You know what? In general, people are really pretty nice.
Don't try to hide it, I see your "WHA-?!?" face.
No, it's true.
Just a few days ago the scary-grumpy-looking lady I avoided making eye contact with on the street walked past and very pleasantly made a point of letting me know the bus was close, since I had my earphones in and might not have heard it. (She didn't seem particularly grumpy after that. Huh.)
Nearly everyone here thanks the bus driver when they get off, and the bus driver nearly always responds (cheerfully).
The college-age kid coming down the stairs who normally would have walked by and pretended like no one else was around smiled today and indicated I should go first.
Smile and direct even a slightly friendly comment to a taxi driver, and they'll happily talk your ear off. (Every one.)
The guy who works at the reception desk in the theatre building who scares the dickens out of the undergrads is actually a big, perpetually scowling, black-clothes wearing, spiky-black-hair gelling teddy bear who will wink at you and call you 'love' when he sees you if you suck up just a tiny bit. (He smiles, too! It's a little scary, but he does!)
Everyone I've joked with in recent memory (grocery checkout, queueing up for something, at church, on the bus, etc...) has been perfectly willing to joke along.
In a lecture recently someone was telling us about a study in which the majority (80%+) of the unsuspecting public that were observed behaved in a way that was 'good' or 'honest', even though when people are asked they tend to assume others will be 'good/honest' only about half the time. People are usually better than we think they are. And I've found lately that they're definitely nicer than I've thought they'd be.
Except, of course, for those kids - I'm still planning to yell at them to get off my lawn every chance I get.
Cheers!
November 11, 2011
November 09, 2011
One Mormon's Respectful Response
... to being referred to as a member of a 'cult', or told that they are 'not Christian'.
This is pretty much what I've been planning to write for quite some time. Only it's much better.
* * * * *
* * * * *
This is a post I came across on Facebook. I think it's beautifully, calmly, intelligently, faithfully laid out, and the author did an amazing job. What are the chances Pastor Jeffress actually WOULD ever read it? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeaaase let that happen...
This is pretty much what I've been planning to write for quite some time. Only it's much better.
* * * * *
Dear Pastor Jeffress (of First Baptist Dallas),
I’m just one of the millions of people who saw and heard on TV news shows your statements that “Mormonism is a cult” and “not a part of orthodox Christianity”. As a faithful lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I felt a strong reaction to those statements, as you might imagine. My remarks here are only my personal thoughts, but I assure you they are heartfelt.
My reaction was twofold. First, I saw your remarks as an unfortunate “below-the-belt” swipe at Mitt Romney in the hopes of advancing your own favorite political candidate. While you certainly have the right to do that, I think many Americans join me in feeling that such a move was beneath a prominent religious leader such as yourself.
Second, as a devoted believer and follower of Jesus Christ I was saddened that you felt the need to speak out against my faith and beliefs. I’m sure there are those who think it was done with malice, but I’ll try to do the Christ-like thing and give you the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps you’ve just been misinformed about “Mormonism” as many others have been.
But it might surprise you to learn that I actually agree with part of what you said, although perhaps for different reasons than you might imagine.
You said that Mitt Romney is “not a Christian” (and by association myself and the other six million-plus Americans who are Latter-day Saints). But I believe you need to be more specific. There are many different kinds or “flavors” of Christians. I agree that the LDS people are not Baptist Christians or Evangelical Christians or Catholic Christians, etc. I will even agree that we’re not part of “orthodox” or “traditional” flavor of Christianity, if by that you mean the post-Nicene church that became the “universal” or “catholic” version of Christendom.
I believe my faith to be the original church of the Corinthians, the Ephesians, and yes, those who were first called Christians in Antioch, - that same church now restored in these latter days. So I call myself a “latter-day Christian", with theological roots that precede the “historical” or “orthodox” version that was the product of the various councils and creeds. That “orthodoxy” eventually became so corrupt and so apostate that the Reformers broke away from it in protest of its having “fallen away” from Biblical truths (2 Thess. 2) and “changed the ordinances” (Isa. 24:5) so that the “faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3) was no longer recognizable as the church that Jesus organized.
