...at least, that's how it's felt for me for the past few weeks. As many of you, my dearly beloved readers, are also on facebook, you may have noticed that I lost my job and fractured my spine in quick succession. Altogether, it has not been a fantastic few weeks, to say the least. Here's the longer version of the story:
Two weeks ago, I went into work, and was informed that my manager was getting in trouble for how much he was spending on payroll. Now, this is ridiculous, because we never had too many people, at least not on the shifts that I worked. Sadly, as previous experience has taught me, the people up there who do not have to do the extra work caused by under-staffing never seem to care how many people are actually needed, and it is the easiest budget cut. Of course, I, as the newest, and I believe only part time person was the obvious choice to go. Thus, I lost the first job that I have ever liked. To replace that job is not just to replace the income, but to try to find somewhere nearly as enjoyable. I will probably have to make do, sadly.
At anyrate, as midterms were bearing down on me, I decided to put off looking for a new job. I have enough money to get me to December on a reasonable budget, and while I'd like to have a bit more security, it's nice to know I don't have to panic.
Which is a good thing, because a week later (last week), I got thrown during my riding lesson. We were trotting home from the arena, I was chatting to one of the others and not paying particular attention. I lost my left stirrup, and as I maneuvered to get it back, Jacques, the horse I was on, spooked. I'm not entirely sure what he did, but it resulted in me lying in the ditch trying to breathe and figure out the damage. After a few minutes I was able to get up though, and despite excruciating pain, decided to get back on, to minimize fuss and reassure myself at my own ability to ride (it had been a particularly bad lesson as well). I made it back home, and on the advice of another rider, an emergency room doctor, took paracetamol and codeine and iced my throbbing back. Even though none of this seemed to help, I continued in my general policy of making light of these things. It usually feels better that way, at least emotionally. Plus, I figured at worst, I'd done some muscle damage. However, when the pain had not abated on Sunday, I decided to go in to the hospital, primarily, in some ways, to reassure my less complacent (and hence more intelligent) friends. After the usual several hour wait in the emergency room, a doctor poked my back and took some x-rays, which showed, much to my chagrin, that I had fractured at least two vertebrae. whoops. I sat around for another hour before the orthopedic doctors came and saw me. They gave me the option of going home, but said I really oughtn't to, as, not knowing the extent of the injury, and supposing it to be unstable, any wrong movement could paralyse me. Also, going home would have meant a week long wait for a CT scan. So, I acquiesced to staying, and was condemned to complete bed rest. It took a while for me to realize what that meant, namely, no getting up, no getting down, no goofing around, to quote my mother, for any reason. I was to stay prone, sitting up to no more than 45deg. And yes, that meant bed pans. What a lesson in humility! Also, for someone who does her best to be self sufficient, being completely reliant on others to bring things was frustrating and embarassing. I survived however, and had a CT scan in the morning. The results came in the late afternoon, saying that I hadn't damaged the bone around the spinal column, so I was free to move around. Joy! It took another four hours for them to get the pain meds for me and discharge me, but then I was allowed to go home, on the strict injunction not to go to lectures this week and not to ride for two months.
The heroes of this story are Becky, who not only waited for 4 hours in the emergency room with me on Sunday, but also came back to bring me necessities later that evening, and spent another four hours or more waiting with me for my discharge on Monday, to walk me home. Hannah brought me chocolate, mineral water and coke, and spent several hours entertaining me on Monday. She has also been the most regular visitor in my less restrictive home bed rest, along with Mary. Georgia helped with bringing my stuff over on Sunday, and waited while they remembered where they'd left me. Lisbeth spent several hours visiting me in the hospital on Monday, brought me two large gooey delicious cookies, and helped me bake an apple pie on Tuesday, before my poor apples gave up the ghost. and made applesauce with the remaining apples. Thank you sooo much, guys!
I think it is only just starting to sink in, just how close I came to seriously and permanently damaging myself. Now, for a sensible person, this would mean that I would consider dropping some of my more dangerous activities, but I can't wait to get back on a horse. That's the other thing I'm just realizing... how bleak the next two months will be without riding. My finances will be happier for it though.
The rest of my life is quite dull in comparison. schoolwork continues. I did a bunch of extra reading over reading week and this week of my convalescence. I have recently been battling with the monster of academic bureaucracy over getting an extension, which is much more complicated than in the States. sigh.
In good news, I have found a real spiritual home in St Martin's in the Fields. It is the friendliest parish that I have ever been to, and the service, with it's old fashioned hymns, and activist, liberal-leaning sermons, is exactly what I look for. I have joined the 'Twirties' (twenties and thirties) group, and the choir director has agreed to lend me a hymnal with music (most just have words). Every Sunday, several people have come up and introduced themselves and welcomed me. Last Sunday, two women even took me out to lunch, as I had no money on me at the time! So kind of them.
Anyways, despite the catastrophes, the past few weeks have been great! Hopefully they will continue so, only sans catastrophe. :)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Autumn
On an afternoon like this, the pale, bright light of the sun turns the wind-shattered surface of the river brilliant and blinding. Every so often a cloud pulls across, and the river becomes silver, but still bright. The buildings are sharp and clear against the backdrop of the sky. Today it is definitely Autumn, with a strong wind and a chill in the air. I kicked through the piles of leaves that accumulated on the South Bank walk below Westminster Bridge, but they were all brown. I miss the fire of the trees in Michigan, where each leaf seems like a work of art, and the whole world is filled with such a variety of color, unlike any other time of year. I miss apple cider and pumpkins.
I never thought of these particular aspects of Autumn as especially American. They are not usually included on patriotic lists. They should be, because Michigan's Fall might be the only thing I miss about the country itself.
I also miss my family, my cats, and my friends. That's a little more expected though.
I never thought of these particular aspects of Autumn as especially American. They are not usually included on patriotic lists. They should be, because Michigan's Fall might be the only thing I miss about the country itself.
I also miss my family, my cats, and my friends. That's a little more expected though.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
woah! a post!
I should probably be doing my reading, but I was so excited that the (very slow and cranky) internet in my dorm actually let me sign on to my blog that I figured I should sit down and finally post. I've been here a month already and haven't written! well, part of that was not being able to sign on, but I have found the settling in process quite stressful. however, that process is almost complete, and my life is wiggling down into it's routine, which I like.
I really love this city. It is so full of diversity and history, and there are all these landmarks that I've heard of for my whole life, and then I actually see them. I live in Lambeth, (on the grounds of the palace of the Arch bishop of Canturbury, for the Anglicans amongst my readers) which is on the South Bank. I'm minutes away from the London Eye, about 10 minutes from Waterloo station, and across the river from the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. I can hear Big Ben from my bedroom. Just think about for a minute. I remember, growing up, when we stayed at my grandparents house, my grandfather's clock chimed the Big Ben tunes. I never slept very well, and I used to listen to it in the middle of the night. So I didn't think much of it the first time I heard it here, until I realized that it was actually the *real* Big Ben. woah. My walk in to campus is along the South Bank. It might be quicker to go through the streets, but not much, and would be much less pleasant. My favorite part of the walk is crossing Waterloo Bridge, because it affords an amazing view of the city in either direction. It never fails to cheer me up, if I'm stressed. I look to one side, and see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and other grand sights. To the other side I can see the Gurken (Swiss Bank building, I think. it looks like a rocket about to launch), St Paul's Cathedral, the National Theater, etc. I am planning on taking photos of my walk in soon, and I'll link to the album on Facebook here. My least favorite part of the walk is forcing my way through the gaggles of tourists around the London Eye. There is nothing in this world less considerate of other people than a tourist.
