Good morning, afternoon, or evening fellow college folk, wherever these words find you. So here we are, last issue for the college year, last diary. I hope that you got through Paddy’s Day relatively unscathed. I tried to guzzle a few beers, carry on like it was a regular St. P’s but the tolerance is well and truly gone. Three to four cans is where the wall lies, so in one small way this bloody pandemic has been good for something.
As I write this, we’re all in the middle of our mid – term break. Some of us have heavier workloads then others with numerous essays or projects. In all sincerity, I hope they all go well for you. Real life has been severely truncated and that brings enough pressure without the added woes of time sensitive assignments. Hopefully you’ll all get the results you deserve after putting the work in.
So, what else is new? It lifts the spirit seeing trees and bushes getting greener with each passing day, the first splashes of colour from the first flowers gently peering up through the grass. The course itself, third year in the BA Connect for Creative writing, has shot by. It’s been an absolute blast, the work has been highly enjoyable, and I’ve had the added input and support of a great tutor and classmates. I’ll be sad when it’s over. On another note, I can hear some whoopin’ n’ hollerin’ upstairs. The neighbourhood has been far from quiet these last couple of weeks. Now, I’m not an antisocial grouch (yes you are, my better half says) but constant noise, shouting, slamming doors, the thump of drunken bodies on the floors above, shrieking, breaking bottles, vomiting, chants to summon Belial to this earthly plane, has gotta stop. I’m worldly enough to know and accept the partying at 3a.m., if I was nineteen or twenty I know full well I’d be right in the middle of something similar. On the other hand, there is a very real likelihood that anybody driving through Terryland will see bodies nailed to the balconies of several apartments, Sicario style.
Folks, no matter where you’re living bear in mind that there are other people around you with their own lives and clocks to run by. Flouting regulations simply puts you and your group in danger, or worse, endangers your neighbours. Or has me knocking on your door holding a hammer and nails. Anyway, I’m getting off track a bit. I hope the remaining weeks are good to you all and that the work left doesn’t exert too much pressure. I hope you prevail. To any first years or second years reading this, hang in there. Get yourselves over the line and hopefully this rank bastard of a year will be behind us soon. Thanks for reading, and thanks to Saoirse, Tom and the good folks at SIN for allowing me to witter on. And disregard the stuff about crucifixions. I was just kidding. Or was I?
