Another (more and more) infrequent update

Sorry I've been neglecting the blog.

So. Rasin weekend. Finished all my homework Saturday. Had rehearsal Sunday morning, when we ran the whole show. It's going well. Then went to parties for the rest of the day, which involved drinking (of course), and various games/conversations/silliness. Bobbing for prizes in custard/flour/juice. A mock TV show. Trivial persuit.

The next day, got dressed up as a 300 Spartan for the foam fight in the quad. It was an almost festival atmosphere, with other students and most of the town turning up to watch. And, yes, it was cold. Freezing cold to be wearing not very much clothing. I got back and took a cold shower which felt very hot. Then at 2PM had my philosophy tutorial (can we really know anything exists? what do our senses tell us?) for which I was at least mostly conscious. Then at 4 turned in my psychology lab report and took the test, which I felt went pretty well. Multiple choice. Ahhhhh. Spent the rest of the day off hanging with people and playing World of Warcraft in the kitchen (because the kitchen picks up wireless from next door, and the university internet connection has a firewall which prevents online gaming).

Tuesday I had lectures and then squandered the afternoon trying to read 20 pages. At 6, I went to the Courier Debates. I had no idea what they were, but I knew they were in Perth--that we got free transport and dinner. Sold. Turns out it was a schools debate (basically middle school kids), which was fine but a bit boring. Dinner was exceptional. When I come home, we are eating soooooo much.

Lagging

Back into the week and absolute insanity. Rehearsals for my show, lectures, classes, the Freshers Debate (which I was involved in organizing) last night, and realizing "oh, right, its Rasin Weekend this weekend and I've got a lab writeup and Psychology exam on Monday".

Rasin Weekend is a tradition in which Sunday and Monday are absolutely crazy. 3rd and 4th years "adopt" 1st years to be their "academic children". They do various things with their kids (saw Elizabeth: The Golden Age with my "mum"'s side, been a lot of the debates and a play with my "dad"), which culminate in Rasin Weekend. On Sunday, you go to your mother's for "tea", often involving alcohol, and are given a "rasin string" to wear on your gown. After tea, your dad hosts a party and gives you your "rasin recipt", the largest, most cumbersome object they can find and write in Latin on. On Monday morning, lectures are cancelled and mothers wake you up around 8/9, dress you in costumes, and you carry your rasin recipt to the quad where there is a giant foam fight. Then, later that day, you turn in a psychology writeup and have an exam! Or maybe thats just me. Bitter? Nah.

But I'm really glad to get back into everything.

Saturday!

Cool day. Went to Glasgow for a debates competition. Placed 2nd in "we should we ban domestic flights" (ppl here seem obsessed with the idea that they are a serious detrement to the environment), 3rd in "we should cut all military funding to Pakistan until they hold democratic elections" (I was a bit pissed off about this one because we made really good arguments, despite the fact that I knew nothing about the current situation in Pakistan, but other teams confirmed that the judge was trying to screw St Andrews over) and 1st in "we should only allowed skilled imigrants". 1 point shy of getting into the finals, but St Andrews won, so it was all good.

Glasgow was cool, especially today, because Scotland played Italy in a historic match, as this is the first time they've gotten this far toward the world cup in a long time. They lost, but as early as 10 AM (when we arrived), the streets were flooded with people in kilts wearing Scotland flags as capes with painted faces--already shitfaced. The train back (busses had stopped running) was full of disheartened fans after Scotland lost.

Debates is something I don't know if I'll be able to continue into next year, simply because I imagine the motions get really repetive after a while, but as long as I'm learning something new I'm happy. And St Andrews sends people to Euro's debates in all sorts of exotic places and pays for food/accomidation, so why not!

Friday of Reading Week

Sick Wednesday night, have had a quiet few days. Lots of films--an old version of "Casanova", very surreal and lovable for old over-the-top movie acting, with interesting, somewhat haunting images and things to say. "The Remains of the Day", both finished the book and watched the movie. Books are always better, and though it took me a good 70 pages to get past the snotty upper-crusty Brittishness, in the end I thought the book was spectacular. For once, I was not all that impressed with Anthony Hopkins in the movie version-like the first Harry Potters, too faithful, to representative, too "tell, not show".

I watched a famous anime movie called "Metropolis", interesting steam-punk world, thinking-robots-slaves-to-humans kinda thing, but honestly as much as I appreciate the art I can't get that into anime. Might be as simple as the people who do the English voices.

