One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.

Le sigh.

Courses have started up again (finally, after an almost 6 week Holiday break. Outrageous) and I am already feeling very, very overwhelmed. This feeling began one week prior to my classes, when my work experience boss asked me to read a random fiction manuscript that had been submitted. I am currently doing my work experience at a small publishers in Oxford that produces non-fiction, literary travel guide-type books. Not fiction, although that is what I am interested in. I read the manuscript, wrote up my typical intern reader report and discussed it on a rainy Monday morning with the boss. Turns out, he agreed with all my points, liked the manuscript but alas didn't think he had the time to put into producing it. So what's a small publisher to do? Why, use the intern of course! That's right, I have been given my very own title to edit and design for which I will be given an editorial credit for. My name will appear in the book. Wowza. And, because I'm such a great friend, I've hooked Bri up with the cover design job as well. The manuscript is great and I'm having a good time editing it so far. Challenging, but in the end...very rewarding.
This term we have three modules, two electives and the huge, culminating, scary-- NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT! AHHHHH! In NPD we all become the Buckley Publishing Group and are split into divisions. Let me just say that this division splitting thing was the source of many sleepless nights for me leading up to our first class. In the end, all was OK as I am in the FICTION division (WHOO! although one of the tougher ones for the industry, sigh) and as of yesterday, I have been made Managing Director of our division. If only that job paid...
My elective modules are Rights Management (the 'law' of publishing if you will. Who owns what, for how long, and what else can you sell to make some more money) as well as Publishing and Language Issues (translations, minority languages, censorship). So far, so good. I've always been a language junkie--still considering that PhD in Linguistics, maybe--so I am really enjoying the course. We've been split into groups for our first assignment and I am in the minority language category. Very interesting to see what is out there in the world as I've been sequestered in American English for oh so long.


On a slightly different note, I am currently living in the house sans flatmates. As of last week, all 3 of my flatmates are practically official doctors, i.e. they passed their exams, whoohoo! They all spent sooo long revising and practicing for these massive, tedious exams and then I joined them in a bit of celebration in the city centre thursday evening. On Saturday, two left for elective placements at hospitals outside the UK. The third is visiting family and will be back at the weekend sometime before leaving in about a month for elective herself. It's sort of nice having the house to myself, although I do miss a bit of hustle and bustle every now and then. I realised I haven't lived by myself since the second term of my first year at Uni. That's the beginning of 2005. 5 years ago. And even then it was in a dorm room surrounded by people...and I was never really there anyway. Elective is 10 weeks...It's going to be a long 10 weeks.

Picture: Me inside King's College (?) chapel in Cambridge, January. Rocking the WV of course!

Aside from coursework and actual work, I've began working on my major project which is due 1 September (although not as hard as I should be...sorry M!). As mentioned above, it's all feeling a bit overwhelming and I'm a little emotional tonight. Again, le sigh. Combination of living alone, too much work, guilt over not doing said work and the upcoming ridiculously stupid holiday is not a good one tonight.

However, tomorrow night I am having my favourite oxford friends over for a fantastically girly sleepover! Just have to make it through a day of work and then on to the fun!

Decided I should put a few more pics on here. We went to London for the day a couple weeks ago for an SYP event. During the day we made our way to the V&A and the Natural History Museum. Enjoy!

Inside the V&A sculpture room

TRex inside the Natural History Museum. This thing moves, roars (or whatever dinosaurs do) and in general, scares small children. We enjoyed it thoroughly.

Trafalgar Square at night and in the misty rain. We met up with others from our course to have dinner in the Crypt Cafe at St. Martin's in the Fields, a church directly across from the square. Good food, and cheap for the local!