Margaret Thatcher and Coding

In between reading about Margaret Thatcher’s privatization and the history of the Stasi (I’m doing a History of International Relations MSc…), I’m attempting to read Capital by John Lanchester. I say ‘attempting’ because it’s usually a matter of managing 2 pages in bed before I fall asleep with the book on my face. (It is a good book though!) In one of my recent 2 page sessions, the character Patrick – who has come to live in London involuntarily from abroad – described his dislike for ‘the big smoke’ as basically being manifested in the fact that Londoners always appear busy; always in a rush and doing too many things at once. 

It really struck a chord with me the next day, when I found myself running to the tube, texting, and looking through my diary. All while walking in the rain. Carrying an umbrella.

But on a serious note... I’m currently combining my full-time Masters with a job, and a full-time coding course. Too much?! Are we as people now only satisfied if we’re constantly ‘busy’ and ‘stressed’ and rushing around? When I stopped to have a think about this, I figured that yes, I am a bit rushed at times and yes, it does mean that I have eaten my dinner on the tube. (As far as I know, I luckily escaped the bizarre and creepy Women Who Eat on Tubes Facebook group!) But at the same time I’m quite happy to juggle various things. I definitely would rather learn too much than too little, and realistically, I’m just going to get older and crankier… If now isn’t a good time to learn to code and meet some fantastically motivated people to steal some motivation from, then when the hell is? 

At the end of the day, as long as I can still find the time to have a catch up with my buddies over a glass of wine, read 2 pages of Capital in bed, or simply sit in a Soho bar to people watch, then I think I’m doing just fine! 

Or another way of putting it:

My Shelf Life

 'Shelf Life' questions ('Shelf Life' questions taken from The Spectator’s regular feature)

1. What are you reading at the moment?

The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford (as part of my Readarama)

2. As a child, what did you read under the covers?

Pretty much anything. I ALWAYS read in bed… with one hand on the light switch incase I heard footsteps on the stairs. My biggest fear was not having enough books by my bed. I was a big Dick King-Smith and Michael Morpurgo fan. But to this day Astrid Lindgren is my absolute favourite children’s author.

(n.b. When Mummy dear was blowing-drying my hair, I unfailingly read all of the Asterix & Obelix comics. These 2 Gauls definitely taught me everything I know about the world. E.g. The Swiss are mad about cheese fondue, Britain grinds to a halt at 5 o’clock sharp for tea…)

3. Has a book ever made you cry, and if so which one?

Goodnight Mr Tom. I sobbed.

4. You are about to be put into solitary confinement for a year and allowed to take three books. What would you choose?

(I’m going to apply the Desert Island Discs rule here: I’ll get given the King James Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare anyway, so they don’t have to go on the list.)

*any of the Harry Potter’s (exact one to be decided on a whim at the time)

*Astrid Lindgren’s The Six Bullerby Children

*I’d be brave and pick something that I haven’t read... something from my reading list.

 

5. Which literary character would you most like to sleep with?

Jay Gatsby after one of his parties. Simple.

6. If you could write a self-help book, what would you call it?

It could be worse – this is pretty much my life motto. When I was monumentally home-sick aged 12, I told myself to man up... Empress Elizabeth of Austria (aka Empress Sissi) was engaged and married off at 15. Into a family and life which she loathed. Now SHE had a real reason to hate life. 

7. Michael Gove has asked you to rewrite the GCSE English Literature syllabus. Which book, which play, and which poem would you make compulsory reading?

Um, what is on the syllabus? Realistically, you’re going to 100% hate whatever you have to read and study, therefore I don’t think I’d change anything. In hindsight though (and obviously thanks to my subsequent acquisition of intelligence. paha) I actually think The Lord of the Flies (on my syllabus) is a great read! The island really does beautifully depict the microcosm of society... jokes aside pals, it is a good book!

