Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in sableswan's LiveJournal:

Monday, October 11th, 2004
4:46 pm	le week-end My weekend went something like this: Saturday: running and lifting in the morning, running a few errands, and then off to Ely Cathedral, courtesy of the Christ's MCR. Spent the afternoon at the cathedral enjoying the hodgepodge of architectural styles (romanesque to gothic to Victorian, with many things in between) and deploring the decapitated statues. Saw Oliver Cromwell's house and posed with the plastic Puritans in the front. Returned to MCR for pizza, drinks, and conversation until lateish. Sunday: Lots of email, then Mass at 11:15 at Fisher House (http://www.srcf.ucam.org/fisherhouse/), Cambridge's Catholic chaplaincy, runnning off to row with the senior women's boat, dinner with Danny and Josh in Upper Hall, and then piddling about my room for a while before meeting MCR folks at a local pub, with much talk about architecture, Turkey, and the EU. Today: Middling lecture on monarchical culture from Charles II to Anne, great lecture introducing Hume, correspondence, lunch with Himesh. Next: row, row, row, then work, work, work! Drinks at Fisher House with other grad students at 8 pm. (Comment on this)
Sunday, October 10th, 2004
4:45 pm	Matriculation Dinner My first weekend in Cambridge started off with a bang on Friday night at Matriculation Dinner. At the beginning of each year, all the students who are new to the college are invited to dine in Formal Hall with various fellows. The graduates met for a small reception beforehand where I got to know my tutor here, Dr. Gay, a molecular biologist (he has promised to show me Milton's death mask, in the fellow's antechamber to the Formal Hall, at some point). We then proceeded to the Hall, where we were seated according to a chart. I was next to Chris from Ascot, Matt from Somerset, and Paolo from Italy, with the closest fellows being Dr. Gay and the college bursar. The tables were set very nicely with silver, candlesticks, cloths, and fruit bowls. We stood, all dressed up and in our gowns, for the usual Latin prayer, and then sat down to a three course meal, complete with wine pairings. I mostly talked with Matt and Paolo about Matt's teaching plans. The Vice-Master (the Master himself is on sick leave) gave a brief speech and a toast to the college, and at the end of the meal we toasted the Queen. After dessert, there was port, coffee, fruit, and little chocolates with the college seal on the wrappers. We then adjourned to the fellow's parlour for non-alcholic drinks and more conversation. What a special evening! (Comment on this)
Friday, October 8th, 2004
4:44 pm	Good News! I went to my first crew practice this afternoon, and after watching me blunder about in a single scull for about 20 minutes, the coaches decided that I could skip the novice team and (at least try to) join the seniors. I am SO excited! (Comment on this)
3:58 pm	Oh, right, I am supposed to be studying! I had my first meetings at the English department on Wednesday, but not before I took a one hour class on using the University Library. Apparently, the system here is so complicated, that I will need about five hours of these sessions to fully understand how to use it, and even then I might get lost and not come crawling out until after my law school applications are due (eep!). The UL is across the street from the beautiful new English faculty building, so I ran over to the introductory meeting for the 1700-1830 M. Phil. immediately afterwards. The convener, Dr. Parker, handed out our reading lists, which are intimidating, and explained the logistics for each class. The meeting dissolved into a bit of confusion, however, when Dr. Parker and Dr. Connell (my supervisor) realized that the respective classes in which they will be instructing us had been scheduled for the same times (they should have been alternate weeks). One of my fellow M Phils, who received her undergrad degree from the English faculty, said that this was very typical of the department (but it's all been sorted out by now). The entire English graduate cohort then gathered for a welcoming speech by Professor Mary Jacobus, in which she basically channeled Mom, saying that we shouldn't be perfectionists, that we should write drafts even if they don't pour from our minds in pristine condition, that the one-year M Phils are the luckiest bunch ever, and that we will never have another year like this so we should take full advantage of it. We then adjourned for reception in the lobby, where I was supposed to meet Dr. Connell, but never did because he had mysteriously disappeared. On Wednesday night, I had a great time playing around in the JCR with Chris (UK), Nick (New Zealand), Himesh (sp? Sri Lanka), and Paolo (Italy) before we all went out to have yummy Indian food. Yesterday was significant in that it was the first day of class. I think some of you know that I have only three classes that I must attend, but I have discovered that it is gently expected that I will go to at least some of the graduate seminars. None of my required classes start until next week (they are all on Fridays after 2 pm!), but I did check out my supervisor's lecture on Hume and the Romantic seminar, which didn't really suit me and which I don't think I will attend again, especially since it conflicts with weekly evensong at Christ's. I also met with one of