Well, hello there.

It's a good thing blogs aren't alive; I think even a goldfish would die after almost four weeks of neglect. I suppose the lack of blogging could be construed as:

• (a) Real life is so wonderfully fulfilling and joyous that I don't feel the need to get on the internet.
• (b) Real life is crappy and as I don't want to come off as incredibly whiny, I refrain from posting.
• (c) Real life is insanely busy and I would rather sleep than blog.

Hint: It's not (a)!

So, February. School has been school, by which I mean it's continuing to be difficult and the profs are becoming increasingly insufferable. The more time I spend here, the more I realize that people here are snobs and quite two-faced. And having spent so much time in (painfully honest) Germany, the whole fake-smile-over-the-top-niceness thing is really annoying. The Brits are polite, I'll give you that, but they definitely don't tell you what they think.

Anyway, there are now two and a half weeks left in the term, then one more term and I'm done. And I'm pretty sure I'll be done after this master's; at this point, I feel the PhD is not for me. Another three years of this place, where it's all about theory and no one has any connection to the real world? No thank you. Though it would be cool to work on a project of my own choosing, and I've got a pretty great one picked out, I'm missing the practicality of the real world. That being said, if anyone wants to grant me full funding to work on this project, I wouldn't be incredibly averse to that, either...

On the employment front, you may recall that I got turned down for that job at the beginning of the month? Well, all the students in the department got an email from the HR people at the CUP two weeks or so later, saying that they 'weren't able to fill the position' and thus had reposted the position. So not only did they not take me, but they would rather hire no one than hire me. Awesome. So that was fun.

I've been kind of half-heartedly searching for jobs since the CUP incident, and have come to the conclusion that this degree will not help me achieve a decent salary range after all. There seem to be some interesting-looking jobs in the NYC and DC areas, which is good, but the cost of living is so high in these places that I'd be living in a shoebox. Not a refrigerator box, mind you, but a shoebox. It's gotten so depressing that I briefly considered going back to MN... because at least I know I'd have a job there and could possibly pay my student loans off before I die. And then I remembered that I left that job for a reason. Moral: A master's degree is apparently not worth it.

In other news, I'm playing in this musical this weekend, and rehearsals have lately been taking over my life. Seriously, these people have been so disorganized it's horrific. Case in point: On Monday, the orchestra call time was 7.40pm and we were supposed to run the show at 8. When I showed up, they hadn't even finished building the stage yet. We didn't start until 11.30pm. Needless to say, we were there until 1am, and again until 1am yesterday. Somehow, I always remember these types of activities as being more fun than they actually are... and of course being in this is preventing me from going to both a boat race and a friend's party this weekend. AND I've invited friends to come see it, but only one or two have actually said they're coming. Dude, if I had real friends here, they'd come see me. (or, perhaps more accurately, I'd force you them to come see me)

See, this is why I haven't posted for so long. On the plus side, though, I've started going to the gym this month, so yay for that. Three times a week, and I've only missed one day so far! I will totally be a supermodel by the time July rolls around. Of course, then I won't be able to afford a vacation at the beach, so it won't matter anyway.

Because it's Friday, my day off...

Harry Potter Character Combatibility Test created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Remus Lupin You're a calm, cool, optimistic person who doesn't dwell on the bad but looks more deeply into the good. You're wise and know much about the world, and though you teach your lessons to others, react humbly when complimented on your intelligence. You've suffered a lot in your life but are extremely accepting of it all and suffer inwardly. You're a great friend to have as you're gentle and caring. Remus Lupin 75% Severus Snape 75% Percy Weasley 69% Albus Dumbledore 69% Neville Longbottom 66% Hermione Granger 66% Draco Malfoy 59% Ron Weasley 56% Oliver Wood 50% Luna Lovegood 50% Bellatrix Lestrange 41% Harry Potter 38% Lord Voldemort 34% Sirius Black 34% Also, happy birthday to Müs! It's even on a Friday this year, how excellent. Also, I did not get the job. Mediocre grade and hopes dashed in the span of one week, hooray. (so much for the 'optimistic person' the quiz describes!)

Congratulations, universe. You win.

Lesson #1: All those vibes you put out into the universe do come back to get you. Case in point: Research essay... you know, the one that I put off until the last week of vacation. I've been saying all along that it'll pass, but I'm not sure how good it is. I've also been saying that though I'll be elated if it gets above a 70 (in the range of 55-75, above 70 = a qualification for the PhD program, below 60 = failing), but I'll be content if it gets a grade mid-60s or above.

I got a 65.

On some level, I'm fine with this; it's right in the middle, fairly decent grade, and I'm at Cambridge, so that's pretty good. And I probably deserve it, since I did procrastinate a lot.

But.

This means the pressure is on for the other big essay; I have to get a 70 or above if I want to get into the PhD program. Also, as much as I am sort of content with this grade, it is lower than the grades on my previous three unassessed essays. And the comments are not nice; I don't think I got any positive feedback.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is I don't know what to think. This makes me not want to go for the PhD, because to be honest, I don't feel like dealing with that kind of stress right now. I'm not sure that I want to do it anyway. Also, this is not exactly motivating to work on the essay I have due next week, or to do reading for class. I'm just feeling sort of blah.

Guess I was taking it more seriously than I thought.

Relief.