8. Which party from literature would you most like to have attended?

Obviously a party at Gatsby’s! (see Q5...) I also wouldn’t turn down an invitation to one of Sebastian Flyte’s Oxford parties.

9. What would you title your memoirs?

A Neiss life. I’m sorry, but a name like mine simply must be abused for all its worth.  

10. Which literary character do you dream of playing?

Ginny Weasley. I want to go to Hogwarts, it’s as easy as that. Obviously Hermione is a bit more of a star, but Ginny’s on the Quidditch team!

11. What book would you give to a lover?

Your Fertility Signals: Using Them to Avoid Pregnancy Naturally by Merryl Winstein. I joke, I joke. I would obviously find something deep, meaningful and loving to give him..

12. Spying Dan Brown on someone’s bookshelf can spell havoc for a friendship. What’s your literary dealbreaker?

As John Waters politely puts it, “If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck ‘em.” Therefore in this case we’re onto a winner.. at least there’s a bookshelf. Dan Brown or no Dan Brown.

Readarama

New week, new start and I'm feeling brave. I've signed myself up (quite literally via email confirmation newsletter) to Penguin Books' Readarama. The idea is pretty simple - read a novel a week. You can either read along with what THE mysterious 'reader' is reading (and no it's not the boy reading to Kate Winslet) or you can simply read whatever floats your boat... as long as it's a novel. In a week.

Obviously the idea is to hashtag away to your hearts content via #readarama on Twitter, in order to fully participate, or to let anyone who's bothered know what you're reading!

At the moment I'm juggling a full time job, uni Masters applications, a house hunt etc etc blah blah sob sob, but hopefully I'll give myself the kick up the bottom to do this little resolution! (And if I'm having a particularly bust week then yes, The Very Hungry Caterpillar WILL count as a novel.)

Vive le Podcast!

I’ve always been one of those terribly annoying people that answers the what music do you like? question with oh I like lots of things and really enjoy listening to a big range of bands and artists. What a hopeless case. But it’s true! I’d happily go and see Mozart’s The Magic Flute opera with mother on a Monday, accompany the BFF to The Scissor Sisters on a Tuesday, coo over Marina + the Diamonds with daddy dearest on a Wednesday, bop away to a Seth Troxler set on a Thursday… you get it. Also, playlists are my fave thing. Perhaps because they somewhat enable me to fulfill my control freak nature of organisation, but I’d like to say that it's more because then I can freely compose a biiig mixture of musica!

Recently though, I’ve been venturing more and more into the world of the Podcast. I went through a definite The Best of the Chris Moyles Show [Enhanched] phase when I was about 14, but since then my iPod hasn’t really made full use of it’s FREE Podcast capabilities!

Thankfully this has all changed. Allow me to make some (slightly geeky and lit-graduate-esque) podcast suggestions… I listen to these for the purposes of ‘entertainment’ but also to a certain degree some form of self education and cultural development. Paha.  

The Bookslam Podcast – a combination of literature, slam poetry and live music, this is literature but in bitesize, fun and approachable chunks. A personal favourite extract of mine is the poem about British motorway service stations!

The Literary Salon – Damian Barr’s Shoreditch House Literary salon... I get some crackin’ reading suggestions from this. Plus it’s always nice to know what’s actually going through an author’s head!

The Wired.co.uk Podcast – this satisfies the little tech nerd in me I guess. It also teaches me just about enough about the world of technology, so that when once again the office is discussing ‘the rise of google’, the latest apps or simply ANOTHER Facebook threat to our privacy, I can nod and contribute.

BBC R4’s Book Club (yes, really..) – I’ve always been more of a Radio 1 kinda gal, but this Book Club podcast is a real sweetie. Especially those recordings from the 1990s…JK Rowling discussing the release of her ‘unknown fourth Harry Potter’..!!

Short radio play with Alan Bennett & Judi Dench – a one-off podcast recording. Pure genius. 

