laughing out loud

So today was a different world compared to yesterday.  I did manage to get my computer back, though they told me to not plug it in to ANYTHING here, and that it would need to be taken in when I get home.  The story of 'Lindsey and the IT guy' grew to such a length that I was told at the end of the day about the girl who was verbally abused and threatened by the IT guy, which was an interesting version of my story.  Anyways, it is fine now, except that I am not anyone's favorite person as we are no longer allowed internet access from our rooms.  Oops. 

Thank you to Samuel, Jim, Mom, and Rod for everything.  You guys have been so supportive and I have laughed SO much!  I must be the luckiest girl in the world- to have friends and family that care so much, even when I am half a world away.  Thank you.

Today we went into London for dinner, and then to The Globe to see 'Measure for Measure.'  I had never seen this Shakespearean piece before, but I very much enjoyed it, especially the last scene.  Matt even decided that it was his favorite play by Shakespeare, which may be a stretch, but glad he's taking an interest. 

Tomorrow we leave for Yorkshire and the moors.  I am giddy like a school-girl!  To read Wuthering Heights and to not know what a moor is takes all the meaning out of it, and most of the desolation.  It should be a great trip.  We will be staying in hostels, a different one each night.  We will do a hike through the moors, visit Bronte sites, and what trip would be complete without another romp through a garden?!  We'll be back Saturday night, so don't expect anything more until then. 

Next weekend is Paris for me, Joanna, Kristen, and Jennifer R.  We are so excited!  We booked our cheap hotel, made a few plans, and now we're working on phrases like, "Where is the restroom?"  The problem with learning these phrases is that we still will not understand any responses that we may receive, but we'll deal with that as we go.  :) 

bad news, bad day

So up until now, everything has been peachy keen...up until now. 

Apparently, I am soley responsble for bringing a BOT here to Oxford on my computer, which has infected the entire university.  A BOT is like a virus, but worse.  That's right, I killed all the computers here on campus...how do you like that?

Sorry to be in such a downer mood, but I thought we had fixed all this last night.  Damiel found SpyWare on my coputer, and removed 111 programs that my anti-virus software never caught.  We thought we had fixed the problem.  I was dead wrong.

The IT guy here at Brasenose took my computer, and doesn't know when I can have it back.  He can't even plug it into the network, because it begins to scan every computer in the system, all over town.  I've never had this much power before, and never felt so powerless.  He really went off on me- letting me know everything that I have ever done wrong with my computer- and also letting me know that all of this is my fault.  Thanks.  He was pretty mad. 

I'm not anyone's favorite person right now, because now no one can use the internet in their rooms.  Sorry.  I downloaded some anti-virus stuff before I left, but I have learned that this is not enough anymore.  So- this means no more posts for awhile, sparse emails, and definitely no more pictures.  I have to come to the computer room to do anything, but I can't get pictures on my blog from here.  This really sucks.  I feel like I just keep apologizing to people, but I truly am sorry.  I know there are several family members of my friends here that have been checking the site...sorry.    

Anyways- things have definitely been better.  I'll keep you as updated as I can on what is going on here.  Sorry, again.

the massive update from the slacker

Miss me? Of course you did! Who wouldn't? :) So- I need to bring you folks up to date on what's been going down here in jolly old England.

Monday

West Wycombe Estate was said to be quite the erotic garden in its time.  It's owner was a bachelor and a member of the Hell Fire club, whose pastimes included deflowering virgins and being raunchy old men.  To the disappointment of my classmates, the garden was cleaned up and cleared out by the Victorians, who made such changes as removing the 42 erotic statues and the gardens made to resemble the female body.  Bummer. 

There remain to this day, however, the caves where the Hell Fire club held their meetings, which delighted even the most skeptical of students.  They were very dank, very cold, very dark, and very scary--I loved them!  They even had strange mannequins in them that could kinda make you jump when you rounded a corner, but mostly made you laugh hysterically.  If you were courageous enough to climb the hilltop over the caves, you were lucky enough to see the mausoleum and graveyard.  I know this is weird, but I love old graveyards, and this one was no exception. 

