Day in the Life #2

Alarm at 8:30. Extra half hour in bed as usual. Get up computer and daily clicks. Breakfast. Toast and smoothie again. Over breakfast I think about what kind of volunteer type stuff I’d like to do and what sorts of skills I can offer – I have a meeting with my ‘TimePartner’ at the Volunteer Shop at 12. Look at the clock, realise that I had better get moving if I am going to make it to the meeting on time.

Wash, dress, borrow Dad’s bike, get there 12:05. Rather disappointed by the meeting. I had hoped that my Partner might spend a bit of time telling me what the Volunteer Shop does and how it can facilitate volunteering, and spend a while trying to identify what I can offer and then maybe use her expertise to suggest some things that it would be possible to do. Having never volunteered in Nottingham I don’t really know what one can do and thus only have very broad ideas of what I would like to do. Unfortunately all the lady does is take basic details like my name and address before running slowly through a database looking at some possible opportunities. Given that the database is searchable online, I could have done everything that she did during the session faster and more efficiently by my self. She makes little effort to identify either my skills or motivations and doesn’t even ask basic questions like whether I have graduated, and shows little interest in whether I have done anything at university that may be relevant to volunteering in Nottingham. It seems like a waste of a very good opportunity – with a whole hour to play around with the TimePartners should be able to achieve a lot more with potential volunteers than she did with me.

Leave feeling slightly narked. Walk back over to Icon. Another semi-waste of time. The right person again doesn’t seem to be there and those that are are pretty clueless about my hair anyway. Lug my very heavy bag over to the library to get rid of some books. Take out a photography one. Want to look at lots of different photographers work to start getting ideas about drama, composition, subjects and so forth. I have to shoot a whole roll of film the week after next and will need to create a portfolio in my class. As I’m walking around town I try to adopt a photographer’s eye, thinking about what might make a good picture. My current projects are all designed to make me take more notice of things. Mentally composing photographs should encourage me to notice greater visual detail. Writing more should encourage me to reflect on events or ideas. Furthermore, art should help define life in a way. If I want to write reviews I have to find places to review and get out and do things worth writing about.

Carrying my heavy bag is giving me a headache (it also has an SLR of my dad’s that I’m trying to find a spare part for in). I ride back home. Crave tea and biscuits so stop at the shop to acquire the biscuits.

Home. Drink tea and eat biscuits. Read the paper. Back upstairs. Write an email to the Volunteer Shop offering constructive criticism. Search through the database we had used during the meeting and find more interesting stuff to possibly do than I had in the session with her. Make dinner. Curry is becoming my weekly speciality. In the last few weeks I’ve made egg curry, matter paneer and now this week a good old basic vegetable curry. Eat. It’s good. Mum and dad seem to find it really spicy, maybe I have a higher tolerance.

Upstairs again. Spend ages on the phone. Saul calls, tells me about his football watching plans. Start writing an email to Michael. Before I finish he rings. Catch up with him. Find out what he has been doing since returning from Nepal and what his plans for the next few months are. Ring Dave. Some more catch up. Plan to meet for tennis on Friday and try to flog him tickets to the fashion show. Start writing my day in the lifes.