Well, as I said before, I would be updating my blog... well, I haven't. I'll be getting on that soon... Probably within the month...
Since I've gotten back, life has kicked in, so to speak. And it kicks. Not in a bad way, just in a way that sort of catches you between the old bits of Adam that made the Eve and forces you towards things you don't necessarily like. But not bad.
Bad is a subjective term, anyway. Bad and Good should only be used when one's opinion is not going to make a spot of difference. Like an opinion on movies. Good or Bad? It doesn't matter, they can't change the movie now, and the only purpose having a completely subjective and totally pointless opinion of the goodness or badness of a film is to encourage or discourage other people from seeing it.
Moving on...
I think I left off at when I came home for the holidays, so my next entry will pick up from there.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
More on The Bard
As I mentioned in my "Stratford Cont." blog Shakespeare lived and died all within three miles of his birth place. This brings to mind the "Nuture vs. Nature" controversy. The "Nuture" theory is that people are a product of their environment. The "Nature" theory says that people are a product of their genes and their internal instincts.
Now, there is only one William Shakespeare, even though, I'm sure there have been other writers that were born and died in Stratford, they did not reach the magnitude of Shakespeare. Also, out of all the boys that went to Shakespeare's school, very few have historically risen to signifacance.
I think Shakespeare was naturally a genius. No one else could have accomplished what he accomplished... buy how? Why?
I think he summed it up best in Twelfth Night when he wrote, "Be not afraid of greatness: some people are born great, some acheive greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." Who knows which is he... or is he all three?
Anyway, just a small digression, a little caveat of what I think of Shakespeare. Or at least what I unconclusively muse to myself about Shakespeare.
Now, there is only one William Shakespeare, even though, I'm sure there have been other writers that were born and died in Stratford, they did not reach the magnitude of Shakespeare. Also, out of all the boys that went to Shakespeare's school, very few have historically risen to signifacance.
I think Shakespeare was naturally a genius. No one else could have accomplished what he accomplished... buy how? Why?
I think he summed it up best in Twelfth Night when he wrote, "Be not afraid of greatness: some people are born great, some acheive greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." Who knows which is he... or is he all three?
Anyway, just a small digression, a little caveat of what I think of Shakespeare. Or at least what I unconclusively muse to myself about Shakespeare.
Stratford Cont.
Okay, I had a mini-heart attack there... Everything's under control now, though. Phew! That was a close one!
In the morning, I had some extra time after breakfast before we were supposed to meet up for our tour. So, I walked out by the Trinity Church (where Shakespeare is buried), and around the Courtyard (where the theatre was), saw the Oxford rowing team going up and down the Avon with it's coach shouting his syncronizations, and enjoyed the non-aggressiveness of the swans (indeed, the only swans I have ever seen that didn't look like they wanted your intestines for lunch). I curiously looked at the buildings, and was greeted very pleasantly by everyone I met. The people in Stratford I think have been the nicest people I have met in England, as a whole. They are warm, and friendly, look you in the eye and say, "good morning" like they really mean it. I wandered around the streets, admiring the neat, clean houses and gardens and made my way back to the B&B where we all left to walk to our meeting point.
We met up by the American fountain, that was donated by George W. Childs, the publisher, in 1887 in honor of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. It looks strikingly like Walt Disney's castle.
We saw a traditionally thatched roof (a lot actually) and daub and wattle houses. Shakespeare's house was attached to his father's glove-making shop, where the needle on the family crest often gets mistaken for a writing pen. Indeed, it is a glovemaker's needle.
We also saw where Shakespeare used to live, or at least, the spot where he used to live. The house apparently had a lot of taxes surrounding it, and one of the tentants (after the Bard's death, obviously), got so fed up about paying his taxes for the property that he tore the place down so no one would have to pay taxes for it again. I was really upset about this, until one of my friends was said, "it's just a house" and yes, they are right. It is just a house.
Anyway, there's a garden there now, which is apparently lovely, but we didn't get to see it because it was under maintenence. Bummer.
Anyway, also in Stratford there's this place where you can see 700 years of English architecture. You stand on a corner, and across the street, there are three buildings in a row: 13th, 14th , and 15th century architecture, then you look across from those buildings and see 16th, 17th, and 18th architecture, then there's a bank in 19th century architecture, and the corner on which you are standing houses a 20th century building. This, to me, is crazy. Nothing in the United States even gets CLOSE to having that kind of history in one spot. I think it's interesting how the English just casually stroll by, or live in their country and never even breath so much of their history. I don't know if it's because not many of them know, or if they find it boring, or if they don't want to brag. But I bet if the U.S. had that much history behind it, more people would visit. But then again, England is a branch of U.S. history, and England is a branch of Roman history, and is a branch of Greek, Ottoman, etc. etc. This history thing just
won't stop growing!!!
There was also the Boy's school where Shakespeare attended (CRAZY!), which is still running (CRAZIER STILL!), with students (AGH! SUPER CRAZY!) and the adjacent chapel, which has a stained glass window dedicated to JFK (why?). America really is everywhere. There are never ending references to Shakespear's plays, statues, bass reliefs, carvings, decorations, etc. But they aren't brand new, and they aren't flashy in a touristy way. A lot of them are hidden, and you actually have to look for them to see them. One of the things I liked best about Stratford was there weren't a lot of signs like, "SHAKESPEARE WAS BORN HERE!" or "THIS WAY TO ANNE HATHAWAY'S HOUSE!" or "TAKE THE STRATFORD TOUR!"... in all honesty, Stratford is too small. Buses wouldn't be able to get up and down the streets (thank goodness), and the whole town is not the type of spot to attract a lot of tourists (thank heavens).
