Apparently, I'm a jock

Well, a "heat wave" has brought mid-70s weather to Cambridge -- and good heavens, there are so many more tourists than in winter!  This mellow weather makes it a delight to sit in the Jerwood Library at Trinity Hall, looking out at the back lawn as punts drift by on the river and muffled chatter drifts in through the window.  Of course, the actual amount of work accomplished is somewhat less than it should be...

Part of this is because I find myself with many a sports training this week.  I've been learning some cricket basics with the university women's team -- some of you may recall that I learned a few skills when I was studying abroad -- and of course rowing is re-convening as we all trickle back into town.

As a result, I'm feeling especially sporty this week, though it's a feeling that has been growing all year.  Since the fall, I've definitely lost circumference as clothes are fitting more loosely, and I'm generally firmer in areas that I used to dislike.  In addition, as a boatie, I'm automatically part of the jock crowd -- but without the sense of exclusivity, because everyone knows that the boat club would love for everyone to row.  Still, it's funny that people treat you with mild reverence when, say, you mention that you've been out on the river earlier in the day.

In other news, my next academic "milestone" is also coming up: submitting a form with supervisor's signature, stating that I intend to register for the PhD at the end of the year (technically I'm probational right now).  Doing this starts the gears turning for a meeting at the end of term with several other professors, who will discuss what I've been doing and how to proceed.  Everyone says not to be scared of it, but that's a bit challenging.

I'll try to post some pictures next time to break up the text.  Wishing you all a happy Easter.

Back in Cambridge, back to work

Three weeks at home went by in a blur, and now I'm back in England.  It's a couple weeks yet until Easter term, so the town is pretty quiet, and spring has truly burst forth since I left.  I find I have only clichés at my disposal: the air is perfumed with flowers; songbirds twitter from every direction of the deepening dusk...You know, I wasn't especially depressed by winter here, but this explosion of sweet nature really shows you the appeal of ancient paganism.

While I was at home, I spent some time reading and writing for my schoolwork, saw some friends, and generally enjoyed the California spring.  I watched Stanford football's spring scrimmage against itself, and I even went to Disneyland before flying from LAX to London via a close connection in Chicago.  I've been working a conference the past couple days, but starting tomorrow it's back to the grindstone for me.

One reason?  I've gotten the go-ahead to give several talks this term: one for my fellow Tit Hall grad students (friendly crowd); one for English department "undergrads" (though I've only seen grad students and faculty at the other talks in this series); and one at an English grad student conference in London (my first conference paper!).  Here are the titles for each:

• Searching for a Ghost Town in the Eternal City: Writers in Rome in the Nineteenth Century.
• "A Collection of Faded Metaphors": Language, Meaning, and the Implications of Philology in the 19th Century.
• To “look on Spirits breathed away”: Locating the Spirit in In Memoriam.  

I know, you totally wish you could come, don't you?  It's really exciting to have these opportunities, but it means that I have to write some really polished material, more or less from scratch for the last two.  But at least I'll have lots of daylight and perfumed air in which to do so!