Sex and the City and Twilight

 Oh, on the way back I watched the Sex and the City sequel.  I don't get at all the clutching of pearls over how terrible this movie supposedly was.  It's a comedy, guys.  Yes, it's over the top.  Yes, there are lame puns.  Did any of the reviewers ever even watch the show?  At its heart the movie is about being a woman--working, mothering, partnering--and more importantly, female friendship.  I mean, some of these reviews are...unbelievable.  Really, openly misogynistic--the Salon review actually muses that it would be "kinder" for SJP et al. to be "shot in the head or skinned alive by Arkansas rednecks," complete with a graphic of SJP being stabbed.  The posters responding to the reviews just slamming, savaging the appearances of these women.  They're not just "ugly," they're an offense to human eyesight everywhere.  They're all too old, too hideous.  One poster actually quoted her 15 year old son saying "false advertising--not in the city and not sexy."  (Oh, well, if some 15 year old BOY doesn't think four women 40 years and old and over isn't sexy, hand me the razor blades now!)  They're "degenerate," "bitches" (they're called this a lot), "desperate," "frantic." Another poster "forsees" a murder-suicide pact between SJP & Matthew Broderick.  Really pretty creepy.  Disturbing.  I see some of this over-the-top hatred for the Twilight series as well--(I'm not talking legit criticism--I am the last person to defend Twilight's actual literary merit--they're not well-written, but they are FUN.  I'm talking about non-stop ranting).  If you don't like it, DON'T WATCH IT.  See how easy that is?  Do you think spend my time watching and trashing Transformers or whatever fanboy franchise there is out there?  I could care less what someone else watches, if it's just mindless fun--which both Twilight and SATC are.  Oh, but wait, there's another element in here--as one poster on Salon put it:

And for many of the commenters here, piss off, you sexist, misogynistic pricks who can't stand that after 60 plus years of television there's FINALLY a show in which you are NOT the center of attention.

And that is really the crux of the overreaction to Twilight and SATC, IMO.

Dublin, Day I--Fixed!

So, I am back from Dublin. Aaahhhh--one thing I love about travel is how restored and newly-energized you feel when you get back. You literally have a new perspective--this is interesting in light of the mid-to-late medieval interest in perspective, and the dawning realization that the universe does not in fact revolve around the sun. I brought the Commedia to read while en route, and it was a beautiful metaphor--far above the planet I am replicating Dante's journey both metaphorically (by going to another land) and literally, because Dante rises far above the planet in Commedia. I love it when my studies synchronize with real life, although not surprised because one of my most cherished tenets is that history is relevant, we are constantly learning the same lessons over and over. Because we're all just people underneath.

So anyway this trip did not start off auspiciously because I missed my initial flight out. Aer Lingus issued an itinerary that had my departure time in 24-hour format, which I'm not used to--I got to the airport just before 8 pm, well in advance of what I thought was a 10:40 departure but when I checked the Departures sign, saw with horror that they were boarding. I ran as fast as I could to the Aer Lingus ticket counter but they'd already packed up and left, since that was the last flight of the day. Two of their customer service reps told me to come back the next day for the first flight out--I was obviously pretty upset but they assured me I should get on. But still SO upsetting and frustrating--I checked that itinerary so many times and I thought I'd done the math in my head. SOOOO annoying. I'm going to email Aer Lingus and say look, I take full responsibility for this annoying mistake but could you give us Yanks a break and post times in both formats? I can't be the only American to have made that error!

Anyway, came back home, made good use of the time by watching Michael Collins (my mother sent me the video) and then slogged out the next day. I left early (after triple-checking the time for their first flight out) because of all the brouhaha about the TSA scanner. Which, by the way, I find fascinating--it's interesting how it's mostly men who are complaining about feeling objectified and groped. Cry me a river, boys. Oooh, don't like feeling like you're on display? Don't like feeling vulnerable? Really. You say their hands might be lingering a bit too much, might be taking liberties? How come suddenly it's now an Angry!Man crisis when this sort of thing happens to women all the time and no one seems to care that much? Heh heh heh. I love that at least two articles have identified the gender issue on this. And frankly, I go through TSA all the time, and have no complaints. I find if you're preemptively respectful to people whose jobs it is to keep us safe, it goes a long way. This is probably why I get along so well with cops.

ANYWAY. I got there at 1:00 and cooled my heels for an hour. They opened up at 2 (first flight out was 5:40) and I breezed right the eff on. No problem whatsoever--in fact I got close to the same seat I'd requested before (a window seat, which I require--I cannot sleep unless I can lean against the window). So I had a LONG time before boarding, so just chilled in the airport, drinking Guinnesses (I had to catch up after losing a day!). Eventually we boarded, took off, and I slept as much as I could. We arrived well before the crack of dawn, around 5:30. Dublin, as you know, is much further north than New York City--its latitude is 53 o 20' N so at this time of year, daylight is in short supply. Of course we sailed through customs and immigration, so by the time the airlink bus dropped me off and I'd lugged my baggage several blocks (it's easy to get confused when THE SUN HASN'T RISEN YET), I was shivering on the doorstep of the B&B I'd booked for the first part of my stay. Luckily she was up, since, as I said, it was still predawn. I had a muffin and coffee and then collapsed for three hours.

