Oops! Catch up...

Ah, have realised it's been about a month since the last post - mea culpa! To be fair, just as my head hits the pillow at stupid o'clock every night, I think, 'I really must update the blog...'

It has been a crazy few weeks. The impending and crashing doom of trying to finish the PhD finally scared me into looking for jobs and, of course, there aren't any. None. Niente. Nada. Nichts. Don't get me wrong - I'm really not picky, anything that pays the bills is fine. Several firms have been kind enough to make time to give me some work experience, but as I turn up to make tea and fill endless spreadsheets, they hold day-long meetings and lay-off employees. A very, very frightening time and piss-poor timing on my part.

Anyway, I've always enjoyed teaching; I've tutored for years and have taken every opportunity at university to give lectures and take seminar classes. So I thought, why not have a proper crack at it? Religious Education is one of the priority subjects at secondary level, so they clearly need people. So, tried to get work experience in order to apply for a PGCE. Sent my CV round, and one school called me for interview for a part-time post to cover a teacher going on maternity leave. A day and a half to prepare for interview and to construct a portfolio from scratch, an entirely sleepless night, and then an interview which involved taking a class full of year 9s (oh, yes, that's right, the fourteen-year-olds) for part of an RE lesson. I really enjoyed it! Anyway, long story short, they offered me the post and have offered to sponser an application for training on the job. Day to fill out the paperwork, frantic week to sort out PhD funding and university status, and now, barring all major crises, I start work in a few weeks' time! It means putting the PhD on the back burner, but, as I'll now officially be part-time on that, there's time enough.

So, aside from my shiny new status as someone living in a recession with a job (hurrah!), there are a few other things to catch up on:

Interesting article on the oldest words in English language - I like the idea that the oldest words have to do with defining identities - self and other. The global nature of language appeals to me as well; it always gives me a bit of a thrill to discover a shared etymology that seems entirely improbable (for example, the Welsh, Russian and Portuguese words for 'five' all share a common root).

Truly frightening and frighteningly true article on liberty - more precisely, its gradual and secret seeping away - by Philip Pullman here.

200 words banned by Local Government Authorities... (I particularly like 'dialogue', 'outcome' and 'wellbeing')

Daleks are real and they're coming!! Dalek prop (or is it?) found at bottom of pond (search March 4th 2009).

Two thought-provoking new programmes this week:

First off, the start of a new crime drama series, No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on BBC1. Based on the bestselling Alexander McCall Smith novels, this series was first premiered over the Christmas period, with a feature-length episode directed by Anthony Minghella. I have always enjoyed the books for their pace - exciting, but not frenetic - and for their portrayal of an African country that doesn't focus on famine, political unrest or AIDS (although it doesn't shy away from the real experiences of Botswana). The Minghella episode captured this perfectly and I was looking forward to the beginning of the series. The programme told its story beautifully; the casting is wonderful (although I wondered whether the eager young boy might be a little too sacharrine) and the music and camera work weaved the fabric of the story more intricately, rather than unnecessarily detracting from it. Word of warning, though - do not watch if you don't like visiting the dentist... Looking forward to the next episode!

The second programme of note was an iPlayer find. Deborah 13: Servant of God was shown on BBC3. It's the story of a 13-year-old girl from rural England who has been brought up in what one might write off as a 'crazy Christian evangelical' family. Deborah (or Debbie, as she prefers to be known) is a middle child (in a family of 10) and it shows. There is something intense about her character and she seems to be trying to carve out a particular niche for herself. Unfortunately for her - fortunately for the programme-makers - she believes her particular niche lies in hellfire and damnation. Her elder brother, a student living 200 miles away at university and clearly trying to balance life in the immediate family community with life outside, seems worried for her. He repeatedly says that he wishes she would realise the blessings she has, rather than focusing on all the souls who are lost. Debbie goes out to evangelise amongst her own age-group, but, beyond sharing a year of birth, these teenagers seem to have little in common. In all honesty, the group of teenagers chosen particularly exemplify the media-encouraged image of 'all wot's wrong wiv kids 2day', but later conversations with her brother's university friends really emphasise how incompatible Debbie's views are with modern British society. These friends do their best to be open-minded about her approach to life and death, but feel frustrated by her inability to consider other possibilities. It's a difficult thing to face up to: if she is right, we are all damned to hellfire; if she is not, this is a 13-year-old girl whose self-identity is totally tied up with a particular expression of Christian belief that emphasises sinfulness and damnation. It was a fascinating watch, which left me feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

Right, bed.