So much. So much LOVE for Oxford. Don't think I have ever been this wholly happy in entire existence (exempting certain circumstances this fall).

Tuesday: Did some rah-rah-reading and had drama/life revealed to me by f.k. and ate cheese.

Wednesday: Skipped russian for v. important life details, ie cheese, had delish indian themed Hall, Park End, amazing running, lost shoes, had viking conversation, lost shoes, found shoes, lost friends, found friends, did laps around club, lost one shoe, met B.H. and walked home with one shoe on v. intriguing route. Intrigue. Two-shoe-less. Chatty.

Thursday: Worked/essay/Hall/back to the Bridge, where did laps again, and ran all the way back to Catz alone. In heels. n.g. for legs this week. Ate some of f.k.'s chicken nuggets and wandered around own room for a bit.

Friday: Errands/bought flats a la primark b.c. me + heels + entz= disaster. Had v. good tutorial about byliny and what makes an epic/Homer/Russian folklorists in general. Essay went over well well well! Back for Formal Hall, which was basically normal Hall, but w. 4 courses instead of 3 and everyone was dressy-dress. Menu: smoked salmon w. asian salad/leek and onion soup w. onion focaccia/ steak w. veg and red wine sauce, potatoes au gratin/veg/mango and caramel tart plus un cafe. Wore heels to dinner so back to change/prelash/M.'s room where semi-awk occured/entz.

Entz: Clearly, deserves its own paragraph. V. giddy/did laps around JCR/talked to random ppl about trees/talked to Flo and Cal/talked to D. and friend/danced danced danced/threw headband/danced with rooms's brit fam member/ran/climbed tree in quad/asked someone to throw me on said tree/ran around in M.'s hallway/threw her recycling bin down the stairs/ran some more/came back to own room and crashed.

Left for London Sat. around 12-- this is where the world went to hell. London can suck my **** if you're picking up what I'm putting down. a. sucko weather b. sucko night: the hostel our program booked us in doesnt exist (it does but only if you're magical) so M. and I walked around for an hr and 1o trying to find it. Then missed M.'s friends and wandered around. Tried to get into the Ritz: rejection. Had 2 guys ask us outside the tube if our night was "taken care of" and clearly should have said NO. They were quite attractive in that trashy approach-a-girl-outside-the-tube-way. Sat in pub/found club/dumb as bag of rocks/waited 25 min/cabbed it back/hit head on hostel bed. Room was entirely orange. rant rant rant.

Brunch this morning was okay; there was coffee, albeit bad coffee, and had brit brek stuff plus some bread, etc. Went to Charles Dickens's house, interesting, bussed it back to Oxford. Comparison: London: Sucko. Oxford: Love. It was warmer/waited to start raining until we were safely back in the dorm/delivered thai food to me/is a magical land full of wonder and joy and joyness.

Fixed some life issues/started book by A. Carter that's interesting so far. Need pancakes. All basic things. Cannot believe there is only 2 weeks left of this term. Want to cry. At least there is one more entz...

Okay, C. Last night Hall: humus w. pita/turkey milanese plus split mushroom potato wellington w. M./chocolate eclair.

Rooms has friend from the states visiting for the week who seems v. cool. Went to supposed oldest pub in Oxford called The Bear for drinks/the Bridge. Lots of strobe lights. Interesting sitch. re: others present. Crazytown guy did some kind of swing dance. Dizzy. Heard some Journey. Will not stop believin'.

Went to Hasan's. Mmm chicken nuggets. Met state-namer. Intrigue. Statue. Bench. Ran ran ran home. Woke up dying of thirst. Will never drink peroni again. Went to lecture and discovered "it was quite convenient for Henry VII to have Arthur tucked away in his tomb."

Am debating buying coffee maker. Ah, life is so complicated.

Good things happening recently:

a. went out last Weds. with hallmate F. who is a real person, ie british, and had the coolest time. also had a cheese party on the floor. hello, life.

b. went out friday and meet russian speakers/saw dude climb up on top of statue head. Will be doing this. Will plan ahead and wear sneakos out. Also found excellent tree v. close to Catz.

c. apparently fell into shrubbery Sat. night, but not here so no witnesses.

d. saw kid who was lost being shephered home by other kid who keep saying "but he's wearing my suede shoe. he went into the river! and he's wearing my suede shoe." hmm, just the one? Followed them for a bit to witness another scampering into the hedges. Hope it all went okay from there.

e. Epic week starts today. Plans to go out every night to fully experience the atmosphere of each week day. AND friday is another entz. Yes yes yes costuming. However, this one is formal so planning needs to put into motion quite early. ie now.

Bad things:

a. break planning is super confusing

b. personal life issues becoming complicated. hate drama. do not know if I can deal. v. worried re: emotionalism. The worst.

c. don't talk to my mommy enough

d. lost another ring. clearly accessorizing to go out is not for me.

