Hey All,
I needed to just take a break from all of the reading that I'm doing on the conservation of modern materials. It's starting to blur and I'm not sure how much I'm letting truly soak in. So! Nothing better for a little study break than to update on my life. Obviously.
It's been a while (ha, who hasn't heard that from me before?), but I've honestly been much more swamped by school and life than I thought I would be. There is way more reading, research, topic discussion, and topic revision than I thought there would be. I guess that's grad school for you, though.
Anyway, I moved into my new place about a month ago, and I'm really happy with it. Grated, the room is smaller than the one I had before, but I fit everything I need in here (with the exception of the 10 books I have checked out from the library, those currently either live on my bed or my desk. You win again, Grad School...). The location is pretty convenient as far as getting to school and any other locations goes, the overground is right around the corner, as is the local tube station and there are loads of bus stops right near our entrance. It's a little bit sketchy, but there are some really cute restaurants and some pub/bars that do great deals on drinks.
My new flatmates are great so far (at least, 2/3 of them are). I live with one of my best friends over here who is also a grad student, but she's studying a different subject entirely. There's also a German guy who is awesome, super clean, really funny and friendly. His girlfriend seems ok too, which is better than her hating me outright. The last one is a girl from up north, who is just a friggin' mess. She's studying law or something, and had a part time job for a while that she just quit, but she never EVER cleans anything. She's lived here longer than I have, but I don't think she's cleaned once. It was her weekend to clean (we take turns every weekend, that way it's not too overwhelming and so it's fair for everyone). She blatantly blew it off. She was home all weekend, and did not do a goddam thing. RIDICULOUS.
PLUS, bitch stole my cookies. Nobody steals my cookies. And she takes ridiculously long baths when there are 3 OTHER PEOPLE WHO NEED THE ONE BATHROOM WE HAVE. AND she leaves glasses of water in the shower. What is that. Honestly. What. IS. That. Bull crap, that's what that is. And highly unsanitary. We all need to sit down and have a little chat with her, because if she keeps that crap up, she's going to have to find somewhere else to live. End of story.
Enough hate rage.
Love you all,
L
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Adventures in England
Hello All,
It's been a crazy few days over here in England. I've been all over! This post will be mostly pictures, so enjoy!
This weekend past I went out and visited my relatives near Reading, England. I'm not sure where their home is, I know it's about a half hour from Reading and 45 minutes from Henley, but I have no idea where it is exactly. The place doesn't even have an address, it just has a name. That's all. Anyway, I went and visited them at their beautiful estate home out in the country. This was the view from my bedroom when I woke up:
I think you can see how easy it is to fall in love with England... I'll do another post soon on my trip out to Bath and Stonehenge, it'll be too much to write it out here!
XO,
L
It's been a crazy few days over here in England. I've been all over! This post will be mostly pictures, so enjoy!
This weekend past I went out and visited my relatives near Reading, England. I'm not sure where their home is, I know it's about a half hour from Reading and 45 minutes from Henley, but I have no idea where it is exactly. The place doesn't even have an address, it just has a name. That's all. Anyway, I went and visited them at their beautiful estate home out in the country. This was the view from my bedroom when I woke up:
They also have Shetland ponies. And real ones as well.
A view looking over their lands. A little Lion King-esque
Very cute Market that I visited with my cousin.
XO,
L
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
My Daily Walk to School
Just a quick note, I hope everyone who was affected by Hurricane Sandy is doing well and that life will return to normal quickly. It was very nerve wracking to watch what was going on back home over here, especially when the media loves a good disaster.
Anyway, onto a more pleasant subject.
Approximately 2 to 3 times a week, I like to walk to school. This is normally dependent upon the weather (which is unpredictable at best. It could be sunny at home and pouring at school.), if I'm running late (90% o the time), or if I am carrying an inordinate amount of weight (i.e. Library books, or my laptop if I'm going to try to be industrious after lectures). It's a pleasant walk, about 3 or so miles, and takes around an hour to complete due to waiting for crosswalk signs to change.
To begin, you head right out of my flat, heading down towards the Albert Embankment, a lovely stone paved walkway along the Thames. On your approach, you pass an old boat building dock, which has remnants of old boats sticking up directly out of the ground. To your left is the MI5, where James Bond works. To your right, Big Ben and Parliament gleam at you from across the river. You head down towards this iconic part of London, the heels of your shoes clacking merrily along the path. There are benches placed up every so often for people to rest and take in the scenery, a cafe or two is peppered along the walk in case you are in need of caffeine (I am often in need of caffeine). On foggy mornings your footsteps are muffled, runners emerge from the mist and fly by. Up ahead is the London Eye, you turn left here and go across Westminster Bridge, where the Scottish bagpiper is. Every day. Always. You've learned to like bagpipes.
