A very enlightening conversation of nothing of consequence, i.e. "Much Ado About Nothing" (#2, i.e., the sequel)

Just a quick post before I embark on yet another academic journey into the lands of Systemic Functional Grammar (or Hispan. Lit... Or Conversational Spanish... we'll see). As me and Jalita were obliged to divide our marathon into two laps last week, there were a few things we had to clarify. To be honest, as far as yours truly is concerned, the humor of it all faded a little as we proceded to the end of this message conversation. Note also the interesting development of "etc." to "&c.":

* * * * * * * *

Me:

My dear Ms. Christiane,

The purpose of this post is to hereby thank you - yet again - for having bestowed upon me your presence in this by no means complete cinematic marathon (which, incidentally, was not concerning physical exercise, unless one takes into account the muscles used for laughing). I enjoyed myself indeed and I hope this may be continued on a future, albeit not too distant, occasion, so that we may gaze upon Mr. Firth's fine eyes, utterly justifiable pride, somewhat odd-looking pants, exceedingly long side burns and - lastly - wet shirt.

Mary: "Misfortunes, we are told, are sent to test our fortitude, and may often reveal themselves as blessings in disguise."
Lydia: "Lord, I'm so hungry!"

Yours etc.,
Elise of West Frontier Hall (yes, I do have an exceedingly small hall, and yes my windows are full west, but that is of little matter)

Jalita:

Dear Ms. Elise,

Indeed, it is I that should be thanking you for the most excellent party you held in honour of 'Pride and Prejudice.' Yes, we must and shall continue the immense pleasure that comes from gazing upon a television screen when such beautiful pictures of times past rolls across it.

I have an inquiry about our next meeting. Will you be hosting the movie marathon, or will you be as good as to call upon me? I wonder for you have never before been invited to my humble abode. Though I do not possess a television apparatus, I am the proud owner of a laptop on which I can play digital video disks.

So kindly think carefully about my proposal, and I beg of you, to answer as quickly as possible! I hold my breath in suspense. My poor nerves! You don't know how I suffer! But then I never complain!

Yours e&.,
Ms. Christhiane of See-Around Cottage

Me:

Dear Ms. Christhiane,

I humbly bestow upon you my sincerest gratitudes for your most speedy reply of yester-day, and can only wallow in my own shame for not having had any opportunity to send you a more swift reply than this. However, rest assured, it will pass. No doubt more swiftly than it should.As for your kind request for hosting the sequel of our cinematic cerebral and ocular extravaganza, I accept it with great elation and eagerness, since - as you have so considerately and justly observed - I have never had the pleasure to call upon you on your most agreeable place of residence. I can answer for myself, I have no fixed engagements besides yet another day of extensive reading and taking turns (it's so refreshing!). Thus, I hereby give you leave to exhale. To have an apparatus which does not coincide with the regular definition of a television, is of little matter to me. I shall be quite content with viewing it on a carriable personal computer.

Pray, when are you available the remainder of this week? As you may be well aware, I am obliged to attend a lecture to-morrow from 12 to 14, but - I flatter myself - I will be vacant the rest of this week apart from this mandatory seance. Due to our rapid discussion the other day upon your departure, would Friday be most convenient for your person, perchance?

I await your reply with great enthusiasm, dear friend, and deeply apologize for having caused so much trouble with respect to your nerves and for having vexed you greatly. I notice from your previous letter that you are quite put out. However, I am sure that this will swiftly pass as well.

Yours &c.,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall

Jalita:

Dear Ms. Elise,

I thank you for your quick reply. Let me than you for your excellent suggestion, for Friday is a highly convenient day for a visit, although I do have a few priory fixed engagements. I myself am obliged to do household necessities, take a turn about the room, and to attend a group meeting at three to four in the afternoon, but thereafter I shall have no more engagements, unless, of course, we fix this date for the continuation of our Pride and Prejudice cinematic marathon.

At what hour would you be so kind as to come to me? I was pleased with meeting at 6 last time, and meeting at this hour shall provide me with the ability to get myself in order after finishing the obligations outside the home this day.

And I thank you again for your relatively quick reply yesterday, and I bed of you to make haste once more as the day, I hope, we now have agreed upon, is fast approaching.

Yours &c.,
Ms. Christhiane of See-Around Cottage

Me:

Dear Ms. Christhiane,

Yet again, I humbly thank you for your most cordial reply. I dare say I would be honored to call on you upon the sixth hour tomorrow. Shall we perchance encounter ourselves on the carriage stop - I believe the less archaic term for it is "tube station" - of your home? As I am not accustomed to the area surrounding your most agreeable cottage, I would be very much obliged to encounter your person on that point instead of walking around aimlessly speculating if the passing-by redcoats are here to subdue the discontented populus or to defeat us against the French.