After our tour concluded, by our lovely tour guide, we had more free time. So, I walked to Trinity Church again, and this time went inside to see it's most famous deceased inhabitant. It's a lovely church overall, but Shakespeare's effigee sitting on the floor seemed to make it more grandeur. I write this with humor, but that's only because I don't want to get bogged down with the stupendous drama of it all. I mean, I hate to sound stupid, but I'll say it anyway, Shakespeare's grave is just like all the others around it. The same length, and the same depth (probably), and made from the same stone. I stood there and tried to feel something magnificent. But, all I felt was kind of awkward because I was the only person in the whole place. It was a Sunday morning, right after service, and the people were very kind to let me in for free since I showed up so early, but it was a little weird being the only one there. But very nice, I'm not complaining. It's just somehow, without people all around me talking and making a commotion, I actually had a little time to reflect on the importance of what I had witnessed that day. I saw where one of the greatest writers in the English language was born, lived, died, and buried. And it was all within three miles of itself. He was born modestly, lived modestly, died modestly, and was buried modestly, in a modest town. It gives new meaning to the phrase "Grow where you are planted."
I've also been listening to Jakob Dylan, and his song "Something Good this way comes" is new favorite of mine... mainly because there is a similar line in his song, "The trouble, doll, is not moving mountains, but digging the ground that you're on."
Shakespeare sure dug his turf proficiently... haha, I accidentally spelled "turd" instead of "turf" the first time. Forgive me for that.
I bought a Chicken Tiki Marsala panini at a nice local cafe shop, where the people were very nice, and I ate it's very hot contents whilst walking down the street. An elderly gentleman said "Good morning!" to me and asked, "Ohh, my, it looks like you're enjoying that. Is it good?" I said it was, and he said, "I might have to try one then. Good bye!"... I love old people.
I walked around some MORE, and past a Christian Scientist worship place. Which was weird, because there was a sign that said, "Jesus Christ, The original Christian Scientist"... Well, that's one way to try and resolve the conflict between evolutionists and creationists, or atheists and christians, or scientists and holistics... Very interesting.
The "suburbs" of Stratford, are just white short buildings that look like they've been there for a hundred years (or longer), but all very clean, very white, and very quiet.
I made my way back to the B&B where we got back on the bus, and out of town. We drove past Warwick Castle on the way back to Brighton, and I explored it's Royal History, climbed to it's highest tower, and walked through it's rooms, marveled at the collection of armor and Irish Elk antlers (HUGE!), and we took a tour of the dungeon. One girl got too scared to go in. But it was just kind of hokey. It was a tour about the medieval dungeon practices and such, about torture and everything, even though torture was not widely practiced in England. However, I got "killed" in a staged stunt. I got picked out from the crowd by the "mad" doctor's assistant or whatever. Mary's husband got picked on a lot. mostly for being one of two males in the entire group of thirty, and also because he was tall, I think. Anyway, I felt badly for him as he obviously did not volunteer himself. Anyway, it only lasted about 15 minutes. I enjoyed the rest of the castle much better.
Click on the link to get more info.
Then we were all worn out and I think I slept most of the way home.
I liked Stratford-Upon-Avon a lot, and if I were to live in any town in England, it would be that one. If I were to live in any British town, I would probably choose Edinburgh. But, anyway, all for now! Must go eat something. I'm starving. I have updated this blog for the last two hours. Hope you enjoy my "hard" work!
Thanks for reading, and all the best!
Hannah
In the morning, I had some extra time after breakfast before we were supposed to meet up for our tour. So, I walked out by the Trinity Church (where Shakespeare is buried), and around the Courtyard (where the theatre was), saw the Oxford rowing team going up and down the Avon with it's coach shouting his syncronizations, and enjoyed the non-aggressiveness of the swans (indeed, the only swans I have ever seen that didn't look like they wanted your intestines for lunch). I curiously looked at the buildings, and was greeted very pleasantly by everyone I met. The people in Stratford I think have been the nicest people I have met in England, as a whole. They are warm, and friendly, look you in the eye and say, "good morning" like they really mean it. I wandered around the streets, admiring the neat, clean houses and gardens and made my way back to the B&B where we all left to walk to our meeting point.
We met up by the American fountain, that was donated by George W. Childs, the publisher, in 1887 in honor of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. It looks strikingly like Walt Disney's castle.
We saw a traditionally thatched roof (a lot actually) and daub and wattle houses. Shakespeare's house was attached to his father's glove-making shop, where the needle on the family crest often gets mistaken for a writing pen. Indeed, it is a glovemaker's needle.
We also saw where Shakespeare used to live, or at least, the spot where he used to live. The house apparently had a lot of taxes surrounding it, and one of the tentants (after the Bard's death, obviously), got so fed up about paying his taxes for the property that he tore the place down so no one would have to pay taxes for it again. I was really upset about this, until one of my friends was said, "it's just a house" and yes, they are right. It is just a house.
Anyway, there's a garden there now, which is apparently lovely, but we didn't get to see it because it was under maintenence. Bummer.
Anyway, also in Stratford there's this place where you can see 700 years of English architecture. You stand on a corner, and across the street, there are three buildings in a row: 13th, 14th , and 15th century architecture, then you look across from those buildings and see 16th, 17th, and 18th architecture, then there's a bank in 19th century architecture, and the corner on which you are standing houses a 20th century building. This, to me, is crazy. Nothing in the United States even gets CLOSE to having that kind of history in one spot. I think it's interesting how the English just casually stroll by, or live in their country and never even breath so much of their history. I don't know if it's because not many of them know, or if they find it boring, or if they don't want to brag. But I bet if the U.S. had that much history behind it, more people would visit. But then again, England is a branch of U.S. history, and England is a branch of Roman history, and is a branch of Greek, Ottoman, etc. etc. This history thing just
won't stop growing!!!
There was also the Boy's school where Shakespeare attended (CRAZY!), which is still running (CRAZIER STILL!), with students (AGH! SUPER CRAZY!) and the adjacent chapel, which has a stained glass window dedicated to JFK (why?). America really is everywhere. There are never ending references to Shakespear's plays, statues, bass reliefs, carvings, decorations, etc. But they aren't brand new, and they aren't flashy in a touristy way. A lot of them are hidden, and you actually have to look for them to see them. One of the things I liked best about Stratford was there weren't a lot of signs like, "SHAKESPEARE WAS BORN HERE!" or "THIS WAY TO ANNE HATHAWAY'S HOUSE!" or "TAKE THE STRATFORD TOUR!"... in all honesty, Stratford is too small. Buses wouldn't be able to get up and down the streets (thank goodness), and the whole town is not the type of spot to attract a lot of tourists (thank heavens).
