Go dating goths...GO!

It was my usual Tuesday evening slothed in front of the TV catching up on things I had recorded. Watching a repeat of Bones for the want of anything better on the real television, I was delighted to catch a cameo from Kent and Vyxsin, the "Dating Goths" from The Amazing Race. Kent had even more makeup on than usual, and Vyxsin's hair was very pink. Kent got to do some fabulous overacting in a scene at an auction at a scifi/fantasy convention. I am currently watch them disintegrate on The Amazing Race which is playing Sunday evenings on one of Channel Seven's extra channels. I would love for them to win, but after this Sunday's episode it looks like they "may be eliminated".

in sunshine and in shadow

Whites....sorry

I see from my twitter feed that Whites only made it through one series before being canned. Now it looks like there is a movement to get it renewed again. After accidentally watching last night's episode on the ABC I'm not sure why, because it just wasn't really that funny. This is a shame because with cooking shows and celebrity chefs taking over our television schedules there sure is room for a biting comedy about them. Mix Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and that guy with the cravat together and there's a character I could watch with interest. Anyway, it makes me sad that Whites was so....ordinary...because I love Alan Davies. He was perfect in Jonathon Creek and lovely on QI. And Katherine Parkinson from the IT Crowd is fantastic as well but here she just seemed to be playing a poor imitation of Jen. The crafty little apprentice storyline was all just a little obvious and tired. The best thing was Maggie Steed as snobby diner from hell. Here's an actress who knows how to make the best of a ornery job.
I just don't know that I will tune in again.
Sorry....

ramblin' through the week

This is just a little ramble through my week. Teaching is going well, but as a colleague and I discussed this afternoon we have to cram a whole heap of skills and content into the first month of the term to get our students to the first assignment. This makes for lots of preparation, lots of reading for the students, and classes which are go go go. I have managed to keep up with my study readings and started on my assignment. This weekend will be all about evaluating and posters.

Apart from that, my piano students on Wednesday afternoon are absolutely delightful. The youngest is racing ahead through his book in leaps and bounds. For the last two weeks he has arrived with at least one, if not two, extra pieces ready to "surprise" me with. And the determination of my two adult students is admirable and inspiring.

Tuesday we were grilled at work in a series of meetings with an external consultant who has been employed to do a review of preparatory programs and support services at uni. I think what he might have found that there are many issues which feed into the uni's high undergrad attrition rates...many of them in the undergrad faculties and programs. Unfortunately, that might not be within the scope of his review. I had a lot to say and I said it. Let's face it, you usually only get one chance with these things so I went for it...very politely.

TV wise I have been studiously avoiding the news. Not because I am not gravely concerned and saddened by recent events, but such is the power of seeing it over and over again on the telly that it all gets too much. Instead, I have continued my love affair with cheesy sitcoms, watching Scrubs every night on one of the Channel Seven repeat stations. Tonight, I am going to catch up with Big Love from last night, and then watch either Pie in the Sky, The Amazing Race or All Creatures Great and Small. I am recording 30 Rock as well as some program that sounds mildly interesting about the High Street in the "olden days" on the ABC at 8:30. I enjoyed David Attenborough on Sunday evening. I also watched Bones although I am sick and tired of Channel Seven stuffing around with random repeats. I mean really, a couple of weeks we see The Gravedigger get her head shot off outside the courthouse and then last Sunday, we discover who she is. Stop it! Still, the science-magic is all very gobbledygooky and entertaining. It makes me feel smarter when I watch it, even though I don't understand what they're talking about, I still manage to follow what's happening. That's quite a writing feat.

Not romantic or funny

Last night I watched 27 Dresses, just to see what I might have missed when it was at the movies. The answer to that question is nothing. Sure, I like James Marsden and Judy Greer and the guy from 30 Rock whose name I can't remember. I don't watch Gray's Anatomy so the appeal of Katherine Heigl is lost on me. And really, is Ed Burns that hard up for a gig these days that he had to take a crap, one-dimensional part in this film? It seems so.

It was just what I expected, or even a little bit less. Lots of stereotyping of romance, love and gender. There was the potential for it to be a little bit subversive but they went for the happily ever after ending which all in all was a little bit sick-making. Overall, it made me feel old, cynical and not at all inclined to watch another so called romantic comedy ever again. Unless someone can recommend a decent one made in the last five years.

@DavetheFish said he was dull

New Tricks has to be one of the most charming and comforting programs on the telly at the moment. Unlike the fashion in most crime dramas there is no blood and gore which is a plus (although that doesn't stop me from watching Bones). However, it is the actors which make it a worthwhile hour of my time on a Friday night at the moment. Amanda Redman is just right as Sandra Pullman, the real policewoman in charge of her three mildly unruly and eccentric retired coppers. Together they are a slightly inefficient crime-solving machine. Although, I must admit these later series are not quite as narratively tight as the early episodes, it's Jack, Jerry and most of all Brian who steal the show every week. Dennis Waterman is spot on as Jerry, the aging womaniser who loves a drink, a smoke and a good time. James Bolam is lovely as Jack, widower and elder statesman of the group. It's Alun Armstrong though as Brian who steals the show. With a sometimes precarious grip on reality, Brian is a computer whiz with a knowledge of all things wild and wonderful, who can join random dots together to solve a case.

Last night's Banksy inspired episode was the usual stuff, but more interesting for the fact that Brian joined Twitter in the opening scenes. His frustration at his inability to condense his morning's activities into 140 characters was delightful, as was his glee when his followers reached double figures - 11. Sadly though, no-one (cast or writers) had much time for Brian's growing twitter addiction and he deleted his @TopCop999 account after @DavetheFish said he was dull. What I was really waiting for was Brian's twitter account to somehow save the day in the investigation of the cold case murder. That would have awesome, and a great trick indeed. Unfortunately, it was relegated to minor, amusing subplot that went nowhere. Perhaps Jerry could join Facebook in a few weeks time. I'm sure that's fodder for plenty of hi-jinks.

