Monday, October 30, 2006
Stupid English Showers!
Stupid English showers and water heaters! Yesterday, I was taking a shower and the hot water ran out from our hot water tank. Hot water tanks in this country are the size of (AmERican) extra large pumpkins. AmERican hot water tanks are the size of minivans. I ran out of hot water in the middle of my shower yesterday and I started yelling and Matt came over and I made him boil water in the kettle, mix it in a big bowl with cold shower water, stand on the toilet seat, lean over into the shower cubicle and pour the water over my head so I could finish my shower. And the sad thing was, that was the nicest, hotest shower I've had since I got to this country. I miss my long, super-hot showers when it's cold outside that I used to have in the States. Appreciate lots of nice hot water while you have it, before soaring petrol prices render even AmERican showers lukewarm and painfully short!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Halloween Pumpkins
While down in Bournemouth Grace's family bought a little English pumpkin. It was the kind of thing you might put on your mantelpiece - in fact, that's exactly what Grace's family did with it (by the way, that extra arm belongs to Grace's cousin).
But there was something much funnier about the pumpkin. Upon close inspection, you can read the pumpkin's label:
"Extra Large Pumpkin - Ideal for Carving."
It turns out this is a damn big pumpkin in the Queen's country. Big enough to warrant the term EXTRA large. In the United States of course, this pumpkin would easily fit inside a medium pumpkin. When I think of an extra large American pumpkin, I think of something you have to use a wheel barrow to move.
America #1!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Fantasy Congress
Our good friend Andy told us about Fantasy Congress and we signed up. Basically, it's exactly like a fantasy sports league, only it tracks the activities and success of your chosen team, composed of members of Congress. You pick 12 representatives and 4 senators and then... it's on. We highly recommend any interested parties to go to www.fantasycongress.us and join the team, (whose name was decided DEMOCRATICALY through nomination and election) "Iowa. We So Corny". (Give us a comment and we will send you the password for the league.)
Matt's team is called "The Manly Reps" and it is composed of the men of Congress who are hyper-manly.
My team is called "Evilia Domestica" and it is composed of Republicans who are recorded as being relatively active within the last few months. I assume all their actions fall under the description of "Evilia".
In other news, Gareth and Gareth came over for dinner and we discussed the differences between our political systems (British vs. American). It seems that people here don't really understand our government. How can we claim to be a democracy and yet one third of the power in our government is given to nine people who are not even politically accountable for their actions? Gooooood question!
Matt's team is called "The Manly Reps" and it is composed of the men of Congress who are hyper-manly.
My team is called "Evilia Domestica" and it is composed of Republicans who are recorded as being relatively active within the last few months. I assume all their actions fall under the description of "Evilia".
In other news, Gareth and Gareth came over for dinner and we discussed the differences between our political systems (British vs. American). It seems that people here don't really understand our government. How can we claim to be a democracy and yet one third of the power in our government is given to nine people who are not even politically accountable for their actions? Gooooood question!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
New Photos!!!
Don't get so excited, it's just five photos of Grace and I in London. And the one at left is one of them, so there's just another four.
But, I rearranged the photos. Now they're divided into between Cambridge photos and trips outside of Cambridge sets. We've been in country for so long that a set of "United Kingdom" photos just isn't enough.
But, I rearranged the photos. Now they're divided into between Cambridge photos and trips outside of Cambridge sets. We've been in country for so long that a set of "United Kingdom" photos just isn't enough.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Busy Times
It's been a busy week.
Monday was my Matriculation dinner, and Grace and I stayed out "late" (we went to bed around 1:00). Grace got up the next morning at 4:30 to catch the 5:25 bus to London. That was so early I felt sick.
Grace stayed in London on Tuesday, seeing Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and the British Museum. I went to class.
The next day Grace went down to Bournemouth, where her mom was staying with family. Wednesday night I went out with the economics people, where I decided to sign up for a Cambridge Radio show (I still have to undergo training).
Thursday I became obsessed with finding A) pants and B) The new Blood Brothers CD. No luck on either front. I was told pants long enough for me are not even sold in Cambridge, but I could order them from the website "High and Mighty.com" (not even joking). I also tried to finally withdraw money from my bank account, which I settled on Tuesday. No luck there, either. I had my first French class on Thursday morning (did I mention I signed up to learn French?) I also bought a bus ticket to Bournemouth.
The original plan was that I would leave Friday afternoon, after my last class finished at noon. But those crazy Cambridge people moved a two hour class to Friday at 2, which I missed. They also moved a second two hour class to Monday, so I would get to miss more classes.
Anyway, Friday morning I biked all over town in the rain. I had to get a new mailbox key, so I could open the letter from the bank with my PIN code (did I mention I lost my keys?).
Finally, at 1:45 I embarked on a journey to Bournemouth, by way of Victoria station, London.
Nine o'clock, I arrive and we have a big dinner.
Saturday morning, something like 6 am, the kids wake up and start running around. We were staying in the living room, where the TV is, so we had to get up quickly. We went to an Alice in Wonderland themed amusement park that day. Yes, there was a hedge maze. Yes, it was really muddy and we got completely lost and had to take the emergency exit to get out.
That night Grace's Uncle decided to buy some fireworks. I helped him lit them off and the kids went nuts.
(Interesting side note: in the realm of fireworks, the UK is far less concerned with their citizen's safety than in the US. Everything we lit off would have been illegal in Iowa. Still, they require children to sit in car seats until the age of 12.)
The next day we went to the cinema. We all bought tickets to "Open Season," starring the illustrious Martin Lawrence. Then we all went to eat at KFC's. It was a big deal, because one of the boys had never been there. Everyone sat down, took off their coats and unpacked the strollers. Then they realized KFC's wasn't a good place for vegetarians and they decided they would go to Pizza Hut instead (despite my protests). There was a 20 minute wait to eat at Pizza Hut.
Then we went to see the 2:30 show of Open Season. Grace fell asleep through most of the movie.
That night we tried to get an extra microwave into one of our suitcases. That was stupid.
Grace's family watched old VHS tapes of her two uncles' weddings. It was a cultural learning experience for me (and Grace).
