Friday 13 December 2013

A Holiday Toast...

Dear loyal readers I write a special post,
if you like, my holiday toast.
To an all-round amazing semester
and now it is time for a month’s siesta,
away from all the exams and assessments.
But, this year abroad has been one of the best investments
I could have made to my life,
even if there was some paperwork strife.
And so, I raise a glass
to the happy times that have come to pass,
to the amazing people that made it real,
I don’t think I could have had a sweeter deal.
Here’s to all the friends that I have no doubt will last,
even when these days are memories in the past.
Many I will see in the New Year
though for several, we must part ways here.
It is always sad to say goodbye,
but we’ll see each other again, and I’ll tell you why.
Because the world is actually rather small,
and I’ll come looking for free lodging from you all.
When I look back on all we’ve done
it really has been rather fun.
From Annapolis, the BBQ and kayaking,
to the country concert and white water rafting.
Halloween, first Fridays, and Homecoming,
New York, DC, and Thanksgiving.
The Renaissance fair, the picnic and Phili,
Eastern Neck, Blitz Ball and Ocean City.
Yes, it was quite a semester indeed,
and through it all you’ve continued to read.
So, my final words go out to you,
I wish you luck in all you do.
I bid you farewell, love, and holiday cheer.
Here’s to a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Thursday 12 December 2013

The Worst Part Is The Waiting...

As in war, the worst part is the waiting, but that time is drawing to a close. By 11:30am tomorrow, the exam will be over and I shall be free...to begin packing. Today I continued my routine of gravitating between my desk, the MPC, the pool table and the piano, as I re-read my notes and staved off my growing boredom - made worse by the fact that virtually everyone else is finished. But, I will be content with knowing that there is always someone else is worse off than myself - that person being Oz Sam who has two exams tomorrow. 


First Farewells...

Yesterday was yet another long day of revising and passing the time as this exam crawls nearer. Later in the morning I took a Christmas card to Cheryl and David's - the people Mum and Dad stayed with when they were over in Fall Break. I chatted to them a while and Cheryl went to get me some Christmas cookies, which turned out to be a very tasty array of snacks that, in the holiday spirit, I decided to share with the others later. 

The day passed and that evening we went over to J to meet up as a whole group, minus Eoin, for the last time. We relaxed and chatted, and Sean came by at 10:00pm after his tutorial class. By 11:00pm we called it a night as packing still needed to be done and for some of us, exams need to be revised for. So, I said goodbye to Bean for a month and headed back to Worcester. Just as I was drifting off, I had to offer my phone to a guy on my corridor who had locked himself out, and having done it myself, I felt obliged to show some sympathy.  

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Still More Snow...

This morning I managed to wake up with my alarm and so I went to breakfast and then to the CAC to start revising for the day. After about an hour, the snow that had been falling all morning began to get heavier, so I decided to get off campus and walk into town to get some photos. I hadn't been down for several weeks and it was nice to see the place decorated for the holiday. I spent about an hour and a half trekking down to the boathouse and back up again, by which point I was very wet and cold, satisfied that I got some decent shots. 

Arriving back in campus, I warmed up editing through the photos and uploading them online. By this time the cold had made me hungry, so I went for lunch, meeting Marcela, Abby and others. Having recharged my energy, I collected my work and went to the basement of the library and to the MPC where Shannon works. Sure enough, I found her down there along with an empty chair, peace and quiet. So, I continued to work in there, breaking for a short while at the piano and then carrying on through until an earlier dinner. 

This evening we hung out at J, Shannon putting her craft skills to good use, making everyone hand decorated tiaras and then they all went to Team Tuesday at the Blue Bird, and I back to Worcester to get some rest for another long day tomorrow of revising and waiting to get this exam over with. 

Monday 9 December 2013

A Monotonous Monday...

The days are starting to seem long. With a smaller amount of material to revise and waiting until the end of the week for the exam, it's no easy task keeping myself motivated to continually go over the same material. This morning I went to the library after breakfast so that I would stay on track. There I bumped into Sean and Marcela, and I spent several hours re-writing notes from memory and devising various ways to make the range of dates easier to remember. 

It is a novelty without classes to choose when I have lunch, and half one seemed as good a time as any. So, I broke off for half an hour, meeting up with Lenka in the dining hall, before going over to the comfier sofas of the CAC to give Marcela some snacks and have a change of scenery. As it happens we didn't get very far and managed to bump into Sean again after he came out of his exam. 

Deciding that I'd done enough work for the time being, or at least progressed sufficiently from yesterday, I returned to Worcester to catch up with the latest episode of Homeland. I spent the time leading up to dinner going over notes one last time before putting them down for good. After eating I waited for the KC shuttle and then relaxed in J as has become my custom. 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

The major highlight of yesterday was that campus saw the first proper fall of snow of the year - Sam was particularly excited as snow is a rarity in Australia. So, before anyone had the chance to get out and write/draw obscene things in the snow, I trekked out to get photos.

Once I had photographed nature, I spent a lazy morning  watching TV and then after brunchI finished off my exam notes for Friday. Later that afternoon I finally had chance to speak with family now that Tom is home from uni. After dinner, we went over to KC to have hot drinks and get warm out of the freezing weather that had turned to sleet. 


Saturday 7 December 2013

A Tasty Prize...

Brunch this morning followed by some time spent at the piano and then over to the library to do several hours of revision for one part of the exam next Friday. Satisfied that I deserved the rest of the afternoon off, I went back to Worcester and discovered that I could get 'Have I Got News For You' on online, so I watched several episodes of the new season. 

