then the houses came and ate up everyone like they were fishes

[frith_in_thorns]

Things which have happened today:

I got turned down from TeachFirst, which rather sucks, and justifies my guess that the interviews at the assesment centre didn't go that great. Ah well. I'm surprisingly not upset, actually - there are enough routes into teaching that I'm sure I'll be fine. And it's an incredibly high-pressured course, so maybe it's for the best.

This morning I accidently went to a lecture I shouldn't have gone to, because it was a genetics module I'm not taking. I have no idea why I wrote it down on my timetable. But when I realised I thought it would be rude if I just walked out, so I listened and made notes anyway. IDEK.

Oh, and I wrote a thing - well, actually I wrote and posted it in the break between that lecture and the ones I was actually supposed to go to! I woke up this morning and there was a prompt on whitecollarhc for "Peter and Neal are trapped in a dessert" and my brain started throwing bad puns at me. So, here is my attempt to cram as many of those terrible puns as possible into about 300 words. Again, IDEK. It's just been that sort of day. XD

Also, while I'm here: is there actually a consensus on how Diana's surname is spelled? Because I've seen about three different spellings being used, each by multiple authors. (This is not as bad as a brief period in the CSI:NY fandom where the actual show couldn't decide whether a recurring character was called Jennifer or Jessica for quite a long time, and her name kept changing between episodes. That was fun.)

Comments

[sholio]

I spell Diana's name "Barrigan" -- that's how most of the official sources seem to spell it, like Marsha Thomason's website. But I can read it any way in fic. :D

Also "hee!" to the fic. :D

[frith_in_thorns]

That's how I've been spelling it too, purely because out of the options that was my personal favourite! But I've seen a lot of people spelling it "Berrigan" or "Berrigen" (and the whitecollarfic comm has neatly avoided putting a surname on her character tag!) so I wasn't sure if there was an official word on it.

And thank you :P

[sholio]

Oh, and also -- sorry, the White Collar part of my brain seems to overwhelm everything else at times, including, say, being a decent friend ^^; -- I'm sorry you didn't get the TeachFirst job. I hope you're able to find something which is just as good, or even better!

[frith_in_thorns]

:) No problem, and thank you. What I'm thinking of at this point is just taking next year off altogether, staying in Oxford and trying to get an admin job or something - then I'll apply for PGCE courses, which are one-year courses after which you get to be qualified as a Primary school teacher. And that will be good :)

Speaking of White Collar again, I added the show to my 'TV interests' on Facebook a while back and they keep making posts to try and give me spoilers! /is resisting but horrendiously impatient :P

[sholio]

I think that sounds like a good plan!

I have been in major White Collar spoiler avoidance mode for the last week. :D I even asked one of the other newsletter compilers to cover my regular posting day so that I don't have to peek at the communities. Although it's been a constant effort of willpower, it's also been rather nice. I'm not reading any of the comms, or any of the newest fic, because not only am I avoiding spoilers, but also avoiding other people's opinions which have been kind of a downer for me lately. So I'll go into the premiere all fresh and ready to enjoy myself, with no preconceptions about it (well, at least to the extent that I can manage to do that). :)

[frith_in_thorns]

Yeah, I really don't like reading opinions of something before I see it -- it's never as fun, somehow, and it tends to colour my viewing however hard I try. Although afterwards I am all over any discussions I can find :D (This goes double for shows which are more or less ridiculous, Merlin for example becomes absolutely gold when twinned with certain peoples' recaps.)

And I won't even be able to watch WC until Wednesday! :P /grumbles about being in the UK XD

[sholio]

Yes, exactly - I don't want to go into it with other people's opinions in my head. It's one reason why I prefer not to read movie or book reviews beforehand, also.

... and it won't really be that much later for you, with the time zones and all! I don't have USA network, so I'll have to wait for the downloads ...

Incidentally, this is how much of a complete dork I am: I bought a bottle of French wine to drink with the premiere. (Not the whole bottle, I hope ...) But red wine is my drink of choice (well, aside from tea, which I practically drink by the gallon), and it just seemed very appropriate. So if my commentary following the episode is a little ... strange, you'll know why. ;p

It just feels so good to feel this way about a show again! I haven't been this into a show since my early days in SGA fandom. I've had other fandoms since then, like A:tLA, but nothing that was currently ongoing, so I haven't had anything to make me bounce and speculate and anticipate. SHOWWWWWW.

