Handed in my last of 3 essays today...I've got a statistics test Friday but otherwise I'm done with academics until exams.
Now my show becomes priority number one--opening this Friday! Makeup and costumes coming in, got props and publicity, selling tickets like a rabid ferret (how does a rabid ferret sell tickets? that's for you to imagine!). It's going really well, though.
I've mainly been doing stuff and thinking about my essays--environmental ethics, St Andrews becoming carbon neutral, skepticism as far as arguments and knowledge go. But the balance of power has shifted oddly in my life, partly through meeting and hanging out with a broader crowd and being more comfortable, but I'm much closer to senior year where I had a confidence and ability to talk to anyone and an odd power whose origins I'm not sure of...some mix of my own confidence and other's perceptions. But it feels nice-odd, and I know I can't let it get to my head-but nice.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Happy
Why? Let's go chronologically.
1. Good chat with a professor on the street after a SD tutorial. Theology prof who tried to shift all blame for viewing the environment as inferior from genesis to the enlightenment, but it felt like university!
2. Edited and finished my Philosophy essay, worked on my SD one, and watched a movie.
3. Went and saw a school production of The Last Five Years. Not the most amazingly done, but very competently, and it is a FUCKING good play. An hour and a half musical, with two people, about their relationship. The woman moves backward in time, from their breakup to first meeting, while the man moves forward in time. Hilarious, heartbreaking writing and music.
4. An awesome e-mail from William
5. A really good rehearsal after dinner.
6. Learning that I GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP FOR COSTA RICA! Won't know how much or any specifics until the 28th, but still, wooo! Also got an e-mail from the Australian couchsurfer who'll be here this next week and he sounds awesome.
7. Fight club.
That is all.
1. Good chat with a professor on the street after a SD tutorial. Theology prof who tried to shift all blame for viewing the environment as inferior from genesis to the enlightenment, but it felt like university!
2. Edited and finished my Philosophy essay, worked on my SD one, and watched a movie.
3. Went and saw a school production of The Last Five Years. Not the most amazingly done, but very competently, and it is a FUCKING good play. An hour and a half musical, with two people, about their relationship. The woman moves backward in time, from their breakup to first meeting, while the man moves forward in time. Hilarious, heartbreaking writing and music.
4. An awesome e-mail from William
5. A really good rehearsal after dinner.
6. Learning that I GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP FOR COSTA RICA! Won't know how much or any specifics until the 28th, but still, wooo! Also got an e-mail from the Australian couchsurfer who'll be here this next week and he sounds awesome.
7. Fight club.
That is all.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Etc
Last Friday was the Hall Ball, my first ball in St Andrews, which was a lot of fun. Not too much to report, mostly just mayhem, crowded dancing space, and giving free alcohol to people often ends interestingly by which I mean, a good percentage get kicked out for one reason or another. Fairly calm night for me, but enjoyable. Rehearsals continue, going pretty well, mostly walking through and cleaning everything up.
Great weekend--warm and really nice. Spent an afternoon out in front on the grass barefoot playing frisbee and drinking beer--college life, anyone? Working on essays, having good conversations. This semester feels a lot better (as of course it would), and I am regaining some of what Rez would call my "A" (confidence, basically). Last night went to a discussion about capitalism and environmentalism from a member of the Scottish Socialist Party, which was an interesting perspective that was far more "the system is flawed" than SD, which so far tends to just look at specific problems rather than a larger picture. I have been getting very little sleep and re-discovering tired Brian, who is a pretty cool guy and comes up with some off-the-wall stuff.
The robottle has a friend. This Saturday I was bored and had loads of boxes (from beer and post from home, mostly), so built a tower up to the ceiling with them and tape. Then Robbie was a genius, as usual, and we turned it into a (rather unconventional) bookshelf. At the very least, our antics keep the cleaners amused.
Great weekend--warm and really nice. Spent an afternoon out in front on the grass barefoot playing frisbee and drinking beer--college life, anyone? Working on essays, having good conversations. This semester feels a lot better (as of course it would), and I am regaining some of what Rez would call my "A" (confidence, basically). Last night went to a discussion about capitalism and environmentalism from a member of the Scottish Socialist Party, which was an interesting perspective that was far more "the system is flawed" than SD, which so far tends to just look at specific problems rather than a larger picture. I have been getting very little sleep and re-discovering tired Brian, who is a pretty cool guy and comes up with some off-the-wall stuff.
