12 things I bet you don't know about Florence, SC

yay for the city of Florence, land of mundane "fun" facts.

Note that they didn't tell you about the old Civil War prisoner of war camp, the cool National Cemetery or that Florence was named for the daughter of the city's founder. But it will list the ways to get city information by phone.

For a better list, check out the BBC's list of cool facts of 2005. Did you know that WD-40 dissolves cocaine?!

the elite University of South Carolina Graduate School of Fun Park Buracracy

Look. I have nothing against the University of South Carolina. It's a good school. But right now, I really want to go knock on the office of admissions and tell them to go screw themselves and their ridiculous buracracy.

It took me a good while to figure out how to apply to their grad school in education.

It took me even longer to find the general graduate school application.

Somewhere, somehow, it says educations apps are due Jan. 5.

I tell my profs that SC letters need to be in by Jan. 5.

I now cannot find where I saw that it is due Jan. 5.

Because it is now telling me -- in no specific terms, just on the supplemental application -- that it is due March 1 for the summer term.

Because on the general grad school application, they're due April 1 for the summer term.

I want to apply to the Secondary Education -- Master's in Teaching program.

I have the supplemental form for it -- now. It took me until AFTER I submitted the general app
for the wrong term to find it.

When I went back to reapply for the general application, Secondary MAT is not a degree option in the scroll down menu.

But Secondary in MT is, but apparently it is for USC-Columbia students, of which I am not.

Problem No. 2 with my original application.

They also ask for immunization proof before they will process your application. Who does that?! What, afraid that measles will spread via paper?

So I will need to somehow make this work because believe it or not, if nobody else wants me for grad school, which is a high possibility and I am not being modest here, then I will seriously consider SC.

It shouldn't be a riddle to figure out how to even APPLY to the school. You want competition? Make it easier for people to join the pool.

If you know people at USC grad school admissions, please kindly tell them to go screw themselves.

Oh, and please get me out of this house before I kill myself. Being in this town is bad enough; having to live in this house is worse than death by strangulation.

Sorry. Too much Law & Order: SVU marathon.

bleh

Well, the one time in the past three months that I was without my umbrella, it rained. Hard. And thundered. And lightninged.

back

Well, the repatriation process has begun. If you ask the Overseas Office, it's the counter-culture shock process, but whatever. I'm back in the good ole United States, and I will now regale you with the requisite airport/travel stories.

I planned to start getting my luggage out of my room in Beaumont at 7 a.m., and got a head start at 6:50 a.m. I had to turn the suitcases on their sides and slide them down the three flights of stairs. That took 30 minutes. I attached my rolling carry-on bag to one of my larger suitcases and roll the 200+ pounds of stuff down to the main dorm road, Westfield Way.

Let me just say that I have several planned routes via Tube and the Heathrow Express/Heathrow Connect to get to Heathrow by 9-ish. The one I went with was to take the District line to the Piccadilly line, which goes all the way to Heathrow.

By the time I got to Westfield Way, however, I was considering my last option -- calling a cab. I am no hulking giant of a girl, nor am I a waif, but 200+ pounds of rolling luggage plus a bookbag of laptop, binder full of notes and other fun accessories was already getting to me. I get the number of two licensed cab companies and call them. The first one is booked, and the second would cost me 45 pounds. No, thanks.

I turn in my keys and access card and make my way toward Mile End Road. By the time I got to Maynard, I decided to give the cab another try. This time, however, the second one was booked, too. So I have to continue to the Tube. There is no other way.

Getting to Mile End station was OK; I rolled the luggage down the stairs -- clop, clop, clop. I was the spectacle of the day. I buy a one-way ticket to Heathrow and go through the gates for Westbound District. I see on the board that District is severely delayed and immediately switch to Plan B: take Hammersmith & City to Paddington for Heathrow Express/Connect. But when I rolled down the stairs again -- clop, clop, clop -- there were two trains going to Richmond, so there was apparently no delay. I get on the first train, and a guy helped me with my second bag when the doors threaten to close on me.

I chose to get off at South Kensington because I knew I didn't need to go UP stairs to get to the Piccadilly, so I haul my luggage (by myself!) out of the train at South Kensington. I proceed to roll the whole disaster down the stairs, but my foot slipped, and I fall. People see this, and a guy helped carry one of the bags down, and another carried the other while I tried to help.

The second guy was also going to Heathrow, so the two of us carried my stuff down the escalators, another set of stairs and into the train. He was going to Thailand (some town, then Phuket) and Cambodia. He looked like Eric McCormack from "Will and Grace" with a skinnier face. I swear. Thankfully, at Heathrow, they have lifts, so we take that, making small talk about university, London/UK and Edinburgh, where apparently, he visits his ex, with whom he remains friends. We found a trolley, and we say good-byes and Merry Christmases. So, THANK YOU to the guy who helped me out "because that's what gentlemen should do" when I really, really needed it. I don't know how long it would've taken it me to get everything to Heathrow. Thank you again and again.

Heathrow went as well as can be expected. They didn't require you to take out your laptop at the security point, so that was cool. Apparently, at London airports, they don't tell you the gate until about 30 minutes before boarding, so you sit there and wait and shop at the Duty Free shops until your gate is listed. It's ingenius, really, and it also makes sure that the only people at that gate were the people who are on the same flight. Less hassle. Remember when I said they didn't require you to take out your laptop at the security check point? Well, they have a second check point at the gate, where they do a body search, an in-depth bag search, which included the laptop.

The light was OK, there were no really annoying people, but I really wish people wouldn't recline their seats. I know that it makes it more comfortable, but it's really hard to sleep on the tray when the reclining seat-back is in the way. The flight attendants were kinda negligent, too. The first time the beverage cart came, I was parched, so I was really excited. My neighbor got his orange juice, but the flight attendant got distracted by someone else and forgot to come back to me. So no apple juice.

When the lunch came, they also asked what I wanted to drink; I said apple juice. Well, the flight attendant who asked me was out of apple juice, so she asked someone else to pass her a can. She gave me a heaping cup of ice and said it'll be a minute. A minute turned into never. So no apple juice.

The snack cart came while I was in the lavatory, I think, so I also missed out on the snack box. Somehow, so did my seat neighbor. We both searched for a flight attendant. A nice one gave us each a snack box. Yay! A flight attendant service success.

Chicago O'Hare's immigration process was surprisingly fast and painless, but it was hassle to get from the international terminal to the domestic one. There were no clear directions for rechecking our bags, and after that, there were no clear directions for the trains to the domestic terminals. It was a mess. People weren't in line, just big jumbled mass of bags and trolleys .... ugh.

