Ho hum. Seems to have been a while since everything ran according to a vague schedule. Oh yeah, that's because it has – since before Christmas in fact! What with exams, and then a semester break everything feels a little out of sync.

Anyhow, second semester has just begun, but still doesn't quite feel like it, since at the time of writing I haven't actually signed up for my courses yet. Very strange junior honours. The last two years, first day of a semester has been Headless Chicken time – a race to remember what time you've got to be in what school to sign up for your courses. This time, with only four hours of class, two on Tuesday, two on Friday, I haven't had to do a thing – yet. Last semester I at least had a class on Monday to go to sign up for.

So, to catch up – exam results are out, and I'm happy with mine, given that I hardly did slave labour for them. The university marking system is as loopy as usual of course. See, they mark on a 20-point scale for all module results, and in some schools, for coursework too. However, in other schools coursework is marked on an 80-point scale, and then worked out on the 20-point system for final results. Why percentages went out of fashion I will never fathom. This time it got confused by the fact that results went out on the web. We were told '1pm Tuesday 11th'. Come Sunday morning I toddled along to church to find that a major talking point amongst returned students was the fact that some results were already out. Not all – just some, departments who don't read their emails obviously – like mine!

The Ancient History department is in a state of flux as it is – the Swallowgate, home to Classics, Latin, Greek and Ancient, is being rewired, so everything is getting shunted to other buildings around the university, and no-one seems quite sure what's happening. As it is,
enrolment for my course – the Late Roman Republic Part I (and yes, I can do Part II next semester if I want and get onto the course) – is happening in the Management department. Must try and find that one before Friday.

Anyway – to back-pedal a bit, the last couple of weeks. Well, after exams I trotted down to London to attend the Meet. Which was rather fun – as I'm sure you've all read about elsewhere. It was fantastic to see people again, though I'm not sure WHY Witty Ditty and I were
labelled as Morecambe and Wise – Ashley, please explain!

After that I took my little winter holiday and went to Venice and Rome with Dave-the-housemate and Helen. Mid-way through the stay in Venice Clare-the-housemate, and Gary – a medic friend of Dave's – came to join us. Clare was heading onto Milan to see a friend of hers who is doing a year abroad. Gary was joining us, possibly fortunately for his safety. How the boy got through a Gap year in the Middle East intact I don't know. Mind you – he seems capable of getting around, it's just linking up with other people that's the problem (and my bone marrow is still cold from hanging around in the Piazza Navona). He also nearly managed to get me sold off in a bar – I attached myself to Dave speedily.

Italy was beautiful, and freezing – apart from the day we spent in the forum, which was breeze-free, and therefore warm. The only time it rained was when Dave and I went to Tivoli to see the ruins of Hadrian's Villa – fantastic, but did we get in a sopping mess trying to get there! Got to see a bit more of Rome than last time round – when my wallet got pinched on the first of three days. Still, didn't really get beyond the ancient bits and the Vatican (though did get into
the museums there this time – and nearly did backwards somersaults trying to look at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel). Next on the revisit list – in Italy at least – has to be Naples, I feel a need to see Pompeii again. However, it's a pretty long list, and education seems to be getting in the way.

Swiv

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