 

After my hilltop excursion I was blessed with the opportunity to try one of the greatest things I have experienced in this country thus far: clotted cream tea!  Aww- the words themselves bring back such joy to my tastebuds!  My tea was accompanied by a delightful scone, and some exceptional preserves--did I mention that I love this place?!  (And did I mention that I think I'm addicted to tea now?...)

 

Tuesday

Stratford-upon-Avon

(see the Shakspeare post below- "me thinks she doth protest too much")

 

Wednesday

After classes, I spent the afternoon in Oxford.  Matt, Martin, Chris, and I went for lunch and then around town.  Martin let me and Matt listen to a bunch of his music and we burned CD's for everyone for awhile.  Martin, Matt, and Jennifer JB hung out in my room for a while, and Matt brought his stupid hooka in here.  I made him put it by the window, though.

 

Since Tuesday was Jennifer's 21st birthday, but we were on a field trip, we went out Wednesday to The Bridge for a Girl's Nightesque dance marathon.  What I mean by this is that we went dancing, and our guy friends came, but on the dance floor (with the exception of Martin's crazy moves) it was strictly us girls.  We had a blast!  It was just some good clean fun, as we danced in the blazing hot (because there is no AC here) and acted like crazy girls.  Jennifer R. danced circles around the rest of us, but Joanna, Kristen, and I weren't so bad.  :)  It was a great night and we resolved to go dancing again as soon as we could! 

 

Thursday

Jennifer JB, Kristen, and I went to London!  We caught the bus after class and once in London, hopped on the tube.  This was definitely my first subway experience, so I was a little shaky on the whole cattle-herding, massive amounts of people, fast trains thing.  But once I got the hang of it I fell in love with the London Underground!  What a cool system- and you get where you are going in the snap of your fingers.  It was great, and I'm definitely a tube fan now.

 

For the rest of the day, look below at the posting "what's with today, today?"

 

Friday

Bath, anyone?  Yes, that's right--we went to Bath.  But it wouldn't have been a field trip without first stopping off at another exciting garden.  Prior Park was very pretty, had a fabulous view of the Bath hillside and skyline, and had this amazing bridge that I couldn't stop taking pictures of.  After a picnic lunch and a speedy 1 mile hike around the garden, we were off to Bath. 

 

Our first stop in Bath was the Jane Austen Centre.  Actually, that should read "JANE AUSTEN CENTRE!!!" because she's that awesome.  If you know me, you know my passion and love and obsession for Jane.  She rocks my socks.  So needless to say- I was a huge fan of the Centre.  The funny thing was, Jane only lived in Bath for about 5 years, she hated it, and didn't write any books while she was there.  So why is the Centre there?  Money!  But I fell for it- but only because it was Jane. If you are still reading and thinking "who is Jane Austen?" or "what did she write?" you and I can no longer be friends until you have done some reading.  Let me recommend Pride and Prejudice first, then Emma, Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility, and if you make it past that point (and there are many more), you and I may have a chance to remain friends.  Jennifer JB is hardcore like me- so she and I were having a blast.  I almost had to disown Joanna and Kristen, until they promised to read Pride and Prejudice.  Jennifer R. gave me a slight heart attack when she stated that she was bored out of her mind.  My forgiveness for such a betrayal is what I am giving her for her birthday.  (You know I love you, Jen- even if you aren't a Janeite.)

 

We also went to see the assembly rooms, and then off to the Roman Baths (hence the name "Bath"...I just saw the lights go on in so many of your heads...).  They were absolutely magnificent.  I can't believe so much of it is still there.  Now, I am a classics groupie, which means I am slightly prejudiced, but I think everyone who comes to this country needs to go to Bath, and after they see the Jane Austen Centre, they have GOT to see the Roman Baths.  They have quite a display, with so much history to read and hear.  they give you an oversized phone thing to carry around and it talks to you and tells you what you are looking at.  My favorite part of the baths was when Jennifer R. and I were taking pictures and she was commenting on the supposed healing powers of the waters.  This is one of my favorite things to hear about- the stories of all the people who were healed or who came there to be healed.  But then she wondered aloud about how many lepers and people with disgusting and contagious diseases and illnesses had been in those waters. 

-Dang.-  

-Eww.-

It makes you look at them in a whole new light...

 

I promise to add pics to all of this later- but at least I told you what I've been up to!

what's with today, today?

