Wrestling both on and off the page

My trip to France was really excellent. I started the week feeling unusually anxious about it, wondering whether my GCSE French would enable me to even get to the venue, let alone allow me to understand anyone. Actually, it was a wonderful trip - very relaxed indeed, some truly excellent scholarship and some amazing food. I ate at least two delicious pastries every day! It made me realised that my interest in pro-wrestling and performance is actually a legitimate scholarly pursuit. Expect some articles out in the near future. Bordeaux is a beautiful city and I visited all the major attractions, despite the freezing cold weather. After the conference, I had the whole of Saturday to drink lots of coffee and simply wander about. I also (and trust me, this is quite unlike me) did a little clothes shopping, a complicated business when you can't quite fathom the sizes or how the discounts system works. On my flight home, I finished the original book version of Les Miserables, truly a novel that will stay with me for the rest of my days. Hugo was a genius! It is better than the musical and the recent film.

As well as that I have been working on a standalone book chapter on fascism and theatre (nearly done), faffing about (e.g. editing) the second chapter of the Book, and teaching futurism which has been very jolly. I am always surprised (and grateful!) that the students run with the ideas and documents on the Modern European Drama course. If you don't enter this course with an open mind then you are simply done.

Apart from that I have been getting better with my punchbag, drinking lots of soy lattes from our new campus cafe, watching the first episode of the new Stephen Poliakoff series Dancing on the Edge (despite his pretentiousness I really love Poliakoff) and rewatching the rather good boxing film Reel Steel, excellent not simply because Hugh is in it but also because it has a rather engaging story and some pretty great boxing moves.

Anyways, lunch beckons before an afternoon with Kermode and Mayo's film review and chapter 3. How I love days like these! I think I enjoy them even more than I did when I was on sabbatical as now they are interspersed with teaching days - individual scholarship and inspirational pedagogy...wicked combination.

CSW

It's beginning to feel a lot like...the end of my sabbatical

Since my last post I have celebrated my birthday with a surprise visit from Mum and Dad. D, as usual, surpassed himself on the present front. I even got backstage Asia tickets so I can hang out with my favourite rock legends for the night. Very exciting!

This week I travelled across to Edge Hill University to give a wee talk. One of the best things about my sabbatical has been the opportunity to say 'yes' to invites. It was another fun trip and another great post-talk Q&A session. I also had the chance for a few hours in Liverpool. Although, as a Manc, it pains me to say this, Liverpool is actually rather nice, at least in the centre. I visited the Tate for the first time - fantastic building and very annoying art would be my conclusion.

This was my last big trip for a while. I'm spending December at home, editing the book and writing a chapter for the next book proposal. Because these things take so long, you have to start thinking about the next project a couple of years before you actually begin. I am very excited about this new direction. Yesterday was the last day of acwrimo. I have really enjoyed my November writing month and have been particularly encouraged by the way the community has supported each member. Sometimes academia can seem a little cut-throat or individualistic. Acwrimo and PhD2Published's twitter feed proves you can be pleasant, supportive, kindly, generous and an excellent academic. I find that super encouraging.

I was back horseriding today and it was a pretty tough lesson actually, although I am finally riding without any leader so that's encouraging. This week is a mixture of long writing days, getting the house into a Christmas mood and finishing my Christmas shopping. The week after plunges us straight into Christmas with a concert, the department's festive do and (joy, joy!) The Wizard of Oz at the LPAC. Last year's The Snow Queen was so magical and I'm really looking forward to Dorothy and all that this year.

Anyways, I'm going to crash on with a bit of writing before we go outside to sort out the BBQ. Yes, you hear me right. D has been slow cooking a large piece of pork all day. I realise that BBQing in December is a little mad but it is just wonderful to be able to get a bag of sunshiney BBQ food out of the freezer when it's snowing outside! And we really have felt the onslaught of winter in Lincolnshire over the past few days. We were discussing the difference between living in the city where everything feels as if it stays pretty much the same (street lights etc) and the country where you really feel the changing of the seasons. The trees are now bare and the frost on the grass in the morning is beautiful. I think I am going to love our wee country retreat as much in the winter as in the summer.

CSW

Screens, screens, screens

So, this lunchtime at Chez Warden my desk looked like the Batcave as I had three different screens on the go trying to keep up with the Guardian Higher Ed chat (I was a panelist and had a very jolly time) while attempting to solve some image issues for a journal article. I am hoping that everything worked just fine.

