John Walker's Electronic House

We appear to be experiencing some technical difficulties.

Please do not retune your internet.

I have no idea what’s causing the intermittent WordPressian crashes, nor if that’s how you spell intermittent. I have decided to blame Nick, whether it’s his fault or not.

Interesting week. The lectures at the residential were terrible. Abysmal. Certainly Monday night and Tuesday morning’s were. After that, it gets a bit more difficult to report, as my presence in the lecture room became a little less substantial.

Skiving isn’t much fun, really. Sian and I found that nothing could convince us it would be worth attending any of Wednesday’s offerings (the third year lectures were on one subject all week, all by the same lecturer, and all taught at a GCSE level, which in the THIRD YEAR OF A DEGREE seems slightly more than a little poor – and we were correct, as the reports of those who attended Wednesday morning’s efforts were not exactly positive. I’m not sure there was anyone to ask about the afternoon’s, as the rest of the group were a few hours late in catching up with Sian and myself in realising that we would learn more wedging forks into our nostrils and head-butting the canteen tables, and so very few bothered to attend) and our reaction was not to be oh-hoo-hoo-hee, we’re skiving! woo. But instead, WE ARE SO VERY ANGRY THAT WE ARE NOT LEARNING NEW THINGS.

What troubles me is that there were people who didn’t leave. There were people who did not sit on the back table and draw on each other and write collaborative stories and tip Doug’s chair over so far that he could only roll over backwards and read books and get the giggles. They sat at the front and took notes on this utter drivel. For example, at one point she explained to us (the lectures were on “research methods” with a view to helping us with our dissertations) that collecting a sample of 1, and then saying that this represents a 100% opinion of people is… can anyone guess? Can anyone guess without being in the third year of a degree course? To collect a sample of 1, and to say that it represents 100% of people is… WRONG! Who would have thought it. And there they sit, eagerly taking notes and asking for clarifications.

So, we burned them all to the ground.

I think I’m spoiled by the high quality of the lectures I’ve attended the last two years in Bristol. That, or it’s that my college isn’t treating me like a thick school pupil.

Apart from that, it was an excellent week, a big part of which was collecting thirty nine signatures on Sian’s petition to have cyanide capsules under the chairs at future residentials (an entirely selfless act, as this was our last – Sian and I are extremely caring people (I initially typed “an entirely selfless ass”. I’d like to stress that my ass is indeed entirely selfless)) and presenting it to the course director, and another part being the discovery of what I might like to do with the rest of my life.

It coincides with my learning a new word: peripatetic.

I intend to become a Peripatetic Imagination Worker. What this means is quite clear in my head, but not entirely ready to appear outside of it in a coherent form. But I think it will involve my going from place to place to work with schools, youth groups and churches all over the place, rather than staying in just one place. Well, clearly, as that’s the definition of a peripatetic worker, but the “Imagination” part is what makes it blurry. It’s exciting though.

It also all links to my dissertation, for which I’d really appreciate your help. As many people as possible. But that is tomorrow’s exciting adventure.