Oh academics. Oh work. Oh reading. Oh papers. Oh new topics. Oh weekend trip. Hum, can you tell things are moving right along? I'm taking a fifteen minute break from working as I just read an article and did a reading summary for the rest of the class in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Productive yes, done? Hells no. Let's see, for Friday, I must write a 2000 word paper for HY 203. "To what extent was the Palestinian refugee problem a result of the collapse of Arab society?" Discuss....and that was the more straightforward of the options, concise and easy enough to find reading for. Then I've got a reading aid due Saturday for GV 351, not to mention a 2000 word paper for that class that is due Monday (I thought it was Tuesday) so that means it's gotta be written before I leave for Wales Saturday morning. Lovely. Then I have wonderful Midd friends who are coming on Monday and staying through Thursday! Horray. Long and short there though is that I really really want to have free time that week to hang out with them so that means massive reading efforts must occur so I'm not going to be playing the role of the "the hermit" although I do get a standing ovation every time I perform (humph).
I managed that gym membership, now I've just got to go, I sense a study break tomorrow, looking forward to it actually. I've essentially got to write a paper tomorrow though so it'll be a quick workout. Still sore from dancing although it's better today. Had a fun political discussion with someone from my international realtions discussion this morning over lunch. Good times good times.
I cannot believe once these assignments start lining up how freakin' fast time is going to go. It'll be bam bam bam (with a few trips in the middle) and I've only got about six more weeks before break. Yikes!
So let's see: things that I'm currently irritated about, it's almost dark and it's 5PM, the fact that the "proctors/helpers" in the library are incredibly uptight and controlling,(grrr), the fact that I had to xerox a journal article today as well as find readings online and in the course collection for next week and my paper (history one because I haven't even gotten to number two yet), and boy was that tiring. I hate taking the elevator because it takes forever (in the library I mean), but walking on that huge circular staircase up and down to print (ground floor), check out course collection books (main floor), get journal (first floor), copy and fill up copy card (main floor), return journal (first floor)....gets annoying. Other things include people who literally saunter down the street during rush hour...yes I rarely have huge time constraints, but I like a brisk pace and it's annoying.
I've got about four minutes to finish this little posty (ie?) up so I shall briefly explain that the following things (getting a printer, getting a full night's sleep, finding boots, buying binders and mailing things) are all exceedingly harder than they should be. My theory about this is that they are all very basic things, but on that "list" of priorities they are falling by the wayside (minus the sleep thing which is getting a bit better). I'd like a printer, but the library works, boots aren't yet absolutely a must and one of the two Sunday mornings I'm actually in London this term I'll go to a market and get some nice ones for a reasonable price. The buying of binders needs to happen soon for organization obsessions, that are currently screaming bloody murder at me, but hey...the work needs to get done too, and finally mailing things requires stopping at a post office and buying stamps...I can't quite figure out why that one hasn't happened yet. Really. No clue.
So life goes on here as I listen to music and work my way through piles of reading, and pondering the "deeper" questions we're suppose to be assessing as we read. Seriously, what do they think we are, energizer batteries? Still feeling less stressed than I would be at Midd by this point. I'm looking at week eight though, I've got two papers, two presentations, two reading aids and the following week another presentation on Monday...with a trip on that in between weekend. So essentially weeks 6 (the week after next!) and week 7 I'll need to be on top of my shit. If I freak myself out just a little more next week, it'll be peachy.
Okay time is up. Cheers all
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Quoteables...
Last night I went out with a bunch of people on my hall (and others) to celebrate a friend's birthday. We had a few drinks before we left (to save money). The club was a hopping one. I'd never really been to a club before and it was actually a lot of fun. I think I danced from around 10-1AM (I'm so sore today and I've got one or two blisters). However it was great exercise and there was several rooms there on different levels that were all playing a variation in music types so you could go from room to room for different kinds of dancing. It was a fun and unusual way to spend a Monday night. We came back in groups to the hall and I ended up having some excellent cheese toast with two girls in my return group that also are on my hall. It was so very tasty and a nice way to satisfy the hunger that came from dancing all night. I slept in a bit this morning because I went to bed so late. However today was another beautiful day and I spent a few hours reading in the Russell Square cafe (one of my growing number of hangouts), and then two lectures in a row, both quite intersting. Now I'm back in my room and settling down to start outlining some papers, read up for tomorrow and it's only 7:30. The EU changes clocks now a bit earlier than the States. Therefore it was getting pretty dark at 5 and I've been told it gets dark around 3:30 in January. Oh great, just great.