The next day Grace, her mom, and I went to London. The plan was a little half baked, but it worked out. We left our suitcases with the people we know in London. Then we went on a walking tour of London (tangent: if you add two 'g's to the word "London" you can turn it into "Longdong").
Grace's mom took 2 rolls of pictures of Buckingham palace. This would prove to be indicative of her picture taking habits.
Again Grace saw Buckingham Palace, Downing street, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Thames and the British Museum. We also saw the temple church which FEATURES PROMINENTLY IN THE DA VINCI CODE.
London is really hectic compared to Cambridge (Grace describes Cambridge as "bustling"). We got on another bus, delayed till 8 o'clock. We rolled into Cambridge around 10:00 and went home.
The next two days I had to scramble to catch up on my homework and classes. I only saw Grace and her mom a few hours, mostly in the evening. I helped them get into King's College for free, which Grace's mom really liked.
Tomorrow, I have French again. And if I have time, I'm going to try and get some pants (trousers).
Monday was my Matriculation dinner, and Grace and I stayed out "late" (we went to bed around 1:00). Grace got up the next morning at 4:30 to catch the 5:25 bus to London. That was so early I felt sick.
Grace stayed in London on Tuesday, seeing Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and the British Museum. I went to class.
The next day Grace went down to Bournemouth, where her mom was staying with family. Wednesday night I went out with the economics people, where I decided to sign up for a Cambridge Radio show (I still have to undergo training).
Thursday I became obsessed with finding A) pants and B) The new Blood Brothers CD. No luck on either front. I was told pants long enough for me are not even sold in Cambridge, but I could order them from the website "High and Mighty.com" (not even joking). I also tried to finally withdraw money from my bank account, which I settled on Tuesday. No luck there, either. I had my first French class on Thursday morning (did I mention I signed up to learn French?) I also bought a bus ticket to Bournemouth.
The original plan was that I would leave Friday afternoon, after my last class finished at noon. But those crazy Cambridge people moved a two hour class to Friday at 2, which I missed. They also moved a second two hour class to Monday, so I would get to miss more classes.
Anyway, Friday morning I biked all over town in the rain. I had to get a new mailbox key, so I could open the letter from the bank with my PIN code (did I mention I lost my keys?).
Finally, at 1:45 I embarked on a journey to Bournemouth, by way of Victoria station, London.
Nine o'clock, I arrive and we have a big dinner.
Saturday morning, something like 6 am, the kids wake up and start running around. We were staying in the living room, where the TV is, so we had to get up quickly. We went to an Alice in Wonderland themed amusement park that day. Yes, there was a hedge maze. Yes, it was really muddy and we got completely lost and had to take the emergency exit to get out.
That night Grace's Uncle decided to buy some fireworks. I helped him lit them off and the kids went nuts.
(Interesting side note: in the realm of fireworks, the UK is far less concerned with their citizen's safety than in the US. Everything we lit off would have been illegal in Iowa. Still, they require children to sit in car seats until the age of 12.)
The next day we went to the cinema. We all bought tickets to "Open Season," starring the illustrious Martin Lawrence. Then we all went to eat at KFC's. It was a big deal, because one of the boys had never been there. Everyone sat down, took off their coats and unpacked the strollers. Then they realized KFC's wasn't a good place for vegetarians and they decided they would go to Pizza Hut instead (despite my protests). There was a 20 minute wait to eat at Pizza Hut.
Then we went to see the 2:30 show of Open Season. Grace fell asleep through most of the movie.
That night we tried to get an extra microwave into one of our suitcases. That was stupid.
Grace's family watched old VHS tapes of her two uncles' weddings. It was a cultural learning experience for me (and Grace).
The next day Grace, her mom, and I went to London. The plan was a little half baked, but it worked out. We left our suitcases with the people we know in London. Then we went on a walking tour of London (tangent: if you add two 'g's to the word "London" you can turn it into "Longdong").
Grace's mom took 2 rolls of pictures of Buckingham palace. This would prove to be indicative of her picture taking habits.
Again Grace saw Buckingham Palace, Downing street, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Thames and the British Museum. We also saw the temple church which FEATURES PROMINENTLY IN THE DA VINCI CODE.
London is really hectic compared to Cambridge (Grace describes Cambridge as "bustling"). We got on another bus, delayed till 8 o'clock. We rolled into Cambridge around 10:00 and went home.
The next two days I had to scramble to catch up on my homework and classes. I only saw Grace and her mom a few hours, mostly in the evening. I helped them get into King's College for free, which Grace's mom really liked.
Tomorrow, I have French again. And if I have time, I'm going to try and get some pants (trousers).
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
A Harry Potter Affair
Last night was my Matriculation dinner. All the graduates in the college showed up at 7:10 for sherry. We were dressed in suits and tuxedos with black gowns over top. I biked over in such a gown. Anyway, around 7:30 there was some banging and an unseen guy yelled "Dinner is served!"
The dinner was held in the main hall. Five long tables stretched the length of the hall with a high table (literally on a raised platform) cutting across the front. The tables were decked out with candles, four different glasses (white wine, red wine, water and port), a bunch of silverware and Fitzwilliam china.
At Matriculation dinner you don't pick where you're going to sit. There are name tags for everyone. I was with the economics people. Everyone found their place and stood at their chair, waiting for something. Suddenly there was a massive gong sound and everyone bowed their heads. Someone said grace really quickly and we all took our seats.
From here we were served by waitiers. There was a choice of Fitzwilliam Red Wine or Fitzwilliam White Wine.
We had some kind of diced melon cocktail at first, then a palate cleanser (no kidding!), and the main course. There was a fancy dessert and then mints (which came in Fitzilliam sleeves). We topped everything off with Fitzwilliam port.
Then there was a speech by the Master of the college and the president of MCR (sort of the Fitzwilliam Graduate Body).
Afterwards we retired to the college pub, which was open late, in honor of the occasion, till midnight.
I addressed some questions about America over the course of dinner:
1) Question: Is it true that most colleges in America do not have gowns and formal dinners?
Answer: Yes.
