Could it be? Snow in the forecast???

I just checked the weather report for Coventry, and the news is good for those who want snow!!! That would be me, if anyone is wondering. According to my sources, we're in for "Cloudy with snow, heavy at times" on Tuesday. Heavy snow? In Coventry? I thought that was impossible. Whenever snow starts to fall here, I get all excited and run outside, like a child who is hoping for school to be canceled... and by the time I get outside, the snow has stopped. And I'm forced to trudge back up to my room. Please, Mother Nature, if you read this, gimme legitimate snow! :-)

And if you're wondering, the photos are from my trip to Manchester. Cute little rental, don't you think? :-) It's much tinier in reality than it looks in the photo... And below... if you click on the first photo it will open bigger in a new window. Check out the tall building. That's the Hilton in Manchester. I'm sure it's a stable building, but it certainly doesn't look like it would stand up to any wind!!! The middle photo is of the youth hostel where I stayed, and all you Americans reading this, yep, we drive on the other side here! Crazy to shift with your left hand (third photo)... and the last photo below them... yep, we've got those freaking annoying advertising trucks here, too. Don't you just hate those?

Manchester

I went with a fellow Cov Uni student up to Manchester on Thursday for a conference on European Terrorism and Security, past and present. It was a good conference, with sessions yesterday and today. We hired a car to get there as it was the most reasonable price (train tickets are pricey here!!!). There was a bit of a bump in our plans when we picked it up and they had to call their insurance company to make sure that a lowly student could be insured (Seriously, folks, I'm a postgraduate student! That means that I'm responsible and smart- good characteristics for a prospective rental driver, not reasons to raise the deductible!). But the insurance company didn't believe that, so they made me agree to a higher "excess" (ie deductible) of £1,000. Ouch. Thankfully, I was careful and stupid drivers stayed away from me, so no damage. :-)

I've got a friend living in Manchester that I wanted to see, but wasn't able to as we needed to get on the road once the conference finished so that we could get the car returned before the place closed at 4:30. We got there 15 minutes early... and guess what? The gate was locked, the whole place shut down. Rrrrrrrrr. This customer sure isn't happy, and won't be renting from them again. I had to drive back across town and leave the car in a car park closer to my place overnight (which won't be cheap), and will have to wake up early and return it in the morning. I'll have words to share with them. I could have stayed in Manchester, seen my friend, and seen a bit of the city had the company told me they'd be closing early. But nooooo.

As it was, this trip really was simply for the conference. After it concluded last night, we went straight back to the hostel, ate a nice dinner, and I read a bit of a really great book and went to bed. No exploring the city, sadly. Oh well, I'll just have to go back!

By the way.... if you hadn't put two and two together, this is the second trip I've driven for here in the UK... and this time, unlike last time, I drove a manual car! I didn't kill the engine once (no surprise, as I drove a manual at home)... but I'll admit, I did reach down with my right hand trying to shift a few times. Hehehe. Crazy folks here, driving on the "other" side of the road and shifting with your left hand... (can't say "wrong" side, no matter how much I want to say it, as that would be culturally insensitive!).

Ouch.

I've been in Manchester the last two days, and have lots to share about the trip... but while I'm working on that blog posting, let me share this lovely piece of bad news I saw while catching up with the news I've missed while in Manchester... ouch.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A Photo...

...from my presentation at the Rotary Club of Coventry on Monday, thanks to John for sending it my way!!!

The flag was such a considerate touch, as was the toast to President Obama! Much appreciated! :-) Looking forward to their upcoming Skittles evening- a new cultural event to experience!

Stream of consciousness

I've had a busy last two days with little to no time to digest the festivities, but a few things I wanted to mention:

• I attended a conference for Ambassadorial Scholars and Counselors in London on Sunday. Met some more scholars who I hope to get to spend some more time with, got some ideas and even changed my presentation a little bit for...
• ... another presentation to a Rotary club today! The Rotary Club of Coventry this time. I had a wonderful time, had a great host and met lots of interesting Rotarians (why should I be surprised by now, every club I've been to has been great with lots of fascinating people!)