At 5:30pm I walked over to Sean's for my home cooked dinner as my prize for bringing in the most profit at the Relay bake sale with Shannon. Some of the others were a little late, so Sean, Nick - who won for creativity, and I sat down to spaghetti, chicken parm, salad (prepared by myself), and some bread. Full marks for the food, which was great. We chatted and relaxed, joined later by Shannon, Lenka, Sam and Marcela. 

The rest of the evening was spent playing 'Cards Against Humanity' and then using Shannon as a Snapchat showcase. A little more revision is earmarked for tomorrow, but as I already know what the question I want for the exam, and I half two and a half hours to do three historical IDs and one essay, I'm not over-working too much this weekend (touch wood). 

A Week Of Advent...

So, I know I have a couple of days to catch up on, but as I said, with things winding down there isn't loads to say. Thursday was the final class of the year and with nothing to do until the exam on the last day, I decided to give myself the day off to unwind after a non-stop couple of weeks. In the evening we went over to KC to drink to the end of classes and jumping the final hurdle before the holiday. 

Yesterday, was spent lazing around in the library where Shannon works for a while, and then I went over to Sean's, where he, Marcela and I spent the afternoon under a blanket and watching 'Mickey's Christmas Tales' and then 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'. 

Once the film was finished, I went back over to Worcester to get ready to go to David and Deirdre's (my host family's) house for dinner with some of the others. As ever the food was superb and their hospitality was excellent. Naturally Fern, their part wolf part husky was a huge hit with everyone. Before we knew it, we'd been their five hours and it was approaching pumpkin hour, so we headed back to campus. 

Whilst the other went out, Sean, Marcela and I resumed our positions under the blanket and watched 'Tomb Raider', not a very Christmasy film I'll grant you, but I'd never seen it before and it was British, so I was happy. 

Thursday 5 December 2013

Finishing The Semester With Striner...

Yesterday was the last day for Striner's classes this semester. We finished off the day with 'It's A Wonderful Life' to put everyone in the Christmas spirit in the lead up to finals week and a much needed holiday (after the one last week). 

With everyone else still meeting essay deadlines I've had a fair bit of spare time to do book stuff, but after today's class with Miller, in which we'll find out about our final on the final day of term, it will be revision all the way for the last big push. I foresee this last week and a bit being quite quiet with all eyes on upcoming examinations. Now, I'm deciding whether to put the blog on hold over Christmas and then re-start it in the Spring semester, or if it would be worth continuing with it over the month that I'm at home.

Tuesday 3 December 2013

A New Password...

There was a mash of small jobs that needed doing this morning. Leaving Hodson from breakfast, I went down to the pianos first thing to preemptively unwind. Then, I posted a letter back home to Sara, handed in my DS-something-or-other form to get a signature for me leaving the country over Christmas, and did my post-Thanksgiving laundry. After class, I had a relaxed lunch with no plans for the afternoon. 

Later, I made another trip to the pianos and then headed to Hynson Lounge for the farewell to the international students that will be leaving us next week. All in all, the food laid out was a welcome way to stock up before dinner on good cheese, crab dip and fruit.

Later in the day I started having internet issues in Worcester. I soon found out that I couldn't get online because I had neglected to change my password. Unfortunately, I could not then get on the internet to make a new password because I didn't have a functioning password to then alter - that's some smart thinking from the folks at OIT. Luckily, Kellyanne was on hand so I could access the college website via her account to alter my details. I then had the problem that I needed a new password that was easy enough to remember, but also needed to contain a capital letter, be at least eight characters long, have a number in there somewhere, and some kind of punctuation. But, after a while I had a password that makes the Enigma look like child's play and then I headed to dinner.    

Monday 2 December 2013

Salesmen Of The Year...

Back to classes as usual today, but with one being a discussion class and the other two watching films it wasn't a very strenuous day. After handing the last paper of the term, I went over to Walgreen's with Sam and Lenka to get some shampoo and shower gel as I realised that I also left that at Sean's, but he can keep them. (Don't say I never get you anything, Bean.)

This evening I stopped by KC and then me and Shannon went over to Hodson to begin selling cupcakes and brownies door to door for Relay. I can say that altogether everyone made over $400, with me and Shannon bringing in the most as a team with over $110! Our prize is that Sean will now be cooking us a dinner with Nick, who got the prize for most creative baking. 

Sunday 1 December 2013

The Break Is Over...

Well, the break is over in the blink of an eye. Today's breakfast was a Granata Sunday special, with all the eggs and meat you could ask for. This following yesterday's bagels with assorted toppings. We packed up and lazed around before heading over to the surprise party of a family friend around midday. - Evidently I didn't pack well enough as I've just found that I've left behind my headphones. 

Although I was a total stranger to nearly everyone in at the party, it was a good way to grab some food before heading straight home and I had a chance to say goodbye to the whole Granata household. I can't thank Sean's parents, his grandparents, Erin and himself enough for having me and Eoin over for such a family orientated holiday. All the food was superb, as was the company. Thanks again to Sean for making a depressingly long journey back to campus. I look forward to the Granata's potentially coming to England in the summer so I can repay their generosity. Now, I will have the first chocolate from my advent calender. 

Saturday 30 November 2013

Frozen...

I can't believe the penultimate day of the Thanksgiving break is over already. We had a thoroughly lazy day after yesterday's early start. After doing a bit of work, we played pool throughout the afternoon and relaxed in front of the TV. We ate dinner and then moved downstairs in front of the fire for a while before going to pick up Eoin from the station, as he had been out to see family. 

