The Film Noir Experience

So, I don't always get a lot done when I study with the TV on because I get sucked into yelling a Fox News or cheering on the Phillies or looking things up about pulsars and quasars on the internet after watching a special on The History Channel.

I justify this by telling myself where you never know where you'll find inspiration. Or, what you'll learn. Like, the Milky Way is on a collision course with the Andromeda Galaxy. Or, that pulsars hum. Well, really its that they put out radio waves which come straight through space and dust and time.

47 Tucanae has 22 pulsars. Its like a celestial choir.

Posted by Kate at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Remember when I used to do those fun Welsh updates? Ah, those were the good ole days when I only had to worry about which form of the preposition went with which pronoun or which mutation I should be using.

Now, things are much, much more complicated. I have five pages to read on Belgian Dutch vowels before I can return to my before-bed world of Robin McKinley's Sunshine. (Book group has apparently failed to wheedle a selection out of Jess, so until such time as I am informed of a new book, I am having to make do with borrowings from the E...because heaven forbid I go near the The booklist.. )

Just five pages on vowels...and I love sounds. Sounds are so fun and categorical and interesting if not necessarily easy to describe. Five pages and what am I doing? I'm trying to talk myself out of spending sixty bucks on The Breast Cancer Site. Are you familiar with this site? You should be. It is awesome. The breast cancer site has a button that you can click every day. It logs IPs. And, for every click they get, their sponsors donate money to help women who need mammograms get them. And, then they have a store that where they sell many wonderful things (like recycled silk yarn and banana fiber yarn) and the bracelet I'm currently trying to talk myself out of. It is for a good cause. But, its money I should be saving for things like food and rent. But, its a good cause. You see my dilemma.

They are part of a network of sites, including The Literacy Site whose orange bracelet I have long worn. (Open Books, Open Minds, yo.) I recommend that you should check it out.

Posted by Kate at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of my favorite films is the Princess Bride. Its funny. Its quotable. It has call-backs. These things make it great. One of my favorite bits is The Scillian with his, "Inconceivable!"; particularly when Inigo Montoya says, "I don't think that means what you think that means."

This happens alot in the world, by the way, at least to me. Frequently, someone will jump into a conversation, or someone will misspeak, or it will turn out that Americans just don't use that word that way and bam! Miscommunication. I don't think that means what you think that means. Or, in the context of a conversation, I don't think I mean what you think I mean.

So, In honor of this hiccup of communication, I have found an online quiz about "doublespeak". Or, in the case, intentionally deceptive or ambiguous language used by businesses or government officials. Its an interesting little quiz, I recommend that you go and take it and then report back and let me know how you did. (If you don't want me to publish your score, just leave a note in the comment and I will screen it out.)

I missed one, who would have guessed that meant death? I think this is a good topic to become aware of, especially now in the run up the beginning of the American Election cycle.

Posted by Kate at 06:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

1. Apply to PhD program at Leeds

2. Apply for jobs

3. Look for and apply to other PhD programs

4. Sort life out.

Posted by Kate at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I just tried to call my father three times and for some reason I couldn't get through.  This makes me no end of irritated. 

We, for the third time in a month, will be heading out a wedding.  The first two were sort of sprung on us or at least on me.  The first one John's friend Andrew got the date wrong on.  So, a week earlier than we expected we ended up in driving out to the Suburb of Barry and celebrating Kenny and Tiffany at the weirdest wedding I've ever been to.  (We were kissed and were asked not to.)  Then, John got the date confused and we ended up going to a wedding two days earlier than expected.  But, this one I've actually seen the invite on.  In fact, I have it here in my lap.  We are invited to an evening reception at the Llanishen Golf Club.  This means I had to buy a dress.  

Of course, its the end of the season so things were on sale.  I found not one dress, but two.  And, I got a new black skirt for...are you ready for it?  A fiver.  This makes me happy.  Oh, and I got a new pair of pants with lots of pockets.  I love pockets.  They're amazing.  And, black.  Its very exciting.  Then I bought John a shirt to go with his suit.  They didn't have any I liked, they all sucked.  I did what I could, hopefully John'll like it.  His knee still hurts, so I also picked him up a new knee band thingee.  This one has thermal packs that you can put in it.  His friend/boss Brian recommended it.  My poor baby is falling apart. 

Hee.  Even though I should be working I'm watching Serenity again.  This is, surprisingly only the second time I have seen it.  I know, shocking.  SHOCKING!  Anyway, I'm actually pretty excited about the wedding.   Obviously, I'll post pictures later.

Posted by Kate at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

“You think I’m talking just to hear myself talk?”  –Bill Cosby.

    Maybe I do like the sound of my own voice.  I don’t know.  I do know that I love language.  All language.  My language.  I like the well-crafted sonnets of John Donne as much as I like the colorful metaphor and imagery put forth by the Manic Street Preachers.  I find both to be evocative.  
    I must be weird.  I like being alone.  I like silence.  I like space.  These are not human norms.  Preliterate, tribal societies don’t have the concept of personal space that we have.  Life is a social thing, something that is spent, by default talking with and being near the same small group of people all the time.  I dig my clique, don’t get me wrong.  And I would go to great ends to see them happy and safe.  I know, that would make me not weird.  
    Its more... I like to talk about ideas.  Language is an idea.  Language is a different idea for everyone.  This is something that we do all day, everyday and I suppose in the space of our tribes, what we say, what we reference is common.  You don’t have to bother to define it further, because you were all there when it happened and saw it happen and understand what is being described and what is meant.  Guess you had to be there.  Literacy changes that.  Literacy creates language that spans time, place, class, and gender.  It gives language the appearance of being stark, immutable and the status quo.  Maybe its that I do a lot of identity theorizing.  But written/oral, person/persona, image/content, these are distinctions I can make and do make.  When I talk, I like talking about ideas.  Feelings are for feeling and living is for living they don’t need to be discussed.  I like to separate ideas out from emotions so that, like play-doh I can observe them, roll them over and manipulate them.  I like to engage with them.  Maybe that’s not weird.
    I like saying, “ I learned this thing...” And I like getting excited about it and I like telling people about it.  I like when this happens for other people.  The classical world doesn’t interest me, except when I get to hear it filtered through the excitement and presentation of my friend Elizabeth.  So, maybe this isn’t separating things from emotion... maybe its just separating them from things that aren’t love.  My point is, she’s not telling me about what’s going on in her life or what people were wearing, she’s connecting with the past and something beyond the immediate, getting excited about it and sharing it.  I like that.  I like that a lot.  
    

--August 2005 

Posted by Kate at 08:30 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)