There were many enlightened Christian thinkers and theologians in history who, like Joseph Smith, believed that Christianity had become apostate and that a restoration of the New Testament church of Christ was necessary. John Wesley the founder of Methodism wrote:
It does not appear that these extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were common in the Church for more than two or three centuries. We seldom hear of them after that fatal period when the Emperor Constantine called himself a Christian; . . . From this time they almost totally ceased; . . . The Christians had no more of the Spirit of Christ than the other Heathens . . . . This was the real cause why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found in the Christian Church; because the Christians were turned Heathens again, and had only a dead form left.
The Works of John Wesley, vol. 7, pp.26-27
As I’m sure you well know, John Smythe the founder of the Baptists first left his position as a Church of England minister and joined the Separatists, but then dissolved his congregation to re-form it as the first General Baptist church among English expatriates in Amsterdam in 1609. He felt that the “historic” or “orthodox” Christianity of his time had wandered astray, especially with regard to the apostate doctrine of infant baptism. Those first Baptists were considered a “cult” by many Protestants in the “traditional” Christian denominations that persecuted them unmercifully.
Around 1640, Roger Williams of Providence, Rhode Island, founder of the first Baptist church in America refused to continue as pastor on the grounds that there was:
… no regularly‑constituted church on earth, nor any person authorized to administer any Church ordinance: nor could there be until new apostles are sent by the great Head of the Church, for whose coming, I am seeking.
(Picturesque America, or the Land We Live In, ed. William Cullen Bryant, New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1872, vol. 1, p. 502.)
If I understand your words correctly your definition of a Christian (and that of most Evangelicals) is a pretty narrow one, far different from the standard meaning found in most dictionaries. Personally I think anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God and as his/her personal Savior who died for our sins and was bodily resurrected on the third day is a Christian. C.S. Lewis described such people as “mere” Christians.
But your narrow definition would exclude anyone who:
1. Does not believe in a closed canon of the 66 books of the Protestant Bible.
2. Does not accept the Nicene Creed as an accurate description of the nature of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.
3. Believes in living prophets and apostles as the “foundation” of Christ’s earthly church.
4. Believes in continuing revelation from God to man.
I could go on. I’m very familiar with the standard arguments against “Mormonism”.
But the Bible says that believers in Christ were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). I would respectfully submit that those Christians:
1. Did not believe in a closed canon of scripture. (some of the New Testament had not yet been written.)
2. Did not accept the Nicene Creed as an accurate description of the nature of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. (it would not be written for 300 years)
3. Believed in living apostles and prophets as the “foundation” of Christ’s earthly church.
4. Believed in continuing revelation from God to man.
So if you’re going to say that Mitt and I are not Christians based on those reasons, you’ll have to say that the believers in Antioch were not Christians either according to your definition.
You said in your Hardball interview that “Mormonism” is a “cult” because:
1. “Mormonism came 1800 years after Jesus Christ”
2. “Mormonism has its own human leader, Joseph Smith”
3. “it has its own set of doctrines”
4. “it has its own religious book, The Book of Mormon, in addition to the Bible”
Your exact following words were: “and so by that definition it is a theological cult”. You made a weak distinction between a theological cult and a sociological one, but most people will not even notice that fine differentiation. It was obvious to any sophisticated viewer that your main goal was to keep repeating the word “cult”. It’s such an inflammatory buzz word that I’m sure your goal is to use it as often as you can to scare people away from “Mormonism” without seriously considering our theology and our beliefs. It’s a word used to end or avoid discussion, not to foster it. As a Latter-day Saint I welcome the opportunity to “stand ready to give a reason for the faith that is in me”, but those who sling around the word “cult” with respect to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seek to cut off debate rather than to encourage dialog. It’s as though they are afraid of an open and honest discussion.
