I realize I’ve neglected this journal quite fitfully and it’s quite a shame. I blame summer lethargy, but now that term’s started again and I realize how useful a tool blogging can be, even for just my own records, I’m going to attempt to give a run-down of everything that’s happened in the last month and has been happening lately. more »
Our Watt gallery topline has changed yet again, and at this point I have no idea if what I’m doing is actually helpful. It would be sad after eight weeks and I couldn’t really say what I did besides, “developed several interpretation strategies with the team” and produced pieces of research that won’t be used. I’m told by everyone at the museum that it’s always like this, and not to worry, so I don’t know.
Now we seem to be focusing on answering the question, “why did the Industrial Revolution happen in Britain?” hovering around the idea of a consumerist society. Much of it came out of the other book I could have done, instead of The Age of Wonder, and that’s David Landes’ The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. His main argument is that the middle class emerged in Britain sooner than everywhere else, and they all wanted things, which savvy industrialist Matthew Boulton saw and made a business out of.
Another section of the exhibit will be around celebrity culture (intellectuals got more credit then, is my guess), and how that played a role in Watt’s success. Really, Watt was a well-connected guy, and I can envision a cool interactive piece of artwork on one side of the wall showing his links to Joseph Black, the Lunar Society, etc. That’s what I’m doing now, trying to map out important relationships in meetings, and presenting it in posterboard format on Friday. However, I am not confident that this will be used either…
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My weekend was a good one, excepting disaster upon disaster which I couldn’t even imagine would happen to me. The plan was to go to Stratford-upon-Avon to see A Winter’s Tale and then go to Warwick Castle on Sunday. A few days ago, I noticed my mac had a crack in the bezel (a tiny one), so I made an appointment on Friday. I was planning on going to a friend’s directly after going to the store, but my left contact lens ripped—these are soft lenses, which are supposedly better for your eye though less sturdy—and though I had my glasses they’re about four years old, so quite underprescribed. There was no choice but to go home and get a replacement, and I was extremely sensitive about wasting money on transportation that I didn’t have to, considering I’d found out that morning that my parents will be paying about $30,000 more this year for my university tuition.
So I got my contact lens, went to the Apple Store, where they told me it was an easy enough replacement and they had the part in stock, yet they had to tell me to wait 5-7 working days. I was a bit miffed that I wouldn’t have my computer, and more so when they called me up at 10 am the next morning—when we were about to drive up to Coventry—saying, your computer is fixed! You can come pick it up! Which I wouldn’t be able to do until Monday (morning first thing, since I had somewhere to be at 5, and it was the only time I could manage unless I wanted to wait another day). Now, this bit sounds like whining, but Apple Fifth Ave. has a pretty good track record making easy fixes on the spot.
Wasn’t the worst of it. While I was at my friend’s house, my right contact lens ripped, so at midnight I was back at square one. It ruined my entire Saturday, since I had to keep taking naps to rest my eyes. Her family, though really kind and amusing, don’t vacation the way I do—they do everything at a leisurely pace. And coupled with poor traffic, I missed the first half hour of A Winter’s Tale, which really upset me more than I let on, since that’s the one thing I planned this weekend before deciding to spend it with my friend and her family. And it was painful to watch because trying to focus in a dark theatre with bad glasses hurts like hell. I also really wanted to wander around in Stratford, see Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage, but I didn’t want to keep my party waiting… so I didn’t get to do that either.
In addition, eating is a necessity for me, a pastime for them, and I am happy sleeping in a hostel, while my friend’s mother refuses to stay in anything less than five star accomodation. Needless to say, I was stressed out about my purse strings (remember, $30,000 more) since we ate like kings that night.
But the play was wonderful, and Sunday was much better—the sunshine put me in a good mood, and spending the day outside made my eyes not hurt so much. Warwick Castle isn’t just a castle, it’s a day out, as there’s outdoor activities such as trebuchet launching and flight of the eagles shows and (starting next week) jousting. There are people in costume everywhere, and more than a couple cute archers and bird handlers. The castle was bought by the same people who run Madam Tussaud’s, so there were all sorts of wax exhibits inside (Kingmaker, A Royal Weekend Party, the Royal Apartments). Plus we climbed up the towers and got lovely aerial views of the midlands… though I was really glad to get home and see again.