Hello everyone,
I apologize to anyone who was expecting the usual Sunday afternoon post. The reason for the delay was a coincidence of several different events, which I will detail for you. (Is "detail" a verb??)
One was my computer dieing. Again. It might have been a result of my previous experience with 240v sockets, I don't know. But the good news is, I'm up-and-running again.
The second event/excuse was that Melissa thought she might be posting to say that she had a job. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. We do still have a couple leads, which I won't say anything more about, for fear of making too much of something that hasn't materialized yet. She'll be posting if something does work out, so be listening!
I have more interesting topics for posts, but it's coming up on midnight here, so I'll save them for a better time. Stay tuned for more info on the wacky weather, a praise of my theological hero, Bishop Tom Wright, some audio samples of what I've been up to, and of course, updates of Melissa's job. But for now, Goodnight.
p.s. Regarding Erin's question, the box in the shower controls water temperature. British bathrooms are weird. For instance, they insist on having pull-cords instead of light switches. Switches are fine everywhere else, why not in the bathroom?? Anyway, there is a switch on the box that says "power," but it doesn't seem to do anything.
31 October, 2005
23 October, 2005
More Pictures, and a Mobile...
Hello and welcome to the third weekly weekend post! There are several topics to mention...
First, Melissa thought you might be interested in the interior of our humble abode. If you're interested in our bathroom and living space, here they are...
Next up, we went yesterday to a place called "Nunnington Hall," which is just an old estate. There are hundreds of historical sites like this all over the place, and with a £17.50 membership, you can see them all for free. Anyway, some pictures of the outside... as always, you can double-click for a larger image.
A family tree...when it says "No cameras," it really means "No flash," right? The lack of pictures from the inside can be attributed to Melissa's incessant repetition, "You're gonna get in trouble!"
In these old buildings, "square" isn't a term with much meaning...
Some pictures of the outside, which was beautiful.
And some trees I really liked.
The obligatory group photo, and a sneak shot of Melissa. In the group shot, the older couple is Melissa's Aunt Helen and Uncle Dennis, who took us out. The other person is their son and Melissa's cousin, Mark. Mark lives in Leeds, about 30 minutes from York, but Dennis and Helen live in Leamington Spa, which is roughly 3 hours south, so it's nice when they visit. We invited ourselves over for Christmas!
We discovered a museum in York, but we didn't have time to visit it yesterday. There's an interesting half-head outside, which could just as easily be an ancient ruin as a postmodern sculpture if you didn't know.
Finally, a strange sight in the city. I wasn't dropping acid, really. It's on film.
We have a mobile phone now, so if you have an urge to call us in the UK, go for it! To dial from the US, it's:
01144 79 474 38114
Thanks to everyone for wishing me a happy birthday. And, as always, thanks for reading. Until next time...
First, Melissa thought you might be interested in the interior of our humble abode. If you're interested in our bathroom and living space, here they are...
Next up, we went yesterday to a place called "Nunnington Hall," which is just an old estate. There are hundreds of historical sites like this all over the place, and with a £17.50 membership, you can see them all for free. Anyway, some pictures of the outside... as always, you can double-click for a larger image.
A family tree...when it says "No cameras," it really means "No flash," right? The lack of pictures from the inside can be attributed to Melissa's incessant repetition, "You're gonna get in trouble!"
In these old buildings, "square" isn't a term with much meaning...Some pictures of the outside, which was beautiful.
And some trees I really liked.
The obligatory group photo, and a sneak shot of Melissa. In the group shot, the older couple is Melissa's Aunt Helen and Uncle Dennis, who took us out. The other person is their son and Melissa's cousin, Mark. Mark lives in Leeds, about 30 minutes from York, but Dennis and Helen live in Leamington Spa, which is roughly 3 hours south, so it's nice when they visit. We invited ourselves over for Christmas!
We discovered a museum in York, but we didn't have time to visit it yesterday. There's an interesting half-head outside, which could just as easily be an ancient ruin as a postmodern sculpture if you didn't know.
Finally, a strange sight in the city. I wasn't dropping acid, really. It's on film.
We have a mobile phone now, so if you have an urge to call us in the UK, go for it! To dial from the US, it's:
01144 79 474 38114
Thanks to everyone for wishing me a happy birthday. And, as always, thanks for reading. Until next time...
16 October, 2005
Weekend 2 update
This weekend's update is dedicated to my new Favorite Thing About England: the wonderful game of snooker. If you're not familiar, it's like pool on a huge 6x12' table with a bazillion balls and a lot more strategy than 8 or 9 ball. It rocks. The final championship game is going on today.
Anyway.
The good news is that the power surge didn't break anything else on my computer. There's a friendly local repairman who's pricing another power supply, and he'll let me know tomorrow. He gave me a temporary one, so as of yesterday afternoon I've been back in buisness.
