Episode 1265: Community 20 (Episodes), Dissertation 0 (Words)

As the title of this post might suggest, I'm beginning to regret having promised my supervisor 1000+ words from my first chapter by the end of term, as I haven't done nearly enough reading so far to be able to get a draft done. I suppose if I get really desperate though, I could just whack out a whole series of close readings of individual poems that don't rely heavily on criticism per se. Frankly, I'm quite sure that if I read everything that I've found so far in the course of researching my topic, I'd find that I have more than enough theory and criticism to bolster my argument. Right now, the only genuine problem I'm facing is the psychological barrier of having to get words down on the page, knowing that they'll have to be revised within weeks. It's just not how I generally work. I'm the kind of person who revises semi-obsessively as I go along, which is generally okay for module essays, where I'm able to operate within a fairly clear framework for what the shape of the essay will ultimately be. That style of working isn't very helpful though, when what I'm trying to write is essentially the opening of a chapter that should be at once self-contained and also part of a larger train of thought spanning 16000 words.

Episode 1264: Anti-Pinterest (And Proud Of It)

Went to the Post Room again to pick up my gift edition of The Invention Of Hugo Cabret, which is seriously a gorgeously produced hardback. If all hardbacks looked like that, I would be shallow and abandon my stand regarding paperbacks in a heartbeat. Also had every intention of doing work today, but in anticipation of the new episode of Community finally airing in a week, I decided to start doing 10-episode marathons and rewatch the whole series. The closing minutes of the pilot threw up this gem of a quote from Jeff: 'The funny thing about being smart is that you can get through most of life without ever having to do any work.' So true, so true. On an entirely different note, given the recent surge of interest in Pinterest, I think this article about the potential copyright minefield Pinterest represents might amuse those of you who, like me, are tired of new social networking bandwagons trundling along that it's assumed everyone should want to hop on. There's also a slightly more caustic article from Thought Catalog, best summed up by this depressingly true statement: 'A few weeks ago, Pinterest became the fastest stand-alone site to reach 10 million visitors in a month. Which confirms one thing and thing only: America will do anything to avoid having to read.' On that note, go read some of my haiku that's up at Three Line Poetry.

Episode 1263: Not Another Merlion Poem!

So a phrase just struck me during my EN954 seminar today, and it ended up becoming the final lines of this poem about the Merlion, because obviously, we don't already have enough poems banging on about the Merlion. Trekked to Westwood this afternoon to pick up lots of post, including two out of three of the Brian Selznick books I bought on Sunday night. I'm not usually into hardbacks because I just generally don't believe in paying more (and I also have an abiding fondness for stylish paperbacks like you get from Faber & Faber or Vintage), but I have to say, the Selznick hardbacks are gorgeously done. Also picked up all but one of the Salt Modern Voices pamphlets that I didn't already have. Just ordered No. 3 in the series from The Book Depository, but curiously, I can't seem to find a No. 11 anywhere. I also now have Elizabeth Jennings's The Collected Poems from Carcanet, edited by Emma Mason. Brought it to the seminar, mostly just to prove to Maria that it's already available for ordering from Amazon UK. It's a hefty volume, but I'd quite like to start reading it. Ever since I read her short book Christianity And Poetry last year as part of research for my PWP, Jennings has struck me as one of those poets whom I'd really enjoy, but somehow have never read. (The same applies to a lesser extent for Geoffrey Hill.)

Episode 1262: Basically, I've Done A Complete 180 Where New Girl Is Concerned

New Girl was one of those shows that I used to slag off without ever having watched an episode of it. Then I caved and hated myself for doing so. As the season's gone on though, the writers have clearly wised up and realised that the pilot's premise was hardly going to sustain the whole season, and they've toned down Zooey Deschanel's character's quirkiness. The show's also evolved into more of an ensemble comedy, and I think this week's episode really brought that out. Although the characters largely are still being defined by their individual character quirks, which works better for some of them than others, I think that's permissible for a freshman comedy series. On the other hand, see the mid-season finale of Jane By Design for a masterclass in how not to do character development. I know the show probably got its eight-episode back order too late for that to factor into the writing of the most recent episodes, but still, there were way too many twists, telegraphed and otherwise, for one episode. Oh well, at least I got my answer about how the show plans to handle its excessive and slightly creepy (because one of the characters is a grown man hitting on a high school girl) love square.

Episode 1261: £52.80 For A Book!

So I did go and buy The Invention Of Hugo Cabret after all! It's a special gift edition that comes with an interview DVD with Brian Selznick, but it cost me £52.80 (including postage) because I think it's no longer in print (this edition was released in 2008, probably as a one-off promotion) and it also happens to be autographed by Selznick. (Bought his other book as well, Wonderstruck, and a making-of companion to the movie.) As Shirley said, highly uncharacteristic of me, as far as book purchases go, but as a one-off thing, I suppose it's okay. That said, I did charge it to my credit card instead of debit because I'm trying to leave money in my NatWest account for driving lessons, so I'll pay the money back to my mum once the bill arrives back in Singapore. Speaking of which, I actually need to start looking into driving lessons. I keep saying I'm going to do it, and then I don't follow through, just because I can't be bothered to actually set things up. At the moment, I'm thinking of starting lessons over the Easter holidays, but I'll probably end up putting things off again. I really want to get my license before I head back to Singapore for good though, just so that my parents will stop bugging me about it!

