monday, 28 february

overheard: 'i think interesting adjectives is the key to sounding intelligent' -carfax

yes. absolutely. or subject-verb agreement.

i'm newly addicted to the song "uniform grey" by sarah harmer. thanks, julie marie! i don't really know why i didn't update yesterday. but it may be the same reason i didn't shower until 7 pm. it was a boring sunday. i did get some work done. my shoulder hurts, so i'm leaving the gym for the day. i'll go tomorrow. i feel like i have an infinite amount of work to do. i'm down with it, though.

watched hero last night. the cinematography and china are both beautiful. the guest dinner saturday night was really really nice. jack and i sat next to jennifer and across from chris and katie. <3rd year canadian rhodes scholar> much fun.

ps-where did february go?

saturday, 26 february

overheard: 'even i wouldn't fit in those and i don't have a knob' -lara

sorry about no update yesterday. i spent the whole day in london doing research, mostly at LPL, but also a little bit at IHR. i had intended to update when i got home, but i was so exhausted that i barely got my clothes off before i passed out. i've had crazy dreams the past couple nights. thursday's included a snake in my grandma's house trying to eat guster (we got away), a wolf trying to get into liddell, and AMAZING (but difficult to access) villas perchest in the cliff near my house in spo. it's all the fault of the amazing thai feast jack made me thursday night. last night, i dreamt that i was at a coffee shop in bath, but bath was in italy. and then tons of people from my first high school showed up. and it was just sorta the park inn. but not smoky.

gotta shower and get to a date with gretchen now.

thursday, 24 february

overheard: 'i am older now; i know the rise and graduate fall of a daily victory, and i still write to my senators, saying they should legalize cannabis. and i should know, cause i'm a horticulturist. i have a husband and two children out in lexinton, mass. and my ex-boyfriend can't tell me i've sold out because he's in a cult, and he's not allowed to talk to me.' -dar williams

nothing too exciting to report from yesterday. someone keeps the bodleian way too hot. it continues to snow, in opposition to all that is good an natural in britain. i had a productive day yesterday, and i got to read a whole lot of my new favourite book (the british constitution in the twentieth century). plus: no company decided not to hire me yesterday. that's always nice.

now it's back to the library for another day of fun fun fun, topped off by a joyful afternoon seminar. hurrah.

wednesday, 23 february

overheard: 'i got my penis stuck in my zip' -P.J.

today is michael jordan's birthday. that's a random factoid from my childhood. other random factoids about childhood were shared with jennifer at dinner last night. we talked about smart kid school. in kentucky, they made them study intensive latin from an early age. in spokane, they really just let us do whatever we wanted one day a week. brilliant. definitely helped me develop my innate creativity. and laziness.

speaking of jennifer, it sounds like she's going to get a job offer. which is très exciting. on a similar note, i'm still bald, fat, old, and unemployed. or at least that's how i felt. i was in a pretty sour mood last night (except when i was at the graduate dinner in hall, which was one of the most pleasnt meals i've had...ever). but, despite said sour mood, and a deep-seated conviction that i'll never find a job (or self-actualization. or a place to live in the fall), i actually slept really well. INCREDIBLY well. which, i guess, is to say that i'm in a very good mood this morning. despite snow on the ground, &c.

tuesday, 22 february

overheard: i got nothing today

la la la. la la la. i've been awake for over an hour now, and it's not 7 am yet. i just couldn't sleep after about 5.30. which is unfortunate, because i know that at about 3 this afternoon i'll be extra sleepy. but at least this way i'll drag my butt to the gym this morning, which was by no means a sure thing. it did, in fact, snow yesterday. but no sleet. yet.

interesting news stories: 1: the new york times on gays in the british navy. why oh why do i have to read over and over again that fears about unit cohesion are reason to discriminate against gay people? shouldn't they boot out the homophobes, instead? second: a wash post editorial on the ongoing attempts of the bush administration to undermine our legal system. fascists. third: the guardian's ongoing ability to sensationalize unsurprising news. especially if that news relates in any way to oxbridge. i do like the paper generally, but it seems to have a strange obsession with those two universities.

monday, 21 february

happy birthday, brandon! old man.
overheard: 'it's too cold to be gay' -jack

had a lovely day yesterday in the cotswolds. i'll try to get pictures from that (and unity dinner) up soon. also, just for future referrence: hot. the weather looks awful this week: mixed rain and snow showers predicted through friday. i may just stay in my flat. please bring food. but for now, i have go write brandon a happy birthday email, take a shower, and make my way to college/the post office/the library.

sunday, 20 february

overheard: 'my toots are stinky' -5:1

so, i'm definitely INTJ, i just forget that sometimes. but i definitely am. along with only 2.1% of the populations, apparently. my lips are unacceptably chapped today. brian stopped by for talking and tea (well, not really tea) yesterday afternoon. no one ever visits me in liddell, so that was quite nice. i also did a ton ton ton of work. for a saturday, anyhow. i'm hungry now. gonna take a shower.

