A Day of Beginnings

Today was the meeting for the 'Sustainability Champions'. During the course of this, when we were split into small discussion groups based on which halls we were at, I discovered that I am not the Sustainability Champion for Lillian Knowles Hall. I am one of the Sustainability Champions. I had got the impression from all the correspondence that it was just one per hall, but apparently not. So I'm going to meet up with the other champion (let's call her SC2), who is from France and very nice, tomorrow so we can sort out what exactly we plan to do and work on it together.

At least it didn't look like everyone was much further on with stuff than I was- I'd been worried I hadn't done enough already but I don't think anyone else had done anything at all (probably sensibly waiting to find out more from the meeting). The small group discussion, with a member of staff with some responsibility for residences, was interesting and raised some points I hadn't thought of. But through nervousness I ended up speaking far too much and being too dominant, even in my agreeing with some of what other people were saying (by feeling a strange compulsion, when a silence greeted what seemed to me a good idea, to re-make the person's point for them to demonstrate that I understood and supported them but also to convince those that weren't saying anything). This is something I have to work on.

Then, after a quick sandwich, and a purchase of the Guardian (with a free mug!) at a stall staffed by students that I came across on my way, it was time for my very first lecture of the MSc programme, in Computational Statistics. The lecturer was the same one who took the Departmental Induction and who will be the personal tutor for all of us. It didn't seem too bad- at least I wasn't out of my depth, and I managed to answer one or two questions that he asked the class, though I didn't know (or had forgotten) the answers to others. He talked about what we would be covering in the course, and why it was important, as well as giving a few definitions and explaining some of the underlying assumptions we would be using about the data we would be working with- though I didn't quite get all of that as there were some terms I need to look up, like Independent Identically Distributed, and there was a bit about 'If we assume that all elements in the sample have the same mean, then' such and such, which bothered me a little as I didn't see how a single element could have a mean, unless it was just the element itself, and then all the means wouldn't be the same unless all the elements were the same. So I must have a look at the elementary statistics textbook I brought with me to see if it can help.

I went to the library after the lecture, to have a look at the big handout of notes we'd been given for tomorrow's lecture and computer class- it was recommended that we read it through beforehand. But first I went down to the computers to check the details of some events I wanted to go to later, which I'd been sent emails about. It was really busy, though, and I was waiting for quite a while for a free computer. Then I saw a girl getting ready to leave, and went over to the area where she was so as to be able to take her place. She was quite a while getting her stuff together, which was ever so mildly annoying, but basically I was just glad to have found a computer. I was standing to the side just enough to let her come past, and just as she finally got up and was about to do so, a boy pushed by and took the computer. I was really shocked, so shocked that I actually gave the girl a dirty look by accident before managing to turn it on the right person (who remained oblivious of course). He was a strange boy, with a big (2 pint or so) see through beaker with a red plastic lid containing some milky coloured liquid that he kept shaking, huge earphones, and a sulky face. I returned to where I'd been waiting before, and continued giving him dirty looks from time to time, as I waited for the same length of time again and longer, but I don't think he got it.

Having (finally) managed to secure a computer and check the details I wanted to, I went upstairs to find a table to work at, passing lots of computers on the way that I hadn't known about (and which might be worth checking out next time). The notes weren't too tough- once I'd got past the two bits on statistical theory underlying some of the calculations we would be doing and onto the computing stuff. Even without a computer to try the various commands out on, I felt I'd got the hang of it, and I managed to get through the lot for that week in one hour. The programme we'll be using is called R, and from the looks of it is not one where you have a whole window to play around with and can go back and edit previous lines, like with Mathematica or Excel, but rather has a command line where you type, and then your command moves up to a bit of window you can't type in and the programme adds response lines of its own giving the answer to your calculation. It was quite cosy in the library, as it was raining outside, in great volumes but very quietly. I felt quite happy to be back studying.

At 5, I went to the Green Party AGM. It was one of the societies I signed up for at Freshers' Fair, and I was intending to just go along, find a bit about it, and vote for committee members. In the event, though, I ended up becoming the Treasurer, even though I have only the haziest of notions of what that involves. It can't have been the fairtrade wine- I only had a centimetre or two. It was just that no-one was volunteering for the role, and they continued not volunteering over a protracted pause. I felt a strange compulsion due to the sense of something inside me pushing me forward, saying 'Look, it's too good to miss, you wanted stuff for your CV and there's no-one contesting this position- you'll kick yourself if you don't go for it', and due to not wanting the Green Party to be in difficulties from not having a Treasurer, though mostly the former, and ended up putting myself forward. Of course, I didn't have a speech prepared, so what came out was pretty unstructured and not very persuasive, but it was enough to lead me to victory against RON*. I don't know by how much I won though as the candidates had to leave the room for the vote. In my case, I almost forgot about that, and I was right at the back and was wondering how I'd get out. I would probably have managed it, but I heard someone say I should just stand in the corner and in a moment of madness that's what I did, pressed up against the wall and with my hands up on either side of my face to make sure I saw nothing. Rather embarrassingly, none of the other candidates (the election for Treasurer was quite early on), not even the others near the back chose that option. But I did hear someone say something like it was worth voting for me just for the standing in the corner bit, while it was taking place, so maybe it got me one more vote!

