ASK Musings

No matter where you go, there you are.

England Archive

Saturday

10

July 2010

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I Miss Air Conditioning (a wimpy girl’s confession)

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When I moved here I was told a couple of things: it doesn’t snow in London, and the summers are full of cloudy and rainy days.

Neither of these have proved true this year. We had a few snow ‘storms’ this winter. Nothing major, but since Londoners claim it never snows here, the government does not stockpile the supplies needed to prevent the city from shutting down completely over an inch of snow.

And since exams ended summer has arrived, and it feels a bit like summer anywhere else I’ve lived. Only two days have I felt cool enough to wear jeans instead of a skirt or dress. We’ve had some muggy days, most of which were here when my parents were visiting, which was a blessing and a curse. A curse because we were tourists and thus riding the tube and walking loads, but a blessing because their hotel room had air conditioning.

That’s the other thing – because it apparently doesn’t get hot here, very little is air conditioned. The tube is a sauna, and buses are swamps. On the bus ride home from the theater Thursday night the HEAT was on. No joke. Movie theaters are sometimes air conditioned (although weakly), and restaurants are hit and miss. Some places have ice for drinks; others serve them warm. Lucky for me my apartment is in the basement, and the curtains keep out most of the light. Plus, someone left a fan here so I’ve plugged that in and am basking in it. 

Michelle visited this week and we did a lot of fun tourist things – London Eye, a West End Show, walking around town – but she’s off to Munich and I’m glad. Not because I wanted her to leave – we were having so much fun – but because it means I do not have to get on a tube, or a bus, or really leave my apartment other than to get some groceries and do my laundry. I shall be sitting in front of the fan working on my thesis and watching movies until the sun sets, at which point I might venture out for a walk just to make sure my legs still work.

I know those of you in NYC – and even in Seattle, where it’s been in the 90s – have had it worse. I hope you are able to cool down soon as well! 

Monday

5

July 2010

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Fourth of July in England

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Yes, they have 4th of July here. Of course, to them it’s simply the day between the 3rd and 5th of July.

Friday Kate, Richard and I headed up to Birmingham for a fun summer weekend. Friday was fairly lazy, with the exception of preparations for the next day’s garden party. This included a very taxing five minutes making brownies from a box.

Saturday morning Richard and I went over to the start area for the half-marathon. It is run all along the canals from Wolverhampton to Birmingham, so the start was staggered, with groups starting according to expected finish time, and crossing the start mats one at a time. It was interesting to run that way – only the occasional person passing me, otherwise nothing but canal stretching out ahead and behind. The sun was intense, and it was hotter than I would have liked, but I finished and enjoyed myself.

After freshening up we were joined back at the house by some of Janet’s friends for a 4th of July garden party. It was nice to still get hot dogs and potato salad even though I am 7,000 miles from home, but I do I think I’ll be including Pimm’s in all my future 4th of July celebrations. It’s so refreshing and so tasty. Janet was kind and surprised Kate and me (the only ones from the states there) with a lovely cake that had a flag on top of it. 
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Yesterday we enjoyed picking up the kracken (Holly monster) from puppy camp and went for a nice walk that gave us some excellent views of the area. There was also a carnival on the high street (USA-themed!), and I managed to scare myself silly by going on a terrifying carnival ride. It was fantastic.
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The weather here has continued to be nice – warm but not hot, cloudy but with some sun. I feel for my friends back on the east coast – I can’t bear to think of being in that ridiculous heat all week.

Tomorrow Michelle arrives, so it’s time to explore some more of this fantastic city before I head home to Seattle next month.

Wednesday

30

June 2010

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How much can you do in London in a week?

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Walk to and around campus (twice)
Walk along South Bank
“Exposed” exhibition at the Tate Modern
Walk around Regents Park
Walk around Hyde Park (twice)
World cup
End of year party for school
Drinks in beer garden at Victoria Park
Tea at Fortnum and Mason (so, so worth it)
Geffrye Museum
Thames River Cruise
Greenwich Park and GMT Museum
Design Museum (excellent special exhibit on Urban Africa)
40th Anniversary Dinner for my Parents
Imperial War Museum
Changing of the Guard
National Portrait Gallery

It’s time for a nap

Saturday

12

June 2010

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COMMENTS

Well that was lucky

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England 1-1 USA = Win for me

That was some of the most stressful television I’ve watched in I don’t know how long. Living in London, and having a friend who grew up in England and would get us over to the bar in Brooklyn early on a Sunday to watch the Blues play, has led me to love Premiere league football. I love the Blues (Birmingham City, NOT Chelsea), and I’ve enjoyed following the England team this year. The friendly against Egypt was a highlight.

But I’m also an American. And I’d love it if football could get more of a following in the states. If the US does well this year, maybe that would help.

So yeah, this was tough. That first goal by Gerrard knocked the wind out of me. The US team was not strong, and when they had chances it seemed there were two or three blue shirts in a sea of white. 

