The Chocolate Box

Can you guess what we're going to be talking about on the blog soon?

Soon after, I returned home to my family, with a determination to bring them as soon as possible to live in Kentucky, which I esteemed a second paradise, at the risk of my life and fortune.
Daniel Boone

Growing up in eastern Kentucky like I did, I'm used to having a few guns around to protect me.
Loretta Lynn

Cleaning House

I believe every other post on this blog talks about how long it has been since I last posted. It's fair enough, but if I want to give this project some new momentum I am going to need a focus. Taking a cue from my prodigious twitter feed, I am going to focus my posts on a few primary interests. Some of these interests have been with me all of the my life, others are products of my time at Centre. Here's what the offering is going to look like in the future:

-Education: Dispatches from the Lecture Hall

-Southern Culture, Politics, and News: Mason-Dixon Meanderings

-Religion and Society: Interpreting Faith

-Health and Medicine: The Waiting Room

-Random Stuff: The Chocolate Box

That's all for now.

Peace. Blessings. Pembrokes. 

I'm the Quintessential American- AKA I have a lot of stuff

It's the Fourth of July, aka Independence Day here in the United States. Americans at home and abroad are celebrating our split from the mother country with food and fireworks. The American people are known around the globe for their independent spirit, ingenuity, and fondness for sneakers. We are also known for our habits of consumptions. Americans are consumers. We consume anything and everything---in large quantities. From super size slushies to McMansions, Americans believe in going big. And when you can't make something any bigger you get more of it. Big box stores like Walmart are synonymous with the American way.
Does all of this stuff make us happier? Only temporarily. There is a kind a documented high that we get when we purchase new things, but it wears off quickly. In the end what we are left with is more possessions. The evidence stands that we fill our homes, cars, and garages with all kinds of things. This has spawned an entire industry of organization. You can hire someone to come to you home and tell you what to chuck, books can advise you on the best place to leave your towels, and if the situation is really dire you could end up on reality TV! So where does this leaves us?
It leaves us in a mess. The closets are cramped, drawers are overflowing, no one wants to know what's hiding under the bed. There are a few in the psychological community who say that a messy house can cause depression! At the very least we could all use a reality check. That's what I am doing.
My room looks like a disaster area right now. It's embarrassing. Books are on every imaginable surface. Shoes have eaten the floor along with several electric cords that go to who knows what. So I challenge you to do what I am doing--- get rid of the stuff. If you don't use it, lose it. Have a yard sale or donate unwanted items to charity. Also, think before you buy. Do you really need another pair of black pants? The answer is probably no. Your house and your checkbook will thank you for skipping unnecessary purchases.

Chew on This

Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it.  The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.  ~Earl Nightingale

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.  ~Albert Einstein

The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it.  ~Charles DeLint

Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion.  You must set yourself on fire.  ~Arnold H. Glasow

What am I going to do? Live.

The first semester of my senior year of college was quite hectic. I was the Alumnae Relations Chair for my sorority, I was on the senior rep for Centre Democrats, and I was prepping to go abroad. On top of that I got mono and a sinus infection at the same time. Needless to say, I was stressed. But, the thing that worried me the most was my future. I would be graduating that year and I had no idea what I was going to do with myself. I knew that I wanted to continue my education after my bachelor's degree, but not immediately. In one of those glorious senior panics, I wound up in the office of my American Literature professor. I asked him what on earth I was going to do with myself. In a succinct and gentle manner, he replied that I would live. That was just what I needed to hear.

In my time after graduation, I have lived (despite evidence to the contrary that this blog has not been updated since June). In fact, I enjoy my life. In August, I was hired to the job of my dreams. I am the technology coordinator for the historic Pine Mountain Settlement School. In addition to working on community broadband advocacy, I am the director of the oral history project. I live in a wonderful community and enjoy a slower pace of life. I think this blog will reflect that over the next year. There is life after Centre.

Weddings

This is a strange post to come back on, but I just couldn't avoid the topic. Weddings are everywhere! My facebook feed looks like a wedding photographer's portfolio. And it's just fantastic! Like many women, I love weddings. It's not just the dresses, the flowers, or the jewelry, it's the idea that good things are still happening in the world. It's so easy to been depressed over the state of the economy, the continuous political scandals, or the atrocities of war. It is nice to see something genuinely happy; a young couple in love just starting their lives together. Societies are built on families and marriage represents the culmination of a new family. So in this post I want to wish the best of look to all of my engaged or recently married friends :). Enjoy your new life with your spouse.

