Feb 21st
This is my tow class day, so I got up and got ready for that. The first class of the day was Ethno and it was a lot of fun. We started off finishing up about Jack the Ripper and then we moved on to these London gangster called the Kray twins. They were born and raised in the same part of London as the Ripper murders and went on to pretty much control the city. Justin told us a story to prove this point. One of the twins was openly homosexual. A man who worked with the Twin’s gang and another rival had a falling out with the Twins. One night he came into the restaurant the brothers owned where they were celebrating with their family. He walked up to Ronnie, the Twin in question, and called him a fag in front of his family. He was not to pleased about this and said that he was going to kill him in the middle of this crowded restaurant. A little while later, a member of the gang saw this man at a pub and told Ronnie about it. Ronnie drove there in his big green Jaguar, told his driver to wait and walked in. This guy saw Ronnie from the other side of the bar as Ronnie was pulling out a gun. He told Ronnie there was no way he would do it, and Ronnie shot in right there and left. By the time the police showed up, the bar was empty and the bar maid claimed she was downstairs changing a keg. He got away with it. These guys had amazing connections. They were good friends with members of the House of Lords and the Royal family. Ronnie was even good friends with Elizabeth and her sister Margaret, who interestingly enough was having an affair with Mic Jager at the time. Really cool history.
After that I came back to the flat to get ready to go to a play called the War Next Door. The theatre complex itself was really cool. It had a bar, a restaurant, a cinema, and the theatre all in one building. The theatre itself was pretty industrial and Spartan. It was a nice change. The play itself wasn’t all that great. I had a hard time getting into it and a couple of the characters just weren’t that convincing. It wasn’t terrible and I’m not sad that I saw it, but I don’t think I would go out of my way to see it. I got back from that and spent a couple of hours watching the movie Troy and playing some cards before going to bed.
Feb 22nd
On my way to work this morning I stopped off at Leicester Square to see if I could get tickets for a show called History Boys. None of the places there had any and the theatre didn’t open up until after I had to go to work, so I got the number and made my way there. Work today was more of what I had been doing from the day before. I spent a lot more time working on the database and then some time getting articles for the cotton reader ready. I have to type the last few in by hand since we don’t have the original documents anymore, we only have the hard copies. That kept me busy for the entire pretty much. At lunch I called the theatre about tickets, and all they had left were ones for about £50, so I think we can go back another time. I think of we order them a week or so in advance we would be fine, but the day of or before isn’t going to work so well. I spent the afternoon getting as much done as I could. I managed to get a long ways on a lot of the little projects that I was working on, so that made me feel really good. That was especially nice because I spent a good chunk of the morning cutting out a sample pamphlet for a presentation one of the people is going to in Washington.
I got back from work and stopped by Tesco to get something for dinner. I didn’t have any thing I could really make for the night since I thought I was going to be eating out. I just picked up some spring rolls, made some rice and called it good. The people I had been planning on going to the play with decided that they would go to a pub tonight, since they were leaving in the morning for various destinations. We went back to the Black Friars and spent a couple of hours there and ordered some more of their delicious cheesy fries. A really good night.
By the time we got back, it was starting to get pretty late. A lot of people had left already or there flights were early in the morning so they were packing or in bed already. I stayed up for a while writing in my journal and the called it a night.
Feb 23rd
This was a really mellow day.
Work today was more of the same from early this week. I had about eight projects at the beginning of the week to get done, and I was about 80% finished with all of them. I just had the finishing touches to put on them so that’s what I did today. It was really nice to actually be able to mark things off as done. Up to this point, I was having to skip around to get stuff done so often that I never really finished what I started. I would work on it, go to something else, then something else. Now that I’ve actually got some things done, it should get a lot easier. One of the problems I had been having was that I was forgetting little things about what I was doing. The Reader is a real issue with this. Since there are so many little formatting things to do, having to keep going away and coming back to it means that I have to relearn everything over again. I would forget what size the headers were supposed to be or how I should format this or that. Now that I’m past that, it should go a lot faster.
I really didn’t do much when I got back. I had some dinner and watched some TV for a while. I also did a ton of dishes. Everyone was kind enough to leave all there dishes in a big pile before they left. Real cool. I worked my way through the pile so that the people left would actually have some plates to use. It really sucks because its only a couple of people who never wash their stuff, but it really piles up. People also don’t do their dishes right away if they just have a cup and then they forget about it. One of the guys actually put a sign up that said “For Lent, how about we all do our own dishes.” I thought it was very nice. Apparently, the guy who never does his dishes didn’t agree and tore it down the same night. At some point I’m going to put a couple more up before everyone gets back. It will be interesting to see how long they last.
