Happy Mothers' Day...

This morning, it being Mothers' Day, I skyped home from KC, which I discovered has amazing wifi compared to Worcester - one more reason for me to hang out there. With that done, I went across to the dining hall to have some brunch and then played the piano for a while. 

Later in the afternoon I returned to KC, and Lenka and I walked down to Walgreens and ACME in truly miserable weather, where we met up with Will and bought ingredients for tonight's family dinner, with Sean and Eoin. Whilst Will and Lenka worked on the spaghetti bolognese, I prepared the timeless classic, ciabatta garlic bread with homemade garlic butter to keep us going. After the roaring hoorah that the bread recieved, the bolognese had a lot to live up to, but I must say that Will came through in flying colours. 

So, well fed and dry once more I caught the shuttle back and chilled out at Sean's a while, watching the last bit of the last Harry Potter that was on TV. Tomorrow promises sunshine and warmer weather, which I think I speak for everyone when I say, I cannot wait for. 

Civil War Letters...

After a lazy start yesterday followed by some brunch, a good portion of the day was spent taking cover from the rain. From midday to mid-afternoon I spent my time reading through online archives of American Civil War soldiers' letters for my next essay. To some people that must seem like a hellish way to spend a day, but I really like reading them. The best part is that because these people intended their writing to be private, there are a lot of details and gossip in them that probably wouldn't have been said in public. 

I read about a young man telling his brother how he hooked up in secret with the eldest daughter of a man in a Southern town his regiment were staying in. With whole collections of letters between one soldier and all his siblings and parents you get to see what everyone secretly thought of each other as they confided in the one family member that wasn't around to spread the gossip. In one letter a mother had caught wind of the fact that when her son had been home, he had secretly had a girlfriend, and she was probing for answers on the young girl's identity that he was refusing to give to her. There was news of Christmas parties, people getting too drunk, weddings that people didn't approve of, and mothers wanting to wish their sons sweet dreams with a goodnight kiss. So, despite the different world in which we live, people haven't changed much over the past hundred and fifty years. 

Anyway, enough of my nerdiness. With an hour before dinner, I relaxed with a 'House of Cards' and then headed to the dining hall. After food we trekked over to KC to have some drinks and celebrate Katri's last evening with us before she flies out this morning. 

Noah And Rain...

We rounded off the week with warmer weather for a change, but accompanied by some rain, which will continue throughout the weekend. But, looking ahead it appears that the cold weather is finally behind us. 

Classes passed routinely and at the end of the day I went over to KC to get my rucksack, having left my laptop and other things at Lenka's yesterday. Whilst Lenka napped, as is her custom, Will and I watched 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', and cleaned up the apartment of empty cans, bottles and glasses.

After dinner, Shannon, Eoin, Lenka, Will and I headed over to the Chester 5 to watch a movie. Whilst Shannon and Eoin settled on 'Diversion', the three of us went into 'Noah', which I liked - the effects in particular were stunning. Having gone out last night, it was a more relaxed rest of the evening now watching some 'House of Cards'.

Filming A Speech...

Yesterday was a reading intensive time until lunch, eating up over half of the next book that needs to be read for Miller on Jesuit Relations in New France with Native Americans. Reaching a milestone, I decided to switch work and start looking over primary sources for the last Civil War essay, for which I have chosen to discuss the issue of morale for different groups throughout the war, using from letters, songs and other primary sources. 

After class I continued doing some work in the library for a while and then went over to Chester to help Will record his video speech for his friend's 21st back in Australia. That done, we headed to dinner. 

Giving ourselves some time to freshen up, I went back to Chester and hung out for a while playing Xbox, then we went over to KC for some drinks before heading out for a social night. 

Final Year In Founders...

Well, after thinking that the snow wouldn't stick around, it did until the afternoon sun took care of it. Sunny it may have been, but an arctic wind still whipped around campus and forced everyone to layer up. 

In preparation for next year, I had an email confirming that I have been offered a large single room in Founders next year, which I've been eagerly waiting for. It will feel very different after sharing this year, although I don't get a bathroom to myself. 

After classes I went to the gym to meet up with Will, who decided to sleep instead. But, I still got in half an hour cycling on the bike to help ease up my legs from yesterday. 

This evening I hung out with Will for a while until our sub-committee Relay meeting to discuss our 'Paint (figuratively) the Campus Purple' event next Sunday in the final run up to the big night. With planning matters concluded I returned to Chester, bumping into Sean and then going up to his room to chill out for the rest of the evening. 

