basically speaking, the past week and a half have been absolutely mad. i spent most of my time either ridiculously busy or in west kirby (and by that i mean completely at my leisure). most of my friends have gone home for the holidays, except for N and my flatmates since they are all from manc. i went through the moving process on the 21-23 and am still working on my room. it's mostly organized though, so i will try to post pics soon. i am already much, much happier here. i actually enjoy hanging out with the people i live with, meaning that not only can i hang out outside of my room, but i can also watch football, cook, play computer games, watch films, play guitar, and generally interact with my flatmates in ways that were impossible in the university halls. it's nice to be here.
i spent christmas with the Bs in west kirby. we watched films every night (except christmas eve when we went out to the pub-- tradition, apparently). i ate a lot of good food. it was mostly traditional english dinners (potatoes, meat, gravy, overcooked veggies), but i also had em's homemade soup and amazing curry. i got a lot of knitting done and walked around WK for a bit. on boxing day, i visited the Ss and went on a walk on the beach with them. it was gorgeous: bright, crisp, and just the right amount of wind. i left on the 27th to come back home, and enjoyed a second boxing day here as well as a day out with N yesterday. we picked up stuff for NYE (we're hosting a party here apparently). i can't really think of much else to say, really. i'm just enjoying the break and trying to stay warm.
i hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, will next update you in 2010! happy new year!
*later note: we've just finished a treasure hunt and are now playing hide & seek. yep, those are house activities!*
12.29.2009
12.24.2009
big move
hello from west kirby! just a quick note to let you know i've moved. the new address is
34 Landcross Rd., Fallowfield
Manchester, M14 6NB
long story short: D, M, F, and S all live together. their other housemate moved out and i moved in. it's £300 less per month (!!!!) and i get to live with my friends. i moved in on monday & tuesday and am not completely settled, but i already like my room and housemates a lot more than then ones in my university halls. i'm still sorting out mail, that will be finalized when i get home on sunday.
west kirby is lovely, especially now that the ice is melting. i've spent most of my time knitting and watching T&M play video games. in all, very nice and relaxing. will catch up on everything later!
34 Landcross Rd., Fallowfield
Manchester, M14 6NB
long story short: D, M, F, and S all live together. their other housemate moved out and i moved in. it's £300 less per month (!!!!) and i get to live with my friends. i moved in on monday & tuesday and am not completely settled, but i already like my room and housemates a lot more than then ones in my university halls. i'm still sorting out mail, that will be finalized when i get home on sunday.
west kirby is lovely, especially now that the ice is melting. i've spent most of my time knitting and watching T&M play video games. in all, very nice and relaxing. will catch up on everything later!
12.19.2009
wales, snow, piercings, and moving.
being as i can't make myself sleep past 9:30, i'm up with nothing to do until later but also a fuzzy head from being asleep. which is great for you, because i'm about to try and remember the past couple weeks....
the biggest news is that i think i'm about to move out of my university housing into a place that is much, much, much cheaper. there is one last thing that needs to happen and then i'm out of here!! that in itself will make my happy for weeks on end. i will update you all when something happens.
thinking back, the last important thing was last friday. L cooked chili, i was through the roof. it was (sorry mumma) probably the best i've had yet, especially with my added sour cream, tortilla chips, and cheese. saturday N and i went to stockport. we got her ears pierced and did some very efficient shopping. when finished in stockport, we came back into town and did some knitting before heading to (the other) L's pantomime. this was an experience that i cannot begin to replicate via blog... pantos are simply something else. we don't really have them in the states, or at least they aren't mainstream enough for me to notice. in any case, we watched that, walked back through the curry mile for some falafels, and rounded out the night listening to our favorite djs at trof. sunday i knitted all day. monday i can't really remember anything of importance. watched a movie, gave M his bday present, generally lounged. tuesday was the last day of classes and so we also had the xmas party that night. it was lots of good xmas food, good company, and museum jokes and games (think snakes and ladders but with ethical reasons for advancing/knock backs). wednesday was spent running around town for the last bits of xmas presents, then more knitting. thursday was spent at the accommodation office trying to reason with the guy there about my housing. it got a lot better after that, though. N and i went to see Where the Wild Things Are, which is crap except for the scenery and score (done by Karen O and we all know how much i love her--give it a listen, you won't regret it). in any case, the movie put us in a good mood and we left to find that the falling snow had stuck, even though it was only about half an inch. being the good idea makers that we are, we decided it was a good idea to go for a run around the park. we picked up S on the way, F met us there, and we had a great time playing in the snow:
after we finished outside, we went back home and made smores (thanks mumma, they liked them lots, lots more than the first sad attempt!) and hot chocolate. it was really late by this point, so N and i bowed out for bed. she stayed the night so we could have scones and cream for breakfast in the morning before she headed to work and i headed to wales.
friday was our trip to conwy. M and i both needed the break after stressful weeks, so i decided the perfect solution was taking a trip with my birthday money. so thanks to Uncle Ken and Aunt Connie, your birthday and xmas present funded the following adventure. it was amazing.
we left manchester around 9:50, properly outfitted with food, water, gloves, several layers of clothing (M wore 5 pairs of socks, 3 pairs was the max for me). it was freezing the entire day, but we didn't really notice for the most part.
this is the path we could have taken. instead, we climbed up the steep hill on the right.
we managed to get all the best scenery and lighting. every time we reached the top of the next hill, the view was more stunning and in some cases literally took my breath away.
in any case, we stopped for lunch in a little outcrop of rock. mum wouldn't have been able to get there, it was a pretty narrow walk next to a pretty large drop. it was completely worth it. it was really really cold by this point, but we had the most amazing view of the sea, the islands, surrounding hills, and the... motorway. lovely. i compensated by imagining it 500 years ago.
after lunch, we kept trekking: first to the iron age hill fort, then the hill just beyond. little did we know it was already inhabited:
it was breathtaking. i still can't get over how well the light treated us, the ponies were not friendly but certainly not shy. it was the perfect end/reward to a day of hiking. we got back into town around 4 and got on the train just as it got really dark. our stopover was in chester, but neither of us cared to be outside any more, so we just got hot drinks and sat until our train got there. i came back home to good news about the housing situation and scones and cream for dinner (healthy, i know... but it was 9:30 and i didn't want to move). i've posted all the pics on facebook, the album is much more complete than the few pics i've posted here. today it's library, art gallery, and skypetime before heading to get falafels and listening to our favorite djs at trof (i like to repeat good experiences).
the biggest news is that i think i'm about to move out of my university housing into a place that is much, much, much cheaper. there is one last thing that needs to happen and then i'm out of here!! that in itself will make my happy for weeks on end. i will update you all when something happens.
thinking back, the last important thing was last friday. L cooked chili, i was through the roof. it was (sorry mumma) probably the best i've had yet, especially with my added sour cream, tortilla chips, and cheese. saturday N and i went to stockport. we got her ears pierced and did some very efficient shopping. when finished in stockport, we came back into town and did some knitting before heading to (the other) L's pantomime. this was an experience that i cannot begin to replicate via blog... pantos are simply something else. we don't really have them in the states, or at least they aren't mainstream enough for me to notice. in any case, we watched that, walked back through the curry mile for some falafels, and rounded out the night listening to our favorite djs at trof. sunday i knitted all day. monday i can't really remember anything of importance. watched a movie, gave M his bday present, generally lounged. tuesday was the last day of classes and so we also had the xmas party that night. it was lots of good xmas food, good company, and museum jokes and games (think snakes and ladders but with ethical reasons for advancing/knock backs). wednesday was spent running around town for the last bits of xmas presents, then more knitting. thursday was spent at the accommodation office trying to reason with the guy there about my housing. it got a lot better after that, though. N and i went to see Where the Wild Things Are, which is crap except for the scenery and score (done by Karen O and we all know how much i love her--give it a listen, you won't regret it). in any case, the movie put us in a good mood and we left to find that the falling snow had stuck, even though it was only about half an inch. being the good idea makers that we are, we decided it was a good idea to go for a run around the park. we picked up S on the way, F met us there, and we had a great time playing in the snow:
after we finished outside, we went back home and made smores (thanks mumma, they liked them lots, lots more than the first sad attempt!) and hot chocolate. it was really late by this point, so N and i bowed out for bed. she stayed the night so we could have scones and cream for breakfast in the morning before she headed to work and i headed to wales.
friday was our trip to conwy. M and i both needed the break after stressful weeks, so i decided the perfect solution was taking a trip with my birthday money. so thanks to Uncle Ken and Aunt Connie, your birthday and xmas present funded the following adventure. it was amazing.
we left manchester around 9:50, properly outfitted with food, water, gloves, several layers of clothing (M wore 5 pairs of socks, 3 pairs was the max for me). it was freezing the entire day, but we didn't really notice for the most part.
this is the path we could have taken. instead, we climbed up the steep hill on the right.
we managed to get all the best scenery and lighting. every time we reached the top of the next hill, the view was more stunning and in some cases literally took my breath away.
in any case, we stopped for lunch in a little outcrop of rock. mum wouldn't have been able to get there, it was a pretty narrow walk next to a pretty large drop. it was completely worth it. it was really really cold by this point, but we had the most amazing view of the sea, the islands, surrounding hills, and the... motorway. lovely. i compensated by imagining it 500 years ago.
after lunch, we kept trekking: first to the iron age hill fort, then the hill just beyond. little did we know it was already inhabited:
it was breathtaking. i still can't get over how well the light treated us, the ponies were not friendly but certainly not shy. it was the perfect end/reward to a day of hiking. we got back into town around 4 and got on the train just as it got really dark. our stopover was in chester, but neither of us cared to be outside any more, so we just got hot drinks and sat until our train got there. i came back home to good news about the housing situation and scones and cream for dinner (healthy, i know... but it was 9:30 and i didn't want to move). i've posted all the pics on facebook, the album is much more complete than the few pics i've posted here. today it's library, art gallery, and skypetime before heading to get falafels and listening to our favorite djs at trof (i like to repeat good experiences).