The totality of the first week of the term has consisted of a general introductory gathering of the department, and a meeting with one of my two advisors about the specifics of my degree requirements. In the next 12 months I'll be completing a total of three compositions. As my advisor said, "Not bad, eh?" It's not bad at all. I'll have time to really invest myself in each one, and hopefully end up with something substantial.
Melissa has a couple possible leads for work, but nothing's materialized yet. We're holding out breath...
This morning we went to another Anglican church, but with more of an eye on dynamism and growth. Consequently they have more opportunities for us to be involved beyond Sunday morning, including an "18-30" social group. I'm impressed by their two-fold commitment to remain true to Scripture while staying relevant to their current context. They even have a female pastor, which is probably my biggest point of angst with many otherwise healthy churches. I'm sure they have their weaknesses too, but I think Melissa and I both feel that it might be a good place to settle for a bit. We'll try to attend some of the "18-30" events and see what happens. Also, my favorite theologian, N.T. Wright, is coming to speak at the end of the month. I'll definitely be there for that.
Sorry, no pictures this week, we've been lazy. I think that's all for now. This weekend update has been working out well, I might try to keep to that schedule. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it. Send us an e-mail, it'll make our day.
Anyway.
The good news is that the power surge didn't break anything else on my computer. There's a friendly local repairman who's pricing another power supply, and he'll let me know tomorrow. He gave me a temporary one, so as of yesterday afternoon I've been back in buisness.
The totality of the first week of the term has consisted of a general introductory gathering of the department, and a meeting with one of my two advisors about the specifics of my degree requirements. In the next 12 months I'll be completing a total of three compositions. As my advisor said, "Not bad, eh?" It's not bad at all. I'll have time to really invest myself in each one, and hopefully end up with something substantial.
Melissa has a couple possible leads for work, but nothing's materialized yet. We're holding out breath...
This morning we went to another Anglican church, but with more of an eye on dynamism and growth. Consequently they have more opportunities for us to be involved beyond Sunday morning, including an "18-30" social group. I'm impressed by their two-fold commitment to remain true to Scripture while staying relevant to their current context. They even have a female pastor, which is probably my biggest point of angst with many otherwise healthy churches. I'm sure they have their weaknesses too, but I think Melissa and I both feel that it might be a good place to settle for a bit. We'll try to attend some of the "18-30" events and see what happens. Also, my favorite theologian, N.T. Wright, is coming to speak at the end of the month. I'll definitely be there for that.
Sorry, no pictures this week, we've been lazy. I think that's all for now. This weekend update has been working out well, I might try to keep to that schedule. Thanks for reading, I appreciate it. Send us an e-mail, it'll make our day.
15 October, 2005
Aargh...
Hello everyone,
I'm posting this from the local pc repair shop. Last night I found out what happens when you plug a computer into a 240v outlet but forget to switch the power supply from 110. :( It goes something like... "POW!"
I'm finding out now if I can just replace the power supply or if I killed anything else.
Sometimes I'm amazed by my own stupidity.
I'll give a more general update later. It's not all bad. :)
I'm posting this from the local pc repair shop. Last night I found out what happens when you plug a computer into a 240v outlet but forget to switch the power supply from 110. :( It goes something like... "POW!"
I'm finding out now if I can just replace the power supply or if I killed anything else.
Sometimes I'm amazed by my own stupidity.
I'll give a more general update later. It's not all bad. :)
09 October, 2005
Weekend Update
Hello! As promised, here is a short photo journal of our first week in York.
Before I start, I'd also like to suggest that you download a short video slideshow of even more pictures by going here and clicking on the "Week 1 Movie" link. The file size isn't that big, it won't take long. Here's the shorter version with comments from yours truly. Click on any picture for a larger version
Walking. Ugh. We estimate that we walked close to 10 miles (yes, they still use miles here, but everything is in metric. Go figure.) this week. Buses are good but dang expensive. There are wonderful walking and biking trails that go all over England that were made from old rail lines. They're pretty sweet. Notice the car on the wrong side of the road. Getting used to that is much more difficult than you would think.
Before I start, I'd also like to suggest that you download a short video slideshow of even more pictures by going here and clicking on the "Week 1 Movie" link. The file size isn't that big, it won't take long. Here's the shorter version with comments from yours truly. Click on any picture for a larger version
Walking. Ugh. We estimate that we walked close to 10 miles (yes, they still use miles here, but everything is in metric. Go figure.) this week. Buses are good but dang expensive. There are wonderful walking and biking trails that go all over England that were made from old rail lines. They're pretty sweet. Notice the car on the wrong side of the road. Getting used to that is much more difficult than you would think.
Yay! The local pub! They have good food, but they're not a microbrew, unfortunately. Guinness on tap though, which is the next best thing.
Hm, that's good to know...
The river is pretty big here, big enough for about a 20 ft. boat. It runs straight to (or from? Not sure, it's so sluggish) the centre of York. There's a marina next door, and lots of the locals go fishing.
