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.