Things on Tuesday

W00t

• Second essay is done (and I managed to work in Jersey Shore as modern day comparison to Germanic barbarians!), and I can leave behind the Romans for Spartan ladies!
• Crepes with strawberries and Nutella, and The Good Wife tonight
• Hair cut and color tomorrow (postponed from last week because hairdressers are scared of snow)
• Growing to like Law & Order: UK (I think it’s the Jaime Bamber factor)

Meh

• Crushed under the weight of school work, and so behind
• It’s cold, and windy so the windows are rattling
• Nasal congestion has morphed into nasal drip down the back of the throat – ugh

34 in 2011: January

I have three articles on Antigone that I should probably be reading but I am so brain dead from a day reading endless articles about Tacitus, and churning out the world’s longest essay plan that I need a break. So, I’ve popped this week’s Chuck on, and I’ll throw out a few bullet points on how I’ve done this month on my ’34 in 2011′ challenge:

• Pretty much studying full-time, and it really is making a difference. I’m further along in January than I’ve ever been before, and my aim is that by April I should be able to spend the that month just doing essay plans and past papers
• Started off the bread baking easy with soda bread (yum!) and I think in February I’ll try my hand at a regular white loaf
• I love Evernotes. In fact I love it so much I wrote a blog post for my university study blog about it
• Only managed to read one non-school book in January, and it was a so-so P.D. James murder mystery but I did read a book about Spartan Women, and those women were fierce (or at least the myths about them are)
• Been doing lots and lots of cooking, and trying to use up everything in my pantry which makes for some interesting meal combos. Best new recipe from this month is the Chinese no clay-pot chicken with soy and ginger – so yummy and easy!
• Knitted a pair of mittens as a leaving gift for a friend and ex-colleague. They over well so going to knit a few b’day gifts
• I’ve been flossing but there is nothing like not having dental insurance to motivate you to floss

And then they go and cancel Stargate Universe

I lost most of last week to a bunch of doctors appointments. Between that and the up coming holidays I am starting to get behind in my school work so I am not a happy bunny. Throw in the news that Syfy has just canceled Stargate Universe apparently out of the blue as it wasn’t on the bubble then I am about as far removed from a joyous rabbit as you can get.

Seriously, what is up with Syfy at the moment? I feel like they are trying to remove the “space” element from their sci-fi rosta. First we loose Caprica and now SGU. Both shows explored dark themes with strong casts. And, SGU had Hamish MacBeth in space! He’s like the Scottish Eddie Olmos.  Are they only keeping shows where you can do fun holiday episodes? I love EUReKA as much as the next nerd who dreams of drinking lattes in Cafe Diem but I want drama like the Greeks invented. Conflict. People being haunted by the furies. Gender reversal. Individual vs. state.  And on that note I better get back to re-reading Antigone otherwise I will never catch-up.

Holding pattern

I am in limbo at the moment. September is that kind of month. Fluctuating temperatures have me flip flopping between switching over wardrobes or hanging on for that Indian summer (that is always promised). Those pumpkin spice lattes that I desire right up until my first sip when I remember why I only have one per year. A DVR that is empty because the summer shows have ended and the new seasons have yet to begin. And of course, waiting on my school materials to arrive and quietly freaking out that this is my final year.

FINAL YEAR, bitches!

I can’t quite believe that I have almost got through this BA. Five years of juggling work and school, and ignoring Alex for most of the year. Just three courses (‘Greek Drama’, ‘Women in Classical Antiquity’ and ‘From Nero to Hadrian: literature & society’) are standing between me and graduate school. Oh that and learning some languages and GMATs. Fun times ahead, but at least I am a hell of a lot closer to my goal than when I started in 2005.

“Why is it that whoever’s got the smallest part is the one who brings in the cakes to rehersal?” Fitz from The Habbit of Art by Alan Bennett

I do not like to think of myself as a quitter yet that is exactly what I did three weeks ago. Not quite with the flair of airline guy or faux whiteboard girl (though had I been so inclined I think I could have given “Jenny” a run for her slash dot notoriety) just the usual two weeks notice and then slinking off quietly hoping that after five years I’d have left some type of mark other than adult on-set diabetes from all my baked goods.

So now I find myself unexpectedly unemployed. There is uncertainty but there is also regaining control and creativity. In the past week I’ve seen three films, started gutting the flat, baked Star Wars cookies, and had many lunches and coffees with friends.  Soon I’ll start applying for part-time jobs and fingers crossed something will turn up. I’ve decided that part-time is the way forward given that this is my last year of my BA in Classical Studies, and I’m taking three courses which means I need to have the flexibility to prioritize them above everything else.

Exciting times ahead.