After our tour concluded, by our lovely tour guide, we had more free time. So, I walked to Trinity Church again, and this time went inside to see it's most famous deceased inhabitant. It's a lovely church overall, but Shakespeare's effigee sitting on the floor seemed to make it more grandeur. I write this with humor, but that's only because I don't want to get bogged down with the stupendous drama of it all. I mean, I hate to sound stupid, but I'll say it anyway, Shakespeare's grave is just like all the others around it. The same length, and the same depth (probably), and made from the same stone. I stood there and tried to feel something magnificent. But, all I felt was kind of awkward because I was the only person in the whole place. It was a Sunday morning, right after service, and the people were very kind to let me in for free since I showed up so early, but it was a little weird being the only one there. But very nice, I'm not complaining. It's just somehow, without people all around me talking and making a commotion, I actually had a little time to reflect on the importance of what I had witnessed that day. I saw where one of the greatest writers in the English language was born, lived, died, and buried. And it was all within three miles of itself. He was born modestly, lived modestly, died modestly, and was buried modestly, in a modest town. It gives new meaning to the phrase "Grow where you are planted."
I've also been listening to Jakob Dylan, and his song "Something Good this way comes" is new favorite of mine... mainly because there is a similar line in his song, "The trouble, doll, is not moving mountains, but digging the ground that you're on."
Shakespeare sure dug his turf proficiently... haha, I accidentally spelled "turd" instead of "turf" the first time. Forgive me for that.
I bought a Chicken Tiki Marsala panini at a nice local cafe shop, where the people were very nice, and I ate it's very hot contents whilst walking down the street. An elderly gentleman said "Good morning!" to me and asked, "Ohh, my, it looks like you're enjoying that. Is it good?" I said it was, and he said, "I might have to try one then. Good bye!"... I love old people.
I walked around some MORE, and past a Christian Scientist worship place. Which was weird, because there was a sign that said, "Jesus Christ, The original Christian Scientist"... Well, that's one way to try and resolve the conflict between evolutionists and creationists, or atheists and christians, or scientists and holistics... Very interesting.
The "suburbs" of Stratford, are just white short buildings that look like they've been there for a hundred years (or longer), but all very clean, very white, and very quiet.
I made my way back to the B&B where we got back on the bus, and out of town. We drove past Warwick Castle on the way back to Brighton, and I explored it's Royal History, climbed to it's highest tower, and walked through it's rooms, marveled at the collection of armor and Irish Elk antlers (HUGE!), and we took a tour of the dungeon. One girl got too scared to go in. But it was just kind of hokey. It was a tour about the medieval dungeon practices and such, about torture and everything, even though torture was not widely practiced in England. However, I got "killed" in a staged stunt. I got picked out from the crowd by the "mad" doctor's assistant or whatever. Mary's husband got picked on a lot. mostly for being one of two males in the entire group of thirty, and also because he was tall, I think. Anyway, I felt badly for him as he obviously did not volunteer himself. Anyway, it only lasted about 15 minutes. I enjoyed the rest of the castle much better.
Click on the link to get more info.
Then we were all worn out and I think I slept most of the way home.
I liked Stratford-Upon-Avon a lot, and if I were to live in any town in England, it would be that one. If I were to live in any British town, I would probably choose Edinburgh. But, anyway, all for now! Must go eat something. I'm starving. I have updated this blog for the last two hours. Hope you enjoy my "hard" work!
Thanks for reading, and all the best!
Hannah
The Month of December-- Seven Sisters to Oxford/Stratford-Upon-Avon
Friday, December 4th was absolutely glorious. I am still glowing with the recollection. Laura, Harman, Navjot, Jen, and I went to the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs. The day could not have been finer for the season, and the scenery could not have been more beautiful if it... well, for anything. The cliffs and the downs have such pleasing contours, and the clouds hung about in all the right places. I felt as if there was nothing and nowhere else on Earth where I would be happier in those minutes we spent there. All of us were happy, and we were all relaxed and taking it in in the most selfless way possible. Recalling my thoughts, I realize I was not worried of concerned about anything. Which is weird for me. There was not a single negative thought the entire time. "The stars all seemed to be aligned" -- listening to The Killers whilst writing this.
We returned to Brighton and dined at Fat Leo's, where the Italian food is genuine, and always a treat. I think it is my favorite so far, as it is delicious, fairly priced, and always staffed with good humor. Afterwards, I went to frisbee practice, which was wet, and slightly painful, but entirely worth it. I think the game was a personal best, although I had no idea whilst I was playing. I was too focused.
Today (Dec. 5th), we are on our way to Oxford, and then Stratford-Upon-Avon where we will see the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Arabian Nights. But, for now, we are on the bus.
** after this, I wrote a lot of stuff which I do not agree with now. One of them being, "I love all the imperfect because anyone who values only perfection must always be bitterly disppointed and angry"... Okay, so, Hannah-Past, take this into consideration: if Gaudi had not been so intent on perfecting his work, had he not been dissatisfied with his own designs and executions of those designs, if he had happily said, "well, it's not perfect!" and laughed off his life's work, we wouldn't have the Sagrada Familia (or at least part of it), or all of his wonderful designs. We may not even have Darth Vader (since Lucas got the idea for Vader's helmet from one of Gaudi's chimneys, according to legend). Anyway, more about Gaudi later... I just wanted to put in the note there that what I write at the time, I don't always believe later. ** Anyway, moving on.
Oxford was interesting. I had venison at a little Thai restaurant So Young, Jisoo, Daye, Kyunghee, and I found wandering around the narrow Oxford streets. It was so spicy, but very delicious. And I was so happy to be eating spicy food, I didn't really care there were tears streaming down my face from the spice. We shopped at the famous Oxford market and I got some Christmas presents, and saw a dead deer hanging in the butcher's shop. Most of the girls were abhorred by the carcass, but I thought it was cool they were selling an entire deer, or at least displaying one. The deer was very small though, compared to Idaho standards, and at first I mistook it for a large goat.
Anyway, we walked all around Oxford and I got to hear the Oxford choir sing at University Church of St. Mary's, which was really cool. I got some video of it, I just have to find it. My videos and pictures are in terrible organizational disarray.
