Friday, February 29, 2008

Sisters, sisters, never were there such devoted sisters.

I just got a care package from Logan, and it is the best thing that has happened to me all week. I shall keep the contents to myself. All except the DELICIOUS PEANUT BUTTER that was included. Mmmm. It reminded me that I never did go to Peanut Butter & Co. while I was in New York. Clearly that will be on the agenda next time I go. Since I've been here I've decided that a year just isn't right without a trip to New York. I really did not anticipate loving that place so much. But I do. And I can't hide it any longer. The 4 train and I are getting married. That's how much we love each other. I can't resist that green circle.

Right now I am trying to get ready to go to Canterbury. I had written an entire paragraph detailing the crisis I was having re: which coat to bring, but I have decided that in order to not alienate my readership, deletion was necessary. No one must know the depths of my neuroses.

Anyway, the point of this post is that my big sister is awesome even though she saw Eddie Izzard last night and that makes me so jealous.

Also, I am leaving this poll a five-way tie and making a new one. Congrats to all you literary characters. You guys are stars.

P.S. My watch doesn't know, but it's a leap year! How exciting and mysterious this day is.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Hola Tanneritos!

For some reason I have had writer's block this week re: this blog. I guess nothing that special has happened this week that doesn't involve a lot of alcohol and/or me being embarrassing, two things that I don't really like to talk about.

I went to Sainsbury's today to buy some prepackaged foodities, and the lady at the checkout was an enormous bitch. I handed her my Nectar card, which is something I got for free thinking it was like a VIC card but it isn't. I actually don't really know what it does, I just hand it over out of habit. So I gave it to her and I thought she said "Do you want debit?" And I was confused; I thought she thought it was my debit card (it looks kind of like one) and I said, "No." I thought she wasn't going to scan it so I picked it up and she was like, "Is that yours?" And I was like, "Yes." And she was like, "WELL THAT'S WHAT I JUST ASKED YOU." Except really somewhere in between regular letters and caps. And then I slapped her and said, "STOP MUMBLING AND ALSO YOUR HAIR IS SO UGLY." Not really. I didn't say the bit about the hair.

This week has been really unproductive. For the first time since I've been here I didn't read everything I was supposed to for seminar, but I didn't really care because it was modern poetry so I wasn't going to have anything to say about it anyway. I felt really bad, though, because I fell asleep hardcore in my seminar and there are only about 7 other people in it. I have been trying to write this paper for my Shakespeare class, but I have been really uninspired. It's a minimum of 2700 words, and I just keep thinking about how much that is, and how I'm never going to get it done.

I might need to stop drinking so much. But I probably won't. Last night we didn't go to the pub, we just stayed in and played drinking games. I think that was probably a bad decision; I tend to drink a lot more when I can just reach into the fridge for another beer rather than having to walk all the way up to the bar and interact with another human being. We played Ring of Fire, or Circle of Death, or whatever you call it. I kept drawing aces and having to make up rules, something at which I am crap.

Tomorrow I am off to Canterbury to relive the summer of '05. I'm definitely going to have to sing some choral tunes. Maybe a little "Can You Hear," or perhaps "Virgines Prudentes." I'm pretty excited. It won't be the same without my blue sweatshirt. Oh no, and I didn't even bring a GYC t-shirt with me. O lamentable day.

Sainsbury's Basics macaroni and cheese is not very good.

P.S. You people need to vote in this poll. Or perhaps my entire readership is made up of the four people who did vote. If that is the case, then good on y'all. (Oh man I haven't said y'all in a very long time.)

Monday, February 25, 2008

By the power of Greyskull!

I just remembered that during my walk back yesterday I narrowly avoided being shat upon by a bird. I was literally mere centimeters away from having a really horrible day.

I recently got an invoice charging me for the 5 days I was forced to stay in a hotel. The weekly rent for my dorm is around 70 pounds. I am being charged 160 pounds for my hotel stay. This is ridiculous. I did not ask to be put up at a rate of 32 pounds per night, nor was I told I would be responsible for the fees. I could spend 160 pounds on something worthwhile. Like consumables.

I hate when I start reading a book for fun and then have to stop to do actual school work. I read some of The Road by Cormac McCarthy on the bus back to Bristol, and I was really enjoying it. But I will feel guilty if I stop rereading Romeo and Juliet and taking notes on it for my essay just to read The Road. Maybe I'll read it just for like, ten minutes. Or twenty.

