Today was just nice and relaxing. Religion, Dr. Beck explained the difference between gargoyles and grotesques to me after class and how stonemasons just have a great sense of humor. Maddee and I went to lunch afterwords and got these delicious crescents at a place built in 1250.
Oh yeah. Just eating lunch in a place that was built just barely within the past millennium. What the heck, England? You're just so cool and casual about your awesome oldness. Anything past 1800 is considered "modern" where anything over 50 years old in Texas has a historical landmark. I still can't wrap my head around it all.
Then I practiced/got distracted by the internet for the entire afternoon in my room. I wrote some postcards while sitting in my window seat. I watched all the tourists go by and got a bit distracted. There were four little kids who were playing on the grass, just general frolicking. One girl in pink, about 8, showed off some awesome cartwheels. I know I have never been able to do cartwheels. My very few gymnastics lessons consisted of teachers being impressed by my lack of agility, and then teaching me to do somersaults. Thus, I was very pleased to see a 5 year old boy show off his somersaults. He started while she was doing her cartwheels, but she did not fulfill the duty of traveling. That little boy somersaulted across the entire quad after all his siblings and parents had already left. He was determined. When he got to the gravelly part, he just flailed his arms and legs to get to the next grass section as quickly as possible, and then proceeded to gleefully somersault like Link across Hyrule. I like that kid.
Before dinner I went to the ice cream place across the street and drank some tea while finishing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I sat at the bar looking over the street and just laid my head down as close to the book as possible so I could curl up in joy when Lucy and Susan romped around Narnia with the resurrected Aslan. I don't care if Tolkien thought it was too allegorical. I like it and it makes me curl up and start giggling in public places. End of story.
I got to watch all the people go by. My favorite was a professor wearing circular coke bottle glasses, a straw hat, a suit, and a polka dot bowtie, riding a bicycle. I had always wished that people like this existed, but for some reason I expected that these marvelous works of art only exist in the realm with talking animals and elves, not actual Oxford.
Then, dinner. There were several crashes for some reason. I think there were some new workers. Lauren firmly believes in Sasquatches, but not Yeti, and thinks that the existence of Sasquatches makes far more sense than how the internet works.
After dinner, Sam played guitar in the stairwell and did a great job. We get to hear Christine play piano on Monday night! I love this extended talent show after dinner thing we have going on. I feel like there should always be some casual music after dinner. I love this group of people.
Marilynn asked me if I would go over to the Oxford Experience party and play at the director's house. One of the tutors was in a fit of laughter looking over at us, so I could see that probably wasn't going to work, even if it did sound like fun. But it was still very sweet of Marilynn to invite me. I introduced her to a good portion of our group, and we all agreed that we love old people.
Well, oh gracious world, thank you for listening to my story for the day. Tomorrow, Brooke and I and maybe Maddee depending on how she is feeling go to Bath. I'm super excited! We get to see Jane Austen stuff.
I don't feel like I'm in a place that really exists. Watching Inception while I was here blew my mind because I already felt like I was in a dream.
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