A Work in Progress

It seems that finally, work is following me. Last week in church I was thinking about all the times I had gone to churches at work. One morning I visited three in a row! Not twenty minutes later I noticed a curfuffle in front of me as a guy fainted and was using the person next to him as a prop. A guy behind me (a doctor) noticed a second before I did and got their first. As the sermon started, the patient was telling us he was fine and didn't want to go to the hospital, and there isn't much I can do with that. The doc had taken the seat next to him and was checking him over and feeling his pulse in a satisfactory way so I went back to my seat. The whole rest of the service I watched this guy. I think he enjoyed making us nervous as he insisted on standing at all the right times and going up for communion. Nothing else happened, but I had one glorious moment of excitement. Then, today on my way to the gym I noticed a guy laying on the ground. Oh, no I thought. He was...

A hostel can be a great place to meet other people from all over the world and be annoyed by their personal habits and noisemaking. But that only happens if other people are in your room. Normally, I would be thrilled to be alone in a hostel, but the other night, it echoed my disappointment. But, it did make for a quiet night and I used all the pillows I wanted. In the morning, renewed by the unseasonable weather, I continued in my quest to discover new places in the city. I love markets, which makes England a great place for me because every town has a market going on all the time. I especially love the ones that sell beautiful looking vegetables and on the other end of the market spectrum, the ones that sell weird-ass stuff. I was advised to visit Camden to see their market. Camden market/lock area make all other markets I've seen look like boring. None have so much color, flavor, and culture. Foods from almost every continent were fresh at lunch time. New, delicious smel...

Firstly, thanks to everyone who has been looking out for me in the last couple of days. I feel truly blessed. Not to mention my parents whom I will see soon! (there are always cargo freighters, right?) Today I enjoyed a hearty included breakfast and set off to the Imperial War Museum, as suggested to me by a classmate. Wow. I have at best a passing interest in wars, yet spent an easy four hours in there. Yeah, four. It is massive and strangely fascinating. It starts with World War I and II which of course garnered huge areas of the place. In the WWI area they have a trench experience that was very cool, and in the WWII area they have a 'blitz experience' where they shake the floor and have rubble and other destroyed stuff much to the delight and horror of patrons. I knew it would be good when exiting school groups exclaimed “That was cooool!” and “That was scary!” (boys and girls, respectively). From there they had displays from almost every conflict that occurred af...

Can be easier to undo than to make. I thought I'd live somewhere far more exotic than England to have a volcano interrupt my holiday making. This morning, my parents were due to join me in London to embark on a UK adventure for two weeks. A UK adventure that I had spent hours researching and booking (not to rub it in). I had planned to go to London to meet them, and since I had bought the ticket decided to go hoping that some miracle would bring them to me. Sadly, that was not the case, which left me last night apologetically cancelling reservations. All were understanding save one, so I guess that's not too bad. I spent yesterday fretting about air travel and volcanoes but I didn't let it stop me from enjoying the greatest city on Earth. Determined to make the most of my non-vacation, I booked an extra night at the hostel and a late train home on Thursday. Though I was feeling sad, the usual sights didn't fail to lift my spirits; gleaming Westminster Abbey and pa...

About two months ago my headphones broke. Not a tragedy, but then a few weeks ago my mp3 player broke. I don't know why, like many of this company's products (which I happily endorse) it decided to stop working (cough-micro-cough-soft!) Oh, that doesn't work as well on paper. Their support was worthless as it actually suggested I mail it to them for 'diagnostics' to the tune of $159. You must be kidding me. So, I thought long and hard about a replacement. I could buy some crap that would hopefully last me until I got home, or the simpler solution: upgrade. 2/3 of the zunes that I know about broke unexpectedly so I was hesitant to jump back on that bandwagon. Plus, now you can only get the HD version which is not as super awesome as I hoped. Since their inception I have been anti-ipod, simply because everyone had one. That annoyed me. Every other person walking down the street had their blazing white headphones in, mocking the rest of us non-mac minions. S...

It has been a strange holy week for me. At one point I nearly quit lent altogether out of frustration with God, but that's someone elses story (sorry to be cryptic). On Wednesday, my Bible study group had an infomal Seder meal, which I hadn't done in many years. It was fun, and I ate a radish! Last night I watched Chocolat, my favorite lenten movie. Yes, because it's about chocolate, and yes, because Johnny Depp plays an Irish gypsy. Today I got up at 5 for the sunrise service, in the hopes that it would renew me. It was not at all what I expected, as more than five people showed up. In actuality almost 300 people were there before dawn in the cathedral ruins to celebrate Easter. The service was also not what I expected, as it lasted more than five minutes. In fact, it was about two hours later when we finished, and I was filled with shock and horror to learn that it was still only 7:30 in the morning. The service was very elaborate, and included incense, playin...

