I should have been more prudent, and spent today programming, formatting my play. I have instead been translating Seneca's Trojan Women (which is a marvellous little play, I might add). I should have also retired to bed early, as I have an important meeting tomorrow morning. However, Darkest Hour came on the Beeb's iPlayer, and I simply love this film, so have decided to stay up and watch it, against my better judgement.
Over these past three days a member of staff at work has been rather ill. He was told to go home, but stayed to earn a few more pennies. In all likelihood, as a result, another member of staff became quite ill yesterday. Then, I did too. I was ordered home, and given the day off. This is marvellous because I was not permitted a day off this week (which is actually against the law, but this is not how things work here, in Britain. One does not complain, and one keeps working, as indeed I tried to do, but was ordered home). Had Captain Bligh returned from Tahiti, and been in command, I would most certainly have had to keep working, and no doubt more members of staff would have become ill.
I really should keep it together tomorrow morning. It is only a brief little chat, but one must always make a good impression, as no doubt I shall. One does one's best, in spite of all challenges. I should very much like to be a classics teacher, yet I very much doubt this may be possible, for such a subject is not held in high esteem here in Britain (among the ordinary people, that is). It is still taught in nobby schools and academic institutions, just not for the lower classes. I am completely unsuited to teaching modern history (because I only studied that for about a year and a half, in my eight years so far studying at university). I absolutely refuse to be put in a situation whereby should a student ask a question, I am unable to give him or her a well informed response, objectively. I may consider teaching medieval history, as I know more about that than I do ancient history, but I am much more comfortable teaching Roman history, or even Greek, to a measure. I should certainly very much like to teach Romano-British history.
In any case, we shall see what happens.
I wrote an email to the judiciary today. They had put out a call for any suggestions on how to simplify statutory instruments. The whole thing is a bloody shambles, in all honesty. When one looks at a statute, one should not be expected to wade through over 140 separate documents and piece together one law out of so many disparate amendments and revocations. It's a mess. The law is so complicated not even any single lawyer or judge understands it. If, however, legislation were to be presented in a more comprehensible manner (id est: one law, on one page, instead of over 140 different little sections, in the case of the Civil Procedure Rules at least), then at least there may be a chance that someone, perhaps a Police inspector or even a lawyer, may actually understand it. How can the law be enforced or even abided by, if no one understands what the law is? The answer is, it cannot be. I very much doubt my suggestion will be adopted (because one can imagine that there are several quite good reasons for smashing up the Civil Procedure Rules into over 140 disparate documents - for example, because amendments and revocations need to be stipulated). Even so, one can but hope.
Max.
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