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

It's spelled Berrigan. I don't remember which ep it was, but there was an envelope addressed to her once, and it was spelled that way on it. I know the show isn't always consistent with the spellings (they once spelled it Caffery in a syllabus they used as a prop), but I think it's been more or less officially confirmed that it's Berrigan with an E. It's spelled that way on the official website too, actually.

LOL @ the Freudian typo. Loved your little pun-filled piece there. :-P

[sholio]

Ha, really? I never noticed that! I had mostly seen it Barrigan on places like interviews and imdb, and that was the prevailing spelling in fic at the time I started writing, so I just picked it up. I'm not sure if I could change now. It's how it's spelled in my head. XD Good to know, though!

... although the props department is not always consistent, either! There's a bit in one of the episode commentaries where Jeff Eastin is talking about a Harvard diploma appearing on the wall of Peter's office in one episode, and he says that he has no idea why they put that there -- Peter is not supposed to have gone to Harvard!

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

I wish I had a script where her last name was spelled out. I have the White Collar pilot script, actually, but her name was still Lancing then. I wish I knew how to correct Diana's name on IMDb, but I just tried and couldn't figure out a way how to submit that change request, so I gave up... It's been a long time discussion among the WhiCo fans, acutally, but I think the consensus among the hardcore ficcers is that it's Berrigan.

[sholio]

Guess I'm not hardcore, then. XD I think I've been writing it as "Barrigan" long enough that it's pretty well stuck that way in my head, at least in terms of writing her. But like I said above, I can read it any way, since there are so many different spellings floating around out there.

Now, encountering Neal spelled as "Neil" is one I can't deal with. *g*

[frith_in_thorns]

Thank you :D

And oops, I shall have to try and correct that in future. Although I still think it looks prettier spelled with an 'a' :P

Reading your comment below, I had no idea she was called a different name in the pilot! So you've told me two new things :D

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it took me some time to get used to the Berrigan spelling too, but now I kinda flinch when I see it spelled with an A. We're also trying to get official confirmation on the spelling from Joe Henderson (one of the writers), so stay tuned. :-)

Yep, for some reason Eastin renamed her later on. And if you're interested in the pilot script, it's actually still online: http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/White_Collar_1x01_-_Pilot.pdf (http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/White_Collar_1x01_-_Pilot.pdf) I believe Jeff Eastin even tweeted the link at some point.

[frith_in_thorns]

Wow, the script's really interesting to see the differences in - thanks for linking! I'm glad they changed the names, I think the current ones suit the characters much better :)

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I loved reading the script, especially the deleted scenes. Have you actually seen the extended pilot? There's a 90 minute version of the pilot out there that's been airing in some non-US countries, which has some of the extra scenes in it that are also in the pilot script.

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

And before you ask, here's the extended pilot with disclaimer in all its glory. :-)

-----------------------------

Weeks ago, I had been searching the internet nine ways to Sunday to find the extended pilot. Without success. However, in the meantime, it has surfaced. Yay!!! And I'll bet you all would like to see it too.

The quality isn't great, but it's definitely watchable. Also, the first part has a very faint audio track with the Polish dubbing voice in the background. You can hear it during the quieter scenes. It also sounds as if the guy constantly hits the microphone or something, which is a little annoying. The audio for part 2 is much better, though.

There are two parts (it was split into two 45-minute episodes) and the actual video files are each around 230 MB in size. They're encoded in Xvid AVI and split into 50MB chunks for the download. The files on MegaUpload are self-extracting RAR archives. You should be able to unpack them by double-clicking the first file of each part, once you have them all downloaded (and stored in the same folder).

White Collar - Extended Pilot - Part 1
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YT3YF8KI
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U672M725
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AE24P17C
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QE661I58
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DX5G2TFX

White Collar - Extended Pilot - Part 2
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KF6N6U07
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YTD2K3FE
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JB4E31GC
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YIMK13KS
http://anonym.to/?http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3XZCUU84

Please don't credit me if you want to pass these links on. The video didn't come from me, I'm merely sharing the love.

