Let's *Shake* it! (Censored)

Today I finished one of the hardest modules ever: 'Shakespeare'. Just like that - 'Shakespeare'. Not, 'Shakespeare's King Lear', or, 'The Comedies of Shakespeare' or even 'Shakespeare's Sonnets', no, simply: 'Shakespeare'. So I can claim to be an expert now, haha!
Don't we love him all, our Billy? Maybe I should say beforehand that I love my degree, and that I think it is relevant life in general, just so you know!

Well, anyway, the things you learn in a Shakespeare module. Some of the more random conclusions were

"Women and hankies tend to get lost" (a synopses of Othello)

"Have a chocolate, Shakespeare is dead" (when everyone else celebrates St George's Day)

"Now we have a corpse and two men in a pit" (on Titus Andronicus, which really is like 'Saw', at least the clip I've seen!)

This of course only happens when you are a bit detached from it all, and wake up during a lecture thinking, where has the past half hour gone? But on revising the plays, which I did, and hard!, I actually came to like them.

However, I need to say something now which I couldn't possibly say in my exam (although I was in one of my funny moods when I sat it and really had to restrain myself).

- Now, to the kids among you: the next part will be really boring for you. So I suggest you go away and play a bit, and then come back later. Really boring, I mean, lots of silly words you don't understand, so you'd be much better off doing some kids-stuff. Ok? See you in a bit. -

Right, so they're gone. What I was trying to say is, this Shakespeare is a real genius when it comes to cursing. At least for someone his age, I mean, of his time. I know most people put Shake in the drawer where they keep all those little hearts, dried rose leaves, scented hankies and, if you're really hard-core, caskets with tears you collected.
You know a censored Shakespeare then. Here is a concise list of the foul words I've learnt from him: (yes, I am this weird)

* YOU... foot-landraker!
* YOU...long-staff sixpenny striker
* YOU...mad mustachio purple-hued maltworm (deffo my favourite)
* YOU...burgomaster
* YOU...fat-kidneyed rascal
* YOU...bacon-fed knave
* YOU...grand-juror
* YOU...woolsack

and so on. There's loads, and they're funny!

But this makes me wonder... sometimes I think Shake might well be overrated. I've always said this about the German genuises like Goethe, Schiller and Co. - at least ever since I watched this film based on true facts in which Schiller was portrayed as being high on foul apples when he started writing. This is, quite literally, sick. (although, considering this I've got a bowl of rather sad looking fruit sitting right next to me but this is just different!)

For all those who have read this far, 1.) well done and 2.) I need to add something. Now, you might think, who is this Lena to be criticising the like, best writer of the world??! Well, certainly not someone in the position to (although I was made to do so in my degree, which leads me to the futility of that whole criticising business, but that's another story). But to put things in relation, I would like to point to what I'm doing at the moment. After all, I've written an exam about Shakespeare today. I could have just put all these books away, forget about it and watch some stupid soap. But what am I doing? Writing a blog about Shakespeare. Such is my dedication.

Transport Studies

Again - exam time. Prime time for blogging. I know the reason is NOT because I want to procrastinate, not in the slightest. It's just, my brain's synapses are making synopses a lot easier when they're working on high speed anyway. So I thought, let's fuel some of them into this blog-thing and feel less guilty because people who are reading this are just as bad procrastinators (is that even a word) like me. So there, better face the facts ;-)!

Anyway, this train-blog (train/brain, you get the pun, right? see 29/3/10) the other day really geared my thoughts towards transport in general. (Notice the nice usage of transport related vocab, in case you, especially you non-lit students, hadn't already noted - really putting a lot of effort into this =P)
So when I walked past the transport studies building, I didn't just walk past, but started to ponder what people are actually doing in there. Sounds a bit like designing street signs, but if there's anyone who's reading this and also transport studies, I apologise and please do correct me if I'm wrong.

The cream of tran-sport is moto-sport, no doubt, which brings me to the amazingness of German cars. No, don't go away, I know what you think. I realise myself that it really is not in my nature to talk about cars (unless in a very cynical way), or to revel in the greatness of my country (especially because I haven't contributed anything in this particluar field and am unlikely to do so, exepct of course if you count painting flowers on a VW bus) and I won't be sharing car-ing for long. Just a quick, or shall I say, fast, note. So I saw this link to Porsche the other day -



- which at first made me smile (the excitement of it all!!), but by the end of which I was almost converted to change career, become a rich and famous hedge fund manager, and save up to buy one of those hotties. I said, almost. Because then I remembered that there are much cooler things in the world, like this -



When I'm at Heidelberg I can hear this nerve-racking revving every other Sunday and while it really does not comply with my idea of a relaxing afternoon, this vid is a slight comfort. It takes away the silliness of it all.
And to dwell in my triumph and resentment against sport cars, watch this!



So who said a decent VW bus doesn't know how the wind blows?!

