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

Remember how, in a classic episode of traditional hootoo weirdness, I accidentally established a monastery?

Well, I've been having trouble reading lately. Actually not trouble with reading, as such, I just find it impossible to keep my eyes open while I'm doing it.

And then the answer struck me: I need cloisters!

You often see on TV the likes of Brother Cadfael, pacing sedately up and down the cloister while he browses in his breviary or his herbal.

Clearly, if I want to read, I should pace up and down in a robe to keep me awake. Sometimes the best solutions are the most obvious ones!

Absolutely!

First you establish an oratory. That's very Irish.

And then you positively MUST follow the practice of ancient Irish monks, who recited the entire Psalms, all 150 of them, every night. The last 50 they did standing in a bucket of cold water to keep awake...

Now, you could substitute any text you preferred for the Psalms, if you like. I would suggest 'Ulysses' or 'Finnegans Wake', or the oeuvre of Seamus Heaney?

Standing in a bucket of iced water reciting 'Finnegans Wake' sounds like the sort of thing that happens in the less welcoming corners of Guantanamo Bay.

It does, doesn't it? Tells you something about Irish monks, I guess.

What a coincidence! I had my right leg in a bucket of ice water yesterday. I accidentally got some scalding water on it, and the health guidebooks said I should do that for ten to thirty minutes.

ONe of my favorte places in the world, are the cloisters, at Norwich cathedrial.... and I'm not relgious or anything... but I don't even have to try there, to get all and blissy... just the..... 'air'.... its... weird... such tranquility I must go there soon. I could do with some no-effort tranquility and William useually finds one of his favorite plaes for reading, is, in the good weather, walking in the countryside, which, luckily for him, at the moment, is just outside his house, and down the lane, and he tends to spend days at the moment, when he's not, here, if its good enough weather, reading poetry walking down the country lanes near his house... - I keep telling him he needs a toga or a caftan to wear, to do it properly though.... I think soemtimes he does wear the ... err.... sort of African catfan thinggies... err. whatever they're called - I've got competition for weird in my relationship.... no fair - I've not ben able to read since last year, just no concentration

One of the interesting things, to me, about architecture, and garden design for that matter, is how surroundings can affect people's mood, state of mind and behaviour. Often in ways that you aren't really aware of - you don't realise it's influencing your behaviour. It's quite amazing.

the weird thing , is, in the cloisters, even picking up and knowing what some of the physical changes are, in the environment; its colder, quieter, duller sound, and the air pressure is differnt, there's... just... something, and then, one strolls/wonders slowely through them, as one, well, just has too... and... the slow walking through, the quietness... and... nice weird things happen in the brain and ensues and, its always so peaceful; even though you kow, just outside, over the walls, outside the area of the cathedrial, its, like a busy busstling city going about its 'normals', inside... its just... I'm gona turn in to a proper <zen, buddist, if I ain't careful Mind, its proven useful, being able to tap into that sort of 'mind', as and when, recently... although I've never exactly wildly gone out of my way to learn 'proper' stuff, within doing it, etc... it... just seemed logical to me, how one would go about putting oneself into that mindset... I've got it down to a few minutes now, in just about any setting and i can off entirely away from where I am and what I am, too.... I dunno... differnt brainwave patturns, I guess, probably - I can just about feel myself doing it now; just focusing on the gentle breeze I can feel coming in through the window behind me... oops... yeh... a bit closer in fact to... drifting off entirely there I think gosh... weirdness seems to be bountiful in its ever increasingness

"One of the interesting things, to me, about architecture, and garden design for that matter, is how surroundings can affect people's mood, state of mind and behaviour. Often in ways that you aren't really aware of - you don't realise it's influencing your behaviour. It's quite amazing." [KB]

I totally agree!

You know, though, you're right...that's why we were so glad to have this study area at our university.

http://www.tour.pitt.edu/tour/cathedral-commons-room

I see they've wired it for wifi now. And have tutoring available. Both amenities were lacking in our day. But it's got to be the only Gothic building like that with lifts in the middle.

And it definitely affects the mood.

That looks like something out of a Harry Potter film!

They forgot to give us magic wands.

Yes, they did forget.

There's a *lot* of magic I've been waiting to do!

magic bannanannannannas will s suffice in the abscence of m agic wands... and I've even ehard asparagus can be used, in a ricky stituation or, of course, when all else fails... the orange hughed satan of the earth is quite good