Vonfuse(d) Me

So many things I want to say, so little I know how to. Pictures instead...






Current Music: The Knife - Heartbeats

It's been a week since my last post. In the meantime I wrote two long papers and managed to hand both in just on time, the philosophy one literally going into the box at the last second. I asked for an extension for another paper and didn't get it, so I will have to hand it in late with marks being taken off. And the first marching demonstration possibly in the history of the University, that I took part in organising, happened. I was stressed beyond comfortable, yet all the pressure came from myself. And in the end it nearly all worked out (apart from that third essay).

I don't think I have ever written much about the demonstration here. The university invests in a number of companies, many of which are what we consider to be "unethical". The main debate is probably where you draw the line, but there are some not so nice cases, like companies that have been reported by human rights commissions, companies that supported totalitarian regimes etc. We want the university to invest ethically, and have put up some demands and a timeline for that. To make the long story short, after three years of campaigning, this term was to be the one that would show the student support. A petition was signed by more than 1600 students, and those signatures were presented to the principal of the university on Friday. I joined the campaign about a month into this term, and got straight into publicity, being in charge of designing all posters, flyers etc. So it ended up with many, many meetings and a lot to organise for the actual day of the demonstration. There were some smaller things as well, such as theatre skit about a wedding where I was a bidesmaid and wore a fancy dress etc. Eventually, about 200 people showed up, walked down the main street with us (which had been closed off by the police), and joined us for speeches and the presentation of the signatures in our main university building. A huge success and much better than we had expected, but it drained all of my time last week, and most of it beforehand... Yesterday I woke up and for the first time in at least 2 weeks I knew there was nothing urgent to be done that day, no meeting, and it felt very nice, but weird ;) .

And today we are diving into the next event, Raisin Weekend. A traditional huge party here. It starts with a "tea party" with the academic mum in the afternoon on Sunday. Then in the evening you make your way to your dad's party, and eventually back home. In the morning you are dressed up in a costume by your mum, and are given a "raisin receipt" by your dad. That receipt has some latin on it, but most importantly, it is usually something huge, to see the kids suffer carrying it (broken freezers, cupboards and the like are not too uncommon). Freshly equipped, the kids make their way to the main university building, where there is a huge shaving foam fight. And after all that, kids go back to sleep and then to attend the afternoon lectures and tutorials... And lucky me, I have a tutorial in the morning (which I will have to miss) and one in the afternoon... And since they are compulsory, missing them is anything but a good idea...

Now I will have to be off to lunch and get plenty of fatty food (which shouldn't be too hard), and then it's off to my "mum" at 14.00... The weekend is much more notorious in stories than it will actually be, but I still look forward to it in an axious/excited way, not really knowing what will happen. Last year a mother had only one son and many daughters, so she dressed the son as an egg cell and the girls as sperms, and they had to chase the poor guy to the foam fight...

Current Music: Tori Amos - Silent All These Years

I shouldn't really have the time to post this. I have an essay due in about 23 hours, a 2000 word essay for Film Studies, analysing a scene from 2001-A Space Oddyssey. And I am only in the middle of my research, no word on paper. Plus there is a meeting later. That I have to go to but will try to escape from. And once that essay is out of the way, I have to start on my philosophy paper, 1500 words, which is due in about 47 hours. And once I get some sleep after all that, I have to start my paper for Friday. And the irony of it all is that I just had a week's break in which I could have done all this. Stupid me ;) . But I do enjoy the pressure. It tells me I'm still alive. And that I might just be doing more than living from day to day, which too many people here do. And right now the despair makes me completely hyper :D .
Oh, and I spent last night at my roommate's place in Dumfermline. Very pretty place, and I did enjoy it. But it did mean that we only came back to St Andrews at 17.00 today...

And I rediscovered the pleasures of Supertramp. Brilliant lyrics, and so true. Especially after coming back to this place from the outside, even if it was only a night... Gosh, I wish I could have some instant popcorn now and go for a walk at the fjord... And know that I'm not the only one leaving things to the very last night...



Right, back to psychedelic Space Oddyssey, the use of sound in the "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" sequence, and then some chips (does anyone outside the UK use that name for french fries?) or whatever food I can get my hands on...

Current Music:Supertramp - School

PS: Has anyone else ever tried syncing Pink Floyd's Echoes with the Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite scene of 2001? I read it on the internet, and it works quite well. Or maybe I just love both music and film too much...

No London for me. At least not right now. Instead I had a Pizza at a "Chippie" (Fish And Chips Shop, a place that sells all that is fried and unhealthy). And I tried one of the two Scottish Specialities: A deep-fried Mars Bar. Imagine a mars bar being coated in something weird, dough-like, and then fried for a few minutes. You end up with some delicious chocolaty thing that is incredibly fatty and unhealthy. Apparently, the owner of the shop told me, last night one guy ate 8 1/2 of them. He came back this morning, feeling rather sick. So now he is applying to the Guinness Book of World Records. I mean, eating 8 1/2 normal mars bars might seem reasonable, but the same amount fried... I feel sick at the thought of just one fried one after this evening ;) .
The other speciality is some weird meaty thing called Haggis. Or Black Pudding. And I don't intent to try that so very soon. But I shall soon attack the fried snicker bars :D ...
Also, they seem to fry anything you want them to fry. We thought about fried marshmallows and fried grapes, anyone have any other ideas ;) ?
Oh, and I watched my first episode ever of "The Family Guy" this evening. What a hilarious series...

And finally, an example of the simplistic art of student life: A picture of a banana holder including banana, placed before a typical power socket with one white and one black plug. Taken in a flat in Albany Park, a residence where six people each live in a mini-house with a shared kitchen and living room.

I will go to bed now and see what dreams I'll come up with... which reminds me that the only dreams I can really remember since coming here have been of my roommate, twice. I used to dream of him when he was gone Friday nights, and I dreamt of the moment he would come back and the kinds of things he would bring into the room. I don't know yet whether those dreams indicated wishful thinking or fear (especially since I can't remember the objects he was bringing in) ;) . I stopped dreaming of him eventually. And he stopped leaving on Fridays. I had other dreams, nice ones, but as soon as I woke up they were half-gone again already...
Or maybe I should just fall asleep with music again...



Current Music: Pink Floyd - See Emily Play

Random thoughts are dangerous. Today I saw that tomorrow is the premiere of the new Harry Potter movie in London. Thousands are expected to be there. And I decided that since I have a week of holiday now, I could just as well go there and see it, I really want to in fact. Not that I'd get into the premiere, of course, but just to stand there, catch a glimpse of the actors and JKR, and to see the whole randomness of it. A bus there and back would be 44 pounds from Edinburgh. And it would go overnight, non-stop. I could leave in 6 hours, arriving in London at 7 tomorrow morning. The premiere is open for gathering at 15.00. And I could catch a late bus back so that I won't have to find a place to stay. Which would make it a very expensive round-trip. Or I could stay, but then I'd have to leave again very soon afterwards to be back here on Tuesday...
The more I think about it, the more I really want to do this. And yet I know that it isn't possible. To get to Edinburgh I would have to take the bus to Leuchars, and then the train. So I would have to leave in 3 hours. And arrange, pack etc everything before then. No way I would manage. And yet I feel so stupid for not thinking about this about 24 hours earlier.


So in fact, we're screwed. Once we stop running in circles and run straight ahead, we really just run the bigger circle. Hmpf.

I guess I better stop running in circles now and sort my stuff out. Tonight I'll either be here or on my way to London. I love the randomness of it, and yet my disorganisation apalls me...

Current Music: Modest Mouse - Third Planet