(no subject)
Post-rehearsal discussion of LJ in the Mitre the other day reminded I still have one, and lo, when I log in it decides to present me with a post written some time last term. So, for posterity's sake:
Lab work is still frustrating. Everything else this past fortnight has been a pleasant distraction from it though. I've started caving again, for the first time since my injury in Spain three years ago, and have surprisingly not lost the knack of moving underground and keeping warm nearly as much as I thought I might have. In fact, the second trip of the weekend I managed a route that was every bit as sporting as the stuff I was doing before the accident. I had forgotten just how exhilarating clambering around underground with a river rushing in your face could be.
Fire and water: the Saturday night also featured an amazing bonfire, with exciting home-made fireworks, some of which were held and waved around overhead by certain drunken fools. It looked spectacular, but I'm surprised there were no actual injuries. One person was hit in the face by a rocket that fell over, thankfully with nothing more bruised than pride, but he was understandably very shaken and angry. Also, there was a whole roast lamb, which was incredibly tasty, and not as excessively large as a hog roast. Next time I have to arrange catering for about 50 people, that's going to be very high on the list.
Another week of labs, with attendant irritations. Then a trip down to London to see Kerry, go to crappy chain pubs with people about whom the least is said, the better. The following morning made up for it in a quiet way though, with conversation with lovely people, and watching of Rent.
Since then, Christmas/New Year was wonderfully relaxing and exactly what I needed, and my experiments actually finished on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, which was amusing. (After the trials the spectrometer put us through, pushing shards of glass into my eyes would have seemed amusing). Processing the data seems to be going slightly more smoothly, and apparently my supervisor's report claimed I had 'shown flair and diligence'. At the time it felt more like horrific ineptitude and crushing despair, but I'm not going to argue with a comment like that!
Kerry managed to get us tickets to see Rent Remixed as a Christmas present, and it was very much a mixed bag, as expected. I loved what they did with Angel, making him far more masculine with a kind of punk feeling, but still very much the fabulous queen. I thought Benny was a lot more sympathetic too, and fantastically played. Collins, Roger, Joanne and Maureen were all pretty good. The guy playing Mark was pretty weak - not terrible, but he never seemed to actually take the part on, emotionally or with the trickier-sounding vocal parts. Mimi was dreadful. One of the chorus/dancers, however, was amazing. I don't think he had a single solo sung line, but he was the single most vibrant person on stage, and looked like Loki in Season of Mists.
I have plans to start brewing again, and I might try some cider too. If I get started soon, they'll have 5 months to mature before VOLES/Maelstrom season, which is about right for something light and summery. I still have a few bottles of my last brew left, which was a strong, heavy winter ale and is now almost 2 years old. I might also have managed to find a replacement cap for the lovely barrels that I have. Not exactly period, but I hope traditional barrel-shaped black-painted hammered aluminium won't be too jarring with a wet cloth draped over it... better than a slab of cans or reused 2L plastic bottles, at any rate.
Lab work is still frustrating. Everything else this past fortnight has been a pleasant distraction from it though. I've started caving again, for the first time since my injury in Spain three years ago, and have surprisingly not lost the knack of moving underground and keeping warm nearly as much as I thought I might have. In fact, the second trip of the weekend I managed a route that was every bit as sporting as the stuff I was doing before the accident. I had forgotten just how exhilarating clambering around underground with a river rushing in your face could be.
Fire and water: the Saturday night also featured an amazing bonfire, with exciting home-made fireworks, some of which were held and waved around overhead by certain drunken fools. It looked spectacular, but I'm surprised there were no actual injuries. One person was hit in the face by a rocket that fell over, thankfully with nothing more bruised than pride, but he was understandably very shaken and angry. Also, there was a whole roast lamb, which was incredibly tasty, and not as excessively large as a hog roast. Next time I have to arrange catering for about 50 people, that's going to be very high on the list.
Another week of labs, with attendant irritations. Then a trip down to London to see Kerry, go to crappy chain pubs with people about whom the least is said, the better. The following morning made up for it in a quiet way though, with conversation with lovely people, and watching of Rent.
Since then, Christmas/New Year was wonderfully relaxing and exactly what I needed, and my experiments actually finished on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, which was amusing. (After the trials the spectrometer put us through, pushing shards of glass into my eyes would have seemed amusing). Processing the data seems to be going slightly more smoothly, and apparently my supervisor's report claimed I had 'shown flair and diligence'. At the time it felt more like horrific ineptitude and crushing despair, but I'm not going to argue with a comment like that!
Kerry managed to get us tickets to see Rent Remixed as a Christmas present, and it was very much a mixed bag, as expected. I loved what they did with Angel, making him far more masculine with a kind of punk feeling, but still very much the fabulous queen. I thought Benny was a lot more sympathetic too, and fantastically played. Collins, Roger, Joanne and Maureen were all pretty good. The guy playing Mark was pretty weak - not terrible, but he never seemed to actually take the part on, emotionally or with the trickier-sounding vocal parts. Mimi was dreadful. One of the chorus/dancers, however, was amazing. I don't think he had a single solo sung line, but he was the single most vibrant person on stage, and looked like Loki in Season of Mists.
I have plans to start brewing again, and I might try some cider too. If I get started soon, they'll have 5 months to mature before VOLES/Maelstrom season, which is about right for something light and summery. I still have a few bottles of my last brew left, which was a strong, heavy winter ale and is now almost 2 years old. I might also have managed to find a replacement cap for the lovely barrels that I have. Not exactly period, but I hope traditional barrel-shaped black-painted hammered aluminium won't be too jarring with a wet cloth draped over it... better than a slab of cans or reused 2L plastic bottles, at any rate.