I forced myself to get up at noon, because I had a hack scheduled for that afternoon--since I'd lost the first day, now I had to ride out on the day I'd arrived! I packed my boots into my gym bag and went out to find something to eat, and then I would grab a cab to the stable. The riding center had changed my original reservation from a private ride to a group one, and changed the time as well--which, as things turned out, was very much in my favor. They cut the rate quite a bit for the time change--a private hack is around €55, a group one is about €40.

I found a yummy restaurant and had steak and Guinness pie. And then scored quite a bit of luck--I asked my waiter how to hail a cab here, I said "in new York we wave at the cab, is it the same custom here? He asked where I was going, I told him, he said "you know that's going to be expensive, taking a cab all the way out there. Let me see if I can figure out a better way." He talked to his boss, came back, and gave me directions on how to take the commuter light rail, called the Luas. So the guy saved me like €27, both ways! Suhweeet!

I took the Luas, and then a cab from the station and got to the stables where they put me right on a horse. I got there right at 3:30, so they had no time to do an assessment but as soon as they saw my seat, they relaxed. Jack down those heels, Clara! There were three of us including the guide--we made our way onto the country road and then into the surrounding mountains, but not before some incredible views of the Dublin Bay area.

View Dublin Trip 2010 in a larger map

So yeah--Thanksgiving Day, just a few hours after I'd arrived in the country, I was cantering in the Dublin mountains, overlooking the bay. I was in HEAVEN, absolute bliss. I was chattering away about riding in Virginia--at one point the other rider asked me if I rode English, I said "I'm from Virginia--there's no other option! Not only English but hunt seat." When you say riding in Virginia, it's understood what you mean, and Western ain't it!

I'd smuggled in a camera and was able, quite surreptitiously, to transfer it from my left coat pocket to my right, and then sneak it out whenever we were walking to take some pictures and video. I had to be very quiet about this--it is a bit of a risk* even at just a walk (I certainly wouldn't risk it while trotting or cantering) but I just couldn't go without getting some pictures!

*Which is what makes it fun--riding is nothing without a little danger!



I'll post the videos later.  But here am I exhausted and happy!

The other rider very kindly gave me a ride back to the Luas station (saving me a return taxi fare) and we had a lovely conversation about music and theater--she said her sister-in-law is some kind of musical academic and does lectures over here. When she heard I'd just directed Pirates, she said her SIL would get along great with me. I staggered back to Ballsbridge, the section of Dublin where the B&B was. As nice as this B&B was, it was a bit far out of the way, especially since I'd lost the first day already--if I go back to Dublin, I will probably not stay there again, it took me at least 20 minutes to get anywhere. I freshened up and then ventured out to find some yummy-ass hearty Irish food, and found this restaurant:





I had cockels and mussels (which were not alive, alive-o), Smithwicks, and a YUMMY Irish chowder. Staggered back to the B&B in the rain and went to sleep.

Here endeth the first day...

News in History! (See what I did there?)

I got an A on my 2nd paper!  I was absolutely thrilled--because for a number of reasons, I wasn't sure how good that paper was.  I wasn't really feeling the material as much and kept changing my mind on which topic I would write (he gave us a choice of three).  Also, I got an A- (not a full A) on the first paper which made me unhappy, and frankly I connected with Eloise and Abelard much more, and wasn't sure if I agreed with his reasons for the minus.  Someone suggested I should contest it but I detest grade grubbing and would only do that if I truly felt wronged.  I just have to figure out how to get the A without compromising what I really want to say.

Anyway, this second paper was quite taxing, I pretty much SWEATED it out.  The papers all have to be between 4-6 pages and it is easy for me to skate right up to the edge of 6 pages, I can wax quite eloquent!  I was kind of feeling my way through this one--the topic on which I finally settled was to explore the scientific elements of Bernardus Sylvestris's Cosmographia, and then compare them to Roger Bacon's scientific writings.  The former is an allegory about the creation of the universe divided into two parts--"Macrocosmos" and "Microcosmos" (which deals with the creation of man and explicitly positions man as the mirror-image of the universe).  As a piece of literature it's a little...overwrought, with long incomprehensible passages about Sylva and Noys and Hyle and the swirling darkness and I don't know whatall.  (It's a little easier to "get" when you compare it to the Great Clearances of the early Middle Ages, with man taming the darkness of the forests by leveling them.  Order out of chaos was a big thing at this time.)  But when you start reading Cosmographia as proto-science, it's pretty interesting, lots of descriptions about the four elements and their properties, and noticing patterns in the universe.  In the introduction, I wrote:  In a way, Cosmographia could be seen as the macro-Hamlet, its message “What a piece of work is the universe.” 

