It's reading week (again)

And because it's reading week this post will be a short one. To compensate, I made some rather uneventful videos on the arctic blast, which I have been sharing with some of you on a one to one basis. In lieu of a literary disclosure of normal proportions I will also post some random photos I've taken in the last few weeks. 

Otherwise, all I have to relate is a rather odd little tale about the Asian woman I've seen around on campus, who turned out to be Japanese. I got talking to her on Thursday and discovered she is a master's student studying psychology who also lives in my block. After chatting for a couple of minutes she asked if I would come to her poetry recital at The Harp Inn. To be honest, I didn't much want to hear a new acquaintance recite Japanese poetry but I agreed anyway and asked when her spot was and she said 9.00 PM. I duly arrived at 9.00. She was outside having a cigarette and confirmed she was just about to read her piece, so I went in, purchased a pint of cider (£2.50) and sat down at a table. 

In the far corner there was a large table a DJ had all his equipment laid out on, a turntable and large digital contraption. She went and sat beside him and for the next 37 minutes saying nothing and avoiding eye contact with me. A couple of times she got up to talk to other people, though. There was a silent European film about witches and monks in sepia on a screen behind them and that and the hypnotic music was the only thing I had to engage with. Nobody else was reading poetry and there was no microphone visible, or captive audience who looked like they were waiting for a performance. My fellow mature student resident of St Mary's never approached me to talk, either, and finally she got up to go out for another cigarette. As she walked right past me she gave me a strange look, as if I was some unwanted dog hanging round for scraps. Having finished my drink, I went to the loo and left, mystified.

I've turned in my film essay. According to the essay guidelines we have to quote from AT LEAST 9 recommended books on screenplay theory which we are somehow supposed to acquire and read in the month we were given to write the essay. (I couldn't read 9 books in a month if I did nothing else). As it turns out, I'm not sure I read one full page of a book, the first three weeks were just spent thinking about doing the essay and when I found myself with much work to do on the day it was due I just did my normal trick of opening a book at random and looking for a sentence or two to reference. I don't think the trick will work this time, so I'm going to predict a mark of 60. 

There is also an essay about The Battle of Maldon, an Old English poem about...The Battle of Maldon, which took place in 991 to do by March 9th. The poem's log line: We are so kicking ourselves because we had a tactical advantage that we threw away. Happens every week on the football field, but in the old days it involved being sliced to pieces.

The Fiat Punto survives the arctic blast

Japanese poetry, or not (It was darker than this, camera has over compensated)

Temperatures were just below zero during the day, but there was very little snow in Bangor

My workspace

Found in Catherine Rullens's poetry seminar

Night shopping with Emma (my car, not my ex)

Snow on mountains in background

Bangor town from university

On a Snowy mountain road in January