I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.

Now i haven't done a blog since the 9th of march. 

Over two weeks ago and i felt i should just do one just so people know I'm still alive.

So since my last blog a few things have happened.

Ive sat 4 exams, turned 19 and grown a massive beard.

Exams went OK.

I feel confident about court reporting and reporting, i reckon a borderline pass for media law but unfortunately i think i may have to re-take Public Affairs. if i have passed it it will be a very borderline indeed.

The second part of my course is to put together a portfolio of articles i have written. One piece i am looking at putting together is a piece about University, I know how cliche! 

i will be looking at job possibilities afterwards and so will want some peoples views on whether their degree has helped them get a job or if they have taken a different career path or if they are worried about their chances of getting a job after they finish their courses.

If anyone is interested in doing a quick interview let me know and i will sort something out.

What else has happened in the two weeks that we haven't conversed?

Ive been in Southampton twice visiting Dickie and his flat mates.
the most recent time in Southampton was for Dickie's housemates 21st birthday which was a lovely excuse to get thoroughly pissed.

The time before that i was summoned to Southampton to take Jenny on a date. Well i say a date it was lunch until the waiter insinuated it was a date. i gave a little fist pump, punching well above my weight! ;)

Joe came and visited me in Bournemouth for his interview at the uni. The plan was for Joe to come and visit we would have some dinner and a few drinks, then back to mine early to bed early to rise and then off to work and interview respectively.

But these things never quite workout like that.

Joe sprung a lovely surprise on me and told me that Julia was meeting us for dinner because he couldn't stand a whole evening on me on his own.

I had just finished my exams so was meeting my friends from the course for a drink. me and Joe met up with the guys and had a few drinks there. My course mates were asking for embarrassing stories about me but as those who know me all know that i am incredibly boring and on this occasion my blushes were spared.

The three of us (Joe, Julia and i) went for dinner at Pizza Express and then Joe was whisked away from Bournemouth to go partying in Southampton like a character from skins.

A drunk Peter had a bed all to himself....Result!

So what the plan for the next few weeks i hear you ask?

Well I have an entire week of Shorthand! 

Then i go home for one and a bit weeks then back to Bournemouth, sit a shorthand exam and then go off to London to do 2 weeks work experience at 442 Magazine.

Very excited.

So that was just a quick update of how i am doing, there will probably be more to follow later in the week.

See you all soon hopefully.

Pete

“Journalism is the first rough draft of history.”

Well that was a long week!

I'm starting to forget what day light looks like.

Monday 9.30 to 7.

Long day! did a reporting mock, did OK apart from a few misplaced apostrophes.

Tuesday 9.30 to 6.

Sports Journalism with Mr Rick Broadbent. when you have two hours a week with someone who is as successful as Rick, for those two hours you work your hardest. Rick is the athletics correspondent for the Times so is working at the very top.

In the afternoon we had court reporting...for four hours straight. it started brightly and ended with us slumped at the table not because it was boring but because 4 hours straight of anything slowly melts your brain.

Wednesday 10 to 7.

Another long day (can you see the trend here).
Usual shenanigans, Reporting, Media Law, Shorthand, Public Affairs.
BED

Thursday 10 to 5.
HOME IN THE DAYLIGHT.
same routine as above!

So that was my week.

Shorthand i have good days and bad days. sometimes i can nail 80 wpm and flirt with 100wpm and others i can barely do 60wpm.

i just need more practise. get consistent.

Onto some sad news This is my last blog....... as an 18-year-old!

Yes the next time i write on this blog i shall be 19.

I'm quite excited but at the same time all my exams are happening around my birthday so in some ways i don't want my birthday at all!

AAAAnd on my birthday i have to be in work from 10 till 8! 10 hours! however the promise of alcohol and a meal afterwards with some friends sounds rather enticing!

By the way if anyone is not sure what they want to do and want to find out more about NCTJ and journalism they can by all means direct message me to find out more info.


DO NOT THINK YOU HAVE TO GO TO UNI!


Uni can be good in specialised subject but don't go to uni for the sake of going to uni. Do something that is going to help you get a job afterwards and thanks to the Leveson Inquiry there will be lots of jobs in Journalism!!


So i shall leave you with this question of the week!

What are you looking forward to most

The London Olympics or Euro 2012?


Let me know via Facebook or Twitter

See you soon!

Pete
 

Is the catch ever as good as the chase?

Hi......Alright....


Firstly I'm very sorry about the lack of blog last week. I finished work last week and was travelling home almost immediately so I had no chance to write it. I though that I would write it on Sunday by a misguided decision to go to the grove put paid to that idea.

So what happened last week?

Not much to be honest it wasn't as exciting as this week.

So what happened this week then?

Well after £4000 and 7 weeks of learning I finally started my first Sports Journalism lecture! and it was worth it!

Out tutor is a guy called Rick Broadbent, He is the the Athletics correspondent at the Times and promised to get us on the Work Experience list for The Times, so hopefully some work experience could be happening soon.

It was so nice to finally write about sport, rather than news, it gave me fresh imputes just as my faith was dwindling!

We also started Court Reporting (pointless for a SJ I like to argue) but again it was nice to meet a new face in Alison who is a Barrister and teaches us how we can avoid trouble when writing from court.

Everything is slowly coming together though and I'm pretty sure in 2-3 weeks when i sit my exam i should be prepared.

Long week though! I'm shattered, so far this week I've done 10-7, 9.30-6, 10-7 and 10-5ish. so I'm rather tired but looking forward to a weekend of revision practise and going for lunch with my sister who is going to be extremely old on Monday!

So as i mentioned i went home last weekend. It was great to see everyone again.

I didn't see everyone I wanted to but Hey, beggars cant be choosers!

On Friday evening i went to see a play at the marine theatre starring our very own Joseph Youens doing a very good Australian accident. then to the pub afterwards, which of course was very nice!

Then Saturday after doing  a few hours of speed building, went out once again and had a rather good night which included a kid getting a puncture and my new chat up line "Hi I'm Pete, I'm a Journalist"!

Whenever i had the opportunity to go out with mates i always turned it down, i never really liked those sort of situations. however now that i don't have that opportunity i really miss it. and cant wait until April when i come home and have a really good time!!!

I felt bad on Sunday not just because of the night before but because i felt like i could have spent my weekend in a more productive way and i had spent a lot of money as well.

However my Mum reminded me that I work really hard as part of this course and i do deserve to be able to let off a little steam every now and then.

A lot of people have stopped reading this blog as it wasn't what they were expecting, so for my "Question of the week" I want to know what you would like me to talk about more? Funny anecdotes? music and films to watch/listen to? or carry on with the journalism shindig?


Let me know




See you in April!




Pete