It has been a good week of projects and I have got most things done, including my Lincoln Academy lecture which is now finished at 49 minutes ish. It feels pretty good actually. I feel very privileged to be giving a Lincoln Academy lecture and it has been a great reminder of the need to make academic work accessible to a broad audience. This is a great challenge. I also did a bit of thinking/walking/thinking/walking about another book project which I have been putting together for a while. While wandering along with my notebook in hand I met a small frog that we have called Jumpy. That means that in our beautiful garden we have Harry the hedgehog, Cyril the squirrel and his girlfriend (who doesn't have a name at the moment), the duckies, the bunnies, the brave Ranciere-loving fieldmouse, Zach our neighbour's wonderful dog, a deer that hides a lot and Jumpy. It's practically a zoo! I love living here.

At the moment work is taking up a good lot of time and I am really enjoying it. In our relaxing evenings we have been watching two new HBO offerings - Veep (which I am not all that fond of, although last night's episode had some very funny lines) and Newsroom (which I love but led to a very long conversation between me and D the other night).  HBO are just the best! I've also been working out, enjoying a bit of golf and cooking more. I've finally found time and inclination to get back into cooking. When we first moved to Lincoln we left behind a huge kitchen and acquired the tiniest box ever. It made cooking a little more difficult and I got out of the habit of experimenting and simply hanging out in there. I'm glad to say that I've refound my vigour over the past few weeks.

Anyways, I have a couple more jobs to do before Friday is finished. Hope everyone has a great weekend.
CSW

Our little zoo

Now that we live in the country we find ourselves surrounded by animals. We have a load of ducks who come to be fed every morning. My favourite is nicknamed 'Baby'. He was left alone when he was really young and we didn't think he'd make it. But he is a bit of a maverick and is far happier on his own. Lots of these ducks were born in our back garden. We have a hedgehog that persuaded D it was dead until it shuffled out of sight when he wasn't looking. And we have a lovely little brave mouse who continued to seat next to me while I read Jacques Ranciere's 'The Emancipated Spectator' this afternoon. There are hundreds of bunnies that spend evenings chasing each other and a little deer who occasionally reappears. It is wonderful to have so many friends out here. We were joined by the Scottish section of the fam over the weekend and, although the weather was horrible, we had a great time. It is mega to share all our animals and peace with lovely folks.

After the excitement of the Book, the past few weeks have been relatively quiet at work. My time has been taken up with finishing my PSi paper for next week (sorry, where did July come from?), rewriting a horrid article that I have been battling with for months (NB corner turned on this one today - I think I might have finally found a point to it all!), second marking and getting things ready for the external examination meetings that are coming up this week. I have also spent a few hours each day reading. This is something I do every year at this time. Making the transition from full-time lecturer who researches to full-time researcher period is not one that is always easy to negotiate. So, I like to ease myself in by reading a selection of inspiring (hopefully!) books. This week on my list I have the aforementioned Ranciere (have made it to the end of chapter 1 and am actually rather excited to see where it is going to go next), Beckett's 'Krapp's Last Tape' and Joseph Conrad's 'The Secret Agent'. These are all books that I can justify as work. I guess the transition is going to be all the more fascinating this time round as I am heading into my sabbatical.

And finally...happy father's day Dad and Dad in-law. We are so glad to have you both! We have an exciting gig coming up this weekend - I get to see one of only two musicians still on my 'need to see live' wishlist. One of these is Peter Gabriel, the other is... Well, I'll post about that next week. Oh, and if you have a couple of weeks free then we have put our Germany/Switzerland photos on Picasa. Just click on the photos side bar on Molemaison.

Until next time...
CSW

We really are still alive!

Many apologies for the distinct lack of posts in recent weeks. I am now sitting in my sunny lounge with a cup of (new eteaket) tea, Peter Gabriel (not actually, you understand) and a quick break from writing a couple of overdue review articles. So here's what we've been up to since my last post (brace yourself):

• Moved house! We are now living in a beautiful little village called Nocton. We have a garden, a big kitchen (what a relief!) and total peace. It is amazing and we feel hugely blessed to have it. 
• Changed our car. We lease our car so it was time to get something new. D is very chuffed with it. Don't say he looks like a hairdresser...he doesn't, OK.
• Spent four days in Oxford (me not D - I left him home alone). We moved house and then barely five days later I went off to New College Oxford for the Moving Modernisms conference. It was a great time and I met a heap of amazing, inspirational scholars. I've come back thoroughly excited...and with a lot of work to do.
• Finished term. Despite the fact that it feels as though we've only just started term, I have taught my last class. This has been one of my most enjoyable terms of teaching ever - brilliant students, exciting courses and lots of great performances to engage with.
• Witnessed one of our good friends Jane get baptised.
• Made chilli for 30 sweet buddies (plus nachos and quesidillas - they weren't as good as your's Em!)

