Again, the month has flown by and I have been remiss in filling this internet cyber-blog-space or whatever the right term is with frivolous, juicy, sacrilegious or just plain boring information. So much has happened in this month that I did not want to end it without penning (typing really) down these few lines.
What has been happening?
I missed Pettina Gappah's reading in London by a day and spent the next few days overdosing on galleries and museums like the National Portrait G. and the Courtuald Institute. I also saw "Outsiders", a threatre production at the South Bank that left me desperate for sleep. I think that was really because I had been walking all day around the city like displaced soul.
I participated in a music video, attending summer music concerts both indoors and outdoors, rediscovered ice-cream and pondered the usefulness on sunscreen for those not on holiday.
Bookwise, I gobbled down another Harlen Coben "Hold Tight" and then threw it down when I finished. This is not a good sign as I was quite frustrated by the ending. I picked up a Lee Child's "Tripwire" since and have tried to convince myself that it's okay to keep reading the same ol' authors. Boooringgg!! I tried reading R. Kipling but I can tell I am going to need some help with the text. Yes, seriously, my attention span...
There are still short stories by Adiche, Atta and Habila to get through, so never fear, hey?
I have also spent a lot of time considering the usefulness of any course in creative writing and must confess that it leaves a strange taste in my mouth. I truly do not believe you can teach talent however, you can indeed learn to fully utilize or perfect it.
In this spirit of discovery, I spent some time in student accomodation to see if I was willing to go back to that life for a year while I learnt something about perfecting skills and talents.
Errrr...no, thanks. I don't miss that student life of dorms and weird scheduled living to a beat you are not always in sync with. Ok, fine, it is indeed no better than work life in some respects but this is different, you don't really control the space you live in. Yes, that small shell of sustained existence in a foreign city that feels oddly familiar, all that talking about missing the work-life and that gripping uncertainty about whether you made the right decision once you finish and start again that process of searching for a job in a seemingly unfriendly work market.
Hmmm... I could go on.
Kingston, Birbeck, Oxford, UEA, Warwick, Bristol and Manchester, all offer courses and leave you wondering, what would I be lacking without? The unknown beckons.
See you in August! Locarno Film Festival approches!