The robottle has a friend. This Saturday I was bored and had loads of boxes (from beer and post from home, mostly), so built a tower up to the ceiling with them and tape. Then Robbie was a genius, as usual, and we turned it into a (rather unconventional) bookshelf. At the very least, our antics keep the cleaners amused.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Just a quick update
Busy times, but just thought I'd update to say, after a few more hassles regarding airports, I'm back in St Andrews and starting 2nd term. Had 2 tests yesterday (first day back!), of which psychology went mediocre, philosophy went really well. Also got back previous assignments, of which about the same: 16 on Psychology, 19 on Philosophy. Which is pretty good. I'm understanding the grades a bit better now--basically, a 17-20 is a "First", basically an A (with 20 being "the department will notify you separately if you get it") a 13-16 is an "Upper Second", essentially a B, 10-13 is a "Lower Second" which is an odd C equivalent, 7-10 is a "Third", and 5-7 is a "pass". The lower zones have fuzzier boundaries, ie for first year you need to get 5s, second year in the subject(s) you want to carry into honours you have to get a 12.5 or up, and your final degree I believe is an average of class grades in honours (not sure if 2nd year grades count toward it...they might). But anyways, I'm pretty happy.
Play rehearsal coming up tomorrow, birthday party for a girl upstairs tonight, 2 essays due on the 25th and another on the 29th, one more pre-final test at an undisclosed time...all in a day's work.
Play rehearsal coming up tomorrow, birthday party for a girl upstairs tonight, 2 essays due on the 25th and another on the 29th, one more pre-final test at an undisclosed time...all in a day's work.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
In Lisbon
Watched the bullfight in Madrid...an odd spectrum of emotions. The first bull was so confused and pathetic that it made me uncomfortable and highly sympathetic. The second was fiestier and bucked and stamped, and you could step back from it just being animal slaughter and see some sort of craft in it...a reason why it would be a sport. However, 6 bulls? Really? All killed in the exact same way. It got...boring. And that was the worst thing. Slaughter should provoke something strong--revulsion, entertainment. But when after bull #4 I was bored, I became uncomfortable not with the fight but with myself. Very glad I went--it makes you feel like a part of living history since the times of gladiators, to be honest, however uncomfortable. I dunno, maybe it was the fact it was a sport that bored me? Slaughter and blood aside, not that different from my final reaction to a baseball game.
The next day we went to Toledo, which I really liked. An old midieval town-on-a-hill, it reminded me of St Andrews in its "Historical Tourist Trap" status. Still, some really cool architecture and the winding, impossible streets I've come to love. It's got a cathedral, several churches, and a couple remaining synagogues in a not-burned-to-the-ground-and-desecrated Jewish area. Didn't see any mosques, though there is a historically strong Muslim influence, but ah well. That night it started to rain like nobody's business, and Theo and I had a nice game of running between overhangs to the opposite corner of town. Went back to Madrid in the morning and figured it would be easier to go straight to Lisbon. The bus to Caceres was fairly expensive and it was 2 busses, not 1, to get to Lisbon from there. So an 8 hour bus ride (read a tidy bit of my book and watched RUSH HOUR 3, which was on a repeating cycle, about 4 times) and got in late to take the metro and a cheap train to Theo's friend, who lives decidedly NOT in Lisbon but in the environs. Cool lady--went to Santa Cruz and is soooo the type, with 2 cats (dammit St Andrews re-sensitizing my allergies!) and a house full of Hindi nick-nacks, hardwood, chai tea, brown rice, hip technology, and other hippy accoutraments. Seems like a cool lady--we need to make her dinner tonight. Theo is still asleep--and dammit does he ever sleep--so we'll see what happens later.
Further insight on Theo travel: he says he is content if he eats out/has "local food" once for every country. I weep inside--the UK ok, fine, fair dues, but Paris! Spain! Food is too good not to eat when you can get it authentic and cheap, for the sake of saving a few euros.
The next day we went to Toledo, which I really liked. An old midieval town-on-a-hill, it reminded me of St Andrews in its "Historical Tourist Trap" status. Still, some really cool architecture and the winding, impossible streets I've come to love. It's got a cathedral, several churches, and a couple remaining synagogues in a not-burned-to-the-ground-and-desecrated Jewish area. Didn't see any mosques, though there is a historically strong Muslim influence, but ah well. That night it started to rain like nobody's business, and Theo and I had a nice game of running between overhangs to the opposite corner of town. Went back to Madrid in the morning and figured it would be easier to go straight to Lisbon. The bus to Caceres was fairly expensive and it was 2 busses, not 1, to get to Lisbon from there. So an 8 hour bus ride (read a tidy bit of my book and watched RUSH HOUR 3, which was on a repeating cycle, about 4 times) and got in late to take the metro and a cheap train to Theo's friend, who lives decidedly NOT in Lisbon but in the environs. Cool lady--went to Santa Cruz and is soooo the type, with 2 cats (dammit St Andrews re-sensitizing my allergies!) and a house full of Hindi nick-nacks, hardwood, chai tea, brown rice, hip technology, and other hippy accoutraments. Seems like a cool lady--we need to make her dinner tonight. Theo is still asleep--and dammit does he ever sleep--so we'll see what happens later.