2) Question: In Europe it seems like you're nobody if you haven't been all over the world by the time you're 21. Is this the case in America?
Answer: No. Why would we want to leave the greatest country in the world? Actually, I didn't say that second part.
3) Question: In the UK, most people apply to either Cambridge or Oxford, in addition to other schools. In America, does everyone apply to Harvard?
Answer: No. In America, we have to pay for the full cost of college (Undergraduate education is subsidized in the UK), so if you can't find the means to afford an education at Harvard, you probably wouldn't bother to apply.
Finally, here are some Harry Potter coincidences (?) for your consideration:
1) We eat in a hall with long tables, a head table and black robes. Plus the ceiling is really high.
2) One of the fellows at the college is a linguistics professor and he wrote the Snake language dialogue which Harry Potter delivers in the film version of Harry Potter and the something II.
3) At lecture today we learned about Granger causality, which is when the future affects the present (for example, people shop for Christmas before it happens). Recall that Hermione Granger has some kind of time-travel device which is used in Harry Potter and the something III. The result is the future affecting the present.
The dinner was held in the main hall. Five long tables stretched the length of the hall with a high table (literally on a raised platform) cutting across the front. The tables were decked out with candles, four different glasses (white wine, red wine, water and port), a bunch of silverware and Fitzwilliam china.
At Matriculation dinner you don't pick where you're going to sit. There are name tags for everyone. I was with the economics people. Everyone found their place and stood at their chair, waiting for something. Suddenly there was a massive gong sound and everyone bowed their heads. Someone said grace really quickly and we all took our seats.
From here we were served by waitiers. There was a choice of Fitzwilliam Red Wine or Fitzwilliam White Wine.
We had some kind of diced melon cocktail at first, then a palate cleanser (no kidding!), and the main course. There was a fancy dessert and then mints (which came in Fitzilliam sleeves). We topped everything off with Fitzwilliam port.
Then there was a speech by the Master of the college and the president of MCR (sort of the Fitzwilliam Graduate Body).
Afterwards we retired to the college pub, which was open late, in honor of the occasion, till midnight.
I addressed some questions about America over the course of dinner:
1) Question: Is it true that most colleges in America do not have gowns and formal dinners?
Answer: Yes.
2) Question: In Europe it seems like you're nobody if you haven't been all over the world by the time you're 21. Is this the case in America?
Answer: No. Why would we want to leave the greatest country in the world? Actually, I didn't say that second part.
3) Question: In the UK, most people apply to either Cambridge or Oxford, in addition to other schools. In America, does everyone apply to Harvard?
Answer: No. In America, we have to pay for the full cost of college (Undergraduate education is subsidized in the UK), so if you can't find the means to afford an education at Harvard, you probably wouldn't bother to apply.
Finally, here are some Harry Potter coincidences (?) for your consideration:
1) We eat in a hall with long tables, a head table and black robes. Plus the ceiling is really high.
2) One of the fellows at the college is a linguistics professor and he wrote the Snake language dialogue which Harry Potter delivers in the film version of Harry Potter and the something II.
3) At lecture today we learned about Granger causality, which is when the future affects the present (for example, people shop for Christmas before it happens). Recall that Hermione Granger has some kind of time-travel device which is used in Harry Potter and the something III. The result is the future affecting the present.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Upcoming Events
Looks like this is going to be an exciting week. Grace's mom is in the UK, staying with family - we're taking a long weekend to visit everyone at the end of this week. Tomorrow night is my Matriculation dinner. It's some kind of Harry Potter dining affair. We all eat together, on long tables, with formal service, while wearing our suits and gowns (gowns as in, black robes we wear over our nice clothes, not fancy dresses). We convene for Sherry at 7:10 and then the meal begins at 7:30. We're all supposed to bring a bottle of wine that we have to drink on our own (I was advised that I shouldn't attempt this with red wine). It's sort of an official "welcome to Cambridge" kind of thing.
The next day Grace heads down to London to visit Mickey and Julia and babysit baby Evan for a few hours. I'll be in class.
Well, I suppose that's really it. The dinner, London, and Grace's mom.
One more unrelated thing.
I think we've met a genuine British snob. It's fascinating. The person in question has already worked into conversations how big his Scholarship here is, how the humanities are not serious subjects, and how the school he went to for Undergraduate was better than other people's. A snob!
The next day Grace heads down to London to visit Mickey and Julia and babysit baby Evan for a few hours. I'll be in class.
Well, I suppose that's really it. The dinner, London, and Grace's mom.
One more unrelated thing.
I think we've met a genuine British snob. It's fascinating. The person in question has already worked into conversations how big his Scholarship here is, how the humanities are not serious subjects, and how the school he went to for Undergraduate was better than other people's. A snob!
Confessions Part II
Guys, I have a confession too. The truth is that I haven't taken very good care of my teeth the last... hm... 22 years. (I blame my mother's almost criminal negligence but she would tell you that I've been an adult for at least 25% of my lifetime so far.)
Before we left to come here to the UK, I went to the dentist for the first time in many years. They were very very nice and didn't yell at me at all. They said my teeth were really healthy and I had good bone support and everything looked good. Then, she said, "But... you're gonna need some major work." Turns out I need about $2000 worth of major dental work! And just a month or so before, Matt and I had decided NOT to spend a $30 to get full dental insurance... That's a lesson to everyone. Get dental insurance. Then it got worse. The dental assistant stayed in the room with me to take more x-rays while the dentist pulled Matt outside to tell him the real story. She told him my teeth are in a really precarious position and may explode in my mouth at any time, she couldn't say if it would be a few months or a few weeks but I am imminently due to be in some serious dental pain. This is what she told Matt, but not me. Matt of course told me afterwards. She didn't think I could handle it! Anyway, then she prescribed me some antibiotics and some seriously powerful narcotics, so even if my teeth explode I have that to look forward to. I have made a dental appointment with a dentistry here, but the first available appointment was November 20th, over a month from now! Hopefully I'll be okay until then.
