I'm Still Standing!

The name of my blog? Yeah it's from the A1 song. It's quite a fitting song really. The guy is waiting for the girl to change, and she says she will, but when it comes to it she's always the same, and the guys from A1 are tired of it. Well I've set out many, many, many times over the years with the intention of changing things. The amount of times I've said "I'm going to sort my life out" is excessive, because I never do.
I've had possibly the worst 16 months of my life. I started Uni in 2010 with the best intentions. I soon realised however that my course (Ancient History) wasn't what I thought it was going to be. Then on 23rd December 2010 my Grandma died. That was a subdued Christmas.

Back at Uni my studies went downhill - I became an insomniac, a slob, I was up all night and slept most of the day: in fact, the only thing I really did was dance - that required any effort that is.

We lost my Nanna on 15th March 2011. Again, fun times that Easter.

I went on to fail my Latin exams, not once but twice. Because of this in September I found out that I couldn't return to Durham. Another blow. I felt like my life had literally imploded there and then. I couldn't go back - my house, my friends, my ambitions all seemed to fade away under the prospect of me having to go full-time at McDonalds, flipping burgers and being trodden on by ungrateful customers for the rest of my life.

Clearly it was not the end of the world, and as my Great Gran (along with about 70% of the English-speaking world) used to say, everything happens for a reason. Once I'd cleared up my head (with a drunken weekend in Manchester) I realised that actually, this could turn out ok - maybe even better than ok.

I now had the opportunity of a do-over Uni-wise. I could re-apply for a course I'd enjoy more, earn some money, and get some life experience in the process. So I carried on paying rent in Durham but stayed living at home. This meant I could save money on food and bills, wasn't leaving my friends in the lurch to find a new housemate, and could escape to Durham whenever I wanted. It went well for a few months, I just had to deal with a new job, the odd spot of train trouble and the ennui of living at home. Then work ran out of work to give me. I was again in a tight spot, and again left gutted. So, in the absence of anything else, I decided to up sticks and move to my house in Durham.

I have gained life experience - I know what it's like to be unemployed living on very little money, having to pay for rent, food and bills. But I'm also having the time of my life, living with some of my best friends. So to me, this is the perfect time to start afresh.

I have a place at Newcastle University to study Combined Honours in September. I got an email this morning saying I had a job offer, which I readily accepted. The sun has been shining, and when I wrote the first draft of this blog post I was sat on a platform in Newcastle train station, basking in the glorious but odd March sunshine, thinking things can only get better.

Song of the day: "I'm Still Standing" - Elton John.