anne abroad: reading week: take 2

Reading Week is here again! In case you don't remember from last semester, reading week is week seven out of the twelve-week semester. There are no classes this week, and students are meant to get caught up on, well, reading. This semester has gone by at an alarming pace: I feel like I just started my second set of classes, and here I am halfway done with them!

My week has actually been very productive. I've been motivated to write two essays before Kira gets here THIS SATURDAY. I want to have as much time as possible to explore London with her. I cranked out an entire essay on Sunday, and finished essay number two this afternoon! One is for my World Travelers class, on Jean Rhys's Voyage in the Dark, and the other is for Gender, Race, and Empire--about Mary Prince's The History of Mary Prince. Both of them desperately need revising, but at least they are in existence!

Here are some things I have been up to lately besides essay-writing which may or may not be noteworthy:

Movie-watching. The Victoria is a pub 15 minutes away from my flat. It has free movie showings at 8:00 every Sunday evening, popcorn included. Not only can you watch a movie at the Victoria, you can also get a haircut! Unfortunately, the haircuts are not free; they cost a whopping 25 quid! Last week's film was Paris Blues, with Louis Armstrong, Sidney Poitier, and Paul Newman. I enjoyed it, especially the music bits with trombone and trumpet!
Omelet-cooking. Michael and I were talking about how much we miss having big breakfasts, so we made omelets with green and red peppers, spinach, ham, cheese, and home-fries for dinner. I had a bunch of ingredients left over, so I've been eating a lot of omelets. Yum.
Cat-partying. Rachel and I found a little bar/club by Old Street station that was letting people in for 2 pounds if they had cat-faces. If you didn't get your cat face on, you had to pay 10 pounds. We drew noses and whiskers on each other with eyeliner while riding the tube amongst all the Guardian-reading Londoners. Once on street level, we didn't know where to go--until we spotted a group of people with cat faces to follow!
Internship-applying. I probably should have planned ahead better with this, but I want an internship at a publishing company. I found a feature article online about London's small private publishing companies, and sent emails out to every single one, with no responses except two Sorry-but-we're-not-taking-interns. Looking back on that, I probably should I have sent them my CV and cover letter. Anyway, I also applied to some bigger companies, and I got a reply that didn't begin with Sorry-but! Instead, they sent me a 10-page sample manuscript to edit--using UK style. So I need to get going on that, and hope for the best.


me n rachel being cats

Today was beautiful, sunny, and almost-warm. I took some time between the library and skyping with Kira about her impending visit to take a walk and soak up some sun! (I think I have shin splints. On my left leg. I've been not running, and icing my left shin with a big bag of frozen peas. Hence the walk-not-run). Here are some photos I took: