dorian gray

"The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn." 


Let me simplify.

 
The studio smelled strongly of roses and one could smell the lilac from brought in through the door by the summer breeze.


You see I have taken a beautifully constructed sentence from Oscar Wilde's only published novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and have condensed it to a far less illustrated statement. This is the crime of which The University of Stirling is most guilty. I am by NO means Oscar Wilde. However, I do have my writing style - as all do - and it has been subjected to the marking of generic and blasé expectations. 

*Side note: I chose this as an example not for the reason some of you would expect (its underlying themes) but rather because I didn't appreciate it for much when I was forced to read it my senior year. I remember verbalizing to my teacher my confusion for such lengthy sentences, but now I see how specific and necessary it was for the novel.*

As I was reading over the extensive list of comments for my documentary essay I found myself defending each attack of my paper. It's natural to do so I think because I spent a great deal of time on it. After reading the comments (some constructive, some juvenilely overcritical. *He commented on my word count being 2504 words saying the limit was 2500. In my defense I subtracted my citations, which were about 43 words in total putting me under the limit*) But as I sit once again in the Starbucks cafe on a sunny day (it rained earlier. On my run. Just my luck) I'm reminded, when discussing this essay, of the ever-catchy duet by Donna Summers and Barbra Streisand (only the last 11 seconds). "Enough is enough is enough is enough is enough is enough is enough (no more teeeearssss) is enough is ENOUGH. I've had enough with the class, so I'll cease my complaining. 


>When I make my blog posts it's normally a cultivation of work over two or three days. The paragraph that you just read was written yesterday, Tuesday, and was a bit of a spiteful commentary. I had written close to 500 words after that, but after sleeping on it (figuratively) I came to the conclusion that it all needed to go. It was too depressing and filled with drama, which is completely unnecessary. If you want that, stop reading and turn on a soap opera. This paragraph, however, is being written today and is from a fresh, new perspective (though I'm still a bit pissed about the grade/comments). I woke up this morning with a mere two weeks left to my time in Stirling. While I'm trying to convince myself that these two weeks should be spent with a endless longing to stay in Stirling, I'm ready to come back. Actually, I'm ready to go on my Scottish adventure and then come home come back to the US. I'm sure I'll miss Scotland terribly once I'm back, but my life is driven by the desire to keep moving. Once I am back I will get to keep moving. Plus, I'll get to see my dogs :)


One week ago (last Tuesday actually) it was sunny and 60 degrees in Stirling. You should have seen the monkeys around here! For the entire day the campus was basically shut down to promote what can only be described as a Scottish sun-funday. There was drinking, football, tree climbing, barbecuing, smoking, snacking, people-watching, running, kayaking, more drinking, Tom foolery (Ever wonder what where that phrase comes from?), reading, sunbathing, card-playing, drinking, littering, swan feeding, pigeon-poop avoiding, drinking.... you get my drift. I had some errands to run that day, so I went to town early and only decided to grab a blanket, carrots, an apple, an iced-Smirnoff, and floor-mates upon my return (around 5PM. The sun sets around 9:40PM here so we still had plenty of time). It was a zoo out by the lake. Hundreds of college students partying outside as if it only happened once in a blue moon (but seriously. It doesn't happen often here). Palmi, Tina, and I (Barbara joined a bit later) sat and soaked up the sun for the rest of the afternoon. It was one of my more memorable evenings here on campus, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. 