Before we left to come here to the UK, I went to the dentist for the first time in many years. They were very very nice and didn't yell at me at all. They said my teeth were really healthy and I had good bone support and everything looked good. Then, she said, "But... you're gonna need some major work." Turns out I need about $2000 worth of major dental work! And just a month or so before, Matt and I had decided NOT to spend a $30 to get full dental insurance... That's a lesson to everyone. Get dental insurance. Then it got worse. The dental assistant stayed in the room with me to take more x-rays while the dentist pulled Matt outside to tell him the real story. She told him my teeth are in a really precarious position and may explode in my mouth at any time, she couldn't say if it would be a few months or a few weeks but I am imminently due to be in some serious dental pain. This is what she told Matt, but not me. Matt of course told me afterwards. She didn't think I could handle it! Anyway, then she prescribed me some antibiotics and some seriously powerful narcotics, so even if my teeth explode I have that to look forward to. I have made a dental appointment with a dentistry here, but the first available appointment was November 20th, over a month from now! Hopefully I'll be okay until then.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Pants
So, confession time. I only own four pairs of pants, and only one of them is socially acceptable to wear in public. They are American Eagle Jeans and they're getting eaten by my bike chain. I seriously found bits of denim in the chain today. Like a two inch long piece.
I own another set of jeans, but they've developed massive holes in the crotch. . . for some reason. I'm not going to hazard a guess. Other than that, I have athletic pants, which I wear in emergencies, and flannel pants which are barely acceptable as pajama pants.
I used to have more pants, but they slowly have gotten too small or too destroyed. When it came time to pack for the UK, I only had two suitcases, so I figured I wouldn't bring bad pants. That's why I have so few now. And with the wretched $2 = 1 pound exchange rate, I haven't been excited about shopping for more.
So, I was at a pub last night with our English mates explaining my dilemma. I said something like this:
"I don't know if I should say this, but I actually only own two pairs of pants that I can wear right now - and one has big holes in the crotch."
They were totally shocked. Eyes wide, mouths gaping. They asked, "So what do you do? Turn them inside out every other day?"
I explained that I just switch them around, but I really need to get some new ones. I bent down to show them what the bike chain had done to my pants.
They started freaking out.
It turns out pants, in the English vernacular, means underwear.
I own another set of jeans, but they've developed massive holes in the crotch. . . for some reason. I'm not going to hazard a guess. Other than that, I have athletic pants, which I wear in emergencies, and flannel pants which are barely acceptable as pajama pants.
I used to have more pants, but they slowly have gotten too small or too destroyed. When it came time to pack for the UK, I only had two suitcases, so I figured I wouldn't bring bad pants. That's why I have so few now. And with the wretched $2 = 1 pound exchange rate, I haven't been excited about shopping for more.
So, I was at a pub last night with our English mates explaining my dilemma. I said something like this:
"I don't know if I should say this, but I actually only own two pairs of pants that I can wear right now - and one has big holes in the crotch."
They were totally shocked. Eyes wide, mouths gaping. They asked, "So what do you do? Turn them inside out every other day?"
I explained that I just switch them around, but I really need to get some new ones. I bent down to show them what the bike chain had done to my pants.
They started freaking out.
It turns out pants, in the English vernacular, means underwear.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
New Photos
We've put up some more photos. Again, they're in the "United Kingdom" photoset, at the end. Click on the photo to get to the website.
Cambridge Celebrity Sightings
So far we have seen three "celebrities" here in Cambridge. Well maybe. There is some skeptisism over our first one. The second and third happened today when Matt saw a huge crowd gathered around Great St. Mary's Church and the old Senate buildings down on King's Parade. Yesterday we had noticed that they were setting up big tents there on the green so we knew some event was happening. Matt asked someone what was going on. Turns out the Prime Minister of India, Monmohan Singh, was being conferred with an honorary degree from Cambridge. And in attendance was the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, His Royal Highness Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. If you don't know your English royal lineages, that's the husband of Her Majesty, Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith (as she is known here).
So those were the second and third sightings. Not insignificant. More importantly they did not involve either of us embarassing ourselves, unlike in previous celebrity sighting situations. The first is still a point of controvercy because I saw them but Matt didn't. We were biking over to Fitzies and it was kind of dusky but I swear I saw Bill Gates walking on the footpath with his wife. Gates is a huge contributer to the University of Cambridge (for some reason) and a building that bears his name was not a quarter mile from the spot he was walking. Also, he was wearing a sweater with a dress shirt and tie under it, and who wears stuff like that other than Bill Gates? He was also smiling, which is such a Bill Gates thing, right? Smiling for no reason? I mean, I guess he's got like a trillion dollars, so that's a good reason to smile. Also, people don't just walk along those footpaths unless they know exactly where they're going, or they're wandering around because they're tourists and aren't from Cambridge.
In other news we went punting! Matt really liked it. It was really nice and it was a great day to do it. Some of the best views of the college can only been seen from a punt. We didn't get a chance to do it, but you can rent punts from a certain point in the River Cam where you can punt all the way down to the next village, Grantchester, stop in at the pub and come back. We want to try that sometime too.
So those were the second and third sightings. Not insignificant. More importantly they did not involve either of us embarassing ourselves, unlike in previous celebrity sighting situations. The first is still a point of controvercy because I saw them but Matt didn't. We were biking over to Fitzies and it was kind of dusky but I swear I saw Bill Gates walking on the footpath with his wife. Gates is a huge contributer to the University of Cambridge (for some reason) and a building that bears his name was not a quarter mile from the spot he was walking. Also, he was wearing a sweater with a dress shirt and tie under it, and who wears stuff like that other than Bill Gates? He was also smiling, which is such a Bill Gates thing, right? Smiling for no reason? I mean, I guess he's got like a trillion dollars, so that's a good reason to smile. Also, people don't just walk along those footpaths unless they know exactly where they're going, or they're wandering around because they're tourists and aren't from Cambridge.
In other news we went punting! Matt really liked it. It was really nice and it was a great day to do it. Some of the best views of the college can only been seen from a punt. We didn't get a chance to do it, but you can rent punts from a certain point in the River Cam where you can punt all the way down to the next village, Grantchester, stop in at the pub and come back. We want to try that sometime too.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Our first visitor!
