time for the bodleian

I'm about to embark on an afternoon at the Bodleian. Always fun!

The Globe was amazing. I took pictures so I'll have to try and post those later. I didn't even think about the fact that I was standing for the entire play until the breaks (that's how thrilling King Lear can be). The actor was incredible. Unfortunately a cell phone when off during the performance (kind of distracting). At one point I looked on the other side of the stage and could see a woman crying. It's a very moving play. I'd never read it until now (and I just skimmed through before Thursday). I did get a little sick to my stomach when they plucked out Gloucester's eyes, but the horror was more in watching the faces of Cornwall and Regan when they did it (they just relished it). Anyhow, enough about Shakespearean violence. I really need to post pictures so you can be just as amazed with the Globe as I was (I loved feeling the breeze during the performance).

This weekend I'm headed to Cambridge for some free music (hopefully - fingers crossed) and good times with my Oxford and Cambridge friends (the two schools will only unite for one great cause... hanging out with me).

Time for me to head to the Bodleian. But just for the record... I had an awesome dance party last night with a really nice group of British guys. And by awesome dance party I mean the really good kind - like Jeff Healy kind of dance party (for anyone lucky enough to know what I'm talking about). Yeah... amazing! I threw out all my best moves (which pretty much consists of me jumping around and trying to do the runner man).

Take care Kansas!
(and Mexico... aka Anna)

:)

so sorry

Man, I really am slacking on the posts. I guess I got all nervous when someone in my group told me my posts weren't funny but actually rather boring. Harsh?... I wasn't trying to put people in stitches. Then I realized he'd never read any of them... so apparently I'm just a boring person and therefore could only have boring posts. Whatever. If you're reading this I'm sorry if you're bored...but this is me and you obviously love me enough to listen to my boring crap (I don't really care that I might be a little boring... or a lot of boring.) Thanks guys!

So yesterday = most amazing night yet! My friend Kate and I decided to go to The Bear (an old pub) last night. No one else wanted to go, but we went anyway and realized when we got there that it was a quiz night. As the random foreign students we decided just to watch and not to participate. However, we ended up meeting some regulars at the bar who kind of adopted us onto their team. They were quite a bit older then us (that is, all except the bartender's 11 year old son who also sat with us), but we had a great time (and got really into the game). We would have failed miserably if we had done the quiz alone, but there were quite a few things that they didn't know that we were able to help out with. Thankfully I was able to answer the literature questions for the most part (otherwise I might have had to switch majors), but the British TV/TV police questions were completely lost on me. We ended up winning! And won coupons for the bar. So Kate and I each won a free pint!!! But apparently we weren't drinking 'proper beer' and were going to grow beards from our dark beers. So they bought us each a half pint of what they thought we should be drinking and we laughed and didn't complain. We also had some interesting political conversations. I was bashed a bit for being an American (they did tell me that I was smart... for an American and I asked if that was supposed to be a compliment... 'cause it actually made me really sad). What can you do as an outsider...? I just tried to be polite, honest, and kind. Hopefully that did at least a little damage control... at least with these individuals? All in all the evening was a huge success. I felt less like an ostracized American and more like an individual. I don't want to deny where I am from (I'm not going to be one of those Americans who fakes a British accent) or who I am, but that's not all wrapped up in a nationality, right? Of course right!

Today most of our group went to Stonehenge. Unfortunately I have class so I couldn't go, but maybe I'll go next week...? So I'm blogging, reading King Lear and watching more Shakespeare films. Yes!

More to come... I promise this time!

"i was born on the side of a hill"

So, I received a challenge from my neighbor/floor mate/friend (wait...do i have any friends...oh, that's right I'm every one's friend) that I wouldn't top 7 travel blog posts. Actually, I don't think it was a challenge, but I really miss Laird, so everything is becoming competitive to me in my Laird withdrawal. Anyhow, that means with one post down and 5 weeks left, you guessed it, I'll have to up my turnout if I want to surpass 7.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what to write about, since apparently (according to my sis) everything I say about Oxford is "stratford-upon-boring" (I liked that one Anna, but it cut me to the core). You must know that yesterday I met with the Head Gardener of Green College and he led me around Holywell Street/manor, the neighborhood of Catherine Lloyd (the woman whose journal I've been trying to see) and then we went into the Bodleian and looked at the journal (SUCCESS!). I'm not sure what I want to do with the information, it wasn't exactly what I hoped, but these things have a way of working out, right? of course right!

