Now You See It: The Visible Publisher

“A good publisher is invisible.”

Alison Baverstock—publisher, author, and lecturer—spoke these words during the first week of class last semester. She threw me for a loop, along with the other fifty-some students in the Kingston Publishing MA. After all, we were there for a specific purpose, to learn how to become publishers. It wasn’t encouraging to hear that the key to being successful in my dream job is to remain invisible. I don’t want to be like Mia in The Princess Diaries film—lying alone in the rain, contemplating my insignificance (“I’m invisible…and I’m wet.”).

But I’ve remembered Alison’s words for a reason, and not because I’m afraid of being sat on or forgotten in my irrelevance. Scary as it might seem, the invisibility of a good publisher rings true. I’ve seen this first-hand. How many times have I enjoyed a book’s pristine design and flawless type? How many times have I comfortably read its content, enjoying the words that flow through my mind as easily as off my tongue? I have a publisher—or several—to thank for those small pleasures, even if I take them for granted sometimes.

And yet, I can also think of instances when I have been distracted by certain mistakes in my readings. Even the smallest flaw can—to borrow a theatre term—break the fourth wall between the reader and story. A misspelling here, a clunky sentence there, maybe even a gaping plot hole are all shocks that remind me that there are forces other than the author at work in producing this book—and someone fell short in seeing it through to perfection. In this case, the quality of the finished product can make the consumer forget the work that goes into producing it in the first place, whereas its imperfections reveal the chinks in the publishing process.

Unfortunately, it seems like this form of visibility for publishers is increasing with Kindle and E-reader sales. I’ve only owned my Kindle for a couple months, but I have noticed more errors in the downloaded material than in the physical books. In fact, there hasn’t been a single e-book with the flawless quality I’ve come to expect from good publishing. And if a Google search is any indication, I am not the only Kindle customer who has noticed the lacking quality in e-books; one article even claims that this negligence in editing makes Kindle books look like “cheap copies of the originals.” If digital publishing is truly the future of the industry, then shouldn’t publishers put that much more care into mastering the form and perfecting the content? Otherwise, they risk being visibly called out for failing to fulfil their responsibilities in improving the work.

If these observations are accurate, being a visible publisher more often than not means possible infamy or incompetence, to an extent. Working in relative anonymity is part of a publisher’s job, so if I want people outside the industry to recognize my name or work, becoming a publisher wouldn’t be the best option. But fame has never been my goal, anyway. And invisibility does not signify insignificance.

I’ll just have to take comfort in the fact that if I discover the next J.K. Rowling, my name will be written right beneath hers. In invisible ink.

Mind The Gap

Over a week ago, I graduated from Grand Valley State University on May 30. As in, I walked across the stage, shook President T. Haas's hand, did the Running Man on camera, and strolled demurely back to my seat with diploma in hand. It still doesn't seem real, but that could have been because the ceremony itself was such a whirlwind, where I was only one in thousands to graduate.

But that wasn't really the case the night before, at the Honors College Recognition Ceremony. Dr. J, the president of the Honors College, wasn't kidding when he said that was our night, because that was definitely a night when all of us smart freaks felt special, and were recognized for going above and beyond the general curriculum. And I was fortunate enough to be awarded the Outstanding Senior Award, the highest honor the Honors College can give, for which I was recognized and expected to give an inspirational speech to the assembled students.

I stressed over this speech for days beforehand, taking advice from Jenn's high school valedictorian speech and trying to accommodate my family's somewhat outrageous requests (no, Sean, I will not draw attention to the DICK-tionary as a veiled shout-out to you). But I finally came up with something I was proud of, and felt that it fit the situation when I spoke at the Recognition ceremony. So, I have posted my speech below, because I am very proud of it and otherwise, it will fade into virtual obscurity.

Good afternoon, and welcome to the family, friends, loved ones, and faculty members of the 2011 graduates of the Frederik Meijer Honors College, and thank you for helping us through. I’d also like to add a special thank you to my family, who have taken up a table by ourselves and are probably among the loudest in the room—and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You know, it’s times like these when it’s good to have a twin—otherwise, we wouldn’t have had enough tickets! But most importantly, congratulations to the graduates themselves. Because as Dr. J said, it’s our night, our celebration, and we should enjoy it.

If you’ve ever been in a train or subway station—whether in New York, Chicago, London, Paris, Beijing, wherever—you may have noticed that there’s a small space between the edge of the platform and the train door. It’s usually only about six or seven inches wide, nothing too daunting, but big enough to catch your suitcase wheel or trip you if you’re not careful. It’s one of those small inconveniences to keep an eye out for, especially if you’re a bit clumsy or unobservant, or you tend to read when you’re walking…or all three. Apparently, there are a lot of people like…that out there, because the subway stations in London warn their passengers about this space before people even get on. They have an announcement on the PA system: Please mind the gap between the train and the platform. Sometimes, like on souvenir T-shirts, it’s just shortened to Mind the gap. Kind of silly, really, but I’m sure it keeps at least a couple people from tripping.