We walked around the Old Library, the outside, obviously, not inside... I saw some students entering it's bowels however, and I thought to myself, "How lucky they are! I would give anything to get my hands on some original publications." Oxford houses at least one copy of every book every published in the English Language. So naturally, the Old Library filled up, and now there are several libraries all over the place, of course. We also walked by the Thames, or a branch of it that runs through Oxford. I liked Oxford, except for the shopping district (which was LUDICROUSLY crowded), it was a nice quiet place. Very old, very quaint, and reminded me a lot of the first Harry Potter movies, and I'm sorry for the kind of mediocre reference, but the first Harry Potter movies have a lot of things in common with Oxford. The narrow streets, the weird places where there is total silence, then there is the leaning buildings, and the straight, flat lawns. The later Harry Potter films look like they were based in Scotland (and indeed they were). But the first two were DEFINITELY based at Oxford.
After wandering around, we got back on the bus and booked it to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We stayed at a delightful little B&B about 2km outside the actual city centre. As old as Oxford is, Stratford seems older. It's a very flat place. There are no hills to speak of. The trees are old, and Shakespeare is everywhere.
Anyway, after we got in from Oxford, we had a little free time before we went to the Courtyard Theatre to see Arabian Nights, so Apryl, Lauren, and I went to eat at the Golden Bee (or something "Bee") pre-show. We got a little bit lost on our way to the theatre, but found it in time.
Arabian Nights was a very interesting show. There was a lot of magic tricks involved. One of the most interesting things was the set. It was a white floor, with a circular, revolving sand pit, which had the awesome quality of being softly luminescent when lit with different lights, instead of a hard reflecting surface. The story was pretty simple: A king has lost faith in women and executes one in his village whenever he has time. One woman decides that the blood shed has gone far enough and requests to be the king's woman for the night (doomed to be beheaded), however, her stories are so good, he must postpone her execution until he is tired of her stories. Her stories are the main part of the play, with the king's story getting mixed up in the middle of it. One night, she runs out of stories, and the king must decide whether to kill her or not. Of course, he loves her and decides not to kill her, and they live happily ever after.
The puppets in the show were beautiful as well. The story was not complex or compelling (I think it's more like a children's play), but the sets were beautiful, the acting was good, and I had a good time overall.
The next morning, we had breakfast, and then I went out for a walk, because we weren't supposed to meet up before noon.
And I'm sorry, I wrote a huge description of Stratford, and my computer just deleted it. I'm going to go scream for a little bit and come back to you when I'm all calmed down.
ARGH!
Hannah
We returned to Brighton and dined at Fat Leo's, where the Italian food is genuine, and always a treat. I think it is my favorite so far, as it is delicious, fairly priced, and always staffed with good humor. Afterwards, I went to frisbee practice, which was wet, and slightly painful, but entirely worth it. I think the game was a personal best, although I had no idea whilst I was playing. I was too focused.
Today (Dec. 5th), we are on our way to Oxford, and then Stratford-Upon-Avon where we will see the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Arabian Nights. But, for now, we are on the bus.
** after this, I wrote a lot of stuff which I do not agree with now. One of them being, "I love all the imperfect because anyone who values only perfection must always be bitterly disppointed and angry"... Okay, so, Hannah-Past, take this into consideration: if Gaudi had not been so intent on perfecting his work, had he not been dissatisfied with his own designs and executions of those designs, if he had happily said, "well, it's not perfect!" and laughed off his life's work, we wouldn't have the Sagrada Familia (or at least part of it), or all of his wonderful designs. We may not even have Darth Vader (since Lucas got the idea for Vader's helmet from one of Gaudi's chimneys, according to legend). Anyway, more about Gaudi later... I just wanted to put in the note there that what I write at the time, I don't always believe later. ** Anyway, moving on.
Oxford was interesting. I had venison at a little Thai restaurant So Young, Jisoo, Daye, Kyunghee, and I found wandering around the narrow Oxford streets. It was so spicy, but very delicious. And I was so happy to be eating spicy food, I didn't really care there were tears streaming down my face from the spice. We shopped at the famous Oxford market and I got some Christmas presents, and saw a dead deer hanging in the butcher's shop. Most of the girls were abhorred by the carcass, but I thought it was cool they were selling an entire deer, or at least displaying one. The deer was very small though, compared to Idaho standards, and at first I mistook it for a large goat.
Anyway, we walked all around Oxford and I got to hear the Oxford choir sing at University Church of St. Mary's, which was really cool. I got some video of it, I just have to find it. My videos and pictures are in terrible organizational disarray.
We walked around the Old Library, the outside, obviously, not inside... I saw some students entering it's bowels however, and I thought to myself, "How lucky they are! I would give anything to get my hands on some original publications." Oxford houses at least one copy of every book every published in the English Language. So naturally, the Old Library filled up, and now there are several libraries all over the place, of course. We also walked by the Thames, or a branch of it that runs through Oxford. I liked Oxford, except for the shopping district (which was LUDICROUSLY crowded), it was a nice quiet place. Very old, very quaint, and reminded me a lot of the first Harry Potter movies, and I'm sorry for the kind of mediocre reference, but the first Harry Potter movies have a lot of things in common with Oxford. The narrow streets, the weird places where there is total silence, then there is the leaning buildings, and the straight, flat lawns. The later Harry Potter films look like they were based in Scotland (and indeed they were). But the first two were DEFINITELY based at Oxford.
After wandering around, we got back on the bus and booked it to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We stayed at a delightful little B&B about 2km outside the actual city centre. As old as Oxford is, Stratford seems older. It's a very flat place. There are no hills to speak of. The trees are old, and Shakespeare is everywhere.
Anyway, after we got in from Oxford, we had a little free time before we went to the Courtyard Theatre to see Arabian Nights, so Apryl, Lauren, and I went to eat at the Golden Bee (or something "Bee") pre-show. We got a little bit lost on our way to the theatre, but found it in time.