Then, yesterday and today, two excellent movies. "Moulin Rouge", which I'd seen before a long time ago. Now I recognized the pop songs, and, while the energy of it got heavy and my attention sank slightly, for such a simple story its one of the most inspirational I've seen. The Bohemian cry to "be passionate!" was a welcome wake-up call of a sort, because I detatched to come here and have not reatached terribly much as of yet...it would be nice to have a cause. Ah well.

Today, "Dancer in the Dark". What a fucking depressing movie. How amazing is Bjork? Amazing. I feel like the play I'm writing is bubblegum after that. Betrayal is the hardest thing to watch, and Bjork manages somehow to make her "can't catch me!" persona work being gritty and down to earth.

Tommorow I'm going to go to a debate competition in, I think, Glasgow. Should be fun--even if I do have to wake up at 6:45 to get on a 7 AM bus.

Low key

It's pretty dead here. The highlights of these last few days have been cooking a whole chicken on Sunday, a game of Risk that stretched into 7 or 8 hours over two days, and buying boots yesterday. I've been reading more on free will for my philosophy essay and some articles just for my IR tutorial. Life goes on....today has been singularly unexceptional, but the past two days have been mostly fun.

...or not.

So, no Egypt. Beurocratic stuff we didn't know about. Now we do. We will be so much the wiser.

I did have a great ride up watching the Scottish countryside, read pretty much the entirety of a novel required for IR, and wandered around Edinburgh for 40 minutes while waiting for a bus back. Not a complete waste....actually probably more productive than if I had stayed here.

What now? Maybe see if Robbie can show me around Glasgow--that'd be fun. Hang out in St Andrews. I do get the impression that I will be meeting people and making closer friendships staying here, since the student population is down by probably over half. William insists that I will meet the love of my life in this next week, and all because of not getting on that plane!

EGYYYYYYPT

Last post for a while. This next week is "reading week", so we don't have lectures. I will get my reading done on a plane, which I will hopefully get on. Going to Egypt. Shawn is doing a semester there, and its EGYPT. So. That's that.

Got all the info/stuff finally worked out. Ill be going to the airport around 10 for a 1:40 flight, so i should have loads of time to go through and make sure I have everything worked out. From Edinburgh I'll fly to Frankfurt, where I'll hopefully catch a connection around 4 hours later (no "getting lost" excuse) at 10:25 to Egypt, and I'll get there at 3:30 AM on Sunday. Gods willing. From there I have an address and instructions on how much to pay a cab to get to Shawn's. Then he takes over and the next thing I have to worry about is how to get back. Ahhhh. I do have a flight Friday afternoon, so we'll hope that stays clear and keep fingers crossed.

Love everyone, blog you in a week! I'd better have stooooories....

Procrastination

is a wonderful thing. What I should be doing? Reading about international institutions for tommorow's tutorial.

What exciting new things have happened since Monday? Yesterday I was scattered and meant to go take part in a psychology experiment for £££...but forgot. Meant to go to a public speaking workshop at 7.30...but forgot. And not the "I should be doing something, I wonder what?" forgetting--no, this was blissful, straight-ahead, full-steam, "I'm doing my thing and am not going to bother checking my diary (calander...they call it diary here)" forgetting. Ah well.

Last night felt lonely. Felt like I don't know that many people, don't have any really solid friendships here.

Today went to classes as usual, went to a debates training thing from 2-5. Debated the merits and demerits of making the morning-after pill perscription only, and on banning ransom payments for hostages. I never think I'll enjoy it, and then I do. And, even though its just a bunch of windbags going off, I always feel like I've learned something. It's interesting also...I get the feeling that a lot of the people in debating are "public school" (what they call private school in England) conservatives, but they all know how to sound nice and PC, so I'm the one who comes up with outrageous propositions that make them squeal because they're not padded with political correctness. Today it was "ransoms give value to the lives of hostages" and "demanding ransoms is at least a means and a channel of communication".

