Thank you for the Music

ABBA stopped singing Mamma Mia ages ago, but we don't have to. Last night CC and I went to see a special sing-along edition of the smash movie musical Mamma Mia!, starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried. I was surprised to see some of the cinema goers dressed up in boa feathers, sequins and shiny suits. It was like a hen party.

The romantic comedy, loosely based on the hit songs of the iconic Swedish pop band, has been retrofitted with lyrics so audiences can sing along to the songs. Just like karaoke.

The strangest thing was some were dancing on the aisle. And after every song, the audience clapped, as if they are watching a live performance. By the end of the movie, everyone was dancing and singing their hearts out. Crazy but fun. It was a good night out.

With ABBA still buzzing in my head, I got up this morning to attend a Saturday school on Poets and mystics: a taste of Sufism. I guess you must thing I'm a bit loco but, hey, that's me. I took the bus to Uni to give Babe a rest.

Why Sufism? It has its roots in Islam but I'm not familiar with it. I've a few CD's on Sufi music and watched the famous Dervishes whirling dance. That's about it. What is Sufism?

Ibn Khaldun, the 14th century Arab historian, described Sufism as:

... "dedication to worship, total dedication to Allah most High, disregard for the finery and ornament of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone."

So what did we do/learn? There were sessions on letting go the ego, reading/understanding/interpreting Rumi and Attar and listening to Sufi music and songs. It was very spiritual and participative. We'd a very good guide and she'd a very active bunch of students. I left feeling that unconsciously I've already lived the Sufi path. But you can't learn everything in one day.

Babe came and we'd to leave ASAP. There's a home game at the Ricoh and we don't want to get caught in traffic. We reached the casa just in time. What a pity the Sky Blues just managed to level 2:2 with Nottingham Forest. Well, at least they got a point.

Unlike the rest of the UK, Coventry only experienced sleet and snow showers. What a letdown. I wanted the snow blizzards that hit the North and East. The lakes around campus were frozen solid.  I'd a lovely time watching these gulls trying to land elegantly on the ice. I guess they didn't expect the lakes to be frozen.

SH asked me to participate in an interview conducted by the Warwick Business School students. It was about organizational management, change and communication, etc etc... You do expect them to know what to ask but...

Babe said that I was being pedantic. But there is a difference between an organization (whole library) and unit (department). I understand how my department function, but not how the whole organization works. Each department has a different role to play in the organization. Anyway, it was quite fun.

Another good bye do for SB. We worked together on the Sivanandan Collection. I did the books and she did the pamphlets. SB will be free lancing as an indexer in Yorkshire. Good luck and do keep in touch.

Today, we went to Brandon Marsh again. The lakes were still frozen and lots of robin guarding their territory. None wants to feed from my hand though. Coward. The natives were beginning to settle down for the night and we left when the sun was going down.