My lecturer has lent me this jazz album called Inclassificable. It is excellent and I hugely recommend it to anyone who likes something very chilled out with a bit of saxophone. It is not on iTunes sadly although I am pretty sure it is available somewhere out there! You could try Andy Sheppard’s web site…
It is a source of constant amusement for me, when pastors make legendary faux pas (pas-s?! What is the plural!?) on stage in the middle of church. I will never forget Mary Pytches being introduced one week at Glenfall as “Mary, our loving bishop David Pytches’s wife” but it coming out as “Our loving bitch’s wife” and a poor lovely lady missionary being introduced as “Fat.. PATTY.. Fatty- Patty!” The same pastor also described Glenfall as Trinity’s “Ayrian friends from up the road” instead of “Anglican”!
Anyway, Trinity is no exception. One pastor the other week hysterically published the bans of marriage between “Brian and Allan” instead of Brian and ANNA (I lost the plot and couldn’t concentrate). He then proceeded to call one of the male pastors “hot” by accident. The “hot” pastor himself this week came out with the choicest phrase of “if anyone would like to come and lay hands on some women …And pray…” whilst inviting people to pray for a group of women going out to Rwanda to build houses.
My all time favourite has to be the pastor who received a word from the Lord about someone in the congregation with a testicular problem (unfortunately he was cupping his hand in a rather unfortunate manner at the time in order to gesticulate what he was trying to convey, but without thinking) whereby he announced; “There is a man here with a testicular problem… I shan’t give any more details…. Because I haven’t got any.” !!!! Needless to say, ministry time was somewhat distracted.
Why is it that sometimes the thoughts of our strange minds bypass the common sense receptacle in our brain and just somehow escape through our mouths? This has happened to me so many times. I am not sure why it seems so much funnier in a church context.
I have to do a presentation on… PUNK. Any other musical genre I could have waffled for hours about, but punk is just, well, too…Angry?! I am a peace-loving creature and all this listening to the sex pistols, Jason and the Scorchers, the Cockney Rejects etc is giving me a headache. I am supposed to be covering the musical structure, but I think I will end up presenting about the lack of musical structure… Hmmmm.
8:48am. I am sitting in our new sofa (with foot rest) which we obtained as part of a free suite on Freecycle. What a brilliant web site, it tackles the problem of waste, consummerism (everything must be free), encourages people to share and give things away (which seems to be an alien concept to much of our culture) and also embraces a concept that could grow and succeed. Admittedly some of the things given away are a little odd (the other day I saw “child’s tricycle, no pedals” !!??) and you really should have a separate email address to cope with the bombardment of emails that you will receive, but it is very good.
For JT and myself, it solved a problem that could have been very expensive and very painful. Our old sofas (which we were very grateful for when a friend gave them to us) had started to go out of shape and were totally doing our backs in. We couldn’t afford to buy a new sofa, so I looked on Freecycle and found a couple (in their 60’s?) who were giving away a 5-piece suite (3 seater sofa, 2 arm chairs, a foot rest and a hideous table). I got in touch, we went round to see them, took some measurements and then the wonderful Dave Hughes arrived complete with van to help us pick them up. This couple were getting a new suite but their current one (although slightly ‘unique’ in colour and design - think ‘old people’s home’) was a lot more comfortable than ours and in pretty good condition. Brilliant.
the new suite
The old suite and hideous table… Ahem…. Yes… Trip to the tip in order…
This weekend our cluster went away to the Peak District for a fun-filled few days. We ate food together, played some HILARIOUS games including Guess Who with a completely different set of rules, Mr & Mrs (I know a lot of interesting things about my friends now), Cranium and Taboo. We also had a great teaching session on Sunday, a lonnng walk on Saturday (beautiful scenery and awesome weather), some good food and fun sleepover bed times! If a picture can say 1000 words then I shall leave you with some pictures….
