Niall’s virtual diary archives – March 2006

Sunday 26th March 2006: 6.45pm. I think this is the third ever time I missed a month. Johanna reckons that since I have been missing entries only during the time we have been going out, then therefore I must be too happy to have anything to write here. Maybe she has something - we'll find out when she dumps me! However, lots has been happening, not least my lecture series but once March had begun, I figured I could wait until the Easter holidays (which is now). I suppose I should start from the start - Johanna and I went on a whistle-stop holiday, with two days at a family reunion, then Hull and finally Amsterdam. It went almost without hitch, and we had a great time. I did well in the exams with three firsts and one 2.2 giving an average of a first. Then, not two weeks into the new semester I kicked off my lecture series where we got around forty people. The following week, the second lecture achieved around eighty people and some two and a bit weeks later, the third lecture attracted no less than six students!

Yes, six. To put it mildly, I was disappointed especially as it had a further hit on my pocket above and beyond what I had projected. Despite the tiny turnout, the lecture itself was very good and the spin off effects have been amazing - Satish has enabled many entities to be drawn closer together, and if all goes to plan there will be a well-funded Future Society in the student's union next year. But I'll write more about that when the details are more certain.

During the preceding two months, we also got a house to live in next academic year sorted out with the lease being signed yesterday. Due to funds being extremely limited due to the lecture series (which took half my disposable income for the semester), I couldn't afford to travel home this Easter break and so will be for the most part staying here at Johanna's flat while she's at home in Sweden. Hopefully we'll travel down to visit her grandparents during the second week.

A friend in need prompted me to write a letter about how I stopped being mad. Almost everyone who has read it took a copy to give to friends and family and Johanna wants me to publish it. It's here if you want to read it.

So what comes next? Tomorrow morning Johanna departs, so immediately thereafter I shall begin the process of releasing v0.86 of TnFOX which has taken well over a year now, mainly because FOX v1.6 STABLE took so long (and even then, it's not quite ready itself yet either). I'm not entirely sure if I can do it within a week, but I'll certainly try. I also have two essays to do which is annoying, and I should catch up with reading too as well as design what I intend for that Future Society. We'll see how it goes. Be happy!