A Saturday in Lincoln

Sorry for the lack of posts in recent days. Not a single excuse worth mentioning so I won't bother. It's been a good if busy week at work. Lots of jolly times at the uni and the classes are fun. This week I have been mostly watching a series I've wanted to rewatch for a good long time - Falling for a Dancer. It looks at 1930s Ireland and the troubles of a young girl who finds herself pregnant and married off to a much older man in an attempt to hush it all up. I really enjoyed it the first time round (1998 I think, or at least I was in my final year at school) and enjoyed it even more this time round. You can catch the whole thing on youtube.

As for the current flat problems (no shower, dark corridor and now a broken dishwasher!), there are no solutions yet. We live in hope.

D is down for the weekend and we live in hope about the job too (not sure if there's more chance of change on the job front or the flat front - ah, what fun!). We are currently working our way through the second series of The Wire. D has seen all the episodes before and I must admit I've resisted getting into it for a few reasons. It is pretty tough watching - I guess it has to be since it looks at the streets of Baltimore. But I think my biggest problem with it is my understanding of the whole genre of television. I don't watch loads of TV (everyone says that, huh?) but when I do I like fairly escapist programmes - lots of period dramas for me! The Wire is different. It is challenging, uncompromising telly which really makes you think about the state of the world and compels you to ask big questions. We have two episodes to go and I'd wholly recommend it.

I guess many might reject it simply because the language is a bit fruity (and difficult to follow at times), it takes a bit of effort and commitment (as any good novel does) and it shows some of the grimmest sides of life. Granted it isn't an X-Factor type show but (as Harry Hill would say) "which one's better?" Is it better to watch an empty 'family show' like X-Factor which only glorifies celebrity and self-centred obsession? I think we can justify our mind-numbing TV watching by saying 'it isn't doing any harm'. If you attempt to watch The Wire then characters will haunt you, the intricacies of the class struggle, the political system and the drug war will be exposed and you will find yourself reassessing your opinions and belief systems. Now that is good for the soul, however difficult the process may be.

Anyways, that is my current thinking (I'll come back to the theme as I've been considering it for a good long while!). Hope you've all had a brilliant weekend. Enjoy the week

CSW