A Kentucky Accent In Oxford

Rome, then Home

2007-04-16T17:01:00.000Z

Our last days in Rome were spent at the Vatican City. It was an amazing place with so much to see. St. Peter's tomb was probably the neatest thing, though I loved the Vatican Museum with so much good art. The Sistine Chapel was beautiful and impressive. We also went to the prison where Peter and Paul were held once. It was super-neat, but I couldn't imagine being stuck in such a dark and rocky hole. I had the best lasagna ever in Italy. I miss its food already.

If you don't already know, I am a Kentucky accent in Kentucky. I have returned to the States. My parents informed me during their visit that we were moving towns. Added to the graduations and new baby cousin that I would miss if I remained in Oxford, the changes here at home persuaded my return. I will miss Oxford incredibly, and I already do. I realize that family is more important than a few months abroad. Missing out on Oxford will be difficult, but I will be busy enough here to not be too depressed.

Jennifer and Kristie, thanks so much for being fellow explorers of Oxford. I hope you have a great summer term.

Thank you for reading my blog. I have enjoyed writing it immensely. Unfortunately, this blog must end. If you want to continue reading about my adventures (and life should be an adventure) then check out barnetter.blogspot.com. The blog is called Steal the Bacon (find an explanation there). The blog will chronicle whatever I find worth chronicling. Hopefully that will soon include me getting a job. Yikes.

Postcard from Italy

2007-04-09T20:57:00.000Z

My parents and I very much enjoyed Paris, and we spent our last day catching up on missed attractions. We first went to the cemetery at Pere Lachaise. We went on a scavenger hunt in the huge grounds finding the graves of Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Frederic Chopin, and Jim Morrison. After lunch with a view of the dead, we took the metro to the Montmarte area of Paris. The Sacred Heart basilica is the highlight there, with an amazing view of the beautiful city. The main street below the church is filled with sex shops, contrastingly. We opted not to enter the Museum of Eroticism. We spent our last hours in Paris under the Eiffel Tower eating a crepe. I look forward to visiting that dynamic city again.

The night train brought us to Milan, Italy. The trip was nice for me, since I had a bunkmate named Igor to keep me company. He studies aerospace engineering and had plenty to say about researching. Since he has lived in both France and Italy and visited the States, we found plenty to chat about. My parents weren’t as lucky, with a less friendly cabin. But they enjoyed the experience of sleeping while traveling and probably won’t forget it. The hotel in Milan fortunately allowed us to sleep in our room early in the day when we arrived although we weren’t supposed to check in until later. Easter Day was spent walking around the lovely city of Milan, where the great cathedral of Duomo sits. It was the main attraction, but a castle, a park, a restaurant that served us both lunch and dinner with pizza and pasta, and a crypt with two skeletons also kept us busy. We had to watch out for gypsies and sneaky children, who wonder around trying to reach in pockets and steal items from tourists. I saw one little girl on the metro reach in a woman’s pocket without any luck and get away without the woman noticing. Despite all we saw, Easter was relaxing in Northern Italy.

Today has been filled with the wonders of Rome. A nice and sunny train ride brought us across the Italian countryside to the ancient city. We all read Paul’s letter to the Romans on the way over, which was appropriate. The city is warm and ruinous. The coliseum, the Palatine hill where Emperors lived, the Roman forum, the Trevi fountain which is shown in the Lizzy McGuire movie (which I saw thanks to Cory), the Pantheon, and many other columns and grand buildings have captured our attention all evening. We ate pizza for snack (only the best in Italy, even better than Pizza Hut) and I had the best lasagna I’ve ever had for dinner. It’s hard to believe we’re in the home of such good food, but more importantly, such an impressive history. Much of what society knows today owes thanks to the Romans, and I guess we’re showing our gratitude in a way. Mainly, by buying their pizza.

A Good Friday in Paris

2007-04-06T22:29:00.000Z

Our last day in Dublin was very nice. We took the city trains up and down the Irish coast checking out beach towns. Howth was a great fishing village and Sandycove held the tower which James Joyce stayed in for a few days and used for the beginning of Ulysses. We saw a castle in Malahide and the pebble beach in Bray. We ate at Hard Rock, where I ordered the Twisted Chicken Mac n' Cheese that I always do.

The flight to Paris was uneventful, but our stay here so far has not been. The city really is amazing and easy to fall in love with. It's huge, but the areas we've explored are contained enough for rememberance. The Eiffel Tower is visible out our hotel window, if we reach out. It is so much larger and grander in real life. We explored the Louvre Museum where the Mona Lisa sits along with many historic paintings and sculptures. Today we toured the Palace of Versailles where the Louis kings and Marie Antoinette lived. I sure have seen many palaces lately, and wouldn't mind living in any of them. I listened to the soundtrack for the Marie Antoinette movie while my parents listened to the audioguide as we walked through the rich rooms. We also went in Notre Dame cathedral as a Good Friday service took place. Old men in robes chatted and sung in French while seemingly worshipping a gold object on a purple cushion. I'm sure being able to understand the language might have changed my understanding of the service. The cathedral was big with beautiful stained glass, but we didn't see the hunchback anywhere. We spent the evening in the Modern Art museum where I can always relax among the odd-shaped objects and eye-puzzling pictures. The plane made out of sticks and scissors and the bright red rhino were highlights.

We've eaten plenty of crepes with chocolate and sugar fillings. We've been to many outdoor cafes for hams and cheeses and such. We had a picnic at Versailles with wine, cheese, churros!, and paella (seafood with rice) bought at a market. A very neat experience. Tomorrow is our last day in Paris and then an overnight train to Milan, Italy. Pictures will show up, some day.

Dubliners

2007-04-03T23:28:00.000Z

Mom, Dad, and I arrived in Dublin, Ireland yesterday evening after a trip to Blenheim Palace near Oxford. I got to tour the inside this time, which was very impressive. Today was the first real day that we were able to see Dublin. The city is walkable and not much like a large city really. It's like a really big town. We had lunch at a kebab place and dinner at a pub named after a character from Dubliners by James Joyce, which I studied this last term. I also saw two James Joyce statues and some for the poet Yeats as well, whom I have also studied. We went into St. Patrick's cathedral and the Guinness storehouses, a sort of museum dedicated to the beer. We saw the movie Hot Fuzz, which was funny and action-packed.

Short, yes, but I'm writing from the hotel lobby and would rather be in bed.

2007-04-01T23:44:00.000Z

London and Bath this weekend. Life moves fast, like a bullet train that sped past us tonight, scaring us and opening wide our eyes. Life is busy, with no end to the hustle and bustle of shuffling feet. I am tired.

Los Padres

2007-03-29T21:52:00.000Z

Mom and Dad arrived by bus fifteen minutes after I did into Oxford. We new arrivals settled in at Stanley Road and then took to the streets. We went to Cowley for lunch at the Italian deli. After arancini (the rice balls), fried mozzarella, and pizza bread, we walked to the city center with Jennifer and Kristie. My parents got to see the sights of Oxford, the historic, old buildings, and I nearly felt like a newcomer myself. We also went into Regent's and they got to meet my tutor Julian. We caught a movie called London to Brighton at the Ultimate Picture Palace, which was a good, realistic flick about prostitutes escaping killers in two locations that I could recognize from my travels. It was also a very English movie, with plenty of good words like "knackered" (tired) and "bloody" (I think you know). It sure did use the "f" word a bunch though. Dinner was eaten at Oxford Thai, the oh-so-yummy spot on Cowley. We crashed back at Stanley, all very tired from plane flights and messed-up schedules.

Today has been really good. We did museums, a pub (Eagle and Child), the best resaurant in Oxford (Edamame, a Japanese place), shops, castle-viewing, and the best today- a tour of Christchurch College. They got in free with my student card. We saw the dining hall, stairs where part of Harry Potter was filmed, the quad, and cathedral. We even went to sung Eucharist (communion) at the cathedral after tea and hot chocolate at G&D's. The service was very, very religious and ritualized, but interesting still. Pictures of the day later. It's been a long day, so good night.

Nudity in Oslo, Walk on Moon Endor

2007-03-27T15:12:00.000Z

First of all, I would like to welcome a new baby cousin into the world, Landon Phillip Menard. Velkommen, and hope to see you soon.

I spent Monday in Oslo with Per and Nina. We walked around the busy streets, shopped a little, and went to a large park called Vigelandsparken. It is full of very famous sculptures made by Gustav Vigeland, who worked in the '30s and '40s. All the figures are nude, but not in a classical Greek fashion. In the middle of the park is the main statue, a huge column of naked bodies. The whole park is really impressive, as you can see. The most famous sculpture is the mad baby that looks monster-like.

We ate at McDonald's in Oslo. The quarter pounder was great, but I had that same sick feeling afterwards that I remember well from past eating habits in the States. It's horrible that the most infectious business that the USA has given the world is an illusion.