As college graduates, we are facing that gap. We are at that space in our lives between the platform and the train, between our academic work and what we have been working toward. For some of us, this space might be the span of a summer, little more than a pause and a transition between two different degrees. For others, the gap might require a little more patience while applying for jobs or grad school. It might be the width of an instant or the span of months before we step onto the train that will take us to our next destination.

And we, like many others, have the opportunity and the education to make something of our journey. But we also have a unique advantage as graduates of the Frederick Meijer Honors College. Because our platform, our foundation at Grand Valley, has equipped us with not only knowledge, but experiences unlike any other. We have all survived a grueling Honors curriculum and maintained high standards of work throughout. We have all run the marathon that was our Civilization sequence, and we have conducted independent studies for our Senior Projects. Many of us have studied abroad—from Egypt to France, Chile to China, all over the world. Some of us have participated in service trips, or even sponsored our own. We have worked in internships and clinicals, presented at national conventions, published work locally and nationally, served as ambassadors and spokespersons. Forgive me if I’ve left anything out, but I don’t think we have the time to list all the achievements of the graduates in this room.

A famous writer—you may have heard of him—once wrote: Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. As much as I love Shakespeare, I think he left a part out. We are not only the ones to achieve greatness, but to seek greatness. Haven’t we already? And after all we’ve accomplished at Grand Valley, can you just imagine what we else we can do? I am looking at a room of break-through researchers, best-selling writers, leading physicians, politicians, and philanthropists, and world-changers in the making. And though we might be headed to different destinations—grad school, the workforce, mission work, or someplace else altogether—we shouldn’t forget that we all left from the same platform.

But we also need to keep in mind that one silly piece of advice, to mind the gap. Because that is where seeking greatness has the potential to turn into something good, in the decisions and the difference we try to make as we move from college to whatever is waiting ahead. However narrow or wide that gap may be, we can still make something of it. So tomorrow, when we become official Grand Valley graduates, regardless of whether you walk across the stage or not, remember: seek greatness, but do good, and mind the gap in between.

Ah, Young Love in Les Miz

So I just finished reading Les Miserables (yes, all 1222 pages of it). For the past few months, I've been obsessed with the musical and thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Bawled my eyes out in the end, to tell the truth. What I really found funny yet oddly insightful were the parts about the love developing between Marius and Cosette--a love that seemed reminiscent of puppy love. I thought a couple points were both amusing and noteworthy, and wondered how viable these points are today. I have little to no experience in the realms of love at this point in my life, so I wanted to hear what others thought of them.

So, without further ado...

What Victor Hugo's Les Miserables Taught Me About Young Love:

1) "The first symptom of true love in a young man is timidity, in a young woman, boldness. This is surprising, and yet nothing is more natural. It is the two sexes tending to unite, and each acquiring the qualities of the other" (756).

Does anyone else think that is a fascinating idea? That a woman becomes bolder and a man more timid when faced with love (or attraction)?

2) "There is another law of these young years of suffering and care, of these sharp struggles of the first love against the first obstacles, the young girl does not allow herself to be caught in any toil, the young man falls into all" (758).

Okay, I just thought this was funny. The example in the book explained how Jean Valjean (the protective father figure) was suspicious of a developing relationship, but Cosette hid her feelings so well as to dispell any doubts. Marius, on the other hand, fell into all the traps set for him and behaved like an obviously love-struck puppy. Valjean concluded that: "This booby is madly in love with Cosette, but Cosette does not even know of his existence!" And yes, he really called Marius a "booby".

Both entertaining and enlightening. So what do you think? Post if you can, I'd love to hear your thoughts on these ideas, foster some discussion and whatnot.

New Gro Baby™ for my New Niece?

Well, it's official! My older sister has finally had her new baby, Lillian Michael. She was born on July 27th, at 8:36 a.m. She weighed 6 lbs, 3 oz, and was 19 inches long. I'm staying at their house right now, and she is one of the cutest little peanuts I've ever seen--besides Lily's older sister, Avery, of course.

My real reason for blogging today is as a favor to my older sister. You see, she heard about a diaper giveaway that was being awarded to bloggers, and it seemed like the perfect option to help her out. She's been planning on using cloth diapers for Lillian, and she finally narrowed it down to Gro Baby™ Cloth diapers brand. Of course, as the single and amazingly cool aunt, I don't have much personal experience with diapers just yet. I'm also not planning on having any kids soon, so I haven't had to consider whether I'd use cloth or disposable. However, from the info that I've read about Gro Baby™, it sounds to me like Chris and Michele have made a good choice. Using Gro Baby™ will help them to save money, as well as contribute to saving the environment, since cloth diapers are so much more ecologically friendly than disposable. Plus, from all accounts, my parents used cloth diapers when I was a baby, and I turned out okay, didn't I?

