Term runs on...

...interestingly the amount of blog posts I write is directly proportional to how quiet or busy I currently am. The fact that nothing has appeared here in the month of November is a sure sign that it has been a rather crazy month. So here goes with a run through of what has happened since my last post:

I visited the House of Lords to promote the University of Lincoln College of Arts.
This was a fascinating event, a chance to schmooze with lords and ladies...and Nicholas Parsons. Parliament is the most sensationally beautiful building from the outside and it is equally lovely inside.

I taught...a lot!
It has been a busy teaching term. It's all been very jolly, including a first year lecture on grammar that had a sweet doggie on each slide, my deliberate attempt to mention Hugh Jackman in every Musicals lecture and our dissertation speed dating party. It isn't all such flippant fun of course; I wouldn't want to give you the wrong idea!

Almost cracking my canter.
Although I haven't had a lot of time to ride dear ol' Tommy over the past few weeks, every time I have he has looked after me beautifully and I am beginning to get the hang of the canter. It is far harder than it looks on the telly!

I have spoken at the University of Strathclyde.
And very exciting it was too! It was lovely to get an invite up north and the small crowd was very appreciative and asked great questions. I was particularly impressed that 4 of their undergrads came along. We had a lovely dinner afterwards.

I enjoyed a great few days in Edinburgh.
After my trip to Glasgow I travelled across to the right side of Scotland (I joke, I joke!) and stayed with the in laws in Edinburgh. I spent two happy days in the National Library, snoozing on their couch and playing Lego with our niece until D arrived on Friday evening. We then hung out all weekend, enjoying lots of family time and eating half pizza suppers with salt and sauce (actually this was D - he had a bit of a craving for this Auld Reekie staple).

I have nearly finished the book.
It is nearly done although I am waiting for 2 clear days so I can do a thorough final read through. I genuinely think it is the best thing I have ever written - I'm rather proud of it and super grateful to everyone who has contributed to it.

My abstract was accepted for the Literature and Sport conference at De Montfort next year.
I am speaking on wrestling and the text. The fact that they accepted this abstract and didn't tell me to forcefully 'go away because wrestling isn't really a sport' is testimony to the gracious openmindedness of the organising committee. I can't wait for this conference, especially as current academic hero Sarah Churchwell is giving the keynote.

I have nearly not quite finished GSP Rushfit.
Over the past two weeks I haven't quite felt myself - just a little under the weather. This has knocked my fitness regime out a bit. Perhaps I just needed a bit of a proper break after 6 months of super tough physical challenge. Anyways, I have two weeks left of the course and will get that done over the next couple of weeks. After watching GSP get beaten up (but somehow winning- I'll never understand MMA scoring), I am glad I just follow his training programme and don't actually have to get in the octagon!

And I think that is it. Days are very full right now - the next two are full of assessments and copyright permissions. Then we have Open Day on Saturday, a collapsing chill out day on Sunday...and then it is someone's birthday!

Have a great evening y'all.
CSW

A rock weekend

Afternoon!

What a weekend we had! It started with a musicals class (this course is going rather well btw and I am not yet sick of the Wicked soundtrack) and then a run across to Manchester. Actually the journey was fairly horrendous: 4hr 10min to get from Newark to Manchester. That is a record. I could have walked it quicker!

Anyways, we made it with a minute and a half to spare before the train left (cue heavy breathing and me getting flustered - D was his usual unflappable self) and it was off to the Phones4U Arena (formerly the MEN) for the Peter Gabriel gig. Gabriel was the last on my 'old guys to see before they pack in' list so I was hugely excited. He played an amazing, risk-taking gig with an acoustic set and a performance of a song he hadn't even written yet! It was breath-taking and a total privilege to be there.

After spending a happy day hanging out with the fam (inc Smelly and Stu who were up north as well) we trotted back through to Manchester for our second gig: Steve Hackett at the Apollo. This was a really different event. He returned to the early Genesis progressive rock stuff which is not really my cup of tea frankly but I absolutely loved it. The band were amazingly tight and the music was rather beautiful. I totally zoned into it and came out feeling pretty chilled but intellectually challenged. I should listen to more proper progressive stuff. After lunch with the fam on Sunday we trekked back to Lincoln though the journey was considerably quicker that outbound. A great weekend and a really lovely opportunity to reboot.

