Wait a minute...

...I think today is also the Queen's birthday! She's 80 today.

It's also Charlotte Bronte's birthday, as well as John Muir's and Patti LaPone's (sp?).

Oh, and mine. Have I mentioned that? :)

Rooftops of London

 

Lots o' news

So much has happened since the last post! The big news, though, is:
I'm going to Indiana!
I know that seemed somewhat inevitable last post, but I got an 11th-hour acceptance from UVa, so there was much running around, calling people, etc.

I also had a great time at home, and a great visit to IU. I really like it there. And it was nice to be home, to relax, spend time with my parents, soak up the sun. (I actually got a little sunburned!)

And now I'm back in England. And it's been raining the last two days -- on and off. But I'm happy because I'm having a birthday party tonight (I turn 23 today!), and I get to see people. I officially have enough food for a small army -- sixteen chicken breasts, three bags of pasta (probably going to only cook 2, but they were 3 for 89p), three bags of salad greens, lots of veg for the salad, and three small cakes. I know what I'm going to be eating for the next few weeks: leftovers! But the sad thing is that even though I made all this food and I've invited a lot of people -- I invited 13, and between seven and ten are going to come -- I couldn't invite everyone I wanted to. :( So if you're reading this and you're in England and I didn't invite you, it's not because I don't like you. I will now post a list of people I don't like, and you can verify that you're not on it, if you want to be sure:

Just kidding. Wow, that would really be a bad idea. Plus, there genuinely aren't all that many people I don't like. Except for that Rebecca character. She's kind of stinky.

I do miss Vassar today.... I've been thinking about my birthday party last year and the massive quantities of dessert and our TA and people running in and out... good times. But I'm having fun here, and I'll have fun in Indiana.

Meanwhile, I should go convince my jet-lagged self that it's nearly time for lunch.

Everybody ought to have a maid

or at least "Sondheim Sings, Vol. 1". I actually gave this to my dad, but hadn't really had a chance to listen to it until today... Discovered that it was a good choice... Sondheim can't really sing, but he delivers his lyrics with particular sensitivity, which I suppose makes sense since he wrote them.

yes, so this means I'm HOME! :) It's ridiculously beautiful here. Dogwood, redwood, wysteria, little leaflets, azaleas.... absolutely ridiculous. Oh, and violets: purple and white. I went for an hour-long walk this morning around some of the little neighborhoods near us, thinking how lovely everything was. And wondering why everyone was driving on the wrong side of the road.

This is officially the last time I'm coming to America to visit.... Well, let's say the last time in the forseeable future. Being transatlantic certainly has its pros and cons. One of the cons is jet lag. I hope it gets better before I go to IU tomorrow.

Oh, yes: I got my last PhD decision today. So, IU is officially the only school that has made me an offer, although the UVA jury's still out. If I like it when I visit, I will go.

Also, I got an extension on my Maguire fellowship! Which means I get more money from them to subsidize my summer study! Hope they don't figure out I can't spell "subsidize..." (subsadize? Subsedize?)

oh, jet lag

You know you're a sad sack when...

Have you ever had a dream that something you'd been really worrying about was suddenly resolved, and everything was rosy, and then woke up and realized it wasn't true and felt sad? Well, that happened to me today. I dreamed I'd gotten rid of all the pennies and 2p coins that Tanja gave me to settle our household accounts, and I'd gotten a laundry-ready 20p coin in exchange! But the cold light of day reveals that I was mistaken. :(

Yeah. I refer you to the title of the post.

For the record, though, I have six 2p coins and sixteen pennies that I've been carrying around in my pocket for about the last week. I REALLY need to find someone I can foist them off on. Maybe I'll use them to pay Tanja back for the pizza from last night. Mwahaha.

In other news, I'm in good shape for my essays. Yay!

And I'm going to London tomorrow, and then to NC on Tuesday! Mmmm. So I need to pack.