So all in all, Michele and Chris have decided that Gro Baby™ is the diaper for them and if it works out for them, I just might have to consider the possibilities...WAY in the future, that is.

FREE DIAPER GIVEAWAY RULES:
1) Must be a new blog/pic, etc.
2) You may blog about your likes/dislikes for Gro Baby™ OR post a new pic of your babe in Gro Baby™ OR blog that you'd like to try Gro Baby™ .
3) ALL, must be accompanied with this link,
http://www.thenaturalbabyco.com/grobaby%E2%84%A2-ic-11_16.html
4) Email your link/address to customerservice@thenaturalbabyco.com WITH BLOG
GIVEAWAY in the subject line.
5) We'll send each participant ONE FREE Pre Production Shell Set in
Blackberry (sorry no other colors available)
6) One per family please.

For Lillian's sake, I hope this works!

Yes, I Am Still Alive

I know it's been embarrassingly long since my last post, and I honestly have no excuse as to why that is. Plus, this post is not going to be the longest, either. I can only say I am sorry.

At the moment, this blog is under construction--so to speak--as I try to revamp the idea and figure out if there's anything interesting about my life now that I'm back in Michigan. As I mentioned early on, I created this blog in order for my friends and family in the States to read about my experiences in England. So--as it says in one of my favorite books--if a thing was created for a reason, you better hope that reason still exists. Because when the one is gone, so is the other.

Don't worry, I'll be back soon though. Just give me some time to brainstorm and revamp the whole point of my blog.

So Much for the Countdown...

It is my last night in Surbiton...already. It's been a busy week, what with packing and last-minute sights to see. It seems to have sped by. I still have one more night to spend at a hotel in London, but then on Sunday, I'll be flying home to Michigan!

It's hard to believe that four months have gone by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that I arrived in Surbiton, trying valiantly to stay awake to get with the time change. I'm sure Mom remembers me bawling my eyes out on Skype because I was so exhausted. In the time I've spent here, I've seen and done things that I never would have been able to had I not taken this opportunity. It's been amazing. I've made new friends, seen some awesome sights, tasted different (but not always appetizing) food, and just experienced and enjoyed life in a different country and on a different continent. So here's a brief lowdown of the highlights that have happened in the last four months. I know you'll understand if I don't really include anything about school...who would ever consider that a highlight?

Entertainment:

Musicals: The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Hairspray, Les Miserables

Plays: The Winslow Boy, Pitmen Painters, Romeo and Juliet

Movies: The Secret of Moonacre, He's Just Not That Into You, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Watchmen (which I DO NOT recommend), X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Young Victoria, The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Star Trek

Other: Carpet premiere of Night at the Museum 2

Cities:

England: London, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surbiton, Brighton, Bath, Stonehenge, Chawton, Winchester, Oxford, Lacock, Manchester, Haworth, Liverpool, Stratford-Upon-Avon

France: Paris, Tours, Angers

Scotland: Edinburgh

Ireland: Dublin

Food:

Curry, Kebabs, Fish and chips, Toad in the Hole, Bangers and Mash, Haggis, Deep Fried Snickers Bar, Irish Stew, Crepes, Escargot, Yorkshire Pudding, Gelato, Creme brulee

Attractions:

Jane Austen House Museum, Sherlock Holmes Museum, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Tromphe, Notre Dame, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh Dungeon, The Eagle and the Child pub, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Houses of Parliaments, Westminster Abbey, London Eye...

Okay, I'm bored of this already. Suffice it to say, I've done and seen a lot and it's been amazing. But as I've been telling people, I'm thrilled to be going home...just not all that happy about leaving, if you get what I'm saying. On the one hand, I will be going back to my family and friends back in Michigan. Not to mention Frozen Cokes and Taco Bell and air conditioning...and a car. I will definitely not miss England's public transportation system, however handy it was to the stranded traveler. On the other hand, I've made some amazing friends here, that I had to say goodbye to tonight. I'm hoping to stay in touch with everyone through Facebook and such, but who knows how well that'll work?

All in all, Sunday's departure will be a very bittersweet event. And the next time you hear from me, I will probably be on American soil again!

From the Ghostbus to Fried Mars Bars!

I returned from Scotland yesterday, and fortunately I brought back a lot of new stories and memories! Unfortunately, my camera still won't transfer everything that I want it to. Oh, well. Anyway, I'm just going to post a brief recap of my trips to Ireland and Scotland.

Dublin, Ireland:

I flew to Dublin early last Thursday...VERY early. As in, I went to Luton Airport late Wednesday night and had to stay the night in the airport. My flight arrived at Dublin Airport around eight in the morning, but the hostel check-in time wasn't until two in the afternoon. You do the math. Needess to say, I got a lot of reading done waiting in a nearby cafe. I didn't get a lot accomplished in the first day, since I was trying to catch up on sleep. Plus, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I had no idea where the hostel was in the city. I was afraid of wandering too far away and not being able to find it again.

