Have any of you looked at the sky today? No, I don't mean a brief glimpse to frown at the weather, I mean actually looked?
The answer is probably no. Everyone walks around, consumed in their own business, darting from place to place. All the while, looking down, rarely above eye level. Why is this? When it means that we miss so much.
For some reason today, whilst lost in my own thoughts, walking to university, I looked up. There is of course that this is due to the fact I have ridiculous hair and therefore hampered peripheral vision meaning I have to physically move my head. But whatever the cause, I'm glad I did. It wasn't just the vivid blue sky, but also the buildings! When walking along the high street, do any of you look up and beyond the sign of whatever shop it is you happen to be passing? Well you should, there are some things really not to be missed.
As I sit here in my lecture writing this post, which I will later put down online, listening to the professor who sounds much like Tom Hanks, I realise how odd this sounds. I don't mean for you to walk along with your head in the clouds, but just to take a couple of moments on your journey to really look at where you are.
Is this why some people actually /enjoy/ walking places? Am I going to become one of these people? Well you know what, maybe it wouldn't be all so bad.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Brockhaus-Grand
"I am Wiebke Brockhaus-Grand, it iz nine o'clock and I am German, my lectures vill start on time."
At 9am the last thing I wanted was a truly frightful man/woman barking at me from the lecture hall. I daren't even doodle. Still, we had a good time trying to discern whether she was male or female, it turns out the latter. Nor was this an English lecture, it was instead more of an anatomy one. I now know more about the larynx, lungs and trachea than I ever cared to, with helpful comments from Adolf Grand such as "and if you aren't breathing, you have trouble." Damn, really?
I now move to the man with the magical voice, a nice man by all accounts, and my final lecturer for the day. He did not have so much a 'boring' voice, but a soothing one, so soothing in fact that I missed the final thirty minutes of his lecture due to being lost in the land of nod. Waking up in a small puddle of drool on my desk and jacket, nice. Suffice to say, my immediate class mates found this rather amusing.
As I type, I look into the eyes of a white tiger and listen to goings on of the rest of the flat. I think things are settling somewhat after freshers, everyone is able to just breathe out and let their livers relax.
All of a sudden though I have noted that there is something wrong with the flat dynamic. I'm not yet sure what, I can't just pin it down, but something is off. I will inform you if I find it. 'Calm before the storm' comes to mind?
I intended to spend this time napping, it has gone well as you see. Instead, I think I'll just inject myself with caffeine? Or drink it. That seems less drastic when I think about it.
Oh, and I found a post office.
At 9am the last thing I wanted was a truly frightful man/woman barking at me from the lecture hall. I daren't even doodle. Still, we had a good time trying to discern whether she was male or female, it turns out the latter. Nor was this an English lecture, it was instead more of an anatomy one. I now know more about the larynx, lungs and trachea than I ever cared to, with helpful comments from Adolf Grand such as "and if you aren't breathing, you have trouble." Damn, really?
I now move to the man with the magical voice, a nice man by all accounts, and my final lecturer for the day. He did not have so much a 'boring' voice, but a soothing one, so soothing in fact that I missed the final thirty minutes of his lecture due to being lost in the land of nod. Waking up in a small puddle of drool on my desk and jacket, nice. Suffice to say, my immediate class mates found this rather amusing.
As I type, I look into the eyes of a white tiger and listen to goings on of the rest of the flat. I think things are settling somewhat after freshers, everyone is able to just breathe out and let their livers relax.
All of a sudden though I have noted that there is something wrong with the flat dynamic. I'm not yet sure what, I can't just pin it down, but something is off. I will inform you if I find it. 'Calm before the storm' comes to mind?
I intended to spend this time napping, it has gone well as you see. Instead, I think I'll just inject myself with caffeine? Or drink it. That seems less drastic when I think about it.
Oh, and I found a post office.
Monday, 27 September 2010
Breaking a Trend
Today I'm afraid I lack inspiration. Whether this is due to the fact I have observed the world through half closed eyes all day or merely that the creative fairies haven't deigned to sprinkle me with magic powder, who knows?
One thing though. It feels damned good to get back to academic work. A wonderfully interesting, if a little slow, lecture today, leaving me now with the task of translating Old English and Early Middle English into present day form. Sadly I find this fascinating.
I haven't yet found a post office around here, but then, with all the Eco-friendly groups and societies maybe they've decided that using paper at all is a sin? I'm having trouble adjusting to this recycling lark, there are more bins than you can shake a stick at, and at least three for that stick once you're done shaking it.
Hmm, this is quite possibly procrastination, is there a test I can take to see if it is?
And now I run out of things to say, I shan't post again until I have something you'll enjoy reading. And I will be sure to include my mildly amusing story about some turkey broth.
One thing though. It feels damned good to get back to academic work. A wonderfully interesting, if a little slow, lecture today, leaving me now with the task of translating Old English and Early Middle English into present day form. Sadly I find this fascinating.
I haven't yet found a post office around here, but then, with all the Eco-friendly groups and societies maybe they've decided that using paper at all is a sin? I'm having trouble adjusting to this recycling lark, there are more bins than you can shake a stick at, and at least three for that stick once you're done shaking it.
Hmm, this is quite possibly procrastination, is there a test I can take to see if it is?
And now I run out of things to say, I shan't post again until I have something you'll enjoy reading. And I will be sure to include my mildly amusing story about some turkey broth.
