Opinions wanted!

O loyal blog readers, today you have to WORK for your entertainment. Opinions are desperately needed on this subject:

I decided to celebrate the term being over by going into town and wandering around a bit. I hadn't yet been in the new department store that just opened a few weeks ago, so I wandered into there, just going to have a look around. And I found a travel bag (which I needed) and this coat (which I don't need so much). It was a tough decision: I tried on the two sizes that were on the rack, found the right size in a different color, left, came back, found that my size was on the mannequin, and got someone to take the coat off the mannequin so I could try it on. If I were being my normal, frugal-to-a-fault self, I wouldn't have bought it, but this coat's pretty awesome. And yet, I'm a poor grad student who does, in fact, already own a coat.

(sorry about the cutting off of the head and the rather sketchy background)


Pros: a red coat is awesome, it's wool and cashmere, and 90 pounds is pretty good compared to the other coats in the store.

Cons: 90 pounds=$180!, and I do actually own a long, black wool coat (it's at home).

So here are your choices:

1. Keep it! Everyone wears black in the winter, and color is needed. Plus, it's not too trendy that I won't be able to wear it. Also, I look good in red. (heh)
   
2. Return it! Why the hell would I need two long, wool coats? That's totally wasteful. Also, 90 pounds is my food budget for almost a month.

I know for a fact that there are at least 4 of you who read this blog (semi-)regularly, so let's hear it.

PS- NaBloPoMo's over, hooray!

Thursday.

Thursdays are always seemingly endless. Five hours of class, a meeting with my supervisor, a guest lecturer, and a concert... none of which I'm going to write about right now because I'm pretty tired. But I resolved to post something because I'M NOT GOING TO FAIL ON THE SECOND LAST DAY OF NABLOPOMO. So there.

Every single time I've typed NaBloPoMo this month, I've misspelled it. Also, every time I type it, I think of Michael Scott's quote from 'The Office', something like: 'One day, she's not yo' ho no mo'.' I think this should be the name of next year's NaBloPoMo.

Also, last day of class today. Hooray! Now time to write that PhD research proposal and get going on that giant scary research essay. Hooray...?

Add this to the list of reasons it's pretty cool to be at Cambridge

I got to attend a talk by Stephen Hawking tonight! It was actually kind of a fiasco: The talk was put on by the Cambridge Union, which has all sorts of famous people come in to speak, and which has a membership fee of 85 pounds. (That's right, $170... and that's the student rate.) Their events are generally open to non-members as well, for a small fee, but this one was so popular that no non-members could get in. They were, however, putting it on a live video feed to the bar down the hall. And since paying 3 pounds for a Guinness and a lecture by Stephen Hawking is far preferable to paying 85 pounds for the same lecture, I opted for the bar. Even more unfortunate was that the idiots who'd set up the video camera had done it so that all you could see was the powerpoint slides. Which are vital to a presentation, but if you're going to a talk by one of the most brilliant astronomers in the world, you actually want to see him, not just the powerpoint. It was a great presentation though; the man is funny! (heh, he even made fun of the French, it was great)

BUT... on the way out of the bar, my friends and I hit a wall of people waiting in line: They were going to have a photo session in the room at the end of the hall, and all these people were waiting for their chance to get a picture of him. Then suddenly the word comes that, oh wait, the photo session is going to be in the main room after all. So everyone sort of grumbles and turns around, but of course the people at the other end don't know this yet, so we all are sort of stuck there. My two friends somehow manage to maneuver their way out, and I move off to the side to let a man in a wheelchair through. And after this man in a wheelchair another man in a wheelchair passes by: it's Stephen Hawking.

Stephen Hawking, you can cut me in line any time.

Things that can drastically improve my mood:

• Doing WAY better on the dreaded semantics essay than I'd ever expected! Further proof that not knowing what I'm talking about is much better than having a cohesive argument. Plus, it was 'very well written.' Whee!
• Hanging out with people from my course, with whom I can gripe about said course and who don't make me feel inferior.
• Making people laugh.
• Understanding what's going on in class and being able to explain it to others.
• Realizing that I have actually learned a huge amount this term.
• Knowing that there's only one more day of class left.

And finally:

• Really nice Belgian beer. Mmm.

Christmas shopping tip

This is awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I just ordered one for myself. Merry Christmas to me! But if you're looking for gifts, the whole site's pretty cool, so enjoy!

Some events have transpired in the past couple days that have led me to the following conclusion: I have got to find new friends that don't make me feel inferior and/or stupid. Not that they do it on purpose, but that's how it is. Of course, it's hard to make new friends when you spend all your time in class/working/taking naps. Maybe I should start doing my work elsewhere and harassing people in the library.

