Rampant Ramblings: Accept my apologies.
So, I know that I am being somewhat of a blog whore, stealing precious space from my blogging friends who, let’s not deny it, have far more flair and capture readers’ interests with far more ease than myself. I am, however, as you will discover in the year to come, quite a whorish* person, so I shall shamelessly embark on an ineloquent and unsurprisingly irritating WHINGE.
I have reading to do. For ‘Introduction to Media and Communications’, which has not been the most inspiring of subjects thus far. I must be fair and say that we have only had one “housekeeping” lecture, and that was at 9am on Monday morning, and my life was, by some ridiculous and cruel twist of fate, going decaf. at that point. So, that was an ugly start to the subject.
After the lecture, we were told to get the reader. I hadn’t got the reader because I was too busy moving house and too ignorant of the wonders of booklists and, for a moment, bookshops, to bother sauntering over with my irritating air of I’m-at-my-first-year-of-University-and-I’m-educated-and-you’re-not smugness, to the delightful fairy garden that is the Melbourne University Bookshop. Hint: If you must go to the bookshop during week 1, do it drunk, or drink your body weight in coffee. Melbourne University: you have given me the only bad experience I have had in or around books my entire life. Darlingbabysmoochiebookiepoppysocks I think we need a break from each other. It’s not you, it’s me.
I mean, seriously. Hands up who ventured into the friggin’ bookshop last week. Keep your hand up if you survived the experience, unscathed. No-one? Good. Me either. You know how you can feel a little bit warm in your pants when you read a beautiful book**? Well, going to the Melbourne University Bookshop made me feel VIOLATED. That’s right, folks, I have been emotionally abused by our own, beloved Uni. Anyway, I tried to find my readers, wandering around the front half of the bookshop for about 15 minutes, before discovering all my subjects were in the back half of the bookshop, where I found “Creative Writing: Ideas and Practice” and “Literature and Performance” in approximately three minutes. Then, determined to find the bound beauty of notes that awaited me in “Introduction to Media and Communications”, I swam past the novels and stationery to the front half of the store again, only to find a depressing and irritating pile of emptiness behind the sign that confirmed my suspicions: they were out of readers for good ol’ subject 100-100. So, in my emotional downpour of disappointment, rage and betrayal, I bought “Revolutionary Road” to calm myself down. This backfired, however, because I am now consuming it at a ridiculous rate in a somewhat orgasmic fashion***, hence neglecting my required reading.
Anyway, the link for the readings for this week for “Intro to Media and Comm.” didn’t work until this afternoon, but I have been cleaning my room and did not realise this. So, at approximately 8:43pm I read the first words of this week’s readings: “Students of public argument have long been familiar with the principles of discussion and debate developed as an approach to social problem solving by John Dewey.” Hands up whose eyes glazed over whilst reading that last sentence (if they are not already glazed by my writing. If not, I applaud you for your taste and/or persistence.) My questions:
- Am I a “student of public argument”? If so, could someone please tell me so I can stop with the whole identity crisis thing.
- Who the $%^# is John Dewey?!
Anyway, I was a) tired, b) hungry, c) lonely d) distracted by rain and e) in need of coffee, when I read this. As a result of this, I got distracted and, like any true Aussie battler, turned to the internet. I’m a regular ANZAC.
Further questions:
- What are your techniques to get through necessary reading you find difficult to understand and feel really stupid when reading, because you expect that your lecturer believes you have the vocabulary of a middle aged academic, when in fact you feel your literary knowledge doesn’t exceed further than ‘Spot Goes to the Zoo’?
- Are you supposed to take notes on your readings? Or what?
- How are you organising/reviewing your notes from lectures and/or readings?
- Is anyone else feeling stupid and really insignificant, but still inspired and really keen to succeed and understand everything, but not quite grasping the most effective way to handle everything? Because I am.
Anyway, thank you for persisting with this rambling and insignificant post. I applaud you. I also truly believe we bloggers need to meet in person, because I still feel like I have no friends and feel like I have made cyber-friends with you guys…Very selfish reasons for me to want to meet up but, hey, I’m a blog whore remember. Please allow me to use you to ensure I don’t have some sort of emotional breakdown.
Dearie me, I’ve started rambling again. Please accept my sincere and profound apologies.
I remain, humbly yours,
Laura
* I don’t know if ‘whorish’ is a word, but if us Gen-Yers are good at doing anything, it’s screwing the English language.
** I understand not all people share this troubling attraction to books. I know, I should get therapy. But books are cheaper and more trustworthy. Unless you read ‘1984’, then you just want to kill yourself. But anyway, if you’re not a reader, insert something here that makes you feel a little bit happy in your pants. Like, I don’t know, whatever you other folk do. Linear graphs or memorising the periodic table or something. Forgive my blatant bastardisation of science and maths. I suspect they are valuable to society in some way, I just don’t get it.
***This is not, in any way, weird. This book IS ORGASMIC. Read it. You’ll see.
Not to take anything away from the other bloggers – who, I must say, have been ridiculously enthusiastic in what is a rather stressful week – but I really enjoyed reading this. Kudos etc.
P.S. No velociraptors.
I feel exactly – EXACTLY – the same as you (about everything!).