I love the university. I only have 8 hours of class each week, and although this is partly made up with reading, I would so much rather be working on my own, self-motivated, rather than being talked at by a lecturer. Also, I have no papers until finals (no worries, I'm already thinking about them, I won't put them off), so that makes everything seem easier. My "Literature of the English Revolution" class is surprisingly one of the best. It was not high on my list of choices, but the professor is truely excellent, and leads the best seminar of all of my classes. Irish Liturature is more interesting reading-wise, and the lectures are alright, but in seminar, the professor definitely plays favorites, which is annoying. Well, either favorites, or just calling on/paying more attention to the people he's taught before. The Victorian Lit professor is by far the worst though. Which is a shame, because I like the reading (depressing as it is). But she deliberately calls on people to make everyone talk during discussion, which is so high school. People end up blathering about nothing, just so she'll leave them alone. On the other hand, if you come up with a point she hadn't thought of, she will disregard it completely. We read Tennyson's Maud last week, and I pointed out that lines 464-5 "[He]/Gorgonised me from head to foot/ with a stony British stare" has an interesting reversal in that the person being stared at (the narrator) is the one being turned into a gorgon (he is gorgonised) by the stony stare, rather than the gorgon's stare turning the other to stone. This makes a lot of sense within the context of the poem and the relationship between the two people. However, she completely rode over my comment, without allowing any discussion of it, and said I was wrong. she always makes you feel like you've said the wrong thing, whether she agrees or not. Ah well, I will survive. Anglo Saxon is a real disappointment though. Because I have a lot more experience in this sort of thing, and my knowledge of German, I have a head start on the rest of the class, and find it quite boring. The professor told me to relax this term and take her Old English Poetry class next term, which will involve dropping something else. I would rather just do extra translation now, and not waste my time. Also, I don't want to dishearten the rest of my class by seeming bored, when it's not that I'm better at it (at least, I doubt that I am), I just have previous experience.
Still, I like studying here so much. I think I will find it very hard to go back to Chicago at the end of the year, even though I miss my friends.
Everyone here has been very friendly and welcoming. I have at least two quite close friends already, and a large group of more general friends. No worries of me becoming a recluse here. :) Cooking is always pretty sociable. Cozy, in fact, because our kitchen is about 4 foot square, so it gets crowded. I am happy to say that because I refuse to feed myself crap, I have inspired some of my friends to rise from the swamp of ready meals. Sadly, there are a few itinerate lazy people who scoff at my need for real food, and persist in eating the equivalent of wonder bread or pasta for every meal. Their loss.
I did get into the orchestra, in the end, despite totally bombing my audition. Of course I'm right in the back, but everyone in front of me is studying music, and I'd rather not have the pressure. we're playing "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Sheherazade", so I have been practicing, because they're quite difficult pieces. I have made contact with theater people, and am supposedly doing both costumes and fights for a Woody Allen three play evening in December, and R and J in March. Both directors, while extremely enthusiastic about my help, have been a bit lax about things like... getting me the script, talkign about ideas, etc so I could actually get to work. I've started to be more persistant about the show in December, and will let her know that I do need a certain amount of time, or I'm off the show. Have to be firm, or something like that. :) Anyways, all the usual activities are falling into place, and I'm taking riding lessons at a stable in Wimbledon. So far they've been not so much lessons as just rides, but it's so beautiful, and I'm just ecstatic to be able to ride! It's (sort of) affordable, and I love it so much. Plus it forces me to get out into what is basically countryside once a week, which is great.
To pay for my expensive habit and taste for fine food, I have got a job at a classy pub on the Strand, right by campus, across from the Royal Courts of Justice. I really love it so far. Granted, this was only my second day, but still. Anything where you can do a six hour shift and come home and still love it, is pretty good. I make £6/hr, with a likely raise in a few months, get 3 weeks paid vacation, and the boss is really flexible about moving or cutting back on hours. Currently I'm working 15/wk, which has been fine so far. I'll cut back if I need to though. Also I get free food while I'm working. Free amazing, would-be-expensive food, I should say. :) Works pretty well for me.
I went to St. Martin's in the Fields for church today. I picked it because it has a 10am sung Eucharist, unlike the usual 11 or 11:30, so I could go and get to work by 12. Also, it's very convenient both to my residence hall and the pub. And I loved it! It's a medium sized congregation made up primarily of older people (most of the people my age are in the choir), but that doesn't bother me. The service was BCP, and the hymns were traditional. Exactly my kind of place. The priest is a woman, and the (male) vicar preached a decent, if rambling, sermon this morning. I think I have found my parish home, which is a huge relief.
I haven't done much touristy stuff yet, but I went to a London Philharmonic concert on Wednesday, and London Burough Market yesterday. Both were really amazing.
Well, I'm sure there's more I could write about, but I'm really losing steam, and have to get on with my work. Suffice it to say that I love it here. :)
Miss you all though! To bad
I really love this city. It is so full of diversity and history, and there are all these landmarks that I've heard of for my whole life, and then I actually see them. I live in Lambeth, (on the grounds of the palace of the Arch bishop of Canturbury, for the Anglicans amongst my readers) which is on the South Bank. I'm minutes away from the London Eye, about 10 minutes from Waterloo station, and across the river from the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. I can hear Big Ben from my bedroom. Just think about for a minute. I remember, growing up, when we stayed at my grandparents house, my grandfather's clock chimed the Big Ben tunes. I never slept very well, and I used to listen to it in the middle of the night. So I didn't think much of it the first time I heard it here, until I realized that it was actually the *real* Big Ben. woah. My walk in to campus is along the South Bank. It might be quicker to go through the streets, but not much, and would be much less pleasant. My favorite part of the walk is crossing Waterloo Bridge, because it affords an amazing view of the city in either direction. It never fails to cheer me up, if I'm stressed. I look to one side, and see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and other grand sights. To the other side I can see the Gurken (Swiss Bank building, I think. it looks like a rocket about to launch), St Paul's Cathedral, the National Theater, etc. I am planning on taking photos of my walk in soon, and I'll link to the album on Facebook here. My least favorite part of the walk is forcing my way through the gaggles of tourists around the London Eye. There is nothing in this world less considerate of other people than a tourist.
I love the university. I only have 8 hours of class each week, and although this is partly made up with reading, I would so much rather be working on my own, self-motivated, rather than being talked at by a lecturer. Also, I have no papers until finals (no worries, I'm already thinking about them, I won't put them off), so that makes everything seem easier. My "Literature of the English Revolution" class is surprisingly one of the best. It was not high on my list of choices, but the professor is truely excellent, and leads the best seminar of all of my classes. Irish Liturature is more interesting reading-wise, and the lectures are alright, but in seminar, the professor definitely plays favorites, which is annoying. Well, either favorites, or just calling on/paying more attention to the people he's taught before. The Victorian Lit professor is by far the worst though. Which is a shame, because I like the reading (depressing as it is). But she deliberately calls on people to make everyone talk during discussion, which is so high school. People end up blathering about nothing, just so she'll leave them alone. On the other hand, if you come up with a point she hadn't thought of, she will disregard it completely. We read Tennyson's Maud last week, and I pointed out that lines 464-5 "[He]/Gorgonised me from head to foot/ with a stony British stare" has an interesting reversal in that the person being stared at (the narrator) is the one being turned into a gorgon (he is gorgonised) by the stony stare, rather than the gorgon's stare turning the other to stone. This makes a lot of sense within the context of the poem and the relationship between the two people. However, she completely rode over my comment, without allowing any discussion of it, and said I was wrong. she always makes you feel like you've said the wrong thing, whether she agrees or not. Ah well, I will survive. Anglo Saxon is a real disappointment though. Because I have a lot more experience in this sort of thing, and my knowledge of German, I have a head start on the rest of the class, and find it quite boring. The professor told me to relax this term and take her Old English Poetry class next term, which will involve dropping something else. I would rather just do extra translation now, and not waste my time. Also, I don't want to dishearten the rest of my class by seeming bored, when it's not that I'm better at it (at least, I doubt that I am), I just have previous experience.