I did go down to flat 4 and watch some TV with a couple of people who were left. We watched a show about a special forces group called the Unit. It was pretty good. I didn’t have any reason to go to bed since I didn’t have anything going on the next day, but I didn’t have any reason to stay up and I ended up sleeping.
Saturday, 24 February 2007
Feb 20th
Really not a whole lot went on for me today. I got up and went for a run as normal I was able to go a little shorter than I have been able too since I wasn’t going to have to take a day off this week. I got a nice relaxing run and just enjoyed the day pretty much. We’ve had a string of just really beautiful mornings here. The wind has been almost nonexistent and the temperature is just perfect, it really has been a treat. I made myself some breakfast and then headed to work.
I’m starting to really get started on the project that will be occupying my time for the rest of the internship. I started to day going through and getting entries in this big database in order. I’m going through and making sure the information is in the correct place, making sure the entries are complete, and then going through and adding new entries to be listed on the website that PAN publishes. It’s www.wearorganic.org if anyone would like to check it out. You go through to the upper right hand corner and there should be a link to something about listing or shops near you type of thing. Its pretty obvious. To make sure I was doing that right, I worked with Damien a lot. Apparently some of the interns who had come before me hadn’t be all that careful, so I’m going to have to go through and clean up some of those entries. I actually like this work quite a bit. I feel like I’m doing something that will make a difference on some level. I don’t think I’m going to change the way everyone shops or anything like that, but its go to know that people will use this to a good end. I like that feeling.
I do go to a movie tonight, which was a lot of fun. There’s a cheap theatre called the Coronet. Every Tuesday night they do a student cheap night and it only costs £3.50, which is cheaper than it is back home right now. We went to a movie called Hot Fuzz. Its by the same guys who made Sean of the Dead. It was absolutely hilarious. The point of the movie was to go out and make a Hollywood police action movie, but in Britain. It follow the story of London cop who is showing everyone else up, so he goes to s small town in the country. There is then a string of suspicious disappearances that he must solve. It is some amazing. I would recommend this movie very highly. Nancy and Hanna, you must go and see this movie. The theatre itself was pretty cool too. It has been converted from an old play theatre, so the inside is really ornate and very pretty. I really liked it.
I got back from that and didn’t really do much. I think I just sat around and read for a while before going to bed.
I’m starting to really get started on the project that will be occupying my time for the rest of the internship. I started to day going through and getting entries in this big database in order. I’m going through and making sure the information is in the correct place, making sure the entries are complete, and then going through and adding new entries to be listed on the website that PAN publishes. It’s www.wearorganic.org if anyone would like to check it out. You go through to the upper right hand corner and there should be a link to something about listing or shops near you type of thing. Its pretty obvious. To make sure I was doing that right, I worked with Damien a lot. Apparently some of the interns who had come before me hadn’t be all that careful, so I’m going to have to go through and clean up some of those entries. I actually like this work quite a bit. I feel like I’m doing something that will make a difference on some level. I don’t think I’m going to change the way everyone shops or anything like that, but its go to know that people will use this to a good end. I like that feeling.
I do go to a movie tonight, which was a lot of fun. There’s a cheap theatre called the Coronet. Every Tuesday night they do a student cheap night and it only costs £3.50, which is cheaper than it is back home right now. We went to a movie called Hot Fuzz. Its by the same guys who made Sean of the Dead. It was absolutely hilarious. The point of the movie was to go out and make a Hollywood police action movie, but in Britain. It follow the story of London cop who is showing everyone else up, so he goes to s small town in the country. There is then a string of suspicious disappearances that he must solve. It is some amazing. I would recommend this movie very highly. Nancy and Hanna, you must go and see this movie. The theatre itself was pretty cool too. It has been converted from an old play theatre, so the inside is really ornate and very pretty. I really liked it.
I got back from that and didn’t really do much. I think I just sat around and read for a while before going to bed.
Monday, 19 February 2007
Feb 19
I had started off with a run this morning that was kind of brisk. The temp was colder than it has been, it was foggy and a little bit misty. I got back and had a little snack before going to class. That was pretty interesting this moning. We watched a bunch of old propaganda posters and old movies from the first and second world wars. They were pretty interesting. They were mostly sutff about how people needed to conserve various resources for the war effort, especially how people should eat at community kitchens. That was pretty cool. I didn't realize that there had been those kinds of initatives goig on during the war. They make perfect sense, but I guess I just hadn't think about it before. After that, I made a trip to the brewery I took a tour of a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to pick up some special beer that they make so I could send it home wiht mom and dad. I picked up a souvenir mug as well and we headed home. The Tube ride wasn't very long and it was actually pretty nice. I got to talk with some people who went with me, so that was fun. I got back from that and did a little bit of writing in my journal and my blog. I'm trying to write more often, but in smaller chunks so I don't have a huge chunk of stuff to do at once. So far so good.
