Exile

HOLY FRICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My sincerest apologies, friends. It has been far too long since I blogged last. In my defense, finals are especially stressful here because they're our entire grade. Seriously. We have no short assignments, no attendance, no participation grade. Just. Final. Freaking. Papers.

But never fear! I'm still alive and slightly well. Let me catch you up on what's been happening up in hur.

First, we had Thanksgiving. Twas pretty cool. Many of us invited British friends, who all had varying conceptions of what the holiday really meant. (Pilgrims? Who?) So basically we had to learn them some 'Merica.

The food for Thanksgiving was delectable. Each of the Luther students prepared a dish from home. (I was on the sweet-potato team.) In the end, we had quite a spread. Not to mention the desserts. Oh my goodness. I don't think I've ever felt so fat in my life. The pumpkin pie was difficult, though. We had to make our own puree because they don't sell it in cans here. Overall, however, everything turned out okay. There was indeed much merriment to be had.:

Joe, Aparna, Amanda, Danny and Mike: MASHED POTATO SQUAD

Prep in the kitchen

We set up in the church hall... with some surround-sound Jazz.

The spread. And hovering girls.

Everyone!

So that was really fun. But then the stress started. December marked a time of doom for all of us. Not only did we have finals at the Uni, but we also had them in our Luther classes back at the flat. On top of that, we all needed to make travel plans for the holidays. Commence freakout noises. (*#&$(YFGISDUGSLD&Q%WTFDX

(Less accurate finals representation.)

(More accurate finals representation.)

On the bright side, we had some really beautiful snow. Nice, fat flakes.

It seems like we're all in the clear now though. We're kicked out of the flat to travel for a month before the start of next semester. So the Girlfriend and I have decided to do a mega-Ireland tour: four weeks and nearly 10 counties to see! Woot!

Unfortunately, this means I won't have any contact with the outside world until January. *sobs hysterically* But I miss you all, and [hopefully] I'll make it back alive to talk to you!

Have a happy holidays and a fantastic new year! Eat lots of Kraft Mac n Cheese for me! Also, in the spirit of the season, here's a picture of an awkward penguin:

lol brb ttyl

Yours,

So... Harry Potter

That's right. I saw the Deathly Hallows English-style. I soon discovered that this isn't entirely different from American-style, aside from the lack of midnight showings. Instead my flat mates and I enjoyed a leisurely 7:45 p.m. movie in a giant, slightly-cramped theater.

Also, I dressed up.

Aren't I cute?

This requires particular attention. I am not, in fact, a muggle, but a wizard dressed up as a muggle. (Hence the wand.) Though in actuality, I am a muggle dressed up as a wizard dressed up as a muggle. The irony was completely missed by Britons, however, and I was largely regarded as "lame" for my poor muggle costume.

But the skirt made everything okay.

Oh, and I guess the movie was good, too. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Yours,

Photo Tour: Manchester

Note to Reader: This day was far longer in real life than it is in blog-time. We left at around 8:00 am and returned at 8:00 pm. Needless to say, we all got a good night's sleep afterwards.

Our first tour took place at Quarry Bank Mill. In the late 1700s, Samuel Greg employed children there to work 12 hour shifts, six days a week. And by "employed" I mean "made to work forcibly under penalty of a legal indentured servant contract." We were assured that life at the Mill would have been infinitely better than any workhouse elsewhere, which wasn't saying much.

At any rate, Samuel Greg and his wife ran an efficient business, and collected the salary equivalent of a doctor or lawyer today. Basically this mill epitomizes the textile industry during the Industrial Revolution in England. It was pretty spiffy, and much older than any structures we have in the States.

Mill and surrounding area.

Wheel of the mill: only a few centimeters of water were needed

to power hundreds of cotton pulling machines and looms.

So much thread!

Different styles of looms and fly shuttles...

This woman explained the intricacies of fabric-making. She

claimed to be from the 1700s, but her clever guide didn't fool me!

