Next semester

All the hospital workplace excitement is forgotten, and I'm back to the home workplace excitement. Mr A's feeling stressed about the business again, although he's sure we'll be able to take a few days off next week. I'm hoping it will stop raining by then. I've been doing routine home-based tasks that have been waiting a while. The cleaning continues, there's no way I can do it in one day, it's too boring. I have to spread it over the week.

I've had another look at all the modules available for next semester now that the timetables have been published. The GMO one that I wanted to sign up to clashes with a compulsory module, so I can't do it after all. I worked out a tortuous way of comparing the gaps in my timetable with Biosciences modules on offer, and there turned out to be remarkably few to choose from. Reproductive Physiology, Virology, Environmental IT, Plant Pathology, Food Commodities, Soil Science and Management Science (Food).

Reproductive Physiology sounded interesting until I realised that it was all about getting cows to produce calves and milk, and hens to lay eggs. Virology is a possibility, although I really don't like the lecturer who runs the module, and there's an element of group work that I'd like to avoid. Environmental IT: I thought the IT might be interesting, but the module description makes it sound very technical. Plant Pathology and Soil Science, well, I'm not that interested in the cellular and microbiological aspects of plant diseases or soil.

Food Commodities is the most likely choice at the moment, although the module actually has a bad reputation among the students from previous years, although I don't think the problem was the quality of lecturing (unlike our Food Safety module last semester). Management Science is the 'recommended' choice for dietitians, but it is based on a hypothetical new food product and covers market research, product design, budgeting and marketing, which all makes me want to hide under a rock. Lots of group work as well.

So it looks as though I'll choose Food Commodities, which covers cereals, oilseeds, fruit and veg, herbs and spices, eggs and milk; their chemical composition, storage and preparation for manufacturing, quality control and maintenance, and a little bit about trading. Best of all, there's no lab work, no group work, a multiple choice exam, and coursework involving a summary of papers, all of which suit me very well. I think I've talked myself into it. After all, while most students disliked the module in the past, I'm not a typical student (I like to think so, anyway).

I'm Ambassadoring at another two University Open Days tomorrow and Saturday, so I'll have a chance to run the idea past people who know a bit more about the options. And I'll find out what they've done to the gym membership this year - on the website it looks as though the cheapest annual membership has gone up from £65 to £90 with an additional fee to use the fitness suite. If that's the case, I'll have to find another way to meet the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise.

I'm in two minds about writing about the fitness/weight loss ideas I've had after watching some qualified dietetic advice being given in weight reduction clinics. Suffice to say that it's based around very small daily changes that are easy to achieve, and writing down the things that work. Last years efforts resulted in absolutely no change whatever, so we'll see if this turns out any better.