Hothouse thinking

[raven]

Every Wednesday, I seem to arrive about twenty minutes early for an International Relations tute in college, so I tend to go into the JCR, where I usually discover Ben and a plate of food, so we've got into the habit of sitting for those twenty contented minutes and working our way through the Grauniad crossword. Today, sacrilege - someone had already done the G2 quick crossword, and we didn't have enough time for the cryptic. So I leafed lazily through the papers until we found an untouched quick crossword, and pausing for a minute's carping at the obvious nature of the clues ("Travel pass, six letters," Ben said. I said, "Oyster." It was "ticket". Booo. Similarly "Greek capital" was Athens and not any other capital in Ancient Greek history.), we got to it.

But the point is, while looking for a crossword, I found an article entitled "The over-pressured hothouse that is Oxbridge", and having not seen the cover, thought dazedly that I was reading Cherwell.

But I wasn't, of course. The article is in The Independent and is all about the flaws in the system - how "psychological stamina" is valued over actual intellectual ability, and how it becomes a tunnel with a distant light - and yes, both fifth-week blues in general and Andy's death in particular are mentioned. (I guess it's Andy's death, really, that has got people to worrying about this now rather than during any other term I've been here. In fact, does anyone have a source for the oft-quoted statistic about the immensely high level of diagnosed mental illness in Oxford as opposed to the general population? I've heard it, but never seen it referenced.) The article seems a fairly good analysis to me, though I'd quibble at the details. Anyway, I've linked it as being of interest to some, and because it seems notable to me that the collective Hilary mental state round here has actually made a column in the national news.

Speaking of which, I have been declared free from mental illness for the time being. I'm glad of this; I may have trouble sleeping and concentrating, but these, apparently, are due to me rather than any depressive symptoms I may be currently harbouring. I do wish there was some sort of blood test for this kind of thing.

In the meantime, I think I need some lunch and an answer to two down, "agitator" (6,6). We think perhaps that the first word is __B_L, but we may be very wrong.

Comments

[pinkishmew.livejournal.com]

I'm taking this as a sign my parents were right and I should have gone to Oxbridge.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Heh. The fact they don't do your subject is entirely irrelevant, of course. *g*

[pinkishmew.livejournal.com]

Ah yes. I knew there was a reason I didn't apply..

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

Rabble rouser? Doesn't quite fit your words though...

'S a good article, and has a far better lightbulb-changing joke than my previous staple ("doesn't matter, they just hold it still while the world revolves around them").

[slasheuse.livejournal.com]

Could be rebel rouser? or rebel leader?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Rabble rouser it was! Thank you!

[amchau.livejournal.com]

Given how insane my own work ethic can make me at a much more relaxed university, I'm not really surprised that people go mad at Oxford, in the general as well as the medical sense. That said, I'm glad you're mental-illness-free, and I hope you sleep and concentrate better soon.

I want the crossword answer to be 'rebel something' but of course it can't be. Global, tribal... there aren't many words which fit that pattern. 'Trouble maker' won't do it.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

My mental health has declined rather sharply since I wrote this entry, which probably should teach me to tempt fate.

I wanted it to be rebel-something, too, until I realised I'd got one of the other clues wrong. It turned out to be "rabble-rouser".

[amchau.livejournal.com]

Yes, I read your next entry. Please look after yourself, my dear-- I'm sure you do but I'm saying it anyway-- and if there's anything I can do (if you want to talk, or be sent cheesy Robin Hood things, or something), let me know. I'm glad you have Ben and Claire there.

Congratulations to the people on the thread who got that! Did you manage to finish the crossword?

[foreverdirt.livejournal.com]

Speaking of which, I have been declared free from mental illness for the time being.

Mazeltov!

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *g*

[hathy-col.livejournal.com]

That article makes sense to me. A lot of people tell me that my workload is ridiculously high; because I spend lots of time either arsing around in Cambridge or talking to people who are in Oxford, I think I'm ridiculously easy off, because I think we probably have similar workloads, except I only have two very long semesters (more exams, though!) in which I do about the same amount of work that Oxbridge people do in a term. Which means I have time to do things like two jobs and whatnot. Which is probably a good thing. I deal well with pressure, but only in short bursts; eight weeks of it would probably make me snap, I have to admit.

(A lot of people here do remark in a fairly wistful tone 'Well, obviously I wanted to go to Oxbridge more, but at least the work is manageable here...')

As for the word, all I can think of is something like rebel, maybe?

[marymac.livejournal.com]

Same here.
I spent two weeks wandering about Oxford earlier this month thinking 'Oh man, why didn't I go here?' and then realising that really, the whole not applying for Oxbridge at 18 was quite a good decision, since I went quite insane enough in the terminally laid back atmosphere of Queen's by third year as it was.

Just rebel in a way that doesn't damage the pretty pretty libraries.

[marymac.livejournal.com]

(Am a muppet and can't read, so ignore that last sentence, please?)

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

*laughs* If it wasn't as beautiful as it is, I rather think we'd all go insane in even shorter order.

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

I think that after this place, St Andrews and Durham probably come next in terms of workload. I somtimes wonder if I'm imagining it, here, and then think about people at other unis doing twenty paid hours of work per week or whatever and realising that no, I'm not. I don't have a job because I physically don't have time for one given that there are only 168 hours in a week.

Hence the mental. And the ranting. I do apologise.

The word turned out to be "rabble-rouser", because apparently I can't spell.

[ex-artbox613.livejournal.com]

Rabble rouser?

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed! Thank you!

[tau_sigma]

I have no idea whatsoever on your crossword, and am ridiculously late at the commenting, but I just wanted to say that I'm glad you are apparently ok for now. *hugs* I wish there were a blood test, too, or visible, incontrovertible symptoms; it would make it all a lot easier and more manageable. I hope your concentration and sleeping sort themselves out, too.

Erm. My non-commenting mostly is because of the excessive lame-ness of everything I say at the moment, so please excuse that lame-ness? Thanks. Also I've had several goes at spelling 'incontrovertible,' and googled, and that is the best I can come up with. My spelling tonight is of such a state that I almost typed 'gays' instead of 'goes'. *kills brain ded*

[loneraven.livejournal.com]

Thanks, dear. You're really sweet.

Hey, I've been rubbish too, don't worry. All my comments come out ridiculous, so I've sort of given up on them for a bit.