I can't believe how much I've got to say about cars. And on top of that it just came to my mind that I actually own a model car, presented to me with much pomp and chocolate on my 19th birthday by Bekky, Börny and Eva - an old green mini, of course. To stop me stop in the middle of the road when I see a real one, waving and shouting hysterically to express my appreciation of the driver's good taste. Which I, however, still do, in those rare moments when I can't contain myself (or when Bekky, Börny and Eva aren't around).

Actually, however, I'm into much more peaceful and environmentally friendly vehicles. Like bikes. Although I have a habit of getting into accidents, and many scars to prove it, but that's another story. I do take cycling seriously, though, like every German student, taking it so far as to use it to go through a McDonalds drive-through. Certainly cheered that guy's day up, haha! Much recommended to have a go at, it's awesome fun!

I love the creativeness of vehicles, and what you can do with them. In Leeds they've got a thing called roller disco, which is what it says on the tin, a club where you dance on skates, just like that!
Way cooler, however, is what this chap did with his wheely, absolutely inspiring!



Suppose I could go on and on. Driving it through the roof. Which reminds me of another crazy event that happened in my rather recent lifetime -



Maybe being away from home makes me think about getting from A to B a lot more.
To come full circle - or, attempting a final pun on today's topic, to finish the race course, A and B now finally brings me back to the reason why I'm actually sitting in front of my laptop - to work on my essay...

Hammer-Gott!

Ich muss jetzt mal erzählen, wie meine Pläne für den Sommer verwirklicht wurden. Ich bin echt noch total geflasht davon, wie super dass alles wieder hingehauen hat - und will dafür meinem Vater im Himmel alle Ehre geben!

Ich wollte unbedingt noch ein bisschen in der UK bleiben, nachdem mein Unikurs hier vorbei ist. Also hab ich mich bei verschiedenen Stellen in London und Leeds beworben, aber natürlich insgeheim gehofft, mal für ne Weile in Landaaan wohnen zu können...

Na, und prompt hab ich ein Interview bei einem Verlag in Clapham bekommen - an dem einen Tag in meinen Osterferien, an dem ich mal nicht auf Reisen war...

Das Vorstellungsgespräch war so ungefähr das angenehmste, das ich je hatte. Wir haben ungefähr die Hälfte der Zeit übers Wandern geredet, und wie praktisch dass ich die zwei Wochen davor in Englands Norden rumgetourt bin und somit neben meinen konzentrierten small talk skills sogar echt was beizutragen hatte!
Ich wurde unter anderem gefragt, ob ich schon mal in andere europäischen Ländern gereist bin. In abeneteuerlustiger Stimmung hab ich angefangen, von Slowenien zu erzählen, und auf Nachfrage bestätigt, dass die Landschaft dort einfach bombastisch ist. Und es gibt sogar Bären in den Bergen dort... kaum war das raus, hab ich es in einem Anflug von Selbstzweifel auch schon bitter bereut. - Hallo?! Lena, du bist in einem Vorstellungsgespräch, und fängst an über Bären in Slowenien zu reden? Ja, wo sind die Tassen... - ABER alles halb so wild. Sondern eigentlich ganz prima - denn als ob ich das geahnt hätte, wurde mir gleich das Buch-Projekt 'Bären in Slowenien' vorgestellt, das in Planung ist. Ehrlich.
Interviews können gar nicht besser laufen, wenn man gleich auf der Stelle einen Job angeboten bekommt, sogar ausnahmsweise für nur vier Monate statt sechs. LÄUFT!
Auch, wenn ich nach ein paar Luftsprüngen in Clapham Common mein gesamtes Handy-Vermögen für einen Anruf nach Deutschland verschwendet hab...

Und dann, die Wohnungssuche, mein Lieblingsthema (ich triefe vor Ironie). Nach einigen misglückten Versuchen, ein Zimmer per Telefon von Leeds aus klar zu machen, hab ich heut morgen einfach nochmal Gott darauf hingewiesen, dass ich
- BALD ein Zimmer dort will
- ein ZENTRALES Zimmer in London will (wenn es geht)
- mit anderen Christen zusammen wohnen will (wenn es geht)
- ein BILLIGES Zimmer haben will (wenn es geht)
- ein Zimmer in einem meiner Lieblingsviertel haben will (wenn es geht. Das ist kein übertriebener Wunsch - es geht mir nicht um Belgravia, sondern ich will da wohnen wo ich denke, ich sei in Pakistan...)

Und Gott hat mich mal wieder beschämt.
Kaum gesagt, bekomme ich einen Anruf von einer netten alten englischen Lady, die meine Anzeige in einer Kirche gesehen hat. Die 'down the road' von meinem Verlag wohnt; die mich noch nicht mal vorher sehen will; die in Tooting wohnt, bei den ganzen Pakistanis und Sri Lankanern; und die überhaupt nicht übers Geld nachgedacht hat - sie will einfach ein bisschen company.
Anders als ich gedacht hab? Na klar. Aber einfach total schön - das könnte echt was sein!
Freu mich voll auf dieses ganze London-Erlebnis! Mit so einem Gott an der Seite...=D