Gothic-ness
Today was the departmental lunch, where everyone brought a present and then played an entertaining game wherein each round a person was invited to open one of the presents for themselves, or otherwise take somebody else's present from them (and who would then either have to open a present or take somebody else's other than the present that was taken from them). Very entertaining strategic play ensued - if you go for a present, you might end up with a dud; so when a popular item is uncovered (the bottles of wine were badly concealed in the wrapping paper) there is constant taking of that particular item from it's sequential owners :-)
Initially I tried guessing the contents of the various unopened presents rather than stealing someone else's. This nearly ended in disaster as an interesting package turned out to be some floating candles, a CD of romantic favourites played on pan-pipes (!) and a bath bomb. Fortunately someone relieved me of this and I was able to start snaffling interesting things from other people, which were subsequently snaffled from me. In the end I had a peculiar Christmas tree (where you pour on some chemical solution and the branches start crystallising) but I swapped it with the person who consistently had wanted that particular item; so I ended up with a battery-operated whisk thing for foaming milk for coffee. I think this will be useful...
The most interesting news of the day is wind of a possible performance the largest choral-orchestral work in existence, next year, here in Australia (Brisbane). Let's just say it's what you get if you multiply all of the extra brass instruments from Berlioz's Requiem by Mahler's Eighth Symphony, and then put Schönberg's Gurre-lieder on top for icing. It is also formidably difficult, and has only been performed five or so times since it was written in the 1920's; and there's only one commercial recording available; the work however is clearly a one-off masterpiece. Basically, if you're into BIG music (as I indisputably am) then this is IT. Excited? Me? *twitch*
Initially I tried guessing the contents of the various unopened presents rather than stealing someone else's. This nearly ended in disaster as an interesting package turned out to be some floating candles, a CD of romantic favourites played on pan-pipes (!) and a bath bomb. Fortunately someone relieved me of this and I was able to start snaffling interesting things from other people, which were subsequently snaffled from me. In the end I had a peculiar Christmas tree (where you pour on some chemical solution and the branches start crystallising) but I swapped it with the person who consistently had wanted that particular item; so I ended up with a battery-operated whisk thing for foaming milk for coffee. I think this will be useful...
The most interesting news of the day is wind of a possible performance the largest choral-orchestral work in existence, next year, here in Australia (Brisbane). Let's just say it's what you get if you multiply all of the extra brass instruments from Berlioz's Requiem by Mahler's Eighth Symphony, and then put Schönberg's Gurre-lieder on top for icing. It is also formidably difficult, and has only been performed five or so times since it was written in the 1920's; and there's only one commercial recording available; the work however is clearly a one-off masterpiece. Basically, if you're into BIG music (as I indisputably am) then this is IT. Excited? Me? *twitch*