To round off the day, we went over to the mall to see 'Frozen'. The film itself was brilliant in 3D as the theme really lends itself to the animation - listen to me sounding like a film critic. But, in all seriousness, it's been a long time since I've seen a good old Disney musical and for me, the score written for 'Frozen' didn't disappoint, and I would recommend it to you. 

Friday 29 November 2013

Black Friday...

An earlier start in this holiday break, and we arrived at the mall by 9:00am. I was surprised to see that the car park was relatively empty, not that it would remain that way. By the time we were finishing up our shopping - I bought a new jumper - and we had had something to eat, the queues were growing drastically and the discounts began to fall. 


We arrived back at Sean's to put up the Christmas decorations and have the house looking festive. Working together, we didn't take too long and soon the hallway, stairs and lounge were looking perfectly picturesque. We could have been done faster, but Gracie preferred to relax under a blanket than help out. I also had chance add a little British to the scene with the decoration that mum and dad brought over from Stratford. 

We had a Polish style dinner and then made our way out to one of Sean's friend's so that he could catch up. We stayed a while and then returned to watch 'The Patriot', which was particularly apt as I have learned about the period this year.

 

Food Glorious Food!...

So, now that I've had chance to digest my thoughts and the high quantity of food from yesterday, I will report in on my first Thanksgiving. We lazed around in the morning having pancakes for breakfast and watching the Macy's Parade. With over 80 balloons in the parade we really did only see a tiny number of them Wednesday night, but I was still good to spot the ones we did see as they passed by Macy's.

By midday the parade was over and family members started arriving by early afternoon. We started with some stuffed mushrooms for appetizers and then I pulled my weight to help carry some food up from downstairs and onto the table. All of the food was excellent and once again, a huge thank you to the lovely people that put in all the effort, so that we could stuff our faces. The turkey itself was carved up by Sean's dad and it really does take a medical man to do such a clean and thorough job with it. 

After dinner, we relaxed in front of the Thanksgiving football game and played some pool. All in all, an excellent day that I liken to a mini-Christmas. Now, the aggressive shoppers of Black Friday will soon face me and I shall have to use all the huffing and annoyed tuts I can manage if I am to get through the experience alive. 

Thursday 28 November 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!...

First off, Happy Thanksgiving from Sean's sofa in my pyjamas with a mug of tea, watching the parade!

Yesterday was a relaxing start after the long drive on Tuesday. Sean went out and got us well-known bagels of some kind - I'm sure he will tell me what when he reads this and I will have to amend the post. 

In the afternoon we made our way to the city (New York), and after a brief stop at Sean's grandmother's house, we took the metro to meet up with Marcela. Not wanting to get to the Carmine's late, we headed straight there. Well, we took an express by mistake, so we had to head back downtown a short way. But, we made it in time and sat down for some excellent food. Again, I will defer to Sean to tell me exactly what we ate, but names aside the food was great. 

From the restaurant, we walked down to the Macy's parade balloons for a sneak preview of what I'm now watching on TV. It was really good to a snippet of the tradition that you always hear about, but never have a chance to see in Britain.  

Wednesday 27 November 2013

North To New Jersey...

Apologies for the lack of posts over the past couple of days, but blogger wasn't playing along on account of a niggley little program that has now been uninstalled. So, Monday was fairly routine. I also packed up as many things as I could for my Thanksgiving trip to Sean's, and I printed the last two essays for the term. Sadly, as I couldn't blog I missed my opportunity to title the post the for month countdown to Christmas.  

Yesterday, I spent the morning sorting out some final things before going to class to hand in Miller's paper. Afterwards, had lunch and then caught up with the latest episode of Homeland before Sean picked me up. The journey to Morristown, New Jersey could have been better, but just over five hours later in continuous rain we arrived. A huge thank you to Sean for making the unpleasant drive, especially when the rest of us gave up being company and decided to nap. But, make it we did, and after dumping our bags we ordered some pizza and then relaxed with Goldeneye for the rest of the night. 

Monday 25 November 2013

Mr Powell Goes To Washington...

The term is nearly over and Mr Powell has finally been to Washington. We took the 4:00pm shuttle from the CAC and started out towards DC. The journey took 90 minutes, so we arrived just as darkness fell on the city. The metro was decidedly easier than New York and we made good time heading towards the hostel that we had booked. All was going well...

After a bit of a walk, we arrived at the hostel and things took a turn for the worst. When we were inside, the girl at the desk told us that she had not got our booking on record and we could not stay in the same room together. With hindsight we should have asked to see the rooms before paying because it turned out to be extortionate for the bed that we received in a variety of rooms, alongside some shady looking strangers. It quickly became apparent that, unless we wanted to experience our own version of 'Taken', we needed to leave. So we did, taking some of what we had paid with us and thanks to Eoin's handy work with his 3G, we found a last minute deal on a room at Embassy Suites. 

Shannon contacted Gerred's uncle, Tony, who picked us up from the hostel where dreams, and very possibly people, go to die, and drove us across to the hotel. It's amazing the difference dropping that 's' can make. The suite we received was great for what we paid, with breakfast and a happy hour included. Uncle Tony then took us around all the monuments to get photos and show us what would have taken all day otherwise. He then lead us to Willard's where he bought us drinks in the bar after our eventful evening. All of us cannot thank him enough for taking the time out of his day and being so generous. 

On Saturday me and Sam headed out early to the Natural History Museum and then onto the Museum of American History before we met up with the others. Then we headed to the Spy Museum, which, although we had to pay to go inside, was really great. From there we walked over to the White House, where Shannon realised she didn't have her camera. Briskly returning to the Spy Museum, we picked it up from the front desk, after it had been left on the Enigma we had been decoding. All feeling relieved, we moved on down the street to a pannini place that was serving some much needed free hot chocolate with the food. 