As of a month before I actually register for classes, here is what I am planning on taking next semester (because I know you are very interested):

Engl 338 - 19th Century British Novel (MW 12-12:50)
Engl 319 - Intro to Medieval English Lit (TR 3:30-4:45)
Ling 202 - Language Variation and Change (TR 2-3:15)
Ling 547 - Language Deficits and Cognition (TR 12:30-1:45)
Phya 236 - Swim Conditioning or Self Defense (Both MW 11-11:50)
Biol 101L - Biology 101 Lab (M 2-4:50)

You will notice that this means I have Fridays off. What. Up.

I really want to take Language Deficits and Cognition because it sounds awesome. Here is the course description: Survey of the linguistics properties associated with aphasia, autism, Williams Syndrome dyslexia, and schizophrenia. Emphasis on the implications of these conditions for theories of mind. Spring. Hendrick, Terry.

Unluckily enough, however, Terry is teaching next semester instead of Hendrick. Terry was my prof for Semantics, and I really loathed that class. Also, he was definitely not as awesome a lecturer as Hendrick. There is a big chance that this class will not be offered in the spring, though, so I am going to sign up anyway and drop it if it seems like it will be a Semantics repeat.

If I end up dropping my bio lab again, I hope I get some sort of failure award from the department. Congratulations! Third semester you couldn't stick it out past the hand-washing lab! Here's an honorary agar plate with your name written in Sharpie! At that point shouldn't they just give me the credit because I've tried so many times? Like a walk in baseball?

Sunday, February 24, 2008

For British Eyes Only

A picture of Bristol from the top of St. Michael's Hill.

So I am back from London after making the almost hour long trek from the coach station to my apartment. This will mean nothing to anyone who does not come to Bristol, but St. Michael's Hill is a stupid whore of a hill. Also it was raining and I hadn't a hood.

London was fun. On Saturday we saw Cabaret on the West End. (I don't really know how you are supposed to say you saw a West End show. Like, if I saw something on Broadway I would say exactly that: "I saw it on Broadway." So I'm just using that terminology whether or not it is correct.) It was very good; there was a lot of nudity. Those two points are mostly unrelated.

Two things about London theatre, or at least the production we saw. Numbero uno: No free programs. Not even a playbill or something comparable. Jerks! It cost three pounds to just get a regular program for the specific performance, and it wasn't nearly as neat and special as the ones you can buy on Broadway (I think). Numbero dos: During intermission they sold tiny things of Häagen-Dazs from a cart in the actual theatre. Not even the hallway. I got strawberry and it was delicious.



After Times Square, Leicester Square is my least favorite place to walk.

Other than that we didn't do anything too special. We ate some Chinese food on Saturday before the show, and today Joe and I went to Buckingham Palace after we dropped Ashley off at her bus. More impressive than the palace itself was the hoard of identically dressed Asians we saw. The women were wearing long, white, puffy down coats and black leather boots. The men were wearing navy blue anorak-type jackets with yellow lining, jeans, and black leather shoes. They were like the Asian Duggars. It was weird. They were everywhere.

Hanging out with Joe and Ashley was fun. It was sort of like being home again, except instead of bickering in a movie theater or at Harris Teeter, we bickered on the banks of the Thames and in the shadow of Big Ben.

Right now I have a very specific craving. It is to order a Papa John's pizza, sit on my couch, and watch television. Instead I will probably plan my schedule. UNC apparently did post their course listings on Friday, but they posted them at around 8 p.m. Eastern, which, with the time difference, translates to Way Past My Bedtime o'clock.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Old friends, new lovers, and the disabled; welcome all.

I don't think I've ever actually had the hiccups when I was drunk before. That is, until right now. This whole controlling my diaphragm thing is not really working.

By the way, a Snakebite is quite good. Although, according to this Wikipedia article, what I had was a Snakebite with blackcurrant cordial. Still good.

Also good, McCoy's crisps. Cheddar and onion flavor. Best drunk food ever, right behind Hunger Hatch's chips and cheese.

The inebriation is making it quite hard to pack for London.

Nothing is impossible except dinosaurs.

Today the rain came, so the weather here continues to be shit. Although not as shit as it could be, since the rain is light. Persistent, but light. My hair is going crazy.

