I had a pretty interesting Friday lecture in my Theatre and Cultural Politics course. So far that course has been pretty lethargic. None of the topics have been that interesting until last Friday.
We were discussing sort of Postmodern politics with beauty aesthetics and cybernetics. It's a little weird and hard to describe. We had to read Alan Ayckbourn's play Henceforward... which is about a man, his cyborg and a strange meeting to prove that he is a competent father who should be allowed to see his daughter. That's the gist. There's more to it as there always is. It was a pretty solid play. Typical of Ayckbourn in that it is absurdly funny in places.
Back to the discussion though. One of the articles we read involved this woman named Orlan who films her own plastic surgeries and sells them as art. Her face is now a pastiche of what "art" has called the human figure as beautiful. She has the forehead of the Mona Lisa for instance because that is what people have called beautiful. It's really complicated but the discussion it incited was pretty interesting.
At least it was to me and another girl. Saraphina is her name. It's a strange name but she seems pretty cool. what happened was we were discussing this woman and of course everybody is taking the very basic sides of either what she is doing is ethical or horrifying. Discussion wasn't really moving forward. Finally, after having my hand raised for quite a bit, I pulled discussion on another tangent. I asked the class how many were wearing makeup because isn't that changing your figure in some way shape or form? Isn't it changing your body even if it is only temporary? It lead discussion down a more useful tangent than the dialectical good or bad of what this woman was doing. Of course, whether you agree with Orlan or not, she has made a lot of money doing these surgeries so, I don't really think she ultimately cares about her face so much as her pocketbook.
Another little incident that happened in class was a few minutes and a few slides later we were looking at this other performer who had all these hooks in his body which could be moved by the audience members via computer. Yes, it's another ethical dilemma. We didn't spend much time on it but a lot of people in class made grimaces or small comments on how disgusting that was. I decided to say something way out of left field and asked, "What's wrong with a little sadomasochism?" Nobody laughed but Saraphina. Immediately I'm like, I need to talk with her after class. I feel like I made a friend that day.
Today in my thriller course we had an interesting discussion on postmodernism in relation to Paul Auster's New York Trilogy. It's one of my favorite topics. The professor asked who has studied postmodernism and I was the only one who raised their hand. It was a good lecture and I got to show off how much I already knew.
What was the most interesting was how lecture actually ended. It's held in the Richard Shackleton library which is a small room with a big table. It is surrounded by bookshelves. Some of these shelves have glass sliding panels. Literally, at the last moment of class, at the last comment from the lecturer, two of the glass panels fell off and smashed on the ground. It was close to three of us, me being one of them. It actually hit a girl's chair but thankfully she was leaning forward. It missed her by about three inches or so. Nobody screamed, nobody was hurt but everybody was stunned.
It was one hell of a way to end a lecture.
Monday, November 30, 2009
North by Northwest: The Electric and Cinema in General
About three weeks ago... well, a long time ago... not exactly sure how long ago, I went to see North by Northwest at The Electric in city centre. The Electric is the oldest theatre in the UK. We're talking from like 1909 old.
It is a pretty interesting little cinema in that it is really hard to find. I walked right past it and didn't even know it was there. The seats were quite plush and in the back of the theatre were leather settees. My flatmate Adam and I wish we could have sat there but it was double the ticket price. The seats we sat in were that old red plush cinema seat. The screen was pretty small but the theatre itself was small to begin with. It was probably about the same size as the Bijou.
The cinema was also unique in that there wasn't really a popcorn machine or a soda machine. At least not any that I could see. What they did have behind the counter was a small bar. It looked like it was stocked really well. I took a glancing look at the prices but decided against it.
The lobby was also filled with vintage movie posters. The men's room was downstairs and leading down was one poster after another with Dirty Harry being at front and center towards the bottom.
http://www.theelectric.co.uk/index.htm
There's the link for the cinema's homepage.
As for the film, I loved it. I had seen it before but I had to watch it for class. It was the choice of watching it projected on 35mm or on a DVD. I think I'm going to go with the 35mm.
My flatmate, who had never seen or heard of it before enjoyed it. He and I have gone to see a lot of movies together either at film soc or at the actual cinema. We once did a double feature back to back of Harry Brown and 2012. These two films couldn't have been more different. Harry Brown is essentially like Gran Torino but with Michael Caine. I was blown away by it. It's not the film of the year but it is one of the better British films I have seen in a while. Comically, I feel that if Clint Eastwood brought back his Dirty Harry persona for Gran Torino and Michael Caine just brought back Get Carter, then in 15 years or so I want Bruce Willis to bring back John McClane. Basically I want Die Hard but in the suburbs.