the graduate tutors, Dr. Gay, and we exchagned pleasantries about bearing the most noble name of Gay, as well as news about various history people we both know. Apparently Christ's has a very strong tradition in the field of history, and a group of historians whom I have read and respect will be publishing a book on the history of the College for the 500th anniversary next year. I also finally caught up with Dr. Connell, who was absolutely wonderful, asking if I had settled in, explaining the nuts and bolts of the M Phil, and helping me work out my dissertation topic. He also sent me away with a long list of books to start reading, the most promising of which is Luke Gibbons's Edmund Burke and Ireland, just out last year. I returned to Christ's just in time to meet the MCR for a tour of some great neighborhood pubs around Cambridge. I have just been to a lecture on the history of Parliament from 1660-1742 at the history faculty, and I am about to run off to another on the culture of the Enlightenment. This afternoon I will have my first practice with the Christ's rowing team, and tonight there is a matriculation dinner in Formal Hall (dress: "very smart" and gowns!). Tomorrow the MCR is taking us to see Ely Cathedral. My cup runneth over. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 6th, 2004
3:56 pm	Societies Fair Then and Now Those of you who have seen Chariots of Fire may recall a fun scene in which Harold Abrahams, newly arrived to Cambridge, walks through the societies fair at the beginning of term. Today I had my own societies fair experience, but it was vastly different! In the movie, men in jacket and tie stroll through one of Cambridge old halls to check out the extracurricular offerings. Today's fair was held at a nearby athletic complex to accommodate the sea of students who came looking for ways to avoid studying. The fair is held for six hours each day over two days. I heard that there was a massive line just to get in yesterday because of attempts on the part of fire marshals to keep the crowd to capacity (although I know more than a few people who just snuck in the back). This morning I showed up right as the fair was beginning, and the gymnasium was already packed with people, with overflow space in two other halls. Highlights from Cambridge extracurricular offerings include the following: the Amoral Sciences Club the Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic Society the Basque Society the Clare Ents the Commonwealth Society the requisite Curling Club (yawn, have that at Harvard, too) the Cypriot Society (no website) the Gamelan Society Gray's Inn Society Society 9 and 3/4 (Harry Potter; no website) Heraldic and Genealogical Society the Korfball Club the Marlowe Dramatic Society ("exists to perform Elizabethan, verse, and non-realist plays") Oeuf Offbeat Team ("The only rule that defines an Offbeat competition is that it's a dance three minutes long!") of course, a Polo Club Queen's Ents the Railway Club (just for you, Dad!) the Pembroke College Winnie-the-Pooh Society and, my personal favorite, Gog Magog Molly ("native Fenland dancing with attitude: they look like an explosion in a tie-dye factory") Abrahams might be interested to see that there are also at least two societies for Jewish students (in Chariots of Fire, he must "run to prove his place in Cambridge society"). My, how times have changed! (4 Comments |Comment on this)
12:35 am	Grad Hall Tonight, beloved readers, our theme is Grad Hall! "What, praytell, is Grad Hall?" you may ask. Grad Hall, my fellow Americans, is a tradition at Christ's College calling for all the members of the MCR (Middle Combination Room, or grad students) to gather for supper in the formal dining hall. This is more significant than the undergraduates getting together for a similar event because the graduates live in various parts of Cambridge and often don't get to see each other during the week. Alas, we do not wear our gowns, but we do enjoy a three course meal that is a little better than the fare in Upper Hall, and, best of all, it is at a discounted rate. We have to swipe in with our buttery cards the day before, and then at the appointed hour (7:30pm), we enter the hall, which has three long tables for students, and a high table perpendicular to these tables for fellows (who are in gowns, I might add). After the students have found their places, a gong rings, the students rise, and the fellows file in. A prayer in Latin is read (the Italian sitting next to me tonight said the pronunciation was quite poor), and we all sit for our meal. Students are invited to bring their own wine, and the MCR provides port at the end of the meal to go with the coffee. Apparently, we are lucky at Christ's in that we can linger at our meal for a while afterwards, unlike the larger colleges such as King's, where there are two seatings and one must complete a three-course meal in 45 minutes. Tonight there were a few special additions for the beginning of term. The graduates convened in our special common room 30 minutes early for sherry and socializing, and then returned there afterwards for a quiz night. I was on a team with my "big sib" Barnabas, Jessica who is the only other girl in X entryway with me, Meg who went to Mt. Holyoke and studies Italian lit, Rebecca who went to Yale (gasp!) and studies American lit, and two other gentlemen whose names I never caught. Barnabas, who studies 1960s architecture and is writing his thesis on the New Court building (known as the Typewriter) at Christ's, named our team after its architect. I am proud to say that we finished second, although I am embarrassed at the number of answers I could produce during the "Harry Potter" round! The main point about all this is that I am very excited to feel that I am part of a community here at Christ's, even after I have been here only three days. Current Mood: chipper (Comment on this)
