relaxation in the snow

So I flew home a few weeks ago, and the day after I got here I went over to Katies house, where some really good friends were waiting for me. That was a tun of fun, I think seeing all those wonderful people was really good for me.

Since then I've been sleeping a lot, reading a lot and missing a lot of Crickies. :) I've been reading St. Francis of Assisi, G.K. Chesterton and Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale (and get totally frustrated with Leonates). I saw the Winter's Tale right before I left Oxford, and I hope to finish another play before I go back to school.

Christmas was great. We opened presents in the morning, our dog actually knows how to open presents, which is really fun to watch. He opens his first, and then helps us with ours. Then in the afternoon we went over to Gram's. My favorite part of the evening was watching my uncles light fireworks off her back deck. There was 2 or 3 feet of snow everywhere that day do not only was it safe (fireworks are normally illegal in our county, because of the firehazard the forest creates) but really beautiful the way the fireworks lit up the snow covered trees. My uncles and dad got a little goofy though, dancing around, throwing fireworks off the deck and jokin around. It was a lot of fun.

last weekend

So after we said goodbye to everyone at the church everyone went back to Crick and sorta hung out for the rest of the night. Rob and Lizzie went to Scotland so we all walked them down to the bus. Whats funny about Rob, is that he read Jane Eyre during term and after that he started noticing the book everywhere. In discussions, lectures, in the house....so myself and a few of the girls took it up as a project to hide a copy in his bookbag, room, and bed everytime he wasn't paying attention. It got to be a huge joke in the house.

After we left Amanda informed the group that while Rob was packing she hid a copy of the book in his backpack. We won. We definately won. Apparently he discovered it on the train back from Edinburgh, and freaked out for like 5 minutes. Perfection.

We had a fun night, giggling, water fights, packing, eating a feast. Our last night as a family together in Crick. That thought sortof loomed overhead the whole time.

saying goodbye

(from a week ago) Yesterday we had a debrief meeting at one of the local churches, St. Andrew's. We went at 10.00 and stayed till about 15.00, it was great because we got to talk as a group, make suggestions and talk about how things will look from here on out. We sat in a room with some of the most incredible academics that I have ever met and they asked us questions and honestly cared about our answers. I have never seen 60 people have such a productive, honest, deep, and intellectual conversation before in my life. There were some great comments made and I am so thankful to have been able to be apart of that conversation.



But then we said goodbye. There are a lot of people in this program that go to Biola University, which is about 20 minutes from Vanguard. That is nice, because for about 10 people I didn't really have to say goodbye. However there were some that made me tear up a bit. Some of the guys here have been so amazing this term, specifically Danny and Jon and Jonathan. So much fun. But I will see them again, for sure.

finished

(from a few days ago) Today I woke up, and edited my essay. My final word count was 4,259 words. I think that may be the longest essay I have ever written, definately the longest essay I have ever researched and written in 8 days. At the beginning of the term I wondered why term only lasted 8 weeks. Its because no one can work this hard for more than that.

We all walked down to Frewin Court together, turned in our essays and Simon had tea ready and waiting for us. By 12.30 there were 50 or so people all hanging out in a teeny tiny little space. It was good though, I got some really good pictures of the guys hugging and celebrating together.

After all the girls went to Greens and later that night we all cooked and had a Christmas celebration. We did a gift exchange, and we weren't allowed to spend any money on it. It was the most fun watching the guys come up with gifts to make. TJ made Christye a man out of vegetables, Tim made TJ some homemade butter, and Cameron danced to some hip-hop for Jordan, so interesting.

this is me

I'll give you a mental picture. Me, sitting at my desk, books piled up around me, 56 pages of notes in my notebook next to my computer, coffee cups sitting in various places around the room, and my dirty laundry is piling up in my closet. I haven't showered yet today, theres no time, my hair is getting gross and around lunch I finally changed out of my sweats. I ate, at some point, and my email inbox is almost full. BUT, I have only 1000 words left to write for my paper and only two more points plus a conclusion. Perfection. A well spent day. I will finish this bad boy tonight, edit it, and go to breakfast in the morning in celebratory bliss.




(I re-read this and I am realizing how bad this is, if it were a lie I would erase it and post something else, but its true)

so close

I am working on a 4000 word essay currently. At the beginning of the semester writing 4000 words in one week terrified me, at this point I have until Thursday at 12 and I started this morning. (This is the point where John Mark and I would laugh at each other and start comparing paper writing experiences) Its going pretty good, sorta slow right now but I'm not going to go to bed until I am about halfway done. Which is still a ways off, but I have time. I am writing about Virginia Woolf, and how the ideas in To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway about art / creativity reflect ideas of the others in the Bloomsbury Group. Its pretty fun, which is good, cause I am almost completely drained. What is interesting about the Bloomsbury Group is all of their complicated relationships and its fun to see that dynamic play out in their work.

There is so much to write about though. I feel like I could write a dissertation about this, or a book.

to follow a perfect night

Saturday morning I woke up to Amanda saying, "Ashley do you want to get up and go for a walk with us?" I looked at my little alarm clock, 7:15. Still dark out. Decide...decide...yes. Stumble out of bed. Jeans. Socks. Sweatshirt. Shoes....shoes? where are they? I put on Jessi's huge parka and walked downstairs.

Waiting for me on the counter was a huge cup of coffee. Christye, Amanda and Christy all looked as tired as I felt, but we were doin it, no going back. We started out, after drinking our coffee first, and walked along the backside of the park through the neighborhood, away from the city. We walked and walked and then got to a huge open field. We looked back at the city, across the field, sun rising on our left. From there we could see the spires of the Lower Camera and the church on High Street-as well as our breath in the icy cold air. It was literally freezing out.

We took the long way back, up to Headington Hill and back into town via the bikepath that runs through the park. We stopped on the bridge, and ubsorbed the early morning sunshine for a minute. Then we quickly navigated our way to Greens, delighted that we had managed to come out on St. Giles street directly across from it. Its amazing to think that just 3 months ago we didn't even know what St. Giles street was called, let alone how to get there.

We got coffee and went upstairs to the couch. And started to process leaving. We talked about home, what we are going to miss, and what we will do differently once we get back. It is crazy to think I haven't known these girls all my life.

We walked back to Crick and found everyone in the kitchen eating breakfast. I was so full of joy, first the Trout, then an unforgetable walk through Oxford.

A Poem for Crick

In the Valley of the Elwy

I remember a house where all were good To me, God knows, deserving no such thing: Comforting smell breathed at very entering, Fetched fresh, as I suppose, off some sweet wood. That cordial air made those kind people a hood All over, as a bevy of eggs the mothering wing Will, or mild nights the new morsels of spring: Why, it seemed of course; seemed of right it should. Lovely the woods, waters, meadows, combes, vales, All the air things wear that build this world of Wales; Only the inmate does not correspond: God, lover of souls, swaying considerate scales, Complete thy creature dear O where it fails, Being mighty a master, being a father and fond. by Gerard Manley Hopkins -pictures by Jonathan Kirkpatrick-

the day

The sun is taking a long time this morning, its 8:08 and still not up yet. Theres a pink and orange and blue bit in the sky just over the rooftops, out my window.

best night of my life

On Friday night I was so privilaged to have three of the most amazing guys come over to cook dinner with me. We made chicken fajitas, nachoes and Ciraulo made his most famouse guacamole (almost as good as Cristina's). We turned up Noah and the Whale and had a great time goofing around in the kitchen, and what followed was the most amazing meal. Not only did we eat but Rob, Lindsey and Kohleun ate as well. Such a feast!

