree and meaningless existence” stresses me out – give me exams any day – at least I know where I stand.
Sorry about mild rant – should be pleased the exams are over, really.
Another exam down… more incidents – Share you own exam mess ups. June 11, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Coffee Break, Exams.6 comments
Just another quick posting. Finished the elective exams today – so only got professional conduct left. So thankfully feeling a lot more relaxed now even though I’ve still had a rather hectic afternoon arguing over car tax in the post office. Apparently I’m too complicated.
Those who follow me on twitter will know very well by now that it appears to be impossible for my provider to hold an exam without some interruption or incident.
Examples include speaker announcements every 10 minutes, being locked out of the exam room and starting late, lost exam papers, and numerous errors in the papers.
So I invite you all to comment about your exam disasters, in the hope that my provider isn’t so bad after all.
Another Cool Video:
1 Exam down… June 8, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Coffee Break, Exams, Fun Stuff.2 comments
Just a quick message whilst passing though, having a relaxing few minutes before going back to tackle planning.
Employment exam DONE! We started the exam half an hour late because no one could find the papers and then there weren’t enough papers – complete and utter shambles. But generally the exam was manageable, got discrimination question which I didn’t want. But you can’t have everything.
Trying to resist the urge to post about the Omagh Bombing verdict – Relatives of the Victims won £1.6m damages against IRA. The 1998 Bombing is still one of those things I remember like yesterday. So more on this later.
On a brighter note: Awesome video to get you motivated (or dancing).
There is even a Brooklyn tribute to this mashup.
Exams start tomorrow. June 7, 2009
Posted by travisthetrout in Exams.2 comments
So the exams start tomorrow – it hasn’t hit me yet. I really hope I remember I need to get up at 5.30 to get to the exam on time, given my current “awake time table” is like 9am – 3am. Early night tonight methinks.
I am most prepared for Commercial, which isn’t until Thursday, and I re-wrote the textbook for the module, which is now finished (my hand however is suffering).
Employment is tomorrow, so today will be spent with final cramming. I’ve tidied up my notes, which honestly aren’t very good, due to the distinct dislike of my employment class. It took me to week 8 to even understand ANYTHING we were doing. I get the contractual stuff, the tribunal stuff, numbers, and layering of claims and and the like, I need to work on. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to go though the motions and not really understand it.
Commercial property is on Wednesday. I still have to do the practice paper – which hopefully will get done on Tuesday, so not a clue what the exam is going to be like (hopefully similar to property). Not looking forward to leases element. If I can just keep my head together and read the lease without skim-reading hopefully I’ll be okay. Planning on the other hand I’m worried about, only gave planning a day revision which may have been a bit stupid given we’re guaranteed a question on it.
Oh well better get to work.
