Marking is finished!

After a pretty late night last night marking has now finished for another term. I have a bit of second marking to do tomorrow but otherwise the university year has officially finished. There were some really good essays. A mixture of music kept me going last night from the beautiful folkie melodies of Knopfler et al (inevitable listening given last Friday's concert) to the bombastic soundtrack to Modern Warfare 2. MW2 is, apparently, a computer game (this computer game thing is just not on my radar although we do have a Wii which I enjoy when we have mates round - a competitive game of bowling is about my limit!). Well, either way, the music is written by Hans Zimmer so I'm not complaining. The soundtrack is also 8 hours long so plenty of repetitive epic chord sequences to get me (and keep me) in the zone.

Over the past few days three wrestling DVDs have dropped through our door from the good people at Amazon. All three are about The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels...so are evidently for me! D at his present-buying best. We watched the first documentary last night. One of the reasons I really like Michaels (other than his unbelievable wrestling skills...seriously) is the change he has seen in his own life since he became a Christian. Given his party animal reputation, drug problem and his ability to really get on people's nerves, he probably made a fairly unlikely Follower of Christ. But his commitment is unwavering and, by his own admission, the Holy Spirit has really transformed him. He is still (or was until he retired - boo hiss - earlier this year) one of the most talented guys to ever enter the ring, but he now has something greater.

So I've begun the research. It always takes me a little while to move from teaching mode to research mode. This has certainly been the case today, though I got 600 words down. They probably aren't very good words mind you. Lots of 'ands' and 'thes' as Mum likes to remind me.

I have a couple of conference abstracts to write and two full book chapters.

And still enjoying all of the ins and outs of the British political scene. It seems like universities are going to face some real cuts. The relationship between David and Nick is becoming ever more jovial and brotherly. My colleague and I are teaching a collaborative module in 'politicising the theatrical space' next term, and we are trying to source a couple of those wicked 'I agree with Nick and Dave' t-shirts. Ah, good times.

So the next couple of days are dominated by second marking, reading and research and watching a terrific HBO (them again, if only Britain could have such a magnificent purveyor of televisual genius - sigh) series called John Adams that we have in a box set. I know nothing about this period of American history and I'm learning a great deal as I do my ironing (for those unaware of the Warden tradition, I do the family ironing while D buys me box sets on Amazon to watch as I do it). Today the 13 states (actually 12, apparently New York abstained) signed Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and all that. And Laura Linney (who I love) does a great turn as Mrs Adams. Well worth a watch if you can catch it.

Enough! A cup of tea beckons.

CSW