Then Green … oh man. That hurts. A lot. And yet I was so excited to see the tie up on the screen, because as much as I didn’t want England to lose, I didn’t want them to win, either.

A draw. I know England is upset, but I’m thrilled. Now I can go back to cheering for both teams aggressively.

Come on England!

As a happy aside, I’ve used up all my stress hormones completely, so I’m no longer nervous about my last exam on Monday.

Wednesday

9

June 2010

0

COMMENTS

US v England – With the diplomats involved, it gets witty

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From the BBC.com:
 

Ambassadors bet on USA-England World Cup match

Page last updated at 21:45 GMT, Tuesday, 8 June 2010 22:45 UK

 The US ambassador in London will buy his counterpart a steak if England wins

Diplomats in London and Washington have raised the stakes over Saturday's US-England World Cup clash by wagering a meal over the game's outcome.

The bet was brokered in cables between aides to US Ambassador Louis Susman and UK Ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald.

"We will understand if you decline, given the outcome of the last such encounter," a US aide wrote, referring to the US defeat of England in 1950.

A UK aide said Sir Nigel took his steak like that win – "somewhat rare".

'Generous nation'

"Even for such an exceptionally optimistic nation as the United States, I am struck by the confidence with which your ambassador proposes this wager," Martin Longden, press secretary to Sir Nigel, wrote to Philip Breeden of the US embassy in London in an exchange first reported by Politico.com.

"It is testament, I assume, to the generosity of your great nation, since the British ambassador does not anticipate paying out."

Mr Breeden replied: "It is true that our soccer (a fine English word we have kindly preserved for you) history is not as long and illustrious as yours.

"However, as your generals noted during World War II, we have a unique capability for quickly identifying and advancing talent."

British embassy staff, their families and some US acquaintances will be watching the game on a big-screen television at the embassy in Washington.

Roughly one quarter of the embassy staff are American nationals, "so it should make for a lively crowd", an embassy official told the BBC.

"We're not doing anything more grand," the official said. "We'll leave that to the final."

Tuesday

1

June 2010

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Tuesday Two-a-Days

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Even though I run half-marathons (and am basically always training for the next one – Birmingham in July! Seattle in November!) – I am not in excellent shape. Being a grad student lends itself nicely to a lot of sitting – sitting in bars, sitting in cafes, sitting in study groups – and with all that sitting, at least in my case, comes a lot of eating. And so to combat that effects of mindlessly munching while trying to nail down the nuances of Kant’s Formula of Humanity, I have started attending once-weekly boot camp. 

That’s right. On Tuesday mornings I do my regular training run (between three and five miles depending on the week), and then at six thirty in the evening I head over to nearby park and get my ass handed to me by a member of the British Army. It’s really hard and really fun. The guys who run it break us into groups by fitness level (I’m a red, if I were in better shape I’d be a yellow, and if I were Paula Radcliff I’d be a green) and push us. There is a lot of running, a lot of squatting, loads of push-ups (my goal is be doing them without my knees on the ground by July), and tons of sit ups. My first week we ended class carrying each other, literally, while running. This week it was raining the entire time, so each time I laid down to do sit ups, my back got muddy. When I had to put my knees down for the dozens of push-ups, they got soaked. It was AWESOME.

The instructors are really nice, and joke around with us, but they push us and punish us as warranted. Last week, someone didn’t close up their water tightly, so it drenched the instructor’s bag. 10 extra sit ups for us. This week someone (twice) was standing around instead of jogging in place (we have to ALWAYS be jogging in place if we aren’t running or doing exercises), and we had to do push-ups. But if someone is struggling, everyone cheers them on, and the instructors adjust if a person is being pushed too far outside of what they can do at the moment. Last week I was a bit light headed after one exercise, so he had me stop for a bit and get right. It’s the perfect balance, for me, of motivation and understanding.

I’d love to go twice a week, but the Thursday class is too close to my long training runs to risk being super sore. However, after the Birmingham half I might take the running down a notch and bump up the boot camp because it is fantastic.

Tuesday

18

May 2010

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Dentists, Doctors, the NHS and Me

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Here is a tale of two medical experiences in the UK.

Yesterday I went to the dentist. I had an exam a few weeks back and had a (pain-free) broken filling. It was to be filled in April after my trip to the states, but unfortunately the volcanic ash caused a reschedule. Yesterday I went in, was numbed up (without pain – go dentist!) and when he got in there realized I needed a root canal. Awesome. I was already numb, so he went ahead with the first part. Get to finish it next week, then have a filling put on top. The first bit only cost £38 (about $56 depending on the exchange rate), and the rest should be less than £100. Of course time will tell if the work is good, but he’s a private (not NHS) dentist on campus, so I’m thinking it will be okay.