I went to London today with Jennifer (from the sorority), and Kristen. We had a blast! We went to the Tate Britain and saw two special exhibits that we had to pay to get into. The first one was Art in the Garden, which fits with my class perfectly. It was amazing. I absolutely loved it and was awe-inspired, even by some of the more modern art (which I typically do not enjoy). There was a ton of photography, and a special black and white exhibit that Bart would have loved! The second exhibit was Art in the 60's, which was less art and more junk, but that may just be me. I did enjoy reading the descriptions and newspaper articles and history. I also loved the pin-ups of 60's British starts and such. Sometimes I would just look at a "piece of art" and wonder if I could have done it when I was five. I just don't get some of it. But I do love to look at it and at least laugh in my head at the international tourists pondering at a canvas painted two colors. Whatever.

We then went shopping at some adorable boutiques and were such girls! These shoppes are so wonderful- designer names and things you only see in magazines...with the price tags to prove it! I bought a few things, but didn't go overboard. We ate at this quaint pizza parlor and giggled incessantly. I love these girls. I love this time that we share.

I saw the craziest bar scene ever tonight at the pub in my college. It was great! The pub had quit serving an hour before, but the crazy drunk people, many of my friends included, sang and danced to 80's songs like there was no tomorrow. I haven't laughed that hard in quite some time. :)

Oh dang- I have to wake up in a few hours and go to Bath. I better get a little bit of sleep. I haven't gotten much in quite some time. I hope to see the Roman baths and the Jane Austen Centre. It should be a great day. I think we're going to another garden, too. I promise to write about those pictures that I posted and add some more tomorrow night. Cheers!

me thinks she doth protest too much...

All I have time for is pictures, but I promise to tell you what they are later!  I love you!!!

(Much Much Later...)
These are pictures from Tuesday's trek to Stratford-upon-Avon. We toured several Shakespeare sights, and then saw 'Hamlet' at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. I absolutely love Hamlet, and it was a great performance! Toby Stephens played Hamlet, who you may remember as the villain in 'Die Another Day,' and though he did not play a very sympathetic Hamlet, he sure did play a fantastic mad-man! Three cheers for Toby!

But before Hamlet, we toured the town, which seems to make most of its profits off of Shakespeare fans- but you do what you gotta do! The town was beautiful and the tour was pretty neat. We saw his wife's cottage, his birthplace, his daughter's house, and his grave. Shakespeare is buried in a cathedral up near the alter, which seemed rather odd to me, but what do I know? The cathedral was brilliant! The stained glass was incredible and EVERYWHERE! It was a great day, and yes, another long one. That is starting to be the theme here- but it's totally worth it! :)

Pictures: me in a tree, Shakespeare's grave, his resting place- the cathedral, his wife's cottage, my buds: Joanna, Jen, and Kristen, and then me and Daniel (Daniel is the son of Dr. Cullingford, who teaches the Shakespeare class, and Dr. Friedman, the director of the program)

london holiday

Saturday was our first trek into London without the group.  We walked about 10 miles over the course of the day and were completely dead on the way home, which in no way hindered Jo from making fun of the French guys behind us and turning red when she realized how loud it was.  :)
 
We started the day at Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.  We were there and hour and 45 min early, so that we would be in the very front.  We endured 3 rain showers and were 15 minutes from the changing when they put up a sign that there would be no changing of the guard today.  Dang.
 
We then walked over and saw Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey- but didn't go in to any of them.  Then we rode the London Eye, which is a giganitc ferris wheel that takes you 135 meters into the air, so that you can see all of London at once.  It took about half and hour to ride, and it was so much fun!  Then we walked down this sidewalk that was covered in performers of all types, out to make some money off the tourists.  Our personal favorite was the Statue Man who kissed Jo's hand, and then wouldn't let go.  We just stood there and laughed unitl she convinced us to put some more money in the cup so he would let her go.  he was quite the business man. 
 
We walked over and saw Trafalgar Square, and then on the Piccadilly Circus for lunch.  We ate on the sidewalk because there were no benches ANYWHERE, and were stared at like we were crazies...oh well.  We then walked down Bond St, which is where all of the designer shops are located (for example: Dolce and Gabana, Prada, Gucci, Cartier, etc.).  It was definitely posh.  We couldn't even go into the chocolate shoppe without feeling completly out of place. 
 
