| Disappointed now... |
[Oct. 25th, 2006|09:16 am] |
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This suggests that it won't be the original National Theatre cast, but a touring cast, when I go to see The History Boys. Feel like stamping my feet. I had some really cool questions to pose regarding the transition of the play to film, too. |
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| Review, hurrah! |
[Oct. 24th, 2006|06:14 pm] |
Wrote the following review for the uni paper. My big print debut. Am so star-struck!
Speaking of star-struck, I'm going to see the National Theatre performing The History Boysin Llandudno in a couple of weeks -- and I think it might be the original cast. I'm going with the uni and they've arranged an interview with the cast after the performance. Might be meeting Richard Griffiths and Francis de la Tour -- How cool is that? Really hope it is them. I know whoever's in it will do a fantastic job, but it would be so cool to actualy meet Francis de la Tour. She is love.
And Richard Griffiths moves us nicely onto Harry Potter. Anyone else seen the new OotP pics? They've gone and flattened Radcliffe's and Watson's hair. Noooooo!
( Review ) |
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| An eventful couple of days |
[Oct. 22nd, 2006|11:20 am] |
Wow. We were in a car accident yesterday. There's a lot of pointless work and traffic on the A55 (which we have to travel on to get ANYWHERE). So we turned out of the village, onto the main road, hit instant traffic, and there's a bang behind us. I look behind to see what happened, and there's another car coming at us REALLY fast. I don't remember actually getting hit, but I remember looking round and the stereo being popped out and Dave not moving and panicking from there. We're both fine, he was just stunned. Thank God we were wearing seatbelts, though. We're both really stiff today. Cos I was looking around my neck muscles on one side don't seem to be working properly. Most amazingly of all, our pile o' shite car has one dent, and that's it! Good ole pile o' shite car!
Anyways, have been busy busy doing uni stuff and writing for the uni paper. I'm doing reviews for it. Aren't I swish? One book review for We Need to Talk About Kevin and a movie review for The History Boys (Which I thoroughly reccommend -- Go see it!)The History Boys is also on at Llandudno as a play, so if I get any birthday money I'm going to go see it. Cos the film was really excellent! |
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| Did you know... |
[Oct. 17th, 2006|02:21 pm] |
...That Buffy/Riley are the most unpopular BtVS 'mainstream' pairing on LJ, and falls quite a bit lower than most un-mainstream pairings. When searching 'Buffy/Riley' on peoples' interests, there are only 54 results returned, including communities. Full results of my little experiment are as follows:
1) Spuffy 645
2) Buffy/Spike 541
3) Buffy/Angel 552
4) Willow/Tara 519
5) Willow/Oz 324
6) Buffy/Giles 206
7) Xander/Anya 158
8) Spike/Dawn 133
9) Faith/Buffy 124
10) Spike/Drusilla 116
11) Willow/Spike 99
12) Buffy/Xander 78
13) Faith/Spike 69
14) Buffy/Riley 54
This is all the data I've gathered so far (For my gender essay, BTW -- I aim to show that, through gender role reversal and eventual acceptance of gender stereotypes 'somewhere in the middle', Spike and Buffy work to evolve a strong, mutually satisfying relationship with which most people can identify -- Hence finding popularity of pairings) Anyone have any suggestions for pairings I haven't tried? The next step is Google searching and trying the same trick at ff.net. |
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| Still can't figure it out... |
[Oct. 12th, 2006|10:22 am] |
...Why I don't like my Novel teacher. I mean, he seems nice enough. I think it's because he's so insincere. He said at the end of class -- once again filled with silence, and no one knowing whether the questions he was asking were rhetorical or posed to us -- and said he was 'really looking forward to our next session'. I mean, it just had to be a lie, right? He'd gone with the trendy suit this morning, I could tell. Egh, I just can't figure out why I dislike him so much! Everyone else is saying he's weird, but it's not that. I mean, I've liked -- I've gone out with weirder. I think it's 'cos he's trying really half-feartedly to do what my literature teacher for A level did: to be a clever silent type. Dr Chris Jones could pull it off. He doesn't. He seems more like he's spending an awkward tea time with his Great Aunt Florence. IT's not good.