After about an hour of that, I went out and warmed up for the circuit training at Imperial. I was just outside the Albert Hall when I noticed this huge plume of smoke. The smell was excately what you would expect from a bonfire, so I was pretty confused. As I got a little farther I saw that the top floor of a building was burning and there were quite a few fire trucks there already and there more on the way. The training went well and I'm really starting to like a lot of the guys. I feel like I'm starting to fit in a littel bit more which is fun. I did a quick cool down, and I saw that the building was still smoldering. I don't know what had happend, but it must have been pretty bad.
When I got back to the apartment, I made myself some dinner, then got down to doing some errands and work. I had a packet to read for one of my classes on the social conditions that surrounded the murders. It was pretty interesting to see how the different groups reacted to the murders. What was really imteresting was the role that the media played in shaping the formation of the myth and propogating it. They were looking for a story, and they had really found one with this. After that I cleaned out reorganized my fridge. Someone's milk as spilled and so there was that and some juice all over the base of the fridge and in some shelves. I took those out and cleaned it all out so it would be clean when I came back with groceries. That's what I did right after I got done with that. On the way, I stopped at a cashpoint to get some money and I stopped off at the Tube station to get some Oyester Cards for Mom and Dad & Grandpa Grandma. I put enough money on them to get them back to their hotel so when they get here we can just head out. I made it to the grocery store and on the way I stopped by Metrogate to check my mail. I had a letter from Katie, which was very nice. I got back and put everything away and now an just getting ready for bed.
After about an hour of that, I went out and warmed up for the circuit training at Imperial. I was just outside the Albert Hall when I noticed this huge plume of smoke. The smell was excately what you would expect from a bonfire, so I was pretty confused. As I got a little farther I saw that the top floor of a building was burning and there were quite a few fire trucks there already and there more on the way. The training went well and I'm really starting to like a lot of the guys. I feel like I'm starting to fit in a littel bit more which is fun. I did a quick cool down, and I saw that the building was still smoldering. I don't know what had happend, but it must have been pretty bad.
When I got back to the apartment, I made myself some dinner, then got down to doing some errands and work. I had a packet to read for one of my classes on the social conditions that surrounded the murders. It was pretty interesting to see how the different groups reacted to the murders. What was really imteresting was the role that the media played in shaping the formation of the myth and propogating it. They were looking for a story, and they had really found one with this. After that I cleaned out reorganized my fridge. Someone's milk as spilled and so there was that and some juice all over the base of the fridge and in some shelves. I took those out and cleaned it all out so it would be clean when I came back with groceries. That's what I did right after I got done with that. On the way, I stopped at a cashpoint to get some money and I stopped off at the Tube station to get some Oyester Cards for Mom and Dad & Grandpa Grandma. I put enough money on them to get them back to their hotel so when they get here we can just head out. I made it to the grocery store and on the way I stopped by Metrogate to check my mail. I had a letter from Katie, which was very nice. I got back and put everything away and now an just getting ready for bed.
Sunday, 18 February 2007
Feb 18th
This morning I woke up a lot earlier than I had expected to for how late I had stayed up the night before. That wasn't at all bad though, and it made for a really nice run this morning. The temp was cool but not cold an there was really no wind to speak of for a long time. I'm really enjoying having that time to myself and being able to get out and ejoy the nice weather. This afternoon I went back to the British Museum to see the Egyptian Mummies that I had missed on the first pass through. I found them pretty easily this time around and spent a good couple of hours walking through that exhibit. I really liked the dsiplays about the sarcaphogi and all the oramentation that went into the statues and rituals surronding the burials and religion. It was all really interesting and very beautiful. I was really surprised at how much of it was really well preserved even after all these years. There were scrolls that were three thousand years old that were holding together fine and were incredibly vibrant. Once I got to the mummies, I wasn't so sure. It just seemed wierd to me to be in there. At some point someone had gone into a graveyard, took a bunch of bodies that looked cool, then put them on dsiplay. I guess I just felt kind of uncomfortable in there. The bodies had held there shape remarkably well and the place felt more like a graveyard or a mortuary than a museum. I spent a lot fo time in the first couple of rooms before walking a lot more quickly through the last two. They were pretty much the same things and it was starting to get late. I came back and talked to mom and dad on the phone for a while. We went over some last minute stuff for there coming out and we figured out where we were going to meet. I'm realy getting excited for them to visit and I'm realy looking forward to seeing them. I'm going to spend the rest of the night getting some pictures up online then call it a night.