Feeling that we had done enough walking for the day, we went back to the hotel suit to relax for a while with Christmas music. Deciding that we didn't want the hassle of trying to find somewhere to eat, we went down to a nearby grocery store for some food and drink that we took back to the hotel room and enjoyed with The Big Bang Theory. 

Sunday arrived and with it a harsh arctic wind that battered us all day as we hopped from building to building to keep warm. In the morning we went to the Eastern Market and then we caught the metro back down to the mall, where we took refuge in the tropical climate of the Botanical Gardens. From there we went into the Native American Smithsonian to have something to eat and then onto Space and Flight. It was then time to start back to the hotel to grab our bags and then travel to the end of the line, where the shuttle would take us back to campus. 

We made good time and arrived back on campus at 7:00pm. After dropping our things off at our rooms, we went over to KC for some ham (yes, just ham, and it was great) that Shannon had in the fridge from home. Once it was glazed and cooked, we squished up in the warmth and watched Skyfall - a great end to an eventful weekend.  

Thursday 21 November 2013

The Centenary Post...

This morning after breakfast I did some much needed laundry before this weekend away. During class Miller gave me the honour of wearing his victory (German) scarf in light of England's recent defeat at Wembley, and to show my diplomacy I donned it for the lesson. 

After lunch, I came back to Worcester to talk with parents for a short while to give them the info on the upcoming two weekends that have been jam packed with plans. I then packed for DC and caught up with Ripper Street. In need of a tea and a snack before dinner, I headed to the library where I printed off my shuttle reservation and met up with Lenka. From there we went to the pianos until dinner and then I headed over to KC, leaving the others to work on their essays. 

We spent some time at Shannon's and then went upstairs to Sean's to catch to second half of 'We're the Millers', then we watched 'The World's End', which was strange to say the least, but I hope it gave the others a general sense of what a British pub is like. 

I almost forgot to say that today marks 100 days of blogging and although that seems a lot, this year abroad feels like it's only just getting started. 

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Booking The Weekend...

Back to the usual Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule today. I finished the last essay, but I know that I'll have to go back and amend the portion I wrote yesterday because I was lacking in ideas. I ended the day on a relaxing note, chilling with Lenka until dinner. After food, Shannon and I went to the last Relay committee meeting of the semester to get the details of what is going on next semester. When we were done, we went over to KC, where we booked our accommodation of DC this weekend. 

Tuesday 19 November 2013

A Much Needed Massage...

This morning was spent starting to write the last paper of the semester before going to Miller's class followed as usual by lunch. After eating I moved into the library in search of a comfier chair and away from the torturous chopping board that is slowly destroying my back in Worcester. The afternoon was spent essay writing and printing off a first draft for Miller to look at, which he did at the end of the day. 

Following dinner and after dealing with the dining hall staff in an attempt to retrieve my backpack, which I eventually did with the help of Public Safety, we headed over to KC. Whilst the others went out to the Blue Bird for Team Tuesday, I stayed at KC with Sam and Ellie, and Sean when he came down. Staying away from Sam's torturous hands after seeing what she did to Sean, I took up the offer from Ellie to have a back massage and felt much better for it - thanks Ellie, after my destructive chair in Worcester my shoulder blades really needed it!

Monday 18 November 2013

Nothing Surpasses No Classes...

A peculiar day of no classes today with Striner in Gettysburg giving a talk on Lincoln. So, I spent the morning planning the final paper of the semester before an earlier lunch with Lenka. This afternoon I moved to the library to begin reading a book on Lincoln for my discussion class at the end of the semester and then returned to Worcester to catch up with this week's episode of Homeland. 

After dinner I went over to KC with Shannon whilst the others, surprise, surprise, revised for a quiz tomorrow - it's all about choosing the right lecturers. We watched another episode of Lewis, as I continue to introduce Shannon to the wonders of British detective dramas, and we followed it up with a couple of episodes of Poirot. 

Sunday 17 November 2013

Eastern Neck...

This morning was a lazy as yesterday. After brunch I had an impromptu chat with Tom for a while and then headed out with the others to get away from campus and get some fresh air. The day was very warm after the past week and it was a great few hours to chill out and forget about deadlines. 

After some navigational issues, we found the right trail and walked a short way down to the water, where we discovered that the mass of oyster shells that litter the beach make for very good skimming stone substitutes.

We stopped at Rock Hall for some ice cream at the parlour and then we returned to KC to cook burgers for family dinner and watch some TV - thanks to Shannon and Danny for cooking tonight. 

A Lazy Hazy Saturday...

A blissfully lazy day yesterday. After a lie in - yes, no one else could believe it either, I headed to brunch to meet the usual group of post-Friday night friends - bleary-eyed, groaning at the sight of their food, and wanting to crawl back under their covers to hide from the blinding sunshine and shameful recollections of the previous night. Actually, everyone wasn't that bad, but you get idea of a worst case scenario Saturday brunch. 

After eating I went over to this weekend's swim meet against Franklin & Marshall. In the end the it was a half and half of our guys winning after a superb race to finish off, and their ladies taking first place. Not wanting to sit on my wooden chopping board of a chair in Worcester, I headed to the library to write for the rest of the afternoon until an earlier weekend dinner.  After food, having not witnessed the worst case scenario that morning, we went over to KC to repeat proceedings. 

Saturday 16 November 2013

Downing Pens For Drinks...

Yesterday was the end of a long working week for everyone it seemed, with papers, quizzes, exams and presentations all round. I'm not ashamed to say that I began playing some Christmas tunes to get into the festive mood now that the temperature is rapidly dropping and we are approaching the one month to go before Christmas. 