The interview was this morning, and to be honest, I'm trying to figure out what I should say about it. There weren't any warning signs that said "Run away! You shouldn't take this soulless, awful job!" but I didn't have an epiphany, or come to a realization that this is the perfect job for me. If anything, I'm even more uncertain about it; there are some really cool aspects (Working with books for a living! Doing something I like in a field that is interesting! Working for a prestigious organization for what appears to be a decent salary!), but there are also parts of the job that I don't really care for and/or am not very good at (networking, communicating well with others, having to live an ocean away). I kind of wish I had the opportunity to try it out for a few weeks and see how it goes, and then make my decision. I suppose that's the entire point of the "probationary period", but it's tough to leave straight away after that without feeling like a failure. Anyway, I guess that's not my decision to make at this point; the woman with whom I interviewed said that she'd let me know her decision next week.

Here's the weird thing, though: I think the interview went well. (!) All right, not abnormal for most people, but I get really nervous under pressure and freeze up, sounding like I don't know what I'm talking about. This time, they asked me concrete questions I could answer (for the most part), I think my answers went over fairly well, and my experience seems to fit with the job. It's actually rather odd how well this job and I (on paper, at least) match up. But the really strange part is that I wasn't too nervous; I was just thinking, 'Well, I guess I'll just chat with these people and if they like me, great! If not, oh well.' Does this mean I've become (*gasp*)more confident? Does it mean I'm a grown-up? Strange things happen.

That being said, though, I came home after it was over, ate lunch, and totally fell asleep for two hours. Guess it was more stressful than I realized.

Job/school/life update

Hello! Long time, no see! Wow, have I missed having a decent internet connection. Actually, though, it's not that crucial; I can find ways of amusing myself that don't involve facebook, email, or frivolous blog entries. They're just considerably less fun. Without further ado, some updates:

(1) Job: So they contacted me right before I left town, scheduling an interview for tomorrow morning. Luckily (?), I had a huge research paper to write over the vacation, so I didn't stress out about this... too much. And then I turned in my essay, and I realized how little I've prepared for this; sure, I have the nice professional outfit, but that's not too helpful if you don't know WHAT YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION IS. Heh. So I've been doing a bit of that, and they sent me an email today, asking to reschedule, as one of the managers is sick. Since I kind of want this to be over, I'm a bit disappointed, but the rest of me is vastly relieved. Not only do I have a bit more time to research now, but I can finally catch up on my sleep. Jet lag and working like mad on essays have a way of draining you. I'll keep you (all?) posted.
*ETA: Rescheduled for next Wednesday. A whole week to freak out prepare, yay.

(2) School: Exhausting. That essay was almost the death of me... nothing like procrastinating so much that you have to write an 8000-word (25-page) research paper in a week. Heh. I don't recommend it. However, I still got someone to proofread it, and was finished by midnight on Sunday. So really, not that bad, but combine that with jet lag and it's not good. Also, I'm starting to second-guess the essay. Oh well, guess there's not much I can do about that at this point.

Also! I am understanding way more in class than I was last semester! It's pretty great to start out on a good note, unlike last time, when I had no idea what was going on.

(3) Life: Vacation was super, minus the essay. The two weeks of doing nothing were superb: nothing but sleeping, reading interesting (non-class-related!) books, eating delicious food, and broadening my cultural horizons with such film classics as 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventures.' It was most righteous. It was actually really great to come back, though, to my house as well as to see folks in class. It's kind of like we've all relaxed a bit; maybe because we all know what we're getting into this time, as opposed to in October.

SLEEPING IN TOMORROW, hooray!!

2007: Year In Review

It's that time again: time to look back on the year and think about what you've done, what you wished you'd done, and what you're glad you haven't done. And now, I humbly present to you: 2007: The Year That Sucked For The Most Part, But Had Some Good Moments In It!

01 What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Taught first grade, chaperoned high schoolers in Europe, visited Budapest, moved to England for grad school… is that enough?

02 Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Looking back on last year’s ‘resolutions’, it appears I didn’t keep the ones I made. Or, at the very most, I sporadically kept them. I think I need to treat myself like a 6-year-old: set small goals that are easily measurable. As such, here are the tentative resolutions for 2008:
(a) Drink more water.
(b) Get some form of exercise at least 3 times a week. (Biking to class does not count.)
(c) Get out of the house more. (carried over from last year, but still needs to be done)

03 Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, my younger cousin. This made me feel very old.

04 Did anyone close to you die? No.

05 What countries did you visit? Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, the UK.

06 What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? An idea of what I want to do with my life. Yep, I’m 26 and still have no idea!

07 What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? September 27, when I moved to Cambridge. Also, that day in October when I found out my dad had broken his leg. Don’t know the exact date, but that was pretty awful.

08 What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting into grad school at the University of Cambridge… one of my long-held ambitions!

09 What was your biggest failure? One really awful dinner party/night out in October… huge blow to my self-esteem. Let’s try to repress those memories, shall we?

10 Did you suffer illness or injury? Not serious ones.

11 What was the best thing you bought? Do student loans count? Not necessarily the best, at this moment in time, but paying for this Master’s will be a pretty good investment.

12 Whose behavior merited celebration? Müs graduated from college! Nice job, my friend.

13 Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My parents win this one. Not telling me about my dad’s injury until 2 weeks after it had happened was really a low point.

14 Where did most of your money go? I know exactly where: student loans. Also, the pound --> dollar exchange rate. Also, plane tickets.