While we are on the topic of weddings, I happened to be in London for what may well be "the wedding" of a lifetime. On April 29th, Kate Middleton lived every little girl's fantasy and married her "Prince Charming." London was turned upside down for momentous occasion. For months, vendors peddled "Will & Kate" souvenirs. The couple was on the face of every newspaper and tabloid. By the time the big day arrived, people were packed into the city like sardines. Several tube stops near the Westminster Abbey and Hyde Park were shut down due to high volume of passengers. A few of my London classmates and I went to Hyde Park to watch the festivities on giant screens that had been erected for the occasion. A good time was had by all. There were 150,000 people in Hyde Park that day, making it essentially the biggest wedding reception ever. It was one heck of a party. People were waving British flags, women and men dressed up as brides, and the alcohol was flowing like the Mississippi. It was a truly monumental occasion, and it was done only as the British could do it.

That's me in Hyde Park indulging in the festivities.

Life After Centre is Back in Action

Where to begin? So much has happened in the past month. First and foremost, I am proud to have officially begun my life after Centre. I graduated on the 22nd of May in the company of family and friends. It was a magical day and I did cry. President Roush got me during his commencement speech. But I am happy to report that it was a pretty cry so I didn't look like a racoon following the ceremony. So to sum everything up in a quick post here we go:
During the the month of May I ....
-Made it back safely to America with a few small hitches along the way.
-Spent a weekend with some of my favorite ADPi sisters.
-Had dinner with a professor and some dear friends.
-Became an Alpha Delta Pi alumnae on the 160th anniversary of the sorority's founding.
-Made the Honor Walk with a professor who has quite literally changed my life.
-Survived Senior Week or Senior Disorientation as it it known by some.
-Graduated from the best college in the South.
-Went on my first job interview.
Needless to say I am a bit tired, but I am glad to be blogging again. I have found that since I returned to the states, if I am not busy, I am bored!

Life After Centre is Going MIA

Life after Centre will be out of business for the next two weeks or so. Its just going to be so busy that I can't justify spending much time working on my blog. I leave for Paris this morning and studying for finals begins when I get back. Wish me luck. Hopefully the next time you see this I will have completed all of my college work. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the weather for me. Until I go stateside again...

Why Study Abroad in the UK ?

I believe a better question to pose after watching the video is why not? Here you have all of the essentials: royalty, the English countryside, rail, the Thames, Big Ben, and of course Corgis!

Join Me @ Goodreads!

In my time in London I have bought many things. However, my preference seems to be for books! London has some great bookstores. For used books SKOOB in Bloomsbury is hard to beat. For new books I like Foyles near the Charing Cross tube station. You can spend hours in there! Floors upon floors of books. Its a kind of nerdtopia. My English classes have saddled me down with a lot of reading but when I get home I plan on reading my London finds. I found a great website called GoodReads where you can join in book discussions and create your own virtual bookshelf with the stuff you have read. I am also the moderator for a group called Centre College Reads, for current and former students, faculty, and staff. So when you get spare time, head on over to the website and join me!

Stonehenge, Old Sarum, and Salisbury

The Centre program is nice enough to take us out for excursions at least once a week. This past weekend we hopped a bus to Stonehenge, Old Sarum, and Salisbury.
1.) Stonehenge
      The stones are over 5,000 years old and no one knows quite how they got there. Nonetheless, this mysterious circle of stones attracts visitors from around the world. You can't actually touch them anymore, but it is a cool sight to see!
2.) Old Sarum
Old Sarum is the original site of the town of Salisbury. Now it is little more than ruins, but its fun to see where it all started. My classmates and I took part in a great Centre tradition, by spelling out the college name in a photo. We are obviously gunning for photo of the week on the college website. Here we are at Old Sarum:

3.) Finally we visited the town of Salisbury and saw the gorgeous old Cathedral. The church also houses an original copy of the Magna Carta. The town is a treat and cool market is open on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Why I Love Centre

It's Greek Week!
Back at Centre the Greek community is taking part in a week long tradition known as Greek Week. Greek Week is a common occurrence at colleges across the country, but its special at Centre. The theme this year is old school Nickelodeon. I am a member of Alpha Delta Pi and I just wanted to give a shout out to my fabulous sorority sisters! We took home the Greek Week trophy last year and we are working to keep it at the Pi house this year. Even though I am not there to help out with the festivities, I want to wish them all the best from London! Let them hear you ROAR ladies!

