Another weekend gone and the start of another busy week. Last week saw loads of hard work, but I'm not sure how sustainable it is. At least this week I'm only writing one essay, but the reading lists are still massive. Phew, hard work, roll on the holidays!
At lunchtime today we had a seminar on internet dating and use, and perceptions of married couples of internet use, and also characteristics of people who had met through online dating versus traditional forms. It was really interesting stuff, although now we're so drilled into thinking quantitatively that when these guys presented their work, we were kinda disparaging of it. They showed that women generally were more suspicious of men's activities online, and even went to the extent of surveillance (covert!). They also found marked differences in the ages of people who used online dating sites, and also differences in the ages between the two individuals in the couple, and differences in education too. Interestingly people who used online dating seemed more keen on all aspects of attraction e.g. physical, emotion, personality etc. suggesting that they were really "shopping" for a partner. I'd like to know what the outcome of relationships formed online are in comparison to offline - do they last longer, are people happier, are they more similar to each other etc.? Also their sample was only of heterosexual married couples - I wonder what they would find if they broadened their search?
X was around after the interviews so we had lots of good fun. Spent too much money but we feasted and dined in Oxford and in London (some really great food, particularly at the birthday dinner we went to in Angel on Sat, but also at my little favourite, Luna Caprese, on Fri too). We had cocktails at Raoul's, which was lovely, and we saw Slumdog Millionaire, which was a really good film, although in no way at all could be reasonably described as a "feel good film", except for maybe the last 10 minutes or so. It was pretty sad and quite harrowing stuff, I guess because it's so real and happening right now. Not the millionaire stuff I mean, but the stuff about child orphans and slums and exploitation and a lack of welfare and just cruelty. It was hard to watch but a brilliant film nonetheless.
Spurs are out of the FA Cup, as to be expected. What are we going to do? Our performance is so lack-lustre - we can't even perk up for cup games now it's pretty demoralising. At least we beat Burnley I suppose, and Man Utd are TOUGH opposition, but right now it still hurts to be a spurs fan.
Yesterday we tried to do the RSPB birdwatch event, but the view from my window was dominated by geese and crows, none of the cute little birds on their leaflet, so we had to abandon the challenge. Later in the afternoon though, we could hear them so beautifully chirruping away, it was lovely with the sky all sunsetty too. And I won Scrabble in the evening, hurrah!
Ok I'm off to dinner now, before hitting the library. I ambitiously want to finish the rest of my stratification reading tonight - 5 more articles - leaving me with just one book and a chapter to somehow sneak into tomorrow's schedule, along with my analysis reading AND education class AND bike workshop. BUSY. And at some point I need to go shopping and also do some work on my knee. WHEN?! Heehee just this afternoon I was doing a psychology experiment for a friend and circled the box that I "mostly feel in control of my life"....is this still true?
At lunchtime today we had a seminar on internet dating and use, and perceptions of married couples of internet use, and also characteristics of people who had met through online dating versus traditional forms. It was really interesting stuff, although now we're so drilled into thinking quantitatively that when these guys presented their work, we were kinda disparaging of it. They showed that women generally were more suspicious of men's activities online, and even went to the extent of surveillance (covert!). They also found marked differences in the ages of people who used online dating sites, and also differences in the ages between the two individuals in the couple, and differences in education too. Interestingly people who used online dating seemed more keen on all aspects of attraction e.g. physical, emotion, personality etc. suggesting that they were really "shopping" for a partner. I'd like to know what the outcome of relationships formed online are in comparison to offline - do they last longer, are people happier, are they more similar to each other etc.? Also their sample was only of heterosexual married couples - I wonder what they would find if they broadened their search?
X was around after the interviews so we had lots of good fun. Spent too much money but we feasted and dined in Oxford and in London (some really great food, particularly at the birthday dinner we went to in Angel on Sat, but also at my little favourite, Luna Caprese, on Fri too). We had cocktails at Raoul's, which was lovely, and we saw Slumdog Millionaire, which was a really good film, although in no way at all could be reasonably described as a "feel good film", except for maybe the last 10 minutes or so. It was pretty sad and quite harrowing stuff, I guess because it's so real and happening right now. Not the millionaire stuff I mean, but the stuff about child orphans and slums and exploitation and a lack of welfare and just cruelty. It was hard to watch but a brilliant film nonetheless.
Spurs are out of the FA Cup, as to be expected. What are we going to do? Our performance is so lack-lustre - we can't even perk up for cup games now it's pretty demoralising. At least we beat Burnley I suppose, and Man Utd are TOUGH opposition, but right now it still hurts to be a spurs fan.
Yesterday we tried to do the RSPB birdwatch event, but the view from my window was dominated by geese and crows, none of the cute little birds on their leaflet, so we had to abandon the challenge. Later in the afternoon though, we could hear them so beautifully chirruping away, it was lovely with the sky all sunsetty too. And I won Scrabble in the evening, hurrah!
Ok I'm off to dinner now, before hitting the library. I ambitiously want to finish the rest of my stratification reading tonight - 5 more articles - leaving me with just one book and a chapter to somehow sneak into tomorrow's schedule, along with my analysis reading AND education class AND bike workshop. BUSY. And at some point I need to go shopping and also do some work on my knee. WHEN?! Heehee just this afternoon I was doing a psychology experiment for a friend and circled the box that I "mostly feel in control of my life"....is this still true?