15 What did you get really, really, really excited about? Getting into Cambridge! Also, when I got back my first assignment for the course and found out that I wasn’t as stupid as I thought I was.

16 What song will always remind you of 2007? Any of the songs I taught the first-graders toward the end of the year: the ‘Guten Morgen’ song, ‘YMCA’ (it’s not what you think) and ‘Alle Kinder lernen lesen’.

17 Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? In terms of my current professional/educational status: happier. At least I’m doing what I want to be doing, even though I’m not earning any money. Not very happy about the state of my personal life, though.
b) thinner or fatter? I have definitely put on some pounds. Hence the resolution about getting more exercise.
c) richer or poorer? Definitely poorer. Though richer in knowledge. (commence groaning at cheesy pun)

18 What do you wish you'd done more of? Made more friends and gone out more. This answer from last year still stands; some things never change.

19 What do you wish you'd done less of? Self-doubt and feeling stupid.

20 How did you spend Christmas? With the fam in B-lo. Of course.

21 "There is no question 21" Uh, what? This still isn’t funny.

22 Did you fall in love in 2007? Nope. Surprise, surprise.

23 How many one-night stands? Ha! Bets now being taken on this question.

24 What was your favorite TV show? Still 'The Office'. And may I just say, thank goodness for the writers’ strike; do you have any idea how many episodes I’d be missing otherwise?

25 Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, it takes a lot to make me hate someone.

26 What was the best book you read? I just finished The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) and The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini), both of which were amazing.

27 What was your greatest musical discovery? I became a new listener of Death Cab for Cutie and Enter the Haggis this year. Also, I’m a big fan of the newest Wir sind Helden CD.

28 What did you want and get? To attend this master’s program.

29 What did you want and not get? Full (or any) funding for this master’s program.

30 What was your favourite film of this year? ‘Once’ is pretty much the only movie I can remember seeing in the cinema this year.

31 What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 26, and I went out to lunch with friends, went mini-golfing (or Putt Putting, whichever you prefer) at the Science Museum, and went out to dinner. It was like the perfect 8-year-old birthday.

32 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? From last year, but still accurate: Being appreciated by colleagues and parents of students.

33 How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Working: Khakis and nice shirts that generally didn’t require ironing. Currently: Lots of jeans and fleece. Or jeans and sweaters.

34 What kept you sane? Phone calls to and from friends. Also, those times when I wasn’t working: some of the summer, certain weekends during term, certain weeks when term ended.

35 Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Heh, British phrasing. I continue to be a big fan of John Krasinski.

36 What political issue stirred you the most? Stupidity in general annoys the crap out of me. (Still true!)

37 Whom did you miss? Pretty much everyone, since I came to England by myself.

38 Who was the best new person you met? My classmates are pretty cool, for the most part.

39 Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. People BS a lot, especially in academia. I am capable of more than I think I am… at least in a classroom setting.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. ‘I feel like a quote out of context, withholding the rest, so I can be for you what you want to see.’ – Ben Folds, ‘Best Imitation of Myself’ I played a lot of roles this year, and still do… maybe this year, I’ll figure out which one of them is actually me.

Happy 2008! Let's all hope it's a step up from 2007, eh?

OMG!!!1!one!

Remember that job I applied for back in November?

Well.

I was online this afternoon, procrastinating the hell out of my essay. I happened to be on the CUP website, because I check out their job postings once in a while... just for kicks, you know. My cell phone rings, and "Private number" shows up on the screen; I think it's my uncle from NY, since his number is blocked. Girl with a British accent answers, and I'm a little confused. Oh wait, it's the people with my job application, and the boss will be in on Monday, and can I come for an interview on Monday?

[Internal thought process: Oh, it's the CUP, oh my GOD THEY WANT TO INTERVIEW ME. Yes. Great. Wait, I don't have interview attire. That can be fixed. Monday... the College is renovating our bathroom so I won't be able to take a shower. Uh, slightly problematic. Crapcrapcrap.]

What I say: 'Uh, I'm really sorry but Monday won't work for me.'
CUP: 'The boss will be in on January 8th, how about then?'
Me: 'Oh, I won't be back in the country until the 11th.' [thinking: DAMNIT!!! How can I appear more interested in this job?!]
Me: 'I'll have classes after that, but my Wednesdays and Fridays are free. Otherwise, I can work around my classes, just let me know what time would work.'
CUP: 'I'll have to check with the boss and get back to you.'
Me: 'Okay... sorry Monday wouldn't work!' [thinking: GOD why am I so lame...]

And that, my friends, is how you freak out upon being offered an interview.

But all that aside: THE CUP WANTS TO INTERVIEW ME FOR A JOB OMG!!!!

How not to run an experiment involving participants:

• Let them sit and wait while you finish preparing the computer program.
• Don't make small talk with them or appear at all interested that they are real people outside of your study, and as such, have other things to do.
• Don't tell them about your experiment, what you are studying, how this is interesting, etc.
• Don't give them any directions, just tell them to put on the headphones and follow the instructions on the screen.
• Don't tell them approximately how many questions they will be answering at a stretch, or when they can expect to be done.
• Don't check up on them at all, just let them answer question after question after question after question...
• Keep foisting other tasks upon them, again not giving them warning about how many tasks they'll have to do.
• Make them answer MORE questions, after they've clearly gone through the list already but the computer somehow hasn't stored all the data.
• Make them answer MORE QUESTIONS AGAIN after you and the participant have already agreed on a stopping point.
• Give them a questionnaire at the very end, just when they thought they were finished.
• Ask them to come back next week for another part to the experiment.