Happy 200th Charlie D!

Most recent article in Impact...

Charles Dickens: father of some of the most iconic characters of English literature. This year marks the big two-double-zero for him, and, as part of our birthday celebrations for dearest Charles, we thought we’d provide you with a handy Blagger’s Guide on a few of his most celebrated quotations and how to neatly drop them into conversation…

Oliver Twist (1838)

“Please, sir, I want some more!” ? This is a perfect one for the typical dining hall scenario where the dear, kind hospitality staff simply haven’t put enough on your plate again.

“Don’t cry into your gruel; that’s very foolish”, basically translates to,

“Stop crying into your cheerios; it won’t solve the fact that you got with him”.

A Christmas Carol (1843)

“Bah, humbug!” ? Classically about Christmas, this can always be adopted to shoot down an opponent in an argument. Always.

“Darkness is cheap” can be adopted when justifying to visitors why the lights should be kept off. Those £2 saved could easily buy you a vodka lemonade.

“The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. Lead on, Spirit!” ? To be used in dire taxi situations, just in case the driver isn’t grasping the fact that your nightclub ticket expires at 10.30!

A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

“It is a far, far better thing I do, that I have ever done…” ? When you’ve finally dragged yourself away from Fifa/Facebook/Topshop.com and have started your essay.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” – University in a nutshell.

Great Expectations (1860)

“A young gentleman of great expectations!” ? Hopefully others will say this about you when you’ve finally submitted your KPMG application.

“Take another glass of wine, and … turn it bottom upwards with the rim on one’s nose” ? A good one for your next pre-lash…

Bleak House (1952)

“Fog everywhere.” ? Pretty much speaks for itself…

“It is a melancholy truth that even great men have their poor relations.” ? A casual remark that could be adopted when your housemate has brought home a partner you don’t approve of.

And lastly, upon his death-bed, the great man himself is rumoured to have uttered: “Be natural my children. For the writer that is natural has fulfilled all the rules of art.” Make of that what you will.

All content © 2006 - 2012 Impact Magazine

a pause for thought

I’m currently writing two essays AND trying my very hardest to keep on top of current affairs, so that when I’m taking my well deserved 4 hour gossip/coffee break in the Hallward Café, I can avidly discuss who’s next to be hauled into Levenson or whether Germany will in fact ever recruit a president who is more capable in his job than my 10 year old cousin would be.

And it’s exactly in this mix of historical essays and current affairs that things get interesting. Yes, I admit, I have reached that stage of education where I actually find my subject interesting! (To be honest, considering it’s costing me £3,290 a year, I may as well.) Let me explain…

Presentation Work: The Profumo Affair: 1963

-       a British political scandal, where John Profumo, Secretary of State for War had an affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy. He then denied it in the House of Commons but later admitted to lying and resigned. This was the first time that such a scandal was splattered all over the media and where the traditional British ‘cover up and carry on’ was completely abandoned…government and media conflict…

Essay 1: The Kinsey Reports

-       in the 60s, the American Alfred Kinsey released a couple of ‘sex surveys’ which showed that ‘scandalous’ and ‘unimaginable’ things such as petting and homosexuality were in fact very normal and common! HUGE tabloid coverage and intervention of ‘the establishment’…government and media conflict…

Essay 2: The 1968 Student Movement and generational conflict in West Germany

-       in 1968 the students of West Germany criticized their elders and the government, accusing them of still having fascist tendencies and urging them (through pretty radical methods) to confront this Nazi past and deal with the politics of memory.  There was obviously huge media coverage, but whilst some papers supported the government, others supported the students and some journalists and publishers were arrested…government and media conflict…

Current Affairs: News of the World Scandal

-       no need to elaborate here I feel, but yes, surprise surprise…government and media conflict…

George Orwell once very nicely said: “Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.”