I went to see The Devil Wears Prada last night, and am still undecided on where I stand regarding it. Meryl Streep did a fabulous job, and I can see where the magazines are coming from with the whole 'Whee, a woman with CAREER PROSPECTS!!!' but I'm still uncomfortable about the whole miraculous change from 'ugly' to 'super-model'. I like that she wasn't ugly, she just clearly (like me) valued her sleep in the morning. And I like that she makes the transformation to show that she's serious about her job, not to win the guy or get with the 'in' crowd -- her bitch co-assistant still bitch to her throughout the film, despite her final remark. I like that they had a woman who was strong and ran everything, but still had emotions and priorities and carried on with what she had to do.
What I didn't like was the fact that Andy was only really accepted by her boss once she had conformed. All her boss really wanted was an ideal assistant. And, let's face it, Andy could have delivered the Harry Potter or whatever without looking like a model -- In fact, it probably would have been easier running around New York without the stillettoes. I didn't like that our heroine couldn't be good at her job without her boyfriend deciding she was a different person. You know what? I have long hours, I study at home, I get called by Gill in the evening to check on something, I've had to work on Dave's birthday, on my birthday, and we still pulled through. And you think I didn't notice what kept her boyfriend hanging around so long? From the moment she changes their clothes, the only positive thing you see them do together is have sex. As long as he stil gets sex, he's happy. And did you notice how the only other person she really let down was her Dad? And how she couldn't get to her boyfriend's birthday party but she could get to her (female) friend's gallery opening? Hmmmmm. And finally, the big crappiness of sleeping with her 'big connection', of finding out about Miranda's replacement by sleeping with some sleaze who she's only met, like, three times and who, as she says herself, keeps using truly cheesey lines on her.
This film does do a lot, it's funny and witty and really does prove that, no matter how many people want your job, it's still going to feel like a crappy job! It shows that you have to work hard to get what you want, to be where you want to be, and it involves tough decisions. But there are still those few niggles that make me think 'hrmmm, I don't like some of what this si saying'. But then, that';s just me. Anyways, it's a cool flick. Go see it! |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 11th, 2006|02:33 pm] |
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Little girls doing baby talk to cats ... Is there anything more nauseating? |
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| Buffy essays? |
[Oct. 10th, 2006|09:20 pm] |
I've been reading essays in the Feminist Media Studies journal at university and also this and was intrigued by the couple of points on Spike as phallic symbol and inherantly male. I've always thought of Spike as, actually, the more feminine -- if not of the Buffy/Spike pairing, then of the male BtVS characters in general.
( Cut for length )
So, yeah. Is there a gender essay on Spuffy out there? Or am I going to have to write my own? Anyone know?
Other cool stuff: I'm going to see Patrick Stewart in The Tempest in London with my university. How cool is that? Freakin' Picard as Prospero! It's like all my SF geek fantasies came true! Really gutted I can't go see Ian McKellan in King Lear, though. Not my favourite play, but still -- Gandalf! Same room as Gandalf! |
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| Oh, and some writing: |
[Oct. 9th, 2006|11:50 am] |
My assignment for Showing & Telling class at uni. We had to write the same situation (based on the theme of 'leaving') twice -- When demonstrating the art of showing, one telling.
( Getting Up )
My homework for The Novel was to write a brief synopsis of an epic, roughly following what we studied in class. I've done something based around the Romans' non-invasion of Scotland. When the Romans start to take over the rest of Europe, the Scottish Celts go, 'Shit! That ain't gone be us, muthafuckas!' and send a champion to the Gods. The story would be about the trials the champion is put through, in order to grant their country immunity from the bastard Christians.
