Recipes for Friends

Evensong and everything closes October 31, 2005

Yesterday was pretty normal, though a little depressing. I woke up and turned on my lights, which didn’t come on but flashed off. I figured the bulb burned out, so I went downstairs and found the light bulbs. I changed it and it still didn’t turn on, although the first one was broken on the inside. So now I figured it was a fuse. I read with the lights off and my window shade open for a while but it was cloudy outside so that didn’t help much. I was trying to wait and see if one of the guys could tell me how to work the fuse box. None of them were up by noon, so I found the fuse box and looked up. One switch didn’t say on so I flipped it up and then went upstairs and tried the light. It worked. So I felt proud of myself. Then I explored some and found that the door next to me is unlocked. So I went into the room. Nobody is staying there, but the bed is made and everything so I guess Marshelle could have slept there. It is bigger than my room, with a bunch of shelves, a bigger closet, a dresser, and more windows. I’m apparently the only person who didn’t get a dresser. I keep my clothes on a bookshelf. Definitely got the worst room.

I finished all my tutorial reading so now I just have to take notes on the questions and then find a book on anti-globalization to recommend to my tutor. I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish it in two days, but I’ll try. If I don’t, I think he’ll understand since we’re meeting a day earlier than normal, although I’ve thought about asking him if we could normally meet on Wednesdays instead so then I could have two good days of reading before the weekend when I will be travelling, so then I won’t have to think about it as much then. I finished Hitch Hiker today too. After a lunch of cheese and crackers and peanut butter and crackers, I read it to take a break. It was very good, although the last book seemed almost like it didn’t fit in with the other three, but it was still good. I’m glad I got to read those books. I might try to read some more Douglas Adams too.

After I finished my reading from my textbooks, I tried to figure out routes for getting to Bath with my Britrail pass. I think that’s where I’m going to try to go this weekend. I also tried to figure out how I would get to the airport on time Tuesday morning without having to stay over night at a hotel. We’ll see if that works out. Places to stay are very expensive here but I might just have to use the last of my money on that. There’s one way I can do it overnight, but I won’t get any sleep, but I guess maybe I would be able to sleep on the plane ride home then. We’ll see. After this I started reading my last article, but I didn’t finish it because I left early for Evensong, so that I could stop by the library.

That would have been great because I would have returned Hitch Hiker and gotten a new book to read last night before I went to bed. Only thing was, the library was closed, as was everything else. Even Borders closed at 5:30. I think there was one cafe that I saw that was open and the fast food restaurants. I considered stopping in KFC just to wait for Evensong. Then I decided I would just head to the church. I got there a little after 5:30 and the guy at the entrance, motioned to me and asked me what I was doing. I said I came for Evensong and he said that he couldn’t let anyone in until 5:45, even though there was a sign facing outwards that he was standing next to that said, “Church now open for worship. Evensong 6:00.” He said go get a cup of coffee and come back. I wanted to tell him 1)I don’t drink coffee and 2)Nothing is open. Instead, I left and walked very slowly around Oxford, where it was already dark of course and looked in windows of shops where the lights were still on to show their displays but nothing was open. I walked slowly for 15 minutes and wanted to cry but told myself I couldn’t because then I would look silly with red eyes going into the church. I finally I headed back to the church.

There was a new guy standing there. I said I was there for Evensong and he pointed me to the church. I walked in and was greeted with a sign that said, “Church open for worship 5:30. Evensong 6:00.” Which just made me more mad at the guy. I sat down in a row with one other guy sort of sitting in the middle. I sat sort of in the middle, though not next to him, but not on the end. After a couple minutes, the guy scooted all the way down to the other end of the row. I guess he didn’t want to sit next to me, which just made me feel all that much better. Then a lady came and sat between us and then he scooted down again so he wasn’t on the very end. He definitely didn’t want to sit next to me. I don’t know why, but it added to my mood. Later some other people came and sat on my other side so I didn’t feel quite so bad about myself. The service was really nice and cheered me up a bit. Quite different from my no music Catholic services. I think if I’m in town, I’ll start going to Evensong as well as Mass.

