Life Carries On

So what has happened in the last week, starting with last week. Last week was very busy. I had work to do. The main thing about last week was to finish up my lecture and then give the thing, to students, on Friday. Being the massive procrastinator that I am, although I worked on it, I let it go until the last possible minute- dragging it out. In between this, I also went to meet with a client about a 3d model. I had really been hoping to wrap that particular project up, but it didn't happen and I'm committed to another day at his home office in March.

The lecture went well though, which was important to me. It was also paired with a day of being a guest critic reviewing second and third year degree student's work. That was really good- though it's harder than you think it's going to be, concentrating all day like that. Trying to say smart and useful things to students without crushing them completely if they have a horrible project. I was sad to say one student did cry, but that wasn't really my doing. He seemed really stressed and not getting it. I wonder how much he'd slept.

Still, it was tough, after an entire day of this mental work to have to then give my lecture. It was a new lecture, on urbanism and the natural environment (image today is from the lecture). It ended up only being one studio of students because the other studio that was supposed to join ran over in their discussion. But that was okay. I think the best part about the lecture is that the students had a bunch of thoughts and questions to contribute at the end, so there was a bunch of conversation on the topic which I guess meant the students actually were thinking about what I'd said, which was really the main point, so like I said, it all seemed to go well.

So that was last week really- work focused generally and stressing out about being in the spotlight. Other important news from last week was that I finally got in touch with the guy who is in charge of the PhD and that conversation seemed very promising. There was a question about whether or not I qualified for the funding- so that was another thread to last week, but then I got the answer back that I do qualify so to go ahead with the application. So that's also moving ahead and sort of exciting as a prospect. The more I think about it, the more I think it's what I want to do.

Also last week I had asked Heathrow if he wanted to come down for a day over the weekend. I was trying to avoid the whole topic of Valentine's Day as it seemed so wildly inappropriate to what we're doing. It was more in my mind that it was two weeks since we'd met up and we're sort of on that schedule. So I was disappointed when he said he didn't think he wanted to come into London. I figured I didn't want to be the one to keep asking for plans (and didn't really like the rejection aspect) so I figured I'd just leave it at that point, but I was annoyed by it. At any rate, Saturday morning I had an email from Heathrow to reply to and feeling rather upbeat from finishing my week I sent him a chirpy email where I happened to mention that I was away this weekend (which I am, but more on that later) and how I was finished with my work and bored and had nothing to do.

At which point he called me and asked if I wanted to hang out and that he'd come pick me up.

So I spent Valentines weekend with Heathrow in the van. With him making jokes about 'dogging' everywhere we parked and did naughty things. We went to Bluewater to window shop and eat and played games and screwed in the parking lot. Then we went to Brighton and walked out to the end of Brighton pier in the dark with the lights on and walked along the path by the pebble beach eating crepes before sleeping on the same road listening to the base of some club and the constant sound of the waves on the shore. Sunday was spent wandering around Brighton which I'd never done properly before which was fun. And we ended up having a very good Chinese dim sum meal at some place before heading back to the van and driving back to Hackney for my door to door service before he continued on to Cambridge.

As per usual with Heathrow, I feel like every time I see him we get closer, whether that's because we are actually getting 'closer' or because we are just getting to know each other better, and are more comfortable with each other. Regardless, it's all very nice. And naughty. Can't forget the naughty, but as far as I'm concerned, that's nice too.

Then this week has been pretty chill. I've been trying to finish up the loose ends of my application to the PhD which includes trying to coordinate references and get transcripts and things like that. I've read a couple of books, though nothing of note. And I'm getting ready for my trip this weekend to Belgium with S and F which I'm looking forward to. I had a free Eurostar ticket and S is from Belgium so we are staying with her family so it's a pretty inexpensive trip, though I'm sure I'll end up spending something.

Tonight, T and D came over and I made some super delicious yummy baby pizzas. I should do this more often. They always come out so tasty. And they were much appreciated by my guests. I have one leftover which makes me happy because I get to eat it again!

Oh, and the other thing from this week in talking to my therapist, she thinks that I've made such good progress on the relationship front that she wonders if I feel I need to continue to see her every week. So that's kind of nice- getting some kind of affirmation of having made progress.

Oh and in much other and very obscure news, I learned that a very old ex-friend of mine who I stalk periodically is a recent widow. Previous stalking suggested she and her husband were separated, but the obituary said survived by his wife. Although his Friendster page (which is still up, morbidly) doesn't say that he's married, it says his relationship is complicated. I guess it doesn't matter now. In fact none of it really matters, but I still find it interesting.