current things in my life

[usuallyhats]

Have had two weeks of lectures so far! Am enjoying them, though have not quite settled in yet. We are expected to do a lot of extra reading, but I am not quite sure what to read (it is not like English where it just goes: "read book/play/poem, read books/journals about said book/play/poem, go hmmm for a bit, move on with your life), so there is a fair bit of reading ejournals at random and going AAAAARGHHHH. But I got some books out of the library last night, which is a very reassuring thing to do, I find. One of this term's two modules is a management one and my coursework is to write a report; I have no idea what to write it on AAAAARGHHHH. Well, that is not quite true, I have ideas, but they are vague and amorphous (and possibly unworkable), so I need to catch one and pin it down. WITH PINS.

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I am THISCLOSE to finishing a fic (which I have been thisclose to finishing for about a year, I must admit), so this seems like as good a time as any to mention again that I have a beta filter where I post nearly-done fics in the hope that anyone who is passing by and in the mood for some betaing will have a look at them and point out all my terrible errors. If anyone would like to be added to it, just give me a shout - I would be very grateful! It is not what you might call a heavy traffic filter, as you can tell by the fact that this is the first fic I have even come close to posting to it all year. (Yes, I completely flaked out on my tardis_bingo fic. And I still owe people stuff from fandom_stocking. OH SELF.)

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Dear people who walk two abreast along narrowish pavements: if someone (ie me) is walking towards you, you might want to think about activating single file mode, since the other person cannot in fact get any smaller. Hope this is helpful! Love usuallyhats

Comments

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I'm sure you'll pin that idea down soon - I have a Very Large Pin, should you want to borrow it!

Eeee! Fic from you! Which fandom?

Grr! Don't get me started on ignorant people who walk 2 or more abreast and block the ENTIRE pavement and then don't bother to get out of the way of anyone else.

[usuallyhats]

Hee! Thanks. :D

Doctor Who! I am intending to post it to the filter soonish, but I might chicken out...

It's so frustrating, when you're flattening yourself to the wall or hopping into the road and the people going the other way don't seem to notice! *shakes fist of ineffectual irritation*

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

\O/ For DW fic - please to not be chickening out!

I confess I don't try to flatten myself or hop into the road - I push through carefully. And if they complain I say (very politely) "You don't *own* the pavement!"

[the-smut-fairy.livejournal.com]

I find that standing up straight and walking confidently in a straight line works well. It takes a bit of practice: if you've been brought up not to be rude to people and to avoid conflict, you may end up with a rather limited view of what you are entitled to, such as your fair share of space. If people are walking towards me I will try not to actually push, but slow down to avoid collision - if they walk into me, it will be their fault; this approach sometimes means I have to stop and wait quietly and patiently for them to wake the fuck up and walk around me like they're supposed to. Eye contact is important here: I find that looking very calmly right at people makes them notice that I'm there and get out of the way.

Stepping into the road is generally not a good idea, but if people absolutely must do it, then I wish they would at least sometimes actually look at the road before they step into it, just on the off chance something else is there already. Like, for example, me on my bike.

Ooh, I'm having a nice satisfying rant here. See, I've been commuting through the City of London for the past four weeks, mostly on a bicycle and almost entirely in the opposite direction from most people: I'm heading out in the mornings. Yeah, it gets interesting sometimes. Like those days when I have to get the bike upstairs at Fenchurch Street Station with about sixteen very full train carriages' worth of people coming the other way, most of them apparently still asleep. Trust me on that bit about eye contact, it's a good trick.

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

I've got quite ruthless and intolerant in my middle age, so I do push through - but I don't shove...

[usuallyhats]

*winces at the idea of going in completely the opposite direction to approximately everyone else in London*

No, I definitely wouldn't leap out into the path of a passing bike! I would rather walk into someone than get run down...

if you've been brought up not to be rude to people and to avoid conflict, you may end up with a rather limited view of what you are entitled to, such as your fair share of space
Yes, that's it exactly. I end up politely getting out of everyone else's way and then resenting them in my heart. Which is not really the best way to do things!

[the-smut-fairy.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, when I do get on a train, it's nearly empty, and because of this, I'm allowed to put the bike on it if I need to. After which I have to (out of politeness, slowly enough for people to react) push it out of the train in the evening into the crowd waiting to go back the other way. The Tractor's handlebars are at a good height for pushing into people who tty to get on a train out of turn. Speaking of which, I believe that's one of the few occasions when it is not incorrect to shove.

Yeah, with you there. Getting enough assertiveness to claim one's space takes effort. I reckon it took me a few years to get this to a decent operational level - helped by how crap I feel if I don't - and it's not quite there yet, but it's totally worth the effort.

[rainshaded]

I like your summary of studying English! My English-studying housemates also agree with it. Good luck with your course! *offers pins*

I'd like to be on your beta filter! (I still owe lots of fic *guilt*)

[usuallyhats]

Yay! *adds you to filter*

And thank you. :)