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posted by [personal profile] mmoa_writes at 03:47pm on 24/10/2008

I do in fact have actual things (as opposed to mere stuff) to post about, but that was the first thing that came to my head.

This week has been a thoroughly odd one - I lost a series of printed lecture notes with all my beautiful annotations that were basically all that stood between me getting a tutorial done and failing miserably. It's rather surreal because although I'll admit I'm rather careless... not when it comes to math lecture notes! I swear to god, that's just suicide for a Phys/Theoretical Phys student.

I also missed a pretty important meeting where the first year student reps got to meet up and decide what we were all about yadda yadda. Oh, and for some reason during rehearsal for The Sorceror at MUGSS (Gilbert&Sullivan Society), my larynx decided that F# was too much of a challenge for it (although I'd sung a G# in the Choir and Orchestra rehearsal the night before). With less than a dozen sops and a veritable deluge of altos (surprise, surprise), that wasn't particularly helpful.

On the plus side, I went to the Teaching Review meeting yesterday and apparently we did quite well for first-timers (basically you have to tell the lecturers all the things that annoy the crap out of you about their courses... to their faces. Or not, as was the case with us - most people in our year seem to have left any useful feedback for today when we have another four weeks until the next review session...). I was also asked to do a read through for a flat mate's application form and help correct it, which I was quite honoured by, but what really rocks is the fact that I am now a Premier Writer!

*fanfare*

It's only on a website (www.helium.com)  for up and coming writers/pretentious neeks like myself, but it made me rather happy nonetheless, especially considering I've only written three articles for them and they're a tad old-school (odd sentence formation, doesn't quite flow, too many adjectives in all the wrong places and even a few typos, would you believe, mein gott...). It did remind me that I really ought to get a move on and write some more pieces, but that'll have to wait, quite frankly. I'm having too much fun with 'Random Processes' and (more genuinely) 'The Only Two'.

Ye gods but I hate statistical analysis.

I was also invited to a 'What does it mean to be Black in today's society' debate on Wednesday. Of course, although I promised myself I wouldn't get het up/stand up and preach, yours truly did just that. The good news is that I got clapped (a moment, please, whilst I bask in the near everlasting afterglow.... okay, now you can carry on) and a couple of people later said that I'd given them food for thought/changed their minds. The bad news is that every single black student I now meet keeps on giving me wondering looks. Fortunately, due to the inherent hierarchy of every single human social group, I can pretty much wave off anything with an insinuated 'well I would know because I'm actually African'. Sad, but true. Especially considering how I don't actually believe in any of that stuff.

*sighs*

At the moment, I plan on doing some posters for the production of 'Grease' at our Halls, which I've heard I might actually get paid for, and tomorrow - why oh why oh why... - I'm meeting up with Simon and hopefully drinking coffee in central Manchester.

And also trying to meet the cool-German-guy-who-lives-just-down-my-corridor's parents.

Ah, the wonderful life of me...
There are 3 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 
posted by [identity profile] glowering.livejournal.com at 04:17pm on 24/10/2008
What were your points in the being black thing?
 
posted by [identity profile] mmoa.livejournal.com at 01:01pm on 25/10/2008
It was about how the term 'Black' is really a political term, as very few of us are literally black, and there are so many different cultures, religions and viewpoints within the so-calld Black community, that any attempt to portray it as something more inetgral was silly.

The question was whether Obama was Black or Mixed Race. There were quite a few who were like 'he's black because his dad is black!' and 'he identifies as black, ergo...' but considering how he obviously has white ancestry which he's hardly disowned, the ensuing arguments over such identification became a bit pointless, especially considering how people kept on repeating, 'it's up to the person' sort of thing. I pointed out that the whole issue was not about physical appearances (which are so often downright wrong - I'd be a billionaire if I had a pound every time I had to convince someone both my parents are Nigerian) but politics, like calling oneself Jewish, even if you're an atheist, anti-Zionist who's allergic to bagels (I have actually met someone of this description btw!).

And I got clapped. Huzzah!
 
posted by [identity profile] glowering.livejournal.com at 02:27pm on 25/10/2008
Well that all sounds very sensible. I would've clapped. Well done.

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