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Chris's friend Clay is currently on day 18 of his NFL Pudding Strike. So far he's eaten 137 puddings, and nothing else. Clay, who is currently living in the Virgin Islands, has this to say:
"Watching your favorite NFL team play on Sunday is essentially a fundamental right of Americans, which is a right the United States Virgin Islands do not have. Until the Tennessee Titans (and every other NFL team) are available each weekend, I will eat pudding and pudding alone."
Yesterday, Tim and I decided to take a day off from job hunting. So we hopped on a train and went to the medieval university town of Oxford. (Jump to my photos here.)
I love old buildings, and I love university towns, so naturally I came to adore Oxford.
If you're planning on visiting Oxford, don't pay for an all day ticket for their double-decker open-top tour bus. While the bus experience might be cool, the town is actually very small and quite walkable.
We, however, made that mistake and, after a very short bus ride, we thought we'd sit down in a pub for some snacks and to plan our day. We found a place called The Bear, founded in 1242. As you'd expect from a pub that old, the ceilings were very low and the rooms tiny. It was cozy, but the food was crap. I did get to try my first Quorn sausage, which seemed ok, but was almost cold when it arrived. Final thought on the matter: I don't think we'll be returning to The Bear.
We walked off "lunch" with a stroll to the University of Oxford's very impressive Botanical Gardens. It started raining as we arrived, so we sought shelter in their row of greenhouses. Forget row after row of ferns and cacti, Oxford knows how to build a greenhouse. Their glass enclosures were filled from floor to ceiling with exotic trees, flowers, and shrubs from all over the world. The floors were lined with intricate pathways through the narrow divides of green. Outside, we braved the rain and found a Yew tree that was planted in 1645 during the English Civil War.
We were sad to leave the gardens, but the rain was, well, wet.
We walked out, past the Magdalen bridge and down the road passing about 5 universities along the way. We were only able to see the grounds of All Souls College (the rest of the universities were closed to the public). According to our guidebook, the grass on the university quads may only be stood upon by the high masters. Sure enough, All Souls' quad was impeccable, and even had a sign that read "Keep Off Grass".
University life in Oxford is fascinating to me. To live and study in a little room at a place with so much history has a certain charm. The universities certainly have a "vibe" - perhaps it comes from the collective waves of all the brains hard at work behind the school's walls. If memory serves, students don't attend classes. Rather, they have individual tutors they meet with once per week to discuss their studies. Then they take exams once per year. I like this idea - school should be focussed on the individual's own pursuits. A person must be very devoted to their work to succeed in that kind of environment. I had a hard enough time getting things done when I was forced to go to classes. But maybe I would be more motivated if left to my own intellectual devices. So I wonder: are the people at Oxford really as intelligent as one would imagine? What percentage come from rich families? And what percentage are just plain wankers?
Throughout all of this it was raining. Luckily we found a nice place for tea in St. Mary's Church. They had a cafe called "Vault & Garden". If it weren't raining, it would have been a lovely place to have tea outdoors. But the inside was charming enough.
The rain stopped and we took another wander around town before returning to St. Mary's to climb its bell tower. This was one of the coolest parts of the trip. We had to climb up a tiny spiral staircase to get to the top - I'd never seen anything like it! Along the way we could see some of Oxford's famous gargoyles lining the buildings. The tower afforded such a beautiful view of the city, that I couldn't resist taking a few panoramas:
It seemed appropriate to spend the end of our day in a pub. We found a place called the Lamb and Flag on St. Giles St. It was everything I could have wanted. When you find a pub or a bar to fall in love with, it's hard to explain what's so damn special about that particular place. It's just comfort I guess. The Lamb and Flag did it for me. I was so happy that it only took a pint to get me drunk!
Don't forget to check out the rest of my pictures!
What a wonderfully long London day. After getting the boring stuff out of the way (breakfast and the gym), I met Tim, Zoe, and James at Trafalgar Square to check out "Art on the Square", a day long art fest where a huge group of artists worked with Rolf Harris to recreate Constable's "The Hay Wain" on a massive scale. All the while they had booths set up where onlookers could participate in a variety of art projects, like portrait painting and postcard design. There were loads of kids around, which didn't annoy me, oddly enough. It just made me want to draw.
