Pictures Of York...

The first two are from York Minster (inside and out). The next is a typical street inside the city walls.




















...and Manchester

Old Trafford

Subtle Hints




Ok, so who wants to come visit me in the winter....come on, I know you want to! (And no, Zoom airlines didn't pay me to post this. They should have done though.)

The Ultimate Cure

On Monday, I was sitting in the staff room with my friend Daniel the IT guy and a couple of student teachers. Daniel started to hiccup, so Jamie, one of the student teachers, turned to him and said, "I'll give you 50 quid if you can do that again unintentionally". All of us waited expectantly for a minute or so, and it actually worked! No more hiccups for Daniel. So I am happy to pass along the "Bribery" cure for the hiccups, sadly one of the most exciting discoveries I've made all month. I recommend that you go out and try this on all of your hiccupping friends... only please don't hold me responsible if you end up losing 50 pounds (approximately 110 dollars) in the process.

I Could Win the Amazing Race

Last weekend I took a solo trip to Manchester to see Muse live in concert. This was my first time taking an actual trip by myself, so I was a bit nervous albeit very excited. The concert was amazing (more on that later), as was the trip itself. I stopped in York on the way, which is a really cool city. I took a tour of York Minster, ate some awesome chocolate cake, wandered along some narrow, medieval streets, and braved the cold, rain and wind before setting off to Manchester. There, in addition to seeing Muse, I was able to visit Old Trafford (home to Manchester United) and eat the best breakfast a hostel has ever offered me for free. Manchester doesn't have as much character as many of the places I've been, but it's still an interesting place.

Last Weekend In Numbers...
In a 36 hour period, I:
-visited two cities
- saw one concert
- stayed in one hostel for one night
- ate too much chocolate (I'm not going to itemize - it's too pathetic)
- had one setback at 7:00 Saturday morning when I discovered my first train wasn't running
- made one unexpected bus trip to Norwich
- took six different trains
- rode in three different taxis
- got lost zero times
This is why I think I could win the Amazing Race. Look out for me!

Muse

I couldn't write a post about last weekend without giving these guys a plug (because I'm sure that will make such a difference in their careers...) They put on an amazing live show, and are some of the most talented musicians I have ever seen perform. If you ever have a chance to see them in concert, I highly recommend it. Songs worth checking out: Time Is Running Out, Hysteria, New Born, Plug-In Baby, Starlight, and Map Of the Problematique. At least, they are worth checking out if you like to listen to music by musicians who are innovative and can actually play their instruments well.

Matt Bellamy Of Muse - The guy can sing, play guitar, and plays some serious classical piano as well. Feel free to be impressed - I definitely was.

To Remember Is To Work For Peace

Derry, Northern Ireland

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot...

Today is Guy Fawkes day, which means that we have been hearing the sounds of fireworks going off for the past couple of hours. The day's celebrations are named after a guy who tried to blow up the British parliament and failed. I was a bit confused at first as to what we were celebrating - the fact that he made the attempt, or the fact that he failed. It turns out that it's the latter, which I might have known had I been paying better attention during "V for Vendetta" (that movie is the first thing I think of when I think of Guy Fawkes Day, which isn't all that often).
Anyways, Meghan and I kind of tried to find a fireworks display/bonfire to go to, but ended up just staying at home. We were celebrating in spirit though. After all, this will quite possibly be the only time we're in the UK for Guy Fawkes day. Now all we need is one of those creepy masks, and we're all set.