On my travels

Well, so much for East Coast Mainline t'internet connection which decided not only to relay all useful information in Norwegian last night but also wouldn't allow me to put up a carefully written post. So now the whole post feels a little 'yesterday'. Ah well, newspaper editors must feel like this every day. And so to the post...

Yesterday (with a delicious bacon sandwich made chez Warden) I found myself in Retford station. I must admit I am not really sure where Retford is but it feels like the end of the world. Have you ever seen that film with Will Smith, the one where the world has ended and its seems like it's only him and his dog left (actually I only watched half of it - you are looking (in a cyber way) at the girlie who spent the last two visits to the cinema staring at D's arm and saying 'I don't like it, I'm scared)? Well, it feels a lot like that. It is desolate and lacking in people and freezing! Apologies to the Retford posse! Managed to get away from Retford eventually and up to Edinburgh. The return journey should be fun as I am travelling first class. You know, now that one is a bona fide lecturer one should be able to have a complementary cup of tea and a slice of carrot cake, shouldn't one? Actually it was only five quid more expensive than an ordinary ticket so I decided to treat myself.

So what to do on a train journey? Well, muchos reading of course. Currently I have (as always) too many books on the go but here is a selection: 1) Sharpe's Siege by Bernard Cornwall. There is nothing better for a train journey than a bit of Sharpie.



This is a good one and our hero is currently stuck in France being pursued by the evil Major Ducos. As usual I read in a Yorkshire accent although, as all Sharpe fans will know, he is actually supposed to come from London. It is rather difficult to get away from a certain Sean Bean though, is it not? 2) Dramaturgy and Performance by Cathy Turner and Synne K. Behrndt. Obviously this one is work related and I'm only two chapter sin, but actually it is a very good read. Very interesting analysis of Brecht's theatrical conventions. O.K. I'll stop now. 3) Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell. On of my favourite authors ever writing about her friend. It is a very beautiful book and I've been really struck by Charlotte's deep faith and sense of duty. These are two personality traits that seem to have disappeared largely from our society, sadly. Here ends my 'old woman' moan. 4) Changing my Mind by Zadie Smith. My dear friend Daisy bought me some book tokens to specifically buy this book which she had heard on Radio 4. The author writes really well and like EM Forster which makes her an all round good egg in my book. 5) Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life as a Christian by James Sire. This was given to me by the sweet folks of the Christian Postgraduate Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh. I love books which point out that you can be a Christian and have more than five working brain cells, so this was a perfect gift for me.



Phew, I think that's about it currently except that in my new North Face rucksack (Christmas pressie from Ma and Pa) there is a copy of the first in the Twilight saga. I haven't read any of these books and had to get my first years to explain the whole phenomenon to me last term. One of my new colleagues has lent this to me and, though teenage vampire love stories are not really my thing, never let it be said that I am not up for a challenge.

So those are my reading recommendations for the weekend. I'll post again over the weekend or from my first class carriage on Monday morning hopefully while eating a free and gratis bacon roll.

CSW

p.s. I texted my story about the snow and the MacDonald's coffee stirrer into Radio 5 last night (not randomly, it did fit into their topic of discussion) and they read it out and it got a laugh...on live, cross-the-nation radio! The last time I was on the airwaves (again Radio 5) I was talking about the greatness of the Mighty Boosh and the time before that I had a long discussion with dear ol' Scottie on the sadly missed Talk 107 (we have a cup that always makes me feel a little nostalgic when I drink my tea out of it) about the state of Scottish theatre. Not to mention, of course, my starring role with Maestro Boy on Leith fm before Christmas (that's still on Relative Pitch if you want to check it out). Video didn't kill this radio star!