Today, Nina and I walked around the house in Hamar. A path through the woods reminded me of the moon Endor from Return of the Jedi, where the Ewoks live. We even found a little hut made of tree branches, but there were no furry creatures inside. The walk also gave us great views of the lake Mjøsa. I would transform into that lake for a few hours if I could.

The meals here have been great. Tacos, meatballs that sound like two bad words when said in Norweigan, and spagetti are among the tasty dinners I've had at the red house on Fargo road here in Hamar. We had ice cream and hot chocolate this evening to celebrate our time together, but I leave early in the morning to meet my parents in Oxford.

A great chandelier at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Look how the small cars don't have to parallel park

The Nobel Peace Prize center. The prize is given from Oslo every year.

The castle where the king of Norway lives
One of the castle's guards, who won't talk back if you try to talk to them
I found my college mascot roaming the streets
A caste in the background at the docks
Ida's family's other cabin

Please pray for the family of Taylor Rains, the Georgetown student who lived next to me at Stanley Road. His dad died last week and he had to return to the States.

Weekend on Planet Hoth

2007-03-25T22:10:00.000Z

Peter informed me that the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, which takes place on the ice planet Hoth, was filmed in Norway. I feel like I have vacationed on Hoth now, and you can see the reason from the pictures. The weekend was great. A beautiful drive brought us to the nice and cozy cabin surrounded by snow. The inside became the epitome of warmth and comfort while outside belonged to adventure and movement. We ate yummy Norweigan food on the inside, like reindeer meat, and skiied on the outside. The first skiing pics are Nordic skiing, or cross-country skiing. This type is not as exciting, but it allows you to traverse the amazing landscape with ease and excercise. Downhill skiing, the alpine kind, are shown in the last pics. This is my favorite type of skiing due to the speed and resulting adrenaline rush. The awesome scenery of the mountains was captured by Nina and me. The first three pics come from the town we stopped at before arriving in the mountains, Lillehammer, where the 1994 Olympics took place. I am near the Olympic torch in shot 3.

Norge!

2007-03-22T15:59:00.000Z

Norway has not welcomed me warmly. It is very cold here. But Ida and her family have made up for the cold with a very warm welcome. I awoke in Germany yesterday and slept in Norway last night. The departure from Germany was early, but I was able to rest all day during travel. Two good flights and a quick connection in London's Heathrow airport brought me to Oslo. Ida, Peter, and Nina were there to take me to Hamar by train. The scenery flying over and riding through Norway was immediately beautiful. There are many fir trees, much snow, and lots of surrounding water. We arrived in Hamar and ate at Dolly Dimple's Pizza restaurant. Two pizzas later, we drove to Ida's house. It is a very nice wooden house that beats anything I have seen in the States in regards to style. It is a good size too, and I have the attic to myself. I feel like I am on a first-class tour of Europe, now occupying a suite with a view. Last night we watched a Noweigan horror film called Fritt Vilt (Cold Prey in English), which was a very freaky movie about becoming stranded in a cabin out in the mountains with an axe-murderer. Oh, did I mention I'm going with Ida's family to a cabin in the mountains tomorrow?

Today I awoke and ate breakfast with Ida and Nina. We had fresh bread and cheese (including Norweigan brown goat cheese, very interesting- I liked it, but newcomers to the cheese usually don't) and jam that actually tasted like fruit (as opposed to the artificial jelly common in the States). Nina and I dropped Ida at school and then went to the ruins of an ancient church surrounded by a glass structure. Old Norweigan houses surrounded the grounds as well. After that very cool place we drove by a skating rink designed to look like and upside-down Viking ship. It was created for the 1994 Olympics as were many buildings here. Nancy Carrigan and Tanya Harding had their big spat in this very town, and it is sad that I seem to care more for their history than the history of the amazing buildings I have seen.

I met Ida at her school for lunch and English class. I imagined a chunk of bread and slice of toast from how Ida described her lunch before, but it was actually a good sandwich and juice from a varied selection. Many of her friends are gone to Berlin on a trip, so I didn't meet too many people but we are going to a party tonight. In English class we watched Farenheit 9-11, a movie that Rowan County students had to have a signed permission slip to watch. The teacher asked me about my political opinions and how they compare with the common European opinion against Bush. I said I didn't care much for him, the truth, and they seemed to agree. I noticed at Ida's school that several girls got away with dressing like prostitutes, in my opinion. Fish-net stocking up to the waist isn't a common sight in American high schools. Straight after school, we drove to the liquor store to buy supplies for tonight. An odd after-school activity, but one can't buy alcohol after a certain hour here and we want to party (don't worry, not hard) tonight with Ida's friends. We picked up Per at the train station where he was leaving work and, the family now complete, we are about to eat dinner. In fact, the family is waiting for me. Hadet bra.

Black Forest White

2007-03-20T22:12:00.000Z

Julia's dad and I ventured into the Black Forest today. The scenery was in this world, fortunately for us, but the mountains did reach far out of it. It was amazing. The heights were filled with snow, several inches deep. We went from a sunny, dry valley to snowy top in no time. More pictures will come, eventually. The forest is filled with old German houses with special designs to keep the snow off, or something like that. I ate pretzels all day. They help me like Deutschland even more.

We took the autobahn back to Stuttgart. We went about 80 or 90 mph, but cars around us were going well over 100. It was super-cool. I just wish I had the wheel. We passed a Wal-Mart on the return. Weird to see one of those again. Not the best part of America, but familiar.

I met Julia and Sascha at their church in Stuttgart. I sat around for a Bible study, which I understood part of with Sascha's translating services. We prayed in groups of four, us three adding Tobi, and in English which was nice. It's great to know that no matter where in the world someone is, they can have brothers and sisters. I do miss my blood family though, and friends. Tomorrow I fly to meet a family I love in Norway, so I very much look forward to that. Chao.

Mexico

2007-03-19T22:00:00.000Z

I have eaten Mexican food! More on the night's top story later.

Yesterday after church I visited castles, and palaces, and who knows what else. Julia, Sascha, and I went to a small village with old houses and a waterwheel and a castle wall along a hill. My camera ran out of batteries there so not too many pics exist of it. I'll give you some later. I've been eating German meals with Julia's family, who are really great and so hospitable. A cream cheese called Krauter is good and today I had a pretzel which was wonderful.

I went around Stuttgart with Julia's sister Tanya today. The city is pretty modern, since much was bombed in WWII. We went to stores, inside a nice modern church, and around outside though it half-snowed. It's not sticking though. We went to one of Julia's lectures at her Uni about movie making. We watched some of Inspector Morse, an English TV show, and the whole lesson was in English. The uni was amazing with cool technology and modern architecture. I'm giving up literature to make movies. No, no way. But there were parallels between movie making and writing for sure, especially since today's topic was creating suspense.

So Julia and I ate Mexican at El Chico afterwards. Oh my goodness. It was a taste of home. I got a banana and chicken fajita. That will hold me over until summer at least. Gutten nacht. I retreat into my basement suite for sleep. Danke for reading.

Was ist dein name?

2007-03-18T13:49:00.000Z

That is the only sentence I know in German. What is your name? I am actually catching on to words though. It's fun like a game. Yesterday I went to the Porsche, Mercedes Benz, and an art museum where one artist used rotten chocolate as medium. Nearly every car here is Mercedes, VW, Porsche, or BMW. The museums were great and I saw some awesome cars, which I will show you later. The reason I went to so many museums in a day was because Stuttgart had a once-a-year event where you pay one price and visit many museums.

This morning I went to the largest church in Germany, Gospel Forum. It was half the size of an American mega-church, but large nonetheless. An American spoke actually, but I listened to an electronic translator for half the service. Julia and her family just had a big German lunch which was great, with eggs, sausage, noodles, and lettuce. The weather is now cold, but we are going out to explore anyway.

Mein name ist Rzan

2007-03-17T10:13:00.000Z

Guttentag. I have arrived in Germanz into the home of a verz nice familz. Notice that when I hit y it is z. Kezboard differences. In mz friend Julia's car it felt weird to drive on the right side of the road again. She and her friend Sasha (a guz not a girl) took me to meet their zouth group at their church. We met up with a bunch of German zouth and went to the top of a hill overlooking the citz of Stuttgart. What a great view. I had spagetti and tiramisu on the hill with them. The conversation surrounding me made me feel like a ghost, not being able to understand at all. But the worship songs thez sang with guitar accompaniment were in English.

I am stazing with Julia's familz as I said. Thez gave me the basement, which is large and nice like a suite. We ate breakfast this morning together (the tradition of eating together seems much more kept here in Europe) of Indian pancakes and cheese and bread. Todaz I will tour around the different museums.

Zou think that mayes in yoos make one diyyz? That should keep zou busz until next time.