12.07.2009
important dates
for anyone thinking about visiting (please?), here are the dates to know:
18 December 2009 (15 Dec. for me)
End of First Semester teaching
18 January 2010
First Semester teaching recommences
26 March 2010 (23 March for me)
Last teaching day before Easter break
19 April 2010
Second Semester teaching recommences
11 June 2010
End of Second Semester
up to and including the birthday
good morning from manchester! firstly, my apologies for not writing in almost two weeks. i'm awake and thinking i shouldn't be. N stayed last night after the concert because it's easier to get to work from mine (she lives about 20 min away on the bus) and now i can't get back to sleep, lucky for you that means i can fill you in on the last week! now the question is, where to start...
i'll start with thanksgiving. by this point, i was knee-deep in my essay and couldn't be bothered to cook anything special. at about 3 in the afternoon, i got a knock on my window from one of the neighbors. he waved a stack of letters at me and said "i think these are yours." they were, and they included not only my yeah yeah yeahs tickets (!!!!) but also a package slip saying where i could pick up the parcel sent by mumma. i decided that hell, it was thanksgiving and i needed a little cheering up from home, so i set off to find this package place. after an hour of walking around the city, i called M to come help me find the place (i asked in a pub and they said it wasn't a good part of town). the two of us walked around the red light district for another hour before finding the warehouse, and then when we got there i was told they couldn't accept my card. so we walked all the way back to the train station to find an atm... i eventually got my package after 3.5 hours of bother, but i did get to see my first prostitute so i guess it evens out. through all this, i was missing putting up our exhibit. i eventually got there an hour late (not a big deal, according to the group). we put up the display case:
it turned out all right, i think. the best part of the night was when my coursemate D told me he had also been walking around town looking for something: apparently he had spent two hours in bakeries looking for a pumpkin pie for me for thanksgiving. that completely erased the bad bits of the day, i was so grateful for the gesture. i still can't believe how kind people are here, it blows my mind.
friday, saturday, and sunday were all just filled with essay writing. i took breaks at night to socialize (tea was taken in large amounts), but other than that it was simply writing and nothing else. the final product turned out very well, though:
that was handed in on tuesday. monday night, after finishing at 9pm, i dragged my friend L out for a curry. we had a nice chat too, his mum is also gay so we've decided that makes us brethren (his choice of words).
tuesday was a complete wash. i made it through the lecture and seminar without doing much of anything (readings were only skimmed, unfortunately). i got coffee with N that evening. it's a very good thing that we're of one mind, because mine wasn't working but fortunately she knew what i was going to talk about anyway. it was a great night to sit around a coffee shop, and i definitely needed the break/company/time to relax.
wednesday i was at RNCM for the internship. i sorted files, including the ones for the guitar from 1540, the cello from 1580, and the strad&model strad. i'll be working on that again this week, so i'm trying to get excited about it. wednesday night i edited M's essay on kant's theories on autonomy (more interesting than i thought it would be). the upside of the editing was that by that point i was so braindead that all i did was edit sentence structure... you can tell i'm good at that sort of thing (just not at 9 am). we also watched the lion king, which is still an awesome movie.
thursday i was back at the manchester museum to work on my visitor surveys. it was both a long and short day: long because i didn't get a whole lot of sleep both the night before as well as the preceding week, but short because the lady i'm working with is a lot of fun as well as very easy to get along with. i will go into what i'm doing later (probably after my first day of surveys). that night i fell asleep by 10 and didn't wake up until 10 the next morning.
friday i went to the gym in the morning. i have begun to really appreciate my time at the gym simply because it doesn't require me to think beyond "owowowow", and many days, that sort of release is exactly what i need. after that, i went to coffee with S for her birthday (it was tuesday, but i missed it). then it was off to the boys' for a bit and then to see some plays put on by N's students. i can't say much about the plays being as i'm not knowledgeable on the subject of drama, but N was quite proud so it was definitely worth it. we went to trof for a bit to celebrate, then back to the lads for F's birthday celebration. it was a lot of fun, sitting around the living room with all of my favorite people. that carried over directly into my birthday, so that got a celebration as well.
saturday i had a nice lie-in before heading over to N's for cookie weekend. it was quite the event: we couldn't get the internet to work (for skype), were missing several important ingredients, and set the oven on fire... yes, we set the oven on fire. we tried using wax paper and it ignited... short story is that it's a good thing we made a double batch.
we only got through the peanut blossoms, but we're having another baking day later this month so we'll do more then (other pic is me and my bday present from N). after finishing the baking and cleaning, we came back to mine and got a curry for dinner (i'm starting to like this easily-accessible curry thing) before heading out to robinski's for pool, socializing, and birthday drinks. it was a great mix of people and i was incredibly happy to have everyone there. birthdays are a wonderful excuse to get everyone together! C (from my course) came as well as a bunch of people that i haven't seen in weeks (H, D, R, and J). it was just so much fun. also, M had fun with the camera:
after that, we went out to venue for some dancing. that was also huge amounts of fun, and although some people opted out after the first bit, more people joined at venue including my pumpkin-pie friend D as well as the ceramic-bowl shattering D. in all, it was the best birthday in recent memory.
sunday i woke up in a world of hurt: not a hangover, but definitely way too much dancing. i had a couple hours to recover before M and i went to the library. we walked and took a couple detours through some really pretty areas (it's good to walk around with a manc). after that, N came over for the rest of our curry (yay leftovers) before heading out the the apollo for the yeah yeah yeahs concert. it was amazing! the manchester music scene did not disappoint, and we even got to be in the front row for the first band (called the duchess says) and some of the yeah yeah yeahs. towards the middle, we decided that due to the bodily harm factor we would let the pushy people through. it was a great concert (quite possibly the best i've seen).
in all, it was the best birthday weekend that i could've possibly asked for. i got to see my family, spend time with all my friends here, be in manchester, see my favorite band live (from the front, no less), eat lots of good food, take interesting walks, and generally really enjoy every minute!
this morning started with tea and gingerbread (made by F for my birthday) with N before she headed to work, so this week is also off to a great start. i'm going to go back to bed for a couple hours and then clean for a bit... i promise it won't be another two weeks before a post.
i'll start with thanksgiving. by this point, i was knee-deep in my essay and couldn't be bothered to cook anything special. at about 3 in the afternoon, i got a knock on my window from one of the neighbors. he waved a stack of letters at me and said "i think these are yours." they were, and they included not only my yeah yeah yeahs tickets (!!!!) but also a package slip saying where i could pick up the parcel sent by mumma. i decided that hell, it was thanksgiving and i needed a little cheering up from home, so i set off to find this package place. after an hour of walking around the city, i called M to come help me find the place (i asked in a pub and they said it wasn't a good part of town). the two of us walked around the red light district for another hour before finding the warehouse, and then when we got there i was told they couldn't accept my card. so we walked all the way back to the train station to find an atm... i eventually got my package after 3.5 hours of bother, but i did get to see my first prostitute so i guess it evens out. through all this, i was missing putting up our exhibit. i eventually got there an hour late (not a big deal, according to the group). we put up the display case:
it turned out all right, i think. the best part of the night was when my coursemate D told me he had also been walking around town looking for something: apparently he had spent two hours in bakeries looking for a pumpkin pie for me for thanksgiving. that completely erased the bad bits of the day, i was so grateful for the gesture. i still can't believe how kind people are here, it blows my mind.
friday, saturday, and sunday were all just filled with essay writing. i took breaks at night to socialize (tea was taken in large amounts), but other than that it was simply writing and nothing else. the final product turned out very well, though:
that was handed in on tuesday. monday night, after finishing at 9pm, i dragged my friend L out for a curry. we had a nice chat too, his mum is also gay so we've decided that makes us brethren (his choice of words).
tuesday was a complete wash. i made it through the lecture and seminar without doing much of anything (readings were only skimmed, unfortunately). i got coffee with N that evening. it's a very good thing that we're of one mind, because mine wasn't working but fortunately she knew what i was going to talk about anyway. it was a great night to sit around a coffee shop, and i definitely needed the break/company/time to relax.
wednesday i was at RNCM for the internship. i sorted files, including the ones for the guitar from 1540, the cello from 1580, and the strad&model strad. i'll be working on that again this week, so i'm trying to get excited about it. wednesday night i edited M's essay on kant's theories on autonomy (more interesting than i thought it would be). the upside of the editing was that by that point i was so braindead that all i did was edit sentence structure... you can tell i'm good at that sort of thing (just not at 9 am). we also watched the lion king, which is still an awesome movie.
thursday i was back at the manchester museum to work on my visitor surveys. it was both a long and short day: long because i didn't get a whole lot of sleep both the night before as well as the preceding week, but short because the lady i'm working with is a lot of fun as well as very easy to get along with. i will go into what i'm doing later (probably after my first day of surveys). that night i fell asleep by 10 and didn't wake up until 10 the next morning.
friday i went to the gym in the morning. i have begun to really appreciate my time at the gym simply because it doesn't require me to think beyond "owowowow", and many days, that sort of release is exactly what i need. after that, i went to coffee with S for her birthday (it was tuesday, but i missed it). then it was off to the boys' for a bit and then to see some plays put on by N's students. i can't say much about the plays being as i'm not knowledgeable on the subject of drama, but N was quite proud so it was definitely worth it. we went to trof for a bit to celebrate, then back to the lads for F's birthday celebration. it was a lot of fun, sitting around the living room with all of my favorite people. that carried over directly into my birthday, so that got a celebration as well.
saturday i had a nice lie-in before heading over to N's for cookie weekend. it was quite the event: we couldn't get the internet to work (for skype), were missing several important ingredients, and set the oven on fire... yes, we set the oven on fire. we tried using wax paper and it ignited... short story is that it's a good thing we made a double batch.
we only got through the peanut blossoms, but we're having another baking day later this month so we'll do more then (other pic is me and my bday present from N). after finishing the baking and cleaning, we came back to mine and got a curry for dinner (i'm starting to like this easily-accessible curry thing) before heading out to robinski's for pool, socializing, and birthday drinks. it was a great mix of people and i was incredibly happy to have everyone there. birthdays are a wonderful excuse to get everyone together! C (from my course) came as well as a bunch of people that i haven't seen in weeks (H, D, R, and J). it was just so much fun. also, M had fun with the camera:
after that, we went out to venue for some dancing. that was also huge amounts of fun, and although some people opted out after the first bit, more people joined at venue including my pumpkin-pie friend D as well as the ceramic-bowl shattering D. in all, it was the best birthday in recent memory.
sunday i woke up in a world of hurt: not a hangover, but definitely way too much dancing. i had a couple hours to recover before M and i went to the library. we walked and took a couple detours through some really pretty areas (it's good to walk around with a manc). after that, N came over for the rest of our curry (yay leftovers) before heading out the the apollo for the yeah yeah yeahs concert. it was amazing! the manchester music scene did not disappoint, and we even got to be in the front row for the first band (called the duchess says) and some of the yeah yeah yeahs. towards the middle, we decided that due to the bodily harm factor we would let the pushy people through. it was a great concert (quite possibly the best i've seen).
in all, it was the best birthday weekend that i could've possibly asked for. i got to see my family, spend time with all my friends here, be in manchester, see my favorite band live (from the front, no less), eat lots of good food, take interesting walks, and generally really enjoy every minute!
this morning started with tea and gingerbread (made by F for my birthday) with N before she headed to work, so this week is also off to a great start. i'm going to go back to bed for a couple hours and then clean for a bit... i promise it won't be another two weeks before a post.