My flight gate got moved at O'Hare. A really pissed-off mother of three boys who's been waiting for 2 1/2 hours for a delayed flight was yelling loudly in the waiting lounge with her husband trying to calm her down. Annoying people making stupid small talk. Someone who thinks she knows about South Carolina blue laws but clearly not as well as she thinks. A cute Navy guy who was also going to Columbia. :)

But I am now repatriated. Both my arms hurt. A lot. I'm pretty sure my legs will follow. The wines in my carry-on survived the clopping down the stairs and all the abuse I've given it. My feet made it OK. I now know why I always wore flip-flops to airports, but London was way too cold for flip-flops this morning. Has it been this morning? It's been 24 hours since I left Beaumont; it's about 7:20 a.m. in London right now.

I miss London.

I will miss London

Well, since I am actively wasting time, I might as well actively write something here. I am going to write about what I WILL miss about London/UK/Europe and what I WILL NOT miss. After I get back to Florence/LA, I will write about what I ACTUALLY miss and what I ACTUALLY don't. Oui? Let's get started.

I will miss London because
1. they have an awesome public transportation system. One does not need a car.
2. I have my own room at "university"
3. this city/country/continent actually have history more than 300 years old
4. they have castles!!!!
5. and old stuff
6. they have great shopping
7. they have online grocery shopping and deliver the food to your door
8. they have a monarchy!!!
9. this city must have about 5 real newspapers
10. people in this city have impeccable grammar, as far as I can tell.
11. for the lack of "rubbish bin," see below, they have pretty clean streets
12. they have the A to Z, a handy-dandy pocket-sized street map
13. I have a massive desk that can actually take the abuse
14. and a massive bookshelf that can hold more than 3 books
15. the cleaning lady who takes out my trash because I hate doing that
16. the cleaning lady who also vaccums my carpet because I also hate doing that
17. they have the amazingly efficient Argos. I love Argos.
18. I have a cool shower/bathroom combo that is very convenient. :)


I will not miss London because
1. there seems to be a lack of "rubbish bins" on the street
2. it is cold
3. its higher-education system drives me insane
4. it is expensive
5. everything closes earlier
6. I think 24-hour Kinko's (I think there is only one) is the only thing that actually opens 24 hours
7. their university libraries don't open 24 hours
8. people read the tabloids as if it's news.
9. their shots are so small, it's not even worth getting a shot. You have to get two, so you're really paying four times as much for your shot of whatever.
10. there are way too many tourists
11. the crazy cleaning lady who yells at us while alone in the kitche, except that we can all hear her from our respective rooms. Sometimes, I wake up from deep slumber because I can hear her yelling in the kitchen
12. Royal Mail is not good. Royal Mail loses mail. That is bad.
13. I like knowing that water will always come out of the faucet when I need it.
14. and that when I need hot water, I will not get a constant stream of cold water in its stead.

a geographically accurate Tube map

I found this geographically accurate Tube map (it's HUGE, just so you know before downloading) on the Internet; somebody named Simon Clarke has the copyright. So, thanks, Simon! Go to Simon's Web site for more Tube map fun.

finally ...

After weeks of "let's go ice skating," we go ice skating at the Tower of London Ice Rink. "We" being Sara, Erika, Matt, Chris, Jim and Aaron. It was great, considering that I haven't gone ice skating since either the fourth or sixth grade. I was never good. Well, I was never able to move with most proficiency. This time was no different. Except that Sara taught me the way it's supposed to be done, so I know the technique, if not the ability. Yay! Before, I also didn't know how to stop. I didn't really learn how to stop in roller skating either, and having never learned to rollerblade, you can see my troubles. But anyway, I only fell once! So that is good. My bum is going to hurt a lot tomorrow, but overall, it was an excellent time.

Later, we had dinner at Wagamama across the ice rink and then went back to Mile End.

Apart from the ice skating, however, I began my rampage across London and the UK to get everything I want to accomplish in London done. So today, I ventured beyond the Great Court and the reading room of the British Museum, which is across the way from Russell Square all this time, where Senate House Library is. All this time I've been hiking from Tottenham Court Road. Sigh. Anyway, I saw the Rosetta Stone, one of the Easter Island sculptures, a lot of Chinese jade (the largest collectio in the world outside of the China) and other fun things.

So it's a productive day, I would say. Not a bad start for the 22nd year. :)

oh, god.

Being productive is getting harder and harder. Senioritis is kicking in even overseas. This is no good. No good at all.

I'm trying to write a 3,000-word paper on the importance of education in the Paston family, who kept extensive letters for about 50 years. The problem is, I really don't care. It counts for 80% of the course grade, and I need the grades to go to grad school in case admissions people want to look at the actual overseas transcripts, but I really just wish it'll all go away. Why did I keep this class? Why couldn't I take something incredibly easy? Or something with a more interesting professor? Or less annoying classmates? Or something that doesn't involve reading 15th century primary sources?

Tomorrow -- well, today -- I have to research, compile and write a paper on the use of intensifiers, details and community/contest in gender narratives for my linguistics class. It's actually due Jan. 9, but since I won't be in London, it needs to be done tomorrow, the last day of classes.

Then, I'm going to try and cram everything I still haven't done but meant to do in London and then pack, clean and go home. I'm going to miss London; I already know it. It's my kind of town, and not just because some quiz told me so. I feel like I belong. And that's gotta mean something, right?

When I get home, I have to write a statement of purpose for grad school, some essays for other grad schools and do other grad school application stuff. And then I have to revise the DT stylesheet so it would resemble something workable and comprehensible.

Doheny Memorial Library was misspelled in the old stylesheet.

I should go back to writing the enormous paper now. I wish I have the ability to write on the fly ... just type, and magic flows out. And type fast. My rate for paper-writing is about a page per hour, which means that I have six more hours to go, and that doesn't include revision/proofreading/printing.

So I am going to go back to writing now, and hope magic somehow happens. Soon, in 2 days, I will be free of classwork and can enjoy London for what might be the last time in a long time, stress-free. It's going to be a great feeling.

I belong in LONDON!!!!!

awwww... :*(

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

my house.

not entirely true.

I actually like being alone sometimes.

but here's my house.

procrastination = bad

I am beginning to realize the grim realities of this phenomenon. I had a hard time spelling that. phew. Sound. it. out.

