DON PEDRO Your silence most offends me, and to be merry best becomes you; for, out of question, you were born in a merry hour. BEATRICE No, sure, my lord, my mother cried; but then there was a star danced, and under that was I born. Much Ado About Nothing, II.i
I have no qualms in stating that I love Star Trek. I’m a fan of rambling summer blockbusters generally, but Star Trek–Star Trek is a whole universe. And my favorite thing about the Star Trek universe is that it is founded on an idea of learning. More than that: Starfleet, at the heart of Star … Continue reading
After reading my friend & colleague Dr Jem Bloomfield’s post on Twelfth Night and “Mapp and Lucia”, which focused on the discomforts caused by sexual tension (or imagined sexual tension) between sets of people in social power relationships of inequality, I had some follow-up thoughts. For Jem, the focus of these two narratives on “the … Continue reading
When I was young, we were forced to read Ethan Frome for school. I found this novel utterly infuriating because one of the major themes is that the titular character leads a depressed, reduced life because he’d “seen too many New England winters.” Now, New England winters are tough, but they don’t KILL people. Okay, … Continue reading
Monday there were two explosions close to the finish line of the Boston Marathon. At the time I started to put my thoughts down on paper, Boston was in the process of evacuating as the authorities hunted for more suspicious devices. Boston is the city of my birth. Though not truly my hometown–Gloucester, a coastal … Continue reading
So last night I went around to my friends’ house and we all played this game I’m pretty sure is called ‘Xbox Dance Like That Uncle at the Wedding’. Now, I always score really low at XDLTUW, which usually elicits extra laughter because I have a PhD in that sort of thing. And I might … Continue reading
In the past few days I’ve been noticing more and more stories about the sudden emergence of the ‘Harlem Shake’ as a protest movement (in the most literal sense) across the Middle East. The Verge has a particularly good analytical piece on its development. Much commentary focuses on the bizarre or trivial nature of choosing … Continue reading
I recently had the chance to see the English Touring Opera’s dress rehearsal of Così fan tutte at the Hackney Empire. It’s a very exciting thing to walk into a working theatre for a rehearsal: for me there is a very strong sense of having crept into a secret world of esoteric delights. I haven’t … Continue reading
I speak frequently and with affection about my velvet opera cape. All academics are especially fond of playing dress-up: in formal situations we wear long black robes with silk cowls, oddly-shaped sleeves, and some seriously natty headgear. You may have thought I got my PhD because I have a deep and abiding love of Learning. … Continue reading
I recently had a chance to see the Barbican’s new art exhibition, ‘The Bride and the Bachelors: Duchamp with Cage, Cunningham, Rauschenberg and Johns.’ Now, I’m going to be honest with you: I’m not very fond that particular period and style of modern art, so it probably wasn’t the most obvious choice for me to … Continue reading
So I just sent my application off to get my visa renewed. I have to do this every few years and I always hate it, even though compared to a lot of people who want to stay in this country, my path is pretty straightforward. And I’ve been lucky enough to have quite a bit … Continue reading
In a Merry Hour: Caitlin E McDonald 