And I've now just had a marvelous idea... and must abandon this post to write it down before it floats out of my head and into the abyss (where most of my marvelous ideas tend to go).

Topics galore

It's about that time in the semester when I need to be deciding on topics for essays, and, gulp, for my dissertation. Admittingly, I'm a little bit behind in my coursework (due to essays from last term being due last week- I've started playing catch-up with my readings though!)... Now that the reading has begun in earnest, I'm starting to gather lists of potential topics.

The classes I'm in this semester are: Comparative Peace Processes, Religion and Conflict, and Project Management. In Comparative Peace Processes, we have two graded projects: a class presentation, and a final essay. I'm not thinking much about the essay yet as the presentation happens February 11th, and I want to be fully prepared for that. It's a group presentation on the situation in Darfur. I've been reading books, watching programs online (Frontline has a good program in their archives), and trying to get a better grasp of the implications of geography and how the international community has been involved (well, they haven't much been involved, which is a huge part of the problem). Those are the areas I'm focusing on for the presentation. It's interesting certainly, and important to develop skills in analysing conflicts, but wow is it depressing. The effects of the war crimes committed in this region of the world are nearly incomprehensible. Never again, the world said, after witnessing the Rwandan genocide. And yet, we allowed Darfur to happen, and the conflict is ongoing.

After such depressing study, I've decided that the essay I will be writing for the Religion class needs to be on a more uplifting topic. There are a few questions to choose from and within those there is plenty of leeway to find something a bit more optimistic. Not sure what yet, but I'll get there!

Back to depressing Darfur study I'm afraid. And a conference of Ambassadorial Scholars tomorrow in London- that should lift my spirits a bit!

Well...

To quote my favorite fictional politician, "what's next?" (Don't know who I'm talking about? Shame! :-) President Jed Bartlet of West Wing, of course!)

The inauguration is over, and it's time to get to work. This headline of this morning's Guardian put it perfectly: "Let the remaking of America begin today."

I'm excited to hear what our new President and his administration serve up in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. I wish he and his family a hearty welcome home, and get to work! We expect a lot out of you, and in part because of you, we expect more out of ourselves.

Celebrating MLK Day

Happy MLK day! I had planned on calling home bright and early this morning to wish my sister a happy MLK day, at, say, 6:30am her time or so... just to be a loving sister and start her day well. But then I realized the wrath that she'd throw my direction for waking her up on a day off of school would cross the continent and the ocean between us and cause serious bodily harm for me. So no phone call. :-)

It was strange to be here on Thanksgiving, when everyone else went about their days as normal and I was stuck in a bit of a haze wondering why mom wasn't making me help cook something. And, while MLK day doesn't really have any traditions in my family, it was weird today, too!

I did get to celebrate a bit today- I handed in the last two essays from last term! It's done! It's my "term one sine die" (for those of you non-legislative folks out there, sine die is what the Washington legislature calls the time when the legislature adjourns- latin for "without day"). It will be nice to 'only' have to concentrate on one term's worth of courses now!

And, in addition to turning those essays in, I picked up an essay I had written for another class from last term. It was the only graded assignment we had, so that grade determined whether we passed or failed the course. No surprise, I passed. But it's good to know! :-) One class down... ;-)

And, to finish this day before inauguration day, I baked cookies! A friend from my course came over to help. Want to guess how many we made? 20? 30? No.... Try 72. Yep, I've got more cookies than I know what to do with. I left a huge ziplock full in the kitchen to share with my hallmates, and I think I'll end up taking some to class on Wednesday.
It's a recipe that my family always makes for Christmas, and I didn't have a chance to make them for Christmas this last year. I decided I needed to bake them for another celebration... and inauguration tomorrow is the perfect excuse!