Next we hopped on a bus and headed over to Manchester United Football Stadium. Football in England, of course, is what we know as soccer: "Football as it should be!"

We were met by an angry tour guide, who had trouble comprehending the need for bathroom breaks. I must say, I didn't really enjoy this part of the trip. The tour proved to be more of a propaganda session rather than a history of the sports teams who played there. "Afterwards, everyone should visit the Mega-Store!" (The Stadium gift shop was full of pricey jerseys and other memorabilia.)

I did, however, quite appreciate the many views of the stadium boxed seats. We were also able to visit the changing rooms, as well as the entrance to the playing field.

North Entrance to the Stadium

Nike influences

They set up UV lights in order to make the grass greener.

(You don't get much sunlight in England as it is.)

That's right. I figured out the "Panoramic" feature on my camera.

(Click for a better view of the field and some guy's head.)

Changing room and respective jerseys.

Group heading onto the field.

So that was interesting, but overall, not my cup of tea. (Yes! I finally managed to use that expression.) Next we got on the bus again, and drove to the Trafford Centre: the mall to end all malls. Not really. But I think it is comparable to the Mall of America. Once inside, we were required to go to the Museum of Museums, which now houses Tutankhamen's remains. (In previous years, they had been at the Chicago Field Museum.) But we couldn't find the darned place, and we were told by the director to simply walk around and eat dinner. Yay!

Unsuspecting girlfriend/ground floor shot

Dolphin fountain? Yes please.

Oh yeah, and there was a talking Christmas tree.

Aaaaaand that's about it! Any questions? I hope you didn't have to pee while reading this, BECAUSE THEN I WOULD HAVE TO YELL AT YOU.

Anyway, more soon...ish. I'm off to write a philosophy paper!

Yours,

In other news...

WELL we're going to Manchester tomorrow. The internet has decided to bless me with its presence, so I decided to update you guys whilst it is here. Tomorrow is only a day trip, and we'll be back late in the evening. I'm not entirely sure which places we'll be visiting yet. Nonetheless, I'm sure there will be lots of photos for your viewing pleasure.

Also, I'm in the library right now, procrastinating. Here's a video!

If you look closely, you can see James Patterson staring back at you.

Well that's about it, really. This past week was "reading week", so we didn't have any classes. Normally this would have aided my essay-writing efforts. But because I've already done mine, I just ate fruit, slept, and read Little Women all day. Yay!

Okay. More soon (knock on wood):

I provided this visual just in case.

Yours,

HELLO

I AM SORRY I HAVEN'T BLOGGED IN A WHILE BUT I PROMISE TO DO SO SOON.

(I'M WRITING IN ALL CAPS TO EXPRESS MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES.)

BASICALLY I'VE BEEN PRETTY BUSY LATELY WITH CLASS PAPERS AND WRITING IN GENERAL. ACTUALLY, I'M PARTICIPATING IN NANOWRIMO (NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH), WHICH YOU SHOULD ALSO DO THIS INSTANT. IT'S NOT TOO LATE:

GO DO NANOWRIMO NOW!

ANYWAY OUR INTERNET IS STILL ON THE FRITZ. WE'RE HOPING TO RECEIVE A NEW MODEM IN THE MAIL BUT OUR INTERNET PROVIDER, WHO SHALL REMAIN UNNAMED, IS NOT BEING RESPONSIVE. IN FACT VIRGIN MEDIA IS SO POORLY ORGANISED THAT EVERYONE SHOULD SEND THEM HATE MAIL. BUT IT WOULD PROBABLY NEVER REACH THEM BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW HOW MAIL WORKS.

AT ANY RATE, I HOPE ALL IS WELL IN THE STATES. I AM VERY SORRY FOR THE LACK OF INTERESTING UPDATES, BUT I AM STILL ALIVE. DON'T PANIC.

HERE'S A PICTURE OF SOMETHING I FOUND ON THE INTERNET:

PIE SQUARED

YOURS,

Photo Tour: Bath/Stonehenge/Salisbury

Guess what?! It's time for another photo tour. You were missing them, I know.


