Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

In 1605, a Roman Catholic dude, named Guy Fawkes, tried to blow up Parliament while all of the Protestant aristocracy and nobility were wining and dining. However, the "Gunpowder Plot" was foiled as he was arrested before the 36 barrels of gunpowder exploded. In commemoration of this foiled plot to kill the King, Guy Fawkes day is celebrated November 5 with fireworks and a large effigies of Fawkes burned by bonfire.

The students decided to throw a party in the garden to celebrate Guy Fawkes day. As the rain spit on the party *see photo of "wellies" (plastic rain boots)* it did not stop us from grilling meat and smore's *see photo* (an American tradition with graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate), and watching fireworks. Oh, and the most exciting part of the evening was when one of my students lit a firecracker and it nearly took off my head (a near death experience I tell you!)

Another excitement of the evening was Christmas Pudding!

'Tis the season for Christmas Pudding! "Made with plump vine fruits, juicy glace cherries and walnuts laced with brandy, rum, and port". It is sort of like fruitcake, but more moist. James really enjoyed it... *see photo*

London: Christmas Lights, Whole Foods & Procrastination!

I always love a spontaneous day trip to London...as I never really know what will come of it. This time, all I knew is that I had to be at a 5:30 p.m. talk at King's College. Otherwise, I could enjoy the day like the free-spirited traveler that I revel in.

In Oxford Circus, the holiday spirit was in full effect with large Christmas Carol signs and strings upon strings of lights dancing over the busy London streets. The big "light up" event just so happened to fall on the same night, so it made for some tube closures resulting in an hour and a half of wild tube adventures.

I am a Whole Foods junkie! When I lived in Boulder, Whole Foods was my favorite hang-out. Okay, this may sound weird...since it is just a trendy, grocery store known for its organic food products, but in Boulder...Whole Foods is the place to be! It is an experience all on its own. So, when I saw Whole Food bags with "London" scrolled on them, I was on a mission to experience the London Whole Foods. Albeit not Boulder, it was a lovely place to enjoy my favorite Whole Foods lunch: chai with salad.

King's College is close to the London Bridge area, so I spent the remainder of my afternoon walking by the water and enjoying the HMS Belfast. That is a big mama boat! At 5:15 p.m. I found a comfy chair in the third row of the auditorium style classroom and tried to curtail my excitement for the speaker. Jorge Cham is a Stanford PhD who is the creator of the PhD comic strip: Piled Higher and Deeper. His comics bring the painful and not-so-funny PhD experiences to life with humor. I think I am becoming one of his cult followers...because he is able to put words and lightness to otherwise stressful situations like being detained at the UK immigration control simply because you said the words, "research". Anyway, his talk was great and he stressed that there is power in procrastination. What?! Not guilt? Great news, I have a new found love for procrastination. Let's see how long I can hold out before the guilt sets in like a big black cloud.

Life Inside the UGA House in Oxford, England!

Here is a small glimpse of life inside the UGA house in Oxford. We recycle, cook, eat, and study!

St. Antony's College HalloQueen Bop

I was pretty excited to dress up for Halloween this year, as the past two Halloweens were real doozies. The big party in Oxford for graduate students takes place at St. Antony's College and the theme this year was cross-dressing! That meant I would wear my colleagues, James, tie and jacket, while he wore my dress and bra. For men, dressing like a woman is much more exciting than a woman dressing like a man. James received the full spa treatment as the women of 104 Banbury "beautified" him with nail polish, makeup, hair products, jewelry, and accessories. It was rather funny. With my painted moustache, we were ready to party...we queued up at 8 p.m., for a 9 p.m. door opening. Yes, we queued for one hour! But, this was said to be one of the best graduate parties of the year and we wanted to be sure that we got in. We were not the only ones queued up early, by 8:30 p.m. the line wrapped around the College. The costumes were hilarious and many of the men could not quit touching their constructed breasts and "itchy" pantyhose.

British Summer Time Ends.

Last week the UK rolled the clocks back one hour, a sure sign that fall is here! Everywhere you go in Oxford, colorful leaves dance along the ground. With the fall colors everywhere, the University Parks make for a lovely place to spend the afternoon. Here are a few favorite photos I have taken the last few weeks of the changing colors in Oxford.

Due to the mild temperature and the rain, I think that this may be the longest fall season I have experienced. Which I am certainly not complaining about, because I do heart fall.

The Oxford Gown

The black sleeveless gown with two wings flowing from the shoulder girdle is the standard evening attire in Oxford. At night it is completely normal to see students walking around town donning their black gown or in my case riding a bike to Keble with wings flapping behind me. This gown is what every Oxford student wears to formal dinner...which at Keble College formal dinner is every night except Saturday.

One night we decided to have a "glamour shots" photo shoot, hence the cheezy photos. Notice, in many of the photos I was predisposed to flying poses...the wings make you feel like flying!

Oh, you will see that my gown is longer than Erin's. Undergraduate gowns are shorter (hip), whereas graduate students are longer (knee), and faculty dons flow down to the ankle. Just one of the many formal rituals that I thought I would share with you...

Stratford-upon-Avon

I needed a break from the UGA at Oxford bubble that has a way of sucking you in. So, I paid 7£ for a round trip ticket on the Stagecoach bus to Stratford-upon-Avon. The bus ride through the beautiful countryside made me realize what a lovely region of England I live in. I need to explore more!!

