I have been having interesting thoughts lately. This of course means that now when I try to convey them all I'll end up with is dodgy punctuation and to many "However"s and "Therefore"s. This has been the trouble lately with my assignments. It hasn't reached crisis point yet - give it til Sunday night. I think I've actually forgot how to sustain an argument. I'm working on it though, although not tonight despite telling mum I was when she rang. Naughty. I freaked out when I looked in the mirror tonight (cue joke re: mirror breaking) because I was wearing short shorts, a polar fleece and my hair was out and is actually quite long now. I looked like a sporty person. How horrifying.
My fear of blank paper (real or www) is setting in. I'm slightly concerned that I can agree with this and this. I really need to decide if I'm a real lefty or a cynic. And if I'm the latter I really need a new wardrobe... I need buttons and rainbow accessories and t-shirts with slogans (sorry. Mark Morford always ruins my grammar). Also a new playlist: John Butler, Blue King Brown and whta? Joni Mitchell? Or is that too old school? Maybe I should be an indie rock kid? Apart from I don't want asymmetrical hair... Sometimes I get the impression I was born in the wrong decade. I actually wrote that in my notes for History the other day. See: I think I look best in 60s clothes, I like the music, the politics. of course this is all the rose tinted version of it. I possibly wouldn't be so into the drugs... (only in Cambodia :P) and it's a disturbing thought given that it's my parents thing. Also, I love the internet, and cheap international flights and... other modern things.
See this is why I'm so drawn to stupid things like this...
Wednesday 28 March 2007
Friday 23 March 2007
One Week
So, life continues. I've had a good week. I suppose, much less working on assignments than I had hoped. Also spent way too much money on cockails. Oups. I think this entry will be stream of conciousness style (even more than normal, I blame Joyce) as I have to get moving. I'm hoing to T's work ( a french bakery) to get cheap pastries and walk home with her. Then I'm going to work. Not sure how that'll go because there was a big accident (3 people killed last I heard) in a tunnel quite near my work. Well I think it's quite near, not really sure. I worked last night and it's horrid because we're asking people about the Gran Prix. The only good the thing is getting to say Grand Prix. I'm SO not a car person. I simply don't understand people who go there! I have interviewed a lot of high flyers who got free tics from work, which I suppose makes some sense. I am verry sick of giggling insipidly when they talk about the "Grid Girls" - as Summer would say "eww". A guy asked for my number. A 17 year old motorsports enthusiast. Double "eww". But also funny.
I'm looking forawrd to Easter. Both because I'm going home and because it will mean I've done my first two assignments. Anyone want to chat about Joyce's Dubliners? Or media effects? Or indeed the American suburbs in the 1950s (you know I picked that last topic so I can cite Betty Friedan (sp?). Haven't done any uni work today! Very bad. Probably working tomorrow 10 -2 (stupidest chift ever) and have big plans for working the rest of the day and all Sunday.
Also: One Week by Barenaked Ladies is currently my favourite song. Did you know it's in both 10 Things I Hate About You and The West Wing? You know what else is? The achtor who plays CJ. Allison Janney (?). How cool is that? Ok, not that cool. Enough Trivia. Gotta run.
I'm looking forawrd to Easter. Both because I'm going home and because it will mean I've done my first two assignments. Anyone want to chat about Joyce's Dubliners? Or media effects? Or indeed the American suburbs in the 1950s (you know I picked that last topic so I can cite Betty Friedan (sp?). Haven't done any uni work today! Very bad. Probably working tomorrow 10 -2 (stupidest chift ever) and have big plans for working the rest of the day and all Sunday.
Also: One Week by Barenaked Ladies is currently my favourite song. Did you know it's in both 10 Things I Hate About You and The West Wing? You know what else is? The achtor who plays CJ. Allison Janney (?). How cool is that? Ok, not that cool. Enough Trivia. Gotta run.
Thursday 15 March 2007
The Escape
Yes, I know. I’ve been really rubbish with updating. Much longer than a week. And now I’m updating while watching The OC. Well. I’m typing in a word document ‘coz our living room has no wiresless-ness. Which is annoying, and a bit random. I’m watching the episode where they go to Tijuana, Seth’s just said “chivalry’s dead sugar” to Summer - while looking really cute. Does anyone really buy the idea that Seth would ever really be the uncool kid. He needs to be far less normal. Liking comic books? Sailing? I mean, he can ride a skateboard. Although, perhaps that says something about Orange County v. Kingston when it comes to what makes you cool. Not a whole lot of water polo played at Kingston High School.