At the end, I walked out and saw that my iPod was in the red on the battery so I figured it would die on the way home. Surprisingly enough, it didn’t. I went by Tesco’s because I was hoping to get a frozen pizza for dinner, though I was doubting that it would be open, but I had thought on the internet it had said it was open fairly late, even on Sundays. It was closed, closed at 4. So I came back and ate Ramen noodles. Although I had to find a clean dish first. There were none, so I had to wash a nasty one. Even one of the dishes that was in the clean dishes thing was not clean. The guys here are sort of nasty, which I guess maybe all guys are when they live together. Two sinks are full of dirty dishes, plus dirty dishes on the counters beside the sinks. I just wash my own dishes because I’m not about to wash their’s since they eat there every night so they have dirty dishes every night, whereas I only eat there on the weekends. However, I can’t even wash my own dishes in the sinks because they are so full. I washed them in the bathroom sink. But anyway, there were no clean bowls and you sort of need a bowl to cook Ramen noodles, so I scrubbed one, which took a while to get clean and then made my noodles, thinking that guys are disgusting. Not the best substitute for pizza, but it was all I had. I did call down to our farm and talked to a bunch of my relatives, which was really nice to hear their voices. I wished I could be there with them but I’m glad I got to talk to everyone. It cheered me up a little. My mom said she would send me another book so I could read the book that I was saving for the plane ride home. So that gave me something to do at least.

After I talked to everyone, I walked downstairs to wash my face and smelled hamburger. It smelled really good and made my stomach feel sorry for itself again. Beef Ramen noodles don’t compare to hamburgers. Oh well. I e-mailed Kyle and asked him to call me when he got in so he could make me feel better. I guess there wasn’t that much to put me in a sad mood, just a lot of little things put on top of each other. Anyway, I read and went to bed at 11. In Britain, nothing opens before 9:00 a.m. I’ve found, sometimes not until 10. And almost everything closes, except the American companies, by around 5:30 at the latest, on Sunday even earlier. And then Borders closed too, although I don’t know if that was normal or not. I guess it’s a difference between our cultures, but when you’re working until 6:00 at night on studying things, it makes it quite inconvenient to not have any way to buy food, except by going to a kabob van, Burger King, or KFC. And I guess Starbucks stayed open until 6 or 6:30 but was closed before 7. I just don’t know if I can get used to that.

Reading, Chips, and a Crisis October 30, 2005

Yesterday, I tried to sleep in but woke up early. So I couldn’t think of anything to do so I took a shower and then played on the computer for a bit. I tried to eat an orange for breakfast but the peel had looked weird and it tasted weird, so I don’t know if oranges go bad but I decided not to eat it and instead had some oatmeal that Mrs. Miller had sent me and some tea. I looked at the website for the movie “Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.” I think it looks like it will be very good, and I want to see it when it comes out. I will be home by then, December 9. So that’s something to look forward to.