When I looked at the weather report there was a BIG sunshine, hence the reason I did not pack an umbrella. Bad idea! It turned out to be a schizophrenic rain/sun day which made for a day of running into stores and cafes that I otherwise would not have visited. Moral of the story: when in England...pack your umbrella regardless of what the weather forecast predicts.

When the sun did shine, I enjoyed the quaint village nestled in the rural Warwickshire countryside. I abstained from visiting the tourist traps of the Shakespeare legacy; gawking at the bed where Shakespeare used to sleep just feels too contrived and inauthentic. I opted, instead, to walk the beautiful Avon river and side streets of Stratford. The highlight was the Guild Chapel founded in 1269. As the natural light beamed in through the stain glass, the rustic church became a photographer's dream. I had the place to myself. Of course the cream tea in the afternoon took a close second to the Chapel. Before I knew it 16:20 had arrived and it was time to climb back on the bus and journey back to Oxford, the place I currently call home.

Random fact: The controversial British Tellytubbies show is filmed on a 6-acre farm in Stratford.

Taking Class Via Skype

Every Friday at 1:50 p.m. I set up my headset and microphone, log into skype, and "attend" class. As the skype call connects, a live video loads onto the Meigs Hall classroom screen in Athens, Georgia. Vice-versa a live video of the Athens classroom pops up on my computer screen. I am taking EDHI 8930, The Qualitative Imagination, with Dr. Sheila Slaughter and six of my fellow PhD colleagues. The class is discussion based which has proven a bit challenging. Since I am not physically in the classroom, it is hard to gauge when to jump into the conversation without disrupting the flow. In addition, the microphone in the classroom does not capture all of the conversation (especially those with a quiet voice) and sometimes the microphone chooses to pick up the background noise rather than the conversation. Even though taking a class via skype is not perfect, and at times frustrating, it has allowed me to live in Oxford for the semester while remaining a full-time student at UGA. Plus, it has made travel possible.
I have skyped into the Athens, GA classroom from:

*Oxford, England
*St. Andrews, Scotland,
*Venice, Italy,
*Tallinn, Estonia, and

*Dublin, Ireland.

I even skyped into class when I was sick in bed with the swine flu (see bottom photo). Technology; you have to take the good (opportunities) with the bad (limitations).

11 "Punting Divas" on the Cherwell River

You have not lived in Oxford if you have not punted. Therefore, a group of "punting divas" donned our warm clothes for a chilly fall afternoon of punting on the Cherwell River.

1 LONG pole, check.
3 blue cushions, check.
1 paddle, check.
2 handmade punting boats, check.
11 UGA students, check.

There is a special skill to punting and not everyone is privileged enough to possess this skill. Despite this fact, I was lucky enough to have crew members that had mad punting skills. Sure, on occasion, we ran into the earthy sides of the river bed and we became close and intimate with the trees lining the river, but all in the name of love for mother nature. In the sport of punting, only one person stands using the long pole as a motor and router for the boat while the other crew members relax, feed ducks, pose for funny photos, and keep an eye out for naked faculty dons. (YES, legend has it that there was a naked section of the river, "Parson's pleasure" where male faculty dons would sun their bodies while engaging in intellectual and titillating conversation.)

Here are a few pointers about punting from the Oxford Daily info site:

1.) Feed the ducks if you believe that ducks are messengers from another civilisation and that you will understand their speech if you listen just a little longer.

2.) Don't assume that anyone in any other vessel knows what on earth they're doing (except the dude I took of photo of...with his matriculation uniform and all.)

Squealin' Like PIGS!

The beautiful UGA at Oxford English Manor house has been infested with flying pigs (a.k.a. the infamous "Swine Flu")! Yes, and I have officially fallen victim to the nasty virus as of yesterday. On Monday, two students went down for the count (fatigue, achy body, high fever, cough, headache) and we had to quarantine them and a third student joined them on Wednesday (see second photo). That meant I had the fun job of playing nurse Leasa. Which by the way, I am by not a good nurse. There was a moment I was near tears when I walked in and saw how sick one of the students was...aren't nurses supposed to be made of steel? Plus my protective armour of an immune system allowed a bug to creep in. Argh!

Well, last night I called the UK flu assessment line. They asked me questions such as, "Are you floppy?" What does that mean, I replied. The British dude on the other end of the call was all perky with his British accent and said..."floppy like a fish!" Right, well I can assure you I am laid out on my bed, but not flopping around like a fish out of water...I have no energy!

After the questions, he gave me a code to pick up the drug, Tamiflu, for FREE (this is UK's way of helping to curtail the spread of the flu). But the catch...I had to have a non-flu carrying friend pick it up. So, my partner-in-crime, James, picked it up in the a.m. and I popped one of those bad boys in my mouth. Before I knew it...my stomach was a rubblin'. One potential side effect of tamiflu is technicolor yawns (vomit). Soon enough I found myself calling god on the big white telephone as my breakfast reversed itself and chunks of muesli floated in the toilet. ICK!

The positive: my students are now waiting on me! I received a bouquet of flowers, a handful of beautiful fall leaves, a nice get-well note, crackers with nutella, and hot soup.