h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've had an interesting couple of days. I went back to classes this week, and am thereby exhausted from actually having to roll out of bed sometime before noon, and then *also* run around going to classes, rehearsals, and doing homework and practicing. But I'm feeling *muchos* better now, and am slowly weaning myself off the inhaler (down to like 1.5 times a day instead of 3 - and not feeling as though I need it). Which is all lovely.

Last weekend I finally put words to actions, and found the guy I needed to speak with about doing study abroad at Middlesex University in England. Amusingly enough, this is a theatre professor who wears pressed shirts, bland ties, dockers, and (get this) cowboy boots. He told me that the deadline for applications was Poets (TODAY), but since I had expressed interest so late in the game and had no idea when the deadline was to begin with (and was also operating under the assumption that I could attend in the Spring semester, which I *can't*), he's giving me an extension of up to a week. I'm going to try to be done by Wimpy or Wibble, just to show that I can be, but a lot banks on my parents getting a signed letter of permission to me asap (I just technically need their signiture on the paperwork, but I won't be home until long after this, so a letter works). So we shall see. I really hope I can go - they seem to have the kinds of courses I *really* want (which we don't have here, of course - ask Richard to prove this to you - I wrote him a novella about that), and it'll be a good change for me to get out of nowheresville and to somewhere as busy as London... plus I won't be far away from Richard, who will be (99.9% likely) at Warwick University at the time. The only real catch is that even if I get accepted, I may not go, because the exchange is total - however many students they send (up to 10) here dictates how many can go from here. But I'll cross my fingers... and if I don't get to go this time, maybe I can go the fall of my senior year.

So that was most of this week. Yesterday I got an email from the secretary in the music department to meet with the producers of a documentary about Ireland that they needed some Irish flute music for. So I went there this morning to meet with one of the producers and the creator of the documentary (a really cool black guy with *nice* dreads and a very friendly, wrinkled old lady, respectively). Turns out Susan only emailed *me*, and there are two other flute players who are supposed to be working with me on this. So I have to get in touch with Ashley and Kelsey, but this should be interesting. I've never been recorded in a real studio thing before... and I'm wondering if I get paid. It's supposed to take place the end of next week or the beginning of the week after... *sigh* more music to learn in too short a period of time.

O yes, did I mention that woodwind quartet is doing Peter and the Wolf - and guess who gets to be the "bird?" ... who has never seen something so absurdly impossible in her *life*?? I'm getting there, though...

Today, quite obviously, was Valentine's day (or Burning Martyr Day or Single's Awareness Day, depending on who you talk to among my friends). I got a very lovely package in the mail from Richard yesterday, and got to talk to him on the phone for almost 2 hours today. June cannot come quickly enough. (I would say more, but you don't want to read it )

(wow this is a long journal entry, and I haven't even hit the ranting part yet!)

Melissa finally went home for a weekend today. Finally. Thank God. I mean, I love the girl like a sister... but I can only think of like 3 people I can be around for more than a few days straight without them driving me up the wall. So her pentecostal father came by to pick her up... he made *me* nervous and cowering in the 20 minutes he was here. Scary. I don't know how she deals with him.

So. I'm all alone here, flipping through channels. I catch Farscape (which really *shouldn't* be cancelled - it's just getting interesting - and never quits amazing me with the creative ideas they come up with), most of the middle of Roman Holiday on AMC, and then I start flipping through channels again. Well, somehow I land on C-SPAN, and realize it's the whole UN thing that happened earlier today. Since I have never had a chance to sit down and watch one of these yet (and hadn't read the news about it yet today), I decided to sit there and do so. I came in part of the way through, I think, though I heard most of Blix's report, all of France's speech (which I thought was VERY good - very good translator), all of Chile, Spain, the UK, and the US's speeches (Russia was about to speak when I decided I wanted a shower). So yes. That was the most consective time of C-SPAN I've ever watched in my life. Quite interesting from a typical civilian's point of view. I found it amusing that everyone was basically saying the same exact thing. The only one that was really different at all was France's speech, and that only in that they were almost too laid back about the whole situation. Not that he didn't raise perfectly valid points - but I feel he was deliberately making little of certain elements to make his point of no forceful action for now. Of course, those supporting war did the same thing. Powell was the worst, I think. He's a good speaker. At least someone who serves as a figurehead for this country is. He's a *rousing* speaker, too. Almost had me convinced until that education I have in rhetorical devices kicked in. Everyone did it, employing bits of parinoia, blatant fear, and *emotional* content to make their point. But he was the worst, I think. Again, not that he didn't raise perfectly valid points - in fact, most of them were the same as those raised by the other speakers I listened to, included those raised by France. I like Colin Powell. I think his military background will serve the country well, and I don't truly think he personally wants to go to war. No one does, no one in their right mind can possibly think a military action will in any way *fix* this situation. I don't think any of the other US-backing countries want to either, but I do feel as if those who are so ready to go to war are willing to give up quickly. Granted this has been really going on for more than 12 years. Granted Iraq has been given chance after chance to cooperate and shows no true signs of doing so. I personally see no likelihood of cooperation unless something drastic happens in the Iraqi regime. However, I cannot see how war will help. Force never helps. Iraq is already cornered. Powell made it plain in his speech that he thinks the only reason that anything has happened at all in the last however many months is because they're finally feeling pressure to produce something. A cornered animal will strike out and do so violently if any extra force is applied. When you try to catch/take out a cornered animal, you don't just approach it and try to manhandle it to the ground. You distract it. You take its mind off the situation at hand, and then have someone come from the sidelines to catch it. It works. They never see it coming. That's the only way we can ever catch the Toffee. Who knew some crazy lagomorph would somehow reveal a political strategy? But that's my opinion, and I'm just a 20-year-old English major in the sticks of Virginia. Surely they've thought of that already.

