Culture Clash

[trinityofone]

Last night I had the unexpected treat of getting to meet kageygirl, who happens (happened, at this point) to be in Dublin. It was so much fun! I took her to Doyle's, where I drank too many vodkas and orange (although fewer than jarsy got me to consume, so points there--to whichever side, depending on your point of view) and she, much braver, tried drinks in shades of electric blue and red. Seriously, they looked like something that might be seen bubbling in the back of a laboratory in a bad '50s Sci-Fi film, and they tasted like distilled Jolly Ranchers. kageygirl, if you develop any kind of superpowers (or experience enzyme-like withdrawal symptoms), please, let me know.

Anyway, it was really great to just get to chat with someone for a few hours with the geek-filters firmly off. It may have been the alcohol, but we are so cool when we band together! Among other things, I told kageygirl about my plan to have Fandom Take Over the World. We must infiltrate Hollywood from the inside, individually getting jobs as script girls and then working our way up to become writers, producers, creators! We are the future of our own entertainment! Fangirls unite!

Ahem. Anyway, I'm so glad we got to do that, kageygirl! And anyone else passing though the greater Dublin area? I don't know any cool places to go and I can't hold my liquor very well, but I swear, we would have a blast! Hmm. *contemplates career in advertising*

This afternoon, I had the awkward experience of having to participate in a Home Rule debate--19th Century Home Rule, but still. We were assigned our positions in advance, and I had to argue the lame-o point that the Irish Nationalists would have been perfectly satisfied with Home Rule, which made me feel all American and buttinskyish. The situation was made even more awkward by the fact that, of the 20-odd people in the class, only five of us showed up. *intones breathily, à la Old Rose in Titanic* Just five. It was painful, really. And then I had to go and say this:

Me: But all of your points seem to be based on the idea that Home Rule wouldn't have been fully satisfying. When can something--especially a political something--ever be fully satisfying? Your entire argument is based on this ridiculous 'If you give a mouse a cookie' mentality and--
Everyone else: *extremely blank looks*
Me: Oh God, none of you have read that book, have you?

In conclusion (and thanks to mandysbitch) I blame The Simpsons. Clearly, they never did an episode that featured If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and thus they betrayed their sacred purpose as The International School of Cultural Relations. Or else I just make bizarre and obscure references and I need to stop bringing pop culture into political debates.

One final note: Patrick, one of the (Un)Lucky 5, and someone who fate has conspired to keep sitting at the opposite end of the room from me for the whole previous part of the year, has the most gorgeous blue eyes I have ever seen. We were given ten minutes to coordinate our positions with the other people on our teams, and it was just me and him whispering over a piece of notebook paper. I made the mistake of looking up and...dear God. I still feel kind of achy: not with lust, not with desire, but with pure want--just to spend five more minutes talking with him, listening to him, watching him.

Of course I discover this on the last day of class. Of course.

I will comfort myself with the beautiful icons dar_jeeling made me for Christmas. SGA + U2 = LOVE.

Comments

[inthekeyofd.livejournal.com]

U2 plus SG:A, that is more than my heart can take!!!

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

But in a happy, "Double your pleasure, double your fun" kind of way, I trust?

[inthekeyofd.livejournal.com]

Oh absolutely!!

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Eeeee! That would be fantastic! Let me know what your plans are; we can haaaaaaaaang. It'll be cool, yo. Where by 'cool,' I mean 'dorky.' =D

[violin-road.livejournal.com]

I have never read If you give a mouse a cookie either (no, I'm not sure quite how), but I'd at least catch the reference.

Culture is weird.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

However...Patrick's accent was teh sex, so I'd kind of be willing to let America keep its mice and its cookies. *vbeg*

[whiskeypants.livejournal.com]

does anybody at trinity read?

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Well, to be fair, it's a kids' book, and possibly one that wasn't widely available over here...

I'm going to go with 'no.'

[jetspeaks.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of it. But I bet you've never read One Wooly Wombat or Tiddalick the frog who caused a flood, either. :)

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Hey, One Wooly Wombat was my favorite book EVER!

Okay, not really. So, y'know, point. I guess we Americans are rather snobby in thinking our culture is universal.

(But dude--the mouse! If you give him a cookie, he's gonna ask for a glass of milk!!!)

[jetspeaks.livejournal.com]

I guess we Americans are rather snobby in thinking our culture is universal.

