visiting!

Yes, yes. I haven't updated in ages. I finally have something exciting to post about: a visit! Corbin came last week, and we got to roam all over Oxford and hang out with my stellar UK friends and go to things like formal hall. It was a cold week, but other than that the weather was fantastic: sunny and bright almost every day, which is odd for this time of year. Corbin had some struggles getting into the country--yes, again--and we feared for a bit that he'd have to turn straight around and go back. But the UK Border Patrol was again not completely heartless, and we were saved.

On his second day here, we went to Windsor & Eton. We saw the gorgeous Windsor Castle and snapped some nice photos. Inside the castle, we got to see exhibits of china and furniture and the beautiful living insides of the castle. It was a fantastic day to be out and about, and we actually got there quite cheaply. The surrounding town is cute as well, with lots of little shops and restaurants.

On one of Corbin's last nights in town, we travelled to Birmingham with some

 friends to go see The Head & The Heart and The Walkmen, which was a fantastic show. We had some cool-kid connections to Head & the Heart, so we got to meet them and chill out for a bit. And we all have a new favourite band, because they were so fantastic live.

I got, of course, zero work done. I am, of course, 100% behind on everything I have to do. But it was worth it for such an amazing week. Briefly, to quell the questions: Corbin and I did break up. It was time, and we're both fine. If you're curious, I don't mind talking about it, and it's not a touchy subject whatsoever. We're still friends because we're both too awesome to stop knowing each other.

And...now my life is back to its humdrum self. Rowing. Classes. Research. Not enough of any of those to call myself really productive. But the Super Bowl is in less than a week and we're having a party! I'm surprisingly excited about this particular emblem of America to come to me. I'll be here, cheering on the Steelers and explaining what a first down is at midnight or whenever the heck the game starts here.

You Georgia folks: Corbin's coming made me realise how much I miss y'all. Save up your money and come visit me over the summer please.

a few golden english days

Corbin and I are certainly doing our best to get our four days' worth. We have walked all over this city multiple times, eating at fun places and visiting pretty things. Every day in this adorable B&B starts with our home-cooked full English breakfast, consisting of toast, bacon, fried sausage, an egg, beans/mushrooms, and of course a nice hot cup of tea.

Today we had the advantage of a particularly beautiful day--yesterday was quite cloudy--and we walked for awhile along the Thames before heading into town. The absolutely beautiful Christchurch (you know--the Harry Potter Great Hall?) has particularly fantastic gardens, so we took our Sainsbury's purchased Kinder Surprise eggs and our cameras there to relax.

To the right are the products of our Kinder Surprise fun: I got the Donkey from Shrek, which I put together, and Corbin got a rather complicated little sailboat. Naturally, Donkey had to take a trip around the meadows! We plan on playing with the sailboat in the bathroom sink in a bit.

Come tea time, we headed to Cafe Loco for a traditional cream tea, which consists of--along with tea, obviously--some delicious scones with real clotted cream and strawberry jam. We gobbled them up and then sipped tea for awhile before heading back to the bed-and-breakfast, which is where we are now--resting our poor tired feet, browsing the Internet, and in some of our cases, updating a blog and researching the best pay-as-you-go phone plans. I'm currently leaning towards T-mobile, if you were concerned.

Anyway, it's probably nearing dinnertime, and we should start thinking about where we want to eat/drink/be merry. We have one more day together before Corbin has to leave, and by George, we're going to do some awesome stuff!

not quite according to plan

So, I'm in England! Hip, hip, hurrah! Yesterday was pretty, today was cloudy, but we've walked allllll over the city in search of places we wanted and needed to go. Goodness! I don't think I've ever walked this much in a single day in my life. Except possibly the last time I was in England.

But I'm getting ahead of myself: I have some sad news. Upon arrival at the airport, we were of course immediately ushered into the mindless shuffling border control lines, where we were asked by peppy audio recordings to please have out our passports and all relevant information. Apparently some of us have better relevant information than others: I was given a quick clearance, while Corbin was left behind. I went downstairs, got my bag, changed some money (errgh), tried to find a wireless connection, played six games of Spider Solitaire, and then realized that it'd been an hour and I hadn't seen Corbin. So, with surprising difficulty, I found my way back up to immigration, where he, bored-looking, was sitting in the same chair they'd left him in earlier.

Thus commenced a several-hour-long period of waiting in which various members of the Border Control Agency helped us and/or shot us dirty looks. One very nice gentleman in particular kept me posted, while I read almost all of Portrait of a Lady. At the end of it: Corbin is, long-term, denied clearance. They were nice enough to give him four days, but he has to leave Monday morning.

So we're making the most of the time we've got: eating at pubs, walking until our feet turn into little nubs. My blog will receive more attention once those four days are up, as I will be lonely, friendless, and perpetually cold. Tonight, however, we're about to head to dinner at the Red Lion (a fact which, if Alan Franks or Jacob S. O'Neal number among my readers--which they most assuredly do not, but they might, if they wished--will appreciate) and walk around the city at night.

Photos forthcoming. Love y'all.

all of my life, packed away in a bag

In one day exactly, the time will be 2:30PM. I will quite possibly be lost, because I will have been in Oxford for perhaps two hours. I'd have a photo to accompany this post--perhaps of my larger-than-should-be-legal suitcase sitting on the scale in the foyer--but my camera is in one bag and my photo-uploader is in another, so you'll have to survive sans picture for a little while longer. 


This past week has been busy, busy, busy. Packing and cleaning, cleaning and packing--and then on Saturday I got to head to Macon for a ridiculously awesome going-away party, the likes of which only Matt Roche could provide. There was a piñata. And did you know that they make alcohol-infused dark chocolate whipped cream? It was pretty much the best party ever.


Then Corbs and I drove separately to Savannah--yuck!--so that we could leave his car there. After just a day in Savannah, we drove all the way back to Peachtree on Monday, and we've been here since Monday evening, packing our carry-ons and weighing our gigantic suitcases. Last night we went out to Thai Spice with my family, and I got to see both Russell and Savi for brief stints. Oh, and we watched the Glee season premier, which wasn't as unrelentingly brilliant as I'd hoped but was still good. 


Today is go time. Our flight's at 5:45, and I have a few things to do between now and then. And by that I mean that, every time I was on the verge of falling asleep last night, I thought of some other small thing that hadn't yet made its way to my suitcase, so I had to turn on the light and write it down. So now I get to follow my list! And then, before I know it, we'll be on our way to Hartsfield, paralyzed with that particular fear of having forgotten something absolutely crucial. Here's to hoping I didn't.

t minus one month

So I leave for England in exactly a month. Things that I know:

• where I will be living (funny story, that's changed: I'm now living in graduate student housing)
• where my classes will be
• what I should be reading

Things that I do not know:

• that I will definitely have a visa
• if Corbin will get a visa
• what to do about a bank account
• what to do about my cell phone
• what my classes will be like
• that I won't fail out
• where I will live the week before I can move into my dorm
• where Corbin will live
• where Corbin will work
• how much time I will have for a social life
• how I am going to afford any of this.

La well. Life wouldn't be fun if we knew all the answers, right?