I humbly implore you for providing a hasty reply, as even now our date of encounter is hard upon our heels - make haste, make haste, make haste!

Yours &c.,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall

Jalita:

Dear Ms. Elise

I am sorry to say, but there is a slight problem meeting at the carriage stop. If everything has its due course, the masses spilling out of the carriages will most probably prevent you from catching sight of me and not be carried with the wave. I therefore propose that you choose a seat at the very front of the carriages. When you reach the destination, follow the flow of folk down the flight of steps, under the underpassage, over the road, down another staircase, and you ought to see the green sign of the convinience shop, Kiwi. I shall meet you there when you descend from the stairs.

Yours &c.,
Ms. Christhiane of See-Around Cottage

Me:

Dear Ms. Christhiane,

That of which you write is of little matter. I am certain that given the circumstances surrounding the disembarkment of the carriage I will be able to maneuvre myself towards the great green sign of the all-too-familiar convenience shop. I look very much forward to seeing you there to-morrow.

Yours &c.,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall

Postscript: It has come to my attention that there was a slight error in my last letter. Notably, the passing redcoats are not to "defeat us against the French", but rather "defend us against the French". Surely redcoats are not that cruel to their own countrymen. "I remember once when I fancied a redcoat myself - and I do still, in my heart..."

* * * * * * * *

*LOL* This is the longest conversation I've had with this kind of language. Really great fun!



Signing off,
Elise

A very enlightening conversation of nothing of consequence, i.e. "Much Ado About Nothing".

An SMS conversation between me and a friend of mine (and these are actual unrevised quotes):

Me:

My dear Ms. J.,

I write to inquire about our encounter on this very day. As I am aware that your prior engagements may be tentative, I would be very much content with a short account of your whereabouts for the day. Furthermore, as I myself have somewhat imperative matters to deal with (including extensive reading), I also wish to inquire if it may be possible to shorten our meeting slightly.

Yours respectfully,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall

J.:
When should I present myself to her ladyship? Will around six be a good time to call?

Ms. C. of See-Around Cottage

(followed by...)

It is now my intention to do some slight exercise for 30 or 20 minutes slightly past 4 o'clock this afternoon. After which I will engage in stretching for an extended period of time. If God be willing, I will arrive at your stately mansion at around 6 this afternoon, or if it suits your ladyship, I will postpone my engagements an hour, and arrive upon your doorstep at the good hour of 7 this evening.

Yours truly etc.
Ms. J. of See-Around Cottage

Me:

My dear Ms. C.,

After having had time to ponder upon the time in which I will yet again have the pleasure of enjoying your amiable company, I believe it will suffice to place our encounter upon the sixth hour if, God willing, your time of exercise will not prove to be a vexatious conflict to it. If so, please permit me to offer an olive branch by adding that you may arrive at my humble hall at any time in concordance with your schedule of events between the aforementioned hour (the sixth hour) and the subsequent (the seventh hour). I look exceedingly forward to the encounter, my dear friend!

Yours etc.,
Ms. Elise of West Frontier Hall



This is some of the most beautiful nonsense in which I've been able to partake. Stay tuned. There may be more.


Signing off (while undergoing a giggling fit),
Elise

THIS SUCKS. BIG TIME. (HENCE THE UPPER-CASE LETTERS.)

I just found out that I can't take the Newer Hispan. Lit. course I wanted to take Spring '09. For SOME reason, the teacher had cancelled all lectures/classes for that semester. So NOW I have to settle with Older (Elder?) Hispan. Lit. instead.

*grr* (#1)

IN ADDITION, I also found that there are virtually NO courses regarding American History or Civilization in said spring semester EITHER. So if I'm aiming to fill my 30-credit minimum quota for what is supposed to be my final Bachelor semester, I have no other choice but to take "American politics, institutions, geography and economic system". Which will suffice, I guess, but was not quite what I had expected. I wanted more of the American history bit instead of simply just a focus on the contemporary stuff.

*grr* (#2)

FURTHERMORE, it's not possible for me to take the introductory course in Iberian history EITHER. That TOO is only offered in autumn semesters.

*GRR* (#3, more forcefully this time as my agitation rises)

Needless to say, I feel ripped off. Very ripped off, as a matter of fact. And I don't think I'm the only one who's ever felt that before. I just CAN'T BELIEVE what the uni's done to the supposed "array" of courses per semester. This goes particularly to the British and American courses offered here. As far as Spanish is concerned, there have been a few cuts, but not quite as substantial as those concerning English language and English-speaking cultures. Us students are supposed to CHOOSE our own study path without having to resort to taking courses against our will due to inflexibilities of others. Whatever happened to the free choice that the politicians have talked about for what seems ages? Whatever happened to the focus on the educational system and the promotion of higher education?