Professor quotables: (international relations class on why war will always exist, some famous Israeli soldier said this, but I didn't catch the name). "Men like to fight and women like warriors" This professor is rather anti-american as well...I'll have to find some more of his quotes. They're pretty funny also because he's a very proper professor and you don't expect them. He's compared the US foreign policy with the Soviets during the Cold War to the 1950s game of "chicken" that US teenagers would occupy themselves with....anyone getting flashbacks?? (Oh ye who shall remain nameless?) Well apparently, and I think I've heard about this, teens would race at each other in cars and someone would have to "blink." Otherwise, well.....
Soviets did in this case first, although I would say it's not because they wanted to
(Political sociology, on rational choice theory and voter preferences - referring to the American system- and the differences between political parties) "Most people say oh it's tweedle dee or tweedle dum when picking political leaders (because parties tend to cater a bit towards voter preferences which are fairly centrist) although now some of them start unecessary wars." This one is a little confusing, hard to describe. The bottom line? I love the way the slight Anti-Americanism in foreign policy filters into my classes here.
(Political sociology, on the costs/benefits of voter participation): "Well there's the process of being registered, you have to go get this piece of paper, then fill it out, and go somewhere else and get it approved, and then go to another place and eventually send it out...that's similiar to the way it works in the US" He got some snickers from this one.
Professor quotables: (international relations class on why war will always exist, some famous Israeli soldier said this, but I didn't catch the name). "Men like to fight and women like warriors" This professor is rather anti-american as well...I'll have to find some more of his quotes. They're pretty funny also because he's a very proper professor and you don't expect them. He's compared the US foreign policy with the Soviets during the Cold War to the 1950s game of "chicken" that US teenagers would occupy themselves with....anyone getting flashbacks?? (Oh ye who shall remain nameless?) Well apparently, and I think I've heard about this, teens would race at each other in cars and someone would have to "blink." Otherwise, well.....
Soviets did in this case first, although I would say it's not because they wanted to
(Political sociology, on rational choice theory and voter preferences - referring to the American system- and the differences between political parties) "Most people say oh it's tweedle dee or tweedle dum when picking political leaders (because parties tend to cater a bit towards voter preferences which are fairly centrist) although now some of them start unecessary wars." This one is a little confusing, hard to describe. The bottom line? I love the way the slight Anti-Americanism in foreign policy filters into my classes here.
(Political sociology, on the costs/benefits of voter participation): "Well there's the process of being registered, you have to go get this piece of paper, then fill it out, and go somewhere else and get it approved, and then go to another place and eventually send it out...that's similiar to the way it works in the US" He got some snickers from this one.
Stonehenge, Glastonbury and Bath Part II
After Glastonbury, we were feeling a little less wet and got on that old coach again and made our way to Bath. I've been before but that was back in the day before I had a digital camera. This was waaaayyyy more fun. We arrived around two thirty and had two hours to walk around the Baths and then the town. Good times. I don't remember a huge number of dates about the baths. Esssentially the Romans enjoyed being clean and they also enjoyed the socializing that came with the "bath scene" so these baths were built and when they returned to Rome in a hurry, the baths fell quickly into disrepair. Over time, Bath became popular again when royalty came to use the springs, and they had built up their own structures over the original Roman ones. When the "Baths" of the Romans were discovered, they were excavated for tourists to admire. Today Bath is a beautiful city (although it was raining for most of our time there) with buildings that look much the same due to careful planning. There is a university there so it also has a student feel as well, something that is most enjoyable. During World War II, American and British troops bombed a great number of German historic sites and in retaliation, the Germans got out their English guidebooks, figured out quickly that Bath was a major site and bombed in retaliation. However the city survived mostly intact. We arrived near the Bath Abbey, another one of those huge beautiful structures that survived the minimal bombing of World War II. 