-----------------------------

[sholio]

Also, the first part has a very faint audio track with the Polish dubbing voice in the background. You can hear it during the quieter scenes.

Oh, is that what the background audio is! XD I downloaded this awhile back (don't remember where I found it), and I had noticed the audio in the background, but I wasn't sure what it was -- some sort of encoding issue, or if it had been poorly dubbed off a TV version with some background noise, or what.

Anyway, I had so much fun when I watched this, seeing all the changes! I noticed that most of the character-relevant stuff that got cut was later worked into bits of dialogue in later episodes (one of the things I think makes the show so much fun is that the writers really care about that stuff; it's not just throwaway episode filler to them). Mostly I think it's a better episode for the cuts, but there are a few bits I really wish they'd kept.

[frith_in_thorns]

Wow, thanks! :D I shall definitely save and watch these :)

[sholio]

I would be interested to know if you ever do find out the official word from the writers! :) Because I do like my spelling, but I also don't want to be wrong, so now I'm torn ... ;p

[sholio]

Oh man, if you get a chance, see if you can find a link to the original pilot script, the one that was used to sell the network on the show, which isn't what they filmed. I know it's online somewhere because I found it once, but I can't remember where. It's so different -- same basic plot, but wow, so many changes! It's set in California, for one thing; Peter's last name is different (I don't remember what it was), and his wife's name was, I think, Donna. West Coast!Mozzie comes across completely differently than East Coast!Mozzie; he's sort of a burnt-out beatnik type. It's really fascinating to read, like seeing alternate universe versions of them. :D

ETA: I think I just crossposted this comment with tj_teejay's; never mind. :D

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

The script I linked doesn't sound like the one you're describing. If you ever find it, I'd be interested in reading that one!

[frith_in_thorns]

Now I'm pretty confused, the one you linked really is the one sholio described! XD

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Okay, maybe it is. I mean, yeah, Peter is called Stokes and not Burke. Maybe I just missed the part where it wasn't supposed to be set in New York when I read the script. It's been a while since I looked at it, but I don't remember it being so much different from what we actually saw on TV. Ignore my earlier comment, then. :-)

[frith_in_thorns]

Yeah, it's totally in California, Neal spends all his time hanging out by the swimming pool on June's estate! And Peter's wife Debbie is an accountant, which amuses me greatly. Actually, one of the main things I noticed from the script is that they cut out loads of exposition, which I think was definitely a good decision - much more time for character moments :)

[frith_in_thorns]

Wow, yeah, that was really different. I have to say, I'm glad they changed the bits they did, although I guess some of that is hindsight bias! Especially glad they moved it to NY, actually, it feels much more like the place for it, and for Neal.
(And it means there aren't endless montages of women in bikinis, as described in the script. That seems to be a common theme with every US show I've watched set in warm states, and it's really tired.)

Although I did laugh at Debbie Stokes being an accountant, considering what they later wrote as background for Peter!

[sholio]

Debbie, yes, her name was Debbie! It's just so weird -- it's them and yet, not really them yet. It's a little weird thinking about the fact that this dialogue was all written when they didn't have actors yet. You can see how the actors took the roles and made them their own.

And yeah, I think the New York setting (especially NY in wintertime, as it was in the first season) makes a much better, stronger show. In fact, the setting is so much a part of the show that its absence is every bit as disconcerting as the absence of the actors' voices in the characters.

[frith_in_thorns]

Yes, definitely. At this point I really can't imagine it being set anywhere else - and I really like that they manage to film in so many different places in NY too. (I'm randomly reminded of a clip I saw of Matt and Tim supposedly introducing the show, and instead arguing about whether they were in downtown or midtown :P)

[sholio]

They're so impossibly cute in interviews. :D They really have a great back-and-forth, and seem to genuinely like each other. Tim in particular seems to be an absolute goofball, which is always SO disconcerting to see, because Peter is so straight-laced!

[leesa_perrie]

Sorry you didn't get on the course, but I think the plan you mention to sholio sounds like a good one. *hugs* I'm sure you'll get there, one way or another!

One day I hope to get round to watching White Collar... not sure when!

[frith_in_thorns]

*hugs* Thank you :) I'm very determined to do this!

You should watch it!! It has so much pretty in... *tempts*

[michelel72.livejournal.com]

(Argh, LJ doesn't want to let me comment. Trying again.)