I arrived in Coventry six months ago today, wide-eyed, nervous, and excited. I am still wide-eyed, nervous, and excited , just in smaller doses...and not every day. I don't honestly have much to say about this momentous occasion, but I figured I'd mark it with a blog post. Today, I am only panicking a little concerning the several assignments I must finish in the next couple of weeks. I have just completed my sixth module, (don't make me explain the strangeness of the class distribution for this degree) marking that I have only two left before embarking on my thesis research! (don't tell anyone, but I've already started) This most recent module, I'm sad to say, marks one of the most boring and seemingly pointless weeks in my academic career. Well, it may not be true, but when classes are squeezed into a five day period, the boring parts are more obvious. The high point of the week was a good old fashioned field trip to London to help the London Fire Brig...

It shouldn't be like this it should be easy. All this change, jingling in my pocket, is not a sign of wealth. But when you hear it, you call it 'spare.' The desire to be generous stemmed by lack of resources, and cruel skepticism. When what is offered is not enough, there can be little difference between charity and robbery. Still. It should be automatic, like feeling for a lightswitch, offsetting a lifetime of punishment. Is food the goal, or a ticket home, or a pint, I can't tell. What story today for 20p? But whatever the pretence, whatever its intentions, I would have wasted it too.

Last week I learned that Oxford is more than a bunch of colleges you have to pay to visit. So much more. I went to Oxford in past trips, and experienced a small cross section of the university and the city. I can understand why the tour company didn't let us loose in the city then, people like my parents and I would have never gotten back on the bus. I had a few places I wanted to check out in Oxford, each more nerdy than the one before. But that's okay, I'm not sure there is anything to do in Oxford that isn't nerdy. We stared with a stroll through town ending at the Ashmolean Museum. The first of four museums we visited in a day, and the first of four that I woefully underestimated. Not wanting to completely bore the crap out of my companion, I suggested we split up and meet back in an hour. After passing the threshold of the museum, I began to realize the scope of it. So, armed with the 'things nerds will most want to see' guide, I headed in. I felt sim...

Gloucester, (gloss-ter) is a town west of London. Its position along the longest river in Britain, the Severn, made it a bustling inland port town for quite some time. Now, its old docks, warehouses, and mills have become a beautiful tourist spot. The town itself dates back to Roman times, and Saxons laid the foundation of the now cathedrdal in 681 AD. Wow. Today it is a beautiful city with many historical gems. One of the largest tutor style buildings is hidden down a narrow alley sandwiched against a modern building. Also the real setting of Beatrix Potters 'The Tailor of Gloucester' is here, as it is based on a true story of a tailor in the city (minus a talking cat and mice who can sew). King Edward II was buried at the cathedral in 1327, a long awaited home for the murdered king (in fact, he was buried a full three months after his death to avoid riots in the streets.) As well as making Gloucester a pilgrimage site, his grave saved the cathedral from being torn do...

Before I left to come here, I really tried to avoid 'panic packing' and end up throwing a bunch of unnecessary stuff in my suitcase just to make me feel better. One item that lingered in the suitcase/storage limbo was my rocking BA camping sleeping pad . A silly waste of precious packing space, I know, and when would I need it? Well, last weekend actually. By strokes of luck and kindness I was invited to camp in the lake district with a few friends. Happily, through their uncesasing generosity I was furnished with tent, sleeping bag, and mattress! So, on Friday evening after collecting camp food we were off on the M6 to, well, for me, anywhere. I realized I didn't know where we were going nor what we would do when we got there, but I didn't really care. I was camping! In the country! In England! All camping trips begin with a few amusing hiccups. This one was no different, especially when confirming the camp site on the way there. The rest of the car was qui...

I remember five years ago, with giddy anticipation I walked toward the mysterious Stonehenge. That feeling was not gone yesterday as I made that journey again. It is trite, yes, but a fascinating place. I am forever amazed that they were not just set there, but it was quite a calculated place (it can be used as a calendar) and the stones were carved to form a circular shape, and they actually all fit together with joints, which is just boggling. After watching this guys video, it is with renewed interest that I pondered the raising of Stonehenge. I am hoping that they come up with some kind of solution to ease the traffic in the area, the highway noise detracts some from the bronze age mindset. Although I agree that putting a tunnel directly under it is a bad idea. After we had had our fill, and it conveniently started raining, we headed to the nearby town of Salisbury. The whole town was moved to its current location back in the day (the 13th Century) for its water supply and ove...

I returned to the northern city of York this week, mostly on a fact finding mission for future travel pursuits to Yorkshire. And, because I really liked it the first time and I wanted to make sure I wasn't disillusioned. And, because it was free. I'm happy to report that the weather was questionable and the ride there took forever, so I can conclude that I was not disillusioned the first time, I still liked it! Everything in York is either covered in moss or cobblestoned, or both. It exudes charm. Even the pizza hut is in a beautiful building. I didn't really end up doing much of anything. The Christmas crowds were all gone and it was nice just to walk around. At the end of the day we had some fancy tea and scones where it was required to hold your pinky out when you picked up your teacup. My parents recently booked tickets to visit (huzzah!) and York, Yorkshire and basically the entire north of England are on the list of things to do. Any suggestions for driving rou...

