As I type this, there is a huge, black, gloomy cloud lurking above my head. I feel annoyed, stressed and a little bit sad. Well, a lot sad.
Yes, Christmas and the festivities of the new year are over. The crackers have been pulled. The party poppers popped. Presents opened. And the amaretto has all been drunk. And now all I'm left with is a pot belly, a winter cold and a HUGE pile of university work that has barely been contemplated over the last fortnight.
And so, here is my comprehensive list of 5 things that instantly seem more appealing, interesting and worthy of your time when you know you have a deadline at university...
1. The inside of your eyelids
Who knew that day time naps were so enjoyable? Even though, after a fortnight off, getting out of bed before lunchtime is nothing short of a small miracle. You've barely been awake 3 hours, yet your bed/the sofa and your favourite pj's are calling out for you. "Put me on...this bed is so cosy and warm...come on, lie down for a few minutes...you won't regret it." The only feasible solution? Drink a whole crate of Redbull, you won't be able to sleep even if you wanted to.
2. Cleaning your bedroom
After sleeping in a cess-pit of clothes, shoes, crisp packets, half-drunk cups of tea, chewing gum on window ledges, for some reason cleaning your room suddenly becomes your priority. Your reasoning? If you clear your room, this will also clear your mind...thus enabling you to think more clearly and complete work to an impeccable standard. I'm not talking about any old clean. I'm talking full-on clean, antibacterial wipes, hoovering, windows wiped, mirror polished. But this is not likely, half way through you will get bored, and you will end up taking a Nana style nap on your bed.
3. Making meals from scratch
Prior to being given university work, beans on toast was a massive chore. Super Noodles? Too much effort. But for some reason, deadlines bring out your inner Gordon Ramsey. The thought of cooking moussaka from scratch, or baking a batch of cupcakes and lovingly decorating them as if they were bespoke works of art, is far more appealing than desperately trying to understand the concept of 'hegemony', 'Marxism' or 'ideology', or..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
4. Watching any and every documentary, no matter how relevant to your degree subject
Documentaries count as work don't they? Well if they don't, they should. A solid day of documentary watching must have some impact on your intelligence. From the life of plants (so interesting), to ancient civilizations and space travel- there are literally hundreds of documentaries available on Sky. My favourite documentaries are those that involve food. Man Vs. Food, Cupcake Wars- oh, and the narrator of Come Dine With Me is just hilarious. I can sit and watch a good 3 hours at time on More4. What? Oh. So Come Dine With Me doesn't count as a documentary? Damn.
5. Writing about anything and everything. Apart from the subject in which you have a piece of work due
I can't help it. I've always done it. I remember getting maths homework in junior school, and when it came to doing it, I would find myself wanting to write poetry- day dreaming that I would be the next Seamus Heaney or Alfred Noyes. Except I was a 7 year old girl. This trend carried on throughout my school years; short stories, huge accounts in my diary, haiku, songs, plays, contributing to the Lost discussion boards (ask me anything about the numbers and the Dharma initiative).
And here I am now, writing my blog, when I have approximately 7000 words combined to write for university.