Feb 17th
Today we headed out to see the colleges of Cambridge. We caught an early train to get there on time and it didn't take very long at all. On the way there, we stopped by Platform 9 3/4. They have a little deal set up there and we all took pictures. We got there in a little over forty five mintes then had about a 25 minute walk to get to where we were meeting the tour guide. We got there without any major problems and we were on our way. We first walked to this cool old college that had some really nice grounds. In the middle of the Quad there was a big patch of grass that only the member of faculty could walk on, and the baby ducks that liver there. Through one end, you entered a hige open space where the monks who used to live had a large pond that they kept stocked with fish. This was an easy way to make sure that you had fresh meat all year. There were also a ton of mallards that had taken residence there, and it was there bady's that were allowed free reign. From there we walked through another college which was pretty special. This college had the first working model of a computer. It was the first machine that could store data in memory, and then use it again. The coolest part of this college was that two men named Watson and Crick worked there. These men were famous for discovering the structure of DNA by using some fancy Xray work. That was pretty cool. We walked over to the next college, King's College and had a look at the Church that had been built there.
I think that its' worth noting that Colleges here aren't the same thing as back home. Where a college back home might have something to do with what type of degree you're getting, here its about lifestyle. The various colleges all had students doing different things, and the existed as self contained entities. The goal of the college was to make sure that the students would never have to leave its grounds for any reason. For that purpose, all the colleges had some sort of church built on site, to which attendence was mandatory. King's college has by the biggest and is very elaborate. The celing is very impressive, as is the stained glass. Very pretty. Once we were through there, the tour was done. Myself and a small group walked over to the river in town and took a couple of pictures before heading to a pub to get some food. We went to a place called the Eagle, very famous.This was actually the first place Watson and Crick told people about thier discovery of DNA.
I sat back at the flat for a while once I got back before going out with some people to a couple of pubs. The first place was called the Balck Friars and was a really nice place. The inside was decorated with a bunch of marble friezes and it was filled with some really nice chairs. The best part about it was it was smoke free. We sat around talking there for about 2 hours before moving on. The best part of the night was that I got a couple of free glasses while I was there. I asked the bar tender where I could buy these pint glasses they use as a souvenir. They're special because they have an official stamp certifying that they hold a true pint. She ended up giving me two of them for free. I was pretty happy. After that we made our way to a place called Lam & Flag. This was a pub where Charles Dickens used to come. On the way there we passed Grongotts bank from Harry Potter as well. Its really the Australian Embassay, but I think the bank sounds cooler. We sat there for a while and headed home. I watched a little TV with some people than called it a night.
I think that its' worth noting that Colleges here aren't the same thing as back home. Where a college back home might have something to do with what type of degree you're getting, here its about lifestyle. The various colleges all had students doing different things, and the existed as self contained entities. The goal of the college was to make sure that the students would never have to leave its grounds for any reason. For that purpose, all the colleges had some sort of church built on site, to which attendence was mandatory. King's college has by the biggest and is very elaborate. The celing is very impressive, as is the stained glass. Very pretty. Once we were through there, the tour was done. Myself and a small group walked over to the river in town and took a couple of pictures before heading to a pub to get some food. We went to a place called the Eagle, very famous.This was actually the first place Watson and Crick told people about thier discovery of DNA.
I sat back at the flat for a while once I got back before going out with some people to a couple of pubs. The first place was called the Balck Friars and was a really nice place. The inside was decorated with a bunch of marble friezes and it was filled with some really nice chairs. The best part about it was it was smoke free. We sat around talking there for about 2 hours before moving on. The best part of the night was that I got a couple of free glasses while I was there. I asked the bar tender where I could buy these pint glasses they use as a souvenir. They're special because they have an official stamp certifying that they hold a true pint. She ended up giving me two of them for free. I was pretty happy. After that we made our way to a place called Lam & Flag. This was a pub where Charles Dickens used to come. On the way there we passed Grongotts bank from Harry Potter as well. Its really the Australian Embassay, but I think the bank sounds cooler. We sat there for a while and headed home. I watched a little TV with some people than called it a night.
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