(Note: Yep, those are eggs on my windowsill. I still think it's nuts that people here don't refrigerate eggs. It scares me. That's one element of British culture I won't be adopting... but, since I don't have room on the two tiny shelves of the refrigerator I share, I put them on the chilly windowsill). :-)

They know I'm from the US when...

...I pick up a knife and fork.

I find the fascination some people seem to experience when they see me eating a meal vaguely entertaining. It used to be really entertaining, but the novelty has worn off a bit over time.

***for those of you who are really confused, here's a hint. People here eat with their knife and fork in ways quite different than most people from the US. I, for example, put my knife down after cutting a few pieces and switch my fork from left to right hand then proceed to eat the pieces of food I've cut... whereas people here will use the knife to scoop food onto the fork in ways that I'm not physically capable of doing. Trust me, I've tried. And failed.

I've now given seven official presentations to Rotary Clubs around the area, with five more on the books for the next few months, and many other official Rotary events to attend. Most of these events/speeches includes a meal. Which is why I brought this up. I really did try to adapt, and I really did fail (fine by me- why change something that has worked well for 24 years?).

My failure reminded myself of another similar failure... and for the sake of entertainment, I thought I'd share. A few years back I read in some magazine that I identified as reputable (I think in Newsweek, but I can't remember) that it's healthy for ones brain if you occasionally force yourself to do a normal everyday chore in a different way. Their examples included brushing your teeth using the hand you don't normally use. So I tried that- I'm all for keeping my brain healthy- and wow, what a mess. Hahaha. I think my toothbrush spent more time out of my mouth than in it that morning (aren't you loving the visual?). So glad I can entertain.

On a totally separate note, guess what I just bought? My ticket to the Medieval Spectacular, which is part of the Rotary International Conference being held in Birmingham this year (for all you US folks, Birmingham ENGLAND, not Alabama. :-). It's an evening at Warwick Castle, where I haven't been yet! I'm excited. That morning I'll be working with my host club, Leamington Spa Regency, standing at the Coventry Rail Station helping Rotarians who are coming into Coventry for the day giving directions and things like that (I'm sure they'll tell me what to do!). And the best part is the uniform for that morning- I'll look beautiful- don't you think the vest brings out the, um, ahuh? Hahaha! Maybe I'll get my hair highlighted to match. Or not. Lets just hope it doesn't rain that day like the day the photo was taken (that photo, by the way, was taken Thanksgiving night in Warwick, only a few steps away from the Castle where the Medieval Spectacular will be!

Happy First Day of Session!

If I were still back home, today I'd be driving down to Olympia for work. It's the first day of the 2009 Legislative session! I'm sure all of you will be watching the opening ceremony (it airs at noon on TVW's webcasts, on the TV it'll play at 7pm!), and all the committee hearings, right? Government in action, folks! It's exciting!

I'd be watching the opening festivities tonight... but I'll be giving another presentation to a Rotary Club... so I'll have to catch the highlights later. :-)

To all my Olympia friends- only 104 days left!

It's odd...

...to wake up, and, as this news-addict does every morning, check various news websites only to find this headline story on CNN...

I had heard it was raining at home, but wow- didn't realize it had gotten that bad! And CNN, if you're reading this- when did Fife move five miles south of Tacoma? Last time I checked, it was east of Tacoma.

The CNN story (here) said that some places in western WA had gotten 13 inches of rain Wednesday. I don't think I believe that figure, but the Tacoma News Tribune is floating (pun intended) figures of more than 5 inches in many places. Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with my home state, there certainly are areas that are very prone to flooding where people are pretty used to this year after year. But 5 or more inches in a day? Who can prepare for that? And on top of the 10 inches of snow they had just before Christmas? Yikes.

For those of you who spent the months before I left teasing me about how I was moving to rainy England may I mention that it hasn't rained any significant amount here in weeks...

Things I miss from home....

