Dusting Off The Cobwebs

Hello! You found the compass!



      It's been a long time! How is everyone? I figured an update that spans the summer months is in order, so here it is. I'm sitting on my bed in my new house in Surbiton, which is far nicer than the dorm. I have great housemates, and life here is pretty good. We're all moved in now and have already mastered the art of making Toad In The Hole.

      Lectures start tomorrow, so this is the final day of summer vacation for me. (I will still only have class twice per week, though, so who's complaining?) FAFSA did indeed work out, and I'm still in the process of extending my visa, but barring any unforeseen circumstances, I am in England for at least another year as planned. Hooray!

      Over the summer, besides just having fun with friends and working on my dissertation, I did four main things: saw the Symphony of the Goddess orchestra, went to Sherlocked, attended MCM, helped my parents move into a new house, and visited Lauren in Cambridge! This will mostly be a massive pile of pictures, but here we go.

      First things first: Symphony of the Goddess. If you have any interest in Zelda, I highly recommend seeing the symphony if it comes to your area. I never thought of myself as someone who would enjoy a symphony, but this one is a bit different from the usual. The audience is encouraged to cheer and applaud when a song we all know and love gets performed. Also, there is a screen with Zelda videos projected onto it behind the orchestra. The videos coincide with the songs being played. There was one movement (is that the right term? I think it is...) in particular, the Ocarina of Time one, which seemed to resonate the most with the audience. It looked like most of the audience was early to mid twenties, like myself. Ocarina of Time was a big part of my childhood, and likely many people there felt the same. The nostalgia got me teary-eyed, which made me embarrassed. That is, until I heard sniffles coming from all around me. I think everyone in the audience realized we were all crying at the same time, and then we laughed it off and enjoyed the music while wiping off our faces. (Music can be very moving...) We were allowed to take photos and video during the show, so I snagged a video of most of the Wind Waker movement. I highly recommend giving the whole thing a listen! (Though for you impatient ones, Great Sea starts at 2:27.)

     Next: Sherlocked, a convention for lovers of the hit BBC series Sherlock. The convention had many famous guests from the show, including Benedict Cumberbatch himself. Con-goers could purchase autograph or picture tickets online. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much to do besides buy things. If anyone went to the con and hadn't purchased a photo shoot ticket or autograph ticket, there were only a handful of things to do, such as look at costumes from the series (pictured below) or learn about Watson's time in war. I got to get a picture with Rupert Graves (Lestrade) and a photo on the original 221B set. Here they are! (These are pictures of the pictures, so not as great quality. Bear with me. Also, all pictures here were taken with my phone, not my good camera.)

      My next summer adventure was also in the Excel Center where Sherlock was held. MCM, or London Comic Con, is a major biannual event. Like Anime Boston (but bigger), there are things to buy and crowds of cosplayers to meet and photograph. (I'll be going again in October with my first group cosplay, where we're all dressing as people from the same anime.) I didn't have any fancy new costumes, so I bought a tiger mask and recycled my Hotline Miami one from Anime Boston. It was a lot of fun! Enjoy some pictures! (Just a sampling. The complete album is on Facebook.)

      One of the last big things I did was visit the states for 11 days and help the parents move into a new house in the beautiful state of Virginia. Can't wait to visit it again for Christmas! Here, have a picture of the area:

      Finally, in August I went to Cambridge for a few days with some Americans (and one kidnapped Brit) to visit my friend Lauren! It was great to see her again after two years. We had fun eating bunches of American food that we got at some nearby Royal Air Force bases. (Lauren's military time got us entry.) Roasting s'mores, punting on the Cam (a very touristy thing where we go down the River Cam in a boat)... Great couple of days!

     

      And that is the very brief overview of my summer! As I said, classes start tomorrow. Along with doing a dissertation and attending class, I'll be in a group of people who will teach first year creative writing seminars and become teaching certified. Should be fun! I think this will be a great final year. I've had so many adventures so far, and I hope you readers stay with me for the next year's worth! I have a few plans brewing already, and they should soon be fully in motion. I'll be sure to get plenty of pictures and keep this blog more updated. So once again, until next time...Cheers!