Time Wasting

Ok, I promised myself I would use this time to work, but I think that instead I'll blog. This week was a pretty good one. It should be the last before the stress starts hitting. All my papers are coming up, as is Celine, so I'm going to have to stop piddling around. Later though.

This week I got to see an excellent show of A Midsummer Night's Dream, at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol. It was black box theater so I was a little wary at first, but it ended up being one of the best times I've ever had at a show. The cast was fabulous, and they'll be doing The Tempest later in the semester so it's not so bad that I have to go back.
This weekend I journeyed to the Cotswolds. I'm still not sure what that is, but it ended up being a long trek through the mud. It was cold but also pretty funny to watch other people fall in the mud. Then we went to a garden and had tea and cake. Definitely a highlight.

Strange Conventions

I know it's been awhile, and posting so soon before I have class probably isn't such a smashing idea (that was some old British slang for you), but I'll give it a go (again, very British expression).

My friend and I went to Sally Lunn's (famous for her buns) to get some dessert over the weekend. The menu tells you that Sally Lunn's is "The Oldest House in Bath!" which is believable because it's a small cramped room where eight tables are squeezed into an area that can really only hold four. The waiters have to be very skilled to maneuver their way through the room. By far the best part of the experience was when we had to rate our service, not in the typical American fashion of assigning numbers, but by drawing in smiley faces. That's right. They provided us with a circle and two eyes, and we had to fill in the expression that best captured our dining experience. Capital, capital!

I also had the excellent experience of hearing British people trying to mimic an American accent, Southern of course. It was really atrocious. It made me feel bad about how I must look when I try to sound British. Not bad enough to stop though.

The Weekend?

Oh, blog followers, I have so much to share with you, but seemingly so little time in which to do it. I've recently become aware of the fact that I actually do have quite a bit of work. I should probably stop blowing it off...

Anyways, today is the first day of the real weekend, but because class is over on Thursday, I feel like I'm already well into it. Thursday night was quite an adventure. My flat mate Kate and I took the train to Bristol to go see Band of Skulls. I know, they sound like a death metal band, but they're actually not--they're very like The White Stripes or The Black Keys. The concert was pretty fabulous. It took place in a club that was a renovated boat (very cool), and I discovered that the Brits are extremely awkward dancers, so I felt right at home. It was a little sad though because I really missed my favorite concert-going chums, Juli and Heath.

Friday was my first day off, and really the first day that I've attempted to do any work. I went to the public library, which I will briefly mention. They had these crazy, self-service check outs where you put the book in this little shelf, and it automatically knew what it is. I was impressed and partially terrified. Despite this technology, they had no computerized card catalogue. Go figure.

I went to see The Princess and the Frog with a few friends, and I believe that we enjoyed it way more than any of the kids there. It was fantastic, and I highly recommend it to anyone reading this.

The Early Bird

Today was my first day traveling to Oxford, a 90 min train ride from Bath. For those of you who know me, you know that I occasionally have some issues with travel...so I gave myself a two hour window to get there with plenty of time to look around. I made it perfectly well but with one small mistake, and so now I am offering my first ever travel tip: always bring a book. Sure, I know what you're thinking: I'll study my Greek lesson on the train and then walk around the city until I have class. In a perfect world that is what would happen, but unfortunately, we live in the real world, where your Greek book instantly puts you to sleep on the train and as soon as you get to the city, a snow storm hits that you haven't dressed for and you're forced to sit in a coffee shop for two hours where you can't buy coffee because you've spent five pounds on a sandwich for lunch and refuse (on principle) to pay another pence. When that happens, a book (other than A Primer to Ancient Greek) would really come in handy.

I look forward to going to Oxford and actually being able to walk around without freezing. I also look forward to preparing for my Greek lesson so that I won't have to sight translate an entire passage by myself and ask for every other word. The biggest issue in these Oxford trips will be avoiding the temptation to buy the delicious looking pack of cupcakes at the train station, a perfect way to forget about my mental inadequacy.

Beyond Bath

Today was the first day that we got to venture beyond Bath into more of England in a ASE sponsored trip. We went to Stonehenge, Salisbury, and Lacock. It was a pretty fun day with lots of valuable sleep time on the bus (though not for everyone). 

Stonehenge was pretty cool. I took a course called Great Mysteries of the Past where we did an entire section on Stonehenge with its own book and everything, but of course I forgot all that I had learned before except for a video we watched with a hippie festival going on. It was enjoyable.

Next we went to Salisbury, which is home to a cathedral and also the location on which Thomas Hardy based Melchester (used in Jude the Obscure). I haven't read that book, but I'm noting that particularly for my dad, who probably isn't even reading this. The most exciting part of the cathedral could very well have been the Latin inscription that I found. I haven't seen any since I've been here, which is strange. Expect a picture in the facebook album to follow later this week.

Final stop was Lacock, home to some Harry Potter scenery. The only one we saw was Godric's Hollow. It's much less eerie in the day time. 

Classes start tomorrow! I'm excited for life to have some sort of purpose again. My goal for the week is to begin using the term "mental." I'm told it's our equivalent to calling something "sick." I hope you have enjoyed these pictures because it was a pain in the #$@% to do, and might not happen again.

Blahsday

Nothing much happening today. Took some tests, saw the other houses, remembered my other favorite name: "Yum Yum Thai."

First experience Grocery Shopping was pretty strange. Completely different brands and an introduction to 4% milk. You have to put a pound into the grocery carts to unlock them and then you get it back at the end. I guess the Brits have had some issues with grocery cart theft.

Also, you should never look anyone in the face--much too forward.

Highlight of my day: Skype convo with my pal, C. The rest of you bums need to get on there already!

America in Bath

Today with did a ton of walking around the city. So far I've seen McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, H&M, and The Gap. There was also a lot of British stuff. My favorite punny store names were 'Running Bath' (store with running gear), 'Blooming Marvelous' (maternity wear), and one more that eludes me at the moment.

I'm working on studying the accent so that I can obnoxiously repeat it when I get home. I'm worried that I'll start using it while I'm here and make an arse out of myself, but I'm trying hard to resist. So far my favorite expression is "have a [verb]," most common being "have a look." Any verbs work, ex. "have a read" or "have a sleep." It's a very passive way of making an order and I love it.

Tomorrow we have two "Diagnostic Writings" which is somewhat troubling as they've allotted two hours for each...looking forward to it.

Arrival

My first day in Bath has consisted mostly of travel, by train, plain, and automobile. Due to lack of sleep and food on the plane I have been unable to take anything in. Terry commented in the airport about how excited she was to discover new things every day. Here are the two things that I discovered:

1) The British get their reputation for being cold due to the subzero temperatures in which they live. Not in the outside climate (which is slightly warmer than good ole PA) but in their actual homes. These people don't believe in heat.

2) The food is not as bad as I've heard it would be. Granted, I hadn't eaten anything in 8 hours, but the sandwich I had for dinner was definitely a notch above Mr. Panino's.

Tomorrow I hope to have a more exciting time and be in a less pathetic state. Maybe even take pictures...

Love,
Annie