Over the bridge you go, fighting against tourists who invariably stop in the worst places, walk in the wrong direction, and try to take group pictures that people are constantly walking through. At the second light, you turn right down a road that you don't really know what it's called, but you know it's the right one because you can see Westminster Abbey on the corner. Walk, walk, walk. Big Ben, at this point, has rung out at least once during your trek, letting you know if it's 15, 30, 45, or on the hour. Mostly, this is important for knowing just how late you are running. Along this next road you pass several important looking buildings, along with plenty of statues and memorials to the Glorious Dead. You have often wondered just what is so glorious about being dead. You bet that the dead would much rather have not died gloriously. At the bases of all of these statues are wreathes of poppies, a sign of remembrance. On the left is the Royal Calvary, where men with funny candle snuffing hats sit astride giant horses all day. You know that through that gate and across the street behind it lies Buckingham Palace. You think that your walk to school is pretty cool.
Oh, look at that, the street is dead ending in a square. Trafalgar Square, to be precise. Behind the famous column is the National Museum, something that you keep meaning to go to but have yet to actually make time for. Off to the right is The Strand, which has loads of shopping. You continue up to the back right corner of the square, down Charing Cross.
This bit of the road is very uninteresting. There are Chinese food shops, some neon signs, and a Chipotle (which is actually very exciting but you haven't gone there for the sake of trying new things.) You pass a few theatres, a few cafes, a couple that you would really like to pop into one of these days. You round the corner and viola! Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street.
Per usual, these streets are crazily packed with people. There's an awful lot of shopping to do, and more than enough people willing to do it! You take a moment to wonder just when, exactly, all these people go to work. There seems to be an oddly disproportionate amount of people free at 11 in the morning on a Monday for this to be normal. You pass another theatre, this one is showing We Will Rock You (based on Queen's music, very fun, you should go see it). The first time you saw this building you were wondering why there was a giant golden statue of Elvis on it. It's not Elvis.
Up the road you go, past grocery stores, phone stores, movie stores, something that is called a Casino but looks deceptively like an arcade, fruit stands, coffee shop, coffee shop, Starbucks, coffee shop, before turning down a small street next to a building that has already decorated for Christmas. You think this is ridiculous, but forgive them for 3 reasons. 1, they don't celebrate Halloween all that severely here, so it's ok to start decorating for the next "major" holiday because 2, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving either (something which depresses you greatly because you do so love turkey dinner), and 3, they have chosen to decorate the exterior with legitimate pine boughs. Seriously. These things smell AMAZING.
Down this small street you pass one of the very best pastry places you've ever been to, a luxurious and charming apartment building (where, this morning, you saw a parent holding their child up to the window so it could stare, amazed, at the world below. This made you smile), a Waterstone's bookstore which looks like some kind of Victorian castle, an old church, a beautiful fenced in park, and here you are, at last, at the Institute of Archaeology.
And that is my walk to school.
XO,
L
Anyway, onto a more pleasant subject.
Approximately 2 to 3 times a week, I like to walk to school. This is normally dependent upon the weather (which is unpredictable at best. It could be sunny at home and pouring at school.), if I'm running late (90% o the time), or if I am carrying an inordinate amount of weight (i.e. Library books, or my laptop if I'm going to try to be industrious after lectures). It's a pleasant walk, about 3 or so miles, and takes around an hour to complete due to waiting for crosswalk signs to change.
To begin, you head right out of my flat, heading down towards the Albert Embankment, a lovely stone paved walkway along the Thames. On your approach, you pass an old boat building dock, which has remnants of old boats sticking up directly out of the ground. To your left is the MI5, where James Bond works. To your right, Big Ben and Parliament gleam at you from across the river. You head down towards this iconic part of London, the heels of your shoes clacking merrily along the path. There are benches placed up every so often for people to rest and take in the scenery, a cafe or two is peppered along the walk in case you are in need of caffeine (I am often in need of caffeine). On foggy mornings your footsteps are muffled, runners emerge from the mist and fly by. Up ahead is the London Eye, you turn left here and go across Westminster Bridge, where the Scottish bagpiper is. Every day. Always. You've learned to like bagpipes.
Over the bridge you go, fighting against tourists who invariably stop in the worst places, walk in the wrong direction, and try to take group pictures that people are constantly walking through. At the second light, you turn right down a road that you don't really know what it's called, but you know it's the right one because you can see Westminster Abbey on the corner. Walk, walk, walk. Big Ben, at this point, has rung out at least once during your trek, letting you know if it's 15, 30, 45, or on the hour. Mostly, this is important for knowing just how late you are running. Along this next road you pass several important looking buildings, along with plenty of statues and memorials to the Glorious Dead. You have often wondered just what is so glorious about being dead. You bet that the dead would much rather have not died gloriously. At the bases of all of these statues are wreathes of poppies, a sign of remembrance. On the left is the Royal Calvary, where men with funny candle snuffing hats sit astride giant horses all day. You know that through that gate and across the street behind it lies Buckingham Palace. You think that your walk to school is pretty cool.
