Legally Drinkable!...

So today was the big day - the 21st birthday, when I can legally drink and have a good time in America. I'll take the opportunity to say that the past months in the US without a single drop of alcohol have been hard, but I think I handled myself with dignity on all occasions.

Today passed as usual, with nice downpour or two to make sure that my birthday wasn't completely devoid of British tradition. After classes, we had dinner and made plans for this evening. I did get chance to speak with Tom and the folks too, for which I was glad.

We socialised the night away at JR's, where I was finally able to buy a true drink off Jeff behind the bar. I did serenade people a couple of times with some piano down in the comfy chairs, which, whether it was enjoyed or not, was good to play in front of people. 

Pre-Birthday Weekend...

I hadn't really registered it, but I was informed today that the blog has fallen silent for the past few days. So, a catch up on a pre-birthday weekend. 

Friday rounded off the week of classes and then we spent a quiet evening at KC B, relaxing with the girls and hearing about their things for the sorority events this passed week.

We spent most of Saturday prepping for the Relay For Life Quidditch Tournament. Sean, Morgan and I drove out to Home Depot to get things for the brooms and then on to Walmart for some Potter related snacks. Sufficed to say, it was definitely the most unhealthy day of my life for a long time. After a fried brunch, we had Chick-fil-a for lunch and then I had a burger and fries from the cove in the evening. We then had drinks at Lenka's before heading out to O'Connors.

This morning I realised that a six pack and three fried meals made for a very tender feeling indeed. So, I had a much smaller brunch today. I did some reading in the library for Tuesday and then we went to the grocery store for Superbowl supplies. We set things up at KC B and then relaxed the evening away with the football. It wasn't the most exciting game, but I was rooting for the Seahawks, so I was pleased with the result. A huge thank you to Cheryl and David for supplying me with a chocolate birthday cake capable of feeding over twenty of us with some left over.    

What's Eating Gilbert Grape...

Another quieter day today, which was mostly spent doing Relay in preparation for the Quidditch match, and doing sign ups at the table in Hodson. At lunch I rounded off reading for Miller's class, in which we finished the weird film and then discussed some of the reading. 

After class, I skyped with Tom, mum and dad to get the details for the weekend and our Sunday birthday Facetime from Cambridge. This evening, I went over to KC B and watched 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' with Lenka, Shannon and Will. The film was very good, but when combining it with '12 Years a Slave' the other day, we really need a comedy next time. 

The Half Week Hurdle...

Yesterday was a very long day of classes, finishing with a 2 1/2 hour musical in film class. After classes, I spent the time before dinner reading for today's discussion class with Miller. More books are continuing to come in, along with birthday cards for anyone wondering if they have arrived or not. 

In the evening, Shannon and I spent a couple of hours at Relay, where we talked about the various events coming up, in particular, the Quidditch match that will he taking place on 15th February. After Relay, we went over to Lenka's where we relaxed the rest of the night away. 

How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman...

A day relatively devoid of classes today, with only Miller at 2:30pm in which we mostly watched a film called 'How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman.' Tasty referring to a tribe of cannibals, and a film with much unnecessary nudity. Peculiar Spanish productions aside, this morning and for a couple of hours after class, I did finish the first paper of the term - one down, nine to go...

This evening I went to the dining hall to catch up with people and discuss Spring Break. Plans are slowly coming together, which is good. At some point I will need to start formulating ideas for what to do after term ends. I have some initial thoughts, but there is much that needs to be finalised - just one more thing to think about in this semester that is rapidly filling up with plans. 

Superbowl Setup...

Today I started thinking about the work for this semester with the arrival of my first course books. The first essay is roughly planned, which wasn't too difficult as there is a fair bit of overlap from last semester. Ideally I will write it tomorrow, if not all then most. 

This evening I helped to supervise the moving of Shannon's TV across to Lenka's in preparation for our Superbowl party on Sunday. With mugs of tea we sat down to '12 Years a Slave.' Not the most cheerful end to a Monday, I'll admit. But, having studied the period in-depth last semester, it was really useful to see a slave narrative brought to life. 

Lazy Lasagna Day...

The laziest day I can remember today. After a relaxed start, getting breakfast with Ellie and her sister Rachel, I caught up with the others over a coffee at brunch to hear the full damage report of the post-swim meet party. We spent the day relaxing at KC before going to Lenka's to do the first family dinner of the semester. It was a bit of a wait for food whilst the zucchini sweated itself away, but the lasagna was excellent, so a huge thank you to Lenka, Danny and Shannon for cooking. Tired and needing to do some prep for the week ahead, it's an early night back at Worcester.