A Daring Rescue...

This may not come as a surprise, given the meteorology of this semester, but more snow fell today. The saving grace was that it didn't stick for a change, so no long lasting melt. This morning I finished the second half of my essay on the strengths and weaknesses of President Woodrow Wilson and then did a half hour stint on the Relay table before class. 

After class, I walked with Lenka over to KC, stayed a while and then headed back to campus to gym before dinner. Upon arriving at the bridge, we did have to stop a while to help a rather frantic Kristine, who had taken it upon herself to take a "shortcut" down one earth bank and then up the other. The shortcomings of loose earth and wet weather not being lost on you I trust. So, I did what any gentleman would do in the situation, I risked life and limb in good clothes to rescue a woman in need - no thanks required.

Anyway, after my good deed for the day, I went to the gym and did a less intense hour on the bike (20 miles), with some pretty severe lactic acid build up for an hour or so after I finished. This evening was spent doing book stuff and watching the second episode of the second season of 'House of Cards,' having started it yesterday. 

Mum's Birthday...

Well, after another weekend away it was back to classes today, finishing up with Hitchcock's classic, 'Vertigo'. Outside of the classroom, I finished editing and printed off Miller's essay to be handed in tomorrow. At lunch I Skyped home for Mum's birthday and to catch them up with everything that has been happening since Spring Break. 

After classes I played the piano for a while and then went to the gym for the most pressing run I've done so far, which isn't massively fast: 5km at 7mph and a 1.5 incline. But, seeing as it took 23 minutes and when I first started this semester I was taking 10 minutes longer, I feel it is somewhat of an achievement. 

This evening I hung out with Will and Sean in Chester, and spent a guys night playing Xbox, eating ice cream and crisps. 

Williamsburg To Washington College...

The itinerary today was set for the outlet mall, but, not interested in doing any shopping, most of us headed back to college. We got back by mid-afternoon after getting some lunch on the way. I also spent the journey working on the preliminary notes for a book idea I've been musing about for the past week.

When I was back in Worcester I realised how much laundry had piled up over the past week - I've have become somewhat of an expert at packing and unpacking overnight bags over the course of the year. So, I put the washer on and spent the intervening time editing through and uploading photos from the weekend, and sorting out some banking from Spring Break. I went and played the piano briefly and put up some Relay For Life posters before heading across to KC to have some food with the others, stopping off for a bottle of wine on the way - thank you to Shannon for providing the 'Mac and Cheese'. They had 'Catch Me If You Can' running by the time that I arrived. I had forgotten how good a film it was, it being some years since I last saw it. 

Jamestown And Williamsburg...

After classes on Friday, Will, Lenka and I got our things together for a weekend in Williamsburg. At 6:00pm, Andrew, our driver, set off for the four hour trip - after the bus rides last week, four hours feels like a short hop. We arrived at the hotel dead on 10:00pm and then settled in. We walked
around the immediate area to scout out any interesting placed in for the evening, but aside from outlets and restaurants, the main area, as we discovered, was downtown. 

Today we had an early start, setting off for Jametown. Aside from seeing the Union Jack flying proudly, the place is really interesting because the national park as you see it today has only really existed in my lifetime and they know there is a lot more to find in the future. After we'd had a guided tour, we stopped off briefly at the glasshouse and then continued on the downtown colonial Williamsburg. 

Throughout the day we had lunch in a candlelight tavern with flaggerns of beer, watched renactments, browsed the shops and open buildings, and finished up with a ghost tour after dinner. All in all, it was a great day and the actors throughout the town do a superb job of never breaking character as they interact, whether tourists are nearby or not. This evening, tired from a lot of warm, fresh air and walking around, we relaxed at the hotel.

Returning To The Gym...

Yesterday was a more relaxed day. In the morning I finished the environmental essay for Miller and took the opportunity to Skype home from the dining hall because the internet connection is so much stronger than Worcester.

After speaking with Dad and Tom for a while, I finished some reading that I needed to do for next week and then headed down to the piano. I relaxed through the afternoon and made sure that I had everything I needed for the discussion class I'm helping to lead today. 

With an hour before dinner I went to reacquaint myself with the gym after a week and a half of indulging in bad food and drink. The run was one of the hardest I've done in a while, partly because of my relapse, but also because the fans weren't on. It being one the hottest days we've had this year I tired pretty quickly. But, I pushed on and then went to dinner.

