Today life has been a series of events in between yawns. The weekend appears to have caught up with me. In fact it caught up and overtook me without indicating.
Any hope of a lie-in was scuppered this morning when the decorators-cum-demolishers started on next door. It is easy to understand their enthusiasm though as they were dismantling the fireplace taste forgot. At times their exuberance made me worry we'd be getting a service hatch between our front room and theirs.
So a day of banging commenced (stop tittering at the back)
My gags weren't used by the way but I did get brave and post them on the read, write and review thread at Writer's Dock. Got some helpful feedback,gag #2 got the thumbs up! It would appear I am the right track, I just need to keep going.
It would appear I have been sublimely trying to gag (is gag a verb?) for a while by sending (hopefully witty) one liners etc to The Sun's letters page. Why the Sun? Because if you get in you get £15 and that keeps me in haribos and women's magazines - we all need an incentive in life. I got about 5 or 6 in last years - little witicisms I was desperate to share somewhere. Got another letter in today. Well my boobs would never get me into The Sun. If they wanted my face and nipples on the same page there'd have to be a flip down section. Gravity doesn't suck but it does pull.
Now in a vain attempt to prove I can read world of more than 2 syllables I am trying to find the answers to this competition in The Times. I really want to win one of these prize packs of 50 books. So far I am confident I have 47 of the 50 answers but this one in particular is driving me to distraction:
26. Kant Immanuel Kant put the four “principal arts” — oratory, painting, music and poetry — in order of preference. What was it?
I can't find the answer anywhere and can feel my sanity slipping away. If you know, feel free to share with me and thus keep me stable. This one is also causing mild hair tearing out symptoms:
48. The Enlightenment What name did Jean-Jacques Rousseau give to the inspirational teacher in his classic Emile?
And this one is just plain mean.
41. Psychology What do gestalt psychogists look at, as opposed to behaviourists? (that spelling mistake is in The Times by the way, I've left it as for a millisecond it let's me feel slightly superior)
That isn't a competition question, that is an exam question. Being a person who has always believed why use 10 words when 100 will do, how on earth do I answer that succinctly? To my mind that question is begging a 3000 word essay.
Well I suppose there are worst things I could spend my evening researching on the internet than Immanuel Kant.
I can't answer any of the real questions, but I have always used 'gag' as a verb:
"He was gagging for it"
"That made me gag"
It's a vomity kind of word :).
Posted by: Ally | 08 May 2006 at 09:06 PM
Ally - you could have a point, is it a coincidence that gag (as in the comedy term) is link to spewing? I thionk not! :o)
Posted by: Beki | 08 May 2006 at 09:19 PM
Hmm, good luck! That sort of thing would keep me awake half the night, niggling.
Posted by: St Jude | 08 May 2006 at 10:01 PM
I'm not sure if this is what they are looking for but gestalt psychologists study configurational properties. In plain English that means they believe humans don't react to individual stimuli, but to situations as a whole. Or even more simply, when you listen to a piece of music, you don't hear individual notes, you hear the whole composition. You are right, this is an exam question LOL
Posted by: Kate | 09 May 2006 at 11:10 AM
Kate is correct about "reacting to situations as a whole." I have heard it referred to in gestalt as "phenomenonological", or "awareness of reality". Trick question, Beki.
Another tricker, I THINK: the tutor was, in fact, named Jean-Jacques.
If you lose, please don't hate me. After all, I AM a cat.
Posted by: Adm. Pooper | 09 May 2006 at 07:02 PM
I love it when I feel slightly superior to someone or something even just for a milisecond. It doesn't happen very often sadly.
Not having a clue of either gestalt or behaviourisy psychology doesn't help either.
Posted by: Ms. Mac | 09 May 2006 at 07:17 PM
I'm supposed to have done some psychology training and certainly agree with Kate's very clear explanation even though I couldn't have put it that succinctly myself. But don't get too hung up on it or you'll be going round in circles. ( That's a gag that only sad gestalt therapists would get without an explanation so it's not a very good one).
Posted by: Cherrypie007 | 09 May 2006 at 09:10 PM
Hurrah - I've lured other victims into my Kant and Gestalt Psychology spidersweb of competition hell.
I prefered it when I went to sleep at night and just dreamt of basic phalic things. Gestalt theory is ruining all my dreams about cucumbers.
Posted by: Beki | 09 May 2006 at 09:34 PM
I knew that A'level in psychology would be useful for something other than scaring away pervy men. It's good for that too though, trust me, if they think you might analyse them they run a mile, tee hee.
Posted by: Kate | 11 May 2006 at 12:10 PM
Kant? Poetry Oratory Painting & Music
Posted by: mike | 14 May 2006 at 11:36 PM
Gestalt psychologists posit that mind and brain development is spontaneous and reactive rather than atomistic and conditioned.
Posted by: Mike | 15 May 2006 at 12:30 AM