Seriously. This is how post-doc research is done? I guess 'PhD' does not equal 'common sense and respect.'

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.

Update on the general status of things

Dad is fine, thank goodness. Apparently he has developed an infection (!), but should be out of the hospital soon. Hopefully tomorrow.

Things are generally better. I still feel really stupid a majority of the time, but I put in a lot of hours this weekend on...well, pretty much everything. So there's that. I get my essay back tomorrow, though, so will probably be in tears again.

Also, went to a formal hall at Christ's College with two of my classmates tonight. (Sidenote: Every time I hear the name of this college, it's like an expletive: Christ's! College. There is also Jesus! Green and Jesus! Lane.) This was fantastic for a number of reasons:

1. Going out to eat for relatively cheap (6 pounds...that's right, $12 is now relatively cheap for me. Good lord.) and not having to cook or do dishes.
2. Getting an insider tour of Christ's! College. The dining hall is straight out of Harry Potter, with dark wood paneling, stained glass windows, portraits, and long tables of people wearing gowns. (Though gowns were optional. It did provide a way to tell the graduates from the undergrads, though: all the undergrads were in gowns.)
3. Chatting with my classmates and finding out they're just as lost as I am!! Oh, thank God. I feel considerably better about my status in the class; if I'm at the bottom, there are at least two people almost down there with me.
4. Walking back through the city on a clear, moonlight night made me remember that I am lucky to be here. Not everyone gets to do this. I keep forgetting about that and have to kick myself once in a while.

Two more things: Hi, Hans Martin! Also, can I just say Christ's! College one more time? Awesome, thanks.

So.

Things are not good. Not, not good.

• First of all, my dad is in the hospital with a broken leg. He's fine now, but only after surgery and some time in the ICU. There are also underlying problems here that I'm not going to get into. Also, no one bothered to inform me of this until a week after it happened.
• V. lonely. *cue the self-pity* For reasons mentioned in the previous post. And the fact that I don't have good friends here yet. And that people in my class are weird and competitive as hell. *tries to beat self-pity back with a stick*
• My essay was crap. Really awful. I'm not just saying this.
• Completely lost again in class today, because I spent all last week doing reading for the essay, and not reading for my classes.
• Apparently I get all the effects of being hungover without the 'fun' of being drunk. Curse you, genes.
• Too tired to eat. I have no food anyway. This is something I should maybe remedy.

Going to bed early tonight; maybe 12 hours of sleep will help. Also, maybe I should do something fun this weekend, like go to London... let's just ignore the fact that I am po'...

Names acceptable for cats owned by a cat lady:

• Sprinkles
• Marmalade
• Mittens
• Snowball
• Cupcake
• Garbage ('TO', anyone?)

Suggestions?

Fate hates me.

I will undoubtedly die alone. With cats.

ETA: Good lord. October really is the month of doom.

Matriculation dinner, Windsor castle, etc.

The thing about not having class on Fridays is that I tend to sit around and not do anything. I have reading to do, and an essay to write, but no! Let's update my blog, shall we?

On Monday, we had a formal matriculation dinner at the College. Rumor has it, this was the best meal we'll get all year... and it was FREE. The food was indeed delicious: a three-course meal including smoked salmon with cream cheese, pork with roasted vegetables, and a lime marscapone tart. It also involved candles, more silverware than I've ever seen, mandatory gown-wearing, and lots and lots of wine. (heh) Oh yeah, and I got to sit at the head table, next to the Master of the college. (Don't know what the equivalent of his position would be in the US... something like the Dean, on a slightly smaller scale?) I'm not entirely sure how I managed this. Apparently he wanted to sit next to a linguist, or something. At any rate, it was a bit intimidating sitting in the middle of the high table, next to the Master, but I managed to make enough small talk. (and then he turned to other people at the table and I could just sit back and listen) The guy has this amazingly dry sense of humor. Added bonus: I got to hear all sorts of sordid stories about the College.

The rest of the week has been pretty much awful, with this (8-page) essay I have due on Monday. I spent the entire day Wednesday in the library reading for it, and didn't understand a thing. Just now, I sort of have an idea, but I haven't started writing yet. We'll see if I actually do know what I'm talking about when I start working on it.

Randomly, here's a picture of my house. Or, more accurately, the house in which I rent an 11' by 7' cubicle. I live on Windsor Road (how English!), so I suppose you could call this Windsor Castle:

Pictures of my cell room available upon request.

Damn it.

I forgot to 'lock' my cell phone before I put it in my bag, so it got smashed around and sent 25 text messages on its own. Most of which were to numbers I didn't know, possibly to China or Myanmar or someplace which costs 25p/text. So (a) I feel really stupid and (b) I'm out four pounds (or so).

Thus continues the day from hell.

Seriously.

Do people not know how to use a phone? Or email? Not to get all self-pitying on you, but I am alone in a foreign country. With no friends. Did I mention I'm by myself? Honestly, sometimes I think that if I disappeared right now, no one would notice.

The months-long blogging gap would be par for the course.

Where is everyone?

Announcements

I'm now on gmail, so if anyone has Google chat, we can chat! Send me an email and I'll let you know my chat name. (Still using my other email address(es), so use either or both of those.)