Still, I like studying here so much. I think I will find it very hard to go back to Chicago at the end of the year, even though I miss my friends.
Everyone here has been very friendly and welcoming. I have at least two quite close friends already, and a large group of more general friends. No worries of me becoming a recluse here. :) Cooking is always pretty sociable. Cozy, in fact, because our kitchen is about 4 foot square, so it gets crowded. I am happy to say that because I refuse to feed myself crap, I have inspired some of my friends to rise from the swamp of ready meals. Sadly, there are a few itinerate lazy people who scoff at my need for real food, and persist in eating the equivalent of wonder bread or pasta for every meal. Their loss.
I did get into the orchestra, in the end, despite totally bombing my audition. Of course I'm right in the back, but everyone in front of me is studying music, and I'd rather not have the pressure. we're playing "Night on Bald Mountain" and "Sheherazade", so I have been practicing, because they're quite difficult pieces. I have made contact with theater people, and am supposedly doing both costumes and fights for a Woody Allen three play evening in December, and R and J in March. Both directors, while extremely enthusiastic about my help, have been a bit lax about things like... getting me the script, talkign about ideas, etc so I could actually get to work. I've started to be more persistant about the show in December, and will let her know that I do need a certain amount of time, or I'm off the show. Have to be firm, or something like that. :) Anyways, all the usual activities are falling into place, and I'm taking riding lessons at a stable in Wimbledon. So far they've been not so much lessons as just rides, but it's so beautiful, and I'm just ecstatic to be able to ride! It's (sort of) affordable, and I love it so much. Plus it forces me to get out into what is basically countryside once a week, which is great.
To pay for my expensive habit and taste for fine food, I have got a job at a classy pub on the Strand, right by campus, across from the Royal Courts of Justice. I really love it so far. Granted, this was only my second day, but still. Anything where you can do a six hour shift and come home and still love it, is pretty good. I make £6/hr, with a likely raise in a few months, get 3 weeks paid vacation, and the boss is really flexible about moving or cutting back on hours. Currently I'm working 15/wk, which has been fine so far. I'll cut back if I need to though. Also I get free food while I'm working. Free amazing, would-be-expensive food, I should say. :) Works pretty well for me.
I went to St. Martin's in the Fields for church today. I picked it because it has a 10am sung Eucharist, unlike the usual 11 or 11:30, so I could go and get to work by 12. Also, it's very convenient both to my residence hall and the pub. And I loved it! It's a medium sized congregation made up primarily of older people (most of the people my age are in the choir), but that doesn't bother me. The service was BCP, and the hymns were traditional. Exactly my kind of place. The priest is a woman, and the (male) vicar preached a decent, if rambling, sermon this morning. I think I have found my parish home, which is a huge relief.
I haven't done much touristy stuff yet, but I went to a London Philharmonic concert on Wednesday, and London Burough Market yesterday. Both were really amazing.
Well, I'm sure there's more I could write about, but I'm really losing steam, and have to get on with my work. Suffice it to say that I love it here. :)
Miss you all though! To bad
Friday, September 12, 2008
London!
So here I am! Just a brief post for now, because Natasha (my sister-in-law) is making dinner. I've been doing lots, and have lots more to do, so am a little frantic. Unfortunately, I won't have internet for the first few days at my dorm, until I get a King's login, on Tuesday, when I enroll. But I have this lovely laptop, courtesy of my lovely (extremely generous) brother, so I'm all set for now.
So, my dad had a more or less uneventful drive to Chicago on Wednesday, taking approximately five hours (not bad time). When we got there, we discovered that for Virgin Atlantic doesn't count the cello as a suitcase, so I could have had two suitcases and the cello. Not that I could have carried all that, but it would have eased the packing situation. Anyways, I ended up checking my backpack, filled with the heaviest stuff from the suitcase, so that it was under the weight limit (or under the slightly higher limit that the lady at check in allowed me). So that was better than it could have been, by a long shot. Good to know for the trip home too. Unfortunately, I checked my normal glasses, because they were in the bag with a crochet project I stuffed in the suitcase for the flight, so I had to wear sunglasses for the flight.
The flight itself was fairly smooth, only 7 1/2 hours, which is short, I think. The landing was really rough though, and we had to circle Heathrow for ten minutes, so I almost threw up. Then I felt like I was going to faint all through customs, but I felt that would be a bad idea, and almost certainly slow the process. So I stayed concious and didn't throw up, through sheer force of will. I breezed through customs, found all of my baggage just waiting for me, intact and unmolested. Unfortunately, my taxi driver did not fit this description: he wasn't there at all (perhaps he had left already?) but I got another taxi, and made it to my brother's place intact.
That afternoon, I went to my dorm to turn in all of my paperwork, and see the place. Setting is gorgeous, location fine, rooms absolutely dreary. oh well, can't have everything. I also went to campus to turn in my health forms, and discovered that I basically go to the coolest school ever, at least location wise. My classes are at the Strand campus which is on the Strand, between the Embankment and Temple Tube stops, so basically, right on the river, in the middle of just about everything. :) It takes about 15-20 mins to get to campus via the Tube, but shouldn't be much longer walking, so that's probably what I'll do. cheaper too.
Today, Natasha and I did a little local shopping, mostly to compare prices for housewares for me, but also to buy baby stuff. Then I continued on to Ikea by myself. Ikea, even here, is a place best reached by car. It was a ways out on the Tube, which in itself isn't a problem, but then it was a long walk through unpleasant industrial areas to get to the store (and back, loaded with stuff). However, it was worth it, as I bought pots, a frying pan, a knife, cutting board, plates, cutlery (set of 24 for £6, as I couldn't by individual pieces), towels, sheets, duvet cover, rug (to brighten the dingy greybrown carpeting), tubs for leftovers, and baby stuff for Natasha, all for £70, which was £30 less than my budget for this sort of thing. Of course, I will probably find other things I will want, but this is a good start. Hauling all that back to the station was really unpleasant though. I am getting another taxi to take me and my stuff to the dorm tomorrow. There is no way that is working on the Tube.
Still to be done: getting money on to my phone (my british sim card works in my american phone, yay!), moving in, enrolling, figuring out orientation schedule and then actual schedule, finding a church and grocery stores and a job... the list could continue, but you get the idea. One thing at a time, I suppose, although it all sort of feels like it has to happen NOW! still, I am in London!!! sooo happy bout that. :)
love to everyone, but communication will be spotty at best over the next few days. no interwebs. :(
So, my dad had a more or less uneventful drive to Chicago on Wednesday, taking approximately five hours (not bad time). When we got there, we discovered that for Virgin Atlantic doesn't count the cello as a suitcase, so I could have had two suitcases and the cello. Not that I could have carried all that, but it would have eased the packing situation. Anyways, I ended up checking my backpack, filled with the heaviest stuff from the suitcase, so that it was under the weight limit (or under the slightly higher limit that the lady at check in allowed me). So that was better than it could have been, by a long shot. Good to know for the trip home too. Unfortunately, I checked my normal glasses, because they were in the bag with a crochet project I stuffed in the suitcase for the flight, so I had to wear sunglasses for the flight.
The flight itself was fairly smooth, only 7 1/2 hours, which is short, I think. The landing was really rough though, and we had to circle Heathrow for ten minutes, so I almost threw up. Then I felt like I was going to faint all through customs, but I felt that would be a bad idea, and almost certainly slow the process. So I stayed concious and didn't throw up, through sheer force of will. I breezed through customs, found all of my baggage just waiting for me, intact and unmolested. Unfortunately, my taxi driver did not fit this description: he wasn't there at all (perhaps he had left already?) but I got another taxi, and made it to my brother's place intact.
