June is nearly here and there are only a couple weeks left of my year abroad here in Madrid. While I’m savouring the summer weather, I can’t wait to be back home. I’ve had ups and down with my mental health over the past 9 months so I’m looking forward to a summer of R&R before embarking on the final year of my degree.I’m also itching to finally meet Bella, my family’s new puppy!
The past couple of weeks have mostly consisted of creating my final lessons for work and I haven’t been up to anything too exciting. But, as always, here are a few things I’ve been up to recently.
What I’m Watching
As I mentioned in my Top TV Shows post, I’m finding there to be an absolute dearth of shows to watch right now. Luckily, this will change in June. I’m (not so) patiently waiting for the return of The Handmaid’s Tale, Big Little Lies and Black Mirror next month. Also, although I know it’s controversial, Love Island is returning. I’ll admit, the over-the-top drama from wannabe reality stars is a guilty pleasure of mine. Finally, Season 2 of Good Girls is set to premiere on Netflix this week too! In short, my June plans are looking wild.
This month I flew through all 10 episodes of dark comedy Dead To Me on Netflix and what an ending. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are infinitely watchable. You think you’re watching the blossoming of a beautiful friendship, but trust me, wait until the end of the first episode. If Netflix doesn’t renew this for a second season I might cancel my subscription in protest.
I also started watching Shameless US. I’m still on the first season of nine but oh, it’s hilarious. Then finally, there was the Game of Thrones finale. As underwhelming as it was, there’s no doubt that the show as a whole has raised the game for all future epic fantasy shows.
Life Admin
Uni Things
Last week I handed in my English Literature dissertation Research Topic Proposal. As it turned out, I only needed to provide them with a tentative idea of what topic area I’d like to delve into. Meanwhile, there I was scanning bibliographies for the perfect texts and scholarly articles to explore.
I received some staff feedback on my ideas and, although I never thought it possible, I’m actually excited to get started. I’m still not 100% sure what my focus will be, but I’m looking forward to exploring my chosen topic area further. That being said, I can guarantee my perfectionism will kick in and I’ll be pulling my hair out as the deadline creeps nearer.
I also chose my modules for next year. Is anyone else’s module enrollment more stressful than trying to buy concert tickets? I was constantly refreshing the page, panicking that all the class spaces will run out. Luckily, I managed to select all the modules I had my eye on. For English, I chose to study Postcolonial Literature and a module which explores apocalyptic texts. It’s safe to say they beat the dull Renaissance literature module I enrolled onto last year.
Blog
It’s coming up to my one year blogging birthday meaning blog hosting renewal time. When I saw the ridiculous cost of the renewal fee I knew I had to make a switch. So, after seeking a little Twitter advice and doing some research, I switched to Kualo hosting and everything went smoothly.
I also have the next couple months of blogging briefly planned out so I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. I’m not sure how organised I’ll be during my final year of university. Nonetheless, I intend to keep this little online space running. It’s the perfect form of escape from whatever else is going on in my life.
Switching Off
I spoke about this recently over on Instagram; I obsess over productivity and find it hard to simply switch off. If I don’t have any work that needs completing, my mind will think up ways I can fill-up the to-do list. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes there’s no better feeling than having a whole list of tasks ticked off before lunchtime. But God, it can get boring.
So, this weekend I enjoyed the free time. I finished reading dystopian classic ‘1984’ by George Orwell and made a start on a new release, ‘Never Have I Ever’ by Joshilyn Jackson. Then, on Saturday I walked to Gran Vía with the hope of sprucing up my summer wardrobe. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, I only returned with a pair of satin shorts from H&M and a reawakened anger for slow walkers. Finally, I made sure to relish the Spanish sun while my efforts of tanning proved futile. Yep, I still resemble Casper the friendly ghost.
All that begin said, it’s important to remember that there is no reason to feel guilty for not having an endless list of tasks to do. Some of the greatest moments in life are the ones when we slow ourselves down and absorb our surroundings. I hate wasting time, but is it really a waste of time if I enjoyed myself?
Recent Posts
As always, be sure to let me know what little things you’ve been loving!
What are some of your recent favourites? TV recommendations, foodie finds, things you’re looking forward to, let me know in the comments!
Evie
♥
Hope you’ll enjoy your last few weeks with your year abroad! Oh man, I felt very upset about the Game of Thrones series finale. It is exciting that you’re studying Postcolonial Literature! It is good that you’re switching off with social media. I do the same with my notifications. HUGE gamechanger.
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Loved this!! I always need TV show recommendations so I might have to check some of these out.
I lovedddd Shameless, all 9 seasons were a laugh. Started Handmaid’s Tale but never finished it, considering i’ve watched and enjoyed all the other shows you mentioned, think i’ll give it another shot!
http://shameta.blogspot.com
It’s hilarious! It does take a couple of episodes to get into I think, but it’s so intense once you do!
I had to hand in a dissertation proposal a few weeks back and was stressing a lot about it but turns out I got an A for it! Strangely, I’m quite looking forward to doing mine as well although I know its gonna be super stressful!
Lucy | Forever September
Ah that’s amazing congrats! We don’t receive any feedback on ours, but we’ll be given personal tutor to help guide us along soon. Haha it’s weird right? I’m just hoping it doesn’t drive me too crazy!
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