Episode 1260: Hugo

Had an interesting time in the Mead Gallery revisiting some of the works in The Indiscipline Of Painting. Now I think I don't really need the catalogue, I just want pictures of selected artworks. Wrote three short poems inspired by three separate works. Went to the Post Room before catching Hugo at the WSC, thinking that it was the remainder of my order from The Book Depository. Turns out it was Shalom Auslander's Hope: A Tragedy, posted to me by Scott. So I've got to start reading that for review now. I did finish William Winfield Wright's Cosmonauts yesterday, while eating dinner in Varsity before service, so I could probably write the review for that tomorrow. Am also making my way slowly through the book version of I Wrote This For You, which moves me in the same way that Hugo did. That film gets curiously heartbreaking at certain points. It's basically a family film with Gallic sensibilities, directed by Martin Scorsese. Based on Brian Selznick's novel The Invention Of Hugo Cabret, which happened to be on my reading list for EN978 last term, it's a movie about how movies came to be, and it's incredibly beautiful. Asa Butterfield puts the intensity he brought to the role of Mordred in Merlin to good use here, and Ben Kingsley as Georges Méliès is also impressive. (Interestingly, the novel I recently read, Mathias Malzieu's The Boy With The Cuckoo-Clock Heart, also has a Méliès connection.) I will say that Scorsese's film has made me want to read the book on which it's based, which sounds like it's a gorgeous production in itself, with more than half of it consisting of pictures.

Episode 1259: The Library Should Hire Me!

Realised today that all three of the books I requested the Library to order have been ordered, which is great news! Unfortunately, it means I can no longer cite unavailability as an excuse for not reading them as part of my dissertation research. I hope they'll prove to be really useful though, as all the titles and book summaries sounded promising. I feel like by getting the Library to order more books, I'm doing my small part to force the university to spend some money on the humanities, as opposed to constructing things like the Zeeman Building, which apparently has shower facilities in it. (Aren't you glad that Warwick takes such pains to ensure the hygiene of mathematicians and statisticians?) I also think that the Library should hire people like me and my coursemates to manage the procurement of new titles, since clearly, the existing system isn't exactly keeping pace with what our department deems to be suitable research topics! I mean, for a university that keeps banging on about how it wants to be world-class, our Library is sometimes laughably/shockingly/woefully (take your pick) inadequate.

Episode 1258: Epic Sleep Times...

Since I only got to sleep after 5 am, it's hardly surprising that I slept till past 3 pm. Still managed to get some stuff done today though. Read a few more submissions for The Cadaverine, so now I've got only two more to go from the batch that I was forwarded a while back. If I'd woken up slightly earlier, I might also have found time to start reading some of the stuff for my outstanding reviews, but instead, all I managed to do was write another pantoum. (I don't think it's that good, so no link!) Quite looking forward to the next EN911 seminar because we're going to the Mead Gallery to see The Indiscipline Of Painting. Sort of tempted to pick up the exhibition catalogue because there were a few artworks I actually really liked. I've just discovered that it's available on Amazon UK, so I'm quite glad now that I didn't buy it that time I went to see the exhibition with Bella before a play. Have also begun reading Leo Benedictus's The Afterparty, which interrupted my ongoing reading of SJ Watson's Before I Go To Sleep. I have to say though, so far Watson's novel has intrigued me more, although I suspect it's just that I haven't really got to the part of The Afterparty where it starts getting really meta...

Episode 1257: Postgraduate Capers

My new theory on douchebag social dynamics after sharing a cab ride back to campus from Kelsey's with Emma and four random guys we found in Vialli's. There's always one guy in the group who isn't actually a douchebag, and he's the one who laughs at the things his friends say but otherwise keeps his mouth shut. To be fair, that guy in our cab did take my tenner and give me change, thus partially simplifying the matter of payment, so I'm willing to overlook his irrational friendship choices. I also feel slightly bad that I thought he was trying to con me when he offered change; I think he was slightly offended that I thought that. On the other hand, if you're going to associate with douchebags, expect to be tainted by association. Hopefully, he'll wise up in second year when he moves out of Rootes. Anyway, although the night ended where most of my nights out in Leamington tended to end up in third year, i.e. Kelsey's, the route there was refreshing. Technically, it began when Thomas Docherty had to finish our seminar half an hour early because he was losing his voice, which meant we arrived at the Dirty Duck before it was even open for business. That's how committed us postgraduates are to having a drink! Stayed there for a couple of hours, and then made arrangements to meet in the evening at The Duke, along Warwick Street near the top of the Parade, which was fascinatingly pretentious in its decor. Drinks were cheap though. Then Moo nearby, which I've also never been to. All in all, it was an interesting night, even the cab ride back to campus with the random douchebags. You do end up feeling a bit sorry for people like that, don't you?

Episode 1256: New Eunoia Review Record!

Just spent a few hours in Varsity with coursemates, reading and talking about poetry, and generally just hanging out. Got my marks back today as well for both of last term's modules. Quite happy with the mark and comments for my EN973 essay, as I feel like they're really perceptive in terms of identifying the strengths of the essay (close reading) and where it could still do with improvement (integrating different theoretical perspectives). Less pleased with the EN978 portfolio mark, even if it's still decent. I just feel like I was being marked down for failing to do something with my story that I wasn't exactly trying to in the first place anyway. It's also further confirmation that just maybe, in future I should stick to writing poetry rather than fiction, since my grades throughout four years for anything fiction-related have been consistently and appreciably worse than those for my poetry stuff. Otherwise though, March is off to a good start! New daily record set at Eunoia Review for site visits, finally crossing the 300 mark. I have a hunch it's because Ben Parker, whose poems just went up on the site, is either very good at publicising his work or a lot of people are actively seeking out his work via search engines. It's too early to say if this spike in traffic will convert itself into a sustained significant increase in readership, although I'm hoping it will, however small the increase. I live in hope! Recent acceptances also take the buffer of queued posts up to 3.5 months.