Around 8 some other people from The Vines came down to Crick, picked us up and we walked from our house to the Trout Pub.

Here is the thing about this pub, its a long ways away. We walked through North Oxford for a bit, a beautiful neighborhood, and then came to a bridge. Once over the bridge its about a two mile walk through Port Meadow. There were about 15 amazing people that went, including the guys, and we were walking and talking about school, theology, missions, family, leaving and so much more. It has been raining recently so the path was a bit muddy, but all part of the adventure. On the left of us was a big open field, to the right, the river Thames. All along the way were trees and little gates to go through. There is an old abandoned Abbey close to the pub and the Poplar trees we walked under were the same trees Gerard Manley Hopkins writes about. This was C.S. Lewis' favorite pub, he and Tolkein would walk out to it when they needed a retreat from the busy hustle bustle of Oxford. It was magical to walk under the trees and stars next to the river, talking and laughing with people I love.

On the way home we were all a little hyper, probably from the guys running ahead, hiding in the dark and then scaring us. I was walking with a group of 6 amazing guys, who were at this point running and jumping over puddles, joking around and being super loud. On the way home the lights from the city in the distance reflected off the puddles so that we could see them. Which made for faster walking. I discovered that my friend Dave likes to sail, and we talked about that for a long time. I got really excited. They came back to Crick, I filled them up with coffee and then they went home to study a bit more. Saturday morning I woke up, giddy in my heart because of how amazing and full of joy I felt. Such an amazing night.

my most amazing junior dean

Jonathan Kirkpatrick, amazing.

Let me tell you friends, what I had for dinner tonight. A few weeks ago we invited Jonathan to our food group, breakfast burritos (which he had never eaten), and its a tradition that when we cook for him, he cooks for us. Its incredible cause he really goes all out.

Tonight, the first course of our meal was rice, green sauce and frog legs. Yes, frog.

Main course was pheasant (garlic and apples inside, bacon on top), with potatoes, parsnips (with gravy) and cheasnuts cooked with onions and bacon.

For dessert, mostly created by Dave and TJ, we had pineapple upside-down cake with homemade custard.

Doesn't that sound divine? Believe me friends, it was.
Funny moments during the meal: Amanda decided to make her frog's legs dance on her plate, and then Cameron made his jump around the table. After we ate TJ commented, "I would like you guys to just observe, that you had meat from three different animal kingdoms tonight". I think I'm still full.

the beginning of the end

Tonight is my last tutorial. Right now I am sitting at my desk working on my last essay for Dr. Lawes. Its on Sidney's Astrophil and Stella and I got so excited about the research this week that I am now writing really late. Oh well.

I'm looking out the window at a big crescent moon that has been hangin out with me all afternoon. Its just hanging over Oxford, waiting for the sun to go away. (Keep in mind that its not even 17.00 yet and its pitch black out and the moon is high over head. )

In the next two hours I will be finished with my academic work at Oxford, save for one more long essay. But as far as my research goes I am extremely close to done. Its bitter sweet. The more work I complete the closer I am to done, except that I do not want to be done yet. This place is amazing yet everyone, myself included, is starting to feel time pull us back home. Most of us are resisting it still, it is sortof a taboo subject in the house. Everytime someone mentions going home, or leaving or packing everyone starts to yell. :)

Welp, I guess I better keep working, cause whether I like it or not 20.00 is quickly approaching.

rain rain go away..

Lately I have definately noticed the lack of California sunshine in my life. England, if no one knew, is much closer to the north pole than Cali, and that does weird things to the sun. The sun rises around 8 in the morning, and there is a sunset around 2:45 in the afternoon, dark around 3:30. On top of the lack of daylight hours, its winter now and rains almost everyday, so most of the time even when the sun is up, I can't tell. I am really starting to miss the sun.

I feel tired a lot. I feel sad sometimes too. Most days I need lots of hugs. This morning the sun was up and shining through our window so I stood in the middle of my room for about 15 minutes in my pajamas soaking up the little bit of warmth that made it through the glass. Today all I wanted to do was sit in the sunshine, but alas, the Bodley was calling. Today I sat in the library from about 12 to 7:30 (i stopped to eat of course). It was a productive un-sun-shiney day.

christmas at crick

The bay window that looks out on Crick Road from our living room.

collaborative effort

A few weeks ago Doug, Christy, Amanda, Peter and I were sitting at the table in the kitchen talking. We started talking about Jonathan and how sometimes we help him pick out good outfits. Someone said "as americans how much do we really help him with style?" then Christy said "we totally do! what do you think we are? Backwoods men, and backwoods women??" Then Peter exclaimed "backwoods woman! That is a poem."

The next two hours was a creative poetry fest, with lots and lots of tea.

BACKWOODS WOMAN

Harry, she sits, po-dunk on a bucket.
Her clothing, it drapes her. All plaid-shod is she.
Picklin' an egg, thereafter to suck it,
She picks at her leg-hair contemplatively.
She can't get that preachin', that circuit-man's preachin'
'Bout hell-fire's hot brimrocks and heaven's hard road,
'Bout Lucifer's badness and sweet Jesus' teachin'
To leave her in peace; it's a right heavy load!
"CLUCK!" squacks an old hen, breakin' off her soul-ticklin',
And pecks her right where her left shoe should have been.
She kicks off the chicken, gets back to her picklin',
And never thinks 'bout that old preacher again.

And so a poem it is.

thanksgiving, not just for americans

I live in a house with 24 American students, and at The Vines there are about 40 american students who also belong to my program. So of course there was Thanksgiving. The vines is much larger than Crick so everyone went there for dinner. At 3 Dr. Baigent's (head tutor in program) children played music for us, as did Simon (dir. of student affairs) and his wife.

There were lots of families there. Simon has two children, and my tutor for English Lit, Dr. Lawes, and his wife came over. They have a 5 year old daughter who likes to sit next to cute college boys, smile and twirl her hair. Stan Rosenburg (another tutor/director of the program) brought his family over as well. Of course for all these people Thanksgiving means nothing, it was just an opportunity to hang out and eat really good food. Which we did.

The meal was incredible and everyone contributed different pieces of it. After dinner there was an open mic night, which was super fun. We came back to Crick around 9 and watched Love Actually with the Christmas lights on, after all Christmas season started here on November 6.

the shakespeare man..again.

Last Tuesday Amanda and I, and laurel too, attended the Oxford Wells Shakespeare lecture again. This time there was a reception afterward, at the Oxford University Press shop on High Street. We got there and quickly the room began to fill with people. Soon we were standing around talking to our lecturers, authors and respected academics in Oxford.

Stanley Wells was also there, the event being in honor of him. He looked a bit tired but was buzzing around talking to everyone. He came over to Amanda and I, and asked us where we were from and what we are studying. He was witty, and so cute. I am really excited that I got to meet him. :)

I felt like an adult, standing there joking with people. It was fun to talk and listen to a few speeches and eat peanuts. My Shakespeare tutor was really excited when I told him about it. Stanley Wells was really excited when he heard Amanda and I had gone to every lecture.

the sleeping house

Its rainy outside, windy too. This sunday the sky in cloudy and dim.

I didnt go to church this morning. I do that sometimes, so I can stay home and read. I read and then went grocery shopping, then came back and have been reading some more.

But I want to tell you about the room I am sitting in. Its warm, and I have my quilt over me. To my left Danielle is sleeping, and Christye is sleeping on the other side of her. Tim is in the chair next to the window, also asleep. There are Christmas lights in the window, and it smells like coffee in our house. To my right Josh is asleep on the couch and next to him Andrew is trying to work on a paper but he may as well give up and lay his head back. Directly across from me Kristin is asleep under her jacket.