London Quirks

Every city has little things that makes it unque, for better or worse. Here are the quirky bits and pieces I have picked out in London so far. These things make London, London.

1.) London is NOT a British City, It IS A World City.
Walk down the street and its likely that you will hear more than English, a lot more. London is a city of immigrants and tourists. A sizeable portion of the population was born outside of the country. Popular languages other than English include Polish, French, Spanish, and a variety of Indian Languages.
2.) The Tube
Mind the gap... between you and your next destination. In my class on the Economics of London we spend a considerable time talking about the importance of public transportation. The Tube is the primary means of transport around the city. The bus system is okay and the roads are a nightmare. Plus petrol (gas for you Americans) costs over 8 dollars a gallon. The Tube is easy to navigate and mostly runs on time.
3.) Smoking
Growing up in Kentucky I thought that we had more smokers than anyone. False. Walk the streets of London and you will see scores of people lighting up. The good news is that smoking has been banned in restaurants and all other manners of public places.
4.) Shopping
One thing I miss about America is the ability to get in my car, drive to one store, and come out with everything I need. You just can't do that here. Walmart, Target, Kmart, etc type stores do not exist. So you have to go to multiple places to get the essentials. Likewise stores don't stay open late.
5.) Clothing
London is one those places where you can wear anything, and I do mean anything ,and no one will give you a second look.
6.) Food , by any other name...
Lots of food items have different names here. For example
Chips= french fries
Crisps= potato chips
Biscuit= cookie
aubergine= eggplant
prawn= shrimp
rocket= arugula

Food in London

Once upon a time London was a place with a reputation for bad food. I am happy to report that a culinary revolution of sorts has taken place. There is good food to be had in the capital city! Here is a list of some of best eats that I have enjoyed on my trip.

The Royal Albert Pub
This charming pub is popular with the locals and members of Parliament. For a formal meal you can head upstairs from the bar into the carvery. They serve a traditional roast with all the fixings including Yorkshire Pudding and a selection of 3 meats. Included in the meal is dessert and tea. Its delicious and the service is good. Prepare to dread the walk back after eating all that food!

Nando's
Nando's is a chicken chain resturant that is located throughout the city. This is not a fast food restaurant, more like casual dining with a Portugese twist. They are famous for their Peri-Peri sauce which comes on most of the chicken they serve. It's awesome and a bit firey, but if you like a little spice this place is a winner. It is also relatively cheap by London standards. A regular meal will set you back about 13 pounds.

The Wallace Restaurant at the Wallace Collection
You cannot go to London without doing tea. My program directors scheduled a group meal for us at the Wallace Collection so we could take part in this British tradition. The Wallace Collection is formidible private collection of some of the finest works of western art. All the better is that it is located in what was once the posh residence of  Sir Richard Wallace. It provides the perfect setting for an afternoon tea. The food was excellent, especially the scones! It was a pricey adventure at 20 pounds a person, but it was a delightful experience.

Wagamama Noodle Bar
This is another ubiquitous chain in London. This is a pan-Asian restaurant that serves up a wide variety of noodles and other typically Asian treats. My friends and I were in walking in the City on Friday night, desperately search for a restaurant that was open and not completely packed when we ran into this place. Its a fun atmosphere with bench seating and all the tea you can drink.

There are definitely more treats to be found in London. This post is just a quick sample. There will be many of posts on this topic! Enjoy and don't let the drool hit your keyboard.

Found! Blog lost on the side of the Internet.

It's been a month since I have written for the blog and I feel quite terrible about it. Life in London is hectic, between class, theatre trips, and outings there's not a lot time left over to work on this project. The good news is that it is Spring Break and I have some more time on my hands. These next few entries will be retrospective of my time in London. Enjoy!