In any case we all got through the week and celebrated with going down to JR's after dinner for drinks and to chill out. I was even persuaded to tinkle the ivories for people as it was just our group in the new piano bar. From the bar we went back to KC to hang out for the rest of the night. 

Friday 15 November 2013

Early Thanksgiving...

Yesterday was spent writing the penultimate paper of the term either side of Miller's class. In the afternoon I also did a stint on the Relay table before following Sam and Lenka up to the dining hall for an early Thanksgiving Dinner. 

Despite it being half four, the queues were already growing and the excitement was palpable. There was turkey, ham, beef, potatoes, yams, veg, bread rolls, corn bread, apple pie, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate cake, red velvet cake, cheesecake, popcorn, and candy. All watched over by a giant inflatable turkey by the staircase. 

Soon I was glad that we did get there early because the hoards kept on coming and the queues grew ever longer. The initial excitement was shifting to a siege warfare mentality. Mugs were grabbed, cutlery snatched, and plates stacked high with breads. Small dessert plates were discarded in favour of dinner plates and stacked high with slices of cake and pie, as if the the twenty trays of pies behind the counter were not sufficient to go around. 

All this was observed from our table, dressed with a table cloth for the occasion. If you thought we were smug heading the line at Independence Hall, this was something else. I likened it to playing the role of Switzerland during the Second World War, sitting contently back with all the provisions we needed, watching the chaos unfold before us. I did have to forfeit personal space as more people joined our table in the bid to find the smallest piece of free space to eat in. Eventually, the food hit hard and it was time to stretch out and chow down away from the dining hall frenzy. So, the rest of the evening was spent over at KC, watching Poirot, chatting and digesting the night's proceedings.  

Wednesday 13 November 2013

An Electric Blanket...

Another great film today - 'Casablanca'. After classes, I made some last amendments to the WWII paper and then went to the library to print it off. I also updated for Relay and booked my place on the shuttles for our trip to DC next weekend. 

Following dinner I went over to Sassafras lounge for our sub-committee Relay meeting, in which we got down lots of details in no small part thanks to Shannon, for our Quidditch match fundraiser next semester. With everyone working tonight, I went back to Worcester to watch the final episode of season two of Game of Thrones and chill out. 

One annoying factor in the day's proceedings was that I continually received static shocks off door handles. This very probably has something to do with the fact that I removed the blanket from the quilt on my bed last night because I was too hot. Little did I expect the loud and painful snaps from lots of bright blue sparks as I took the blanket off. Having forgotten that I had stored a great deal of charge overnight, I reached for the door handle this morning and an electric bolt shot from my finger to the handle. Suppressing my highly manly shout of surprise, I hoped that that would be the end of it. Sadly it was not, and I have just rearranged my bed, hearing the ominous crackling beneath the blanket. But, I will now boldly go to do my teeth, taking the door knob firmly in hand.   

Tuesday 12 November 2013

The First Flecks of Snow...

The temperature today plummeted and I was glad that it was such a short walk to the dining hall for breakfast. The fresh omelette and mug of tea that followed were all the more warming because of the wind outside. As I left Hodson there was even a brief flurry of snow in the air. The new winter coat has definitely proved its worth today. 

This morning before class I relaxed by creating a riddle/cipher of my own to test Lenka's metal. It's a perfect match - I like writing them and she enjoys solving them. Class came and went as usual and I learned some history on why America seems to have such a paranoia about alcohol and its misuses.

This afternoon I planned the penultimate essay and spoke to parents for a while, having not talked with them since they returned home from their short break here in Chestertown. I also read up on an article on Lincoln for Striner and caught up with one of two episodes of Ripper Street that I needed to watch in the new season. 

After dinner, I hung around in Worcester for a while with Marcela until the KC Shuttle began its service at 8:00pm and then went to Shannon's for the evening. Another day done with the mid-week hurdle fast approaching.    

Monday 11 November 2013

Veterans' Day...

The weekend went quickly and it was the beginning of an unusually quiet week. Before first class I did a two minutes silence for Remembrance Day back home as I wouldn't have chance at eleven. Lessons came and went with 'The Maltese Falcon' as the end of the day's film, which was very good. 

After class Lenka hung out at Worcester and we attempted to crack a particularly tricky riddle sent in a letter from her somewhat genius friend that she is seeing this weekend. We didn't get very far, but it is always fun to try and exercise the mind, so thank you Lenka for an enigmatic end to the day. 

We went to dinner, which was busier than usual with the local veterans and their families in for Veterans' Day. Afterwards, we went over to KC and continued to educate Shannon with the ways of Poirot. 

Philadelphia...

It's always nice to get away from campus for a while and get a change of scenery. For a history major studying Colonial American History, Philadelphia is a particularly exciting change of scenery. 

We departed from the CAC at 9:00ish and made the drive of roughly an hour to Philadelphia. We parked up at the visitor centre, so the first thing we did was get tickets for a tour of Independence Hall later in the afternoon and then made our way to the Liberty Bell. The queue wasn't too long and I managed to divert around posing couples and selfies at the bell to get an unobstructed view. 

From the Liberty Bell we set out to find food, having not had any breakfast and needing something to warm ourselves against the cold wind. Stopping at a small diner we had some of the hottest, freshest food we've had since coming to the states - me and Sam going for the iconic Phili Cheesesteak.

