Terrible. Just terrible. And this isn't even a proper update. It's only a vague sort of promise that a more complete one will be coming soon...
Briefly: I am back in Bristol - hooray! I've been here since the end of September staying with my friend Aisling and her flatmate (and friend as well) Maxime. They have been kind enough to lend me their "annex" in exchange for sweeping and dish-washing duties. In a convenient albeit tragic turn of events, Maxime will be moving at the end of January, so I will be moving across the hall into a room with a bed! And a closet! And a window! Can you tell I'm a bit excited? Like Aisling, Maxime is working on a Ph.D. in archaeology at the University of Bristol but is transferring to Liverpool following the departure of his faculty advisors.
In other news, I have a job! After a month of wandering through an array of part-time positions, I successfully interviewed with the University of Bristol Students' Union (hereafter UBU) and am in my third week as Democracy & Campaigns Intern ('intern' in this case meaning that it's a newly created position with a sixth-month potentially extendable contract). So far, I have been evacuated from the building, taken part in several student protests including a "Death of Education" rally (oh yes, we had a coffin) and a field trip to lobby MPs in London, and done slightly less thrilling work preparing for the student elections in the new year. I also have a desk. And a name tag. Business cards coming soon...
Well, this wasn't quite as brief as I intended. Too many exciting things going on. I might even post a few photos. Oh, the shock! The horror! The horror!
Ok, pictures. The one up top is our gate-way - we're the basement flat so the entrance is down the side and around the back. Very confusing for the Pizza Hut delivery dude. Just beneath here is the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Clifton is the area of Bristol in which I reside and the bridge (over the Avon River gorge) is one of the main attractions.
Above: Me, clearly, and Aisling (pronounced 'Ashling' for those who care to know), my lovely Irish flatmate. Below: Zombified (me/Dónal and Mike) for the Halloween Zombie March through the Bristol city centre. Further below: The UBU crew (plus intense police presence) in London to protest the Parliament vote for increased tuition fees.
