Sunday, February 11, 2007
Hey strangers, it’s been awhile…
Yes, I know, it’s been quite a while since I last updated. However, I haven’t really been up to a whole lot during that time, so rather than bore you with my non-events, I abstained from writing for a time. It was for your benefit, so be happy! Anyhoo, there are only a couple of things to update you on, so this shouldn’t take too long. First off, classes began again about 3 weeks ago. This semester is going to be so nice, in that I only have 2 (instead of 4) classes, so the workload is cut way down…whoo hoo! I’m taking: Times of Trouble: Russia, 1533-2005 (which is looking like it’s going to be a great, very interesting class) and French Revolution: Europe and Scotland, c1500-1800: From Reformation to Revolution (quite a long title…this class is looking like a not so terribly interesting class thus far). So that means that I don’t have to write more than 4 essays this term…that’ll be a nice change. I’m still waiting for my grades to be posted from last semester. One of my grades did pop on a week or so ago (I think they’re taunting me by only showing me one), and it was a great grade: I got a 17 (out of 20) for my American Century class. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, she’s American so she should get a good grade in that class.” I see the reasoning in that statement, as anybody who went to school in America knows that they really only teach American History (What? There’s more to the world than just the USA? Surely you jest!) but I must point out that, by this reasoning, all of the British students over here should be getting an equivalent good grade in any history class relating to British history, which by observation is not the case! Alright, my venting is over for now…I’ll just say that I’m chuffed with my grade and move on from there.
Let’s see, what else happened? Hmm…oh, well a few weeks back Ali, Scott and I went to go see the movie Blood Diamond. Now, I was a little worried about seeing this movie, as it looked like something that I would usually not go and see myself. I was pleasantly surprised by it, however. Even with Leonardo DiCaprio as the star (admittedly, he was amazing in this movie), it was a great film. For those of you who might not know what it’s about, it basically deals with the trading of conflict diamonds in Africa. There’s a whole back-story to the film, but that’s primarily what it’s about. It makes a pretty powerful political statement, and even resulted in my feeling a bit ashamed to own so many diamonds myself (of course, I did eventually get over this…I can’t help it…diamonds are so pretty!). So yes, I would recommend that everybody go see this flick, it’s definitely worth the £5 (or $6-10 for those Americans out there).
Alright, last but not least, I will relate my Superbowl story. Well, I got talked into hosting a Superbowl party by Steve (who’s an Englishman and avid American football fan, surprisingly enough…though, as he supports the Green Bay Packers, I do doubt his judgment a bit!). I was a bit worried about being able to stay awake during the whole game, however, because as it started around 5 or 6pm eastern time in the states, that meant that the game wouldn’t begin until 11pm or midnight, and depending upon events, might not even finish until 4am. So, I took a nap during the day and hoped that I’d be able to stay awake for its entirety (especially as it was being held in my flat…that would have been a bit odd had I fallen asleep). Anyhoo, at around 9:30pm I started making my beloved vodka cranberries, and then Steve arrived at about a quarter to 10pm. I was a bit tipsy by then, but it was all good. Gill didn’t end up coming over, but I kind of figured that she wouldn’t, as the gang had been to her flat the previous day drinking and watching rugby, so I knew she’d probably not want to drink the next night as well. Also, Gill doesn’t really like American football, so I knew she wouldn’t have as much fun as the rest of us, so she’s forgiven for not coming. Otherwise, the group was to consist of me, Steve, Ali and Scott. Ali and Scott finally made an appearance sometime after 10pm, and the first thing I said to them was that they had to catch up to me drink-wise, as I was pretty much drunk before the game even began (hey, don’t judge me, that’s what the Superbowl is all about…am I right?) Well, they took this seriously…I have to idea how easily the guys could play catch up, but they sure did. Anyhoo, it was a pretty good game…I was supporting the Bears and the guys were all for the Colts. I was ecstatic when during the first play of the game the Bears returned the ball for a touchdown…brilliant. Well, it kind of went downhill from there. I’m sure that most of you reading this will have seen the game or heard about it, so I’ll spare you the football commentary and just say that of course, the team that I’m supporting has to lose! Bad Bears. Aside from the outcome for me, I think we all had a good time that night. The guys were doing shots of Tequila every time a team scored, so you can imagine how much they had drank throughout the night. I abstained from the Tequila, as I would have gotten sick before the first quarter was even through if I had drunk any of it.
The game finally ended at around 3:30am or so, and Steve left right after to go home. The funny thing is that not a minute after he left, Scott jumped up and proclaimed that he was going to bed (I have a spare bedroom that’s available to any guests who want to use it). So, it was just Ali and I. Surprisingly, as drunk as I was, and despite the time, I wasn’t too tired by this point, so Ali and I continued to have some beers and watched my Family Guy DVDs. Eventually, I was exhausted, and when I realized that it was after 5am, I knew I had to go to bed as I was still planning on attending classes the next morning. I passed out not a full minute after my head hit the pillow. When I woke up it was 9:30am and I had to get ready for class. I felt like complete crap and thought I had the worst hangover ever. Ali had already left (don’t know how he managed to wake up and be coherent before me, but he did) and Scott was still in the other bedroom sleeping. I finally dragged myself outside to begin the long trek to uni when I realized something funny…I was still completely drunk! It was 10am and I was walking in zigzag lines down the sidewalk. It’s funny now, but it sure didn’t feel great that day. It took forever for me to get to my class, and by this time it had started to snow pretty heavily. Surprisingly, I made it to my Russia class on time and managed to take notes though the class. After class, I was starting to sober up a bit, but then the hangover was really coming on strong, so Ross and I walked to the hub so that I could get something to eat (I was already chugging gallons of water by this point). After eating half my sandwich, I knew that there was no way that I would be able to handle going to my second class, so I started to walk home. Ross wasn’t feeling too great either (no, it was not related to alcohol), and he was nice enough to drive me home, which is great because I don’t think I would have made it on my own.
I was a little worried when I got back to my flat, however, as I knew I’d have to clean up everything. There were over 30 bottles of beer on the table, and dishes everywhere, in addition to a bunch of other miscellaneous things that accumulate when you have a party. I so did not want to tackle the cleaning, but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my door: the flat was clean! It appears that Scott was nice enough to tidy up my flat before he left, which was so incredibly nice. Mind you, I still haven’t gotten around to actually bringing the box of empty bottles and things downstairs to the garbage cans yet. So, I spent the remainder of the day sleeping, then went to class the next day, then came home and slept some more. All in all though, it was worth it, and I had a great time.
And so ends my recap of events over the past few weeks. I’ve been trying to motivate myself and start my essays (which aren’t due for a few weeks yet), so all I’ve pretty much been doing lately is taking notes and whatnot, which doesn’t exactly lead to a strenuous social life. Ah well, it’s uni, and that’s what I’m here for…work, work, work…and buying DVDs. Yes, okay, I did take a break a few days ago to pick up a couple of DVDs. Unfortunately, once I start DVD shopping, I can’t stop, and I ended up spending over £130 just on DVDs the other day. Oops. Forgive me, I have an addiction!
Alright, well I have actually dragged myself away from watching DVDs today to go to the library and get some more work done. Finishing that, I’ll head home and hope that I don’t get blown away (it has been rainy and very windy, with gusts exceeding 30-40 mph this weekend…not terribly pleasant walking weather). And so, I bid you adieu and will write again when something interesting occurs.