After food, we walked around the historic district and shops for a while before heading back to Independence Hall for 2:00pm. Getting there early, I showed my British authority when holding the head of the queue. Swift tutting and evil stares were shown to anyone who dared to attempt to evade  queue etiquette, entering the hall without a ticket, or jumping the line. However, I held strong and was through the doors first - I cannot describe how satisfying that is, silently laughing at everyone else's lack of forward planning and queue prestige. 


Anyway, the hall itself was great to see, but the tour guide could only have been more boring and dry if she'd tried - even I, who has learned the stuff and thinks the history is great found what she had to say dull. But, once the screaming babies were removed from the room following more stares of disapproval, we made quick work of getting into rooms first to take photos and then moving to the back so that we could get a head start on the public. 

Once we had looked around some more, it was time to think about getting dinner, which on a Sunday in Philadelphia is difficult as many places either advertise themselves as bars and therefore are over 21's only, or are closed on a Sunday. After some hunting around, however, we ended up at an Italian that offered great food and surroundings at a good price. We had a relaxing meal, with plenty of time before we had to be back at the car.

Getting back to the car park at around 8:00pm, we headed for home, stopping off for a much needed toilet stop on the way - I think this is becoming a theme with me and longer journeys. 

Saturday 9 November 2013

Culture Night & Blitz Ball...

Despite the late hour, I'm determined not to have three 'yesterday's' in a row. This morning I went to the dining hall early to meet up with Relay people. Afterwards, I went to the library with Marcela to continue with some reading and amending essays.

From there, I made my way across to KC to Shannon's and once Sean was back I took his keys and made use of his quiet kitchen to begin making the apple crumble - the only difference from my Nan's being that it had 1.2kg of brown sugar in it. Making the dish was easy enough and I must thank Marcela for helping out with peeling the many apples that went into it. All that was left, was to put it in the oven and then test it once it was done - Sean and Marcela helping with their opinions. Luckily, I managed to distract them from the crumble with a bar of Dairy Milk.

Once the food was cooked we went over to Hynson Lounge and laid it out along with a range of other savory and desert dishes from around the world, courtesy of the other international students. I must say, much of it put my cooking to shame, although five people said the crumble was their favourite dish, which was gratifying. 

At 8:30pm, we headed downstairs to the Blitz Ball and began dancing the evening away to songs of the war, jazz and swing. It was a great evening, so thanks to everyone who organised and set it all up. I did intercede myself at the end of the night, making sure that Jerusalem and the national anthem were played before clear up began. 

Pictures to come when I have the energy.

The Piano Bar...

I know, I know, two 'yesterday' posts in a row, but I didn't get back until half one and wasn't in the mood to write anything. So, roll those eyes back downward and let's move on. 

Yesterday, was spent reading more of 'Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl' outside of classes. Another first draft was handed in and given back with some useful feedback. 

After classes I went over to the grocery store with the others to buy our ingredients for culture night tonight. I am doing my Nan proud and making an apple crumble big enough for at least 40 people - lots of apple peeling! We dropped the food off at KC and then went over to the dining hall. 

I did some book stuff for an hour or so, and then me and Eoin headed down to JR's to meet up with Adele and Abby. It was good to check out the piano bar as I hadn't been down there before - the fact that they feel comfortable putting down cream carpet shows what they perceive their clientele to be like. 

Friday 8 November 2013

The Teaman...

Yesterday morning before class, was spent reading up on an essay book in the library with Marcela. In class we had our midterms back - Miller still addressing me as Winston even within his examination notes :) 

Afterwards, I went to lunch and after some editing of essays, I played squash for an hour after a busy week not being able to get onto the court. Feeling energized and healthy, I came back and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, eating some chocolate and also printing off the essay due in this afternoon. 

After dinner, we went over to KC for the first time in several days and chilled out for the evening. I think it's safe to say that I now officially make tea for everyone whenever I'm over there, and I think it's best for everyone that I do - we don't want anymore straws involved, or milk mixing with the teabag.

Wednesday 6 November 2013

The Swim Meet...

Today felt weird without any classes, especially as the day would normally be so full. Nevertheless, it was not empty. After breakfast as usual, I got down to writing the second essay in for next Friday and continued to do so until mid-afternoon, breaking for an hour at lunchtime. With the paper written, I reviewed the first essay due next Friday and double-checked the paper for this Friday. That done I started throwing down some initial ideas for one of the two remaining essays - too many papers! But, it's the price I pay for having only one exam (hopefully) in December. 

We had an early dinner so that we could head over to the pool and watch our swimming teams compete against Salisbury - our biggest rival, in a swim meet. I'm fairly certain that both our men and women, who swam eleven different races each, came out on top in the end. 

Afterwards, I went over to the bonfire that the History Society was holding, before going over to Hynson Lounge for a Relay meeting - tonight was busier than I expected. I finished off the evening with a shower, smelling smokey after making s'mores, and watched some Game of Thrones. Now, I have a clean, warm bed awaiting me. 


Tuesday 5 November 2013

Hope Lodge...

As it is advising day tomorrow, the end of Miller's class marked the beginning of a brief period away from contact hours in which I need to finish an essay I've started and finish a book. Today was also spent faffing a lot with the Business Office in an attempt to top up my printing balance so that I can actually hand in my upcoming assessments, and after some hassle, the problem has been resolved. 

This afternoon, I and a handful of others on the Relay committee headed out to Hope Lodge on the edge of Baltimore. The lodge is one place that funds raised through Relay go to. Patients, carers and family members can stay at there for free in order to be close to their treatment facilities. It is a place where the many stresses and strains of travelling, cooking and other day to day tasks can be put aside, so that patients can focus on their recovery. We put on a breakfast for dinner theme, cooking eggs, bacon, ham, pancakes, and tater tots. It was great to see everyone enjoy the food and to get a chance to chat with some of the people staying at the lodge to hear how the money we raise really makes a difference.

