The Film Noir Experience

One has to pay the bills, its a necessity.  And, if you think about everything that goes on in the world and everything that everyone wants to do and things that people want to get done and where everything goes and what happens to it.... I'm babbling, I know.  I was just thinking about money and paying bills and...well, funding my education.  I just emailed a professor to thank them for emailing me and clarifying the details of the studentship that is available through the department. 

 

A friend of mine who is Kuwaiti suggested to Anne-Marie and I today that we come and work in Kuwait.  We could teach at one of the American schools.  I don't know if I'm qualified to actually teach anything.  Its sort of... I don't know.  I actually wouldn't mind taking on a year or so contract and working in Kuwait, I think it would be an incredible experience.  I don't think my parents or my boyfriend would approve, though.

 

Okay, I have to get back to work now.

Posted by Kate at 02:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Can I just say that I always feel like a dork talking to professors...I don't know what my deal is.  I know professors are people and blah-di-blah-di-blah, there's just something about people that have written and defended their own work in front of (at the very least) an examining board.  They have this aura of knowledge and self-confidence about them.

 

In other news, I can now say that I shook Deborah Cameron's hand.  The look on her face said that she expected a little more, like a comment that was a bit more in depth than "I enjoyed your lecture.".  Or, maybe my breath smelled funny.  The lecture was followed by a small reception in which the postgraduate studies administrative assistant, Anne-Marie and I talked about lavabread. 

The lecture was on gender, communication and evolution.  She talked for a little over an hour using a basically evolutionary psychological framework about whether or not sex differences are "hard-wired" into the brain.  Her conclusion was that the social constructionist theories are more supported by the linguistic evidence than evolutionary theories.  She brought up some interesting points.  I shold have more to say on the subject, but my brain is fried.  Also, amazon is being a jerk and making it hard to finish my post to blogcritics.

 

Its time for some real food now.

Posted by Kate at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In a little more than half an hour I am going to a lecture given by Deborah Cameron ( she wrote Working with Spoken Discourse.  I'm pretty stoked about it.  I will update you later on how it goes and what she talks about. 

 

 

WeeHee!

 

But, first, coffee.

Posted by Kate at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay, massive update time:

1. There is a studentship available through the department.  It is in conjunction with <a href="http://www.intune.it">intune</a> which is funded by the EU.  Intune is looking at European Citizenship and the EU and how these things are created, understood, etc.  The requirements include a. having completed the masters in Language and Communication Research b. speaking more than one European language c. having an eu topic.  Here's the thing: This is the department's studentship and my friend Steffi is applying for it.  Steffi already has a masters, speaks English and German (because she is German) and has an interesting sociolinguistic topic that has to do with European citizenship.  So, I'm going to apply, but don't hold your breath because I won' be getting it.

2.  I am just so tired of thinking about everything in relationship to my future.  The future this, the future that...its beginning to get to the point where I don't even enjoy what's going on anymore because everything is just dripping with so much anxiety. 

3.  John's housemates offered to pay part of my rent so it would be cheap for us to stay in the house instead of moving into our own flat without them, thus saving the two of them the trouble of having to make other arrangements.  They have been told that there will be MURDER if anyone skanks my food.  This is to say that I am moving into John's house at the end of my lease.  (Well, I'll probably move my stuff in before that, but you know... officially, it'll be at the end of my lease...although, unofficially, I may have my own set of keys this weekend.)

4.  John and I are thinking about coming to America for a visit over the 4th of July.  I figure during this time I can help move my shit out of Beth's apartment and I can do something about my shit at my parents house.

5.  The plan is still to stay in the UK until my visa is up.  If I am going to be taking another year off I might as well stay with John (whom I love...doesn't that sound weird?) and work as opposed to move home and be miserable at b&n and work. 

6.  Anne-Marie has suggested that I just look for jobs around the university.  I think sometime next week I am going to go to the job shop.  I would like something for the summer but perhaps I could parlay it into something a bit more long term and maybe I could end up back here for my PhD anyway. 

7. I was looking at PhD programs in the states the other day and did you know that University of Buffalo has a language and cognition PhD program?  F, do you know/have you heard anything about linguistics at your fair uni?

8. For some reason the internet people think I haven't paid my bill so, I don't seem to have internet in my house right now.  its annoying. 

9.  I think I need to do some yoga, or meditate or something because I am way freaked out about things.  Although, John bought me a copy of the Great Escape, so I have some good Steve to watch (well,I had good Steve anyway because I had the magnificent 7) 

10.  Okay, I have to post the news and get rolling.  I have work to do and I would like to go to the chip shop.  I have some ranch dressing (thank you, Beth!) that I would like to have on chips and cheese.  Oooh, such decadence!