("Whatever happened to [y]our love? I wish I understood..." (FYI, "S.O.S." by ABBA) Yes, there's still room for randomness in the midst of a fiery rant of the faults of Norwegian higher education.)

Bah. Humbug.

In times like these I just wish that I could flee to some other uni and study there instead, be it another Norwegian uni which actually DOES offer the courses I wish to take in the spring semester or a uni in another country, preferably one in either Spain/Latin America or Canada/the States - where I might perhaps get an even BETTER offer of such courses than here in Norway.

But naturally I won't resort to such drastic measures. I won't jeopardize my being in the Oslo system for this. Besides, it's too late for me to apply for a semester abroad anyway. The deadline for these applications was a couple of weeks ago.

*heaves a deep sigh*

Anyway, enough ranting. On the brighter side of this, I still am able to complete my criteria for entering the Pedagogy year next autumn, as I just had to make a few minor adjustments to my Spanish (future) credits. Older Hispan. Lit. instead of Newer Hispan. Lit. (GRRRRRRRRRRRR!) I'm still able to qualify for that year, at least here in Oslo. The rest of the stuff I'm planning on taking are just things that may come in handy when I'm working.

If only I could take Iberian History. If only I could take an American history course.

If only students had a better course selection.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I repeat: THIS SUCKS.



Signing off (frustratingly),
Elise

"No leave-o!"

After having frantically read through the last text for tomorrow's lecture and scribbled down a few sentences for each of the questions we're supposed to have answered, I'm finally done and utterly knackered. Forgive me for any errors in this post, be it orthographic or semantic. I'm tired. But I'm determined to post this. :-)

Lately I've had a song stuck in my head (absurdly enough?!). Ever heard of Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good"? That's the one. And it's just as 80's as it gets. The riff with the trumpets and the electric guitar just gets me for some reason. And then there's also the lyrics themselves. Really quite nice, to be honest.



And a newer song which has a more Latino feel over it. Quite nice as well, this one.



Ooh, and speaking of vids, in Spanish class today (the conversation-based one) we were shown a YouTube vid which really cracked me up. For you who don't speak a word of Spanish there are a few instances in this vid which may make you chuckle as well. Apparently this was/is quite the popular vid on the site. After all, who can resist his Latin passion and charm (heck, just observe the look in his eyes, oozing with desire), not to mention the shirt of his which so sensually complements the paleness of the skin on his chest. Now THIS is the Latin Lover. Rawr.



That was the first semester. Here's the second. And notice also his silky shirt in this one. Enrique Iglesias, eat your heart out. I'm going for this one!



A real catch, innee? I have to admit that the first one is more palatable to me than the second one, though.

Meanwhile, what's going on in the small and insignificant bubble of that is otherwise called "The Life of Elise"? (Yes, circumlocution is my friend. I *heart* long, elaborate sentences and big words!) Well, that could be summed up in two words:

Not much. (^.^)

Yesterday I arrived back in Oslo after 5 great days at home wherein I visited family and cuz and just basically had a wonderful time. 7:30am in the morning after having taken the night train from home to Oslo. The seats there are hard. In fact, the muscles around my tailbone still hurt a little from all that sitting. However, I've had a good night's sleep last night and felt (somewhat) up and at'em today.

I was hoping to see my best friend again last weekend as well, but she'd already made plans of spending time with her fiancée and consequently wouldn't be able to come home. (Obvious Circumlocution #3, or was it #4? #5? Who's counting anyway?) Ah well, just one of the many wonders of timing, I guess.

It was really good seeing my cousin again, however. She's just completed her first month as a social worker and is enjoying it despite the somewhat frustrating challenges with having to figure out e.g. the computer system and not to mention dealing with pushy clients. Luckily they've got a security guard in close vicinity in case matters should get out of hand. So yeah, she told me a few stories about her job and all that jazz.

And needless to say, we were just as silly as usual. Just like one part of our endless conversation, wherein we talked about blondes vs. brunettes. She's a blonde while I'm a borderline-chestnut-haired brunette. She'd just stated that she enjoys being a blonde more than being a brunette (she's dyed her hair a few times since her teens). So to counterattack this accusation, I responded that "Blondes may have more fun, but brunettes do it better!" After a few minutes of elaborating around this issue, she suddenly bursts out with this gem of a comment: "Brunette rime' på BÆSJ! [Brunette rhymes with POO!]" This was then followed by an awkward silence and me laughing my head off while she promptly and in vain continues her defense: "IN YOUR FACE!!!" And just to clarify in case there was any doubt: We're 22 years old. Yes, both of us.

Anyway. Off to BEDfordshire (which should not be confused with the English county having only the "B" capitalized - yeah, I just killed that joke. Requiescat in Pace).

The princess is tired.

(OBVIOUSLY ironically meant. Yup, killed that one, too. I must be a serial killer of jokes when I'm tired.)



Signing off,
Elise