 Sadly though, I feel that these examples pretty much just highlight that although Joe Bloggs may now read The Guardian on his super sleek iPads, the press mentality is still exactly the same. Just that now I can go and twitter about it.

Oh how Times have changed..?
(sorry)

Blagger's Guide to the ultimate Reading List (for students)

February is grim. The nights are getting longer, but noooooot quite fast enough... Put the kettle on, put your feet up and grab a book.

The Help: Kathryn Stockett

This has recently come to us on the big screen, but was first and foremost a novel and is a cracking read! A New York Bestseller, it narrates Miss Skeeters uncovering of the unfair discrimination against the ‘coloured help’ in 1960’s Jackson, Mississippi homes. Although it focuses on a relatively serious issue, it provides plenty of good humour and fun; it is a brilliant ‘in-between-lecture’ read.

The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald

The newest film incarnation of this novel has been taken on by Baz Lurhmann and, although it is not out until late 2012, it will undoubtedly be an obligatory watch. Therefore being the academics that we are, reading the novel beforehand is also a must! Set in the roaring ’20s on the East Coast, this is a Fitzgerald Classic, featuring literary greats such as Gatsby himself and the infamous Daisy Buchanan.

Starter For Ten: David Nicholls

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you will have heard of the hype surrounding Nicholls’ ‘One Day’. His equally successful and earlier novel, ‘Starter for Ten’ (also a film) is equally top-notch! It neatly sums up university life — the cliques, the halls and the humiliations. Although we’re probably not all gagging to get onto University Challenge, there’s definitely a little bit of Brian Jackson in all of us.

The Other Hand: Chris Cleave

A dual narrative story about a reunion in England between a Nigerian asylum-seeker and a British magazine editor after a chance meeting during the oil conflict in the Niger Delta. This book is incredible. Although it won't exactly lift your mood through its dealing with political violence, British colonization and the treatment of refugees, it is still a moving and enjoyable read.












All content © 2006 - 2012 Impact Magazine

To Kindle or not to Kindle, that is the question...

The Kindle was rumoured to have been Amazon’s Christmas 2012 bestseller, which is not surprising, considering that this year in the U.S. more ebooks were sold than ‘actual’ books. With the risk of sounding like an archaic, nostalgic and pretentious literature student, I’m going to put it out there that I like physical books where I turn the pages. After discovering the ‘Bücherbrockenstube’ (second-hand bookshop to all you non Swiss-German speakers) in Berne this summer, selling thumbed through paperbacks for 1 CHF, this love only grew. I think it’s SO artsy and edgy to buy someone’s cast off version of that book from the top of my reading list. Maybe they’ve dog-eared the best pages, hell maybe there’s even a “à mon amour” postcard inside, which yes, is still my bookmark. On top of that, there’s the fact that I’m reading a humanities university subject, so naturally, reading and books are both business and pleasure to me.

On another note, as a self-labelled jet setter due to my various international homes (!!), I would like to say I’ve cracked the art of efficient packing. I no longer pay £98.87 to British Airways for excess baggage (yes, I’m bitter and the sum is forever more etched onto my brain) and still manage to bring back ALL the academic books I’ll need over the holiday PLUS that blasé novel in the hand luggage for plane entertainment. I’ll casually brush over the fact that in the clothes department,  I have in fact only packed knickers. Maybe my favourite jumper is bunched up in my washbag… The point is I travel with a LOT of physical books, academic or not.

Funnily enough, it’s on these trips that I most encounter people reading, be it the Financial Times, Grazia, an academic textbook or their favourite novel, and they all seem to be doing it on a Kindle or an iPad. And hey…they have absolutely teeny suitcases with so much baggage allowance weight wasted I could cry.

So I’m going to be functional and embrace a Kindle for the sake of practicality and academia. But I’m not going to lie and say that the prospect of buying a pretty, leather book-style case for it doesn’t excite me…! Obviously I’ll also keep visiting the Bücherbrockenstube, but those books will be read in one country only.