Compostable Kate

I haven't fallen literally on my arse for at least two weeks (had a bit of an incident in the shower at Hotel KaznSteve , but it didn't even leave a bruise, so it's hardly worth mentioning), but I have well and truly fallen down in a metaphorical sense. Fallen down and scraped both knees, and even though I'm 40 years old, I feel like crying to Mum about it. I came to this uni course full of confidence, straight from a job I felt I was good at, to do something that I was sure I would be great at. I felt that the stars and planets had all aligned to make my high school teaching ambitions come true, on the second time of trying. I was available, and – at QUT at least – qualified. I could get financial assistance from Centrelink (Austudy is more generous than Newstart, so it would marginally easier to survive without working). Friends and family all thought it was a great idea. Then I started. By the time I got over the physical shock of uni life I had fallen

Another Monday rolls around, another 5am wake-up (although I'd been awake since 4am, having been woken by the sound of Fred (I think) heaving up another furball (which I can't find)), leaving the house at 6.30am, after carefully checking that there was nothing remotely edible left out on the benches. I got to uni in time for a brief pre-lecture coffee and muffin (they had the coffee, I had the muffin) with some classmates, and the 8am session went by quite well, with some interesting presentations from colleagues (the most memorable of which was the part presented in "Alien" to demonstrate what it would be like to not speak English). In the hour gap between that and the next lecture I went along to the Field Studies (prac) office, to get the contact details of my school. I hadn't heard back, and was supposed to have done a day's observation last Friday. It turns out that the person I contacted is away on holidays; I was put onto someone else. However, when I

If I'm not studying, it's generally because I'm stuffing around, procrastinating. I don't know why I do this, and although I know I do this, I can't seem to stop myself. I have to go through I certain amount of time-wasting activity before I can sit myself down and apply myself to my work. This is usually about the time that I only have half the time I need to complete the assignment that's already late. Go, me. Procrastination activities are often also things that I put off doing until I have something else to do that I want to do even less. I may have already procrastinated to avoid one of my future procrastination activities. I am a many-layered, multi-leveled procrastinator. Most common procrastination activities: 1. Sleeping . I never need a nap more than when I have an assigment due. 2. Eating . I read once that we think better when we're chewing. 3. Playing Scrabble/Words with Friends on facebook . It's not fair to keep people waiting.

I thought I had done a terrible, terrible thing in my 2nd week of house-sitting for Karen and Steve (and their two dogs, Fudge and JJ, and two cats, Midnight and Pepper), when I left out a half-full container of butter, which JJ managed to get hold of (probably with Midnight's help) and cleaned out. The butter, in turn, cleaned JJ out - mostly on the carpet in the spare bedroom where I'm staying. Dexter investigated the buttery, barf-pattery puddle and consequently got regurgitated butter on his ears. I couldn't get the stain out of the carpet, and thought the smell of rancid butter on JJ's and Dexter's was the worst smell, ever . I could not have been more wrong! A week later (on another Monday, when I leave for uni at 6.30am and don't get back until 5pm), I came home to discover that the dogs had got hold of a large tub of 400 super-strength fish oil capsules, and EATEN THEM ALL. There was oil EVERYWHERE.  Fudge only had oily ears, but JJ was covered in it