I'm sorry to hear you didn't get into the program, but if it is high-pressure, I sympathize with your lack of upset. Pressure can really squeeze all the fun and love out of anything, and you've seemed really happy teaching; I'd hate for anything to change that. Good luck with your plan!

And that story — so many puns, ow! (hee)

[frith_in_thorns]

Thank you :) Yeah, this could well be the best result for the long run, I'd really hate to burn out of teaching because of this program, and I think some people do. There are many less-stressful ways to go about it!

And thank you re: story XD XD

[coltdancer.livejournal.com]

Wait, what? You do?

Loaded question - begs of many others, including: what's your current major/focus/degree? What do you want to teach? And what the devil is TeachFirst?

Sorry...my inner crow saw this tiny shiny bit over on your tag list, and I had to click it...

[frith_in_thorns]

I want to be a primary school teacher! :D Like, 7/8/9 year olds. I love kids that age, and I get on really well with them (helped run a Brownie pack for years, spent all of last summer term basically being a volunteer TA two days a week while I was on medical leave from uni). Currently I'm in the final year of a Biological Sciences degree, I'll have to do a one year course after that to get the PGCE qualification which would enable me to teach anywhere.

TeachFirst is a program run in the UK where they recruit graduates (mostly from Oxbridge and other unis like that), give you six weeks of intensive training, and chuck you into a failing school (mostly in poor urban districts) for two years - you get your PGCE as you teach. I got to the final interview stage but no dice :( Although I'm watching what my friend who's currently on it is going through and feeling less and less upset that I didn't get on - it's like the harshest sort of sink-or-swim.

[coltdancer.livejournal.com]

Small world! I teach early childhood special education and am certified through 12th grade. My mother taught 2nd grade (your desired age range) and was a principal, my father taught high school. After 14 years, I've actually applied for a different job in a clinical/hospital setting just to see what's out there. I'm not sure I want to leave the school system; but, I'm struggling with the workload for speech-language pathologists in the public school setting. And here you're trying to get in!

I know that the schools are different in the UK - and from what little I do know about it, the system is intriguing, interesting, and I'll admit - more inviting, at this point than the system in the US (at least, to me, right now).

However, the TeachFirst program seems a little frightening! What a trial by fire! Sending inexperienced and possibly ill-equipped prospective educators into high-risk areas and failing schools? DANG. Sink or swim, you're not kidding! Do they give you any feedback on your interview or status? I mean, was it a matter of not meeting criteria or that they had too many applicants and simply had to choose? And how do they expect you to make changes and meet criteria if they don't give you feedback? We certainly have practicum here in the US, but that's usually at the end of the degree-seeking term (in my case, it was after 6 years of school, at the end of my MASTER'S degree). I had a lot of supervised clinical experience from undergraduate work through my master's degree as well. After graduating, I then had a probationary year before I was able to obtain my official certification status.

The fact that you want to teach speaks volumes, though, especially in this day and age, and I am remiss to think that ANY program is turning away potential applicants with the desire to educate. It would seem, that in the very spirit of education, they'd also be in the business of helping to make better teachers through their process, not simply interviewing and accepting or discarding. Very interesting.

I wish you the best of luck and want to encourage you to keep at it! It's not an easy path and it's a challenging profession, but you seem to really want to do it. So, you're at UNI - Iowa? And trying to work in the UK?

[frith_in_thorns]

Lol, uni as short for university :P I'm at Oxford, in England.

TeachFirst didn't give us any official feedback, but I was unofficially told that it was because they were oversubscribed for Primary already. Which was sad, but ah well. They're a private enterprise, not a governmental one, so they can set their own criteria, which is fair enough - they're very clear that they want people who can start teaching and making a difference straight away - although they give you support they're not really about you so much, more about how you can help them bring about social change (and get your PGCE in the process).

...yeah, I think doing the PGCE at university is a less scary option :P You get loads of experience practice-teaching in different schools around the place, which can also help you get a job at one of those at the end. I'm really hoping I can manage to get a place at one of the schools around Oxford; I love this city!

(I have more comments from you to reply to! But I have to run out now - this is a really busy weekend right now. So I'll say a brief thank-you and reply to them properly later!)