And I think that's it, other than the usual - catching up with Raw (in the lead up to Wrestlemania), re/discovering music (currently listening to Peter Gabriel's edited Big Blue Ball), watching a couple of films (though I am somewhat embarrassed to admit it, my treat for moving house was to watch Real Steel with the wholly delectable Hugh Jackman) and reading (only work books this week I'm afraid: a paper about Wilde's Salome and Erika Fischer-Lichte's Global Ibsen - she is fast becoming one of my favourite scholars). 

Now, my break is over and I'd better get on with these reviews. Suffice to say that life is pretty amazing right now and, as soon as our boxes are emptied, we are hoping to share it with all our friends. This week it is mostly...Sarah Kane Festival, book proposals, arrival of my family for the day, lunches in the garden, sorting our house out, finishing assessment timetables, and then off to Ely/Cambridge at the weekend for two jolly days of relaxation and Australian Pink Floyd. Sweet!

CSW

Getting ready to go

Much of our thinking time has been taken up with moving house. D has managed to source some terrific furniture bargains and we pick up the keys on Saturday. I am very excited about it. We have also booked our summer holiday. We are off to Germany and Switzerland to visit some wonderful friends (Evelyn and family, we can't wait to see you!) and to enjoy the beauty of the mountains for a few days. Rather than flying, we are making the journey by train! It's going to be an adventure. The last time I travelled round Europe on a train I was 21 and didn't mind arriving in Florence with nowhere to stay and kipping down for the night in a nunnery in Venice, not to mention sleeping in a hostel in Zagreb which cost €6 a night! I am now older and demand a hot shower each morning!

Back to Lincoln life, I am currently finishing off a raft of projects including the Hassan paper (which was accepted by the good people of Theatre Notebook yesterday!), the proofs for the Literary North chapter and the final indexing/proofing of British Avant-Garde Theatre. I also have a conference abstract to write tomorrow. We are reaching the end of term (only two more weeks to go!) and the students are starting to think seriously about their performance assessments. Teaching has been so fun this term. Cool students, interesting courses!

So, I'm going to make some tea. D is watching a youtube video about Switzerland. It looks amazingly beautiful and we are so grateful for our Germany/Switzerland May holiday. Will try and post amidst the boxes next week. Until then, hope everyone is doing great.

CSW

It's March already...

...not sure where that came from. So what has happened since the last post? I have been mostly...planning to move house...enjoying a wonderful research weekend in Edinburgh...compiling the index for the Book...reading some interesting plays...watching the students give a great performance of one of my least favourite plays of all time: Osborne's 'Look Back in Anger' (still don't like it but was very proud of them)...lying in my hammock which is still up in our lounge.

My visit to Edinburgh was great. Not only did I get to spend time with some of my most favourite people, I also enjoyed two very long days in the library. If you follow me on Twitter then you'll have seen the piles of books I started with each morning: lots of fascinating stuff about fascist theatre. We so often imagine theatre as a pretty left-wing pursuit so it was very interesting to read about the theatre from the other side of the political spectrum. This week's teaching has been all very profitable. I am so enjoying spending time with the students this term. They are all mega, hard-working and talented folks.

In terms of research, I am currently doing the final bits and bobs for two articles. But proofreading and indexing is getting in the way slightly. Have a couple of books to read over the weekend and could do with finishing this index. We'll try and get some breakfast out tomorrow though - always a good start to the weekend.

Next week is our final full week in the flat before the big move. This morning the sun was shining and I imagined how beautiful our new garden would be. We are really excited about our new pad. Have just finished work (I know, it's 22.40 on a Friday - height of geekdom) and now I'm going to eat a bowl of Weetabix while watching Smackdown.

CSW

Chilling in my hammock

D reminded me that it had been a couple of weeks since I last posted here. Sorry for the lack of comment - I endeavour to do better in future. Plans for the big move are going well. We now have a sofa on the way (we have never owned our own sofa so that is exciting) and we've started sorting out removal companies. D also invested in a 'house warming present' for me - a very large hammock. This might sound like a weird present but last year while wandering happily through the stalls of Granville Island, Vancouver, I tried out a lovely hammock and promised the sweet guy who wanted to sell it to me that if I were ever to move to a house with a garden, I would buy a hammock. And here we are! I'm hoping that lots of folks are going to visit to enjoy happy afternoons swinging and snoozing in my new present.