2012 was just an alright movie. I didn't really go to that expecting anything dramatic or uplifting. I just wanted to see ridiculous special effects and everything in between. It was basically just fun for the most part. Although planes taking off and having trouble did wear a bit thin after a while.
Orange, my mobile carrier does a 2 for 1 cinema deal on Wednesdays. You just text film to 241 and they send you a little code which you can go to one movie with a guest and just split the ticket. So instead of paying £4 each you just pay £2. It's a pretty solid deal.
Last weekend we both went and saw Paranormal Activity. I'm sure it is a good film. I'm pretty sure it is but the crowd we saw it with was pretty unruly. They were loud, obnoxious, rude, crude and everything in between. I have a long list of names to call them but I really don't think anybody would really want to hear it. Adam and I were both annoyed to the point where we didn't like the movie. We both sort of had the same conclusion which was that the movie was probably pretty good but we just were so annoyed by the crowd that the experience as a whole just sucked. It is definitely on my re-watch list.
As for cinema in general, I am really digging film soc. I've started to talk with the president of the committee after each show. He even gave me some homework. The assignment, bring in recommendations for the next term's screening list. It's nice to have a say with a committee like that. While all of my choices won't be picked he did say he was really impressed with my list.
We and a few other members got talking for such a long time that we went through two pubs. One closed at 11 and the other one had last call at midnight. Instead of calling it quits right there, we just went back to some Belgian girl's flat and proceeded to have one of those 4 hour long conversations which is a little bit of everything.
Also, we had a Belgian beer little tasting. It felt like a wine tasting but with Belgian beer. I can't even begin to remember all the different beers we tried. She was kind enough to allow us to try them. She didn't really care about us paying her just because her parents had given them to her to remind her of home. She was even kind enough to give me a free bottle to take with me. She said that she would bring some back as long as I paid her. It would so be worth it. One was named Duvel... I can't even remember what all the others were called. The best one though was Grimbergen. I think I'm spelling that right. Anyway, that was the best one because of how good it tasted. It was a phenomenal beer which had so many different flavors. There were hints of chocolate, vanilla, berries, fruit, wood... it just had a little bit of everything.
That's really all I can think of interesting wise that has happened lately... well, that pertains to the topic at hand.
It is a pretty interesting little cinema in that it is really hard to find. I walked right past it and didn't even know it was there. The seats were quite plush and in the back of the theatre were leather settees. My flatmate Adam and I wish we could have sat there but it was double the ticket price. The seats we sat in were that old red plush cinema seat. The screen was pretty small but the theatre itself was small to begin with. It was probably about the same size as the Bijou.
The cinema was also unique in that there wasn't really a popcorn machine or a soda machine. At least not any that I could see. What they did have behind the counter was a small bar. It looked like it was stocked really well. I took a glancing look at the prices but decided against it.
The lobby was also filled with vintage movie posters. The men's room was downstairs and leading down was one poster after another with Dirty Harry being at front and center towards the bottom.
http://www.theelectric.co.uk/index.htm
There's the link for the cinema's homepage.
As for the film, I loved it. I had seen it before but I had to watch it for class. It was the choice of watching it projected on 35mm or on a DVD. I think I'm going to go with the 35mm.
My flatmate, who had never seen or heard of it before enjoyed it. He and I have gone to see a lot of movies together either at film soc or at the actual cinema. We once did a double feature back to back of Harry Brown and 2012. These two films couldn't have been more different. Harry Brown is essentially like Gran Torino but with Michael Caine. I was blown away by it. It's not the film of the year but it is one of the better British films I have seen in a while. Comically, I feel that if Clint Eastwood brought back his Dirty Harry persona for Gran Torino and Michael Caine just brought back Get Carter, then in 15 years or so I want Bruce Willis to bring back John McClane. Basically I want Die Hard but in the suburbs.
2012 was just an alright movie. I didn't really go to that expecting anything dramatic or uplifting. I just wanted to see ridiculous special effects and everything in between. It was basically just fun for the most part. Although planes taking off and having trouble did wear a bit thin after a while.
Orange, my mobile carrier does a 2 for 1 cinema deal on Wednesdays. You just text film to 241 and they send you a little code which you can go to one movie with a guest and just split the ticket. So instead of paying £4 each you just pay £2. It's a pretty solid deal.
Last weekend we both went and saw Paranormal Activity. I'm sure it is a good film. I'm pretty sure it is but the crowd we saw it with was pretty unruly. They were loud, obnoxious, rude, crude and everything in between. I have a long list of names to call them but I really don't think anybody would really want to hear it. Adam and I were both annoyed to the point where we didn't like the movie. We both sort of had the same conclusion which was that the movie was probably pretty good but we just were so annoyed by the crowd that the experience as a whole just sucked. It is definitely on my re-watch list.