Jenn's plane got in on Friday afternoon, and that's when the real vacation started. We checked in at a different hostel and this time, I made sure to find out where it was on the map. We didn't have much time left in the day, so we mostly wandered around O'Connell Street, looking around the souvenir shops and picking up dinner.

On Saturday, we took a free walking tour of Dublin, where the tour guide explained the history of the Vikings, Celts, and Normans. The tour took two hours, and luckily the rain held off long enough for us to get safely inside. We were able to explore Grafton Street for a while, which was fascinating due to the street performers and different shops. My personal favorite was a puppetmaster and his wooden puppet. The guy was so gifted that the puppet seemed to be alive...and he was that funny, too! That was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip; that or the tour I took that night. We bought tickets to Dublin's Ghostbus Tour...Amazing! The guide was hilarious, and the tour took us to a cemetary and the Forty Steps, which is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in Ireland. I can't honestly say that I saw any ghosts or spirits, or even that I believe in them any more than I did before. But the tour was fun regardless.

Our flights left Sunday night, which still left enough time for one last adventure. We ended up--where else?-- at the Dublin's Writer's Museum. I mean, come on! Jonathon Swift, Oscar Wilde...what literary enthusiast could resist? I certainly couldn't.

Looking back on this trip, I can't say that Jenn and I did that much in terms of events or activities. Rather, we just enjoyed being in Dublin, seeing the sights, and relaxing rather than running all over the place trying to do everything at once. I certainly got a lot of pictures anyway!

Edinburgh, Scotland:

I took this trip with four friends from the Kingston Study Abroad program, and it was just as fun, though in a different way. We took a taxi to catch the early flight this time, so at least there was no staying the night in the airport. I don't know if I could've handled that a second time!

We flew out on Tuesday morning and returned Thursday evening. In that time, we took a walking tour of Edinburgh (free, of course), visited the Palace and Edinburgh Castles, and went to the Edinburgh Dungeons. Just like the Ireland trip, this was pretty "chill." We even made a habit of taking a nap--our siesta--in the middle of the day. Although the first day, we definitely went a little overboard in the nap department. The scenery was gorgeous; there was nothing better than walking down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and hearing the slight sounds of bagpipe music (I'm not kidding about the bagpipes; performers were everywhere!) I even tried haggis, which, if you don't know what it is...well, it's probably better if you remain ignorant. It didn't taste bad, though. The flavor and spice was good, even if the texture was somewhat weird. Another Scottish delicacy I tried was...a deep fried Snickers bar. I know, it sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen, and it looked disgusting. But it was delicious! I could've easily eaten another one, it tasted so good! Speaking of which...in Scotland, they deep-fry everything! Pizza, Mars Bars, Snickers, pickles, even cheeseburgers! And I thought I was adventurous by trying the Snickers bar!

Edinburgh is also a big place for Harry Potter fans, since J.K. Rowling got much of her inspiration from the city. Hogwarts is there, as is the inspiration for names she used, such as Tom Riddle and Minerva McGonagall. Just a couple fun facts, I guess. I was also interested to visit the Elephant House Cafe, which was where the writer first penned Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. J.K. Rowling isn't the only literary figure from the Edinburgh area, nor the most significant. Sarah and I went to the Edinburgh Writer's Museum, where we explored exhibits about Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott. Sir Walter Scott is especially renowned in Scotland, as he helped to bring the kilt back into the culture. Who knew?

We returned late last night after spending a pretty relaxing last day exploring the shops and taking pictures of everything. Needless to say, though, we were pretty exhausted when we got back, especially since we missed out on our siesta yesterday! :(

And I know I've neglected Edinburgh a little when you compare this account with the one I've written about Dublin. But I hope you'll forgive me! My time's running short, figuratively and literally! Not only do I have to meet a friend for dinner, but I only have ten days left to spend in England! So expect to see the return of the countdown!

Camera Complaints

Since the last time I wrote, I have seen two other musicals, a play at the Rose Theatre, and been to Ireland. But I can't find the motivation to write about those events right now because I'm so ticked off. No, not ticked off, because ticked off sounds more like I'm mad at a person or something. Rather, I am frustrated beyond belief at technology and ruing the day digital cameras ever replaced film.

Okay, so maybe that's not the whole truth. I love my camera, frustrating as it can be. It was a Christmas present this past year, probably the most perfect idea for a study abroad student. And it's not so bad. After all, I can take a lot more pictures on my digital camera than I ever could using a film camera. And who doesn't like being able to see the result seconds after snapping the shot?

