A Work in Progress

I was happy to end on part 9, but the other day, a thought popped into my head, and my last Coventry story begged to be told. On to an even 10! My last British stereotype/perhaps actual real trait, is that of emotion. Or, the lack thereof. Good old 'stiff upper lip' and all that. Don't get panicked, or sad, or worried; wash it all down to an unreachable place with a cup of tea. Now, that sounds harsh! Everyone I met seemed perfectly normal, well adjusted, and happy to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Well, mostly. I think a lot of people are like me and play their emotions very close to the chest. Can't fault them for that. The one time I felt the stiff upper lip attitude was when I found myself crying in public. Again. After an amazing going away party hosted by the best friends I could have shared this whole experience with, I found myself faced with my last day in Coventry. It was much like any last day of higher education, strange, emotional, and diff...

Like all transitional phases of life, the last few days here in Cov have been strange and great and sad at the same time.  The next few days will be handing in my thesis, packing all my stuff into suitcases, stocking up on my favorite candy and tea, eating at the best restaurants in town, and hanging with friends that I will soon have to leave for some time. I had my last service at the cathedral on Sunday which was very nice and peaceful.  Later, a couple of friends and I finally went to Cadbury World to check out how Britain's favorite chocolate is made.  This is completely worth it, if you can get tons of discounts on entry like we did.  It's pretty camp and silly, but has a fair balance of stuff for kids and adults. After the history of chocolate and Cadbury's, at a very brief point we actually saw some factory action where the bars were being put into wrappers.  What I found interesting is that they are very insistent about not taking photos in that area....

It's about time I used that line! The parents and I managed to navigate through central Manchester and return the car without incident! Woot! What a relief that is. In Manchester we visited the museum of science and industry which didn't fail to impress. We trained it to Coventry and it felt very good and weird to be home. We were just in time for the Godiva Festival, and we watched the colorful and impressive parade go by before walking to the park to see just what this festival was all about. Oh, and by the way, Lady Godiva was a. fully clothed (not even pretending to be naked) and, b. in a car. I mean seriously?! We can do better. I'll grow my hair out and be ready by next years parade. Bring me a white horse. The festival was pretty fun and there were so many people there! Way to come out, Coventry. They had plenty of carnival rides and games, drunk teenagers, and local crafts. Not to mention some good food stands. A great day out. The next day we went ba...

It was a bit strange playing tour guide in my own town, but I enjoyed it. For the first time since they started charging admission I visited the cathedral and was pleasantly surprised by the changes they've made. There was also a wonderful display of pictures from Afghanistan in the 70's that was touching and frustrating. I'm very happy to report that in my absence, they removed the scaffolding from the ruins, and now they look great. Well, they're still ruins. And how could I take anyone to Coventry and not go to the transport museum? I constantly underestimate the size of the place, and it too has changed a bit since my last visit. I'm proud at its Coventry-centric displays and they've added some stuff to show how the car industry impacted the city. Still, needs more ambulances. Then, of course we got real ale and had dinner with some friends before heading back to London. He even got to experience an early morning fire alarm. I know he was both honore...

3am fire alarm footwear

Coventry's 3rd spire.

Messing about in the dark on my favorite street in Coventry

Sorry I'm a few days behind. Turns out that research and procrastination are not very interesting photo subjects. But here's one of my building.

Um...class week does not make for good photo taking opportunities. Until tomorrow.

During class week, what really matters.

13th centry building, found after the bombings in 1940

Writing and going to the gym. See? I told you it was boring.

A man at work, or a man struggling with an umbrella?

St. Mary's Guildhall, Coventry

Glass recovered from the cathedral in 1940

I guess I should have specified in my "resolution" to write more blog posts, or more academic work. At the time I meant both, but since then have done little of either. I have a paper due next week and have been relatively uninspired by the subject matter. Because of the paper, the university closing, and people being out of town for the holidays, not much has been going on anyway. New years was a very unexpectedly good time with some new friends. I ended up staying up late enough to watch the ball drop in times square via webcam. I really did miss hanging out with the fam that day, but I'm sure we'll have plenty to catch up and graze on next year. This week Coventry finally got some snow like the rest of the northern hemisphere which proved a good time for all (non driving, no obligation students). The snow was very sticky, perfect for snowballs, snowmen, and stuck to everything leaving a beautiful white carpet on the city. I have a certain reluctance to take do...

Thanksgiving this year was inevitably a strange one. I was very excited to share it with new friends, none of whom knew what thanksgiving was all about. I don't think I had the best explanation of this highly evolved holiday. I like to say it was a utopian couple of days when the "pilgrims" and "Indians" lived in peace, after the Indians kindly saved the remaining pilgrims from dying. More or less immediately after the first Thanksgiving was over the pilgrims set to spreading disease to the Native Americans, and generally killing them in any other way possible. But, it really is a great holiday. I was able to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade via live webcam feed on Times Square. It was the best way I've ever watched it, as it was completely without annoying commentary and periodic broadway performances. I could see the baloons, listen to the bands, and watch Santa arrive in peace. I got up early and for the first time made my Mother's ...

Thank goodness, in 1605, some Catholic extremists decided to blow up parliament. Thank goodness one of them lost his nerve and caused them to fail. If that hadn't happened, there wouldn't be a November holiday in the UK! Traditional Guy Fawkes day, or bonfire night, is celebrated with a bonfire including burning and effigy of Fawkes, and a fireworks display. What an impact on history he's had here, to have a whole holiday named after you, still celebrated 400 years later?! Wow. Anyway. Thanks to Guy and his friends I found myself this evening pedaling 4 miles in the rain to Longford park to take in a proper English fireworks display. My nerve faltered when it was so cloudy, but I was assured it would go on rain or shine. So, armed with my waterproofs, high-vis vest, and blinking taillight, I set off into the unknown. I found the park without a problem other that by the time I got there I was an hour early and it was raining. A lot. I hid for a while under a bus stop...

I'm bringing the picture of the day project for October to a close with a visit to the lovely Coombe Country Park. It's about 5 miles outside of town and completely worth the drive/bike/bus ride. I'm sure the time of year had something to do with winning me over. The park has a huge abbey where you can stay the night or get married, or both. In fact, I saw two brides, and I was only there a couple of hours. There were a lot of other people enjoying the park today, allowing me to feel entirely safe. There was also a food stand, donkey rides, and possibly the greatest playground I've seen. It was like a ropes course for kids, awesome. Strictly speaking I wasn't allowed to ride my bike down their tree lined, smooth, beautiful, perfect paths. But I did anyway. It was awesome, and it turns out that the crap bike likes trails! So, happy Halloween, and I hope you enjoyed the pics.