I have finally located the cheap, cafeteria style lunch place on campus. It's called The Refectory. Its 2 lane cashier system and long tables are somehow comforting. And the pizza isn't bad. I had a piece the other day that had sweetcorn on it. What is with the English and sweetcorn? It's a relationship that I am in favor of.

I get a lot more cards here than I would if I were in Chapel Hill, and I keep opening each one expecting a five or ten dollar bill to fall out as per usual. It's not going to happen. I am enjoying the amount of regular mail I'm receiving, though. It's a much nicer surprise than an email. And actually, come to think of it, no one really emails me other than my mom. And the DTH listserv.

I think tonight for dinner I'm going to cook the steak pie I bought at Sainsbury's. I had the best steak pie while I was in Cardiff at this place called The Rummer Tavern. Oh man. Just thinking about it makes me hungry. Pies with meat in them are genius. I mean, come on. PIE. MEAT. What's not to love? All this talk of pie makes me crave one of Uncle Pete's cherry pies. One of these days I need to be in a serious relationship with something other than food.

Okay. Today was supposed to be the day when Fall 2008 course listings went online. Apparently that was a huge lie. It's 11:20 in Chapel Hill. They should be up. I put this date on my Google calendar. Thanks for nothing, University Registrar. All you do is hurt me.

I really want to plan my schedule. I didn't get to do it last semester.

EDIT: Apparently now they go online the 25th. I have to wait all the way until Monday. I could have sworn I didn't Google calendar it wrong, but I guess I must have. Or perhaps the Registrar is just very tricksy.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

What ho, Tuppy!

It is WINDY here. I was blown off my path at least 10 times walking back from class. Speaking of class, I have an attractive male lecturer. This is such a relief. I have been waiting to have an attractive professor since I left Mr. McNees' class. I can't think of one attractive professor I've had at Carolina. Sometimes I just need inappropriate outlets for my lust. Is that a crime?

Last night my friends and I made a full English breakfast for dinner, which was delicious. I tried beans on toast. Then for some reason I had the most delayed reaction to alcohol ever. I'm not going to detail my consumption, but I really thought I drank quite a bit. I think I was drunk in my sleep. But I felt hardly any of it while I was awake. It was strange. The night was enjoyable, though. Social interaction can be pretty good times.

Also good times? Sesame seed bagels. Finally finishing If on a winter's night a traveler. And giving a good presentation on Wide Sargasso Sea in my seminar.

Not good times? Sainsbury's chick pea curry. I thought it was going to transport me to a past Monday or Thursday and suddenly I was going to be in the bottom of Lenoir doing the DTH crossword with Joe. But no. It just tasted off. And I'm still here. And yes, I know the days when Sitar India Palace comes to Lenoir.

So there is no other news. I am going to London on Saturday to visit Ashley and Joe, and I think we're planning to go to a West End show. There is a TKTS booth in London, so I'm making them hit it up on Saturday before I arrive. I cannot contain my love for the South Street Seaport TKTS booth, and for TKTS booths in general. I really like saying "Tee Kay Tee Ess Booth."

It feels like Friday.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

I live in a houseboat on an estuary.



If it's in my head, it might as well be in yours.

Monday, February 18, 2008

My name is Jason Bourne.



double sided Sellotape + gold pencil + 2 tiny Moleskines + 2 report covers + scissors = passports for Cabaret

I went to this bangin' art supply store called Harold Hockey at the top of Whiteladies Road, and spent about an hour looking around for supplies. They actually came together quite well, considering I made them fairly speedily with no practice lettering or anything. I accidentally picked up a silver metallic pen instead of gold, though, so I'm going to go exchange the pen tomorrow and then go back over the lettering because I think the pencil might wear off.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders right now. And I feel really productive. But now I actually have to do real work. Like reading Henry V.

Next craft project: 1920s pack of cigarettes. I think I'm just going to buy a pack of Camel Lights, smoke them, and then dunk the package in tea. I'm not going for authenticity here.

Barlowdown, Volume II

So last night I booked my plane ticket from Bristol to Prague on the 22nd of March. I am officially going to travel. My plan is Prague -> Naples (Smeags!) -> Munich -> Amsterdam -> Wherever/Home.

Last night I hung out with all the people I'm traveling with so we could book our tickets, and we went to a pub where I drowned my sorrows in cider. Recommended pub for anyone coming to Bristol: Highbury Vaults on St. Michael's Hill.

