Defending the castle threshold

I just overslept for the second day in a row. Yesterday I ran out the door and was only 20 minutes late, but today it's on north and I'm not gonna bother. Not too worried about it. Actually, I decided to skip my 281 class later too. Havn't gone to that one much at all, except last time, which was the exam. The professor isn't very clear, it's just a better use of the time to read the book. . . or do anything else.

The exam for that class was brutal on tuesday, especially because of the tiem allowed. Fortunatley for me, in UM like much of life I don't really have to excel so much as do better than the rest. Of course I don't try to act that way but it is a convenient crutch when it comes to grades.

Dr. D gave our disney class an experience that is sure to stay among our most memorable lessons ever. After discussing the ability of a space to tell us who we are and how we are supposed to act in it, he made the comparison between the ugli (undergrad library) and the law library. We then left to visit the law quad across the street. The ugli, with its rows of books and tables, is clearly intended for sitting and reading. Of course, to a student the building is also suggestive of socialization. The law quad, which we were informed copies Cambridge architecture, places the library as the center of attention. There is an air of importance, a pressure to succeed and be intelligent, and certainlya pressure to be quiet. It is also suggestive of more than behavior, it is suggestive of stories like dead poets society and harry potter...

On the way back Dr. D walked ahead of us, leading us a different way than we had come. As he approached the tunnel back to South U we heard shouting from the corridor and 6 people came charging out at each other with helmets and chainmail on and weilding weapons. Dr. D came walking back towards us with a 'O my lord' look on his face, as the 6 enacted a scene where half were storming and half defending their stronghold. The defenders won. Dr. D turns to us and says of the law quad "Other stories are possible too". My intial reaction was that it was Ring of steel group practicing a routine in a spot that was fun for them. Though as we got back to class it became increasingly clear that I was the last of the group to realize he had asked them to come. Well he made the point, the scene fit the location after the intial shock, and certainly fit more than a similar performance in the ugli.

Last night I had a great time of getting NYPD pizza with Kirsty and then learning the proper way to use milk in tea. She always exudes warmth and compassion, and this time she brought some McVitie's HobNob cookies along too.

A very happy 20th to Andrew today. I went over to the cabin for midnight, just before the White Sox won. And I'm about to see him on the diag, where Al Sharpton is speaking today.