Arabian Nights was a very interesting show. There was a lot of magic tricks involved. One of the most interesting things was the set. It was a white floor, with a circular, revolving sand pit, which had the awesome quality of being softly luminescent when lit with different lights, instead of a hard reflecting surface. The story was pretty simple: A king has lost faith in women and executes one in his village whenever he has time. One woman decides that the blood shed has gone far enough and requests to be the king's woman for the night (doomed to be beheaded), however, her stories are so good, he must postpone her execution until he is tired of her stories. Her stories are the main part of the play, with the king's story getting mixed up in the middle of it. One night, she runs out of stories, and the king must decide whether to kill her or not. Of course, he loves her and decides not to kill her, and they live happily ever after.
The puppets in the show were beautiful as well. The story was not complex or compelling (I think it's more like a children's play), but the sets were beautiful, the acting was good, and I had a good time overall.
The next morning, we had breakfast, and then I went out for a walk, because we weren't supposed to meet up before noon.
And I'm sorry, I wrote a huge description of Stratford, and my computer just deleted it. I'm going to go scream for a little bit and come back to you when I'm all calmed down.
ARGH!
Hannah
Procrastination
If there's one thing I've learned in England, its that I like to procrastinate.
This is one of the few things that I like that I actually hate.
For example: I have procrastinated writing in this blog because I had other things I didn't want to procrastinate from. Now, I am writing in this blog procrastinating a project I should finish. A vicious cycle.
What would solve my problem is if I worked up a schedule and stuck to it and didn't fiddle about in the grey area of what I "had" to get done.
So, anyway... maybe if I stop procrastinating this blog, I will feel inspired to finish my other projects which are in dire need of attention.
The only thing I have not been putting off for another day has been taking long walks in the sunshine. Mainly because I know that you can't really expect the weather to stay good for you. If only I took the same attitude with my other work!
I am shamefully shameless.
Anyway, in other news, the weather has been great this April so far, and right now, there is a cricket match going on the field outside my window... it's now almost 5pm... they have been playing since about 1:30 and show no signs of giving up yet. The weather is foggier today, but still pleasant over all. I got a nice sun burn yesterday as Apryl, Ed, and I spent about 4 hours in the sun.
Oh well,
I have all of my adventures written down, they're just on paper... so I will transmit them via-keyboard to your screen.
Thanks for reading.
Love,
Hannah
This is one of the few things that I like that I actually hate.
For example: I have procrastinated writing in this blog because I had other things I didn't want to procrastinate from. Now, I am writing in this blog procrastinating a project I should finish. A vicious cycle.
What would solve my problem is if I worked up a schedule and stuck to it and didn't fiddle about in the grey area of what I "had" to get done.
So, anyway... maybe if I stop procrastinating this blog, I will feel inspired to finish my other projects which are in dire need of attention.
The only thing I have not been putting off for another day has been taking long walks in the sunshine. Mainly because I know that you can't really expect the weather to stay good for you. If only I took the same attitude with my other work!
I am shamefully shameless.
Anyway, in other news, the weather has been great this April so far, and right now, there is a cricket match going on the field outside my window... it's now almost 5pm... they have been playing since about 1:30 and show no signs of giving up yet. The weather is foggier today, but still pleasant over all. I got a nice sun burn yesterday as Apryl, Ed, and I spent about 4 hours in the sun.
Oh well,
I have all of my adventures written down, they're just on paper... so I will transmit them via-keyboard to your screen.
Thanks for reading.
Love,
Hannah
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Queer Day
That Thursday, December 3rd was my queer day. In genre and film class, we watched a film about gay teenagers and suicide in L.A. which pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day. Everything that day was abnormal. But normality is always relative. So, I suppose it wasn't any different from other days, however, i still dubbed it my "Queer day". The day just seemed queer to me. but, I had a lot of fun in class, shopping at O'Neill and making Tacos for Ed with Laura and Apryl. I played at the indoor frisbee league which was fun. With the exception of my knees getting kind of achy, frisbee is really improving my health and fitness. Afterwards, Toby, Dom, Sam, Tom, and I went to the Bear, and then to Toby's where we ate pizza and watched the Misfits, which was the perfectly queer ending to a perfectly queer day. I guess we all have queer days every once in a while.
London with So Young
My trip to London on December 1st with my South Korean friend, So Young, could not have been more perfect. We saw the Moctezuma Aztecs exhibit who, technically, belong to the Mexica culture. most of their artwork was commissioned by the Mexica from the Mixtecs, however. So, the Aztecs is actually a misnomer and they called themselves the Mexica and their most famous artwork was actually of Mixtec origin. Kind of confusing, but there you go.
There was one particular piece, a human skull encrusted with turquoise, which was particularly striking. Perhaps this is because it was a real human skull, with teeth still in the jaw and everything, but the turquoise detail was exquisite. Different shades of turquoise were used to define different parts of the mask, and the effect was astonishing. The Mexica, apparently were very fond of the turquoise blue-green color and valued things of this color more than anything else, except maybe for coral colored shell and gold. The gold work was also incredibly detailed and beautifully wrought. The stonework was also very intricate and expertly carved. Many of the artifacts looked as if they had been made yesterday. The pictoral Codex of the Mexica which showed the coming of the Spanish, their rule, the disease, wars, plans, etc. were also interesting. It was a large exhibit and took a couple hours. I kept thinking of my good friend Adriana throughout the whole thing, as I know she would have been so happy to see it all. Plus we went upstairs to see Korean ceramics, which were very nice. So Young and I had such a good time.
We had lunch in the Forum cafe, a little cafe across the street from the museum. It was very good, and then we went to a matinee of the Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre. It was, of course, a great show. The Phantom was at least on par with the Phantom on Broadway, although, it's a little difficult to compare since So Young and I were sitting in the stalls very close to the stage compared to the balcony seat we had in New York City when I went with dad and my family. So, to me, it seemed as if the Phantom was more awesome in London. He was a perfect singer, and a great actor. The visual tricks were also fantastic, the stage crew for that show muct be some of the best in the business. It must be such a difficult show to orchestrate backstage, as well as on stage, and in the pit. I enjoyed it thoroughly, as did So Young. It was her first musical she had seen. What a good one to start with!
