Nott What You'd Expected...

Season Finale, Lazy Sundays

The Exam: TV Cultures, a sort of Season Finale for this crazy class, which- as all classes taken in jest or entertainment or taken for fun- are always way more difficult or depth than ever expected. I'm not sure what I expected when I took the class. It's become a sort of joke in the flat- "Well, got a big presentation tomorrow...... In TV CULTURES!" (flatmates laugh)... but seriously, this is way more intense than i ever would have anticipated. Audience theory, the history of the BBC, the future of multi platforming and remediation, the introduction of the 'flow to file' model in entertainment. Not to mention the cultural impacts that tv has, the production methods, the sociological and psychological implications....... i digress.

So it was more involved than I thought.

The final was pretty straightforward, but almost disappointing in how un-BS'ed it could be. The questions were so painfully specific that - if you hadn't done the reading or gone to lecture- Screwed wouldn't begin to describe... "Explain the four components of televisual style- use two examples from the lecture and two from the viewing session" or " give the textbook definition for multi-accentuality. use two examples from the case studies in chapter 11" Are you serious? 20 1-paragraph answers, 2 hours time. Seems like cake, until you realise that not knowing 4 answers automatically puts you in a very scary place.

I did ok- and to celebrate, did nothing yesterday or today of any merit whatsoever. Watched some Shawshank Redemption, got hooked on the Showtime show DEXTER, caught up on some Clones High (another amazing 'cancelled in its prime' show from my generation), and got my lazy on.
The FA Cup took place yesterday, conveniently located in the same timeslot as my final. Started as I walked to campus to study for a bit, and lasted right until I got back at 7. (keep in mind, this is all on a Saturday, WTF). Chelsea put it to ManU (put it to might be putting it a bit strong), but managed to prevent the New York Yankees of football from winning both the league and the FA Cup. Liverpool and AC Milan face off for the UEFA cup on the 23rd... should be a good show- as much as I dislike Crouch and Liverpool, I'll give them a vote over an Italian side any day.
Today, instead of working on a paper due tomorrow at 6 (don't worry, Mom and Dad, it's written- just needs some work), No one save for Brandon woke up before 1pm. It was embarrassing. By the time I checked email, stalked facebook, and ate breakfast, it was 2:00pm. The girls watched Anne of Green Gables (come to think of it, they're just now finishing it....), and I napped. Life can be stressful.

Brandon had a concert for the scholars in his church choir (one of the best choirs in the Midlands, hands down), and we met up with Mark and Carol to watch. It was great, he sang amazingly, and Luther College got some glowing reviews from the musical director in the middle of a push for donations to keep the scholar program going strong. It made me miss singing. With Rhetoric meeting the same time as choir next year, it might be a while before I get my sang on again. The Shower is my cathedral, the creepily painted figures on our basement bathroom's walls my audience. Encore.

Tomorrow: buckle down (how many times must I say this?), write the damned paper, and start studying for International Studies final. Tougher than you'd ever imagine. I'm feeling like I know Mark and Carol's every move after an extremely solid British Novel final, but you can never be too cautious. The emails and descriptions of the test alone are longer than any essay I'd ever want to write before this year is up. Two finals, one giant paper remain. Two Weeks? Damnit stop counting.

posted by Kevin @ 11:48 PM