I got a 68...

And no, I'm not talking about some bizzare personality profile email... That's what mark I got on my first returned assignment. I THINK thats a fairly good grade... Somewhere around the low A- high B area. I THINK.... Frankly I'm just glad the assignment is passing, which it would be even out of a scale of a hundred. So, yes, as of today I have no more assignments until after Christmas exams. I'm all done! However, having to come back to exams after X-mas is gonna suck, and be very high school-esque.

Going to a Muppet-themed fancy dress party tonight... I think I'll go as Harry Monster, because I have horns and plenty of blue clothing. So, that should be fun. Next week we're viewing Jabberwocky in my Chaucer, by one of my all time favorite directors, Terry Gilliam. Should be groovy...

In conclusion, Mom I'm sorry I didn't email you back promptly, but like I said- maybe if you loved me more >:) I'll have info on the B&B by mid next week. Ooooh... Also, first snow of the year here in Exeter, and judging by the reaction of everyone here, maybe the last! Picture at left. I bet you're all fairly impressed by what amounts to AT LEAST 2-3 mm of snow build-up in places. Not to worry, a little noon time sun prevented us from being trapped in the building.

Okay, a real post...

Sorry about the lack of updates last week, apparently when you go to Italy for a week the slavedrivers back home continue their routine, and then you have to catch up... Bastards... Besides, I left 25 pictures to look at, which is worth aproximately twenty five thousand words! Anyway, spent last week catching up, skimming texts, and once again proving that while you CAN write a seven page paper in one morning, it's probably best not to...

At the request of an anonymous poster, who was probably Jess, I'm going to put up more pictures from the trip. That way you can be even more disgusted with your own cold mountain-y existence and lust after my warm coastal lifestyle. Bear in mind I'm back on Chilly McDrip Drip Island though...

Also, joined facebook.com finally... It seemed like a good way to keep in contact with various people back home. One big caveat though... Today I got an email from facebook saying that Justin Siebert (Pres. Skyview Student Body '02) had added me as a friend. I wasn't NOT his friend, so I certainly couldn't refuse to add him, but we weren't anything beyond casual aquaintances... This was a conundrum I was hoping to avoid at least until my 10 year reunion... Facebook is forcing me to confront the people I purposely avoid when I run into them grocery shopping!

On that note, know what I LOVE about England? The way no one looks you in the eye unless you're quite well aquainted. Now, some of you may not now this, but I'm a very shy and retiring person until I get to know you (at which point I apparently go batshit), and I much prefer not having to acknowledge the existence of other people. I can see how a typically outgoing and social American might find this strange and uncomfortable, but I love it! NO more "Hello Chicken" (you know, when you see someone you're kind of friends with, or knew in grade school or whatever, and there's this worriesome tension over whether or not they're going to say hello, and if they do are you going to have enough time to say hello back, does it have to be verbal, or can you just kind of nod, do you have to stop and have a quick conversation... Now you see why I'm so tired all the time... THIS KIND OF STUFF IS GOING ON IN MY HEAD 24/7!!!)

So kudos to England for their stiff and akward social customs that mesh so nicely with my bizzzaro personal foibles.

Since England doesn't have a fall gluttony festival per se, they're all ready gearing up for Christmas with nary a qualm, so I'm getting excited to. Looking forward to seeing you fambly! Well. that's all for now... TTYL, TTFN.

I have returned...

This is Vernazza, one of the five villages of Cinqueterre, and is one of many very pretty pictures! You should come see my photo gallery, link in the sidebar, or just click here.

Well...

So long, I'll be out of touch for about a week starting in, oh... about two hours. I'll be back on Sunday with lots of pictures and lots of stories to share! So, I'll talk to you all then have a nice week! I'll miss you while I'm sunning on the Cote D'Azure! TTYL, TTFN

All Saint's Day

Yesterday we were studying Sir Phillip Sidney in "Shakespeare and Renaissance Love Poetry" and Nick, our professor, put up a slide of one of his portraits. The class described him as having "a bit of a belly." And Nick just said, "yes, I suppose so" and moved on since that is a really dumb comment. In actuality, Sidney was wearing what is known as a "peascod" doublet (doublets being a backlaced vest article worn by just about every man who could afford to dress themselves in something other than homespun) in the portrait. This doublet is padded at front to create a ridge, and pulls into a sort of thick roll of cloth just above the groin. This was the "belly". The peascod doublet, while made of cloth, was actually adapted from a piece of armor called the cuirass which had the same essential shape but was designed to keep pointing sharp things from sticking into you. The center ridge was designed to glance direct blows either fully or towards less vital organs. Sidney was also wearing a "gorget" under his ruff, the gorget being another armory piece purloined for fashion purposes, in this case a high metal collar used to protect the thin bit that attaches your head to your body. The use of these items in both portraiture and court life, beyond looking wicked cool (I wish I had a high metal collar), was to emphasize the warrior nature of court fops who couldn't be both on the battle field and writing sonnets to the Queen at the same time. Made them look more macho, essentially, and thus served the same function as novelty tee-shirts with painted on chest hair do today.

I could have rocked the whole freakin' class in Tudor era English clothing! But I chose not to, since that is really a dubious honor. Still, had a massive sense of satisfaction knowing something the British kids didn't. It's their own freakin' country, pick up a book!

I have turned on word verification for posting comments, I resisted awhile because I didn't want to make it harder for people to comment, but Amanda is just about the only one who does, and she requested so I most gracefully acquiesce. Yay for the removal of blog spam! On a completely seperate note, every time "Pon De Replay" comes on at the club, which it invariably does, I get up and dance in Amanda's honor. If I'm already dancing, I dance HARDER. Such is my dedication. Went to the Lemmy (Lemon Grove, no I don't know why) on Saturday and they were showing the original Halloween on the big screens. You couldn't here it over the Pussycat Dolls of course, but it was a classy touch. The Halloween party I was going to got cancelled, bummer, so I stayed home and watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Night of the Living Dead instead, and listened to the first five chapters of The Hound of the Baskervilles on audio book from Project Gutenburg. All of these classics are in the public domain, so I can watch and listen to'em for free, and I have that much more classic horror under my belt!

So, trip this weekend. Here's a rough schedule created especially for my mom who I couldn't give any specifics before and who is amazingly psychic: Nov. 5th arrive in Toulon, spend the night and travel morning Nov. 6th to Nice, on Nov.8th reach Cinque Terre in Northern Italy, Nov.9-10 in Florence, arrive Nov. 10-11th in Rome, Nov.12th out of Rome. We have more extensive plans than this, including places to sleep, etc. But I don't feel like typing out a longer post, and I have to go to class. It's starting 15 min. early so we can view The Passion of the Christ (Gibson) in its entirety. Joy. Anyway, TTYL, TTFN.