Sorry it's been so long. Law school is just a little time consuming. :)
So the first half of the semester has gone well. I've kept up on my reading, and I'm even starting my flash cards for finals early (I'm so proud of myself)! The first week was pretty tame, just getting used to being back in school. The second week began a month long stress fest. It was the moot court competition. The first two weeks we had to write a brief, which is essentially a 20 page paper discussing why your side should win. The two sides were the gov't and a drug company named Zydeco. I was the gov't. The worst part is, your not allowed to talk to anyone else (whether they're in the competition or not), which was more frustrating to me than actually writing the brief. After we turned in the brief we had a week to work on our oral arguments. We had to make essentially a 20 min. speech for both sides. But while we talk, the judges can interrupt us and ask us questions about the issues. So the fourth week it was time for oral arguments, we had to do two. I argued first for the gov't on Monday, and then on Wednesday, I had to switch sides and argue for Zydeco. Unfortunately, after all this stress and work, I did not make the team. I'm not super surprised, but I am very surprised at some of the people who did make it, and that pissed me off more than not making it. Oh well, it's in the past.
After that I felt it weird to have extra time in my day, and I felt guilty, so I started making flash cards for finals. The past two weeks have been pretty low key, which I love. The other thing that goes on in the fall is of course, football! We've had about 4 home games, and it's amazing. You go out to the grove, which is this big grassy area, and you tailgate (watch tv, eat food, hang with friends). It's the most fun thing about Oxford in my opinion. :)
Mom and Chels came up this weekend so they could participate in a prospective student day at Ole Miss. I think they both enjoyed it, and I enjoyed having them here. Chels was here two weeks ago for the Ole Miss v. University of Georgia football game, and she'll be back in 2 more weeks for the Arkansas university v. Ole Miss game. Mom wanted to come, but she has a swim meet that day.
Plans for the rest of the semester for me include a Fall Fun event this coming Friday, a Halloween Party in a few weeks, more football games, and continuing to study for finals. Sounds like fun right? As much as I'm ready for the semester to be over, school seems to be going by much too fast for my liking.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
A new school year
So I'm finishing my second week of my 2L year and I have to say the old adage is true: "Your 1L year they scare you to death. Your 2L year they work you to death. And your 3L year they bore you to death." Well so far years 1 and 2 have proven true... Kind of can't wait for the 3L year right now.
So this year started off with a bang. I moved in a week early so I could get settled and unpacked in my new place, and I'm very happy with how it all turned out. I have my own space (with lots of storage, which is good b/c I have a lot of stuff. Did I mention I filled 3 closets w/ clothes?) that's the perfect size for me. I can make it as dirty/messy or as clean as I want. It's kind of nice.
The first week was filled w/ "welcome back to law school now let's get to work" classes. This year I My schedule looks something like this:
Mon and Wed - Legal Profession (Ethics) from 8-9:20
Mon and Wed - Jurisprudence (Philosophy) from 9:30-10:50
Mon, Wed, and Fri - Evidence from 1:30-2:50 (M/W) and 12:30-1:50 (F)
Tues and Thurs - Criminal Procedure I (what police are allowed to do) from 8-9:20
Tues and Thurs - Entertainment Law from 2-3:20
I rearranged my schedule a little bit from what it originally was (I had Income tax instead of entertainment law), but this works out better for me. This past Monday was the beginning of the Moot Court competition. This is one of two competitions I can enter in order to get on the Moot Court team. Moot Court is a combination of Mock Trial and Appellate arguing (it would take way to long to explain what those are on here, but essentially it's like different types of trial practice). I have two weeks to write a 25 page brief and then I have to do two 20 minute oral arguments for each side. The current board members grade it. They gave us an 18 page problem that contains two opinions of past decisions. We have to read through the problem, research the problem, and then write a paper. You only write your brief for one side though (which means as I do research for my side, I also need to do research for the other side too). So this week in all my spare time I've been researching cases for this problem. Today I'm finishing my research and writing an outline so come Sunday I can start writing.
What makes this difficult is I still have reading to do for my 5 classes, and all my clubs are having their beginning of the year meetings, and I need to work on my resume and cover letters so I can start applying for jobs/internships over the next month, and to top it all off, I developed a cold this week which essentially incapacitated me for a day. On the bright side, I got ahead in a lot of my reading last week so I wouldn't feel guilty not reading a day or two this week or next. I've also gotten caught up on my research from earlier this week. So as soon as I get the rest of this research done and outline written I will be free until Sunday.
Which basically brings me to this weekend. College football has returned!!!!! Ole Miss' first game is against BYU (Brigham Young University). This should be interesting in more than one way. The main reason of course being the strictness of BYU's policies and the lack there of at Ole Miss. The Grove (where tailgating is held) is a different type of experience, and one where the alcohol and sodas tend to runneth over. Of course we all dress up for the football games too. And, since we're in MS, the weather has decided it will give BYU a warm (very warm) welcome. I hope they like 95 degree weather that feels like 100 (the game kicks off at 3:45).
Football = my favorite time of the year!!!
Anyways, that's all from here (pretty much). Hope everyone's well. Have a good weekend.
So this year started off with a bang. I moved in a week early so I could get settled and unpacked in my new place, and I'm very happy with how it all turned out. I have my own space (with lots of storage, which is good b/c I have a lot of stuff. Did I mention I filled 3 closets w/ clothes?) that's the perfect size for me. I can make it as dirty/messy or as clean as I want. It's kind of nice.
