(no subject)
1st year students who don't know how to cook + res halls with kitchens instead of cafeterias = fire alarms going off 3 times today. Hopefully this will be contained to today and this evening instead of tonite when I'd rather be sleeping.
In news that you might care about...
Went to Liverpool with Kevin & Kai Sunday. A pretty city. Lately. They were named the first winner of the European City of Culture award. An extremely diverse city that made its fortune as a huge port town during the time of the Empire... think of the triangular trade and then the decline of the city with the end of the Empire. It got pretty ugly. In the past few years they have refurbished the city center--more shopping-- and cleaned the white Victorian buildings. The Albert Dock has been the heart of the tourism industry for the past few years. Now they are converting the huge warehouse into boutiques and million-pound condos. There were a few museums I wanted to check out, but didn't.
We went on an hour-long ferry ride on the river Mersey. Very choppy water--and windy. Cloudy and cold when we left Bradford, we enjoyed a perfect blue sky and 60deg F weather. The boys decided to sit indoors for the 2nd part of the ride. We could hear the recorded history better, but the windows were a frame for the sky then the city then the sky ... ugh. Better to be cold in the wind.
Next lunch at a restaurant above a health club. Good, healthy, cheap, prepared-by-someone-else food. Can't get that in Bradford.
And then... the Magical Mystery Tour. I learned a lot about the Beatles. We also saw much more of Liverpool & the suburbs than we would have on our own on our way to each Beatles' birthplace, school, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and various pubs & clubs they played at.
I think I have different expectations of being here than Kevin & Kai. I think I enjoyed Liverpool more than they did--not that they didn't have a good time. I know better that to expect London anywhere other than in London and I know not to expect a lot out of seeing different cities. Many cities have some tourist-oriented things to do, but are primarily set up for people to live and work in. In marketing classes they teach us about the importance of managing expectations. You should expect that I am a geek, and do notice things I learn in school occurring in my life. That way, you won't think I'm cooler than I am.
So there.
I've had a cold for a few days now. Sometimes I can trace the source of my infection--but the only other person I know with a cold right now is Chris. Same symptoms, but 3500 miles away. That can't be it.
I noticed something about myself: the worse I feel, the better I look... to a degree. For instance, if I have a headache, a sore throat or a stuffy nose, I look great. I feel like, by dressing well and fixing my hair and makeup, I can make the rest of myself feel as good as I look. If I have a migraine, I feel like and look like shit. That is the exception. Today, I am beautiful. My eyes are stunning.
Aside from Liverpool, I've been taking it easy. It's nice--I feel much more comfortable here. I'm not homesick, but I am very excited to go home.
In news that you might care about...
Went to Liverpool with Kevin & Kai Sunday. A pretty city. Lately. They were named the first winner of the European City of Culture award. An extremely diverse city that made its fortune as a huge port town during the time of the Empire... think of the triangular trade and then the decline of the city with the end of the Empire. It got pretty ugly. In the past few years they have refurbished the city center--more shopping-- and cleaned the white Victorian buildings. The Albert Dock has been the heart of the tourism industry for the past few years. Now they are converting the huge warehouse into boutiques and million-pound condos. There were a few museums I wanted to check out, but didn't.
We went on an hour-long ferry ride on the river Mersey. Very choppy water--and windy. Cloudy and cold when we left Bradford, we enjoyed a perfect blue sky and 60deg F weather. The boys decided to sit indoors for the 2nd part of the ride. We could hear the recorded history better, but the windows were a frame for the sky then the city then the sky ... ugh. Better to be cold in the wind.
Next lunch at a restaurant above a health club. Good, healthy, cheap, prepared-by-someone-else food. Can't get that in Bradford.
And then... the Magical Mystery Tour. I learned a lot about the Beatles. We also saw much more of Liverpool & the suburbs than we would have on our own on our way to each Beatles' birthplace, school, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and various pubs & clubs they played at.
I think I have different expectations of being here than Kevin & Kai. I think I enjoyed Liverpool more than they did--not that they didn't have a good time. I know better that to expect London anywhere other than in London and I know not to expect a lot out of seeing different cities. Many cities have some tourist-oriented things to do, but are primarily set up for people to live and work in. In marketing classes they teach us about the importance of managing expectations. You should expect that I am a geek, and do notice things I learn in school occurring in my life. That way, you won't think I'm cooler than I am.
So there.
I've had a cold for a few days now. Sometimes I can trace the source of my infection--but the only other person I know with a cold right now is Chris. Same symptoms, but 3500 miles away. That can't be it.
I noticed something about myself: the worse I feel, the better I look... to a degree. For instance, if I have a headache, a sore throat or a stuffy nose, I look great. I feel like, by dressing well and fixing my hair and makeup, I can make the rest of myself feel as good as I look. If I have a migraine, I feel like and look like shit. That is the exception. Today, I am beautiful. My eyes are stunning.
Aside from Liverpool, I've been taking it easy. It's nice--I feel much more comfortable here. I'm not homesick, but I am very excited to go home.