As to pub/club/bar adventures, Amanda... I'm trying to think of something exciting to tell you. I haven't been out in awhile because of a cold and my super-hip asthma (clubbing with my inhaler in hand, hot, right?) The last night I went out was Friday night. We walked for 20-30 minutes to a neighborhood near Jericho in Oxford to a Pub called the Anchor where there was a jazz concert going on. There weren't really any tourists (minus ourselves) and we had a couple approach us to talk as well as a guy from Oxford and his girlfriend. They mostly talked politics and were very anxious to convince us to vote for Obama. It was really quite funny considering a friend and I said that we were supporters of Obama, but the girl at the pub wouldn't listen. She still seemed to think we needed to be convinced not to vote for McCain... (thick-sculled Americans... we're so stubborn). It was fun though, very chill.

We've gone to some interesting places so far on evening excursions. My favorite place (and by favorite... I mean not at all) is a cement pit buried in an abandoned alley called the Purple Turtle. (It sounds like it should be located somewhere in Aggieville... sorry K-staters...) Maybe that's why I'm so biased against it... no, it's pretty bad. Our RA says it's a last stop on a big night out... so pretty much a last resort. Let's not talk about that anymore...

While I was in London I was able to do quite a few fun things. We went to Romeo and Juliet in the park, Pizza Express, saw Jack Black at the premier of Kung Fu Panda (yeah Anna, you're jealous), and even made it to a London club to meet some people from the States. It wasn't the classiest place since Grease Lightening was playing when we walked in the door (really? yes) but my Guinness was only £1.50 (super cheap for beer here... usually £3) so I didn't complain. There were so many people there that you could hardly move without bumping into people. Some of the guys were feeling pretty friendly, but despite the sweet/innocent facade I put on... I can be pretty tough, I held my own. I remember a lot of pinching... London sleazebags... (makes Uncle Willie a little less funny, huh?) we moved our girl crowd to the outskirts of the chaos and had a good time, but didn't stay too much longer. After I met up with the Butler program people we mostly stuck to pubs... places we could either stand outside or sit inside and talk over a pint... or two... I tried new stuff at every place I could. It was fun to ask someone at the bar what they would suggest and it was usually pretty good. My favorite time was when I had a conversation with an old guy who was at this classy pub with a group of his friends. He was very charming and interested in the states (not a creepy old man...a sweet one, but with very bad teeth...of course). He started talking with me about beer and made a suggestion... which I went with. Way to go random old man!

Anyhow, back to the books. I'm reading Taming of the Shrew for my Shakespeare class. We're also going to see it tomorrow in Stratford-upon-Avon. Pretty exciting!

Oh and Anna, I did eat fish and chips the other day (it was a little overwhelming), but I am in full support of midnight stops at the kabob stands for cheese and chips (I go for chips, ketchup, vinegar and salt... don't knock it 'til you've tried it). I know you don't really care, but I'll have to tell you about our formal dinners later... I live for those!

Oh, and I think I should tell you (Anna... no one else will get this) that "If I were a woman, and I wasn't around, I think I should be in love with Rick!"

i am still alive

There's been a request for a bit more blogging on my part. Sorry, my avid readers, to leave you in such suspense. I just know that all of you have been checking my blog at every free moment hoping to know: where is Katie? and what is she doing now?

Well, I am settled into St. Peter's College at Oxford:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/St_Peter
The mass of a web address above will take you to a decent picture of the main entrance to the college, but I'll have to take a picture of the inner court (it's much prettier). We're staying in a new dorm area called Paradise somethingorother (we just call it paradise - haha). It's really nice and only a year old (i have mixed feelings about that actually). Everyone has their own room complete with bathroom and shower...fancy, huh?! I kind of miss having a roommate...ok so i just miss having Kerrie as my roommate, but she said she'd come visit me - so that's fine (that's all a lie, Kerrie isn't coming, although not because I didn't ask her... I did).

