WMG students are intense!
I don't think I've ever used a whiteboard to map out my dissertation ideas
Monday, May 20, 2013
Pippa Goes to Cambridge
“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”
From The Fellowship of the Ring By J.R.R. Tolkien
Anni's friend from Germany came to visit her this weekend and, since Coventry isn't exactly a lovely or good representation of England, we decided to go to Cambridge. At first we were going to take a bus and/or train. That option, however, would have taken at least three hours one way. Our next plan included renting a car - a manual, which I (being over 25) would have to drive. This somehow transformed into borrowing Pippa - still with me driving.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Picture of the Day
Post-dinner, pre-cricket nap
We lucked out and got a beautiful, sunny day for our Picnic & cricket game
Friday, May 17, 2013
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Picture of the Day
There was a fire alarm in the PG Hub
I was mid-episode and didn't want to be interrupted...
I jokingly asked Felipe to hold my laptop so I could keep watching
(really, I wasn't serious)
Satwik then proceeded to ruin the episode by telling me a major event that happened at the end
(It was the How I Met Your Mother episode just before Christmas so you might know what I'm talking about)
Plus 1 Star for Felipe
Minus 1 Star for Satwik
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
What inspired Me as a Writer
“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.”
From Brave New World By Aldous Huxley
Read about the authors that inspired me to write on the Read Me Blog!
Click HERE
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Communication Across Time and Space
"'Hey Meg! Communication implies sound. Communion doesn't.' He sent her a brief image of walking silently through the woods, the two of them alone together, their feet almost noiseless on the rusty carpet of pine needles. They walked without speaking, without touching, and yet they were as close as it is possible for two human beings to be. They climbed up through the woods, coming out into the brilliant sunlight at the top of the hill. A few sumac trees showed their rusty candles. Mountain laurel, shiny, so dark a green the leaves seemed black in the fierceness of sunlight, pressed toward the woods. Meg and Calvin had stretched out in the thick, late-summer grass, lying on their backs, gazing up into the shimmering blue of sky, a vault interrupted only by a few small clouds.
And she had been as happy, she remembered, as it is possible to be, and as close to Calvin as she had ever been to anybody in her life, even Charles Wallace, so close that their separate bodies, daisies and buttercups joining rather than dividing them, seemed a single enjoyment of summer and sun and each other.
That was surely the purest kind of kything.
Mr. Jenkins had never had that kind of communion with another human being, a communion so rich and full that silence speaks more powerfully than words."
From A Wind in the Door By Madeleine L'Engle
As a person who has lived overseas before - though for a shorter period of time - I've come to appreciate the new technology available to keep me connected with family and friends back home. When I studied in Scotland during my undergrad I only had email, 'snail mail,' Facebook, and the phone (a land line because I chose not to have a mobile phone for only three months considering I didn't even have one in the US). That was almost ten years ago. My how things have changed!
This time around the same options are available (except the land line, my flat doesn't even have a phone line installed!) plus a few new ones. I, of course, have a mobile phone. Unlike during my undergrad I've developed an unhealthy reliance with the thing and can't go a weekend, let alone a year without the dastardly thing. And then there is Skype, the mother-load when it comes to international communication.
Picture of the Day
I was very serious about my chicken fajitas (apparently)
What can I say, they were good...
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Picture of the Day
Allison is the Dessert Queen
This time she made Peach Enchiladas (I think that's what she called them)
They were very yummy
I had two
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Arrival of Spring
“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.”
From The Wind in the Willows By Kenneth Grahame
I feel like I have stolen Minnesota’s spring and brought it
with me to England. Let me first apologize. It was not done intentionally. I
won’t, however, apologize for being extremely happy that I didn’t have to
suffer through record lows and ridiculous snowfall during the month of April
(and into May). As you can tell by the numerous pictorial representations of
the local flora, we have had a lovely spring so far here in the West Midlands.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Picture of the Day
Apparently I "looked very serious" as I was studying
(You can't see it well but Manu is Skyping, so he wasn't studying very hard at this point)
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Picture of the Day
A. These signs don't point to any roads
B. The signs can be moved to point in any direction you want
C. I'm not sure all the of places listed are real
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Friday, May 3, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Picture of the Day
I had a hardcore craving for a good American meal
That little piece of meat is steak...
Man, it tasted so good
I think I need to get more protein into my diet because it was the most satisfying meal I've had in forever
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Picture of the Day
So I bought this for the fudge...
Favorite part:
The proclamation that it is the "Delicious American Marshmallow Spread"
I personally know absolutely no Americans that use this as a sandwich spread...
However, apparently there's something called a "fluffer-nutter" sandwich we eat
This would be news to me
I learn something new about my own culture every day, I guess
Monday, April 29, 2013
Picture of the Day
Chocolate for my Fudge
An international mix
Baker's Sweet Chocolate squares (from America)
Milk Chocolate Chips (from England)
Dark Chocolate Drops (from Belgium via France)
A Package From America
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”
From The Four Loves By C.S. Lewis
So this morning I opened my door and found a student's most favorite thing: A package! (Okay, really, don't we all just love getting packages? I've actually considered ordering more things on-line just for the thrill of getting the chance to tear through the tape to discover what's inside) Often the greatest part of a package is not knowing what's inside. But I knew what was in this box and that only increased my excitement.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Picture of the Day
Leena's feeling the pressure of her essays
Mostly because she just got a full time job at a publisher in London!