Everything is extremely busy here - it's all fun but a bit manic. I have book deadlines, article proofs, lectures to be written, invited talks to sort out, new research paths to explore...and all the usual - exercise, life etc. All in all, the next few months are really pretty crammed. As I say, all fun but a tad overwhelming. The next few days are for grant applications (a job I truly loathe) and a conference trip to Oxford. Then next week we have teaching, lots of student one-to-ones, a mad trip to London (which I'll write about next week!), an appearance on Radio Lincolnshire and book proofs. The week after I am off to speak at the University of Strathclyde and am combining it with a run across to Edinburgh to do some work and catch up with the publisher (as well as enjoy the company of my lovely in laws). And so it goes on..and on... I think this year Christmas will be spent collapsed in a heap surrounded by tinsel and chocolate!

Tonight is also Halloween, my least favourite night of the year. I intend to hide away, do a workout, eat noodles and ignore it. If you really make it all the way to our village, down our pitch black drive and through the forest to knock on our door than frankly good on you - I'll invite you in for a cuppa!

Have a good night y'all
CSW

Winter has arrived...

Since my last post, it appears that winter has hit Lincolnshire. It has rained all day! Ho hum... I received my early birthday present just in time: a dehumidifier. Our house is quite old so we get damp corners. This rather amazing machine sorts everything out. I do wonder when I got so old that a dehumidifier was an exciting present!

The past week or so has been filled with interesting wee events (like last night's Q&A with playwright Simon Stephens and last week's madness that was Filter Theatre's version of Twelfth Night), teaching, and some jolly little trips including a lovely Sunday in Leeds with our buddies. We had such a fun time with their four children and we spent Sunday afternoon drawing pictures and watching dance shows.

D has had exams again this week so he has been ultra busy with revision. We've managed to intersperse all the work with some fun watching. We've just started the new series of Newsroom which is a show I really enjoyed last year. You have to ensure you don't approach this series the wrong way. It isn't realism in that wonderful HBO, Dickens-on-the-screen sort of way. Rather it has something of the magical about it and a witty script to match. No one thinks of come backs as quickly as the cast of Newsroom...trust me, living with the king of quick wittedness, I would know! It is good fun though and a bit of relief from the last series of Treme which we've just finished. I can absolutely understand why both these series might have their critics! On Saturday we headed down to Kinema in the Woods in Woodhall Spa and watched Prisoners with the delectable Hugh Jackman. Not so delectable in this film but it was hugely admirable. D and I talked about it all the way home and to Leeds the next day. There were so many clever moments and it actually treated its audience members as adults, presuming that they are intelligent beings. As usual, I was a bit scared and had to grab D's arm on regular occasions but I am glad I saw it. Jackman and Gyllenhaal are both absolutely brilliant. Both display some serious acting chops. The ending played on my absolute worst nightmare...but I won't ruin it for you.

Other than that...today I finished the full draft of the Book. It stands at 64, 322 words. I only have the conclusion to add to. Right now it feels just a bit thrown together but some great colleagues are looking over it for me. I now just need to sort out image permissions, one of my least favourite jobs. I am going to set aside an hour over the next few days in order to get them sorted.

In wrestling news (you would be sad to miss out on your regular pro-wrestling catch up, wouldn't you?), Shawn Michaels is back. I actually screamed at the television when his music hit. Hugely exciting!

I am continuing on with GSPRushfit and enjoying the challenge of weights although, as always with these long fitness courses, I'm also looking forward to being done so I can mix it up a bit more. Having watched Ironman Kona at the weekend (I stayed up until 3 in the morning on Saturday watching on my ipad) I am pretty inspired to do a crazy fitness challenge. Kona looks a bit brutal but I'm pretty sure that 2014 will have some sort of large fitness challenge in it.

Anyways, must crack on. Hope all is well with all.
CSW

And so it begins...

...the new term, that is. Here we are at the end of week 1. It has been a brilliant teaching week, perhaps one of my favourite ever. Groups of great students, some fascinating chat, stimulating learning environments and, best of all, plenty of laughs.

We've had some rather lovely days outside of work too: days riding Tommy, having lunch in Woodhall Spa, visiting Bransby Home for Horses, celebrating seven years since D's rather spectacular resuscitating of his future wifey with dinner at lovely Chequers, watching series 2 of Treme (nearly finished), lots of GSP Rushfit (my hip flexors know all about that!), an autumn BBQ with our buddies, getting a new showbiz haircut and reading a wonderful book called And the Land Lay Still by James Robertson. All in all we have filled our days with quiet fun stuff when we aren't working.

