lament of a scatter-brained english major

I spend so much time analyzing characters in novels, picking them apart: the words that they utter, the words they think, the words surrounding them, creating them.  Their actions: what they mean, why they occur, how they affect surrounding characters and why. 

I wish I could become a character in a book, my sum and substance becoming the words on the page, no more and no less.  Then someone could write a paper on me and I'd understand myself better.

my oh my an apple pie

Today Jane and I went to Central London and found an Asian food market in Chinatown that sells mochi, tofu, miso, etc. etc. etc.!  It had basically everything that the Oriental market in Salt Lake has.  I got really excited and probably overspent. 

I also stopped at Sainsbury's and got the makings for a sour cream apple pie.  My mom sent me a Christmas care package, and included a pie tin--she'd heard my woes about not being able to find one in time for Thanksgiving.  (Thanks Mom!)  So today, after finishing my paper, of course, I made pie for my flatmates.

 

After years of watching my mom's hands crimp the crust, I still can't do it like she does...

...But it tasted delicious and was a big hit!  

photos from friday

Borough Market

Me & Angeline walking back from the market

Chocolate Festival sample

With Angeline & Jane on our yummy London adventure!

"This is one of the most singular experiences, waking on what feels like a good day, preparing to work but not yet actually embarked.  At this moment there are infinite possibilities, whole hours ahead.  Her mind hums.  This morning she may penetrate the obfuscation, the clogged pipes, to reach the gold."

-Michael Cunningham, The Hours

Loving London

Today:

Tate Modern with my Art Histories class: analyzed a work which appeared to be a giant blob of grey goo oozing from a corner...a melted elephant?

Burrough Market with Angeline and Jane: 10-minute walk from the Tate.  To get there, walk down a Dickens-esque cobblestone alley.  Chicken burger, good coffee, free samples of Turkish Delight, fudge, nuts, cheese, spinach-filled pasta.

Chocolate Festival at Bankside: more free samples!

Still to come: Janette's going-away party.  Homemade Mexican food--she had to scour the whole of London to find her some quality corn tortillas.

Also, the giant white wall in my room is slowing being covered over with a collage, much of which consists of artwork made with love by my little cousin Maurea.

student protests

Students protested increased tuition fees in Parliament Square today--here are some photos.

"But she said, sitting on the bus going up Shaftesbury Avenue, she felt herself everywhere; not "here, here, here"; and she tapped the back of the seat; but everywhere.  She waved her hand, going up Shaftesbury Avenue.  She was all that.  So that to know her, or any one, one must seek out the people who completed them; even the places.  Odd affinities she had with people she had never spoken to, some woman in the street, some man behind the counter--"

-Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway

Tube Talk

Seeing as it is another snowy day, and I still have a cold, and I'm not wearing any pants right now (leggings are my new favorite thing) I think it's time to offer my readers (all two of them?) some random insights about the London underground system.  I'm not sure why the above criteria justify the offering of insights--but hey, why not.

The Tube

• They really do tell you to "mind the gap" each time you step on or off the tube.  At first, I found this gentle reminder unneccessary.  There is no way someone could get their foot stuck in, much less fall into, the gap between the train and the platform--it's way too small.  However, now that I've pretty much traveled the entire underground system--well, almost--I can honestly say that there are some gaps that are definitely worth minding (i.e. Piccadilly line at Holborn station: northbound).  
• Riding the tube is a bit depressing.  I think this has a lot to do with the greyish lighting.  Also, no one speaks to any one else.  It's always a bit problematic figuring out where to look--it's so packed, but you don't want to get caught mindlessly staring at someone.  It is for this reason, I think, that most people bring reading material, or plug themselves into headphones and close their eyes or stare at the ads lining the inside of the train.  I still like to covertly watch people when I ride the tube; my favorites are the ones who read over their neighbor's shoulder.
• Tube strikes and repairs happen frequently, so you always need to be prepared for delays or figuring out alternate routes.  On the way to my Dickens City walk, someone had either fallen/been pushed/jumped in front of a train: another delay for the London underground.
• After a long day in the tunnels of the tube, your snot turns grey.  It's a fact.
• Never try to fight the doors of the train.  Unfortunately, I speak from experience...  the group I was with all made it on, and I almost made it, but the doors shut on me!  Embarrassing.  I ended up having to jump back onto the platform and wait for the next train. 
• Some of my favorite station names:  Elephant & Castle, Chancery Lane, Tottenham Court Road, Queensway, Tooting Broadway, Paddington, Piccadilly Circus, and of course my beloved local station, Mile End.