Welcome to the Baths, please don't touch the green water in the biggest Bath (that is exposed to the elements and is untreated). Also please shake out your umbrellas before you walk inside (so as to minimize the chances of someone breaking something). Thank you. 
Please wait (in this little group corral) and we'll send you in with your little listening devices in a moment 
Looking down at the biggest bath from the inside level above 
See, I was there, I swear..... 
Another angle, sort of gives you a feeling for how long it is 
This shot was just across the pool....notice the roman statue on top 
Roman statue close up...he preened before, but I missed that part 
Some more random shots 
There were also some people dressed up in period clothing demonstrating how various perfumes were used etc. 
Although this stream (right below) was feeding the hot spring today, there was also another very old looking pipe that probably added to it years and years ago as well. The stream had a rock built over it, that didn't stick up really, but let the water under it, it just looked like part of the floor. I remember that vividly from last time and therefore it was a bit weird to be there again. Fun though to marvel at the crazy amount of carvings and work that had to go into making the baths so utterly prestigous and Roman. 
This was another bath, not the big green one, although this one was a bit green. The surrounding walls and "windows" were so majestic 
I'm not sure if this was a bath what the stacks of bricks were for. Maybe they had to do with heating. There were three or four rooms that had a similiar layout with the bricks 
In the museum part, they had remnents that had been preserved, although the museum was essentially part of the structure so I suppose it doesn't matter. I couldn't tell if they moved it, but thinking back on the way the "tour" wound through the exhibits and there were bridges etc, its possible that this was in the original location. Either way, another intricate and impressive artistic piece. 
These temple steps are the only thing really left of the temple and are in a side corridor. I believe they may still be officially being excavated fully, not sure though. 
There were various places where if you bent over (the first two pictures here) that you could see places where the water flowed. There is a distance shot here and a closer up one where I tried to catch the steam and water flow. 
Another place, clearly more open, where you could see water flowing around 
The famous "lady's head". 
Some impressive looking tombstone style pillars with old writing in them. 
This pool was just off the main big open bath pictured above. Here it was a pretty cool plunge back then and the shiny things are coins thrown in, I don't know how often they actually clean them. I remember throwing a coin in four years ago so I did this time as well, might as well attempt to establish a tradition even if I never go back. How many times does something have to be done before one could consider it as such? 
This archway/tunnel led into the main bath from the area where the pool pictured above, there were actually two entrances side by side, and this one was going into a cooridor next to the coin pool room. They're all connected though. 
Oh water...hot slightly sulfuric/egg smelly water. It's supposed to cure whatever you've got so I drank a glass because I still have a small cold. I can't tell if it worked, or if it's just nature taking its course. 
After walking through the baths, we also walked around the town for a bit. We got some little bath things and I got a really good piece of fudge (oh yum). We (a group of about six people) walked up to this cool bridge which apparently is an Italian style (?) where it's a bridge but then when you're on it, there are shops on both sides so it doesn't really feel like you're on a bridge at all. We also saw some beautiful scenery as the sun came out and four of us split some yummy hot pizza because we were hungry. We got on the bus at 4:30 but somehow had terrible luck with rush hour traffic and didn't arrive back in London until close to 8PM. After dinner I was absolutely exhausted and facing classes (on Monday) so I headed straight to bed. The square outside the Bath entrance....shopping time! 
Near the bridge, overlooking the river 
On the bridge..... 
Again, yes I was actually here 
On the other side of the bridge facing the outside of the shops 
Looking down the sidewalk alongside the river (these were taken while we were waiting the 8 minutes for our pizza). 
Back in the square waiting for the coach, we were excited as the sun started to come out reflecting off the hills and buildings across the river. These were taken facing away from the abbey looking over the park and river.... 
This shot was just me goofing around with the camera. However I ended up liking the light/steeple contrast. 