There are plenty of fields around, which is nice. They're not all being developed, which is even better.
York Minster! I think I heard it's the only remaining gothic cathedral in England. I don't know exactly when it was built, but the movie slideshow (are you downloading it yet?) has graves from the 13th century. We haven't taken the tour yet because it costs £6 and I'm stingy, but sitting outside is awesome enough.
If you know any history or interesting tid-bits about the Minster or about York, leave a comment!
This is a statue of Constantine. Underneath is inscribed "By this sign conquer." This picture is significant to me because it summarizes most everything I think has been wrong with Christianity for the past 1700 years or so.
The walls of York. They extend most of the way around the city, except where it used to be an impassable swamp. Very impressive. I can imagine the feeling of safety for a peasant to be inside.
Finally, efficient (both physically and economically) transportation! English lanes are scary: when there is a bike lane, it's only about 6 inches wide. But we made it to and around York without getting killed, so I'd say we're off to a good start.
The church we went to this morning. It's a small congregation of mostly older people, but they were very welcoming, and they hope we'll keep coming. We'll wait and see if we make any friends at the Uni., and see where they go on Sundays. It was a traditional Anglican liturgy (think Catholicism-lite), which is interesting. Good coffee afterwards, though.
This is pretty much how we feel at the conclusion of this week. Good people (we're hanging out with a Welsh girl and a Spanish couple, who live in the same house with us), good food, good sights. Oh yeah, and lots of much-needed exercise. It's been a good week of exploration and settling-in, tomorrow starts the school term. I'll let you know how it goes. Melissa's still looking for a job, we'll keep you posted on that as well. I think that's all for now. Post a comment or send us an e-mail! Please? :-)
06 October, 2005
Belated...
It's been a little while since we "got off the plane." 3 days, in fact. I know you've all been at the edge of your seat. Truth is, we haven't been able to get to a computer until now.
Anyway, in general things are going well. Our room is nice, and there's a pub and a mall within walking distance; The essentials of life. The school and the city, however, are not. The bus service is nice, but hard to decipher and too expensive to use every day.
I have lots of pictures, but we learned yesterday that the outlets here deliver 220 volts, as opposed to the U.S., which is 110. That means my camera is limited to it's current battery power until I buy a transformer to recharge it. Ugh. When my computer (which doesn't need a transformer by the way, just an adapter for the outlet) is running, I'll post the pics with more details of our first few days.
There's not much to say about the travel, except it's no fun to lug 160 pounds of luggage through 3 airports and a train, and my back is still recovering. It's also not fun to sit in the Dublin airport for 7 hours, even though they have a nice cafeteria.
All in all, leaving is a funny thing. It starts with goodbye and ends with hello. It's impacted me more than I expected. It means feeling like an outsider. Even the different accent and dialect reinforces that perception. And yet Providence is evident the whole time, from the particulars of the journey to the friendliness of the "natives." And that is comforting. Second to that in invaluability is Melissa, whose partnership is immensely helpful on a practical as well as an emotional level. I think we're both going to find this time beneficial and enjoyable.
There's some kind of truth to be experienced in travelling that can't be found in the safety of home. Maybe because it serves as a encapsulated metaphor for the journey of life, which moves from a known past to an unknown future. The end of the small journey, when it arrives, provides some sense of confidence that the end of life, when it too inevitably arrives, will proove the trip worthwhile.
Cheers! ;)
Anyway, in general things are going well. Our room is nice, and there's a pub and a mall within walking distance; The essentials of life. The school and the city, however, are not. The bus service is nice, but hard to decipher and too expensive to use every day.
I have lots of pictures, but we learned yesterday that the outlets here deliver 220 volts, as opposed to the U.S., which is 110. That means my camera is limited to it's current battery power until I buy a transformer to recharge it. Ugh. When my computer (which doesn't need a transformer by the way, just an adapter for the outlet) is running, I'll post the pics with more details of our first few days.
There's not much to say about the travel, except it's no fun to lug 160 pounds of luggage through 3 airports and a train, and my back is still recovering. It's also not fun to sit in the Dublin airport for 7 hours, even though they have a nice cafeteria.
All in all, leaving is a funny thing. It starts with goodbye and ends with hello. It's impacted me more than I expected. It means feeling like an outsider. Even the different accent and dialect reinforces that perception. And yet Providence is evident the whole time, from the particulars of the journey to the friendliness of the "natives." And that is comforting. Second to that in invaluability is Melissa, whose partnership is immensely helpful on a practical as well as an emotional level. I think we're both going to find this time beneficial and enjoyable.
There's some kind of truth to be experienced in travelling that can't be found in the safety of home. Maybe because it serves as a encapsulated metaphor for the journey of life, which moves from a known past to an unknown future. The end of the small journey, when it arrives, provides some sense of confidence that the end of life, when it too inevitably arrives, will proove the trip worthwhile.
Cheers! ;)
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