11.26.2009
11.23.2009
christmas market and that's about it
this is going to be very brief since i need to get cracking on my essay. this past week has been filled with relaxing and all that good stuff, along with some more interesting things:
monday i had my meeting with RNCM to discuss my internship. we decided on wednesdays from 9:30-5:30, and i got a brief tour of the collection. i then had a workshop on museum ethics, which was largely uninteresting due to the fact that the presenter was not aware that she was speaking to a group of master's students rather than 4th graders.
tuesday was also rather predictable. our lecture was on "source communities" in the museum (ie tribal groups or anyone from whom the museum gains artifacts). it was quite good for my essay though, as the case study was the NMAI.
wednesday was the first day of my internship and it went well, relatively speaking. i spent the day re-entering everything into a collective database. unfortunately this meant sitting all day by a window that was quite drafty. i'll pick a new spot for this week. i also got a swipecard that labels me as a collections assistant, which was way exciting. other than that, i'm just looking forward to learning how to label in order to start in on the hands-on portion of the internship. that way, i can switch between databasing and labeling to make it less monotonous.
thursday i went to the imperial war museum with a classmate to do some fieldwork. it was literally the windiest walk i've ever taken and i am very glad i decided not to wear my hat (it would be in the canal right now). the museum itself was very sobering, and perhaps i'll elaborate when i have more time. D and i then went to grab some lunch and talk about our exhibit (going up on thursday) before i headed to the gym. then i went over to the lads and F and i had risotto (mine sans prawns) and watched arrested development. how did i not know about this show before??? it's hilarious!
friday i did... nothing of importance until the afternoon. we went to the christmas market that evening, and it was amazing. it's a bunch of booths set up to look like cabins that should be situated somewhere in 4 feet of snow. and oh, the food! i had pancakes with white chocolate drizzle (they weren't really pancakes, more like quarter-size dough balls), mulled wine, some sort of potatoes w/ cabbage and beef, and white-chocolate covered strawberries. we shared everything in the group though, so i didn't get too full. the lights were very cool, too. we walked to two different markets and back through the town, which made for an excellent night out. i love walking through the city at night, but that's something i have to reserve for when at least one other person is with me. anyway, here are some of the pics (those cookies are easily as big as your head):
saturday i got up fairly early and got some reading done for class. i then watched the liverpool match with F and then went xmas shopping. we had the sense to drop by starbucks beforehand to pick up eggnog lattes and gingerbread. when i got back, it was skypetime with B (who just finished his huge essay, i cant tell you how jealous i am right now) (also, never take my advice when i tell you that pasta with bbq sauce might be a good idea) and then reading.
sunday was errand-running and returning books. and more reading... i finished the girl who played with fire, which i figure is essential to my being able to concentrate on this next essay. today i had my meeting about a second internship at the manchester museum, which i will discuss in more detail at a later date. suffice it to say that i will be very busy for the next few months. i also took a nap (that hasn't happened in a long, long time) and cleaned & vacuumed my room. now that i've procrastinated to the point where i'm blogging, i think i'll start in on my essay.
monday i had my meeting with RNCM to discuss my internship. we decided on wednesdays from 9:30-5:30, and i got a brief tour of the collection. i then had a workshop on museum ethics, which was largely uninteresting due to the fact that the presenter was not aware that she was speaking to a group of master's students rather than 4th graders.
tuesday was also rather predictable. our lecture was on "source communities" in the museum (ie tribal groups or anyone from whom the museum gains artifacts). it was quite good for my essay though, as the case study was the NMAI.
wednesday was the first day of my internship and it went well, relatively speaking. i spent the day re-entering everything into a collective database. unfortunately this meant sitting all day by a window that was quite drafty. i'll pick a new spot for this week. i also got a swipecard that labels me as a collections assistant, which was way exciting. other than that, i'm just looking forward to learning how to label in order to start in on the hands-on portion of the internship. that way, i can switch between databasing and labeling to make it less monotonous.
thursday i went to the imperial war museum with a classmate to do some fieldwork. it was literally the windiest walk i've ever taken and i am very glad i decided not to wear my hat (it would be in the canal right now). the museum itself was very sobering, and perhaps i'll elaborate when i have more time. D and i then went to grab some lunch and talk about our exhibit (going up on thursday) before i headed to the gym. then i went over to the lads and F and i had risotto (mine sans prawns) and watched arrested development. how did i not know about this show before??? it's hilarious!
friday i did... nothing of importance until the afternoon. we went to the christmas market that evening, and it was amazing. it's a bunch of booths set up to look like cabins that should be situated somewhere in 4 feet of snow. and oh, the food! i had pancakes with white chocolate drizzle (they weren't really pancakes, more like quarter-size dough balls), mulled wine, some sort of potatoes w/ cabbage and beef, and white-chocolate covered strawberries. we shared everything in the group though, so i didn't get too full. the lights were very cool, too. we walked to two different markets and back through the town, which made for an excellent night out. i love walking through the city at night, but that's something i have to reserve for when at least one other person is with me. anyway, here are some of the pics (those cookies are easily as big as your head):
saturday i got up fairly early and got some reading done for class. i then watched the liverpool match with F and then went xmas shopping. we had the sense to drop by starbucks beforehand to pick up eggnog lattes and gingerbread. when i got back, it was skypetime with B (who just finished his huge essay, i cant tell you how jealous i am right now) (also, never take my advice when i tell you that pasta with bbq sauce might be a good idea) and then reading.
sunday was errand-running and returning books. and more reading... i finished the girl who played with fire, which i figure is essential to my being able to concentrate on this next essay. today i had my meeting about a second internship at the manchester museum, which i will discuss in more detail at a later date. suffice it to say that i will be very busy for the next few months. i also took a nap (that hasn't happened in a long, long time) and cleaned & vacuumed my room. now that i've procrastinated to the point where i'm blogging, i think i'll start in on my essay.
11.15.2009
less sleep
i think i left out without explaining much about my seminar, so i will begin with that. my classmate CJ and i led the seminar on human remains and the museum, which was infinitely interesting. we came up with the genius idea of splitting people into groups that included one curator, one human remains, and one general public and then asked each how they would want to see the display of human remains (if at all). the second issue was repatriation, so we asked everyone to think about that as well. which leads me to ask the same question of you: do you want to see human remains in the museum? think about mummies, bog bodies, and things like bodyworlds. is there a difference to you? what can you learn from these exhibits? do they make you squeamish/ fascinated/ bored/ question your mortality? anyway, this is the type of stuff we went over in the seminar.
on wednesday, i spent a few hours editing M's paper about Foucault (great subject to be reading in 1500 words). i also watched angel a (F's favorite film of the moment) and a couple others. thursday i cleaned my room so that em wouldn't die when she saw it. i picked her up from the station at 2 and we walked around city center for a bit. i was so happy to be able to find all the places i wanted to find, it made me feel like i'm actually a part of this city now. we got tea and caught up on life (a whole 8 years of it!) before heading back to the flat for dins. then we got all bundled up and headed out for the lighting of the christmas lights.... it was amazing. we ended up not finding anyone that we were supposed to meet up with, but the fireworks were still amazing!
after the fireworks, we found N and walked back from town rather than taking a bus (due to there being 20k people at this thing). on the way, we decided it would be fun to take em out in manc, so we went to subspace for 80s night (rachel, they played living on a prayer & i died a bit inside but in a good way).
friday em and i went to font for some late breakfast and then i dropped her at the train station. i had time for a short nap before heading to the lads for dinner. D and L cooked goulash, but it wasn't served until after 11pm... and here's why: the geniuses were cooking it in a ceramic dish. on high heat. on the stove. it exploded. it's probably the hardest i've laughed in... god knows how long. N made banoffee pie and by the end of the night, i almost exploded like the dish. it easily the best dinner i've had since... well, whenever i last had mexican food (little mexico 2 i believe).
saturday was... well, the closest thing to perfect that i've had in a while. i woke up to sunshine and N's text telling me that she got into the university course that she was most worried about (as in, she accepted to uni). she was so happy she couldn't call because she would start crying, and that reminded me a lot of my reaction to my acceptance into manchester. if i remember correctly, i couldn't tell da without sobbing like a maniac. anyway, i picked up flowers while running some errands and then N and i went for coffee and hung out in our favorite little corner of trof. we got to chat with D since he was working, and then we got hungry and went to N's for dinner. i got to adore her fat and disdainful cat, which absolutely made my day. in case i haven't said it enough, i miss joey. N and i picked up S and went to the venue, where they play good music. i wasn't so thrilled about the crowd of people, but we learned to ignore it (apparently S was getting some pretty nasty looks). in all, it was an excellent day.
i slept enough today, which is beneficial since i have some work to get done. i have my internship meeting tomorrow morning, so i'm very excited for tomorrow to get here!
on wednesday, i spent a few hours editing M's paper about Foucault (great subject to be reading in 1500 words). i also watched angel a (F's favorite film of the moment) and a couple others. thursday i cleaned my room so that em wouldn't die when she saw it. i picked her up from the station at 2 and we walked around city center for a bit. i was so happy to be able to find all the places i wanted to find, it made me feel like i'm actually a part of this city now. we got tea and caught up on life (a whole 8 years of it!) before heading back to the flat for dins. then we got all bundled up and headed out for the lighting of the christmas lights.... it was amazing. we ended up not finding anyone that we were supposed to meet up with, but the fireworks were still amazing!
after the fireworks, we found N and walked back from town rather than taking a bus (due to there being 20k people at this thing). on the way, we decided it would be fun to take em out in manc, so we went to subspace for 80s night (rachel, they played living on a prayer & i died a bit inside but in a good way).
friday em and i went to font for some late breakfast and then i dropped her at the train station. i had time for a short nap before heading to the lads for dinner. D and L cooked goulash, but it wasn't served until after 11pm... and here's why: the geniuses were cooking it in a ceramic dish. on high heat. on the stove. it exploded. it's probably the hardest i've laughed in... god knows how long. N made banoffee pie and by the end of the night, i almost exploded like the dish. it easily the best dinner i've had since... well, whenever i last had mexican food (little mexico 2 i believe).
saturday was... well, the closest thing to perfect that i've had in a while. i woke up to sunshine and N's text telling me that she got into the university course that she was most worried about (as in, she accepted to uni). she was so happy she couldn't call because she would start crying, and that reminded me a lot of my reaction to my acceptance into manchester. if i remember correctly, i couldn't tell da without sobbing like a maniac. anyway, i picked up flowers while running some errands and then N and i went for coffee and hung out in our favorite little corner of trof. we got to chat with D since he was working, and then we got hungry and went to N's for dinner. i got to adore her fat and disdainful cat, which absolutely made my day. in case i haven't said it enough, i miss joey. N and i picked up S and went to the venue, where they play good music. i wasn't so thrilled about the crowd of people, but we learned to ignore it (apparently S was getting some pretty nasty looks). in all, it was an excellent day.
i slept enough today, which is beneficial since i have some work to get done. i have my internship meeting tomorrow morning, so i'm very excited for tomorrow to get here!