But following your own definition of “cult” for a moment, I’d like to respectfully submit that:
1. Roman Catholicism came 300 years after Jesus Christ.
2. Roman Catholicism has its own human leader, the Pope (or Peter if you accept the Catholic claims that he was the first Pope)
3. Roman Catholicism has its own set of doctrines (Mariology, transubstantiation, priestly celibacy, veneration of “saints”, indulgences, etc.)
4. Roman Catholicism has its own religious books (9 deuterocanonical more than those found in the Protestant Bible – also used in Eastern Orthodox churches)
And even your own Baptist flavor of Christianity in some ways fits your definition of what makes a cult;
1. “Baptistism” came 1609 years after Jesus Christ
2. “Baptistism” had its own human leader John Smythe – a Church of England minister (see footnote below from the website of the Baptist History and Heritage Society)
3. “Baptistism” had its own unique doctrines, including the “believer’s baptism” of adults.
4. “Baptistism” was considered a cult by the “orthodox” or “traditional” or “historic” Christian denominations of the time. In fact Baptists suffered severe persecution from other Christians who believed in the “mainline” doctrine of infant baptism prevalent in that era. Thousands of Baptists were martyred for baptizing adults.
One of the dictionary definitions of a cult is that is a small isolated group that is out of the mainstream. That certainly does not apply to my church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest religion in America, and the second largest Christian church in Washington, Oregon, and California (after Catholicism). You mentioned that there are 15 million Southern Baptists. By 2012 at the present rate of growth there will be more Latter-day Saints than that.
Pastor Jeffress, in order to be consistent and truthful you would have to admit that the same definition you’ve used to brand “Mormonism” a cult applies at least in part to Roman Catholicism and “Baptistism” as well. Are you willing to say that on national television? I would hope so. I would hope that you’d want to be totally consistent and truthful.
Thank you for your time. I’m attaching a summary I wrote of what I believe happened to “the faith once delivered to the saints”. There was a great apostacy that fundamentally changed the New Testament church of Jesus Christ into something so different that those Christians at Antioch or Peter or Paul would not have recognized it in the Dark Ages that came upon the earth. (Amos 8:12) That apostacy required the “restitution of all things” prophesied in Acts 3:21 to occur before Christ’s return. That restitution or restoration of original Biblical Christianity was what was looked forward to by Roger Williams.
I testify to you that that restoration has come, and the original Christianity is back on the earth in its fullness as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you would like to investigate these claims I’ll be happy to “bring forth my strong reasons” for “the faith that is in me.” I would welcome a thoughtful dialog.
Cordially yours,
Robert Starling
A Latter-day Christian
(footnote to above reference to John Smyth)
BHHS -- Baptist Beginnings http://www.baptisthistory.org/baptistbeginnings.htm
The first General Baptist church, led by John Smyth, was founded in Amsterdam, Holland, in 1608/09. Its members were English refugees who had fled England to escape religious persecution. John Smyth was a minister in the Church of England. As a student and later as a pastor and teacher. … By 1608/09, Smyth was convinced his Separatist church was not valid. Most of the members had only infant baptism, and the church was formed on the basis of a "covenant," rather than a confession of faith in Christ. Smyth therefore led the church to disband in 1608/09 and re-form on a new basis–a personal confession of faith in Christ, followed by believer’s baptism. Since none of the members had been baptized as believers, Smyth had to make a new beginning. He baptized himself and then baptized the others. His baptism was by sprinkling or pouring, but it was for believers only.
* * * * *
This is a post I came across on Facebook. I think it's beautifully, calmly, intelligently, faithfully laid out, and the author did an amazing job. What are the chances Pastor Jeffress actually WOULD ever read it? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeaaase let that happen...
October 28, 2011
Bonus (not Added, Just Bonus) Post: Grammar Alert!
As a matter of fact (not actual fact, just fact) I really could care less about this. A WHOLE LOT less. I am one of those nerds who would rather chew aluminum foil than listen to someone use the non-word* 'irregardless'.