Posted by Kate at 03:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have a feeling I just misspelled all of those words.  I can't decide if I feel incredibly stressed out...or just pissed off at myself for not being a harder worker.  I've not had a bad day.  Actually, I've had a pretty good day.  I received an email from the professor in charge of the studentship I am working on an application for.  She said that there is no citizenship restriction but has indicated that it will be an advantage to speak more than one European language.  So, I have to stop being afraid and just suck it up and own up to the fact that I do, in fact, speak Spanish and Italian and stop denying my abilities.  Also, for some reason I'm having trouble checking my university email.  its pissing me off. 

Posted by Kate at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Oh, for the love of mike, why won't it just recognize html when it sees it?

 

Ann Coulter wrote some words here: http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/printer_friendly.cgi?article=109

 

Now, I don't want a guarantee that I'll be okay everywhere I go, but I would like that everyone be in agreement that I am a HUMAN BEING regardless of whether or not I am a WOMAN and that I should be able to participate in activities in my community without fear of being physically, mentally or emotionally molested.

Posted by Kate at 09:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I supposed to be meeting Anne-Marie in 15 minutes.  We are going to be study buddies and hopefully encourage each other out of great periods of sloth into healthy periods of enquiry and endeavour.  Does that sound optimistic, because it is.  My phone is flashing incessantly at me and I need to brush my teeth.

 

John and I talked about going on holiday together.  We talked about visiting America.  There's one problem with that...plane tickets are so expensive and being an apprentice painter and decorator he's not rolling in the cash.  He seems to think he'll be able to save up enough money for a ticket, but the longer he has the better he'll be at it.  He got really quiet as we were talking about this.  Depending on how things go in the next three weeks I may not want to go until September.  But, I may have to go in July.  We'll see what happens.

 

In other news, I'm thinking of putting together a PhD proposal that looks at the formulaic language used to sell European citizenship to the British by the government and other interesting parties.  The project would take a look at multiple modes of media and compare the amount of formulaicity used and the type of language used in general.  I'll have to get more specific than that but I just thought of that last night while John and I were talking. 

 

Everything's up in the air right now...you can imagine how I feel about that.

Posted by Kate at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Sometimes, I think to think of studying as the time I spend between breaks.

Posted by Kate at 03:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For some reason I don't feel nearly as productive as a should.  I keep thinking about The House of Yes.  There is a bit of dialogue:

 

Anthony: What does anybody do all day?  What do you do all day?  What do I do all day?

Marty: What do you do all day?

Anthony: (pauses)  I don't know.  That's not the point. 

 

I can't help but think that I don't do nearly enough work, that somehow I should be doing more or working harder.  (This is perhaps a no-brainer as I've updated this three times today.) 

Posted by Kate at 04:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I get logged back into the webmail client and my email has been sent.  Of course, I know this because a. I cc'd it to myself and b. the prof. I emailed will be out of the office until next monday and I just got an automatic reply.  Oh well, at least I know I have other work to occupy myself with until she gets back and then I can freak out about having to write a new proposal. 

Posted by Kate at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So, the webmail server at the university is having issues today.  Figures, right?  I've tried now to send an email more than once to the head of PhD studies.  Graaa.  Its just not been working.  There is a new studentship available that would be specific to media and the EU, and I think it looks interesting but before I put a proposal together I want to make sure that I am eligible for it because I'm, obviously, not from the EU.  It would be a fees only studentship, but hey, that's not having to worry about tuition and that's nice.  Hopefully this will all work out.  We'll see what happens, eh? Of course, this means I will actually have to put in an application to the university in order to stay.  heh. 

Posted by Kate at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

And even though its Monday, everything has closed today.  I am taking a study break from my reading and later John is going to cook me dinner.  (Isn't that sweet of him?)  A lot of things are closed (or close early) on Sundays in the UK.  I think its quaint, and its certainly nice for everyone to have a day off.  I said this last night and one of John's roommates said, "Why? Its not their lives, people should be able to work if they want to."  Which is interesting.  I know of no one would would honestly say, "Yes, please, I know this is a holiday, but I'd like some more mandatory toil, please."  But, that could just be me being sarcastic.  But, being that today is a bank holiday, its Easter Monday, everything is closed today.  Well, not everything.  The grocery stores that were shut yesterday are open today, but walking down the road to the grocers was a little like being in a ghost town.  Everything was sealed up and shut, grates down and doors locked.  The coffee shop I like to frequent was open and I would have stopped for a cup but I was on a mission to buy bacon so that I could make grilled cheese with bacon sandwiches.  Everything is quiet, my housemates are still all gone away on holiday.  But, that's okay.  I have lovely daffodils my Mom bought when she was here and later I will be having spaghetti with John.  It should make for a nice evening.  Also, the sun is out and its shining.  I dig that. 

