In the six days that Gil's been gone I've been working through a mountain of course stuff. Finishing readings, essay writing, and finishing my proposals for thesis, option, and dissertation papers that had to be in by the end of the week. A bunch of homework between two bookend visits from home.
But now I've gotten to the other side of this week (and alive), which means a visit from Duane and Becky! I'm meeting them tomorrow in Dublin, where we'll be until Monday. Then we'll fly back to Heathrow together, and come back to Oxford. Tuesday we're heading to Stonehenge and Bath, Wednesday will be Oxford tourist stuff, and then Thursday they're off to London.
Will definitely try to get one/both of them to do a guest post, and then sometime in the next two weeks I'll do a proper update and photo documentation of recent adventures.
I'll be in the motherland in twelve hours...Ireland, prepare thyself.
25.2.10
20.2.10
Gil's guest blog
Friends, when I last wrote to you, I was impatiently awaiting the arrival of my bf(f), Gil. Happily, he FINALLY arrived around midnight London time, and we've had a pretty fab time together over the past week. Not-so-happily, our time has come to an end and homeboy is headed back to the mitten tomorrow. But before he departs, I've coerced him into doing a brief guest post on our adventures/his impressions of England/Ox/whatever, I'm falling asleep on my bed while this happens. Without further ado: Mr. Gil Nuñez.
Cheers from England! And thank you, Amanda, for that wonderful introduction. I've had the pleasure of spending a full week here in the former Motherland. It's been full of great times, wonderful visits, and even delicious foods (despite Amanda's warnings and hesitations before I came). For Sunday and Monday, we enjoyed the opportunity to be really touristy, seeing some of the best that London has to offer. We saw London Tower, the Eye, the Aquarium (though not the shark feeding because little kids suck and should probably just be fed to the sharks instead of getting to see them...), Madame Tussaud's, Tower Bridge, the Millennium Bridge, London Bridge (which was not falling down, and is actually quite dull, as we weren't sure we were on it until there was a small sign at the other end). We saw the musical "Billy Elliot" on Monday night as part of my birthday present, and it was awesome. Those little kids have more moves than I could ever hope to get. A fourteen year old ran up a wall and then did a back flip back to the ground before gravity even started to pull him down. Freaking sweet! Our hotel was also pretty cool, as it was next door to a tube stop and allowed for some really convenient transportation.
Cheers from England! And thank you, Amanda, for that wonderful introduction. I've had the pleasure of spending a full week here in the former Motherland. It's been full of great times, wonderful visits, and even delicious foods (despite Amanda's warnings and hesitations before I came). For Sunday and Monday, we enjoyed the opportunity to be really touristy, seeing some of the best that London has to offer. We saw London Tower, the Eye, the Aquarium (though not the shark feeding because little kids suck and should probably just be fed to the sharks instead of getting to see them...), Madame Tussaud's, Tower Bridge, the Millennium Bridge, London Bridge (which was not falling down, and is actually quite dull, as we weren't sure we were on it until there was a small sign at the other end). We saw the musical "Billy Elliot" on Monday night as part of my birthday present, and it was awesome. Those little kids have more moves than I could ever hope to get. A fourteen year old ran up a wall and then did a back flip back to the ground before gravity even started to pull him down. Freaking sweet! Our hotel was also pretty cool, as it was next door to a tube stop and allowed for some really convenient transportation.
(Valentine's lunch; Claud at Shakespeare's Globe; Us in front of St. Paul's across the Thames)
(Claud in front of Big Ben; First proper English breakfast; with the sharks at the aquarium)
(w/the Obamas; Practicing the queenly wave; Fingerpainting w/Van Gogh; Creeping w/ Shakespeare)
(Beatles wannabes 1 and 2 at Abbey Road, London)
(Coo coo cachu)
On Tuesday, Amanda brought me back to Oxford so that I could finally meet all of the people and see all of the things she'd been talking about for 4 1/2 months. We found some pretty good foods around town, including a Lebanese restaurant where we just ordered a whole bunch of cold and hot appetizers and then feasted like royalty. It was DELICIOUS! I also gave Amanda the opportunity to be touristy in her adopted hometown, complete with a trip up the Carfax Tower for some awesome views, a double-decker tour bus around Oxford (which noticeably ignored her college), and had high tea at Bill Clinton's old hang-out.
We spent Thursday and Friday in Manchester for a women & politics conference, which was pretty cool with lots of interesting research happening in the field and helping inform Amanda on some of the papers she'll be writing. Our favorite failed VP candidate got a few honorable mentions, making it all the more fun. We enjoyed walking around Manchester and tracking down some delicious/horrible Mexican food, an experience complemented by the Lady Gaga impersonator who sang proudly (albeit terribly) right outside our restaurant because the real deal was in town for a concert. It was a beautiful mix of terrifying with amusing and entertaining. Then we headed back to the hotel, where we ordered another meal's worth of food from room service. Go big or go home. All in all, our short trip was a success.
