Just to Clarify...

Hello, everyone!

I hope you're all doing well and having a relaxing July back in the States. I heard it's been really, really hot there. I hate to say it, but I'm wearing long sleeves right now (Reason #436 why I want to live in England). It's a pretty lazy day here in Oxford. Lots of tourist groups going around the colleges, so it's easier to stay indoors than to battle the crowds. I just got back from Boots, which is like a glorified CVS. I had to pick up some Germolene (which is like neosporen), and it burns like the Dickens!!! I felt like such a baby when I put it on and yelped. But, I'm tough. I can take it. (Mommy... will you kiss my boo-boo?)

So, yes. Today's rather slow. However, last night was the official Brasenose/American pub crawl. It was a flop, to be honest. Most of the pubs we stopped at were either closed, too busy, or refused to serve our gigantic group. There was supposed to be a designated drink at each pub (stuff like gin and tonics, and other lethal drinks), but I just opted for a cheap beer here and there. After about an hour I left early and was in bed by midnight.

Tonight, though, is Jessica's birthday! We've reserved the top floor of a wine bar (Copa) a few blocks away and that should be pretty fun. I'll probably stick to water or Pimm's tonight since we have a LONG day in London tomorrow! In fact, now that I think about it, I'll most likely sneak out early.

So, to clarify, I'm not in a constant drunken stupor here in Oxford. And, to clarify even further, each time I've mangled my ankle was completely without the aid of alcohol. And, I was even on flat ground. For some reason, I ankle just gives out without warning. It's bruised. I think that means it's healing. And, to clarify to the extreme, I've not become obsessed with shopping. Yes, I've bought 4 pairs of shoes. BUT (still with me, Dad?), it's all within reason. Really. I had to get a pair of slide-on flats since my air cast doesn't fit in my normal pair. I found a sale, two pairs for 15 pounds. The salesman was really nice and we chatted for quite a while, and as I was leaving he offered me a third pair for free. So, you see? Good price! And, they're sturdy and have cushioning.

As for getting all of my junk home, I think I've got it covered as well. No worries!

For those of you who care, but didn't know, I posted about 50 pictures on my Flickr account yesterday. This address should get you there: http://www.flickr.com/photos/auddieellie/sets/72157600700932911/

Tomorrow is London! I'm very excited. We're leaving in the morning (no class!) and eventually seeing Love's Labours Lost at The Globe! It isn't my first choice of Shakespeare's plays, but it'll be fun nonetheless. Right now we're reading Midsummer Night's Dream, which I love. I wish we could see THAT at the Globe! Instead, we'll be seeing it next week at Trinity College, here in Oxford.

Speaking of which, I need to work on my Midsummer essay. I'd love to hear how all of you are doing! Leave a comment and tell me what you've been up to, if you have the time.

Oh, the irony...

I sprained my ankle again.

This is getting ridiculous.

I've given in, and am now wearing one of those hard-sided air casts.


Even though my ankle was the size of a tennis ball and all of the colours of the rainbow, I went to Stratford-upon-Avon today. We saw the most brutal, violent version of Macbeth I've ever heard of. Dead babies hanging from the rafters, and everything. I'm still not quite sure what I think of it.

But, on a happier note, I had the most amazing cheesecake in the world today. This was the tipping point - I've decided I want to move to England so that I can eat chocolate truffle or banana cheesecake all day long while punting on the Thames and shopping. It'll be lovely.

I'll try to do a better update tomorrow. I should have time, since most of my group is going to London for the afternoon. I opted not to go so that I could save money, but now it's good, since my ankle is busted again.

It's 20 past midnight, and breakfast starts early in the morning. Time for bed!

Oops...

Let's flashback, shall we?

January 2007 - I slipped on Michigan Ave and mangled my ankle, really badly. Instead of getting it checked out, I just wore Sean's aircast for a while. It took about a month or two to really feel right again. I probably should have gone to the doctor, but I'm dumb.

2 Days before flying out - I slipped on Michigan Ave AGAIN, this time with Bret. Same ankle went sideways and cracked. It wasn't quite as bad as the last time, but it still hurt like the devil. It took me about a day and a half to recover. It still hurts a bit, but I'm nearly better.