You Sound Ridiculous: 7 Misused Expressions
I feel better now.
And you should watch this:
Although I gotta say, I kind of like the idea of an inflatable hover-fort.
* I am SO HAPPY to have a word for something that is not a word, even if it resembles one (in the strictest sense).
You Sound Ridiculous: 7 Misused Expressions
I feel better now.
And you should watch this:
Although I gotta say, I kind of like the idea of an inflatable hover-fort.
* I am SO HAPPY to have a word for something that is not a word, even if it resembles one (in the strictest sense).
October 15, 2011
Magical Me (in Dover)
Any minute now I'm expecting an owl from Hogwarts inviting me to come guest-tutor on Drama (not 'drama') In The Wizarding World! (Can you IMAGINE? And WHY does Hogwarts not have a Theatre Society, hmmm?)
I'm sure the letter's coming, because today I rode the Knight Bus.
Yes, I know, it 'said' it was the Number 89, but I'm also certain that JoRow had that exact driver and route in mind when she came up with the idea.
This morning I went to Dover - I took the Number 15 bus, which was a nice direct route and got me there in 20 minutes or so. The weather was beautiful, my iPod playlist was spot-on, the fact that I got off a stop too late and had to walk back to the entrance to Dover Castle was just another chance to enjoy the sunshine and take a few more pictures. I roamed all over the Castle, did a little too much shopping (it was for Christmas, so it's OK, right?), got all choked up over WWII in the Underground War Tunnels, and eventually headed down the hill to try for a good look at the famous white cliffs and find a bus back to Canterbury.
The 89 arrived at the station about 10 minutes before the 15 was due - it was the 'scenic' route, and as such would get me back to town much later than the following bus, but hey... why not? Try anything (bus route-wise) once, right? Ho, boy.
I had the top level of a ricketty old double-decker to myself... except for the extremely nice boy who got on with his scooter soon after I did and immediately began spray-painting it in the very back row. (Seriously, the kid was super nice - he came and opened the windows for me when I started choking on the fumes.) You know those movies or imported TV episodes where you see people driving through quaint English villages and narrow-laned countrysides? That's exactly what they look like in real life, except I can't be QUITE sure because we careened through them so quickly that my insides are still somewhere on the outskirts of Ayleshame. That bus bobbed and weaved like a politician at a town-hall meeting. There were tree branches and leaves beating at the top level of the bus until I nearly started bleeding in sympathy. I really didn't try to take pictures - between the speed and the paint fumes they all would have come out blurry, anyway.
I did see some incredible countryside and some terrific houses/cottages - there was at least one with an ACTUAL thatched roof. I think there was another that was a converted church... the other 97%, though, were the brick boxes so beloved of the British aesthetic. Rolling hills, open farmland, mist in the dells, green stretches of woodland - and lines of brick houses, inches apart if not joined at the hip. What IS this love for row-housing? Even if they're not actually attached they're still structurally inbred and just waiting for a pre-fabricated 'extension' to hook them together. You Brits. You're funny.
And your bus drivers are INSANE.
The kid thanked me very sweetly when I didn't give him up to the driver after the fumes drifted downstairs and started bothering the little old ladies clustered below - I pointed out that he had paint in his hair and suggested he try to keep out of trouble. I've got a fan, I didn't get a face full of spray paint, and I made it back to town in one piece... sounds like a win to me!*
Hogwarts, I'll stock up on owl treats!
*Except for the guy who has to clean paint off the back row of the bus. Sorry about that, bus guy. Maybe it'll smooth out the driving skills, though - they certainly couldn't get worse!
I'm sure the letter's coming, because today I rode the Knight Bus.
Yes, I know, it 'said' it was the Number 89, but I'm also certain that JoRow had that exact driver and route in mind when she came up with the idea.