The first week was filled w/ "welcome back to law school now let's get to work" classes. This year I My schedule looks something like this:
Mon and Wed - Legal Profession (Ethics) from 8-9:20
Mon and Wed - Jurisprudence (Philosophy) from 9:30-10:50
Mon, Wed, and Fri - Evidence from 1:30-2:50 (M/W) and 12:30-1:50 (F)
Tues and Thurs - Criminal Procedure I (what police are allowed to do) from 8-9:20
Tues and Thurs - Entertainment Law from 2-3:20
I rearranged my schedule a little bit from what it originally was (I had Income tax instead of entertainment law), but this works out better for me. This past Monday was the beginning of the Moot Court competition. This is one of two competitions I can enter in order to get on the Moot Court team. Moot Court is a combination of Mock Trial and Appellate arguing (it would take way to long to explain what those are on here, but essentially it's like different types of trial practice). I have two weeks to write a 25 page brief and then I have to do two 20 minute oral arguments for each side. The current board members grade it. They gave us an 18 page problem that contains two opinions of past decisions. We have to read through the problem, research the problem, and then write a paper. You only write your brief for one side though (which means as I do research for my side, I also need to do research for the other side too). So this week in all my spare time I've been researching cases for this problem. Today I'm finishing my research and writing an outline so come Sunday I can start writing.
What makes this difficult is I still have reading to do for my 5 classes, and all my clubs are having their beginning of the year meetings, and I need to work on my resume and cover letters so I can start applying for jobs/internships over the next month, and to top it all off, I developed a cold this week which essentially incapacitated me for a day. On the bright side, I got ahead in a lot of my reading last week so I wouldn't feel guilty not reading a day or two this week or next. I've also gotten caught up on my research from earlier this week. So as soon as I get the rest of this research done and outline written I will be free until Sunday.
Which basically brings me to this weekend. College football has returned!!!!! Ole Miss' first game is against BYU (Brigham Young University). This should be interesting in more than one way. The main reason of course being the strictness of BYU's policies and the lack there of at Ole Miss. The Grove (where tailgating is held) is a different type of experience, and one where the alcohol and sodas tend to runneth over. Of course we all dress up for the football games too. And, since we're in MS, the weather has decided it will give BYU a warm (very warm) welcome. I hope they like 95 degree weather that feels like 100 (the game kicks off at 3:45).
Football = my favorite time of the year!!!
Anyways, that's all from here (pretty much). Hope everyone's well. Have a good weekend.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
New Place
Living room from the front door.
Living room from the Kitchen
My Kitchen
My Kitchen
My Bathroom
My Office
My Bedroom
Friday, August 12, 2011
The End (but not really)
Sorry it's taken so long for me to write this last post, and of course because of that it'll be kind of long. :)
So my last few days at Cambridge were spent mostly studying, but it paid off. I've gotten 2 of 3 grades back and they are an A and a B+. Wednesday after our last final I went and packed up my room. The general goal was just to get everything in suitcases, which of course made my big suitcase quite heavy. :) That afternoon I met up with Jesse and we grabbed a few beers/ciders and a magazine and headed to the park to soak up the beautiful weather (75 and sunny). It was a great afternoon. That evening was the farewell dinner. It was pretty good actually. Both Czarnetsky (Ole Miss prof) and Hopkins (Cambridge prof) made speeches. All the professors and their families were there. It was a good time all around. After dinner we headed to the college bar for last night of frivolity, and many of the professors joined us which was fun. And when that closed we hit the town in Cambridge. It was a good way to end our stay there.
Thursday we had to be out of our rooms by noon, and a few of us caught the train to London together, and separated once we were there. While pulling my suitcase along the streets of London though I discovered that not only was my suit case broken, but one of the wheels was broken as well, which made it much more like dragging than pulling. Kevin was kind enough to pull my ridiculously heavy bag to the hostel for me. I stayed at Queen Mary, a University of London Campus in East London. It was really nice actually. That afternoon, Kevin and I went to the Great Britain Beer Festival. We had a lot of fun doing that. After dinner, Kevin headed to the airport where he was staying because he had an early flight in the morning.
Friday I got up and did quite a few things. I went to the Cabinet War Rooms where Churchill ran WWII from. It was amazing. It is pretty much exactly as it was left. It looks as though on the last day they left, and the next day, the museum people came and put glass up and it became a museum. After that, I walked down to Buckingham Palace because I was near there, and then back towards Big Ben. For lunch I went to one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. It wasn't one of his more famous ones. It is called York & Albany. It was still really good food though. After lunch I walked through Regent's Park because it was another gorgeous day. After that I went to M&M World, which is actually just a big M&M Store, but it's still pretty cool. That night I met some friends for dinner in Covent Garden.
Saturday I went to Dover for the day. I went and saw the white cliffs and the castle. It was also very interesting. It was very cloudy and started raining as I walked back to the train station later that afternoon, but other than that it was nice. I saw the underground tunnels used in WWII, a lot of old guns and tanks, and then of course the castle. I went in the castle and up to the top. I enjoyed it quite a bit. After that I headed back into London, and went to the Globe to get tickets for whatever show was playing that night. It ended up being a show called The Globe Mysteries. It was a play that took people through Bible from creation to Judgment Day. It was written in Old English, and a lot of the costumes were modern (it was kind of like watching Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio). It was really good though, and very well performed. There were some humorous parts in it, which made it that much more enjoyable to watch. I was just going to pay 5 pounds and stand, but the weather had said it was supposed to rain, and although it didn't look like rain, I didn't want to risk it. And it did rain while the show was performed.