In the evening I went over to KC, where Will, Lenka and I walked down to the shops to get some essentials and the other two some food for dinner. The rest of the night was spent watching 'Lucky Number Slevin', which has quickly hurled itself into my top ten films.  

Jam Session...

For what felt like the first time in a long time, today was the usual MWF routine of three Striner classes ending in a film. In between them, I checked my mail and found a slightly delayed postcard from my aunt and uncle from Morocco and one from Australian Sam from China - sounds like you had a blast travelling. After breakfast I also did a post for Relay and then played the piano for a while.

Once classes were over, Will joined me in the practice rooms and we played music until dinner. This evening Shannon and I had a Relay meeting and then I went to Worcester for a while before going over to Chester where I was schooled in some classic Australian comedy. 

Changes in the Land...

Today was spent starting my essay for Miller on environmental history, which is very new and I actually like it a lot. The essay, based on William Cronon's Changes in the Land, looks at how Europeans came to dominate Native Americans through their uses of the land and ecological practices, and how the land changed because of it. Probably sounds boring to a lot of people, but I think it's interesting. Anyway, I wrote a few pages and then went to class. 

Afterwards, I did a stint on the Relay table for an hour and then, with some time before dinner, I chilled out with Will in Chester. He is still glued to the guitar but I always appreciate good live music playing. 

This evening I took some food over to a slightly ill Lenka and then kept her company for the evening, in which we watched Black Swan. A pretty creepy film, but I think I understood what it was all about. 

St Paddy's Day...

Yesterday was yet another snow day...in the middle of March. Around 4 inches fell overnight and college closed for a fourth day this semester. However, I was determined to make good on this free day to get a start on the heap of work for these upcoming weeks. 

After drying my clothes from Spring Break and beforehand, I rounded off the first half of an essay that I started before the break and then turned my attention to the paper due next Tuesday. So, returning to the dining hall routine, I went to Hodson and spent the rest of the time until lunch writing up an essay plan. After pausing for food, I did some more work until the library opened up at 3:00pm.

Shifting locations, I printed off a couple of articles I had to read for Miller and highlighted through them before dinner. After food I changed into my green shirt and jumper before going over to Will's. We hung out for a while and then walked over to KC where we had some drinks before spending the rest of the night at a St Paddy themed O'Connor's.

Second Half Of Spring Break...

I know it's been quite a while since I last posted, but full days and late nights stopped me from sitting down. But, now that I am back on campus and unpacked I shall fill you in with what has been happening over the past five days. 

Wednesday was a very lazy start, followed by watching several films and grabbing several rounds of fast food throughout the day in between getting some drinks. 

On Thursday we were more productive and after spending a lot of time working out how the fairly inefficient public transport system worked, we headed up to the Jacksonville Zoo, which was actually pretty impressive for a smallish city. We saw the whole array of safari animals, Florida wildlife and, just for Will, an Australian zone. Arriving back at the hotel room, we chilled for a while and then went down to the local cinema and watched 'Non-Stop', which I liked. 

On Friday we went down to the beach to take some last photos of the area and then went to a great pub on the beach front for a hearty lunch. Soon it was time to get back to the hotel, take Michael the taxi driver to the central transit stations and get a bus down to where the transportation would be taking us back up to New York. The first two feet of the bus journey went well until the driver skilfully managed to drive the coach into a slight bowl-shaped car park, keeping the front and back wheels off the gourd, but the central driving wheels a couple of centimetres off the tarmac. To cut a very long 4hrs short, a tow truck finally arrived to drag the coach the foot backwards required to get some traction. Then, we were off on a quieter and less sketchy bus journey back to the Big Apple and around 10:00pm.

Driving on into Saturday, we arrived in NYC buy mid-afternoon. A short subway trip later, we met up with Sean in Hoboken and he drove us back to his house, where we were stopping for the night. Sean's parents treated us to a much fancier end to the week at a superb Moroccan restaurant, so a huge thank to them for feeding us, giving us somewhere to sleep and wash. After dinner we went back to Sean's where we met a couple of his friends, played pool and chilled out in the hot tub, keeping warm from the snow still on the ground.