1:30am, last night - Took a wrong step somehow and did the same to the other ankle. GAH! It hurts, and it's weird because this ankle is usually my good one. So now I have to hobble around. I'm tempted to just stay holed up in my room all day and feel sorry for myself, but I can't let that happen.



I'm alright, except for my ankle(s). Last night, the Oakland group all hung out and watched a movie in Joe's room. Then, after that ended most people went to bed, but Joe and I went wandering. On the way back to BNC I screwed up my ankle, so that put a damper on our strolling. It's good that we don't have any sort of field trip today. However, tomorrow is Stratford-upon-Avon. I think I'll be alright enough to roam around there.

I guess I don't have much to say, other than I hate my weak ankles. If you're looking for pictures, I put a bunch up on my flickr account. Scroll down a few posts - I put the address to that at the bottom of a recent post.

Wanderings and Ramblings

It's quarter past seven, and I seem to have missed dinner. For those of you who don't know (which should everyone on the other side of the Atlantic, actually), at the last minute, I pulled out of the Stonehenge trip scheduled for today. I did so for a couple of reasons - we were overbooked, another girl wanted to go much more than I did, and I didn't want to miss the absolutely gorgeous weather here in Oxford! So, I think I made the right choice.

I spent the morning sleeping in, and then wandering the streets. Each day, I feel less like a tourist and more like a semi-permanate Oxfordian. (Is that the right word?) And, I think today I've spent the least amount of money in the past week, which is fantastic. Wait. I lied. I paid for my copy of the final Harry Potter book in advance, so I'm wrong. Oh, well.

After wandering, I came back to Brasenose and worked on my growing pile of homework. That's the bad thing about being in Oxford in the summer - it's so nice here, that homework is impossible! Still, I finished a good chunk of it. If I work for another hour or so, I might be caught up enough to read something other than Shakespeare! Or, I could just go to the pub.

Nightlife in Oxford is kind of lame, compared to Michigan. I'm used to getting ready at 10pm and going out at 11pm or midnight, and then not falling into bed until 3 or 4 at times. Instead, people start the festivities here around 8 or 9pm, and by midnight the streets are only inhabited by drunken teenagers and obnoxiously loud American tourists who are experiencing the same surprise that I am. What's there to do in Oxford?! Jessica and I wandered around after being booted out of BNC's pub at 11pm. We ran into some of the BNC staff, and they pointed us toward the only open place where we could get in free and not spend money. I guess everyone else had the same idea, because there was a massive, unmoving line of people outside of the Purple Turtle. I was back at BNC and in bed within 15 minutes.

Other than the lack of nightlife, Oxford is delightful. The weather was so nice today, that I was a bit disoriented. I actually like the rain, which surprises locals a lot. Today, I think it was in the 80s, and I only saw a few grey clouds. However, I think from now on I'll stay away from the city centre on Saturdays. There were mobs of tourists all over, blocking every sidewalk, crosswalk, and doorway. Drove me crazy. Cornmarket was awful, but I still walked back and forth for a bit. A street performer who ate balloons and played with razors pulled me into his skit, where I was the designated paper-holder. I snuck away when his back was turned - the ultimate trick.

Hypothetically, if someone were to send me a care package, I think the things I'd want the most are M&Ms, Extra pink bubble gum, and those nifty wool socks like Sean has. I looked for them in the shops - no luck. However, the shopping in Oxford is AMAZING. Really. If I had unlimited money (like some of the girls on this trip), I'd come back with a dozen new outfits a day. There are shops where you can get a French Connection skirt for 5 pounds. I got a few shirts for 2 pounds each (and they're nice, cute shirts!). Shoes are pricey, but there are jackets and jeans for about 10 pounds. It's amazing! I've died and gone to cheap fashion heaven. Even jewelry is cheap and adorable.

Another way to save money is to turn on the American-ness. Pubs love Americans (for the most part), and I don't think I've paid full price yet for a pint. Plus, Americans never get carded or charged cover at clubs. If I actually like dancing and clubbing, I'd be much more excited about this, too.