Tea is in about an hour, which I think will be quiet today.

Its 8th week in Oxford, and were all really tired.

the shakespeare man

To honor Stanley Wells, who is the man, Oxford University Press and Oxford University are starting a new lecture series. They call it the Oxford Wells Shakespeare Lecture. This is the first annual lecture and I feel so privilaged to be able to attend.

Let me describe to you the first night,

I walk into the English Faculty Library, to the lecture theatre, about 10 minutes early. I sit down and pull out a book (because when am I not reading?) and as Im sitting there I watch the room quickly fill up and start to buzz with academic excitement. Then a man walks in, hes older, wearing a suit with a purple vest, white hair, and has no help walking down the stairs. Hes smiling and kissing all the people in the front rows on the cheeks. I see him and think "there he is, I dont even know who he is but he looks like a man who deserves reverence". I was right. The man I was watching has been general editor of the Oxford Shakespeare series since 1978 and edited the Oxford Complete Works of Shakespeare. He, Stanley Wells, turned 80 last week.

The lecture is on Religion in Shakespeare, and the lecturer is David Kastan. Who is hilarious. Sitting in the front row of the lecture hall was every scholar lecturing on Shakespeare this term, numorous authors and critics of Shakespeare and the editors of the Oxford Shakespeare series.

Then there was Amanda and I, giddy with excitement four rows back. This week there is a reception and we are definately going. I am excited for when Kastan's book comes out and on the title page will say "Compiled from the lectures of David Kastan given for the Oxford Wells Lecture Series", and I was there.

the poetry corner

Tonight I had to go to Blackwell's and buy John Milton. I was in the poetry corner and so was my Shakespeare tutor Jonathan Thorpe. So we talked a bit about my winter reading and the wonderful Shakespeare lecture Ive been going to with Amanda. Then recommended me a poet, Bernard O'Donoghue, because he had O'Donoghue as a tutor when he was doing his undergrad work at Oxford. He said it was wonderful and that I should look at it sometime. Then we talked a bit more and I found my Milton and we said goodbye. Before I left I picked up a copy of O'Donoghue's selected poems and decided to buy it when I noticed the afformentioned copy was signed by the author. I also noticed on the way home that my poetry lecturer, Tom Paulin, has a review on the inside cover of the book. All the way home I had my nose in it, reading poem after poem. It was the shortest walk home I've ever had.

sometimes i forget

Often I find myself so used to this place I forget it isn't normal that I am here. I live with 24 other Americans so it isn't hard. I forget that I'm not at home, that I'm living in a foreign country and that I'll be leaving soon.

And then as I walk down Broad street I look up and see a huge British flag being blown in the wind. A British man knocks on my door and asks if my radiator is broken (which it is) and he uses words like nappy, rubbish, and says "I'll see if I can sort it out for ya" but doesn't actually say any of the "t" sounds in that phrase. I am realizing more and more that the time is going faster and that I have begun to feel at home here. Sometimes it results in taking the little things for granted. I don't really like that.

fifth week blues

Aparently there is something about fifth week at Oxford that gets everyone sorta down, or maybe we all get burnt out. All week long people were asking about fifth week blues. I can honestly say by Friday last week I was feelin something. Tired, burnt out and a little homesick for the people I love.





But today, was such a good day. I went to a Shakespeare lecture this morning, on Hamlet. I ate lunch (peanut butter sandwich). Then I went to the Lower Cam. (see below) and read from 2 until 5, then switched to the Duke Humfrey's library and read until 730.

The Duke Humfrey's library. Its a little like Narnia in there. Most of those books are from the 16th and 17th century.

I got home, after accomplishing a tun at the Bodley, I ate a spactacular dinner and got online for a bit. Guess who I found? Noah was online and I got to talk to him for a while, which is always wonderful and today it was so good for my heart. Then Cristina called, how could this day get any better? We talked and giggled for a while and it was SO good. After talking to my parents this weekend, and then these two today, I am completely over fifth week blues, and moving into sixth week craziness ready to go.

to give you a visual

This is my favorite reading room, the Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library. I'll try to get some pics of the inside eventually (definately not allowed, but you know me) The Upper Cam, is wonderful. When you walk in its a huge dome, two or three stories tall, with huge open windows that let tuns of light in. Sitting next to the windows you get the best views of the city. The ceilings are decorated with enormous floral patterns in a sky blue color. I get destracted by the beauty when I read up there.
This is Hollywell street. This is the street I take to get to the English Faculty Library from the Bodleian. Dad, up the street on the left is the BEST sandwich shop in Oxford. They have huge paninis, (my fav is the chicken pesto tomato and motzerella) and they are HOT, and taste so good on a cold day.
This is the inner courtyard of the Bodley, the bottom floor is the lower reading room, the first floor is the Duke Humpfrey's Library (where the books are so old you aren't allowed to touch them. Inside looks like something out of a movie. And the Upper reading room is on the second floor, which, though it has incredible views it often smells like academics who don't shower. Yuck.
This is the main entrance to the Old Bodleian, the inner courtyard and camera (as seen above) are located directly behind it. Behind where I am standing taking this picture is my favorite bookstore, Blackwell's. (The one I was telling you about tonight Dad)
This is a gate to one of the colleges that I walk by everyday to get to town.
Broad street at sunset...so wonderful.

This is Crick Road...my home. :) I took this about a week ago, so the leaves on the trees aren't really there anymore. But we live in the red brick one, on the right hand side. ( in this pic the left side of the red brick has its drapes closed, we dont live there, a rich south african man does) I love were I live, my room is the window at the very top of the house.

Hope this helps give you a good idea of the beauty...the more I try to capture it in words and on film the more I realize those things fail me, its indescribable.

connection to the past

I asked Jonathan my junior dean, the british one who knows everything in 7 different languages, about Erasmus today. Erasmus is contemporary of More, who Im currently reading and he said that Erasmus lived, while he studied in Oxford, at Frewin Court. Frewin Court as in the place you send mail to me, the place with the red door that I have a key to. Very cool.

tutorials

Its the end of 5th week and I had two tutorials this time, one on Wednesday night, like always and one today at 3. I think one of my favorite things in Oxford are the tutors.

In my early english/renaissance lit tutorial I was reading John Webster (a revenge tragedist, contemporary of Shakespeare) this week, and I also read The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd to include it into my essay. Hmm..revenge tragedy. I don't think I like the body count at the end of the plays, it seems like a little to much for me, but I do understand why they did it. We talked about religious skepticism and moral relativism in The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil and compared it to other plays in that time, like Hamlet. We also talked about the characters and the authors and good stuff like that. We giggled for a while about how english majors are always having dialogue in the margins of the english faculty books and on the bathroom walls. :) It was probably the best tutorial I've had yet.

Then my Shakespeare tutorial was this afternoon and that went really well. My question this week was, "In A Mid Summer Nights Dream and Twelfth Night how much fun can be had watching someone be made a fool?". I read my essay and we, for some reason, started talking about Feste and wondered why he would have been present in an elizabethan court and not today. Why dont we have people like that? How is "courtly" life different now? How are governments different now? How are governments responsibilities different now? Then we got back on topic and discussed Shakespeare and how he has this weird understanding of cruel comedy. As well as love and violence. Why do we laugh when others look like fools? What causes laughter? How does Shakespeare employ those things in his comedies?

I will let you think about those things for yourself.