Brighton to Bright Morning

2007-03-16T13:50:00.000Z

The journey to Brighton went well on the fast train. We arrived and soaked in the amazing sun. The weather was superb the whole week really. The beach was made of stones and pebbles, not sand. But it was nice to relax on nonetheless and we sat for awhile on the smooth rocks. We saw the Royal Pavilion which is shown below with the spires. It was a nice building. The coolest part of Brighton was the pier with its arcade and amusement park on the end. We spent hours there. I played Dance Dance Revolution while Matt and Ryan shot zombies. We ate at Wagamama Japanese restaurant for dinner. They had good noodles and rice, but Ryan got sick after eating because he ate way too much that day. The week has been a tour of Asia eating-wise. Indian, Thai, Chinese, and Japanese proved that the Asian continent has some of the best food around. I had a thick hot chocolate at one cafe which reminded me of the hot chocolates in Spain. But no churros in England, sadly. After walking around at night with bright lights and stores closing, we took the train back to London.

We stayed in a hostel Wednesday night. There was only one other guy in the room and we never spoke as he was asleep when we arrived. The experience wasn't the nicest, as staying in a hostel usually isn't. We awoke in London with a full day for exploring. The British Museum occupied us for hours until we walked to Trafalgar Square after Pizza Hut. The National Gallery with tons of famous art is connected to the square, so we spent a couple of hours there. My favorites were the Turner landscapes and St. George and the Dragon. We walked to Buckingham Palace on The Mall, the road in between the square and palace. Guards were out marching so that was cool to see. A walk through Green Park brought us to the Underground station on our way to Hard Rock Cafe. I got us lost for an hour and a half taking the tube and walking when we should've just stayed at Green Park. Aggravated and exhausted, we arrived at Hard Rock to a comforting and expensive meal, after a long wait of course. We left for Oxford after eating.

Ryan and Matt left this morning early, after a wonderful time in England. I hope they made it to the airport on time. I awoke to see them off but went back to bed. I awoke again to a bright morning that was full of stuff to do. I have packed for Germany and Norway and leave soon. New adventures await, on the tail of the just-ended one.

An advertisement we saw (for Sherry and Lindsey).

Don't ask me.

London Eyes, reverse

2007-03-14T08:07:00.000Z

Beach today in Brighton! Been busy lately. Went to Winston Churchill's (former Prime Minister) birthplace called Blenheim Palace yesterday by bike. Long trip but worth it for the huge palace gardens and lake and palace itself. Didn't go inside.

Went to London again Monday. Saw lots and went to Tate Modern art museum. Ate in Chinatown. Saw Spamalot in the West End at night. It's based on Monty Python's Grail movie. It was hilarious and full of great singers and actors. One of the actors (Lancelot) was in the British version of The Office sitcom.

Matt and Ryan are loving the trip. Matt has good travel intuition and Ryan is soaking in European culture. He doesn't exactly like how the people are. They don't smile and aren't friendly he says. We went to a pub last night for dinner and the bartender bullied Ryan for wearing a hat and not being literal in language (like Ryan saying he will get the food when the servers will). Ryan didn't like that exactly, but I think the guy was joking.

Love you all (if I don't know you, I guess I still do) and hope you are having a blast in life as well.

Kentucky Accents in Oxford

2007-03-11T09:39:00.000Z

Ryan and Matt arrived on Friday around noon. We had fisherman's pie, mashed poatoes and seafood mix, for lunch at Regent's then went to Stanley Road. We all dressed up smart for dinner and ate lamb there. They were very tired, but we went to The Eagle and Child pub after dinner.

Saturday was tourist day. We went to all the museums of Oxford and went to Christchurch College for Evensong with the nice choir. The day was relaxing. They are loving it here. We ate Indian food last night, which was really good. The bop was last night late. So many great songs provided ample opportunity for boogying down. We all partied until we couldn't dance any longer. The night ended with Dexy's Midnight Runners and Queen songs. What a blast!

Now, it's time for church at St. Aldate's to party in the presence of the Lord. (Not that we didn't last night.) Don't worry, no scary photos of me.

Newcomer Bobbie-Jo from Georgetown.

Sister's Birthday Present!?

2007-03-08T23:59:00.000Z

Something tells me this picture, which I offer as a present to my sister on her eighteenth birthday, needs some explanation. It all started earlier today when I was glancing at The Sun, an English tabloid. The front page advertised a free Borat man-kini, displayed above, which the idiot from Kazakhstan wore in the movie. I took the coupon from the tabloid and brought it to the music store HMV where the body thongs were being given out. Somewhat embarassingly, I asked for my free clothing item and continued on my way. But why in the world would I take a picture of myself in the man-kini and dedicate it to my sister? See, Lindsey loved the movie Borat. Cory and I gave her a shirt with Borat on it for Christmas. Since I can't give you a tangible present, sis, this is my best idea. Not a very attractive one for you, but humorous I hope. I'm sure you're appreciating the shorts. My dignity sure is.

Maybe my careless attitude comes from completing this term. I finished the long essay and had my final tutorial with Julian today. He liked it, and gave it and the past few essays A's. We had a good chat about belief in God in the novels I've read. Then, I was free. I walked around with Celia and Jennifer, returning library books and relaxing in St. Catherine College's pretty quad. I went to G&D's for peanut butter ice cream and Jericho Tavern for cider with my friend Jim, and now the Stanley Road house and I await Ryan and Matt's arrival tomorrow.

I have really enjoyed this term, academics and all. Modern fiction is so engrossing to me and the way studies are set up here has allowed me to dive into the books without distraction. Oxford the city is great, and I can't wait to show my friends and parents. 6-week break, here I come.

Once again, sorry for the pic. Lindsey, at least, will understand. You do, right?

Final Sprint

2007-03-06T22:28:00.000Z

I have reached the final stretch of the race for this term. I am more than half-way through with my final, lengthier-than-usual essay. It is a review of all I have read. Specifically, I'm looking at whether or not the authors found belief in God or a god important. While Woolf, Waugh, Joyce, and Forster thought the question of belief is important to write about, only Waugh believed and let his belief seep into some of his novels. That is what my mind is muddled with at the moment, anyways.

It's not going to be muddled for long. Yippee! I watched Survivor recently and was glad to see the tribes at equal numbers by the end of the show. I really don't know which one I like best. That Rocky character is mean and stupid though, so hopefully he goes soon.

Norwegian skiing, Irish green, Parisian love (yeah right), and sunny Greek islands are calling. Soon, mysteries, really soon.

Camera Eyes

2007-03-04T17:22:00.000Z

A day at Port Meadow. All photos courtesy Jennifer, Yihlyn, and Celia.

Tilly and The Wall at the Zodiac- one of Jennifer's favorite bands, complete with a tap dancer for percussion and awesome female rockers- and clubbing afterwards.

Short, but Sweet

2007-03-02T22:57:00.000Z

I'm nearly finished with my seventh essay, which puts me so close to the end of this term. I can't believe it is almost here. In my tutorial yesterday, I realized that Julian Thompson is like Simon Cowell from American Idol. He has an English accent for one, but he talks like Simon does in that honest judgmental kind of way. Of course, Julian talks about literature whereas Simon talks about singing. I talked to Julian and switched my next term's topic from Victorian Literature to Romantic poetry. I studied Vic Lit pretty in-depth at Gtown last semester, so the change will be nice.

Ben and I played tennis yesterday. It was so great to play my favorite sport again. We were lost for awhile, but eventually found a path through Lady Margaret Hall College that led to the courts. We don't know if we were allowed to be there, but nobody stopped us. I was a little rusty. I lost balance and fell on one swing. But it was fun, and I was able to stay on my feet for the rest of the game.

Today was nice. It consisted of finding sheet music for piano at the public library for Celia and I, eating a delicious Thanksgiving feast of turkey at formal hall, and then playing the music with Celia's two Polish friends. Among the many songs we attempt to play now are "Yesterday" by The Beatles, "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton, and "Fields of Gold" by Sting. We have not reached the musical fields of golden perfection, and we may make Heaven cry, but we are better than yesterday.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2007-03-01T00:36:00.000Z

This post is dedicated to my wonderful mum (as the English would call her if she had birthed them), who today has just turned...I won't do that.

The pair of days have been, really nice. Both have been filled with lots of reading. Last night Regent's held a free cocktail party at Angel's bar to announce the Final Fling's theme. The final ball, which is full of food and entertainment, will be Oriental themed, but I do not plan to go as it will be too expensive. I am a cheapo, and that is why I went to Angel's for free drinks. I had a great real-banana daquiri, frozen, not shaken. The bar's basement, where the party was held, looked much more Hellish than Angelic with red lights and the illusion of flames all around. It made for a nice evening with jovial conversation flickering much brighter than the fake flames.

