Mornin' Starshine

So, I hadn’t really anticipated that I might be overwhelmed at all by all this. Well, overwhelmed isn’t the word. It’s all the anxieties and troubles that come with being a freshman, all over again, tenfold. By which I mean, I don’t know how to get anywhere and am always lost, and I don’t really know anyone so I’m always lost alone. But that is more melodramatic than I mean to sound. Oh, also, I almost walk into the path of oncoming buses every time I go out, because I look in the wrong direction when crossing the street. But I’m getting the hang of it. Also, whenever I’m buying something, I almost unintentionally fake an accent, as to, you know, speak their language. But I don’t.

However, this was such a beautiful morning. Latte at Queen’s Lane Coffee Shop, long walk along the Thames, and meandering in a graveyard. After a pass through photoshop (to adjust brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, and all that jolly stuff), I’ll have the pictures to prove it.

I’m only going to have classes one day a week, not including my yet to be scheduled tutorial. I’d prefer not to have all my classes (all two of them!) on the same day, but ah, whatever. And my tutor doesn’t have an email address, which makes me suspect that she’s a small, intimidating, scowling old woman, as opposed to a youthful grad student, which is who I would’ve expected. Ah well, I’ll have to call Ms. Dodd up to schedule a meeting. Or maybe I’ll have to use a telegraph or carrier pigeon or something. And does classes once a week mean I'll be lollygagging about? Hmm, well, I'll have three 8-10 page papers on renaissance literature, eight 6 page papers on Shakespeare, and one art/architecture paper. Lollygagging indeed. I'm completely uninterested in renaissance literature, but when in Rome, you know...

The grocery store down the street is closed until Friday, so I’m surviving on various hotel-sized soaps which I happened to bring until then, because I’m far too lazy to seek out an alternative store. Frankly, I’m not above bathing myself with hand soap. It’s what our ancestors did. That also means I don’t have any food here. Food’s for suckers anyway.

Tonight I have a formal dinner at Corpus Christi, which happens to also be my assigned college (meaning I’ll have access to their libraries, and can perhaps ignore all the signs that say CLOSED TO VISITORS). Dress code: “smart.” Pardon? Smart people wear things like sweater vests, but that’s probably not what they mean. But it does probably mean I shouldn’t wear my shirt that says COW.

Scotland on Friday, til Sunday.