In my soc. Lecture today we were talking about media effects and the different theories (my favourite being Hypodermic, clearly just for the name). One idea is that nowadays media (particularly soap opera type TV shows) plays an important part in teaching people how to act in their own lives. Apparently there’s a guy who used to work at the uni who did a whole lot of research into young people and their ideas of socially acceptable conduct based on Dawson’s Creek and The OC (omg Jimmy and Kirsten just kissed!). That is so why I’m doing an arts degree! Pop culture + academia = LUV. My lecturer made some comment about how not everyone joins and underground boxing circuit because their girlfriends died. Then everyone started talking for ages due to the excitement of the lecturer talking about The OC.
The other thing that happened in my lecture (really I should have taken minutes, I’m sure you’re dying to know) was that we all got talked at by a Socialist Alternative guy. There is a “bring the troops home/save David Hicks” rally on Saturday at 12pm. In Melbourne, so unhelpful to anyone reading this. This knowledge is ingrained in my head due to having SA people tell me on numerous occasions. Including at BOTH my soc lectures this week. I don’t want to sound like a horrible conservative but it really annoys me. I’m not 100% sure we should bring the troops home. (boohoo, Marissa just overdosed. Boring). We shouldn’t have gone to war in the first place - I think that’s obvious. However we did, and now I really don’t think us leaving would help anyone. I mean, chances are, no one would really notice. I’m not really comfortable with that though: just because “no one would really notice” doesn’t seem like a very good reason to leave. Leaving it to the US isn’t really fair, given that we were part of the damn coalition of the willing. Most of the work that I know of that Aussie troops are doing over there seems pretty worthwhile. I definitely think David Hicks should be brought home though. I can’t believe how Howard’s pretending he’s done so much to help grrr.
In other news: My birthday may well be more celebrated this year than ever before! We’re having a party here on the Thursday. This is a shallow excuse to cement friendships with people we kind of know from uni by getting drunk with them (isn’t that basically the best way to become good friends?) and showing off our cool house. Then I’m going to see Ross Noble on Friday, flying home on Saturday. And apparently K is going to have a party at her place, basically just ‘coz her parents are going away. So that’s all quite cool.
In my soc. Lecture today we were talking about media effects and the different theories (my favourite being Hypodermic, clearly just for the name). One idea is that nowadays media (particularly soap opera type TV shows) plays an important part in teaching people how to act in their own lives. Apparently there’s a guy who used to work at the uni who did a whole lot of research into young people and their ideas of socially acceptable conduct based on Dawson’s Creek and The OC (omg Jimmy and Kirsten just kissed!). That is so why I’m doing an arts degree! Pop culture + academia = LUV. My lecturer made some comment about how not everyone joins and underground boxing circuit because their girlfriends died. Then everyone started talking for ages due to the excitement of the lecturer talking about The OC.
The other thing that happened in my lecture (really I should have taken minutes, I’m sure you’re dying to know) was that we all got talked at by a Socialist Alternative guy. There is a “bring the troops home/save David Hicks” rally on Saturday at 12pm. In Melbourne, so unhelpful to anyone reading this. This knowledge is ingrained in my head due to having SA people tell me on numerous occasions. Including at BOTH my soc lectures this week. I don’t want to sound like a horrible conservative but it really annoys me. I’m not 100% sure we should bring the troops home. (boohoo, Marissa just overdosed. Boring). We shouldn’t have gone to war in the first place - I think that’s obvious. However we did, and now I really don’t think us leaving would help anyone. I mean, chances are, no one would really notice. I’m not really comfortable with that though: just because “no one would really notice” doesn’t seem like a very good reason to leave. Leaving it to the US isn’t really fair, given that we were part of the damn coalition of the willing. Most of the work that I know of that Aussie troops are doing over there seems pretty worthwhile. I definitely think David Hicks should be brought home though. I can’t believe how Howard’s pretending he’s done so much to help grrr.
In other news: My birthday may well be more celebrated this year than ever before! We’re having a party here on the Thursday. This is a shallow excuse to cement friendships with people we kind of know from uni by getting drunk with them (isn’t that basically the best way to become good friends?) and showing off our cool house. Then I’m going to see Ross Noble on Friday, flying home on Saturday. And apparently K is going to have a party at her place, basically just ‘coz her parents are going away. So that’s all quite cool.
Tuesday 6 March 2007
Aplying scientific principles to the art of capturing the modern world
So, my second week of uni is going swimmingly. I had lunch with Alice today which was lovely. I think it's going to take me a while to get used to the hours, or lack thereof. Only having 12 contact hours is a bit bizarre. Apart from Wednesday I don't really have anything approaching a full day at uni. Before you starts with the "Arts Students, pfft", I have loads of reading to do. About 50 pages a week for each subject plus a novel a week for Modern Lit. I’d be interested to know how the contact hour/work loads differs from overseas. Emily? Hannah?
