"I really cannot be plaguing myself for ever with all the new poems"

After watching some Doctor Who on the weekend, I realised that I am missing and will continue to miss Doctor Who this year, I am not sure that the five specials will be enough. The next one airs at Easter I believe, so hopefully we will get it here not long after.

Whilst I was in Ireland, my sister asked me to help her with an English assignment in which she had to write poetry. After writing a very tortured one on Jane Austen that Virgina Woolf would have liked, I was told to write one a 15 year old would write (yes I was doing my sister's homework!)Oh and it had to be on culture. (I think my sister had already written an ode to her ipod) So, I picked, the culture of Doctor Who. I thought I would share it with you, even though you will all laugh, and probably will stop talking to me as a result.

Anyway, enjoy, my poem,

"On Watching Doctor Who"

As evening draws in
And the TV flickers,
The Doctor dances
And the villain snickers.

Eagerly awaiting,
The sound that we love,
The Doctor is coming,
Up there, from above!

The sofa is pulled out,
Away from the wall
For when the Daleks attack,
It will defend one and all!

The Doctor appears,
Flashes a cheeky grin,
With me by his side,
He is certain to win.

For a moment I think,
It is me in his box,
Fighting aliens and monsters,
Not wearing bed socks.

As the theme song sounds,
And rings out Wohooo,
I know I am dreaming,
I know its not true.

The Daleks attack,
The Cybermen too,
I can’t wait until next week,
I love Doctor Who!


(an embarrassed, slightly nerdy) HH

"With unpardonable arrogance"

I think one thing I hate is arrogance, particularly unfounded arrogance stemmed from ignorance and a big ego. (Possibly small other things, but I won't make assumptions or lower the tone of the blog.) I attended a workshop on Thursday, which whilst I got some constructive feedback, one of the other participants got on my nerves so much that everything seemed beyond saving, and I was ready to un-enroll at the end of the session!! He felt it was his place, without knowing anything about my topic, to give me very direct criticism, and tell me what I should be doing and reading, without any evidence that the historiography he suggested even existed. He also interrupted others giving genuine advice to point out typos. He also said "Yadda, Yadda, Yadda", a lot, as part of making an argument. Where was he from, 1993? I really was livid, I think I could have rivalled mscrankypants and SSS with my level of ranting about the general fuckwittage of this fellow.

I am over it now, but as I had been feeling so good about things on Wednesday, I think what I could normally brush off hit me a lot harder. My armour was down. This has, in turn lead to much procrastination and a total lack of motivation. I am trying to rectify this now, though blogging perhaps is not the best way to show that I am working hard.

Neither is baking....but we had some bananas...and choc-chips, what is a girl to do? I made some chocolate-chip and banana muffins, from Speedy Nigella's Butterscotch and Banana muffins, which are very good. Moist, chocolaty, not too much banana, and good for you as they have fruit in them!



HH

"So says my historian"

I am now officially a tutor having survived two weeks of classes. The first week went pretty well. I was less than brilliant in the first one, but by the second I was finding my feet and by the third and the fourth I was in my element. I really did enjoy it and as general concept it is good. This is big from me whose main goal is to be invisible where possible. I also distinctly remember saying I would never be a tutor. How times change, though I think apart from the good experience this all falls into doing things I wouldn't normally do, which has been my successful New Years Resolution two years running. It was good to be able to talk in tutes, something I rarely did as an undergrad, and the students spoke as well (bonus). It is a bit strange being asked my opinion on essays and things, when it will affect their marks if I tell them something crap or wrong, but I suppose I am marking them so I can do what I like! (mwhahahah)

I have a busy week so far and have a workshop tomorrow with an Historian from England which I crammed all weekend and wrote a mostly new chapter for, and then tutor training on Friday. It is strange in the last month or two I think I have become an historian, at least in my own mind, which sounds a bit pretentious, but it isn't meant to be. I think I have just reached a point where I know what I am doing, where I am going, and where I actually fit into all this work I have been doing!! So that is a nice feeling.

Despite all the work I have to do today, I baked choc-chip cookies this morning. Just from the AWW "Cook" book, but they are pretty good. Chewy in the middle but crisp on the edges, chocolaty, vanilla-y and lovely. I was worried when I ate one too soon of the tray that they weren't right, but no I was wrong, they are right. Perfect with milk, good with coffee, and thankfully it made a huge batch so the four I ate in a row won't be missed.


HH