Oh, look at that, the street is dead ending in a square. Trafalgar Square, to be precise. Behind the famous column is the National Museum, something that you keep meaning to go to but have yet to actually make time for. Off to the right is The Strand, which has loads of shopping. You continue up to the back right corner of the square, down Charing Cross.
This bit of the road is very uninteresting. There are Chinese food shops, some neon signs, and a Chipotle (which is actually very exciting but you haven't gone there for the sake of trying new things.) You pass a few theatres, a few cafes, a couple that you would really like to pop into one of these days. You round the corner and viola! Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street.
Per usual, these streets are crazily packed with people. There's an awful lot of shopping to do, and more than enough people willing to do it! You take a moment to wonder just when, exactly, all these people go to work. There seems to be an oddly disproportionate amount of people free at 11 in the morning on a Monday for this to be normal. You pass another theatre, this one is showing We Will Rock You (based on Queen's music, very fun, you should go see it). The first time you saw this building you were wondering why there was a giant golden statue of Elvis on it. It's not Elvis.
Up the road you go, past grocery stores, phone stores, movie stores, something that is called a Casino but looks deceptively like an arcade, fruit stands, coffee shop, coffee shop, Starbucks, coffee shop, before turning down a small street next to a building that has already decorated for Christmas. You think this is ridiculous, but forgive them for 3 reasons. 1, they don't celebrate Halloween all that severely here, so it's ok to start decorating for the next "major" holiday because 2, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving either (something which depresses you greatly because you do so love turkey dinner), and 3, they have chosen to decorate the exterior with legitimate pine boughs. Seriously. These things smell AMAZING.
Down this small street you pass one of the very best pastry places you've ever been to, a luxurious and charming apartment building (where, this morning, you saw a parent holding their child up to the window so it could stare, amazed, at the world below. This made you smile), a Waterstone's bookstore which looks like some kind of Victorian castle, an old church, a beautiful fenced in park, and here you are, at last, at the Institute of Archaeology.
And that is my walk to school.
XO,
L
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Empathy is a Bitch
I originally intended to do some crap sort of post about "oh no, I'm 25 now, quarter life crisis, wah wah wah." However, walking home from the post office today I changed my mind.
In order to from the post office to my flat, you have to walk alongside and cross some fairly busy roads, ones that are large enough and full of enough crazy drivers to make you want to just wait for the walk light to turn green. On the way back, I noticed that traffic was significantly heavier than it was on the way up. I saw in the distance a few cop cars and just assumed, "oh, fender bender, no big deal." At least, that's what I thought until I saw the long black lump on the ground.
I'm not sure if it's just a sign of how much of a suburbanite I am or if it's just part of the human condition, but when faced with a dead body, the first thought in my mind is not, "oh, that's a dead body." I actually can't grasp it. I kind of just stared at it, and I remember running through a list of different things it could possibly be that did not include "dead person." I thought it might be an investigation bag brought by an investigator. I thought maybe it was some other part of the evidence left on the road. The closer I got, the more my brain spun trying to rationalize what this object could be, until I saw shoes sticking out the end of it. I'm guessing they don't make a "one size fits all" body bag.
I don't handle death particularly well. What limited experience I have with it (which, realistically speaking, I probably have more of it than other people my age in my same relative situation), had not shown me to be a very accepting kind of person. I hear that they've passed on, I read about it, hell I've seen the person laid out in a casket and it still just has a level of surreal that I subconsciously refuse to overcome. It's like my brain takes the information and says, "no no, that's unpleasant, we don't know how to deal with unpleasant! Let's lock it away in a box somewhere and forget all about it."
Walking down the sidewalk, catching glimpses of this person between passing cars, all I could do was think about the whole situation. The cars in line to get around the accident scene probably either thought the way I did, or possibly worse, were annoyed that someone was dumb enough to cause whatever scene that was delaying them from where they were heading. This man's passing is suddenly reduced to an annoyance, yet another thing to have to "deal" with for some people. I then thought that while these people were parading past, honking and cutting each other off, they were possibly being the first people to acknowledge this man's death, or at least be aware of it. Somewhere in this world is a collection of people who don't know that their son/husband/brother/uncle/father won't be coming home. Instead, he's spending the night in the morgue. And right there, I felt so strongly for those people, going about their daily lives, never suspecting anything, and I could see it so clearly in my mind the moment when everything changes. I've had that moment, I've lived it. It's terrible. And I relived it all over again in the moments it took to walk by.