On Sunday I got up and was supposed to meet some friends that afternoon to go to Camden Market, but we ended up not being able to, so I went shopping on Oxford Circus that afternoon. It rained a lot on Sunday, but luckily it only rained when I was in the shops looking around. :) I went to dinner at a pub that night (I figured it'd be my last time for a while), and after that headed back to my room so I could repack everything for tomorrow. I had to be out of my room by 7:30/7:45 that morning because they were going to begin refurbishing the room I was staying in. I was supposed to be in a different room on the 4th floor, but as there were no elevators and my suitcases were heavy and one was broken, I asked to be moved, and that was the condition of my moving, which was fine with me.
So on Monday I got up early, and put my luggage in storage and headed out for the day. I went to Windsor Castle that day. I figured I'd spend 2 hours there (tops) and be done; then I could get back into town and get out to my hotel with lots of time to relax. Yeah... about that... :) I ended up spending 4 hours there. I did the audio tour, as well as a guided tour (the guided tour was actually a private one because I was the only one who showed up for that time). I went into the State Apartments and those were gorgeous. Then I went up to the top of the Round Tower and got some great views of the area. After that I went and looked around St. George's Chapel before heading back to London. I ended up not getting back to the luggage storage until after 4.
I had decided that instead of taking my suitcase down 50 some odd stairs to the tube, I would take the bus to King's Cross and catch the tube out to Heathrow from there (there's elevators at that tube station). I figured out the bus I needed stopped right outside the Queen Mary, so it worked out perfectly. I did not anticipate a 1 hour bus ride, or having to stand in line for a half hour at King's Cross to get a tube ticket. So I finally got on the tube, got to Heathrow and took the shuttle from there to my hotel. I ended up not even getting to my room until after 8. I still had to repack everything and take a shower. I had to be up at 6 the next morning too, so I was trying to get to bed early (that didn't happen). So I finally climbed into bed sometime after 11.
Tuesday I got up early and headed to the airport. I was determined to get there 3 hours early because it's Heathrow and you never know what's going to happen. It's a good thing I did too, because I ended up at the wrong terminal. My first flight was supposedly with BMI (which is terminal 1), but I had to go check in with Continental (in terminal 4). And then of course I had to stand in line for an hour or so to check in and go through security. Once through I had about an hour and a half to kill, so I grabbed some breakfast. Got on the plane, and had a smooth trip to Newark. However, when I got to Newark, I found out my flight at 4:29 to Memphis had been cancelled (noooooooooo!!!!!!). So I had to go to the transfer desk and get a new flight so they put me on a flight to Chicago at 4, and then I was to catch a flight to Memphis from there. So I was like, well, at least I'll get home today. While in Newark I found out that one of my cousins was there on a layover waiting for his flight as well, in the same concourse even! Go figure. So we met up for a few. I ended up getting home about 2 hours later than planned, and by the time I went to bed I had been up for over 22 hours (go me).
So I'm moving back to Oxford on Monday, so this week is basically being spent running errands and getting everything done that I need to get done. Woo hoo. :)
So that's all from here. It was a great summer. I hope y'all enjoyed reading about it as much I enjoyed experiencing it. :) I'll update again sometime soon.
So my last few days at Cambridge were spent mostly studying, but it paid off. I've gotten 2 of 3 grades back and they are an A and a B+. Wednesday after our last final I went and packed up my room. The general goal was just to get everything in suitcases, which of course made my big suitcase quite heavy. :) That afternoon I met up with Jesse and we grabbed a few beers/ciders and a magazine and headed to the park to soak up the beautiful weather (75 and sunny). It was a great afternoon. That evening was the farewell dinner. It was pretty good actually. Both Czarnetsky (Ole Miss prof) and Hopkins (Cambridge prof) made speeches. All the professors and their families were there. It was a good time all around. After dinner we headed to the college bar for last night of frivolity, and many of the professors joined us which was fun. And when that closed we hit the town in Cambridge. It was a good way to end our stay there.
Thursday we had to be out of our rooms by noon, and a few of us caught the train to London together, and separated once we were there. While pulling my suitcase along the streets of London though I discovered that not only was my suit case broken, but one of the wheels was broken as well, which made it much more like dragging than pulling. Kevin was kind enough to pull my ridiculously heavy bag to the hostel for me. I stayed at Queen Mary, a University of London Campus in East London. It was really nice actually. That afternoon, Kevin and I went to the Great Britain Beer Festival. We had a lot of fun doing that. After dinner, Kevin headed to the airport where he was staying because he had an early flight in the morning.
Friday I got up and did quite a few things. I went to the Cabinet War Rooms where Churchill ran WWII from. It was amazing. It is pretty much exactly as it was left. It looks as though on the last day they left, and the next day, the museum people came and put glass up and it became a museum. After that, I walked down to Buckingham Palace because I was near there, and then back towards Big Ben. For lunch I went to one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. It wasn't one of his more famous ones. It is called York & Albany. It was still really good food though. After lunch I walked through Regent's Park because it was another gorgeous day. After that I went to M&M World, which is actually just a big M&M Store, but it's still pretty cool. That night I met some friends for dinner in Covent Garden.