This morning I went to Dover - I took the Number 15 bus, which was a nice direct route and got me there in 20 minutes or so. The weather was beautiful, my iPod playlist was spot-on, the fact that I got off a stop too late and had to walk back to the entrance to Dover Castle was just another chance to enjoy the sunshine and take a few more pictures. I roamed all over the Castle, did a little too much shopping (it was for Christmas, so it's OK, right?), got all choked up over WWII in the Underground War Tunnels, and eventually headed down the hill to try for a good look at the famous white cliffs and find a bus back to Canterbury.
The 89 arrived at the station about 10 minutes before the 15 was due - it was the 'scenic' route, and as such would get me back to town much later than the following bus, but hey... why not? Try anything (bus route-wise) once, right? Ho, boy.
I had the top level of a ricketty old double-decker to myself... except for the extremely nice boy who got on with his scooter soon after I did and immediately began spray-painting it in the very back row. (Seriously, the kid was super nice - he came and opened the windows for me when I started choking on the fumes.) You know those movies or imported TV episodes where you see people driving through quaint English villages and narrow-laned countrysides? That's exactly what they look like in real life, except I can't be QUITE sure because we careened through them so quickly that my insides are still somewhere on the outskirts of Ayleshame. That bus bobbed and weaved like a politician at a town-hall meeting. There were tree branches and leaves beating at the top level of the bus until I nearly started bleeding in sympathy. I really didn't try to take pictures - between the speed and the paint fumes they all would have come out blurry, anyway.
I did see some incredible countryside and some terrific houses/cottages - there was at least one with an ACTUAL thatched roof. I think there was another that was a converted church... the other 97%, though, were the brick boxes so beloved of the British aesthetic. Rolling hills, open farmland, mist in the dells, green stretches of woodland - and lines of brick houses, inches apart if not joined at the hip. What IS this love for row-housing? Even if they're not actually attached they're still structurally inbred and just waiting for a pre-fabricated 'extension' to hook them together. You Brits. You're funny.
And your bus drivers are INSANE.
The kid thanked me very sweetly when I didn't give him up to the driver after the fumes drifted downstairs and started bothering the little old ladies clustered below - I pointed out that he had paint in his hair and suggested he try to keep out of trouble. I've got a fan, I didn't get a face full of spray paint, and I made it back to town in one piece... sounds like a win to me!*
Hogwarts, I'll stock up on owl treats!
*Except for the guy who has to clean paint off the back row of the bus. Sorry about that, bus guy. Maybe it'll smooth out the driving skills, though - they certainly couldn't get worse!
October 12, 2011
Update
I keep meaning to blog, but I've been hit with a new round of 'no Internet access at home' and it's hard to stick to the To-Do List when vegging between lectures while at school. Eh. Also, I've been working on my dramaturgy blog (http://dramaturgytalk.blogspot.com/) which is part of my website (DramaturgyTalk.org*) and you're free to check out both/either. Today I started with an optional lecture on Verbatim Theatre (theatre built from the words of interviewees, event participants - no changing the words!), went right into a seminar on the Sarah Kane play 4:48 psychosis, and then headed to a Philosophy of Art lecture on "Two-Dimensional Versus Three-Dimensional Pictorial Design" which just sounded interesting. And then I came back to the post-graduate study room and blogged about it.
Seriously.
WHO AM I?
I don't even know, but I'm having a great time.
The hair has grown to the point that it goes completely wack-tastic under a hat, so a 'bad hair' hat day is, in the end, a hair DISASTER day (but it's covered by a hat, so it's just funny). My half-dozen cowlicks are coming out to play - I'm about to invest in hair gel (already!) because whole sections are regularly doing totally different fuzzy things than other sections. I've been terrible about taking 'progress' pictures - I did a tiny trim over my ears with nail scissors, and I'm back to considering the wigs since the way the hair is growing makes my head look lumpy. (Now you know why I haven't been taking the progress pictures.)
Things are good, my lecturers are awesome, I'm really enjoying my classmates, and ANY SECOND NOW my student loan and passport are going to show up (though not together, they're coming from different places) so that I can travel.
