I was insouciant as I walked through the university gates, this morning. I hadn't even opened my books since the last class of the previous semester, let alone done any study - not out of laziness or disinterest, but purely due to difficult reprioritisation necessitated by a multitude of tasks all requiring my attention. Nor had I paid any attention to my timetable or textbooks, so I found myself staring blankly at maps all morning and asking dumb questions.

Thankfully, the day began with my Applied Mathematics class, which consisted of a "refresher" in integration by parts. Dazed and weather-beaten, it took me a while to realise that this lecture theatre had no seats; indeed, it was more of an amphitheatre. Other than that, the lecture proceeded without incident (though I had difficulty understanding the lecturer's thick Russian accent).

40 knot winds proved quite the travail, and sure enough, there was rubbish everywhere. Few areas were granted respite from the enormous gusts of wind (which seemed to come from all directions), except the Union House. With its noisy atmosphere, cheap (greasy) food, and the insistent blinging of arcade video games, Union House was a more pleasant place to dine that amidst flying cartons of last month's item of choice. But only just.

Another winter; another second semester. I wonder if they will all be as windy.