Evolution theory day

Well today has been interesting.
A three hour lecture about evolution, starting off with a truly blasphemous DVD about Charles Darwin’s theory presented by an Oxford lecturer who literally walks into a class of 15/16 year olds and tried to destroy their religious beliefs.
Now, I am no longer religious, but I don’t see why evolution and Christian beliefs can go hand in hand. Sure the Bible has a lot of evidence against it, but also a lot for it, essentially if you want to believe God created the Earth and the animals then can’t you say he created everything with the ability to evolve?
The only reason I’m even thinking about this is because he kept saying that Darwin had completely abolished the need for a God or superstition, but as my friend and I discussed there is a lot more to God then just creating. God is supposed to be a Father figure, basically a person to guide you and for you to turn to in times of need. People would argue that something as complex as genetics would have to have a master mind behind it.
The only question I have to ask is, where did life come from in the first place?

At the end of the day I am tired and can’t be bothered to have a philosophical debate. We’re here, we’ve got stuff to do, evolution most likely exists, and I have no intention of trying to bust up people’s beliefs because, let’s face it, I am an undeveloped thinker and I wouldn’t last ten seconds without making some huge mistake that everyone would pounce upon and I would end up hung on the feeding hook for the lions in Colchester Zoo.

Plus, I’m sure there is some scientific thing out there that theorizes about where life comes from. I’ve been sheltered from those kinds of things, so forgive my ignorance and go chew on the big life question: how did we get here?

And for the love of fluff do not as why we are here, does everything have to have a purpose?
I don’t think it does. Means you can go about your existence without worrying about fulfilling some life obligation – live it, try to love it, enjoy the ride.

I am in a baaaad mood.
Hungry.

Seminar and Snow.

I feel bad for the person who searched “Bronte/Brontes/Jane Eyre/Wuthering Heights” and found my pointless blog from yesterday. I’m sorry for interrupting your research dude/lady!

The huge amount of discussion that took place today in Critical Issues has heightened my feminist senses, and I find myself wondering why I put “dude” first. After about five seconds thought I conclude that it is because I call members of both sexes “dude”; “lady” is  reserved for girls who do not look like they would appreciated being called “dude” or are completely un-dude-y.

It’s snowing here in Oxford, which makes me happy beans. I’ve probably mentioned it before but I love the really peaceful silence that snow brings. It makes me feel like I should stand still for a moment to appreciate how beautiful and fragile the feeling is.

In my pursuit of increasing my literary knowledge, I went to the library in search of Byron, a Romantic poet that I have not yet sampled. I figured that seeing as I really liked the Lyrical Ballads (Wordworth and Coleridge) I studied at A level the Romantic era would probably be a good place to start.
Only the book is as thick as a brick, and I need to start reading Dracula for the week after next, and three essays about Marxism and Jane Eyre for this coming week.

After my flap yesterday I am now comforted to find that most people in my class found the questions about Feminism and Jane Eyre difficult too, and that Critical Issues is supposedly the hardest first year module in English. So much for easing myself in gently! But at least everyone else felt like a headless chicken too!

:)

Feminist Theory, Eyre and Panic

Currently battling through to the end of a feminist perspective of Jane Eyre.
26 rather intense pages.

Whilst it is interesting and I have learned some fascinating things about Jane Eyre, I dearly wish I could put this book down and go to sleep. But, no, I have to read 50 pages of the actual story and write my own feminist perspective on the matter.

May God have mercy on my soul.

*headache*

The challenges I face whilst reading this essay make me both excited, because it’s very interesting and the book is going to have so much more meaning now I  have read it; but I’m also scared, I mean, who the heck am I kidding? Do I seriously think I am cut out for doing a degree in this subject? Sure, I liked the Lyrical Ballads we studied at A-level, and I can write a kick-ass interpretation but that was all about imagery and sensation and emotion. All these new perspectives are scary and I can’t help but worry I will become dead meat when I find I’m incapable of mastering them. Who are all these people this woman is talking about? They’re famous and I don’t know a damned thing about them. At university everything matters, every last essay, answer in seminars and note taken.
Do I seriously think I can pull this off with just a one shot chance?

Well you better, girl, coz there ain’t no going back.

Thank you inner-Lizzie for making your stern voice heard.

Bad bread, good filling.