Excitingly, I actually talked to a boy in my modern lit class today - a real live boy. The lecturers (because we don't have one for Modern Lit, we have an army of them) were trying to set up the projector and the screen. I do think the systems here are a bit to complex, especially for the lecturers. Any the screen was actually made up of whiteboards, on slidy things and the kept sliding back up and disfiguring the picture. It was really quite funny, one lecturer would pull the whiteboard down then turn away to talk to another and up it went again, then a different lecturer would pull it down again. It took them forever to work out that it was happening. So blondeboy and I had a bit of a laugh about it and lecturers generally. Exciting story. The thing is, if I'm sitting next to a girl I usually strike up conversation and it's fine. But when it's a guy I find it awkward, because I don't want him to think I'm cracking onto him or anything... blah.
Sorry if this is terribly disjointed, I'm listening to Restoring the Balance. It's quite amusing I think. I heart the ABC.
Other thoughts from modern lit: I'm really glad my parents took me to art galleries. at the time, of course I was not that bothered. The first thing I really remember going to see was Picasso's museum in Paris. I was 8 or 10 so I doubt I really 'got' it but I did enjoy it. Actually perhaps kids get more out of Picasso's stuff than adults? I don't remember being so utterly confused by it as I am now. I've seen quite a lot of impressionism (both at the Louvre and in Melbourne) because my mum really likes it. I think I prefer it too. Anyway, I feel like i have a bit more to work with when one of my many modern lit lectures starts throwing such terms around (usually managing to turn the lights off at the same time as trying to show us the painting). However there's a bit of me that just thinks "but that's a painting and we're talking about a play', I know, that's an incredibly uncivilized thing to say... I just find it hard to see the similarities between this and A Doll's House. However, throw in a few words about Ibsen's realistic aesthetic and you're away.
Well that was astonishingly boring. Sorry.
Excitingly, I actually talked to a boy in my modern lit class today - a real live boy. The lecturers (because we don't have one for Modern Lit, we have an army of them) were trying to set up the projector and the screen. I do think the systems here are a bit to complex, especially for the lecturers. Any the screen was actually made up of whiteboards, on slidy things and the kept sliding back up and disfiguring the picture. It was really quite funny, one lecturer would pull the whiteboard down then turn away to talk to another and up it went again, then a different lecturer would pull it down again. It took them forever to work out that it was happening. So blondeboy and I had a bit of a laugh about it and lecturers generally. Exciting story. The thing is, if I'm sitting next to a girl I usually strike up conversation and it's fine. But when it's a guy I find it awkward, because I don't want him to think I'm cracking onto him or anything... blah.
Sorry if this is terribly disjointed, I'm listening to Restoring the Balance. It's quite amusing I think. I heart the ABC.
Other thoughts from modern lit: I'm really glad my parents took me to art galleries. at the time, of course I was not that bothered. The first thing I really remember going to see was Picasso's museum in Paris. I was 8 or 10 so I doubt I really 'got' it but I did enjoy it. Actually perhaps kids get more out of Picasso's stuff than adults? I don't remember being so utterly confused by it as I am now. I've seen quite a lot of impressionism (both at the Louvre and in Melbourne) because my mum really likes it. I think I prefer it too. Anyway, I feel like i have a bit more to work with when one of my many modern lit lectures starts throwing such terms around (usually managing to turn the lights off at the same time as trying to show us the painting). However there's a bit of me that just thinks "but that's a painting and we're talking about a play', I know, that's an incredibly uncivilized thing to say... I just find it hard to see the similarities between this and A Doll's House. However, throw in a few words about Ibsen's realistic aesthetic and you're away.
Well that was astonishingly boring. Sorry.
Sunday 4 March 2007
Housekeeping.
Today I had to go and buy a mop, a bucket, a large frying pan and other cleaning items. I had decided that the best place to make these purchases was at the Big W in town, town is only a 10-15 minute tram ride away so all was well. I completely forgot that everyone in Melbourne seems to constantly be wearing their most stylish clothes. I of course was wearing my old three quarters and YP t-shirt, both of which i wore a lot in 'Nam and hence they suffered at the hands of Vietnamese laundries and are very washed out. I don't think I'd brushed my hair either. I felt like such a bogan sitting on the tram with my Big W shopping bags and very obvious mop. But it was also kind of funny. Have been using said mop, bucket and other cleaning products and feel very 1950's housewife. Really should get into some readings... Will soon, just waiting for floors to dry.
I've also been acquiring my housemate's cd collection - I'm getting cooler by the second. Seriously. I'm incredibly bad at typing on my laptop, every word has at least three unneeded characters on first go - yay for spell check. It's exciting having the net again though, it's quite fast. although I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to go up to the next level of downloads though. Anyone interested in skype? I just need to buy a headset and dl it. Let me know.
