Ribbed knitwear saves the day

What I Have Been Doing Recently, in list format and abbreviated style as otherwise it'd take too long...

Monday
Slept with light on as didn't have my alarm clock (have been using my mobile phone all year but left it back home in Gloucestershire this weekend); was cunning plan to ensure I wouldn't oversleep (as I am quite prone to even with the aid of an alarm clock). Certainly worked: didn't fiind it hard to sleep but kept waking every now and then. Had decided that when sky became light wd be time to get up. Wasn't sure quite what that translated to in clock time at this time of year but thought should give me enough time to get in. Didn't have breakfast as wouldn't know what time it was and if I was leaving too late. Got to college at about 8.15.

Printed off poster/ flyer for encouraging people to come to UGM so could show it to all at Sutherland meeting later. Took quite a while as printers in S177 and S169 refused to print so had to go down to C120

Hung around for a while on H Street waiting for Z with whom I was supposed to be putting up Global Dinner posters. But had to go to my lecture before he arrived: think I misunderstood when I signed up: thought it was posters up by not from 9. So when I saw him later asked him to send me copy so could print out self and put up next morning when was supposed to be doing it with President of P&P (and had lecture at 9 again). Bumped into Ginger who was taking H St as short cut to Holborn where her law place is.

2 hours of Regression

2 hours of standing in the freezing cold on Houghton St trying to persuade people to buy tickets for People and Planet's Global Dinner. I spent half an hour or so trying to talk a guy who was waiting for the rest of the people who were supposed to be selling tickets for the Global Show to turn up into coming and he had just about agreed when he remembered that there was a rehearsal for the Global Show that evening

1 hour of Sutherland meeting- tomorrow is the Big Day for our UGM motions asking for referenda

1 hour of standing in the freezing cold on H St again, this time with R; the guy was still there but had now been joined by the other people and was manning the Global Show stall with them

Slightly more than 3 hours of (Important) shopping: fair trade pineapple for Global Dinner, alarm clock (knew same trick wouldn't work twice and anyway wanted proper night's sleep!), and several things that I didn't quite have time to get: black paint (for a banner) and rest of the Global Dinner ingredients. Went to Holloway Rd for pineapple- knew there was a Waitrose there that sold fair trade pineapples. Probably wasn't the closest place but I thought it'd take longer to go round looking for somewhere closer. Bus from Aldwych went different way from bus from halls and had to walk back quite a long way from Finsbury Park as didn't realise when it was stop nearest to Holloway Rd.

Got back to LSE about 15 minutes too late for start of computer class. But everything you have to do is in public folders anyway and isn't too hard; is actually more distracting having bloke saying 'Ok, now move on to this bit' atn intervals. Decided not to bother with class but go to copy shop (which would close when the class ended) and get some posters made advertising the UGM. At least I think I did. But another line of thought suggests I printed them on Tuesday morning...

Then went to C120 and worked through computer class to salve conscience (was odd to think was actually going on at that point, just half way through). Turned out this week was stuff about interpretation of graphs statistics etc- just what I really need. Damn. Will have to see if can find someone who'll tell me what the answers turned out to be.

Went home, via WHSmith for drawing pins & blutack and Tesco for final ingredients and made lasagne for main course of rich people's food for Global Dinner. Thought would take quite a long time but was amazed that took 3 hours just to make sauces. Was mainly because vegetables all had to be chopped up very small. Whole thing was finished at about 1am. Didn't really feel like supper in the end so washed hair with last remnants that could be rinsed out of shampoo bottle (for quite a while has always been too late for Boots to be open when I had a moment to buy shampoo) and went to bed, setting new alarm clock.

Tuesday
Arrived on campus later than planned (c. 8.30), having pulled off amazing feat of transporting in 1 large lasagne in glass dish, 5 avocados, 2 pots of yoghurt, 1 pot of cream, 1 blue cheese, 3 large round tupperware containers + 2 lids, 1 tub of walnuts, 1 pepper, 1 cucumber (or rather part thereof), a knife and a spatula, in addition to all my books and folders etc, and what is more having managed to keep the lasagne flat in transit. I'd left the pineapple in a locker overnight. Printed off copies of Global Week poster and UGM flyer/ poster (not without problems with the printer). Went to Copy shop to print copies of same. It had been a while since I'd used those copiers and I managed to print rotated (and thus not fitting) versions on more than half the coloured sheets I'd bought, and before that accidentally print many copies on white paper from the trays instead of on the coloured sheets I was intending to use, due to temporary incompetence. Was 5 to 9 when I'd finished but thought now I'd printed out posters had better put them up.