That afternoon, I went to my dorm to turn in all of my paperwork, and see the place. Setting is gorgeous, location fine, rooms absolutely dreary. oh well, can't have everything. I also went to campus to turn in my health forms, and discovered that I basically go to the coolest school ever, at least location wise. My classes are at the Strand campus which is on the Strand, between the Embankment and Temple Tube stops, so basically, right on the river, in the middle of just about everything. :) It takes about 15-20 mins to get to campus via the Tube, but shouldn't be much longer walking, so that's probably what I'll do. cheaper too.
Today, Natasha and I did a little local shopping, mostly to compare prices for housewares for me, but also to buy baby stuff. Then I continued on to Ikea by myself. Ikea, even here, is a place best reached by car. It was a ways out on the Tube, which in itself isn't a problem, but then it was a long walk through unpleasant industrial areas to get to the store (and back, loaded with stuff). However, it was worth it, as I bought pots, a frying pan, a knife, cutting board, plates, cutlery (set of 24 for £6, as I couldn't by individual pieces), towels, sheets, duvet cover, rug (to brighten the dingy greybrown carpeting), tubs for leftovers, and baby stuff for Natasha, all for £70, which was £30 less than my budget for this sort of thing. Of course, I will probably find other things I will want, but this is a good start. Hauling all that back to the station was really unpleasant though. I am getting another taxi to take me and my stuff to the dorm tomorrow. There is no way that is working on the Tube.
Still to be done: getting money on to my phone (my british sim card works in my american phone, yay!), moving in, enrolling, figuring out orientation schedule and then actual schedule, finding a church and grocery stores and a job... the list could continue, but you get the idea. One thing at a time, I suppose, although it all sort of feels like it has to happen NOW! still, I am in London!!! sooo happy bout that. :)
love to everyone, but communication will be spotty at best over the next few days. no interwebs. :(
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Leaving on a jet plane...
don't know when I'll be back again.
Actually, I don't, since I have a one way ticket. But sometime in June 2009 most likely.
But yes, folks, this is it! My dad and I are driving to Chicago this morning to take me to O'Hare Airport, and then it's on to London, baby!
Actually, I don't, since I have a one way ticket. But sometime in June 2009 most likely.
But yes, folks, this is it! My dad and I are driving to Chicago this morning to take me to O'Hare Airport, and then it's on to London, baby!
Friday, August 29, 2008
In which quite a lot happens
It's been quite a while since I last posted, for the good reason that it's been a very busy few weeks. The first week of August was primarily occupied with Ainsley's wedding (for those who don't know her, Ainsley has been one of my best friends since high school). There was the wild bachelorette party, involving country music, dancing, and karaoke, and was a lot of fun. Then there was the (rather more sedate) rehearsal dinner, and then, of course, the wedding itself. That was on the Friday, and Ainsley, Corrin, Bevin, and I (the bridal party), had a great time spending the whole day primping. Professional hair-dos, amateur foot baths and nail painting, and a private mini Mary Kay party from the mother of the bride, who is a Beauty Consultant for MK. Ainsley, who would look lovely even if she rolled out of bed and threw on some jeans and a t-shirt, was absolutely radiant in her white dress, hair carefully curled and pulled back, and make-up done with utmost attention to detail. The ceremony was outside, and the weather cooperated, providing golden late-afternoon sunshine and a gentle breeze. The most exciting part was trying to navigate the uneven stone walkway in several inch spike heels... fortunately, Tobias, brother of the groom, with whom I was entering, was very steady, and let me hang on his arm. Obviously, it isn't the done thing to stare anxiously at the ground in front of you. However, no broken ankles occurred. Then there was an excellent dinner, followed by the best music selection for dancing ever, consisting primarily of the Beatles and similar. :)
The very next morning, my family left for our vacation on the Georgian Bay. It's an eight hour drive, which can be grueling, especially towing the boat. We have a 14-foot, gaff rigged cat boat (small boat with a four-sided sail, for the nautically illiterate), with oars instead of a motor. yup, we're hard core. Anyways, we stayed in a little rented cabin that my dad had found, and woah was it off the main road. The roads up in that part of Canada already seem to have a tenuous grasp on existence, just pasted over the top of the Canadian Shield, following the leaping contours of the land, with Nature never held back by much. But off of one such twisty road was the private track (for lack of a better word) that led to our cottage, among others. This track was little wider than the car, and so rough and curved that it could not be driven faster than 20mph at best, and induced nausea even at that speed. Needless to say, once in, one was not inclined to leave. We spent our days sailing on 12 Mile Bay, one of the many bays in the Georgian Bay area (Canadian side of northern Lake Huron). We even managed to reach the "big water", but at this point the rest of my family chickened out and we turned back. The wind always blew in from the lake, which was good, because we had to tack our way out against it, and could run back in in half the time. This was especially good on the day when, after a picnic lunch, black clouds began to roll in. Thunder rolled, but we didn't see any lightning, so we decided to make a break for it, rather than beach and weather the storm on an island. I was at the tiller, and man... most scary sailing of my life. Of course the wind had picked up, and the weather helm was so strong that I was sure the tiller would snap. A weather helm is the instinct of the boat to turn up into the wind. When you're running before the wind, this pull is at it's strongest, but in normal winds, it's hardly noticable. This was not only noticable, it was an arm work out. Right as we were coming into our dock, two motorboats roared by, and their wakes, amplified by the wind and the lake swell, created what must have been 3 or 4 foot waves (they felt like 6, but memory and fear exaggerate). In a small boat like ours, those are huge waves. Anyways, they threw us at the dock, and I turned up too soon, missing the dock. We managed to beach on the swimming beach behind, though, so everything was fine. As soon as we had the Wildcat moored and were off the dock, the skies opened in a torential downpour, and the wind died. Thank God we were in before, because that would have been really lame, becalmed in the rain. The rain alternated with violent squalls, and the general conclusion was that we really timed that well. :)
One of my dad's old friends visited, and he showed us his pictures from a tour of Antarctica... by kayak. They were staying on a bigger boat, but went out every day in kayaks and zodiacs. Coolest photos ever, and Antarctica goes on my list o' places I have to go before I die. :) Clint took my dad and I canoing in the morning, when there wasn't any wind, and then we all sailed in the afternoon.
We didn't sail the whole time, though. On one day, we went to a nearby larger town to meet some friends of my dad. We went on a large boat cruise of Parry Sound, which was much less exciting than sailing. But Gordon and Marianna were very nice, and we had some interesting conversations. Then we (my family) attempted to drive to visit long time friends of my mum, got lost, and explored exciting backways, before reaching our destination. The directions included steps something like "turn right at the rotting stump... leave your car in the field and start walking...". The Chalfonts were staying in an ancient log cabin, with a boat house gradually sinking into the lake. It clearly had a long history of being lived in and loved. Our hosts were the brother and sister in law of my mum's best friend, but they were accompanied by their mother, at least one other couple in their own generation (another sibling, I think), their children, and grandchildren. At least, there were 17 people and four generations there. I lost track of who belonged to whom. It was a riot. I talked to Andromache (also known as Moosey), about her upcoming wedding to stunning Italian fiance, Johny, and spent a lot of time playing with the five or six children in the youngest generation. Then it was back to our own remote neck of the woods.
The next day my sister Kate joined us, coming from her Scottish Country Dancing teaching exam. She was able to spend a few days with us before going back. In an aside, that was one of the definite high points of this summer: being able to see Kate so frequently, as she popped over from working at the Field Museum in Chicago. It was far more convenient than from her normal location in Austin, TX. :)
Right after we got back from Canada, we were joined by my friend Heike and her brother Armin, en route from Germany, via New York and car to Wisconsin. It was so nice to see Heike (and meet Armin)! We went for a walk in the Arb, my dad took them sailing, they went to Greenfield Village, and I took them canoing on the Huron River. Unfortunately, I had to work most of the days they were there, so that meant I couldn't spend as much time with them as I would have liked. Still it was a nice visit, and a wonderful chance to spend time with friends I don't see very often (stupid Atlantic ocean being in the way). :)
Since then I've been scrambling to get on top of things, and oh my goodness, get ready for my rapidly approaching departure! only 11 more DAYS if you can believe it. Those 11 days are packed with doctor's appointments and hair appointments, meals with friends, and of course, the ever present, ever unpleasant work.