After this, I decided I needed to do work, so I read on my second book, took a break to eat lunch of tuna while I read Hitch Hiker, and then read my tutorial book some more. Then I took a break by going up to ask Marshelle if she had wanted to go to church with me that evening because she had said she might earlier in the week (her boyfriend is Catholic so she has been to Mass before). And then something very bad happened. Her lock had broken Thursday so she couldn’t leave her door unlocked so she had to take her key whenever she left her room. I always had taken my key with me because I thought my lock didn’t work either, but it turns out I can unlock it. It’s almost like a deadbolt lock at the top. So anyway, she had been taking a nap so she came out to talk to me. And by the way, her room has a sink in it. I think I got screwed when it comes to the rooms - I didn’t get a sink, nor did I get a dresser, and I don’t have a bathroom or kitchen on my floor, which everyone else seems to have this if not both. But anyway, she let her door shut and then realized she didn’t have her key with her. She had been in the habit of leaving her door unlocked. So she was locked out of her room, and there is no one in college on duty during the weekends, so it’s not like she can just get her door unlocked. So we started calling people, but no one was answering their phones. She left messages, hoping that someone would call back. She was in her pajamas, glasses, didn’t have any of her money, didn’t have shoes, didn’t have any of her books, so she couldn’t do much of anything. She ended up going to Regent’s wearing my flip-flops and one of my hoodies and taking one of my books that I let her borrow and taking her shower stuff, which she did have. She was going to try to get a hold of Dr. Curry, a G-town professor who is staying in the faculty flat, so that she could stay there and at least have a bed to sleep in. Pam Anderson said she would probably have to wait until Monday to get in. I feel really bad for her. I hope that doesn’t happen to me, I’ve been paranoid it would.

After she left, I read the last chapter that I had to read in my tutorial book, so now I have just a couple more things to read, so hopefully I’ll finish that today. I walked to church and they had a nice service, and announced that Tuesday is All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation, so I have to fit Mass in on Tuesday into my schedule. I had forgotten about that. On the way back to Stanley I stopped at a kabob van and got some chips, which were very good, not so much addictive, but good. I also saw that they have onion rings so next time I go to Mass on the weekend, I might get some of those and try them. I came back and had some vegetable soup with my fries.

And I called my mom and talked to Grammo and Darby as well. They were all working on the upstairs at the farm. I’m going to call again today when a bunch of people are going to be down there. Then I read Hitch Hiker and fell asleep around 9 because I was bored and a bit tired because reading always makes my eyes tired. I woke up a couple times, getting up around 2:30 to brush my teeth and read some more because I felt like I was getting too much sleep. The clocks were set back early this morning, so I woke up around 8, although it would have been 9, so I got a lot of sleep last night but I slept it so I guess I needed it.

G&D’s Ice Cream!! October 29, 2005

Yesterday morning, I woke up around 8 so that I could go shopping a bit before I started reading for next week’s tutorial. It wasn’t very pretty outside and I thought about just going later, but I told myself that I needed to go because I said I would. There is this little tea shop that has an “early bird” special with certain things marked 20% off but only when it first opens. I’m not sure how long it lasts but I wanted to try to get to it. So I got there and they had a sample thing with hot chocolate to try, except it was white hot chocolate. It was very good. I ended up getting none of the things that were 20% off but got things that were in a sale basket that is always on sale. I thought about getting some of the hot chocolate but decided that England isn’t really well-known for its hot chocolate, so I didn’t get any. I did get all my shopping done, though. I have no one to buy for for Christmas or for souvenirs now. Though some people I shopped for before I got to England, when I had my Hallmark discount, but now I am completely finished so I don’t have to worry about spending more money when I’m here, except on trips nor do I have to worry about it when I get home. Yay!!

So after I probably took too much time to shop, I went to Regent’s and read until lunch. Ruth came in after a while so we talked a bit and then both read. I had the salad bar for lunch and I was really glad for that because neither of the other options looked too appetizing. After lunch I headed back to Stanley Rd. Ruth had to go to Sainsbury’s so she walked with me until then. When I got back, I talked to Kyle for a while because he was getting ready to leave for this retreat like thing so he’ll be gone all weekend and we won’t get to talk. Maybe it will be good for us not to be talking every day. And soon I’ll be gone at least parts of the weekends so we’ll have to get used to it for the last part of me being over here.

