YOU WERE A CHILD, CRAWLIN ON YOUR KNEEEEEEEES TOWARDS IT

Okay team. I'm sitting here, drinking my tea (which I've decided is the ONLY thing I will be doing when I write on this thing), celebrating the fact that I have not gotten robbed (I love you Roomikins), speak the language (I love you Kyra and Roomikins and Ben), live in a dorm (I love you Kyra and Roomikins and Ben), and require only a fifteen minute walk to get to class (I don't know who this cuts out, really). And that I don't have malaria. I love you Kyra. Also I got TWO pieces of mail today and that is GREAT. Also Katie I know we do not live in the same room anymore but I can't control myself.

So you know, kicked it for Valentine's Day - we had a field hockey game that we lost 8-1 and as the goalie I STILL got nominated for man of the match, which shooooould answer some questions as to how everyone else played. We won last weekend, though, and the weekend before, and there are only two games left in the season. But Valentine's Day was sweet. Our party was stellar (CLEARLY) and our housekeeper only made us take down the paper hearts taped everywhere a few days ago.

Lacrosse is apparently less about actual lacrosse and more about going to the pub and hanging out, which is wonderful because I live with 18 year olds (not a problem, but every once in a while . . . ) and the people on the lacrosse team are mostly older. Sweet. So that's fun. We had a game yesterday and tied 11-11, and it was raining and cold-ish so instead of a tiebreak we went - correct! - to the pub. Better all around.

But BEFORE THAT I went to London for the weekend, then to Edinburgh to see Brian, then back to London to stay with Scott, and then came back. It was GREAT. I love London. And I haven't been there in a while and it was LOVELY and I had TWO WHOLE DAYS of solo-museuming, which is one of the best things in the world. Also I discovered a new sweet artist. Look!!!!!
That is in fact NOT the artist herself, but one of her pieces - the pirate guy in the middle is painted, but then the rest of it is made out of layers of paper of all different colors and patterns put one on top of the other. Then the artist (Ellen Gallagher) uses an exacto knife kind of deal to cut out the shapes that are all over the background, and in the guy's hair, so you can see all of the paper underneath!!! I think it's AWESOME.

Edinburgh was pretty tight too, and Brian was my first actual Kenyon friend sighting since July, which is a pretty big deal. Edinburgh is a really cool city and St. Andrew's is AWESOME and Brian had a life changing pesto blahdi blah sandwich that meant more to him than my entire visit, so that was nice. He showed me fudge donuts, which were WONDERFUL (and for some reason sound foul, in retrospect), but when I got back to London Scott took me to a Chinese bakery and fudge donuts now have a competitor in something I can't pronounce or remember where to find. So maybe it's not a huge competition.

Here is Brian:

And here is Scott:
I hope he never sees this.

This is a legit one of Edinburgh:It's only legit because I am told that the white house on the left that you can barely see is Hugh Grant's house. If I had known this before I was almost leaving, you better believe I'd have a few more creepster ones.

I don't think anything else is really going on. I'm obsessed with Skype, I found out you can pay 29p and get FOUR yogurts, I discovered cheapo muesli, and also these frozen veggie dumplings that are GREAT, and today I was able to walk to the post office and food outlet with only a sweater on.

OH WAIT. HERE IS MY ROOM:My desk, which is on the left and looks like not so much of the work is being done, extends the whole length of that wall. And at the end of my bed is my own bathroom. It's a pretty sweet existence, actually. Also tomorrow I am thinking about vacuuming. I spent about six hours today cleaning. Literally.

Because I have just started talking about cleaning, I'm done. Also I finished my tea. Although if that were the timer, I'd have had to have been done back around Ellen Gallagher. Tea doesn't take very long to drink when you put milk in it, unless it's hot, but the idea of heated milk makes me ill.

I'm pretty sure I was going to say something else, but I can't remember what it is so I think I shall just be finished.

love you all!!!

p.s. IT IS THE MONTH OF MY BIRTHDAY. GET YOUR EXCITED CAPS ON. i almost said "get your happy hats on" but i thought that was too suggestive.

In Preparation For . . .

VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!!!!!! it's less than a week away, which means that all my valentines have been sent out (CHECK YOUR MAILBOXES (unless you're that creepster who still hasn't sent me people mag, but i can wait)!!!) and that my flatmates and i spent three hours tonight constructing a foam valentine's day tree (that's my flatmate fran!):

we also blew up lots of balloons that say valentines-y things on them, and cut out lots of paper hearts. there are streamers still to be hung and paper chains still to be made, but there's time. as usual i'm not living with people who were so excited about valentine's day before i got here, but they've come on board nicely. the girls more than the guys, but they'll come around.

not much else - no class mondays, or wednesdays, so i'm kickin it for a while. have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. can't wait to be back at kenyon where they feed me fo' free (ish). oh! we had a hockey game (field hockey, but they're not so big on ice here) yesterday, and we won! 3-1. the first time the team has won since before christmas. and i'm goalie! it's great. i love being on a team again. we were meant to have a lacrosse game today, too, but apparently the pitches were frozen. honestly, they're a little pansy-ish about the weather.

two weeks ago we went here, to peterborough:
this is where katherine of aragon is buried! and where mary queen of scots was, too, for a few years until her son got his act together and moved her to westminster. but how sweet is that?! plus it's quite pretty! it's the oldest norman-style cathedral in all of england. it's still sort of strange, though, because the woman who was telling us about it was thrilled that it's been around for almost six hundred years. i spent the past semester surrounded by a city that is four THOUSAND years old. six hundred seems sort of youthful! still, i think i'm going to start reading more about british history again. i've basically watched every tv show i can think of.

movies for valentine's day marathon:
love actually.
the notebook.
finding neverland.
a knight's tale.
how to lose a guy in 10 days.
pride and prejudice.
2 weeks notice.
le divorce. (SIKE!)
juno.
dan in real life.
p.s. i love you.
notting hill.
stranger than fiction.

i know most of you (all of you?) are probably throwing up right now, but this is a very serious holiday. it requires its own filmography. suggestions?

love you all!

CLICHED BRITISH SIGHTING!!!!

No lie. I saw an old man, walking along the side of the road, in a large field with trees at the far end. He was wearing a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches. He was wearing green corduroy pants, and these pants were tucked into tall brown leather boots. He was wearing a little hat that looked like a beret, only less pansy-ish. It too was green. There was a dog next to him. And he was carrying a gun. Because yes, this man was going hunting, with his pointer, in the fens of East Anglia. It. Was. Awesome.

I'm Doing Exciting Things Too!!

Okay so I know everyone else's upcoming travels all seem wildly exciting but England is cool too, and much like Scotland, so if Brian can play, so can I. Plus I'm endlessly talkative and what can one more outlet hurt? NOTHING. :-D

I didn't have a blog in Greece but all my photos are at www.aldeningreece.shutterfly.com, and they're sweet.

I've been here for three weeks already, and it's WONDERFUL. I had a field hockey game this morning and we got our bums kicked (CHEERS!) and it was freezing, but it was lovely.

I don't have anything else to say right now because I only started this ten seconds ago with no real purpose. My address is:

School of American Studies
University of East Anglia
Norwich, UK
NR4 7TJ

p.s. if you are a creeper who just happened to find my blog and you don't know me, I like candy and People magazine, so you could send me those things.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

also I just had an idea about this blog. I think I'm really going to get into this. It may or may not have ANYTHING to do with England, actually. Okay great.