Saturday I went to Dover for the day. I went and saw the white cliffs and the castle. It was also very interesting. It was very cloudy and started raining as I walked back to the train station later that afternoon, but other than that it was nice. I saw the underground tunnels used in WWII, a lot of old guns and tanks, and then of course the castle. I went in the castle and up to the top. I enjoyed it quite a bit. After that I headed back into London, and went to the Globe to get tickets for whatever show was playing that night. It ended up being a show called The Globe Mysteries. It was a play that took people through Bible from creation to Judgment Day. It was written in Old English, and a lot of the costumes were modern (it was kind of like watching Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio). It was really good though, and very well performed. There were some humorous parts in it, which made it that much more enjoyable to watch. I was just going to pay 5 pounds and stand, but the weather had said it was supposed to rain, and although it didn't look like rain, I didn't want to risk it. And it did rain while the show was performed.
On Sunday I got up and was supposed to meet some friends that afternoon to go to Camden Market, but we ended up not being able to, so I went shopping on Oxford Circus that afternoon. It rained a lot on Sunday, but luckily it only rained when I was in the shops looking around. :) I went to dinner at a pub that night (I figured it'd be my last time for a while), and after that headed back to my room so I could repack everything for tomorrow. I had to be out of my room by 7:30/7:45 that morning because they were going to begin refurbishing the room I was staying in. I was supposed to be in a different room on the 4th floor, but as there were no elevators and my suitcases were heavy and one was broken, I asked to be moved, and that was the condition of my moving, which was fine with me.
So on Monday I got up early, and put my luggage in storage and headed out for the day. I went to Windsor Castle that day. I figured I'd spend 2 hours there (tops) and be done; then I could get back into town and get out to my hotel with lots of time to relax. Yeah... about that... :) I ended up spending 4 hours there. I did the audio tour, as well as a guided tour (the guided tour was actually a private one because I was the only one who showed up for that time). I went into the State Apartments and those were gorgeous. Then I went up to the top of the Round Tower and got some great views of the area. After that I went and looked around St. George's Chapel before heading back to London. I ended up not getting back to the luggage storage until after 4.
I had decided that instead of taking my suitcase down 50 some odd stairs to the tube, I would take the bus to King's Cross and catch the tube out to Heathrow from there (there's elevators at that tube station). I figured out the bus I needed stopped right outside the Queen Mary, so it worked out perfectly. I did not anticipate a 1 hour bus ride, or having to stand in line for a half hour at King's Cross to get a tube ticket. So I finally got on the tube, got to Heathrow and took the shuttle from there to my hotel. I ended up not even getting to my room until after 8. I still had to repack everything and take a shower. I had to be up at 6 the next morning too, so I was trying to get to bed early (that didn't happen). So I finally climbed into bed sometime after 11.
Tuesday I got up early and headed to the airport. I was determined to get there 3 hours early because it's Heathrow and you never know what's going to happen. It's a good thing I did too, because I ended up at the wrong terminal. My first flight was supposedly with BMI (which is terminal 1), but I had to go check in with Continental (in terminal 4). And then of course I had to stand in line for an hour or so to check in and go through security. Once through I had about an hour and a half to kill, so I grabbed some breakfast. Got on the plane, and had a smooth trip to Newark. However, when I got to Newark, I found out my flight at 4:29 to Memphis had been cancelled (noooooooooo!!!!!!). So I had to go to the transfer desk and get a new flight so they put me on a flight to Chicago at 4, and then I was to catch a flight to Memphis from there. So I was like, well, at least I'll get home today. While in Newark I found out that one of my cousins was there on a layover waiting for his flight as well, in the same concourse even! Go figure. So we met up for a few. I ended up getting home about 2 hours later than planned, and by the time I went to bed I had been up for over 22 hours (go me).
So I'm moving back to Oxford on Monday, so this week is basically being spent running errands and getting everything done that I need to get done. Woo hoo. :)
So that's all from here. It was a great summer. I hope y'all enjoyed reading about it as much I enjoyed experiencing it. :) I'll update again sometime soon.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Last full week in Cambridge :(
So, my time here is rapidly coming to a close (I am not too happy about this). Everyone's trying to get in things they haven't had a chance to do. For me that includes punting in the Cam and maybe a Shakespeare Festival play. For others it means jumping into the Cam and streaking across Downing College's lawn. :) I am sad to see it end.
This week I had fewer classes each day, which is another sign that not only is it coming to an end, but now I have finals (or as a friend back in the States put it, an annoying period that puts a damper on our socializing and drinking). Monday I had 3 classes, Tuesday I had 2, Wednesday 1, and Thursday none. I did however, put that extra time to good use. I got all my notes organized (since two of my three exams are open note/open book) and got them printed off so I don't have to drag my laptop with me when I want to study.
Tuesday night I did a whiskey tasting. We had 10 different ones for 15 pounds. Not too bad. It was a lot of fun, but I still don't like whiskey (sorry dad). I'm sure the guys around me enjoyed the faces I was making, lol. However, I drank them all neat (no water for this chick) so I consider that an accomplishment on my end.