As you may recall I’m still unable to get health insurance in the US beyond COBRA due to some irregular tests I had in 2008-2009. In October I had a regular test, so I need one more six month later to qualify for health insurance in the US, as the reform bill provisions don’t kick in for me until 2014. I went in today and the UK guidelines are only once a year for people like me, so they couldn’t give me the test. I now need to consider finding a private doctor, pay to have the test done so that I can get cheaper health insurance in the US, even though I think they’ll probably try to deny me coverage again because of too many ear infections or cases of bronchitis. So the question is – do I wait until I’m back in Seattle and deal with it then, or pay for a private test in the UK?

Good times.

Tuesday

6

April 2010

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Spring Break Part II – Birmingham

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Good Friday and Easter Monday are Bank Holidays here in England, so most people clear out of town. Kate and Richard decided to head up to the Midlands to visit his mum, and invited me along for the trip. We left Friday afternoon and after a sadly unsuccessful attempt to find some white eggs for dying, we made it to Birmingham. I had my first good fish and chips ever, and it was pretty fantastic. Saturday the three of us set out – with the assistance of a very posh-sounding TomTom guide – to visit Ironbridge. Ironbridge is a World Heritage site, and is apparently where the industrial revolution in England began. It was pretty cool town, actually, and one I’d visit again. It almost reminded me of an Italian village, the way the homes were built into the hills. We visited the Gorge museum, but there are nine others one can see, and I’d imagine they’re all pretty interesting. The bridge itself – the first built from cast iron in the world – is quite a site.

That evening we saw Clash of the Titans. In 3-D. It’s entertaining. And kind of a fun reminder both of boring Saturday afternoons when nothing else was on TV as well as my 10th grade mythology section.

Easter Sunday we took the Kraken (aka Holly, the most beautiful German Shepherd EVER) to the Lickey Hills. That’s right, England has some hills. These ones are gorgeous. After regrouping back at the house Richard’s mum joined us for a visit to Aston Hall, a lovely old manor house built during the Jacobean era. The owner, Mr. Holte, was a Royalist, but somehow the house was not burnt to the ground by the parliamentarians. There is, however, still a scar in one of the staircases from cannon fire. The only bummer is that it is right next door to the football club that shall not be named. Fellow Blue Noses must hold their lunches down to make the drive in, but once inside the estate it is easy to forget about the Villains. Of course, they are easy to forget anyway!

Yesterday before heading back to London we stopped by to see the Staffordshire Horde. Yeah, I hadn’t heard of it either. But it is amazing. A local man who likes to use a metal detector to find old coins and such discovered it in July last year, and it is one of the only finds of its kind. It’s by definition a treasure, so it technically belongs to the Crown, but Birmingham was able to raise the funds (over £3 million) to keep it in the Midlands. Right now there is just a temporary display of some of the items from 700 CE, but they are an absolute sight to see. Such intricate detailing. One of the staff members said it will take about ten years to go through it all, clean it, attempt to identify it, and work it into a display.

Thursday

4

March 2010

2

COMMENTS

8 Things I learned at the England vs Egypt Friendly match

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1. The Egypt National Anthem sounds kind of like what I thought the British National Anthem sounds like.

2. However, “God Save the Queen,” the actual British National Anthem? That’s a modified version of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” (well, actually vice versa). Wow, Americans were kind of snotty on that one, eh?

3. When John Terry takes the field, or touches the ball in the first few minutes, the fans give him hell. But they forget his transgressions as the match continues, and even start to cheer when he does well.

4. The jackasses sitting behind me are not only bigots, but idiots as well, as they shouted “(fill in Egyptian-sounding name here) is a shoe bomber” to attempt to taunt the visiting team. I really really REALLY wanted to turn around and point out the Richard Reid was BORN AND RAISED IN ENGLAND, but I know that when I’m hanging out with a male friend I need to keep my mouth shut, because jackasses like that won’t get into with me, they’ll get into with the my guy friend. 

5. Wembley holds over 80,000 people, and probably half of them take the underground to get home. Which means that after the match, you wait on Wembley Way. It took us 50 minutes from leaving the stadium to getting on the train, but man, it was orderly. Those Brits really do queue well.

6. He may look like a praying mantis, but Crouch gets it DONE.

7. Football is, in my opinion, the most exciting of the team sports. I knew that before I went to the match, but it needs to be said again. It is WAY more exciting than baseball, much more fun than basketball, moves faster than American football, and is about on par with Hockey in terms of the amazing skill and endurance the athletes have. The tide can turn in a second, and they aren’t constantly stopping for TV time outs, or time outs, or even substitutions (they only get three per side in a non-friendly match).

8. Even though he didn’t play, I did see him on the screen warming up and yes, David Beckham is still super pretty.

Tuesday

16

February 2010

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A Touch of Romance

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There is something very romantic about this city. It’s often cloudy and rainy here, and it can be inconvenient (especially when one is out for a morning run, and one STILL hasn’t purchased a proper water-proof running jacket) at times. But it’s also perfect for reading a book in a cafe. It’s perfect for working on a philosophy paper, thinking about (and attempting to put one’s own spin on) questions amazingly intelligent people have been puzzling over for centuries. It’s perfect for listening to Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf. It’s perfect for feeling relaxed, and quiet, and introspective.