So, plans. I'm going to go see The Whitlam's next Saturday, with Jem and Andy, which should be cool. The comedy festival is on from the 4th of April which is all very exciting. So far I want to go and see: Ross Noble, Adam Hills, Terry Psiakas(or however you spell it) and possibly Wil Anderson for old times sake. Not sure how to finance this. May get parental units to pay for Ross as birthday treat. And now I'm not going to see the guy from Black Books, because I have no sense of humour. (Seriously, is that show even funny? I also don't like Little Britain, The Office or The Mighty Boosh, how uncool am I?).
I am going to read about modernism. Fun times.
I've also been acquiring my housemate's cd collection - I'm getting cooler by the second. Seriously. I'm incredibly bad at typing on my laptop, every word has at least three unneeded characters on first go - yay for spell check. It's exciting having the net again though, it's quite fast. although I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to go up to the next level of downloads though. Anyone interested in skype? I just need to buy a headset and dl it. Let me know.
So, plans. I'm going to go see The Whitlam's next Saturday, with Jem and Andy, which should be cool. The comedy festival is on from the 4th of April which is all very exciting. So far I want to go and see: Ross Noble, Adam Hills, Terry Psiakas(or however you spell it) and possibly Wil Anderson for old times sake. Not sure how to finance this. May get parental units to pay for Ross as birthday treat. And now I'm not going to see the guy from Black Books, because I have no sense of humour. (Seriously, is that show even funny? I also don't like Little Britain, The Office or The Mighty Boosh, how uncool am I?).
I am going to read about modernism. Fun times.
Saturday 3 March 2007
Unwired
Ok so it's been many a day since my last update - almost a week! Sorry about that. I did actually write an entry on Monday but it appears to have been eaten by the interwebs. Bad interwebs. My very first week of actual uni went quite well. I really love my history subject - USA Today. It's basically American history from post world war two til today. A lot of people have shot me disgusted looks when I've told them I'm doing it, they seem to be under some impression it's some kind of America worshipping cult, but it really isn't. Know thy enemy and all that. Not that I really consider the US my enemy, it's the home of many great things (and yeah, I do have Hugh Grant's voice in my head right now... David Beckham's foot etc.): Joni Mitchell, The OC, California in general, the West Wing and I have discovered, the All American Girls Baseball Team (clearly the coolest thing ever, note the uniform). I'm also enjoying my other subjects. Philosophy is cool, my lecturer is a bit mad and I have an assignment due on Tuesday. It's only 150 words but my brain is finding it quite troubling. We haven't really got started with anything in sociology and modern lit is good but a bit wanky. I haven't even read anything by Kafka yet (i know, shock/horror) but the whole waking up as a cockroach thing seems just stupid. Also have no idea what modernism actually is - hope to rectify this at some point.
In other news: I have the internet at home!!! Tres exciting. I’m sitting ant my desk now - in my pjs and watching people walk past my big front window. So expect more updates - or maybe not - having it all the time will mean I just wont get around to updating probably. Umm.. Went to a party last night - a housewarming. With UNYA people. Took me a ridiculous amount of time to get there because the trams were crap - I almost gave up but I’m really glad I went. Mostly talked to Alice which is always cool. Drank a lot of punch. Was relieved that Claire etc don't hate me because of the whole snogging randoms on their couch incident. then Alice and I walked home coz we missed the last tram. today was spent feeling a bit rubbish (not sure why, I didn't drink that much), setting up the net and trying not to fall asleep reading my modern lit reader. T and I watched some Queer as Folk together tonight which was nice - and ate ice cream. Ok, i'm bored now.
Oh: you should listen to Hearts a Mess by Gotye
In other news: I have the internet at home!!! Tres exciting. I’m sitting ant my desk now - in my pjs and watching people walk past my big front window. So expect more updates - or maybe not - having it all the time will mean I just wont get around to updating probably. Umm.. Went to a party last night - a housewarming. With UNYA people. Took me a ridiculous amount of time to get there because the trams were crap - I almost gave up but I’m really glad I went. Mostly talked to Alice which is always cool. Drank a lot of punch. Was relieved that Claire etc don't hate me because of the whole snogging randoms on their couch incident. then Alice and I walked home coz we missed the last tram. today was spent feeling a bit rubbish (not sure why, I didn't drink that much), setting up the net and trying not to fall asleep reading my modern lit reader. T and I watched some Queer as Folk together tonight which was nice - and ate ice cream. Ok, i'm bored now.
Oh: you should listen to Hearts a Mess by Gotye
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