Since it has been a while since I've up-dated, let me take you through my recent "excitement" in chronological order:

Thursday, Feb. 8: We got snow! Ok, so it was only about 2-3 inches but for London that's a significant amount. The roads and the tube were a mess and it was obvious that campus maintenance does not have a snow shovel. The atmosphere on campus was one of pure excitement. Before this year I never really thought about the number of people who have never really seen snow. Even the British students were excited because this area does not see that much snow very often. It was really beautiful on my walk to class in the morning with everything covered in white. Sadly I had class all day, and by the time I finished at 4:00 it was impossible to find a patch of snow that hadn't been walked through or played in anywhere on campus. There were snowball fights and snowman buildings all day, along with many cameras snapping photos. All traces of that day's winter wonderland were long gone in a day or two!

Thursday, Feb. 15: While the week before I was disappointed that I was in class instead of out playing in the snow, sitting in that same lecture worked to my advantage this week. For the first hour of class we watched a group of police officers search the planters and shrubs and a maintance worker drive the sidewalk sweeping machine back and forth outside the ground floor window of our classroom. One of my classmates said that she heard Tony Blair was coming although she had no clue about the reason he would be visiting Brunel. And then the photographers and camera crew arrived. Finally during hour two of class, we saw Mr. Tony Blair! He walked right past our windows at a rather brisk pace and into one of the other campus buildings. Later I saw on the Brunel website that he was speaking about an education initiative (and not paying our fees as one of my classmates had hoped!). So, see kids, you should always attend class because you never know who you might see!

Saturday, Feb. 17: Even more exciting than seeing Tony Blair in person, was spending the day with Julie and Tim in London. We met in the morning at the Tower of London and had a lovely day of exploring inside the Tower walls. I had no idea that there was so much there! It was it's own little village. We started out by taking the guided tour with one of the Yeoman Warders--more commonly known as Beefeaters. Our Beefeater, Mark, was very dynamic and entertaining and the 60 minute tour didn't feel like it was that long at all. After our tour, we sat on a bench to take a break in the sunshine and eat our sandwiches. The weather was just gorgeous! After lunch, we went into the Jewel House (surprisingly no line, no waiting!) to see the Crown Jewels. We saw the film of Queen Elizabeth's coronation on February 6, 1952 (she was only 25) along with the largest wine cistern and ladle I have ever seen! And then we stepped onto the moving walkway to be amazed by the Crown Jewels. After the dazzle and sparkle of the jewels, we moved onto the White Tower which holds the armouries and viewed a large collection of guns, swords, and armour. Throughout the rest of the afternoon we toured the Bloody Tower, Traitor's Gate, Tower Green, and the Midieval Palace and walked along the Wall Walk. Some interesting facts I learned: William Penn was imprisioned in the Tower and instead of being executed was sent to America (and founded Pennsylvania); the Beefeaters and their families live within the Tower walls; there are 20 towers total within the Tower of London; there are six (and two spare) Ravens that are official registered residents of the Tower--Legend has it that Charles II was warned that if the Ravens left the Tower the monarchy would fall. We stayed at the Tower until it was closing and then walked along the river to enjoy the last of the daylight before stopping at Wagamama's for a delicious dinner. Then it was time for Julie and Tim to head back to Oxford and me to return to Uxbridge. What a fun day!

Sunday, Feb. 18: Happy Chinese New Year! Today I went into London to experience the beginning of the Year of the Pig. Things started off with a parade and then a full day of events in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, and Chinatown. After the parade I just wondered around a bit and looked at the booths selling inflatable pigs, paper dragons, and other fun Chinese toys and crafts. There were red lanterns hanging everywhere and the kids (and some adults) were having a great time throwing poppers into the blocked off streets. I didn't stay too long because the crowds were huge, but it was fun experience.

And that brings you up-to-date on what's been going on here. And who knows what the next week will bring (other than loads of readings for class and some disseration research, of course!). I'll let you know...