After we talked I didn’t feel like doing any work so I didn’t for a bit. I looked up what classes are being offered at G-town and tried to figure out a schedule, though it’s sort of hard because it depends on if I graduate this year or not. I think I might not, but we’ll see. But then I decided I had to do something so I read the last of the chapters that I had to read in one of my tutorial books so that today I could start on the second book. Then I wrote my blog quickly, got ready for formal hall and headed back to Regent’s. I sat next to Ruth and two other people to whom I haven’t really talked much, Adam and Ellie, I think. I talked to Ellie a bit because she was asking me how things were going. Dinner was actually really good. The starter was ravioli and garlic bread, although the ravioli was on top of the garlic bread which was a little weird. Then the vegetarian was spinach roulade, which was really nice, plus potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower and some gravy, which was good. I think the vegetarian options always turn out better than the meat option for formal hall. I’m glad I always opt to get that. Anyway I ate it all. The dessert was a bit too sweet for me, some sort of pastry with whipped cream, almonds, and caramel. I ate the top with the almonds but the caramel was too much.

So I was very full when a few of us went to this ice cream place, G&D’s, for Ruth’s birthday. Five of us went and some people said they would come later, after the pub quiz in the JCR, but we ended up leaving before they got there. It was Jonny (spelled that wrong before I found out), Esther, a girl named Ali, Ruth, and me. We stayed until about 9:45 or so. I didn’t get anything because I wasn’t hungry but Esther said I had to at least try something so she made me get a spoon and try her sorbet. It was good and they also have bagel pizzas there, which smelled really good, so I might go back sometime when I’m hungry and get something. We talked and I ended up getting everyone’s MSN name so we could talk online since I don’t have a mobile. They all text message all the time, barely use their phones for actual calling, so MSN was the best we could do. But that’s good that I have some contact info for them now. Ruth took pictures and she’s going to e-mail them to me at some point so I can put those up so you all can see my friends! I had meant to bring my camera too but I forgot.

There are two different ways to get back to Regent’s from G&D’s and Jonny said his way was quicker and Esther said her way was quicker, so we raced back. Esther won, but barely. On the way back we were walking on the street and then a car came so Ruth said we should get on the pavement, and then she said, “Or the sidewalk, as you call it” trying to do an American accent. It was quite funny and we all laughed, but maybe you had to be there. That was fun though. I feel like I fit in somewhat with that group. When we got back to Regent’s I said bye and headed back to Stanley Rd.

When I got there, I called my mom and she had just had a slight wreck, she’s fine and the car is fine. But she hadn’t been having a good day so that didn’t help. When she got back to school she called me on skype and we talked for a while. I felt like I hadn’t talked to her in forever because she’s been busy this week. It was good to talk to her, had some good news and some bad news. Ona, this very nice lady who lives down the street on 4th Street has had cancer for a while, but they put her in the hospital and gave her a week, and two of my mom’s friends with breast cancer stuff, so pray for cancer patients. But my cousin Bruce who has been in the hospital since April, I think, with kidney problems among other things, got to go home, so that is very good. He still needs prayers too though. It was after midnight when I got off the phone, but I wasn’t that tired so I read Hitch Hiker and finished the third book, and then made myself go to bed. I’ve been staying up later but getting up earlier lately it seems, which it’s good that I’ve gotten back into the habit of waking up early, but I think I need to start going to bed earlier too. We’ll see if I can work that out.

Tutorial 3 - And 2 Cups of Tea October 28, 2005

Okay, yesterday was an okay day. I got up early, at 7, so I could get ready and print out my paper to put in my tutor’s pigeon hole. Kyle was still awake so I talked to him for a bit and then went to Regent’s. When I got there, there was a sign that they had increased prices per sheet of paper to print, so now it’s the same price as printing from the social sciences library so I’ll probably print from there from now on because it is closer to my tutor’s college, Harris Manchester. I printed out my paper and walked it over. Then I went to the library to review and take more notes for the actual tutorial. I actually felt like I knew the stuff pretty well, but I was really tired, I think because I didn’t get my full eight hours of sleep.