Tonight I sat with William during dinner, a 3rd year phsyics guy who is older (around 26 I think) and very into philosophy...he lent me a book for my essay and has asked me a couple times if he can read the essay, which I sent him tonight. After dinner gave more people from the annex a tour of the robottle. Then sat and discussed life with Katie, my play with Chris (the usual writer who doesn't write, but he has ideas, he's just got to sit down and go for it), and psychology with Katie. She had a question/experiment idea, so we e-mailed one of the psych professors about office hours to go in and see what he thought of it. I read a proposal on Marginal Revolution (I think) a while back that undergrads would be well served to try to get to know one professor a semester. First for intellectual stimulation/interest/nice person-ness, and second because that means that by the end of 4 years you will know 8 professors. This means knowing prominent members of various fields who can give you reccomendations/ideas/suggestions/references/whatever. This was partly what I had in mind with the Christian lunch I never made it to, and I think that if I can let that ideal override any intimidation I may feel it will be worthwhile.

I feel much less lonely tonight. I also feel like I'd better start reading and answering these questions. But its only 11.30. The night is young!

Remember remember the 5th of November...

Guy Fawkes day! And they celebrate it! People have been setting off fireworks for the entire week, and tonight is going to be mental.

Good day overall. Handed in my IR essay, and I feel alright about it. Philosophy and psychology as usual. I suprisingly really enjoyed my philosophy tutorial today...same people, tutor as before--but we were talking about Descartes and "cogito ero sum" and his training in philosophy of languae got to kick in. When he knows what he's talking about, hes an alright guy.

Speaking of which: Mom, you did Latin...cogito, as in cognition, cognecer, etc. Ergo, ergo. Sum....is the direct translation really "I am"? "Sum" if its the "sum" of summation and summary and sums seems to carry a connotation of bringing things together, making many things one, concise. I might be full of shit, though.

Spent 30 minutes of my life watching the same fucking 3 minute video clip of babies over and OVER again my pschology lab as part of a professor's experiment that we are subjects for and are going to write lab reports on. Woo hoo. I may stab myself.

And next, there's dinner.

Hey William...

This is a bit of an odd way of sending a message, but my parents have said there is all kinds of crazy going on on your front, and I know you read the blog sooooo.....

"Reading Week" is a short break we get between the 10th and 18th of Novemeber, so starting next weekend. I'd really to take advantage of being on this side of the world and go somewhere--specifically, Egype, as I've got a friend who is doing a semester abroad there who I can stay with. What is your situation/opinion? Is this doable?

Hope it was alright posting this here (private message in semi-public space ughhh)--I can edit it out after you reply.

Things here are good. Printed out and turned in Philosophy essay yesterday morning and did about half of my IR essay in the afternoon. Went and saw Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Dammit Cate Blanchet is amazing, but the movie itself was a bit cheesy and Hollywood. Interesting seeing it with a load of Britts....some didn't even know the Protestand/Catholic schism, some were pointing out historical innacuracies, and some just said "Ah yes, the defeat of the Spanish Armada. More proof that God is English." After that went and hung around in a pub. Today I've got my rehearsal at 2 and nothing else, so I'm hoping to finish up the IR essay. Tommorow I've got rehearsal at 2 again and--don't freak out--lunch with a bunch of students and a math professor and his wife who I met last Sunday in the church. I have not argued with Christians in far too long, but I'm really going for the professor. Since we change lecturers every week or two, and because classes are fairly large, you don't really get to know the professors, which I think is probably part of the whole point of university. So I've informed them of my (un)religious beliefs, and they say "come", and I say non-hall food at the cost of conversion is a price that must be paid!

UPDATE: I woke up late on Sunday. No lunch with Christians. I cried for nearly four hours. Then I told myself "there is no God" and that cheered me up.

Procrastinating!

I should be writing my IR essay.

Today has been fucking hectic. Woke up, went to breakfast, came back, worked on essay. Went to IR at 10, Philosophy at 11, Psychology at 12 (more fucking babies...), lunch at 1, a Mermaids meeting all directors have to be at at 1:15 (technically started at 1), my rehearsal for my own show at 2, back to the dorm to work more on essays at 3, IR tutorial at 4, library at 5, dinner at 6. Whew. Now I'm doing laundry, working on essay. Next I'll head to the library and see if I can set up the wireless internet and if I can't print my first essay off from there (I think every student gets 50 free pages? I'll find out).

So.

Tommorow, I have one class at 12. No rehearsal. No commitments until 5 PM. Whew.

Happy Birthday!

Hi Dad, you will have just gone to bed. But when you wake up, and drink coffee, and start the cogs going: Happy Birthday!