As predicted, the novelty of learning and writing about witchcraft wore off quite fast, as in, "I think I chose the wrong topic to write about" fast. I should've chosen something conventional. Like whether Elizabeth I and Mary of Scots used their female gender to an advantage during their reigns. Well, not so much Mary since she got deposed and executed. But Elizabeth. Sigh. It's too late.

At I have a thesis. Of sorts. I'm rambling again. Going to nap before U.S. history class. The last ever of my undergraduate (because HOPEFULLY there will be a graduate career coming up) career.

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands ... (clap....)

blah.

yes. it looks different.

I've decided to change the template because even though the other one was pretty, this one has a space for links. And I have forgotten most of what Annenberg taught me about HTML, so I can't add it. And besides, they didn't teach us enough to know how to add stuff from scratch. So we know the codes, just not what to do with them. Oh, convergence, you have to love it.

WHOA. check out this ad firm's Web site

this is awesome!

Imagine

My flatmate is currently playing John Lennon's "Imagine" through the wall. I think this is the only time in three months I've actually appreciated the incredibly loud music-playing. But if it goes beyond Lennon, I'm gonna have a cow.

chivalry CAN coexist with feminism

Hello, everyone.

My friend James and I are currently having this discussion. He argues this point:

Chivalry and Feminism stand in contradiction to one another.

I disagree. I say it is possible to have both. Thoughts?

UCLA SUCKS!!!!!

HELLS YEAH, USC. 66-19! Do YOU smell the roses?

The USC London alumni association puts together game viewing when the North American Sports Network broadcasts our games, usually at Bodean's, this BBQ place on Poland Street, off Oxford Street. We've been wanting to go to one since the season started, but the first time it was canceled, other times we were busy or out of the country, and the last time (Fresno St.) we got there just as the game ended. So this time -- the most important one -- we made sure we got there.

Jeff Blattner from the association sent me an e-mail that said we should get there early so we MIGHT be able to get seats, so Aaron, Erika and I went at 8 p.m. to claim seats for the 9:30 p.m. GMT game. Kate and Brian joined us around 8:30, and Matt got there at 9:30, and Jim, Sara, Greg, Dave and Heather (British friends of theirs) got there some time during the first quarter. We first only got 3 seats, but as the Texas people left (their game was just before ours -- they beat Colorado something like 70-3), we gradually claimed their seats.

It was awesome, although I think we scared Dave a little bit with our enthusiasm. HOWEVER, he was also the one who let it slip ... something about we couldn't find the Sports Cafe because we're "dumb Americans." haha. :) He also corrected us when we said "restroom," which we all knew was wrong, but we're at an American football game! At a BBQ place!

Anyway, it was a great game; we never trailed. But hey. I'm not here to give you the play-by-play (besides, it's 3:43 a.m., and I am tired). If you really want to read about it, though, here's the LA Times' gamer.

Bodean's only open till 11 because it's a pub/restaurant, so we USC people headed over to the Sports Cafe at Piccadilly Circus to join the UCLA crowd. There was a 5-pound cover, though, but it was totally worth it.

We stayed at the Sports Cafe until about 2 a.m., when they started showing the Florida St. and Va. Tech game. The bar also started playing dance music halfway through the fourth quarter because even they knew the game was over at that point. I mean, Pete Carroll put in John David Booty and we STILL scored. And plus, UCLA people started to leave anyway.

So Dave (really cute, btw.) played some people, other people danced, I sat and watched the game because I don't really dance/like dancing/bad at dancing. And so Erika, Aaron, Matt and I left at the Sports Cafe after Sara, Jim and Greg and after some random guy started to want pictures with us/of us/etc. We're all gonna be nameless in his photos. Dave stayed to play some more pool.

We walked to Leicester Square for some late-night food, then to Trafalgar Square to catch a bus to Tottenham Court Road to take No. 25. BAD IDEA. No. 25 is ALWAYS crowded. I can't remember the last time I actually SAT DOWN on the 25. See, other people's great idea was to take it in the direction we need to go in the first place because it'll take less time. BUT if we had gotten on the OTHER direction -- aka the end of the line -- we would've gotten SEATS. Because the bus was SOOOO crowded, people were swearing, squished like sardines and literally one on top the others in some cases. At one point, I was literally standing on one foot. I also bumped into Shari from U.S. history and some girl from Society and the State on it too. I think they got on around Holborn. What's in Holborn this late at night, I don't know.

My clothes smell like cigarettes and bar, but anyway, USC is going to the Rose Bowl to face University of Texas on Jan. 4. And that is all that matters.

On a different note, I have officially accepted -- although not yet signed the contract -- to be an RA at Parkside Apartments next semester -- taking over for Rebekah Sanders, who is going abroad. Training for RAs start Jan. 4, so I will be home for about 10 days before I have to take off again. Feels like Tampa/Florence/London.

It is late now, so I will crash. Tomorrow we're going ice skating, part 2, and tomorrow night is the Midori concert!!!!

Next week is going to be HELL.

Good night!

one more thing

I forgot. In my haste, my shoes slipped, and I subsequently fell, shin first, on the edge of the steps down to the bottom floor Barbican Hall. Shin first. edge of steps. down. I can currently see a the faint outline of a giant bruise that is forming on my left shin that will probably reach its peak development some time during the night/early tomorrow morning.

Handel's Messiah

Well, I've been anticipating this performance of Handel's Messiah since August, when my friend gave me his ticket that he couldn't use. I've planned today down to the hour (people who know me -- not surprising) .... BUT by a major miscalculation, thought I would be able to take an hour-and-half nap. In fact, I only had 30 minutes. So when I woke up at 5:35 p.m. for the 7 p.m. concert, I was like, HOOOOOOLY SH*T. I planned to be out the door by 6 p.m. to catch the Tube on Hammersmith and City because other than District (stupid District), it takes the longest. And it tends to stop in the middle of the tracks for no apparent reason. Guess what happened on the way to Barbican Hall. Yeah. Anyway, I literally got ready in 35 minutes, about half the time it usually takes for me to properly get ready, and was out the door at 6:10 and got to the Mile End station at 6:16.

I run in my 3 1/2-inch stilettos, up the stairs, across the longest highwalk in the world (seems like), down the stairs, through the door, just in time to get a bottle of water and to get to wait for the change, and to hear the announcer say the show is starting in 5 minutes. Wow.