As for cinema in general, I am really digging film soc. I've started to talk with the president of the committee after each show. He even gave me some homework. The assignment, bring in recommendations for the next term's screening list. It's nice to have a say with a committee like that. While all of my choices won't be picked he did say he was really impressed with my list.
We and a few other members got talking for such a long time that we went through two pubs. One closed at 11 and the other one had last call at midnight. Instead of calling it quits right there, we just went back to some Belgian girl's flat and proceeded to have one of those 4 hour long conversations which is a little bit of everything.
Also, we had a Belgian beer little tasting. It felt like a wine tasting but with Belgian beer. I can't even begin to remember all the different beers we tried. She was kind enough to allow us to try them. She didn't really care about us paying her just because her parents had given them to her to remind her of home. She was even kind enough to give me a free bottle to take with me. She said that she would bring some back as long as I paid her. It would so be worth it. One was named Duvel... I can't even remember what all the others were called. The best one though was Grimbergen. I think I'm spelling that right. Anyway, that was the best one because of how good it tasted. It was a phenomenal beer which had so many different flavors. There were hints of chocolate, vanilla, berries, fruit, wood... it just had a little bit of everything.
That's really all I can think of interesting wise that has happened lately... well, that pertains to the topic at hand.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Notes from the Underground Wind
I went down to London yesterday. It was my first time. While I technically landed in London at Heathrow it still doesn't really count.
I went down to see a play. Inherit the Wind at the Old Vic. Kevin Spacey was in the lead. I'll get to that later.
I woke up pretty early yesterday to catch a 9:30 train. The night before I had asked my flatmates on advice for traveling around that area. Mostly about the Tube but also about whether or not I should take my backpack. They said "Yeah. Just don't jump any barriers and you should be okay." There was an incident of a man getting shot to death for jumping the barriers with a backpack on. They also figured out which lines I needed to take. The Victoria to Green Park and from there I should take the Jubilee to Waterloo. The Old Vic is down the street from Waterloo.
I woke up, made myself some breakfast. Scrambled eggs, an English Muffin with cream cheese and Heinz baked beans. Beans on toast is also another wonderful meal I've discovered since being in country. Sounds disgusting but it isn't. I digress. I showered, shaved and hurried over to University station. Trained over to New Street and printed off my tickets there and hurried onto the train.
The train ride itself was about an hour and a half. It was a bit cramped but I managed. I just read a book for most of it.
Once I got to Euston station, it was ridiculous. So many people. The underground was flooding with patrons that they decided that people would pay at their stops rather than at their departures. I waited in line though. I bought a day pass just to make things easier on myself. I could ride any underground train I wanted as long as I had that card.
I got to Green Park and walked around. Green Park is located on Piccadilly one of the major thoroughfares in London. It was pretty cool seeing all the building around there right next to Green Park which is essentially like Central Park in NYC. There were also street vendors selling T shirts and oil paintings and everything in between.
I went back to the station only to find out that the Jubilee line was closed for repairs. I checked the map and went to Leicester Square though and walked around there. I took many photos. I want to go back when I'm not so stressed for time. That area had a lot of theatres for musical theatre and plays of that sort. I took photos of the marquees and of everything in between. I also walked around the National Gallery outside. It's free entry but I didn't have time to go in.
I did find a fish and chips shop and finally had fish and chips. It was pricey but I figured it would be. It's London basically add a pound to what you think it should be and that is what you're going to be paying.
Also the underground is hot. I sweated so much in there because of my coat, the number of people in such a small space and all the walking around just to get through the terminals.
After eating and wandering around I finally went to the Old Vic theatre. It's sort of out of the way and the building itself is a bit misleading. It looks small but it isn't. Once inside, and after I had picked up my ticket, I went to one of the bars in the theatre, they have those in theatres and I bought myself a drink. I also purchased a program for £4. It's pricey but it is a good memento.
I had arrived pretty early too. I couldn't remember if the performance was at 2 or 2:30 so I arrived at 1:30 just to be on the safe side. I just found a corner and kept reading my book.
I got my seat too. I was up in the top balcony. Even though I was that high, I didn't mind. There are aspects of theatre which you can see from that high up which you can't see from front and centre stage.
It was a hell of a show. The performances were really good. It started off slightly sluggish, I would chalk that one up the material itself. It's the last 2/3rds of the play that really shined. The challenges, the political undertones and the performances all come into full flower at that point. Also, the stage itself was pretty cool at how the actors brought everything on stage but you couldn't notice it. It was done so subtly.
Kevin Spacey was magnificent in his role but he didn't overplay it. It felt like an ensemble performance not a one man show. Everybody was solid and I felt like I had gotten my money's worth. Even the small performances which could get lost in the shuffle weren't.
