Survived giving first ever lecture! O.k., so it was only fifteen minutes long, but it was still in the big-ass MacRobert Lecture Hall in front of a lot of first-years, who were hard to read...couldn't tell if they were taking notes because they were interested, or if they were taking notes because I was devious and sneaky and refused to use ( Read more... )

Little work done on the Thesis of Doom, but I did spend the afternoon writing the NaNo (25,338 words in, people!) so I feel good and productive, if a bit emotionally drained. It's funny how different types of writing take different types of energy. Almost all of the NaNo requires a lot of emotional input, while the Thesis of Doom is all about ( Read more... )

1. The Thesis of Doom - 3,000 words on The Boxer were semi-officially due yesterday, but it didn't happen (are you really surprised?). I shall be spending this afternoon alternately considering representations of the IRA and ogling Daniel Day-Lewis. (I knew there was a reason I'm a Film Studies post-grad.) And then I will go and make three tons of ( Read more... )

I present, for your speculative pleasure, the one sentence that I am completely certain is going to feature in any attempt I make at this year's NaNoWriMo:
"God works in mysterious ways," said Sister Ernestine dryly, cocking the tranquilizer gun.

There was actually a decent Homepage Writer's Block challenge for once:
The Japanese haiku poet Basho once wrote, "Old pond / a frog jumps / the sound of water." Try writing some of your own haikus about the little things in your life. A haiku generally consists of a five syllable line, a seven syllable line and a second five syllable line, or you ( Read more... )

"SHAKING FOR ALL THEY’RE WORTH"
  An Appreciation of The Mekons

So there I was, clattering about the kitchen earlier today, washing up after lunch and listening to the Mekons album Edge of the World, up to my forearms in warm soapy water, scouring viciously at my flatmate’s so-called no-stick egg encrusted frying pan.

"Doubt and resentment/Bile in my ( Read more... )