So, I suppose, as some kind of lesson to take home with you, please, tell the people you love that you love them. Be a little kinder and more patient with people who may annoy you. You don't know when you or they will be ripped from this world.
XO,
L
In order to from the post office to my flat, you have to walk alongside and cross some fairly busy roads, ones that are large enough and full of enough crazy drivers to make you want to just wait for the walk light to turn green. On the way back, I noticed that traffic was significantly heavier than it was on the way up. I saw in the distance a few cop cars and just assumed, "oh, fender bender, no big deal." At least, that's what I thought until I saw the long black lump on the ground.
I'm not sure if it's just a sign of how much of a suburbanite I am or if it's just part of the human condition, but when faced with a dead body, the first thought in my mind is not, "oh, that's a dead body." I actually can't grasp it. I kind of just stared at it, and I remember running through a list of different things it could possibly be that did not include "dead person." I thought it might be an investigation bag brought by an investigator. I thought maybe it was some other part of the evidence left on the road. The closer I got, the more my brain spun trying to rationalize what this object could be, until I saw shoes sticking out the end of it. I'm guessing they don't make a "one size fits all" body bag.
I don't handle death particularly well. What limited experience I have with it (which, realistically speaking, I probably have more of it than other people my age in my same relative situation), had not shown me to be a very accepting kind of person. I hear that they've passed on, I read about it, hell I've seen the person laid out in a casket and it still just has a level of surreal that I subconsciously refuse to overcome. It's like my brain takes the information and says, "no no, that's unpleasant, we don't know how to deal with unpleasant! Let's lock it away in a box somewhere and forget all about it."
Walking down the sidewalk, catching glimpses of this person between passing cars, all I could do was think about the whole situation. The cars in line to get around the accident scene probably either thought the way I did, or possibly worse, were annoyed that someone was dumb enough to cause whatever scene that was delaying them from where they were heading. This man's passing is suddenly reduced to an annoyance, yet another thing to have to "deal" with for some people. I then thought that while these people were parading past, honking and cutting each other off, they were possibly being the first people to acknowledge this man's death, or at least be aware of it. Somewhere in this world is a collection of people who don't know that their son/husband/brother/uncle/father won't be coming home. Instead, he's spending the night in the morgue. And right there, I felt so strongly for those people, going about their daily lives, never suspecting anything, and I could see it so clearly in my mind the moment when everything changes. I've had that moment, I've lived it. It's terrible. And I relived it all over again in the moments it took to walk by.
So, I suppose, as some kind of lesson to take home with you, please, tell the people you love that you love them. Be a little kinder and more patient with people who may annoy you. You don't know when you or they will be ripped from this world.
XO,
L
Monday, October 1, 2012
Two Weeks In
Well, the real work starts tomorrow.
It's been a little bit of a crazy set of weeks, I've been spending a lot of time adjusting and trying to get my bearings in a new city. On top of that, I'm trying to adjust to a different life style as well, which is going... ok. I never really knew how inept this whole move would make me feel. It's like being back at square one from just the basics. It took me ages to figure out the oven, which still terrifies me, and the washing machine is no better. It's the little things that I just took for granted to know how to do that are really coming back to kick me in the ass. Additionally, my entire room looks like a disaster area because all of the drying racks (that's right, no dryer, although I guess I should just be happy that I don't have to haul my dirty laundry all over creation) were being used by one of my roommates. I have no idea which, but I'm seriously considering investing in one just for me.
That brings me to the other issue. Part of me wants to make this feel like "home," but it seems like a wasted effort when I'll be moving less than 4 months from now. Is it worth investing in any kind of furniture? Do I really want to have more stuff to haul around? It's gotten to the point where I don't even want to go buy another pillow even if I think it'll help me sleep better just because I don't want to move more crap.
It's probably dumb.
On the bright side, the people in my major seem really nice. There's a nice variation in interest and experience so I think it'll be good to get to know everyone. The only thing that keeps eating away at me is the fact that there's too many of us in the first year program to make the second year program. There just aren't enough spots. Just about everyone that I've talked to is really interested in going on to the MSc, and wether we like it or not, we're all vying for the same limited amount of spots. It is a competition, no way around it. Which means I should really stop being such a lazy ass and finish my readings for Wednesday and get over to the museum to see the exhibits I'm supposed to write a paper on. I'll get there. Just give it time.
I had a really nice week with Steph here, it was great to spend some time with her and be around family. We even got to see the majority of the English cousins, which was awesome. They're just such good people. It's nice knowing I have someone looking out for me over here.
Anyway, I'm off to the grocery store to see what I can possibly throw together that marginally resembles a meal.
