SHANE

It began as a blog about completing a thesis, it became a blog about everything but completing a thesis, it ended with a complete thesis.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Cattle, Dracula, and 'seeing'

Barton was lively this morning - briefly dipped into the cattle auctions - fascinating, spooky, charming and saddening all at once. A lot of tartan and wax jackets on show too. Place stunk of piss and shit and the country - was the animals, I think.

Was gifted freebie tickets for the show Dracula's opening in Stoke-on-Trent last night. In Stoke (or rather 'Hanley' - the centre of the 'city', or five towns), they have what is referred to as a 'cultural quarter'. This surprised me. Stoke-on-Trent is not a place that I associate with such terms as 'cultural quarter'. Anyway, Catherine - who has friends in the Potteries, had come by the tickets through a 'friend with contacts' (as in people - rather than lenses). She and I agreed that the show wasn't 'good theatre' - which made us glad we hadn't just shelled out £40 on the experience. Script, design, direction, and incompatible performances made for a far too 'eeksome' experience. Sad that it would probably put a lot of people off theatre per se - especially when you can go to the cinema for 20-25% of the cost.

About to head for the FarNorth. Collecting Emma in 30 minutes from the university. We will then blitz the journey, hopefully getting us to the waterfall before sundown. I should just add, for those of you who are familiar with my neurotic ramblings re self and Emma and Ed, that from what I know of Ed, he has not struck me as a 'bad person' - far from it. Also, from what I understand, he is from a fairly right-wing conservative family - in a fairly olde worlde empire, queen, country and churchery kind of way. Strangely - you may be surprised to read, it would not surprise me to hear that his reference to having been 'seeing someone' did not extend as far as the genitals - that such a detail should seem relevant to me probably says a few things about how I frame workable relationships. Though I'm too tired (or discontent) to unpick that right now. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the trip for both seeing Emma and seeing my family. Although in the case of Emma, I'm not quite sure what I mean by 'seeing'. I suppose we will see.

Will be back Sunday/Monday. Now blog off.