Trying again

Activity E - Research poster activity

Okay that one seemed to work, so I'll try once more.

This morning was the first time I think that I have been woken up by my alarm, rather than by seagulls, or students, or buses, or refuse trucks, or the warmth in the room, or needing a pee. I am clearly very very tired, and mentally tired not only due to the study but also tired of not getting enough proper rest, enough quality sleep. This is due in equal parts to the intensity of the residential school experience, and to sleeping alone in an unfamiliar bed. Can't wait to have Alan lying next to me at night again (and maybe a bit of activity F! LOL)



After a solitary breakfast I collected my things together, and went for a little walk to try and shake off the cobwebs. I found myself sitting on a bench by Meeting House, the 'non-denominational' church/synagogue/mosque/temple substitute. It's a rather interesting building, with coloured glass blocks in it, a la stained glass I guess. It also has a moat around it, which is eclectic but interesting. I get the impression it is an attempt to make Meeting House into a kind of 'protected island'.

I wanted very much to go inside, and in equal measures (a) take a look around, and (b) close my eyes and simply be there for a while. But it wasn't open, and even if it had been, there just wasn't the time.

Pam came and joined me on the bench for a while and we chatted about this and that. She is such a nice lady, I hope that we keep in touch after the course is over.

There are a lot of rather hung over faces in the group this morning. Caroline (the one who looks like my cousin Jacqueline) didn't get to bed until 2am, Steven apparently drove to Brighton and didn't come back until 7am, which is astonishing but not out of character from him this week. He apparently went to bed for an hour, then got up, showered and came back out again. Mad. I'm not sure how (or indeed why) he can do it.

Today is Activity E, the research and scientific poster. As we're a rectangle group we have energy to do, and our Gang Of Four (me, Kirsten, Pam and Margaret) have a very broad sub-topic called 'the energy debate'. This is more of a curse than a blessing, as we have to first define the topic we want to do the poster about.

We've chosen something provisionally called Reducing Energy Consumption versus Green Production, an open-ended highlighting of issues with a conclusion left open for the reader. My specific contribution will be for a section entitled Why the green energy industry is not yet mature enough to provide the whole answer. During the discussion about what we could create a poster about, David Bard recommended to us an author called David MacKay, who has recently written a book which is actually a very serious piece of research. According to its recommendation the book establishes beyond reasonable doubt that in their present forms, renewable and sustainable energy sources simply cannot provide all of our energy needs, and that without radical change we will remain shackled to non-renewable energy sources for the foreseeable future.

It's the last full day here, and it's the OUSA disco tonight. For a mere three of your Earth pounds the whole cohort of SXR103 students will be in one room. Add music and booze, stir to taste(less). I have not yet been convinced that it would be fun to go, but I'll see how I feel later on.

Anyhoo, off to do some research for the Activity now. More blog later. Missing home and Alan very badly today.