Here's the trailer for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs8l8_ChRjg
I walked out of that theatre empowered. I also walked out of that theatre realizing that there is such a life to theatre which you don't really get in movies. Also, you don't get it in high school performances or amateur theatre (usually). Most plays I've been too, I've sat there bored but this one, I finally felt something. I finally felt pulled and sucked into the stage rather than sitting there objectively.
After the show, I wondered around a bit more. I saw some of the sights I had seen in the morning at night just to see if they were different. I went to Burger King and got a double whopper and after that I went another avenue on the underground and walked around some more. I went to Cafe Nero and bought a cafe mocha. Not bad, but not the best coffee I've ever had in the world. It definitely was a step above Starbucks.
I went to the train station and went home. I ran into some of my flat mates as they were on the way to the pub. I joined had a pint and then once we got home, I crashed.
It was a very long but very good day.
I went down to see a play. Inherit the Wind at the Old Vic. Kevin Spacey was in the lead. I'll get to that later.
I woke up pretty early yesterday to catch a 9:30 train. The night before I had asked my flatmates on advice for traveling around that area. Mostly about the Tube but also about whether or not I should take my backpack. They said "Yeah. Just don't jump any barriers and you should be okay." There was an incident of a man getting shot to death for jumping the barriers with a backpack on. They also figured out which lines I needed to take. The Victoria to Green Park and from there I should take the Jubilee to Waterloo. The Old Vic is down the street from Waterloo.
I woke up, made myself some breakfast. Scrambled eggs, an English Muffin with cream cheese and Heinz baked beans. Beans on toast is also another wonderful meal I've discovered since being in country. Sounds disgusting but it isn't. I digress. I showered, shaved and hurried over to University station. Trained over to New Street and printed off my tickets there and hurried onto the train.
The train ride itself was about an hour and a half. It was a bit cramped but I managed. I just read a book for most of it.
Once I got to Euston station, it was ridiculous. So many people. The underground was flooding with patrons that they decided that people would pay at their stops rather than at their departures. I waited in line though. I bought a day pass just to make things easier on myself. I could ride any underground train I wanted as long as I had that card.
I got to Green Park and walked around. Green Park is located on Piccadilly one of the major thoroughfares in London. It was pretty cool seeing all the building around there right next to Green Park which is essentially like Central Park in NYC. There were also street vendors selling T shirts and oil paintings and everything in between.
I went back to the station only to find out that the Jubilee line was closed for repairs. I checked the map and went to Leicester Square though and walked around there. I took many photos. I want to go back when I'm not so stressed for time. That area had a lot of theatres for musical theatre and plays of that sort. I took photos of the marquees and of everything in between. I also walked around the National Gallery outside. It's free entry but I didn't have time to go in.
I did find a fish and chips shop and finally had fish and chips. It was pricey but I figured it would be. It's London basically add a pound to what you think it should be and that is what you're going to be paying.
Also the underground is hot. I sweated so much in there because of my coat, the number of people in such a small space and all the walking around just to get through the terminals.
After eating and wandering around I finally went to the Old Vic theatre. It's sort of out of the way and the building itself is a bit misleading. It looks small but it isn't. Once inside, and after I had picked up my ticket, I went to one of the bars in the theatre, they have those in theatres and I bought myself a drink. I also purchased a program for £4. It's pricey but it is a good memento.
I had arrived pretty early too. I couldn't remember if the performance was at 2 or 2:30 so I arrived at 1:30 just to be on the safe side. I just found a corner and kept reading my book.
I got my seat too. I was up in the top balcony. Even though I was that high, I didn't mind. There are aspects of theatre which you can see from that high up which you can't see from front and centre stage.
It was a hell of a show. The performances were really good. It started off slightly sluggish, I would chalk that one up the material itself. It's the last 2/3rds of the play that really shined. The challenges, the political undertones and the performances all come into full flower at that point. Also, the stage itself was pretty cool at how the actors brought everything on stage but you couldn't notice it. It was done so subtly.
Kevin Spacey was magnificent in his role but he didn't overplay it. It felt like an ensemble performance not a one man show. Everybody was solid and I felt like I had gotten my money's worth. Even the small performances which could get lost in the shuffle weren't.
Here's the trailer for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs8l8_ChRjg
I walked out of that theatre empowered. I also walked out of that theatre realizing that there is such a life to theatre which you don't really get in movies. Also, you don't get it in high school performances or amateur theatre (usually). Most plays I've been too, I've sat there bored but this one, I finally felt something. I finally felt pulled and sucked into the stage rather than sitting there objectively.