This week I have to read Henry V and do a small presentation on Wide Sargasso Sea, which I would recommend, especially if you've read Jane Eyre. But if you haven't read Jane Eyre, what are you doing? Read it. And then read Wide Sargasso Sea.

Today I am making fake passports and possibly doing my laundry. It's going to be legendary.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Blerg.

On Saturday I took a day trip with about 50 other international students to Oxford and Blenheim Palace. It wasn't all I hoped it would be. It reminded me of chorus trips, but only in a bad way. When we were in Oxford I realized how much I hate being a hugely conspicuous tourist. I don't mind being a tourist and taking pictures and looking at maps and other tourist things. But I would like to do it without 15-50 other people. Also, my tour guide in Oxford was this German woman who spent 15 minutes explaining the Oxford system and then spent the rest of the time walking very fast and explaining little to nothing about the things we actually saw.

Blenheim Palace was pretty neat. As far as homes of rich people go, it was cooler than Cardiff Castle. Also, the family still lives in the palace in their private apartments, so that really upped the intrigue factor.

Overall I was slightly disappointed in the trip, especially since I paid 20 pounds to go. I'm signing up for the next day trip to Stonehenge, though, because I want to go there, but I don't feel like planning my own trip.

So this weekend was kind of a waste. Other than the trip I spent most of it watching Arrested Development and feeling shitty. I'm pretty homesick and depressed right now. Next weekend I am going to London for 2 days to see Ashley and Joe, so if I'm not out of my funk by then at least I can see two people from home and get about a hundred hugs.

Friday, February 15, 2008

I hate hills.

Today is one of those days where I just feel fed up with being here and want to go home. I am tired of mean British people and their counterintuitive education system. I am also tired of spending money, and not seeing my family, and not being able to watch TV. I am also tired of being forced to delete my trusty anti-virus software so I can install McAfee, which is clearly the worst anti-virus software on the face of the planet. Without changing any of my internet habits, my computer has recently been compromised. I would like to report a rape, ladies and gentlemen. Poor ThinkPad.

So, yeah. Today was pretty crappy. I had to turn in my essay, and the process of turning it was really complicated. It involved filling out forms in triplicate and getting a receipt.

Right now, though, my bad mood has been temporarily lifted because when I walked in the door, I saw a letter on the floor addressed to me in the unmistakable hand of one Paul J Nguyen. As I lifted the envelope, I knew right away that there were DTH crosswords inside. It was like I could smell them; they were calling to me. There is nothing like DTH highlights and the promise of sudoku and crosswords to make me feel better. Paul, you are truly a god among men.

Oh, my Valentine's Day was eventful. A brief overview: alcohol, Kit-Kats, strip club, alcohol, dance club, chips and cheese, expensive cab ride home. British strippers are pretty nice. My last fiver went to pay for a friend's lap dance.

I'm still pretty down on England right now, so I am going to sit in my room and eat my feelings while watching Arrested Development and doing crosswords.

P.S. Those of you who believe in God, please pray that I'm not getting another chronic cough.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day.

So I am sick. I have that awful raw throat thing. Nothing much else hurts; I have a runny nose (that's not new) and a bit of a headache. Mostly it's just my throat hurts and I sound like a dude. Everyone is sick right now. I feel very bandwagon-y. Possibly I caught it from people in America through the internet.

So my plans for Easter break are coming together. I am traveling around with 3-4 other study abroad students to Prague, Munich, Amsterdam, and possibly Paris, and I'm also going to visit Greg in Naples on my own. Hopefully Ashley and Joe will show up in one of the the places I'm going.

I am probably going to spend a whole lot of money, but I'm trying not to worry about it too much. If I think about it for prolonged periods of time, I have a tiny heart attack. It clearly is a once in a lifetime opportunity, though. I can only really pull off backpacking around Europe while I'm in my 20s, and I don't know if I'll be over here again in the next 1o years. So I've got to do it now. Carpe diem or something. Gather ye rosebuds. Etc.

Today was a pretty good day, although it featured two things worth complaining about. One is that I'm sick. The other is that I have written an entire essay on Lolita using MLA formatting. I thought, OK. If I ask my tutor, she'll probably say it's fine to leave it in MLA. No. I have to change all my citations to the English department's style, which is really irritating. Plus it's all footnotes and endnotes, which is a royal pain in my ass. I am just an enormous fan of parenthetical citations. I can't hide it any longer.