XO
L
It's been a little bit of a crazy set of weeks, I've been spending a lot of time adjusting and trying to get my bearings in a new city. On top of that, I'm trying to adjust to a different life style as well, which is going... ok. I never really knew how inept this whole move would make me feel. It's like being back at square one from just the basics. It took me ages to figure out the oven, which still terrifies me, and the washing machine is no better. It's the little things that I just took for granted to know how to do that are really coming back to kick me in the ass. Additionally, my entire room looks like a disaster area because all of the drying racks (that's right, no dryer, although I guess I should just be happy that I don't have to haul my dirty laundry all over creation) were being used by one of my roommates. I have no idea which, but I'm seriously considering investing in one just for me.
That brings me to the other issue. Part of me wants to make this feel like "home," but it seems like a wasted effort when I'll be moving less than 4 months from now. Is it worth investing in any kind of furniture? Do I really want to have more stuff to haul around? It's gotten to the point where I don't even want to go buy another pillow even if I think it'll help me sleep better just because I don't want to move more crap.
It's probably dumb.
On the bright side, the people in my major seem really nice. There's a nice variation in interest and experience so I think it'll be good to get to know everyone. The only thing that keeps eating away at me is the fact that there's too many of us in the first year program to make the second year program. There just aren't enough spots. Just about everyone that I've talked to is really interested in going on to the MSc, and wether we like it or not, we're all vying for the same limited amount of spots. It is a competition, no way around it. Which means I should really stop being such a lazy ass and finish my readings for Wednesday and get over to the museum to see the exhibits I'm supposed to write a paper on. I'll get there. Just give it time.
I had a really nice week with Steph here, it was great to spend some time with her and be around family. We even got to see the majority of the English cousins, which was awesome. They're just such good people. It's nice knowing I have someone looking out for me over here.
Anyway, I'm off to the grocery store to see what I can possibly throw together that marginally resembles a meal.
XO
L
Thursday, September 20, 2012
SoHo, or, Quite Possibly the Most Fun Ever
Hello hello!
I know what you're thinking. "Liz, your sense of direction must be really just atrocious. SoHo is in NEW YORK. As in NEW YORK CITY. Not London." Trust me, I know I'm about as directionally challenged as they come (I have about 6-8 blisters on my feet from wandering helplessly through the streets of London. Honestly, how on earth do people know where they are ever??), but SoHo has a British Counterpart across The Pond. And it is GLORIOUS.
Just outside of Tottenham Court Road is a whole world of chic and "buzzy" bars that were packed with post-work people looking for a drink. The entire street was filled with life, lights, and sound. So you can imagine my surprise when my cousin stops in front of a door that looks like something out of a serial killer movie. The door is painted black, nestled in between two Chinese places, the paint is peeling, you can see the rusted metal beneath. There's no sign. There's nothing marking this to be anything other than some kind of broom closet. The door opens, you climb up a flight of stairs, and it's beautiful. The ceiling is covered in black mirrors, there are candles flickering on low glass tables. The stools are covered in a rich dark fabric, the bar itself is old wood with a marble top. And the drinks. Oh the DRINKS, people! It's miraculous. They're amazing. The combinations of flavors and liquors is astounding, they're smooth, they're not overly sweet or tart, they have things like egg white foam that has some kind of pepper sauce in it that perfectly balances the sweetness of the beverage it floats on. The lighting is perfect, the music is perfect, everything is perfect. It's unreal.
And from there, the evening only got better. We ended up eating in a little mexican place (little is definitely used loosely) where you could play foosball while you wait. Not only was it fun to revisit my childhood (we had a foosball table in the basement) but we totally OWNED. Embarassingly. Like 10-2, 10-4 kinds of just utter blow-outs. Poor guys never knew what hit them. The food was great, I tried cactus for the first time which was not bad at all, but everything was just fun. It was great to catch up with my cousin and spend some time with her.
Anyway, I'm exhausted, I didn't get in until late last night and couldn't fall asleep until closer to 5 AM.
XO all,
L
Monday, September 17, 2012
Good Morning, England!
Good Morning, England!
And what a morning it is. It's a crisp 60 degrees out, blue skies with a light breeze. It's perfect September weather here in London, and I couldn't have picked a better day to land. In fact, while terrifying, this was quite possibly one of my best travel experiences via airplane (thank you British Airways.) Besides having to walk through Luxury class, slightly less Luxury class, and Still-better-than-you class to Economy Cattle, the flight was really pretty wonderful. Smooth flying, enough space (the middle person never showed. Huzzah!), and we even landed 10 minutes early. There was a fairly short wait to get onto the train that brings you to luggage claim, Border Patrol was a breeze, and both of my bags made the flight! That's quite the improvement!