Well, I did want to be involved with the committee (if only as a simple member with no responsibilities, helping out now and again as time constraints allow), and I will certainly be that!

The other committee members seemed nice, particularly the new male co-chair (the society has male and female co-chairs). Which is more than I can say about a bloke I got stuck talking to at the People and Planet social event that followed at 6, and which most of the Green Party went along to (what with the societies having similar aims, they work together a fair bit). I'd already decided I didn't like him before he revealed he was a member of the Conservative Party (the Student's Union society, not the actual Conservative Party), which was lucky, as otherwise I'd have worried I was being bigotted. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what it was, but he had a strange manner and very stary eyes**, and was basically boring, or at least the conversation I was having with him was boring. Luckily, just when I was getting desperate, they started the presentation of what the society is about, and during the course of that I was able to edge very subtly away far enough that by the end of it it was no longer natural for us to resume the conversation. I actually left when the presentation was over anyway, even though the event didn't finish till 7.30, because I wanted to get back.

Supper tonight was considerably more successfull. I had the rest of the gyoza, this time frying on all sides with plenty of oil instead of frying then adding water, and barely any of them stuck. And I had a dish to accompany it the idea for which came to me suddenly as a craving during the People and Planet event. I could see in my mind's eye exactly what I wanted to eat and could then work out how to achieve it. This happens to me a lot. In the end it turned out a little different, but maybe even nicer than the original idea. Actually, it bizarrely ended up tasting a bit like certain brands of vegetarian sausages- maybe it was the soy sauce? This is the recipe***, though I'm afraid I can't give exactly the measurements I used as I just add things in amounts guided by my intuition (the amounts below are my guesses of what I used).

Portion soba noodles [Japanese buckwheat noodles]
2 spring onions, chopped into half centimetre thick circles
Half a cake of tofu, chopped into medium cubes
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

In a frying pan with no oil, heat the sesame and sunflower seeds over low to medium heat till light brown (five to fifteen minutes depending on heat) Boil soba according to directions on pack, but one minute before they are cooked, drain them and add fresh water to just cover them. Add all ingredients, including sesame and sunflower seeds, and boil for another minute or two. Serve.

*RON: this stands for Re-Open Nominations and most student constitutions seem to have this for elections, whether for the important Students' Union positions or just for societies, and no matter how many people are standing. What it means is that if, as a voter, you don't like any of the candidates standing, you can vote for RON instead and if RON wins the election, then it is held again with another chance for people to put their names forward. But it's rare for anyone to vote for RON (at societies at any rate if not Union elections) let alone for 'him' to win. Still, with my spontaneous decision and my lack of a convincing speech, I felt that he was a real threat on this occasion.

**As in ones that stared a lot, not a mis-spelling of 'starry'. Though it may be a mis-spelling of 'starey' (or 'starey' may be a mis-spelling of 'stary'- is it even a word, anyway?)

***I like cooking (when I'm not too tired), and am keen to share my expertise (hem hem) with new or future students who maybe haven't done much cooking in the past, or experienced cooks looking for something new. For students trying to live on a budget, cooking things from scratch at least some of the time makes sense- we have more time compared to those with full time jobs, and it usually works out cheaper (sometimes by quite a bit) than ready meals or meals based round sauces from a jar. Though I like to have convenience foods sometimes- it's just too draining to cook every single day, and sometimes after a very busy day it's too much to face. So I would like to give recipes sometimes for what I'm eating, with an emphasis on dishes that can be made in half an hour or less (though I do like to do more complicated things at weekends) and which work out at less than £2 when the cost of large ingredients (like packs of sesame seeds) are shared between all the future dishes they will be used in (though beware, I will sometimes include recipes that cost more). However, I'm a vegetarian so will not be including any meat or fish dishes- I hope the recipes will still be relevant for non-vegetarians who don't mind eating vegetarian meals every now and again, or can adapt them to include meat or fish.