We made it back to Oxford on Friday night, where we stopped by the Kellogg College Bar to have some drinks with Amanda's friends. By now, I've met just about everyone and have enjoyed the chance to sit around and chat about education, politics, and what balls everyone wants to attend in the upcoming season. Many restaurants, walked miles, and meat-flavored potato chips later, my trip has drawn to a close. I am - of course - sad to go, but I've had a wonderful time seeing Amanda in her new place (which makes it seem more like a scientific observation than a visit) and getting to explore yet another new country. I leave here even more crazy about this girl and anxious to see where our travels take us next.
Signing off,
Gilbert (and Amanda, who is, as advertised, now completely passed out in her bed)
13.2.10
Does this robe make me look more like Batman or Harry Potter? : College night dinner
Friends, I am waiting impatiently for Gil to arrive. He is at present somewhere over northern Quebec before heading out over Iceland and the Atlantic. You know where he (and I) SHOULD be? Already in London for about 7 hours. But due to airline screwups, last night's flight got cancelled and so instead of leaving Chicago yesterday at 10pm, he finally got out of there at 9:30 this morning, which will put him in London around 11:15 tonight. So okay, generally I am really excited about his visit, but seriously, American Airlines, BOO too your incompetence making us lose an entire day in London.
Anyway, I have a bit of spare time and thought I'd do a quick update.
On Thursday we had a college night, which is pretty much just another of many excuses the Kelllogg folks find to don their flowy black robes and drink a lot of wine. As students we get two free ones, though, so far be it from us to turn down a nice dinner instead of crying over our ramen/eating entire packages of cookies alone in our rooms (I can't be the only one who does this...right? right?)
Julia, Shirley, Ellie, Mark (liz's gentleman friend, also visiting from North America. 'tis the season) and Liz
We were excited about the salad but it kind of just tasted like nothing. British avocados are not good (and what passes for guacamole is worse); however, you better believe I attacked that cheese with some gusto.
Julia was also not impressed by the salad.
Also: you can spot our college's president in the background, second guy from the right.
The main course. We have duchesse potatoes; mixed vegetables that everyone had difficult maneuvering onto their plates, usually resulting in wee carrots shooting across the table; and "guinea fowl" that we suspect was actually chicken. The waitress even slipped up and called it that.
Shirley digs into the marge simpson hair-esque potato hive.
And that's all I've got, really.
In a couple hours I'll go meet Gil at Heathrow, and we'll spend tomorrow, Monday and early Tuesday doing touristy things around the city. I smell the makings of the next blog post...and maybe even a guest blogger in the near future.
Happy valentine's day--even to the surly people who hate it so much. It's not so terrible to have a day to gorge yourself on chocolate and tell the people in your life that you love them.
lots of sickening hallmark x's and o's--
Amanda
Anyway, I have a bit of spare time and thought I'd do a quick update.
On Thursday we had a college night, which is pretty much just another of many excuses the Kelllogg folks find to don their flowy black robes and drink a lot of wine. As students we get two free ones, though, so far be it from us to turn down a nice dinner instead of crying over our ramen/eating entire packages of cookies alone in our rooms (I can't be the only one who does this...right? right?)
Julia, Shirley, Ellie, Mark (liz's gentleman friend, also visiting from North America. 'tis the season) and Liz
We were excited about the salad but it kind of just tasted like nothing. British avocados are not good (and what passes for guacamole is worse); however, you better believe I attacked that cheese with some gusto.
Julia was also not impressed by the salad.
Also: you can spot our college's president in the background, second guy from the right.
The main course. We have duchesse potatoes; mixed vegetables that everyone had difficult maneuvering onto their plates, usually resulting in wee carrots shooting across the table; and "guinea fowl" that we suspect was actually chicken. The waitress even slipped up and called it that.
Shirley digs into the marge simpson hair-esque potato hive.
And that's all I've got, really.
In a couple hours I'll go meet Gil at Heathrow, and we'll spend tomorrow, Monday and early Tuesday doing touristy things around the city. I smell the makings of the next blog post...and maybe even a guest blogger in the near future.
Happy valentine's day--even to the surly people who hate it so much. It's not so terrible to have a day to gorge yourself on chocolate and tell the people in your life that you love them.
lots of sickening hallmark x's and o's--
Amanda
8.2.10
Heroes and Villains
Last Monday Kellogg hosted its second bop: Heroes and Villains.
I recognized the opportunity to lose myself in a different persona for the night and clamped onto it with all the zeal of a passenger grabbing the last lifesaver on the sinking ship HMS Amanda's Masters Degree.
I ALSO recognized the opportunity to resurrect my Sarah Palin costume, which brought me great delight. For the handful of people who aren't already acquainted with my obsession with her that frequently teeters over the line into the land of you-should-really-seek-therapy-for-that: I love and loathe the folksy, gun totin', g-droppin' former governor of Alaska*. I have also found that with practice I can get her accent down pretty well (thanks, Tina Fey) and bear an uncanny resemblance with appropriate hair, glasses and wardrobe (that sadly costs far less than $150,000).