11.10.2009
bonfire night and etc
just a short note since i'm not entirely focused on writing at the moment. last week was lots of fun. i watched life is beautiful but since i had already seen the last bits (damn you film lit), it wasn't quite as striking. still a great movie, though. i went out for bonfire night on thursday, which was great but cold&damp so we didn't stay out long. instead, we watched eulogy, which everyone seemed to enjoy. i also tried to make s'mores, but apparently they are "too sweet" for british sensibilities. friday i finished up some research on my essay and went out for 80s night (but the night wasn't great, so i've decided i should've just done my essay). saturday was much better, more research and then coffee, dinner, and drinks with N. we listened to some good music at trof and D joined us after he finished work. sunday was some more research. monday found me working on my group exhibit. we're almost finished with it, and i'm really excited about how it's turning out. i'll definitely post pics after it's completed. today i spoke with one of my profs about picking up another internship. if all goes as it should, i will be helping the manchester museum with visitor surveys. this is in addition to the RNCM position, but unfortunately my contact there has been out sick and hasn't gotten back to me. i also led my last seminar today, and that went really well although everyone was really tired (essays, again). tonight i think i'll do some reading of my own and then an early bedtime. i promise to write more on this week since i have some really exciting stuff coming up: Em is visiting, xmas lights are going on, and N and i are having a girl's night out (finally). also, i'll hopefully be able to brag about the collection i get to immerse myself in!
11.02.2009
angels of anarchy p. 2 and etc
as promised, here is the second bit to the entry. back to the story... the exhibit was amazing, as was the construction of it: the interior was red and dark grey, with walls at angles and entire rooms covered in velvet or fake fur. it's a movement that i'm not familiar with (mainly because it happened in the AD years), but it was successful in educating without alienating those poor sods who don't know anything about surrealism (me). anyway, of all the exhibits i've seen this year, this is the one i would take all of you to see!
i left for west kirby right after the exhibit, and had a great few days to myself whilst house-sitting. i took walks along the waterfront ever day, and managed to get some good pics:
unfortunately, i forgot my camera for most of the walks. it was a successful trip though, i got a lot read and researched. my essay topic is going to be very difficult, but i'm hoping that i can get in touch with some people that would know more about the subject. i'll keep you posted.
i got back from west kirby on saturday morning and immediately immersed myself in halloween (well, i may have taken a nap first). M had busted up his ankle playing footy, so i got to torture him by strapping a bag of frozen peas to the sprain. N and i went as peacocks and spent a couple hours getting ready... false eyelashes take time! it was probably the most enjoyable halloween i've had in a long time. after getting ready, we went to font with L and my flatmate C and from there we went to the boys' flat to do their makeup (M and F went in drag, D shaved his head and went as larry david). N and i had a contest to see who could do the best makeup, but unfortunately we were hindered by the lack of pink lipstick... and the fact that M and F started screaming when we came at them with an eyelash curler. we went out to a local club since everything in town was packed and/or required a ticket. from there... it was just an interesting night. i would post pictures, but i don't have permission from anyone else in them.
sunday i woke up, showered, and cooked breakfast for D, M, and F. a carton of eggs and a pack of bacon later, it turned into a fairly successful dish. i got rolls to go along with it, but apparently my choice of hot cross buns was really amusing... how was i supposed to know that those are reserved for easter?? we spent most of the morning watching nevermind the buzzcocks, which is absolutely hysterical. i spent the afternoon getting work done and doing my laundry, but took a break to get dinner at trof. surprisingly, it's the first time i've been to dinner yet (as in a nice, sit-down meal). after dinner, it was back to work (with a break for the first post) and then bed.
today was more work on the exhibit. oh, i almost forgot: i've been placed at the Royal Northern College of Music for 20 days of work experience. i'll be cataloging, labeling, and databasing their collection of instruments and am very, very excited about it (was my top choice along with work in the ancient worlds gallery). since there are other positions that haven't been filled, i'm hoping they'll let me do one more for some volunteer time.
this week is bonfire night, footy, and visiting chorlton... hopefully i'll have some good stories by the next time i write! off-topic: i have a terrible craving for 1) quesadillas and 2) caprese eggs benedict.
i left for west kirby right after the exhibit, and had a great few days to myself whilst house-sitting. i took walks along the waterfront ever day, and managed to get some good pics:
unfortunately, i forgot my camera for most of the walks. it was a successful trip though, i got a lot read and researched. my essay topic is going to be very difficult, but i'm hoping that i can get in touch with some people that would know more about the subject. i'll keep you posted.
i got back from west kirby on saturday morning and immediately immersed myself in halloween (well, i may have taken a nap first). M had busted up his ankle playing footy, so i got to torture him by strapping a bag of frozen peas to the sprain. N and i went as peacocks and spent a couple hours getting ready... false eyelashes take time! it was probably the most enjoyable halloween i've had in a long time. after getting ready, we went to font with L and my flatmate C and from there we went to the boys' flat to do their makeup (M and F went in drag, D shaved his head and went as larry david). N and i had a contest to see who could do the best makeup, but unfortunately we were hindered by the lack of pink lipstick... and the fact that M and F started screaming when we came at them with an eyelash curler. we went out to a local club since everything in town was packed and/or required a ticket. from there... it was just an interesting night. i would post pictures, but i don't have permission from anyone else in them.
sunday i woke up, showered, and cooked breakfast for D, M, and F. a carton of eggs and a pack of bacon later, it turned into a fairly successful dish. i got rolls to go along with it, but apparently my choice of hot cross buns was really amusing... how was i supposed to know that those are reserved for easter?? we spent most of the morning watching nevermind the buzzcocks, which is absolutely hysterical. i spent the afternoon getting work done and doing my laundry, but took a break to get dinner at trof. surprisingly, it's the first time i've been to dinner yet (as in a nice, sit-down meal). after dinner, it was back to work (with a break for the first post) and then bed.
today was more work on the exhibit. oh, i almost forgot: i've been placed at the Royal Northern College of Music for 20 days of work experience. i'll be cataloging, labeling, and databasing their collection of instruments and am very, very excited about it (was my top choice along with work in the ancient worlds gallery). since there are other positions that haven't been filled, i'm hoping they'll let me do one more for some volunteer time.
this week is bonfire night, footy, and visiting chorlton... hopefully i'll have some good stories by the next time i write! off-topic: i have a terrible craving for 1) quesadillas and 2) caprese eggs benedict.
11.01.2009
angels of anarchy p. 1
i always feel a bit disoriented when i try to catch up on the week, mainly because my memory is so terrible that i'm actually struggling to remember what i did on sunday but here goes...
monday was quite a lot of fun. we only had lessons in the morning, and that evening i went out with N, D, and F to roadhouse for 60s night. it was fun but i was less than impressed with the music (it wasn't the 60s rock i was expecting, it was more psychedelic.. not great). it was great to get to see a bit more of the city/culture too. tuesday i was a bit tired but managed to make it through the day of classes, including an essay topics discussion with my prof. we narrowed it down to the display of human remains in american museums (particularly the native american museum in DC-- take note, mom and karen). i will be analyzing the power structures inherent in the display: who can and cannot see the remains, how they are displayed, how they are handled, etc.
wednesday morning we (as a group) did a tour of angels of anarchy at the manchester art gallery and also had a talk with the curators. i really enjoyed both, particularly because it's not a subject i'm familiar with. alright, unfortunately i have to head out because i need to get some work done before my group meeting tomorrow, so i will catch you up on the rest of my week in a later post.
monday was quite a lot of fun. we only had lessons in the morning, and that evening i went out with N, D, and F to roadhouse for 60s night. it was fun but i was less than impressed with the music (it wasn't the 60s rock i was expecting, it was more psychedelic.. not great). it was great to get to see a bit more of the city/culture too. tuesday i was a bit tired but managed to make it through the day of classes, including an essay topics discussion with my prof. we narrowed it down to the display of human remains in american museums (particularly the native american museum in DC-- take note, mom and karen). i will be analyzing the power structures inherent in the display: who can and cannot see the remains, how they are displayed, how they are handled, etc.
wednesday morning we (as a group) did a tour of angels of anarchy at the manchester art gallery and also had a talk with the curators. i really enjoyed both, particularly because it's not a subject i'm familiar with. alright, unfortunately i have to head out because i need to get some work done before my group meeting tomorrow, so i will catch you up on the rest of my week in a later post.
10.24.2009
thoughts on a saturday
i may or may not be avoiding some reading, but the week has been loads better since wednesday so i thought i'd share.
thursday N, D, and i went to matt&phred's jazz club, which was a lot of fun. we were expecting a pianist, but instead there was a quartet playing (guitar, drums, trombone, & double bass). i think the pianist would've been better, but it was still good music. M and his other housemate F also joined a bit later, so we had a packed table. being my first real jazz bar, it was an experience. the venue itself is nice, as is the music and atmosphere, but it's not my very favorite place. of course, that doesn't mean it wasn't a good night out. D ordered some really interesting drinks, but i think the worst was some mix of tequila and lime that M got. N and i stuck to strawberry&lime cider. i also had a very interesting run-in with an older lady in the bathroom who (after asking why the hand dryer wasn't working) was so shocked by my accent that she proceeded to talk with me for quite a while about my history, where my family was from, and my best and worst list of accents from the states. turns out she is a linguist from the university, and was genuinely interested in why i sound the way i do. anyway, that was the fun for the night.
after the jazz club, we went back to M, D, & F's house to watch Question Time, since we missed it by going to the jazz club. it featured Nick Griffin, the party leader for the BNP. now, pardon my french, but the BNP preaches some scary shit (for lack of a better phrase). there is now a huge debate over whether or not it was a good idea to invite the BNP leader to appear on a BBC show. debate aside, it was a valuable experience for me because i learned a lot about british politics and some major concerns of voters. also, thanks to Bonnie Greer, i haven't ever felt prouder to be an american:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n8l6Gjws2s
if you do have the time to watch the whole debate on youtube, i would encourage you to do so.
friday morning was much less scary. i woke up to phillip glass and got to watch the new south park, which in my book makes for the beginnings of a very good day. i heard from a friend that i'd missed, i got some reading done, and i cleaned my room. later that night, i went for a drink with L and his girlfriend S at the Friendship Inn (what a name). it's a little pub mostly frequented by old men, so it's an interesting place to go (but you can hear people talk, which is the best thing).
today i went (window)shopping with N in the northern quarter. it was a great day. we started with coffee (best vanilla latte ever) to avoid thinking about the rain, then walked around the vintage shops, ending up at afflecks to look for typewriters. and it was a success!
i still need to name it, but it works so well and i've been playing around with it all day. i think it needs a new ribbon, but still! i'm so happy with it. also, i have to use it for a portfolio project. i have to cut this short now, D just got off work and we're going to grab a drink. oh, other good thing today: grilled cheese & tomato soup & a bunch of new music courtesy of N!
