Title: Reconcilable Cultural Differences
Written By: S. Courtney
All Rights Reserved May 2012
“They make my teeth crawl,” I remarked, setting the box down in the living room.
“Huh?” Peter looked up from the box of kitchen equipment he was organizing: first by utility and then by size and then by color. “I didn’t think yours could do that.”
I blinked.
“My what?” I asked.
“Your teeth. I didn’t think yours could crawl. Usually humans aren’t that… sensitive.”
“Oh. Oh, I see. No, they can’t. It’s a figure of speech. Human teeth aren’t made to…”
“Right – I mean, there’s some sensation, I know, but not like that. You really lost the evolutionary lottery there.”
“Why?” I asked, curious. “Can yours, I don’t know… feel?”
Peter turned his attention to another box of kitchen impedimenta.
“Yes, they’re quite sensitive actually. There are some species of us that can even taste the air with them.”
“Really? Air?”
“Yeah, there’s an olfactory element to it.”
“Uh huh.”
Part of the problem with talking to Peter is, even though I love him dearly, and trust him with my life (something that has come up a time or two in our three-year marriage), I can’t always tell if he’s serious.
People say Martians don’t have a sense of humor – and according to Peter it’s true. But then, it’s lucky I’m not married to a Martian. They may not have sarcasm on Alpha Centauri Delta, but they do have a wicked sense of humor.
“Peter?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you pulling my leg?”
“Why?” Peter asked. “What happens if I do?”
Monday, May 21, 2012
On Final Exams, Illness, et. al.
Not my finals - thank goodness. Well, sort of my finals. The last day of real classes is always a heady mix of relief and panic. As Becky once pointed out, "finals week is when the students work harder than we do."
And it's true to a certain extent. But all good (and bad) things must come to an end and so does this schoolyear. Which has been a pretty good one. Given what had happened in previous years (maternity substitutes from hell, moving classrooms, general rebuilding), it has been a good one. Bringing order to one's professional life has certainly had positive outcomes. Most notably: I can find stuff now!
Being sick for two weeks, however, I cannot recommend at this time of year. I spent two days without voice teaching. That was an interesting exercise, and I think if I ever do teach teachers, I will make that an assignment. Just because... ;)
Reading has been confined to Rex Stout. I'm starving for books, I really am. Good books, too.
Passive entertainment has been Torchwood (which was quite accurately likened to bingeing on pork rinds) and Doctor Who. Knowing more or less how this last series of DW ends is making it very fun as I try to reverse-engineer the outcome. For some reason, however, the metaphysics of River's timeline is giving me a headache. And finally, The Silence have managed to scare the dickens out of me. Angels didn't do it for me, but The Silence did - luckily yesterday I was in a fugue state most of the day due to relapsing illness crap and so The Silence didn't frighten me as much as it could have if I'd been more aware.
Of course, the next question that faces us is the conundrum of the 9 weeks of summer. New York, personal travel, and rest. . .
And maybe I'll be able to write, too.
And it's true to a certain extent. But all good (and bad) things must come to an end and so does this schoolyear. Which has been a pretty good one. Given what had happened in previous years (maternity substitutes from hell, moving classrooms, general rebuilding), it has been a good one. Bringing order to one's professional life has certainly had positive outcomes. Most notably: I can find stuff now!
Being sick for two weeks, however, I cannot recommend at this time of year. I spent two days without voice teaching. That was an interesting exercise, and I think if I ever do teach teachers, I will make that an assignment. Just because... ;)
Reading has been confined to Rex Stout. I'm starving for books, I really am. Good books, too.
Passive entertainment has been Torchwood (which was quite accurately likened to bingeing on pork rinds) and Doctor Who. Knowing more or less how this last series of DW ends is making it very fun as I try to reverse-engineer the outcome. For some reason, however, the metaphysics of River's timeline is giving me a headache. And finally, The Silence have managed to scare the dickens out of me. Angels didn't do it for me, but The Silence did - luckily yesterday I was in a fugue state most of the day due to relapsing illness crap and so The Silence didn't frighten me as much as it could have if I'd been more aware.
Of course, the next question that faces us is the conundrum of the 9 weeks of summer. New York, personal travel, and rest. . .
And maybe I'll be able to write, too.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Wherein I watch a lot of Netflix and Revise my Views on David Tennant
More or less what it says on the tin...
This has been the year of Netflix Streaming, apparently. When the new year broke, they updated their contracts, it seems, and now there's a ton of stuff on Streaming. This equals a happy, if not less productive, Sara.
Downton Abbey
This is pure crack. I mean, the production values are nifty, and Dame Maggie Smith is awesome (she is a Dame, is she not? If she isn't she should be) but that's down to the fact that she's generally awesome. It's interesting, you can tell which actors are acting and which are WORKING at acting in this, which I find rather disappointing. It isn't their fault, poor dears, but sometimes you just have to WORK at something to get through it and make it even remotely passable. Case in point: Bartholomew Fair at the Young Vic in 1999. It's not the world's greatest play, but the actors gave it a shot and well, you could tell. The lead (whom I thanked profusely afterwards - he was also the villain in Measure for Measaure that year at the Barbican) was exhausted by the end of it and you could tell. Don't think I'll be watching the second series of DA - unless I have a break like I did this February where that is ALL I did.
Doctor Who
It's all about the nerd cred, really. I mean, how can I call myself a nerd in good faith if I haven't watched Doctor Who? I mean, really.