Posted by Kate at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So, on Thursday morning I got up at 2 in the morning so I could catch a cab to catch a bus so that I could make it to London to collect my family who would be arriving from Gatwick. Hooray! The collection went well. My aunt, my sister, my parents and I got on a train and that went to Victoria station. We then piled into a taxi, luggage and all and went to the hotel my Mom had booked. We checked in and then we wandered around Covent Garden and hung out in London together. My aunt and I bought tickets to a mantinee on Saturday. We ate at the hotel and went to sleep.

The next morning we got up, got ready and we went for a little browse of the city. We then went for a browse of Tate Britain. We saw a lot of William Blake, John Constable, John Singer Sargeant and a few Waterhouses. It was nice. We walked around and saw the Royal apartments (from the road, anyway). We walked past Downing Street and peered at No. 10. We had a fantastic pub lunch in which my family got to try sticky pudding. We went back to the hotel and had a bit of a nap and then went to a Greek restuarant whose head waiter was a pushy little Indian man. It was interesting. The food was good, though. We then had a few drinks and watched a local boxing match on the tv.

On Saturday, we went out to forage for food. We went to a pub that my parents then adopted because we went back like, three times after that. My dad, my sister and I had full English breakfasts (Beth didn't eat the beans). My Mom and Aunt had eggs and toast. We all took the underground to Covent Garden where we placed our bets on the grand national (a horse race) and then we split up. My parents and sister went to go check on the shops. My aunt and I went to catch our matinee.

We saw The Lion King. Rafiki calls the animals. And do you know what happens next? The animals come! It was awesome. The staging was cool. The lighting was cool. The costumes were awesome. The story lacked any sense of excitement, but that's no surprise considering how many times I've seen the movie. I then had "Can you feel the love tonight" stuck in my head for the next three days.

Sunday morning we got up, checked out of our hotel, discussed what was going on a little. Then we went to London Paddington where we had pasties, bought tickets, and waited for the next train to Cardiff Central. We hopped on the train and a little over two hours later we were in Cardiff. John turned up while I was calling to make sure that someone would be there to let my parents and aunt into the bed and breakfast (which my Dad constantly referred to as the bread and breakfast). My family met John. We walked to the b and b from the train station along the river. Beth, John and I then took a cab to my house where Beth settled in and checked her email and John and I started cooking dinner....

I have to go make myself lunch now so, I'll update you on the rest of the trip later!

Posted by Kate at 01:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm sitting here, Eating a welsh cake, my sister passed out on the bed, waiting for my parents and aunt to show up to start the day I am completely relaxed.  I know I've not been able to post while they've been here but we've had a smashing time.  Its been outrageous.  Yesterday, we walked around in the rain. Today, their last train in Cardiff (they are taking the train out this evening) we have indoors things planned and the sun is out.  Go figure.  Now, I am going to have to seriously sit myself down and throw myself back into my studies. 

Posted by Kate at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Batman didn't flipping work.  So, I'm listening to/watching The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and trying to decide on whether or not I should do that thing...what is it?  Oh, That's right.  I'm trying to decide if I should take my ipod on the trip or not.  I'm leaning towards not because I don't want anything to happen to it and as nice as it will be to listen to music it might be nicer/safer to forego the music and get some reading done.  My friend Georgia will be taking the bus to London an hour before I am, its a shame I wasn't paying attention when I booked my ticket because I could have gone a little earlier and then had some company on the way to London to meet my family.  Ah well. 

Posted by Kate at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Its possible I may have gotten things sorted.  You should be able to get to this page from my index page now.  Or, at least I hope you can.  Who the fuck knows now.  In the last two hours I've monkeyed around with this, turned on the heat so I could use to radiator to try my clothes, and gotten a little bit closer to having everything cleaned and packed.  I want to have the cleaning and the packing done before John turns up after work. 

 

Oh, I also watched a little Corpse Bride while I was cleaning.  Now, I'm thinking I might put in Batman Begins or something while I finish things up.   

Posted by Kate at 02:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So, here I am sitting at home waiting for the oven to preheat.  I thought surely I'd be able to activate a web form so that I could do things like...update from school without fucking up everything I've already posted but it would appear not.  Fuck.  So, today will be a day of random posting, random cleaning (my family are coming over from America tomorrow) and random swearing as I try to sort this thing out. 

Posted by Kate at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)