But other than those two things, today was pretty good. I hung out with some people, ate a SPAM Reuben, and got a Cadbury egg. Tomorrow (or today I guess, considering the title of this post) I am possibly going to a strip club.

This is the life I lead, apparently.

I love you guys. I miss you. Happy Valentine's Day. When I get home we are having a hug.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Cymru Am Byth!



So on Friday I went to Cardiff with two other study abroad students, Charlie and Tina. I will leave you to figure out who is who from the picture.

The train from Bristol to Cardiff took a little under an hour. When we got to Cardiff we found our hostel in about 10 minutes, dropped our stuff off, and consulted Charlie, one of the guys who runs the hostel, about what to do. We really lucked out getting a room, because no one had realized that there was a gigantic rugby match (Wales v. Scotland) going on that weekend. Charlie told us we might be able to get tickets to the game, so that was the first thing we did. Although they were ridiculously expensive, we bought them. Best. Idea. Ever.

The rest of Friday we wandered around Cardiff. We hung out by Cardiff Bay, accidentally walked through the sketchy part of town, saw the prison, went to a museum, and encountered a lot of Scotsmen in kilts. Later on we went to a pub where we got pleasantly drunk and I had a really excellent steak pie with chips.

On Saturday we woke up early to meet some other study abroad students who had come over in the morning. We walked over to Cardiff Castle and went on a guided tour of the inside, which was cool, but didn't blow me away. Probably because it was basically a summer home for some rich people, so the stories were about the marble rather than, I don't know, sieges or something. Whatever images or activities you would normally associate with a castle. The sort of outside bit of the castle and the Norman Keep were really impressive. Apparently William the Conqueror's eldest son was imprisoned there (I think in the Norman Keep) for about 8 years after he tried to overthrow his youngest brother. The entire time I was in the castle I couldn't help thinking, "We're up to here with fucking castles. We just long for a bungalow or something."

After we left the castle in search of a place to buy food, alcohol, and t-shirts. Charlie and Tina got rum and Coke, I got an enormous bottle of Leffe and a sandwich. Also a sweet "100% Unofficial" Wales rugby shirt. Once we had our supplies, we went back to the river and sat across from Millennium Stadium and drank for awhile.

We made it to the stadium just in time for the kick off at 2. We sat next to two excellent Welsh guys who were kind enough to explain the game to us. I was able to follow it pretty easily, but like in most sports though, the penalties confused me. Rugby is an exciting sport to watch. Much better than American football. After the game we got another drink in an incredibly crowded bar near the stadium with Lee and Mike, the two guys we sat next to. After awhile we left, went back to the hostel to pick up our bags, and walked to the train station.

When we got back to Bristol we met up with some people at a pub. Then sometime after about 12 straight hours of drinking and foolishness in Cardiff and Bristol I made it back to my room with all my stuff and went to bed. I have a lot of pictures (and two accidental videos) from the weekend, some of which I have posted on Facebook.

So, yeah. Cardiff was excellent. Very nice people, sport, and consumables.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

"Quiet! A whale is in trouble. I have to go."

Yesterday for lunch I made myself a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was delicious. Today I had to go to the grocery store and I decided to try Sainsbury's peanut butter instead of paying about 50 pence more for Skippy. We'll see how it goes. The Sainsbury's peanut butter came in a glass jar.

I cannot find Parmesan cheese. Well, that's a half-truth. I can find a small package of it for about 2 pounds. That is a price I am unwilling to pay. I just want some cheap Kraft shredded Parmesan to sprinkle over the enormous amounts of pasta I consume. I bought some "grated Italian hard cheese" but it smells and tastes slightly foul and looks like Comet.

Just like at home, it seems my life ends up being Adventures in . . . Grocery Shopping! And Sometimes Books!

So I am supposed to help make props for the University Hall production of Cabaret. I originally responded to the e-mail asking for volunteers thinking that it would be a good way to meet people. When I showed up for the meeting, however, I was early and I was merely handed a list of props to make. In retrospect I should have said, "No, thanks. It doesn't look like I'll be able to make any of this." But I felt bad, so of course I agreed. Now I have to make two 1920s passports, one American and one German, a 1920s pack of cigarettes, and a 1920s matchbox. If you have any ideas about how to make these items, please tell me. Probably this will involve dipping things in tea, which is my favorite arts and crafts project.