I had a video I wanted to upload, but first I did the wrong one, then it wouldn't load at all and everytime I tried to do it over the picture layout reformatted itself all tight in the blog. This is time number four and I'm tired of separating the damn text and pictures. Sorry, but it's still readable, I think....grrrrrr
Welcome to the Baths, please don't touch the green water in the biggest Bath (that is exposed to the elements and is untreated). Also please shake out your umbrellas before you walk inside (so as to minimize the chances of someone breaking something). Thank you. 
Please wait (in this little group corral) and we'll send you in with your little listening devices in a moment 
Looking down at the biggest bath from the inside level above 
See, I was there, I swear..... 
Another angle, sort of gives you a feeling for how long it is 
This shot was just across the pool....notice the roman statue on top 
Roman statue close up...he preened before, but I missed that part 
Some more random shots 
There were also some people dressed up in period clothing demonstrating how various perfumes were used etc. 
Although this stream (right below) was feeding the hot spring today, there was also another very old looking pipe that probably added to it years and years ago as well. The stream had a rock built over it, that didn't stick up really, but let the water under it, it just looked like part of the floor. I remember that vividly from last time and therefore it was a bit weird to be there again. Fun though to marvel at the crazy amount of carvings and work that had to go into making the baths so utterly prestigous and Roman. 
This was another bath, not the big green one, although this one was a bit green. The surrounding walls and "windows" were so majestic 
I'm not sure if this was a bath what the stacks of bricks were for. Maybe they had to do with heating. There were three or four rooms that had a similiar layout with the bricks 
In the museum part, they had remnents that had been preserved, although the museum was essentially part of the structure so I suppose it doesn't matter. I couldn't tell if they moved it, but thinking back on the way the "tour" wound through the exhibits and there were bridges etc, its possible that this was in the original location. Either way, another intricate and impressive artistic piece. 
These temple steps are the only thing really left of the temple and are in a side corridor. I believe they may still be officially being excavated fully, not sure though. 
There were various places where if you bent over (the first two pictures here) that you could see places where the water flowed. There is a distance shot here and a closer up one where I tried to catch the steam and water flow. 
Another place, clearly more open, where you could see water flowing around 
The famous "lady's head". 
Some impressive looking tombstone style pillars with old writing in them. 
This pool was just off the main big open bath pictured above. Here it was a pretty cool plunge back then and the shiny things are coins thrown in, I don't know how often they actually clean them. I remember throwing a coin in four years ago so I did this time as well, might as well attempt to establish a tradition even if I never go back. How many times does something have to be done before one could consider it as such? 
This archway/tunnel led into the main bath from the area where the pool pictured above, there were actually two entrances side by side, and this one was going into a cooridor next to the coin pool room. They're all connected though. 
Oh water...hot slightly sulfuric/egg smelly water. It's supposed to cure whatever you've got so I drank a glass because I still have a small cold. I can't tell if it worked, or if it's just nature taking its course. 
After walking through the baths, we also walked around the town for a bit. We got some little bath things and I got a really good piece of fudge (oh yum). We (a group of about six people) walked up to this cool bridge which apparently is an Italian style (?) where it's a bridge but then when you're on it, there are shops on both sides so it doesn't really feel like you're on a bridge at all. We also saw some beautiful scenery as the sun came out and four of us split some yummy hot pizza because we were hungry. We got on the bus at 4:30 but somehow had terrible luck with rush hour traffic and didn't arrive back in London until close to 8PM. After dinner I was absolutely exhausted and facing classes (on Monday) so I headed straight to bed. The square outside the Bath entrance....shopping time! 
Near the bridge, overlooking the river 
On the bridge..... 
Again, yes I was actually here 
On the other side of the bridge facing the outside of the shops 
Looking down the sidewalk alongside the river (these were taken while we were waiting the 8 minutes for our pizza). 
Back in the square waiting for the coach, we were excited as the sun started to come out reflecting off the hills and buildings across the river. These were taken facing away from the abbey looking over the park and river.... 
This shot was just me goofing around with the camera. However I ended up liking the light/steeple contrast. 