The concert was AWESOME. They had to replace the alto with a male alto (counter-tenor, the program said, but his bio said he was a male alto .... don't know) because of an illness, but apparently the replacement Michael Chase (???) is the best in his voice group (but how many male altos can there be?). Anyway, he wasn't very good. First, it was strange hearing a guy sing what you KNOW is the female alto part, even though it doesn't matter in the context of the lyrics. Plus, his voice didn't carry well; I could barely hear him over the orchestra, and I was sitting in the stalls (orchestra seats in the U.S.), so I don't know how people in the dress circle and circle can hear at all.

The soprano Sally Matthews was pretty good, but not earth-shatteringly good. The tenor was also good, but his gesturing was a little annoying and overdone. I liked the baritone the best. He sang the bass part, but the program said he was a baritone. Anyway, his voice was amazing. Wow.

When the chorus sang the Hallelujah chorus, I got chills. I loved it. I've never heard the Messiah in its entirety, so this concert was just wonderful. Some people, though, either didn't know or didn't care, didn't stand for the Hallelujah chorus like Messiah tradition dictates they do. The story goes that when the Messiah debuted, the king was so moved by the end of the second part that he jumped up in his state of excitement, and because he was the king, the crowd had to do what he did, so they also stood. And people have been standing for the Hallelujah chorus ever since. But these people, again, either didn't know or didn't care. If the latter, they should've done it anyway. Sheesh. It's like clapping in between movements of a piece. You just don't do it.

We gave the orchestra, the chorus and the soloists four curtain calls, but it really wasn't good enough for the standing ovation, though some people did stand. I don't know. I've heard better orchestra concerts, but this one wasn't too shabby! :)

beat ... the Bruins!!!!!

UCLA sucks!

But they should definitely let me in their grad school. Thanks, UCLA. You're awesome.

(two) hell week(s)

I'm taking a break from making lots of linguistics charts, so I will list what I have to accomplish, and accomplish well, in the next two weeks.

Monday, Dec. 5 -- linguistics presentation (working on that right now)
Thursday, Dec. 8 -- Society and the State in Britain paper (2,000 words = 7 pages)
Friday, Dec. 9 -- American Century (2,000 words = 7 pages)
Tuesday, Dec. 14 -- 15th Century England/Pastons Experience (3,000 words = longer than 7 pages) -- main problem ... Dec. 14 is a WEDNESDAY .... so it is due Tuesday the 13th or Wednesday the 14th???
Friday, Dec. 16 -- linguistics original research (at 2,000 words = 7 pages)

The biggest problem with these papers would be getting all the books I need before other people get to them. And also, I just turned in papers for U.S. history and Society and the State and does not yet know if they're up to par, which is great, I think, because I do not enjoy knowing where I stand in the class at near the end of term when I need to write papers that count, literally, 50%/50%.

I've also pulled 3 all-nighters in the past week, 2 of them consecutively. I do not need this.

OK. So you're saying, yeah, I've done more in less time at a harder school. Yeah, but I have to clue how these people grade because I have no grades in my classes. I hope my MLA format bibliography and parenthetical citations are good enough for them.

Bleeeeh.

picture of the day -- in the Versailles Palace gardens.

Midori!

I got this from Midori Goto's Web site. I just bought 3rd-row tickets to her concert on Sunday. :)

Midori made the first of two recordings for Philips in 1986 (Bach/Vivaldi with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Pinchas Zukerman). The second, a Paganini/Tchaikovsky pairing with the London Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Slatkin, followed in 1987. During this same period, she gave first performances with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony, undertook her first European tour and made her legendary debut at Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein conducting. The work was Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's 'Symposium' for Solo Violin, String Orchestra, Harp and Percussion.

In the fifth movement, Midori broke an E string and was quickly passed the violin of the concertmaster, continuing to play without missing a beat. When the unthinkable happened again and she broke an E string on the concertmaster's fiddle, she took the violin of the associate concertmaster. Both borrowed instruments were different in size - and both were larger than her own instrument - yet Midori was unfazed. When she came to the end, the audience and the orchestra erupted in applause and Bernstein fell to his knees. The front page of the New York Times the following day read, "Girl, 14, Conquers Tanglewood with 3 Violins."

f********ck

Because that is how I am feeling right now. Oh, but believe me, the sentiment earlier this week/last week/this past weekend was f*******ck sh*******t goddamnit. There are no words to describe it. I think, in the last week, I wrote two 2,000-word history essays (history overload) on little to no sleep, prepared for a linguistics presentation on no sleep (yay), made enough salad for 15 people for Thanksgiving, got angry at the staff at the Victoria and Albert Museum for behaving in a non-museum-like manner (not out loud, of course), and realized that there are two and a half week of school left and I have another history essay due next week. And two more due the week after that. And a linguistics presentation Monday. And a linguistics essay due in two weeks. Get me outta here.

And now, I found out that grad school deadlines aren't in the middle of January as previously thought, but at the FIRST of January, so I have to print out recommendation forms, buy envelopes and write a admission-brilliant statement of purpose. That's tomorrow. I thought tomorrow was going to be my day off to catch up on sleep. No, apparently the workload gods are smiting me and will not let me sleep until the end of the term. Which is just what I wanted all along. Great.

So now I'm too stressed to sleep, something I desparately need because I've pulled all-nighters for the past two nights, drank an insane amount of Red Bull and almost froze my butt off in my own room. I really should just move to the kitchen, where it's warm and cozy. Bleeeeeh.

I'm just rambling now, so I'm going to stop. Hope your weekend was better than mine.

Kings?

Erika: hey
Me: hi
Erika: sorry i was across the hall
Me: I know.
Erika: we played a gaame
Me: lol
Me :what game
Erika: i dunno
Me:?!?
Me:are you drunk?!
Erika: just a bit tipsy
Me :haha
Me: how was the game played
Erika: i stood up and it was like wooah
Erika: well there we cards on the table
Me: hahaha
Erika: and you pick one
Me: KINGS
Erika: and then you have to do something depending on YES
Erika: that's it
Me: hahahahaha
Erika: it's funn
Me: can I pls pls pls put this convo on facebook?
Erika: is it that funny?
Me: at least on my blog?
Me: I laughed.
Erika: maybe you shlouldn't ask my permisson when i'm intoxicated
Erika: but suuure go ahead
Me: ok

Later ….