thursday N, D, and i went to matt&phred's jazz club, which was a lot of fun. we were expecting a pianist, but instead there was a quartet playing (guitar, drums, trombone, & double bass). i think the pianist would've been better, but it was still good music. M and his other housemate F also joined a bit later, so we had a packed table. being my first real jazz bar, it was an experience. the venue itself is nice, as is the music and atmosphere, but it's not my very favorite place. of course, that doesn't mean it wasn't a good night out. D ordered some really interesting drinks, but i think the worst was some mix of tequila and lime that M got. N and i stuck to strawberry&lime cider. i also had a very interesting run-in with an older lady in the bathroom who (after asking why the hand dryer wasn't working) was so shocked by my accent that she proceeded to talk with me for quite a while about my history, where my family was from, and my best and worst list of accents from the states. turns out she is a linguist from the university, and was genuinely interested in why i sound the way i do. anyway, that was the fun for the night.
after the jazz club, we went back to M, D, & F's house to watch Question Time, since we missed it by going to the jazz club. it featured Nick Griffin, the party leader for the BNP. now, pardon my french, but the BNP preaches some scary shit (for lack of a better phrase). there is now a huge debate over whether or not it was a good idea to invite the BNP leader to appear on a BBC show. debate aside, it was a valuable experience for me because i learned a lot about british politics and some major concerns of voters. also, thanks to Bonnie Greer, i haven't ever felt prouder to be an american:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n8l6Gjws2s
if you do have the time to watch the whole debate on youtube, i would encourage you to do so.
friday morning was much less scary. i woke up to phillip glass and got to watch the new south park, which in my book makes for the beginnings of a very good day. i heard from a friend that i'd missed, i got some reading done, and i cleaned my room. later that night, i went for a drink with L and his girlfriend S at the Friendship Inn (what a name). it's a little pub mostly frequented by old men, so it's an interesting place to go (but you can hear people talk, which is the best thing).
today i went (window)shopping with N in the northern quarter. it was a great day. we started with coffee (best vanilla latte ever) to avoid thinking about the rain, then walked around the vintage shops, ending up at afflecks to look for typewriters. and it was a success!
i still need to name it, but it works so well and i've been playing around with it all day. i think it needs a new ribbon, but still! i'm so happy with it. also, i have to use it for a portfolio project. i have to cut this short now, D just got off work and we're going to grab a drink. oh, other good thing today: grilled cheese & tomato soup & a bunch of new music courtesy of N!
10.21.2009
seminar and didsbury
just a quick post about this past week, nothing particularly exciting happened.
friday i met with my group to plan for our seminar (Museums of Empire and Evolution was the topic), and that went off without a hitch yesterday. we discussed how the british empire amassed and displayed objects from the colonies and wider world (mostly dealing with 19th century collections and exhibits).
i discovered great bits of the library on saturday, so that was fun. there are rows and rows of books on greek art & history, not to mention a huge section on archaeology. i was looking for roman foundations in manchester, but managed to pick up four completely unrelated books (two were supposed to be related but weren't). monday we talked about our work placements and we'll find out where we're placed by the end of next week.
today i ran some errands and went down to didsbury to visit my friend NT (speaking of which, i'm going to have to find an easier way of naming people), and i will hopefully get down there more often because it is amazing! it's a cute area and reminds me a lot of the quintessential british village. i also got to talk music with NT, which is great since we have the same taste (and most of you know this is not an easy trait for me to find in someone else). tomorrow we're off to a jazz club, so hopefully i will have pics and stories from that.
not the most interesting week, but i'm content with that. hope the fall is treating everyone well!
friday i met with my group to plan for our seminar (Museums of Empire and Evolution was the topic), and that went off without a hitch yesterday. we discussed how the british empire amassed and displayed objects from the colonies and wider world (mostly dealing with 19th century collections and exhibits).
i discovered great bits of the library on saturday, so that was fun. there are rows and rows of books on greek art & history, not to mention a huge section on archaeology. i was looking for roman foundations in manchester, but managed to pick up four completely unrelated books (two were supposed to be related but weren't). monday we talked about our work placements and we'll find out where we're placed by the end of next week.
today i ran some errands and went down to didsbury to visit my friend NT (speaking of which, i'm going to have to find an easier way of naming people), and i will hopefully get down there more often because it is amazing! it's a cute area and reminds me a lot of the quintessential british village. i also got to talk music with NT, which is great since we have the same taste (and most of you know this is not an easy trait for me to find in someone else). tomorrow we're off to a jazz club, so hopefully i will have pics and stories from that.
not the most interesting week, but i'm content with that. hope the fall is treating everyone well!
10.15.2009
west kirby/oxford/etc
i feel like it's been ages since i've written anything... apparently it has been ages, since it's been an entire week since i got back from oxford. where to start...
i had my first fish&chips last wednesday, and it was amazing. i made M order for me since i had no idea what i was getting, but he chose well (although i'm not sure you could choose poorly at this fish&chips place). i also watched in the loop, which is very funny but not quite my all-time favorite. earlier that day, i had gotten my last check, opened my bank account, gotten tickets for west kirby, and registered with a doctor (yay for completed errands).
thursday was the oxford trip, and since i had lain awake thinking "i have to get to sleep, i have to wake up soon", i was tired. we were on our way at 8:15 am, and were there by 11:30. this left us a bit of time to go sightseeing, so C and i walked to the Bodleian Library and saw an excellent exhibit of precious books (think gold- and gem- encrusted covers). unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures, otherwise i'd have quite a bit more to post.
after we all met back up, we visited the Pitt Rivers Museum, which is an amazing example of museums in the early 19th century.
after touring the museum and speaking with the curator, we got to break for lunch. since it was a really nice day, C, A, and i decided to get sandwiches and enjoy our surroundings.
we visited the modern art museum (which is not, in general, one of my fortes). it was interesting to speak with the curator, but the exhibits were a bit uninspiring... as in, they made me want to run into the nearest gallery of ancient art. the rest of the trip wasn't all that much more interesting, so i'm going to skip it.
friday i left for west kirby, and was surprised at how little time it took to get there (good news, i know). tim met me at the station although we almost missed eachother because i don't think either one of us recognized the other. we dropped off my bags and immediately set off for a walk around the harbor. i can't even begin to tell you how much i missed that walk. it was windy and cold and, of course, absolutely perfect.
after a while, we got cold and headed back, but not before cutting through one of my other favorite places.
fran returned home shortly after we did, so we had a good chat while she was cooking dinner, and then more good chats during dinner. in fact, most of the night was a wonderful exchange of information: i got to see pictures of their new flat, paintings recently finished by fran (i had forgotten how phenomenally talented she is), and i got to tell them all about you guys. tim still had to finish packing, and although i had intended on getting some reading done, that didn't happen. the next morning was a bit of a rush at first so that tiim and phil could get on the road, but i did get to enjoy a proper english breakfast (yum!!!). fran and i spent the rest of the day walking around WK, taking pictures and remembering stories about every place we visited. this one was particularly good to see:
i even got my first dish of scones and cream. if i'm not careful, i could gain ten+ pounds on the dishes i've been having lately (fish&chips, scones&cream, english breakfasts...). anyway, i left saturday afternoon around 3 and was back in manc by 4:30, just in time to miss this. that night, i went out with the girls to their friend's birthday party. we got home relatively early, so i was able to wake up early on sunday.
i spent most of sunday reading, but took a short trip to the manchester art museum to study the mode and message of their 17th-19th century galleries (an example of empirical collecting). i took a break to go to a comedy show, which was great because it was "new material" night: all their comedians were trying out new acts, so we got to judge. and it was only £2, so that's also good.
monday was R's birthday, so i went over to hers and then out to the font before ditching the group (they were going clubbing and i had to get up for class).
tuesday was mostly boring.
wednesday i got up at 5 am in order to make my 6:30 bus to london. i was lucky and got a really nice cabbie who told me all about the time he spent in canada and the roadtrip he and his family took across the US. my bus ride up, however, was a disaster (kind of). we hit traffic that delayed us for 1.5 hrs, then when we took our break (they legally have to break once for every 3 hours they drive), the break was an hour rather than 10 minutes.
with all this, i was running very late by the time i got to london. to make matters worse (not really, but it still sucks), N's parents house was burgled the night before, so they had no cell phone, wallets, anything-- even their two mercedes were stolen. luckily, they were unharmed and the insurance should cover the cars. anyway, i digress. i picked up my bags and we headed back out in record time, although i had already missed my bus back. then we hit a traffic diversion whilst on the way to the station and couldn't get to the train stop!! to answer your question, no, this was not my favorite day of the week. i managed to make the 5:00 coach (2.5 hours later than i'd hoped) and so got back in at 10. i was supposed to meet D for a drink after he got off of work, but i decided to stay home and not push my luck.
today i've been cleaning, reading, and doing laundry. i've taken 3 trips to sainsburys so far, the last two just for hangers. i'm looking forward to tomorrow though, since i think we're having another girls night out (but not before i go to the doctor, finish my reading, work on a presentation, visit the roman fort...).
i had my first fish&chips last wednesday, and it was amazing. i made M order for me since i had no idea what i was getting, but he chose well (although i'm not sure you could choose poorly at this fish&chips place). i also watched in the loop, which is very funny but not quite my all-time favorite. earlier that day, i had gotten my last check, opened my bank account, gotten tickets for west kirby, and registered with a doctor (yay for completed errands).
thursday was the oxford trip, and since i had lain awake thinking "i have to get to sleep, i have to wake up soon", i was tired. we were on our way at 8:15 am, and were there by 11:30. this left us a bit of time to go sightseeing, so C and i walked to the Bodleian Library and saw an excellent exhibit of precious books (think gold- and gem- encrusted covers). unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures, otherwise i'd have quite a bit more to post.
after we all met back up, we visited the Pitt Rivers Museum, which is an amazing example of museums in the early 19th century.
after touring the museum and speaking with the curator, we got to break for lunch. since it was a really nice day, C, A, and i decided to get sandwiches and enjoy our surroundings.
we visited the modern art museum (which is not, in general, one of my fortes). it was interesting to speak with the curator, but the exhibits were a bit uninspiring... as in, they made me want to run into the nearest gallery of ancient art. the rest of the trip wasn't all that much more interesting, so i'm going to skip it.
friday i left for west kirby, and was surprised at how little time it took to get there (good news, i know). tim met me at the station although we almost missed eachother because i don't think either one of us recognized the other. we dropped off my bags and immediately set off for a walk around the harbor. i can't even begin to tell you how much i missed that walk. it was windy and cold and, of course, absolutely perfect.
after a while, we got cold and headed back, but not before cutting through one of my other favorite places.
fran returned home shortly after we did, so we had a good chat while she was cooking dinner, and then more good chats during dinner. in fact, most of the night was a wonderful exchange of information: i got to see pictures of their new flat, paintings recently finished by fran (i had forgotten how phenomenally talented she is), and i got to tell them all about you guys. tim still had to finish packing, and although i had intended on getting some reading done, that didn't happen. the next morning was a bit of a rush at first so that tiim and phil could get on the road, but i did get to enjoy a proper english breakfast (yum!!!). fran and i spent the rest of the day walking around WK, taking pictures and remembering stories about every place we visited. this one was particularly good to see:
i even got my first dish of scones and cream. if i'm not careful, i could gain ten+ pounds on the dishes i've been having lately (fish&chips, scones&cream, english breakfasts...). anyway, i left saturday afternoon around 3 and was back in manc by 4:30, just in time to miss this. that night, i went out with the girls to their friend's birthday party. we got home relatively early, so i was able to wake up early on sunday.
i spent most of sunday reading, but took a short trip to the manchester art museum to study the mode and message of their 17th-19th century galleries (an example of empirical collecting). i took a break to go to a comedy show, which was great because it was "new material" night: all their comedians were trying out new acts, so we got to judge. and it was only £2, so that's also good.
monday was R's birthday, so i went over to hers and then out to the font before ditching the group (they were going clubbing and i had to get up for class).
tuesday was mostly boring.
wednesday i got up at 5 am in order to make my 6:30 bus to london. i was lucky and got a really nice cabbie who told me all about the time he spent in canada and the roadtrip he and his family took across the US. my bus ride up, however, was a disaster (kind of). we hit traffic that delayed us for 1.5 hrs, then when we took our break (they legally have to break once for every 3 hours they drive), the break was an hour rather than 10 minutes.
with all this, i was running very late by the time i got to london. to make matters worse (not really, but it still sucks), N's parents house was burgled the night before, so they had no cell phone, wallets, anything-- even their two mercedes were stolen. luckily, they were unharmed and the insurance should cover the cars. anyway, i digress. i picked up my bags and we headed back out in record time, although i had already missed my bus back. then we hit a traffic diversion whilst on the way to the station and couldn't get to the train stop!! to answer your question, no, this was not my favorite day of the week. i managed to make the 5:00 coach (2.5 hours later than i'd hoped) and so got back in at 10. i was supposed to meet D for a drink after he got off of work, but i decided to stay home and not push my luck.
today i've been cleaning, reading, and doing laundry. i've taken 3 trips to sainsburys so far, the last two just for hangers. i'm looking forward to tomorrow though, since i think we're having another girls night out (but not before i go to the doctor, finish my reading, work on a presentation, visit the roman fort...).
10.06.2009
week #2
life just got a whole lot better: southparkstudios has started broadcasting in the UK!! when i first arrived, there was a bunch of legal shenanigans that prevented the website from working, but now it does! i'm sure one of you petitioned them into submission, so whoever that was, thanks for that.
this week has been amazing, too. i feel like i start out with something along those lines every time i write, but the only things that seem to go wrong are completely overshadowed or quickly fixed by things that are significantly better. i did get a bit of bad news this morning, though. michelle wrote to tell me that joey is having litter box problems again and that if they continue, she might not be able to keep him. so that adds a lot of stress onto my plate, but hopefully we can get that cleared up.
friday night H, D, and J came over for a drink and to visit the flat. i think it got the thumbs-up... at least they said that they'd come back! we then went for cocktails at a sweet local bar called the font. i absolutely love this place. it plays good music, and all cocktails are £2 (including their killer mojitos). we spent a couple hours there before calling it a night, but not before we met up with some of my other friends. it was the perfect night, since i was able to get out of the quarantine area but not for long enough to make me sick again!
saturday i was finally able to run errands (since i just now got my student loan check put into the account), and did so with gusto. i got a hair dryer, straightener, and toothbrush in town, then went to the northern quarter for a look around the vintage shops. i found a great pair of vintage stilettos with copper caps for £10 and also found a winter hat that's pretty sweet. i even stopped in a little cafe for a sandwich and some reading time (maybe some people-watching too). i tried to do some primark shopping but it was absolutely disastrous... way too many people. so instead, i came back to fallowfield and did some grocery shopping. i can finally cook for myself now! i got a pot, pan, cheese grater, spatula, and some knives. so far i've only managed to cook chicken and sauteed spinich and a made-up pasta salad (methinks i won't try spring onions with basil-pesto sauce again), but it makes me feel loads better to be able to cook for myself. i also got two huger bags of fruit (plums and apples, to be precise).
so after spending all day shopping, i came home and basically collapsed. sunday i went to the whitworth gallery to do visitor surveys with my classmate C. we talked to people for three hours and i loved it. it's a good feeling to know that i'm in the right place, and i get that now more than ever. after finishing the surveys, we went for a coffee to debrief. again, another great day.
yesterday, i had 3Ms. instead of visiting a gallery, we were split into groups and sent to research a particular object in a museum. my group could not stop laughing at how happy i was to get our object; i was grinning like a kid on christmas... but then you all wouldn't be surprised: we got the T Rex skeleton!! so my monday was also amazing.
today was much more relaxed. we studied cabinets of curiosity and how they contributed to the modern museum. i spent the three hours between lectures reading in the museum cafe. C joined me for the last hour or so, so we got to spend some time talking about manchester and the things i've seen around town (she grew up here). in all, a great week so far.
something to look forward to: i'm headed to oxford on thursday and west kirby on friday, so i will post pictures soon!
this week has been amazing, too. i feel like i start out with something along those lines every time i write, but the only things that seem to go wrong are completely overshadowed or quickly fixed by things that are significantly better. i did get a bit of bad news this morning, though. michelle wrote to tell me that joey is having litter box problems again and that if they continue, she might not be able to keep him. so that adds a lot of stress onto my plate, but hopefully we can get that cleared up.
friday night H, D, and J came over for a drink and to visit the flat. i think it got the thumbs-up... at least they said that they'd come back! we then went for cocktails at a sweet local bar called the font. i absolutely love this place. it plays good music, and all cocktails are £2 (including their killer mojitos). we spent a couple hours there before calling it a night, but not before we met up with some of my other friends. it was the perfect night, since i was able to get out of the quarantine area but not for long enough to make me sick again!
saturday i was finally able to run errands (since i just now got my student loan check put into the account), and did so with gusto. i got a hair dryer, straightener, and toothbrush in town, then went to the northern quarter for a look around the vintage shops. i found a great pair of vintage stilettos with copper caps for £10 and also found a winter hat that's pretty sweet. i even stopped in a little cafe for a sandwich and some reading time (maybe some people-watching too). i tried to do some primark shopping but it was absolutely disastrous... way too many people. so instead, i came back to fallowfield and did some grocery shopping. i can finally cook for myself now! i got a pot, pan, cheese grater, spatula, and some knives. so far i've only managed to cook chicken and sauteed spinich and a made-up pasta salad (methinks i won't try spring onions with basil-pesto sauce again), but it makes me feel loads better to be able to cook for myself. i also got two huger bags of fruit (plums and apples, to be precise).
so after spending all day shopping, i came home and basically collapsed. sunday i went to the whitworth gallery to do visitor surveys with my classmate C. we talked to people for three hours and i loved it. it's a good feeling to know that i'm in the right place, and i get that now more than ever. after finishing the surveys, we went for a coffee to debrief. again, another great day.
yesterday, i had 3Ms. instead of visiting a gallery, we were split into groups and sent to research a particular object in a museum. my group could not stop laughing at how happy i was to get our object; i was grinning like a kid on christmas... but then you all wouldn't be surprised: we got the T Rex skeleton!! so my monday was also amazing.
today was much more relaxed. we studied cabinets of curiosity and how they contributed to the modern museum. i spent the three hours between lectures reading in the museum cafe. C joined me for the last hour or so, so we got to spend some time talking about manchester and the things i've seen around town (she grew up here). in all, a great week so far.
something to look forward to: i'm headed to oxford on thursday and west kirby on friday, so i will post pictures soon!
10.01.2009
dorm room
it looks loads better now but it still a bit messy (keep in mind i've quarantined myself in here for the past four days). i finally got the pictures up and all that and i'm happy with the result. love it here. still.
more firsts
hello, october! i'm not quite sure i'm ready for it to be october. at the end of this month, i'll be figuring out essay topics for my first-semester classes. there will also be "reading week", a little gem of british scholastics that i hadn't heard of before. apparently we get an entire week for- you guessed it- "reading". as i've been told and as has been exemplified by my schedule, this is an excuse for professors to simply pile on every piece of work imaginable. i think i'll still have fun with this, though. i've decided that for part of that week (maybe 3 or 4 days), my books and i will take a foray into the lake district to spend some quality time together.
reading week aside, i've had many other pleasant surprises. getting sick on sunday morning was NOT one of them. i usually come down with something after traveling 3+ time zones; it's generally inevitable and generally a sinus/respiratory infection type thing. so, i wasn't too surprised to have that start on sunday. i've gone through packages of tissues and thanked myself for packing my sudafed. on the other hand, my flatmate has been kind and concerned enough to keep supplying me with (the equivalent of) Theraflu whenever she sees me. i've discovered that people here are much, much kinder about being sick (not that you guys aren't, but i even have a couple of my classmates fussing and giving me tips on meds). one of my friends even brought me mint tea and chocolate and stuck around to watch the princess bride! i feel seriously pampered... and for those of you who know what i'm like when i'm sick, pampering me and fussing are not two things that i generally succumb to.
other than that, i've just gotten through my first week of class and i couldn't be more thrilled. the first course, m3 as it will be known, is structured as lessons for the first 5 weeks, then working in groups for the 2nd 5 weeks to put together a display in the department's building. i have a great group and am looking forward to working with them. we also get to visit a bunch of places for mini-field trips. we visited the Whitworth Gallery on monday, and got to speak with the director. we had an open discussion about the American Scene (the american prints that i saw last week) and that was fun to get to input as an American History major. the other american in my course is beyond annoying though, and i really struggle to not throw my pen at her every time she opens her mouth. in all fairness, she has said one productive thing so far (so she's at 1/27 right now). she even came in 15 minutes late to a lecture, an act which i think shows the utmost disrespect for the lecturer. oh, and then her cell phone went off 10 minutes later. so much for making americans look good.
sorry about the rant. i adore my classes and classmates, and am especially excited about my discussion groups on tuesday afternoons (this is for the contexts course). i have a great range of people with various backgrounds and am interested about finding out more about them. those differences will certainly further discussions. and beyond that, students lead each discussion in pairs or groups of threes, so i have two weeks to lead: "human remains in the museum" and "museums of empire and evolution". so excited!!
so that was my experience with the first two days of classes. other than that, we had a girls night out on friday, which was educational to say the least. the clubs are certainly something else... but it was a lot of fun. i think my favorite part of the night was when everyone got so surprised that i brought "good vodka". my only reply was "honey, i had 4 years of bad vodka and i'm not about to repeat that experience". oh, undergrads!
this weekend is looking largely uneventful. i'm thinking of heading around manchester on saturday to get some good shots of the city (i'll bring a friend so that i might actually be in some shots). on sunday, i'll be doing surveys at the Whitworth Gallery to help them with the American Scene exhibit. other than that, it's reading reading and more reading.
i forgot to mention that i visited the John Ryland's Deansgate Library on sunday. it is nothing short of amazing! it houses the world's oldest piece of the new testament, though i have yet to find it. the best part is the 3rd floor reading room, where i'll be spending most of my reading time. it's full of little alcoves of really old books (behind glass), but it really reminds me that i'm participating in a great history of learning (which makes it easier to focus on the task at hand, if that makes any sense).
and now, i'm off to read a bit more and perhaps watch an episode of the Hairy Bikers on BBC iplayer. and yes, peter, please send those south park dvds!