Arty farty one…
Dan perfects his pout
Standing on a stone pillar!
nutters!
they strike again…
group shot
About to go home…
Arty farty mark II
Nice tree
Recently I have been selected to contribute to the ‘Pittville Studios’ prospectus. I was asked to write about 10 things that make Pittville a unique and special place to be, why I enjoy it etc. The two example staff entries that I was sent commented on the water feature, the views of the Cotswold hills from the refectory etc. I really couldn’t think of a way to elaborate on these facts, so decided to improvise a little. I think that they might be a little upset by my approach as it is a little unconventional (I remembered half way through that I was supposed to be selling the place!!) Enjoy…
10 things that make Pitville the place to be (in no particular order):
1. Walking past the accommodation blocks always raises a smile. You are met by a bizarre cacophony of musical expression and usually at a vast rate of decibels, as students, (probably deafened from the sheer volume of last night’s club) attempt to listen to their music in their rooms. Amusing objects and collectibles adorn the windows, such as England flags, self-scribbled posters airing political and social views (or just the latest piece of gossip), traffic cones, bollards, road signs, club posters, lei flowers (or part of the costume from last night’s fancy dress escapades) or perhaps a set of fairy lights. Admittedly none of these collectibles are of any historical or archaeological significance, but they all have one thing in common… It is most likely that they appeared as a result of begging, stealing or borrowing. Students love freebies.
2. The music in the refectory is, well, classic. It is at least a decade out of date without fail and there is nothing more atmospheric than eating your tuna and cheese panini whilst looking over the Cotswold hills, as the dulcit tones of er… Britney Spears float down from the ceiling in a slightly eerie manner, making her sound like the wombles on a builder’s radio!
3. The graphics computer room is a favourite haunt for stressed out students with imminent deadlines. Tim (one of the most chilled out, friendly IT managers in world history) sits in his little office until he is forced to alight upon hearing much wailing and crying, as the printer splodges black ink all over someone’s work that was due in five minutes ago. Yes, the pace of work here is frantic and fraught, but you are kept on your toes and the projects are both varied and fun.
4. The office of doom… You know full well that if you are called to the office of John, Mike, Adam and Vicki, that you are in for a grilling. They sit at important-looking desks on large black chairs that swivel, so that they can turn, slowly, as you enter. Quivering at the knees, you sit on a large black couch, which is not dissimilar to a doctor’s inspection bed, were it not for the arms and the soft cushion that makes you sink to about half your original size (as if you needed to feel any smaller at this moment). One of them sits opposite you and the others look down, from their surrounding positions. You clench your teeth and wriggle your toes nervously as they take out that dreaded white assessment sheet. You close your eyes tightly and then, opening them one at a time, realise that they are actually smiling, they PROBABLY won’t bite you and that actually you have done rather well. The criticism is constructive and the comments are fair, so as long as you play by the rules and take heed of good advice, you have every chance of success.
5. The old man in the photography booth. We got to know this man, quite by accident, after firing a rocket balloon at him, also quite by accident, whilst conducting a project on how to drop an egg 500ft without breaking it. The balloon fizzed and hissed and howled its way towards him, at which moment he let out a small yelp, akin to that of a Yorkshire terrier and proceeded to perform/dance an odd ceilidh whilst trying to fend off the offensive orange balloon with a stack of papers. This poor chap sits in the ‘Aladdin’s cave’ photography-hire booth day after day, tinkering with lenses and all sorts of equipment, both archaic and modern. He is (unnervingly), just like Professor Branestawm from the series of novels by Norman Hunter. University life would not function without him, be gentle with him.
6. The building of Pittville Media Centre is inventive and full of creative possibilities. With three different levels, a high bridge (not for the faint-hearted) and lots of open space, this building is perfect for the execution of volumes of work, a healthy dollop of socialising (in the fair trade café) and for feeling as though you are in an environment of professionalism that is conducive to learning and self-motivated study.
7. The SU Bar is a favourite hang-out for those times when the going gets tough and a game of pool is in order. MTV adorns the plasma screens and the yellow walls of this ‘bunker’ of a bar (with port holes) bring a little cheer to weary minds. The tables are a little bit sticky, giving the place an authentic tavern-type feel and there is that unforgettable lingering aroma of ’student’ which is, admittedly, somewhat unique. The bar also hosts open mic nights, quiz nights and various social activities to help you enjoy your stay at the University of Gloucestershire.
