But to go through it all:
Two weeks ago consisted of writing a history paper. I was going at a pretty good pace (spacing the work out over two weeks), and a few days before it was due, I was at 2000 words and I went to meet my professor to see if where I was going was pretty solid. Turns, out, it wasn't solid at all. So I had to rewrite the whole thing. And then I still went out on St. Patrick's Day. I needed to finish the paper before my sister got here, but that didn't really happen.
The last week consisted of my sister visiting, which was awesome but now I miss home even more. The terrible feeling was totally worth her visit, though. Took her around most of the touristy stops in London, and then went through Paris in 36 hours or so and got through most of the big things, i.e. the Eiffel, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Bastille, Notre Dame, and the like. It was a swell trip. The French are even more standoff-ish than Brits, which was sort of surprising (probably shouldn't have been) and it was slightly hard to navigate without French and being able to ask people.
But here's my favorite picture from the trip (sorry to be so brief about everything - ask me when I get back!):
For once, it's not a panorama! I'm not particularly sure what it's of, but my inclination says that it might be Perseus rescuing Andromeda. The angle seemed rather interesting, and it turned out well. Oh, and false, here's another favorite of mine:
It's a rather straightforward shot of Eros and Psyche, but it looks great. You can probably ascribe most of that to the sculpture, and not me, haha.
But yes. The term ends today, and I have two classes left (whereas at OSU I would have no Friday classes...bummer). Afterwards is a month off, and then two exams and a paper to do. Currently slated is Italy in late April. Possibly slated (I need to go to the train people and inquire) is a massive two-week bonanza starting in Brussels, to Stuttgart, to Geneva, to Paris (again for me) and back to London. Granted, this trip starts on Sunday if I go, so I need to figure that out today, it would be moderately helpful.
I know earlier I said I'd be screwed for my exams, but in some ways it doesn't seem too terrible, as long as I study like a crazy man. Luckily with the UK system, there are no classes during the entire exam period, so I can wake up at nine and study the whole day. It's not a terrible system at all. We'll see how that goes.
Oh, and I'm back May 19th. Mark your calendars, bubsniffers, I'll be back!
-e.
NP: Big Star - Keep An Eye on the Sky
Alex Chilton's death hit me pretty hard, and now all I've really been listening to (outside of some rare exceptions) has been Big Star. I'd gone through the comp a couple times before, but honestly, my acknowledgment of Big Star was more of an "influence" thing for groups like the Replacements, Wilco, R.E.M., and basically any other musician thereafter. But in coming back to it, every tune is a special tune, one anyone else would kill to write. And Alex Chilton wrote these like he was totally not putting in effort, which is gross. He was barely even 21 when he was writing all this Big Star stuff, and he'd charted at #1 earlier with the Box Tops at the ripe age of 16. How's that for a model of success? The talent this guy is absurd, and it should be time that everyone recognizes it. But some people don't, which is the sad part. Alex has said he has wanted it that way...he didn't want a lot of fame. I wouldn't either, but with such skill it should've happened that way, I suppose.
The worst part is that it took me his death to revisit his material. It happens that way often, but it always feels weird when you realize the voice coming from your speakers is no longer speaking any more, just a voice from the speaker. But the legacy lives on, o my soul.
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