Have somewhat figured out tutorials for next term. Still have a few kinks to be worked out with the russky, but am doing poetry/an english option.

And am getting a ticket to see Wicked for 14 buckeroos. Excitement? Yes. Also discovered l. gaga is in London the weekend I'll be there. UH HUH. gaga-ah-ah-ah...

Things learned today from Tennyson: If art is to teach practical morality and not mere hypocritic cant, it must do so by unconscious example instead of by pretentious precept; it must purify the heart by pathetic impression, rather than by didactic interpretation

Did this have anything to do with my essay? No.

Hall menu: spicy tomato soup (unfortunately wore white. danger, danger)/beef stew w. mashed potatoes and some cooked lettuce/apple crepe w. caramel.

Will be reading forever. Tea, cereal, cheese are the antidotes? Clearly, early bed is no go. But, I knew I liked Tennyson for something something: Poetry is like shot silk with many glancing colors. Every reader must find his own interpretation according to ability, and according to his sympathy with the poet.

Had tutorial meeting this morning at 9.10. Blegh. And woman was late. Also, gave her 3,000 ideas for what I was thinking I'd like to take. What is her answer? Shakespeare. Nothing against ol' W, but I wasn't really feeling this, so now I don't know what to do!! Smmotchs.

Had Arthurian lecture with cutey face prof. He took our suggestions from last time! I suggested, after blathering about how much everything he says enthralls me, that he didn't need to read all the french aloud. This week, I kind of miss it. What to do, what to do?? Then did erranding, bought some babybel cheese because clearly it's v. british. Went to New Bod. library to get a book I requested from the stacks for Friday's tut. Brit Santa is working in that reading room! I will be going back there. Read that opera, Snegourochka, then peaced to the E. Fac lib. where I got all these books about Idylls of the King.

Finished that last night, but didn't really love it. Surprising, because T.'s Lady of Shalott is just one of my favorite poems ever ever: Out flew the web and floated wide; the mirror crack'd from side to side;/"The curse is come upon me," cried/The Lady of Shalott. There is also an Agatha Christie with the title "The Mirror Crack'd" and it is a good 'un. So good with tea! Being in britland makes me want to have tea with everything. Except morning. Morning always requires the coffee.

Am wasting time until Hall. Something about spicyness was mentioned before I screeched "no one reveal hall!" so we shall see. Tonight: Work! But! Also, bed early. Russky in the morning. And cheese market is back on tomorrow.

So I a. did not finish all my coffee b. hightailed it to lecture to find that everyone was chilling out in the hallway. Had sweaty bangs and was sitting next to cu-tie. N.G. Lecture was also mostly in German, ie, v. unhelpful since I have never and do not speak German. Lecturer was somewhat wearing a belly-shirt. Should I be concerned about this? Undecided.

Went to Boots with the idea to purchase nothing but check out hair dryers. Instead, did not look at hair dryers, but got intensely pink eyeshadow. Will I be a. rockstar? b. pinkeye victim? Got books from Catz lib. Hall: prawn salad/chicken w. fennel/chocolate pudding with passionfruit mousse and biscuit (translate as cookie). Had conversation re: doors vs. buildings. Saw M.'s blond. Intrigue? Read some Idylls of the King. Blah blah blah. The only piece of wisdom I need right now is one from M. Gorki: You can't reach a star by spitting on it. True life.

Am deciding tutorials for Trinity term tomorrow: ahhhhh. I don't wanna choose! Also received v. nice package with rose, which is now sitting in a vase constructed from Glen's vodka. Classy.

Have good lecture tomorrow! And am deciding if I should take some more that start this week on Stendhal/Baudelaire. Might be craft fair this saturday. Have decided that if I am crazy here, it is just about damn time. My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.

You're going to get Gorky because I've a. slept all day yesterday b. done nothing today except errands and eat dinner out. Had double valentines date with rooms and the GUP, which I'm trying to make the standard acronym for the girls-up-stairs. If the girls next door get one, why not?

Chemistry is chemistry, of course, but still there is something hidden in fire beyond what we know, something we cannot understand. And fire can hide so marvelously well, too, so cleverly. Nothing—no one—can hide like that. Isn't this cool?

Oh, one thing. There was a dead rabbit in a bag in our refrig. And I picked it up. Realized there was a bloody stump in the bag, shoved in back in the frig, and have spent the rest of day conversing with brother/C. re: can I eat the cheese that was in the frig with said rabbit? Theories?

Rilke lecture starts tomorrow!!

Friday: most amazing day to have been. Thursday was filled with last minute costume-izing and then writing my essay, which actually turned out to be one I liked. About the devil in B. Karamazov/The Master and Margarita/a Chekov story; went to folklore/metamorphosis and basically did put some effort in. So much that I skipped Hall!