Celia and I took a walk today after lunch and stumbled upon a free concert at Fopp's CD shop. We heard the Pigeon Detectives play two catchy tunes. During another work break for tea and biscuits (cookies), I watched some amazing music videos. Snow Patrol's "Open Your Eyes" was one long shot of driving through a French city, probably Paris, from the perspective of a car or bike. I really felt like I was driving through France, which was fun but unfortunate (I'm warming up to the country, though). Then, the Gnarls Barkley song "Go-Go Gadget Gospel" played. The video made fun of rap videos, since all the dancing rappers had sock-puppets for heads. Find it on Youtube or Google video. It's hilarious, and a funky song as well.

Tonight I went with my friend Jim from St. Hugh's College to see The Science of Sleep. Wow. From the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this film was even more visually stunning. It's a feast, a delicious one. The line between reality and dreams is barely visible to the main character, Stefane. He has his own TV show in his mind, like so many of us have probably imagined at one point or another. The movie has already shown in cinemas in the States, and is out on video. Rent it!

We've Only Just Begun

2007-02-26T22:11:00.000Z

My friend Celia and I have started a musical project. I don't think we can be called a band, because we're just now experimenting. Yesterday, it started as four of us- Dan and Verity in addition. They slowly left as nothing really came of our simultaneous noises. But Celia and I, we are dedicated. We met again tonight. We take turns messing around on the piano and singing. Our search of several bookshops today gained us sheet music for Elvis, Beatles, and Carpenters songs. The main goal now is to learn "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters. We are also trying some original stuff, but I wouldn't ask anyone to give a listen just yet.

Brad Hadaway, visiting professor from Georgetown who will be here a few months, had the group of Americans over for dinner last night. We first went to an Evensong at Christchurch College. It was simply an evening church service that focused on singing. The choir was made up of younger and older boys, who sang with that mysterious ghost-like quality. It was amazing really. Dinner was an English breakfast, with sausages, crispy bacon, and eggs. It was extremely delicious but I ate way too much. Dr. Hadaway is quite the cook. We all stayed at his apartment pretty late, gossiping about Georgetown and remembering our great time in Oxford so far.

The quad at Christchurch

America, Home of Good TV

2007-02-24T22:24:00.000Z

I lied. I have been watching Survivor Fiji. Youtube is a great place to catch TV shows airing a continent away. One tribe has it really well, and the other is struggling to, well...survive. I like both tribes equally, but am glad the poor tribe voted out the annoying Sylvia in the past episode. Exile island has returned, this time full of sea snakes. That would be a miserable location to be sent. So Sherry and Vanessa, I am willing to discuss the wonderful show with you. But give it a few days to be put on Youtube.

I saw a clip of Chris Sligh singing "Typical" by Mute Math on American Idol. I am rooting for him because he is the only contestant I know. That song, and band, is awesome. Hopefully the other singers are great as well. Comment and let me know who your favorites are.

My untelevised life has been going well. I finished my sixth essay Friday though my tutorial was cancelled that day. I went to the Zodiac (again) with my friend Jim to see Richard Walters. Walters is a very unique singer/songwriter who writes hypnotic, somewhat depressing music. Check him out on myspace. Jim and I met Kate at The Purple Turtle club, the club associated with the Oxford Union. The Oxford Union is a place where famous speakers visit and those who want to be somebody pay to be a member. Needless to say, I'm not a member. But as a guest I visited the club and it was a fun experience. It is an underground tunnel lined with seats and bars with a dance floor at the end. We were consumed by the dancing organism, and found ourselves beneath the hot colored lights in the middle.

Today was very lazy. I did laundry (all by myself) and went grocery shopping. Tonight I went to a play called Groping for Words with Jennifer and others from Regents. Ed Randall, the guy in Harry Potter, was one of four actors in a very good one-act about literacy. The Burton Taylor theatre (named for Richard and Elizabeth) was so small that the audience couldn't help feeling intimate with the stage action.

Ladies, the Sequel

2007-02-22T23:24:00.000Z

OK, so I just finished using the ladies' restroom. I was supposed to play tennis with my friend Ben today, but the rainy weather cancelled that possibility. I went to G & D's ice cream shop again with Verity and Celia after dinner (yummy, cookies and cream), when Kristie also showed up and joined us. We then planned our new band called Christened Cows in which I sing and play drums. If it weren't for Patrick and Sam across from me at dinner, I don't know if I would have talked to a single male all day. What is happening to me?

Maybe it is E.M. Forster's fault. I have been reading his novels for an essay (half-finished, yeehaw) on the success of relationships between women in Howards End. Forster is not a very exciting read stylistically, but his books do introduce personal, social, and sexual concepts that are fun to wrestle with. For example, Howards End plays with the idea of connection between inner lives, rather than association with others based on social status alone. By sexual, I mean gender-related. E.M. Forster grew up surrounded by women and his novels reflect his upbringing. Women are often the main characters, or at least, essential to the text.

Enough boring you with my studies. Last night I went to the Zodiac to see a friend from Regent's play with his band. He had great confidence and stage presence. They sounded good too, with a sound similar to that of Interpol. Check them out on myspace if you wish; they are called the Half-Rabbits. The headlining band, The Enemy, sucked. Too loud, too screamy, too repetitive for me.

That's all, folks. Y'all come back now, ya' hear. P.S.- The mens' restroom was locked.

Hanging with the Ladies

2007-02-20T22:16:00.000Z

It seems I've been surrounded by estrogen lately. Pan's Labyrinth was a wonderful, visually stunning film with females as heroines (no, they didn't take drugs, but watching the movie makes one think the creator might have been on them).

Yesterday was spent in London with Kristie. We wondered around Lostville for an hour or two, then found the art gallery we were looking for. The Courtauld Gallery it was called, and it was full of nice works from artists like Monet and Picasso. The British Museum was next. My love of museums was satisfied with Egyptian, Greek, Asian, and many other regions of artifacts. Kristie and I met Jennifer and Caitlan at Victoria train station for a lovely dinner of Kentucky Fried Chicken. We ordered the boneless deluxe feast with cole slaw and beans and plenty of delicious chicken. Closing our eyes, we might have been home. But thankfully we weren't, because the broadway show Wicked filled our evening. Verity met us as well for the musically and dramatically distinguished play. Wicked is prequel to The Wizard of Oz, so it is cool learning how the characters of the movie might have become how they are. While I haven't been singing "No One Mourns the Wicked" or "I'm Not That Girl," the music was still good enough for repeated listening.

Today is Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent, so England has been filled with pancakes in order to rid the Anglican and (less so) Catholic country of flour (or some reason like that which doesn't really make sense to me, poor American Protestant). Well, their pancakes are actually crepes, but delicious nonetheless. Celia, Caitlan, Jennifer, Verity, Yihlyn, and I made them tonight after dinner. A group of 20 or so Canadian girls that have been studying at the college during the past month brought their own maple syrup, which is the best I have ever had.

Horse and guard (guarding what, I do not know)

A car charger, for an electricity-powered car

Plaza at Courtald Gallery

At the British Musuem

The Rosetta Stone, muy famous for helping humans learn the Egyptian language (I think)

I finally found some guys to hang with, but they were pretty boring
Bark
BuddhaKristie and Verity at the show

A City I Love

2007-02-18T18:43:00.000Z

Sorry I haven't written lately. I just finished my Waugh essay which I have been busy completing this weekend.

Much has happened in the past half-week, mainly concentrated around the weekend. Friday was Blind Date after formal hall. First, three girls (two of them my housemates) answered questions behind a curtain for a guy that they already knew. They weren't too brave with the banana given to them for one question, well, activity. The guy picked one, already knowing them all, and they went on a quick date. Next was three guys and girl that they actually didn't know, which made it more interesting. They answered sillily behind the curtain. Their activity was a dance-off, and American Taylor decided not to participate unfortunately. The girl picked the guy for whom the crowd cheered loudest and they took off on their date. Tired of waiting for their return, Yihlyn, Ben, Kristie, Jennifer, Caitlan and I followed the second Blind Date couple to the G & D's ice cream shop. It was yum-yum, as I ordered a scoop and flapjack (oat and honey treat).

Saturday I mostly worked on the essay. Lunch was provided by a picnic set my parents sent over for that holiday on Feb. 14. Now they know it was used for my enjoyment alone. Well, there is still some left over. Saturday evening, President Crouch from Gtown College, two of his marketing buddies, and Professor Hadaway took us American students to The Mitre restaurant for dinner. I took great advantage of the free meal, ordering a ceasar salad, sirloin steak and lobster, pineapple juice, tea, and cheese platter for dessert. Good conversations all around, and some pretty funny stories from the President's mouth. He is not the Crouching Tiger one might think.

We arrived back at Stanley to find a house party, which we knew would be there. About twenty or so Regent's students showed up for college-sponsored drinking and dancing. There was this licorice-tasting drink called Sambouca or something other. Someone lit the top of their glass with fire, letting the alcohol burn. I burnt my fingers reaching for the glass. The dancing was great, with some Queen, David Bowie, and Blondie for you old folks. I made a playlist earlier in the day and played several of the songs at the party.