Yesterday, we went to start of term party at Fitzies, and it was a good laugh. We got there at 10 and the next thing we knew it was almost 2AM. I love when nights fly by like that. You're having a great time and all of a sudden you feel dead tired, look at your watch thinking it's just midnight or half midnight, but it's much later. Then we had a short, swift moonlit ride down dark footpaths back to our flat. It was pretty creepy because it's a residential area, but it's pitch dark in some places and there's always a rustling going on in the trees and brush. It's probably rabbits and stuff, but then you start thinking how easy it would be for a crazy person or a robber to attack you in the dark, or make you crash your bike and then ambush you. I don't think things like that happen in Cambridge, I think we're reasonably safe. But... okay, after a few drinks and with a muddled sleepy head, these thoughts pop up.
Matt and I had the good fortune over the last two weeks or so to check out and watch the entire BBC the Office series, including the Christmas specials! We are both huge fans of the American Office (we got the season pass from iTunes, which automatically downloads new episodes from this season as they become available, for an initial discounted rate). But the nice thing about the British Office is that is it entirely self-contained within 12 regular episodes and 2 hour length Christmas special episodes. When it's done, it's done and you know they won't be coming back for another, whereas the US one is ongoing and we don't know when it will end. Nor do we know where it's going because although the first few episodes were virtual remakes of the British Office episodes, it has really diverged far away from it and has become it's own show. We have spent the last fews days really analyzing the differences between the shows and we think that even if you've seen the British Office and can't stand the thought of a remake, give it a try, it really is a good show and has merits of its own, with the added benefit of being ongoing.
We were talking to a guy last night who is watching The X-Files DVDs and he has watched up to the 5th season, but hasn't seen any other episodes and hasn't seen the movie yet, which I think requires some real discipline, not to consume it all at once. Last night, we were talking all about it and didn't want to tell him that in fact the seasons that he is watching right now are the best seasons and it's essentially all downhill from there. He is at that show's peak and it's a long, slow, excruciating descent after that and I should know. I used to watch that show religiously (Sunday nights) until it really started to suck.
We are expecting our first visitor tomorrow. A friend of Matt's family who graduated three or four years after us from West (god how depressing is that?) is traveling Europe and is making a stop in Cambridge, so we're very excited about that. We're going to try to take him punting, if he wants. We have yet to go so it should be fun. He is coming tomorrow so we need to pick up the flat.
Matt and I had the good fortune over the last two weeks or so to check out and watch the entire BBC the Office series, including the Christmas specials! We are both huge fans of the American Office (we got the season pass from iTunes, which automatically downloads new episodes from this season as they become available, for an initial discounted rate). But the nice thing about the British Office is that is it entirely self-contained within 12 regular episodes and 2 hour length Christmas special episodes. When it's done, it's done and you know they won't be coming back for another, whereas the US one is ongoing and we don't know when it will end. Nor do we know where it's going because although the first few episodes were virtual remakes of the British Office episodes, it has really diverged far away from it and has become it's own show. We have spent the last fews days really analyzing the differences between the shows and we think that even if you've seen the British Office and can't stand the thought of a remake, give it a try, it really is a good show and has merits of its own, with the added benefit of being ongoing.
We were talking to a guy last night who is watching The X-Files DVDs and he has watched up to the 5th season, but hasn't seen any other episodes and hasn't seen the movie yet, which I think requires some real discipline, not to consume it all at once. Last night, we were talking all about it and didn't want to tell him that in fact the seasons that he is watching right now are the best seasons and it's essentially all downhill from there. He is at that show's peak and it's a long, slow, excruciating descent after that and I should know. I used to watch that show religiously (Sunday nights) until it really started to suck.
We are expecting our first visitor tomorrow. A friend of Matt's family who graduated three or four years after us from West (god how depressing is that?) is traveling Europe and is making a stop in Cambridge, so we're very excited about that. We're going to try to take him punting, if he wants. We have yet to go so it should be fun. He is coming tomorrow so we need to pick up the flat.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Bike Stories
As you can see in the photo, Grace has a wicker basket for her bike. She can hit a button on the handlebars and it detaches so she can carry it around the market and load it up with baguettes for when she bike home. It sounds wonderful, but there's a fear that comes with it. It can be stolen easily, if she doesn't take it with her.
Theft isn't just paranoia. Within a week of buying her bike Grace had her front light and her rear mudguard stolen. We can understand the light, but the mudguard? They didn't even take the part that lets it attach to a bike frame - they just took the guard. So someone out there has a large piece of black plastic.
But the wicker basket has been OK. We've also thought of a way to lock it to the bike, if we need to.
Grace and I both have brake issues. Grace's brake problem is a lot more annoying. They squeak, really loudly. You could hear her braking a block away. It's gotten better in the past few days, because now only one of the two brakes, the front, squeals. So Grace avoids using it. My brakes on the other hand, are whisper quiet, but largely ineffective when it rains. You have to make an advance plan for when you're going to stop, because the brakes need a few seconds to get the water off them, before they actually kick in.
And it does rain a lot. Yesterday, when I finished class, it was overcast and I called Grace up to meet me at Fitzwilliam College for lunch. About five minutes into biking it started to rain. Fortunately, I got to college just before it really started to pour. Not so for Grace. She was miserably soaked. Then, on the way back, also through thick rain, her bike chain came off twice. Grace doesn't like the rain.
Because Grace's front light was stolen, and because legally, you have to have a front light to bike at night, Grace bought a replacement light. From the package, she said it looked pretty good. It had measurements of distance and lumens - not that either of us would have known what was a good rating - so she bought it. I borrowed it one night to bike over to college in the dark. The thing was completely worthless as a device to illuminate. It probably helped other people see us, but it did nothing to help me see where I was going. I had to get off and walk my bike through a footpath that had no lighting.
But, enough ragging on bikes. They do make getting around town much, much easier. Most things are only ten minutes away now, at an easy pace. The movie theatre is only a 15-20 minute ride, whereas it took us 50+ minutes to walk there. So, when all is said in done, we like the bikes. It's very practical for an area with minimal snow and ice.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Europe's Thoughts on America and Stuff
So, I'm afraid this post is going to be kind of disjointed since there are a couple random things going on.