Eccleston is still my favorite, and I'm almost done with Tennant. This isn't the post where I talk about how I have a lovely masochistic relationship with the writers and producers, 'cuz, that could take forever and would involve a lot of fangirling on my part. Suffice it to say, I think I shall quote John Finnemore when he said, "I want to be the man who makes the noise of the TARDIS." And failing that, "be a very useful engine."
Which brings me to the title of the post. Up to a few months ago, I had only seen Tennant in Harry Potter and Hamlet. Two roles that, unfortunately, require the actor to appear to be batshit nuts. Or, really, really unhappy. And yeah, every actor wants to play Hamlet, but really, on balance, it's not the best vehicle out there for displaying your chops. So, in effect, Tennant nailed it by loafing around looking moody and crazy by turns. Which is pretty much all there is to Hamlet.
(Overexposure much? Maybe - I've only seen the damned thing a million times - at this point I'll watch a production for the tech, not the acting. SPOILER ALERT: Rocks fall, everybody dies.)
So, ok - 10th Doctor. WOW. He not only has really good acting chops, he's also adorable. And insane, and sad, and beautiful, and all those things wrapped up into one messy TARDIS riding um... thing. So, for what it's worth, I'm a fangirl - he does have range, lots of it, and I'm glad I was wrong about him.
Favorite episode so far? Blink. Didn't scare the daylights out of me the way I thought it would, but it did make be start on occasion afterwards when I saw the little gargoyle magnet on the fridge.
Forsyte Saga
Couldn't finish this - maybe some day. Mostly because the ongoing angst and drama makes me want to hit things. I know I'm supposed to be invested in these folks lives, but again, I feel like the actors are workig too hard. The dude playing Irene's lover missing the bloodpack on his death scene kind of clinched it for me. Or was I the only one to notice that? He turned it into a nice dying twitch, but the repeated biting and then oh! there's the blood was a bit of a mood killer. Oh, and I don't like Rupert Graves with an arty!beard.
The Comfort Food
Black Books, FortySomething (aww, Rory!batch, still my fav), Arrested Development. Mostly I use these when the writers of Doctor Who have ripped out my heart and done the polka on it. Which, I'm happy to say, happens quite regularly.
And of course Sherlock - naturally. Although having seen S2, Ep 3, I will confess to hyperventillating over the phone. Just a little bit. Whoooargh.
This has been the year of Netflix Streaming, apparently. When the new year broke, they updated their contracts, it seems, and now there's a ton of stuff on Streaming. This equals a happy, if not less productive, Sara.
Downton Abbey
This is pure crack. I mean, the production values are nifty, and Dame Maggie Smith is awesome (she is a Dame, is she not? If she isn't she should be) but that's down to the fact that she's generally awesome. It's interesting, you can tell which actors are acting and which are WORKING at acting in this, which I find rather disappointing. It isn't their fault, poor dears, but sometimes you just have to WORK at something to get through it and make it even remotely passable. Case in point: Bartholomew Fair at the Young Vic in 1999. It's not the world's greatest play, but the actors gave it a shot and well, you could tell. The lead (whom I thanked profusely afterwards - he was also the villain in Measure for Measaure that year at the Barbican) was exhausted by the end of it and you could tell. Don't think I'll be watching the second series of DA - unless I have a break like I did this February where that is ALL I did.
Doctor Who
It's all about the nerd cred, really. I mean, how can I call myself a nerd in good faith if I haven't watched Doctor Who? I mean, really.
Eccleston is still my favorite, and I'm almost done with Tennant. This isn't the post where I talk about how I have a lovely masochistic relationship with the writers and producers, 'cuz, that could take forever and would involve a lot of fangirling on my part. Suffice it to say, I think I shall quote John Finnemore when he said, "I want to be the man who makes the noise of the TARDIS." And failing that, "be a very useful engine."
Which brings me to the title of the post. Up to a few months ago, I had only seen Tennant in Harry Potter and Hamlet. Two roles that, unfortunately, require the actor to appear to be batshit nuts. Or, really, really unhappy. And yeah, every actor wants to play Hamlet, but really, on balance, it's not the best vehicle out there for displaying your chops. So, in effect, Tennant nailed it by loafing around looking moody and crazy by turns. Which is pretty much all there is to Hamlet.
(Overexposure much? Maybe - I've only seen the damned thing a million times - at this point I'll watch a production for the tech, not the acting. SPOILER ALERT: Rocks fall, everybody dies.)
So, ok - 10th Doctor. WOW. He not only has really good acting chops, he's also adorable. And insane, and sad, and beautiful, and all those things wrapped up into one messy TARDIS riding um... thing. So, for what it's worth, I'm a fangirl - he does have range, lots of it, and I'm glad I was wrong about him.
Favorite episode so far? Blink. Didn't scare the daylights out of me the way I thought it would, but it did make be start on occasion afterwards when I saw the little gargoyle magnet on the fridge.
Forsyte Saga
Couldn't finish this - maybe some day. Mostly because the ongoing angst and drama makes me want to hit things. I know I'm supposed to be invested in these folks lives, but again, I feel like the actors are workig too hard. The dude playing Irene's lover missing the bloodpack on his death scene kind of clinched it for me. Or was I the only one to notice that? He turned it into a nice dying twitch, but the repeated biting and then oh! there's the blood was a bit of a mood killer. Oh, and I don't like Rupert Graves with an arty!beard.
The Comfort Food
Black Books, FortySomething (aww, Rory!batch, still my fav), Arrested Development. Mostly I use these when the writers of Doctor Who have ripped out my heart and done the polka on it. Which, I'm happy to say, happens quite regularly.
And of course Sherlock - naturally. Although having seen S2, Ep 3, I will confess to hyperventillating over the phone. Just a little bit. Whoooargh.
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