Alright, back to work. Gotta get this homework all done so that it's not hovering over my head all day tomorrow as well! Oh - sounds like everyone else is back from dinner. Gotta work fast before we go out in our big, obnoxious American group again. At least we're not the most stereotypical ones here. A group from Texas got here today, and it makes me cringe to see them wandering around in their Texas t-shirts, baseball hats (which no one here wears), and cameras yelling to eachother about how cute the red phone boxes are.

Alright, I've got some time, so I'll try and put in as many good pics as I can, and also try to explain them. Ready? Set.... Go!


First off, I moved my room's furniture around a bit. I doubt you care, but it made me happyful!

And, here's my awesome new pair of shoes (which gave me a bit of a blister, but it was worth it).


Next are a few pictures from Christ Church College. The dining hall is the one from the Harry Potter movies! Plus, there are lots of ties to the Alice in Wonderland story at this site. The real Alice's father was the Dean, and the school was her playground. Lewis Carroll was a family friend, and pulled lots of ideas from his time spent playing with little Alice. The tree at the wall is where the original tree was, where Alice had lessons and played with he cat (Dinah). The white rabbit was modeled after Alice's father, who after dinner in the hall would disappear down a little spiral staircase behind the head table. Lots more, but here's the pics.

Arrrgh. Inputting pictures is so tedious! I quit.

I'll continually put pictures onto my flickr.com account. Here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/auddieellie/sets/72157600700932911/ It's probably easier for all involved to see my pictures there!

Sorry. Pictures did not transfer when I reposted this into my new(er) blog.

Picture Post!

As I promised, here's a few pictures from the beginning of the week. This first one is my little room. Quaint, eh? It's small, but I like it! Some people got massive, fancy rooms with sitting areas and whatnot. Speaking of Fancy... Joe even has a piano in his!!! But I like mine just the same. The view is awesome. Wanna see?






This amazing, gigantic stained glass window is what I see every day. It's really huge - I wish the picture did it justice. It's the big show-window in St. Mary's church, just next door. From where I'm sitting, my window frames it perfectly. Very cool!

Looking to the left from my window, you can see that roundish building. See it? That's the Radcliffe Camera, often the symbol of Oxford and Oxford University. It's really cool, and what makes it even cooler is that none of us can go into it. It's reserved only for true Ox students as a massive study hall. Maybe I'll try and find a way to sneak in.


Looking right, I can see High Street - the main street of old Oxford. It's very cool, with lots of shoe shops! I'm really getting the hang of this town, and have yet to get too lost. But, even if I were to wander too far, it's really easy to find your way back.

And then below is New Quad, the larger of the two quads at Brasenose. I'll get more pictures of BNC and it's interior sometime soon. But, for now, at least you can see that I'm not just hiding out in northern Michigan, or something!




Alright, that's all for now. I've got about an hour to work on Shakespeare. Early next week, we're going to Stratford-upon-Avon to see Macbeth, and I'm really excited. Then, on Thursday we're all going to London and seeing Love's Labours Lost at the Globe. Woo-hoo!!! Then, on Friday, lots of us are going to see the new Harry Potter movie.

This weekend, I'm not really sure what I'll be doing. Probably catching up on homework and wandering around. I'd like to sleep in on Sundays, but it's alright that I can't, because I have the coolest alarm ever. The choirs and organ at the massive old church next door (St. Mary's) echo all around BNC on Sunday mornings, and in the evenings as well. Very cool to wake up to! In fact, the stairwell which my room is located in is named after St. Mary's. I'm all the way at the top! A bit of a hike, but it's good for me. And, I'm eating much better now that I'm here. We all are. Lots of fruit and a good balanced dinner (except the "salad" is awful) and I think everyone is now addicted to coffee.

Happy Birthday, America!

I think tonight might be something of a slower night for me. We'll see. For now, I have a few moments to write! Every day in Oxford gets better and better, but every day I spend out on the town means more work is piling up back at BNC. Tonight I'll have to crank out two papers, finish reading Macbeth, read Love's Labours Lost, and then start on a paper about that as well. Being a slacker is not safe when you have a whole semester's worth of work to do in a few weeks!

