That's one thing that Mr French Fancy used to say to me fairly often when we were just forming our link.
self praise is no praise
Maybe it was because I was the adored only child of older than average parents, but I used to say good things about myself quite often. It was even encouraged - you've got to love and believe in yourself - my mum used to tell me. The thing is that if you go on about yourself too much then other people can think you are a bit big-headed. You are meant to know your place.Actually nobody has ever said that to me - but sometimes I think they wished they had (not Mr FF - that goes without saying).
Now I am someone who 'messed about' at school. My reports always said has potential but must try harder - but I didn't. I was top in English and won the county spelling bee, but in most other subjects I was about average or - when it came to the Sciences - near the bottom. Maybe it's because of being near the bottom in so much that my mother told me to accentuate the positive.
If only my parents were still around to know that I'm doing quite well with my Open University course. Hopefully - if all goes according to plan - I'll get my BA in Humanities in about 2011. I can attend the degree ceremony at either the Barbican or Versailles - I don't think it's in the fancy bit of the palace though, shame eh?
All this brings me to the title of this post - self praise is no praise. I've just had my essay on Don Giovanni marked and I got 81%. It's hard not to feel happy, especially as the first essay of any new course is always a bit more difficult. I'm just about to start planning the second essay which delights in the title:
Compare and contrast the ways in which painted portraits of Napoleon contributed to the political legitimisation of his regime.
Oh well, it keeps me off the streets.
32 comments:
I'm first yipee!!!!!!!! and yipee!!!!! for your first set of marks, that is awesome. I know how challenging those OU courses are, humanities is a nice mix though and any subject involving looking at art is fun in my book so enjoy Napoleon and feel proud you certainly deserve it. hugs and congrats, Kathy.
Aw, thanks Mama Kathy - that makes you sound like some Italian matriarch actually :)
I'd be a bit more studious if I hadn't got really into blogging this last year or so. My first couple of years with the blog I hardly bothered at all, now I can't stop.
When we FINALLY move to Italy, I shall become Mama Caterina hehe.
I think you did really, really well and you can use blogging to your advantage, I have learnt so much from the blogs I visit, it's like having a whole set of Encylopedia Britannia, only easier to cart around. I have an interior design course sitting staring at me from the dining room table, only eight months left to complete it!!. xoxo
Impressive.
If self praise is no praise then no praise is minus praise. We'd never know!
How many words must you write for your next essay?
A music essay and you are blowing your own trumpet, eh? Now go make a splash with the art history!
Seriously, that's seriously good work. Well done.
Blow your own trumpet!!! You know what , the longer I live the more I think some of that "wisedom" especially directed at women is rubbish!!!
The city of Versailles is very pretty and lets face it, any old room at the palace would be delish! Bravo .
Give poppy a nice sniff from Rosie and you get back to Nappie and his portraits! LOL
Well done. My Mum always said as long as you do your best..which was no use because I didnt even understand the questions!. I shall look forward to reading your blog about the trip to Versailles. It is good to have something to look forward to.
Nothing wrong with patting yourself on the back now and again. And so you should - that's a fantastic mark! Big congrats to you and all the best with the next essay.
btw Teabag is considering doing her meme after Poppy told her story so well:-)
Congratulations hon!! You should be proud of yourself - that's a fantastic mark!!!
I think we are talking about two very different things here. There is a huge difference between self praise and boasting!! Self praise is a good thing and when you've worked hard and achieved something you have every right to be pleased and to share it with people!! Boasting is when it's done to belittle someone else and hon, I don't think you are capable of doing such a thing so self praise away...you have earned it!!!
C x
We'd call that Tooting your own Horn...but sometimes, if you do a bit of bragging on yourself how's anyone to know how wonderful you are? I'm still adoring Poppy...I can see her below the comment block...hug her for me
Sandi
Mama Kathy - is that on the agenda then - moving to Italy? How fabulous and a lot nearer to potential real-life friends.
Dumdad - your comment is so logical (not my strong point) - indeed, how would anybody know? A major reason I am so pleased is that the first essay of my previous course (about an excerpt from Pride and Prejudice)was rubbish - I only got 55% because of completely misunderstanding what was needed in the essay.
This current esay is 1500 words and I have done about a fifth of them.
Frankofile - ouch, groan and titter (sounds like a firm of accountants).thank you. You've been there/done it and know just what I'm going through as a mature student.
lady jicky, Rosie and Oscar - you have to, just have to get a blog, a proper blog. Go on - tell us about your gang in detail.Re the portraits - one is selected for you and you have a choice of about 7 others to do the 'compare and contrast' exercise.
Blu - Thank you very much. It's so far ahead - the degree ceremony - that I've only given it a passing though. Shame it won't be Lord (David) Puttnam presenting the diplomas (there will be a new Chancellor any day now) - because I've always admired him.
Lane - thanks for that. There are some days that I wished I'd tried harder at school and done it all then. I'd love to have been a uni student at an age when I would have made good use of all the parties.
Carol - that's such a lovely thing you said, thank you ever so much.