I'm often asked by people here about things I miss from home. Well, I've got it easy. Differences between the UK and US are pretty small, in the scheme of things. But there are things I miss. My family and friends top the list, of course. Beyond the people, I find it funny that the things I miss are everyday things- food, for example. The things that I never gave a second thought about at home.

Here's a partial list... and please note, this is not me complaining!!! I'm just answering a question I get a lot! And I can survive 11 more months without these things (mom, if you're reading this, please, ignore that last sentence. Please keep sending me care packages! Mac and cheese and almond roca are good space fillers!!!) hahaha.

• Kraft Mac N Cheese. Yep, the blue box. :-)
• Baseball (I know, it's the offseason- but I can still miss it!)
  
• Jiffy Corn Muffin mix. Can't make corn casserole w/o it!
• Water. I miss the water. Can you blame me, after living in Gig Harbor most of my life?
• Electrical outlets in the bathroom. Seriously, folks- despite serious evidence to the contrary, I am coordinated enough to use a curling iron in the bathroom without electrocuting myself. But no, I have to buy a mirror 'cause my curling iron cord won't reach from all the way across the room to the bathroom.
• Big washers and dryers (what takes me one load at home takes 2-3 here, and at triple the cost!)
• Breakfast sausages. They taste totally different here.
• Bacon. Again, tastes totally different here.
• Having my own kitchen. And all the kitchen tools I have at home. OK, this is simply because I have to share a kitchen in my accommodation- it's not uniquely British. But I had to mention it.
• Pizza from the Tides Tavern.
• My car. Yes, I'm American, and I love my car. Only, I sold my car before leave... so it's not mine anymore. I miss the freedom it gave me!
• 'Cheap' gasoline. No, I don't have a car here (yet!), but if/when I get one, I'm sure I'll miss $1.67/gallon gasoline.
  
• Kinza's chicken teriyaki and their salad dressing
• Mountains. I miss you, Mt. Rainier!
• Almond Roca. Oh my gosh, the best candy ever.
• Johnson Candy Co.'s 'Candy Ice' mints. 2nd best candy ever.
• The letter 'z'
  
• The Grand Cinema. I miss their cheap and really great movies and free popcorn (the benefits of membership!)
• Frisco Freeze. What I'd do for a cheeseburger, onion rings, and rootbeer shake from Frisco...
  
• Stores that are open 24/7 (or even just until 10pm!)
• Eddie Bauer. Crazy that I miss a clothing store, right? Oh well.
  

Things I don't miss:

• Driving on the right hand side of the road. I drove nearly 500 miles while my family was here in a rental- and not once did I veer to the right. No crashes either. :-) I love driving! And apparently, I adapted well.
• Television. I don't have a TV here, and that's great.
• Campaign ads. Yes, the woman who is addicted to politics was THRILLED to be an ocean away from campaign ads during the last weeks of the campaign. :-)

I'm sure there is plenty more for both lists... but it's time for me to put the finishing touches on my newly revised Rotary presentation so I can have it ready for tomorrow's speech!

2008 Wrap Up

Well, Happy New Years everyone!

I have been peer pressured into posting about my 2008- it seems all my blogger friends have done it, so I guess it's my turn. Here goes:

January:
The legislative session started, so I spent most of my waking hours in Olympia. No vacation time during session... but I did manage to visit a place I hadn't been since I was very young: the Museum of Flight in Seattle. I had a great time- I really should go there more frequently. There I saw a Boeing 707-120, known as SAM (Special Air Missions) 970. It may be better known as the first Air Force One, delivered in 1959 as the first jet used by a US President. It carried Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and flew the Vice President and other dignitaries till 1996. You get to walk inside parts of it- and it's not nearly as spacious as it seems on TV. :-)

February:
There was an amazing lunar eclipse in February, which I photographed from the Tacoma Narrows Airport. The photo to the left is a bit photoshopped, I'll admit... but I did take the photo of the moon, and the photo of the Narrows Bridges... but the moon photo I used a 300mm zoom lens... and then copied and pasted. :-) I love technology. Also in February, my family went to a concert at Jazz Alley in Seattle to see Jake Shimabukuro. Jake's a world renowned ukulele player, who has played with Jimmy Buffett. It was my second Jake concert, and my second time meeting him. There I am --> with my sister and Jake.




