Wednesday, February 15th

This was another beautiful morning in London. Bright and sunny with blue skies.  This was shot on my way to the tube.

It was positively cheery.  I took in a short visit to the Tate Modern which was a treat.

Then, I made it to campus in time to be recruited as faculty rep in an impromptu three way meeting on a problem simmering between our university administrator and administrators here regarding my kinesthetic student. My role, luckily, was that of student advocate in this donnybrook with a risk manager 5500 miles away who considered sending this student home for having had an accident and not collapsing into a nervous wreck.  Instead, the student took it in stride and trusted himself to heal.   At any rate, it got sorted out.  And, I am glad to have been of support to the student.

The senior faculty member here with me was wise enough to find the words to remove herself from the situation—although she, too, thought there was more than a bit of overreaction to the whole episode. Then again, she and I are over fifty and have raised children, so our perspective is not as easily rattled as others might be.  As junior faculty here, I was in the hot seat by default.

There are times when, no matter my age, I feel like the child shaking my fist at the institution which puts its priorities over those it allegedly serves.  This was a case in point.  Another way to look at this, however, is how lucky I was in my first career to have been rewarded for pointing out the many ways that the bureaucracy cut its own throat with the dull edge of red tape rules rather than using the scalpel of commonsense.  Thank God and Larry Parrish for the wisdom to reward my point of view rather than label it rebellion.  Lucky was I to promote for pointing out those things rather than being fired. Whew.

Then, went to two fascinating lectures by a British cultural sociologist trained in the Birmingham School.  He discussed the Monarchy, followed up his lecture from last week on the structure of government and finished with an hour and half riff on social class in Britain.  I was enthralled.  His pedagogy was excellent—involving students through questions—framing their input in sophisticated theories and commenting without lecturing.  Really good.  I learned much about the history of government, more about the kabuki dances done on occasions and even more about the discourses circulating among folks here about social class inequality. I was enriched with much to think about. I really found it stimulating.

Meanwhile, in the lecture hall from 1245 to 4:30 I watched the sky turn to gray, to dark gray, to rain.

It was also good to get to talk to my colleague who is here from English—early retired with two more years to teach.  We had spirited conversations during breaks and took the tube home together to Hampstead comparing notes on all things from where to buy a Spring coat to how to get CSUF to reimburse eligible expenses before we die to where to eat.  She has taught London semester before which, of course, gave me a hope of doing this again.

Tomorrow, class meets @ St. Paul’s Cathedral where we will each talk to 3-4 Occupy Wall Street Protesters about their point of view.  Then we adjourn back to campus at 11 to discuss.  Some of the students are off to Florence on Friday morning while I am off to Madrid.  A couple of them are going to Stratford Friday to see Taming of the Shrew.  Others are traveling, en group, to Berlin. 

I can’t wait to hear about their adventures.  And, more importantly, I can’t wait to see Nancy and thaw out in Portugal.  God willing and the Iberia strike does not impede our travel out of Madrid.  Worst case—Madrid, which is at least 10 degrees F warmer than here, will provide plenty to do.

Here are two examples of signs that amuse me.

Not open?  Not closed, but "Shut."

It says, "Give Way" rather than Yield.

Here are a couple more English lessons for you.

Belsize Park is not pronounced  Bell-SIZE Park; it is pronounced Bel SAH-dz   PAW-ka

Leicester Square is pronounced  LESS- Tah SQWA

Gloucester Square  is pronounced GLOSS-Sta SQWA

Adieu