What have I been doing, you ask? Well, there's been a lot of pub/bar/club exploration from the very beginning... I could detail my experiences to you in depth, but I'm sure that would just bore all of you. You're dying to hear about the academic work, right? Of course right! In that case we'll start at the very beginning (meaning my first day at Oxford). We arrived at the college mid-afternoon and I received my first reading assignment that evening. Talk about jumping right into things. Of course, we were supposed to have read all the plays before we got here, but the syllabus online was outdated (and I didn't even finish all of those). And like an idiot I went out with the people I'd just met that night. Needless to say there was quite a lot of scrambling the next morning to prepare for discussion of Henry the fifth (but I was fine). Then we had our first presentation to give (our assignments consist of essays and presentations that are prepared to be given in class before we discuss the works - that makes the topics more open ended and requires a bit more work on my part). Thrilling, I know. The point I'm trying to make is that this is one of the first opportunities I've had to update you, my avid reader (aka Amanda), on my current activities and foreign intrigues.

The foreign part doesn't apply too much to my program (I know...it's sad, but it's England guys). And all the students in my class are Americans. So far I have plans to visit London (to see King Lear at the Globe), Stratford-upon-Avon (where we'll see The Taming of the Shrew ), and Bath. Otherwise, I'm not sure where else I'll end up. I want to visit Gina in Scotland and there's been some talk amongst friends of Dublin and Brighton... I haven't actually looked into those, but ok.

I do know my mailing address now (Brendan)...but I left it in my room. I think this is it:

New Inn Hall St
Oxford, OX1 2DL
01865 278900

...but I'm not positive. So hold off on all the things you want to mail me (since I know that's exactly what so many people have been dying to do) and if I don't correct it in 24 hours, it's correct.

This is quite the blog. I feel like I've been typing for hours. If there are any requests... like: what kind of food have you been eating? Just ask. I aim to please my curious public.
:)
I know, I am terribly, terribly thrilling to listen to.
I hope everyone's well. Post, email, facebook... I miss you all (except any creepy random person who may have somehow found my site... i don't know you, why should I miss you). Enjoy the summer and the sun (for me).

That's all...

manhattan's tornado

Here are some pictures of the damage at my Grandparent's house (Nonnie and D). The branch on the left was shoved into the paneling of the garage. Below is my Grandpa with his chainsaw...

...he loves that thing

We had 2 huge piles of branches and foliage from the oak tree in their side yard (and 2 more for their front lawn). Paul and I are so hard core!

My Grandma Nonnie is smiling because we got her hammock down in one piece. It was twisted up in that giant oak (which snapped at the top during the tornado). Their side yard doesn't look too bad in these pictures, but it was pretty grim when Paul and I first came over in the morning.

These are mostly images from their side lawn. The front had fragments of trees blown over from somewhere else in their neighborhood. Both lawns were covered in insulation, shingles, not to mention bits of cars' headlights, a twisted sheet of metal, photographs, paper, books, etc. (we even found a 4-H ribbon from 1989, a stuffed animal and a rosary). There wasn't any noticeable damage to the house (besides the branch stuck through the garage), but the whole block probably lost about 7 trees, a few were pulled right out of the ground. Our house didn't have any damage and my other grandma's house, which is about a block away from Nonnie and D's, only had small branches, leaves, and small pieces of garbage on the lawn. We were lucky that nothing worse happened.

aren't they cute

So I’ve started this new thing where I sing songs to my Mom about going away and being far from the ones you love and she squeals and tells me to stop (it’s pretty cute). Today I was singing “Leaving on a Jet Plane” (with which I was serenaded – but a slightly altered version – before I left Lawrence – thanks for the special lyrics Nicole and Laird).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLBKOcUbHR0&feature=related

I’ve always listened to the Peter, Paul and Mary version, but I found out that John Denver actually wrote it. Then my Mom told me about how she used to listen to Denver sing it over and over again in college when my Dad spent a year in Germany. I thought that was sweet, especially with their 26th wedding anniversary coming up this week. They’re so cute!

My last days in Lawrence

I had a few complaints about my lack of creativity in choosing a blog name. So I decided to change the header. Happy Laird?

Anyhow, I'm coming down to my last days in Lawrence before I head back to Manhattan, Colorado, and finally Oxford. I'm a little nervous about flying into London and then trying to make my way across the city to my friend, Elise's dorm room at the University of London. I'll be staying two nights with her and then joining the Butler group at their office in London on the 27th. I believe we're staying a night in London and then arriving at Oxford the next day. I'm really excited to meet all the people in my group! I've been asked several times what my hopes and expectations are for this trip. Honestly, I haven't a clue what to expect, but that in itself thrills me!

I'm leaving Lawrence tomorrow with some friends who are coming up from Manhattan to visit. So if anyone from Lawrence reads this tonight or tomorrow and wants to see me...it's your last chance (call me).