What I did last week - both of them
Yesterday LUMAS (Lancaster University Manga and Anime Society) finally ran the mini-convention that we've been planning for the past 2 terms. Since it was organized while I was still president I was also heading that committee up, too (that alone is the jump-off for a rant which i'll post seperately in a bit). But anyway, we basically wanted to do a special meeting where we'd hire a second lecture theatre, show a day's worth of anime in one and run a bunch of presentations, lectures etc by members in the other, before an evening of part games later on. I'll confess a certain personal investment in this one - as of Wednesday I was no longer President but after a year of ungrateful members, lazy exec and other pressures I shan't b'awww into now I just wanted this one thing to go off without a hitch. And despite the naysaying of some -- namely a cadre of long-time members who tried the same thing last year only much bigger, more expensive (almost £100 as opposed to nothing) and with a week's notice and were mystified when only one non-organizer turned up -- it was a rousing success. We got as many members as we do on a good day's regular meeting (around fifteen), the lectures on various topics such as mine on Japanese religion and folklore, another on the economics of Anime companies and Piracy, and one on Anime-girl archetypes, were so popular that eventually the anime was abandoned since everyone was next door listening. I'd prepared my lecture for the last, doomed convention and I was really glad I got to wax lyrical about Kami, Yokai and Shinto shrines to an actual audience this time ^___^
Who knew - sometimes when you really need a victory, it happens!
The other thing I did last week was marathon 39 hours of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes so I could watch the final episode with my friends. They wonder why I'm so keen to huddle up on the sofa and watch our favourite shows with them, but the truth is I've never had those sort of friends before, and once we inevitably drift apart I probably never will again. LoM and A2A are still a bit of a blur to me but suffice to say it was pretty darned good, even if the sci-fi felt a little tacked-on at times (well, until the final episode ever when Oh. I seee...?).
Now i'm finally the kind of person who watches TV enough to notice hiatuses, between-season gaps and finales, it's kind of odd how everything comes to a close at once. Desperate Housewives, House and Supernatural have all finished for now, pretty soon it'll be the turn of How I Met Your Mother, Lost and FlashForward are finishing forever..... jeez, what am I gonna do all summer? It's no good - I shall simply have to retire to the park with a picninc and some wine, and wait until Autumn.
But at least there are some new beginnings - I started watching Dr Who with the new Doctor, after previously being under the mistaken assumption that it was only silly by accident, and doubtless hikari_datenshi and kestrellan will bully me into playing catchup on that, too.
As for today, it's been too bastarding hot to do anything, so I am currently taking a break from finally organiing all of my e-books of the Occult to watch Dead Poets Society with a cuppa.
Who knew - sometimes when you really need a victory, it happens!
The other thing I did last week was marathon 39 hours of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes so I could watch the final episode with my friends. They wonder why I'm so keen to huddle up on the sofa and watch our favourite shows with them, but the truth is I've never had those sort of friends before, and once we inevitably drift apart I probably never will again. LoM and A2A are still a bit of a blur to me but suffice to say it was pretty darned good, even if the sci-fi felt a little tacked-on at times (well, until the final episode ever when Oh. I seee...?).
Now i'm finally the kind of person who watches TV enough to notice hiatuses, between-season gaps and finales, it's kind of odd how everything comes to a close at once. Desperate Housewives, House and Supernatural have all finished for now, pretty soon it'll be the turn of How I Met Your Mother, Lost and FlashForward are finishing forever..... jeez, what am I gonna do all summer? It's no good - I shall simply have to retire to the park with a picninc and some wine, and wait until Autumn.
But at least there are some new beginnings - I started watching Dr Who with the new Doctor, after previously being under the mistaken assumption that it was only silly by accident, and doubtless hikari_datenshi and kestrellan will bully me into playing catchup on that, too.
As for today, it's been too bastarding hot to do anything, so I am currently taking a break from finally organiing all of my e-books of the Occult to watch Dead Poets Society with a cuppa.