I woke relatively early for church. I went to a pub called The Rose and Crown with friends Jim and Kate, whom I met at church a few weeks ago, for a very good lunch of bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes). Jim and I walked through Port Meadow afterwards. Wow, there was some great natural scenery away from the city. A river and temporary rain-lake lined and filled the meadow, respectively. After a very nice walk, we returned to my bike and I rode to Stanley where I finished my essay. Here I am, about to go see Pan's Labyrinth on Cowley Road.

A pic hanging at G & D's

Port Meadow pic by Jim, taken not today

Happy Waugh Day!

2007-02-14T22:06:00.000Z

I hope I'm not the only one on the planet celebrating Waugh Day. Interested in celebrating with me? All you must do is choose a novel by Evelyn Waugh and spend hours and hours in a library reading. No really, it's fun. I guess I started observing the holiday early since I started to read a couple of the novels last week. But I simply couldn't wait.

Evelyn Waugh is a man. That is the first thing to know about the author. I learned this fact from my favorite movie Lost in Translation. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson (ahh)) informs her husband of this fact because the dumb actress character chooses Evelyn's name for a pseudonym at their hotel. If you don't understand, just watch the movie. It's slow and nearly plotless, but so wonderful.

Waugh's novels are satirical and extremely funny in nature. For a laugh-out-lout time (lol), read Decline and Fall or Vile Bodies. They are both similar in that they criticize modern English society and present the dizzying, fast-paced lifestyle that so many people pursue. A Handful of Dust is a more serious novel, yet still funny, about the breakdown of a well-to-do family. Read this one if you decide to celebrate with me. Then there is Brideshead Revisited, a sober reflection on lost friendship and youth. Though I'm only half-way through with it, so maybe it's not about that at all. My tutorial over Waugh is tomorrow, and after I finish the essay I will only have three more this term. Wow.

Hope you're all having a lovely Waugh Day. Or, at least a good 14th of February.

Day at the Museum

2007-02-12T22:44:00.000Z

The Oxford Natural History Museum

Don't I look so excited

Imagine eating the legs of this crab

I used to want a pet wallaby

Sorry Debbie, and Mom, and Indiana Jones, and whoever else hates snakes

Ahh, a red panda

Ahh, a vicious wolf
Joe Camel, after smoking his whole life

This is where a kinkajou belongs, behind glass
Sorry me

Probably the scariest thing I've ever seen. But wait...

Hey Dad, some ancient saddles. The following are from the Pitts River Museum. It's a connected exhibition of human cultural artifacts.

We went to Keble College chapel afterwards, to repent of all the evil images we had seen.

Rain :(

2007-02-10T22:08:00.000Z

The rain has melted all of the snow. It's a dreary, depressing weekend. I paid ten bucks for a panini and tea today. Money sucks here. I know what I need to cheer me up- a rant.

I hate all of the coins that are necessary to exist here. Why can't they use paper money for one's like my country does? The weather should be reprimanded for acting so badly. Come on, brighten up. Walls in my room, can't you lighten up as well? Be more colorful or at least have something to say. The same old all-surrounding white is starting to get to me. Now Bike. Stop playing in the dirt and stop squeaking loudly when I hit the brakes. That better not be a sign that you're going to give out on me one day. Regent's students, stop being so concerned about staying busy. Let's give up work forever and watch movies all day. As for you Essays, you can cease reminding me that two of you are due in the upcoming week. Food, really. You can be good sometimes, but can you calm down with the onions. The fish and chips are becoming a little repetitive also. Puddings (dessert), you can stay the same. Would you Tourists not all decide to visit on the same weekend? Leave room for me and my squeaky bike when we're on the sidewalk.

Purple couches resting in the Grill at Georgetown College have called to me, I will admit. Fellowship around plentiful greasy burgers and pizzas as well. The warm faces of familiar Family and Friends do not appear when I exit my room (or enter it, Matt). Professors there are not, to teach me from a variety of angles and outlooks. Only crazy-haired Julian I have, but he will do for now. TV is hard to come by, and I will have no clue who was voted out of Fiji every week on this season of Survivor. Please Friends, do not tell me, because I will not recognize their names. Late-night meals at Applebee's and Mexican food from La Finca, nice Italian dishes from Melini Cucina and yummy bites from The Plum Tree, exist here not. My car, please don't forget me.

I am finished. Now that feels better. At least I have no homework and can wake up about noon each day.

Snow!

2007-02-08T22:03:00.000Z

The University Park of Oxford has occupied much of the past couple of days. Yesterday I walked through with a clear sky and green grass all around. Today in the park, I had the most massive, most fun snowball fight I've ever had. Friends Patrick, Sam, and I rolled several huge snowballs together to create a fort. We battled an opposite fort full of people we didn't know. More people eventually joined us and the battle lasted for hours. The park is snow heaven. Huge snowmen could be found all over. Someone even created a huge snow...never mind.

The snow here surely competes with the snow in Kentucky, but I don't know how long ours will last. Ahh, white grace, covering all.

No tutorial this week, as it turns out. Next week might be doubly busy though.

Photos courtesy of Sam Drury:

Snowy Regent's quad.

University park.

That's not me by the way.

Quest for the Holy Grail

2007-02-06T22:56:00.000Z

This morning a very annoying telephone ring awoke me. The voice on the other end informed me that Julian was not feeling well, so my tutorial would be moved to another day. Excitement and thought about what to do with my day kept me awake, so the announcement didn't mean any more sleep. But of course, I stayed in bed until lunchtime.

I read more Woolf today for one, as I have done the past week. She is like a painter, even more so than Joyce who wrote A Portrait... Woolf paints with words obviously, so her books are impressions upon the mind. Her scenes are not described with great detail, but the thoughts of her characters and one or two really good details keep the scenes in focus. Reading something by her may be the only way to understand. I would pick up To the Lighthouse, or Mrs. Dalloway if you are braver. They are both considered masterpieces. Woolf's struggle to recapture memories, lost or fading, may bring back some forgotten memories of your own.

A novelist gave a lecture today. Her name was Penelope Lively, and she is supposedly famous. She has written a few memoirs and novels, one about growing up in Egypt. Her talk was interesting and I wanted to hug the granny-type lady once her talk was over.

The most exciting part of the day was the search for the Holy Grail. I'm sure the comparison has been made before, but a library card really is the modern equivalent to the ancient cup. After filling out a green form and having someone from Regent's sign it also, I made my way to the Oxford Public Library. Oddly connected to a shopping mall, the library is full of books (less importantly to me at the moment), CDs, and DVDs. The selection is up-to-date and exact to my musical and visual tastes. I could only pick 5 Cds, so I made my selection carefully(the artists aren't exactly those you hear of on TV or radio- though one was Thom Yorke who is from Oxford and is the former singer of Radiohead) and made my way to check out. There was a one pound fee to borrow the CDs, but for a total of 10 American dollars I have 5 new CDs to listen to. Yey.

After a little American Idol in the JCR, I headed here to Stanley Road. They seem to show the horrible singers more this season on Idol, so I wouldn't recommend tuning in just yet.

From Death to the Sunset

2007-02-04T17:24:00.000Z

Jennifer, Kristie, and I ventured on our bicycles yesterday to C.S. Lewis' former home and church. A 20-minute bike ride brought us first to the church at which he once preached. There is supposedly a Narnia-themed stain glass window that we couldn't find, but we couldn't go inside so it's probably in there. His gravesite is not very fancy, but the literary hero of so many has a clearly marked stone.

His house was across a large road. We crossed, and found the house easy enough. It wasn't impressive at all, really. Cool though, that we could have knocked and met Lewis one day long ago if we had been alive. A C.S. Lewis nature reserve hid behind the house. It was easy to imagine the reserve as Narnia itself. Up a hill in the reserve, we found a rope swing which provided some great fun.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Martin:

I'm a mime.

This pic was totally planned.

Kristie, Jennifer, and I acted like three of the Pevensie siblings from the Narnia series. Edmund:me, Susan:Jennifer, Lucy:Kristie.

A cafe with great desserts for lunch.

Last night Kristie and I went to see Gym Class Heroes at the Zodiac. They are an alright band that sings that bud-um-bum-um Take a Look at my Girlfriend song. Ask Ty to give a lovely rendition of it if you wish. The first two bands were hilariously horrible. The first was a rap duo called Hangar 18 that sang about baking soda, since it is apparently one of the ingredients in crack. At least it was an educational experience. Madina Lake were a metal band that created a huge mosh pit in the middle of the floor. That is something to experience, but Kristie and I sat on the sidelines. While the lead singer was crowd-surfing, the crowd dropped him and he returned to the stage bleeding. Blood poured out of his mouth the rest of the show.