But there is a definite downside, at least to the camera I own. Who knows, maybe this is just a freak thing and everyone else's Kodak works perfectly. But all I know is that my camera is filled with over 400 pictures that refuse to transfer to the computer. They're taking up the memory, but I don't want to delete them because they're my memories! But it is becoming more and more frustrating, because the situation seems to be getting worse.

I thought it was bad when my picture of the Eagle and the Child pub in Oxford didn't transfer, which meant that I couldn't post about the pub made famous by C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the other Inklings. I figured it couldn't get much worse when twice--twice--some pictures I'd taken of friends and promised to send them refused to upload to the screen. How am I supposed to post a picture on Facebook when I can't even post it on my computer?

But this just takes the cake. I went to Ireland this past weekend, met Jenn there, and we stayed and explored Dublin. It was awesome, but I'll write more about it in another post, I promise. What I'm trying to say is, I took quite a few pictures. This is saying something for me, because although I love having the memories on film--or the computer--in front of me, I tend to forget that the memories have to be captured first. But this wasn't the case in Dublin. I probably took over seventy pictures over the weekend, which is a pretty substantial number for me. I even took a short video of a street performer with a funny puppet. And do you want to know how many of my pictures transferred to the computer for me to attempt to upload on Facebook for friends and relatives to see?

21. Twenty-one. Not even a third.

Now can you understand my frustration?

But hey, I'm a girl who usually looks on the bright side; I typically see the glass as half-full and whatnot. There's a positive side to every situation, as long as you look for it.

...

...

...

At least I was able to transfer the video of the funny puppet.

London's Blue Carpet Premiere

Today I met Ben Stiller. How many people can say that? Well, I guess "met" isn't quite the word for it. By "met," I mean I saw him at the premiere of Night at the Museum 2 and he autographed my day planner (I didn't have any other paper on me and come on, it's not like I'll ever lose THAT). Hank Azaria and Ricky Gervais made an appearance, too, but I didn't get to see them up close. I was disappointed not to have seen Robin Williams or Amy Adams or Owen Wilson, or any of the other great actors in the film. Still, it was a rather exciting occurrence.

The premiere was interesting for other reasons as well. First of all, my friends and I showed up at least two hours early in order to get places along the railing. It was a good thing we did, too, because people became very pushy and rude when it came closer to the event's beginning; I guess no one stands between some fans and their star. It was very uncomfortable after a while; people were pushing and--shall we say?--jabbing with their elbows to get a better view even before anyone arrived! Plus, a friend of mine was spooned by some person who was a bit too eager to see some action.

Did you know that the London premiere does not use the red carpet? No, the carpet put down in Leicester Square was bright blue--very pretty, if I might add a random thought. I thought it was better than the red, but I was one of the only ones in my group who thought so. Erice even said that she would've refused to walk down a carpet that wasn't red--but I think she was joking.


Probably the most interesting part about the experience was seeing how people behaved. I was appalled, to be honest. I mean, they're just people, whether they're on the big screen or not. Yeah, it was great to see Ben Stiller and Ricky Gervais and such; how many people can say they've ever had a chance? But the way that some people were acting...screaming out stars' names like they were best friends, reaching out to touch them, shrieking and pushing and stepping all over the "little people" just to get a glimpse. Wow.

Well, I got some pictures, what little I could see, and I'll post them here for everyone to enjoy. For those who have me as a facebook friend, my friend Sarah should be posting and tagging a picture of me with Ben Stiller...or rather, Ben Stiller in the foreground while I just happen to be in the shot. Sarah seemed pretty excited about it, though.

For Three Months (A Somewhat Odd Recap)

As of today, I have been in England--or more accurately, in Europe--for three months. And in that time, I have...

• Traveled all around England, visiting more sights than most native Britons (or so I've been told)
• Seen three (soon to be four) West End musicals
• Bought a double cheeseburger from the Burger Box at midnight
• Traveled on every method of public transportation known to man
• Sampled cajun squirrel flavoured crisps (and they weren't half bad)
• Discovered the wonders of blackcurrant squash
• Danced the Macarena on a boat (it was the international boat party and yes, there was music)
• Caught myself saying "Sorry" in a British accent--accidentally ;)

And in the three months I've been in Europe, I HAVE NOT...

• Seen any of my family outside of Mom and Jenn :(
• Driven a car
• Eaten Taco Bell (what I wouldn't give for a soft taco right about now...)
• Had a Frozen Coke (ditto)
• Dried my clothes in a dryer
• Slept over at a friend's house
• Watched an American show on the premiere day (without using a website)

And finally, the one thing I THOUGHT I'd be able to put on the second list, but actually belongs on the first. I have...

• Been called "Jennifer" by people who have never met my twin, or even knew that I had a sister by that name.

O_O

Even in England.

Tips for Passing Time and Making/Saving Money During Spring Break (Read At Your Own Risk!)