We were back in Oxford in time for dinner, and then I receieved a letter from Bart.  I had forgotten that I asked him to write me a letter before he left and send it to me here.  It was quite a delightful shock.  I read the letter as I walked down the street to the church to double check worship times.  With silent tears streaming down my smiling cheeks, and my hand over my heart, I read and walked without looking up.  At one point I misread the tone of his words, and heard the words, "He loves you."  I looked back, knowing the voice was passing by, and saw a man who smiled and nodded in reassurance.  When I looked back again to thank him, the man was gone.
 
The letter was beautiful, as all of Bart's words are, and it was exactly what I needed.  We've only been apart a week and a half, but the knowledge that there will be absolutely no contact for 5 more weeks is tough to swallow.  The distance is not the difficult part-- it's the inability to communicate through words on a regular basis- to share life with one another in the present.  But he is here with me.  I feel him here like I feel the rain-- real and warm. 
 

painswick (the longest day)

Painswick was the Rococo garden- very beautiful.  It was the second garden of that infamous longest day on Friday. 

stourhead garden (the longest day)

Stourhead was the first stop on Friday (see: "the longest day").  That was the place where my group took that scenic detour and had to climb up a mudslide to rejoin the group...good times...
 
The crouching tiger is Martin, followed by Jo and Jen, then me and Kristen, and finally Peter and Madison.  Madison is the daughter of Prof Barchas, who is teaching my class on 18th Century Gardens and Jane Austen.   

longest day

A very long day was today.  Today was a very long day.  Very long was today.
 
We began our day bright and early, leaving the Oxford campus at 9am, which is quite early considering last night.  On the way to our first garden, we passed by Stonehenge, which we will be visiting in person later on.  It was strange to see such a historic landmark from our perspective, none of us realizing that it was so small, and right next to the road.  Strange. 
 
First stop after a 2.5 hr bus ride was the Stourhead gardens, which involved a 2.5 mile hike around the grounds.  My group got lost, opting for a road rather than the trail, which added about half a mile.  Luckily my professor was the one leading our small group, so I am petitioning for extra credit.  :)  Since we took an extra detour, our group had little time to grab a bite, as the others had already eaten, and we were off again.  This bus ride, though quite beautiful, was difficult to endure.  Its redeeming factor was the detour through Bath to drop someone off- and the sights and views of that beautiful city (which we will tour later in the trip). 
 
The second garden was Painswick, a Rococo garden recently reconstructed from a painting of the grounds in its prime.  I sketched a countryside here with my friend Martin, who is much better than I.  The return bus ride had everyone on edge, due to the lack of sleep, little food, and longetivity of time spent on the bus throughout the day.    Everyone was ecstatic to return home, and dinner plates were quickly devoured.  All in all, a great day, but a long one.  I'm just happy to be back on solid ground.  ;-)

week in review

So- officially in Oxford a week now.  This morning I woke Mom and Dad up with a 5am wake up call.  It was fun.  :)  We ran around Oxford like usual.  Kristen and I decided to go to Evensong, not knowing that today was the Sung Eucharist.  She being Catholic originally, and me being so very Protestant, I successfully screwed up in my foreign Lord's Supper experience.  At home, we pass some trays around and have our own servings- so I was a little thrown off.  It isn't entirely Catholic here, obviously being a bit Anglican, but it was Catholic enough to throw me off a bit.  I almost turned over the alter thing in front of us getting up from kneeling several times, and I didn't know how to receive the body and blood correctly, and I stepped forward at the wrong time and some dude in a white robe had to chase me down and pull me back.  (Sorry, Dad.)   But the service was certainly beautiful, especially the prayers.  The thing is, I just get the feeling in that place that everyone is going through the motions- there is little feeling or passion- it is too much of a routine.  My God is constant, but our relationship is ever-changing, growing and evolving.  I enjoy worshipping in a new way, but this congregation saddens me.
 