This morning, we rose much better rested and went down to another great Granata breakfast of sausage, bacon, pancakes and fruit. At lunch time we started the drive back to college in time to unpack and head to the dining hall before it closed - big thanks to Sean for driving. The rest of the evening is now being spent in Chester - me editing photos and writing this post, Will playing guitar and Lenka chilling alongside. I'm not looking forwards to diving back into work, but with snowstorm warnings projected for tomorrow and Tuesday, we may have a bit more free time than we were expecting.

Some More Spring Sun...

Yesterday was very warm in the morning (despite what Will said), but it did get a bit cooler as the afternoon wore on. We go up in time for breakfast and then took the hotel shuttle down to the beach. No sandcastle as such today - more of a sand walled city with some mountains and a smaller fort. What can I say? I get bored quite quickly without something to do, although I did manage a short nap whilst we were taking in all the sun we could. 

With the temperature dropping, we took the shuttle back to the hotel, where we had a few drinks and went for a swim in the hotel pool - much warmer than the Atlantic. Later on, we called Michael, our now regular cab driver, who took us back down the the beach front, where we spent the remainder of the night.

Spring Break So Far...

With so much travelling in the passed few days I haven't had a true chance to sit down and make note of what we've been doing. Photos of the trip will be coming later when we're back and I can put them on the PC. 

Anyway, our travelling started with a lift from Sean on Friday afternoon up to New York - happy birthday to Mrs Granata, by the way! We took the train from Hoboken into Manhattan and the Windsor Hotel, on the edge of China Town. We settled in and the went for some pizza at a small place that Lenka had been to before. The food was great and afterwards we went on to a gelato factory nearby to get some dessert - salted caramel.

The way that we had worked the bus, we had the whole of the next day to look around the city. So, giving Will the reins as he had not been before, we took the train up to Grand Central and had a look around, stopping by the Chrysler. When it was time for lunch, we went downtown to Murray's Bagels, which is where we went last time we were in the city. It may seem a bit boring to go back to the same place, but they are amazing bagels, and it is nice to say that we have a regular soot in New York when we drop by. 

After food, we took the subway across the river to Brooklyn and, as the sun was going down we walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge to get some photos of the skyline. By the time that we had returned to the hotel and bought some snacks for the trip, it was time to go the the bus stop around the corner. 

At 7:00pm the bus set off out of Manhattan on our 15hr journey that would take us through New York, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Georgia and finally Florida. It's safe to says that r fellow passengers were not the first 55 people I'd have chosen to travel with in such a small space but, we made it to Jacksonville by midday on Sunday. 

A short while later we arrived at the Hampton Inn and checked into our room. Once settled in, we bought some drinks from the Walmart over the road and ate dinner at a Mexican place nearby. We chilled out in the room for the evening and then turned in, enjoying having a bed to catch some z's in. 

Today we irritatingly slept through the hotel breakfast, but managed to catch a lift with a delivery guy down to the beach. We ate lunch at a restaurant and then moved onto the beach for the rest of the afternoon. It was great to relax and do what anyone should do on the beach - build a huge sandcastle. 

As the sun went down and the temperature with it, we caught a cab back to the hotel, bought some more drink and ordered pizza. Tomorrow promises to be a hotter day, so we will get up in time for food and spent the day and evening down at the beach and bars.

Speedy Spring Break Sorting...

After a more relaxing feel to the week, today was non-stop in Spring Break contingency planning and after many hours of frantic searching, scheduling and financing, Will, Lenka and I will have a day in New York on Saturday before heading down to Jacksonville, Florida, for five nights at the beach. A huge thank you to Sean for agreeing to ferry us up to NYC with him and then bring us back later in the week! It has cut costs and made life infinitely easier for us! 

Now, I have packed clothes, checked batteries, located chargers and put out the passport. All that's left tomorrow is to print off travel tickets and the hotel reservations, and put in any last minute essentials. Then, I think (touch wood) that we are all set. Off for some much needed rest to ease my mind. I shall dream of sunnier skies, golden sands and crystal ocean. 

Some Early Morning McDonalds...

The snow is on the melt...again. Yesterday was a fairly relaxed day in between classes having got ahead with work in anticipation of the week off. 

After film, I played the piano for a while and then went to the gym for an hour before dinner. I decided to go on the bike to give my knees and ankles a rest from the treadmill. Ironically, I pushed my right knee a touch to far and really felt a strain for the rest of the day. I wouldn't class it as an injury and this morning it feels a lot better - I might go on the elliptical to take the weight off my joints later, but go nice and gently. I also did some upper body weight work after giving everything 48 hours to repair and ease off - I've done my homework. 