As for today, I met my friend Emily from Bath and we went to church at St. Aldate's. It was another really good service. The preacher man spoke about evil gaining a foothold in our lives and taking advantage of it. Fortunately, there is actual tangible visible powerful unnatural ridiculous scandalous merciful eternal freedom in Christ.

The sun is down here. I will be starting the new week before most of you. Let's hope it is a warm one.

Check out my friend James' blog, lapples.blogspot.com, for a comedic after-party.

No Speako English

2007-02-02T22:55:00.000Z

I finally have seen a movie since on the big screen since arriving in England. I needed one so bad. Not that life is bad without them, but the escapist illusions of cinemas always make one feel much better once the escape is finished. Celia, Verity, and I saw Volver, a Spanish movie by the famous director Pedro Almodovar. It had Penelope Cruz and pretty much a whole cast of women. It was a very good, very involving plot that provided what I expected a movie to give. We went to a rundown cinema on Cowley Street, Ultimate Picture Palace, where I am now a member. It's only 3 pounds a ticket now. I will return, soon.

Walking back to Stanley, I passed a chav (as they call them here) with a group of his friends. They were punks, to define them better for you. He said, "Hey, come here." I kept walking and said quietly, "No." As I walked away, a little shaken that some idiot would talk to me on the pavement, the guy joked to his friends, "No speako English." He thought I was foreign. Well I am, I guess. And I don't speak English. I speak American, and speak it much better than he speaks English.

Tonight, students from Regent's Park were privileged to sing at the Sheldonian Theatre, a very old, famous place that is surrounded by those stone faces I took a picture of earlier. Jennifer and Taylor joined the harmony as many people shuffled in to hear the Archbishop of York (sounds important, doesn't he?), John Sentamu. He preached after the singing. He is pretty much the vice president of the Anglican church. You can compare him to whatever the step below the Pope would be in the Catholic church, though I doubt he would make that comparison. Sentamu is originally from Uganda, so he spoke with a slight African and English accent. In my mind I wanted to call him African American, but then I realized that not all black people fit that description. He is Anglo-African. Stupid me and stupid rural America for lacking in diversity. His sermon was very direct and basic, pointing to the fact that Christianity is about a person, not issues.

Needless to say, I finished the Woolf essay. I think it was good, though I didn't do so good on the second essay since I went a little off topic. My grades so far have been in the high B range, not that grades matter.

It's the weekend! Relaxation, here I come. Hope you all have a wonderful and warm (somehow) weekend.

Would Rather Be Fishing

2007-01-31T18:30:00.000Z

Tom Coates came over on Monday for a gig at the Zodiac. The Wombats were a great band with really rockin' music and humorous lyrics. We ate at Nando's before the show, a Portuguese place with good chicken. Yum, spicy cole slaw. After watching a little of Lost in Translation on Monday night, eating a Regent's lunch on Tuesday, and CD shopping a bit, Tom caught the train back to Bath.

Today and tomorrow I will be writing an essay on Virginia Woolf. I read To The Lighthouse, which is a reflection on a family vacation and her parents' deaths. Woolf writes in stream-of-conciousness, which means the reader enters the thoughts of the characters, sort of like in Ulysses. My paper is about Woolf's book as an elegy, or a lament for things lost and resulting consolation.

I walked in a shop around the corner from Stanley called The Golden Bowl today. As I entered, I found myself surrounded by fish. There are eels, shrimp, and billions of little colorful fish in the store. It is almost an aquarium. Now I know where to find a quick meal.

Batherrific

2007-01-29T11:40:00.000Z

So the past weekend was mostly consumed by my trip to Bath. Saturday's only non-Bath action was a trip to the Italian deli with Jennifer. The rice ball wasn't as tasty as I had remembered, but things usually aren't. It was good though. I ran into Kristie on the way to the train station, and scared her to death as she was looking down at her iPod. That was fun.

The train took me to lovely Bath, where I met Emily at the school clothing store where she was closing up. Her dad drove us to the Martins' house, where we ate yummy pizza with sausage and pineapple. Emily and I then went to a panto (pantomime, but not what you would think) that a friend from Soul Survivor (festival I've gone to here past two summers), Hannah Mathers, was in. A panto is full of traditions like audience participation, talking animals, girls dressing as guys and vice versa, and plenty of baddies to "boo" at. The theme was Treasure Island, but it didn't follow the plot at all. It was entertaining, but really long (2 and a half hours) and very cheesy. Emily, her friend Sarah, and I went to Bar HaHa for some post-panto relaxation. After catching half of conversation due to the loud volume of the bar, Emily and I walked back to her house in the sometimes frightening dark. I was given a nice small guest room with plenty of reading material had I so desired to read. Sleep was a much better activity after the long day.

Sunday I went to church at Sladebrook again. Jeremy talked about fellowship, which foreshadowed the rest of my day. I went with my friends the Coates' for lunch. They live on a large farm some distance from Bath. I stayed there a couple of days in the summer. It was nice to be with the family, especially sitting down to a great home-cooked meal like they always do, a different experience from home. But mom, I don't regret eating out at La Finca, China Star and Melini Cucina every day. Lunch was dumplings and beef, their dumplings being biscuits over the beef stew. And there were plenty of vegetables; I have eaten so many vegetables here. After borrowing some CDs from Matt, the family took off to Bath for a party. I was dropped off in town with Matt and Tom, and we explored until time for my train. In a Cadbury store, I had the most chocolatey hot cocoa I have ever had.

The longer train ride (construction on the tracks) brought me home to Oxford in time for church service at St. Aldate's, the Anglican church I had visited before. The Sunday night service was amazing, and let's just say it had me dancing in the aisles. It was much like the Soul Survivor festival. I met my friend Ben there, and through him, a bunch of Brookes University students. Brookes is the other uni here in Oxford that is separate from Ox Uni. They were fun, so we went to Turf Tavern until it was time for me to return to Stanley. The cap to the weekend might have been the best part.

The Coates' house.

A beautiful old church in the Coates' yard.

One of the neighbor's chocolate lab puppy. I can attempt to steal it for you, Ryan.

The Coates', Tom, Hannah, Wendy, Beth, Eric, Matt.

Statues overlooking the Roman Baths in Bath. I had to climb for this pic.

Matt and Tom at the Bath Abbey.

Me at the Bath Abbey.

Bond, Ryan Bond

2007-01-27T12:08:00.000Z

Last night was guest night at high table, meaning it was a black tie event. Dinner was a nice lamb meal. A 007 Casino Royale party was held in the JCR afterwards. I played blackjack for awhile and won a few hands of Texas hold 'em poker. I would be in good shape if we had been betting real money.

During a walk yesterday, I passed a guy talking to his unleashed dog. He was saying something like, "You nearly ran into the middle of the road back there. Now if you died where would that leave me." I thought the guy was crazy at first, as he was energetically talking to his animal friend in the middle of a city, long before and after I passed him. Then I thought about it, and I have a feeling the dog understood him, every word.

Bond girls Kristie, Jennifer, Yihlyn, and Celia.

My friend 005 (Ben) and his girlfriend Clare.

Rhys, Dan, Ben and girlfriend in background, Kristie, Jennifer.

I leave for Bath today. I will report back on the mission ASAP.

Procrastosaur

2007-01-25T21:47:00.000Z

I spent the whole of yesterday staring at my blank word document that needed to somehow transform into eight pages of type. I just couldn't do it. The tutorial went well yesterday morning, but the rest of the day was plagued with procrastination. I completed a few pages before the night was over and finished the essay today, which is alright really. The essay was about how Joyce's Ulysses presents one of the most complete pictures of human experience in literature. Not that I've read that much in the whole of the literary world, but I had to argue something. I move on to the fiction of Virginia Woolf now. I have seen the movie The Hours which is based on her life and book Mrs Dalloway. It was a good movie, so hopefully I will enjoy her books.

Two Polish housemaids cleaned my room this morning. I tried to talk to them but they understood absolutely no English. Oh well. Words are strange and meaningless when they can't be used for communication.

Since I missed lunch writing my essay, I stopped in a Greek grocery on Cowley Road (my favorite road here with so many ethnic restaurants and neat little shops and the Zodiac) and picked up a lamb and rosemary pizza pocket-like thing. It was OK, but the cinnamon pita chips I also ate were unbelievable. They go on the same list as the Italian rice ball.

I wandered around the Oxford Natural History Museum today. I will make sure to take pictures next time, but it was great to be surrounded by cool fossils, elephant skeletons, kinkajous (dead, of course), stuffed cheetahs, monkeys, crazy-looking animals I've never seen before, and the best-of-all-time-ever creature, the dinosaur. There were plastic T-rexes and velociraptors and skeletons of many more.

Take a look at this primitive shark that was captured in Japan. It hadn't changed much since prehistoric times, apparently. Unfortunately, it died soon after its capture. Wouldn't you love to swim with this monster?