I can honestly say that I didn't really become excited about coming over until we were flying over Ireland (before that, I was asleep, and before that, I was a nervous wreck). Flying over the first of the British Isles was almost majestic. It's so green here, and hilly. There are just miles upon miles of what looks like nothing but patchwork farms and tiny towns, the roofs and windows twinkling in the early morning sunlight. Then suddenly you're crossing the Irish sea, and then England appears. Clouds pepper the sky, and fog clings in the nooks and crannies of the landscape like snow. Cars start to appear, tiny and ant-like, crawling on their way to wherever they may be headed, towns grow and become more frequent and the rivers become larger. The rivers in and of themselves fit the landscape, twisting and turning with sharp curves like a ribbon doubled up upon itself, winding their way through the hills and valleys. In all, England is beautiful.
I'm thrilled.
I have a few hours to kill until I can head into the city proper and examine my new home. I think I'm going to like it :)
I hope all is well with everyone, I miss you all.
Love,
L
And what a morning it is. It's a crisp 60 degrees out, blue skies with a light breeze. It's perfect September weather here in London, and I couldn't have picked a better day to land. In fact, while terrifying, this was quite possibly one of my best travel experiences via airplane (thank you British Airways.) Besides having to walk through Luxury class, slightly less Luxury class, and Still-better-than-you class to Economy Cattle, the flight was really pretty wonderful. Smooth flying, enough space (the middle person never showed. Huzzah!), and we even landed 10 minutes early. There was a fairly short wait to get onto the train that brings you to luggage claim, Border Patrol was a breeze, and both of my bags made the flight! That's quite the improvement!
I can honestly say that I didn't really become excited about coming over until we were flying over Ireland (before that, I was asleep, and before that, I was a nervous wreck). Flying over the first of the British Isles was almost majestic. It's so green here, and hilly. There are just miles upon miles of what looks like nothing but patchwork farms and tiny towns, the roofs and windows twinkling in the early morning sunlight. Then suddenly you're crossing the Irish sea, and then England appears. Clouds pepper the sky, and fog clings in the nooks and crannies of the landscape like snow. Cars start to appear, tiny and ant-like, crawling on their way to wherever they may be headed, towns grow and become more frequent and the rivers become larger. The rivers in and of themselves fit the landscape, twisting and turning with sharp curves like a ribbon doubled up upon itself, winding their way through the hills and valleys. In all, England is beautiful.
I'm thrilled.
I have a few hours to kill until I can head into the city proper and examine my new home. I think I'm going to like it :)
I hope all is well with everyone, I miss you all.
Love,
L
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
2012
Let's set the scene, shall we?
The walls are khaki, there are bits of paper tacked to them at odd angles. Surrounding the monitor is an array of brightly colored post-it notes that have various reminders and procedures scribbled upon them. It is 4:23, less than an hour untill we are free to go, my buddha cat on my computer smiles peacefully, reminding me to not be too impatient. I've been here since 7:20. My brain is frazzled, it's been undeniably slow, and all I can think about is going home and curling up with a good book and bowl of soup.
What I will be doing, instead, is trying to phrase just exactly why the field of conservation would benefit from training me. Why I would be the best applicant, why I should be considered and accepted over the rest of my peers.
The truth of the matter is that I don't know if it will greatly benefit them. I can't honestly say that I am better and more qualified than every other applicant on the market, and I certainly can't promise that I will change how conservation is perceived throughout the world. All I can say is that it is what I love, it's where I feel the most at home, and right now that feeling is more important to me than anything else out there. There are other people who feel the same way, this field does not call to people who want to roll in money or who want to slack off and get quick promotions. It calls to those who want to be involved in what it is at its core.
We all want to know that we matter, that some part of us will be passed on. We want to be remembered, we don't want to fade away into nothingness (although Mayan predictions place this as the end of the world. Who can blame someone having a little belief with all the weird weather and natural disasters we've been having recently). I've decided that this year begins a change, a genuine one. I will stop being afraid of failure. Failure in itself can be both beautiful and useful. Failure in jobs, failure in relationships, failure in experiences, we can all learn from it. I've spent too much of my life being afraid of hoping for more than what I have, for really and truly going for what I want and not giving a damn if I don't succeed the first time. Or the second.
The walls are khaki, there are bits of paper tacked to them at odd angles. Surrounding the monitor is an array of brightly colored post-it notes that have various reminders and procedures scribbled upon them. It is 4:23, less than an hour untill we are free to go, my buddha cat on my computer smiles peacefully, reminding me to not be too impatient. I've been here since 7:20. My brain is frazzled, it's been undeniably slow, and all I can think about is going home and curling up with a good book and bowl of soup.
