I Ate Bambi's Mom, and She Didn't Taste Good:

Third week has just begun at Oxford. I've recovered from my stomach bug and am now facing the perpetual battle with sinuses. As much as I hate sinus infections, strangely they make me feel like I'm at home. Nothing says Kentucky like green snot shooting out of your nose, that's for sure. :)

I'm alone once again my visit with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Steve ended yesterday morning. They have arrived home safely I'm happy to report and are probably back in the swing of things right away. It was absolutely wonderful having them here. Not only did I get the wonderful feeling of security associated with having family around, I also was able to use their trip as a way to explore Oxford as a tourist and not a student. Seeing the buildings through their eyes enabled me to better appreciate what it is I walk by everyday. In particular, my Aunt and Uncle's affinity for Evensong allowed me the opportunity to visit three different college services at New, Magdalen, and Christ Church. As I sat listening to the boys choirs it occurred to me that I was participating in a tradition as old as the colleges themselves. All three choirs have sixteen boys and various numbers of adults, and have had these numbers for centuries. The boys give so much of their time and energy to fulfill this tradition. I have to wonder if they really understand of what they are a part. How can a seven year old comprehend the timelessness of the worship of God in a set format in a medieval cathedral? It's mind-boggling. It's also the most gorgeous, heart-warming, and spine-tingling sound you will ever hear. The sound of those boys singing in Latin suggests something other-worldly; something bigger than me, or you, or anyone. That's what Oxford does: it perpetually places you in the rhythm of eternity; in a cyclical experience of human existence.

There were aspects of the city I hadn't seen before my Aunt and Uncle's visit. And there were ways in which I hadn't seen the city also. For instance, we climbed to the top of the Sheldonian Theatre where you can enter into the Cupola of Christopher Wren and experience some of the best views of the city. I have posted my favorite photo from this viewpoint at the beginning of this blog. It really shows the "dreaming spires" of Oxford. Aunt Kathy and I also discovered Christ Church's hall and staircase, and New College's courtyard in which pieces of the Harry Potter films were shot. The little girl in me was ecstatic!

Last night I went to formal hall in an effort to distract myself from the sadness I felt at my Aunt and Uncle's departure only to find that dinner was venison. I was not happy about this, especially after the guinea fowl, but I have resolved to try everything, and so I ate some of Bambi's mother. Let me tell you, Bambi's mother tastes like stew meat and isn't horribly unpleasant. But, Bambi's mother looks so black that you feel like you're eating blood. It reminded me of the liver Ann tried to make us eat in biology class in 10th grade; you guys remember, the liver that we did experiments on for a week and covered the hallway in fowl smell? Yeah, that liver. Ick. So, I gave Sam my meat and ate potatoes and carrots. A far cry from the delicious meals I ate with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Steve. As a result, I'm going back to the Chinese restaurant where we ate Saturday night again tonight. Thank you Aunt Kathy and Uncle Steve for everything. Your time, company, meals, and exploratory tendencies made for the best week I've had in Oxford yet. I love you both very much! Now...On to pineapple chicken! Yummy!!

Wishing Health and Full Tummies for All,
Elizabeth

The participants of Andrew's Oxford vs. Cambridge theme party! 'Twas fun!

Louisville 2, Oxford 1, Cambridge 0:

It's been absolutely ages since I've written, and nearly three weeks since I've been back in Oxford. It's hard to believe that my three week break for Christmas went by so very quickly, and yet my time back here has gone at a more rapid pace. Already I'm in the second week of Hilary Term, and already I'm sick again! Whoo! It's okay though...seems to be a stomach bug and I'm on the mend, just in time for Aunt Kathy and Uncle Steve to visit on Wednesday! My first visitors!!!! I'm SO excited! And I've been able to schedule my work around their visit to maximize my time with them. So, life is good for the moment!