Things continue to go well in all other areas of life. I am very fortunate to be working with imaginative, inspiring students this term. They are just great! Research is plodding along nicely with two articles currently tentatively accepted by great journals. The first proofread through the book is done and the second (and final) proofread is scheduled to take place on the week we move. Great timing on my part!

As well as work, this week has been taken up with a thought-provoking trip to the cinema to see Grey (it's about more than just wolves chasing Lian Neeson), a jolly visit of a sweet gentleman involved in mission work in Moldova, trying out our local chippie for the first time in 2 years, getting into college basketball on ESPNAmerica, and, last night, travelling through to Holmfirth (of Last of the Summer Wine fame) for the Steve Hackett gig. We had a really amazing night - total legend, great band, fab crowd and brilliant venue. But more of that later in the week when I've got the photographs up. There's a cracking one of me and Steve for your enjoyment.

D is away working in Warwick for a couple of days so I'm home alone. Today/tonight will be a mixture of weekend sport, reading Mansfield Park, swinging in my hammock (which is currently up in the lounge!), Facetiming my sister, ironing and sorting things our for the week. I might even sneak in a little snooze. Be sure to pop back over the next few days for the gig review.

CSW

Things change quickly here!

So, since my last post (which was only a few days ago) a major thing has happened in the life of the Wardens. We are moving house! We have lived happily in our wee flat here in the centre of Lincoln for 2 years but we were both beginning to feel like a new challenge might be in order. On Saturday (did I mention this?) we went to see the most beautiful house in the country. I then spent three days agonising and, yesterday, decided that we would go for it. It reminds me of those incredible country houses in Austen novels (a la 'Sense and Sensibility' after the move rather than Pemberley, you understand) and I think we will have a wonderful, peaceful place for us both and, hopefully, for all our friends and family to visit. It is in a little village called Nocton, only 7 miles from Lincoln. But it feels like proper country with woods and little post offices and long walks and a massive garden. We feel amazingly blessed (though a little shell-shocked) and it is only costing us a little extra per month. The sweet gentleman who owns it showed us round and clearly loved the place. We feel like custodians for something very special indeed. Anyways, in preparation I am going to spend the next few weeks reading 'Mansfield Park'. I can finally be Fanny Price. This has been my dream since I was a little girl, at least since I decided that Fanny was a far more interesting character than Elizabeth Bennett. Imagine me wandering through the grass each morning drinking tea. In fact, best of all, why not come and stay for a few days. Will update all our mates on our new address in due course.

Only the packing, the cleaning and changing all those addresses to go now. Yuck!
CSW

Reorganisation

Now, I often enjoy those lovely American housewifey blogs. You know the ones - the lady in question generally has a truck load of beautiful children, a vegetable garden and some really excellent storage. Well, in my small way I have emulated these 'practically perfect in every way' ladies by finally doing something about my kitchen. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of visiting us recently I now have a very small box kitchen with two doors leading into it. This means that storage space is at a premium. If you remember our flat in Timberbush you can imagine the trouble this has caused me - we could have held a ceilidh in our old kitchen! And so, to solve this problem, we have invested in a kitchen trolley. I did my best DIY job last night and now it stands proudly in our tidy, organised kitchen. I am as proud as punch and might even, in true American housewifey stylee, make muffins tomorrow. Yum!

Have spent the last few days getting back into work. This always takes a little bit of time but I finally cracked it today and had a very profitable time. I even came across a new gentleman who will prove to be very helpful as he project progresses. I love these wee moments of clarity - you feel a little like Sherlock Holmes searching for clues. Tomorrow is a day of meetings. The weather has been spectacular again in Lincoln today and I even read a book on my balcony for an hour over lunchtime. Sweet!

Well, so much for the World Cup. I must admit so far it has all been a bit dull. North Korea put on a good show yesterday and Switzerland pulled a surprise result out of the bag today, but otherwise it just feels a little flat. Not enough goals and too many slow games. I wonder whether the atmosphere will get even more dreary now that Bafana Bafana look to be going out after a lacklustre performance against Uruguay. Am hoping for a really excellent game to give the tournament a bit of a shake.

Anyways, I'm off to make some hot chocolate. D bought some special Green and Blacks stuff and it is really delicious. Perfect before bed. Hope everyone is doing really well.

CSW