Blue Dragon

One of my classes in London is a Theatre course. We went to our first play on Wednesday night, The Blue Dragon by Robert Lapage. The play was staged in the Barbican Theatre in central London. I think that most of the class was a bit ambivalent about the theatre experience. Most of us had only seen student theatre or popular musicals, "real" theatre was a bit foreign to all of us. Blue Dragon was a bit of an intimidating, but also wonderful introduction to theatre in London. Blue Dragon is the story of a French-Canadian ex-pat living in China and his relationship with his ex-wife as well as his involvement with an up and coming artist. The play uses English, French, and Mandarin to tell the story, with subtitles of course. The play gets rave reviews in the daily papers. The spectacle of the show is enough to keep you glued to your seat for 2 hours. The play uses projection images and lots of interesting technical tricks to drive the plot of a rather slow moving play. I definitely recommend catching this show, especially if you want an introduction to the relationship between the west and China.All in all it was a great experience!

A scene from The Blue Dragon.

Things To Do in London When You're Dead (Tired)

Sorry its been so long since my last post. London, as you can tell from the title is exhausting. This post will be about getting to London, which was an adventure in and of itself. I left for London ,Tuesday the 15th, with the expectation of arriving in London on the 16th. I am happy to report that is just what happened. The flight was lovely and I caught up with a fellow Centre student on my flight from Atlanta to Heathrow Airport in London. My baggage even arrived on time! Two Centre students and I took a rented car from the airport to our flats. That was definitely a good decision. The late flight made arriving in London at 9am a bit disorienting. The driver was very pleasant and helped load our considerable amount of luggage into his van. When we go to the flats it was time for showers and a quick nap. That evening our program directors showed us the neighborhood and took us out to a quaint little Italian restaurant that is across the street from our housing complex. One of our quick stops was the British Museum which is about a 5 minute walk from our classroom. It was gorgeous and I am sure I will go back many time while I am here to explore the exhibits.We also got our first introduction to English grocery stores (definitely not Walmart, but more on that topic later). By the time we crawled into bed there was no question that we would all sleep well.

London Calling

On Tuesday I leave the states to spend my last semester of college living in London. I am so happy to be going abroad! One of the reasons I came to Centre was the promise that I would have the opportunity to study-abroad, have an internship, and graduate all in four years. At the end of the this semester I will have taken advantage of all of those opportunities. Given the general panic that I will be thrown in trying to pack and get acclimated to the city, it may be a few days before I get back to blogging. Wish me luck in my travels!

Why I Love Centre

One of the regular features of this blog will be a reason why I love Centre. It can be serious or silly, and given my general disposition, let's go for silly this time.

Flash mobs have become a common feature on many college campuses. They a fun way to use technology and live out your secret ambition to randomly dance in public (with a legit excuse to do so, of course). Centre did its own flash mob a few months ago to Glee's version of Teenage Dream. What makes this flash mob so freaking fabulous is not just the sweet dance moves, or the tunage, but how uninhibited everyone looks. Some flash mobs have people who are so focused on appearances that they do not seems to enjoy it. The Centre folk look pretty darn happy by my own estimation. The improv moves only add the ambiance. Its the people and how happy they look to do this with their friends/classmates that makes this mob one of the reasons why I love Centre.

P.S. I was not there :(, I was sleeping because one my professors cancelled class that day. I regret it, but I am happy to report it was the best night of sleep I got all semester.

I Need a Hobby!

With graduation approaching and my activities winding down, I have a fear of boredom. Centre has always kept me busy. Now I am afraid that I won’t be busy enough. This blog is one hobby, but there are lots of other things that I would like to do with my free time. One thing that I haven’t really done in college is explore my creative side. In high school I acted, wrote scripts, designed costumes, and painted sets. Likewise, I also used to be relatively athletic; playing basketball and going to the gym on a regular basis. Over the years I have also given up horseback riding. None of this was intentional, over the years I replaced one activity with another and now that I will be leaving college I hope to have more free time on my hands.

Here are a few ideas that I have come up with:

-Quilting

            I have always loved working with my hands. When I was making my tutu for Bid Day this past weekend I realized how much I missed creative, hands-on activities. I put a few quilting books on my Amazon.com wish list. I hope to read a few and then maybe get a sewing machine this summer.

-Running

            It’s been a really long time since I have done anything athletic. I’d like to get back in shape, start out walking and build up to running.  Or maybe I could get a bike and try something like that. My one problem here is allergies. Spring and fall can be the worst for being outdoors. I would like an athletic hobby I could take indoors if I have to.

I am open to suggestions. Leave comments or premature requests for a quilt :).