I have been talked into re-starting my old blog that i had before yeardot. If you want to follow what i am up to, look at http://jmuggleton.blogspot.com/. I have also started using twitter http://twitter.com/JoshuaMuggleton. - Hope to see you soon. Josh

This will be my last yeardot blog - it has been an amazing year. Over the past year I have made so many friends, achveved what i wanted (and often more), I have had great highs, and not too many lows, and throughout it all i have had you guys at my side - thank you.

I have spent a few hours looking back over past Video Diarys, Blogs and TV clips and i have realised that this year has changed me. I remember at the start of the year i said i wanted to really break free of home, become my own person, and really become an adult. It took a while for me to see it, but i think that has happened. I dont know where it happened, or if it is still happening, but i feel so much differant now compared to how i did then. I feel more confident, more mature, more driven, and hopefuly a little less worried.

Looking back, i feel i have done what i needed to do. I came off prozac, i got 3 good A Levels, I got to St Andrews, I made Friends, I got good grades, and survived my first year! i have to admit, i didnt think i would be able to do all of this, and i am amazed that i did. Again, i need to thank you all, as getting your comments, your feedback, even just seeing the views counter on my blog go up has really spured me on - knowing there are people out there who are following my story gave me a huge boost, and so i think you all for it - you really helped make this last year happen.

However it dosn't end this year. I still have a lot more to do. Next year, the year after and many years after that are going to be just as busy, just as much hard work, and hopefuly, just as rewarding. I have set myself on a long road, and for me Yeardot just captured one year of it. I was on this road before yeardot came along. While this year has been a big year, there are bigger to come, and so that is why i do not see the end of yeardot as a sad, i see it as exiting. There is still so much more to do, and while i will miss the friendship of the other yeardotters, and the excelent production team, and ofcourse the support i have got from you guys, i see things only getting better.

A final few thoughts i would like to leave you with:
You never know what you can do until you are doing it
If you go though life trying to make a differance you will have no regrets
You only have so many days - use them wisely

Thankyou again for all your support

Josh

Hi All

Well the past week has been a rather productive one. I have managed to write a chapter for my book (which was over the word target for a change!), I have got my pre-advertising sorted with my publishers, i have also started to learn to drive. On the down side i have still to unpack - my room still has several boxes with random bits of stuff, plus a suitcase of clothes. Oh well! To be honest, thats more or less it - i guess maybe it wasnt so productive after all. But i got a few days off which is good.

The comming week should be an intresting one. Tomurrow i have a talk to give to some partents/psychologists which should be fun. Then i have to write another talk on Wednesday, Thursday i will probably end up having off. Friday i am driving again, i may also try and do a bit of writing. Saturday, alas, will be the last yeardot meetup - i am both looking forward to, and dreading leaving this event - the last time i will see my fellow yeardotters - it will be a rather strange time, i feel i only just started to get to know them.

Thats about it for now - not very eventful i know, but could use a less eventful life for a bit!

Best wishes

Josh

Hi Guys

Firstly, let me appologise for the lateness of this blog - I have had a totally exausting week and i have only just got around to catching up with things.

When i left off last time, i was about to spend a week doing bops with ents. All 4 bops went off well, and i think everyone had a great time. Unfortunatly at 3 of the 4 bops the fire alarm went off because of a fault, but i guess you cant have everything perfect! The final night was amazing, i was in from 12 rigging for it, with help on and off, and at the end it looked great. At one point some of the lights seemed not to work, but we managed to get that problem solved in the end. We also had a big glowstick throw out - there is nothing like throwing 2500 glowsticks into a really hyped up crowd! All in all it was a really fun night.

Unfortunatly that night, i didnt get any sleep, i desided to stay awake and shift my stuff into the van for the drive home in the morning. Unfortuanatly i took a break after i finished my loading and all my joints stiffened up because of all the hard labour and so when the film crew came to film it was rather hard for me to walk! However we got the filming done, and me and dad arrived to drive me home - a rather boring and uneventful 9 hour trip.

Since i got home, i have been sleeping a fair bit - catching up on lost sleep over the past week. I have got the larger half of my unpacking done, just boxes to move to throw out or put into long term storage left. I have also written most of a chapter of my book which is good news.

On the subject of my book, i have been in contact with the publishers and the pre-advertising is being put into place. they also think that, if everything goes to plan, i should hopefuly get it published around mid March - WooHoo!