Also, send me an email if you want my snail mail address here... and I'll send you a postcard! I'll probably get around to sending you a postcard anyway (that is, if I have your address), but that sentence sounded like it needed some reciprocity to it.

Thus endeth the blatant plea for attention announcements.

Observations

I figured I should probably write about the more mundane stuff in my life, to prove it's not all glamorousness, gowns and punting. Plus, I have no class today and am procrastinating all the errands I have to do: get new bed linens, get a new cable for my computer, exchange travelers' checks, buy lights for my bike, buy some food... heh. Anyway.

• This program is incredibly difficult. That sounds rather ridiculous for two reasons: (a) am I trolling for sympathy here?, and (b) it's Cambridge, it's supposed to be hard. But when you've got eight 2-hour-long lectures a week (plus two tutorials, which are also two hours long and a chance to practice/review stuff from two classes) and are supposed to be doing exercises and 50 to 100 pages of outside reading for each class (minimum), it's hard to keep it all straight. I've already forgotten to do some exercises for phonetics and had to fake it. Oops. It'll be extra interesting next week when we have to write an 8-page paper on top of all this.
• People here are über-competitive. Which surprises me a bit, because what happened to solidarity and the 'we're all going through this together' sort of attitude? Maybe that's how the Europeans do it: they don't show that they're confused/nervous/frustrated about a class, they don't ask questions (unless said questions are phrased in such a way to show off their vast knowledge) and they don't let on that anything is less than crystal-clear to them. Also, no one works together; everyone does the problem sets on their own, everyone has their own copy of the reading, and everyone bolts out of class at the end of the day without bothering to say goodbye. Seriously, I'm not going to take your place in the Ph.D. program away from you; you can at least say hello to me.
• I feel exceedingly stupid on a regular basis. Corollary to points 1 and 2 above.
• Biking on the left side of the road isn't as hard as I thought it would be. It's actually quite fun to bike around again. Except the other day, when it was raining. That was not so much fun.
• I tried yoga for the first time yesterday. I've always wanted to try it, but it took some convincing from a friend. It was okay; some parts were easier than others (hello, no upper body strength) but today my arms are killing me. Good thing I have a week to recover. Maybe by Monday I'll be able to lift my hands above my head without my shoulders hurting.
• Laundry is a giant pain. The house has no washer or dryer, and so you must schlep all your laundry to the College (whereby a 10-minute walk turns into a 20-minute walk because your stuff is so damn heavy and awkward) and THEN schlep your clothes (some of which are wet) all the way back. At which point your stuff is all wrinkled. My plan for next time is to steal a shopping cart from Aldi and become a cart lady.
• The British version of 'The Office' is awesome! However, it doesn't quite equal the greatness that is the American version. But maybe that's just me. Either way, it's still damn funny. Also, I've converted two people to 'The Office'. I am insidious.

All right, it's time to take a shower and get this show on the road. Yay for errands.

Three posts in four days: it's a blogging extravaganza!

We had our graduate student photo today at the College. (Doesn't it sound a little pretentious when I say things like that, particularly when it's spelled with a capital letter? That is really what people say, though. You can almost hear the capital letters.) It was rather cool to see everyone all dressed up, in their black robes (or 'gowns'). I get to wear a Master's gown, since I'm over 24, even though I don't have a Master's yet... ha! One advantage to being old! The sleeves are quite fun; you can probably hide all sorts of things in them. We also took a picture of people who live in my house, all dressed up...well, at least five of them; one seems to be missing in action. I might post that photo at some point.

Anyway, here's really what I wanted to share: After the photo, we had a barbecue on the lawn. I was very excited about the hamburgers; after days of pasta and frozen dinner, I was looking forward to real food. (Let's just ignore BSE for a moment.) We waited in line for about 15 minutes, finally got some food, I took a bite... and it was mushy. Apparently in Britain, 'hamburgers' are comprised of onion bits, flour or some sort of filler, and (oh yeah) beef. It was the worst hamburger I've ever had; I couldn't finish it. So now I'm considering cooking burgers for dinner tonight, just to get that taste out of my mouth. Blergh.

Moral: Do not eat hamburgers in England.

Help me!

I am totally going through 'Office' withdrawal. I have been reloading this page nearly all day, trying to load episode 2, but it won't work! Fortunately, I could watch the season premiere online last week, but I've now been to three different sites and can't get the newest episode to work on any of them! Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

If anyone can help me out here, you will get chocolate from England. And it is delicious. I'm eating some right now. Mmmm, Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

Embarrassing stories from Britain #1 and 2

So I made it here, etc., etc. We're going to skip over the madness that was the Rochester Airport, the semi-depression that marked my first few days here, and the mold in the bathroom that hasn't been cleaned since the Carter administration. (Or, since Margaret Thatcher left office. When was that, anyway?) Instead, let's skip right to the Embarrassing Stories About Which I'll Laugh Later, Or At Least Have A Hearty Chuckle!