Wednesday night I went out with Jesse and we studied international law over a few pints. It was actually a really good study tactic because we were a little more relaxed. :)
Thursday it was absolutely gorgeous here. I mean, 72 degrees, the sun was shining! Definitely not a day you want to be stuck inside on. So Kevin, Jesse, and I went and got a picnic lunch (sandwich, crisps, and a drink for 3 pounds) and then headed to the river to go punting. We went on a guided tour instead of trying to figure it out for ourselves though. I think it was worth it. Then, since it was gorgeous, we went and hung out in one of the many many parks here in Cambridge for the afternoon. It was a lot of fun. I was supposed to do a wine tasting that night, but since I hadn't really studied, and had been out the previous two nights I went ahead and gave up my spot.
Friday the weather was back to cloudy and 65 (really cold for England this time of the year) so I did my studying at Starbucks for the afternoon. That night a bunch of us went out to a really nice meal at a restaurant around the corner. It was one of those 2 hour affairs. It was fun getting dressed up and going out though. I think everyone had fun. :) After dinner we all headed to the college bar and continued our fun evening there. It was a great evening all around.
Overall, it has been a good week. About half studying, half fun. I'll be sad to see it be done. I will say I'm looking forward to a few things when I get back to the States (and the heat is not one of them). Finals start on Monday. I have one each day M, T, W. The farewell dinner is on Wed night, and then it'll be off to London for a long weekend. I found out last night that there's a beer festival going on in London this week, Tuesday - Sunday, so I'm sure Kevin and I will make a stop there on Thursday before he heads to the airport to go home.
As for me, I plan to hit up a show or two, go to M&M World and the Churchill War Rooms. I'd also like to go to Camden Market, and maybe back to Greenwich. We'll see.
Anyways, that's all for now. I'll try and update sometime next week, but if I don't, I'll update when I get back to the States! Have a good week everyone!
This week I had fewer classes each day, which is another sign that not only is it coming to an end, but now I have finals (or as a friend back in the States put it, an annoying period that puts a damper on our socializing and drinking). Monday I had 3 classes, Tuesday I had 2, Wednesday 1, and Thursday none. I did however, put that extra time to good use. I got all my notes organized (since two of my three exams are open note/open book) and got them printed off so I don't have to drag my laptop with me when I want to study.
Tuesday night I did a whiskey tasting. We had 10 different ones for 15 pounds. Not too bad. It was a lot of fun, but I still don't like whiskey (sorry dad). I'm sure the guys around me enjoyed the faces I was making, lol. However, I drank them all neat (no water for this chick) so I consider that an accomplishment on my end.
Wednesday night I went out with Jesse and we studied international law over a few pints. It was actually a really good study tactic because we were a little more relaxed. :)
Thursday it was absolutely gorgeous here. I mean, 72 degrees, the sun was shining! Definitely not a day you want to be stuck inside on. So Kevin, Jesse, and I went and got a picnic lunch (sandwich, crisps, and a drink for 3 pounds) and then headed to the river to go punting. We went on a guided tour instead of trying to figure it out for ourselves though. I think it was worth it. Then, since it was gorgeous, we went and hung out in one of the many many parks here in Cambridge for the afternoon. It was a lot of fun. I was supposed to do a wine tasting that night, but since I hadn't really studied, and had been out the previous two nights I went ahead and gave up my spot.
Friday the weather was back to cloudy and 65 (really cold for England this time of the year) so I did my studying at Starbucks for the afternoon. That night a bunch of us went out to a really nice meal at a restaurant around the corner. It was one of those 2 hour affairs. It was fun getting dressed up and going out though. I think everyone had fun. :) After dinner we all headed to the college bar and continued our fun evening there. It was a great evening all around.
Overall, it has been a good week. About half studying, half fun. I'll be sad to see it be done. I will say I'm looking forward to a few things when I get back to the States (and the heat is not one of them). Finals start on Monday. I have one each day M, T, W. The farewell dinner is on Wed night, and then it'll be off to London for a long weekend. I found out last night that there's a beer festival going on in London this week, Tuesday - Sunday, so I'm sure Kevin and I will make a stop there on Thursday before he heads to the airport to go home.
As for me, I plan to hit up a show or two, go to M&M World and the Churchill War Rooms. I'd also like to go to Camden Market, and maybe back to Greenwich. We'll see.
Anyways, that's all for now. I'll try and update sometime next week, but if I don't, I'll update when I get back to the States! Have a good week everyone!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Awesome Birthday Weekend
So not much out of the ordinary happened last week. For the most part it was pretty low key: school, study, dinner, hang out, sleep, repeat. :)
On Wednesday night almost everyone went to the college bar, and after that, most of us headed off to a club to go dancing, but there was such confusion as to what we were doing and where we were going that a few of us left before anyone actually made up their mind (apparently everyone ended up at a foam party until about 2am, I'm kind of glad I left). When I got back I went by Kevin's room (he's not really into dancing in small spaces w/ lots of people, but then again, I don't know too many guys who are into that) because he had my key so he could go pick up his laundry while we went out. Since it was midnight he gave my birthday present. It is a silver necklace w/ a ruby pendant (my birth stone). It's beautiful, and I absolutely love it. :)
So obviously, Thursday was my birthday. I didn't really advertise it though b/c I didn't want it to be a big thing. I just wanted it to be pretty low key. Most people looked on facebook and saw, and it was nice to get so many "happy birthdays" on my wall and in class. :) Like I said, I wanted a pretty low key evening, so I just invited about 8 people out for dinner and drinks. The cider festival is going on at Wetherspoons around England, and so we ate there for the cider, cheap food, and cheap drinks. Plus it was curry night, and pretty much everyone I know beside me likes curry. Lol. We chilled there for about 2 hours and then headed to another local pub called The Free Press and had a few drinks there. Oh, but before we left Wetherspoons, my friend Jesse grabbed some of the balloons that were everywhere and tied them to my wrist. It made me smile. :) At The Free Press, it was again very chill, we just hung out talked, and a few drinks. We left about 10:30 because we all had to be up the next morning for a bus ride to London (another reason i didn't want it to be a crazy night). As we left, two of my 3 balloons were drained by my friends for their helium, and the third one I used as my "birthday candle" and I released it and made a wish. We'll see if it comes true.