What I will be doing, instead, is trying to phrase just exactly why the field of conservation would benefit from training me. Why I would be the best applicant, why I should be considered and accepted over the rest of my peers.
The truth of the matter is that I don't know if it will greatly benefit them. I can't honestly say that I am better and more qualified than every other applicant on the market, and I certainly can't promise that I will change how conservation is perceived throughout the world. All I can say is that it is what I love, it's where I feel the most at home, and right now that feeling is more important to me than anything else out there. There are other people who feel the same way, this field does not call to people who want to roll in money or who want to slack off and get quick promotions. It calls to those who want to be involved in what it is at its core.
We all want to know that we matter, that some part of us will be passed on. We want to be remembered, we don't want to fade away into nothingness (although Mayan predictions place this as the end of the world. Who can blame someone having a little belief with all the weird weather and natural disasters we've been having recently). I've decided that this year begins a change, a genuine one. I will stop being afraid of failure. Failure in itself can be both beautiful and useful. Failure in jobs, failure in relationships, failure in experiences, we can all learn from it. I've spent too much of my life being afraid of hoping for more than what I have, for really and truly going for what I want and not giving a damn if I don't succeed the first time. Or the second.
What Unemployment Means to Me
Hello All,
After wrapping up work a week and a half ago, I have come to the realization that I really, really need something to do on a daily basis. I woke up this morning at 7:30 and laid in bed until 11. Purely because I had nothing pressing to do and nowhere I needed to be.
This, to me, is unacceptable. I'm a pretty productive person, and don't get me wrong, I do love a good lazy day, but I need something to get me to drag my butt out of bed in the morning. I know, there are a few things I could be doing, I could continue to go through my closet, maybe do some laundry, cancel my car insurance... but I still feel like I have so much time to get all of that done.
Basically, not having a job? Not nearly as cool as I thought it would be. Maybe if I was at the beach all the time. Maybe if I lived in a city and could just walk around for hours and see the people watch. But in suburbia? Forget it. There are only so many times you can circle the mall before it's time to go home.
So, ladies and gentlemen, here is my recommendation to you: Keep your jobs. Or, find some way to fill your days, because this whole "free time" thing is just not up to snuff for me.
I'm going to go work on solving world hunger. Or do some laundry. Anything to make me feel like I've accomplished something today.
Later!
L
After wrapping up work a week and a half ago, I have come to the realization that I really, really need something to do on a daily basis. I woke up this morning at 7:30 and laid in bed until 11. Purely because I had nothing pressing to do and nowhere I needed to be.
This, to me, is unacceptable. I'm a pretty productive person, and don't get me wrong, I do love a good lazy day, but I need something to get me to drag my butt out of bed in the morning. I know, there are a few things I could be doing, I could continue to go through my closet, maybe do some laundry, cancel my car insurance... but I still feel like I have so much time to get all of that done.
Basically, not having a job? Not nearly as cool as I thought it would be. Maybe if I was at the beach all the time. Maybe if I lived in a city and could just walk around for hours and see the people watch. But in suburbia? Forget it. There are only so many times you can circle the mall before it's time to go home.
So, ladies and gentlemen, here is my recommendation to you: Keep your jobs. Or, find some way to fill your days, because this whole "free time" thing is just not up to snuff for me.
I'm going to go work on solving world hunger. Or do some laundry. Anything to make me feel like I've accomplished something today.
Later!
L
Monday, August 13, 2012
Big Ben, The End of an Era, and a Mini Melt Down
Hello all,
I'm going to be using this much more frequently because I have rather big news. As of September 17th, 2012, I will be residing in the charming area of Kennington, London, approximately a 30 minute walk from Parliament and Big Ben. That means that I will be trying (really, this time) to keep updates at regular intervals. It may start just once a week, I'm not sure what my schedule is going to be like or how crazy I am going to go with the traveling, but I intend to use this as a way to keep my friends and family updated on where I am and what I'm doing. Let's face it, I'm pretty terrible at keeping in touch.
That being said, I'm actually really excited about going out and doing things with my life. It feels amazing to be into a conservation program and I'm looking forward to being on the learning end of things again. I miss it, to be honest. Even during the crappiest classes that I had to take for Delaware, I almost always learned something. It may have been something as pointless as the fact that horses would have gone extinct if humans hadn't trained them to be used for labor (or was it cows?) but I still feel like I walked away with a random nugget of information.
That little nugget (although apparently tarnished with time and a little bit blurry around the edges) is what I live for. I like coming home and saying "did you know___" or "guess what I found out today." I'm a walking collection of random facts and I personally enjoy it. Other people most likely find it incredibly annoying, but you know what? Tough cookies. I'm a nerd and I'm proud. Or is it more of a geek?