Arrived late to Multilevel models, for about 4th time in row. 3 hours Multivariate. Was very tired so slept through quite large chunks of it- on purpose, I'm ashamed to say. But must have been doing something right because found the exercises which lecturer breaks up lecture with quite easy (if a little annoying in breaking up my nap). Lecturer gave us 15 minute break and was just settling down to enjoy guilt free nap when LJ turned up- by coincidence having timed it perfectly, as the lecturer wouldn't notice her arriving during the break and thus wouldn't realise she was late. Felt suddenly quite wide awake. Asked LJ if she was still coming to UGM (recall when I explained situation to her last week and asked her if she'd come she said yes quite enthusiastically). Said probably not: lectures finished at 10 and wanted to go home rather than hang around till 1. I was quite put out by this. Actually though it occurred to me afterwards that we finish at 12: that class alternates between finishing at 10 and 12 (there is a computer class every other week) and I'm pretty sure that this week is the week with the class. So maybe I will be able to persuade her tomorrow.

Went with X to Quad where was supposed to be stalls selling food from a different region of the world each day of the week, from 12 to 3. But didn't seem to be there. So went and did 3/4 of an hour's work in the library together (ie sat together not worked together). Then went to have another look, joined by another girl from my course. But food still not there. So were debating what to do next (they seemed to be discussing going to a Thai restaurant and I was waiting for them to suggest it firmly enough for me to be able to explain that I couldn't spare the time to do that, but that they should go and I'd come with them another time) when I saw President of P&P going past, and went to speak to her about lasagne. Turned out we couldn't have fridge to store it in so decided to leave it with people at stall as was pretty cold outside. Went back to girls from my course and explained didn't have time to go to lunch with them, went and talked to people on stall, arranged to leave lasagne there and for one of them who was going back home to make the poor people's food with some other people to take the cream, yoghurt and cheese with her (I was reluctant as she'd have enough trouble bringing the poor people's food in but she insisted). Went and got the lasagne. Of course when I got back to the stall with it the temperature had amazingly risen by a few degrees; still, it was probably better than being in a locker in the Old Building.

Went to have lunch in the Brunch Bowl.

Went to type up what happened in Monday's Sutherland meeting to send to everyone, and found email from General Secretary summing up what we'd said in open meeting week or two ago and what he was going to say to the Director, and email to group from EMCC which let us know what he'd written back to General Secretary. The first point was particularly important: the General Secretary had got down who raised each point but (a) part of the whole point of representation would seem to be so that people don't have to have the School know who they are when they raise a complaint or whatever and (b) the points we made were pretty much agreed by the whole group, or at least a large proportion of it. The second point was also very much worth mentioning: that despite its being an open meeting to which people of any shade of opinion on Sutherland as Chair could come no-one actually professed themselves to be for him. I replied to the General Secretary pointing out an ambiguity of phrasing that showed us in a more unco-operative light than the reality of what we said.

Was going to go to the Living Wage demo for 15 minutes till my class at 5. But after we'd been there for about that long and the Director finally hove in view, and we were all anticipating the focal event of the demonstration: handing him a Golden Mop* award in recognition of his promise to raise cleaner's pay (and to show that we were still monitoring progress and wanted to hold him to making that increase amount to a living wage), the 11 year old schoolgirl (daughter of a cleaner) who was to present it stepped forward and the Chair of the society began his short speech along the lines of 'We wanted to present you with this award-', but the Director just brusquely said 'No' and continued walking. Given that he had been sent an invitation detailing what it was all about it can't really be argued that he just didn't understand what was going on. Everyone was pretty afronted by this. There was much discussion of what the next step was; though after a bit R explained that at the committee meeting it had been decided that if he didn't accept the mop we would 'invade' the Council meeting to try and give it to him again. I struggled for a bit over whether I should be a good girl and go to my computer class, but in spite of the fact that this class really really doesn't have everything that goes on in the public folders, and the lecturer goes over the exercises at the beginning, I just couldn't miss this. We moved outside to take a vote on what we should do, with the options being do nothing, send in a delegation of 5 or so to give the award or all go in, and the resounding verdict was for the latter. However, when the head of the column got outside the doors they made a decision not to go in due to the security guards. There was half an hour or so of negotiation, which only the people right at the front could really hear; those of us just behind relayed down the odd snippets of progress that we gathered. Though it wasn't our intention we were pretty much blocking the stairs, and people were having trouble squeezing past. A security guard who was passing down said to us out of the corner of his mouth 'Don't let them off the hook'. The end result was that the Director said 'I suppose so' to a request sent in in a note that he accept the award at the UGM next week, when he's coming to speak anyway. We went back downstairs and after some discussion of the outcome and a few photos dispersed.