Sooo, Kent doesn’t like me. Bummer!
We’re now focusing on Plymouth (for which I already have a place) and Bath Spa.

The night before last was a killer. Blisters and a hangover but many good memories! Strangely enough I have a worse headache this morning than I did yesterday… I’m quite liking how cheap Oxford is; as a lightweight, I can get drunk on a fiver.

Yes, I inject my veins with blended down fivers.
Just like South Park where they cure Cartman of AIDS.

Anyway, I should really get up and move it, move it. I have loads of English work still to do and a room that looks like a bear pit. *checks for signs of extra hair on body* OH MY GOD I’M TURNING INTO A BEAR!!!!

My marmite has gone missing. Bad times.

NB: the blog starts with a bad situation, then a good one in the middle, and a bad at the end. Is it a good or bad sandwich?

:)

This weeks survival scheme

Today: Sausage, potatoes and peas.
Fri: Chickpea and Mediterranean Veg. Couscous
Sat: Spag. Bol.
Sun: Tuna Pasta Bake
Mon: Chicken stuffed with pesto and cheese
Tue: Chicken, Potato and Chickpea Korma
Wed: Pesto Pasta

Today’s cocktail…

“It seems my weewee has been struck with rigor mortis!” Stewie Griffin upon seeing cheerleaders strip down.
Gotta love that little guy!

Today has been constructed of pixelly nothings, otherwise known as “I wasted my entire day the internet”. And all I have to show for it is a smart quote from Family Guy.
My life looks rather bleak.

Apart from the fact that I got an unconditional offer from Plymouth University yesterday! UCAS has finally thrown me a bone after all that constant checking on Track just in case their automated e-mail updates were mysteriously not working. I decided to go for broke and apply to a couple of places that wanted AAB just in case they are persuaded  by the fact that I am already at university.

I have noticed that I keep saying “kind of thing” at the end of my sentances. What the heck? It’s almost as bad as saying “like” all the time in mid-sentance.

Oh, also, Timmons came up with a cool word the other day: wordsmithing.
Definition: the art of creating new words.

Forgive me if I’m wrong and this is actually a word. Regardless, I like the way it gives a steam punk feel to words. I love exploring the sounds of words and how they reveal their meaning audibly and not just through their etymology. For example, the word snigger is defined as “to laugh in a half-suppressed, indecorous or disrespectful manner” (source: Dictionary.com), and you can hear that it means that; the “s” sounds like the air catching on your teeth when you whisper, and the “ger” is similar to a sound of disgust (gurgh) which could denote disrespect. Ok, so you can’t tell exactly what it means from the sound, but you get the impression that it isn’t exactly positive.

Anyway, you can now find my on Twitter, a place where I can send any random thoughts I have on-the-go for your viewing pleasure. DomeniiNebunie is the name. I really should slam a copyright on that one…

No, I have NOT caved into the Twitter fad, it’s just an easy way to store my crazy brain nuts instead of taking my notebook round with me everywhere!
Originally, “domenii nebunie” translated, via Google Lang. Tools, into “Insane Fields”. Apparently that has changed and “insane fields” now translates as “campuri nebuni”… Ah well.

:)

Where can I find a woman like that?

Some songs a like a good vintage wine, they may get old but only get better.

I have just been visited by the spirit of Nandos!
That cute chicken voice cheers me up.
“Hello lovers of ze rock and ze roll, lover of ze hip and ze hop…”
If I could meet two fictional characters they would be The Spirit of Nandos and Aleksander the Meerkat (betcha saw that coming!)

Had my first English seminar yesterday. It was very much a rollercoaster ranging from: “holy crap I am so out of my depth it’s unreal, who the heck is that author? Oh, they’re famous…”
To: “Ha! I’ve read that poem, I can tell you shed loads about that one. The Romantics? I’m glad you asked!”

Lots of discussion was had, and I was happy because I was being challenged and actually learning stuff. I know what canon means now. No, it is not when dancers perform the same movement in staggered time, and it is not the big thing you shove a heavy metal ball in to fire and your enemies, or just for the fun of the boom.
Canon, in the English Literature sense is (in the words of Wikipedia, coz the definition I wrote was two lines long): A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.

So, there we have it.
I’m off to Bournemouth now, ta ra!

xx