I plowed through the discussion of its scientific elements, then Man (The First Scientist?  As I wrote Man is then both outside observer and integral participant, scientist and high priest. Science is in fact the seat and justification of man’s authority…  ), then moved on to Roger Bacon, whose Opus Majus was much more explicitly scientific in purpose, format and tone.  Blah blah blah about scientific elements, comparisons, etc. etc.  Then I'm at the ending (having SWEATED this out, this paper really did make me work) and I write: In fact one might even see in Opus Majus—or in Bacon himself—the realization of Cosmographia’s “ruler and high priest of creation”: Surveyor, Perceiver and Thinker, the one cosmos governing the other, exercising the “gift of reason” and in doing so, fulfilling the promise of Science.  I'm all pleased with that, it wraps it up.  I am barely under 6 pages at this point.  I reread the paper, trying to see it with a fresh pair of eyes, and I pick up on the Hamlet reference again and it hits me:  I add to the end of the paper, right after the last sentence, what a piece of work is man.  This is now literally at the utmost limit of 6 pages.  Then it occurs to me--I think the line is what a piece of work is a man, I was remembering the song in Hair (which of course references both Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet both explicitly and thematically, and there's a song that goes What a piece of work is man/How noble in reason/In form and movement, how express and admirable).  I google it to make sure of the correct, Shakespearean phrasing, then I go back and add one letter and a space to the quotation.  BAM!  That takes me over onto 7 pages.  Arrrgh!  At this point I've already resorted to widening the margins to give me more room, so I'm reduced to--get this--reducing the font size between paragraphs juuuuust enough to get that down to 6 pages again.  Is that pathetic or what?  I told Anya, and she said "oh man, normally it's the other way around, you're trying to pad it to make it longer."  I said "I know!  I know all those tricks too!"

So anyway, wasn't quite sure how good it was.  Today, on my way to class, I took a bad fall on the scooter, really slammed my left side and was actually kind of stunned when I picked myself up.  I got to class and was in a bit of a daze and the professor was talking about de Meun's Roman de la Rose, and how boundary-challenging it was, and he was saying "there's a word, for that--oh, what is the word for something that's trying to push the boundaries?"  I burted out "transgressive?"  He said "YES!  That's it, thank you."  Hermione is back :)  He was talking about the scientific writings and saying that one of the students had complained about them, saying s/he didn't really like them, and he said that every year someone questions them, and he doesn't have to include them, he could include instead political writings or theology, and why does he include them?  He then said that this batch of papers was the best on the science writings that he'd ever had in all the time he's taught the class.  He said "not everyone but most of them were extremely good."  But I thought "you don't know, maybe yours was one of the few not-so-good."  He hands them out at the end of class, I scuttle back to the subway platform and thought "well, let's have the bad news."  BAM!  A!  A full A.  The difference between an A- and an A is so small, but so significant!

Back to class again--we were talking about the Roman, and he asked for thoughts--I said I thought it was kind of devolutionary, that the professor had said earlier in the term that one of the geniuses of this culture was that they were able to transform all this aggressive, militaristic, rapacious energy and channel it into the interactions of courtly love, which rewarded gentlessness and restraint--and here is de Meun upending all of that and mocking it.  He nodded vigorously.  Going further (I didn't say this in class, this is occurring to me now), perhaps it is because the clerical culture that received the Roman so well were far enough removed from the chaos of the Dark Ages that they took the relative peace for granted and thought the whole courtly love thing was just soooooo played out.  I dunno though, the 13th century wasn't THAT peaceful.  Not quite the complete balls-up trainwreck that was the 14th century, but still, they had a few Crusades going on yet).  Anyway I also mentioned that I saw a comparison to the works of Neil LaBute (Roman de la Rose is pretty explicitly misogynistic under the guise of satire, so much so that de Meun basically inspired the birth of what we would now call feminism, although they referred to it as la querelle de la Rose--BTW, please note that the paper to which I just linked from by a Sweet Briar student!)  I said that LaBute has a complicated reputation, that he is seen as pretty misogynistic and I wasn't sure if I agreed, because portraying misogyny is not the same thing as endorsing it, but he too (like de Meun) is criticized as taking the satire, the "hook," too far.  You could hear the minds of 3/4 of the class, who've never heard of LaBute, checking out but the professor really liked this.

Oh, and in other news--the woman for whom I work on Mondays and Thursdays had me go to Barnes and Noble yesterday to get some Christmas gifts, and she told me to get one for myself, so I got a book I've been eyeing longingly for awhile, The Little Ice Age, by Brian Fagan.  YUM.  Glaciers swallowing Swiss towns whole and torrential rainpours leading to had harvests and famine--sign me up.