Fragments

Some things, mainly photos, from this term that I haven't had time or inclination to blog before now...


At the Chinese supermarket - I had a strong inclination to buy a bottle, wrap it in Christmas paper, and send it to someone I know, but decided I don't want a lawsuit for defamation. (Though, is it defamation if it's true?)

The pavement artists of Oxford get poetic... (click for larger version)

Some advice from a tantric sex book my friend D and I found in Borders. If you can't read the caption, it says "a big buttock indicates a strong, healthy, good wife and mother". So, I'm in there.

The same book advised testicle shaking for good health (and illustrated this procedure) and claimed to be able to tell the size of various parts of the anatomy from the shape of one's teeth. Now I know why my dentist always sniggers at me.

From the South whence thousands travel daily

So, after hours on the bus, and getting my feet tangled in my wheelie case maybe seven different times whilst negotiating the pavements of Oxford, I finally made it home yesterday. It was maybe the combination of very good Trinity food the night before, plus great Chinese for lunch (and the cinnamon Danish for breakfast), but I felt distinctly queasy as the bus pulled away from Cambridge. This, however, passed, and I was free to focus my attention on the other passengers. Of particular note was ADHD boy – must have been in his late teens, and seemed to think that the greatest fun in life was to be gained from turning the little light switch above his seat on, then off, then on again. Then off again. Then holding it down so it flickered. Then on again. Then off. And on again really quickly. All the while listening to absurdly loud music on his iPod. He was fun.

After a brief moment at home to catch up with the housemates, I went to the pub to meet S and R for a pre-holiday pint (or scotch, in my case). I think I was very irritating, but too tired to really notice at the time. Ah well – rushed off quite quickly to return to the housemates, eat (more) Chinese and drink gin. F left this morning, which leaves me slightly desolated, but somehow I shall survive. The way I’m feeling, probably by going back to bed. Though not until I've eaten all the expensive chocolates I brought back from Cambridge for breakfast. Classy, me.

Love beyond desire

Manuscripts. I nearly fainted.

A bit of context might help. The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has an exhibition of medieval manuscripts (on until the 30th – go!) to which I went yesterday. It. Was. Amazing. I have never seen so many lovely things in one place, ever. They had the Eadwine Psalter, for goodness sakes! And a manuscript of Ælfric! I died and went to heaven.

I was very fortunate to be staying with my friend J, who’s a lecturer at Trinity, and so had the proper Cambridge experience – dinner at High Table (interesting conversation with a chap who was a friend of one of my undergrad tutors as well as the nephew of a Somerville fellow), breakfast and coffee the next day in the SCR where we were joined by one of the Trinity fellows who was the best friend of the wife of another of my tutors, and (get this) a trip up to the roof of the Wren library to look over Cambridge. Cocktails on Tuesday night with J’s colleague and friend M were delightful, as was meeting up with an old ex-fellow-St. Johnian, F. These two days were the term’s highlight, without any doubt.

Hieronymo's mad againe

Had a wonderful time last night when K and D (they of the wonderful dog, Wookie) came over for dinner. You see, dear Reader, I’ve been learning to cook proper curry and it is so much fun! My various pots of spices and weird stuff have slowly taken over one of our kitchen surfaces, but my housemates don’t seem to mind as long as I feed them the results occasionally. So, anyway, K and D came over, brought wine (yay!) and ate food. Just in order to prove how sensible philosophers can be, D drew Genghis Khan’s face on his finger, with a tamarind shell as a helmet. (To be fair, we were still eating and talking until gone midnight, so a small amount of delirium is excusable. Still…)