Further insight on Theo travel: he says he is content if he eats out/has "local food" once for every country. I weep inside--the UK ok, fine, fair dues, but Paris! Spain! Food is too good not to eat when you can get it authentic and cheap, for the sake of saving a few euros.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Update
Final night in Madrid tonight, hopefully going to go watch a bullfight (not sure how I´ll feel about that which makes me all the more eager to go). Tomorrow heading over to Toledo for a day and night, then a day in Caceres, and then 3 days in Lisbon and then home! Whew. Ashley left today, and we had a great Tapas meal last night. I think I´ve officially decided to eat only at good local places from now on--cheap and amazing. Had an octopus sandwich and a shrimp-and-white-strips-of-something sandwhich for lunch. Mmmmm. Spent all morning wandering around a flea-market that´s on every Sunday. All flea markets are the same, but it felt more authentic and much less touristy than other stuff we´ve been up to (aka yesterday visited the Palacio Real). In an odd mood.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Madrid now
In Madid starting tonight. Have spent the last few days in Barcelona, with a day in Zaragoza (a halfway point between the cities and capital of the Aragon province). Basic summary of stuffI´vedone:
Barcelona´s Cathedral (under construction)
Barcelona´s Zoo (we wanted to!)
Gaudi´s Sagrada Familia and Park Guall, as well as various hotels etc of his
The Olympic stadium and surrounding hullabolu
The Placa Espana and castle in Barcelona
The excavations and subterranian Roman ruins in Zaragoza (docks, forums, baths, and a theatre)
Bus rides...surprisingly interesting. Parts are very Southern California, bits very Europe. Stone houses and old monastaries cropping up in the middle of crop fields, forests and brambly hills. Very ¨oh, I can see Don Quixote here!¨ although of course its the wrong place entirely.
Theo and Ashley are proving interesting traveling partners. As the only Spanish speaker, I feel like the parent occasionally, getting stuff and getting us out of jams (although, as with any dependence, a great deal is contrived. They could manage just as well without me, albeit perhaps a mite slower). Ashley is very much a girl interested in cleanliness and food and ooooh pretty. Theo´s been on the road for a bit and I´ll admit I´m impressed by the sense for directions and maps he´s accquired. The tightly clutched camera and ¨what we should see is what´s on the postcards¨ gets to me, but overall no murders yet. I´ve gotten to do some very cool stuff, but it feels a bit too much like a family vacation (though in hostels eating baguette and chorizo from the supermarket) for my comfort. Madrid has loads of nightlife which I´ll see if I can snag away from the others, as well as hopefully some interesting areas. We all have our different types of tourism, and my preffered one is cultural. Egypt was brilliant for that...this less so. On the first day I was excited because, in dealing with ATM people, I had gotten myself thinking in Spanish. Now I´m solidly back in ye olde Ingles.
Barcelona´s Cathedral (under construction)
Barcelona´s Zoo (we wanted to!)
Gaudi´s Sagrada Familia and Park Guall, as well as various hotels etc of his
The Olympic stadium and surrounding hullabolu
The Placa Espana and castle in Barcelona
The excavations and subterranian Roman ruins in Zaragoza (docks, forums, baths, and a theatre)
Bus rides...surprisingly interesting. Parts are very Southern California, bits very Europe. Stone houses and old monastaries cropping up in the middle of crop fields, forests and brambly hills. Very ¨oh, I can see Don Quixote here!¨ although of course its the wrong place entirely.
Theo and Ashley are proving interesting traveling partners. As the only Spanish speaker, I feel like the parent occasionally, getting stuff and getting us out of jams (although, as with any dependence, a great deal is contrived. They could manage just as well without me, albeit perhaps a mite slower). Ashley is very much a girl interested in cleanliness and food and ooooh pretty. Theo´s been on the road for a bit and I´ll admit I´m impressed by the sense for directions and maps he´s accquired. The tightly clutched camera and ¨what we should see is what´s on the postcards¨ gets to me, but overall no murders yet. I´ve gotten to do some very cool stuff, but it feels a bit too much like a family vacation (though in hostels eating baguette and chorizo from the supermarket) for my comfort. Madrid has loads of nightlife which I´ll see if I can snag away from the others, as well as hopefully some interesting areas. We all have our different types of tourism, and my preffered one is cultural. Egypt was brilliant for that...this less so. On the first day I was excited because, in dealing with ATM people, I had gotten myself thinking in Spanish. Now I´m solidly back in ye olde Ingles.
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