First of all, I changed the comments section because I just figured out that you have to sign up to make a comment. Who knows if that has anything to do with the zero comments, but anyway, you can comment now if you ever want to.
So, class is going forward. We've been getting a crash course in statistics the last two days. The best part was when the professor said, offhand, that 75% of Americans think they have a book in them, but only 20% of Americans have read a book in the last year. I'm the only American in the class. After class, I was told that everyone was checking out my reaction (stone faced). I couldn't think of anyone I knew who hadn't read a book in the last year. I guess because I'm in school, and so are most people I know.
That's not the only time I've gotten the vibe that the UK, and the rest of the world, is sort of amazed (horrified?) at America. One of the guys we met at Fitzwilliam asked a lot about this show he had seen that explored American subcultures: UFO's, survivalists, porn industry, etc. I was talking to another guy, in my Economics class, about how in America, I think there's a sort of crisis about the truth's importance (think about it - "A Million Little Pieces," teaching intelligent design side by side with evolution and letting students decide their own truth, the whole history of why we invaded Iraq and how the war is going, Fox news, etc). His response was, "Yeah, the rest of the world is sort of watching you guys in horror."
And another question I got asked that was really wierd. Apparently in UK cinemas there are these public service announcements before the movie starts. They're about how pirating movies is bad and how it ruins the experience of the movie. For that part, they show an American film audience stand up at the end of a movie and applaud. This guy wanted to know if Americans really did that. I said sure, sometimes at openings, or if the movie was really good, or if it was something like "Snakes on a Plane." No one could understand why we did this - they kept asking, who are you clapping for? Somebody even said it seemed like a waste of emotion.
Well, who cares?! America #1!
So, earlier I talked about how things take a long time in Europe. Over a week ago I applied online for an international student bank account. I had gone to the branch earlier, but you can only apply for a new account online. Yesterday I got the documents I need in the mail. I went to the branch with the documents and the proof I need that I am who I said I was online. Everything moved smoothly (after I got redirected to another branch, which I couldn't find for 20 minutes). The banker photocopied my documents and told me I was done! My account would be opened up in . . . 7 days. Then I could come in and make my first deposit. Since our deposits are Foriegn Drafts (the only way to move money internationally without carrying cash or wiring it electronically) they'll take five business days to clear when we deposit them. So, in two weeks, I should have some money! To pay for college, which is asking for the money in a week! I have to talk to them about that.
New topic. Here's an observation about moving to a new city, particularly a tourist-ey city, like Cambridge or DC. Both times I've done so, I've had a similar experience. After you're in the new place for a few weeks, you start to feel really cocky, particularly when you see tourists. You think, "these guys are just passing through - but I live here!" I had the same feeling on the DC subways after I had been there a month or so. Anyway, by the eighth month I had been in DC, I didn't have that feeling at all anymore. I did have a newfound fear for my safety at night though. I think the reason I felt so confident in DC, and now in Cambridge, is because I haven't been here long enough to really think of this as the place I live. I'm much more like a super tourist - the kind of person who takes a year off to travel, and so can spend a whole month exploring Paris, instead of breezing through it in a week. But, on top of that, I can say to myself, "I LIVE here," which is another feather in my cap. After you've been in a place long enough though, you lose the tourist feeling and you're just a guy living in a place. But for now, I'm a super tourist, who has really explored Cambridge to an extent the day tripper can not.
One more new topic. We're getting a lot of talk about how difficult this year is going to be. Some of it is pretty ridiculous actually. The mild warning came in the official handbook about the course. It reads, "At the end of the acadmeic year, Diploma students are assessed using the same criteria as those taking the degree in economics. . . to achieve this end, Diploma students need to (and are expected to) work very hard - significantly harder than the average undergraduate student."
The hysterical, hyperbolic warning, comes from our statisics professor. He said something like this:
"Basically, taking the course is like hanging onto the back of a speedboat. As the boat goes farther and farther, it get harder and harder to hang on, and eventually, you won't be able to bear it and you'll let go, say in March or so, and you'll see the boat just take off and leave you in the dust. At that point you'll be totally lost. Fortunately, then you can just review a lot and make it through the exam. Because remember, you don't actually have to know the material - you just have to answer the test questions in such a way that the examiner believes you understand the material. And you can do that by practicing a lot of old test questions, since they're bound to be similar. I mean, examiners only have a limited amount of creativity."
Or today:
"The key is, you have to work hard to keep up with the lectures. Once you fall behind, you can never catch up. You'll just show up to lecture and you won't understand a word of it, and you'll collect the notes and try to work through them after class, but the class will just keep charging ahead. If that happens to you, you'll be in trouble."
So, now everyone in the course is gathering around to frighten each other even more, by saying how worried they are, and how much they're going to have to study - which is better than everyone pretending it's going to be a breeze - but it still annoys me. I always kind of liked it when the prof tells you you're going to have a monstrous amount of work ahead of you. When I think I can do it, I feel like George Bush in the early days of the Iraq war - "Bring it on."
Anyway, tonight there's a pub crawl. Hopefully it won't rain too bad.
First of all, I changed the comments section because I just figured out that you have to sign up to make a comment. Who knows if that has anything to do with the zero comments, but anyway, you can comment now if you ever want to.
So, class is going forward. We've been getting a crash course in statistics the last two days. The best part was when the professor said, offhand, that 75% of Americans think they have a book in them, but only 20% of Americans have read a book in the last year. I'm the only American in the class. After class, I was told that everyone was checking out my reaction (stone faced). I couldn't think of anyone I knew who hadn't read a book in the last year. I guess because I'm in school, and so are most people I know.
That's not the only time I've gotten the vibe that the UK, and the rest of the world, is sort of amazed (horrified?) at America. One of the guys we met at Fitzwilliam asked a lot about this show he had seen that explored American subcultures: UFO's, survivalists, porn industry, etc. I was talking to another guy, in my Economics class, about how in America, I think there's a sort of crisis about the truth's importance (think about it - "A Million Little Pieces," teaching intelligent design side by side with evolution and letting students decide their own truth, the whole history of why we invaded Iraq and how the war is going, Fox news, etc). His response was, "Yeah, the rest of the world is sort of watching you guys in horror."
