Like riding a bike

My first week of seminars was (relatively) painless. Both classes I'm taking, Dr. Southcombe's English historiography of the Elizabethan period and Dr. Eberle's 19th century women's writing, meet for two hours apiece, but I have been pleasantly surprised to find that both feel like they are too brief. Dr. Eberle does a wonderful job of guiding the class when we seem to need a bit more direction in the texts, but we really haven't seen too much of Dr. Southcombe; he summarizes our arguments or corrects our logic if we didn't express ourselves best, and then he leaves us to discuss what we found interesting in considering the two questions he always poses at the start of class. Even though there are no more than 10 people in any of the UGA seminars, everyone is so smart and driven to get their thoughts heard, and I'm going to keep trying harder to get a word in edgewise/conquer my tendency to not say the occasional intelligent thought that enters my head... ;)

We read all the time. When we're not reading (eating, sleeping, walking to class), we're probably thinking about reading. I have 6 texts to know the finer points of by the end of the long weekend, and I'm trying not to let that faze me. It's really pretty enjoyable, and not at all difficult, to go to the library, request a few books, and read/take notes for several hours. I have two papers to write by next weekend and am pretty cheerfully going with the idea that eventually, before the week is out, they will be done.

It's only been a week, so I really shouldn't be as antsy, but I'm ready to take advantage of a bit more freedom/geography around Oxford. In efforts to effect this goal, I rented a bike for the term and have had an amusing time remembering how to ride one. It is totally not "just like riding a bike"! Julianna and several amiable locals watched as I wobbled around the residential streets (and a neat hidden garden!), skimming past parked cars and getting on/off the bike at stop signs with extreme caution and a lot of frantic leg movements. I probably still looked petrified as I said, "Pshaw, why not ride down Banbury Road?", but after one truck honking at me I sucked it up and made a pretty straight beeline to the Lamb and Flag, where I knew I could safely turn around and go home. I then got my books and rode back to Keble to get some work done and have enjoyed my bike ever since. It gets me everywhere so fast, and I will make use of the unexpected extra time by... reading? :P

A few of us around the house had been making grand plans to go to London over the weekend, but an overnight became a daytrip became a "maybe next week?" and I'm just as content to stay at home. After Keble's illustrious "Mexican night" (or should I say "canned chili on top of white rice with cubed vegetables night"? you may cringe, but "I just want to eat a goddamn avocado" girl was starving and thus thought it tasted awesome), we stopped by the Keble pub for a drink and then merrily biked/enviously watched the two smartest people in the house bike home to watch what became three movies on the glorious HDTV. Julianna and I actually sat through the so-bad-it's-good mess that was "The Abduction Club" (OK, so in the 18th century second sons couldn't inherit anything so they'd occasionally abduct wealthy heiresses to marry well and avoid entering the church--compelling, but not in this movie). The guys eventually got back from their walk home and, catching the end of the movie, demanded that they pick the next one, so we watched "Happy Gilmore." I don't think that one is any better, even for the wrangle with Bob Barker. But the night was still young, and Sara had found "Love Actually" in our amazingly rich VHS collection, so we made it a triple feature and I woke up humming "All You Need is Love."

I spent most of today reading on various sofas (or, as Jane Austen would say, "sophas"), but Mark, Kao and I walked to M & S for lunch supplies and I had the best microwave Indian chicken ever. I think a sizeable group of us will be going out for a pub dinner to make the weekend a bit more exciting, and another movie or not (come on, "Run Fatboy Run"! Please?!) I'm very content. I definitely can see myself living here for another 11 weeks, and even though there's no other option I'm glad.