Erika: omg that picture of me is shit!
Erika: ooh!
Me: why picture
Erika: can you send me the angel pic?
Erika: the one you put on facebook
Me: which one is that
Me: the one with you and Greg?
Erika: YES
Erika: i put a comment
Erika: can i have the escalator piccy?
Me: uh oh
Me: I have to upload it first
Me: hoping to do it tomorrow
Erika: OKAY
Erika: AWESOME
Erika: YOU ROCK

Happy Thanksgiving!/canal turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We've planned to have a potluck Thanksgiving since before reading week, but it really started to gel the week after the week off. We ended up deciding to set up a "turkey day" Tesco.com (a major grocery chain here) account so they'll just deliver our food, and we'll split the costs. It's a good thing, too, since the bill, with coupon, came to about 75 British pounds (GBP). The cart had 96 items, and almost didn't get delivered on the day it was supposed to because half of our stuff was in another truck in North London (we're in East London). I told them that I must have it tonight, tomorrow night (Thanksgiving) would be too late and that I didn't care if they deliver it late. I just need it that night. Luckily, the food got here not more than 30 minutes after the scheduled delivery time, and with only 2 items substituted. So all is well.

I was in charge of salad, so I bought romaine, generic lettuce (the package said "lettuce") and baby spinach. And cheese and onions and all the other fun salad side stuff. Cutting six onions into rings was especially fun.

We had so much food that in order for everything -- not including dessert and utensils, beverages, plates and cups, which all to fit on the kitchen couters -- to fit on the table, we had to just sit around the room with plates on our laps.

The turkey was excellent, considering it was made by someone who has never made turkey before, but the gravy apparently spilled on the stove and caused the fire alarm to go off. We also had amazing corn pudding, green beans, Yorkshire pudding, chocolate chip cookies, mashed potatoes, apple pie, cherry crumble, stuffing, mixed berry pie, ice cream, cranberry sauce and fruit salad. Almost everything was homemade. Pretty good for college kids, I say. :) Will add pictures later. It's pretty impressive, actually.

After dinner, Matt suggested, that in the tradition of tossing food into the canal, that we chuck the carcass of the turkey into the canal, just for kicks. So he laboriously deskinned the turkey and got as much meat out of it as possible. But before the actual turkey-tossing, someone (I think Matt) dared Ethan to put the skin of the turkey on his face .... and he accepted the challenge. So there are pictures of Ethan's face covered with turkey skin among those of us with cameras. That will also be soon posted.

Once the meat and skin were taken off the turkey, someone (not Matt, but don't know who) had the idea to draw a face on the turkey, and so Aaron did the deed. The turkey sported eyes, a smiley, carrots for hair, and a strawberry for nose.

And finally, teh group of us, except for Kate, Brian and Aaron, marched down to the canal and tossed the turkey into the canal. It immediately sank to the bottom.

Tomorrow, to get rid of the massive amount of salad still left, we are having a salad party at 1 p.m., so I am sure there will be more revelry to come. :)

plagiarism

Yeah, so I deleted that bit from my U.S. history paper. I just realized in my Red-Bull induced fog that the history department asks for an electronic copy of our essays to catch plagiarism, and they might find the exact sentence from my blog if the sentence stays in my essay. So it's gone. Now, back to the Mid-Tudor Crisis.

no good.

Well, it's 5 a.m., and I think I'm going to give in to the sleep fairy as I am apparently getting no work done. In fact, I have not written a word since I wrote "CRAZY" because my foggy mind couldn't think of a better word for whatever I wanted to write. So now the sentence reads: [deleted ... see above post].

I need to get back in the groove of writing papers on deadline ... or getting back in the swing of doing schoolwork, for that matter. This education system is not optimal for my work style. I need structure!

On another topic, for those of you who know about my eye problems -- i.e. the corneal scratch episodes -- I am here to tell you that it has returned. I must give Budapest my eternal gratefulness. If you're not aware of the corneal scratch episode, feel free to ask or to browse the archives. I am now wearing glasses, perhaps for awhile while my eye heals (again).

Sleeping for 3 hours, shower, class, write, class, write, write, write. No more procrastinating tomorrow. Paper due Wednesday. Ahhh.

picture of the day -- Stonehenge in daytime.

I took many photos of Stonehenge, but when it comes down to it, it's really just a circle of really old rocks. It's actually pretty surreal, though. You take the train from London to Salisbury, then the No. 3 bus to the site, and you ride over this hill, and just off-center to your left is Stonehenge, just sitting there, like it has been for thousands of years. English Heritage, which runs historical sites in Britain, has the whole process down pat for visitors. You get your tickets, go through the turnstile, get a FREE (it usually costs at other museums) audio guide, and from that moment on, they have your tour of the rocks practically down to the minute. It's really cheesy, but it's just amazing. They have numbered markers, roped off the henge, benches to sit on in case you get tired, etc. And then, of course, you wait for the sunset -- or, as close to sunset as you can without missing the last bus back to the train station -- and get the requisite sunset shot (that's to come). And then you stop by the gift shop, buy some postcards (which I mailed last night) and head back to the train station to catch the next train to London. It's all very efficient.

By the way, during my procrastination, I came upon this. It worries me. I don't know if I want to do that for the rest of my life. But then again, it'll be kinda fun ... in a sadistic, self-destructing kind of way.

reading week -- a photo story

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will get little to no sleep (hopefully the former) the next couple of days because of papers and Thanksgiving preparations. So, as I look at the "paper 1" window on my desktop with an MLA format help from "paper 2" in WRIT 340, I will update this blog, complete with pictures from reading week, where I went to Windsor Castle (with a stop at Eton College), University of Oxford, Stonehenge and Stratford-upon-Avon (I think they pronounce it "ay-vun" here). So now, pictures from reading week. You will notice, however, that there are no Stonehenge pictures. Those will be posted later. Here we go.


** this is the front of Shakespeare's birthplace. Stratford-upon-Avon is one big tourist trap, except maybe his tomb inside the Holy Trinity Church, which is open to visitors even on Sundays .... unusual.


** the beautiful garden in the back of Shakespeare's birthplace.


** this is Holy Trinity Church, which sits on the banks of the River Avon, which is gorgeous. The church itself is in the shape of a cross, with the top of the cross facing east, toward the River Avon. The nave and the chancel, where Shakespeare and his family are buried, is buily at an angle. I've been told two different explanations for this: one is that it is the architectural style of the day (doubtful, but I am open to dispute from people who know architecture), and two, that when they "rebuilt" the chancel, they built it to align perfectly east since the "old" chancel, along with the current nave, is slightly off-center. I'm not sure I quite believe the second explanation either, but the brochure they gave out didn't really explain the weird crookeness.