Six Degrees of Separation (The Old Vic, London)

I birthed a 2,000 word essay on neighbourhoods in Pompeii yesterday. I know that is a regular sized essay but there was a lot of reading and throw in some traveling and a cold, and it turned into my Moby Dick. Whilst I’ve had it hanging over head I haven’t felt at liberty to really blog about anything other than quick updates so my mum knows that I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. Though given that we email through out the day, IM, Skype and she follows me on Twiter there is little chance of that.

So, I went to London a few weeks ago for some much needed respite and I saw three great plays. The first of which was a revival of Six Degrees of Separation at The Old Vic.  Now Six Degrees is a quintessential New York play based on the real life account of a con man who tricked people in NYC into believing that he was the son of Sidney Poitier. I was a bit worried about its reception – would it still be relevant? But, from the conning of wealthy New Yorkers (hello Maddoff) to references to Catcher in the Rye to the children of the conned rolling their eyes at the stupidity of their parents, and the issue of race it hit the button every time.

It is an excellent production (loved the Rothko inspired set) with an outstanding ensemble cast and I have a weakness for when the fourth wall is broken.  I just wish our audience had been a little livelier, and got a few more of the jokes (Dean and Deluca is a store full of condiments for the wealthy to gift to each other!). The male lead is Anthony Head (of Buffy fame), and I thought it funny that in the program blurb that runs through all the accomplishments of the cast for Head, Buffy is separated from the rest of his TV credits with this qualifier ‘Anthony appeared as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a critically acclaimed US series’.  I am guessing that either Head is super proud of Buffy, or he was worried that London theatre goers would not have clue what Buffy was and worry that he had fallen on hard times in the 90s (after his run as the Gold Blend man).

If you are in London it is definitely worth catching it during its run, and thanks to Kevin Spacey’s direction The Old Vic is one of the nicest theatres in London. Though I might be bias because our cheap seats in the gods were upgraded to the stalls. They must have known that I am huge Buffy fan!

Things on Tuesday

Good

• Set sail for London tomorrow
• Enjoying writing an essay on neighbourhoods in Pompeii but having to take MacBook to London to finish working on it
• Managed to acquire Bumble & Bumble surf spray in time for trip so that I can have that tousled surfer look
• Friday’s Caprica was excellent and I have the podcast to listen to

Not-so-good

• Still need to pack & my bag is very small but my warm clothes are very bulky
• Trying to stay awake so that I will be tired enough to sleep on my cramped economy seat tomorrow night
• ESSAYS. SEMINARS. AARRGGHHH

TIDY!

I gave up the opportunity of drinks tonight so I could tidy the apartment. Saddo or what.  I have a huge laundry list of things to do this weekend (all related to Pompeii, essays and cooking Chinese food) so I wanted to make sure that I had a head start by kicking off the weekend with hoovered floors, clean bedding and all the usual random stuff tided away into neat piles. Oh it feels good. Though I am left with a dilemma for Friday night: go out to see Creation or skip opening weekend and chill out with the DVR. Fringe and Human Target sound good with some freshly baked peanut butter and chocolate-chip cookies. It’s been a busy few weeks so I think a time out is in order.  We’ve found a new apartment and will be moving at the end of February. Out of the blue Alex got a job offer so the traveling will come to a halt and I will actually get to see him on week days.

The Plan

Not quite as exciting as Battlestar Galactica: The Plan which is released in a little under a month (yippee) but I am going to make libations to the gods for a productive weekend. The weekend kicked off with sushi at Blue Ribbon and then finishing the latest Alexander McCall Smith novel ‘The Lost Art of Gratitude” so that must mean that I’ll get through my back log of school work. Though how I can have a back log before the seminar time table is published is beyond me but there you go.

So my plan for the weekend:

• Read chapter 9 in my Pompeii source book on excavation reports
• Prep for Pompeii seminar on modern excavations at Pompeii & Herculaneum
• Re-read, and make notes on The Persians and The Suppliants
• One-pager on The Persians, and Suppliants

On top of this I have other errands to run like buying belly of pork so I can make a stew, tidying the apartment so I can think straight and going shoe shopping with Alex. Because a new project means new shoes. Okay it doesn’t mean that but his old ones are leaking and the rainy season is upon us.

Fresh starts & a new blog

After a bumpy end to the summer I am happy to throw open my arms to welcome fall. The joy of being able to drink hot tea and pumpkin spiced lattes. Cool temperatures with sunny skies. Wearing jeans with sandals. The familiar routine of school starting. The lull between work projects after the craziness of festival season. Since I am  starting over mode I thought I would start a new blog on WordPress. I’ve had a contented few years over at Vox but over the last year lots of the people I follow over there moved to WordPress.  I figured something must be afoot and this week I started poking about on WordPress.  I really like the flexibility – it’s a great way to waste time when I should be studying! I liked what I’ve seen so I’ve decided to bid a fond farewell to Vox.