And the clouds open up and God says 'I hate you, Alfalfa'

I'm alright, but England is rather soggy. I'm not sure how widespread it is on American news, but a good chunk of England is under water right now. We're having the worst flooding in history here. My friends house just a few minutes south of Oxford will be under water by nearly 6 feet by tomorrow night. There are hundreds of thousands of people without water and electricity, and half a million still stranded in their flooded houses. It's pretty bad.

So far, I'm alright in the city center. About a mile away, the canals are about to overflow. I was just there this afternoon to take some pictures. Word is that tomorrow the Thames will overflow here in Oxford. Luckily, my school (Brasenose) is on higher ground and in the center of Oxford, so we shouldn't have any trouble. Even if we do, our program ends on Friday and most of the group is heading home.

I just looked out my window at the "dreaming spires" of Oxford - tons of peaks belonging to old churches and colleges which create a gorgeous skyline. But, past the spires I can see a relief helicopter coast by every few minutes. The mood here is one of giddy worry. Everyone's nervous, of course, and yet they're cheerful. Loads of jokes and smiles, just making the most of it. I can only imagine what it'd be like if Lake St. Clair back home overflowed. But, no need to worry about that, since the lake is dying. :P

My friend Damian, who lives in Abingdon (about 15 minutes south) is clearing out his house today. We were going to go to one of the Oxford museums today, but instead he's loading up all of his electronics and taking them to his aunt's. Tomorrow, if the Thames escapes its banks, then his house will be swamped. If anyone's interested, you can find pictures on the BBC's website, and on foxfm.co.uk (the radio station I've been listening to all day).

Oxford is in pretty good shape, with just the west side of town starting to go under. Only one or two roads are closed. I think everyone in the group, save for myself, went to Blenheim Castle for the afternoon, so they're missing out on all of the fun.

Stay tuned for pictures. I'll pop them in to lengthen the post once I take them off of my camera.