Week 2

2007-01-22T21:44:00.000Z

The year, month, or day is never important here. Only the week is worth knowing. So this is the start of week 2, out of the the 8 this term. I enjoy knowing whether it is the weekend or not, but the week number is the most widely used label for identifying the time in Oxford.

I can identify my days and weeks with events, though. For instance, yesterday was church and a concert at the Zodiac. I went to a church called St. Ebbe's, which was mostly contemporary and either Anglican (Church of England) or non-denominational. The sermon stuck to the Bible, specifically Jesus' words, and gave good insight on several verses rather than being a topical sermon. The most interesting thing that the pastor said was about the word "repent." It means "to turn around" as in a battle situation. So when Jesus says "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near" he doesn't mean stop smoking, or stop cussing, or start reading your Bible more. He means, turn your whole life around so that it is heading in the direction and fulfilling the purpose of the Kingdom of God. Following Christ is a whole-life thing, not an aspect-of-life thing.

Very different from the church atmosphere was the concert at the Zodiac venue. There were three bands, two English and one from LA. They were all good and unique in their own way. The second band, The Long Insiders, included an expressionless female lead singer and a dramatic lead guitarist that would stare at each other very flirtaciously. When they got off the stage though, the lead singer kissed and hung to some random guy in the audience. Stage presentation, I guess. The third band from LA, LowVsDiamond, played their first show in England. They were nervous, but the lead singer was a Napolean Dynamite-like character with black shades and funky dance moves who made the show fun and energetic. Kristie from Gtown went with me, and had fun as well.

Today, my bike's chain was off-track so I had to walk back and forth from college. But it was easily fixed when I returned this evening. Hope you all have a great and on-track week (2).

London Eye

2007-01-21T00:43:00.000Z

A delicious (free) lunch of penne pasta and shrimp at the Bella Italia.

The National Gallery (art gallery, I think) at Trafalgar Square. The next two also from this location.

Big Ben attached to the Houses of Parliament.
My three companions at Westminister Abbey, where many famous are buried.
The Martyr's wall at the abbey. Martin Luther King, jr. is the fifth from the left.

Dr. Taul departed from us on the London Tower Bridge, shown here, my favorite London landmark.

Eros hasn't shot one of his arrows of love into my heart yet. At Piccadilly Circus, as is the next one.

Buckingham Palace. We crawled around the statues out front, as you can see.

My favorite photo of the day's excursion.

Into the Groove

2007-01-18T21:42:00.000Z

The pattern of daily life here is becoming familiar. The bike ride in and out of Stanley Road, the lovely meals which include lots of veggies, and the load of enjoyable information entering my brain are all fine aspects of the Oxford experience.

The wind was horrible today. I had to walk my bike part of the way to college it was so strong. One time when I was stepping off my bike to join the sidewalk I fell. It was embarrassing to land right on my side in the middle of so many people walking and driving around.

I turned my first essay in last night. I think it was OK. It was about eight pages long and took me all of yesterday after lunch to complete it. My tutorial was yesterday morning. It went well. Julian and I discussed what I read and dealt with the question I had to answer, which was about satire in Joyce's books. I went to a two-hour lecture today about Joyce and his difficult novel Ulysses. My next essay is over it. Joyce allows the reader to enter the minds of his characters so it is sometimes hard to know what is going on from their perspective since the human mind is able to jump from topic to topic so quickly and without warning. It's a rewarding read though. An American professor gave the lecture and I sat by a girl from Massachusetts. There may be more Americans here than English.

A girl named Elsa commented at the dinner table yesterday that she couldn't detect a regional accent at all in my voice. Only the Americans here can probably notice a hint of Kentucky. Maybe I should change the blog title. Then again, "accent" doesn't just mean a feature of the voice.

Studies Started

2007-01-16T22:39:00.000Z

In the Regent's library for five hours a day, after the soap opera Neighbours of course, I am able to focus on my studies. James Joyce is the subject of my reading and soon-to-be writing. I have an essay due on Thursday, and my tutorial with crazy-haired Julian Thompson is tomorrow. We will discuss Joyce tomorrow in preparation of my essay.

I find that Joyce and I have many things in common. His A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man tells the story of his upbringing through a character named Stephen, who is largely based on Joyce. Being Irish and from the southern half of the country, Joyce was raised to be Catholic. Not Catholic as America knows the religion, but extremely, nearly militantly Catholic. While I am not Catholic, I was able to relate to the religious upbringing. I understood Stephen's desire to lead others in his religion, and his pious re-dedications to the religion after weekend retreats where the priest used some version of a guilt trip to bring the congregation to their knees.

Faced with the overbearing religious presence, Stephen eventually denies his religion and refuses to participate in the traditions of Catholicism. I can relate to the turning away from the overbearing religious atmosphere of Christianity, but not to turning away from Christ. Joyce writes about religion in a context of Ireland and Catholicism. He, unfortunately, doesn't write too much about Christ except as a religious symbol. I believe Christ to be alive today, in spirit, and to be a moving, active presence, not a stagnant symbol.

The story is also about Stephen's development as an artist. The story is told very much from his mind, though in the third person. It is very nearly a glimpse into the childhood mind of Joyce, and it is amazing to be allowed to explore the great writer's mind. Stephen always tends towards the poetic perspective on life, and it makes the book a great escape for the reader's mind. We often fail to see the beautiful and sometimes coincidental aspect of life. Joyce points this aspect out to the reader very well in Portrait.
Here's a good rendition of Joyce.

I don't want to bore you too much with my studies. But if you ever want to read some stuff by Joyce, pick up the book Dubliners. In it are short stories that present Irish life from a very real and sometimes a very poignant perspective. I wouldn't pick up the difficult Ulysses unless you are up for a challenge. I have started this huge novel, and it is fun to read, but it requires full attention and a lot of time.

I played Snooker today. It's played on this huge billiards table in the basement of Regent's. I lost badly, but it is a fun twist on 8-ball in which you have to hit red balls in before you can pocket those worth more points.

A random pic of people playing Snooker, from Google.

So other than studying, I have been enjoying the Regent's meals and appreciating my bike. I went to a church called St. Aldate's tonight. There was an Alpha course for those curious about the church or just entering it. I just went because some people from Regent's were going, but it turned out really interestingly. A girl from Florida spoke about Jesus and why he is worth following. She was from somewhere around Miami. I sat by a girl named Anne who had some good questions about life. Like, why is there suffering in the world if God is so good? It's a hard question of course, but we had a productive time wrestling with it. The guy next to me was from North Dakota and became a Christian a year ago. His sister's husband's brother lives in Morehead, Kentucky. Some guy with the last name Sparkman, I think. Go figure! It's a small world. He was just in Hazard and Lexington not very long ago. One of the guy's from Regent's that went is an atheist. That's not so uncommon here, and it was interesting to hear his perspective. He is all about being open-minded to everything. He is obviously opening his mind to hear about Christ, so that's great at least.

The speaker from Florida talked about how she studied abroad at Oxford, and then never left because she loved it so much. I am loving my time here, but don't worry. I'll go home when the time comes.

BopBathBike

2007-01-14T21:17:00.000Z

An Italian rice ball deserves first attention. I found it in an Italian deli on the next street over from the house and its name starts with an "A," but I forget exactly. It was my pre-lunch snack on Saturday, and it was delicious. Rolled up doughy rice filled with mozzarella cheese and peas= wow! I have to find my own sources of food on the weekend, so it was Subway for lunch (made me miss home a little) and chocolate coins for dinner.

The pirate-themed bop (party) was last night. It was full of really good music and fun dancing. By good music I mean early Michael Jackson and Alternative rock like the Gorillaz. By fun dancing I don't mean hump-dancing, I mean jumping around and grooving to one's own drumbeat. I didn't really have a pirate costume, but it wasn't that important. There were plenty of friends to talk with like Ben and Sam. I met Celia and Verity, two other free spirits on the dancefloor. Okay, let's deal with the fact that Regent's has its own bar. It was obviously open during the bop. Rum was the special drink of the night (pirates supposedly like rum). I had a coke mixed with the piratey substance. I didn't get drunk, I want you to know. Alex from Regent's passed out onto the sidewalk as he was heading home from the party. Many were idiots and did get drunk. The bops happen at the beginning and end of the term, so don't think that this kind of event will happen every weekend. My difficult studies start tomorrow and I am not going to risk messing them up.

I woke up at an early 6:30 AM this morning for my journey to Bath to visit friends (while some of you were still awake). Here are some pics:

The church where I met all of my Bath friends: Sladebrook Community Church.

The Martins who graciously hosted me and cooked meals for the day: Chris (like from Coldplay), Emily, mom (I forget), and Simon.

A cool pub we passed while walking to a park. It's called The Bear.