Anyway, thats about it. Hope you are all well - and good luck to thouse still doing exams!

Josh

Hi All

Sorry I didnt get around to posting a blog last week, I have been rushed off my feat and it is only going to increse for the next few days.

I have done both my psychology and philosphy exams. Psychology was a bit harder than expected, but i still think i did well. I was really worried about philosophy, but i think i have done OK, it definatly went better than i expected which is always good. Since then, i have been revising statistics for my exam tomurrow, as well as getting almost all my packing done. My room us now full of boxes.

After my exam tomurrow morning, i will be spending almost all my time in the union. The hires we wanted for the end of year bop have been given to us for the whole week, and so now we have 3 bops to ramp things up until the final bop on friday. That meens i will probably be in the union from midday until 1-2 AM, every day, apart from friday when i will probably be in earlier. Still - it should be great fun.

After the final bop, i wont be sleeping, rather i will be doing my last minite packing and shifting everything into the van dad has hired to take everything back down home. Then it will be an early morning departure, and then i will probably sleep from Edinburgh to Birmingham! Still, i am looking forward to getting back home. I am hoping to get a week or so off before i start work on my book again, and so i should get some downtime soon!

I have a few talks booked for over the summer which should be fun, i have also booked my driving lessons, and been offered the chance to help out with a play thats going on in July. On top of that i have my book to write and edit, and i also want to re-write/write about 6 hours worth of material for my lectures, so i shouldnt be bored!

Hope you are well

Josh

You find me with an air of impatientness about me.

I have spent most of this past bankholiday weekend relaxing, and preparing myself for the onslaught that is the examinations season. I still have 4 days of lectures to go, my last four days this year, along with 2 revision weeks and exams. It is not because i want to leave that i am impatient, more that i feel tired and i wish to have a relitivly lazy summer - my last for some time i expect. although i doubt i will get much of a lazy summer as i still have half my book to write. I have also booked driving lessons starting the week after i get back, so hopefuly by the next time i head to St Andrews, i will have passed my test.

With regards to the comming exams, i dont feel worried exactly. I know that i can easily pass psychology, and that passing Statistiscs and Philosophy shouldn't be too hard, and so part of me wants to take it easy, but unfortunatly the larger part of me is always wanting to push to get the top marks - especialy for psychology. I should soon have all my continuas assetment marks in, and so i should be able to work out exactly how well i need to do to achive the grades i want - which is always useful and energising - you start to see the work of the past few months pay off.

At the moment my mind tends to wander to that last week. From now, i have 4 days of lectures, and a nice free weekend before i start revision in earnest. Then i will have a week of revision, ending with some filming for yeardot on Friday. The week after that i will also have for revision, then on the Friday the busyest week of the year begins, i will have my Psychology exam that Friday. Philosophy will follow on the Saturday, leaving me Sunday and Monday for my Tuesday Stats exam. Wednesday and Thursday i will be trying to get everything packed. Friday i will be doing the end of year bop, and i will start loading up the van when i get back to hall afterwards (probably about 4 AM). I guess my main worrys at the moment are about this week and my desire to have it done with. Oh well

Best wishes

Josh

Hi All

In contrast to 2 weeks ago, this last week has been really frantic. On Tuesday i had the bop (6PM until 1:20 AM), on Wednesday i was helping to Tech for my Accademic Dads production of History Boys, which took me from 1PM until 11PM. On Friday i had another Bop (5PM until 2:20 AM), On saturday there was a third bop, so i was tecking from 3PM until 2:30 AM), And on sunday i was working doing an outside rig at a castle and a band event both of which took me from 3PM until Midnight. Anyway, although i am still on top of my accademic work, i am rather tired at the moment!

The great news came on Friday. A month or so ago, me and a friend put in a plan for a design for the End of Year Bop. While most Bops we hold are well attended, this one is always a sell out and is one where the ents crew push the boat out a bit to make it that bit more special. We didn't think it would come to much as it was very ambisious and costed £2.5k, however on Friday we got permition if we could get it down to £2k, which we have. In short, this meens that me and my friend are responsible for making it happen. We have to work out the kinks in the design, deal with problems as the arrise, organise the crew, not to mention rigging it and running it. To make things even more complicated, my exams end on tuesday, and the bop is that Friday. So it looks like i will spend Wednesday and some of thrusday packing, Some of thursday in the Union taking in the Hires. On friday i will probably be in from 9AM until 4AM saturday - after which i wont bother gonig to sleep - just finish packing as that morning me and dad will be loading up and driving back down to guildford. Anyway, it looks like i have my work cut out for me - it may not sound like much - but it is a lot of work!