After the show, I wondered around a bit more. I saw some of the sights I had seen in the morning at night just to see if they were different. I went to Burger King and got a double whopper and after that I went another avenue on the underground and walked around some more. I went to Cafe Nero and bought a cafe mocha. Not bad, but not the best coffee I've ever had in the world. It definitely was a step above Starbucks.
I went to the train station and went home. I ran into some of my flat mates as they were on the way to the pub. I joined had a pint and then once we got home, I crashed.
It was a very long but very good day.
Stratford-upon-Avon
A couple of Friday's ago, I sacked off a lecture. Don't worry, the professor puts the notes online. We're allowed to miss up to 3 lectures.I wasn't really interested in going to lecture as I'm not even going to write over what she was going to be speaking about. So, I decided it was worth missing this lecture.
I went down to Stratford upon Avon with my friend Victoria. We had planned a trip for reading week, the week where we didn't have class, but those plans had fallen through for sundry reasons. We went down to Stratford on a day trip. It didn't cost much. Just £4.10. We met up at New Street station, walked over to Moor street station which is very vintage and took the train out to Stratford.
The architecture there was much different than Birmingham. There were no tall structures at all. Every building looked like it had been there for well, for several hundreds of years. Lots of thatched roofs.
Everything in this town was Shakespeare this and Shakespeare that. It was great to be there for a day but I could not imagine myself living there.
Before we did any major sightseeing and meandering around, we went to a pub. I opted for a gamon with two eggs on top of it. I also had a true ale whilst there. Hobgoblin. It was pretty good. It's a true ale because the bar maid actually had to pump it out. It wasn't an electric pump. The gamon was a little salty but I didn't mind.
After lunch we walked around. Went to Shakespeare's birthplace. We didn't go inside, just because to merely go in was a tad outrageous just to see a small building. Eleven pounds was not exactly what I had in mind.
We also found a tobacconist and I purchased a Cuban cigar because, well, because here I can. It was a good cigar.
After walking around some more I spotted a sign pointed the direction to Anne Hathaway's cottage. The sign made it look like it was around the corner. A mile or so later it began to rain. We had passed that marker of, we've gotten this far. We're seeing the damn thing. Once there, we checked out the gift shop as a way to get out of the rain. We requested a taxi to pick us up and take us to the station.
I also bought myself a Shakespeare bust for my desk. I like it. It's a bit unnecessary I realize but still, it will be a way to remember the day.
Once we got back on the train to go home, which we caught in the nick of time there was an incident on the train. A young man, about a year younger than I, hadn't purchased a ticket which is a big "No no." It cost him a £20 fine. He off course went off complaining about it, that they were just stealing money from him etc. etc. even though it was obviously his fault. His friends took the piss out of him for this because they had all bought tickets. So, it wasn't that he was in a hurry but that he was just stupid.
That night, Victoria and I went to Nando's. It's a Portuguese chicken place. We split a combo meal consisting of chips, two grilled corn on the cobs and a full medium spiced chicken. That was a tasty tasty meal and reasonably priced. We also had bottomless soft drinks which is a rarity in the UK. They don't have free refills unless it's an American corporation which came in and doesn't realize that they don't have to offer that.
After that, we hung out at her place. Watched the drunken absurdity of her roommates getting ready for a night on the town and then I went home.
It was a pretty long but good day.
I went down to Stratford upon Avon with my friend Victoria. We had planned a trip for reading week, the week where we didn't have class, but those plans had fallen through for sundry reasons. We went down to Stratford on a day trip. It didn't cost much. Just £4.10. We met up at New Street station, walked over to Moor street station which is very vintage and took the train out to Stratford.
The architecture there was much different than Birmingham. There were no tall structures at all. Every building looked like it had been there for well, for several hundreds of years. Lots of thatched roofs.
Everything in this town was Shakespeare this and Shakespeare that. It was great to be there for a day but I could not imagine myself living there.
Before we did any major sightseeing and meandering around, we went to a pub. I opted for a gamon with two eggs on top of it. I also had a true ale whilst there. Hobgoblin. It was pretty good. It's a true ale because the bar maid actually had to pump it out. It wasn't an electric pump. The gamon was a little salty but I didn't mind.
After lunch we walked around. Went to Shakespeare's birthplace. We didn't go inside, just because to merely go in was a tad outrageous just to see a small building. Eleven pounds was not exactly what I had in mind.
We also found a tobacconist and I purchased a Cuban cigar because, well, because here I can. It was a good cigar.
After walking around some more I spotted a sign pointed the direction to Anne Hathaway's cottage. The sign made it look like it was around the corner. A mile or so later it began to rain. We had passed that marker of, we've gotten this far. We're seeing the damn thing. Once there, we checked out the gift shop as a way to get out of the rain. We requested a taxi to pick us up and take us to the station.