The amazingly beautiful city of Bath. Jane Austen lived here and part of Oliver Twist was filmed here. A guy named Ian let me borrow his zoom lens for some of the pics.

Simon's girlfriend Naomi and Simon, Andy in the background, Beth Coates, and Nita (youth leader at Sladebrook).

Emily, Simon, and I pointing at the pointer at the entrance of the park with the great view.

The whole gang that went for an afternooon walk.

We all tried to fit in a phonebooth.

My bike! The Martins allowed me to borrow it. I plan to bring it back in one piece.

Our house on Stanley Road in Oxford. I forgot to give you this pic earlier.

Hogwarts

2007-01-12T23:35:00.000Z

I've joked with my brother Cory that I wouldn't be surprised to pass Harry Potter on the streets of Oxford. Well, part of the film was shot here at Christchurch College. Hermione Granger lives in Oxford somewhere. But I don't need to simply pass a Hogwarts student in the street though, because I go to school with one. His name is Edward Randell in real life, and Justin Finch in the movie. Here's a pic of him:

He obviously looks older now, as this pic is from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I went into the JCR earlier today and started talking to him and a girl named Tasha without knowing his acting history. I didn't realize until dinner tonight when someone mentioned it that he was a Hogwarts student. He has looked a little familar the past couple of days.

Dinner was High Table, I think it's called. The Principal, Reverend Fiddes, sat a main table (the Dumbledore table) with all of the tutors while the students sat perpendicular. Dinner was a good couple slices of meat.

There was a pudding party afterwards in the JCR. Pudding is the word for all desserts. That was OK, but it died down quickly enough as many of the students have collections, which are exams before the term starts. Ben and I went to a pub called The Turf Tavern, where Bill Clinton frequented when he studied here. We returned to the JCR, where I picked up a cricket bat in a friend Sam's room. I said goodbye to all, including Jenni and Dan, two others who I believe will become good friends, and took a very tiresome walk back here to Stanley Road.

Photo Journal

2007-01-11T21:20:00.000Z

The only thing I want to say today without a picture is about the show "Neighbours" that many students watch every day. It is this Australian soap opera that comes on after lunch. I'm sure it's supposed to be serious, but I find it very funny. It seems to be the only programme on TV that causes addiction over here among the Regent's students. They all arrived today, by the way. Johnny, Ali, and Matt are new flatmates (housemates) who seem really cool. Johnny and I have similar musical tastes, which may be hard to believe for some of you. I said hello to Rosie, who I met at Soul Survivor festival this summer. The influx of students today brought some people with whom I can definitely imagine becoming good friends. Here are the pics you're waiting for:

A swan who braved close proximity on the Thames River

Guess which is the original castle.

The mound is actually a castle underneath. Hopefully I'll tour it someday. The other image is of the city council building.

The Regent's Park quadrangle. Every college has its own quad.

The Regent's Park dining hall. Very Harry Potter-like. We are served as we sit. The food doesn't magically appear though.

Would you like some tea? We met at Dr. Taul's place today and yesterday to chat.

Jennifer. Then Kristie, Tyler, and Taylor.

Dr. Taul, our current guide and informant from Georgetown.

One of the many statue figures lining the gate of a building I think to be the Bodleian library. They wear some pretty funny expressions. Say goodbye, statue man.

Too Much to Remember for You

2007-01-11T00:49:00.000Z

I'm sure I will leave something out, but here goes. Last night, I had a cup of Yorkshire tea, which was delicious. Only it kept me up until 4am. I tried, but I could just not fall asleep.

When I reluctantly woke up around 10, I hurried to get ready and met my tutor at the college. He is a gray bearded, crazy haired man, looking sort of like my papaw did. The meeting was just an overview of what we will be studying. I have a paper due next Thursday. He is obviously somewhere around genius status, so I will have to work to keep up with him.

I watched Deal or No Deal after the meeting. It's funny, because it's so much more dramatic and drawn out, if you can imagine, over here. The contestant's friends open the boxes instead of the girls. I wish you could watch the British version just to laugh at it. The guy won 12,000 pounds which is around 20,000 dollars. Not bad.

Lunch was delicious sausages. Dinner was Moroccan turkey. Interesting, but good. The group of us Americans went to The Eagle and Child afterwards, the pub where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien hung out way back when. It was a nice pub, with books hanging on the walls. I will send a pic someday. I had a half pint of hard cider (the only kind of cider here), which was tasty as opposed to the beer from the other night. I'll stick to the half pint once or twice a week for all you (like Cardwell) concerned. Understand that the pub here is like a restaurant there. Many here unfortunately do drink too much sometimes, but there are many at Regent's with their head on straight.

That's about it for now. Here's where I'm not:

Here's where I am:

Orient Express

2007-01-09T17:12:00.000Z

Today has been full of orientation. We talked to the head tutor at the college, Rev. Bradshaw, about bikes and tutorials and everything. We also were told about the Regent's Park library, from which I am writing now. It is nice but small, so I will also need to visit the English library and the Bodleian(sp), which is the gigantic famous one that has a copy of every book ever published.

Walking around, I can't get used to the wonderful buildings. I don't know if walking, eventually biking, by them everyday will take away the wonder.

Oh yeah, last night. I forgot. Dinner was chicken and mashed potatoes, very good. With new friends Ben and Dan, our American crew of the five students and Dr. Taul, the international programs head at Gtown, went to the pub called The Royal Oack, nicknamed the Roak. Pub is short for public house, but of course, it is a bar. I had a half-pint of Guinness. The taste was OK at first but became tiresome, so I chased it with the raw sugar that Lindsey gave me at the airport. Thanks. It was odd drinking beside Dr. Taul, since one would never drink beside a Dr. at dry Gtown College. He had some kind of cider.

Brandon, before I forget. I live right across from a mosque. There were a few people (Muslims, right?) about to go in last night for a service. I also passed the classics center today, as well as the Natural History museum which looks cool.

So, a good day so far. Evening tea is in an hour and a half. You have to sign up to eat before the meal because you are served from the kitchen. It is extremely nice sitting down and being served. That would never happen at Gtown.

Wow! Finally here.

2007-01-08T17:18:00.000Z

I don't know where to start. The initial shock of arriving hasn't worn off. The city is much larger than I expected. Around the city centre where my college is(Regent's Park), the buildings are so old and huge and amazing. The streets are filled with people. I am looking at a double decker just now.

Speaking of buses, we took one from the airport here. That journey was nice. The plane ride was OK. No sleep, but I sat by a nice Indian fellow I think named Suntin. That can be his name even if it isn't. India, not cowboys and indians. So, not a very nice plane, crying baby at the beginning, but got some rest on the way over.

We got to the college and ate spicy meatballs for lunch. Good, and actually flavorful. The college is small but very nice. I've met Emily, the vice president of the JRC, where everyone hangs out, and Ben, who Katy was great friends with, and Hannah, who lives in my building. My flat (apartment) on Stanley Road is nice. A pretty big room to myself and kitchens and bathrooms galore. Well, two or three anyway.

The walk from college to Stanley Road is long. 30 minutes at least. The walk takes me from historic city centre to suburb-like area. It seems nice so far.

Rain and clouds for weather, but what could I expect. It could be colder and wetter, though.

I cross the Thames River on the way from college to home and vice versa. It's flooded like it was in Kentucky when I left.

I am at an internet cafe. Internet should be hooked up in my room tomorrow.

I crashed in the room for an hour. I was so tired. After the nap I walked here. It feels great to walk alone in a new location full of some future for me. One thing needs to change, though. I haven't talked much, but mainly due to being tired. Once I wake up and find some new students to talk to, I will be good. Most students arrive on Thursday but some are here.

I am too overwhelmed to write everything of course. But leave some questions for comments and I will reply when possible. Maybe tomorrow evening. Love you all.

A Good Day to Begin

2007-01-04T05:45:00.000Z

What a good day to give birth to a blog. It's my birthday. A new year has begun, 2007.

In only a few days I will be on a plane heading for England. In order to keep in touch with you and let you know what's happening on this side of the pond (so cliche, I'm sorry) I will keep this blog updated as much as possible. Stories, photos, whatever will best relate my stay in Oxford to you will be posted here for your enjoyment.

I'll let you know what's going on around me: who I meet, where I go, and what I see and do. I'll also give you a peek inside, what I'm thinking or feeling. Surely, I will experience some type of homesickness. And I have the fortunate or unfortunate (depends from which angle you look at it) blessing of having two homes to miss. I consider Morehead and Georgetown my homes. I also want to let you know what I'm studying, if you're interested. My field of study for the Hilary term (meaning, the first 8-week semester) is the Modern novel, which is fictional stuff that was written in the past 100 years or so. I have already been reading some books by James Joyce, a very good Irish writer.

I look forward to writing these posts and I hope that you will be as dedicated to reading them as I might be to writing them. Please comment often so as not to make this one-sided. Thanks for reading.