I had a video I wanted to upload, but first I did the wrong one, then it wouldn't load at all and everytime I tried to do it over the picture layout reformatted itself all tight in the blog. This is time number four and I'm tired of separating the damn text and pictures. Sorry, but it's still readable, I think....grrrrrr
Monday, October 29, 2007
Stonehenge, Glastonbury and Bath Part I
This is what we'd call a day of sight seeing and in order to make the posts manageable I'm doing it in two separate posts. The first one will be roughly half, and post number two may go up another time and will be mostly pictures from Bath.
Classic England weather
It was raining and oh so windy there.
I really was trying to get my hood to behave. It wasn't being that nice to me.
I just find it astonishing that human beings before there was any modern day technology could do this sort of thing. If I get to Egypt this year and see the pyramids, that's going to knock me over.
Here I am standing in front of the "Devil's Heel." It's a rock that when you stand in the middle of the Stonehenge circle and face it on the longest day of the year, the sun rises directly over it.
It's called the "devil's heel" because the devil left his footprint in the stone.
Next, all wet and shivering, we climbed on the bus and headed for Glastonbury. It is described as a hippy town and did have several very ecletic shops and restaurants so I suppose that is accurate. Once there we met up as a group in the main center of town where this top of a church steeple sits directly on the ground.
We made our way into the Glastonbury Abbey. Even crossing the street in this tiny town proved to be a bit challenging. No one was lost to roadkill however.
This abbey has a very long history and was rebuilt at one time after a great fire. The remains that are left today are all that stood after King Henry VIII (crops up in historical tales a lot here) decided he didn't like all the pagentry especially after he established the Church of England so the Abbey and all its riches were pillaged and now just random sections of walls and arches remain. It is still astonishing to see them because you can still get a good impression for how big the original structure must have been
This wall is just one of the segments left, but it is absolutely massive
This arch was at what would have been the end of the biggest part of the abbey before it went into a smaller end section. It had a partner arch pictured below and they were joined by an even bigger one, also pictured below (although the top of the largest one no longer exists).
The partner arch to the one above, they stood side by side with the space that formed the bigger arch in between
This blast from the past was wandering around the gardens. I think he was actually portraying a tax collector from the time of King Henry VIII. I'm not entirely sure, but he may be part of the responsible party that led to the eventual destruction. How fitting that he was around promoting the place.
This site beyond the three arches pictured above was at one end of the abbey. This site marks where the bones of Arthur and Guinevere were moved to in 1191. The description tag is below
This is the view standing near the original site of where the bones were found. On the left is the lady's chapel, the first part to be built after a fire burned a great of the abbey (don't remember when this was). More on the right you can probably make out those arches pictured earlier, they are nearing the far end of the abbey and the lady's chapel forms the other end. Massive no?
And right in front of me when I took the picture above was........
And of course there was a little place to climb up into the rockwork and be a tourist, however could I resist such a temptation? Answer, nope, not a chance.
Later on, I went for a walk around the grounds with a friend and of course at this moment the pictures from that walk pretty much won't load. Basically there were really green fields and nice vistas and a pond that looked so utterly quaint. This is the footbridge going over it. As we walked up to it, a bunch of freaky rather large ducks started to make their way towards us. Yes towards us, I don't think that's normal, but I guess they weren't at all happy that we were invading their little paradise.
This is inside a tiny little chapel area that is still intact and not part of the bigger abbey. The candles were really pretty, the one closest to the camera was the one I lit just minutes before.
Standing in the arch that was between the modern entrance center and the huge fields where the abbey was located. I'm short and I just fit in it, people were much shorter back then. I felt like a giant and the door to the little chapel I mentioned just above was about three inches taller than I am. Horray!
Same arch (with wild berries on top) from the other direction coming back from the fields
Oh the thorn tree. So there is this rather lengthy story that I don't quite have straight. However apparently this thorn tree can find its history traced back to one of the original thorns found on the crown Christ wore at his crucifixtion. The tree blooms only on Easter and Christmas (which is sort of spooky) and it only thrives well in this area. Glastonbury does have many connections to the Bible and King Arthur. In the years where we know very little about Jesus, he was off the said map for a bit, it is said he did come here and that's maybe why the trees do so well. The type of thorn can also be found thriving in parts of Syria so it is possible that that was the original source of the thorn. Regardless of how you feel, I could get into the historical spirit of the day and therefore I am in front of the tree.