There was one particular piece, a human skull encrusted with turquoise, which was particularly striking. Perhaps this is because it was a real human skull, with teeth still in the jaw and everything, but the turquoise detail was exquisite. Different shades of turquoise were used to define different parts of the mask, and the effect was astonishing. The Mexica, apparently were very fond of the turquoise blue-green color and valued things of this color more than anything else, except maybe for coral colored shell and gold. The gold work was also incredibly detailed and beautifully wrought. The stonework was also very intricate and expertly carved. Many of the artifacts looked as if they had been made yesterday. The pictoral Codex of the Mexica which showed the coming of the Spanish, their rule, the disease, wars, plans, etc. were also interesting. It was a large exhibit and took a couple hours. I kept thinking of my good friend Adriana throughout the whole thing, as I know she would have been so happy to see it all. Plus we went upstairs to see Korean ceramics, which were very nice. So Young and I had such a good time.
We had lunch in the Forum cafe, a little cafe across the street from the museum. It was very good, and then we went to a matinee of the Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre. It was, of course, a great show. The Phantom was at least on par with the Phantom on Broadway, although, it's a little difficult to compare since So Young and I were sitting in the stalls very close to the stage compared to the balcony seat we had in New York City when I went with dad and my family. So, to me, it seemed as if the Phantom was more awesome in London. He was a perfect singer, and a great actor. The visual tricks were also fantastic, the stage crew for that show muct be some of the best in the business. It must be such a difficult show to orchestrate backstage, as well as on stage, and in the pit. I enjoyed it thoroughly, as did So Young. It was her first musical she had seen. What a good one to start with!
Stonehenge and Bath
The weekend following Thanksgiving, I went with the American office group to Stonehenge and Bath. We left on the Saturday morning and got lucky as the weather was perfectly clear and sunny at Stonehenge as we marveled in it's ancient glory and mystery. The location of Stonehenge is very interesting. It's out in the middle of country off of a rural highway. It's literally right beside a road. Besides Stonehenge, the actual stones, there are also mounds surrounding the area that also have mysterious purposes. They look like the Indian burial mounds, but I don't think they are burial mounds. The stones also come from really far away. There is no granite slabs like that in England. There was also this cool rock that turns red when it's wet. But I can't remember it's name and when I went home in December for Christmas, I left all of my pamphlets and stuff with my parents.
I was pleased to learn that Stonehenge is believed to be a calendar with, happily, June 21st as the center of time keeping. My birthday is unendingly cool. I have decided one year, I'm going to visit Stonehenge one June 21st when they have the festival of sorts. I've heard it's kind of a Pagan ordeal, but I would like to see it. And that would be a terrific birthday trip, would it not? Perhaps it's silly, but I find great satisfaction in knowing that on my birthday all the ancient calendars of the world are lined up on their centers.
That about describes my time at Stonehenge... it was quite lovely. Windy and cold, but lovely.
That afternoon we drove to Bath to see the Roman Baths and the Christmas Market... Let me just say the Christmas market was my least favorite activity of the day. It was crushingly crowded, so I got out of there a.s.a.p. The Roman baths were incredibly interesting and exquisite. The classic simplicity of the design of the building was so beautiful, and so well preserved, it was breathtaking. I enjoyed them very much. I didn't touch the water in the baths (as there was a sign saying they were toxic), and I didn't drink the safe water in the pump room (I didn't have time, but I heard it tasted awful), I also didn't smell the-- apparently unpleasant-- odors of the bath as I was sick and could barely breath, let alone smell anything. However, I enjoyed the sights, sites, and the company of the advisor's children and my friends. After we left the Roman Baths, I escaped the crowd as quickly as possible, walked around the town, and happened upon the Fashion museum where I spent a happy two hours looking at exquisite clothes, gloves, hats, period dress, undergarments, shoes, etc.
The Fashion museum is the basement of the Assembly rooms. I would have looked at them, but they were having a function in them, so I didn't get to explore the building. However, from what I saw, the building was wonderful. I walked around town some more, and was incredibly pleased to discover that the rest of Bath was not as crowded as it's city centre. In fact, walking around Bath, I encountered very few people. I saw Queen's Court and was surprised to see a dog defecating on the pavement, but more surprised to notice the owner act as if nothing had happened and not clean up the doorstep of number 23. Oh well, happens everywhere, I guess.
This brings to mind, people do love their dogs here. Maybe I've mentioned it before, but never in my life have I ever seen such well behaved animals. They are strictly and unwaveringly obedient to their masters. The only dog I have met that was not was a dog I met in Sweden who kept chewing on my boots. But he listened to me more than his master, which was weird. It was like he was my dog for a couple of hours. Anyway, enough about dogs, back to Bath.
Saturday evening, we drove through the country outside of Bath (which is absolutely stunning, by the way, it looks as if it were a painting from the Italian Renaissance) to our Ramada hotel, which was a redone manor house. Staying in the country for a day made me realise, the English country side is overwhelmingly beautiful. I mean, you look at it, and you just want to run in the fields and hike through the forests. It's so temperate and mild, so delicious and wet, and looks so pure as if it hasn't been touched by man for a century. Many places, I suspect actually haven't been. But even where people have been, it doesn't appear obtrusive. They keep their large trees, there's little clear-cutting, the forests are well tended and the innocence of the land is well preserved. There are little foot paths sometimes running through the fields. As lovely as the cities are, I think I enjoy the surrounding country side better.
Anyway, the hotel had a swimming pool AND a bath tub! It felt incredible to be immersed in warm water for a couple of hours. An experience which is all too rare in my life. Sunday, I visited the Jane Austen center which was, although somewhat informative, not as fun as the fashion museum. However, I did buy a nice little journal book, and some things for my sister. And also, the Jane Austen center was not actually where she used to live. Where she lived is now a dentist's surgery. I think the address is 26 Gay street. Apparently, Jane Austen wasn't happy living in Bath, as I don't blame her. She originally lived in the country where I imagine she would have been much happier. However, they credit Bath for some of the best "high class" characters in her novels. After I went to the centre, I walked around Bath, stopping in a local craft bazaar, and at Jigsaw where I got some things for my little sister. The drive on the bus back to Brighton was spiced up a bit by the kids arguing and throwing things at the other girls. That was pretty funny. One of them kept saying, "I'm ALIVEEE!!!" until he fell asleep and the bus was blessed with a period of peace. He is a funny kid, and sweet, too, so he didn't really bother anyone, we were just sort of tired and wanted some quiet, so it was nice when we got it. Otherwise, the drive home was rather uneventful. I slept and talked to my little sister a bit on Skype.