I have been on Reading Week/Easter vacation for the last three weeks. That time was partially spent on a literary trip with my twin where we were "carpetbagging" across the English countryside, staying in a different hostel every night, catching buses and trains every couple of hours. Consequently, we had a lot of free time on our hands waiting for certain forms of transportation, during which I brainstormed the following video idea for my blog. Forgive the poor quality of the videos; they were taken on my digital camera and I couldn't figure out how to upload them straight. Just cock your head sideways or something. Furthermore, I advise you to pay close attention to the disclaimer. This being said:

Tips for Passing Time and Making/Saving Money When Carpetbagging
CAUTION: Reading the content of this post has been known to destroy brain cells.

"PERSONS attempting to find a motive in this narra-tive will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."
-The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

Tip #1: Stealing hubcaps



Tip #2: Stealing hubcaps that aren't already in motion

(Don't laugh, that got us 50 pence!)

Tip #3: Enjoying nature



Tip #4: Participating in local festivities
(This one took place in the village of Lacock, where the kids of the town were on a Scarecrow scavenger hunt, running 'round town looking for different scarecrows to identify. I made special friends with The King)


I don't think I have a shot at a career in movie directing, do you? Ah, well. I warned you that this post was pointless and stupid, but it was a good way to alleviate the boredom while we were waiting for the bus. I promise, the next couple of posts will...actually make sense.

Stops in the Road

Here are our intended destinations for the literary trip that will begin in less than two hours. When Jenn and I put our heads together to plan a strategy for spring break, we decided we'd rather stay in England to see these places than to travel to another country. All of these cities and places have literary merit of some sort, specifically associated with my favorite authors and settings from favorite books.

1) Chawton: Jane Austen's House Museum. 'Nuff said. I know, I've already been there, but Jenn hasn't and it's a sight that no true Austen fan should miss. Plus, I've been dying to go back and read Pride and Prejudice in the garden.

2) Winchester: Winchester Cathedral. The gravesite/memorial for Jane Austen. It's not quite as cool as her house, but it's only a fifteen minute bus ride away, so it's worth the journey. It'll be one of the shorter stops on the trip.

3) Bath: Jane Austen Centre, plus all sorts of other attractions. Are you starting to notice a pattern here?

4) Lacock: a cute little village located near Bath which was used for scenes in the film versions of Pride and Prejudice and Emma. Also, I've found out that it was J.K. Rowling's inspiration for Godric's Hollow in the Harry Potter series.

5) Oxford: The house of J.R.R. Tolkien and The Eagle and the Child Pub. The former is self-explanatory; who wouldn't want to visit the house of such an awesome writer? It's one of my favorite series. The second attraction is the place where Tolkien and C.S. Lewis used to meet with their literary group, the Inklings. It was rumored that they would read their manuscripts aloud in the pub, but I've found evidence to disprove this. Either way, it's still awesome. Also, if we have the time, we'll go exploring around Oxford College. Besides being incredible, it was also used to film many of the scenes at Hogwarts in Harry Potter, including the Great Hall and the entrance hall.

6) Bakewell: Chatsworth House. One of the most beautiful estates in England and also used as Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice.

7) Manchester: the hometown of Elizabeth Gaskell, author of North and South. Another one of my favorite books, adapted into one of my favorite movies.

8) Haworth: The Bronte Parsonage Museum. The childhood home of the Bronte sisters, turned into an attraction for all lovers of their books. I'm hoping this will be somewhat like the Jane Austen House Museum. This is also the last stop on our trip before heading home.

So there you have it: eight different cities, eight different attractions. But did I mention that we'll be seeing all of these in four days? What a marathon!

The Most Famous Address in the World

Today was the first stop on our literary spring break trip. I will explain more about this later--preferably at a more reasonable hour--but suffice it to say, Jenn and I are acting like complete dorks during spring break by visiting all of the literary sites around England that we've always wanted to see.

We went to London. Untold possibilities open when you step onto the train...oh, sod it. Sorry, but it's too late for me to try to write anything remotely poetic about my trip today. You'll just have to be satisfied with blunt facts.

Our list of stops may seem random on first glance, and they probably are: The Australia House, a red telephone booth near Scotland Yard, Charing Cross Road, King's Cross, and 221b Baker Street. However, they all have some literary merit or were used in a film adaptation of a beloved book. Most of them have roots from the Harry Potter series: Australia House was used to film Gringotts, Charing Cross road was Diagon Alley, the telephone booth was seen in the fifth movie, and of course Platform 9 3/4 is at King's Cross Station. Though most of our stops were Harry Potter-related, the majority of the day was monopolized by a different literary character.