Monday 4 November 2013

International Education Week...

Today has begun another busy week. Classes as usual, as well as updating some Relay things, planning an essay, and reading for tomorrow.

I did, however, take some time out to chalk the Union Jack onto Martha Washington Square along side many other flags to mark the beginning of International Education Week. After dinner, I finished planning the essay and then relaxed with Game of Thrones and catching up with Homeland.

Sunday 3 November 2013

Valley Forge...


Today was mum and dad's last day in Chestertown, so we took a slightly longer drive out to Valley Forge. On the car journeys I finished reading a book for tomorrow's discussion class. 


The historic national park itself was not only free, but quiet, as we had the benefit of finally visiting somewhere abroad outside of the summer holidays. The time of year also meant that the site and the surrounding area were very colourful, with Autumn set in and the leaves turned. We did the five mile walk around the site, visiting various points of interest pertaining to the revolutionary winter encampment that served to discipline the continental army and turn the tide of the war. 
The day was bright but cold in the wind, so several layers were in order - my new coat providing ample warmth. 

Arriving back in Chestertown, I sorted some things out and then walked down to the B&B, from where we went to have a great meal at the Imperial Hotel in town as a special farewell dinner. So, after a week with parents it is back into the standard, hectic weekly routine of working and socialising. With six weeks to go before I fly home for Christmas, there is no sign of my schedule quietening off. 

Saturday 2 November 2013

Happy Halloween!...

It has been mentioned to me more than once that there has been a lack of blog posts since Wednesday night, but for a good reason. With so many things going on recently, I thought I would place all Halloween related events into one post. 

During Thursday I finished planning and wrote the first half of the WWII paper. That night was the first fancy dress event, with myself attending as Sherlock Holmes - thanks to the German suite having us over. From there we went to Prince George's on the Western Shore and then down into town to JR's. In the bar I ended up serenading four very drunk older people who were convinced they knew the songs I had made up, clapping along with no sense of rhythm. 

Friday was a day of classes as usual and I finished the paper so that, aside from some reading that I could do in the car, I was work free and spend the last couple of days with parents. In the evening I donned my second fancy dress outfit of Lord Baelish ("Littlefinger") from Game of Thrones. The others went as white trash. From Lenka's we went to L302 and a big thank you to Phaedra for having us round, and to Jacqueline Torkelson for supporting me in the Game of Thrones theme. 

Today, I went to brunch and then went out for the day with parents for a drive around to local area to Cliff City and then Betterton, which looks like a good spot for a future BBQ on the beach. Tonight, me and Oz Sam went to the B&B to meet up and then we went over the bridge to Barbara and Bill's house on the river for great homemade food and the tall ships in the sunset and fireworks as a great backdrop. 

So, a busy few days and as always happens tonight feels like Sunday - yay! Tomorrow is a day out to Valley Forge, which, as a history nerd, I am very excited about. Now, however, I will relax with a mug of tea and a chocolate digestive. 

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Meal At The Fish Whistle...

Today was spent having classes and cramming in research for the World War II paper where I could. Now, the essay is pretty much planned, so I will write as much of it tomorrow as possible to keep up with the one paper a week schedule. 

This evening I went with a small group to the Fish Whistle, so my parents had chance to meet some people and put faces to names. We went back to KC and I did my usual round of tea for everyone, learning how Marcela and Ellie also have their drinks. 

I returned to Worcester and continued editing book chapters when a very happy Addison returned to tell me that the Red Sox had won the world series - as an adopted fan I was happy that my new team had been crowned champions.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

The Return Of The Wrath...

Today was officially the longest day of classes since beginning the year here at Washington College. The film class continued all the way up to 5:00pm, after over two hours of The Grapes of Wrath. You would have thought that watching the film would have been more enjoyable than reading the book. True, some depressing characters were left out along with a couple of deaths, including that of a baby, and it took less time then reading the book. However, at least whilst I was reading, I could picture the story in colour. The only thing more soul-destroying then watching over two hours of continual depressiveness, is viewing it in black and white, or more accurately, grey. The grey numbness of utter boredom that more than once caused me to dose off. 

Aside from the return of the Wrath, the rest of the day's classes passed quickly enough and I began on some initial thoughts and ideas for the next essay, which needs to be written this week. I also caught up on the new Modern Family episode and chilled out at KC for the evening after dinner. 

A New Coat...

With many deadlines on the horizon, I'm back to juggling work for different assignments. Before class I began researching for the World War II paper and afterwards, I read in the car for the upcoming Early Republic discussion class on slavery. 

Having met up with parents after class, we headed out to buy some walking boots with a predicted cold and snowy winter. As is so often the case when I'm shoe shopping, however, they had some boots I liked, but not in my size. So, to compensate, I was treated to a new winter coat after my current coat of five years is starting to give up the go. 

I came back to campus in time to join the others for dinner and then we went over to Lenka's to chill out with some Game of Thrones, which we have been neglecting lately. Sean came round for a while, which was good as we haven't seen him in some time, and then Shannon, Eoin and Pip joined us. 

Working around Lenka's suite mate raising the thermostat to near tropical conditions, we had a relaxing evening after a busy start to the week, with many plans in the works for the days to come.

Sunday 27 October 2013

Passing Time In The Past Time Bar...

I went for a brief brunch today before heading down to the B&B to meet with parents and God-parents, who were in Chestertown for the day before continuing on their coast-to-coast drive. 

