Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Journeys

Last week I was asked what was about bus journeys that I liked so much. I contemplated this question as I rode around the complete 25 route this afternoon. I think the truth of the answer lies in martial arts practice, in movement, there is stillness. Riding around on a bus, preferably a double decker, gives me a different perspective on life. I observe it from a different elevation, which gives me space. Space to think, day dream, problem solve, listen to music.

I like the bus drivers. In the main they are polite and cheerful. I like the fact that they stand up for one another and will block a roundabout to let another bus, even from a different company, through. People on a bus are fascinating to watch. They have intimate conversations on their mobile phones, they pick their noses, kiss their boyfriends, sometimes quietly cry. I'm a shameless voyeur. People outside are equally interesting. I remember the bus passing a hard chav man, in a dirty white track suit, baseball cap, laden down with gold jewelry, leading a tiny black puppy no bigger than his brand-name trainer. It made me smile; and when I looked over to a young woman in front of me, she was smilling too.

I've got my results back. My grades have slipped. My dreams of a fabulous first are still possible, but I'm going to have to do a hell of a lot of work to make it happen. My CL suggested I might want to give up poetry, as it remains a variable. I write some good poems and then some so-so poems. I suspect he's right. If I'm to get the fabulous first, I need to be writing excellent poems. It is the sensible thing to do, and I can continue to audit the classes. Since when have I ever been known to be sensible? I don't have to make my mind up now, I'll continue to write over the summer and see what the autumn brings.

I was feeling a touch low last night and then it occurred to me. When I was doing my DEV degree, I would have given my eye teeth for a 2:i. Now it's clear I can achieve a very respectable 2:i, I'm not only hankering after a first, I want a fabulous first! No pleasing me, is there?

Nevertheless, it made me think about the realities of my future. I know I want to lecture. I'm not going to be able to lecture without an MA or a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The PGCE is funded through the Local Education Authority and there are bursaries available. If I don't get the funding, I can do the PGCE first and then go on to do the MA. The PGCE will mean I can pick up part-time lecturing either through the college or adult education. As a fall-back position it could be worse. So, we'll see.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:09 pm

    Hi luv

    Enjoyed reading your entries, though I must confess I had to strain the poor old brain to understand some ah de "colloquialisms" shall we say? Anyway, about this bus riding thing - indeed there is great pleasure in sitting back making observations, mostly about people, but sometimes about the places you routinely go by, but often don't pay attention to. I remember sometimes watching particular people and trying to figure out where they were going, what was their journey. For almost 9 months, when I first arrived in Canada, I would travel the same bus every morning with a particular gentleman and we would always acknowledge each other, sometimes even sat together and yet we never spoke. Never even knew his name. Perhaps we are anonymous when bus riding. Or perhaps it is the transitory nature of it that makes it more difficult to create bridges to people. If I had the choice, I'd rather ride in silence - it's one of the few opportunities for peace anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Exactly that! You've hit the nail on the head. It's the anonymity of the experience which gives people the confidence to sometimes breach social conventions (like picking their noses, having rows on their mobile phone). This illusion of invisibility makes public transport a fabulous people-watching theatre.

    Thanks for that Casey, your comment really helped me solidify my thinking processes!

    ReplyDelete
  3. PS. Chav stands for Council House and Violent. Basically, people from poor backgrounds getting money and no taste with it. Think Kevin and Britney.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:27 pm

    Just reading the comments made by Casey about anonymity which were very really interesting. It made me think about the fact that this blog is essentially a diary. Traditionally diaries are things of secret. There is that whole taboo associated with reading someone else diary. It is a place of sanctuary for one's innermost thoughts. It is a different place to keeping them in your head. There they get jumbled, confused and twisted, while written down they acheive order and uinderstanding but they are never meant for anyone elses eyes. I find blogs fascinating for the simple reason that they too are secret diaries and yet due to the wonders of the internet they can be observed by the world and his wife while keeping both the reader and the writer anonymous. They are both secret and shared.
    I know what you mean about bus journeys. You get to sneak a peak at someones washing on the line and they don't realise just how many people can see their g-string. They don't care about the neighbours so much because they have nothing to hide (like close friends knowing your secrets) and can't comprehend that complete strangers will see their less-than-white briefs as they go past on the No.43. You get to see people at their most honest - like candid camera.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yep, absolutely.

    ReplyDelete

Hey, how's it going?

Bank Holiday Sunday

Dear Dave I woke up today with Philip Glass' Metamorphosis in my head. It's apt really as it was part of the music chosen for your...