I was quite exhausted today, as the result of first voluntary and then involuntary sleeplessness last night. My plan to get back on my ideal 1am-9am sleep pattern is not going well. I had some really good conversations with a pair of people with whom I’ve not generally conversed at length, but the cost was one of considerable mental degradation today. As such, our second qualitative methods class passed rather more hazily than it might otherwise have done. Even so, I think I will be able to do a decent job of the take-home exam over the course of this weekend. Since it’s just one 2000 word essay, it shouldn’t be too bad. Unfortunately, the essay question is one that is uniquely poorly suited to the case study I have already chosen. It’s really aimed at larger and more bureaucratically complex institutions. That said, I think a reminder that there are frigates out there as well as battleships – and that they are doing important work – is one that will serve those marking the exam well.
Lots of projects are waiting just over the next hill now: the continued search for a summer job and a place to live, the process of applying for scholarships in a way that I hope will be more fruitful this year than last, and the ever-present process of reading with an eye to less-and-less distant examinations. The character of the light has been helpful on all of these fronts lately. It really does have a profound psychological effect. It’s like seeing the surface of the water as you are swimming up towards it. It distracts from how oxygen starved your lungs can get at times and it unambiguously demonstrates the way to go.
I have a supervision with Dr. Hurrell tomorrow about my neoliberal institutionalism essay, with another to follow soon on the democratic peace essay I submitted yesterday.
Regarding your camera troubles, would it be possible to take an image of the dark splotches on a blank wall and use it to make a semi-transparent overlay that you could apply to other images to correct for the darkening?
hey milan, it’s not relevant to the topic, but i just wanted to say hi. I’m tony’s daughter (‘Tui’). i had no idea you went to UBC…two of my best friends are there (they were at my uni in nottingham last year on exchange but regretably had to go back). I would love to go to Vancouver, it sounds so great.
I was just being nosy and looking at you interests etc (hope you don’t mind). anyway, you have pretty good taste in music and films!
if you like tori amos, and tegan and sarah (i love them both) you might like emiliana torrini (i think she’s brilliant, and in fact bought fishermans daughter for my dad for christmas). Also, music wise you might like rilo kiley, also i love louis xiv and the futureheads if you want something a bit different.
films wise as well, if you liked goodbye lenin have you seen amelie, or a little less mainstream the ‘three colours’ trilogy, ‘dirty, pretty things’ or ‘intacto’ (tho that’s pretty random).
sorry if these don’t interest you, just thought that i love it when people with similar interests give me recommendations so you might!
take care,
esther x
also, i added you on facebook. hope that’s ok. if it’s a popularity contest i need to be in the running ;)
est x
Esther,
Nice to hear from you. My friend Ashley Thorvaldson brought Emiliana Torrini back with her, when she returned from Iceland (the music, not the woman). Louis XIV, my brother has sent me a lot of, over the last year or so. You may be interested in having a look at his page: http://papafly.blogspot.com/
I have seen Amelie, but not the other films you list. I shall add them to my long list of things to do.
It’s interesting to hear that you’re doing university at Nottingham. A very good friend of mine is in the process of finishing her PhD there.