Things I did this weekend vs. Things I meant to do this weekend

What I did:

• played in a ceilidh Friday night
• slept in
• spent inordinate amounts of time on Facebook
• finished Phonology assignments
• read a very small amount for class
• went out on Saturday for dessert and drinks
• went to a Mexican food/fundraising event

What I meant to do:

• the ceilidh
• assignments for all my classes
• catch up on reading for classes
• grocery shopping
• buy my return flight tickets

I apparently enjoy procrastinating a great deal.

Because I am generous, and insanely competitive

... is a vocabulary game that donates 10 grains of rice for every word that you get right. It's free, and a good way to procrastinate. You knew those SAT words would someday come in handy.

Also, there are 50 levels, but I can't seem to get above 45. If you manage to do it, tell me how!

Mmmm... pie

You Are Mud Pie

You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth.You are overpowering and dominant - and that's what people like about you.You bring energy and a new direction to most interactions.People crave you in a serious way. You're that important to them. Those who like you give into their impulses.You don't represent reason. You represent pure temptation.People get addicted to you rather easily. You offer people a dark side that is very hard to resist.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofpieareyouquiz/">What Kind of Pie Are You?

And if you believe all this, clearly you don't actually know me.

November is the longest month ever, thanks to NaBloPoMo

All right, so we've reached the point in November when NaBloPoMo has ceased to be fun, and it's now just a matter of principle that I'm going to post every day for the next seven days. (only seven!) It's been a busy week here in Grad School Land, and I can tell that it's time for a break because I'm starting to have a really short temper.

One of my housemates was asking me for help on a cover letter, which I'd already helped him revise two weeks ago and then AGAIN Wednesday morning when I got up early (on my day off!) to look over it for him. So he wanted to redo one of the sentences and asked me what I thought, I told him what I would say, and he was like, 'No, I don't like that, what else can I say?' I said something like, 'You know what? I've got nothing else. It's your cover letter, say whatever you want to say.' Seriously, if you don't agree with me, that's fine, but don't ask me for help then. I'm not going to do your work for you.

I'm also starting to get really annoyed with myself, which is a little weird. Like right now, I'm skipping a talk that I'd wanted to go to, but I just couldn't bring myself to bike all the way over there. Which I know is lazy, and it's only really hurting myself, etc., etc. I just can't be bothered... figured I'd save my energy for the ceilidh I'm playing in tonight. Hopefully that goes well, or I'll start questioning my very existence. Again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Undoubtedly the best holiday of the year. Enjoy your turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie with family and friends! Eat some extra pie for me! And turnips, I love turnips.

Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing here.

Apparently I am better off writing crap essays than actually knowing what I'm talking about. Or at least thinking that I know what I'm talking about. So much for a 'well-constructed argument'.

Anyway. Today's Wednesday (hooray!) and some folks from College and I are off to Oxford. The College here has an exchange with a college there, so they came here a few weeks ago, and we get to visit them today. Hopefully it'll be nice and sunny (like it is here at the moment) so we can look around a bit and take some decent pictures. Also, hopefully some nice people from their college will actually show up so it's a real exchange and not just a really, really far field trip. Nothing like bonding with fellow classmates during 5 hours in the car.

That's all I've got right now. Pictures to come...given it's still daylight and the weather's decent by the time we get there.

Essay update II:

Done.

Hey, it's Tuesday! Guess my blog post for today is done.

Essay update:

Words written: 1206
Words remaining: 793
Time logged: whatever it's been since the last time I posted

Time to analyze the semantic use of German alle vs. jede/r/s! Woo!

You know you love NaBloPoMo.

Once more with feeling

Essay status:
Words written: 758
Of those, words that are total crap: 758
Words to go: 1242
Time logged: it feels like an eternity

Shoot me in the face.

ARGH.

WTF, semantics? Why must you hate me so? Why can't you and my brain just get along? Why do I not understand a single thing in this topic?

So I've been reading articles about the difference between 'each' and 'every'. Apparently there's a difference. I don't think there is. Therein lies the problem.

I'm seriously considering not doing this one. It's unassessed, so it won't hurt my grade, though not doing it might make me look bad. Honestly, though, I don't know if this is worth the effort.

Bleurgh.

Two days, two boxes of cookies

So I finished that job application today. And after working on it all day yesterday, it only took me four more hours today. Seriously, this is way too much effort for a job that I probably won't even get and am not entirely sure if I want. Oh well, at least I have a decent an improved resume and a less-vague idea of how to write a cover letter out of the deal.