So I walked over to Harris Manchester at 11 and when I got there Mark was still meeting with the students before me, who happened to be the three Regent’s first-year PPE students. I’m not in the same tutorial with them because a)I’m doing macro while they are doing micro and b)I’m doing second year stuff rather than first year. So apparently all three guys had gotten there late for various reasons according to Mark (later I heard one of the guys at lunch say they had all forgotten about the meeting and each arrived about 15-20 minutes late), so Mark asked if I could come back in 15 minutes. I said sure, walked over to Blackwell’s book store because I hadn’t been in there yet, looked around for a bit, and then walked back. They were just getting finished.

When I got into Mark’s office, I gave him the globalization book back and he said there was going to be another slight change of plans. There was a scheduled fire drill for 11:30 (it was now 11:15) where everyone would have to leave so rather than be interrupted, he said we could go to this university cafe and get some tea. We walked over there and it is technically only for professors and graduate students so I wasn’t supposed to be there. But Mark got regular tea and I had peppermint tea, which gave me something to drink so I wasn’t yawning the whole time. I was still tired.

We talked over things and I seemed to get it all right. I asked two questions at the beginning about some things I wasn’t really sure about and he said that was what we were scheduled to do next week so I hadn’t really had much reading on it. So that was good that my questions were looking ahead, I think. He also asked how the talk went and I told him about it. He said he didn’t have a book for me this week, that he hadn’t found a good one on the opposite side of Martin Wolf that argued against globalization, so my assignment this week is to try to find a good book on that and give him a suggestion for a good one to read. I’m not sure about that, but I’ll try.

When we left he said he had to go to London next Thursday so we are going to have the tutorial next Wednesday instead at 11. Since I don’t have a paper next week, this won’t be a big deal. It will actually be good because then the next week I’ll have an extra day to do stuff for when I do have a paper. I headed over to the library again and got my books for this week. Then I walked over to Regent’s for lunch. It was fish and chips again so I actually didn’t get the salad bar or the vegetarian option. It was very good. I had seconds of fish, chips, and peas so I ate a lot. I like those meals a lot. And this time they had tartar sauce but I actually ate most of it just plain with lemon juice squeezed on it.

After lunch I started walking over to the Keston Institute. I stopped in Boots on the way to waste a little time because I had gotten done with lunch more quickly than I thought I would. I got to Keston and they made me a cup of tea with milk to drink while I worked. Then Davorin had me go to a website with links for all the seminaries/theological schools in North America and find the right people to address envelopes to. They are sending their journal to them, hoping they will subscribe. So I addressed envelopes, which they said they were so sorry it was boring work. But actually it was sort of nice because it was mindless work and I didn’t have to think about anything, which can be relaxing every now and then. So I stayed there until 4, talking to another guy there about Kentucky and their “greatest drink” and what famous people were from there.

Then I walked back to Stanley Rd. because I was tired before so I had planned on lying down. However, I think this second cup of tea had caffeine in it so I didn’t really get tired again until it was almost time to go back to Regent’s for dinner. Before that I read some and looked through a catalog that I had picked up at Boots. Then I walked back.

At dinner, I sat next to Dan who I hadn’t talked to in a while. I also sat across from Kat, the girl who had been at Georgetown this fall, who I hadn’t really met yet but she knew who I was and I knew who she was, so I talked to both of them. Interesting conversations. I had some sort of pasta dish and mushroom soup and then some sort of lemon cake for dessert. None of it tasted wonderful but it filled me up. I walked back to Stanley Rd., opting not to go to the pub because I was tired and also because it seemed like more a time to to go drink to relax more than just to go talk and it was sort of a regular group so I think I would have felt out of place. But mainly I was just tired. I got back and tried to write my blog and then my computer froze. So I talked to Kyle and got mad when my computer froze. Then he had to go so I called my mom to ask her a question, and then went to bed. Somewhat eventful day but I was tired the whole time, so I was very happy to fall asleep.

October 27, 2005

I’m not posting my real entry tonight because I started to and then my computer froze and now I’m in a bad mood because I lost it all so I’ll write an entry on my day today sometime tomorrow. Computers make me so mad sometimes.