Either way, that is my major source of excitement and stress over the past few months. I got the acceptance letter in the mail and promptly accepted, only to then stress over how on earth I would pay for the damn thing. This was then followed by "YES I GOT THE LOAN" and "OH NO I HAVE 1 DAY TO SUBMIT MY VISA APPLICATION." That was superseded by the visa approval only to find out that something went wrong and the date that they have my visa expiring is approximately 7 months too soon. SO glad I dropped $400 on that.
I keep looking at the calendar and marking off the days until I leave. It seems extremely surreal that I'll actually be moving on with my career. I have 2 weeks of work left at my current job, we had my going away happy hour this past Friday. It was so great to see how many people came out to say goodbye and to wish me luck. I felt very loved. It's been a long couple of years with a lot of turmoil in between. There have been a lot of lows to fight through but I believe that they all helped me get to where I am right now. It may be cocky to say it, but I think that things are finally turning up the way I want them to (minus the snafu with the visa. That will be fixed. I just needed to rock back and forth in a corner sobbing hysterically to get to that point but I'M FINE REALLY. This is what happens when I run on little to no sleep for several days on end. My body is bound to hate me.)
Anyway, here is my schedule breakdown:
9 more days of work, one Toby Keith concert, one visit from a friend that I probably won't see again until next summer, 10 days in Bethany (with a potential trip up to New York to fix the stupidity that is my visa), 2 weeks back home packing my life up and buying the last odds and ends, one engagement party, one going away party and then I'm on a plane. I already have a place to live, I trust that my flatmates won't try to murder me in my sleep (fingers crossed, ladies and gents), and it's for less than I originally thought it would cost. It's about a 20 minute commute from my school, and it's within walking distance of so many great things. I can't wait to get over there and be a part of it.
Love to you all,
L
I'm going to be using this much more frequently because I have rather big news. As of September 17th, 2012, I will be residing in the charming area of Kennington, London, approximately a 30 minute walk from Parliament and Big Ben. That means that I will be trying (really, this time) to keep updates at regular intervals. It may start just once a week, I'm not sure what my schedule is going to be like or how crazy I am going to go with the traveling, but I intend to use this as a way to keep my friends and family updated on where I am and what I'm doing. Let's face it, I'm pretty terrible at keeping in touch.
That being said, I'm actually really excited about going out and doing things with my life. It feels amazing to be into a conservation program and I'm looking forward to being on the learning end of things again. I miss it, to be honest. Even during the crappiest classes that I had to take for Delaware, I almost always learned something. It may have been something as pointless as the fact that horses would have gone extinct if humans hadn't trained them to be used for labor (or was it cows?) but I still feel like I walked away with a random nugget of information.
That little nugget (although apparently tarnished with time and a little bit blurry around the edges) is what I live for. I like coming home and saying "did you know___" or "guess what I found out today." I'm a walking collection of random facts and I personally enjoy it. Other people most likely find it incredibly annoying, but you know what? Tough cookies. I'm a nerd and I'm proud. Or is it more of a geek?
Either way, that is my major source of excitement and stress over the past few months. I got the acceptance letter in the mail and promptly accepted, only to then stress over how on earth I would pay for the damn thing. This was then followed by "YES I GOT THE LOAN" and "OH NO I HAVE 1 DAY TO SUBMIT MY VISA APPLICATION." That was superseded by the visa approval only to find out that something went wrong and the date that they have my visa expiring is approximately 7 months too soon. SO glad I dropped $400 on that.
I keep looking at the calendar and marking off the days until I leave. It seems extremely surreal that I'll actually be moving on with my career. I have 2 weeks of work left at my current job, we had my going away happy hour this past Friday. It was so great to see how many people came out to say goodbye and to wish me luck. I felt very loved. It's been a long couple of years with a lot of turmoil in between. There have been a lot of lows to fight through but I believe that they all helped me get to where I am right now. It may be cocky to say it, but I think that things are finally turning up the way I want them to (minus the snafu with the visa. That will be fixed. I just needed to rock back and forth in a corner sobbing hysterically to get to that point but I'M FINE REALLY. This is what happens when I run on little to no sleep for several days on end. My body is bound to hate me.)
Anyway, here is my schedule breakdown:
9 more days of work, one Toby Keith concert, one visit from a friend that I probably won't see again until next summer, 10 days in Bethany (with a potential trip up to New York to fix the stupidity that is my visa), 2 weeks back home packing my life up and buying the last odds and ends, one engagement party, one going away party and then I'm on a plane. I already have a place to live, I trust that my flatmates won't try to murder me in my sleep (fingers crossed, ladies and gents), and it's for less than I originally thought it would cost. It's about a 20 minute commute from my school, and it's within walking distance of so many great things. I can't wait to get over there and be a part of it.
Love to you all,
L
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