I suppose everyone will want a three week recap, especially since most of my readership is stateside and thus probably saw me over Christmas. Though I will say that Christmas at home was wonderful, with the exception of missing three very important sections of my family (*cough* Aidan and Sarah *cough* Erika, Andrew, and Isaac *cough* Beth, Aaron, and Wexler *cough*). It just illustrated how much we've all grown up. My cousins and I have our own lives and our own families and are thus starting our own traditions. We are independent, but poor, and we all have to work, so the celebrations of Christmas-past are not to be so common anymore. Jeffrey and I spent our first Christmas as an engaged couple trying to figure out how to spend Christmas with both sides of our families without hurting anyone's feelings. I think we were able to do it, though ten Christmas celebrations later we were both exhausted. But for the first time it was really clear to me that although showing your love through gifts is wonderful, I really did just want to be with my family and with Jeffrey's family. Watching Mackenzie and Lily open Christmas gifts was much more fun than opening my own. I can't wait until next year when hopefully I'll get to see Isaac and Wexler open theirs as well.

I stayed home long enough to spend my first New Year's Eve with Jeffrey in four years (I've always worked Radio Disney on New Year's Eve in the past) and to watch (or listen to, as Roy and Jeffrey refused to let me watch the fourth quarter of the game because I was bad luck) the Cards victory in the Orange bowl!!! So, if you're following my strange blog title, here's where we begin keeping score: Louisville 1. Just after the New Year I jetted back across the ocean, this time with sleep-inducing benadryl (yes!), and arrived in Oxford on January 5. I was greeted by my friend Rich who helped me carry my bags back to my room, and then I didn't fully unpack for two weeks. Yup, that's me for ya.

On January 6, I went with my friends to a party at Andrew's house. Now, Andrew did his undergraduate degree at Cambridge and then came to Oxford this year to read his Master's in Political Theory. As a result, Andrew decided to throw this party for both his Cambridge and Oxford friends. Andrew also decided to take advantage of the fact that his friends from both uni's were present at the same place/time and stuck us in competition with one another to decide which University was better. We were pitted in ten competitions relating to Theology, History, Medieval and Modern Languages, Philosophy, English, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics, and Engineering. We then had a bonus round of Balderdash. At the end of nearly four hours of competition, Oxford emerged victorious! Thus, it has been scientifically proven that I chose the better university. Oxford 1. Cambridge 0.

Other than Andrew's party nothing too exciting has been going on in Oxford. I've been in the library researching daily, been reconnecting with friends here, and readjusting to life without Jeffrey and Mom and Dad. This really means I've been calling home a lot. It's been good to be back however, and I've enjoyed everyone's stories of their breaks. I've also readjusted (sort of ) back to British food. This means I've already had fish and chips, plenty of savory pies, and guinea fowl. By the way, did you know that guinea fowl is a monogamous bird? I felt guilty eating a bird that could've been celebrating a 5 year anniversary or whatnot, but it was already dead so....

You're probably wondering about the score. I've already given you Louisville 1, Oxford 1, and Cambridge 0, but where's Louisville's other 1? Well, that's somewhat complicated. Here's how the math works: Cards beat Wake Forest to win first BCS bowl game :1. Coach Petrino leaves the Cards to coach the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL: -1. So, we're back at square one. Michael Bush leaves for the NFL draft: -1. Uh oh, we're in the red (hee hee...always!), but I don't blame Bush at all. Good luck to him! Jurich hires Coach K (don't make me spell out his name), who speaks better than any football coach I've ever heard, and seems thrilled to be coaching at the Ville: 1. So, 0 again. Coach K promotes Jeff Brohm, who turns down an offer for Alabama, thereby helping to impact the decision of his brother, junior Quarterback Brian Brohm, to stay for his senior season hopefully leading U of L to a National Championship: 2. So...1 -1 = 0 -1 = -1 +1 = 0 + 2 =2. And all in just a few weeks. Meanwhile, an unimpressive U of L men's basketball team continues to surprise me being 3-2 in Conference play. We've got UConn tonight. We'll see what happens there. But I will say I'm quite content cheering for the women's team, who are 16-2. Whoo hoo! Oh, and UK lost to Vandy, at Rupp, for the second year in a row. So really, it's all good. Actually, everything's all good. And on that note...back to reading about medieval children, or to sleep some more, whichever comes first!

Blessings, love, and cheers to all,
Elizabeth