Dawn of the Final Month: 30 Days Remain

Hello! You found the compass!


     Well, the days since I last wrote have certainly been...interesting. At first the days were uneventful and consisted of me staying in my room for hours at a time staring listlessly into space or worrying about what happens after I graduate. Despite the small period of mild depression and lethargy, I was determined to greet each day with humor and ENTHUSIASM!

That's the idea!

      Once things started happening, they were fun, strange, ground-breaking and mostly quite enjoyable. The weather, for one thing, is no longer freezing cold (which in itself elevates my mood and boosts my desire to go out and do things). This is a welcome change. The other adventures will take a bit more explaining, so let's start from the beginning...


     The first eventful thing I did since the last post was attend a cupcake decorating class at Sweet Revenge. After the store closed, the sitting area was set up with all of the materials students needed: rolling pins, plastic wrap, cutting boards, etc. It was just a basic decorating class, nothing too advanced. We learned about fondant and how to roll it, how to make roses with it, and how to frost cupcakes in two different patterns ("rose" and "swirly thing"). Each student was given six plain vanilla cupcakes to have fun with after making bunches of fondant shapes for toppings. Overall it was a great night! Here are four of my works of beauty:

     The next big thing I started doing was (finally) watching Doctor Who. For those of you who don't know what Doctor Who is: it is the story of a Time Lord, simply called the Doctor. He travels through space and time in what looks like a simple police call box but is actually a sort-of space ship called the TARDIS (it's bigger on the inside). He encounters all sorts of strange creatures, including humans, on his adventures while he saves the universe from various threats. Eleven actors have played the Doctor. Their varying appearances are not an issue because the Doctor can regenerate to heal himself, and when he does he changes his appearance (though he never knows what he'll look like). His personality changes slightly as well, so the different actors can add their own twist to his character. The series had stopped for awhile after the eighth doctor, and the newer series rebooted the franchise. It started over with a Season 1 with the ninth doctor, and it is now on the eleventh doctor. 

      I had seen one episode two years ago (Blink, the best episode ever) but hadn't gone back and watched any others. At first I started with the most recent doctor, Matt Smith, got a few episodes in and decided to backtrack to the previous doctor, David Tennant. So I began with Season 2, got through that very quickly, and I am now on Season 3. I have to say, I find the show VERY enjoyable! (This is coming from someone who doesn't consider herself a sci-fi fan, keep in mind. It's good. It really is a very fun show to watch and, as a fan, feel like you're a part of.) I am glad that I discovered it while in England: there is a Doctor Who shop and museum in London (this museum focuses on the older series), and a massive Doctor Who museum in Cardiff (which focuses on the newer ones). Hopefully I will be visiting both! I've been wanting to go to Cardiff for awhile now anyway and this gives me just another reason to go! As the tenth Doctor would say: Allons-y!

If a time lord ever asks me to be his companion, I'm saying yes. Apologies to friends and family, but I am OUT!

     

      The next event in this series of tales was one that you, dear reader, have probably heard about on the news: the death of Margaret Thatcher. I don't think that Britain's only female prime minister, nicknamed the Iron Lady, needs any introduction here. Her death caused a variety of reactions throughout Britain. There were, of course, mourners. Others, however, had outright celebrations. There was a massive party in Trafalgar Square celebrating the fact that she had died. The Wizard of Oz song "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" made its way to the top of the U.K. music charts. Like any well-known politician, Thatcher made many enemies over the years. Her funeral was more like a large parade to Saint Paul's Cathedral. Thousands of people lined the streets to watch her coffin go by. There has been some outrage that taxpayers who may not have supported her had to help pay for the expensive funeral. When asked for her opinion on the matter, my British Life and Culture teacher, Elly, said, "I don't mind having to pay for her funeral. She was an important figure, and important figures deserve a large funeral regardless of political views. What I do mind is that they silenced Big Ben for the day. Big Ben is a symbol of the British people and shouldn't be silenced for any one individual, not even the Queen." Food for thought.

Rest in peace, Iron Lady.

      Next in this interesting week of mine was not so much an event, but just a small story that I hope you find amusing. The thing is: I might be the Hero of Time. Yes, like the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time type of thing. We had some heavy rainstorms last week. They would come seemingly out of nowhere on a perfectly good sunny day and ruin everyone's good time. On one such sunny day, I was sitting around in my room for a few hours before finally deciding to at least get out for a walk. As I was putting on clothes that weren't pajamas, I started playing the Song of Storms on my computer and whistled along to it. If you haven't played Ocarina of Time, the only thing you need to know about the song is that, as the name implies, it causes a storm to come in when you play it on the ocarina. Play the song again, and the storm will stop. Have a listen for yourself (this is technically the Windmill Song, but the Song of Storms is the main part of it):

     After whistling it, rain started pouring down outside. Being the Zelda fan that I was, I knew what I had to do. First I finished getting completely ready for my walk. Then I played/whistled the song again. As luck would have it, the rain ceased and the weather cleared for my walk. I suppose if I can't be a time lord's companion, being the Hero of Time will work as a close second.