But now half of my weekend is shot, and I haven't even started that essay on semantics that's due on Tuesday. And if syntax is the bane of my existence, semantics is a mini-bane, syntax's younger sibling, the one who I'm trying really hard to like but we're just on two different wavelengths. Tomorrow is not going to be a fun day.

Also, I've eaten two entire boxes of cookies so far this weekend. Luckily they were the only two that I had, so there's no danger of doing the same thing tomorrow. Unless I stop at Sainsburys...

A dilemma

One of my many issues deficiencies personality quirks is that I'm really shy, but tend to latch on to people that I've met once and pretend that we're REALLY GOOD FRIENDS. This helps me believe that I can make friends, it's cool, I'm normal, everything's fine. However, the other person has to make the first move; I'm terrified. Of what, I'm not sure... rejection, perhaps? Anyway, so the problem here (one of many) is that I end up meeting a limited amount of people, with whom I don't really become close friends anyway. Also, I hate walking into a place at which I know no one, sidling up to a group of people, and budging in on their conversation.

The problem here (one among many) is that these are ways that you meet people. I am not really meeting people. I recognize this is my own fault, I know ways of fixing it; I'm just incapable of doing so. And part of me is actually okay with this; hi, my name is Bridget and I'm an introvert. However, this is not helping with the feeling of loneliness that comes and goes, and has been more coming than going recently. Actually, it's been kind of steady throughout the past 2 years; I didn't really make any friends in MN, but at least then I was able to rationalize it as work-related. Now it's just the fact that I'm neurotic.

As if I needed another excuse to procrastinate

OMG I'm on Facebook!!!!1!!one! Haven't done a whole lot with it yet, though, especially because it seems to be ignoring my requests to be added to the university network. However, if you're on Facebook and want to be my friend (what am I, eight years old?), comment away.

In real-life news, I'm totally skipping out on yoga AND the lecture I was supposed to go to tonight. Laaaaaaaaazy. I have been working on my CV cover letter, though, so there's that. It's been kind of a strange experience working on the CV; most of the decent information was already there, but way too much of it. It was obviously a resume that I'd written in college, complete with '2002 Student Marshal!' and 'Tutor, Math and German Workshops!' (albeit without the exclamation points) So the work was mostly in the pruning down to the interesting stuff that's relevant to this job. And now I'm down to a page... amazing when it used to be all I could do to get it into a page and a half. Clearly I've become less interesting as I've gotten older.

Also, the invention of the cover letter is ridiculous. I have no idea what to write. Somehow, I think "I'm awesome and brilliant, please give me this job, thanks!" is not an appropriate way to go.

Only 2 hours until Ceilidh Band tonight! Woo!

Why I am awesome:

Guess what I had for dinner tonight? Poached salmon in a white wine sauce! With new potatoes! Sometimes I amaze myself. Actually, it was perhaps not quite as delicious as it sounds (though still pretty good), but certainly a step up from the pasta and frozen dinners I've been subsisting on. This is what happens when you have a day off of class... and don't particularly care to start the essay that's been assigned for next week.

Also, I got carded buying the wine. Which is kind of funny, since they card everyone who looks under 21 here. Whatever, I'll take it as a compliment.

I wish I had chocolate in the house.

That is all.

(How in the world am I going to post for another 16 consecutive days?!)

So... it's Tuesday.

And with Tuesday comes the weekly debate over whether or not to go to Irish dance. I had class and other assorted academic events from 9.30 until 5.30, just finished dinner, and (would theoretically) have to leave in 10 minutes or so for dance. Every week, I have the choice between (a) going to dance and (b) sleeping, and to be honest, (b) sounds pretty good right now. Except taking a nap at 7.30 is definitely not smart. And I need the exercise. (though that sounds less than tempting right now) I'll probably end up going, it's just a matter of dragging myself back outside in the cold... yeah, this is making me want to go even less. Heh.

Also, I'm supposed to help Ceilidh Band folk make music folders tonight, but I don't know if I'll last that long. So I'm weighing the feeling of duty/guilt against the desire for this day to be OVER already. Which will I choose? Stay tuned.

(PS-How exciting is my life? This is what you get when you sign up for NaBloPoMo.)

This is the part where NaBloPoMo gets incredibly boring.

Sorry, folks, I've got nothing today. No exciting things happened in my (admittedly somewhat self-centered) world today. Turned in the essay (hooray!), went out with most of the people in my class to celebrate, and am taking the night off.

With tomorrow comes the next essay, and tomorrow will be Crazy Busy^TM, but that'll all happen soon enough. For now, I'm going to find some way to entertain myself that does not involve schoolwork.