It also made me regret not having my camera with me!
Amazingly cool as it was, the crowd became over-bearing after a short while and we escaped for a nice quiet stroll through Hyde Park. We ended up at Buckingham Palace, where we felt sorry for the guard who looked particularly uncomfortable (as in twitchy) standing still and protecting the palace. "It's like watching a polar bear at the zoo", I think someone said.
We then made our way into Soho, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite London areas to hang out in. We had drinks and a tasty snack at Carlucchi's Cafe before heading back to Rory's for a night in (at last, at last). UK TV sucks as much as it does in the US, but Gladiator was on, and it was more relaxing than drinking loads of wine at a smokey pub. Which I LOVE, don't get me wrong. But after weeks of traveling and sightseeing, a quiet night in is a rare delight.
Much happiness today; I will sleep well.
Hmm. While deleting comment spam from my blog, I seem to have deleted all of my comments. This is really sad, because there were some good ones in there.
Some of the older comments are backed up, but comments made in recent months are probably gone for good. Tear. It's not horrible news. The world will go on.
As a result of this, I did lose Stacey's e-mail address, probably the only address I don't have saved in Mail.app. So Stacey, if you're reading this, you know what to do!
Still jobless in London but things are moving along in the right direction.
Tim's phone has been ringing off the hook, and we're both pretty confident he'll have work soon. It's all just a matter of time. But good news indeed that his skills are needed!
I wish I could say as much for myself; the world just isn't ready for the mathdiva. My largest obstacle is the visa situation. My 6 month work permit means I'm limited to temp and contract work. But most positions suitable for someone of my scientific background are typically longer term. So far I haven't had any bites from the permanent job positions I've applied to.
I do have an interview next week for a contract job in insurance where I'd be analyzing market statistics (eeeevil?). Although the financial world isn't really my bag, I'm very excited about the job. I'd be working in the City of London just like a proper English person. But more importantly, I'd have a job that would open a lot of doors for me in the statistical world.
Anyone out there with some interview tips for someone with zero background in finance going into an interview for an insurance job?
More good news...
I found a gym!
Most gyms in london cost in the £60-100 per month range, but I learned that the International Student House has a gym for £20 per month. It's tiny (like everything in london), the music is crap (like most music in london), and it's certainly not flash (unlike most eurotrash things in london). But it's got freeweights, a couple weight benches, a squat rack, exercise bikes, treadmills, stairclimbers, and rowing machines, all in fairly good shape. I was so missing the gym. Literally, I was depressed over it. And I do miss the amazing facilities at UT. But I'm looking forward to being sore again and pushing the iron envelope further than ever!
Oh, and in case you doubted that I actually did move to London, here's a picture of me by Big Ben...
why do i ever thing i'm capable of getting up early to work out when i've been drinking the night before?
this morning i started out by missing a run with the Serpentine Running Club. tim invited me, and i'm surprised by how motivated i am to join. running's never been my thing, but i really enjoyed the 5k and i think i could get into running with a club. to top things off: what a great way to meet people in london. and they won't contribute to my "Heathrow Injection" (a term used to describe the extra pounds one usually acquires after moving to pub-happy London).
but it's been a pretty great day all the same. i made an egg white torte type thing for breakfast which everyone enjoyed (i do not want to become known for the girl who makes "average breakfasts"). later we had lunch and drinks with people at a place called Kick. once again, i was impressed with the quality of food i could get in a pub. but it sure ain't cheap. my salad + goat cheese salad cost £7 ( = $12.54 !!!).
damn, i really need to get a job...
we caught the tourist bug and headed south for a quick run through St. Paul's Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, and the Tate art museum. I will definitely have to revisit both the Cathedral and the Tate. both were very impressive.
Photos from Ljubljana are here at last.
