Tuesday, September 26, 2006

all wot's happening

on rereading, that last post with the email is incredibly pompous. whoops. if it makes it any better i gave a lovely tute today on "maus" and how to read comics with an overhead and group work and deconstructing the semiotics of speech bubbles. and i brought in 'in the shadow of no towers' for them to see, which is this fabulous gut-wrenching book about s11 by art speigelman. it's in the form of an enormous board book and i've wanted it for years, but it was 50 or 60 dollars at polyester and here is only $27 also study so totally justified. anyway, it was a fantastic collaborative engaging learning environment. so there. also got their first assignment. here are excerpts from my favourite so far:

'For my essay on "Maus", my thesis is: "The graphic novel "Maus", by Art Spiegelman, tells the story of a man [. . . ]'
'My first body paragraph deals with an obvious yet, hidden element of this novel. My topic sentence is as follows:'
'My conclusion paragraph would come in now.'

(i know it is probably wrong to laugh at yr students, but i'm new to this business and totally have extenuatings)

started planning the christmas jaunt with tofu and the hardfarmer. here's the draft itinerary as stands:

Friday Dec 21- Ballet in London
Sat Dec 22 - train to Windermere
Sun Dec 24 - walking in Lake Dist perhaps cycling depending on the weather etc
Mon Dec 25 - YHA has kitchen so will cook yummy lunch and so will eat and drink lots and go for a walk. Pray that it snows and we can go sledding too.
Tues Dec 26 -York,
Wed Dec 27 - Haworth
Thurs Dec 28- Stratford apon Avon
Frid Dec 29 - early train to Bath
Sat Dec 30 -return to London or go to Coventry on way home from Bath?
Sun Dec 31 London -
Mon Jan 1 Oxford day trip?
Tuesday Jan 2 - Brigton day trip?
Wenesday Jan 3 - Cambridge day trip?

so exciting! i'm applying for a scholarship in children's literature here, which is worth $1500 and would defray the costs. i've also started embroiling myself in student/department politics like a good little grad student. say hello to the treasurer of the graduate society! sat in on a department meeting today with a controversial vote about a new private uni affiliated with the public one (sound familiar, anybody?) and have volunteered to meet'n'greet for the upcoming conference. which i'd better start writing my paper for.

study is still damned hard, but i am making sure to be massively overprepared for every class and am managing to hold my own. more or less. speaking of which. . .

but, quickly, made a fab meal tonight (especially good considering i can store all of my cutlery, crockery and glassware in two drawers) thus:

chickpeas are totally my lover. and mushrooms. mmmm. . .

and discovered that my (exorbitantly expensive) canopener is in fact a bloodthirsty doommachine of death:

and this is my coffee maker, c/o c+g. oh i love it so much! it is so small and cute and red and it makes coffee! it has brightened up my mornings considerably. but you have to watch the little bugger or it spouts boiling coffee in great steaming arcs across the kitchen.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

hello there darling

trying to read this on a terrible piink screen that is set so high it makes my neck hurt, so in the interest of letting you know what we're doing, rather than responding to yr stuff...

went for a long walk in the absolute arid rock cliffs of Arkaroola, amazing scenery, so much drier than anywhere we've been

Jt and I have got horribly sunburnt despite 3 lots of sunscreen - maybe out of date - had a good dinner here at the resort now going out to look at stars through the telescope

planning to go on a long walk tomorrow but 30 degrees so maybe just an abridged version - no lovely rock pools like in the Kimberley - lots of weagles and red rocks and many different birdies squeaking from the spindly eucalypts - hard to see how anything lives here, but it does

ok, better go.

Anonymous said...

didn't presss the right button, sorry

Anonymous said...

ooh, shiny red coffee maker! want! want!

miss you. even if you are going to hell for taunting the kiddies.

gumtreefid farmer said...

well, see, caroline, that's why the next step was to email you and say 'hey, still on for new years???' *draft* itenerery! i really want to see you!

is there a train out there? how long would it take?

off to buy a ticket. . .

gumtreefid farmer said...

hello maternal figures! (and bbb, and gecko girl, if she doesn't want to be reckoned a maternal figure)

good to hear from you! i thought you were going off into the *wilderness*! ie. no inty!

sounds like you're having an aaaaamazing time. well, apart from goat-trauma and sunstroke and sunburn and 30 degree weather. but you're seeing amazing things, right???

arkaroola sounds fascinating. and star gazing!

hope you feel better soon, jt.

it has been lovely and warm and sunny and glorious orange sunsets then a sliver moon over vancouver island in the distance.

looking forward to yr next update!

gumtreefid farmer said...

it is a teeenytiny red coffee maker - about as tall as my hand is long, if you see what i mean. but so cute!

if i see one i'll get ya one. no, i probably won't, cos they would be expensive to send, but i will go 'ooo, t.g.n.l.n.d. would like that!'

miss you too. realised one of the only photos i have of you is that one where we're really hungover (or i am really hungover, anyway) in a minor place. bugger. . .

Anonymous said...

gtg, you will love Bath! my partner here at work is over there right this very minute. every day she is emailing me photos she's been taking, and it looks very, very beautiful! howcome everyone keeps sending me pictures of faraway places?!?!

gumtreefid farmer said...

ooo, bath. . .

i'm very excited about this whole trip. exorbatently expensive, of course, but oh the pretty places!

i will send lots of photos!

you should come visit me in easter, yeah?

Anonymous said...

i must remedy this photo situation immediately.

if you loved me you'd buy me one and send it to me.

*bats eyelashes*

Anonymous said...

i am in love with your student.

thankyou so much for the peanut butter cups ! v. thoughtful. now if i could only get it together and send you something ! heh.

Anonymous said...

who knew bats had eyelashes?

gumtreefid farmer said...

bats have eyelashes? huh.

are they cute like disney bats?

Anonymous said...

i don't know - ask tgnlnd - she's the one who started on about bat's eyelashes - maybe they're a slava thing