I told Jonathan Thorpe, my Shakespeare tutor, that I want to read all of Shakespeare over Christmas. He told me he would work on some questions and an order I should read the plays in for next time, and that I should be emailing him as I read over break. :)

Tomorrow I start on Sir Thomas Moore and As You Like It.

so much better than wycliffe

Reasons Why I Love Foodgroups:

1. The nights I don't have to cook dinner.
2. Christy is the most amazing chef.
3. TJ is my cooking partner, and he chops vegetables perfectly.
4. Tim makes the best soup.
5. I get full.
6. The kitchen smells good as we make the feast.
7. When I don't cook I don't do dishes.
8. TJ makes good coffee.
9. There are enchiladas.
10. It all tastes so good.
11. Friday is soup night.

Right now I am in the middle of a paper, sortof anticipating someone to walk up the stairs and tell me that dinner is ready. Im so hungry and its hard to write. Why did I eat lunch at 12? I am in some serious need of some cheese or yogurt (what snack was all summer) :). Oh....wait....I think I hear Amanda in the stairwell....sweet bliss.

no coffee before bed

I had the weirdest dream about Caleb and Rebecca the other night. We were at a river, swimming. It wasnt the one in El Salvador, which is weird cause thats the only river Ive ever been to with them. It was a very steep river, also strange cause normally rivers are rather flat. Anyway, we were swimming and then all of a sudden the water drained out of it completely. So we were standing there confused and then it started to rise again. We kept swimming, and then not swimming while the water did this over and over again. Then once Caleb was out in the middle when the water started to rise, I screamed and ran out and caught him...he was giggling and I was pissed (which happens with Caleb sometimes...) :) Then I woke up, but it was still night so I went back to sleep. Weird.

sunday

This morning our breakfast conversation had to do with linguistic social differences between the upper and lower class. Apparently, lower class people say "what?" instead of "pardon?" and couch instead of sofa. Upper class people, the posh, put milk and sugar into their tea cups first (because good porcelain breaks if it heats up to quickly) and the lower class people add it after their tea. Also, as our wonderful Junior Dean informed us, (as a posh british man he should know) one should refer to a delightful tea buscuit as a scone, with a short O sound, like on.

Our breakfast conversations are often like this, lunch is reserved for what we are reading and discussion of the lectures we have attended that day, and dinner is mostly politics, economics, religion and st. augustine, post-colonialism, and sarcastic banter.

But right now I am in my room, reading. This week its Revenge Tragedy of the Thomas Kyd and John Webster kind. Plus 5 or 6 secondary sources. Its sunny outside, or at least it was 5 minutes ago, and I can hear the churchbells from St. Giles echoing through Oxfordshire (pronounced Oxfordsher). There will be tea later this afternoon but until then, I will read.

scrumping* anyone?

A few weeks ago, standing around in Simon's office, a few of us learned a new word. Like good Oxford students we decided to engage our education, embrace this word as our predecessors did from 1866 onwards, and put it into its God given use, as a verb.

*(According to the Oxford English Dictionary, or OED) trans. To steal (apples), esp. from orchards. Also transf. and absol.

At 23 hundred hours there was a small gathering in the entryway, those gathered conspicuously wearing dark shades of black and blue. I quickly jumped in on the action (you know me :) ) and headed out our blue door into the dark, cold night. Lizzie was our leader, she devised the plan, and saw that it was carried out (she was also the one with the backpack). After a few distractions were made, and Tim checked that there were no cars in the driveway, Lizzie and I were hoisted over the Oxford-style brick wall. We dashed across the dimly lit courtyard to the dark corner where the ominous, ivy wrapped tree stood waiting.

We climbed the tree and began to realize just how wonderful, how big and how delicious these apples were. Quickly we filled Lizzie's backpack and dashed back across the yard and over the wall. Upon returning to Crick we unloaded the bounty, manna from heaven, only to lay eyes on the biggest red apples we had ever seen.

Scene: Lizzie, Ashley, Abbey, Elizabeth and TJ in the Crick kitchen, excited and enjoying afformentioned apples. Dressed in black, talking loudly.

(Enter Rob)
Lizzie: Hey Rob, we just stole these apples, do you want one? (She hands him the apple)
Rob: (Wide eyed, excitement growing) Yes I do! (He grabs the red apple and takes a bite)
Lizzie: Oh my gosh does anyone see what just happened?
Rob: (Horrified look on his face IMMIDIATELY spits the apple out and throws it into the trash)
Abbey: Adam! See! You think you would have learned the first time! BUT NO! Everytime! Ev-ry-time!
Rob: I like how you said, "we stole these apples" and then I willingly took it.
TJ: See! This is proof that we were dupped in the beginning, completely unaware. No wonder Adam blamed it on Eve.

There will be carmel apple scones in the morning. :)

ya its gunna be, alright! -beatles

This week my tutor (mr. superhero man) forgot to send me my reading list and question until Monday. He had sort of a stressful week so I kinda understand. It was a little frustrating however.

Monday night I got an email, telling me that having my essay done on Wednesday for the tutorial would be best however if I needed longer that would be okay. So Tuesday I read secondary sources and critics like crazy, and yesterday I spent all day putting together a working outline, building a thesis and making my argument to support it. I got pretty excited about my essay and went to my tutorial expecting to come home, write it and email it in Thursday.

Tuesday evening I took my stack of books to Green's (see post below) and I sat down upstairs. There was a girl sitting behind me on the phone. Talking to her parents about how she was sorta having a hard time and she was stressed. Then I heard her say "I don't know why they sent it to Azusa, they know I'm here". My ears perked up. Heart starts racing. (well..almost) At any rate I got excited and waited for her to get off the phone.

Now, those of you who know me, know that I am probably not the first person to turn around in a coffee shop and talk to a perfect stranger. My sister on the other hand, is. But I could not let this pass. So I turned around and asked her where she was from. "Well, California, but I go to Azusa Pacific University?" She had a look on her face like she thought I would have never heard of it. :)

"OH my gosh! My sister goes to APU! So COOL!"
"Really? woah this is weird"

So from then we spent 2 hours talking about ourselves, where we live, our schools, our friends, oxford and the stuff we've been doing. Heres the problem, that two hours was supposed to be me frantically studying, taking notes and working on my essay. The whole time I was feeling pressed because I had so much to get done. I invited her over for dinner and Guy Fawkes celebrations. So last night she came and ate pasta with us. (I had completed my working outline before she got here) We ate and then she walked me down to my tutorial. (Oh, and her parents live in Dubai, near Jordan's parents, so at dinner they got all excited and started talking about hanging out over Christmas)

On our walk she told me how she had been praying for some good friends, especially a connection in Dubai because when she goes there she doesn't know anyone. She was so excited to have met everyone in the house and we had totally blessed her by having her over.

Then I got to my tutorial, sorta worried about writing my essay. And Dr. Lawes said "I am so sorry for not sending you your questions. However there is nothing that says you absolutely have to write 8 essays, so would you be completely heartbroken if you didnt write one this week?"

:)

Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot ;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,'Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd,
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holloa boys, Holloa boys,
let the bells ring
Holloa boys, Holloa boys,
God save the King!

Today is Guy Fawkes day in England! One of those random holidays thats on the calandar, but you dont know exactly what it is. Partly its a bunch of monarchists who celebrate the fact that Mr. Fawkes failed his attempt to kill the king, and mostly its an excuse for the rest of the country to set off tuns of fireworks, in backyards, parks and on the streets. And it is traditional to make a Guy Fawkes doll and burn him on the street in effigy.