** the is a view from the River Avon from the graveyard of the Holy Trinity Church. Pretty, huh?


** Shakespeare's tomb. You can see his family's coat of arms at the bottom corner. His tombstone reads:
Good friend for Jesus sake forebeare,
To digg the dust encloased heare.
Blese be the man that spares these bones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.


** University of Oxford's Herford College courtyard. Oxford is in the town of Oxford, which is to say that the university IS the town in that it is a college town but also that the campus is so spread out in the town that it makes sense to just call the whole thing Oxford.


** a statue in the courtyard of the Bodleian Library, the university's main library.


** the Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library, from the tower of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin.


** The Coronation Chair from the Westminster Abbey. Remember when I said I didn't know we couldn't take photos in the abbey? Here's proof.


** And the Westminster Abbey.

moons and Junes and ferris wheels

Today, after much stress, frustration, planning and self-doubt, I ran for editor in chief of the Daily Trojan and lost. There lots of things going against me, most of which I can't/won't elaborate, but the main thing is that I'm glad I did it. Am I sad that I lost? Yes, of course. Sad because I lost, but also sad because I knew I could've really changed the DT. I didn't do it out of spite; I did it because I believe.

But I know now that when I graduate, I leave the DT with no regrets, no "what if," no "maybe if," no "I wish." Running for EiC was something I've wanted to do since I was a freshman, now I've done it. It's done, and now I move on with my life.

Tomorrow, I head to the first leg of my whirlwind journey through the U.K., visiting Windsor Castle, University of Oxford, Stonehenge and Stratford-upon-Avon -- in that order. In between those, I will file my column for the Daily Trojan and read for the papers I have to write for my history classes.

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"But something's lost
but something's gained
in living everyday.
I've looked at life
from both sides now,
from win and lose,
and still somehow,
it's life's illusions I recall.
I really don't know life at all."
-- "Both Sides Now," Joni Mitchell

Picture of the Day: Remembrance Day.
Veterans poppy display in front of Westminster Abbey on Monday.

Happy (belated) Guy Fawkes Day!

Erika and I, being one of the few still in town on Saturday, went to find a decent Guy Fawkes celebration and decided to go to one in Lamsted Park (??) somewhere waaaay the hell out there in southwest London, just a few Tube stops away from Heathrow Airport. There was supposed to be a bonfire at 6 p.m., but when we got there at 5 (we left at 3:15), there was nobody there. Not a soul. Not even at the funfair.

So we go with Plan B, Alexandra Palace, on the OTHER side of town -- aka northeast London at Wood Green. Thankfully, both places are on the Piccadilly Line, or it would've been a pain to change trains. We left Lamsted Park around 5:30-ish and got to Wood Green around 6:15, I forgot, I was sleep, but anyway, we go to the palace itself around 6:45 or 7, just in time to hear the annoying DJs talk and not play music.

Supposedly, it was the biggest Guy Fawkes Day firework display in town that night, so I guess we went to the right place. It was a pretty spectacular show, I have to admit. It was even timed to the soundtrack!

So afterward, after the estimated 60,000 people filed (slowly) out of the hilltop of the "Ally Pally," Erika and I went to see "Elizabethtown." Everybody go see "Elizabethtown."

Well, today I went to see Westminster Abbey as a way to procrastinate the paper writing. I realized a couple of days ago that my U.S. history paper is due the same Friday as when I will be in Hungary, so I have to write the paper 3 days early,nd that has never happened. Unless you count WRIT 340, when we had to have drafts ready.

But anyway, I never knew the Poet's Corner was inside ... or all of the tombs, for that matter. I always thought they were outside, like regular churches. But apparently, Westminster is no ordinary church. Everybody is buried inside. Crazy.

I also didn't know that no photography, flash or otherwise, is allowed in the church, so I have pictures of the Coronation Chair, Elizabeth I and Mary I's tombs, also Henry VII's chapel and some of the poets and writers in the Poet's Corner, which is where the guy caught me taking photos. Bummer. :(

Anyway, that's the way event of the day. So now I am going to read a book and procrastinate the paper-writing some more. Happy, happy times.

picture of the day:
a view of the River Thames at sunset from the Tate Britain.

for lack of July 4th ...

Britain celebrates ....

GUY FAWKES DAY!

I mean, people need an excuse to shoot off fireworks and light bonfires, right?

And since practically everybody skipped town for reading week, Erika and I decided to attend a bonfire. There're bound to be several around town.

I mean, for an entire week, people have been shooting off industrial-strength, professional-grade, July 4th extravaganza type of fireworks. You know, the kind you picnic for, but these are just random people in the East End deciding to have fun for 3 hours at the expense of others' sanity.

***

On a funnier note, I recently finished transcribing the canal cookies narrative recording for my linguistics class. It took me 6 1/2 hours and another 2 hours to analyze the elements of it, but it is HILARIOUS. I want to post it here simply because it is so funny. Even though I was bone-tired (I started transcribing at midnight, dumb me), I was still cracking up as I was typing it out.

It's even funnier on tape, but I'm not sure if Blogger will let me do that.

things change

I've never liked clubbing. Still don't. I've been to a club twice in my life. Once in LA. Once in Tampa. And now, once in London.

I've been to a gay club once. In Tampa. But it was pretty dead, so I'm not sure if it counts. Then I wrote a story about the gay club. Not sure where to put that.

Well, tonight, I reach for another rung on the ladder. Today, I not only went to a gay club in London, but it also happened to be "Porn Idol" stripping contest night at G.A.Y. A friend was a contestant.

Don't be shocked, if you are. Be amused. It's all an experiment. How much can Julie change between May and January? Stay tuned.

random pic of the entry: the end result of the cookie-baking experiment. the end result.

a massive update

Wow. The last time I really put up anything of significance was when I got sick. Well, I was definitely sick the entire time I was in Paris the first time ... it kinda sucked. I mean, sniffing and sneezing in the most beautiful (YES!) city in the world was just not cool. But Paris was so pretty. I wanted to just sit in front of the Eiffel Tower and stare at it. Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, this is the column I wrote for the DT about how I was left behind on the thing. Anyway, the first weekend, Aaron, Erika and I saw the major stuff -- Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Louvre, Arc d' Triomphe, Bastille and other similar things. We stayed at a hotel 5 minutes from the Bastille and ate at a cafe about a block from the roundabout that has good salmon quiche. Yum. :) At the Eiffel Tower, on the green/garden part where the fountains are across the tower, there is a stand that sells delicious crepes. When Matt, Erik and I went, we stayed at a hostel near the Repulbique and there was also a really good crepe place on the way to the metro stop.