So Friday, as I said, we all had to be up for a bus ride to London. We did something called "Legal London" and it was pretty awesome. So we loaded the bus and left about 9, getting into London by 11. We unloaded, and headed to Middle Temple. London has 4 Inns of Courts: Middle Temple, Inner Temple, Lincoln's Inn, and Gray's Inn. We saw 3 of them. I'm going to try and explain this as best I can, so bear with me. When you practice law in England, you either become a barrister or solicitor, and if you become a barrister, you have to join one of the Inns. You do this after you complete your undergrad (I believe) and before you do any more education. The Inn you join helps pay for your education, and you have to dues. As a student you're also required to attend 12 dinners within the year. Each Inn has their own dining halls, and a lot of barristers have their offices there, and it's literally just down the street from the Royal Courts of Justice. I'm sure I've left something out, but you get the gist.
So the first thing we did upon arriving at Middle Temple was to get a tour of Temple Church, and for any of you who have read the Da Vinici Code, this will be familiar, If you're not, check out this page for some back history: . It was a pretty cool church, and it is shared by Middle and Inner temple. The church was built by the Knights Templar too. In 1608, after many years of renting the land from the monarchy, King James I gave the land out right to the two temples forever in return for their loyalty. After a tour of the church, we got a tour of Middle Temple, and then attended a reception looking down into the dining hall (I had sherry for the first time at this reception. Not something I plan on drinking again). After the reception we were led down to the dining hall and served a 3 course meal (I had cold tomato and basil soup, trout w/ vegetables (although the trout looked like salmon), and strawberries and cream and coffee for dessert. It was all pretty good). I'm just going to say it, the ABA, needs to have something similar to these Inns of Court, b/c they're amazing. Even though the normal members didn't get served, it was still just an amazing room and an amazing opportunity. It would take entirely too long to explain everything about this system to you though, so I won't. :) After lunch we took a "Legal tour" of London. We saw two more Inns, the Royal Courts of Justice (we even got to peak into a few of the court rooms and see everyone in their robes and wigs), and then we went past a shop that actually makes the official robes and wigs for judges and barristers. Yes, judges and barristers still where the robes and wigs, although, now it's just in the Criminal courts, they have been done away with (mostly) in the Civil courts.
After that, we were free to go our own way, or get back on the bus and come back to Cambridge. I think only two or three people came back to Cambridge. Jesse, Kevin, and I had booked a hostel near King's Cross so we went there, checked in, and changed out of our suits. After that we went down to Saint Paul's, walked across Millennium Bridge, and then down along the Thames. For dinner we grabbed some of the stand food and some ice cream, and then we headed to the London Eye. We got Fast Track passes (which was totally worth the extra 10 pounds b/c the line was ridiculous even at 8pm) and basically got on in about 10 minutes as opposed to over an hour. After that we went to the other side of the Thames and went on a boat/bar. I had some pumpkin soup (which tastes nothing like any pumpkin I've had before, but I think that's b/c when I have pumpkin, it's been sweetened), and hung out there until about 11 and then headed back to the hostel. We ended up being split up into two rooms, I was not happy about this considering I had booked us all together, which kind of sucked, but we were only there for sleeping, so it wasn't too bad. Also, the hostel was in the middle of London, literally a block away from Kings Cross, so it was kind of noisy. Oh well. You pay for convenience sometimes.
Saturday we got up and had breakfast at the hostel (it was free, so why not), and then headed to Greenwich Park. Part of the park is going to be used for the Olympics, so they had a big chunk blocked off, but it was still very pretty. We went up to the Royal Observatory and saw the Prime Meridian, and looked in the free museums up there and then headed back into town. They're rebuilding the Cutty Sark (which was badly damaged by a fire a few years ago) and it should be open next year sometime. We went into an old sweet shop and got some chocolate. Then we went to Greenwich market. We ended up eating there because they had so many food stands, and it wasn't just fish and chips. They had crepes, Thai food, Mexican, Ethiopian, and specialty stands. I ended up with some red sausages in ciabatta bread w/ green leaves (it wasn't lettuce) and to drink I had some Horchata (which is kind of like rice milk, but w/ a hazelnut flavor). Kevin got Thai food, and Jesse got essentially a Philly Cheese Steak. After lunch we headed back into London and went to the Imperial War Museum. P.S. This museum used to be an Insane Asylum and the Victorian people (I'm pretty sure that's when this was) used to get dressed up and go there, peer into the cells of the insane people, and watch them in there; it was their entertainment. It is now a museum though, and a pretty interesting one at that. Although, there's not much in there from before WWI which seems kind of strange.