9.24.2009
tour of manchester
i'm really, really missing joey right now. it just feels incomplete without him curled up next to me.
that being said, the rest of my week has been amazing. i've been thinking a lot about my courses and am very excited to begin. i've even finished my first homework assignment! yesterday my friend HT and i went to the manchester museum to have a look around. she has (unwittingly) agreed to go to any museum i visit. she's an undergrad but is 90% sure she wants to do museum studies as a grad student, so it was a fun trip. the museum itself is amazing and includes a hodge-podge of just about everything, from greek pottery (yessss!!) to live poison dart frogs and emerald boas.... i'm still not sure how it is all tied together. all i know is that it would be an amazing thing to be a part of! anyway, we got tea afterward and hung out at the museum cafe. another fun find: the cafe serves hot soup and bread and butter for cheap! yay!
i spent a lot of the rest of the day working on my room. it's done now (all the pictures are hung up), so as soon as i can (probably tomorrow), i'll post a video tour. it's really comfortable now, so much so that i don't mind just hanging out in here. the purple blanket helps (N's going-away present).
today was massive fun. i woke up kind of early (i was up to the wee hours exposing my british friend to butch cassidy and the sundance kid) with the intention of getting my student card and a bus pass. when i got to the place on campus, they told me that it wasn't my allotted time to register (even though i am already registered and PAID FOR), and that no, even though i just needed a student card, i needed to come back during my allotted time (last monday). cheers, university.
things got better though, because i then met my friend MP at the whitworth gallery for some company while browsing the american art exhibition. most of it was lithographs, etchings, and woodcuts. i was even able to explain the joys of john brown! it's an incredible gallery though, i can't wait to go back. by the end of the meander, i was craving soup (have been for a few days), so MP suggested a place up in the northern quarter. i've been dying to go there, it's the artsy/vintage-y part of town (think bucktown/kirkwood/the village except way cooler), so of course i agreed. anyone that comes to visit is now getting dragged to this part of town. just a warning. we were a bit late for most places (everything usually closes at 5), but we made it to a cute little basement cafe just before they stopped serving food. i am so happy we made it! i had my first pie: "heidi" pie, with carrots, onions, goat cheese, and lots of other good stuff. i'm still not hungry almost 6 hours later.
from there, we walked..... and walked... and walked. we went all around the northern quarter, then past the ferris wheel, town hall, tallest building, piccadilly gardens, best jazz club, best wine bar, the canals, an amazing library (houses the oldest known piece of the new testament), and even to lincoln square (so i wouldn't feel so homesick, as MP put it... aw). we crossed streets 3-4 times. this is not a big deal in the states, but it's damn scary in manc. luckily, MP is a native manc so he knows where he's going (thank goodness). we ended up back at the cinema from a couple days ago, and from there took the bus back. oh, and i also got a lamp (for 5 pounds... the lady gave me a 30% student discount even without my damn student card).
after all that, my feet are still a bit sore but i feel much more attached to this city. i still love almost everything about it, and am constantly learning new favorite things. today i learned that the architecture is amazing, as long as you look up. now, i'm going to go curl up in my joey-less bed and try not to think about how much i miss my orange tiger.
that being said, the rest of my week has been amazing. i've been thinking a lot about my courses and am very excited to begin. i've even finished my first homework assignment! yesterday my friend HT and i went to the manchester museum to have a look around. she has (unwittingly) agreed to go to any museum i visit. she's an undergrad but is 90% sure she wants to do museum studies as a grad student, so it was a fun trip. the museum itself is amazing and includes a hodge-podge of just about everything, from greek pottery (yessss!!) to live poison dart frogs and emerald boas.... i'm still not sure how it is all tied together. all i know is that it would be an amazing thing to be a part of! anyway, we got tea afterward and hung out at the museum cafe. another fun find: the cafe serves hot soup and bread and butter for cheap! yay!
i spent a lot of the rest of the day working on my room. it's done now (all the pictures are hung up), so as soon as i can (probably tomorrow), i'll post a video tour. it's really comfortable now, so much so that i don't mind just hanging out in here. the purple blanket helps (N's going-away present).
today was massive fun. i woke up kind of early (i was up to the wee hours exposing my british friend to butch cassidy and the sundance kid) with the intention of getting my student card and a bus pass. when i got to the place on campus, they told me that it wasn't my allotted time to register (even though i am already registered and PAID FOR), and that no, even though i just needed a student card, i needed to come back during my allotted time (last monday). cheers, university.
things got better though, because i then met my friend MP at the whitworth gallery for some company while browsing the american art exhibition. most of it was lithographs, etchings, and woodcuts. i was even able to explain the joys of john brown! it's an incredible gallery though, i can't wait to go back. by the end of the meander, i was craving soup (have been for a few days), so MP suggested a place up in the northern quarter. i've been dying to go there, it's the artsy/vintage-y part of town (think bucktown/kirkwood/the village except way cooler), so of course i agreed. anyone that comes to visit is now getting dragged to this part of town. just a warning. we were a bit late for most places (everything usually closes at 5), but we made it to a cute little basement cafe just before they stopped serving food. i am so happy we made it! i had my first pie: "heidi" pie, with carrots, onions, goat cheese, and lots of other good stuff. i'm still not hungry almost 6 hours later.
from there, we walked..... and walked... and walked. we went all around the northern quarter, then past the ferris wheel, town hall, tallest building, piccadilly gardens, best jazz club, best wine bar, the canals, an amazing library (houses the oldest known piece of the new testament), and even to lincoln square (so i wouldn't feel so homesick, as MP put it... aw). we crossed streets 3-4 times. this is not a big deal in the states, but it's damn scary in manc. luckily, MP is a native manc so he knows where he's going (thank goodness). we ended up back at the cinema from a couple days ago, and from there took the bus back. oh, and i also got a lamp (for 5 pounds... the lady gave me a 30% student discount even without my damn student card).
after all that, my feet are still a bit sore but i feel much more attached to this city. i still love almost everything about it, and am constantly learning new favorite things. today i learned that the architecture is amazing, as long as you look up. now, i'm going to go curl up in my joey-less bed and try not to think about how much i miss my orange tiger.
9.22.2009
a note about food
since its about dinner time here, i can't think of much else. i did want to make a note of the food selection here: although i haven't had any fish and chips yet, there is a place a block or so away that has come highly recommended (which is good news, since i don't want any dodgy fish&chips). there are, however, many many choices of fried chicken. so far i've seen krispy fried chicken, krunchy fried chicken, florida fried chicken, kansas fried chicken, and of course, kentucky fried chicken. now i must be off to do my toast and tomato soup.
9.21.2009
first day on campus
today was, as the title suggests, my first official day on campus. i did orientation ('induction') with both the school of arts, histories and cultures and the museum studies department. we even got our course reading packets, which is very exciting. i also got to meet most of the faculty, with the exception of the professor that i most want to study with (he is on research leave in greece for this semester). i met a few of the students, and i think the year is looking very promising.
i also have been in manchester for almost an entire week now, and really enjoy it. the city is amazing. it is to london as chicago is to new york: more industrial, but with a very distinct identity and culture. the area i'm in is very pretty, with trees and everything! i even have a sainsbury's a block away, which is very helpful. my dorm is livable as well and i'll post pictures as soon as i get it all figured out... it's still a mess and i need a hamper.
i have two flatmates so far, one guy and one girl. the guy (S) is a dental student from pakistan (most recently saudi arabia), and the girl (M) is an HR student from kazakhstan. i was quite worried for a couple days because i thought it was just going to be S and me, and he has wasted no time in hitting on me. that would've shaped up to be a very uncomfortable year. so, as you can imagine, i breathed a sigh of relief when M moved in a couple hours ago!
i've already made a few friends here that i'm very excited about: they are all in their second year, and live together (a flat of 6 girls). i went to theirs last night for dinner, and we are going for a drink tonight in a few minutes. it's a relief to have fallen in with a great group of people so quickly.
i've been eating lots of cereal and sandwiches, and had beans on toast for dinner tonight. love the menu options over here! but now i should head out and get some cleaning done before i leave for the pub. hope life is going well for you all, much love from manc!
9.16.2009
body ache
hello from manc!! joy of the day (among other things): cheese and onion sandwich in my tummy! i think i might try to live off that for the rest of my life.
so, to catch you up on the last few days:
sunday i spent another day in london with A and R. we walked around a festival on the thames and had lunch at a japanese/thai place called Wagamama. after that, we walked. a lot. we went past parliament, westminster, big ben, and trafalgar square. we walked around the national portrait gallery, and back to the river festival. we also got tea and cakes in covent garden. it was a great trip around london. and for all you HP fans out there, i got to see this |
<---------------------------------
on monday, i headed straight to the british museum. i kind of knew where i was going, but i more or less just got off the tube stop and wandered... always a good idea. it's a wonderful building, with a center part and an outer part. i was only interested in seeing the greek vases on this visit, and it was a complete success. see below for my own personal heaven.
i made it all the way to the parthenon room (aka stolen elgin marble) before em got there and we decided it was time for tea. i also got a mozzarella and pesto sandwich--yum! we got to sit for a bit and chat, something we haven't done for 8 years. we then headed down to portobello street to have a look around the shops. em guessed right, it's my favorite place thus far! it's just lined with antique shops, i can't wait to get back for a longer look. we then headed to em's for a bit, just to have some chocolate and rest our legs. i got back to the house in time to pack and get all set for my move to manc.
i can safely say that after tuesday's experience, i never want to move ever again. carrying three very heavy bags around london is not something i ever want to repeat. bleh... suffice it to say that i missed my first bus and am so, so sore today. on the plus side, i got to see my new home from the back of a cab.
today i woke up a bit late and took a bus to the university. i went to get a bank account, but because of so many new students moving in and crowding the banks, i just made an appointment for tomorrow. i hopped on the next bus and took it up to the city center. after walking around for a bit longer than i'd like, i stumbled on the shopping area. i do miss target, but primark will do just fine! i got sheets and a duvet for very cheap, so hopefully i'll get to use them tomorrow night. i'm starting to get a little nervous about moving in, i don't think the university is very organized for move-in days.