Tonight we went to a club that where one of fthe guys who works at the university would be playing.  This club was crazy.  The band was sort of techno-hip hop-jazz, with decent saxophone players, and a very Dido-sounding lead vocalist.  The club was actually an old sanctuary, and I found myself on a pew feeling somewhat sacrilegious.  I had to get up and go sit at a table.  It was a good move because I had a better view of the dancing, which was quite unlike what I am used to at home.  It was a pretty cool night, and now it is 2am and I have a field trip first thing in the morning.  Goodnight all.   

shakespeare's globe

Today was out first excursion in London- another incredible place that I never want to leave! (Though if I had to chose a place of residence in this country so far, it would be in the meadows we view in transit between Oxford and London, where I would have access to both.) We saw Romeo and Juliet at the Globe Theatre, a recreation of Shakespeare's original theatre, reconstructed on the foundation of the original building. It was, of course, amazing. The way the theatre is set up provides much contact with the audience, and the open ceiling adds to the ambience. We had a great time, and began to pick out places of interest for this weekend- which we are planning to spend primarily in London. Paris plans fell through, sadly, but with plans to venture to France when we would have a little more time. Here are some pictures of The Globe...

rousham house and garden

This was yesterday's excursion, the one on which I began my journey into the world of the charcoal drawing. It is also where I found myself in that dreamworld I mentioned- good times. The pictures don't even begin to capture its beauty- nor does my lousy sketch (but I have to begin somewhere...).

send me stuff

A couple of you have asked about my address here at Oxford. Yes, I can receive mail and such, but try not to send anything past August 18th, because I don't know if it will get here in time. It takes about a week to get here from the US, and you have to have it metered or at least weighed at the post office. I normal letter costs about 80 cents. Here's my address...

Lindsey Carter
c/o Texas Summer Program
Brasenose College
Radcliffe Square
Oxford OX1 4AJ
UK

Things are still great. We went to Rousham Garden today, designed by William Kent. I found myself in a literal dreamworld: in a meadow, surrounded by daisies, creek at my feet, English countryside before me...Heaven! I have begun to sketch with charcoal pencils, something I am very much enjoying. My new friends are impressed, but I think they must be easily amused. :)

In my class, we are studying gardens and landscapes, and right now we are focusing on the moral aspects of gardens, as we peruse Genesis, Songs of Solomon, and Paradise Lost. Many of these gardens are laid out with a picture of Eden in mind- it's just really cool to see the biblical aspect of it in these different forms.

I am finally able to find my way around Oxford relatively easily- and I find myself directing my friends now and again. We wanted to go to Paris this weekend, but plans fell through. We are pushing it to a future weekend when we have more time. However, tomorrow we are going to London (YIPPEE!!!) to the Globe Theatre to see Romeo and Juliet. I am so excited!!!

It's almost 1am and I have to get up for class in a few hours- yes I do have to work on this trip! :) I love you all and hope to hear from you soon. Thank you so much for the fun comments some of you have been leaving- they really make my day. Cheers!

PS- It was actually Bart who took those Pensacola pictures, for those of you who were wondering. he is pretty amazing. I got an email from him Sunday before he set sail- no more contact for six weeks. It's tough, but he is so worth it. :) He also took the pictures under the June Archives called "Proof of the Madness," which are also very good. (I have to brag on him- he's so wonderful!)

oxford peeps

These are the totally awesome people I have been running around with in Oxford. I'll walk you through the pics...

The first picture is from our first night in Oxford at our second pub of the night. (Yes- I went to 2 on the first night here- and no- I did not get drunk.) You see me, James, Matt, and Peter. The next picture is of me and Chad in the quad to our dorm. Below is a group of us who hiked to the park on our first morning here, eager to not miss a second of sweet time here in Oxford. From left to right: Kristen, Peter, Joanna, Jennifer, Matt, James. The next is Joanna and Kristen during our tour of Oxford- and they are standing in the quad of Magdelan College. Below is a picture of us on our infamous walking tour, from left: Shaun, Kristen, Joanna, me, and Chris. Yes- that is a phone booth, and yes- it smelled strongly of urine. Joanna and Jennifer are behind and Kristen and I are in front. The larger picture is of my cousin, Matt, in front of the Radcliffe Camera (camera means room), which is the first thing you see when you walk out of our college every day. Did I mention that this place rocks?!

my room

Here is a virtual tour of my room and the view from it...