I also had the opportunity this week to go to a brewery only one town over from the uni. It's within walking distance, which is nice, and is hidden not only be operating hours that aren't too kind to college students (noon-5PM) but also by buildings that block it's view. So down an alley we went and through a cobblestone entrance with unconvincing signs pointing the way to this establishment. We find it and enter to see only the bartender and to customers who have obviously been chatting (and drinking) with one another for quite some time. The brewery was magical and reminded me of the witch's cabin of trinkets in the film Brave. Along the walls were bottles and bottles of beer made in the brewery as well as various oddities such as worn Scottish flags, family crests, and pictures (old and new) of Scotland. The beer sampling was free (the sample was approximately 1/2 cup of beer) and with ten different beers to sample (and let's not forget the raspberry cider and regular cider). So, just after the sampling I was already in a calmer, more relaxed state. I ended up going with the chili beer, which was my favorite from the samples. The other four from our floor that had come along couldn't understand how I could drink an entire pint of it. It burned a bit, but was the most unlike beer. Since I'm not a beer person at all, it was most appropriate for me without going the 'cider' route - something Scots will judge you for. It's not very manly. You may as well be wearing a badge declaring you're not from Scotland. It is, however, four percent greater on the alcohol content, which counteracts the 'manliness' stereotype.


The evening lasted several hours and sparked interesting debate with the two customers who were already there upon our arrival. They were both from Hawaii and were remarkably liberal. 
The discussion was mainly political, which was fascinating hearing from all different sides of the world. The places represented were Washington (state), Ohio, Hawaii, France, Brazil, and England. We talked about the factory disasters in Bangladesh and the Catch 22 that arises from the situation. Do you no longer buy clothes made in Bangladesh because of the terrible working condition? If so, then you're promoting the collapse of  their government, given its economy is structured around the clothing industry. We hear so much about not buying clothing made in China. Is this something branded into our minds because he USA fears the growth of formidable opponent in the world's economic structure? Because guess what. China pays the equivalent of $1.26 per hour. That's pretty impressive comparatively to the $.24 in Bangladesh, $.45 in Cambodia, $.52 in Pakistan, and $.53 in Vietnam. But enough of that. I only bring it up to remind us all (including myself) how fortunate we are to be from the United States - a country that is viewed by most of the world as a promise land. Sure, we aren't without our problems, but in comparison think of it as contrasting Meryl Streep's (United States) work with that of Kristen Stewart or Lindsay Lohan (3rd world countries). Sure, Meryl's had her bad points (Save yourselves and don't bother watching Hope Springs) but it's nothing to Lohan's reputation (Poor thing. It's a shame she's such a spectacle for our society. What has she contributed other than The Parent Trap and Mean Girls?)  I know that analogy seems rather material, but I think it got the point across :)


Well, I have an exam on Friday which I have yet to study. They call it 'revision' here, which threw me for a loop. Revision for me suggests taking previous work, fixing the mistakes, and re-submitting it for a better mark. They laughed at me when I asked if that's what it was. Here you 'revisit' all the past material for the upcoming exam. Here's how I see it though. I need to only pass my courses. I got a 2B (B+) on my essay and passing is a 3C (C-). That means with my essay I only need a 4 (D) and the average will allow me to pass. What a fortunate position to be in! I can get a D without attending the class! If there's one thing I've learned from the grading here, I'll do best by using simple sentence structures. I'd hate to over-complicate. Here is what I'm thinking I'll start with; 

 "I like experimental cinema. Sometimes it is very confusing. I do not mind. I like a challenge. My favorite experimental film has been A Movie. I liked this film because it had the piece 'Pines of Rome' playing in the background." If all this commentary was suggesting something, I think this is it! I'm Golden!!!!


One last thing. A joke before I go. (Oh and I hope the picture I'm posting isn't a repeat. I'm a bit too lazy to go through and check if it is)


Starbucks was talking with the Pope and offered to give a $500 million donation to the church if it were to change "Give us this day our daily bread" to "Give us this day our daily coffee." The Pope considered for quite some time and after making his decision went to his cardinals. "I've got some good news and some bad news" the Pope said. "We just got a $500 million donation from Starbuck!"    "This is great" the cardinals all agreed. "What's the bad news, though?"  The Pope paused, looked to the floor in disappointment and replied, "Oh... we lost the Wonder Bread account."

I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way.
- Carl Sandburg