This was divised at midnight on Saturday, after I was very crying and whiny at Dave along the lines of, "I'm so shit, I can't even write an epic!" |
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| Birthday treats, whee! |
[Oct. 8th, 2006|11:59 am] |
We booked the tickets today for my birthday treat. We're going to go see The Producers in Drury Lane, and then spend a day looking around the art galleries in London. I'm really hoping we get lots of time to look around the Tate Modern. I've been before, but we went to see an Andy Warhol exhibition, and so didn't get to look around the rest of the gallery. We might even go on the Eye if we can afford it. I'm going to take a couple of days off around my birthday, so we can take our time driving down to London, maybe stop the night with Dave's sister on the way. We're (hopefully) going to stay with my brother in Greenwich. Haven't asked him yet, but he says we're always welcome. If not we can ask Emmy to stay with her in Kent.
Dave's been painting me this morning. He doesn't think it's very good, but I love it. It's not finished yet, though. I am very pale and yellow. Hee! Am going to paint him again tonight. I have loads of candles, so I want to try it with different light. |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 7th, 2006|01:10 pm] |
I've had a bizarre burst of creativity that I can only attribute to having had a lie in and a decent night's sleep. I've spent the whole morning painting, which is unusual for me. I drew a pencil sketch of Dave last night, which I thought was divine at the time, but now see that the nose was too big. I've painted him now, and I'm very proud of it. It's a masterpiece of red and gold. His head tapers away from the neck into the blank void of the blue-green-yellow background. It definitely looks like him...but more than that, when I look at it it makes me smile the same way he does when I look at him. I'm immensely proud of myself.
I've done a self-portrait as well, but I've made myself more like Kate Winslet, which is quite strange. I drew it after a photograph Dave took of me, and has been manipulating for his new slideshow display. The photograph is much better than my picture, but I do think the painting works very well -- especially if you try not to think of it as me. It's too pratty to be me. Dave says he prefers it, though. The colours are more intergrated to the picture, they have a better gradient and they're not as bold. It's a more 'beautiful' picture. But I still prefer teh one of Dave.
I've taken pictures, and if I can get my head around how, I'll post the pictures up here.
I have been watching the film Mrs Dalloway and reading a past exam paper. I'm not sure yet how I'd respond to it, which worries me a little. But it's early. I have yet to write any essays, and essays always make me feel much more comfortable with myself. I've been thinking on my dissertation next year. I saw posted what this year's thirds are doing, and someone is doing Virginia Woolf. I wonder if you can pick two authors, to contrast them -- whether I could do Woolf and Joyce. They didn't like each other much, but aspects of what they write are so similar. If I could pick any subject in the Woolf, I think I'd write on Contrasting Representations of Love in the Writings of Virginia Woolf and James Joyce. Sounds a good title, doesn't it? |
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| More From Uni... |
[Oct. 5th, 2006|01:24 pm] |
And another new seminar leader. We like this one, she's great. She's been teaching for fifteen years in Holland (Dutchland to the uneducated a la moi) and has come back to here to teach me.....and others. She's very enthusiastic and good at getting everyone involved and setting up arguments between the people in the class. I think I'll also like this class 'cos there are a lot of familiar faces there, so I don't feel bad about arguing or saying stupid stuff, cos after last year everyone knows that's kinda the norm. Yay me.
Quite a few of my classmates have joined SODA (Something Opera Dramatics Association -- sorry, don't know what the S is) and I['m thinking of signing up, too. It's been a long while since I was in a musical, but it was always so much fun. And, what do you know, actual socialising involved. Does take away one of my Dave Days, but she said that afterwards they usually go to karaoke, so maybe Dave could join us for that. If he wasn't in one of his 'students think what they're told to think' moods. As not everyone is allowed to verbally beat him up like me. Or knows that they're supposed to. Cos he likes it. Verbal masochist.
