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.