Terra Incognita

i made it through a week without guster
And now I sit in an empty Alpha Chi house, listening to "Come Downstairs and Say Hello." Having forgotten the disc in Columbia, I think this is the longest I've gone since July without the CD that has become the soundtrack to my semester. (I think there might be a dangling participle in there, but I don't feel like fixing it.) There's something about the peace of sitting in an unusually quiet sorority house that makes me loathe to call and find out if there are any other college students out in Columbia on a Friday night over break. I know some might chastise me for holing up in my room for the night, but I want to take advantage of this rarity and revel in the silence.

why i love going home
-The 5+ loads of laundry done for free!
-Doing crossword puzzles with my dad
-Sleeping in
-Feeling like a celebrity when I show up at church
-Hours in front of the t.v. - watching much football, several movies, CNN and catching some quality Cosby, Friends, and Simpsons reruns
-Orange sourdough pancakes after Thanksgiving Day. ooooh, yum!
-New contacts from the eye doctor. Finally, ones I can actually see out of!

what i could do without when going home
-#1- Our Stone Age computer and dial-up Internet connection.
-The fact that my bedroom above the garage is an icebox
-Dentist appointments
-The lack of new Ed, West Wing and Friends episodes when I actually have time to watch them
-The question: "So, do you know what you're doing after graduation?" No, I don't and please don't remind me.
-The singed hole in my pants, a result of the lit match that fell in my lap when trying to start a fire in our wood-burning stove. I didn't realize my own strength; when I lit the match it snapped in two and the fire landed on my leg. My favorite sweats are scarred forever.

signs that the little apple is evolving into a metropolis like its namesake
-We got a Target this fall
-We're upgrading the current Wal*Mart to become a Super Wal*Mart
-We've knocked down the unsightly pipe and steel buildings that great visitors on Tuttle Creek Blvd
-We got a Jimmy Johns, a Buffalo Wild Wings and a Chipotle all within the past year or so

more pics
As promised, more pictures from London

the worldwide war protest, the London contingent
PACE (pronounced "pah-chay") means peace in Italian
My thoughts, exactly well, the flag anyway, although that lady's confused face echoes my thoughts as well
The looooooooong line this protest was the largest ever. this line stretched for miles
The entry to Hyde Park the protestors gathered in Hyde Park where there were speeches and a concert. I was only there as people were arriving but even then, there was much of a carnival air about it all.
Voicing opinions i found the various chants, cheers and songs that people created for the protest interesting. As with the signs, some were derisive toward the U.S., Bush, and/or Blair. Some were downright hi-larious

warwick castle
Darwin and...Darwin? Our head professor, Jim Bogan looks a little waxy himself in the wax museum in the castle.
Princess Di So real it was freaky
Winston the roommates, Ell, me, MP and Meg with our buddy
The flat two boys Seth, Micha, Brandon, Jon, Matt and Justin in the stocks outside the castle
Micha the castle was a bit of a maze...it's amazing Micha got out safely.
Boys will be boys

beatles walking tour
At Abbey Road
Sarah and me
The cover shot Sarah, me, Emily and Sarah recreate the classic cover
Yeah, I'm a dork
The "Bea'le Brain of Bri'ain" Sarah and I with Richard, our guide, who came highly recommended by Luke

other places
Stonehenge
Outside Shakespeare's birthplace Meg, MP, Dave and I experienced the Bard's glory at the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance of The Taming of the Shrew that night in Startford-Upon-Avon
Canterbury Cathedral Russ, Dave, Ellen, Sarah and Megan. We thought the bell tower in the background looked familiar, much like a tower we have on campus
The Great Hall of Harry Potter fame is actually the dinning hall of Christ Church College at Oxford.