Operatic intentions.

There's a presentation on Medea I should be working on right now, as well as some reading on the Crusades. Instead I'm emailing and msn'ing while listening to city and colour. I realise how often my blogs start with this, an outline of the work I'm supposed to be doing, and then an explanation of how I'm procrastinating instead. Will I change? Find out in two and a half years time! Yes, I know someone hates it when I speak like that, but hell, it was appropriate this time!

Currently reading One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. Thought not many people had heard of it, then I found out my personal tutor ranks it highly as one of his favourite books. Came home, was walking with it upstairs and then my mother spotted it and proceeded to tell me how she read it thirty years ago and enjoyed it immensely. Not so much a literary hipster victory, but a fail. Yet I don't feel down, that would be facetious. That such a brilliant book is known is a good thing. Solzhenitsyn on the other hand, I can't say I identify with, his ideas of the prominence and importance of the Judeo-Christian tradition on civilisation and the ensuing morality is rather insulting. Though the influence on art, philosophy, literature, architecture and politics is undoubted, to say that the lack of belief in God results in moral breakdown is insulting to human reason and humanity in general. The shift from fear to responsibility is important, it weighs on a person. If you do wrong, you do wrong. When you don't, it's not because of the fear of divine retribution.

Been talking to an American college student of late. Reminded me how much I enjoy Opera. I should try to get down to London more often to see productions, to enjoy it and yet not see it live is wrong somehow. Same goes for theatre, I enjoy it, have of course been there, but don't go as often as I'd like. Ah, so much I want to do, so little motivation.