8. The essay hatch is a funny old place. It opens meticulously (like a cuckoo clock) at 11am and closes just as succinctly, at 2pm. One would expect this hatch to be a small cupboard, where a little goblin sits, menacing students and collecting/handing back essays. Instead, the hatch opens and reveals a large office, where people sit typing frantically and large box files of essays sit waiting to be marked and collected. There are two lines of students, one line on their hands and knees, with large black bags under their eyes (they have been up all night completing the blasted essay which took longer than they thought) and the other line is full of students biting their bottom lip nervously awaiting marks. An efficient system though which causes you to learn the importance and urgency of deadlines.
9. The Learning Centre is well-equipped with Macs, books, magazines, DVDs, audio recordings and photocopiers/printers. All you hear in the computer section is the frantic clicking of keys and the whirring of printers. It is a very focussed environment, with the odd refreshing moment of melodic interlude as someone scurries out the room looking thoroughly pink as their mobile phone (which is supposed to be switched off) rings, revealing their secret love of the latest Eurovision track. Smirks aplenty from beneath the large Apple screens and a disapproving frown from the information desk. The books section is no less disappointing, with a vast array of books ranging from children’s stories to weighty philosophical tones, with a lot of art and design in between. If you choose to read a book in the library, woe and betide you if you decide to sit on the slightly tired leather chairs. Every time you adjust a buttock or a leg, a monstrosity of a creak will emit itself from beneath your exterior, resembling an unfortunate bout of wind. Looks of surprise and perplexity are focussed in your general direction as you visibly bounce up and down a little and mutter “stupid chair!” to try to dig your way out of this conundrum.
10. I love to walk around the campus and witness extraordinary pieces of work being conducted. You can get away with anything at an arts campus and I have to say, I would now not even bat an eyelid if I saw someone walking through the grounds with a large home-made corpse, or filming a group of draculas, strange as this may have once seemed. There is a lot of activity, inspiration and fun to be had at this campus and you are guaranteed of one thing if you choose to come here: Fun.
Well, on 28th February I will be turning 23 (in denial about that bit….) and I would like to do *something* for my birthday, but have no idea what! It will probably involve fancy dress and my only suggestion so far has been to hire a bouncy castle!! I would love to, but not entirely sure about where to put it (especially at the end of Feb!) Meal?? Drinks?? A pink party? Hmmm…… Help!!
Yesterday was stressful. Our tutors decided to get us used to ‘the real world’ by launching a one-day brief. I had a few problems with this but I shan’t bore you with them - let’s just say I wasn’t feeling particularly chuffed when I walked out at 5:40pm instead of 2pm. Nor were the people who were supposed to be working in their paid jobs.
The project itself was quite interesting though, it highlighted that in 1998 our government promised not to close village schools, but the Guardian headline the other day pointed out that over 300 small primary schools were threatened with closure. We were allocated a local school each and given a day to come up with a campaign strategy to keep them open.
We hit upon a folded card scheme whereby A6 folded cards were posted to people in the surrounding area to make them aware of the plight of this particular school. On the back was a postcard (detachable) to Gordon Brown, requesting that he keeps the school open. The recipient of the card has to send off the postcard, thus targeting two audiences for the price of one. Hopefully Gordon Brown receives a petition in the form of 50 000 postcards on his doorstep and responds accordingly.
The cards were a series of three, entitled “Small is Beautiful”. Inside each was a statement, the first being; “without education there is no future” (the notion that closing these schools is a short-sighted solution to today’s problem. In the future these children whom you are depriving of accessible education will be taking care of you, fighting your legal battles etc. The second was; “without education we are incomplete” (speaks for itself) and the third was “without education we have no voice”, suggesting that the government never really think of the children when making these blanket decisions right over their heads. They get no say about being split up from their friends, losing their school and being unsettled, it is merely a financial consideration.
On the back was a series of ‘lines’ (to highlight Gordon’s bad behaviour) saying “Please don’t close xxxx primary school” over and over again, with a signature at the bottom.
It was easy to get enthusiastic about this campaign as it is something that I feel strongly about and could write a whole topic on how we hide children away in this society so that they don’t interfere with ‘our’ lives. That is for another day. Anyway, it was a very stressful day but quite interesting.
JT had a very long day at work on Saturday. As I sat beside him at 10pm watching what looked like the Matrix on his screen, I started to get a little bored.
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