Skip to main content

Graduate Life: A Story of Sleep

Since completing my undergraduate degree, my brain has suffered what I can only describe as a creative slump. I haven't really been able to focus on reading, or writing, or anything other than sleeping. (Honestly, I have slept so much, and still feel like I need to sleep for another year.)

To do lists have been made, jobs have been applied for, forms have been filled out (I'm officially going to be a student at the University of Kent in September, studying The Contemporary!) (yay!), and partying has happened.

I'm now 21 years old, I work at Betty's, and I cannot seem to get through a book anywhere near as fast as I used to. I don't often suffer reading slumps, but when I do, they are The Worst. Don't get me wrong, I've bought plenty of books, but I haven't felt any spark of desire to read them. Which is so unlike me. It could really be to do with the fact that I am currently working 27 hours a week, and proofreading 200-300 page novels every week. Maybe... just maybe.

Regardless, I'm feeling pretty good about life. I'm swimming regularly, which is something I couldn't do at all prior to my surgery. I am saving my money like a maniac to be able to afford things in Kent. I'm seeing friends and watching endless episodes of The Good Wife (which I recommend 1,000,000%).

I remember seeing my friends graduate over the past couple of years all feel the same. You spend the majority of your life in education, you work your bum off particularly in the last couple of years. And then you stop, and then you feel like you need to sleep forever. I'm in the mode of eat-sleep-work-repeat at the moment. And I know this is going to be how it is for the next year of my life as I go through my Masters and work, in a completely new place.

And maybe, maybe this is what adult life is like? Perpetual tiredness. It would explain why we sell so much coffee at Betty's...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Librarian and a Penguin

These past couple of days have been very poignant for me. I heard of the passing of Mike Sutton, who worked at Harrogate Library and showed me the ropes as a bright eyed and bushy tailed fifteen year old on work experience. That week's work experience introduced me to the Young Volunteer scheme which I was part of for about five years; I met so many great people through it, had some laughs and grew as a person. Not to mention that over the years Harrogate Library has been a big staple in my life: providing me with books, friends and a place where I did most of my revision back in my A Level years.

Mike and I spoke now and then, in person and every now and then online. No matter how he was feeling, he always greeted me with a smile when I came into the library and asked how I was. I also am so very aware how much he meant to his colleagues, who will miss him incredibly.

The past couple of days I've also been reading a beautiful and sweet little book called The Penguin Lessons b…
Post a Comment
Read more

The Big Smoke: A Little Pilgrimage

Three weeks ago I began an MA in The Contemporary at the University of Kent, in Canterbury. I was somewhat familiar with the place prior to arriving, having applied here at undergraduate level and attended two open days (one of which was where I met one of my closest friends, Jess), and also visited said friend (who I now live with) (weird.) Nevertheless, the new place with new people and new reading lists have kind of kept me bogged down.

Admittedly, I was so scared and shy to begin with. It all felt very alien to me (even my own shyness, since I'm not usually very shy - or if I am, I manage to hide it well) and after my first seminar I felt very, very out of my depth. I had to sit and breathe and think "can I actually do this?"

Turns out this is completely normal. Not only did most other people feel like this, my first seminar was massively hindered by the fact I was so ill with the infamous Freshers' Flu so I didn't feel very alive and with it. And for some fe…
Post a Comment
Read more

Today I am: a fire-breathing Queen

As you can probably guess from my lack of posting, Master's degrees are hard. Speaking to my fellow MA buddies, we can't quite pin-point what it is that is making us perpetually stressed but there's just something about them that seems to eat up all of your time ever. And don't even get me started about 'thinking about the future'.

I somehow forgot that one of my favourite things to do to relax is to take a bath. Earlier last term when our shower broke (yay student housing), we were confined to baths - and I vowed that I would take more as soon as the shower was fixed and not just fall back to showering. But alas, I did. 

Baths have always been kind of special to me; forever have they been places of chats, giggles, relaxing, music, and such a treat. For a couple of years I couldn't get out of the bath unassisted because of my back, so to be able to leap forth out of the tub with a gracious gazelle-like leap (I lie) is a privilege. I also used to not be able t…
Post a Comment
Read more