I must write papers!!!
It's quite odd that our reading load has increased with time, and the expectation of really strong papers still remains. From now on, I will write papers closer to the beginning of the term, and I will continue to revise until the end. I can't take much more of this. . . Aargh!
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Six weeks to go. . . the procrastination begins!
Right now I'm listening to random selections from the Best of Elvis Costello and thinking about things that are entirely unrelated to what I am supposed to be working on: a presentation on the non-satiric poetry of John Dryden. Ah yes. . . I used to tease those darn Americanists and their flashy literature. . . Now I wonder if it was all a big mistake. . . I could do for some Thomas Pynchon or even Hemingway right about now.
On an entirely different note, I guess there's a big to-do about the new sculpture in front of the currently being renovated Camp Randall. Some people think it looks like a phallus, others a pile of Badger doody. . . Well, have a look at an artist's rendition of this gigantic statue:
**Please note that those little round things are footballs.
I kinda like it, but I'm no art critic. I just think that it's so outlandish in a way that makes people glance askew. Isn't that the whole point of art these days?
On an entirely different note, I guess there's a big to-do about the new sculpture in front of the currently being renovated Camp Randall. Some people think it looks like a phallus, others a pile of Badger doody. . . Well, have a look at an artist's rendition of this gigantic statue:
**Please note that those little round things are footballs.
I kinda like it, but I'm no art critic. I just think that it's so outlandish in a way that makes people glance askew. Isn't that the whole point of art these days?
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
State Street Scariness
Ok, so I was one of the many people who walked up and down State and lived to tell about it. I didn't think it was all that it was cracked up to be, but I had a feeling that I should try participating in the Halloween bash known to Madison as a total disaster waiting to happen.
Frankly, it was really crowded. But, nothing was going on at the time I was there. My friends and I were wandering around, observing the crazy costumes, from about 11-12:30. .. Then we went over to the Paradise (or is it Pair o' Dice?) bar and had a few conversations. Due to daylight savings ending, we wound up our evening around 1:30am instead of 2:30am. That would be lucky for us. Apparently, around 2:30am, people were dancing in the shower of pepper spray and glass.
I heard in the news that a fellow who was dressed up like Hunter S. Thompson died. We did spot a Thompson-esque individual and a friend dressed up like his crazy lawyer earlier in the evening; however, that was a lot earlier, and there were many people dressed in many of the same costumes.
I seriously and honestly believe that if there were a way to have businesses scatter their closing hours between 2:30 and 6am, there would be less of a chance of riot. Riots only occur when tons of people are booted out of all the bars simultaneously. You then have a congregation of thousands of drunk people with nothing to do. That just spells disaster. And, I know that many folks are considering the complete closure of all businesses on Halloween. Well, that probably spells trouble for the businesses, and that still doesn't guarantee that things are going to go well. Halloween is a huge party tradition here. Who's to say that closing businesses will even stop drunk and high folks from gathering on one of the most prominent streets in the city? At least, when the bars are open, people are separated into controllable groups. Think Foucault's Discipline and Punish, people!
Frankly, it was really crowded. But, nothing was going on at the time I was there. My friends and I were wandering around, observing the crazy costumes, from about 11-12:30. .. Then we went over to the Paradise (or is it Pair o' Dice?) bar and had a few conversations. Due to daylight savings ending, we wound up our evening around 1:30am instead of 2:30am. That would be lucky for us. Apparently, around 2:30am, people were dancing in the shower of pepper spray and glass.
I heard in the news that a fellow who was dressed up like Hunter S. Thompson died. We did spot a Thompson-esque individual and a friend dressed up like his crazy lawyer earlier in the evening; however, that was a lot earlier, and there were many people dressed in many of the same costumes.
I seriously and honestly believe that if there were a way to have businesses scatter their closing hours between 2:30 and 6am, there would be less of a chance of riot. Riots only occur when tons of people are booted out of all the bars simultaneously. You then have a congregation of thousands of drunk people with nothing to do. That just spells disaster. And, I know that many folks are considering the complete closure of all businesses on Halloween. Well, that probably spells trouble for the businesses, and that still doesn't guarantee that things are going to go well. Halloween is a huge party tradition here. Who's to say that closing businesses will even stop drunk and high folks from gathering on one of the most prominent streets in the city? At least, when the bars are open, people are separated into controllable groups. Think Foucault's Discipline and Punish, people!
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