Sherlock Holmes. The consulting detective. According to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this fictional character lived at 221b Baker Street with his trusted associate, Dr. Watson. Not only has this address become one of the most famous in the world, but devoted fans have turned it into a museum of the fictional work. Fantasy becomes reality on Baker Street. It was astonishing to walk into this museum, which is set up exactly as the books describe. It was one thing to visit the home of Jane Austen, where there was historical documentation of how the house might have appeared. But at 221b Baker Street, an entire residence was created solely from the descriptions of Doyle's imagination, right down to the hat and pipe resting on the armchairs by the fire. They had even set up several figures to represent certain scenes from Holmes's cases, such as The Speckled Band or The Red-Headed League.

And the museum wasn't all. Hidden down Northumberland Road is a restaurant with a theme devoted to Sherlock Holmes.

I know what you're thinking: Surely not. It's such a tourist attraction! Surely they wouldn't...

Of course we did. How could we resisit, especially when we saw that the items on the menu were named for the books and the characters within. Jenn, of course, ordered a dish of Hound of the Baskervilles, which turned out to be a common English dish usually known as toad-in-the-hole. This is essentially sausages, broccoli, carrots, and mashed potatoes in a bowl of Yorkshire pudding. Though the dish was good, she admitted to only ordering it because the name was so appealing. And who could blame her?

I ordered a vegetarian dish of mushrooms stuffed with two different kinds of cheese. What was it called? Moriarty's. For those of you who don't know, Moriarty was the Napoleon of crime in The Final Solution. He was thought to have killed Sherlock Holmes and was considered as the evil equal to Holmes' ingenuity. Some may recognize his name as the mysterious "M" from A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a connection that never fails to annoy me. As much as I like Sean Connery's character, there is no way that the criminal equal to Sherlock Holmes would have ever been outsmarted or defeated by the likes of Allen Quartermain.

But I digress. I blame it on the lateness...or earliness of the hour. There's not much else to tell, especially considering that Jenn forbade me from writing all that much about going to see Phantom of the Opera tonight as well (whoops, did I just accidentally mention that?) I'll make sure to post a lowdown on our literary trip plans soon, since we're getting started bright and early tomorrow.

P.S. Between you an me, POTO was amazing! Absolutely breathtaking, awe-inspiring, the works! But you didn't hear it from me! ;) For more details, check Jenn's blog on the side, the one written in French.

An Entire Week for Reading?

They call it Reading Week.

By "they," I mean the professors and students at Kingston University.
And when I say "Reading Week," I am referring to a week-long break given to British university students in the middle of each semester. I've been told that this is implemented so that students can catch up on any reading, writing, or studying that might have piled up during the endless slog of college life. This probably works quite well during the Fall Semester, when there is such a long stretch of classes without any extended breaks; I know I always feel burnt out come November. But during Spring Semester, Reading Week falls directly before Easter Vacation, essentially giving us a three-week spring break.

I see no problem with this whatsoever. Personally, I will be spending my time in Angers, France with Jenn. She'll still have classes, so I'm anticipating spending a relaxing week in the French countryside, reading The Mill on the Floss for my 19th Century Novel class, sampling new cuisine and getting some top-notch studying done for my French exam. The relaxation of the week will be a perfect prelude to Spring Break, when Jenn and I plan to hit nine English cities within five days before Mom arrives. But more about that in a different post.

I will be flying to Tours late Sunday afternoon. Jenn is going to meet me at the airport (I don't have much faith in my French-speaking abilities, so I insisted), then we'll catch a train back to Angers. In the meantime, I will be fighting the temptation to take the week's name at its word and purchase two books from Border's that have caught my eye.

They call it Reading Week.

I call it one of the most wonderful ideas I've ever heard of. Why haven't they thought of this in the U.S.?

Hide and Seek: Just a Small Blurb

After returning from Liverpool yesterday afternoon, I was able to spend the remainder of the day relaxing, working on homework, and recovering from my trip.

And I wasn't the only one. My landlady's cat, Poppy, seemed to enjoy cacooning herself in my rolled-up duvet. After a while, all I could see were a pair of green eyes and some paws sticking out of the mound of white. That wasn't as disturbing as the purring, though.

Regulars at the Cavern Club

I've just gotten back from a weekend in Liverpool, albeit a day early. We were able to take a complete bus tour yesterday and found an extra day to be surplus.

When I say "complete bus tour," I'm referring to the Magical Mystery Tour, the tour mentioned in and made famous by the Beatles' song. It took us around to all the famous sites related to the band--Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, the Cavern Club, and the original houses of all four of the members. Needless to say, it was sweet. I can't even claim to be a huge Beatles fan, yet I still had a blast!

The best part about the weekend was definitely hanging around the Cavern Club. It was dark and...well, cavernous. Elle, Rebecca, and I went there several times in the two days we spent in Liverpool. You could say we became regulars at the place. Rebecca sometimes ordered a Guiness, but Elle and I mainly stuck to the less expensive drinks...tap water, for instance, or a Coke if we felt more experimental.