The Michigan Renaissance Festival has also opened, so I'm spending my Sundays there. Last Sunday I was dancing, but the next two weeks I'll be teching for TCN at the feast. Only three days at faire. sadface. Ah well, for England, that's ok. And I have an almost certain, very exciting job lined up for next summer: squiring for the jousters! Horses, swords, and Ren faire, three of my favorite things, and getting paid for it! woo! Also, no rehearsals earlier in the summer, so it won't matter that I won't get home until mid June at the earliest. I'm pretty pumped. I'm going to haunt the joust camp this year so that they remember me, although the woman in charge of hiring seemed pretty excited about me, being a horse person. :)\
Speaking of which, riding lessons are going pretty well, and I found a few affordable stables less than an hour from my dorm via public transport in London, so they don't have to stop. yay!
And so, a pretty low summer is drawing finally to a close. Next summer already has a lot of promise of being better though. And London is going to be amazing.
Summer photos to be posted soonish.
The very next morning, my family left for our vacation on the Georgian Bay. It's an eight hour drive, which can be grueling, especially towing the boat. We have a 14-foot, gaff rigged cat boat (small boat with a four-sided sail, for the nautically illiterate), with oars instead of a motor. yup, we're hard core. Anyways, we stayed in a little rented cabin that my dad had found, and woah was it off the main road. The roads up in that part of Canada already seem to have a tenuous grasp on existence, just pasted over the top of the Canadian Shield, following the leaping contours of the land, with Nature never held back by much. But off of one such twisty road was the private track (for lack of a better word) that led to our cottage, among others. This track was little wider than the car, and so rough and curved that it could not be driven faster than 20mph at best, and induced nausea even at that speed. Needless to say, once in, one was not inclined to leave. We spent our days sailing on 12 Mile Bay, one of the many bays in the Georgian Bay area (Canadian side of northern Lake Huron). We even managed to reach the "big water", but at this point the rest of my family chickened out and we turned back. The wind always blew in from the lake, which was good, because we had to tack our way out against it, and could run back in in half the time. This was especially good on the day when, after a picnic lunch, black clouds began to roll in. Thunder rolled, but we didn't see any lightning, so we decided to make a break for it, rather than beach and weather the storm on an island. I was at the tiller, and man... most scary sailing of my life. Of course the wind had picked up, and the weather helm was so strong that I was sure the tiller would snap. A weather helm is the instinct of the boat to turn up into the wind. When you're running before the wind, this pull is at it's strongest, but in normal winds, it's hardly noticable. This was not only noticable, it was an arm work out. Right as we were coming into our dock, two motorboats roared by, and their wakes, amplified by the wind and the lake swell, created what must have been 3 or 4 foot waves (they felt like 6, but memory and fear exaggerate). In a small boat like ours, those are huge waves. Anyways, they threw us at the dock, and I turned up too soon, missing the dock. We managed to beach on the swimming beach behind, though, so everything was fine. As soon as we had the Wildcat moored and were off the dock, the skies opened in a torential downpour, and the wind died. Thank God we were in before, because that would have been really lame, becalmed in the rain. The rain alternated with violent squalls, and the general conclusion was that we really timed that well. :)
One of my dad's old friends visited, and he showed us his pictures from a tour of Antarctica... by kayak. They were staying on a bigger boat, but went out every day in kayaks and zodiacs. Coolest photos ever, and Antarctica goes on my list o' places I have to go before I die. :) Clint took my dad and I canoing in the morning, when there wasn't any wind, and then we all sailed in the afternoon.
We didn't sail the whole time, though. On one day, we went to a nearby larger town to meet some friends of my dad. We went on a large boat cruise of Parry Sound, which was much less exciting than sailing. But Gordon and Marianna were very nice, and we had some interesting conversations. Then we (my family) attempted to drive to visit long time friends of my mum, got lost, and explored exciting backways, before reaching our destination. The directions included steps something like "turn right at the rotting stump... leave your car in the field and start walking...". The Chalfonts were staying in an ancient log cabin, with a boat house gradually sinking into the lake. It clearly had a long history of being lived in and loved. Our hosts were the brother and sister in law of my mum's best friend, but they were accompanied by their mother, at least one other couple in their own generation (another sibling, I think), their children, and grandchildren. At least, there were 17 people and four generations there. I lost track of who belonged to whom. It was a riot. I talked to Andromache (also known as Moosey), about her upcoming wedding to stunning Italian fiance, Johny, and spent a lot of time playing with the five or six children in the youngest generation. Then it was back to our own remote neck of the woods.
The next day my sister Kate joined us, coming from her Scottish Country Dancing teaching exam. She was able to spend a few days with us before going back. In an aside, that was one of the definite high points of this summer: being able to see Kate so frequently, as she popped over from working at the Field Museum in Chicago. It was far more convenient than from her normal location in Austin, TX. :)
Right after we got back from Canada, we were joined by my friend Heike and her brother Armin, en route from Germany, via New York and car to Wisconsin. It was so nice to see Heike (and meet Armin)! We went for a walk in the Arb, my dad took them sailing, they went to Greenfield Village, and I took them canoing on the Huron River. Unfortunately, I had to work most of the days they were there, so that meant I couldn't spend as much time with them as I would have liked. Still it was a nice visit, and a wonderful chance to spend time with friends I don't see very often (stupid Atlantic ocean being in the way). :)
Since then I've been scrambling to get on top of things, and oh my goodness, get ready for my rapidly approaching departure! only 11 more DAYS if you can believe it. Those 11 days are packed with doctor's appointments and hair appointments, meals with friends, and of course, the ever present, ever unpleasant work.
The Michigan Renaissance Festival has also opened, so I'm spending my Sundays there. Last Sunday I was dancing, but the next two weeks I'll be teching for TCN at the feast. Only three days at faire. sadface. Ah well, for England, that's ok. And I have an almost certain, very exciting job lined up for next summer: squiring for the jousters! Horses, swords, and Ren faire, three of my favorite things, and getting paid for it! woo! Also, no rehearsals earlier in the summer, so it won't matter that I won't get home until mid June at the earliest. I'm pretty pumped. I'm going to haunt the joust camp this year so that they remember me, although the woman in charge of hiring seemed pretty excited about me, being a horse person. :)\
Speaking of which, riding lessons are going pretty well, and I found a few affordable stables less than an hour from my dorm via public transport in London, so they don't have to stop. yay!
And so, a pretty low summer is drawing finally to a close. Next summer already has a lot of promise of being better though. And London is going to be amazing.
Summer photos to be posted soonish.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
one little thing can revive a guy, and that is a piece of rhubarb pie.
You have probably heard the "Interrupting Cow" joke:
"knock knock"
"who's there?"
"interrupting cow!"
"interrupting c-"
"MOOOOOO!"
There is also a variation called "Interrupting Starfish," in which the interruption is a splayed out hand in the face. My friend also came up with a version, "interrupting completely uncalled for," which can range from a gentle, friendly smack to a full on tackle. Which is sort of what it felt like the world did last night.