And another question I got asked that was really wierd. Apparently in UK cinemas there are these public service announcements before the movie starts. They're about how pirating movies is bad and how it ruins the experience of the movie. For that part, they show an American film audience stand up at the end of a movie and applaud. This guy wanted to know if Americans really did that. I said sure, sometimes at openings, or if the movie was really good, or if it was something like "Snakes on a Plane." No one could understand why we did this - they kept asking, who are you clapping for? Somebody even said it seemed like a waste of emotion.
Well, who cares?! America #1!
So, earlier I talked about how things take a long time in Europe. Over a week ago I applied online for an international student bank account. I had gone to the branch earlier, but you can only apply for a new account online. Yesterday I got the documents I need in the mail. I went to the branch with the documents and the proof I need that I am who I said I was online. Everything moved smoothly (after I got redirected to another branch, which I couldn't find for 20 minutes). The banker photocopied my documents and told me I was done! My account would be opened up in . . . 7 days. Then I could come in and make my first deposit. Since our deposits are Foriegn Drafts (the only way to move money internationally without carrying cash or wiring it electronically) they'll take five business days to clear when we deposit them. So, in two weeks, I should have some money! To pay for college, which is asking for the money in a week! I have to talk to them about that.
New topic. Here's an observation about moving to a new city, particularly a tourist-ey city, like Cambridge or DC. Both times I've done so, I've had a similar experience. After you're in the new place for a few weeks, you start to feel really cocky, particularly when you see tourists. You think, "these guys are just passing through - but I live here!" I had the same feeling on the DC subways after I had been there a month or so. Anyway, by the eighth month I had been in DC, I didn't have that feeling at all anymore. I did have a newfound fear for my safety at night though. I think the reason I felt so confident in DC, and now in Cambridge, is because I haven't been here long enough to really think of this as the place I live. I'm much more like a super tourist - the kind of person who takes a year off to travel, and so can spend a whole month exploring Paris, instead of breezing through it in a week. But, on top of that, I can say to myself, "I LIVE here," which is another feather in my cap. After you've been in a place long enough though, you lose the tourist feeling and you're just a guy living in a place. But for now, I'm a super tourist, who has really explored Cambridge to an extent the day tripper can not.
One more new topic. We're getting a lot of talk about how difficult this year is going to be. Some of it is pretty ridiculous actually. The mild warning came in the official handbook about the course. It reads, "At the end of the acadmeic year, Diploma students are assessed using the same criteria as those taking the degree in economics. . . to achieve this end, Diploma students need to (and are expected to) work very hard - significantly harder than the average undergraduate student."
The hysterical, hyperbolic warning, comes from our statisics professor. He said something like this:
"Basically, taking the course is like hanging onto the back of a speedboat. As the boat goes farther and farther, it get harder and harder to hang on, and eventually, you won't be able to bear it and you'll let go, say in March or so, and you'll see the boat just take off and leave you in the dust. At that point you'll be totally lost. Fortunately, then you can just review a lot and make it through the exam. Because remember, you don't actually have to know the material - you just have to answer the test questions in such a way that the examiner believes you understand the material. And you can do that by practicing a lot of old test questions, since they're bound to be similar. I mean, examiners only have a limited amount of creativity."
Or today:
"The key is, you have to work hard to keep up with the lectures. Once you fall behind, you can never catch up. You'll just show up to lecture and you won't understand a word of it, and you'll collect the notes and try to work through them after class, but the class will just keep charging ahead. If that happens to you, you'll be in trouble."
So, now everyone in the course is gathering around to frighten each other even more, by saying how worried they are, and how much they're going to have to study - which is better than everyone pretending it's going to be a breeze - but it still annoys me. I always kind of liked it when the prof tells you you're going to have a monstrous amount of work ahead of you. When I think I can do it, I feel like George Bush in the early days of the Iraq war - "Bring it on."
Anyway, tonight there's a pub crawl. Hopefully it won't rain too bad.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Work Begins
I've finally begun lectures. On Monday we were introduced to the course and to each other. There are 18 people in my course. Again, it's really international - UK, Ireland, Turkey, Greece, Canada, Lithuania. The entire course is graded on two things: performance in the three hour final exams and the final project essays we have to write. We have homework due each week, but it's designed to help us make sure we know the material. It doesn't count for our grade.
We had a three hour lecture yesterday and we have another one today. Once the first week is over we'll have a little bit lighter class load acturally - 1 hour on Mondays, 4 hours on Tuesday, 2 hours on Wednesday, 1 or 2 hours on Thursday and 3 hours on Friday - until November, when we only have 1 hour on Friday. The year is divided into three terms, but we take the same three classes all year - they run continuously. Since this course is designed to count as an Undergraduate course in Economics, we actually take most of our classes with undergraduates. We haven't had any such lectures yet though.
John Maynard Keynes taught at Cambridge, so already I've heard a lot about Keynesian economics. We actually had our lecture in the Keynes room, with a photo of the guy hanging on the wall. And our lecturer said he was taught by Keynes' colleagues. Our lecturer also presented criticisms of Keynesian economics by prefacing it with, "Now I personally think Keynes was 100% right, but many people say. . ."
We also had the societies fair yesterday. It was a really big ordeal, held in a sports complex. The place was so packed that they only let people in as fair goers exited, like being in a night club or something. Inside the place was so packed you couldn't move forward. There were societies of every type. Every major religion, and then some was represented (the Athiest club was right next to the pro-life club, which I thought was interesting - the pro life guy was on his own, but the athiests were attracting quite a crowd. Every political party was there. There were a whole slew of role playing/medieval combat/live-action role playing clubs to join. There were something like eight clubs relating to international development. There were a lot of musical societies - choruses, orchestras, jazz enthusiasts, indie rockers, death metal, you name it.
On Sunday we took a walking tour of Cambridge with Fitzwilliam college. We went inside King's College Chapel, which is basically a Cathedral without wings. It was very tall, very gothic. We also learned that Cambridge University's main library is a copyright library, which means it has a copy of every book ever published in England. I went in to check it out yesterday and yes, they pretty much have every single book there is - but no DVD's, which is what I was really hoping for.