After the museum, we went back to the hostel, where we had left our bags, got changed for the theater that night, went to Kings Cross to store our bags for another few hours, and then headed to Piccadilly Circus. We grabbed dinner at a pub just off Haymarket St and then headed to Her Majesty's Theater to see The Phantom of the Opera. When I was looking for tickets about a week and a half ago, a lot of the shows for Saturday night had already sold out, or the three of us would not be sitting together. Both Jesse and Kevin wanted to see Phantom, and I loved it so much last summer, I had no qualms w/ seeing it again. We sat pretty much at the very back of the balcony, but it was still pretty cool. I know they both enjoyed it a lot. After the show, we had to hustle back to King's Cross, b/c the luggage storage place closed at 11, and the show ended at 10. We were leaving nothing to chance. So we were rude Americans and ducked out as the curtain went down before they all came to take their bows. We got to the store about 10:30, and after we grabbed our bags went to go get our train tickets back to Cambridge. We ended up catching the "Express" train, or rather, the one that doesn't make 50 stops, but goes via Cambridge. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. There was standing room only on that train. Luckily, we all got seats so we didn't have to stand for the 45 min ride back to Cambridge.
I had a blast this birthday. It could be one of my favorites that's for sure. Somehow, I don't think next year's will be quite as exciting, but it will be on a Saturday, so we'll see. :) I can't believe that my time here is almost up. My birthday has always signaled the end of summer, so it's a little bitter-sweet, but this time it also signals that it's time to go home. I've got two more full weeks here. This week is the last week of classes, and then next week is finals and the farewell dinner. We have to be out of our rooms by noon on the 4th of August, and most people are leaving on the 5th. :( I'll be around until the 9th in London. I've already got my hostel booked, and I've already made mental notes of things I'd like to do while I'm there (such as eating at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants). There will still be a few people around, so I'm going to top up my phone (it's a month by month phone) so I'll still be able to get a hold of people, and hang out with them some and do my own thing a little as well. I've stayed under budget very well this summer, so I'll have a little bit of wiggle room while I'm in London, so I might take a day trip or two, we'll see. Anyways. That's it from here. Hope you all are well.
On Wednesday night almost everyone went to the college bar, and after that, most of us headed off to a club to go dancing, but there was such confusion as to what we were doing and where we were going that a few of us left before anyone actually made up their mind (apparently everyone ended up at a foam party until about 2am, I'm kind of glad I left). When I got back I went by Kevin's room (he's not really into dancing in small spaces w/ lots of people, but then again, I don't know too many guys who are into that) because he had my key so he could go pick up his laundry while we went out. Since it was midnight he gave my birthday present. It is a silver necklace w/ a ruby pendant (my birth stone). It's beautiful, and I absolutely love it. :)
So obviously, Thursday was my birthday. I didn't really advertise it though b/c I didn't want it to be a big thing. I just wanted it to be pretty low key. Most people looked on facebook and saw, and it was nice to get so many "happy birthdays" on my wall and in class. :) Like I said, I wanted a pretty low key evening, so I just invited about 8 people out for dinner and drinks. The cider festival is going on at Wetherspoons around England, and so we ate there for the cider, cheap food, and cheap drinks. Plus it was curry night, and pretty much everyone I know beside me likes curry. Lol. We chilled there for about 2 hours and then headed to another local pub called The Free Press and had a few drinks there. Oh, but before we left Wetherspoons, my friend Jesse grabbed some of the balloons that were everywhere and tied them to my wrist. It made me smile. :) At The Free Press, it was again very chill, we just hung out talked, and a few drinks. We left about 10:30 because we all had to be up the next morning for a bus ride to London (another reason i didn't want it to be a crazy night). As we left, two of my 3 balloons were drained by my friends for their helium, and the third one I used as my "birthday candle" and I released it and made a wish. We'll see if it comes true.
So Friday, as I said, we all had to be up for a bus ride to London. We did something called "Legal London" and it was pretty awesome. So we loaded the bus and left about 9, getting into London by 11. We unloaded, and headed to Middle Temple. London has 4 Inns of Courts: Middle Temple, Inner Temple, Lincoln's Inn, and Gray's Inn. We saw 3 of them. I'm going to try and explain this as best I can, so bear with me. When you practice law in England, you either become a barrister or solicitor, and if you become a barrister, you have to join one of the Inns. You do this after you complete your undergrad (I believe) and before you do any more education. The Inn you join helps pay for your education, and you have to dues. As a student you're also required to attend 12 dinners within the year. Each Inn has their own dining halls, and a lot of barristers have their offices there, and it's literally just down the street from the Royal Courts of Justice. I'm sure I've left something out, but you get the gist.
So the first thing we did upon arriving at Middle Temple was to get a tour of Temple Church, and for any of you who have read the Da Vinici Code, this will be familiar, If you're not, check out this page for some back history: . It was a pretty cool church, and it is shared by Middle and Inner temple. The church was built by the Knights Templar too. In 1608, after many years of renting the land from the monarchy, King James I gave the land out right to the two temples forever in return for their loyalty. After a tour of the church, we got a tour of Middle Temple, and then attended a reception looking down into the dining hall (I had sherry for the first time at this reception. Not something I plan on drinking again). After the reception we were led down to the dining hall and served a 3 course meal (I had cold tomato and basil soup, trout w/ vegetables (although the trout looked like salmon), and strawberries and cream and coffee for dessert. It was all pretty good). I'm just going to say it, the ABA, needs to have something similar to these Inns of Court, b/c they're amazing. Even though the normal members didn't get served, it was still just an amazing room and an amazing opportunity. It would take entirely too long to explain everything about this system to you though, so I won't. :) After lunch we took a "Legal tour" of London. We saw two more Inns, the Royal Courts of Justice (we even got to peak into a few of the court rooms and see everyone in their robes and wigs), and then we went past a shop that actually makes the official robes and wigs for judges and barristers. Yes, judges and barristers still where the robes and wigs, although, now it's just in the Criminal courts, they have been done away with (mostly) in the Civil courts.