And once again a description............
Now, because this post is getting ridiculous long will come Part II, in which we go to the Roman Baths....stay tuned.
Classic England weather
It was raining and oh so windy there.
I really was trying to get my hood to behave. It wasn't being that nice to me.
I just find it astonishing that human beings before there was any modern day technology could do this sort of thing. If I get to Egypt this year and see the pyramids, that's going to knock me over.
Here I am standing in front of the "Devil's Heel." It's a rock that when you stand in the middle of the Stonehenge circle and face it on the longest day of the year, the sun rises directly over it.
It's called the "devil's heel" because the devil left his footprint in the stone.
Next, all wet and shivering, we climbed on the bus and headed for Glastonbury. It is described as a hippy town and did have several very ecletic shops and restaurants so I suppose that is accurate. Once there we met up as a group in the main center of town where this top of a church steeple sits directly on the ground.
We made our way into the Glastonbury Abbey. Even crossing the street in this tiny town proved to be a bit challenging. No one was lost to roadkill however.
This abbey has a very long history and was rebuilt at one time after a great fire. The remains that are left today are all that stood after King Henry VIII (crops up in historical tales a lot here) decided he didn't like all the pagentry especially after he established the Church of England so the Abbey and all its riches were pillaged and now just random sections of walls and arches remain. It is still astonishing to see them because you can still get a good impression for how big the original structure must have been
This wall is just one of the segments left, but it is absolutely massive
This arch was at what would have been the end of the biggest part of the abbey before it went into a smaller end section. It had a partner arch pictured below and they were joined by an even bigger one, also pictured below (although the top of the largest one no longer exists).
The partner arch to the one above, they stood side by side with the space that formed the bigger arch in between
This blast from the past was wandering around the gardens. I think he was actually portraying a tax collector from the time of King Henry VIII. I'm not entirely sure, but he may be part of the responsible party that led to the eventual destruction. How fitting that he was around promoting the place.
This site beyond the three arches pictured above was at one end of the abbey. This site marks where the bones of Arthur and Guinevere were moved to in 1191. The description tag is below
This is the view standing near the original site of where the bones were found. On the left is the lady's chapel, the first part to be built after a fire burned a great of the abbey (don't remember when this was). More on the right you can probably make out those arches pictured earlier, they are nearing the far end of the abbey and the lady's chapel forms the other end. Massive no?
And right in front of me when I took the picture above was........
And of course there was a little place to climb up into the rockwork and be a tourist, however could I resist such a temptation? Answer, nope, not a chance.
Later on, I went for a walk around the grounds with a friend and of course at this moment the pictures from that walk pretty much won't load. Basically there were really green fields and nice vistas and a pond that looked so utterly quaint. This is the footbridge going over it. As we walked up to it, a bunch of freaky rather large ducks started to make their way towards us. Yes towards us, I don't think that's normal, but I guess they weren't at all happy that we were invading their little paradise.
This is inside a tiny little chapel area that is still intact and not part of the bigger abbey. The candles were really pretty, the one closest to the camera was the one I lit just minutes before.
Standing in the arch that was between the modern entrance center and the huge fields where the abbey was located. I'm short and I just fit in it, people were much shorter back then. I felt like a giant and the door to the little chapel I mentioned just above was about three inches taller than I am. Horray!
Same arch (with wild berries on top) from the other direction coming back from the fields
Oh the thorn tree. So there is this rather lengthy story that I don't quite have straight. However apparently this thorn tree can find its history traced back to one of the original thorns found on the crown Christ wore at his crucifixtion. The tree blooms only on Easter and Christmas (which is sort of spooky) and it only thrives well in this area. Glastonbury does have many connections to the Bible and King Arthur. In the years where we know very little about Jesus, he was off the said map for a bit, it is said he did come here and that's maybe why the trees do so well. The type of thorn can also be found thriving in parts of Syria so it is possible that that was the original source of the thorn. Regardless of how you feel, I could get into the historical spirit of the day and therefore I am in front of the tree.
And once again a description............
Now, because this post is getting ridiculous long will come Part II, in which we go to the Roman Baths....stay tuned.
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