Anyway, I don't have class till this afternoon, so I'm going to try and find some new Jeans. My bike chain has eaten one of the two pairs I brought over.
We had a three hour lecture yesterday and we have another one today. Once the first week is over we'll have a little bit lighter class load acturally - 1 hour on Mondays, 4 hours on Tuesday, 2 hours on Wednesday, 1 or 2 hours on Thursday and 3 hours on Friday - until November, when we only have 1 hour on Friday. The year is divided into three terms, but we take the same three classes all year - they run continuously. Since this course is designed to count as an Undergraduate course in Economics, we actually take most of our classes with undergraduates. We haven't had any such lectures yet though.
John Maynard Keynes taught at Cambridge, so already I've heard a lot about Keynesian economics. We actually had our lecture in the Keynes room, with a photo of the guy hanging on the wall. And our lecturer said he was taught by Keynes' colleagues. Our lecturer also presented criticisms of Keynesian economics by prefacing it with, "Now I personally think Keynes was 100% right, but many people say. . ."
We also had the societies fair yesterday. It was a really big ordeal, held in a sports complex. The place was so packed that they only let people in as fair goers exited, like being in a night club or something. Inside the place was so packed you couldn't move forward. There were societies of every type. Every major religion, and then some was represented (the Athiest club was right next to the pro-life club, which I thought was interesting - the pro life guy was on his own, but the athiests were attracting quite a crowd. Every political party was there. There were a whole slew of role playing/medieval combat/live-action role playing clubs to join. There were something like eight clubs relating to international development. There were a lot of musical societies - choruses, orchestras, jazz enthusiasts, indie rockers, death metal, you name it.
On Sunday we took a walking tour of Cambridge with Fitzwilliam college. We went inside King's College Chapel, which is basically a Cathedral without wings. It was very tall, very gothic. We also learned that Cambridge University's main library is a copyright library, which means it has a copy of every book ever published in England. I went in to check it out yesterday and yes, they pretty much have every single book there is - but no DVD's, which is what I was really hoping for.
Anyway, I don't have class till this afternoon, so I'm going to try and find some new Jeans. My bike chain has eaten one of the two pairs I brought over.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Fitzwilliam College
Things are starting to happen at the college now. On Friday night we went over to the college pub and met my fellow Fitzwilliam Graduates. The next day there was a brief orientation followed by Tea. Last night there was a sort of house party for the Fitzwilliam Graduates.
The way the University of Cambridge is set up is there are something like 30 colleges within the University. Your life at the University is split between your department and your college. Your department is where your intellectual life centers - it's where you take classes, tests, and work on your degree. Your college is where the rest of your college life occurs. They provide accomodation, handle the billing, arrange social activities, provide you with grants etc.
I'm in Fitzwilliam college, a relatively young college, compared to some of the medieval ones. There are 200 graduates in the college and 112 of those are new, like me. Grace and I have been going through endless meet and greets. The progression of questions is always:
1) What is your name?
2) Where are you from?
3) What are you studying?
From there, you have to try and improvise. What we've found so far is that the student body is really international. Probably 2/3 of the people we met are not from England. There are people from the US, from China, France, Norway, Germany, South Africa, Greece, Hong Kong, Trinidad and Tobago. And most of them are in hard sciences - a lot of Chemical Engineers and Physicists in particular.
There are at least two other Economists, but both are pursuing a masters degree. In fact, I've been told there are only 12 people in my program, so we're probably spread across the colleges. I've heard a wide range of opinion about the course. Some people have said, "Oh, if you're coming from a math background, this is going to be the easiest year of your life." Others have said, "That's going to be a really intense course, since they teach a three year degree in just one year."
We seem to be the only married couple at Fitzwilliam, which surprised me. There are a lot of people who are working on PhD's after being away from school for a few years, so they're in their late 20's. There are some girlfriends, but we haven't met any other married couples. There are rumors of a married couple with a baby though.
We've been getting along really well with two guys, both named Gareth. We hit it off when Grace went on a long rant against Bill Bryson, the beloved English travel writer. He grew up in Des Moines and said some unkind and untrue things about Iowa. One of the Gareths looks a lot like Ron from Harry Potter, which is a really good sign I think.
The way the University of Cambridge is set up is there are something like 30 colleges within the University. Your life at the University is split between your department and your college. Your department is where your intellectual life centers - it's where you take classes, tests, and work on your degree. Your college is where the rest of your college life occurs. They provide accomodation, handle the billing, arrange social activities, provide you with grants etc.
I'm in Fitzwilliam college, a relatively young college, compared to some of the medieval ones. There are 200 graduates in the college and 112 of those are new, like me. Grace and I have been going through endless meet and greets. The progression of questions is always:
1) What is your name?
2) Where are you from?
3) What are you studying?
From there, you have to try and improvise. What we've found so far is that the student body is really international. Probably 2/3 of the people we met are not from England. There are people from the US, from China, France, Norway, Germany, South Africa, Greece, Hong Kong, Trinidad and Tobago. And most of them are in hard sciences - a lot of Chemical Engineers and Physicists in particular.
There are at least two other Economists, but both are pursuing a masters degree. In fact, I've been told there are only 12 people in my program, so we're probably spread across the colleges. I've heard a wide range of opinion about the course. Some people have said, "Oh, if you're coming from a math background, this is going to be the easiest year of your life." Others have said, "That's going to be a really intense course, since they teach a three year degree in just one year."
We seem to be the only married couple at Fitzwilliam, which surprised me. There are a lot of people who are working on PhD's after being away from school for a few years, so they're in their late 20's. There are some girlfriends, but we haven't met any other married couples. There are rumors of a married couple with a baby though.
We've been getting along really well with two guys, both named Gareth. We hit it off when Grace went on a long rant against Bill Bryson, the beloved English travel writer. He grew up in Des Moines and said some unkind and untrue things about Iowa. One of the Gareths looks a lot like Ron from Harry Potter, which is a really good sign I think.
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