     Later in the week, it was time for a fun night out. Becca and Amy had returned from their travels and we decided to meet up at an Irish pub in Kingston called O'Neill's. Becca wouldn't arrive until late, so Amy and I figured we would meet up for dinner and do something Irish since both of us had wanted to go to Ireland but neither one of us will actually make it. We both ordered the same dinner, trying to be as Irish as possible: Irish stew, Sticky Dicky Porter Cake, and whiskey. (Okay, so the whiskey was from Tennessee and not Ireland, but shh). The Irish stew was fantastic! It had lamb in it, which I had never tried before. To me, the lamb tasted very much like beef. So either I was fooled and actually ate beef or I do, in fact, like lamb. The stew also came with Irish soda bread and these divine thyme cobblers. It was an excellent meal! The dessert (Sticky Dicky Porter Cake) was also very good. It was made with Irish stout and...well, fine. I was going to look up what else was in it, as I seem to have forgotten, but O'Neill's changed their menu and Sticky Dicky Porter Cake is no longer available. I guess I'll have to go back to try some of their new foods!

     As we waited for Becca, Amy and I enjoyed a few drinks and tried our hands at one of the electronic game machines. I can't remember the name of the game we played (Beat the Landlord or something like that), but it was essentially just a quiz game. We didn't win anything, though we came close! (Next time we will be victorious.) As the night went on, more and more people started crowding in the pub. It was a popular place! Plus, there was to be live music. While sitting at our keg-shaped table we were approached by two young British men who struck up conversation. We were all talking for probably a good thirty minutes before one of them offered to buy us all drinks. (The one who bought drinks was funny; he introduced me to one of his other friends who showed up briefly by saying "This is Megan. She's smarter than any English woman you'll ever meet." Success!) This was the beginning of a long night of buying drinks for each other and befriending the two young men...

     Becca joined the party and we all stuck together for the rest of the night. The young men explained that they were both good with reading feelings and emotions, as well as being calculating and working with numbers and body language. We put them to the test. One of them was able to do some sort of mind-reading by guessing the number we were thinking (which resulted in both me and Amy having to buy him a drink, as we bet he couldn't do it). The other one must work in the field of psychology, because he essentially psychoanalyzed each of us by individually putting us through a psychological personality test. I won't say exactly what he deduced about me, but I will say he was 100% accurate with all of his analysis. It was truly unbelievable. After a long night of drinking (we stayed until the pub closed at 1AM), Amy and I decided that we wanted to get British drunk food before heading home. As you may know, the typical "drunk food" (stuff you eat after drinking) in the United States is Taco Bell. These poor souls in Britain don't even know what a taco is. (No, seriously. Amy and I had to explain what a taco was.) Instead, their drunk food is kebabs. We went to the nearest kebab shop and bought chicken kebab wraps. (Yes, to my surprise, the food comes in a wrap and not on a stick. It is cooked on a stick, however.) I absolutely loved mine. It was just the thing I needed! The boys had come with us for kebabs as well. After eating, we exchanged numbers and departed with promises of hanging out again soon. I sincerely hope that we do; that was one of the most fun nights I have had here!

    
     Since that night, things have slowed down again. Amy and I met a Polish man at the Coronation Hall and impressed him by naming Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe by seeing their pictures. He was astounded that anyone our age knew who they were. There was also a very important law passed in Britain the other day. Ladies and gentleman, it is FINALLY legal to call a horse gay.

     I am not joking.

     Read more here: http://liberalconspiracy.org/2013/04/08/britain-legalises-suggesting-horses-can-be-gay/

     The House of Lords recently amended part of an act which could punish people for being insulting to anyone or anything. Oddly enough, the story did not make headlines.

No straight stallion could make his mane look that fabulous.

    
 
      After my fun week, I realized that I did, in fact, have classes to go to and homework to do. Upon remembering that I had a research paper due, I reacted a bit like this:

........What!? WORKWORKWORKWORK!

         ...And, of course, given that it was the end of a vacation, the progress was roughly this fast...

     ...But I am happy to report that the paper did get done.

    
     So now, it's time to wrap up with a few thoughts. Today marks the beginning of my final month in England. This makes me sad. I still have several adventures to go on while I am here, which I shall happily report on. Some will be easy enough day trips, such as visiting John Milton's grave in central London. Others have been in the planning stages for some time now, such as a trip to Cardiff (which I mentioned) and a trip to Dartmoor. There are also a few London activities that I want to get done as well. I have a checklist and time is running short.

     I cannot pretend it isn't a little bit intimidating to think that in three weeks school is over and my undergraduate studies will be complete. I am not sure what happens after that. I know I would like to get a Master's degree and, to be honest, I would like to come back to England to do so. If I choose to come back here, there will be several things that need to get taken care of in the states first. There is a lot for me to do, and many considerations to be made, but for now all I can do is wait and think.

     

     Until next time...Cheers!

For those killed or injured in the Boston Marathon Explosions.