So. Yesterday was America Day! Hooray! We celebrated by running around the quad with sparklers, being extremely loud, and playing flip cup and beer pong. Good stuff! Even better - me and Angie won! Wooot!!!

After that, we all headed into the BNC pub. That's right, folks. The pub is about a 30 second walk from the door of my room. I love it. Jessica and I sat with about a dozen of the British BNC kids and tried to follow along with their really bizzare drinking games. It was absolutely hilarious. Plus, they go and play every night, so Jessica and I will probably go back for a few hours tonight. (Don't worry. Plenty of time for homework.) The two main people we met were AK and Tim - who challenged us Americans to a cricket match! Mwahahahahaha. I'm so stoked. Tonight, I think we're teaching them Thumper or beer pong. Or both. Should be fun.

After that, the Oakland gang all wandered around, looking for a pub or bar that was open past 11pm and had people our age in it. No luck. We ended up at a wine bar, where we were definitely the loudest people (that's usually the case). There was a bar that was supposed to be an America, down-home southern food sort of place... but it sucked. I left early with a few of the other girls and was asleep by midnight.

I got the cutest shoes today!!! I know, you're all thrilled, right? They're awesome. I took pictures. If I can figure it out, I'll start posting pics from all the things I've been doing. (I know I've been saying that for days, but I really mean it!) Everything here is ridiculously expensive. If it doesn't warm up soon, I'll break down and buy some sort of fleece pull-over. I see loads of locals bundled up in coats and scarves, whereas I'm just in a sweatshirt.

Speaking of which - hoodies. Apparently, they're the ultimate tourist indication. Only Americans and tourists wear hoodies here. And backpacks, but that's more understandable. So, I'm trying to stay away from my hoodies as much as possible. Thank goodness I brought a sweater! Plus, every girl here wears cut canvas flats (like my Rocket Dogs, if ya know what I mean). They're in every store, and not too expensive!

It's raining again, but I think it's hilarious. British weather makes me laugh. Plus, I don't mind the rain, so it's all good. Even better, now that I've waterproofed all of my shoes and I'll do my bags as well.

Great. Now I feel guilty for writing in this instead of working on my paper(s). I'll do another update once I'm more caught up.

I need a mobile.

On my way out to breakfast, but I thought I'd drop in here. Webmail (Oakland's email) isn't working, so I couldn't email my dad. Maybe he'll drop in and read this -

Considering the fact that my cell phone ("mobile"!) is terrible, I'm going to buy a pay-as-you-go phone. The plans start around 30 pounds, which comes with a free phone. Depending on the included phone, I might instead spend a bit and get a nicer phone. That'd be one of the best souvineers ever! See, it should work fine back in the states, since all I'd have to do do is pop in my own, old SIM card once I arrive home. I've talked to a few people, and they all say it should work no problem.

So after breakfast, I have class til about 11am. I'll probably pop over to the theatre and reserve tix to the harry potter movie with some friends, and then deal with the cell phone business. If I get the plan I want, I'll be able to get calls from the US for FREE! And, free texting! Plus, it's cheaper than the AT&T one. So, an all-around good deal.

This afternoon, there's another town tour by B-Con. (OMG! One of my fave songs is on the radio! MIKA!) Then, after the tour I'm not sure what I'll do. Probably go to a museum or something.

So yeah, I have MSN messenger and I convinced Sean to get it as well. The time difference only gives us about a hour before I need to go pass out, but it's better than nothing.

Oooh! Last night was fun! Me, Joe, and about 4 other girls all wandered around (but we were NOT lost) and eventually found a French cafe, Cafe Rouge. The whole street was strung with x-mas lights, and the deserts were delicious. Plus, the wine was good and relatively cheap.

Anyway, enough blabbering. Time for food!

The Update

So, here's a run-down of happenings.

• Got my internet to work!
• Got my luggage (finally) from Northwest/British Airways with nearly everything intact. Some nail polish opened up, but nothing was ruined.
• Skipped going to the pub in order to do homework. Blah.
  