"But", you ask yourself, "did she dress up as a hero or a villain?" Chances are you already have an answer, and that, my friends, is the beauty of the costume. She rarely evokes neutral feelings from folks--it's either "OMGilovesarahpalinsheissofolksyandawesomeanddidyouknowsheshootsmooseandhaskidsjustlikeme?" or "OMGihatesarahpalinsheisdumbasmayonnaiseandlessqualifiedanddidyouknowthatsheburnsbooks?"
but rarely
"meh."
So I embraced the opposing perceptions and went as Sarah Palin: hero/villain. A captioned photo journey through the evening that Sarah and friends and foes had awaits below--
Ellie as Daphne in her best "Scooby Dooby Do, where are you?" pose. All that's missing is the mystery machine.
Liz as Tooth Fairy, hero to most...except those of us who wondered why we got quarters when our friends got dollars, or people who swallowed teeth and never got anything...people had lots of tooth-fairy related stories.
Shirley as Patty Hearst and Julia as Bonnie. Kellogg girls packin' heat.
Sarah Palin makes her first appearance, trying to win supporters for 2012 (seriously, folks, there may be something to that apocalypse prophecy...)
The tooth fairy turned out to be a villain. Though really, it shouldn't be surprising that someone who creeps around collecting children's teeth would prove to be something of a sinister figure.
Upon learning that the tooth fairy was evil and NOT a socialist as originally suspected (she DOES redistribute the wealth), Palin pulled her into a con-fab about the 2012 ticket. Patty Hearst sat in as potential Chief of Staff.
Pure silliness. Even villains gotta kick back sometime. You betcha.
Tip of the (stolen) zorro hat to a fabulous evening. Note bonnie's wee Clyde holdin' on to her shoulder.
I recognized the opportunity to lose myself in a different persona for the night and clamped onto it with all the zeal of a passenger grabbing the last lifesaver on the sinking ship HMS Amanda's Masters Degree.
I ALSO recognized the opportunity to resurrect my Sarah Palin costume, which brought me great delight. For the handful of people who aren't already acquainted with my obsession with her that frequently teeters over the line into the land of you-should-really-seek-therapy-for-that: I love and loathe the folksy, gun totin', g-droppin' former governor of Alaska*. I have also found that with practice I can get her accent down pretty well (thanks, Tina Fey) and bear an uncanny resemblance with appropriate hair, glasses and wardrobe (that sadly costs far less than $150,000).
"But", you ask yourself, "did she dress up as a hero or a villain?" Chances are you already have an answer, and that, my friends, is the beauty of the costume. She rarely evokes neutral feelings from folks--it's either "OMGilovesarahpalinsheissofolksyandawesomeanddidyouknowsheshootsmooseandhaskidsjustlikeme?" or "OMGihatesarahpalinsheisdumbasmayonnaiseandlessqualifiedanddidyouknowthatsheburnsbooks?"
but rarely
"meh."
So I embraced the opposing perceptions and went as Sarah Palin: hero/villain. A captioned photo journey through the evening that Sarah and friends and foes had awaits below--
Ellie as Daphne in her best "Scooby Dooby Do, where are you?" pose. All that's missing is the mystery machine.
Liz as Tooth Fairy, hero to most...except those of us who wondered why we got quarters when our friends got dollars, or people who swallowed teeth and never got anything...people had lots of tooth-fairy related stories.
Shirley as Patty Hearst and Julia as Bonnie. Kellogg girls packin' heat.
Sarah Palin makes her first appearance, trying to win supporters for 2012 (seriously, folks, there may be something to that apocalypse prophecy...)
At the bop! Tooth fairy, a nonspecific glittery figure, Zorro and Patty Hearst get ready to get on down.
The tooth fairy turned out to be a villain. Though really, it shouldn't be surprising that someone who creeps around collecting children's teeth would prove to be something of a sinister figure.
Upon learning that the tooth fairy was evil and NOT a socialist as originally suspected (she DOES redistribute the wealth), Palin pulled her into a con-fab about the 2012 ticket. Patty Hearst sat in as potential Chief of Staff.
Pure silliness. Even villains gotta kick back sometime. You betcha.
Tip of the (stolen) zorro hat to a fabulous evening. Note bonnie's wee Clyde holdin' on to her shoulder.
_________________________
*Friends, I am increasingly concerned that my once-strong feelings of disdain for Mrs. Palin are every day more complicated. Okay, granted: she's terrifying, she's ignorant (and proud of it), she thinks that living near Russia and Canada give her foreign policy experience, and she has absolutely no problem sacrificing the environment for oil. But she's also kind of badass, no? I mean, she shoots moose. She doesn't take crap from anyone. She's completely different from most figures on the national political stage. She has five kids and a political career (however troubled and misguided). It's probably a result of reading her autobiography (research for my dissertation--if it were pleasure reading I'd have sprung for the book on tape because 6 hours of Palin voice would be horri-mazing) and hours of adopting her persona on varied occasions. I'm not on team Sarah yet but these sympathetic feelings frighten me. Someone snap me out of it, please, before I start winkin' and fancy pageant walkin'.
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