After the almost unparalleled humour of Friday night we dragged ourselves to the library to try and do more work. Saturday was going well, even though we were less motivated than the Japanese to go to war, we stuck it out and managed to squeeze a couple of thousand words onto the page. It was getting late in the afternoon, we had been working almost solidly for a week. We got chatting about how much work we were going to do the next day, and then it hit us.
We had worked every single day that we had been at university, weekends included.
There had not been one day of unadulterated relaxation.
Even if we did no real work, we would read a book, or some notes, or write an essay plan.
We were turning into habitual workers.
With this shocking revelation we thought it only right that we go to Coventry's coolest bar and have a celebratory afternoon drink. Soon after this my as yet unbroken "only one night out a week rule" went to the dogs and I decided to just enjoy myself and not spend every waking hour worrying about my degree.
This led to one of the most enjoyable 8 hours I have had. I don't know why it was so decent. It wasn't planned, it just happened, we made plans for the night and scrapped them on the spur of the moment for different ones. It was a fluid night. We weren't out for the sake of it. We were out to celebrate and chat. The night was just so. . .easy.
We argued about war and whether there was any honour in it. We discussed who had more honour, Knights or Gladiators. We discovered that we had independently experienced "paranormal" activity in the house we lived in last year but never told anyone about it for fear of mockery. We gave each other new and better nicknames. The slogan "white bread is sugar in disguise" came out again and was ingrained into our minds. We ate chips. We ordered drinks and didn't care what flavour they were. We talked to glass collectors and then tried to get rid of them after they seemed more "clingy" than "friendly". We settled Chris' tab after he just stood up and left the bar. We carried a large orange folder around with us all night. We asked barmen where they got their trousers. We laughed. We chilled out. We had fun.
Then in the morning we got up and went back to the library. Read journals, did work and absolutely bust a gut laughing about the night before.
Now its Sunday night and I'm going to be up at 7 tomorrow for the gym before the week starts all over again. Lectures, reading, writing and more reading and writing.
Yeah this place stresses me out sometimes and yes, like everyone else at uni, I worry myself stupid at night wondering if I'm going to get good enough grades. But then days like today, where I was sat in the library, with a book of International Humanitarian Law on the desk in front of me, the sun streaming in the window and a stupid big grin on my face. . . on days like this. . . . it all seems worth it.