The Louvre was so huge that I only saw what amounted to 1/3 of one wing ... and there are three wings! The Mona Lisa was anticlimatic -- sort of like reading Romeo and Juliet in English class -- because it was talked about so much anyway, seeing the actual thing wasn't as much a thrill as expected.

The second weekend, with Matt and Erika, we went to the Louvre again, saw more stuff, and STILL didn't get finished. That place is enormous. It's also a maze. Even with an English-language map in hand and signs around the museum, I still needed to find a "you are here" directory to navigate. I think it took me about 20 minutes to find the Aphrodite/Venus statue, aftering circling around and around. I did successfully find the Code of Hamurabi, which, I think, is the first recorded set of laws in the world... it's also really strict.

With Matt and Erika, we saw the Egyptian exhibits and French, Italian and Spanish paintings and French sculptures they displayed in a sunlit courtyard in the middle of the Richelieu (I think) wing. They were pretty. When you walk into the Louvre from the Musee du Louvre metro stop, you are actually walking underneath the biggest of the I.M. Pei pyramids. You can then take the escalator up to the street level and walk around the plaza (the three wings form a U and the largest pyramid is in the middle). From the plaza, you can see the Eiffel Tower.

The second week, we went to Chateau de Versailles, which, apparently, is outside the Paris city proper, and we had to pay extra to take the metro there. We didn't know that, so we had to pay about 2.50 Euros ... the police told us that if Parisians did that, the fine is 35 Euros.

Versailles is beyond beautiful. You can see why the French were furious with the royal family when the citizens were starving. Versailles is opulent. It's really ornate with tons of gold and paintings and candeliers ... and, of course, the Hall of Mirrors, which was partly under renovation when we were there.

The palace was gorgeous, but the real beauty is in the gardens.Trees and grass and flowers and fountains as far as the eye can see. And a canal! With canoes! It's amazing. There are also cute little walks on the side to stroll in peace .... so pretty. And we went on a clear day, too. Speaking of clear days, Paris was sunny and warm when we were there. It feels like summer was just ending, but fall is only creeping around the corners. I think it was in the 70s when we were there, both times.

I first heard about the Centre Pompidou in French class in high school but didn't really know what's in it. But there is a modern art museum in it, so Matt and I went on our last night in Paris. It's pretty cool, more so than the Tate Modern.

Speaking of the Tate Modern, Matt and I finished it last Friday, along with Tate Britain. Tate Britain was a letdown, it didn't really have any really awesome paintings, although there is one with an amazing sunset landscape and one with Ophelia dying. Those are the main ones. But nothing special, really. And after awhile, I got really tired of looking at the same paintings room after room. But the last exhibit I went to at Tate Modern was really awesome ... it's really a 3-D collage of sorts about the Iraq war, with cardboard U.S. soldiers forming a fence around the stuff inside like mushrooms (like bombs) and books, etc.

I also went to the National Portrait Gallery, Hyde Park (soooo pretty), Kensington Gardens, Knightsbridge, Harrods (had to!) and places around there. Oh! And the Tower of London, but it was kinda boring. It was just a lot of towers with creaky wooden floors. But ... I did get pictures of actual Beefeaters! :)

On Sunday, I went to Greenwich to walk around, but it was super touristy and not much fun. And windy.

You should read about the cookie-baking experiments.

All right, that's about it, at least the important stuff. I'm going to the Hungarian consulate tomorrow morning to get a tourist visa to go to Budapest (YES!) the weekend of the 17th. It's going to be super fun. :)

pictures from Paris part one

At long last, Paris pictures are here. I swear I added more than just these in this entry, but Notre Dame and some others apparently did not upload. So there will be two parts. This one is from the first weekend in Paris.


** It just doesn't seem right to start any other way. Eiffel Tower did not disappoint. It was every bit as magnificient as it was said to be. Except a bit rustier than expected.


** Every hour at night, the tower gets to twinkle like a Christmas tree! This is obviously not one of those twinkling times.


** me, Erika and Aaron with the Eiffel Tower.


** Champs-Elysees. Erika and I waited at least 10 minutes for a giant red tour bus to get out of the gorgeous view of the gorgeous street.


** Arc d' Triomphe. It's pretty cool. There was some sort of military service thing under the arch when we were there, so we didn't get to walk through it the first time we were there, but it was still pretty cool.


** a crepe sucre from a stand near the Eiffel Tower. It was hot, gooey on the inside and crispy at the edges. Mmmmm....


** Apparently, my store sells men's clothing, so no shopping at Jules.


** L'escargot. A little chewy, full of basil-and-olive-oil goodness. Yum. It comes with its own clamp and fork!


** The Bastille at night. It's just a roundabout now, no actual building exists. It's about a five-minute walk from our hotel my first weekend there.


** You can see how the Centre Pompidou (the weird bright building in the middle) might anger its neighbors -- it stands out! and definitely does not fit in with the surroundings! Inside, there is a really cool modern art museum (and some other stuff) that Matt and I visited on the last night of my second trip.


** This was right in front of the entrance of the sanctuary in Notre Dame cathedral.

It's coming!

Paris pictures are coming, I promise! I just got back from Paris, round 2, so there will be even more pictures. I love that city. Wanna move there. So many beautiful places, so little time, so little money. Need to find a more travel-friendly-salary occupation.

But the pictures are coming. I promise.

Paris!

Got back from Paris yesterday, but the 100-or-so pictures are still on my camera, so there are no pictures to post yet. Also, I just realized that I have a presentation due in class on Thursday, and I have to read in order to do it. So I need to read, then update with Paris trip stuff. Oh, there will be Paris stuff. :)

well, it's time for an update

Giant blister healed (kinda), so I stopped band-aiding it. Today, I found dried blood where the new skin used to be. No good. I'm also sick (self-diagnosed, one hour ago) -- sneezing, runny nose, sore throat. It's OK, though, my friend Matt gave me vitamin C and zinc and EmergenC from Trader Joes. All will be well. Look for updates from Paris or after Paris on Paris. Au revoir! :)

PS: haggis

ah, an important postscript from the trip to Edinburgh. Haggis isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It actually tastes like really bready stuffing. Really not bad at all.

Thank The Gap

Apparently many people out there are not fond (to put it mildly) of The Gap. But from my experiences on Friday and Saturday in Notting Hill, I owe The Gap quite a lot. They're good peoples.