I gave a slightly different tour of campus, trying not to be repetitive. After picking up a drink at Java George to keep us going and bumping into a couple of people, I finished the campus tour and walked them into town for lunch and a drink at Sam's - I hadn't realised that there was outside seating out the back, which was nice as the day warmed up. 

We made a stop in the Bookplate and walked down to the waterfront where a tall ship was sailing into dock for the Downrigging Weekend next week. From there we walked through an historic area of town I hadn't previously been to, and then back to the B&B.

Making use of the car, we went on a drive to Rock Hall where they have an amazing retro ice cream parlour that also does food, which I intend to go back to with people at some point. That done, we drove back to Chestertown and relaxed for a while before heading to The Lemon Leaf for dinner. From there, we went next door to JR's Past Time Bar for some drinks and to watch the world series, where we ended up chatting to the bar tender for ages - I even played a while at the red piano in the lounge. 

(I am depending on donated photos for the blog post today)

Saturday 26 October 2013

Parents, Pumpkins and Publications...

An early start to the day, despite it being the weekend. I got up and went down to the B&B to meet up with mum and dad. No sooner was I through the door, then I was seated at the table with a mug of coffee, a glass of orange juice, and a warm pumpkin scone, which was an excellent start to the day.

As it is Saturday the market was on as usual, so they got to see some of the regular town life of Chestertown, which was good. From the fountain square, we walked down past the old railway station, and to the college pavilion and boat house.

Here, we parted for it was time for me to head back up to campus for brunch whilst mum and dad continued walking further along the river. I ate brunch with the others and at midday, I walked back down to the B&B to go out for a drive with parents. We went back to Galena to show mum and dad some of the antique shops. I picked up a 1936 edition of 'The New Republic', which is a very useful source for two of my courses, and a vintage Red Socks baseball card for Addison, which he doesn't know about yet. 

Planning to spend the day and meals out tomorrow, we arrived back at campus for me to go to the dining hall for dinner. I ate with the others and caught up on the day's events before we went over to KC to chill out, along with some of the chocolate supply from home that mum and dad had brought over. As expected it was gorged on like the zombies of The Walking Dead that we watched, going after the desperately fleeing humans. 

Friday 25 October 2013

The Parents Are Across The Pond...

The big highlight of the day was seeing my folks for the first time in a couple of months shortly after breakfast. I had just enough time to give them a general tour of campus before classes started. The reaction to the college and Chestertown in general was overwhelmingly positive, which I had suspected, but the confirmation was still pleasing. 

After classes, they returned from a drive out, to pass over some things I had forgotten/needed for semester, and took away some summer clothes that are now redundant with the sudden drop in temperature this week. Most importantly was the big stash of good chocolate that came with them that is now hidden away in my room. I will drip feed it to people so that it does not go in one evening. 

I walked my parents into Chestertown and we had an earlier dinner at The Lemon Leaf, which was great. After food I headed back up to campus to go and see a senior thesis show, 'Almost Blue', written by Keith Reddin; a man who can always make me laugh one way or another - his show was no different. The performance was great and afterwards, inspired to continue writing, we went over to KC for wine and The Walking Dead, whilst I continued with the 1920s crime thriller. 

Thursday 24 October 2013

Jedediah Meth-Head...

Lots of small tasks done today outside of class. I did laundry after breakfast, read some last bits in Black Hawk for discussion class, wrote a letter home to Sara after going to find my package of envelopes myself after the post room neglected to email me, gave the borrowed video camera back to the library, printed off a first-draft essay, and went to Walgreens to get some supplies.


After dinner, we went over to the basement of East Hall for some pumpkin carving. As usual there was a great array of faces and as Lenka had never done it before, I let her dictate what ours would look like. Sufficed to say, it was our most beautiful creation, dubbed Jedediah the meth-head

We took the pumpkins back to KC and chilled out with some wine and The Walking Dead - I am struggling to see how they have made three seasons out of this. Now, with everything done for the rest of the week, I will get some rest before the long Friday of classes and seeing parents when I can.

A Power Cut...

Yesterday was a time to finish off some remaining work for this week and make any last requests for things to be brought from home before my parents set out today. I think I've asked for everything, but I'll no doubt remember some small detail once they've arrived. 

Once class had finished I headed back to Worcester to grab my things and went across to the library to work with Lenka before dinner. No sooner had I bought my tea, however, then a large portion of Chestertown lost power, including the library. So, amid the incessant door alarm, which was one of the few things that had ironically survived the outage, and the horrified screams of seniors who had been working on their unsaved theses, Lenka and I downed our tools and set about relaxing and doing book stuff instead. A short while later the power returned, meaning I could leave the library and come back inside - the joys of electric doors. So, when Shannon came in, me and her sorted out cameras for Kick Off! later in the evening. 

We ate dinner slightly earlier off paper plates and with plastic cutlery as the dishwasher had not been able to finish its load. Then, we returned to the library for a while before Shannon and I headed over to Kick Off! We had a good turn out, great speeches, ice cream, and we made some money, so I think we did pretty well in the end.  

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Untitled...

Yesterday was spent reading up for discussion classes at the end of this week so that I have nothing to do when my parents are down. I did have the soul-destroying realisation that I spent an hour reading a chapter that was for last week's class, but having thrown the book at the wall in frustration, I got on with what had to be done.

After Miller's class, I caught up with Homeland and began another episode of Boardwalk Empire. I also did an hour stint on the relay table, making a few dollars on wristbands - every little bit helps. Tonight is 'Kick Off!' so that will be where we can really boost awareness. Now, I need to read for tomorrow's discussion class and hopefully get some notes down for the essay at the same time.