Embarrassing Story #1:


Organized by the graduate welcome committee, a bunch of us went out to dinner on Monday. We went to an Indian place (henceforth called a 'curry') down the road, which was fantastic, in case you were wondering. There was a fairly large group of us, about 13, most of whom were international students. As is typical for a meal, the portions were fairly large, and I couldn't eat all of my Chicken Korma at once, so I managed to catch the waiter's attention and asked for a box. He looked confused, so I said I'd like to take the rest home. He still seemed a bit taken aback, but he took the rest and brought it back in a box. The girl next to me (a Canadian) then asked for a box for her meal, and he looked even more reluctant, but did so. While he was repackaging her food, one of the Brits was like, 'I've never seen someone do that before.' The Canadian girl and I were like, what? Apparently in Britain, you just don't take home leftovers; you're supposed to eat all your food. And then two other people at the other end of the table (American and Hungarian) asked for boxes for their food, and the waiter was like, 'We don't do that here.' So this Canadian girl and I obviously offended these people by not finishing our meals! We both felt really bad and took a lot of teasing for the rest of the night. Needless to say I can't show up in that restaurant again, at least for a while. Thank goodness there are many, many other curries in town...



Embarrassing Story #2:


Also organized by the graduate welcome committee, a group of students went punting today. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and not too cold. We went up and down the Cam, looking at the scenery and watching the tourists and tour guides maneuver their punts. I had a great time...until I tried punting myself. I felt like I was going to lose my balance and fall in the water, and I got us turned around twice and almost lost the pole! I was the worst one in our punt; it was pretty embarrassing. Clearly, being punted is much more fun than actually punting. Well, at least I've tried it and know I can't really do it. Also, at least I have photographic evidence:

The Bridge of Sighs, St. John's College

Punts of tourists (and grad students) trying to get a handle on how to punt

The river Cam

(that is indeed me in the foreground...I told you I was there!)

One of the buildings of (the entirely too wealthy) St. John's College

I should go do some reading for class now. How are you?

Minneapolis, I hardly knew ye

Dear Twin Cities,

The time has come for us to say goodbye, too soon. Two years isn't enough to really get to know you; it's barely enough to get used to your winters. And yet the time has come for me to move on to other things. Things that are possibly bigger and better, but considerably less friendly.

I'll miss some things about you, Twin Cities. Your bike paths and parks, your lakes and fantastic summer weather are really some of your main draws. Not to mention the ice cream places (within walking distance!) I have come to know and love. From now on, my life will be incomplete without Guinness ice cream. I'll also miss Summit Ave., walking to the movie theater, Lakes Calhoun and Harriet, the MOA, the Irish Fair, Grand Old Days and good old Bus #63. We've shared some good times, you and I.

But we both know that relationships aren't perfect, Twin Cities. I'm willing to grant you your somewhat irrational love for the State Fair. And, if you twist my arm, I'll even ignore the strange names you have for things, like the kids' game 'Duck Duck Gray Duck' or calling all casseroles 'hotdish'. However, I am just not okay with the passive-aggressive tendency, or the fact that 'Minnesota Nice' is just a cover for any sort of backstabbing that may be going on. Also, the fact that your drivers tailgate like they want to see themselves in my bumper, or all the merging and exiting that happens on your highways from the left? Twin Cities, these have caused me hours of stress. I'm not pointing this out to hurt you; I'm just trying to be honest. I haven't lived in MN long enough that I can sugarcoat everything. Sorry.

I have to say, though, that you broadened my life. My first job, apartment and car were with you. Thanks to your (relatively) close proximity to the SPAM Museum, I tried that 'food' for the first time. I met many, many fantastic people, thanks to you. There really are much worse places than you, Twin Cities, and I'm glad to have gotten to know you. Don't ever change.

Well, except for the awful drivers and the ridiculously convoluted highways. That's annoying as hell.

Love,
Bridget

Kindergarten, first grade and now third grade

So I'm the third grade teacher for the week. They had gotten someone else to do this, but I just found out on Friday that there'd been a change of plans and was I still available. Uh... sure? I'll be one of four (!) adults in the room, but basically I'm in charge of setting the routines and rules and generally laying the smack down. Because that's what I do best.

It's funny how I feel about this; I'm not exactly thrilled, but I'm not dreading it either. Actually, I'm kind of ambivalent about the whole thing. Of course, I did spend about an hour and a half tonight, writing plans to the minute detail (because, again, that's what I do), but I just want it to go well. I've got no personal investment in this class, since I'm leaving in a week; I'm just in it for the paycheck. Is that shallow? Perhaps. But it's saving me a lot of stress. I wonder if teaching is like this for people who do it their entire lives. And I wonder if that's a good or a bad thing.

Anyway, I should go to bed, and brace myself for tomorrow. Just figured I would post these thoughts for posterity.

The Great Minnesota Get-Together

Things I Saw At The State Fair:

• Newborn lambs, calves, chicks, and piglets.


• MN's largest boar: 1200 pounds! It could probably have eaten me if it had wanted to.


• Food on a stick: corn dogs, roasted corn, 'hotdish', pork chops, pizza, caramel apples. Yes, each of these was on a stick.


• Rides, carnival games and crappy prizes.


• Demonstration on how to milk a cow.


• All sorts of random vendors.


• MN's best jarred vegetables, pies, etc.


• A giant slide!


• Cowboy hats.


• More leather accessories than you have ever seen.


• A barbecue grill shaped like a pig.


• Miniature horses that only come up to your thigh.


• A sculptor carving one of the fair's princesses in a block of butter.

I honestly don't see the appeal. I mean, it was mildly amusing, but 3 hours was enough and I definitely couldn't come every day. Cross one more thing off the list of things to see!