saturday, 19 february

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEZ!
overheard: 'the house always wins' -amanda

not much to say about yesterday. did a little shopping. managed to (accidentally) avoid eating meat. nearly starved to death. those two are unrelated. dinner was really yummy. the rest of the day was sort of crap. but today it's sunny and beautiful and i'm going to try to trick jack into going for a drive in the cotswolds after lunch.

off to the bod!

friday, 18 february

overheard: 'there was not a little gift in my crack' -harry, but you hear what you want to hear

today, a special, one time only chronicle of things i smelled yesterday: first things first; breakfast brought the smell of crumpets cooking, espeically since jack likes his pretty darn close to burned. after breakfast, i headed out for the library, but as i left jack's flat, it smelled like incense, and not just random incese: catholic church incense. that was very odd. the bodleian smelled like old books and damp. lunch smelled like bacon and lentils. the walk to dinner smelled like chanel pour monsieur, which is pleasant enough, and the walk home after the GCR meeting smelled like a wood fire, which reminded me of camp reed.

which is to say there were a lot of things to smell yesterday. and plenty of work to do today.

thursday, 17 february

overheard: 'Thursday night scouting reports will be passed out early Friday. In the meantime study your playbooks and be on the lookout for a good tight end.' -triangle resident's IM profile

i've discovered that the left side of my body is dominant. not a big surprise there, being left handed. but in the shower today i discovered that it also dislikes the right side of my body. not only does the left food always take the better sock of a pair, but today it got a lot more of the hot water than the right side did, and it took the warm end of the towel when i left the shower.

in other news, i watched the movie of howards end yesterday. the problem with film adaptations of books, i've decided, is that there's never enough time to fully develop the characters. which is why i read novels. or watch movies or tv: to understand the characters. oh well. off to the library.

wednesday, 16 february

overheard: 'you promised me gay sex' -seb, but hearsay

i've been awful about updating. but mostly becuase i've been a conscientious grad student, spending monday at the institute of historical research in bloomsbury and yesterday in kew at the public record office. so there. the interview i had last week (which i though had gone horribly) did indeed go horribly. i therefore do not advance to the next round of interviews and consequently freak out that i'm going to be unemployed forever. or something. sad face. on the plus side, i did get some feedback. and it was my first job interview ever. so i have plenty to learn from here on out. still, it sorta put a damper on my tuesday. here's hoping wednesday is much better.

another damper on yesterday was how darn cold it was! i'm convinced spokane must be warmer. oh. my final complaint about tuesday: i nearly starved to death. but then jack came through with a grilled vegetable pizza. hurrah. i'm having tea with devi today. then i'm spending the rest of the day at the hist fac lib working out who said what, when and to whom in the elizabethan privy council. oh yeah. exciting day.

sunday, 13 february

happy birthday, bekah!
overheard: 'maybe my calling is to become a really really obnoxious fashion photographer' -mike

apologies for not updating yesterday. last week was really all about running around nonstop. let's hope it got me somewhere, though i'm not holding my breath.

first, i'd like to point you to a news story. the first is about a 74-year-old nun named dorothy stang who was shot to death yesterday in brazil after spending most of her life fighting for justice for the peasants there. sad. and a reminder that movies like the mission and romero are still very very real. keep sister stang and her family, and the people she spent her life serving, in your prayers.

my interview friday went better than the one wednesday, i think. the woman who interviewed me first was very helpful and responsive. the man who interviewed me second was absolutely awful, and is reason enough that i would never work in their chicago office. blech! anyway, then i met up with my friend mike from gtown, and then with jack, who had managed to lock himself out of his locker at the gym. don't worry, he'll be able to laugh about it a few years from now. we came back and got dressed for unity dinner, which was a TON of fun. the after party was a bit too smoky, but i was able to step outside for about 45 minutes to chat to my parents. we left the party just after midnight. mike, mike, jack, leon, matt, james and pete all went to the coven to continue partying. i went to bed. at 1.30 am. they all finished up at 5 apparently.

which reminds me why i'm glad i'm not drinking for lent: every morning is wonderful! today, however, the weather is simply awful. i had intended to go to the gym, but i'm not sure now. it's quite gross out. i really ought to. it's been a long long time. OH! one last thing. today marks the beginning of the second half of my degree course at oxford, i am now at the midpoint of my 5th term (theoretically of nine, but i may go over a bit to make my thesis the best it can be). EEK!

thursday, 10 february

overheard: 'am i a woman or a man?' -simon

ash wednesday went off without a hitch. the pancake party at rhodes house on tuesday night was tons of fun. and tons of drunk. gretchen and i conversed with the warden over a bud. and then we lost the pancake race with astounding grace and poise. yesterday, slightly hung over, i had the dreaded first job interview (ever). it wasn't pretty. on the plus side: i didn't cry. at least not during the interview. these case study things aren't actually that tricky, i just need more practice at thinking out loud. at least my maths skills got to shine, eh? and my proofreading skills (do they give jobs for things like that?). i won't be holding my breath for an invitation to return for the 2nd round of interviews. sad day. dinner last night was good, but featured far too much goat cheese. it gave me a wicked stomach ache, so i went to bed early.