Technically the Regression computer class was still going on but I wasn't going to walk in an hour late. So I took the opportunity to go and get some shampoo while Boots was still open, before going and helping with setting up for the Global Dinner. It soon became clear that the most useful thing I could do was go and print some menus. It didn't take very long to write them, even with getting the fonts just right, but it took ages to get them printed, what with trying a few times in C120, then having to reload my printing credit (I didn't realise it hadn't deducted for the copies it refused to print; it generally does), which had to be done in the library as C120's machine was broken, and trying several times there. Turned out in the end that what I was doing wrong was asking it to print multiple copies, even though there's a multiple copies option. So I just had to press print 10 times.
We couldn't use the kitchen till 8, so I chatted to my flatmates whom I'd persuaded to come along. When we were allowed in, it turned out the regulations said we could only have two (designated) people in there, which meant everything took a very long time indeed. I'd counted on having about three helpers to get everything chopped up quickly for the salads and put them together rapidly (the President suggested I didn't start making them till the evening itself in the interests of freshness). As it was it took probably half an hour or more to get them all ready. We then moved onto the poor people's food- but we'd barely started before the plates came back from the rich people's starters. I was washing up those between helping Ak, who was dishing up the chickpea curry and serving it, but before we'd finished (and that too took a very long time) the President was saying we should be serving the main course for the rich people. As Ak, and later the Treasurer, said, you could see why it sometimes takes a while for orders to arrive in the Underground. We got there in the end though, and were relieved towards the end of the chickpea curry and the beginning of the lasagne by another pair who finished off the curry and lasagne and did the rich dessert. Ak and I got a helping of curry each and went to sit with all the others- the only poor people still eating. I got talking to Sh, whose glasses are of last week's motion fame. He was really nice; I'd never really had the chance to speak to him before. My flatmate offered me her free drinks voucher (she had been one of the rich people), insisting she wasn't going to use it, and I relaxed with an Archers and ice. CMCC played some songs (there was live entertainment throughout the evening); that went down pretty well with everyone, but he didn't play for long as he was coming down with something and hadn't played for ages anyway. I then ended up having a really enthusiastic conversation with Ak about Japan- it came up as she's from there originally though she came here when she was 8. We were so absorbed that we didn't realise the Tresurer and the two who had taken over from us had practically finished the washing up. I went to claim my stuff, had another Archers, had a go with the hula-hoop (I was very bad) along with quite a few other people including the Treasurer, helped to clear up, and went home.

Wednesday
Got up (later than planned), and realised I wasn't going to be able to make it in in time to meet the Residences Officer at 12, as planned, so that I could hand over receipts for the Global Dinner ingredients to her in her capacity as Treasurer of P&P. But that was all right because she'd emailed to say that she would probably not be able to make it until 1 herself. Went in to LSE via Robert Dyas where I got the black paint. Spent a long time making flyers for the UGM, and ended up cutting it a bit fine to meet the Residences Officer at 1, handing out flyers as I went. Couldn't find all the receipts in the end.
Spent the afternoon making oil slicks and a banner for protesting outside the Lawyers' Alumni Dinner that Sutherland was coming to speak at on Thursday, interrupted by two hours of Non-linear Dynamics (I took advantage of the 10 minute break to put up some posters in the Old Building) and making a wodge of flyers for giving out the next day. This would have been a really good way of spending time even without the worthwhile aim of ejecting Sutherland. We were using the Government common room, which seems to be entirely populated by interesting and friendly people (lots of them anti-Sutherlanders, of course, though amazingly there were a few who in spite of having shared said common room with anti-Sutherlanders for months and months were asking as we made the banner etc what the problem with Sutherland is (in a genuine spirit of enquiry, rather than from a position of thinking the answer is 'nothing')).
After I came back from non-linear Dynamics, only D was still making the banner (though JK also came in and out and helped quite a bit). All the letters had been done, and D seemed to have the ballot box bit at the bottom covered, so I was going to paint the coloured outline round the letters (once we had decided that pink might just about be acceptable), but in order to do so I had to wash out one of the paint brushes. I took it down to the basement loos where there was a long trough shaped sink near the ground. Paint certainly seemed to be coming off, but unfortunately as well as going down the plug hole some was sticking to the sink itself. Brushing with the brush removed this easily but added more over a slightly wider area around the originally affected spot. Repeating this cleaning attempt several times I very rapidly ended up with half the sink covered thinly in black. Soon I had abandoned my attempts to clean the brush itself and was just desperately trying to restore the sink to its former gleaming glory. This was hampered by both hands having become covered in black paint. Sometimes the presence of this paint actually seemed to persuade the stuff on the sink to come off when I rubbed with my hands, but more often than not my hands just left more marks, over an increasing area. I was having limited success with my thumbnails, though it was taking a very long time, when my cardigan sleeve (already slightly wet) rubbed against the rim, and seemed to take some of the stuff off. Since I was pretty sure that the only other way to get rid of it all would be paint thinner or similar, which I didn't have, I took the cardigan off and rubbed it experimentally on the sink. It worked wonders. One rub and the paint came off. Very soon the sink was clean again and I breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily the cardigan was about 6 years old, and, more importantly, looks like it will probably recover from its ordeal. Soon after I finished, D came in to wash her own paint brush, and said that soap got the paint off- somehow I hadn't bothered trying soap as I'd just assumed it wouldn't work on something like paint, but she was absolutely right.

*R told me that she was the one who made the mop, and I was suitably impressed