Now, Friiiiiday. a. Friend from home B. who is studying abroad in London came to Oxford for the day. Was going to meet up during afternoon but had tutorial at 3, so checked mail which equaled amazing package from Mexico with the prettiest bracelet of a woven dragonfly/12 postcards from the Boy. Found amazing panini place where I'm now tight with the griller. Had 20 minute chat with tutor unrelated to tutorial; was unsure about him at first but each week we bond more and more. Have decided quite enjoy E.G. Learned about Oxford system in general/anonymous exam/etc. etc.

Hall. Had onion soup with cheese heart/chicken shaped like a heart with red glaze/chocolate and passionfruit mousse. Explosive! Constructed costume. Brill. Apparently kept yelling at everyone: "Guess what I am? Guess what I am?" Because I was a vodka tonic. Bam. But somehow over the course of the night I lost both my lime, and my shoes. N.G. Met B. and her friends here and they came to Entz for a little bit. Blast. Came home, left again, maybe where shoes went missing? and had interesting conversation/running/sprawled? Today, not so effective, but will watch Bright Star.

Work is for tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

And now I blog in order to not work. Have 400 pages of B. Karamazov that was going to be finished by 5pm today. Hello, 9:04pm.

What did I do today, one may ask?

Attended Russian. Partnered with the british version of Posh spice (not the spice girl). Also decided that I must step up my russian game re: vocab. Love prof.

Went shop-shopping for costume implements: tape, bubble wrap (we splurged on the big bubbles), green construction paper, white t-shirts as dresses, saran wrap or "clingfilm" as it is called here, and a tube of black wrapping paper. What am I? What am I? I both cure your ills and send you to the ground with a Russian punch. Riddle me this, riddle me that.

Hit Gloucester green market: cheese. red, green, scorcher. olives. more feta. raspberries. strawberries. falafel wrap. lamb something or other wrap. mmmm.

Home/did nothing/went back to town with rooms to v. cute cafe for capp. with a leaf drawn in the froth/sainsburys for lemon+cilantro humus. Skyped. Avoidance, avoidance, avoidance...

Also, is it bad to eat two bagels in one sitting? What about one city?

So I have nothing much to share because all I really did today was go to lecture and do my laundry. Had lasagna for Hall/egg salad inside a potato/apple pancake. Found this in book re: Lancelot's adventures: There are all those distressed damsels loitering in the forest. None of the knights seem to be wondering what a nice girl like that was actually doing in the forest alone. It would have been rather caddish after all to ask if she was carrying ID.

Please, please, please. Never let me leave England.

Have realized the longer I do not blog, the more I do not want to face such an immense task. Have also realized I never want to leave here.

Had a Russian class I somewhat enjoyed even though it started at 9am and involved Russian. Discussed "extreme sportsmen" and golden fish, which is why, according to Teach, "Russians don't like to work." Went to cafe to have cappuccino and read Gorky. Discovered Gorky is my lost love of Russ. lit. Where the hell has he been all my life? He utterly dumps his characters into a pile of crap, and his writing is light and beautiful. Please read his Fragments from my Diary. It is short and so worth it. Then had the most incredible Hall experience of my entire world. Ready? Starter: fried brie and cranberry sauce. Dinner: stuffed red pepper/pork chop with apple n bacon/potato/green stuff. Dessert: bread n butter pudding. So much butter. So much cream. Went to Park End after a stint in the JCR where dancing/walking/bottle tossing/bottle throwing occured. Epicness inv. earring/blanket/hallway/tea. Trophy.

Thursday, due to Wednesday's epic nature, involved doing nothing until I typed my entire essay between 5-8 and then had a cider in the JCR. Fin.

Friday, slightly more productive. Had tutorial. Went well due to my clear obsession with Gorky. Skipped Hall because went to see Macbeth at Keble. Unimpressed due to modern costume/lots of running. Line delivery was pretty good. Hit up JCR, went to Spoons (which is actually called the 4 Candles??), went back to Park End. Danced. Danced. Danced. Ran after M. who ran somewhere without shoes. Discovered excellent tree. Climbed said tree. Had long conversation convincing boys I was not coming down from said tree. Did come down to run to - where else?- Hasans. Best chicken nuggets ever experienced. Ever. Found hallmates outside, invited them to eat our food, bonded.

Saturday, took pictures. 5 hours of pictures. Went to HP Great Hall. Check yes. Went to Catz "Ann Summers" dinner at restaurant called Big Bang where we ate sausages and looked at lingerie? One part def. better than other. Got dessert, maybe worth it. M. J. and I went to King's Arms to meet FK and had cider. Got asked for picture of me? Sketcho, yes. Thought of incredible Entz costume? Yes. Hint: theme is guilty pleasure. All will be revealed soon.

Had to come to library to write this because our plugs do not function today. Why? Eh...

Some people should just know better: Despite Merlin's warnings that she was a whore, Arthur decided it was time to marry Guenevere