We arrived back in Brighton around 8:30pm. It was a good trip.
I was pleased to learn that Stonehenge is believed to be a calendar with, happily, June 21st as the center of time keeping. My birthday is unendingly cool. I have decided one year, I'm going to visit Stonehenge one June 21st when they have the festival of sorts. I've heard it's kind of a Pagan ordeal, but I would like to see it. And that would be a terrific birthday trip, would it not? Perhaps it's silly, but I find great satisfaction in knowing that on my birthday all the ancient calendars of the world are lined up on their centers.
That about describes my time at Stonehenge... it was quite lovely. Windy and cold, but lovely.
That afternoon we drove to Bath to see the Roman Baths and the Christmas Market... Let me just say the Christmas market was my least favorite activity of the day. It was crushingly crowded, so I got out of there a.s.a.p. The Roman baths were incredibly interesting and exquisite. The classic simplicity of the design of the building was so beautiful, and so well preserved, it was breathtaking. I enjoyed them very much. I didn't touch the water in the baths (as there was a sign saying they were toxic), and I didn't drink the safe water in the pump room (I didn't have time, but I heard it tasted awful), I also didn't smell the-- apparently unpleasant-- odors of the bath as I was sick and could barely breath, let alone smell anything. However, I enjoyed the sights, sites, and the company of the advisor's children and my friends. After we left the Roman Baths, I escaped the crowd as quickly as possible, walked around the town, and happened upon the Fashion museum where I spent a happy two hours looking at exquisite clothes, gloves, hats, period dress, undergarments, shoes, etc.
The Fashion museum is the basement of the Assembly rooms. I would have looked at them, but they were having a function in them, so I didn't get to explore the building. However, from what I saw, the building was wonderful. I walked around town some more, and was incredibly pleased to discover that the rest of Bath was not as crowded as it's city centre. In fact, walking around Bath, I encountered very few people. I saw Queen's Court and was surprised to see a dog defecating on the pavement, but more surprised to notice the owner act as if nothing had happened and not clean up the doorstep of number 23. Oh well, happens everywhere, I guess.
This brings to mind, people do love their dogs here. Maybe I've mentioned it before, but never in my life have I ever seen such well behaved animals. They are strictly and unwaveringly obedient to their masters. The only dog I have met that was not was a dog I met in Sweden who kept chewing on my boots. But he listened to me more than his master, which was weird. It was like he was my dog for a couple of hours. Anyway, enough about dogs, back to Bath.
Saturday evening, we drove through the country outside of Bath (which is absolutely stunning, by the way, it looks as if it were a painting from the Italian Renaissance) to our Ramada hotel, which was a redone manor house. Staying in the country for a day made me realise, the English country side is overwhelmingly beautiful. I mean, you look at it, and you just want to run in the fields and hike through the forests. It's so temperate and mild, so delicious and wet, and looks so pure as if it hasn't been touched by man for a century. Many places, I suspect actually haven't been. But even where people have been, it doesn't appear obtrusive. They keep their large trees, there's little clear-cutting, the forests are well tended and the innocence of the land is well preserved. There are little foot paths sometimes running through the fields. As lovely as the cities are, I think I enjoy the surrounding country side better.
Anyway, the hotel had a swimming pool AND a bath tub! It felt incredible to be immersed in warm water for a couple of hours. An experience which is all too rare in my life. Sunday, I visited the Jane Austen center which was, although somewhat informative, not as fun as the fashion museum. However, I did buy a nice little journal book, and some things for my sister. And also, the Jane Austen center was not actually where she used to live. Where she lived is now a dentist's surgery. I think the address is 26 Gay street. Apparently, Jane Austen wasn't happy living in Bath, as I don't blame her. She originally lived in the country where I imagine she would have been much happier. However, they credit Bath for some of the best "high class" characters in her novels. After I went to the centre, I walked around Bath, stopping in a local craft bazaar, and at Jigsaw where I got some things for my little sister. The drive on the bus back to Brighton was spiced up a bit by the kids arguing and throwing things at the other girls. That was pretty funny. One of them kept saying, "I'm ALIVEEE!!!" until he fell asleep and the bus was blessed with a period of peace. He is a funny kid, and sweet, too, so he didn't really bother anyone, we were just sort of tired and wanted some quiet, so it was nice when we got it. Otherwise, the drive home was rather uneventful. I slept and talked to my little sister a bit on Skype.
We arrived back in Brighton around 8:30pm. It was a good trip.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thanksgiving
In short, Thanksgiving was a success. To flesh it out a little more, Thanksgiving was a HUGE success.
It was one of the best Thanksgiving's in the history of all my 21 Thanksgivings. One night, my flat mates Laura, Apryl, and I along with our friends Ed and Stephane, decided we needed to introduce the English to the wonderful American tradition. I am not one to go into solliloquies about the symbolism of traditions and what not, but if there were any one day that solidified all of my feelings and thoughts about the world, it would be Thanksgiving, and especially Thanksgiving 2009. A better time during a holiday, I don't think I have had.
Once it had been decided, and once the actual date of Thanksgiving had been discovered (after some mix-ups), everyone was invited. And I mean everyone. We made it a huge potluck event, to which everyone contributed something. We had traditional English Yorkshire puddings and mash, traditional Korean Kimchi, noodles, chicken, and other spicy delicacies, traditional French cake and crepes, and a huge array of family recipies from the United States. My friends from Nigeria attended as well, and brought some drinks, which were slightly overlooked. I made [American style] biscuits [not British style, which are cookies], green beans, corn, and the most gorgeous turkey I have ever cooked. In fact, it was the first and only turkey I have ever cooked, so that's what made it even more special for turning out as good as it did. I was (and still am) so proud of that turkey I could burst. I took the advice of nearly everyone and compiled them into one turkey, and the result was succulent perfection.
