Tag: Ubyssey

Categories
Careers / Work Involvement / Leadership Miscellaneous

#063: An update! Really!

Currently listening to: “Dance Anthem of the 80s” – Regina Spektor

I emerge from my self-imposed hermitude (?! is that a word? I don’t really care, because it looks rather wicked) to dash off a brief – and haphazardly thrown-together – blog post. Self-imposed hermitude is not due to the usual anti-social tendencies. Instead, it’s due to the French Club website that I’m trying to throw together, to no real avail. *insert string of Québécois words inappropriate for this medium* But on to other cheerier topics, and the apparent schizophrenic nature of this update! Wheeheee.

Welcome, new additions to the Blog Squad! Welcome to the wordsmithing and general madness! Feel free to talk to any of us – we don’t bite, I promise. Unless we are in starving university mode. Speaking of biting…

The Vancouver Zombie Walk yesterday was craaazzzaaaaay. Watch for my Ubyssey article on it…yes, the one that I have yet to start writing. I’ve been playing back the interviews, trying to do transcripts and such, and I officially hate my recorded voice, which is vapid and annoyingly high-pitched. Please slap me if I sound like that in real life.

Lest this entry be all pointless prattle…
I’ve just finished Empire of Illusion by Chris Hedges, a splendid treatise on our modern-day addiction to one-minute soundbites, mistaking sensationalism for news, scripted wrestling for sport, Twitter for literature. He rants about the downfall of literacy and the death of critical thinking, amongst other things. I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s really a fantastic book, and I’m definitely going to check out his other books (When Atheism Becomes Religion: America’s New Fundamentalists, and American Fascists). Suffice to say, if you’ve ever wanted to know why those who hold power in society do, well, there is an excellent chapter on the Ivy League, and our modern plutocracy.

That being said, I chanced upon a book at work today, Idiot America, which seemed like an excellent complement to Empire of Illusion. I have yet to begin it, but it looks like a biting criticism of ignorance, and people’s pride in remaining ignorant…a fact I can’t quite argue with, given the emergence of fake town hall protests and the like in the States…but that is a whole different story entirely, which I shall not proceed into, lest it turn into another massive rant!

I shall elaborate on Idiot America after I am done with the book; perhaps you all have some views on the abovementioned you’d like to share? I would love to hear what you’ve got to think on the subject! And keep the book recommendations coming, guys. I really appreciate them! :D

Categories
Academic Careers / Work Student Life

#009: Short update!

Currently listening to: “There’s A Fine, Fine Line” – Avenue Q

BUSY LIKE A BUSY THING ON BUSY DAY!

1. The Arts One essay, while seemingly straightforward and unassuming, has proven to be absolutely rubbish to write. Comparing the gods in the Iliad and Ramayana is absolutely riveting stuff. Of course, it is (only) the first (of many more to come), and I trust the process will get less painful as time progresses.

2. Work has been absolutely insane; oh, the stories I could tell of strange women adamantly refusing to leave the store after closing time, elderly men in the music section hovering for two hours, and teenagers barging in to use the facilities with one minute to closing…

3. Dreadfully tired. Must keep writing (see point 1).

4. Clubs/societies-wise, I’ve been to a couple of Ubyssey meetings, and I must say I’m really enjoying the casual but work-y atmosphere. I’ve my first Culture piece published in this issue, which is really quite exciting. In other news, the highlight of my week is definitely Le Club Francais, but what else is new?

5. Recommend me good music! It shall keep me going like the little train that did! (I like musical theatre, disco pop, Euro-house, tragic ballads, classical, Quebecois, and………I trust your taste.)

In the words of Spring Awakening,
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah!

Cheers,
M.

Categories
Academic Miscellaneous Student Life

#007: Of classes, clubs and Canada

Currently listening to: “Schadenfraude” – Avenue Q

I really ought to write a coherent entry once in a while; here’s my requisite sane entry of the week.
(Translation: This is not just random crack. OR IS IT?!?)

Courses:
Classes are going splendidly; I have just realized that I haven’t actually mentioned the courses I’m taking on this blog. So I shall. Arts One is a real lark; finishing the Iliad gave me a real rush of satisfaction. I’ve never been one much for epic poetry (as any of my friends will attest to my violent protestations against Paradise Lost, but that is A Story For Another Time). The first lecture has proven to be a mind-boggling madhouse; following the prof’s train of thought is absolutely ridiculous and dare I say, brilliant. It’s like watching the cogs in a watch turn, but in Every Imaginable Direction while shooting fireworks and water and – well, it’s just all over the place, but so insanely fascinating to listen to. Oh, and the note-taking bit goes well too- if your definition of “well” includes large, loopy scrawls diagonally across lined paper. Psychology 100 goes equally marvellously; I shall soon be better equipped to mess with your minds even more. I’m certain you await that with great enthusiasm; I do too. Finally, French 122 is absolutely nothing like I expected it to be. I was not expecting to be conjugating verbs in the Present Tense, or the Infinitif. I’m certain there are people who are enjoying it more than I do; I shall not destroy their little beam of sunlight – I’ll merely hide in a box in the corner and mutter to myself in a schizophrenic manner. No, I jest: I’m looking forward to Fr 123. How’s that?

Clubs and Other Such:
I’m really excited to join clubs and societies. The prospect of meeting people equally enthused about the French language thrills me, ergo, Le Club Français! I attended the first meeting today, and it was absolutely brilliant: I’ve missed hearing French on a constant basis SO MUCH, and I’m sure I could ramble on about this for ages…so I won’t. (But you all ought to come and check it out, because it is so wicked. BuchanantowerseventhflooronWednesday!!) I’ve also been to a Ubyssey meeting: more excitement on that front! I look forward to more mad writing; I’ll keep you all updated on that.

Other things I’ve been considering include: STAND, Journalists for Human Rights, Engineers Without Borders (and yes, you don’t have to be an engineer), and other random things I’m certain my friends have signed me up for during Imagine Day without my explicit consent…cough…random high school alumni groups…cough.

—

In other news, vis-a-vis Canadian politics, here‘s a newspaper clipping from Monday’s edition of The Province which I scanned; it’s actually really funny.

Anyhow, I shall prance off now; I am terribly tempted to sing along to the Avenue Q cast recording. OKAY, I’M DONE. Over and out.

Spam prevention powered by Akismet