When we got to Ljubljana, we headed to one of their better pizza joints just across from the town square.
To get there, we walked under one of the streets through a passage that had this amazing wall of graffiti spanning its length.
As for the pizza, Ruth's veggie was delicious. I, however, thought I'd give anchovies a try...
again.
Too salty.
I've been noticing graffiti more and more ever since I discovered the "graffiti" tag on flickr.
Now, if I don't include enough text with this post, the long-ass photo is going to do some funky ass shit to my website. So since we're on the subject of graffiti, here's a little Prince to calm your weary soul. Here's to feeling "aah-ight" all the time...
everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge
something 2 believe in, a reason 2 believe that there's a heaven above
everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge
everybody's looking 4
everybody's looking 4
everybody's looking 4 love
everybody wants 2 find the perfect 1
someone that makes u happy, someone that makes u laugh when u want 2 cry
everybody wants to find the perfect 1
everybody's looking 4
everybody's looking 4
everybody's looking 4 love
the love of a boy, the love of a girl
the love that comes from a warm heart in a cold cold world
everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge
something 2 believe in, a reason 2 believe that there's a heaven above
everybody's looking 4
everybody's looking 4
everybody's looking 4 love
everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge
(people throw away your arms of fire)
a bridge that leads
a bridge that leads them 2 a love they know is real
(let democracy take u higher)
everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge
everybody's looking 4 (if you believe)
everybody's looking 4 (wave your hands)
everybody's looking 4 love (on the power of love)
(Love is shining)
(everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge)
there's a future (sure, you're right) a future worth fighting 4
I'm a living witness
everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge
ooo, everything's gonna be alright, alright, alright
everybodys looking 4
everybodys looking 4
everybodys looking 4 love
there is a future
worth fighting 4
yes it is, I know it is
everything will be alright
everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge
Follow this link to my digital photos from Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy.
These are the pics I took with my Canon S50. I didn't bring my computer, so I could only take as many pictures as would fit on my measly 128 MB compact flash card. I think it's time to upgrade.
Fortunately, we brought the Nikon SLR. So more photos are coming soon.
On a side note - I haven't been posting much because it's difficult to get in the mood when I'm living out of a suitcase in someone else's apartment. Hopefully I'll get a job soon and be back to it. Then again, London is pretty damn cool so far and I wouldn't mind being distracted by the sights and sounds (and pubs) of this amazing city.
Austria
Slovenia
Croatia
Italy
Pictures and stories soon to come...
I'm heading off to Slovenia and Croatia tomorrow morning for one last week of freedom before I get serious about finding a job.
I know little about Slovenia or Croatia, so I'll be hitting the travel guides hard on the plane. It should be beautiful, though. Mountains, beach, architecture, all sorts of good things. And the BBC has it that a cold front is coming in and I might get to pull out the wool jacket! Yay! Flip flops and cut offs no more!!
We had a "barbie" here at Rory's apartment in his lovely backyard garden. It's great grilling without sweating all over the place and dealing with mosquitos. And the food was great. I was introduced to "rocket", which I already knew as arugula, but had never had it served with fresh parmesan and vinegar.
Strange: I'm looking forward to getting a job, getting a place, and finding my niche. But this week I'm going to relax as much as possible and savor one of the major reasons I came to Europe: to see new cool shit!
My first images from London aren't exactly awe-inspiring, but they do express the theme of my first day in London:
drinking, drinking, and more drinking.
Pub food is good in London - at one place I had an incredible goat cheese salad, at another, a couscous stuffed tomato. So much better than corn chips and cheese fries.
This Sunday we are going to see some of Eastern Europe in Slovenia, Austria and Croatia. Today the plan is to walk, run, and take some more pictures.
i'm here with tim in london. stay tuned for pics.
Wow - flying to London in a few hours. How fucking cool is that?
Last night, the best final hurrah one could ask for - happy hour with the uShip guys at Trudy's. Dinner at El Chile. Beer and friends at the Draughthouse.
And everything fits in my bags.
Cya all in England!