Car update

Apparently the Blue Book value of my car has depreciated $800 in one day! It was $11,740 when I checked last night, and now it's suddenly worth $10,940. What the hell, man. No wonder it's not selling. Now I have to call the newspaper and edit my ad...what a pain.

Also, my driving experience today was further proof that I need to move somewhere where there is excellent public transportation. (NYC, DC, or ... Europe) Horrific.

State Fair update coming (most likely) tomorrow, as I am too tired and/or stressed out to be coherent right now.

I'll just play violin on the street for money

Out of curiosity (no bitterness, none at all), I was checking out the people who've been awarded that prestigious scholarship I was going for, the one that would have paid for all my costs. There are 48 of them, and I'd say that at least 40 are going into fields that have something to do with science, mostly biochem or molecular biology. Does this seem unfair to anyone? I mean, a big part of this scholarship's application is showing how you intend to help others with the education you'll have received at Cambridge; are they saying that teaching children a second language isn't worthwhile? Granted, it's not curing cancer or anything, but how many people are going to do that? A few, eventually. How many people could be more effective teachers, by reading (my future) research? Hundreds of thousands, immediately. (perhaps that's overestimating just a little...) So I'm a little annoyed at that.

Also, check out where they're from: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Duke, UPenn. Dude, if you could afford to go to these undergrad schools, then you obviously don't need a scholarship anywhere else. Also (#2), some of these people are from places like Chappaqua, NY. Are you freaking kidding me?! You clearly don't need any extra money.

Or it could just be that I don't run marathons in my spare time, or I'm not smart enough, or I'm not like this guy: '[I] have completed graduate math and physics classes since freshman year at Duke. In addition, I have studied Victorian literature at Oxford, globalization in Geneva, applied math in Budapest, particle physics at CERN and microfinance in rural China.' Good lord:

• (a) I can't compete with that,
• (b) Pompous, what?

Sorry if that's mean. But throw me a frickin' bone here.

In contrast to the previous post...

...because I am bipolar.

I was just reading some of my blog entries from back in the day (because I am awesome like that), and a few things came to mind:

1. Hey, my writing was somewhat entertaining!
2. I have had this blog for TWO YEARS.
3. Wow, I was really miserable for that entire first school year. More than I currently remember.

Makes me calm myself down and realize that this next adventure is actually pretty cool, if somewhat less practical. Also, that I should write more descriptively about more interesting events; too bad I'm not terribly full of those. Watch for an update about the Minnesota State Fair, which is huge here. I kid you not.

Also, I have got to stop posting at 1.00am.

Rampant indecision, ahoy!

First of all, someone just came roaring down the street blasting Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'! Excellent! Party on, Wayne!

Getting back to the task at hand: Have you ever had one of those weeks when you question every decision you make? I haven't had one of those in a while, but this week is apparently one of them. Combined with fairly large decisions being made, this is not the best phenomenon. To wit:

• I sent in my visa application on Monday. There were a number of questions that weren't entirely clear (do they mean the hours I'll be spending in class or the 'full-time student' number of 40 hours per week?), but I filled it out and sent it in anyway. Hopefully they'll give me a visa; it would reeeeeeeeeeally suck if they didn't. Has anyone ever been turned down for a visa who hasn't been a terrorist?
• I also bought flight tickets. I leave out of Rochester (on September 27, in case you wanted to know) and connect in Toronto, where I'll be spending 9 hours. Toronto better have a kick-ass airport, because I will be going nuts. Also, I've decided to come back for Christmas, since I spent the holidays abroad once, and it's not as great as you might think. However, I then talked to Müs, who has colored me crazy for coming back, when I could be spending New Year's in London or some equally fun city. And don't they do some big New Year's thing up in Scotland? So I'm second-guessing this decision, too, although the tickets are non-refundable and therefore it's too late...
• I got a packet of information from my college, explaining what to do upon arrival as well as day-to-day stuff. And this somehow made the whole Cambridge thing sink in. Of course, I immediately thought, 'What am I doing?!' I think I really am crazy. Going into debt, to get a degree that I'm not entirely sure will prove useful, after which I have no clue what to do... who else does this?

I just keep reminding myself that this has been a dream of mine for almost 3 years, and it would truly be a poor choice to give up on your dream. Plus, I'm determined to have an awesome time.

Last, no one is buying my car or my furniture. Damn it.

Face-lift

I'm trying out a new style of blog, here (obviously). I figured after two years with the same style, it's time for a change. Nothing like moving to a new country to reinvent yourself and your blog!

So does it look good? Does it reflect my personality? Does it make me look fat? Please comment!

Interesting development

The school's fairly-recently-hired third grade teacher is coming from Germany, and there are apparently problems with his visa and/or he hasn't gotten his act together to get said visa in time. Workshops start on Monday, and he doesn't have a visa or a plane ticket yet. School stars in just over two weeks.

I was asked today if I'd be willing to sub until he got here.

Just when I think one chapter of my life is over and done, something else comes up.

Just like old times

The Great Storm Of 2007 ^tm has now passed, and there's been no major damage, at least in my immediate vicinity. However, we still have no power, and it's been about a day and a half. This means: no TV, radio, internet, garage door, fridge, freezer, stove, microwave, or coffee. So not only is all of my frozen/refrigerated food going bad, but I can't even get caffeine in the morning! This is bad news. Also, peeing in a windowless bathroom is no treat. Anyway, here I am again, on the Internet at a cafe, having schlepped my laptop a couple of blocks. It's just like old times, when I didn't have Internet or a car at my old place. Ah, nostalgia.