So currently I'm sitting in the kitchen, watching tuns of fireworks going off outside, and it is predicted that it will continue through most of the night. Wait...I think the neighbors just shot one into our yard. :)

poetry lecture

We read this poem today, the tutor for this lecture is Irish, so do your best with the accent :)

All Legendary Obstacles

All legendary obstacles lay between
Us, the long imaginary plain,
The monstrous ruck of mountains
And, swinging across the night,
Flooding the Sacramento, San Joaquin,
The hissing drift of winter rain.

All day I waited, shifting
Nervously from station to bar
As I saw another train sail
By, the San Francisco Chief or
Golden Gate, water dripping
From great flanged wheels.

At midnight you came, pale
Above the negro porter's lamp.
I was too blind with rain
And doubt to speak, but
Reached from the platform
Until our chilled hands met.

You had been travelling for days
With an old lady, who marked
A neat circle on the glass
With her glove, to watch us
Move into the wet darkness
Kissing, still unable to speak.

John Montague
Beautiful huh?

Its rainy today, and Im writing a paper about George Herbert, a minor english poet (which is fitting) who writes about God mostly, and the church. My question is "Is Herbert's poetry more like prayer than art, and therefore better read by his fellow believers? Discuss.

My rough thesis, I emphasise rough : George Herbert's poems are closer to prayer than art, because though they contain qualities of artistic expression his poems embody religious themes and enable the reader to meditate more closely on God.

:)

sounds in oxford

footsteps on the gravel outside the Bodley
creeky bikes that ride by
church bells
creeky floor in the Lower Camera
computers clicking late at night
Crick's doorbell
the teapot boiling
wind in the trees on a walk through the park
humm of inteligent conversation
footsteps down Hollywell lane
Christye's guitar in the stairwell
bagpipes down cornmarket street
quiet stillness in the Duke Humpfrey's library


I noticed sounds today..

cause now i pay attention to the news

-Councils ban use of Latin terms-

"A number of local councils in Britain have banned their staff from using Latin words, because they say they might confuse people.

Several local authorities have ruled that phrases like "vice versa", "pro rata", and even "via" should not be used, in speech or in writing.

But the ban has prompted anger among some Latin scholars.
Professor Mary Beard of Cambridge University said it was the linguistic equivalent of ethnic cleansing. "

love it. Thanks BBC

surprise in my pigeonhole*

So a few nights ago I was hanging out with my good friends Danny and Jonathan. It got dark (around 430) and they walked me home. On the way we decided to stop by Frewin to get Danny's bike and check our mail. I wasn't expecting anything but I tagged along anyway. I literally was jumping up and down when I realized that in fact I did have something and it was the best kind of something to get.

An English prof, from Vanguard, who recently moved to North Carolina sent me the most beautiful scarf (handmade of course) and a letter. She was my prof for Am. Lit and World Lit, and was a great influence in the creation of the blog you are currently reading.

Walter-Carney, thank you so much! I immediately put it on, seeing as it was freezing outside, and have been wearing it since. I also got home and showed everyone in my house. It is beautiful, thank you!





*Pi"geon*hole`\, n. A small compartment in a desk or case for the keeping of letters, documents, etc.

waiting for cookies

So I'm laying on the couch, reading A Mid Summer Nights Dream, and TJ is sitting next to me playing the guitar. Suddenly he looks at me and says

TJ. You should bake something.
Me. (giggling) Oh you think so?
TJ. Ya, you should bake oatmeal cookies.
Me.(more giggling upon realization that hes serious)
Well, I dont have any oatmeal.
TJ. I do.
Me. I dont have any flour.
TJ. I do.
Me. I dont have any eggs..
TJ. I have those too.
Me. (trying to think of something else he hopefully does not have)
Brown sugar?
TJ. Yep.
Me. I have vanilla, and theres baking soda in the cupboard...
TJ. Why aren't you making these yet?
Me. (more giggling) Ok, let me finish this act..

Long story short, we just made the most amazing oatmeal cookies (Thanks to Quaker, or as TJ said, "These Quakers are amazing!") And of course everyone can smell them...so everyone came in and partook of the abundant amazingness. Now I'm back on the couch. Its cold outside, and really warm in here. And Shakespeare is a genius.

le semana del muerte fuego.

This week, oi.

On odd weeks I have two tutorials. One on Wednesday (see post from last Wednesday) and one on Thursday at 3. This means I am doing two essays this week. Not so bad, and totally doable on top of the lectures. But this week we also had a long essay proposal due (in which we present our question, thesis and sources we will use, along with their location in the Bodley). So that sucked up almost a whole days time to work on these two essays I have looming. Thus it is almost 3 am and I am sitting in the living room with Robby-mc-roberson (who is wearing blue pj bottoms and a long john shirt, coffee at his feet and oatmeal at his left, sorry, right) writing this post. Today I sat in my room all day writing my paper about Kit Marlowe and Doctor Faustus (Goethe is much better in my opinion). Then I went to my tutorial, got back, took a break for a bit and now I am on to Much Ado About Nothing. I love my Shakespeare tutorial but man I wish it was on Friday.

Plan of action: sleep till 7, get up and write. Be done at 12. Editing done at 1. Tutorial at 3.

pray for me :)

the fridged freezingness

Today was tea at Frewin Court. Frewin is the office where the lovely people who make it possible for me to be here work. Its this little tiny place, between a pub and a club down an alley off of Cornmarket Street, which happens to be the busiest street in Oxford. Its a cool feeling when Im walking through a crowd of people to suddenly turn off the street down an alley. I feel super sneeky secret agent style. Its 2 stories, which in England means that its actually 3 stories plus the basement (Crick is like that too), with offices on the ground and first floor, and conference rooms on the second floor and in the basement is a kitchen, mailboxes, and couches galore. Its small though, dont get me wrong, shuved between two buildings.

ANYWAY...I engaged in some amazing conversation at tea, about Christopher Marlowe, christian schemes, grad school, Augustine, Virginia Woolf, the Archbishop of Georgia, post-colonialism and Simons 31/2 year old daughter. After tea I went to the Oxford University Origami Society...please dont judge. After this..wow it is taking me a LONG time to get to the point of this post...

It was dark by the time I left downtown (530-6ish, actually it starts getting dark here at like 3) and it was raining. Now normally this isn't a big deal except this morning it was sunny out so Ashley has her flats on with no umbrella. But thank the Lord for Peacoats (sp?) and scarves because on the way home it was FREEZING. I could feel the blood pulling away from the surface of my body, couldnt feel my thighs and my ears went totally numb. As I rounded the corner of Crick road I could see the lights of the house and broke into a jog as it started to snow. (!)

According to the internet it was 3degrees outside, celsius. It freezes at 0.

brrrr..

its raining its pouring

Exciting things that happened this morning:

Technically morning 12-2
I made snickerdoodles
I ate chocolate covered strawberries made by christye
I read out of my new Wordsworth Complete works, published in 1918

Morning according to normal people 8-12
I watched Shakespeare in Love (studying marlowe and shakespeare this week)
I stayed in my pjs until 1 (so technically not morning)
Dave made coffee
I almost finished my long essay proposal
It poured rain

My life is thrilling.

Actually what makes it all better is that I'm in Oxford.

to substitute, not replace, alta

Yesterday my friend Danny and I decided to get some lunch while we took a break from the Library. He said "where do you wanna go?" I said "somewhere warm". It was freezing yesterday. So he said, ok I'll take you to my favorite coffee shop.