Have to dash

Josh

Hi all

Its been a quiet couple of weeks - as such i havn't had much to write about - sorry! Anyway, i thought i should come on and put something fresh up.

I say it has been a quiet few weeks, mostly becuase nothing major has been happening, and yet at the same time, it has been very hectic. As usual, the lecturers are ratcheting up the pressure as we near exams, and around this time there are loads of deadlines. Fortunatly, i have had a reasonably easy time of it. I had a class test in Logic earlier this week, which went well. I also have a statistics report due in when term ends in just 2 weeks - it has gone so fast.

I have, as usual, been spending far too much time with the ents crew. I often find myself doing events i didnt volentear for in the first place! but it is all good fun, and i like doing something totaly differant from work - while it is tiring, it is also very "accademicaly restful" which is always good. I also helped out with my accademic dads production of "History Boys" which was great fun. It is such a differant genre of teching than events. The differance between events and theater is like the differance between using a sleadgehammer to crack a nut or a very fine, sharpe chissel and hammer. It was rather nerve wracking in fact, i was put in charge of the video clips and audio. although there wasnt much, i was working without a script (i had the director telling me my cues over the headset) and with a tempremental laptop. But it all went off with almost no notisable hitches.

right now, i guess i am just looking forward to the next 5/6 weeks, getting though exams, and then getting home for a nice long summer break.... although with learning to drive and writing 5 chapters for my book, it wont be that much of a break.

Best wishes

Josh

Hi all

So after getting back to St Andrews after a holiday which, I must confess, feels far too short, I was struck down with the Flu. Luckerly, I arrived back on Friday evening and it struck about three hours later, so I had the weekend to recover. Annoyingly I probably made things worse for myself and attempting to go to lectures on Monday while still being rather weak. But today (Tuesday) I feel myself again (admittedly with a slightly sore throat). Anyway it is now striking me how close the end of the year is. I only have one more major bit of assessed self study to do. Marks are starting to come in (I somehow managed a 15 for my philosophy essay – which is worth 25% of my module!) and lecturers are starting on there last big sections of the course. Unfortunately that means revision is looming, but I try not to think about that too much.

Oddly (and slightly unnervingly) things seem to be on track at the moment. My grades are descent, I have the time I need to complete my assignments. With ents I am looking forward to the “on the rocks” festival” which involves a lot of theatre, dance, music etc – in short, a busy week for ents crew. Phil, My academic dad has asked me to help out in his production companies production of “the History Boys”, which will be great as it will give me some experience of theatre lighting, and lighting different venues. While I haven’t had as many bookings for talks as I had the same time last year, I have been offered a slot at the NAS Surrey branch conference in the Autumn, which is a great event with over 200 to 300 people. The book isn’t quite on track, I had hoped to write chapters 5 and 6 of 10 over the break but I only managed chapter 5. But I am not drastically behind, and after taking a week or so out after my exams, I should be able to really get to grips with the last 4 chapters, which I am really looking forward to.

Right, the exciting news bit. YEARDOT HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR A BAFTA! WOOHOO! It is really exciting that all the work me, the other yeardotters and the production crew. Unfortunatly, it looks like we (me and the other yeardotters) wont get to go to the awards, but it is still really exciting - it is bound to distract me over the next few weeks! However right now, I am just trying to focus on getting my last bit of assessed self study done, revise for a class test, getting though the last 3 and a half weeks, and trying to find time to enjoy myself with ents before I lock myself in my room, cover my floor and walls with notes and try and get a few fat textbooks into my head – Fun Times!

Best wishes

Josh

Well, unfortunatly, my few days rest are at an end. Tomurrow i pack, and on Friday, i fly back to St Andrews. I will get a weekend to aclimatise again, to do a few small bits of work i have been putting off, then monday it will be back to work - it isnt a bank holiday in scotland. Then i have just four weeks of lectures, then a week of revision, and two weeks of exams...... then i am done - i will be a second year student! honestly, i am still feeling tired, and i think by the time the term ends i will need a good few weeks off. but after that i have to crack on with the book and learning to drive. Anyway, hopefully i should get SOME time off over the summer! Anyway, that is about it really, it has been a quiet few days, and i am now just bracing myself for the next term.

Josh