Until recently, I had been working on a curriculum project for school. I had sort of volunteered for it, but I'm getting paid as well. (Let's hope that works out.) I brought it in yesterday, along with all sorts of teacher crap that I've collected over the years at college and while working at the school. It was so nice to get rid of all that stuff! Now I own nothing that ties me to the school, apart from all those files on my computer... it's quite freeing. I did run into a couple of my former students, as well as some other students, and it was great talking with them. They are just so cute! They also seemed relatively happy to see me; at least, they didn't run away screaming, which was also nice. I think the most interesting part was that although I became kind of sad to think that I'd never see or work with these kids again, I was past caring about all the changes/new policies/new ideas that are being implemented at the school this year. And it is wonderful not being in that pre-school-year-stressed-out phase. I suppose it's just further proof that I'm making the right decision.

Also further proof that I'm making the right decision: I got my tentative class schedule in the mail the other day, and it looks fantastic! And by 'fantastic', I mean 'packed and probably harder than anything I've done before, but so interesting in that geeky language-nerd way'. Only I would be excited about something like this.

Oh no... I just realized that I never posted about Müs's MN Adventure. Bullet form will have to do:

• Wednesday: Arrival, walked around a lake in my neighborhood ('You should get out here more often'), watched the news about the bridge collapse, tacos, ice cream
• Thursday: Drove almost 2 hours (one-way!) to visit the SPAM MUSEUM! One of the best museums I've ever seen, and I don't even like Spam. Fantastic. Also: Had some exotic beer at a local pub, bought cheap CDs from a local used CD place
• Friday's theme was '9-year-old birthday party': Science Museum (including Pompeii exhibit), Putt-Putt (aka 'mini-golf'), ate chips and salsa, watched movies and 'The Office' at home
• Saturday: Blueberry pancakes, Capitol building, Cathedral, drove out to Stillwater (local cute little town) to look around and visit a friend of mine
• Sunday: Brunch (mmm), Irish dance (me), being 'that creepy guy' in the park (him), met up with his childhood friend who moved to St. Louis in 8th grade or so, but is now in grad school at the U, watched the late show of 'The Bourne Ultimatum' (which is great, by the way)
• Monday: frantically transferred music from CDs to my computer to his iPod, Müs's departure...chaos then ensued in Chicago and he didn't get home until super late, but I'm sure he'll go off on a tirade on his blog, so keep checking for that.

So there's that. Clearly I am the best hostess ever. You've only got a couple more weeks if you want to come out and visit, so buy your tickets now!

*Edit: After a day and a half and a garbage can full of thawed food from the freezer, the power is back on! Yay!

Boring weather post

So there's a huge thunderstorm system headed our way, with at least three tornado cells. We're not under tornado warning yet (I wouldn't be blogging; I'm not that stupid), but it seems to be getting closer. I have no previous experience with tornadoes. This is no fun.

This is the part where I wish I wasn't alone out here.

I'll probably post again later, feeling silly when this whole thing is over.

*Edit: Thankfully, no tornadoes hit my neighborhood. However, lightning struck a power line 3 houses down from me and so we have no power. Joyous.

Still here

Just a quick post to reassure all concerned that Müs and I were not on the bridge that collapsed. However, I live off of that highway (much farther south) and take it fairly frequently. Scary stuff. Thank goodness we decided to go for a walk and make tacos that night rather than drive anywhere.

Müs is now in transit, somewhere over Wisconsin by now. We had an awesome (blossom!) time; in true familial fashion, we made a list and crossed off nearly everything on it. An update is coming eventually, as soon as I finish catching up on my emails and wrapping up that project for school.

How are you?

Photos Part Deux: The Reckoning

Title shamelessly stolen from Müs.

Here, for your viewing enjoyment: Austria and the Alps!

First off, to Vienna: Here, you can see the palace Schönbrunn, which I find very difficult to pronounce and where the Hapsburgs lived from... er, whenever they built it until Austria lost WWI. This is actually a view of the palace from the garden. And I think I took more pictures of that stork than of the palace and garden combined.

On Sunday, since nothing was open, Cathy and I went to the top of one of the towers of Stephansdom. Legend has it that the cathedral was supposed to have two towers (spires?); one was finished. Unfortunately, various tragedies kept happening at the top of the other tower: people falling to their deaths, perhaps a fire, I don't remember exactly. So after a couple of tries, they just stopped building where they were, put a little roof on it, and were done. This is the tower we went up. No wonder the fencing up there was so high.

Oh yeah, the roof of the cathedral was rebuilt post-WWII, hence the date.

The hills are alive in Salzburg...

The Festung: It puts the 'burg' in 'Salzburg'!

I think someone should put that on a t-shirt.

Then we went back to Germany, via Berchtesgaden and the Alps:

Kehlsteinhaus, Hitler's hideaway/vacation home. It was his 50th birthday present from the NSDAP. When I turn 50, I want someone to pick a mountain in the Alps, build a road almost to the top, dynamite a hole in the middle to create an elevator up to the peak, transport tons of raw materials up there, and build me a house. Funny thing was, Hitler didn't even like the house so much, or spend a whole lot of time there. But how could you ever get tired of the view?

Amazing.

The End.

On an unrelated note, Müs is coming to visit tomorrow!! Woo!