on that note, sorry to my mom for being completely incoherent last night on the phone. i had been asleep about an hour when she called, you see, and i therefore remember perhaps 4 words of our 45 minute conversation. eep. i remember it was a nice talk, though.

oh, and no update again tomorrow because i'm returning to london to interview at a different management consultancy firm.

tuesday, 8 february

fat tuesday
overheard: 'i'm going to take these f*cking pants off' -magdalen bridge

so. fat tuesday. busy tuesday, too. i'm going to spend about 4 hours at the library this morning before i go to a luncheon at college. then maybe some preparation for my interview and/or doing a favour for someone in my core seminar at the chch library. and then early dinner in hall and a mardi gras party at rhodes house. tomorrow no update on account of trying to get to london as early as possible for my interview. cross your fingers for me, okay? the interview runs from noon to 14.30 GMT. for now, i'm off to find something to put in my belly.

monday, 7 february

overheard: 'we're getting in touch with our minority sexualities tonight' -seb

just in case anyone was wondering: it's foruth week. it might as well be july, really. except then everyone will be done with finals (dv). what did i do yesterday, you ask? i went to london for lunch at jack's house, then to meet the fockers with his family. then tea. then back here for more tea, a light dinner and bed. you see, my days are busy and exhausting. and then i slept for 8 hours. i thought the film was good. i actually enjoyed it better than the first one. i didn't cringe quite as much.

this is likely to be the busiest week of term for me. today is pretty laid-back, but the rest of the week i'll be running nonstop. and hopefully getting some work done in the process. and going to the gym more than occasionally. 40 days of sobriety start on wednesday: wooo!

sunday, 6 february

overheard: 'if you die when you're 60, i'll kill you' -jack

today is waitangi day. you'll remember it as a commemoration of the day the british empire agreed to acknowledge the land rights of the maori tribes in new zealand. no terra nullius there. anyway. dinner last night was pleasant, and afterwards i watched most of the mission, which i've wanted to see for ages. it was quite good. i'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it soon. i finished my notes on the kirks' returns of aliens in the metropolis yesterday afternoon, which is mighty satisfying. now on to the acts of the privy council, perhaps? or the state papers domestic? i haven't done much with the repertories of the court of aldermen recently, but i'm not going to worry about that just now. more worried about my two job interviews this week.

i got brandon and laura's wedding invitation yesterday. it's beautiful. props to whomever chose it, and double props to whomever did the handwriting on the envelopes.

in case you're bored, check out america's fifty most loathsome people of 2004: funnay and depressing.

saturday, 5 february

overheard: 'i don't think he has any idea' -clearly gay man about his conservative friend

so there's a chance that julie, shannon and i will all be in san francisco for the summer. don't tell me that wouldn't be the best thing ever. cuz it definitely would be. exchange dinner at corpus yesterday was good. the food wasn't amazing, but it was a notch higher than normal hall food. (maybe 6 out of 10 instead of 4). jennifer was there. i don't see enough of her, but it's always a joy when i do. then went to this chch guy tom's birthday party with saskia and meredith. too smoky. but fun, in a strange way. i've never met a properly conservative british person. well, now i have. go figure.

unfortunately, i didn't sleep at all well, so i may take a little nap after a morning at the bod, starting...now!

friday, 4 february

overheard: 'i think i'll start working at 30. i want to enjoy my 20s' -mike

last night, fully through my own fault, i found myself mighty grumpy. thanks to everyone who had to put up with me in that state. and to jack in particular. my little all-day trip to the physiology lab wasn't awful. my right forearm is still a little sore from where i had an IV thing in all day. i'm hungry and i have no food, so i'm gonna go take jack out to breakfast now. might be going to a 16th century ecclesiastical music concert at new college tonight: hurrah!

wednesday, 2 february

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom and sean!
overheard: 'prehistory looked like new jersey?' nytimes

yes. yesterday was crazy. 4 libraries. 7 buses. 13 hours. and tons of work. the staff at lambeth palace library are really the nicest librarians i've ever met. by far. that was a joy. i was thwarted again by the barbican, but it turned out the book i needed there was at the institute of historical research library...on open shelves(!!). plus i had lunch at busuba. tea with jack's mum and a quorn dinner back in oxford were followed by tea with matt (back from paris for a week) and dave, which rounded out the evening. with half of my day gone, i've already spent more than a little time in the bod, and had lunch with mike and brian (back from london for a couple days).

so now i need to prep for a mckinsey interview that i have next week (cross your fingers for me) and return some emails. and write a happy birthday email or two.

if you're in a link-following mood, mosey on over to this website, which has images of some paintings by my dad's best friend, gordy. pretty darn cool. i wish i were more artistic. or less hungry. or both.

tuesday, 1 february

congrats to stephen and jen on their engagement!!
overheard: 'you just don't want to look interested in bestiality' -radcliffe square

crazy day in london today.