I am also soaked through, because the weather is stinky and hates me. I look like a drowned rat. I've asked Dave for a brolly for my birthday. |
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| First Novel Class |
[Oct. 5th, 2006|10:39 am] |
Wow, my seminar leader's...interesting. Didn't like him at all at first. He embraces the silencce and does very little to encourage anybody, plus he started out by making us all make name tags. In my experience, this isn't a good start. After a while, though, he seems......I don't know. Pertinent, I guess. He has a lot of the artiste about him, which I suppose you'd get from a novelist. I'm not sure how he'll take my SF -- Although he opened by looking at mythological tales from different cultures, which is kinda cool. And we're looking at The Epic for the next couple of weeks. Oh, also, he finished with quite a partonising stint on 'Could we handle looking after our own writing instead of handing in homework every week?' I think the jury's still out.
I've got another new sem. leader next class -- as in, new to the whole university. Will update on how that goes later.
Also, apologies for any typos or crapess. I'm absolutely frozen. ~It's tipping rain outside and I look like a drowned rat. I'm thinking of asking for an umberella for my birthday. Brrr. |
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| Angel Series Finale |
[Oct. 4th, 2006|08:58 am] |
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So I finally got round to finishing off the Angels last night.....Uh, did anyone else find that ending incredibly disappointing? I mean, you get the really cool end of the penultimate episode where *everything* is turne on its head, this is the hardest thing we'll ever do, etc. And then they accomplish it in ten minutes. Some die, as we all knew some would, but the one who do. You just know you're going to see them go down fighting. When the hoards of Middle Earth, complete with Nazgul, throng into the alley, you wanna see a frickin' good battle, you wanna see Spike and Angel and Illyria kick some ass before they go. And it ends. No vindication, no last words, nothing. To me, it was kinda like some films, where you can see their CGI budget was kinda running out towards the end, or like they just figured they ran out of time -- like the last half hour of Bride and Prejudice, where they fit half the book into a quarter of the film. It just made me cross. I love Spike, he's my favourite character of all time, and when he went in Buffy, I could accept it, cos you saw him go the way he'd want to. But there was just nothing! Did anyone else feel that way? |
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| An Unlucky Morning |
[Oct. 3rd, 2006|01:38 pm] |
I miscalculated the bus times, so my bus passed just as I was approaching the bus stop. The next one was supposed to be in twenty minutes (which would get me to Uni JUST in time), but was actually half an hour. Ten minutes late I could cope with. But the second I paid for my ticket, the engine started smoking and caught on fire! GAH! Had to get poor Dave to drive me in, and I was still ten minutes late. Damnit!
Had first creative writing class today. It's on Showing & Telling, just kinda building on what we were doing last year so no big deal. I'm really looking forward to the seminars on The Novel, though. Just wondering what they're going to focus on.
I have a shiny new sweater that cost me three pounds from a charity shop. It's big n warm and very very red, and Dave says it suits me very well. It's certainly nice and warm! I plaited my hair while it was wet last night, so my hair's all pretty and crinkley. Think I must look like a proper student today! |
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| First day back at Uni |
[Oct. 2nd, 2006|01:06 pm] |
And I had to admit, I was worried. You know, that I'd got stupider over the summer or something. But really, just kinda hyper and excited now. I had a lecture on modernism this morning. The first half hour was a talk on 'What we expectof you in this module', which is probably mostly what I'll be hearing this week. I smiled when he said 'We are educating you in an era of literature, not coaching you to pass an exam'. It made me think of Dave.
So after that, we learned about why things were so different in the modernist era, and listened to some modernist and pre-modernist music and art. One of the pieces we listened to was Nimrod and the Lecturer asked us to yell out some words to describe the pre-modernist music and I said 'restrained'. This guy in the back row sticks up his hand and says, 'Actually, Nimrod is supposed to be a revolutionary piece of music, the hwole point of it is that it's unrestrained because of many technical musical thingies'. Mumbled to my friend 'He's thinking of Greenday, right?' I was asked to say how the music made me feel, not what a textbook says the composer wanted. Maybe it would have made Victorians feel free as a bird. But not me.