Anyway, the second week of school has started, and things are setting in to their boring, lecturing self. In Society and State in Britain (basically medieval British history through the formation of Parliament), the prof spent the entire time talking about how to use proper grammar construction. Then, three hours later, in the seminar (discussion, if you will), he spent an hour talking about how to write a proper essay -- complete with Latin explanations. Puke. To give the guy some credit, though, I will say that he is hilarious. He's bitter, sarcastic and cynical, and it cracks me up. :)

Anyway, one side of my desk is clean, and my bookshelf now has books on it, so cleaning last night was a sort of success. More today, perhaps?

look ma! more pictures!

Sometimes, you just have to be a tourist, and we head to Trafalgar Square. For some reason, sightseeing has been done at night so far....


** Nelson's Column at night.


** a view of the Big Ben all lit up in the background with the Column in the foreground, taken from the National Gallery.


** a picture with the lion. (Erika, Matt and me)


** that's me ... with the lion.

After Trafalgar Square, we joined Ethan, Greg, Cassie, Kate and Brian for The Aristocrats. It was hilarious. If you haven't seen it yet, you should.

this is where Edinburgh pictures are

Last Thursday, less than a week after we all landed at Heathrow, a group of us took off to Edinburgh in a semi-impromptu trip. Matt, Aaron, Sara, Jim, Greg and I are all from USC. We met Cassie, from Vassar, when she walked into the common room in Maynard when we were watching "Bad Lads" (remember the military reality TV show?). Kate (Boston College) is Matt and Aaron's flatmate, whose boyfriend Brian (also BC) lives in the flat across the hall, which is where Erika (Baylor), whom I met at dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant, lives. Matt, Aaron, Erika and I met Jim when he overheard "Traddies" in the stairwell on the first day of orientation. For the uninitiated, Traddies -- or formally known as "Traditions" is the on-campus bar at USC. Through Sara, we met Chris, who also goes to BC. Did I cover everybody?

Today, while queueing (of course, what else would I be doing on a Tuesday afternoon?) in the history department (I might tell that story later), a girl nicknamed Flea (for Felicity) gave me a pretty thorough education on the British education system and the British teenage rites of passage. Apparently, 18 is the year when you get trashed and 21 is the year you get a formal ball type thing -- to celebrate growing up, I think. I also found out people hear just say "uni" instead of "university" and that "going to school" doesn't really work for going to college. You just get a funny look. It's also interesting to learn (and hear) that British people say "OxfordandCambridge" as if they're one the way some people say "HarvardandYale" in the U.S. There is also "Oxbridge." Perhaps there is/will be Harvale?

I've met three of my flatmates; there is another who moved in but haven't caught his (her?) name, and the door across from mine hasn't opened when I was in the flat. There is Tom from southwest England; Giles, whose mother must think I'm dumb because I couldn't understand when she asked what "course I was studying"; and Tokru from Tokyo, also an associate (international) student.

The way my schedule stands right now -- and let's hope and knock on wood that nothing is going to change on Thursday -- I have Wednesday and Friday open, a crazy Monday, and OK Tuesdays and Thursdays. The 20th century U.S. history class is going to be fun, I think, but I really want out of my all-American discussion session. I'm taking U.S. history in Britain because I want a British perspective, not to get the same points of view I've been getting in the U.S. The Linguistics of Storytelling seems promising so far. There might be quite a lot of academic (finally found the word!) journals, but the main class project sounds fun. We'll see how things go.

Anyway, here are a sampling of Edinburgh pictures. I won't bore you with the whole collection. Enjoy! :)



** inside the courtyard of the Edinburgh Castle. You can google the main entrance of the castle if you want. It has a moat! :)


** this is a doorway of a military prison in the Edinburgh Castle. It's so short that my head was about 3 inches from the frame and can nearly touch it with my head by tip-toeing.


** this is the group of us at Edinburgh Castle. From left: Greg, Chris, me, Erika, Matt, Sara and Aaron.


** one of the many pictures of the Scottish Parliament building. It's pretty neat, huh? In the background is Arthur's Seat, a small hill that we climbed on our last full day in town.


** we found an old cemetary near the Parliament on the main street through Edinburgh. This is the oldest tombstone we found; there are probably others, though. In the cemetery is also the grave of a poet named Robert Fergusson. I don't know the name, but some of you guys probably do.


** the Scott Monument, which, according to Wikipedia, was built in honor of Sir Walter Scott.


** from Calton Hill, overlooking the city.


** the entire group (minus Jim, who tends to disappear on his own a lot) on Calton Hill -- or at least nearby it. The two new people are Kate and Brian.


** Matt, Aaron, Greg, Sara, Erika, Chris and I climbed Arthur's Seat -- no small feat if you know me. So here is proof. That's important! :)


** this is us (who made it to the top ... YES!) from the top of Arthur's Seat. Don't let the smallest of it fool you; it's a curvy and steep climb, and (scarily, sadly, regretfully) nobody brought water with them to the climb.

a quick missive on Edinburgh

Hello, world.

I just got back from Edinburgh, and it was everything people told me it would be. My room's internet died (again), so I am currently at an internet cafe near campus and am running out of minutes, so this will have to be quick.

I'll write more on Edinburgh when I get internet back up and post pictures ... because I took A LOT of pictures.

But the most satisfying thing I did there would have to be the full day, when a group of us hiked up Arthur's Seat ... it's not a "mountain", per se, but it is more than a hill. I got such a sense of accomplishment out of it. :)

Anyway, school starts tomorrow, and I need to unpack my luggage earnestly now because there are still suitcases on the floor and all kinds of crap on my desk.

FIGHT ON!

pictures!

As promised, here are pictures of the first half of the first week. I just got internet, and life is good again. :)


** sign in Heathrow


** Big Ben and Clock Tower with London Eye in the background.


** my rolling chair does not roll. :(


** "red beer" -- black currant concentrate, Strongbow and Grolsch.


** amusement.


** easily amused.


** ?!??!?! if anyone knows what this means, please let me know.


** a public service announcement provided by Britain.


** saw this one as my friend smokes his second Marlboro Menthol of the night.


** on the central line Tube to IKEA ... Matt, Cassie and Kate.


** the IKEA hamper I bought in the kids' department! :)


** the alarm clock didn't have a time because when I bought this at IKEA, I also bought the wrong size batteries, so now I have a whole box of AA IKEA brand batteries. Perfect.

It's 4:02 a.m. GMT. Kelly Clarkson is playing the background. I have to get up at 8:30 in the morning, so I will go now. Hope y'all enjoyed the pictures. :)