I also bought myself a Shakespeare bust for my desk. I like it. It's a bit unnecessary I realize but still, it will be a way to remember the day.
Once we got back on the train to go home, which we caught in the nick of time there was an incident on the train. A young man, about a year younger than I, hadn't purchased a ticket which is a big "No no." It cost him a £20 fine. He off course went off complaining about it, that they were just stealing money from him etc. etc. even though it was obviously his fault. His friends took the piss out of him for this because they had all bought tickets. So, it wasn't that he was in a hurry but that he was just stupid.
That night, Victoria and I went to Nando's. It's a Portuguese chicken place. We split a combo meal consisting of chips, two grilled corn on the cobs and a full medium spiced chicken. That was a tasty tasty meal and reasonably priced. We also had bottomless soft drinks which is a rarity in the UK. They don't have free refills unless it's an American corporation which came in and doesn't realize that they don't have to offer that.
After that, we hung out at her place. Watched the drunken absurdity of her roommates getting ready for a night on the town and then I went home.
It was a pretty long but good day.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Lazy About Blogging
I've kind of been lazy about blogging lately. Mostly because not much has happened in the past few weeks.
I've gone to the movies. I've gone to class. I've cooked for myself. I've bought more books. It's basically become a routine of reading, sleeping and studying. I go to film soc as much as I can.
We hang out in the flat and we all talk but really it's only conversation which is interesting to us.
Basically in the past few weeks not a whole hell of a lot has happened. I wish stuff had happened but seriously nothing.
We had reading week which was essentially a week in which people said they were going to study but... they didn't.
There was Vale fireworks during that week which happened on Guy Fawkes day. Remember, remember the 5th of November, the gunpowder treason and plot.
It's sort of like the 4th of July. They burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. He was an anarchist who tried to blow up Parliament. He came close to. When he was caught, it was right next to the gunpowder. It would have done the job but it was wet. He was trying to light it. Essentially, it's the historical equivalent of getting caught with your pants down. They celebrate by blowing stuff up.
By the way, if he had managed to blow up Parliament, the whole world would be a different place right now. England would have gone into anarchy for a time. There would have been chaos.
Vale fireworks was fun... aside from the rain. The fireworks were set to music. Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Another way to Die (the Bond theme song), Eye of the Tiger and a few others. Star Wars was the closer. It was a good show apart from the soaking rain and the mud. I also was standing next to some jerk who didn't put his umbrella down. I got his run off and the rain on top of it.
There was also a small fair but we didn't go on any of the rides just because it was crowded and again, the rain.
I've gone to the movies. I've gone to class. I've cooked for myself. I've bought more books. It's basically become a routine of reading, sleeping and studying. I go to film soc as much as I can.
We hang out in the flat and we all talk but really it's only conversation which is interesting to us.
Basically in the past few weeks not a whole hell of a lot has happened. I wish stuff had happened but seriously nothing.
We had reading week which was essentially a week in which people said they were going to study but... they didn't.
There was Vale fireworks during that week which happened on Guy Fawkes day. Remember, remember the 5th of November, the gunpowder treason and plot.
It's sort of like the 4th of July. They burn effigies of Guy Fawkes. He was an anarchist who tried to blow up Parliament. He came close to. When he was caught, it was right next to the gunpowder. It would have done the job but it was wet. He was trying to light it. Essentially, it's the historical equivalent of getting caught with your pants down. They celebrate by blowing stuff up.
By the way, if he had managed to blow up Parliament, the whole world would be a different place right now. England would have gone into anarchy for a time. There would have been chaos.
Vale fireworks was fun... aside from the rain. The fireworks were set to music. Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Another way to Die (the Bond theme song), Eye of the Tiger and a few others. Star Wars was the closer. It was a good show apart from the soaking rain and the mud. I also was standing next to some jerk who didn't put his umbrella down. I got his run off and the rain on top of it.
There was also a small fair but we didn't go on any of the rides just because it was crowded and again, the rain.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Jazz Guild, Selly's Sausage and Mobile
On Friday night some of us went down to the Guild, which is essentially the IMU but with a bar in it, to see some live jazz and blues. They were doing an open mic night for any musicians on campus who wanted to play.
Sadly, there wasn't much in the way of live playing but they still kept playing jazz over the stereo system. It was pretty crowded in there anyway and we were just around the corner from where the musicians were playing.
It was a very relaxing night of just cocktails and conversations. It was much better than any of the clubs I've been to. The closest thing to that in Iowa City is the Mill.
The night wore on into conversations and a late night jaunt through the area surrounding Oakley Court which lasted until four.