I have a Shakespeare lecture in a little bit. I've been trying to wade through Venus & Adonis. It's beautifully written, but it just goes on!
ad a text from Gill asking if I'd learned everything yet. I texted back 'All my uni friends r moaning they hav 2 work now. Am like, hav been working for 4 years, slackers!' It's true, though! Everyone's been working over the summer, and they're not in halls anymore they have to get jobs to pay real-person rent. It's just so funny, the whining! How come I'm like the only person who got a job at sixteen?
My not-an-iPod is making me cross. It keeps running out of battery after only playing two or three songs. I re-charge it, but maybe not for long enough? Any advice from iPod users? Should I just give up and get a real one? |
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| Everything Seems Horrible Today |
[Sep. 28th, 2006|09:03 am] |
I think Dave might have to go into hospital again. Nothing's backing up, but it's been hurting for three days now. It's inflamed, and now it's pushing against his bladder. I think if we don't get it looked at soon, it's going to start backing up. He's exceeding his codeine dosage, and it's still only helping for an hour or so at a time. Dave says he's going to make a doc appointment, but we both know there's nothing can be done until they take him in to do a scan. X-rays, even, are rarely helpful. When he was in Canada they did an X-ray and told him he had looped bowel and they'd have to operate. When they did a CAT they saw it was just an inch of inflamed small intestine, and they could drug it out of him.
My main worry is that, if he goes in, he needs to go to Llandudno not Bangor. They have a proper gastro-entorology unit there and, I'm hoping, the quality of care is a little better. When he was in Bangor just before Christmas, he came out with an arm infection 'cause they hadn't taken proper care of his IV line. They let him shower without any protection over it, left it for six days without changing it (In Canada it's policy to change it after three), and didn't seem particularly concerned when it bled once. So anyway, we want him in Llandudno, but I've never been there before. I don't know if I can get a bus there, or where in the hospital he'd be, or anything. Peter downstairs has said that if I give him a few hours notice, to stop taking his own codeine, he can drive me in. But I like the flexibility of knowing that I can go when I want to go. Nurses, etc. never mind me hanging about. All I do is sit and knit quietly, I don't disturb anyone. Heck, when he was in Bangor last year I ws sent down to the cafeteria to get everyone on his ward some snacks on more than one occassion.
Also sat here listening to Brat Child throwing a tantrum about going to school, and Gill's trying to reason with her. While getting kicked. And punched. And screamed at. I can understand reasoning with children -- it's important that they know there's a reason things happen. But it's impossible reasoning with a kid that hasn't been brought up to reason. Faith's been brought up to know that when she tantrums, someone has to put it right. *Sighs* It's horrible to listen to, but I just feel so bad for Gill that Faith acts like such a brat when she's way more priveliged than a lot of kids. |
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| Fun in bed -- Not, not *that* kind |
[Sep. 27th, 2006|12:36 pm] |
Dave is sick. The crohns is much worse the last coupleof days. So, it being my day off, I brought him tea in bed this morning and sat on the end and chatted to him. It was nice. And kinda funny:
Me: I dreamt about Hugh Jackman all last night. It was yummy. Is it strange that I even fancied Wolverine when he was just a cartoon character?
Dave: No, I've fancied loads of cartoons.
Me: Like who?
Dave: I'm not telling
Me: But you know how I love to make fun of you.
I managed to get Lois from Family Guy and Jessica Rabbit out of him, but that was it. Don't know why he's so guarded. I like the dog from Family Guy. Don't get much weirder than that, do you? Also, I checked to see if there was a community specifically for Brian Griffin lovers, and no. Disappointing, LJ. Disappointing. |
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