Time for a few Activities

I'm a world class bad OU student. I've done very few of those activities in the legendary Big Red Book despite sitting on my arse and reading everyone else's efforts on the Student Cafe. My study programme, such as it is, seems to be consisting of sporadic readings of the BRB, tinkering with TMA02 as it progresses through to some kind of completion and posting smart arse comments on the A215 Facebook site whilst avoiding most of the SC fun threads because most of them are unconscionable crap.

But I'm changing. I really am enjoying this course, I'm probably feeling a bit chippy because I work full time - no fewer than 12 hours a day with a wife who works abroad and only comes home at week ends. Guess what I'm not doing at week ends, even if I want to. But here I am tonight writing the blog and considering putting something on it that isn't a TMA (after all you have to do those don't you) and preparing to be a better student.

Today I found time to do two things. The first of them was a taking part on the tutorial forum in a little exercise involving points of view. We were invited to write up to three hundred words on two or three examples of third person omniscience, and the same for third person limited omniscience. (there was also an invitation to have a crack at objective omniscience? eh? Maybe later with that one, Hell I'm only dipping in at the moment, tsk.

Anyway I misread the instructions and entitled the first one full omniscience and the second third person with no limitations. The tutor knows me by now and pretty much understands what she's dealing with, so she let me off lightly. After all I didn't have to do it at all. Out of the group she has I reckon 80 percent of them are kicking back with the Havanas with a copy of Titbits in their hands and letting the remaining 20 percent sweat their butteroos off. Never mind. I'm pretty good at sitting back and doing sod all, so let 'em and good on 'em too. It's not their fault I'm undergoing some sort of transformation. Though how long it'll last is anyone's guess.

So exercise one - the old points of view. Before anyone thinks about slating the story, we were told, under no circumstances were we to put any imaginative effort into the exercise. This was all about techniques. Enough of this flab I here you say, here's the hot skinny straight off the bat as it were:

1. I’m thinking full omniscience for this one….

It was the afternoon of Alfred Altringham’s 90th birthday and everything had gone well so far. All three of his beloved daughters Patricia, Mary and Betty, together with their husbands two of whom he cared not one jot, were in attendance at Greenfield Park where Alfred now calls home. He enjoyed being the centre of attention. He always did.
     Patricia was the eldest. Alfred adored Patricia, what a shame, he thought, that she had to drag that waster of a husband Brian with her.
   ‘Happy Birthday Dad,’ said Patricia. She looked askance at Brian waiting for him to join in.
   ‘Oh, yes... Happy Birthday old boy', said Brian. Brian looked as if he wished himself anywhere else. There was insincerity in both his voice and his manner. I wish we could bugger off now, thought Brian, the match is about to start on Sky Sports.
  ‘Thanks’ sad Alfred. Bloody leech, he thought, can’t wait until I’m dead, he only sticks around for the the money.
   What neither Alfred, nor Brian nor Mary nor Betty knew, in fact what no one knew except Patricia, was that Graham was standing outside. And Alfred and Graham hadn’t seen each other for well over thirty years.
   Graham was standing outside, wishing he hadn’t come. He’d said to his wife Shirley that he was popping out for a pint. She didn’t believe him, then again she never did. It was impossible to know what Graham was up to half the time. Alfred was supposed to meet Graham for a pint thirty years ago. That never happened either. In fact you never really know what’s going on with Graham, always the wayward one.

2. For this one third person limited omniscience

  ‘Happy Birthday Dad’ said Patricia. She thought he looked well today. And she knew that having the whole brood around him would be pretty much the best thing he could wish for on his 90th. 'Brian’s here as well’ she continued, indicating where Brian stood. Brian put out his hand and shook Alfred’s.
   ‘Happy Birthday old boy’, said Brian
   ‘Thanks’, said Alfred’
    Patricia winced slightly, she knew in her own mind that there was no love lost between them and detected that lemon sucking face her father seemed to reserve for occasions such as these.‘The rest of the Altringham team are here as well Dad.’ She had wondered whether to remind Graham about Dad’s 90th. The two men hadn’t spoken in years. But she, Patricia, was the oldest, and had decided that she would try to use this day to reconcile them. She’d visited Graham three weeks ago and told him what was happening and where.‘I’ll see’ Graham had said. Patricia asked if that was it. Graham had shrugged saying something like he'll be there if he has nothing else on.‘Don’t come in straight away, stay by the door, Patricia had told him, 'I’ll judge the mood and sort out the timings.' she didn't really believe he would come.