Monday, October 4th, 2004
9:23 pm	now that I'm in Cambridge I am going to try to be better about updating this blog since I will be in one place instead of moving around everyday like I was in Australia. I have decided to do theme blogs. For the record, I arrived yesterday, was whisked around Cambridge on a tour with other graduate students, moved into my room, and today I have been dealing with various administrative necessities. Doesn't sound exciting, but remember that I am doing it all amidst old English architecture and British accents and customs, which makes it all a lot more fun! TODAY'S THEME: my new gown I received an email a few weeks ago instructing me that within 24 hours of arriving at Cambridge, I had to purchase a gown appropriate to my status. My understanding was that gowns are worn at chapel and formal hall, the nicer of our two dining rooms. I was pained to learn upon arrival that most graduate students don't own gowns, and that when they gather for "grad night," the graduate night in the formal hall, they don't wear them. My parents generously agreed to let me buy a gown anyway, and I am just going to find occasions at which to wear it, because I feel terribly important running around in it. I have a graduate gown, which is longer and has fancier sleeves than the undergraduate gown. There are two kinds of graduate gowns: the BA, which I have, is for students under 24, and the MA, which has even cooler sleeves, is for those who are 24 and older. Apparently, everyone who graduates from Cambridge as an undergraduate gets an MA automatically after three years, as long as they haven't been convicted of some sort of heinous crime (but perhaps even then as well). There are two ribbons on either side of the inside of my gown, which I would let dangle out my sleeves if I had received my undergraduate degree from Cambridge, but as I didn't, I have to hide them so I won't be arrested by the gown police. There are two holes in each sleeve: one at the end as normal for when I am just walking around, but another about halfway up which I can stick my arm through when I am eating. Today's gown events: 1) There was a matriculation photograph in the fellows' garden for all the new students this afternoon, at which EVERYONE wore a gown (hooray)! The graduate students sat in front with the praelector and chaplain of the college, while the undergraduates stood behind us, making us feel cheerfully superior. 2) Ever determined to get use out of that gown, I went to opening chapel at 5pm, where I was shocked to see that some students, including one of the readers, had come WITHOUT a gown. The horror! I enjoyed the music quite a bit, though, as well as gazing around at the nifty architectural features. Gown events later this week: Matriculation dinner in formal hall with the fellows on Friday! (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 18th, 2004
9:32 pm	life in the West of Oz I am in the midst of the most amazing journey in Western Australia, writing for the 2005 Let's Go Australia travel guide. Highlights so far have included the following: In June -- - biking around Rottnest Island, which has cute little furry animals called quokkas, picturesque lighthouses, as well as several little bays and inland lakes - traveling around the wineries of Margaret River - driving through the karri trees in Boranup Forest - seeing whales in Augusta (although I was curled up in a little ball and terribly seasick) - driving through more karri forests around Pemberton, which has the most beautiful rolling countryside - walking above, through, and around tingle trees at the national park near Walpole, the only place these trees grow in the world. One was over 400 years old! - hiking around the Porongorups, which are formed of billion year old rocks, and watching the light of the afternoon sun light up Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges - going up to the memorial at Mt. Clarence, the last bit of Australian land that ANZAC troops saw as they shipped off to World War I - coming thisclose to hitting an emu at Fitzgerald River National Park In July -- - celebrating my birthday by going to Cape Le Grand National Park, which has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world - writing my name on the wall at Broad Arrow Tavern and eating a Broadie burger (which has an egg, bacon, and cheese in addition to the actual meat patty!) - going down into an old mine shaft in Kalgoorlie - meeting and interviewing the WA's minister for tourism and the mayor of Fremantle - gawking at the beautiful Victorian buildings of Fremantle - trying more wine in the Swan Valley near Perth - watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean at Lancelin (and many other spots along the way!) - checking out a life-size, working replica of the 17th-century Dutch ship Dufkyen in Geraldton And tomorrow I am off to Kalbarri National Park! (1 Comment |Comment on this)