The trip was awesome, but it definitely had its downpoints, too. For one, the hostel room we stayed in smelled like sweaty gym socks. Try going to sleep when you feel as if your nose hairs are being singed! Also, I was sick on Saturday, the day we took the tour. I forced myslef to go and ended up having fun anyway, yet the pain ruined parts of the experience for me. Oh, well.

We said goodbye to Liverpool this morning with one last trip to Albert Dock (where the wind is strong enough to blow you off your feet) and to the Cavern Club. The club was closed, since it was barely ten o'clock, but we did get to visit my ol' pal John leaning against the Wall of Fame. One trip I'll never forget!

Expectations

I know I haven't updated for a couple weeks, and this can't even be considered a true post. It's more like a blurb. I've had ideas, just not the time to write them. I'm going to Liverpool tomorrow for the weekend, though, so I expect to have stories to write about when I get back. Meanwhile, you'll just have to wait!

The Best Trip I Could Have Imagined!

I'm conscious and able to concentrate, so here is the post I've promised about my unbelievably amazing trip to Jane Austen's house yesterday!

If you know me at all, you know that Jane Austen is my all-time favorite author. I read Pride and Prejudice at least twice a year; its subtle satirical social commentary is brilliant and waxes poetic. No one writes like that anymore. :(

This being said, you can imagine my excitement when I found out that her house--which has been turned into a museum for the public--was a mere train ride away in Chawton, Hampshire. A day that promised to be boring was turned into one of literary enrichment and--shall I say?--almost undue excitement. Seriously, we're talking paper bag hyperventilation here.

I went with three other English majors from the Study Abroad program--Jessica, Kendyl, and Briann, all of whom were almost as excited as I. The train left late morning, so we were at our destination around noon. None of us had had a proper breakfast and I knew we wouldn't enjoy the trip if our stomachs were empty, so we decided to grab lunch before going inside the house museum. Across the street from the Chawton residence was a quaint, very British tea shop, complete with decorative tea cups hanging on hooks from the ceiling. We each ordered--what else?--a pot of tea and a sandwich. I also had a scone topped with clotted cream and jam that was delectable...and I know I sound like such a snob right now!

After lunch came the fun part! I couldn't have stopped smiling if you paid me. Just walking into the entryway was amazing when I thought that Jane Austen had stepped through that very door! I was taken down from heaven momentarily upon learning that we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, though. Bummer, but oh well. Life can't be perfect, can it? But it can get pretty close!

There were a lot of little plaques and drawings on the walls, describing certain aspects of life in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Some of the rooms were set up exactly as they had been back in the day, while others were set more like the museum it had become. They had also provided several examples of period clothing on dummies around the rooms. We were all especially excited about Jane Austen's little writing table set near the window. It was painfully small but authentic, the real table that she handwrote her stories upon every night. Several letters were also hung on the wall, written in her own hand--though I couldn't read the thin, spidery letters. But who cares?

And of course, there was a gift shop and a bookshop, which for me was like throwing a steak in front of a starving man. I found it hard not to go crazy in my purchases. As it was, I bought several postcards, a cross-stitching set with a picture of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and some stationary. I had to keep reminding myself that I'll be back during spring break, when Jenn and I go on our literary trip around England. Even so, it was nearly painful when it came time to leave. After a quick tour around the garden, though, we had to leave in order to catch the bus back to the train station. I just can't wait to return with Jenn, who I know will be just as excited as I was--and still am!

A Sneak Preview

It's late and I'm certain that I can't really write or concentrate as well as I would need to in order to write the post about the incredibly exciting day I had today. So I will not tell you about my visit to Jane Austen's house...yet. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow, when my exhausted brain can think again.

Truly Appalling Tastes

This post has been a long time in coming, but I wanted to make sure to get a picture. I knew no one back in Michigan would quite believe me otherwise.

One of the oddest culture shocks I've received in England hasn't been the difference in driving on the roads or the accents all around; I was most amazed by the--shall we say unique--flavors of the chips here (or "crisps"). The big brand for crisps is named "Walkers," and it shares a logo peculiarly similar to that of Lays Potato Chips.

Some of the flavors taste pretty good; I'd never been much for salt-and-vinegar flavored crisps before, yet I've found them pretty addicting. They've also got "ready salted," which is like original flavored chips and "cheddar-and-onion." The last one is probably my favorite, but my breath afterwards would probably singe nose hairs.

Those are the relatively ordinary flavors. Now on to the appalling ones. Would you believe they have "prawn cocktail?'' Or how about "Roast chicken?'' "Builder's breakfast?'' Does any of these sound appetizing to you, because they sound pretty disgusting to me! From what's featured on the back of the crisp bags, I guess Walker's must be in the midst of a flavor contest. They released several new flavors and people have to vote on the one they like the best. Now let me see, which would I choose--Crispy Duck & Hoisin or Fish & Chips? And that's not even the most disgusting-sounding flavor. You want to know what is?

Cajun Squirrel... O_O ...

There are just no words.