sundry updates and ruminations

. . . i am now an official member of the oxford gargoyles. it's a local a cappella group that's actually really good. i'm quite looking forward to the new dimension to my life here. odd, however, that when i tried out for church choirs they were INSISTENT that i am very much a baritone. so, i sing baritone/bass in the worcester college chapel choir. however, i sing tenor for the goyles...

. . . does hollywood not get it? cbc.ca today reports that a hollywood movie house if shelving a movie about a sniper due to the current insensitivity it might reflect on the situation in virginia. so, after it happens in real life it's insenstive. however, prior to that it's somehow ok? i guess there's no tangible link for them between watched violence and its occurrence in reality :)

. . . it's really hard to be anti-american policy when speaking to americans. first off, they make none of the same assumptions that foreigners do about their country (aka- that their policy is hypocritical and bad) which makes the argument far more challenging. secondly, one needs to attempt not to offend- something that's really hard when you normally say things like "american policy may be advised by intelligent officials but it starts from the most fucked-up of premises" anyway, i'm enjoying my american arguments as they're pushing me to think harder about how i think about nationalism/foreign policy/war

. . . my first shipment from home came today so i am now enjoying my stereo (which works with my transformer :) and also loving having my very british pea-coat...

. . . i LOVE scottish accents- especially in very cute bois :)

. . . “…we all subscribe thoughtlessly to many beliefs, the truth of which does not strike home to us until experience gives them reality. Wisdom may be rented, so to speak, on the experience of other people, but
we buy it at an inordinate price before we make it our own forever.” - Robertson Davies - (thanks Dave)