Well, yeah. But some of us love you anyway. :)

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

No! Fandom is rushing in to fill the VOID left by YOU! Dublin misses you and your fannishness!

Or else, I've been spending the nights I was supposed to be working on my paper constructing an entertainment center in the middle of a corn field. IF I BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME!*

*Just for the record, I really hate that movie. Okay.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

I DON'T HAVE HIS E-MAIL! *CRIES*

...And to be fair, this was my history class. Though I'm really not sure how that makes a difference, considering it's a book for three-year-olds.

[(Anonymous)]

Oooh, that makes it harder. How did you get in touch with him in the first place?

I suppose you could always talk to him before/after the final - I'm sure there will be some sort of drinking and celebration going on.

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

1) I didn't get in touch with him, I was just assigned to work with him, in class, today.

2) Today was our last tutorial (small section), but the (huge) class is year-long, so the final's not until June. WOE.

I think it's hopeless. *is without hope*

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Well, despite being completely and utterly cynical, I'm also an eternal optimist, so I haven't really given up hope. I've just kind of shunted him into the back of my mind along with Poor, Lost Alex...it's the Le Sigh Lobe, you may have heard of it. *g*

[darcydodo]

If you know his surname, you could probably guess at his address based on your own (first six letters of surname plus first initial?). And if that bounces, you could try e-mailing srecords@tcd.ie, which is apparently how one finds out student contact information. I figure they're more likely to give out contact info to another Trinity student than some random person. ;)

As for "If you give a mouse a cookie"... I'm not sure I ever read it, either, given that it came out in 1985... but then again, I certainly know the general idea. Anyway, just be glad it was (probably) a cultural thing, and not a generation gap problem — I once referenced Garbage Pail Kids in German, and most the other students (who were younger) were like, WTF?

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

I don't know his surname. Our love is doomed from the start!

IYGaMaC came out as late as '85? Huh. Seems to me like it's existed forever. (And for me, it kinda has.) You should go and read it standing up at the bookstore--truly a classic piece of children's literature.

How young were the kids in your German class? 'Cause, I mean--I know what the Garbage Pail Kids are, and they (er, the other students, not the GPK) couldn't have been much younger than I am, right?

[mandysbitch.livejournal.com]

conclusion (and thanks to mandysbitch) I blame The Simpsons. Clearly, they never did an episode that featured If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and thus they betrayed their sacred purpose as The International School of Cultural Relations

Never heard of it - so yeah, guess The Simpsons really let you down there...

On the plus side, I reckon that without ever having read an Edgar Allen Poe poem I could write a paper on him based solely on knowledge garnered from the Simpsons.

Hark the raven: eat my shorts!

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity (http://www.livejournal.com/users/trinityofone/34101.html?thread=698421#t698421): have you read One Woolly Wombat or Tiddalick the Fog Who Cause a Flood?

Re: Hark the raven: eat my shorts!

[mandysbitch.livejournal.com]

Tiddalick the Fog Who Cause a Flood

I've read Tiddalick - it was probably the first Aboriginal tale adapted for consumption in schools so it has a sort of reverence to it. The Woolly Wombat - well, maybe... but I can't remember it off-hand.

But seriously, do they get American kids to watch The Simpsons rendition of The Raven when they're studying EAP in school? Because it would be a bloody crime if they didn't.

Re: Hark the raven: eat my shorts!

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

Not only do they not show us The Simpsons, we didn't even study The Raven; we did The Bells. Which is great, for tintinnabulation if nothing else, but...bwah?

I've gotta see if I can score a copy of Tiddalick off of jetspeaks...

Re: Hark the raven: eat my shorts!

[mandysbitch.livejournal.com]

Also your icon makes me want to write Rodney/ Teyla. I feel this bizarre need to have Rodney do everyone like the big slut he is...

Re: Hark the raven: eat my shorts!

[trinityofone.livejournal.com]

I actually started a Rodney/Teyla story, which was why monanotlisa made me the icon. But it shorted out midway through the sex, goddammit. Still, I'm gonna try to go back to it someday, because I seem to share your bizarre need to make Rodney into an utter ho. I mean, the other day, I spent several solid minutes contemplating the possibilities of Rodney/Lorne. *headdesk*

I always end up feeling bad for John, though. Poor poor John and his slutty, slutty boyfriend...

Re: Hark the raven: eat my shorts!

[mandysbitch.livejournal.com]

Poor poor John and his slutty, slutty boyfriend...

Ooooh... there's fic in that... and I might just write it... *g*