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Normality
Define it for me? Normality. The most subjective word in the English Language as far as I'm concerned.
A little profound, I know, and I apologise. But see. People each have their own normality, and it is only from talking with other people and observing their lives from afar that I really come to understand this.
You may look at someone other than your self's situation, whatever that situation may be, and think 'Damn, that must be hard.' When in truth, there is every chance they look at you in the same way, and therein lies my point and the round about way I've reached it. Your normality is not the same as someone else's, to think otherwise is the stem of so many problems. Racial, religious, even just simple stereotypes. There are people who believe their lives are normal, they are how thigs /should/ be and that anything else is alien. It is not.
Normality is but a synonym for arrogance as far as I can fathom.
I was inspired the other day, by the brief and summised glimpse I got into the life of James Lipton, a true icon and my all time idol. I think I shall write more often, though not in such a manner as this I think. People need not worry, it was just something that hit me whilst washing pans in the kitchen.
A little profound, I know, and I apologise. But see. People each have their own normality, and it is only from talking with other people and observing their lives from afar that I really come to understand this.
You may look at someone other than your self's situation, whatever that situation may be, and think 'Damn, that must be hard.' When in truth, there is every chance they look at you in the same way, and therein lies my point and the round about way I've reached it. Your normality is not the same as someone else's, to think otherwise is the stem of so many problems. Racial, religious, even just simple stereotypes. There are people who believe their lives are normal, they are how thigs /should/ be and that anything else is alien. It is not.
Normality is but a synonym for arrogance as far as I can fathom.
I was inspired the other day, by the brief and summised glimpse I got into the life of James Lipton, a true icon and my all time idol. I think I shall write more often, though not in such a manner as this I think. People need not worry, it was just something that hit me whilst washing pans in the kitchen.
Saturday, 25 September 2010
*Sigh*
Right, ok, I have admittedly jumped on the blogging bandwagon. But, whilst sat here in my room, devoid of my new flat mates to talk to as they all have things to do and people to see apparently, I realised it’s something to suppress the boredom, other than YouTube and 4OD. Sigh.
So what to say? Do I talk about my mundane life and happenings? But of course! Why else would you be reading this if not simply to be nosy? Shame on you all. (Even if I am secretly grateful).
It’s been a somewhat eventful week truth be told. Moving to university is a fairly hectic thing it seems, mainly due to the chaos which is fresher’s week, in which I have been absolutely hammered nearly every night this week. It also turns out that northerners really can out drink these namby southerners, the same namby southerners who can’t leave my accent alone and seem to believe I’m from Scotland when they attempt to take it off. They’re a good bunch all in all though.
My flat is really quite diverse, and yet we all get along, unlike most of the other flats in the block it seems. Very strange. I feel odd in saying this but I do actually like them all as well, an achievement on my part I think.
I’m wondering what actually doing some work again will feel like, at the moment the thought alone seems alien to me. Heaven forbid I’d have taken a gap year! The course looks fairly interesting though, so hopefully that should spur me on. I attended the awkward ‘meet and greet’ party, though I did soon find a friend in the mature student on my course who has just moved over from America. She no doubt felt more awkward than I. I do wish I could remember her name; there was definitely an M in there somewhere.
One last little rant before I leave you to go back to your lives. Manchester its self. I struggle now to find an appropriate adjective for the place. So far, in the immediate vicinity, there have been two rapes, a mugging, someone stealing laptops and I myself have witnessed a fight on the top of a bus over someone’s coat, as well as being involved in one myself. (That sounds somewhat dramatic, I am quite unharmed, I just broke it apart.)
Anyway, I treat you with indifference and leave you. No doubt I’ll post again soon enough, but I’m sure you’ll live if I don’t.
So what to say? Do I talk about my mundane life and happenings? But of course! Why else would you be reading this if not simply to be nosy? Shame on you all. (Even if I am secretly grateful).
It’s been a somewhat eventful week truth be told. Moving to university is a fairly hectic thing it seems, mainly due to the chaos which is fresher’s week, in which I have been absolutely hammered nearly every night this week. It also turns out that northerners really can out drink these namby southerners, the same namby southerners who can’t leave my accent alone and seem to believe I’m from Scotland when they attempt to take it off. They’re a good bunch all in all though.
My flat is really quite diverse, and yet we all get along, unlike most of the other flats in the block it seems. Very strange. I feel odd in saying this but I do actually like them all as well, an achievement on my part I think.
I’m wondering what actually doing some work again will feel like, at the moment the thought alone seems alien to me. Heaven forbid I’d have taken a gap year! The course looks fairly interesting though, so hopefully that should spur me on. I attended the awkward ‘meet and greet’ party, though I did soon find a friend in the mature student on my course who has just moved over from America. She no doubt felt more awkward than I. I do wish I could remember her name; there was definitely an M in there somewhere.
One last little rant before I leave you to go back to your lives. Manchester its self. I struggle now to find an appropriate adjective for the place. So far, in the immediate vicinity, there have been two rapes, a mugging, someone stealing laptops and I myself have witnessed a fight on the top of a bus over someone’s coat, as well as being involved in one myself. (That sounds somewhat dramatic, I am quite unharmed, I just broke it apart.)
Anyway, I treat you with indifference and leave you. No doubt I’ll post again soon enough, but I’m sure you’ll live if I don’t.
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