Freelance Reflections #167

It’s been up and down this week as I may lose another student, but I may gain other one. It’s still hard to cover my costs, so I’ve tried my hand at matched betting again, which took a while to come through but worked out well! The main challenge at the moment is paying for personal therapy each week as this isn’t something that can be counted as an expense for Universal Credit, yet is an essential part of my training.

I’ve mainly been stuck into writing my assignments, aside from attending my placement and working. I had a couple less students this week due to half term, though haven’t had as much time as I would like on studying, so looking forward for some more time this afternoon for it. Uni was quite long this week as we had a whole day focussed on age and ageism. Initially, I just wanted that time to wrote, but it ended up being quite interesting, and I became more aware of everyday ageism, including its internalisation, and even came across an interview with Halle Berry on Trevor Noah’s podcast ‘What Now?’

That evening was also spent listening to a reading of Preciado’s ‘Can The Monster Speak?’ I watched from home to conserve energy, but it was still very powerful to hear LGBTQ+ people in the field reading the text, and useful to hold a discussion afterwards. I also put my brain to work in a different way by attending the local pub quiz, which initially I arranged partly because they have a cash prize!

Tomorrow is the Forest Hill Stanza Open Mic, and otherwise there’s a few poetry events happening next week that I’m contemplating, though torn as I need to focus on my assignments. One I had a hand in recommending acts for, which is Too Crip, Too Queer, At Deptford Lounge (and streaming online) on Wednesday.

Watching: The Simpsons, Valeria, Race Across the World, Secret Diary of a Callgirl

Reading: A Promised Land by Barack Obama (audiobook), It All Makes Sense Now by Alex Patridge (audiobook), The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens

Podcasts: What Now? with Trevor Noah

Music: AURORA, Ashnikko

Again, if you’re able to share or donate to my crowdfund as I train to become an Art Psychotherapist, or buy some books, please do!