My sword fighting group has been renting practice space from the Ann Arbor Community Center on Main St. for about 6 months. Every week, they're there from 7-9 on Wednesdays, and almost every week they go out for food afterwards (I say 'they' because I'm not usually there, just during the summer). Being at least somewhat eco-conscious, and not wanting to fight for parking, we usually carpool, leaving our other cars in the lot at the AACC. Since we're the last people there, we didn't see that this could be a problem, and we were never alerted to that possibility. Well, last night, we came back to find only one of the cars of the four cars and motorcycle that had been left still there. Needless to say, minor panic ensued. We were "greeted" by a lady, who informed us that our cars had been towed. To be fair, there is a sign that says unauthorized cars will be towed, and we were using their parking lot as storage for our cars rather than pay for parking elsewhere for the hour we were gone. However, let me repeat that this has been happening for six months, and nothing has been said, no warning has been given. Even though the janitor has been there all the time. Also, why does the building manager leave while there are still patrons in the building? He left at 8! That doesn't make any sense, and if he didn't leave, he could have told us that leaving our cars was not ok. No where in the contract did it say that we had to clear out of the parking lot at risk of being towed. It was never said unofficially either, which also would have sufficed. The lady did not see this as necessary, however, and was extremely unpleasant about it. Apparently, psychic powers are assumed, because heaven forbid she should have taken 30 seconds to warn us about their "stringent" parking lot policies. We should have known. As one of my friends put it, logically, why would we leave our cars where they were likely to be towed? so clearly, we had no idea it was a problem. It's never been a problem at any of the other rehearsal spaces we've rented. Why didn't we ask then, was the lady's response. PERSONAL PET PEEVE ALERT: you can't know what you don't know! By which I mean, you can't ask a question if you think you're doing something right. You only ask if you think there might be something wrong.
Now, I can understand that she was frustrated because she'd been called back to work at 10:30pm, and I can understand why they don't want people freeloading in their parking lot, and that she had no way of knowing they were our cars. But she had no call to be so rude, and she had a lot of call to apologize for not warning us, which of course she didn't do. I'm pretty sure she just lost our business. She certainly lost mine, because no matter how tired and cranky you are, you don't act like that to patrons. Even if they're wrong, which in this case, we weren't.
Then it turned out that it costs $235 to be impounded, even for 5 minutes. bollucks.
and that was my evening!
exactly 6 weeks, not that I'm counting...
"knock knock"
"who's there?"
"interrupting cow!"
"interrupting c-"
"MOOOOOO!"
There is also a variation called "Interrupting Starfish," in which the interruption is a splayed out hand in the face. My friend also came up with a version, "interrupting completely uncalled for," which can range from a gentle, friendly smack to a full on tackle. Which is sort of what it felt like the world did last night.
My sword fighting group has been renting practice space from the Ann Arbor Community Center on Main St. for about 6 months. Every week, they're there from 7-9 on Wednesdays, and almost every week they go out for food afterwards (I say 'they' because I'm not usually there, just during the summer). Being at least somewhat eco-conscious, and not wanting to fight for parking, we usually carpool, leaving our other cars in the lot at the AACC. Since we're the last people there, we didn't see that this could be a problem, and we were never alerted to that possibility. Well, last night, we came back to find only one of the cars of the four cars and motorcycle that had been left still there. Needless to say, minor panic ensued. We were "greeted" by a lady, who informed us that our cars had been towed. To be fair, there is a sign that says unauthorized cars will be towed, and we were using their parking lot as storage for our cars rather than pay for parking elsewhere for the hour we were gone. However, let me repeat that this has been happening for six months, and nothing has been said, no warning has been given. Even though the janitor has been there all the time. Also, why does the building manager leave while there are still patrons in the building? He left at 8! That doesn't make any sense, and if he didn't leave, he could have told us that leaving our cars was not ok. No where in the contract did it say that we had to clear out of the parking lot at risk of being towed. It was never said unofficially either, which also would have sufficed. The lady did not see this as necessary, however, and was extremely unpleasant about it. Apparently, psychic powers are assumed, because heaven forbid she should have taken 30 seconds to warn us about their "stringent" parking lot policies. We should have known. As one of my friends put it, logically, why would we leave our cars where they were likely to be towed? so clearly, we had no idea it was a problem. It's never been a problem at any of the other rehearsal spaces we've rented. Why didn't we ask then, was the lady's response. PERSONAL PET PEEVE ALERT: you can't know what you don't know! By which I mean, you can't ask a question if you think you're doing something right. You only ask if you think there might be something wrong.
Now, I can understand that she was frustrated because she'd been called back to work at 10:30pm, and I can understand why they don't want people freeloading in their parking lot, and that she had no way of knowing they were our cars. But she had no call to be so rude, and she had a lot of call to apologize for not warning us, which of course she didn't do. I'm pretty sure she just lost our business. She certainly lost mine, because no matter how tired and cranky you are, you don't act like that to patrons. Even if they're wrong, which in this case, we weren't.
Then it turned out that it costs $235 to be impounded, even for 5 minutes. bollucks.
and that was my evening!
exactly 6 weeks, not that I'm counting...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
I am a magnet for crazy, difficult bosses
my mum says this is just the hospitality industry. At least Fritz (my boss in Germany) spoke a language I could understand...
I am not particularly enjoying my job at Kang's Korean restaurant. The work itself isn't too bad: I basically do everything except cook, but the place is small, and all it requires is CONSTANT VIGILANCE (not to channel Mad-Eye Moody...) to make sure there isn't anything I can be doing at any moment. My much maligned so-called protestant work ethic-- by which I think people mean the inability to see work and not do it, and the ability to see work, period-- comes very much in handy. I make slightly less than minimum wage, in an under the table, pays-in-cash job, but that's so much more than I was making looking for a job earlier this summer.
However, I work 12-4 every day except Sunday. This doesn't sound so bad, until you realize that it precludes doing anything that would take the whole day, ever. Also, when I asked for the week to go on my family vacation, Mr. Kang blew his top and totally chewed me out. Mrs. Kang, who handles the employees, was fortunately much nicer about it, and gave me the time, but still, I'm afraid that I can't take too much time without losing my job. This rather inhibits my summer. I have two friends visiting from Germany (yay!!), but I will not have much time to spend with them. I am currently trying to reach Mrs. Kang on the phone so I can angle for a few more days off, without the tirade from her husband. we shall see.
that's pretty much it for now, folks. Am counting down the days until I leave, not because I don't love the people here, but because I am (after a week of work) ready to not be- if only somewhat- stuck in this job, and oh so ready to be in London!
Did I mention that I got my housing offer? I will be living in a small dorm on the grounds of Lambeth Palace (where the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Communion, lives). This is right across the river from Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Also, it isn't too far from the Strand, where all my classes are, and I'm sure there's convenient public transport. It is, after all, London.
you may be jealous now.
I am not particularly enjoying my job at Kang's Korean restaurant. The work itself isn't too bad: I basically do everything except cook, but the place is small, and all it requires is CONSTANT VIGILANCE (not to channel Mad-Eye Moody...) to make sure there isn't anything I can be doing at any moment. My much maligned so-called protestant work ethic-- by which I think people mean the inability to see work and not do it, and the ability to see work, period-- comes very much in handy. I make slightly less than minimum wage, in an under the table, pays-in-cash job, but that's so much more than I was making looking for a job earlier this summer.
However, I work 12-4 every day except Sunday. This doesn't sound so bad, until you realize that it precludes doing anything that would take the whole day, ever. Also, when I asked for the week to go on my family vacation, Mr. Kang blew his top and totally chewed me out. Mrs. Kang, who handles the employees, was fortunately much nicer about it, and gave me the time, but still, I'm afraid that I can't take too much time without losing my job. This rather inhibits my summer. I have two friends visiting from Germany (yay!!), but I will not have much time to spend with them. I am currently trying to reach Mrs. Kang on the phone so I can angle for a few more days off, without the tirade from her husband. we shall see.
that's pretty much it for now, folks. Am counting down the days until I leave, not because I don't love the people here, but because I am (after a week of work) ready to not be- if only somewhat- stuck in this job, and oh so ready to be in London!
Did I mention that I got my housing offer? I will be living in a small dorm on the grounds of Lambeth Palace (where the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Communion, lives). This is right across the river from Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Also, it isn't too far from the Strand, where all my classes are, and I'm sure there's convenient public transport. It is, after all, London.
you may be jealous now.