In particular, the readings + additional readings for Intro to M&C put me to sleep; I honestly don’t think I have taken one word in. I got a netbook on Saturday, so I figured I’d use it to take notes on my readings as well as lectures (instead of handwriting)…I got as far as copying a sentence from one of the articles. And my creative writing notes look something like this: “POETRY IS A BUNCH OF CRAP.” Don’t get me wrong, I like poetry (well, poetry that actually makes sense), but the stuff in the reader? Ehhh…maybe I’m just not arty enough, but none of those poems were awe-inspiring to me. I’m more of a traditionalist, you know, every second line rhymes etc. My history of poetry-writing is limited to silly rhyming poems. I love it. This? This is weird and I’m not sure I like it.
I know it’s far too late to say this now, because you should be in bed (and I should too), but we should have totally organised to wear the same colour or something to identify ourselves in tomorrow’s lecture, all the M&C bloggers. I PROPOSE WE DO THIS NEXT WEEK.
…And by the way, re: “Is anyone else feeling stupid and really insignificant[?]”
As a postgrad student I can tell you that feeling will never go away.
I’m finding the reading for Lit and Performance a TOTAL WANK! I want to punch Greenblatt repeditively in the face for his long, complex introduction to something I don’t understand and don’t really think is at all relevant.
Woo, exhale, deep breathes.
Moving on: If you do happen to be stupid and insignificant in Lit and Performance (as I do :() specifically. Maybs we could meet and bond over forementioned stupidity and insignifcance… and also a rabid adoration of coffee. Are you in the 3pm lecture tomorrow? I’ll be the girl looking mildly confused and throwing her copy of Romeo and Juliet at the wall.
You have both completely made my day. I just got home after a Media Comm lecture (I had coffee this time!) and a Creative Writing lecture. Yes, I find the Lit readings a complete wank as well, but feel pretty confident with Romeo and Juliet, since I spent a year with it, performing the part of Juliet last year. So, seriously, if you need a hand with R&J, let me know. Bloody Othello and all the others, forget it. My benevolence does not extent beyone this one text.
Yes, I shall be in the 3pm lecture tomorrow. WE SHOULD MEET!!!! How to do that….? I think it may seem a bit disrespectful to the lecturer if we hurl Shakespearian verse at him/her in unison, so maybe as Cristina suggested, we should wear the same colour or something. Or I’ll just run around the lecture theatre screaming “MMARSH!!!!! WHERE ARE YOUUUUU?”
PS: Cristina, do you do Lit and Performance?
Thanks guys, I’m feeling a lot better and not so stupid.
Oh, I only just saw DINOSAURSEATYOU’s comments. Thanks for reading – glad you enjoyed it. And also, you have single-handedly crushed my hopes of feeling significant at Uni with your second post.
Just kidding. I’m unusually cocky and will. no doubt, eventually form some sort of belief system that says I matter in the universe.
Nay, but I do creative writing, from graffiti to terrorism, and Australian politics. Which creative writing tute are you in?
Lols, unfortunately I think I will never be one of those people quoting Romeo and Juliet. Apart from that though I heart the LP reading list (ok, mostly, Chekhov can kiss Ibsen’s ass- wow did I just type that… I need to take my nerd medicine again).
Hmm I can think of no distinguishing feature that will identify me amongst a hundred+ other people. Do you? Maybe tomorrow morning I’ll post my outfit or shoes or the like. I would do it now but I have to sort through my pile of stained and worn clothing for something respectable. 🙂
Allow me to muscle in on your Lit & Performance blogger gang? (Blogang?)
Lit & Performance really needs some kind of catchy, tuneful abbreviation. ‘Lit’ alone seems sort of misleading, as we were allowed to perform (yes! really!) in our tute…on top of the huge wankfest reading about the nature of performance.
L and P? LitPerf? Shed light!
I’ll also be at the 3pm, if anyone cared!
Join us Cara!! We doo care.
I am yet to perform in LitPerf (no? yes? maybe?) which I’m quite comfortable with. Agrees with emphasis about the wankfest reading.
Also.
I’m wearing my big yellow scarf to uni btw, so maybe that can serve as some sort of identifying… thing.
This feels like a bizarre blind date scenario – kooky.
I’m in bright red shoes and a David Bowie shirt. If you see me, start whinging about ‘the name of the rose’ bollockspile. APPARENTLY rom and jul were young and naive and in love. No shit.
OK. I have been out of action for a few days, so…yeah…sorry!
I believe the main topic on everyone’s minds is:
HOW THE HELL DO WE MEET?!
Allow me to suggest I email Ron and ask him for his suggestions – maybe I’ll get him to give me email and/or mobile to all of the above “gang”.
Cristina: I am in the 1pm Thursday Creative Writing tute…I have no Cristinas in my class, as far as I know, however I shall continue pining for you.
Ah, bloggers, we miss each other yet again. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives…
I did end up being at that lecture, and saw THREE yellow-scarved girls. It was too much for little ol’ me.
We could all do the old fashioned ‘name a place and time’ act sometime, I suppose….
To Cara’s last comment: I like this (y)
OH!
Today, as I was spat out of the School of Culture & Communications help office and emerged blinking and stumbling in the sunshine, I finally found Kerekere, which I’ve heard good things about. It seemed nice, lots of sunshine and interesting-looking people. What say we all?
i say yes!!