Author Archives: al

results

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I’ve seen my results. I did much better than I thought I would. I’ve ended up with distinctions for all my modules. Some are just about distinctions (70%) but I got some marks in the 80s too. Best marks for individual assignments are 92% for the Treasure Hunt game I wrote for Software Engineering and 91% for my Computer Architecture exam. I can’t quite believe these results. I keep thinking someone’s going to realise they’ve made a mistake and my ‘real’ marks are lower.

After the first semester’s results I did realise that it was incredibly difficult to get above 70% in anything so I did push myself a lot more in the second semester. But the exam result I simply cannot fathom. I came out of that exam feeling disappointed frankly. I thought I could have done better and I blamed myself for not preparing well enough.

Anyway, that’s two-thirds of the marks for my MSc in the bag. I am hugely relieved. The last third of the marks will come from the dissertation. So, onwards!

finished

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My last exam was yesterday (computer architecture). It went ok but I didn’t have time to add as many details as I wanted in some answers. It’s hard to predict the result because I’ve never had any feedback from the lecturer so I’ve no idea how harshly he will mark it. We’ll see.

I asked Mark to get some bubbles to celebrate and, bless him, he bought me some pink champagne. The proper stuff!

test result

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Same’s blood test was inconclusive. So they can’t confirm it’s cancer, but they can’t confirm it’s not either. It’s still reasonably likely that it’s cancer, and he’s definitely seriously ill whatever it is, so we’ll just carry on with the steroids for now.

assignments and organic chicken

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I handed in my two biggie assignments today – the Java treasure hunt game and the Jumpin’ Jake’s Jook Joint website report. Last night when I was doing the final bits of writing up, I spilled a glass of red wine (ok, I started celebrating completion a little early). I was very lucky that my logbook was on the scanner and I only got a few drops on my laptop. When will I learn not to spill drinks near my work?!

After handing my assignments in I cycled home via Tesco, where organic whole roast chicken is on special offer at £3.98/kg. We want to spoil Same-Same rotten in his last few months and he loves chicken. We don’t eat a lot of chicken ourselves, but when we do, we buy organic because it’s the best welfare standard. So this offer has come just at the right time and I shall be filling the freezer up for him.

The steroids Same has been taking seem to have kicked in. He still gets tired very quickly but he does manage a bit of scampering around twice a day. We’ve allowed him to have some supervised time with his brother, which is fine when they just want to snooze together, but when Different wants to play, he’s just too rough. Getting Different used to being on his own for some of the time is a good idea anyway, because at some point, that’s how things will be. I don’t want to have another ferret in the future and chances are Different wouldn’t bond with him anyway.

So, feeling relieved about assignments but won’t feel properly settled until will get a phonecall from the vet with confirmation of the diagnosis.

Same-Same

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Same came back from having tests at the vet today. They think he has cancer of the lymphatic system and that there isn’t much that can be done about it. They expect that he only has a few months left. Of course, one of the first things you think is ‘Did I miss something?’ but it’s been described as an insidious disease, with symptoms only appearing when the cancer is very advanced. Indeed, in a matter of literally days, he’s gone from acting completely normally to doing virtually nothing. We’ve had to carry him around because he’s too weak to walk and we’ve had to feed him and place him in the litter tray. But, bless him, he still ‘kisses’ us and he hasn’t bitten us, even though this would be normal behaviour for a ferret in pain.

Mark is very upset. So am I but I am trying to be practical and think positively. I think Same has had a good life so far and I’m going to make sure he is comfortable for the rest of it. So tonight I hand-fed him organic roast chicken and he munched it hungrily. I’ll have to think of something nice for him to have tomorrow…

1st Henniversary

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In the past year they’ve wrecked the garden, they’ve learnt to fly and keep escaping from their pen, they lay in the ornamental wishing well and one has even gone broody on me…but it’s still been the best year ever. The chickens are fun, interesting and full of character. Best of all they lay smashing eggs. I’m so glad we had them.

Meanwhile., this is the second sunny bank holiday of the year that I will be spending largely indoors in front of my screen. My Java treasure hunt game has a reasonable amount of functionality now. I just need to get the classes sorted.

I’m pretty much fed up of working all the time while the sun’s shining. I started working on my assignments in earnest on 27th March. I don’t finish until 28th May, so by then I’ll have been working hard for 2 months. I need to plan some kind of celebration. Champers I think…

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Last night I cooked Roasted lamb shanks but without the redcurrant jelly and with two very large shanks instead of six as specified. I also made the mistake of completely uncovering the dish instead of slightly in step 3 and this probably contributed to the lamb unfortunately turning out quite dry. But the shanks did end up with the thinnest tasty blanket of dark purple concentrated red wine and the concentrated jus was extremely tasty. The jus, together with roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, some wilted pak choi and a roasted garlic bulb (from the Really Garlicky Garlic Company), salvaged the meal somewhat.

Later I watched Heston’s Roman Feast which was good fun, apart from when he decided to make garum according to the authentic Roman recipe which apparently required him to disembowel live mackerel. It may have been ‘authentic’, but a swift blow to the head before wrenching the fish’s gut out would have been more merciful without having any impact on the final product.