Essay update: (wow, aren't these fascinating)

Time logged: almost 2 more hours
Words written: 1998
Words remaining: none!
Status: one more read-through, and Bob's your uncle! (heh) How do you like that ability to stay under 2000 words?

Also, it's only 9.45. Awesome. However, I'll try not to get too complacent until I get this thing back next Monday.

Essay update:

Time logged: another hour
Words written: 1326
Words remaining: 674
Status: I just finished dinner and chatted with Jamie for about an hour... ready to sit down and finish this bad boy. Er, in a minute, after I check my email.

Essay status:

Time logged: 2 hours
Words written: 969
Words remaining: 1031
Status: between 1/2 to 2/3 done, I'd say... in only two hours! If this keeps up, I'll be able to go to bed at a decent hour tonight. Also, I'm feeling way too confident about this, especially since syntax is my worst subject. We'll see what the result is next week...

You know you've been out of touch too long when...

...your own brother doesn't recognize your voice on the phone. Hi, Müs!

In essay news:
Time logged: 3 hours
Words written: 0
Words to go: 2000
Status: outline is finished but I just can't...get...started...

Happy 200th Post!

Dear Blogger,

Wow, has it really been 200 posts? It feels like just yesterday, I was lamenting my generally boring existence and lack of job, or writing odes to Canadian television. But here we are, 200 posts later, and it's been quite a trip. We've had some good times, and some not-so-good times. We've had quite a relationship, you and I, even if it is rather one-sided. Whoops, sorry about that; I shouldn't be so judgmental. It's all right that I put more into this relationship than you do; you're busy and I understand that. You're always around when I need you, though, so I can't complain.

What, you didn't get me anything for my 200th post? That's okay, I didn't get you anything either.

Here's to another 200 mundane, rather silly posts!

Love,
Bridget

*****
And now for something completely different: This video is about the most hilarious, adorable thing I've ever seen; I've watched it five times now and it's made me laugh every single time. And it almost makes me want to have kids. Wait, who said that?

Schedule

• 8.40: leave for class
• 9.00 - 1.15: classes
• 1.15 - 2.00: talk about/pick apart Monday's essay assignment with two classmates
• 2.00 - 3.15: go into town for lunch on the market square
• 3.00: get caught in the rain
• 3.15: meeting with supervisor about Big Scary Research Paper #1
• 4.00 - 5.00: class
• 5.15: en route to my place, the bike breaks down. I walk it the rest of the way back.
• 5.30: change for yoga, grab fiddle, eat 5 mouthfuls of pasta, leave for yoga
• 6.00: arrive at yoga
• 6.10: find out that yoga is cancelled
• 6.10 - 6.45: head back up the hill with a friend to her place so she can get some money, then head back down the hill to find someplace to eat
• 6.45 - 7.45: dinner... delicious French food!
• 8.00 - 10.00: Ceilidh Band rehearsal
• 10.40: arrive home

I am wiped out, but it was a good day. Ceilidh Band is AMAZING! V. excited for next Thursday.

Good night!

Sometimes I think my computer knows too much.

After checking my email, which 'news' link should happen to show up but: Britain's Most Ridiculous Laws! I must remember not to wear a suit of armor or die in Parliament.

Hmm.

Sometimes, no matter how long you’re in a country, and no matter how accustomed to their ways you think you are, you still revert to old habits. To wit: I decided to take the bus back from Irish dance tonight, since it’s kind of dark and creepy walking back alone at 9.30. (Usually I have my bike, but the chain came off the gears, so that’s on my list of things to do tomorrow.) So I got out of dance and went to the bus stop across the street, only to find that I missed the bus by three minutes. Well, crap. I started walking, and after about two minutes… the bus passed. On the other side of the road. Because they drive on the left here. Duh.

On the plus side, I saved 50p.

In other news, there are a few interesting job postings by the Cambridge University Press, in Cambridge as well as in New York (City). The ones I’m looking at require an advanced degree in applied linguistics, conveniently enough. But do they hold jobs eight months? Would I like editing? (I think so, I can be picky. Shut up, Müs.) Would they even hire me? Do I want to go for a PhD? Would I even get into the PhD program? All good questions. Also, I’m getting tired of starting something new every two years; it’s time to find something good and stick with it. So there’s lots of pondering going on here at Windsor Castle. Where the Internet sporadically breaks down. Grr.

I'm not really sure if they're celebrating the fact that they tried to blow up Parliament, or that they failed.

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Happy Guy Fawkes Night!

My fair lady

London was great! Not sure if it rivals Berlin (oh Berlin, how I miss you), but good times were had. Plus, they speak English in London, so that's one point Berlin doesn't have.

