Do I look like I give a damn?
Because there was a teacher conference Monday afternoon, I didn't have any classes. Since (see previous post) that was also the day when I sent in my last grad school application, I decided to celebrate by seeing the new James Bond movie, something I've been planning to do for a while. I'm not a huge moviegoer in general, and particularly not in Berlin, since the only theater that shows more than one movie not dubbed into German is in one of the most touristed parts of town and incredibly expensive. Monday is the cheapest day, though, so I decided to take advantage of the no-class windfall and fork over the 8.50€.
As far as the movie itself goes - intellectually, I know the Bond films are not exactly top-notch writing, and that they're horribly pre-feminism in attitude. Viscerally, I like a good fight scene and some intrigue as well as the next person. There are all sorts of holes to poke in the movie - M talks too much for the head of the MI6, the love story is kind of pathetic (although it has its moments), the tragic ending is a bit of a stretch, and the poker game goes on for way too long. However, it at least avoided the typical plot where a maniacal genius tries to take over the world with a giant death ray or something like that. And I liked the beginning, which was very "Tinker, Tailor." And Daniel Craig is good in the role, and nice to look at (as long as we're being all superficial here).
But what I was thinking about during the annoying half hour of commericials and previews (including one for Spiderman III: Spiderman Turns Evil) was that going to see a movie - taking three or more hours out of my afternoon - would have been impossible at this time a year ago. For almost my entire life, and particularly during college, the period before Christmas has meant a barrage of papers and exams. For me, the first few weeks of Decembers are tied in with late night coffee runs, staying up until 2 putting the final touches on some document, pulling 8-hour library stints, and sitting exams. It was stressful, but oddly exhilerating - I liked being busy, especially since the end of the semester was in sight and the Christmas season cheer counterbalanced everyone's exam grumpiness.
This year, my semester is ending with more of a whimper than a bang. Because my students are busy taking tests, I've actually had fewer hours to work this week than normal. I have to review some participial phrases with a class tomorrow, and then I'm done; my Christmas break officially begins at 9:30 tomorrow morning.
Thing is, I don't feel like I've really earned it. Not that I won't enjoy it (I just spent the last hour confirming travel plans for the week after Christmas) but - wasn't there a paper I was supposed to write in there somewhere?
As far as the movie itself goes - intellectually, I know the Bond films are not exactly top-notch writing, and that they're horribly pre-feminism in attitude. Viscerally, I like a good fight scene and some intrigue as well as the next person. There are all sorts of holes to poke in the movie - M talks too much for the head of the MI6, the love story is kind of pathetic (although it has its moments), the tragic ending is a bit of a stretch, and the poker game goes on for way too long. However, it at least avoided the typical plot where a maniacal genius tries to take over the world with a giant death ray or something like that. And I liked the beginning, which was very "Tinker, Tailor." And Daniel Craig is good in the role, and nice to look at (as long as we're being all superficial here).
But what I was thinking about during the annoying half hour of commericials and previews (including one for Spiderman III: Spiderman Turns Evil) was that going to see a movie - taking three or more hours out of my afternoon - would have been impossible at this time a year ago. For almost my entire life, and particularly during college, the period before Christmas has meant a barrage of papers and exams. For me, the first few weeks of Decembers are tied in with late night coffee runs, staying up until 2 putting the final touches on some document, pulling 8-hour library stints, and sitting exams. It was stressful, but oddly exhilerating - I liked being busy, especially since the end of the semester was in sight and the Christmas season cheer counterbalanced everyone's exam grumpiness.
This year, my semester is ending with more of a whimper than a bang. Because my students are busy taking tests, I've actually had fewer hours to work this week than normal. I have to review some participial phrases with a class tomorrow, and then I'm done; my Christmas break officially begins at 9:30 tomorrow morning.
Thing is, I don't feel like I've really earned it. Not that I won't enjoy it (I just spent the last hour confirming travel plans for the week after Christmas) but - wasn't there a paper I was supposed to write in there somewhere?
posted by Q at
1:48 PM
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