I am fascinated by public transport, and although I have great faith in it, it can be a little confusing and I am always kind of surprised when I successfully arrive at my destination. After taking the train last weekend to London I am more confident in reading the confusing timetables, which is great because until now, they made no sense to me at all. There's something about the London tube that I find especially appealing, and as it took us to Chinatown I don't know if I was more excited to be zooming around under the city or getting to learn some Chinese New Year customs. The streets of Chinatown were teeming with people, it was amazing. It took us 20 minutes to walk one block there were so many enjoying the parade of a good luck lion zig-zagging its way down the street, visiting each business to, well, give them good luck. In each doorway hung an offering of lettuce which the 'Lion' would take, break up, and throw back onto the proprietors. Everything I found s...

Five years ago on a day that was completely random, a blog was born. A vessel to share my adventures as a paramedic student, and now as a different kind of student. Five years ago I wouldn't have believed what I'm up to now, let alone that the blog would have followed me this far. Every year I express my disbelief at still being a blogger, maybe after six years I will be less surprised. This year for the first time, my paper diary does exist and is not for rent. Well, it's negotiable. The traditional gift for a five year anniversary is wood. The so called 'modern' traditional gift is silverware. Somehow I don't think the blog needs either of those things. I hope to give the blog another five years of posts. Well, I hope to give my handful of dear readers another five years of posts. Thanks for reading the 600+ posts and I'm beginning to think that not all of the 33,000 hits are from my mother. I assure you next year the blog will be back to its us...

Ah, the holiday that I have historically loathed, and secretly longed to enjoy. Worries of lonliness and expectation are long since past. The unbreakable heart is a sad thing. But things can change, and time, time alone, time apart, can cause the heart to soften. And little reminders become all that matter. And by little reminders I mean giant boquets of flowers sent from 3000 miles away. Magic.

Last night I was a witness to the singing sensation that is not sweeping the nation. At least not this one. Or the one I'm from. I found myself trolling Chinese restaraunts with a group of friends not in seach of food, but in search of an open karaoke room. Karaoke is a word that strikes fear in the hearts of most westerners, myself included. The last time I was even close to participating was in a smoky bar full of peer pressure and a sleazy DJ queuing up songs ready to make us wish we were born deaf. I had no idea that the Eastern definition is quite different. We found a place and headed up the stairs into a hallway full of numbered doors. For a terrible moment I felt like I was entering the private "entertainment" rooms in the back of shady gentlemens clubs. But instead of a pole, the room had cushy booths, a large TV connected to speakers, and even a tiny stage. A clever computer program allowed us to play the DJ, choosing from a strange assortment of popular...

For a non business person, business continuity management and its associated everything is entertaining for a limited time. It is a very interesting concept, and as one instructor put it is "common sense written down and put into practice" or something like that. I'm a big proponent, although if it ever has a practical application for me I will be surprised. Any business I start will not be big enough to warrent an official continuity plan. Luckily, most of our instructors this week have unconsciously strayed from the topic, leading to more intersesting things. We watched a video about 9/11, and learned about some of the causes of things going terribly wrong (outside of terrorism). In my imaginary buisness I think I will adopt shouting "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" wherever I go to keep people on their toes. This should prevent holes from forming in our defenses. After reading parts of the 9/11 commission report (for fun?!) I have decided to retire from reading fri...

The guy at the computer store was either calling me "Madam" or "Mate" both of which made me feel strange, as I am not his mate and far to young to be called madam. But I think he was just trying to be nice to a freaked out foreigner with a dead laptop. On tuesday morning lappy broke and wouldn't turn on properly. After attempting to boot in safe mode and running some futile tests, it became clear it was beyond my skill to heal. I then fell into an uncharacteristic panic, but after a time, rational thought overtook me and I took it to lappy hospital. I am overjoyed to report that it is back in action after £70 worth of work and all of my data and files were recovered. I have spent the last few hours sorting out my preferences and programs. And having it fixed in the UK now means that my keyboard does cool stuff like the 3 is now £ and not #. And my clock is now on military time. Quirky. As I wandered through the library yesterday it seemed everyone had a ...

I have lived here now for four months. I am comfortable in my part of the city. I've learned short cuts, the best time to go to the library, and when Sainsbury's discounts their baked goods for the day. I am more at ease with the conflict between being here to study and being on vacation. At the moment, it is a calculated balance. I do not need to fret over wasted time, I can just live life. It is okay to sit and watch movies; to have an ordinary day here. Though, I have a feeling that when spring rolls around, I'll be thinking differently. The novelty of cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and shopping in a foreign country is sadly gone for the most part, but having normalcy here is in itself extraordinary. Living like a local is the whole point. Oh yeah, and doing good school work too.