It's nice to go to a city you've visited before; it kind of takes the pressure off. You don't have the feeling that you absolutely have to visit the top 10 tourist sights, since you've already seen them. You don't have to spend half an hour figuring out where you are, where you want to go, how you're going to get there, and how to ask the guy behind the counter for the ticket you want. Fitting everything in doesn't matter as much, you're just relaxed and there to have a good time, which makes it more likely that you will actually have a good time. What I'm trying to say here is that I really didn't do very much in London, and I'm totally okay with that.

What I did do was meet up with Mandy, a former Wittenberger who's doing her PhD at University College London. We got to talk about Witt, good times as Fulbrighters, and the perils of academia. (And I was very, very envious that she is fully funded. Grr.) We took the bus up to St. Paul's Cathedral but didn't go in because it costs 10 pounds. (For a church! Prime example of how London is overpriced.) We wandered around for a bit, then went to the Tower of London, which was awesome! From the outside, it just looks like a fortress, but there is a regular complex in there, including 13 towers which held prisoners, a courtyard, the house that was built for Anne Boleyn (but wasn't finished before she was beheaded), the central White Tower which was home to kings and queens, the chapel where many, many (mostly unidentified) people are buried, and the building housing the crown jewels. We had a tour by one of the Yeoman Warders, who clearly had done this a million times, but was just as enthusiastic this time as he was the previous 999,999 times. Did you know that the Beefeaters live in the Tower? And that their dress uniforms cost 10,000 pounds?

our excellent tour guide

After hanging out in the Tower for a good 4 hours, we then went for dinner at a Pakistani restaurant, which was delicious... I am totally going to miss this kind of food when I go home. And then we had to book it across the city so I could make my 7.30 bus: from the bus, to the Tube, to the coach station, to running through the coach station, to sprinting across the parking lot... I made it to the bus at 7.29. Whew.

So now it's Sunday night, we get an essay assigned tomorrow and I'm dreading this week. But of course I'll keep you all updated on that, because it's NaBloPoMo and I have to.

Two more pictures of the Tower of London for good measure. Here's the White Tower:

... and a shot of where some of the Beefeaters live, complete with laundry:

Jolly good egg!

Just got back from London, and in the interest of NaBloPoMo, I'm posting to my blog! (*gasp*) Full details to come tomorrow, because I am wiped out. Also, because I will more than likely need something interesting mildly amusing to write. In the meantime, enjoy these photos as an appetizer:

The Tower Bridge. Not the London Bridge. People get them confused. (London Bridge is far less attractive.)

The Tower of London! Bloody and gory and creepy and wonderful.

Sunset over the Thames. Those buildings are doubtless landmarks and very interesting, but I don't know what they are.

And now, instead of the Halloween party, I am off to watch 'The Office' and to bed. Sounds like a much better evening to me.

NaBloPoMo: day two

Bridget's To-Do List for today:

• Semantics reading
• Semantics homework
• Phonology reading
• Phonology homework
• Pick up debit card from bank
• Get cash...again
• Buy student card for the bus lines
• Buy bus ticket to London
• Pick up TV
• Harass housemates to pay their shares of the TV
• Go to Aldi
• Get book from library for research essay
• Mail postcards
• Mail payment for Thanksgiving lunch
• Find suitable costume for Halloween party tomorrow night...?
• Formal Hall with Oxford students

Pretty good description of my day. How was yours?

NaBloPoMo

I've decided to give NaBloPoMo a shot, since I'm online every day and interesting stuff happens to me every day. Er... at least the first part's true. I haven't officially signed up or anything, though, so we'll see how it goes. Whether or not these posts will degenerate into incoherent and hysterical rambling is anyone's guess. (oh wait! they generally are already!)

So today's news is that I've got a violin! I'd talked to a couple of different orchestras and the university Ceilidh Band at the beginning of term about how I had to leave my violin at home, but no one had a lead on how I could borrow one. Apparently no one rents/loans musical instruments here. Finally on Wednesday, someone from Ceilidh Band emailed me to say that she found someone who'd lend me their violin until Christmas! Woo! It's a piece of crap, practically plastic violin, but it's better than nothing. Here's the analogy (I've been working on this): It's been like I've left one of my arms at home, and now I have this temporary, really cheap plastic prosthetic arm. Which looks like an arm but is not very functional. With a hook for a hand.

I guess I can't complain, since it's way better than nothing. And the guy from whom I'm borrowing it got it for 60 pounds at Costco. But still, the ability to play with dynamics or hear the vibrato that I'm using would be nice. < /music geek rant>

So there's Day One of NaBloPoMo. Bets now being taken on how many days this will actually last.