Merry Christmas and to All a Good Night

Hello Roomies,
I hope everyone is doing well this holiday season. I recommend everyone check this out:
http://www.pistolwimp.com/media/55184/

"The Winter's Tale" by Shakespeare, Lisbon Players, 23-11 to 16-12, 2006

TV

Yes, I'm watching Heroes (NBC). It's a good comic book in the form of a TV show (Hiro, the japanese guy who molds time and space, is so funny); especially since The Nine (ABC), a very curious character study, was cancelled. But for me the best new show is probably the amusing Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC) from Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing — wonderfully written, directed, and acted. A glimpse:
I've heard great things about the remake of The Office (NBC). It might be the best comedy serial on American television, now that the insanely hilarious Arrested Development (Fox) is over. I have to check it out.
24's new season trailer is promising. I hope it's as good as the fifth: an intimate drama on the consequences of realpolitik (there's an odd cleavage between the news and the dramas at Fox). Here's the preview for those of you who haven't seen it:

An intense and suspenseful series is Prison Break (Fox), now in its second year: you should watch it.
I'm going to the US next year. I've been accepted to present a paper at a conference at the University of North Carolina - Greensboro on March 16. The conference name is "It's the End of the World... Again": Why Buffy Still Matters. My paper is called "Being Her/She: On 'Who Are You?'" I'd love to visit you (Amber/Ross and Sarah/Steve), but I'm only going to stay for about two or three days. With my teaching at UKC commencing in January and my ongoing PhD research, 2007 will be a full year.
Meanwhile, I shall be in Portugal, gathering my strength by eating Kings cake.

Heroes

Hey Sergio,
Have you seen this new show called "Heroes?" It's pretty wild. It's kind of X-Men meets Lost in so far as you have no idea what's going on. You should check it out. Amber and I have been watching "The Office" (American version) these days. That show is too funny. Also, we waiting for 24 to start in January. It looks awesome. Take it easy. Are you going back to Portugal for Christmas? Don't want to miss out on that Kings Cake...

Terror and Humanity

An exchange of words between Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), FBI profiler, and Jind Allah (Anthony Aizi), islamic terrorist detained in Gantanamo:
GIDEON: We receive comfort from our prayers.
JIND ALLAH: We?
GIDEON: Human beings. (pause) I say something wrong?
JIND ALLAH: You placed us on the same level.
GIDEON: Aren't we?
JIND ALLAH: Well, here, I am thought of as less than human.
GIDEON: And in your jihad, I am.
(Criminal Minds 2.10 "Lessons Learned")

"The Winter's Tale" by Shakespeare

Here are some rehearsal pics of a Lisbon Players' production of The Winter's Tale, directed by Grant Shepherd and with costumes and set by yours truly. It will open next week (hopefully...) and you are all invited to come and join us in Lisbon.

Praising "Veronica Mars"

Veronica Mars is in its third year. Some might say it's just a serial about a girl who likes to play detective. It's not.
The show created by Rob Thomas has captured the deserved attention of scholars. Veronica Mars is the true inheritor of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's art and wit: adolescence as a transitional period not as an eternal era of mindless fun and brief romances, a time when we find our identity and place in the world. It doesn't have the allegorical trait of Joss Whedon's creation, it has a confessional tone, but the moral and political discussions are there, called upon by this string of stories, events, and characters. "A long time ago, we used to be friends," tells us the song in the opening credits.
Veronica (Kristen Bell) is now in college. Successive campus rapes have made a group of radical feminists decide to hate confusing patriarchal power with "men" and a true criminal with a "scapegoat" - not her. To this I might add, e.g., the references to Abu Ghraib in "My Big Fat Greek Rush Week" (3.02) where Logan and Wallace and their colleagues participate in a Sociology class role-playing experiment as prisoners (with a secret to keep) and prison guards (with a secret to get).
Wasn't this supposed to be just entertainment? (Why just entertainment??) It never was.
Look again.
[Congrats on quitting smoking, Sarah. It must be hard. Hang on!]

'Ello, Guv's

Hi All,
Great to hear from everybody. So, as Steve wrote, we are living in Harvard Square and bracing for what looks like will be a cold winter. We are attending a Uni of Kent reunion for N. American students on November 9th right here at Harvard. We're pretty lucky it is so close to us. Should be fun, maybe we'll meet some Hothe alum?
Our one-year wedding anniversary is this weekend and we are planning a road trip up the east coast from Boston to Canada (passing through New Hampshire and Maine) in our 1992 Accord. Let us hope it makes it.
In other news, we found a legitimate chip shop/British pub in Brooklyn last month called 'Chip Shop' (font in the sex pistols fashion). I had a real Ploughman's Lunch (much to the horror of my brother as I munched on a huge chunk of bread, pickled onion, Stilton cheese, and Branston Pickle) and washed it down with a (proper 20 oz.) draught pint of Old Speckled Hen. The place is cool- it has a ‘take away’ section (complete with blue and white tiled walls) serving chips, cod, chip butties, kebabs, etc. that is open late night and a dining section serving your standard British fare. It was good fun.
As you can tell, I am missing the UK.
Well I hope everybody is well. I miss ya’ all terribly, hopefully we will all meet again soon. Thanks to Filipa and Sergio for starting this- nice job. Woody, you dropped the ball.
I am going to post some pics from graduation on the blog- Chris and Hyewon-do you have any?
Shout out to Jim- Happy Birthday next week!
One last thing- I quit smoking! Been hard but OK. Will be 1 month this weekend. And NO, Woody, I am not preggers :-)

Hothe Court: October 2006

Why did'nt I think of that? The thought did cross my mind when I heard about the blog. What a great way to continue the adventures and stories of the fair ladies and fashionable gentleman of Hothe. I'm glad Sergio thought this thing through. Or was it Filipa. It does'nt matter. What does, however, is that you all get to hear my ramblings quite frequently from now on (I can imagine Myers skipping with excitement at this very thought. Calm down Guv'nor). The only thing that got me down was the fact that I did not think of it first !!! Dem you Sergio !!! :-)

Hello Hothers

Hello Ladies & Gents,
I am adopting Ross's term of "Hothers". I like it because it sounds like some U.S. college football mascot.
I am in Cambridge, MA, USA, along with Sarah, who I expect will be signing in soon. I'm working a 10-minute walk from our apartment, in Harvard Square. The fancy university next door certainly causes the price of a "chip butty" and other luncheon items to reach the stratosphere. Other than that, things are going well. Hope to hear from those in the 4 corners of the world.

Newsy

Hi Guys
I moved to Tokyo a couple of days ago and will be starting work on Monday. Hyewon is still in the UK and will be coming in December.

Where Are You Hothe Court?

Hi Everyone,
This is my first posting. I hope it works. Anyway, what's up Hothers? Everyone should post something just so we know where everybody is. Amber and I are in Sacramento, CA. What are you guys doing these days? I'm ever so curious.

Hothe Court Neighbourhood

Welcome everyone! Let's cook some thoughts in this kitchen of ours.

Hothe Court Revisited

This was our home from September 2004 to September 2005. We came from different countries and were all studying for master's degrees at UKC.








Today we're separated by frontiers and oceans but bounded by a need to keep in contact. This virtual house arises from the remembrance of those days.