So, here's the story of the turkey.
It was the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, and I was buying the last of the supplies for our shin dig at Sainsbury's. I had read somewhere that you had to let the turkey thaw for 48 hours before cooking. Well, this turned out to work perfectly, because the 10kg turkey I bought (that's 22 lbs!!!), was half the size of our mini freezers (why they give two mini-freezers for a flat of 8 is beyond me). There was no way that bad boy was fitting in the freezers. So, after buying the turkey, my friends Stephane and I hoisted it into my back pack, and I packed the turkey back to my flat where I deposited it in the sink to thaw for the next day and a half. On Thursday, I popped it into the oven around 1:30pm, and at a quarter to six (the party starting at 6pm), I took it out to discover it had cooked perfectly. Now to unwrap the foil from around it to toast the top. I put it back in, and at 6pm exactly, the turkey was ready to eat.
There are very few times in my life I feel absolute and total triumph. This is one of them.
Not only did I manage to host an international Thanksgiving party, I cooked the turkey perfectly to boot. Boo-yah.
So, on with the night.
My flat mates and I hung out together with our friends from the frisbee team, and some of our French and Korean friends. We told jokes, talked about our countries, drew hand turkeys (one of the funnest Thanksgiving traditions), and ate as much as we could possibly muster. I laughed and smiled so much my face hurt. That's how good it was.
There are only two down notes to all of this: my friend Ed was under pain killers at the time, having just come from surgery the day before [but he was determined not to miss it]. However, this made him funnier, as he didn't know what was going on half the time, and also doesn't remember most of it. The second down note was I quite ill and contracted some sort of weird eye infection. But, there was too much good stuff going on to notice much of that.
My favorite dish of the evening was the Korean food. It was SO GOOD. Oh, and my turkey, which was also SO GOOD.
Hannah/Flat 29 turkey recipe:
Buy large frozen turkey
Pack said frozen turkey home in you back pack
Let thaw for two days
Remove innards [miss your dog because you know she can't have the bits no one will eat]
Rub entire bird with butter
Melt butter and drizzle bird.
Rub this butter into the bird.
Add a little salt, herbs, and garlic powder
Stuff body cavity with onions, lemon, and shallots
Set on rack in baking pan
Pour orange juice into the bottom of pan
Cover pan and bird in aluminum foil
Stuff it into your tiny oven
Bake for four hours
Take out of oven, remove foil
Put back in oven for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the butter to brown the top of the bird
Remove and beam with happiness
It was one of the best Thanksgiving's in the history of all my 21 Thanksgivings. One night, my flat mates Laura, Apryl, and I along with our friends Ed and Stephane, decided we needed to introduce the English to the wonderful American tradition. I am not one to go into solliloquies about the symbolism of traditions and what not, but if there were any one day that solidified all of my feelings and thoughts about the world, it would be Thanksgiving, and especially Thanksgiving 2009. A better time during a holiday, I don't think I have had.
Once it had been decided, and once the actual date of Thanksgiving had been discovered (after some mix-ups), everyone was invited. And I mean everyone. We made it a huge potluck event, to which everyone contributed something. We had traditional English Yorkshire puddings and mash, traditional Korean Kimchi, noodles, chicken, and other spicy delicacies, traditional French cake and crepes, and a huge array of family recipies from the United States. My friends from Nigeria attended as well, and brought some drinks, which were slightly overlooked. I made [American style] biscuits [not British style, which are cookies], green beans, corn, and the most gorgeous turkey I have ever cooked. In fact, it was the first and only turkey I have ever cooked, so that's what made it even more special for turning out as good as it did. I was (and still am) so proud of that turkey I could burst. I took the advice of nearly everyone and compiled them into one turkey, and the result was succulent perfection.
So, here's the story of the turkey.
It was the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, and I was buying the last of the supplies for our shin dig at Sainsbury's. I had read somewhere that you had to let the turkey thaw for 48 hours before cooking. Well, this turned out to work perfectly, because the 10kg turkey I bought (that's 22 lbs!!!), was half the size of our mini freezers (why they give two mini-freezers for a flat of 8 is beyond me). There was no way that bad boy was fitting in the freezers. So, after buying the turkey, my friends Stephane and I hoisted it into my back pack, and I packed the turkey back to my flat where I deposited it in the sink to thaw for the next day and a half. On Thursday, I popped it into the oven around 1:30pm, and at a quarter to six (the party starting at 6pm), I took it out to discover it had cooked perfectly. Now to unwrap the foil from around it to toast the top. I put it back in, and at 6pm exactly, the turkey was ready to eat.
There are very few times in my life I feel absolute and total triumph. This is one of them.
Not only did I manage to host an international Thanksgiving party, I cooked the turkey perfectly to boot. Boo-yah.
So, on with the night.
My flat mates and I hung out together with our friends from the frisbee team, and some of our French and Korean friends. We told jokes, talked about our countries, drew hand turkeys (one of the funnest Thanksgiving traditions), and ate as much as we could possibly muster. I laughed and smiled so much my face hurt. That's how good it was.
There are only two down notes to all of this: my friend Ed was under pain killers at the time, having just come from surgery the day before [but he was determined not to miss it]. However, this made him funnier, as he didn't know what was going on half the time, and also doesn't remember most of it. The second down note was I quite ill and contracted some sort of weird eye infection. But, there was too much good stuff going on to notice much of that.
My favorite dish of the evening was the Korean food. It was SO GOOD. Oh, and my turkey, which was also SO GOOD.
Hannah/Flat 29 turkey recipe:
Buy large frozen turkey
Pack said frozen turkey home in you back pack
Let thaw for two days
Remove innards [miss your dog because you know she can't have the bits no one will eat]
Rub entire bird with butter
Melt butter and drizzle bird.
Rub this butter into the bird.
Add a little salt, herbs, and garlic powder
Stuff body cavity with onions, lemon, and shallots
Set on rack in baking pan
Pour orange juice into the bottom of pan
Cover pan and bird in aluminum foil
Stuff it into your tiny oven
Bake for four hours
Take out of oven, remove foil
Put back in oven for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the butter to brown the top of the bird
Remove and beam with happiness
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)