Sandi - my newest doggy person - hello again and thanks a lot. I'm planning on revealing all my marks and some of them will not be as high as this one, I'm sure of that.
'Fail to PLAN-PLAN to fail'.....the preparation paid off and you definitely deserve your success! Now onto higher things-paintings are rarely hung near the floor. :)))
Well done you.
hello anonymous - yes, your study plan really helped. A public thank you - even though, as anon, you're anything but public.
But the content got you the 81%!!
Well done on Don Giovanni. Napoleon is an interesting one - I imagine stuff about imperial imagery, parallels with royal portraits, depictions as a People's figurehead, etc? The joy of being older is that you can fly kites with more confidence and elan.
HOLY COW...you deserve an 81% for just understanding the title of that last assignment! Sheeesh I could maybe do that with Napoleon ice cream...but forget it if I have to add in a legitimate regime! Good luck..and I for one am proud of you!
Anon - :)
Brother Tobias - thank you so much. The paintings I am 'doing' are Igres' 'Bonaparte as First Consul' and David's 'Bonaparte Crossing the Alps'. the Ingres is a 'must', the David is a free choice. This is proving to be far harder than the opera crit. I'm not anticipating a great mark for the second essay. Not too much elan with me and this :)
nikki -thanks sweetie. How can you do such involved blog posts and find time to work, run a house and pop in to see bloggers. You are a mystery.
OK then, how about if I praise you? Well done, I say. Oh, and take your degree in Versailles. My wife took her MBA in Grenoble. She had the option of completing her program in British Columbia, where her university is, or Grenoble. The latter beckoned.
Like your blog and sense of whimsy and would like to come back if OK with you.
Oh, and thank you for visiting mine.
Oh Ian, we posted at the same time. That means of course that you must definitely return - as I will to your place.
Versailles it is then - if I ever finish this second essay which is not going well.
Oh and I've heard Grenoble is beautiful. We had a holiday in Annecy a couple of years ago, just across the border from it. Annecy is gorgeous and people were saying it was just like Grenoble.
An award for you to collect over at my place.
I couldn't resist taking a peek at a blog named after one of the yummiest little cakes ever invented, and I'm glad I did.
Looks like you're definitely fulfilling your potential now - 81% is very impressive :o)
Congratulations on your essay mark and good luck with the next essay. I like to think that my blog keeps me off the streets and probably more importantly away from the shops.
Thank you for visiting my blog, I hope you enjoyed it...I love France, spent the summer there awhile back while daughter was at the Sorbonne...Infact if your ever back on my blog go into my October posts and I wrote about the name Rue Mouffetard for my blog and how I got it. I would send you the link but still not computer smart enough to figure out how to do that.... I love your little dog, it's so cute...I have a big French dog, he's also all white....Sue in Atlanta Georgia....
Hey! Well done...but what I wanted to say that there is nothing wrong with The Barbican. I know it doesn't match up to Versailles but it has its own quirkiness and Clive James has/had a flat there. That is hard to beat!
How on earth do you manage 81% in an essay and still do all your blogging? If I sub-contract my blogging will you come and do mine for me? :)
Dumdad - I'm touched (but you already knew that)
Karen - thanks for that and I'll be popping back soon,
cheshire wife -I seem to have discovered blog love in time for the OU course to have got a lot harder. It's really a struggle to study atm.
sue - I will definitely be back on your blog, it's lovely and anything with a French connection has my interest. I've got two little bichons, the one I blogged about is the (former) 'problem' one (sorry Poppy).
Hadriana - I also have Barbican love. I had a bf with a flat there, have seen lots of plays there and worked for a while at Gordon's Gin (in Human Resources, not the sample salon), a stone's throw from there. Re the mark - I think it's a fluke but (blowing trumpet and showing off again) it's not my highest ever mark. The last assignment of the last course - an essay on Henry V and The Rover - got me a mark of 90%, I almost fell off the chair when I saw it.
Oh WELL DONE! I am very impressed with your high mark. I don't think I could write an essay these days, to save my life!
Keep up the good work.....but make sure you keep some time to Blog as well!
Hello justme - thank you for that. I'm not going to reveal all my marks, month by month. Get ready for a poor one in a couple of weeks - this Napoleon essay is a real bugger.
I'll always be a blogger though.
Freudian slip - I meant of course I *am* going to reveal my marks - for death or glory.
Well done you! My mum was very much like you at school. She was adored by her parents too and had lots of love in her life. She wasn't the only one, but she was the youngest. I wonder if it's something to do with being loved so much - that you didn't really take your studies at school seriously. Mum always said she had nothing to prove and nobody to try and impress, perhaps you were secure in your parents' love too. Well, you've just proved to yourself that you're one clever lady:)
I bet your mum is like me - the older she gets the more she wants to find out about things. I think it's called being a Late Developer
Oh dear, I keep seeing on my blog tracker people who must be studying the same OU course as me. They've Googled the question I put at the end of this entry and of course - I'm the first hit on their search.
sorry folks but I've got no answers for you. You'll have to slog it out like I've been doing for the last two weeks. Good luck though,
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