just went shopping for groceries and something to take over to friends this afternoon who are making me supper. also felt like a nose around the shops without going somewhere huge like CMK or somewhere that requires a battle to park like the town centre. so i opted for our alternative shopping centre and the delights it brings. i'd forgotten what a depressing place it is, this 'review' kind of sums it up: (i've edited it to preserve its anonymity but some of you might recognize it)

"The spiritual home of the (.........) chav is the (............) shopping centre, which despite already having an enormous Tesco Extra has also attracted a new Lidl just outside, like a fly to a bucket of shite. Look for the stylish plastic "tubes" across (.............) Way - probably constructed to discourage chavs dropping bricks on passing cars - and marvel at the crazy escalators designed for trolleys as well as pedestrians. The whole place smells of fags and joss-sticks, a bit like a student bedroom, and there's a car accessory shop in the basement where you can chav up your Nova." my thanks to www.chavtowns.co.uk

rugby league on the radio.. what is going on? at least alan green isn't commentating eh Deana?

easter monday.. marking essays, just a few left today. 2nd years, none really good so far - even the better students seem to have been defeated by my questions this time around. i tried harder in the summer to make the questions more interesting, more challenging but i end up wondering whether i have just made them awkward and have cost the students marks as a result. sometimes i feel so responsible and (as several of you have pointed out i the past) i need to remember that it is their work and not mine that is being examined. i could have written better answers to all of these essays (with one possible exception) and i would have done more work than nearly all of them in the effort. so here we are, at 11.20, with one 1st, 5 2:1s, 6 2:2s 2 3rds and one fail. just four to go and i doubt there will be any more top top answers..