• Decided that my best course of action will be to get a pay-as-you-go cell for about 30 pounds, since my cell phone is a piece of junk. (And, I can get a cute new phone!)
• Oxford is AMAZING!
• Moved into Brasenose College (BNC). My room has an awesome view of a gigantic stained glass window belonging to the church next door. Once I get a chance, I'll post pictures of the room, and whatever else is on my camera.
• Bought a present for daddy!
• Mailed out postcards to relatives and the guys. Still have to do that for everyone else.
• Figured out the general layout of the city.
• Got tix to the HP5 movie, for next week, with Christie. Should be cool. Did you know that when you buy movie tix, they even tell you what part of the theatre you have to sit in? Bizzare.
• Also bizzare - the UK has about 38,000 Elvis impersonators. Just so ya know.
• Saw real, live British guys playing cricket in the park!
  
• Also saw BNC guys playing croquet on the quad. How pimp is that?!

So yeah. I'm alive. I've been spending more than I should, but a lot of it is startup costs and will be partially reimbursed at the end, when I sell my appliances to "B-Con". Hahahahaha! I hope Joe reads that! Sweet.

Took a little tour of the town today, led by Connery. It's much more compact than I thought. Plus, the weather gets better each day. The weekend is supposed to be beautiful!

Alright, I'm going to go and try to get ahold of my parents, or something. I'll start posting pictures soon, hopefully!

An old post.

(written on June 30th, but not posted til a few days later)

Alrighty. Since I can’t get internet, I’m “blogging” in Word. Don’t tell anyone – I’m already geeky enough! I’m in the hostel lounge, watching the season premiere of Dr. Who with a girl from Atlanta. I have no idea what’s going on with the show, but at least I’m seeing it before KATIE! HAH! I so totally rock.

I talked to one of my roommates, a grandma from the Lake District. She consoled me, and the girl from Quebec, telling us that the amount of rain we’re getting is unordinary. And then, I watched the news, which told me all about the flooding to the north and the car bombings in the south. I think I’ll stay put tomorrow instead of going to Cambridge and London, like I had considered.

Still no sign of my luggage. But then again, I haven’t checked since I last wrote. I’m debating wasting some of the minutes on my phone card to call BA’s luggage hotline, but maybe I’d rather be surprised tomorrow. Then, at least, I won’t be tempted to run over to BNC tonight in the rain to see for myself.

Having the day to wander and do my own thing was lovely. I definitely think I’m a solo traveler (except I missed Sean terribly). It’d be fun with family or Kate or a good friend, but when I’m strapped to someone I sort of know and feel obligated to stay with them… not so fun. I’m sure any logical person would agree.

So! The hostel. It’s much nicer than I expected, and their food is freakin’ delicious! I might even come back (sneakily) tomorrow night just for their bread and butter pudding. I HAD ENGLISH FOOD! SCORE! Oh, and did you know there are about 38,000 Elvis impersonators in the UK? And, my Georgia friend just told me there’s a Dr. Who shop somewhere.

Speaking of awesome shops, I went to the Alice in Wonderland shop today. In fact, it was the first place in the UK, out of all of the amazing sites, which I chose. Like I already said, I’m a geek. The shop is ADORABLE!!! Lots of cute, touristy things to waste my pounds on. I made it out of there and spent under 10 pounds. Amazing, eh? I’ve also managed to still not buy any Oxford Uni regalia or union jack stuff. But, I did have a delicious nutella crepe today on Queen Street.

I ran into a whole group of kids from OU today, as they arrived at BNC for early check-in. I’m not going to check in until tomorrow morning, though. I already paid for the night here at the hostel, so I might as well stay. Plus, the 2 day bus pass I bought will get me there in no time in the morning, after another delicious hostel breakfast!

It’s much nicer to type on an American keyboard again. Their @ key is in a crazy place, as is the “ key. I should really get back to Macbeth. Or Dr. Who. Yeaaaah, I’m going to watch TV for a while. Gotta quit while I still have power left on my laptop.