Next weekend I'll either be going to Turkey (see above re: passport/funds!) or back to The Doctor Who Adventure in London, and sometime soon (come on, Internet!) I'll start posting pictures from my Canterbury trekking. (The white cliffs of Dover are calling this weekend...)
Cheers!
* If the link doesn't work for some reason, you can also get to my website here: www.wix.com/cydlets/dramaturgy-talk.
Seriously.
WHO AM I?
I don't even know, but I'm having a great time.
The hair has grown to the point that it goes completely wack-tastic under a hat, so a 'bad hair' hat day is, in the end, a hair DISASTER day (but it's covered by a hat, so it's just funny). My half-dozen cowlicks are coming out to play - I'm about to invest in hair gel (already!) because whole sections are regularly doing totally different fuzzy things than other sections. I've been terrible about taking 'progress' pictures - I did a tiny trim over my ears with nail scissors, and I'm back to considering the wigs since the way the hair is growing makes my head look lumpy. (Now you know why I haven't been taking the progress pictures.)
Things are good, my lecturers are awesome, I'm really enjoying my classmates, and ANY SECOND NOW my student loan and passport are going to show up (though not together, they're coming from different places) so that I can travel.
Next weekend I'll either be going to Turkey (see above re: passport/funds!) or back to The Doctor Who Adventure in London, and sometime soon (come on, Internet!) I'll start posting pictures from my Canterbury trekking. (The white cliffs of Dover are calling this weekend...)
Cheers!
* If the link doesn't work for some reason, you can also get to my website here: www.wix.com/cydlets/dramaturgy-talk.
October 08, 2011
October 06, 2011
The Return... (Insert Halloween-worthy Something-or-Other Here)
Central's done - paper sent, website established (slightly sloppily, domain-wise, but I'm working on that). With just a little bit of luck, I'll have an actual Master's Degree by December! (Yes. Graduation is in December. I'm not sure what's up with that - although it does mean that if Kent follows a similar pattern, I'll have a reason to come back to the UK a few months after I graduate from this program(me).) The term at the University of Kent has started - we're actually in the second week now. Here's the short version of things I've had every intention of blogging about:
- The hair is still short, and sadly, not actually red. I think the tint in the 'after the haircut' picture was due to the lighting in the salon. Sad. It's a kind of golden-y brown - and while there is quite a bit of gray, those don't seem to stand out much. Although I do think they grow faster than the colored hairs...
- I haven't worn any of the wigs out in public. Everyone here knows me with the short-short hair, and I think I'd actually feel silly now busting out the wigs. I'll be working on getting over that and wearing them anyway.
- People in Canterbury are SO MUCH NICER than people in London - I think I'd have had a really hard time if I'd attended school here first and then moved to the big city. Everyone thanks the driver when they leave the bus, people allow other cars to turn or merge into traffic, people SMILE at each other... madness.
- Sometime last week when my housemate was out of town I took the garbage out and discovered we have a motion-activated light in the back yard. (Back garden.) ((I have a back yard!!!)) Much later that night when I was in bed, I got a good shock when the light flared up (my room overlooks the back). I freaked out just a little bit, as we don't have a gate or anything blocking off the back yard, but finally went back to sleep. Two days later, the same thing happened - this time I jumped to the window to try to eyeball the crazy psycho stalking college students in a quiet town, and saw... a fox. We have foxes in the back yards here in Canterbury, and they're big enough to set off the motion lights, which totally scare them away. He hasn't been back, in fact.
- I don't have classes on Fridays (or Mondays either, actually - how beyond ideal is THAT?!?) so the first week I hopped on the bus and rode out to Margate to see the ocean. It was a pleasant drive, though the countryside could have used some mountains - the only landmarks were what could have been a tower or a castle in the distance, and what definitely was a nuclear power plant not far enough away. The beach was OK - there was a heavy haze out on the water (I'm going to Dover soon, and I hope it's clear enough to see France) and it created some interesting visual effects. A couple of huge tankers were far enough out from shore to be sitting in the haze, and it made them look as if they were hanging a ways above the surface of the water. Nifty.
