So, I was thinking my life was a bit stressful but then today arrived, and I was reminded that it’d been a walk in the park.
I went to my tedious Work Based Learning Day, and then headed to Bristol Temple Meads to pick up my tickets; having struggled through the city roadworks in 27+ degree heat in full bike gear I then made it to university to collect my assignment. This assignment, the one I got my friend to read through, well it was one of very few assignments in this time at uni where I wasn’t in the slightest worried about it. In fact, I thought it was damn good.
I was wrong.
It got 30%. That’s a fail, incidentally. Comparing it to the marking descriptors it appears to me to still fit what they’ve asked for, it’s got lots of comments on it, none of them good, some of them showing the marker doesn’t really understand the reflective model I used, but I’ve clearly missed, entirely, what they’re driving at – and you know what – the comments don’t help me to see what they were driving at. The comments imply, to me at least, that what they wanted was a reflective piece (which would be a reflection on a reflection) when what they’ve asked for is a critical evaluation of a reflection.
So, I felt about an inch tall when I opened that. In fact I swore quite a lot. Then I got on my bike and pulled out to the UWE junction, where as I went to pull away I heard a BANG followed by a distinct lack of forward motion. The engine was still running so… I looked down, there was the chain. I knew the chain needed replacing because it’s stretched unevenly, but I didn’t think it needed replacing just yet. Apparently I was wrong. With some struggle I got the bike back to the parking area – the chain whipping round and clouting the number plate on each revolution (and yes, I am aware of just how lucky I was, again).
Of course, at this point I needed to be back home, so I could drive to Oxford and collect my mum. Only I wasn’t at home, I was 3.3 miles away dressed in full, black bike gear. In 25-27ish degree heat. I started walking. I walked and walked, and I sweated. I swigged from my bottle of luke warm water and finally got home; saturated; dehydrated and tired. I grabbed money got in the car and headed off.
Having stopped to fill up Rebecca with Petrol and obtain fluids for myself I set out. As we crept closer to Oxford the uneven running got worse and worse; I’d assumed that the points were out… they were. In the end I made it, collected my mum and got back. By the time I’d got back the car wouldn’t idle and the accelerator essentially acted as an on-off switch. Either we could go flat out; have halting lumpy running or nothing. Pulling away was flat out-slipclutch-judder.
Having looked the points were indeed way out of adjustment, the crap modern parts having worn away distressingly quickly (an electronic ignition module is looking awfully tempting); of course, having adjusted them I noticed that the screw which holds the vacuum advance in position had wandered off, perhaps touring Europe’s Art Gallieries; who knows. However, it wasn’t *there*; Lauren located a likely candidate which was screwed some of the way in and then loctited (it’s apparently not quite the right size :-/ ); another bodge in a list of bodges that’s getting ever longer.
She also kindly gave me a lift to my bike when the recovery company rang; my bike is now sat rather forlorn in my garage. Sadly I can’t order the parts until Monday; except that I can’t even order them then because I’m working a long day. *sigh*
I’m so tired. So fed up. I just want to curl up in a ball; it so doesn’t feel worth all this at the moment.