Research time over the next few weeks is divided between finishing the Book (Modernist and Avant-Garde Performance: an introduction with be out next year!) and trying to put together a new funding application. My teaching timetable this semester is rather odd so my research days vary. Actually I quite like this - I find I get more done with a bit of variety in my world. In addition to teaching and my usual research load, I seem to have lots of opportunities to do other fun (work-related) stuff like speaking about research on Radio Lincolnshire last Friday. Man, local radio guys are super talented and work super hard! I was incredibly impressed by Nicola Gilroy and team - nothing fazed them which, in a rather unpredictable environment like the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, is a very good thing!

All in all, all is well! Some groovy stuff coming up over the next few months - gigs, research trips, speaking engagements so I'll keep you in touch.

CSW

September: new notebooks and tweed...

...two of the things I love best about Autumn!
September has been a month of kicking back and taking stock. The past few weeks have been focused on finishing off summer projects and preparation for teaching. Next week is induction - new students! This is always an exciting time of year.

Other than that we have largely been hanging out at home watching the last season of Treme which we have finally caught up with. Last weekend though we headed down to Wembley Stadium to see Roger Waters' The Wall. This is the second time we have seen this performance - last year we caught it at the MEN in Manchester. Although the stadium was bigger, actually with the lights and smoke it felt pretty cosy and intense. The sound was amazing! It was as great as I remember it. I respect Waters for his intentions and sincerity, and The Wall is a seriously affecting piece of theatre. Anyone who leaves there not thinking that war is dumb and not committed to breaking down walls between people and breaking through hegemonic systems quite simply has no heart! Pretty spectacular night!

Since then (when I haven't been in meetings) I've been preparing my Musicals classes. This means listening to a lot of musicals over and over. Top three songs in my head for this week: 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked, 'Being Alive' from Company and 'Everybody Ought to Have a Maid' from Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. A fun mix, although we are now listening to Bruce in an attempt to break through the musicals haze!

We have a quiet weekend ahead - riding, writing, watching some sport, tidying up. The things start in earnest next week. As an aside, D's wonderful holiday pictures are now up on line. If you want to work your way through some truly great pics of Abu Dhabi and Sri Lanka, click down to the right on photo albums or on the 'photos' tab. Enjoy them!

CSW

Can I stay at home for a while?

So, I am sitting at my wee desk at home. It feels very good indeed after an exciting summer of moving around, holidays and work trips. I am looking forward to a bit of home time over the next few months...with, of course, a couple of jolly trips thrown in. I have just got back from the Modernist Studies Association Conference at the University of Sussex. I really enjoyed last year's conference in Las Vegas and mostly enjoyed this one too. It made me think about a lot of things (including my own research direction) and that is always good. Wasn't hugely impressed with Brighton although I know folks rave about it. Felt a bit like Blackpool to me!

After much travelling and excitement (you'll be pleased to know that our bags were returned to us) the next few months are far quieter, as you might expect as term starts up. Yesterday I sat in a very nice Brighton coffee shop and did my yearly review. It is based on this one from the rather great and inspiring Chris Guillebeau. Whereas he does his in December/January and takes a week (a week!?), I spend an afternoon and do mine in September. My life still works in terms and September always feels like the new year to me. Guillebeau always has a theme for the year and I thought about mine. Last year was definitely a year of consolidation - we stayed in the same house, I travelled about promoting the book, I strengthened my position at Lincoln. This year is a year of transition, of pressing on towards new goals, new directions. I thought a lot about this word yesterday. It can refer to a process of change or (in music) a passage connecting two themes together. In martial arts it means a change from defense to attack (or the opposite of course, but for the purpose of my project let's go for this definition). I like this word as it has a definable starting point and definable (though not predictable) end points. It also suggests movement which is something I am working on right now in my research. I have four pages of goals - some of them are relatively small, some are so huge that they are probably impossible. Guillebeau reckons that if you are fulfilling more than 80% of your goals then you are setting your bar too low. I agree. He is also really insightful about not making your goals a prison. It is your plan so if you want to change it, dump it, whatever, then that is just fine. For me it is about striving to be better in all areas of my life. Sometimes this feels just great and at other times I feel as if I am going backwards!

The week is admin, writing and graduation. All fun!