- I was checking out some Doctor Who mugs on amazon.co.uk (as you do) and I noticed a warning label:
Seriously. And it's on all the mug listings - or 'mug shots', if you will. Apparently, MUGS are so inherently dangerous (the regular ones too, not just crazy novelty jobbies) that they may only be purchased (and presumably operated) by qualified adults. Thank you, Amazon.co.uk - I had no idea of the danger I was in! I will never be so cavalier about mug safety again!
- And to finish up, one of those very nice people rescued me from a potential bee attack - he was a very pretty undergrad from Essex (though he was definitely NOT a 'chav', he informed me - think the UK equivalent of someone from 'Jersey Shore'), and he swanned in to my rescue because he had happened to be stung by a bee himself just the day before... on the inside of his mouth. It flew right in, stung him, and his mouth puffed up like he was smuggling a baseball in his lip. (He, being British, did not actually use the baseball simile.) I am not making this up.
More later!
- The hair is still short, and sadly, not actually red. I think the tint in the 'after the haircut' picture was due to the lighting in the salon. Sad. It's a kind of golden-y brown - and while there is quite a bit of gray, those don't seem to stand out much. Although I do think they grow faster than the colored hairs...
- I haven't worn any of the wigs out in public. Everyone here knows me with the short-short hair, and I think I'd actually feel silly now busting out the wigs. I'll be working on getting over that and wearing them anyway.
- People in Canterbury are SO MUCH NICER than people in London - I think I'd have had a really hard time if I'd attended school here first and then moved to the big city. Everyone thanks the driver when they leave the bus, people allow other cars to turn or merge into traffic, people SMILE at each other... madness.
- Sometime last week when my housemate was out of town I took the garbage out and discovered we have a motion-activated light in the back yard. (Back garden.) ((I have a back yard!!!)) Much later that night when I was in bed, I got a good shock when the light flared up (my room overlooks the back). I freaked out just a little bit, as we don't have a gate or anything blocking off the back yard, but finally went back to sleep. Two days later, the same thing happened - this time I jumped to the window to try to eyeball the crazy psycho stalking college students in a quiet town, and saw... a fox. We have foxes in the back yards here in Canterbury, and they're big enough to set off the motion lights, which totally scare them away. He hasn't been back, in fact.
- I don't have classes on Fridays (or Mondays either, actually - how beyond ideal is THAT?!?) so the first week I hopped on the bus and rode out to Margate to see the ocean. It was a pleasant drive, though the countryside could have used some mountains - the only landmarks were what could have been a tower or a castle in the distance, and what definitely was a nuclear power plant not far enough away. The beach was OK - there was a heavy haze out on the water (I'm going to Dover soon, and I hope it's clear enough to see France) and it created some interesting visual effects. A couple of huge tankers were far enough out from shore to be sitting in the haze, and it made them look as if they were hanging a ways above the surface of the water. Nifty.
- I was checking out some Doctor Who mugs on amazon.co.uk (as you do) and I noticed a warning label:
 Not for sale to persons under the age of 18. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 18 years of age or over. This item must be used responsibly and appropriately. |
Seriously. And it's on all the mug listings - or 'mug shots', if you will. Apparently, MUGS are so inherently dangerous (the regular ones too, not just crazy novelty jobbies) that they may only be purchased (and presumably operated) by qualified adults. Thank you, Amazon.co.uk - I had no idea of the danger I was in! I will never be so cavalier about mug safety again!
- And to finish up, one of those very nice people rescued me from a potential bee attack - he was a very pretty undergrad from Essex (though he was definitely NOT a 'chav', he informed me - think the UK equivalent of someone from 'Jersey Shore'), and he swanned in to my rescue because he had happened to be stung by a bee himself just the day before... on the inside of his mouth. It flew right in, stung him, and his mouth puffed up like he was smuggling a baseball in his lip. (He, being British, did not actually use the baseball simile.) I am not making this up.
More later!
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