So we walked down Cornmarket Street, down St. Giles and ducked into a little place called Green's, which happens to share a wall with the famous Eagle and Child pub (which I still havent been to yet cause I heard its not that good). Green's is fairly inexpensive, always a plus, and I noticed within the first 5 min. of being there that the music they play is good (Coldplay, David Grey, Beatles, Iron and Wine). We got some coffee and a muffin and headed upstairs. Most places in Oxford used to be houses, but now that they are restaurants you order downstairs and there is seating upstairs...even McDonalds. I was delightfully surprised by the accomodations upstairs. There is a room to the left with a window that overlooks the street, lots of tables and chairs, a fireplace and art on the walls. In the room on the right there are more tables, two windows and some couches. In this room there are pictures of El Capitan and Half Dome, from someones random adventure. We grabbed a seat on the couch and talked and ate and then he asked me to teach him how to draw (like it would just take a few minutes) so we did...for about an hour. It was so pleasant.

Then today I got up and went down to Green's again. The Bodley doesnt open until 10 on saturdays so I spent some time reading Much Ado About Nothing first, which is the play Im reading for my Shakespeare tutorial this week. After the Bod closed at 4 Koleun and I went back to this wonderful little coffee shop, got tea and a smile from the girl behind the counter, and sat reading until 7. (well, almost 7)

Needless to say, I found a new hangout spot.

superhero tutor

Last night I had my early british literature (1509-1620) tutorial at Regents Park College with Dr. Richard Lawes. It is my primary tutorial, meaning that I meet with him once a week, and my essay this week was on John Donne.

I found out a few days ago just how incredible this Richard Lawes is. He lives in London, so he has a hour to an hour and a half commute everyday. Not only is he a tutor in Oxford but he also has students at Magdalen College at Cambridge University. He also is a doctor of medicine so two days a week he works in a hospital. He carries a toothbrush in the left inside pocket of his jacket, an umbrella on most days, even if its not raining and wears a gold wedding band on his left hand.

Anyway, it was a really good tutorial. We talked about the paradox that Donne employs in his poetry, the fact that he talks about love and God using the same words and image and how he wrestles with his faith.

My tutorial is at 20:00 in town, so I have to walk a ways in the dark. Last night before I left I asked my friends TJ (Biola) and Dave (Waynesburg PA) to walk me down so I wouldnt have to walk by myself. Teej said "hmm...your tutorial is an hour? Dave, what in the world could we do for an hour while we wait for Ashley?" Dave replied in his slight PA accent "Im pretty sure there are more than 69 pubs open in Oxford that would gladly accommodate" Keep in mind that these are the boys that are determined to try every pub in Oxford before they leave. :) So they walked me there and picked me up and then we had a pleasant, but brisk, walk home.

please accept my apology

I am so very sorry for the lack of updating. For those living vicariously through my blog, take a deep breath and start to live again, because now that the pressure I was thrown into as soon as I got back is fading for a moment I will try my darndest to catch you up on the happenings in Oxford.

Let me tell you about my morning.

This morning I woke up (the white blinds were closed, and it was sunny this morning for the first time in 3 or 4 days, there was a lot of white light in our room and so I thought it had snowed outside while we were asleep...sorta disappointing) refreshed and ready to go. I cleaned my room, ate breakfast and headed out for a lecture entitled "Contextualizing Virginia Woolf", which was absolutely amazing and helped me a tun because I am planning on writing my long essay on the Bloomsbury group.

Then I quickly walked to Frewin Court (the main office for the SCIO program...which is oddly placed between a bar and a club) because it was really cold outside today. I opened the big red door, walked down the twisting staircase to the basement where the mail (and a random assortment of couches) is located. And what was waiting for me on the coffee table??

A PACKAGE COVERED IN STICKERS!!! I promptly opened it, feeling the anticipation of everyone in the room. Inside I discovered contents of the most wonderful nature, from two of the most wonderful children ever. Original pieces of art (that I hung on my wall as soon as I got home) 4 boxes of macaroni and cheese, a box of ritz crackers (much needed and missed snacks) and....dut duu da daaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

A CAMERA!!!! OH MY GOSH I AM STILL SO EXCITED! I can not wait to walk around the city and capture all the things I have been looking at for the last month and a half. I ran around the house showing everyone who would listen. :) Then I called the Robecks and talked to Cristina and Rebekah.

me: bekah guess what I got in the mail today!
RRR: (in a sleepy voice) what?
me: I got a big box with lots of stickers all over it..
RRR: (gasp) That was from mee!! were you excited?
me: of course I was! all my friends were really excited too.
RRR: really? did they like it?
me: yup and I was jumping up and down cause I was so happy.

Since then I have been working on a paper. Currently I have a working outline and I probably wont sleep until I have a draft. But first..dinner.

a sampling of haslach

This is what most of the trees looked like this weekend. And I love fall.

This is the old church tower and the new one. A really good view of both, kindof a sweet pic

These houses run along the outside walls of the old city. It was built in the 1700s?

This is a picture I took on our drive through the countryside with Michaela and Ludwig. Thats Haslach down there..and some other small villages, with the Black forest surrounding it. It was really cold...

This is Uncle Sepp's house. Michaela's is about a block up the street behind it. This is where my mom stayed when she visited as well.

Again..love the colors.

This is a pic walking down into the city..





This is a picure of my mom in Bollenbach..one of the many I aquired this weekend. Im totally diggin the hot pink pants. We really do look alike huh? (ps. she may die when she sees this on here) i love you mom.

a little farmhouse in the kinzig valley

Today, there was painting.

This morning I woke up in a little farmhouse, with a view out my window of the Black Forest. It was cloudy, but I was hopeful. I got up, took the most wonderful shower in 3 weeks, and went down and ate breakfast with my cousin Stefan and his wife Silvia.

After breakfast I went down in front of the house to paint. Its tucked into a hillside surrounded by green fields, an apple orchard and dark evergreen trees. As I painted the clouds came and went and I took a few breaks for coffee. It was incredibly relaxing..to sit, paint, play with their cat, and then turn around and look down at the Kinzig valley and Haslach at the bottom of it.
You see, this house is 270 years old and my great great great grandparents built it. Stefan grew up here and it has been a unique symbol of togetherness for my family. Many people lived here and there are many, many pictures of family together in front of it.

And today (monday) I painted it for my mom.

to mom, haslach in fall colors

This morning I woke up at 11. Its the latest Ive slept since Ive been over here. But I was sooo tired last night. It felt good to be rested today.

So when I left oxford I had to pack in a hurry. We had two papers due the morning I left, so I was editing them and trying to pack at the same time. Inevitably (is that how you spell that word?) I forgot some stuff. Socks, shoes other than my flats, and shampoo. Oops. Anyway I wish I had €1 for every time I have gotten a comment about how my feet must be cold. sheesh.

So I got up and had some breakfast. THen Michaelas daughter Valeska came over with Zepp. They had lunch with us. It was fun, Zepp is a really cute old man and he likes to talk and make jokes. No mom, he didnt give me alcohol but he did ask if I had a boyfriend. He also asked about Mark. I guess tomorrow we are going to go to Strausberg with him, he is going to show me around. Thats really exciting.

After lunch Michaela and Ludwig took me to a train model museum. It was actually really cool, despite how it sounds. It shows the train that goes through the kitzig valley and everything is so intricate and detailed. The lights go down for nighttime, all the trains stop at the stations, theres little people and cars that stop at stop lights...it was cool.

Then we drove around the countryside. SO BEAUTIFUL. Everything is green and the black forest actually looked black today, except it looks like somebody sprinkled yellow and orange and red into it. They showed me the flat your mom lived in with Roswitha in Haslach. And a bunch of the little villages around. I have pics, those will come later.