After that, we were free to go our own way, or get back on the bus and come back to Cambridge. I think only two or three people came back to Cambridge. Jesse, Kevin, and I had booked a hostel near King's Cross so we went there, checked in, and changed out of our suits. After that we went down to Saint Paul's, walked across Millennium Bridge, and then down along the Thames. For dinner we grabbed some of the stand food and some ice cream, and then we headed to the London Eye. We got Fast Track passes (which was totally worth the extra 10 pounds b/c the line was ridiculous even at 8pm) and basically got on in about 10 minutes as opposed to over an hour. After that we went to the other side of the Thames and went on a boat/bar. I had some pumpkin soup (which tastes nothing like any pumpkin I've had before, but I think that's b/c when I have pumpkin, it's been sweetened), and hung out there until about 11 and then headed back to the hostel. We ended up being split up into two rooms, I was not happy about this considering I had booked us all together, which kind of sucked, but we were only there for sleeping, so it wasn't too bad. Also, the hostel was in the middle of London, literally a block away from Kings Cross, so it was kind of noisy. Oh well. You pay for convenience sometimes.
Saturday we got up and had breakfast at the hostel (it was free, so why not), and then headed to Greenwich Park. Part of the park is going to be used for the Olympics, so they had a big chunk blocked off, but it was still very pretty. We went up to the Royal Observatory and saw the Prime Meridian, and looked in the free museums up there and then headed back into town. They're rebuilding the Cutty Sark (which was badly damaged by a fire a few years ago) and it should be open next year sometime. We went into an old sweet shop and got some chocolate. Then we went to Greenwich market. We ended up eating there because they had so many food stands, and it wasn't just fish and chips. They had crepes, Thai food, Mexican, Ethiopian, and specialty stands. I ended up with some red sausages in ciabatta bread w/ green leaves (it wasn't lettuce) and to drink I had some Horchata (which is kind of like rice milk, but w/ a hazelnut flavor). Kevin got Thai food, and Jesse got essentially a Philly Cheese Steak. After lunch we headed back into London and went to the Imperial War Museum. P.S. This museum used to be an Insane Asylum and the Victorian people (I'm pretty sure that's when this was) used to get dressed up and go there, peer into the cells of the insane people, and watch them in there; it was their entertainment. It is now a museum though, and a pretty interesting one at that. Although, there's not much in there from before WWI which seems kind of strange.
After the museum, we went back to the hostel, where we had left our bags, got changed for the theater that night, went to Kings Cross to store our bags for another few hours, and then headed to Piccadilly Circus. We grabbed dinner at a pub just off Haymarket St and then headed to Her Majesty's Theater to see The Phantom of the Opera. When I was looking for tickets about a week and a half ago, a lot of the shows for Saturday night had already sold out, or the three of us would not be sitting together. Both Jesse and Kevin wanted to see Phantom, and I loved it so much last summer, I had no qualms w/ seeing it again. We sat pretty much at the very back of the balcony, but it was still pretty cool. I know they both enjoyed it a lot. After the show, we had to hustle back to King's Cross, b/c the luggage storage place closed at 11, and the show ended at 10. We were leaving nothing to chance. So we were rude Americans and ducked out as the curtain went down before they all came to take their bows. We got to the store about 10:30, and after we grabbed our bags went to go get our train tickets back to Cambridge. We ended up catching the "Express" train, or rather, the one that doesn't make 50 stops, but goes via Cambridge. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. There was standing room only on that train. Luckily, we all got seats so we didn't have to stand for the 45 min ride back to Cambridge.
I had a blast this birthday. It could be one of my favorites that's for sure. Somehow, I don't think next year's will be quite as exciting, but it will be on a Saturday, so we'll see. :) I can't believe that my time here is almost up. My birthday has always signaled the end of summer, so it's a little bitter-sweet, but this time it also signals that it's time to go home. I've got two more full weeks here. This week is the last week of classes, and then next week is finals and the farewell dinner. We have to be out of our rooms by noon on the 4th of August, and most people are leaving on the 5th. :( I'll be around until the 9th in London. I've already got my hostel booked, and I've already made mental notes of things I'd like to do while I'm there (such as eating at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants). There will still be a few people around, so I'm going to top up my phone (it's a month by month phone) so I'll still be able to get a hold of people, and hang out with them some and do my own thing a little as well. I've stayed under budget very well this summer, so I'll have a little bit of wiggle room while I'm in London, so I might take a day trip or two, we'll see. Anyways. That's it from here. Hope you all are well.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Pics from Switzerland
Swiss country side
View from our room Friday night
Awesome lake
me and the Alps :)
The Alps
Another awesome lake
The Alps
Snowy Alps
Waterfall that turned into river
Lunch in Tirano, Italy
Alps from the Italian border
Lugano, Switzerland. This lake was beautiful.
Kevin and I by the lake
Across the lake at night
The boat that took us to Lucern
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