We are all happy for her but I won't deny that the Green-eyed Monster might be peaking his head over my shoulder
Friday, April 26, 2013
Picture of the Day
Katherine hard at work
Not on her essays or dissertation.
Oh, no.
She's finishing her novel!
Yea! And I get to be an editor
Hopefully when she gets published I'll get some of the royalties :-)
I have such big dreams
Thursday, April 25, 2013
A Cup of Coffee
“Why, O, why did I ever leave my hobbit-hole?" said poor Mr. Baggins, bumping up and down on Bombur's back.”
From The Hobbit By J.R.R. Tolkien
Today I decided to take my studies off campus and, as is traditional for students in America, into a coffee shop.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Picture of the Day
Allison & I had a major pizza craving so we made a regular veggie pizza and a fruit dessert pizza
They tasted great but we might have gone a little overboard
Monday, April 22, 2013
In a Moment
We grow accustomed to the Dark --
When light is put away --
As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp
To witness her Goodbye --
A Moment -- We uncertain step
For newness of the night --
Then -- fit our Vision to the Dark --
And meet the Road -- erect --
And so of larger -- Darkness --
Those Evenings of the Brain --
When not a Moon disclose a sign --
Or Star -- come out -- within --
The Bravest -- grope a little --
And sometimes hit a Tree
Directly in the Forehead --
But as they learn to see --
Either the Darkness alters --
Or something in the sight
Adjusts itself to Midnight --
And Life steps almost straight.
By Emily Dickinson
Take a moment and read my short story that's been posted on the Read Me Anthology Blog.
Please click the link below and enjoy!
Read Me Anthology
Picture of the Day
Why, you may ask, am I holding my laptop sideways?
So I can read my PDF silly!
To Explain:
When scanning one of my sources I made the mistake of have them not face the same way
It took less time to flip my computer than it did to flip the pages
We're going to call it ingenuity, k?
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Book Review: Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
“Neel takes a sharp breath and I know exactly what it means. It means: I have waited my whole life to walk through a secret passage built into a bookshelf.”
From Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore By Robin Sloan
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
By Robin Sloan
Picture of the Day
Spring Flowers #7
I hope you have enjoyed my Spring Flowers Series, may it help bring a little bit more Spring into your corner of the world!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Picture of the Day
Cherry Tree & Blossoms
Today is the first day of my Spring Flower Week
I'm doing it in honor of my poor friends and family in Minnesota
Maybe it will inspire Spring to travel to your region of the world
Sunday, April 14, 2013
My Love Affiar with Books
“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I've been thinking about books recently (you're shocked, I know). Not particular books, as in their content (I mean I have for studies, but that's besides the point), but on the physical book itself.
It struck me today as I was sitting in a coffee shop, pouring over a text (nothing exciting, really, just a secondary text for my dissertation) and I was struck with a profound thought. I love books. Okay, I know you laughed out loud at that one. Of course I love books, why else would I be doing a MA in English Literature? Who spends their days (and a lot of nights) reading, and hates books? But what I mean is that I literally love books. The paper, the binding, the covers, everything about them. I watched a film recently that had man handling an ancient book and he wasn't wearing protective gloves - it physically hurt me to watch it! And I knew it wasn't real. That's how deep this goes for me.
Picture of the Day
My flatmate Todor is going to hate me for posting this picture of him...
Oh, well. Can't please everyone!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Picture of the Day
Recycling Post-its: Doing my part to save the Earth
K, let's be honest, it has more to do with saving money than the Earth ;-)
Friday, April 12, 2013
Picture of the Day
Concert #2 of the Week: The Fratellis
Got a free ticket to a band I'd never heard of and found myself at my first ever British Rock Concert, it was an educational experience
Things I learned at tonight's concert
- Young drunk people are annoying, old drunk people are pathetic
- I don't like getting crushed in a mosh pit, even if the view of the band is better
- Beer belongs in cups, not flying through the air and raining down on me
- I am completely okay with standing with the older crowd in the back of a crowd if it means I have some personal space
- The Fratellis are pretty good, maybe I should listen to more of their music
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Picture of the Day
I got a carrel at the Library today!
How sad is my life when the highlight of my day is the fact that I got to the library early enough to get one of the coveted private study rooms?
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Imagine Dragons
“He considered music a liberating force: it liberated him from loneliness, introversion, the dust of the library; it opened the door of his body and allowed his soul to step out into the world and make friends.”
From The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
On the advice of a friend when I was still back in Minnesota I set myself up with a playlist for my time in England. She does it for every trip she takes so that any time she hears a song from the playlist she's reminded of that experience. Now, I don't listen to a lot of music but I when I do I really don't like ads and I find most pop music extremely annoying after a few goes around. Thankfully I had just fallen in love with two bands - Of Monsters and Men and Imagine Dragons. Both semi-known, but not famous, bands (If you haven't heard either, check them out. I still enjoy listen to my mix seven months later.) So I downloaded their albums, as well as a few other songs, and headed over the pond.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Picture of the Day
Is it sad that by posting pictures of flowers I'm hoping Spring will come faster?
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Picture of the Day
A little bit of what's left of Coventry pre-WWII
I bet it was a beautiful town before it got bombed
Monday, April 1, 2013
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