CSW

Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi and our missing bags

To fill you in on our trip to Abu Dhabi and Sri Lanka in just one post will prove pretty tricky. While we returned last night, our bags did not. However, they have enjoyed their wee extra journey and should be with us tomorrow courtesy of a very nice man at the airport courier service.

It is pretty difficult to make total sense of our adventure. So much happened and because we moved from place to place and experienced so much, it felt as if we were away for ages. As usual with our travel adventures, D will shove the photos online so feel free to click on 'photos' to the right of this post some time next week. Also as usual, I'll provide a wee list of highlights and reflections:

So, we spent four days in Abu Dhabi and eight days in Sri Lanka, although in the latter we stayed in three different locations: Kandy, Kandalama and the tea plantations near Hatton.

- In Abu Dhabi we stayed right in the middle of the F1 race track at the Yas Viceroy Hotel. Super lovely place with a hugely impressive breakfast and a restaurant that served the best prawn tagine you can imagine. I ate it twice in four days - it was that good! While in Abu Dhabi we went to Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World (I even pushed myself into going on some of the rides - not the really crazy ones you understand but pretty impressive for me). D, of course, went on everything including the fastest rollercoaster in the world. We also met the winners of Arab's Got Talent, visited the amazing Grand Mosque (where I wore a full abaya for the first time), ate dinner at the Fairmont Hotel and afternoon tea at the crazy Emirates Palace (where D drank two gold leaf coated cappuccinos) and took a tour round the racetrack. My highlight though was probably going to see Michael Ball in concert just across the road from the hotel. I have always had a bit of a thing for him and he really gave the most wonderfully uplifting concert I have seen in a long time. The crowd (mostly ex-pats) were hugely appreciative. He even sang 'I Won't Send Roses' from Mack and Mabel which reminded me of being a kid.

- Then it was on to Sri Lanka, a place I have wanted to go for a long while. It is pretty difficult to sum up all the amazing experiences but I'll give it a go...

- Our first night was spent just outside Kandy in a really lovely chilled out hotel. That evening we went to the Buddhist Perahera in Kandy, an amazing festival and parade. It was utterly exhausting for the crowds which lined the streets so I can't imagine how the performers felt. Four hours of dancers, elephants, musicians and guys with scary whips. It was a great privilege to watch it even without the religious significance that it clearly had for others in the crowds.

- Then off we went (via the gem factory - something Kandy is famous for) to Kandalama to another beautiful hotel in the jungle where monkeys woke you up in the morning by banging on your roof! We spent three days at spice gardens, visiting historical ruins, climbing rock fortresses, and having the amazingly wonderful experience of witnessing elephants in the wild. There were so many highlights from this part of the trip but I guess I have to say that riding an elephant was pretty special. I was very concerned about animal rights and didn't really want to do this at first. But our great guide found a wonderful elephant called Rani who was very well looked after and was clearly happy, cheeky and contented. Although others might have a different experience, every Sri Lankan we came across revered and loved these incredible animals. I had no worries about cruelty at any stage. I got to sit on Rani's great big wrinkly neck and feed him melon. It was absolutely amazing.

- We travelled (via bumpy train) to Hatton for the final stop of our journey at the Castlereigh bungalow in the Tea Trails. Seriously, this place was incredible. We got used to having bed tea and generally being spoilt rotten for three days with massage, amazing views, awesome food and games of croquet. It was a little like returning to a Scott Fitzgerald novel. While we were there we visited a tea factory (fascinating for a tea lover like me) and did a hike to one of the other bungalows through the plantation.

- We arrived back last night after a long journey (improved considerably by being upgraded to business for the Columbo-Abu Dhabi leg - a full flat bed!) full of stories and memories of an amazing time.

Things I will miss about Sri Lanka: Everyone is very kind and smiley (yes, I know this is a horrid stereotype but it turned out to be true for us), cricket is the universal language, the weather, the animals and vibrancy of the landscape, the incredible food

Things I will not miss about Sri Lanka: the roads! Having travelled a fair bit (including to Rome) I can honestly say that Sri Lankan roads and driving are the most terrifying I have ever witnessed. No one drives particularly fast but everyone does crazy moves as a matter of course.

I love our trips but I also love coming home and getting back into things. Today has been focused on getting things sorted and preparing for the Modernism Studies Association Conference which starts tomorrow in Brighton. The paper is written, my travel plans are sorted...looking forward to four days of stimulating chat and encouraging scholarship. Last year's MSA conference was probably the best I have ever been to so I have high hopes.

CSW