All Read and No Play Makes Keith a Dull Boy.doc

So after the whirlwind that was London, things have seemed pretty low-key in comparison the last couple of days. Never fear, there were still happenings that must be reported.

Monday - Four hours of class with one 15 minute break. You know I'm not a complainer, or maybe I have become a bit more cynical with old age, but I'd really appreciate a full 30 minutes. Granted we'd spent that extra 15 lounging on the couches like we do with the original 15, but it's about the principle - or something cliché like that. Monday's lectures were about theatrical representations of trauma, witnessing, and the holocaust. Yeah, light material - can you see why I want 15 more minutes?

The rest of the day was spent writing the last TWO blog posts (this is a meta-blog shout out), uploading 60 of the 220 photos I took in London, and watching two episodes of Lost. Yes, for those of you who are fans I have finally started watching (I'm currently in the middle of season two) It is the best procrastination to avoid readings.

Tuesday - My day off.  I debated endlessly about taking a day trip or just waiting until the weekend when I already have travel plans.  I debated so much that by the time 1pm rolled around I hadn't made a decision.  My fellow Tuesday travel mates decided that readings were too intense this week. I originally planned to go to Birmingham but since it was 1 I decided I wanted to do a whole day in Birm rather than an afternoon (Claire, do you approve?) so I opted for Coventry just to get off campus. 

Big mistake. Coventry ain't so pretty. What it's lacking in charm it makes up for in...urban street thugs.  Having seen Staged and Confused's The Crackwalker just before leaving Toronto, Coventry seemed like the perfect setting for Theresa, Al, Sandy, and Joe. The trip wasn't a total bust - I made my first Top Man purchases. Top Man, paired with Top Shop, is a UK clothing store comparable to H&M but with more hipster kind of stuff (David, you'd love it!) I had intended to stay in town and get readings done at a coffee shop but the Starbucks closed at 7pm there. In the next few weeks I hope to give Coventry another shot. It was bombed heavily during WWII and hence has had to rebuild a lot of the properties there. The city has three cathedrals which I didn't get to see while visiting - a new one built after the war and the ruins of two others, one of which was close to obliterated during WWII and left as a shell of its former self. I do hope to give the city a second chance and check out the historical aspects. While it may not be as nice as The Spa, every city has its redeeming qualities, yeah?

Wednesday - We had our usual film screening today. We watched a documentary about a particularly controversial art installation in Austria - the film was in German with no subtitles. I was waiting for something I was familiar with...oh I don't know, something like, "Ich habe braunes Haar und braune Augen. Ich habe einen Bruder und eine Schwester." No luck. I then went to the library and spent 5 hours reading - we have six periodicals and one play assigned for tomorrow. How do I find time to blog you may ask? The smiles on all the cherub faced readers back home get me through my day as they await a new prescription.

Tomorrow I'm playing VOLLEYBALL from 7-9pm and then going for a drink at the campus pub! For those who are unawares, I recently took up volleyball as part of the Drama Centre team last year at UofT. It was also the highlight of MANY a glorious day spent down by the river with the St. Lawrence Shakespeare crew - we played in a sand pit! I'm going with my friend Lena who is on her Erasmus year from Germany. Come to think of it, I should have brought her to the film!

This weekend I head to Oxford to visit Paul, my former housemate from Queen's at 309 Earl. I think we're going to hop down to Bath and see the sights.

Doc's Prescription for the Day: I saw this the other day and thought it was worth passing on (Hopefully y'all can see it - I think it requires a shockwave player) Slate.com considers, "If John McCain and Sarah Palin win in November, it's likely to be more than many Democrats can stand. Slate V imagines how the Canadian government might try to capitalize on this liberal anxiety." Yes it may play up all the stereotypes not necessarily true about our country - in the same way that we generalize about our friends to the south - but it's lighthearted. Enjoy.