Hey hey hey!
So, I have much more time than I thought. . . time enough for 1 more post!
Today was a bit rough, stress was running high because our injured parties (by this time it was really ony Chris [who still refuses to go to the hospital,] the other girl only had a lightly sprained ankle that had gotten better) Decided to get up late and leave the house late, and anyone who happened to be prompt for class was in trouble for not waiting for him. (To be fair he was ineffably slow before the injury, so most of us have been waiting up for him since we got here.) An inauspicious start to a day to be sure.
That's alright, though, after class Ryan, Jen, Whitney, and I went shopping at Covent Garden again, this time going a bit more into Neal's Court, which is on the opposite side of Covent Garden. Neal's Ct. is filled with posh, overpriced clothing shops, and a really REALLY good cheese shop (which we had visited earlier last week.) I went back to Covent Garden's open air market and picked up a little something for MJ, though I couldn't find what I wanted exactly. (Damn the cheeky brits for ony being cunning on thongs.) Shopping was pretty uneventful, except for not being able to find a shop that could fix my watch. Whitney bought a pair of high heels, and the rest of us just took it easy. We did Check out a tattoo parlor just off Drewry Lane that was pretty cool (Ryan's contemplating getting another one here, but I think the exchange rate is going to kill that idea.)
After that we went to one of the nationaly subsodized Theaters to see a production of "The History Boys" which was last year's big hit that they were trying to spruce up for export to America. I have a feeling that's not going to work out well, though, because it's mired in the British school system which is completely different than ours. To help, traditionally, what is the opposite study to the study of the arts? Back home we say science and or math traditionally, over here it's History. Thats a major binary in the play that most americans just won't get. Now the play itself may be able to draw in its own unique crowd by being as overtly homosexual as Brokeback Mountain, but in the end I have a feeling it's just not going to be understandable to the average theater going American.
What it says about teaching styles, and education is huge, but it never ties it all together and gives you an answer. It sets up 4 different ways of teaching within the administrative characters, and disproves and undercuts all of them in some way. The kids are used primarily as a demonstration of the social power struggle of high school, both within themselves, and against the teachers, with the latent homosexuality being the tool used, however the only really conclusive answer recieved by the end of the play on that subject is that if you stay a bitch you will allways be a bitch (in this case the character Posner never did anything with his life except collect a scrap-book of all his other classmates achievements.)
Overall, I have mixed feelings about the play because it is an exercise of exemplification in which the playwright muddied the waters with a great number of permutations around a few specific issues, and didn't really give any clear answers at the end. I understand that that technique is used to make the audience think for itself, and even discuss the ideas, and ponder them to arrive at suitable answers within itself, but it feels like (excuse the expression Jeff) a punt to me. Because nothing is represented in favor of anything else the playwright doesn't need to be accountable for any views that may be expressed by it, and nothing guides the discussion that follows save the broad issues brought up. The technique was applied well, and worked splendedly as evidenced by later conversations in later classes, however I do not like the noncommittal feel of it, and have no prefrence for the technique in general.
After that mental train-wreck it was time to go home and soak my head in another hot Jet-bath. (You'll be glad to hear that I no longer have that kink in my shoulder that I picked up just before Christmas, yay!)
That makes 6 baths so far in London. . . I can see why Douglas Adams bothered to mention them so much.
Today was a bit rough, stress was running high because our injured parties (by this time it was really ony Chris [who still refuses to go to the hospital,] the other girl only had a lightly sprained ankle that had gotten better) Decided to get up late and leave the house late, and anyone who happened to be prompt for class was in trouble for not waiting for him. (To be fair he was ineffably slow before the injury, so most of us have been waiting up for him since we got here.) An inauspicious start to a day to be sure.
That's alright, though, after class Ryan, Jen, Whitney, and I went shopping at Covent Garden again, this time going a bit more into Neal's Court, which is on the opposite side of Covent Garden. Neal's Ct. is filled with posh, overpriced clothing shops, and a really REALLY good cheese shop (which we had visited earlier last week.) I went back to Covent Garden's open air market and picked up a little something for MJ, though I couldn't find what I wanted exactly. (Damn the cheeky brits for ony being cunning on thongs.) Shopping was pretty uneventful, except for not being able to find a shop that could fix my watch. Whitney bought a pair of high heels, and the rest of us just took it easy. We did Check out a tattoo parlor just off Drewry Lane that was pretty cool (Ryan's contemplating getting another one here, but I think the exchange rate is going to kill that idea.)
After that we went to one of the nationaly subsodized Theaters to see a production of "The History Boys" which was last year's big hit that they were trying to spruce up for export to America. I have a feeling that's not going to work out well, though, because it's mired in the British school system which is completely different than ours. To help, traditionally, what is the opposite study to the study of the arts? Back home we say science and or math traditionally, over here it's History. Thats a major binary in the play that most americans just won't get. Now the play itself may be able to draw in its own unique crowd by being as overtly homosexual as Brokeback Mountain, but in the end I have a feeling it's just not going to be understandable to the average theater going American.
What it says about teaching styles, and education is huge, but it never ties it all together and gives you an answer. It sets up 4 different ways of teaching within the administrative characters, and disproves and undercuts all of them in some way. The kids are used primarily as a demonstration of the social power struggle of high school, both within themselves, and against the teachers, with the latent homosexuality being the tool used, however the only really conclusive answer recieved by the end of the play on that subject is that if you stay a bitch you will allways be a bitch (in this case the character Posner never did anything with his life except collect a scrap-book of all his other classmates achievements.)
Overall, I have mixed feelings about the play because it is an exercise of exemplification in which the playwright muddied the waters with a great number of permutations around a few specific issues, and didn't really give any clear answers at the end. I understand that that technique is used to make the audience think for itself, and even discuss the ideas, and ponder them to arrive at suitable answers within itself, but it feels like (excuse the expression Jeff) a punt to me. Because nothing is represented in favor of anything else the playwright doesn't need to be accountable for any views that may be expressed by it, and nothing guides the discussion that follows save the broad issues brought up. The technique was applied well, and worked splendedly as evidenced by later conversations in later classes, however I do not like the noncommittal feel of it, and have no prefrence for the technique in general.
After that mental train-wreck it was time to go home and soak my head in another hot Jet-bath. (You'll be glad to hear that I no longer have that kink in my shoulder that I picked up just before Christmas, yay!)
That makes 6 baths so far in London. . . I can see why Douglas Adams bothered to mention them so much.