Note the sarcasm.

The situation of the world worries me. Something is going to snap, whether it be the US government, Iraq, or the UN, and it's going to do so soon. I only pray that it snaps the right way - that either Iraq finally decides to cooperate and someone does an ecoupe d'etat and gets that guy out of authority, or that we find as peaceful a way as possible to disarm them. I just wish they would decide what they want to do, and do it. What would be ideal is if the parinoia being spread by those in the UN in support of war is baseless - and the Iraqis are really telling the truth. But somehow I doubt that. I can't help it.. I'm an idealist at heart.

But I'm learning to be a realist. The hard way.

"I like Colin Powell. I think his military background will serve the country well, and I don't truly think he personally wants to go to war."

I agree AMy. I do not think he is totally with them.I feel bad for him really. He looks bad now. I am afraid the inner turmoil could harm him ! There are NO former generals that I know of whom think we should go into Iraq. That says a lot I thinkThere is a reason Powell was picked, I think people trust him.

I wrote about it in my journal too.

Thanks, abbi. It's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling that way.

Well, that was quite a post!

Let me take a seemingly insignificant point from it and give you a little bit of advice. re: going into a recording studio.

I'm sure you have breathing exercises, etc which you use to calm yourself before a performance. Do them about an hour before you leave for the studio and then do them again when you get to the studio. Some people get nervous in a studio, but I have found that the best way to enjoy the experience *and* get the best performance out of yourself is to be very, very relaxed. In short, be relaxed, be calm, be confident.

Secondly, if you can't hear something as clearly as you would like, stop and get them to adjust the levels until you are perfectly sure that you can hear eveything you need to hear. Make it clear that this is for their benefit as well. They want the best possible performance from you, so do everything within your power to make sure they get it. I have been in studios a number of times and the most annoying thing which happened was that someone, at the end of a session, said "I don't think my part was as good as it could have been, coz I couldn't hear so-and-so properly and blend in with what he was doing". I could have smacked him over the head with my guitar!

Thirdly, do anything you have to do to be comfortable. The first time I was in a studio I made them set up the microphone for my vocals so that it was facing away from the booth. Thus, I couldn't see them, they couldn't see me singing and I got the performance I wanted on the second take, after stuffing up the words the first time!

Fourthly, have fun!

I ain't an English major for nothing.

Thanks for the advice. I actually like performing solo stuff (some of the pieces have piano accompaniment, but I don't think we have a pianist lined up yet), and I love Irish music (it's a to actually play with all the mordants, trills, and grace notes, though), so it should really be a lot of fun. I will take the breathing exercises to heart, though - this bout of bronchitis has confused my lungs as to how much air is allowed in, and I'll likely be running down to the recording studio inbetween classes, so my respiratory system will be all strained. My phrasing leaves plenty to be desired as is... so I will definitely be trying that.

I got onto the longest postings list with that one.

thas' ma gerl!

That was some posting!

And of course I agree with your incisive analysis of the whole sorry situation... Farscape really shouldn't be cancelled.

*opens up a can of worms*

What's Farscape?

You don't have Farscape??!!! It's only the the best thing on Sci-Fi right now! Well-written, well-concieved, and intelligently done.

We have it. I just never watched it. too many false chins and an air of Jim Henson's muppets about it if you ask me.

You should give it a go, Clive. You might be pleasantly surprised.

The only reason it smells of Henson is because his studios are involved with the creature-making. But it's a far cry from merely that.

And besides that - the main character always references one of my favorite movies - "Harvey".