Friday, July 18, 2008
in which it is continued
Probably the most exciting thing that happened this year was a huge surprise, courtesy of the University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt. Scav Hunt! It's rather a long story, but let me attempt to explain this phenomenon. The Scavenger Hunt is a UofC tradition, in which most of the campus goes temporarily insane for one weekend, and the rest is made miserable by the insanity. The Chicago Tribune has this to say about it, and a little closer to home, the Chicago Maroon (the university paper). It is described as the largest scavenger hunt in the world, and comprises some hundreds of items to be found, begged, borrowed, built, or performed. In addition there is a road trip, and this year they added things like Project (scavvie) Runway, and Top Scav Chef. More importantly (as far as I am concerned), this year they added the Scavven Warriors. That would be one member from each team who, among other things, could recite the alphabet backwards, swim 200 meters without stopping, pitch a tent, navigate the transportation systems of three major US cities, have a basic knowledge of the weather patterns of the continental US, and have seen several specific movies. Further requirements included a passport, and being over the age of 21. Except for the movies and the alphabet, I fulfilled all of the requirements, and knew I could learn the alphabet backwards and watch 10 or so movies in the weeks before Scav Hunt. Also, I had no midterms due around that time, and my UT show wasn't going up until two weeks later. Thus, with great apprehension, I agreed to be Broadview's Scavven Warrior. At this point, we still did not know what we would be doing. We only knew we would be gone (for all intents and purposes) for the entirety of Scav. The great day of list release approached, and still, I had no idea what was about to happen. We were told to pack a small bag with *everything* we would need for three days, and deliver it at 10pm on Wednesday night to the judges. When I delivered my bag, I had kept out things like my cell phone, ipod, extra pair of jeans (which I had planned on wearing), shoes, toothbrush... things which I was expecting to need that night. Just goes to show, always do *exactly* what the judges tell you! They told me to put my phone in, as I wouldn't be needing an alarm clock, but gave me no other information, so I went back to my room to try to focus on a few last bits of homework. List release was at midnight, but in keeping with tradition, the list had to be found, or won, not picked up, so it wasn't until 1am, after an hour of fruitless attempts at sleep, that I heard the list party returning. At last, you may be thinking, she will find out how she will be spending the weekend! But no! Item 20 of the list merely had this to say:
"Have your pre-selected Scav Warrior outside the Reynolds Club at 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning. They must be alone and they may not have any extraneous packages, bags or accessories. And, since it will be late into the evening, the attire for this event is evening-wear. Evening-wear with a bathing suit underneath."
There went my plan to have an extra pair of jeans. Good thing I'd packed one. Also, no toothbrush or ipod for me. And since I'd already packed my swimsuit, I had to borrow one, as well as a dress. Also, unless I wanted to spend the weekend in heels, I would have to wear normal shoes with said dress. I spent most of the remaining two hours finding these things, and then *tried* (and failed miserably) to sleep again. And thus, 3:30 am on a chilly Thursday found me stand
ing outside the student activities center, in a ball gown over a swimsuit. We were met by several judges, gratefully reunited with our bags, fed jello, blindfolded and bundled into cars. Yup, you read that correctly. Our driver talked a lot about woods and camping, and said it was a long drive, which disappointed me, because there isn't that much terrifically exciting camping within reasonable driving distance of Chicago, at least not worth that build up. However, when we stopped, and were instructed to take our blindfolds off, we were at Midway airport, and the judges were handing us our itineraries to Las Vegas. seriously. I was boggled. We had to wait for security to open, we were so early, and people kept asking if we were a wedding party (9 people in tuxes and nice dresses in an airport...). We were met at the Las Vegas airport by a limousine, which took us to the Stratosphere, where we were staying. The flight, hotel, and limo were courtesy of Scav!
So, that is why, sixth week of Spring quarter, I was basking in the bright sun of Las Vegas, rather than racing around stressed to the max under Chicago's cold, unfriendly skies. Don't get me wrong, usually I prefer the midwest, but it was a cold spring. We had a list much like the road trip's, finding interesting places and people, rather than objects like the regular list. Here are my photos, and here and here. This was a truly surreal trip, with no foreknowledge at all. There was also a very low level of sleep happening, which probably didn't help the surreality. Anyways, there are way too many stories to tell, like swimming with sharks, and trying to enter last minute into an international swimsuit competition, or pretending to get married (twice!). We gambled, walked the entirety of the strip, got kissed by showgirls, and talked to a lot of people. Ask me about it sometime, if you want your ear talked off. :)
Now we're basically caught up to the present. This summer has been less than ideal, as it has taken me more than a month to find a job. However, after thirty some applications to various places, Kang's Korean Restaurant on S. University has hired me, practically on sight. Go figure. Hopefully that will continue to work out. The other less pleasant news of the summer is that I have had two eye operations, one unsuccessful, in an attempt to treat my dry eye, before I go blind. So, no pressure, right? They started by plugging my tear ducts, but the plugs touched my eyes, so I had to have them taken out the same day. Then they tried temporary plugs which could go in all the way, as they would dissolve. This was to find out if plugs would work out at all, and if it was worth pursuing that. Turns out it didn't really help, so now we're trying steroids. That's right folks, my eyes can't enter the Tour de France anymore. Aw, shucks, there goes a life dream... ;) On the up side, having the plugs not work means that they won't try another method of blocking the tear ducts, that is, cauterizing them shut. I wasn't too much of a fan of that one. So, we'll see what happens. The likelihood of my going blind seems pretty low, as there seem to be a lot of different treatments, and I get to try all of them, before I will go blind. Regardless, I'm not really supposed to wear contacts ever again, except maybe for a few hours at a time.
On a happier note, I have finally begun to take riding lessons on a regular basis. I found out a year and a half ago, while visiting and riding with Kate, that I have a bit of a knack for jumping horses. I rode again with Kate last December, but was only able to set up lessons here this summer. I'm loving it, and if I could afford it, would ride every day, all the time.
Other things this summer were a lovely family reunion with the Strothman (my maternal grandmother's) family. Very interesting, and I finally learned a little more about the woman who originally wore my heirloom ring (she was my great great grandmother). Later in the summer, my close family will be going back to Georgian Bay to sail.
The other exciting news is that I will be studying abroad at King's College London this year. I am currently fighting the visa application process, which is a little discouraging, but otherwise am really excited. I will be living in a small dorm on the grounds of Lambeth Palace (sooooo coool!), and my classes are on the Strand. Words cannot contain my happiness about all this. I will be taking really cool classes, including one on performance of Shakespeare, which will be in collaboration with professionals from the Globe theater and will culminate in a small production. You have my permission to be jealous now. :)
And that's just about all my news for the present. Of course there are a lot of details I'm leaving out for the sake of brevity, so please ask if you want the whole story. I will try to keep this updated on a somewhat regular basis in the future, and then posts can be of a more reasonable length.
Sorry about all the hyperlinks, but I wanted you all to have access to my photos, without having to repost them.
"Have your pre-selected Scav Warrior outside the Reynolds Club at 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning. They must be alone and they may not have any extraneous packages, bags or accessories. And, since it will be late into the evening, the attire for this event is evening-wear. Evening-wear with a bathing suit underneath."