In the evening I had Relay and after a brief meeting, we went into the SEB to paint some more posters for the event itself. Needing to do some more planning for Spring Break, I met up with Will afterwards and then headed over to Shannon's. At 1:00am we had done all that we could, so, hungry and in the mood for something unhealthy we went for McDonalds, which we then ate in the car in the campus car park - the joy of a 24hr drive-thru. 

Planning More Travelling...

Back to the grindstone today after an extended weekend. This morning I joined Danny and Sean for a while in the dining hall for breakfast and to do some work - I planned the Woodrow Wilson essay so that I can write it on Thursday before Spring Break, now that the smaller tasks were dealt with yesterday - it's all in the scheduling. 

The plan didn't take long, so spent the rest of my free time before lunch ordering some bits for Relay and sorting out inter railing this summer - finalising accommodation and working out costs with the others in Cambridge, whilst our time zones aligned nicely.

Following food, I went to class and then to the business office with Will and Lenka to pay for the Williamsburg trip at the end of March. That done, I spent the hour before dinner idly browsing Buzzfeed surveys and doing a bit of writing. This evening, whilst people did some work and revision for upcoming midterms, I continued writing and got a couple of thousand more words down.  

Snow Day No.3...

This morning we had the text that college was under a third snow day close down. The dining hall opened later, so I did laundry for the time being. I went up for food with my work to camp down in the warm. I stayed up there throughout the morning, finishing off bits of work that were crowding my schedule. 

This afternoon I went to Worcester and did some Relay stuff before deciding that I had worked enough for the day, and that it was time to relax and enjoy the day. In the time before dinner I watched 'Reservoir Dogs', continuing my mission to catch up with my 'to watch' film list. 

Following food, we went over to KC to watch another film and after much deliberation, we decided on 'The Fantastic Mr Fox.' For the rest of the evening we went a bit political and caught up with events in the Ukraine.  

Spanish Chicken Sunday...

Yesterday I had brunch after speaking with parents for a while, and then I went to the library to finish the last couple of chapters of reading. I also printed off the recipe for Spanish Chicken that I said I would cook for family dinner. 

So, needing some ingredients, I trekked down to Acme to buy the necessary items. I had the foresight to not trust the weather and took some plastic bags with me, for when I left the store it did start to rain. After transferring my shopping from the unreliable brown paper bags, I walked the food over to Lenka's gambling that someone would be in. 

After a tense minute dripping on her doorstep Lenka did let me in and I stayed in B for the rest of the day, having lugged my laptop and work around with me as well. I finished the rest of my Luminaria bags watching the penultimate episode of the first season of 'House of Cards', and then began preparing dinner. 

Whilst the food was cooking we relaxed watching the Oscars and ate just after 7:00pm. I think everyone liked the food - it was eaten and I have seen/heard from them all today, which is a good sign. After food, we did some Spring Break planning and watched the rest of the awards. Luckily, the final award was given a couple of minutes before the shuttle arrived to pick me up. So, I went back at Worcester making a mental note to actually watch the rest of the nominations that I haven't got around to seeing. 

Electric Cheese...

Yesterday was a day continuing to get ahead with reading before Spring Break. By mid-afternoon I only had a couple of chapters to go and I'd had enough of  Woodrow Wilson for one day. 

So, with an hour before dinner I went to the gym and did a 5km run. Next week I will up the distance I think now that just over 3 miles is much easier to do. 

I ate and then went back to Worcester to watch 'House of Cards' and design some Luminaria bags for Relay, planning to meet up with people later on. At 9:00pm I went to the Goose Nest in Hodson with Sean and Will to a GEO event for a while. Whilst eating I managed to get an electric shock off of Sean's warm melted cheese when I went to dip my finger in it - scientists I call on you to answer why this happened. If it had been microwaved that might have had something to do with it, I have no idea. I do know that wearing woolen jumpers and then slipping on and off a heavy coat is continually giving me some kind of static charge. My main grievance was that the Sprite I was holding at the time of touching the cheese was thrown over myself with my involuntary spasm. 

Afterwards, we went over to KC B where everyone was chilling out with some drinks before heading to O'Connors. Will and I had just opened another when everyone decided to go, so we said that we would meet them there later. Well, we timed it perfectly so that we arrived as everyone was coming out. So, we walked Kristine back to KC and then headed back to campus.