the kite runner

i lived the book the kite runner. it was one of the first english language books i had bought in ages, after years of living in moscow, budapest and paris. i came over to london on the eurostar for my interview for the phd programme i am now in. after the interview i had some time to kill, but not enough to do anything particularly exciting, so i wandered into a book shop, and took advantage of one of the english 3 for 2 deals. one of the books i choose, and the first i read, was the kite runner.
years later, it is still on the 3 for 2 offer, and has held that slot for longer than any book i can think of, with the possible exception of the life of pi. it is one of those books i recomend evey time someone comes in and asks what on earth to buy (although often when i suggest it, they have already read it)
so it was with great expectations that i went off to see the film yesterday evening. the last film adaptation i saw, northern lights/ the golden compass, was pretty bad, so i was a bit worried this would be another disappointing rendidion of a much loved book. but on the whole i liked the film. i LOVED that the film used afghan actors speaking their own language, as i had been dreading some american version with actors speaking in bad accents (like so many "set in russia" films i have endured). i was also happy to note taht many people in england are willing to show up to a film with subtitles. the film had some really gripping parts and the child actors were very good. it also gave a graphic view of how a country can go to hell in a very short period of time. the film/ book begin in the late 70s, where part of the society at least live in a westernised world of rock music, bell bottems, whisy and pool parties. when the main character, amir, returns in 2000, the taliban have created a surreal atmosphere of paranoia and fear. kabul is in ruins, children run part naked on the streets, the trees have all been burnt down, and the houses are alll falling apart. in 20 years the place had become unrecogonisable.
this transition was demonstrated effectively by the film, providing a shocking visual manifestation of collapse.....but i still prefered the book. the film was good, but there is nothing like a satisfying read....

christmas is over, finally

i suppose most british people enjoy the christmas season: it is a chance to have a holiday from work, overeat, get gifts and see their family....but not if you work in retail!
christmas is the busiest time of year: sales in novemeber and december are basically the same as the rest of the year combined, so there is really no way to underestimate the seasons importance. i have been doing overtime since the start of november, and only next week, when the sale maddness is behind will things begin to get back to normal. by the end of january, the place will be almost dead, and it will stay that way at least until summer.
in some ways i dont mind the christmas rush, we are all so busy taht there is no time to get bored. on the other hand, people get angry and agressive as the get stressed and closer to the big day: they shout, make ridiculous demands and throw tantrums like little kids.authors come in to do signings practically every other day. ian mcewan was very nice (signing a copy of atonement for my aunt) and jamie oliver was an utter twat, arriving once again with an entourage of 15 people, all to sign his beek about how to lead the good and "simple" life out in the country. somehow i doubt a man who needs a squad to sign books grows his own veg, but anyway....
nigella lawson was not much better, but then i didnt have high hopes.....
despite all the endless shifts, i have somehow been reading alot. this is partly since i have had loads of free books dumped on me, but also due to the new place where i live, which is an uninterupted ride from where i work, giving me a good chuck of non-degree related reading every night as i head home.
i finally read No Mean City, the novel of the gorbals, the slum my father was born in. actually the book was published shortly after his birth and is set at just that time: the depression. it was pretty grim stuff, a tale of fighting, drinking and not having indoor plumbing. my parents took me once to see that part of glasgow, and i do have vague memories of such things, but by that time things had already been massively renovated, although the area still looked grim....when i told my dad i had been reading the book, he insisted that although his family had been poor they still more respectable than those in the novel! i guess everything is relative, even in poverty.
from there i moved on to reading some journalistic biographies set in zimbabwe: house of stone by christina lamb and mukiwa and when a crocodile eats the sun, by peter godwin. grim all over again with regards to the present state of things there, although the parts that intrigued me the most were the details of how white people there lived in the 60s and 70s: basically like immune gods. it was fascinating and sickening at the same time.
continueing the biography/memoir theme, i read the latest book by isabel allende, suma de los dias. i wasnt too impressed. it seemed to be trying to cash in on the (deserved) popularity of paula, but without the self reflection. there was also a bit too much self satisfaction in there...although there were a few juicy sections, such as allende's daughter in law becoming a lesbian...but at a certain point i have to ask myself: do i care?
so in such a way i spent my christmas: curled up in bed, reading free books. i cant really complain.

one down

part of the reason i havent written much in the past month is that i have been stuck with three jobs. i was unfortunate, they just happened to all overlap, and i couldnt do much about it, especially as i need the money and experience.
but today i handed in my final grades at ucl, so i am no longer teaching there, and left with only two jobs. thank god. teaching at the university level for the first time was, of course, an important experience adn i learned alot. but i am not really sure this is what i want to do with my life, adn if anything it has motivated me to explore my options in others fields. the kids werent bad kids, they were just very uninformed and unsure what they were doing at university. it seems british kids go to university as it is expected of them, at least if they come from the middle class, which most of them do. they are essentially there cause mummy and daddy would not have allowed anything else, btu that is the only reason. i had a handful who were clearly the first in their families to pursue higher education, adn those kids worked harder than the average. there were also a few who were generally interested in the subject matter....but i think i could count them on one hand.
i will give the english credit for one thing: they can write the most amazing sick notes. for example, i got this letter the last week of term, it was forwarded by the department secretary:

I have come down with a bad case of the flu and wont be attending my
> lectures until Wednesday and would like you to notify my lecturers.
> This is because on Saturday night i collapsed three times and in the
> process badly damaged my front teeth, which now have to be repaired.
> The Dentist also mentioned a form that I should be able to collect
> from university so that i can receive free treatment, if possible
> could you send it via an email?
> Many Thanks, X

amazing, isnt it? another student announced he wouldnt be able to make it in as he "didnt have enough money for the bus ticket." i suggested he start walking early, but he didnt take me up on it.
i am starting to think all first years should be required to take a hard and exhausting gap year prior to commencing study....

yikes!

over a month has gone by since i last wrote. i dont think i have ever allowed that to happen before.
but then i have been extremely busy and not with good internet access. i have been working like mad, and had several celebrity encounters at my job.
john bolton, bush's walrus-like ex ambassador to the UN, came in the other week, and pitched an absolute fit over where his latest book, pompously titled "surrender is not n option," had been shelved. we put it in american politics. however, he felt that he was an issue of world importance, an should thus be more prominantly displayed. we told him to bugger off, as politely as one can.
needless to say i was delighted to find this review in this week's economist:
http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10281457
the review fits the man, at least as the man presented himself to us!
on a happier note, Ian McEwan was nice and signed a copy of atonement for my aunt, she will be happy.