How early is too early?

It's been a while since I last did an entry, so I apologise for that. Since I started at uni for real though, things have actually been rather hectic. So I'm considering mixing this up and actually trying a couple of video blog entries as well to compensate for this. I've got the day off tomorrow, so I shall be spending it trying to get as much of my Core Language work done as I physically can before I head off to the union in the evening to have one more session of drumming before Raise the Roof on Friday.


Hehe, just as I mention how tomorrow will be spent doing work, I get a text. I love it when these things happen. As an alternative, I'm heading to the market tomorrow morning to pick up some stuff with Beth from one the flats upstairs. I might follow suit and pick up some cheap stuff while I'm there. It rather destroys any wish of a lie-in I had, but that's absolutely fine by me.


Anyway, now that I've got that little sidetrack completed and sorted for the morning. Uni life is all going rather well I think. I'd be a liar if I said my very first lecture wasn't a bit scary, but I guess almost everyone can agree with that sentiment. What I certainly wasn't expecting though, was to have my first lecture be entirely in German...the very definition of being thrown in at the deep end! Still, it is a German degree and it was the Core Language module. Most of the other modules are in English though...apart from the history tutorial, which is in German. Call me a little bit cynical, but if I don't really know that much about German history pre-unification in 1871 altogether, I don't really have much chance of knowing about it, and being able to write/talk about it in German!


All of my other modules are alright so far, the workload has only really been big for Core, and that was a ridiculous amount (or so I thought). It appears that might be the regular workload, and I'll be getting more on top of that occasionally. I'll get used to it, right?


We had the Fresher's Ball on Saturday night. It was a pretty good night, but we did spend a large part of it playing on FIFA 11, and I'll admit that it is one cracking game. I'm seriously considering bringing my Xbox with me to uni when I go home, or I might leave it until Christmas and bring it then...that might be easier. But when we got to the Ball, none of us were really that dressed up, with the exception of Jolie. There were some guys who had suited up for the event, but as we all know, suits aren't really my thing. I was going to wear my jacket and a polo shirt, but I was told that was a step too far, so I went in a t-shirt and some dark jeans.


I still have to admit to not knowing who Eliza Doolittle is, and I don't really know who Diana Vickers is either...someone said she's from X Factor or something? To be fair, Eliza gave a pretty good set. If I saw her again, I'd enjoy the gig but I can't really say I'd pay money to see her. After this though, we got a set from Scott Mills of Radio 1 fame. He became my favourite DJ of the moment purely for his decision to end the night by playing "All I Want for Christmas is You".


And so this begs the question...how early is too early? When is it an acceptable time to start playing Christmas music? If I'm completely honest, I'm of the opinion that if it's a good piece of music, then there's nothing wrong with playing it for a couple of months a year instead of a few weeks before Christmas and then it disappearing from the airwaves (but staying on music channels until January).


For example, take East 17's "Stay Another Day". I don't know about you, but I consider that a Christmas song. Admittedly, it was originally released a few weeks before Christmas, but it was then re-released (another video was made with them all wearing white) and it got Christmas number 1 that year. It's a belter of a tune though, and I can quite happily listen to that at any time of year. I know it's not the best example, but I can listen to something ridiculous like the Christmas song released by The Darkness a few years ago too.


If I'm honest, I don't think hearing a Christmas song now would annoy me. Maybe that's because I think it's all a bit of a joke. The second that supermarkets bring out their selection boxes and decorations, shops start selling Christmas stock and cities start to put up their Christmas lights, it should be officially made Christmas and those songs should be fair game.


Maybe it's just me, but that'd teach us a lesson to not start trying to make money from it months in advance...


Instead of a quote that I've borrowed from my wall, I'll leave you with a song that I got linked to a few weeks ago. You'll see for yourself, but it's an acoustic version of Patience, the Guns'n'Roses song. This version has Slash playing and Miles Kennedy (of Alterbridge fame) doing the vocals. Maybe...just maybe...Kennedy sings this better than Axl himself.