There went my plan to have an extra pair of jeans. Good thing I'd packed one. Also, no toothbrush or ipod for me. And since I'd already packed my swimsuit, I had to borrow one, as well as a dress. Also, unless I wanted to spend the weekend in heels, I would have to wear normal shoes with said dress. I spent most of the remaining two hours finding these things, and then *tried* (and failed miserably) to sleep again. And thus, 3:30 am on a chilly Thursday found me stand
ing outside the student activities center, in a ball gown over a swimsuit. We were met by several judges, gratefully reunited with our bags, fed jello, blindfolded and bundled into cars. Yup, you read that correctly. Our driver talked a lot about woods and camping, and said it was a long drive, which disappointed me, because there isn't that much terrifically exciting camping within reasonable driving distance of Chicago, at least not worth that build up. However, when we stopped, and were instructed to take our blindfolds off, we were at Midway airport, and the judges were handing us our itineraries to Las Vegas. seriously. I was boggled. We had to wait for security to open, we were so early, and people kept asking if we were a wedding party (9 people in tuxes and nice dresses in an airport...). We were met at the Las Vegas airport by a limousine, which took us to the Stratosphere, where we were staying. The flight, hotel, and limo were courtesy of Scav!So, that is why, sixth week of Spring quarter, I was basking in the bright sun of Las Vegas, rather than racing around stressed to the max under Chicago's cold, unfriendly skies. Don't get me wrong, usually I prefer the midwest, but it was a cold spring. We had a list much like the road trip's, finding interesting places and people, rather than objects like the regular list. Here are my photos, and here and here. This was a truly surreal trip, with no foreknowledge at all. There was also a very low level of sleep happening, which probably didn't help the surreality. Anyways, there are way too many stories to tell, like swimming with sharks, and trying to enter last minute into an international swimsuit competition, or pretending to get married (twice!). We gambled, walked the entirety of the strip, got kissed by showgirls, and talked to a lot of people. Ask me about it sometime, if you want your ear talked off. :)
Now we're basically caught up to the present. This summer has been less than ideal, as it has taken me more than a month to find a job. However, after thirty some applications to various places, Kang's Korean Restaurant on S. University has hired me, practically on sight. Go figure. Hopefully that will continue to work out. The other less pleasant news of the summer is that I have had two eye operations, one unsuccessful, in an attempt to treat my dry eye, before I go blind. So, no pressure, right? They started by plugging my tear ducts, but the plugs touched my eyes, so I had to have them taken out the same day. Then they tried temporary plugs which could go in all the way, as they would dissolve. This was to find out if plugs would work out at all, and if it was worth pursuing that. Turns out it didn't really help, so now we're trying steroids. That's right folks, my eyes can't enter the Tour de France anymore. Aw, shucks, there goes a life dream... ;) On the up side, having the plugs not work means that they won't try another method of blocking the tear ducts, that is, cauterizing them shut. I wasn't too much of a fan of that one. So, we'll see what happens. The likelihood of my going blind seems pretty low, as there seem to be a lot of different treatments, and I get to try all of them, before I will go blind. Regardless, I'm not really supposed to wear contacts ever again, except maybe for a few hours at a time.
On a happier note, I have finally begun to take riding lessons on a regular basis. I found out a year and a half ago, while visiting and riding with Kate, that I have a bit of a knack for jumping horses. I rode again with Kate last December, but was only able to set up lessons here this summer. I'm loving it, and if I could afford it, would ride every day, all the time.
Other things this summer were a lovely family reunion with the Strothman (my maternal grandmother's) family. Very interesting, and I finally learned a little more about the woman who originally wore my heirloom ring (she was my great great grandmother). Later in the summer, my close family will be going back to Georgian Bay to sail.
The other exciting news is that I will be studying abroad at King's College London this year. I am currently fighting the visa application process, which is a little discouraging, but otherwise am really excited. I will be living in a small dorm on the grounds of Lambeth Palace (sooooo coool!), and my classes are on the Strand. Words cannot contain my happiness about all this. I will be taking really cool classes, including one on performance of Shakespeare, which will be in collaboration with professionals from the Globe theater and will culminate in a small production. You have my permission to be jealous now. :)
And that's just about all my news for the present. Of course there are a lot of details I'm leaving out for the sake of brevity, so please ask if you want the whole story. I will try to keep this updated on a somewhat regular basis in the future, and then posts can be of a more reasonable length.
Sorry about all the hyperlinks, but I wanted you all to have access to my photos, without having to repost them.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
In which it all begins...
...or at least this blog does. In this post, I'm going to attempt to summarize the past 3 years or so, for everyone with whom I have not kept in such good contact (that would be most everyone, actually). For die die Deutsch sprechen, werd ich versuchen mal was auf Deutsch zu schreiben, aber es wird meistens auf English sein... sorry.
After graduating from Rudolf Steiner High School in 2005, I moved to Germany for a year, and worked at a Gasthaus through the Friewilliges Soziales Jahr program run by the German government. That meant that the government paid the Gästerhäuser Hohe Rhön, where I worked, to provide me with food, housing and insurance, and a stipend, while I worked. It was an amazing year: I learned a lot (and not just in terms of fluency of the language!), and made some of my closest friendships. It was hard though, both the work and living in that community. I came back a few days before Germany took third place in the WM (sadness), and thus experienced-- and was infected by-- much of the football mania of Germany. :) The picture above is a portion of the team, in front of the house where we lived, on the evening I left. There are more pictures of that year here.
In the fall of 2006, I started at the University of Chicago, which was a whole new flavor of hard work. I love it though, and it gets better and better (and my grades get worse) as I finish the Core requirements and focus on things which actually interest me, and more challenging classes. The UofC is on a quarter system, which means that we end in the middle of June, but we don't have to start until the end of September. Also, we get to take a lot more classes, which I love. My favorite two classes have probably been "The Young Shakespeare, " about the early plays, and the works that influenced them, with the world-famous David Bevington; and "Tolkien Medieval and Modern," with the equally talented Rachel Fulton.
I do a lot outside classes as well. I am active at Brent House, the Episcopal Campus ministry at UofC, and this past year, I was a peer minister. This meant that I helped Stacy, the chaplain, organize events, and so on. I was primarily in charge of music: I picked hymns for each week, and put together a small choir, which sang at the Tenebrae service I organized, and then at Evensong during Bishop Lee's visitation. Oh, that reminds me: Fall quarter this past year, I also got to go to the Diocesan convention for Chicago, as part of the first campus ministry delegation. I enjoyed it, and gave a short speech about campus ministries to the convention (talk about scary... way to many people in one room...). At that convention, we elected Bishop Jeff Lee, who I like quite a lot.
First year, I was a member of the circus, doing whip stunts, sword and firesword fighting and face painting. here and here are some circus photos. Here are some more photos from first year, of Fall quarter, break, Winter quarter, and again, Spring quarter, and again, and again. If you want any of the stories behind the pictures, please ask! I just don't want this post to be any longer than it already will be.
Let's see, what else do I do with my non-existent free time? Orchestra, of course! I play in the Chamber Orchestra, which, while it matches my practicing levels, doesn't measure up to other orchestras I've played in, alas. I think that's it for extra curriculars First year...
That summer, I went back to Europe, to visit friends, mostly in Germany: Peggy in Bonn, Heike in Passau, Maria in Salzburg, John in London, Rachel in Regensburg, and the Team reunion in Frankfurt, Hannah in Schweinfurt, Tabea in Hirschaid, and Schini and Thea's wedding back at GHR. Here's the rest of the summer, and the Michigan Renaissance Festival, where I worked for money, after years of working for free. On that subject, here are some more swordfighting pictures, from the summer of 2006.
This year, I was less trigger happy, and busier. I started taking ballet classes, but that really only lasted a quarter, as the school was on semesters, and the breaks didn't match up at all, so I kept getting behind. I also wasn't doing as much with circus, but I was doing a lot more with Brent House (as previously described), I was still in orchestra and I started working with University Theater. Fall quarter I worked with a professional costume designer on a production of Top Girls, Winter quarter I designed (by myself), the costumes for Loot. Spring quarter, I choreographed and trained the fights for Richard III, sometimes physically restraining the director, who was a little too keen on violence. (no, Griffin, you can't actually cut your actor's ear off. no.). I also did some safety training (and minor choreography) for Batboy: The Musical, which was a much better show than I expected.
Here are pictures of Halloween, winter break, and winter quarter.
Now, that isn't quite everything I wanted to put in this post, but I have to be done. so, TO BE CONTINUED!
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