I woke up the next day around two. We were all going to Selly's Sausage for a brunch. I love that place. I can't speak highly enough of the full English.
This time though, I had the super big breakfast. It was three of everything. One thing I love with the big breakfast that it is so massive and with so many ingredients that it is very easy for them to forget something minor when they put it together. They had forgotten to give me black pudding which I'm okay with. I tried it. It was okay but I'm not going to go out of my way to eat it.
Afterward, Caitlin and I went off to the Bullring via train. I was in search of a phone or as the Brits call it a mobile.
I got a cheap pay as you go plan which I can top up as much as I need. I can get 100 minutes for 10 quid. I don't think I'll be on the phone that much.
I also went to the bookstore while I was in the area. It's not in the Bullring but it is down the way in sort of the shopping district. The previous week, when we were lost trying to find a place to eat, I had noticed this bookstore.
Waterstones. There is a small one on campus. This one though, is massive. It was three floors tall and felt like I was in a huge library. They also have one hell of a deal. Buy 3 and get 2 free.
Did I take advantage of this deal? Hell yeah I did.
I picked up for myself:
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
White Jazz by James Ellroy
I kind of have a problem with buying too many books. I've already bought several others.
The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
I guess I'm at a point in which I would rather have a massive library than a massive DVD collection.
Sadly, there wasn't much in the way of live playing but they still kept playing jazz over the stereo system. It was pretty crowded in there anyway and we were just around the corner from where the musicians were playing.
It was a very relaxing night of just cocktails and conversations. It was much better than any of the clubs I've been to. The closest thing to that in Iowa City is the Mill.
The night wore on into conversations and a late night jaunt through the area surrounding Oakley Court which lasted until four.
I woke up the next day around two. We were all going to Selly's Sausage for a brunch. I love that place. I can't speak highly enough of the full English.
This time though, I had the super big breakfast. It was three of everything. One thing I love with the big breakfast that it is so massive and with so many ingredients that it is very easy for them to forget something minor when they put it together. They had forgotten to give me black pudding which I'm okay with. I tried it. It was okay but I'm not going to go out of my way to eat it.
Afterward, Caitlin and I went off to the Bullring via train. I was in search of a phone or as the Brits call it a mobile.
I got a cheap pay as you go plan which I can top up as much as I need. I can get 100 minutes for 10 quid. I don't think I'll be on the phone that much.
I also went to the bookstore while I was in the area. It's not in the Bullring but it is down the way in sort of the shopping district. The previous week, when we were lost trying to find a place to eat, I had noticed this bookstore.
Waterstones. There is a small one on campus. This one though, is massive. It was three floors tall and felt like I was in a huge library. They also have one hell of a deal. Buy 3 and get 2 free.
Did I take advantage of this deal? Hell yeah I did.
I picked up for myself:
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
White Jazz by James Ellroy
I kind of have a problem with buying too many books. I've already bought several others.
The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy
Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
I guess I'm at a point in which I would rather have a massive library than a massive DVD collection.
Insomnia and Noise Complaints
This past week I had a few nights of restless sleep. One night, I stayed up all night and only passed out for a few hours before a class. I've been exhausted this past week because of it.
Some will say that it has everything to do with missing home or stress about something but those who know me best can tell you I've always had trouble sleeping. Plus the bed being as uncomfortable as it is, it's no surprise that I can't sleep.
What really sucked was the next day our entire flat was brought before the Housing Director or some such title of Pritchatts Park for making too much noise. Her name is Brynda (pronounced Brenda). Apparently, there have been noise complaints made against us for playing loud music at four in the morning. This is completely false. It's actually flat 10 who play the loud music or rave at four in the morning.
What was worse is that during the meeting, she wouldn't even listen to us. Wouldn't see our side. Would start to point out something while we were speaking. There was no communication at all.
Also, the fact that there were only four of us who could attend the meeting didn't exactly help our case.
Kerry, the quiet one in our flat, like really quiet, like never hear a peep quiet hates this woman now. Kerry has even mentioned that yes, a lot of loud music was played during Fresher's week (which even the housing director said they turned a blind eye to) but beyond that, we hadn't made any noise. We didn't host any parties and it may start in our flat but it moves on pretty quickly.
Essentially it was just a talking to. She mentioned that this happens every year and that people do get kicked out of housing. We promised to keep the noise down.
On Wednesday, I came back from hanging out with Victoria (we had to watch a movie for class together) and there were people in our flat making a lot of noise. Raving if you will but, and I checked this... I made sure of it, at 10:59 promptly the music went off. We're allowed to make noise between 8 AM and 11 PM. So, we fell within guidelines.
As I was eating a really late dinner, they all left to go out to the club. At around two or so, Caitlin had come back alone via taxi. She wasn't feeling very well. I stayed up with her, talked with her told her stories and made her some food and tea to calm her down.