Tonight after dinner Michaelas sister Eunice came over, and brought pictures. Theres one of Roswitha and Clint, when they came here. And then my favorite picture as of yet, the one of you when you were here with Gisela, you have on neon pink pants and your hair is cut really similar to mine. There is one in front of the farmhouse and then one of you guys walking up the road in Bollenbach. I took pictures of those so you can have a copy.

I think I am going to try to get up early in the morning and go for a walk around the city. I love you, a whole lot. Oh! while Eunice was here they asked to see pictures. I showed them the one of the house in the snow, the one of you and dad at yosemite and then the one at sarahs graduation, with Mark in it. Then pulled up a map of Cali and showed them where all of you guys live. and, random question, how old is anthony?

love you.

to my mom, from the motherland

So this morning I woke up at 445, got myself some toast, and headed down to the bus stop at Gloucester Green to catch the 530 coach to Heathrow. Christye went with me, such an amazing friend! Let me tell you that I slept all the way there. I got on the plane, slept, and then got off to get my bag. It was a pretty good flight, first time in a long time that I have flown with no one next to me.

At the border they always ask you the purpose of your visit. It was cool to tell them I was visiting family. Oh ya, security in London is rediculous. They take your picture before you go through security, and you walk through the metal dector and they frisk you. WEIRD. So I got my amazing backpack off the conveyor belt and walked out the door. I was sorta worried that I wouldnt recognize Michaela, but that was dumb of me. SHE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE GISELA. And you and roswita to an extent. I knew exactly who she was when I saw her. And she did too I think, the first thing they did was hug me and then she said "and you have a Fix nose!" LOL.

After that we went and met her son, Florian, who is studying in Stuttgart. Then they took me to Octoberfest..which is apparently a huge thing in Germany. And she told me the one in Stuttgart is the second largest in the country. So, we walked around, had lunch and oh my goodness. They were playing traditional music, and there were hundreds of German people singing along in all the right places and some of them were up on the tables and EVERYONE had a beer. And im not talking like a bottle, more like a LITRE. Dont worry, I ordered a coke.

After that we walked around the carnival more and Florian and I went on a Drop Zoneish sorta ride. It was fun, they all got a kick out of watching me screem.

After that we drove back to Haslach. I slept part of the way but as soon as we got to the Black Forest I was wide awake. IT IS SOOO BEAUTIFUL. The hills are steep and all along the top are immence pine trees, thick. And the valleys are beautiful green rolling hills and the treeline is lined with all kinds of trees that are turning color. Red, orange, yellow, lime green. And farm houses nestled into the landscape, with smoke coming out of the stacks. Amazing.

We got here and after I put my stuff down they took me on a walk around Haslach. It was so sureal. All the stuff Ive ever heard about it and here I am, walking through it on coblestone streets being told all about it as we pass all kinds of people Michaela and Ludwig know. We went to the cemetary, the church were Roswita and Gisela were baptized, and saw where your parents used to live, which isnt exactly there anymore. I took tuns of pictures but I wont be able to put them up till I get back to Oxford.

Next we stopped at Michaelas fathers house...Stephan? Anyway, this is my favorite part. He is super cute, but highly dissapointed I dont speak any German. He got out photo albums. He has the originals of a lot of the copies you have. They told me names of the people in the picture with the nun, but i dont know if Ill be able to remember. Then he showed me a picture of you and your mom at christmas in Danville, I guess it belonged to Michaelas mom. Then I almost cried when he gave it to me. :)

Um, what else..oh he had a copy of the poem you have in the hallway, I asked Michaela if she would traslate it for you..she said yes.

We ate dinner, sausage salad, (consisting of sausage, cheese and onions with oil and vinegar over it) and then meat and cheese and bread.

And now Im writing you this. And every Y i have typed was first a z and then i had to go back and fix it, because the y and z are switched on this keyboard. I love you. Its a little weird I think, being here without you. I think that we should try really hard to make that trip with everybody.

I love you a whole lot. Dad too.

its 2:46am

2,026 words out of 2000, minus and introduction. Shoot, good enough for me. Tomorrow I can come home and wrap this baby up. Tonight I will sleep.

bed sounds heavenly

1,832 out of 2000 words. Im close, but I still have to wrap up my last point and write my intro and conclusion. The later it gets, the quieter the house gets, and the faster I write.

ok..so im getting there

1,197 words out of 2000, ok, here we go.

feelin good

734 out of 2000, and its only 930.

just a little more procrastination

So I am about to sit down and write the better part of 1,500 words tonight..not so much because I procrastinated, but because I've had since Sunday to research and write this. It isn't due until Friday morning but I just really want it to be DONE.

My day was great today! I got to talk to my grandparents yesterday as well as Caleb and Rebekah. So amazing. I loved talking to everyone!

I GOT A PACKAGE FROM LAUREL TODAY!! So excited!! What was in it? An amazing mix cd that I am listening to right now, chocolate, sweedish fish candy, earings (cutest ever), a card from our friend Dasha, (thanks lovely!! I set it on my desk and it beautifies the room!) Some doodles, a story for me, pictures, a letter, my fav. shirt of hers, is that it? I cant remember, anyways it was the most wonderful thing ever. So what I needed today.

Um, well I should get to that paper. Its gunna be a good one, I can just FEEL it.

oh my goodness..

I just got done talking to the kids, HIGHLIGHT OF MY WEEK.

I forgot how crazy they are I think, but honestly, I love every minute of it. Rebekah was telling me about how shes doing hard work in school, and about her friend Tiffany who doesnt want to be her best friend, I said "thats ok, I'll be your best friend". Then I told her about how I went to the Queens house, which of course is exciting. Man I cannot even start to describe how much I love and adore her.

Caleb wasnt too sure if it was me or grandma, oh well. Its cool to hear how his little voice sounds older...even though Ive been gone for only 3 weeks. I think at the end of the summer he was just going crazy with his words, I LOVE IT.

I wish I could fly them here. :)

the sackler library, which may, or may not, have a bathroom

So today I was forced to go beyond my comfortable spot in the Lower Camera reading room, across town to the Sackler Library. Im doing my next paper on the Bloomsbury group, which will hopefully be done on Wednesday night...but it will probably be sometime early Thursday morning though. Since they were involved in the post-impressionism art scene, most of the information on them is in the Sackler, because it is affilliated with the Ashmolean art museum.

Anyway, let me tell you about this.

So I go up to the door, huge marble doorway, and I have to be buzzed in. (press the button, they ask you what youre doing there) Then I have to register at the front desk and lock my bags in a locker (not allowed to take bags in). Next I have to SWIPE my library card to get in, and then swipe it again to get through a revolving door. SUPER high security this one, sheesh.

And it gets better. The building is circular, with two staircases on either side. Of course I got lost like 50 times, and I just know the people sitting in there, trying to read in silence, were super annoyed by me walking by every 30 seconds (about how long it takes to walk around the outside of the circle...while looking for the bathroom). I would go down one staircase to the lower floor, walk around it, then not make it back to the same staircase, and unaware would walk back up to the top floor and come out, look around, and be so lost. (dont judge until you try it)

Coming from a university that doesn't find it important to make their library highly functional or useful I have encountered some crazy new things in the libraries here. But rolling shelves?! I never knew there was such a (Amanda just brought me coffee...she is a sweet angel from heaven!) possibility! There are numbers on the outside of the shelves and if you need a book you pull out the little nobby thing and turn the crank to wheel an ENTIRE BOOKSHELF 4 or 5 feet down the line. You then get your books and put the shelf back..or leave it there..Im actually not sure, now that I think about it what you are supposed to do when youre done. Oh well.