Lettuce begin. We all got up at 6:00 am and shipped off to Bath, England. There we explored the Roman baths before staying at the YMCA for the night. (Wait, they have the YMCA in England? Yes, yes they do!) 

Doesn't it look inviting?

There's me, about to jump in.

Romans used to write curses and throw them into the baths,

but only when people deserved the wrath of the gods.

Old school heated floors. These Romans knew how to live.

(The wood has rotted away, but a fire was lit near the base of the

stones to warm the floor above.)

So that was cool. Afterwards, we were allowed to explore the shops surrounding the old Roman buildings.

That's right. A store devoted to men. We're so lazy.

Also, because these group trips are supposed to be educational, we are required to visit at least one historical institution. The Girlfriend and I decided to go to the Jane Austen museum near where she used to live.

Who knew Jane had such awesome hats?

That's where Kiera Knightley's script was written.

So after rooming next to Boy Scouts for the evening, we woke up and went to view some delightful Henges. (Stonehenge isn't the only one.) This part of our trip was frustrating for me. People only have theories as to how (and why) Henges were built. Usually large stones, weighing upwards of three tons, were dragged from a valley many miles away. The stones were then erected into the ground. How prehistoric peoples managed to do this is beyond comprehension. It is assumed, though, that tree trunks were used to roll the stones, and deer antlers were used to dig appropriate foundations. Not surprisingly, it took many years to complete these tasks, which are comparable to that of building a Cathedral. At any rate, it proved to be quite an awe-inspiring trip.

We first stopped at Avebury: a bigger Henge than

Stonehenge, though it was built later with smaller stones.

Everything is big near the Henges. Even the checker boards.

Group heading toward the inner circle of Avebury. (There were

once over 400 stones, though few are still standing.)

After goggling at giant rocks which looked like they would topple over, we moved on to a burial ground. There were several of these in the surrounding landscape, supposedly for people who worked on the construction of the Henge.

Everybody in the crypt. Yo.

The mound.

The Girlfriend being all pretty.

In hindsight, it's amazing that I didn't get a lot of sheep in these pictures. Sheep: lawnmowers of the United Kingdom. Sheep poop= land mines of the United Kingdom.

Anyway, THEN WE WENT TO STONEHENGE YAY HERE ARE SOME PICTURES LOOK HOW MYSTERIOUS IT IS!

Our audio tour mentioned that some of the stones point to where

the sun might be at the summer and winter solstices.

So... potential sun-worshiper temple?

Girlfriend and me being touristy.

We stayed at a pretty cool barn for the evening. They had guinea pigs! And trampolines! Unfortunately, I was too sick to enjoy any of it. (But I did take some pictures...)

Some farm landscape.

Guinea pig! He looked kinda cold outside.

Don't worry, I'm almost done! Finally, we visited Salisbury Cathedral. Most people know it because it the oldest medieval cathedral in Europe. Also, the novel Pillars of the Earth, was based of of its construction.

So picturesque.

I barely got the top of that.

There were at least 100 of these statues on the

outside of the church. It kind of made me wish for

an outdoor tour.

Indoors!

Example ceiling and reverse arches.

Purdy blue windows!

And then we came home and ate take-out because we didn't have any food in our refrigerator except for the potato salad I made which was actually really good okay that is all have a good day!

THE END

Yours,

Why Things Are Dumb

I'm afraid there will be a prolonged absence from blogging due to the fact that there is no internet at the flat. We will be calling in a professional soon, but it might take some time to diagnose the problem. For the next week, I'll only be able to access email through my director's wireless or the University's.

Also I am still sick.

Here's a personification of my existence right now:

(In real life, the cup would be full.)

I will upload photos from our group trip to Bath/Stonehenge as soon as I can. (It was pretty amazing.) In the meantime, I hope things are well state-side. I sent some letters/postcards which should arrive soon, just FYI.

Anyway, farewell! I'm off to sleep or something.

Yours,