Margaret...tell 'em about the cat

It's been a busy quick week here at The Spiralling Shape. After a week with no internet access at home I finally received my new modem etc in the post yesterday and managed to set it up with the help of a friendly, methodical helpdesk person on the end of the phone. We haz interwebs. (Poor attempt at lolcat speak).

Tuesday saw International Women's Day arrive and depart. I meant to post this at the time but the day got away from me. I like to think it inspired me when I was a little girl whiling away the afternoons in front of the telly.


Awesome isn't it?! Especially the key change and the big finale.

Apart from that teaching continued with a good class of keen students. We now all understand the basic structure of an academic paragraph and are learning to love spelling and grammar. We have also had some thoughtful discussions of contemporary society, culture and communities.

In between that I have taught my piano students; Wednesday afternoons is full now for three hours. I start with the 8 year old who is as keen as mustard and finish with my two determined adult learners. I really am enjoying it at the moment.

And finally, I am keeping up with my new study. I have done my first two weeks readings, listened to two online lectures and this weekend will begin my first assignment. I have also decided to start a new blog that will be devoted to my study. That is, I will keep The Spiralling Shape for its original purpose and put all the library stuff somewhere else.

Hand me a nikko pen

Well look at me...studying again after vowing never ever to do such a thing in my whole entire life. Clearly, I have forgotten the trials and traumas of the PhD because I have enrolled into a Master of Information Technology (Library and Information Sciences) at QUT. I chose it because it offered the degree externally, and was in Queensland. The rest of the unis that offered similar degrees were interstate. It is also an accredited degree which might mean something in the future when I eventually finish it. Until my research fellowship finishes in June 2012 I am only going to take one subject per semester. After that I will get moving. Initially I enrolled myself into one of the two electives that are part of the study plan, but then on second thought, and after trawling around the Blackboard site for that subject and finding NOTHING AT ALL EVEN THOUGH TERM STARTS ON MONDAY, I decided to jump right in to one of the proper core subjects. It has a Blackboard site with some decent content already up for the first two weeks, and acknowledges that not all students are internal, discussing the online component of resources and recording of lectures etc. I have spent this afternoon joyfully doing the Week 1 reading, examining in some detail the assessments and generally poking around the QUT website. As can probably be expected I find it tremendously confusing but think I have found most places where I need to go, except for the library. I will save that for tomorrow I think.

The assessment looks interesting. I'm surprised at how intensely scaffolded the assignments are. Every step is there. We don't do that for our bridging students - well not to the same degree anyway. I'm also thinking about the number of 500 word reflections there are as part of the various assessments. Can I write only 500 words anymore? I hope so. Of course there is a 5000 word report as the final piece so that will keep me busy I imagine. I think I'm going to choose the topic to do with music piracy. Maybe. And the first piece is a poster presentation with marks allocated to its "visual" literacy. I am not an artistic person. I shall have to think of something to do with this. There is the suggestion of a youtube video. I may have to ask more questions about this as a possibility. Either that or I just get a big piece of cardboard and a nikko pen.

Joking... :-)

It's all very exciting.

clutching an ice brick

Why are you clutching that icebrick wrapped in a teatowel to your chest Wendy?

Why indeed....

The morning began rather inauspiciously with me ramming one of those trolley things into the back of my heel while I was attempting to transport a heap of study material into the lecture theatre. Subsequently, my heel has a lump of a bruise on it. It was only afterwards when I was investigating why the damned trolley was so difficult to maneouvre that I discovered the brake on one of the wheels was clicked on.

Then I was unpacking study packs from boxes when I ripped the cuticle on one of my fingers making it bleed and requiring a bandaid. Oh, the glamorous life of an academic.

I thought I had made it through the rest of the day incident free. That was until I arrived home, decided to make coffee in the plunger and thoughtlessly pushed the plunger too hard, creating a kind of coffee fountain that has scalded the palm of my hand.

I started by using the frozen broccoli to cool it down but I didn't want it to defrost. Somehow, there is an ice brick thing in my freezer. I don't know where it came from. I sure as heck didn't put it there, but I am using it now.

You will excuse me if I stop typing.

I have coffee to drink, and some ice to clutch in vain, while I hope my hand stops hurting soon.

Snake at the screen door

Well done Monday! Congratulations! You surpassed all your previous attempts by 7am. Not only did you provide me with a restless, disturbed sub-tropical night's sleep with the prospect of a 34 degree day. I then awoke ridiculously early, bleary-eyed and tired. I thought to myself, I know - I shall start the week off the right foot and do my meditation. I even got out of bed 20 minutes early. As I was quietly sitting in my meditative state my attention was drawn to the fact that the cat was batting at something near the back screen door. "Oh" I thought, "He's playing with a gecko/huntsman spider/baby lizard/ "insert fairly inocuous creature of your own choosing". But Monday, dear Monday, you had other plans. On rising from my meditation, calm and slightly more clear-headed than when I had sat down, I was delighted, nay let us say THRILLED, to find the cat was in fact batting at a snake at the back door. Now I must be clear, it is a baby sized snake, and has just been identified as the carpet variety by my father, but it is a snake nonetheless. Steve Irwin would have been impressed with my lightning fast reflexes as I slammed the glass door shut so said snake was then trapped between the screen and the glass. The cat was less impressed and remains on guard as I write. The snake has not moved for the last 45 minutes. My dear father came around and we bravely opened the screen and kept the glass door shut. He left me with these words of wisdom.

"It'll crawl away during the day but if it does get inside Harry will kill it".

I should probably leave a note for the cleaning lady.