Needless to say it was a very interesting, and by interesting I mean confusing, experience.

just in case

So, heres my phone number. Its the house phone, ask for me when someone answers. If a man answers, and he has a British accent, its Jonathan. Say hi.

00-44-1865-559567

00 is the international code

44 is britain

1865 is oxford

559567 is the phone on the first floor in the stairwell

Please keep in mind that it is 8 hours ahead here... :) Best time to call? in the evening my time. theres no one here during the day. Saturdays are great too.

because there is a lot of stress

This is what my friends are doing right now. From top, Heather, Lizzy, Amanda, Rob, Koleun, Christye and Christy.

Lets be honest, Rob was really hesitant about me taking this picture. :)

new pics

Scroll down, for some reason these came up under the old one.

in which i make up for a lack of posting

This is something I wrote down while I was in the Bodleian today.

"I'm sitting in a window seat in the Bodleian. The table I'm at is huge and my Wordsworth books are spread out all around me. Through this massive window I can see the city spires, the green lawn that wraps around this library and the leaves on the trees down the street are starting to change color. The bells in the church behind me are ringing, echoeing through the city and off the stone walls of the library I'm in. "

Ya, so those bells rang for a good 15 minutes. dong! dong!
dong! dong!
dong! dong!
dong! dong!
Lets see, this week we went to Bath..and it was incredible. I have pictures that I will put up as soon as my camera battery is charged. :) This week I did research on William Wordsworth. The question I am answering in 2000-2250 words is, Is Wordsworth interested more in memories of landscape or in landscape itself? Im convinced that he cares more about the memories. By the way, I fell in love with Wordsworth this week and he comes highly recomended by me.

On Monday night we went out for icecream. That was a riot. 15 people, Americans no less, swarm an icecream shop so the owner comes out with a stuffed cow, beanie baby thing. The game: cowball. The prize: a half pint of icecream. The fun: endless. No one from the house managed to win though.

My sore throat is gone. (Yaay! Jumping for joy) But my nose has started to run. Yuck. Especially since its just the left side...tell me how that works. So its sortof annoying and almost to much information. Anyway, for me and how I normally get sick, Im doing pretty good.

Today it was sunny out. Wonderful. But again, I being used to California weather, am used to it getting cold and staying cold, so of course I chose to wear a longsleeve shirt, jacket, scarf, and pants today. Perfect.

Ok, so pictures are coming, but I need to start writing my essay...because I have another due next thursday. I love you guys!

beautiful bath

We went romping through Bath. These are baths from the first century, Roman originally. This is the grand bath, the water comes from 2 miles underground, and its warm.
These are mine and Christye's feet. She dipped her toes in, I watched :) (definately against the rules)



A reflection my eye saw...yay photography class.
This is me, peeking out from behind a column out front of the Roman Baths. This was after lunch, we ate in one of the town squares, while we were serenaded by a trubador. After he was done we tipped him, he asked me where I was from and I told him I go to school in CM. He said"I love costa mesa! I just got back on friday from Huntington Beach!" After lunch we went and got icecream.

Then Simon, Jonathan, and Dr. Baigent (ppl who work for the program) led us around on a wirlwind tour of Bath.
This is Bath Abbey, beautiful. The ceilings and stained glass are just captivating.


This is a house in the Queen's square, and it was so beautiful. Jane Austen lived on the opposite corner to this building, while she visited Bath. Funny thing about her, she hated it here.

This is the view opposite of the house, so, it was behind me when i took the picture above this one. Jane Austen stayed in the house you can see through the trees, on the corner to the right.

















This is the right half of the Royal Crescent. This is
where the King and his court would have stayed. You can sortof see the crescent shape from my pictures, the most impressive thing is that when you stand here you are unable to see the whole thing, you actually have to turn your body to look at it all. The wall at the bottom of the pictures is there to keep the lower class away from the royalty. It would have been very visable to them, but completely invisable to anyone on the grass on the royal side of it. We of course, climbed it.

Today I am working on my wordsworth paper some more. Right now I have about 1000 words...yaay!

im not, im not, im not, im not...yeah..i am.

Ok, so I was trying to not acknowledge the fact that my throat hurts and i have a slightly runny nose because sometimes if you believe hard enough that you aren't sick it goes away. But lets be honest, I feel warm, I have a sore throat and I've sneezed like 4 times today. Shoot.

Consequently I went to the store and bought orange juice.

There are a few girls in the house that have had colds already, and the fact that this house is ity bity and we all share everything probably caused this onset of headcoldish feelings. So tonight my plan is to go to bed early, to bundle up all week long, and to drink all my orange juice.

Here's hopin.

from wordsworth's prelude

The children now are rich, for the old today
Are generous as the young; and, if content
With looking on, some ancient wedded pair
Sit in the shade together , while they gaze,
"A cheerful smile unbends the wrinkledbrow
The days departed start again to life,
And all the scenes of childhood reappear,
Faint, but more tranquil, like the
changing sun

sufjan stevens and the rain

Amanda told me yesterday, she loves that I never take anything for granted. And now that I think about it, I do try really hard not to...maybe thats why I'm obsessed with describing all my little moments, why my blog is ridden with descriptions of perfect moments and why I'm constantly taking a deep breath as I take in a moment.

So today's moment: Right now, as I write this, I am sitting in our kitchen, remember the huge bay window and the english garden in the back? Its overcast, and I am reading and studying William Wordsworth for the first time. I've read two poems and I'm already in love with him. Its warm in the kitchen and Sufjan is going in the background. Plus, today I got a package..full of paintbrushes and other assorted items. (katie, thanks for the letter, it made me cry. :) )

One thing that is so different here than the U.S. is school. One on one tutorials and educating yourself..its incredible. I just finished a paper on Shakespeare last night and today I am already researching for my next one, which I want done on Friday night. On Friday I have to go get books out of the Faculty library so I can start researching for the third paper over the weekend, because it is due (along with the second one) next Friday. The turnover rate is ridiculous.

so close

So I am in the middle of my first paper..actually, more like 94% done. I'm so close, why am I posting on my blog right now?

:)

my cuties

Ok, so you know the people you meet and just know you can instantly be friends with them? The people who you are comfortable with immediately, have a tun in common with and just love? Well these girls Christye, Christy and Amanda are definately my England besties.

Christye (Left) is from Vancouver Washington. She has a cool BF who writes her letters and she loves to run, play guitar, and eat chocolate. Super encouraging this one.

Christy (second from left) goes to Biola University. She is super cute and so positive. She loovves to cook and is amazing at it. She also is optomistic in ways that you wouldn't believe.

Amanda (right) also goes to Biola. She loves Shakespeare and learning almost as much as life itself. She has great opinions about almost everything and gives the best backrubs ever.

I was sorta afraid in coming here that I would miss sharing a closet with four girls, giggleing and talking about boys, cuddleing with friends and adventures with them. Not anymore.

here comes the sun

Yesterday the sun finally decided to shine on England, probably the first time this century. Ironically enough I woke up and chose to put on a longsleave shirt, jeans and a jacket. Oh well. Anyway, I got home from the library and sat down to write my paper. Maybe it was the sunshine, maybe some procrastination, or perhaps the fact that it was quiet in the house, whatever it was I couldn't just let it go to waste. So, I grabbed my quilt, journal, and book and headed downstairs. You see, we have the most beautiful english garden in our back yard and the grass and sunshine was just to much to pass up. So for an hour I layed in the sun. It was glorious.

Maybe sometime I will make a video and show you guys around the house.