Hello all! I'm here and I'm doing "fine" on my essay! Turned in the first four pages today and my supervisor said I've got a great start. I have a fortnight to get it all together. Wish me luck! As promised, here's an update, along with another slideshow to illustrate my adventures.

The first weekend in February I traveled to London to visit the Tate Modern and St. Paul's Cathedral. I was able to see these things and nearly died upon first view of St. Paul's. I cried. I cried like a little baby because it was the most amazing, beautiful, inspiring, and majestic cathedral I had seen. Particularly effective, apart from the amazing gilded mosaics, was the American memorial to WWII soldiers. In essence, what I loved was the simplicity of it all. Westminster is gorgeous, but it's jam-packed with so much to see that I think it loses something. St. Paul's is open and peaceful, thus creating the right kind of ambiance for worship. In this the focus there really is God, rather than tourism.

In the Tate I slid down a really tall slide...art and fun all in one! Though I must admit, I don't really enjoy the museum. I didn't look around very long, but I just don't enjoy modern art. When I see a red line in the middle of a white canvas I don't think art. I just get angry that I didn't think of it first. Speaking of angry...much of the trip was dampened by the theft of my friend Rich's mobile phone in McDonald's at Marble Arch. We spent a few hours in the Marylebone police station, which was an event in itself, particularly the point in which a Cambridge alum doctor who had been to Louisville and pronounced it correctly began to get me to sympathize with his homophobic comments. It was interesting to say the least. The phone has yet to be recovered. It was sad. I haven't taken my hand off my phone since. For those of you who plan to visit...I suggest you do the same.

The weekend after, I escaped to Bath and had the best time. It's a beautiful city. No wonder Jane Austen had so much inspiration. There is not a bad looking part. The architecture flows together creating a city in which there's not just a lot to do, but also a lot to see. Hours were spent in Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. The Abbey was beautiful: filled with stained glass icons of familiar saints. I enjoyed so much the opportunity to discover saints based upon my knowledge of their symbolic representation rather than reading their names. It was a testament to the preparation of my U of L education because most of those symbols and icons I memorized in my medieval culture class before I came to Oxford. The Baths of course were a wonderful sight to see. Centuries of history are displayed in layers at the Baths; you can see the ways in which archaeologists discovered the hidden treasures of the Roman Empire in Britain. I even was able to put my hand in the water (though they advise you not to do so...bad me). I felt as if I was participating in something so much older than me. I guess I was. I did not however, drink the water from the Pump Room, which is supposed to taste horrible and costs something like 5 quid a glass. It was an amazing day, and I felt refreshed and rejuvenated after my time there. I cannot wait to go back.

We were blessed in the week before Bath and after London with the wonderful experience of waking up to an outside world covered in 2-3 inches of snow. The excitement I felt waking up to a wintry wonderland was equal to that I felt as a little girl. I still love snow! I convinced Ruth and Rich to go into work late and we played in the snow and took photos for a few hours. Snowballs, snowmen, snowflakes...it was all there! It was probably the only snow I'll see in my tenure at Oxford, but what a wonderful snow it was. Oxford is majestic in the snow.

My two partners in crime and I went this past Wednesday to see Swan Lake at the ballet. It was the first time for Ruth to see the ballet as an adult, and the first time at all for Rich. I was unimpressed with the actual company (some touring company, most likely from Russia), but it was so nice to see ballet again, and even better to listen to Tchaikovsky's masterpiece. The theme is haunting; I had forgotten how I used to sit and play Mom's music box with the tune over and over again. The ballet brought all this back. To their credit, they used a small, though very real, orchestra; an improvement upon some places in the states where recording rather than real instruments are being used and Odette was very good. The week before we had gone to see the Oxford Orchestra play in the Sheldonian. So much fun! I love the accessibility and affordability of culture in Oxford. It's everywhere! It's so easy, and so comforting. Also comforting is this wonderful trifecta I have with Ruth and Rich. I have great friends!! I love them so. Next in the works for we travelers, Scotland, or Ireland, or Prague. I'm hoping for all three!

Well, that's all from me for now. Oh, except I forgot to mention that two weeks ago I played in my first darts match. It was JCR vs. MCR (undergrads vs. grads) and I played with Kirsten in the final leg which brought our team the overall victory! Whoo hoo! It was a lot of fun. I do it again this Thursday. Rich, Sam, Tom and I are playing in fours. It's the four of us against Mansfield. It's an open tournament, which is why I'm playing because I'm not very good, but it should be loads of fun. I'll let you know how it all turns out! I love and miss everyone at home. Enjoy the photos! Oh and GO CARDS!!!!

Cheers!,
Elizabeth