so, now i'm watching a program on the BBC called the hairy chefs or something like that. yesterday i watched a program that taught me how to kill a crab and then gut it as well as how to kill my own salmon. yuck. i think i'll probably pack and then watch a movie this evening... sainsbury's is right down the road, so that's a relief. i'll hopefully be able to report on my new dorm tomorrow!
so, to catch you up on the last few days:
sunday i spent another day in london with A and R. we walked around a festival on the thames and had lunch at a japanese/thai place called Wagamama. after that, we walked. a lot. we went past parliament, westminster, big ben, and trafalgar square. we walked around the national portrait gallery, and back to the river festival. we also got tea and cakes in covent garden. it was a great trip around london. and for all you HP fans out there, i got to see this |
<---------------------------------on monday, i headed straight to the british museum. i kind of knew where i was going, but i more or less just got off the tube stop and wandered... always a good idea. it's a wonderful building, with a center part and an outer part. i was only interested in seeing the greek vases on this visit, and it was a complete success. see below for my own personal heaven.
i made it all the way to the parthenon room (aka stolen elgin marble) before em got there and we decided it was time for tea. i also got a mozzarella and pesto sandwich--yum! we got to sit for a bit and chat, something we haven't done for 8 years. we then headed down to portobello street to have a look around the shops. em guessed right, it's my favorite place thus far! it's just lined with antique shops, i can't wait to get back for a longer look. we then headed to em's for a bit, just to have some chocolate and rest our legs. i got back to the house in time to pack and get all set for my move to manc.
i can safely say that after tuesday's experience, i never want to move ever again. carrying three very heavy bags around london is not something i ever want to repeat. bleh... suffice it to say that i missed my first bus and am so, so sore today. on the plus side, i got to see my new home from the back of a cab.
today i woke up a bit late and took a bus to the university. i went to get a bank account, but because of so many new students moving in and crowding the banks, i just made an appointment for tomorrow. i hopped on the next bus and took it up to the city center. after walking around for a bit longer than i'd like, i stumbled on the shopping area. i do miss target, but primark will do just fine! i got sheets and a duvet for very cheap, so hopefully i'll get to use them tomorrow night. i'm starting to get a little nervous about moving in, i don't think the university is very organized for move-in days.
so, now i'm watching a program on the BBC called the hairy chefs or something like that. yesterday i watched a program that taught me how to kill a crab and then gut it as well as how to kill my own salmon. yuck. i think i'll probably pack and then watch a movie this evening... sainsbury's is right down the road, so that's a relief. i'll hopefully be able to report on my new dorm tomorrow!
9.12.2009
airport to harrod's
the transition from one plane to the next was seamless, and it was a beautifully sunny day in dublin. i ended up with a window seat on the next flight as well, and spent a majority of the 50-min flight staring out of the window at the british countryside sliding away underneath me. i was able to get through to the passport lines relatively smoothly, although the 40-lb carryon was beginning to get to me. and then--silly me-- i picked the wrong line. apparently i did not have to wait in the 30 minute "Non-EU Citizens and UK Visa Holders" line. i can't believe i thought that was the line i was supposed to be in! i got all the way up to the customs agent before she told me that no, since i came from dublin, i had to go through the "Republic of Ireland" line. silly me thinking i was a US citizen and UK visa holder!
N's older sister, hereafter known as R, picked me up at the airport and helped me load the baggage into the car. and then--i will never forget this kindness-- she handed me an orange juice and a chocolate pastry that she had picked up for my breakfast! we had a wonderful, traffic-free drive through the english countryside to N's parents' house. his mum cooked chicken and salad for us and i got to take a shower (hooray)!
after eating and visiting a bit, N's younger sister, hereafter known as A, and i took a train into london to go make-up and phone shopping (only the latter for me). we dropped into some very good stores (UNIQLO and Zara) before heading to the zenith of all stores: Harrod's. A and i found some amazing things, tried our best to get lost, and eventually decided that we deserved some Godiva chocolates for not drooling on the jewelry counter. such gorgeous shinies! we've both decided to get antique key necklaces following our run-in with a Tiffany's stand (vintage stores, here i come).
then came the phone shopping. the store was packed and the sales person had to run my card three times (he messed up twice), but i did get a phone with 200 free international minutes (yay for spotting ads in train stops-- i knew my compulsive ad-reading was bound to pay off sometime)... so let me know if you want my phone number. it's actually a very cool phone, too. not quite my blackjack, but it's cute.
we got back in time for A to make it to her party. N's parents were also headed out, so they ordered chinese food for me and told me to make some tea and eat some chocolates. i did just that, and am now finished with catching you up my whereabouts. i'm going to bed.
38K
now that i'm all set up with a cup of tea cooling on my windowsill and a terry pratchett book at the ready, i thought i should fill you in on my last day in chicago and my first day here. in case you're the overly-worried type, you can stop worrying-- i am safe, healthy, and ready to sleep (but surprisingly not dead beat yet). now to the stories, but i must warn you that my brain feels a little bit fuzzy, so these may not be entirely coherent.
i woke up surprisingly chipper on friday, although N probably wishes i had slept a few more minutes. i got all my laundry done and finished packing. scones from Whole Foods rounded out the morning, and i only had one small breakdown when the boy told me how proud he was of me (i almost made it thru the rest of the days sans tears). we packed everything into a taxi and headed out of the traffic-stunted city to the airport. our cabbie even wished me luck and said that i will "truly enjoy myself"... apparently i looked terrified.
we managed all four heavy bags through the check-in line. the lady at the counter was very kind, but after finding out i booked my tickets in july, she said "oh i'm sorry, you can only take one bag" to which i said "WHAT????"... apparently she realized that her mis-phrase had caused some minor distress, and restated by saying "you will be charged $50/ea for any additional bags." that calmed me down until the machine declined my card! so after running to the nearest ATM and back, we loaded the bags on the scale. two were overweight, so N and i hastily packed everything heavy into the extra bag i made him bring (thank goodness for that). we then checked that bag, too, and grabbed some lunch. N left and i then made my suddenly lonely way through security.
sitting in the terminal was uneventful except for listening to the AirFrance passenger and the little irish kiddies ("aw MUM lookit is wee face"--speaking about about a stuffed toy). boarding the plane was another story entirely. the plane seats are as follows:
(AB-DEFG-JK)
i got to my seat (38K) to find an older couple already taking the row! i politely asked which seat they were in, stating that i believed they may possibly be in my seat. they were in the right seat, of course! this was seat 37F&G, wasn't it? after pointing to the middle two seats and laughing mercilessly (in my head), i settled into my beloved 38K, window seat with two windows! and then, right behind me, came another voice saying "could i have the window seat?" i turned to deny this request, only to realize it was the lady in 37K who also misread the rows. damn these irish airlines and their confusing rows! but i eventually won out, majorly, because i had the whole row to myself! victory at last!! and i thus endured the trans-atlantic flight with minimal discomfort and was even able to sleep for a whole three hours.
and that concluded my last day in the states.
also, i cried during takeoff. luckily, i don't think anyone noticed.
9.04.2009
photos on the wall
with my great idea to tape photos all over my dorm wall, i've also decided to crop them to a square and goof around with photoshop. album here. now to figure out someplace that will print square pictures....
9.01.2009
my new email address
hello from iowa methodist health center. mom and i are visiting gran this week, and she is back in the hospital following her last chemo session. it's nice to get to spend this time with the fam out here, although it'd be nice to do so under better conditions.
anyway, i got part of my class schedule today. i say part because i only have class on mondays and tuesdays, so i certainly hope there's more! i also got my new email address, but please keep using the one you all know (unless you really want to contact me at school).
here it is:
erika.kvam@postgraduate.manchester.ac.uk
i still have trouble grasping the fact that i'll be leaving in about 10 days and i won't be back for at least a year. i hope you're saving up to come visit.
8.26.2009
8.24.2009
joseph finds a new home!
joey had his kitty play-date today and i'm happy to say that it went very well. my friend has been kind enough to offer to house him for the year, and i couldn't be happier! i know it's going to sound redundant but her offer is such a relief and i am so, so happy that joey has a home for the next year.
i also just booked a hotel in manchester for the week that i move in. this means that i'll get to stay in london for a few days (they might as well rent me a room in the british museum) and then head to manchester to sort things out before i move in. i'm actually getting excited to move over there... although it still seems like that day will never come!
on another note, my mom's 50th birthday was yesterday, so happy half-century mumma!
8.22.2009
visa success & moving out
i finally got my visa! it was a lot less stressful than i imagined it being, and it only took two days of running around. the first day i went to the embassy and was directed by the (very kind) security guard to get my biometrics done. i thought this was going to be a long and tedious process (the place looks like the DMV-scary!), it was actually very easy. it was also so cool to see my fingerprints come up on the screen!
after the biometrics were all done, i went back to the embassy the next morning to have someone go over my application. that took about four minutes, then they took my passport and told me to come back that afternoon to pick it up. i had my visa by 5 pm that day... and i was so relieved that it was easy.
i also just moved back to west laf. again, easier than i expected! joey has been having "issues" with mom's cat, kiki. well, not really even issues, but joey is just not liking the loud cat.
on the adventure front, i'm booking a couple nights in manchester so that i can get acquainted with the city before i move into the dorms. i'm really looking forward to sept 12! or should i say 12 sept...
8.16.2009
good things ahead
things i'm looking forward to:
-nutella
-hedgerows
-double decker buses, although i've been warned not to sit on the to deck alone at night
-fish and chips (maybe... i'm at least looking forward to trying proper fish)
-cadbury buttons whenever i want
-rainy weather
-hot tea. lots and lots of hot tea.
-old libraries
-english countryside
-traveling the country by train
-cadbury buttons
-castles
-really long, uninterrupted BBC shows
-accents with many "please" and "thank you"s
-fresh scones (not pronounced scones, but scons)
-all the history i can handle
things i will miss:
-mexican food
-really really good brunch
-sunny, humid weather
-cicadas humming in the summer
-snow in the winter
-trees changing in the fall
-my cat (but he'll be in good hands i hope)
-LOST
-skyscrapers
-all the amazing people here, like you.
8.10.2009
basic idea
Good... afternoon, as it were. I hope you found my blog (if you're reading this, you obviously have). The basic idea behind this blog is that I can keep you updated on my travels and whereabouts while overseas. I can also keep you updated on all the effort that goes into the travels-- right now, I've packed one suitcase and am working on the rest of my packing list. I also just picked out all my favorite photos from the past few years and had the genius idea to cut painter's tape into frames so I can put them up in my dorm! Unfortunately, that's the only genius idea I've had about moving back into a dorm... But if you'd like to see my street, here is the link!
I certainly hope that works.
So, in order to wrap this up nicely, I'll be attempting to send this out to all my friends
and relatives that may want to see it. If there is anyone I've forgotten, please forward
the address to them. Thanks a bunch, and I hope you're having a good day today!
Right now, it's naptime for Joey and me.
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