Monday, February 4, 2008

It's still just as funny as the first time.



I am tired. I am true of heart!

Last night I watched the Super Bowl, which is two words. I was happy the Giants won because I still really dislike the Patriots for beating the Panthers that one time in the Super Bowl. Also, football is stupid, boring, and really impossible to explain.

On Wednesday I get to return my faulty copy of If on a winter's night a traveler. The irony of the situation continues to amuse me.

It is possible that the guy from Canada did not play for the Rangers. He may have played for a Canadian team. I was drunk when I met him, and I don't watch hockey except for in uplifting sports movies. FLYING V!

Today my lecture for Contemporary Writing was about post-modernism. The girl I sat with didn't like it; she said the lecturer kept trying to make jokes that weren't funny. Apparently we do not have the same sense of humor. There was a great quotation he attributed to "the German poet" (at least I think that's what he said). It was this: "I don't know where irony ends and heaven begins." Also, he read aloud a part from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and the scene from Pulp Fiction where Vincent and Jules discuss the Royale with cheese. I thought it was an inspiring lecture.

I am hoping to go to Cardiff this weekend, which should be excellent. Destination: Wales!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

The pressure of coming up with a title is too great.

Last night I met a man who had an authentic Russian fur hat, which he bought while riding the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1981. Originally from Canada, he has only been back to North America twice in a really long time, both times for a parent's funeral. Now that he is retired, he spends half the year in England and half the year in Asia. His name is Brian, and he is 62. When I am 62 I hope I qualify as a really cool person to meet.

EDIT: Also, he played for the New York Rangers (I think. It was some NHL team; I'm almost positive it was the Rangers) and played 6 games in the NHL.

The only thing I absolutely hate about this experience so far is that I am 2 miles away from everything. And that means that late at night it is not safe for me to walk the 2 miles back to my dorm alone and half drunk. So I have to pay for cab fare. SUCK. I think there is a night bus, so I guess I will have to figure out how to catch that.

Friday, February 1, 2008

You're orange, you moron!

Expiration dates are such crap. I always feel like I am breaking the law when I eat something after its supposed death date. Sometimes if I'm feeling like an idiot, I go buy more of it that's not expired, consume that, and then go on a date. What makes me say this is that buying things here is hard. Take lunch meat. You can either buy 8 pieces of ham, or you can buy a whole bunch of ham. So I bought a whole bunch since I'm fat and put 8 pieces of ham on one sandwich. It said it expired like, Jan 27, but it was totally fine today. I say that now, and tonight I'm going to end up like that chick in the pilot episode of House, and I'm going to have to scribble "HOSPITAL" on the wall so my flatmates will understand that right now it's not my shyness and antisocial tendencies that aren't allowing me to talk, it's the pork. And then Hugh Laurie will say "haaahm."

Also, I wanted to buy bread today but all of it was like, "best before 3 Feb." That gives me 2 days to eat an entire loaf of bread. I know in my brain that bread's expiration depends on when I open it, and when it actually gets moldy. (Also, eating expired bread isn't that bad for you. I ate some expired White Wheat at the end of the semester with some tuna, and I was fine. I know it was expired because it smelled absolutely foul, but I couldn't figure out if that's just what White Wheat had always smelled like, or if it was bad. So of course I ate it anyway, and then the next time I had White Wheat, I smelled it and realized that when it's good it doesn't smell like anything.) But anyway, for some reason looking at that expiration date made me feel like I could not purchase it. So I bought toilet paper and pasta salad instead. I also bought a Coke, my first one since I've been here I think, and it is delicious. So is this banana I am eating. I have a lot of opinions when it comes to food.

Here's something that's not about food. In order to get to class I have to walk along this narrow lane near my building. There's a steep hill at one point, so you can take these optional steps that are carved into the hill. Sometimes when I am coming back from class, there is an old man running up and down the steps in very short track shorts, consulting with his foreign trainer every now and then. I don't like when this happens because his monstrous pale thighs make me uncomfortable, and also I like to take the steps down the hill because I hate having my feet slide all the way to the front of my shoes.

Today I had my Shakespeare seminar, and it was pretty good. We talked about Titus Andronicus.

I hope everyone has a good time seeing Blackmail. I hope it is great. Speaking of plays that are going to be awesome, can anyone else not wait for Bloody Blackbeard? RIGHT?