It's not everyday that I'll start a blog post in the library but I've decided to take a short break from competition law to write about a few wonderings of mine. Also the table of dark-rimmed classes opposite is getting restless which doesn't help concentration much - more on them to follow. I don't feel like I've been writing particularly well recently so this post is an attempt to rediscover my way with words. This post will come in two parts (I think that might be a first for me?) so keep your eyes peeled for both installments!
Chewing my way to success
I used to have a fear of chewing gum for two reasons. Firstly, I didn't really like the idea of swallowing a non-degrading blob of something - what even is it? [UPDATE: chewing gum is made out of a petroleum-based polymer. Still don't know.] My other gripe was, well, the risk of having a gripey stomach. If you read the back of a pack of gum you will see the warning that 'excessive consumption may cause a lax...' - I think you get the picture, there is no room for crudities here. Basically I wasn't wanting to fart - or worse - myself into next week after a few chomps on the old petroleum-based polymer. I was kidding; crudities are of course welcome.
I'm over that all now and my fears have subsided. Over the last few months I've been through fifty-plus packets of gum and not once have I swallowed a piece or found my digestive system to be unmanageable. Instead I've come to realise the wonders of chewing gum. First of all, if you chew gum when you read you don't tend to vocalise everything, making for quicker reading and fresher breath - a cool 'two birder'.
I've also realised that I'm not needing to eat as much because I'm chewing a lot of the time. My brain is obviously daft enough to think I'm putting stuff in my stomach. Silly brain. Apparently chewing is also good for remembering stuff - I was never that forgetful before so I'll get back to you on that one.
The one bad thing that has happened since I started eating gum came just last week on a night out. I was nonchalantly chewing away after having a few drinks and I bit my tongue like never before. I guess the lesson to be learned from that is this: don't drink and chew.
Library etiquette
I spend most of my waking hours in the law library. I'm here right now in fact, but I'm not sure if this is really what I should be doing with my time. Anyway, because I spend so much time here and because I'm getting to be an old fart (that's twice I've 'farted' in this post - great!) my tolerance levels have diminished massively since the start of my fourth year. Any time I hear so much as a squeak I look up from my reading or laptop to eyeball the perpetrator. For example the table opposite have received 'the look' a few times today. Sadly I'm not sure they noticed on account of the heavy black-rimmed eye-wear they are all wearing.
I sit in an area which has posters that clearly state 'Absolutely no talking. Individual study only. Silent texting only' - the irony of the levels and frequency of infringement in the law library is not lost on me. Sadly, however, I am being a big fat hypocrite. The 'no talking' rule, in its absolute form of course, is not once I abide by all the time. Although I've never worked in a group in the library, I have been involved in group hilarity - surely the same thing? The only one I'm not guilty of infringing is the silent texting rule, but that's only because my phone is always on silent and in my pocket. I would have to go out of my way to breach it and I'm not in the business of pissing people off - at least not intentionally.
Thankfully I've found a 'zone' over the last couple of weeks where the general ambient noise of the library doesn't get to me. Anything above that does still rile me slightly but I'm getting better at staying focused - except where there is a cat meowing ringtone going off; that really isn't acceptable and sounded too real even to elicit a chuckle from me. I hate cats.
The genius behind the word-count
The last thing I want to comment on in this part of the post is about writing. Not this sort of writing but the 'bread and butter' of everyday uni life: the notes. I write more than I really should for classes - and now for my dissertation notes. An average class preparation file will stretch to about 10000 words provided I've done all of the reading. It takes ages but I just don't like the idea of leaving something out and having to source it again - call me sensible, call me daft, or call me beautiful.
The volume of work that I get through is not really the point that I'm trying to make. Instead what I'm trying to get at is more to do with setting goals. For example, if I get through about 6000 typed words a day then I will be happy. I don't focus on getting particular things done for the day because I know if I've typed 6000-plus words then I will have done lots. I wrote a post about this on another website earlier in the year - head over and have a read to get a better idea of what I'm going on about.
I look at the notes that I've been working on today and Word tells me that I've got just over 5000 as things stand. I've noticed that it includes bullet points of which I average about 25 a page. At 9 pages, which is where I am just now for the day, I should take off 225 from that total, leaving me with 4775 words - still some work to do before I can go home!
Hope you've enjoyed this first part of tonight's post. I'm going to get on with my work just now and I'll write part two when I get back to the flat later. Not exactly sure what I'm going to write about but that's where the fun lies surely? See you back here later
Martin