March:
In March we celebrated my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary at CI Shenanigans, a restaurant in Tacoma. It was great to have everyone together! My mom made a quilted table runner with photos from their wedding, I made a video of wedding photos and other family photos, and lots more. And that night, my dad, sister and I drove across the pass to Eastern Washington for one of Kjersti's fastpitch tournaments. Only one other time in my life have I been as scared as I was on that drive, and I wasn't even driving! The snow and ice was horrendous. We arrived at nearly 4am, slept for about an hour and a half, then had to go to the fields. Brrrr. It was miserable. We had tarps up to try to block the wind. I brought a propane heater- and I seriously think without it we may have gotten frostbite. You can see just how bundled up Kjersti is.

Eastern WA in March? Never again.



May:
Fastpitch season for Kjersti continued, and I saw all but one of her school games (I think). What a great sister, right? :-) Oh yeah, I'm an even better sister for posting a picture of her pitching with that lovely mask. Hehe.

But the really exciting event of May was me flying to Orlando, renting a car, then driving to Cocoa Beach... warm weather, parasailing, kayaking... and, oh yeah, a space shuttle launch!!! It was my second attempt going all that distance to see a launch- the last one was with dad and Kjersti in Dec '07. But this time, it actually launched! It was amazing. And don't worry, I have photos and video. :-) I rented a 500mm lens for my camera, and this is as close as it would get me:







June-August:
My summer was jammed packed. In addition to getting ready for my year abroad, I went on several vacations, and quit my job. The vacations were fun, the quitting the job part wasn't. :-(

Kjersti and I went on a "college visit" trip. At least that's what we told Mom and Dad, our monetary backers. :-) We visited UConn, Boston College, Boston University, Georgetown and UVA. So yes, technically, we did visit colleges. But the exciting parts (in my opinion) were the baseball stadiums and historical sights we managed to fit in. :-) We saw Dave Niehaus (Mariner's broadcaster) get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (hooray for Dave!!! Our favorite Mariner!), we went to a game at Fenway Park where the Sox played the Yankees (by the way, that game was on my sister's 16th b-day- how awesome a sister am I for getting those tickets?). We spent a day in New York City (never, ever, ever again will I drive anywhere near there). We stayed with family in Washington DC. We went to a National's game at their new stadium. I saw old friends, and got to visit my favorite place in the world- Jefferson Memorial.

Then we flew home, were home for one day, then went to a Mariner's game where the hometown fans celebrated Dave's induction into the Hall of Fame and I got this great photo of the Navy's Blue Angels who were performing for Seafair that day. They're between the light standards. :-) From the game we drove to Winthrop, in Eastern WA, for round two of the festivities surrounding my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary- a family reunion-esque vacation. Remember before when I said the drive in March to eastern WA was one of two terrifying drives I'd been on? Yep, this drive to eastern WA is the other terrifying drive I was talking about. Yikes. Dodging deer, winding curves with cliffs and no barriers... no way will I take that road ever again.

Fastpitch continued.... though we went from freezing cold in Eastern Washington to miserably hot north of Seattle...










September:
Here are Kjersti and I at the last Rainiers baseball game of the season... it was sad to leave the stadium knowing that I'd miss all of the 2009 season. Did you know that I have been to every single opening day game at Cheney Stadium for my entire life? That's 24 years in a row for anyone counting. And I've only missed one July 3rd fireworks show- when I was living in Washington DC. And now I'll miss an entire season. So sad. Oh well. At least they broadcast the games online... too bad they start at 3am my time...


What else did I do in September? Oh yeah, I moved to England.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Here's wishing a great new year to you all. If this year is half as exciting as last year was, I'm in for a treat.

-Hannah