At around four, Rod and the people who went out raving came back. Rod was a bit cross with Caitlin and I for being in the kitchen. His concern was noise complaints. We kept it down. He also got most of the ravers out of our kitchen and ushered them over to flat 10 who have yet to actually get a proper meeting in front of Brynda.
They made chips and promptly passed out. The following afternoon, Brynda shows up. She rang the doorbell and let herself in. What disrespect for our property. Even if you have a complaint against us, you can at least show us the courtesy of not waltzing into our kitchen without letting us get the door for you. Also, we are supposed to be given 24 hours notice before any official visits from staff which she failed to do.
I heard this secondhand but apparently, she told us about the noise complaints and that now she officially had names. She also tore down those official university posters which had been defamed with phrases which I will not repeat here. Of course, that happened during Freshers week and by her rationale of turning a blind eye to it, that should be okay. Also, we didn't write on our posters. Flat 10 did.
Rod and Harry, who both did not make any noise and I was there for when they got back from the club, had to go into a personal meeting with her. Essentially it was a stern talking to and sort of a final warning. It's ludicrous.
We all feel that because Harry had called our flat the party flat and had shouted it at the top of his lungs on several occasions, it has given us a bad reputation. We also feel like people are just blaming us because of that. We're not the ones who come home and shout at the top of our lungs, "Oakley Court!!! Wake the F--- UP!!!"
We're actually pretty quiet. Even Harry who was a party fiend during Freshers week has calmed down for the most part.
Some will say that it has everything to do with missing home or stress about something but those who know me best can tell you I've always had trouble sleeping. Plus the bed being as uncomfortable as it is, it's no surprise that I can't sleep.
What really sucked was the next day our entire flat was brought before the Housing Director or some such title of Pritchatts Park for making too much noise. Her name is Brynda (pronounced Brenda). Apparently, there have been noise complaints made against us for playing loud music at four in the morning. This is completely false. It's actually flat 10 who play the loud music or rave at four in the morning.
What was worse is that during the meeting, she wouldn't even listen to us. Wouldn't see our side. Would start to point out something while we were speaking. There was no communication at all.
Also, the fact that there were only four of us who could attend the meeting didn't exactly help our case.
Kerry, the quiet one in our flat, like really quiet, like never hear a peep quiet hates this woman now. Kerry has even mentioned that yes, a lot of loud music was played during Fresher's week (which even the housing director said they turned a blind eye to) but beyond that, we hadn't made any noise. We didn't host any parties and it may start in our flat but it moves on pretty quickly.
Essentially it was just a talking to. She mentioned that this happens every year and that people do get kicked out of housing. We promised to keep the noise down.
On Wednesday, I came back from hanging out with Victoria (we had to watch a movie for class together) and there were people in our flat making a lot of noise. Raving if you will but, and I checked this... I made sure of it, at 10:59 promptly the music went off. We're allowed to make noise between 8 AM and 11 PM. So, we fell within guidelines.
As I was eating a really late dinner, they all left to go out to the club. At around two or so, Caitlin had come back alone via taxi. She wasn't feeling very well. I stayed up with her, talked with her told her stories and made her some food and tea to calm her down.
At around four, Rod and the people who went out raving came back. Rod was a bit cross with Caitlin and I for being in the kitchen. His concern was noise complaints. We kept it down. He also got most of the ravers out of our kitchen and ushered them over to flat 10 who have yet to actually get a proper meeting in front of Brynda.
They made chips and promptly passed out. The following afternoon, Brynda shows up. She rang the doorbell and let herself in. What disrespect for our property. Even if you have a complaint against us, you can at least show us the courtesy of not waltzing into our kitchen without letting us get the door for you. Also, we are supposed to be given 24 hours notice before any official visits from staff which she failed to do.
I heard this secondhand but apparently, she told us about the noise complaints and that now she officially had names. She also tore down those official university posters which had been defamed with phrases which I will not repeat here. Of course, that happened during Freshers week and by her rationale of turning a blind eye to it, that should be okay. Also, we didn't write on our posters. Flat 10 did.
Rod and Harry, who both did not make any noise and I was there for when they got back from the club, had to go into a personal meeting with her. Essentially it was a stern talking to and sort of a final warning. It's ludicrous.
We all feel that because Harry had called our flat the party flat and had shouted it at the top of his lungs on several occasions, it has given us a bad reputation. We also feel like people are just blaming us because of that. We're not the ones who come home and shout at the top of our lungs, "Oakley Court!!! Wake the F--- UP!!!"
We're actually pretty quiet. Even Harry who was a party fiend during Freshers week has calmed down for the most part.
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