Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Cambridge post-script
Just a quick little anecdote: if hazy memory serves, I retired to The Eagle Pub in Cambridge after my lecture to talk shop.
Only in this weekend's Guardian newspaper did I realize that, at that very site in 1953, two gents stood and announced to the lunchtime crowd that they had discovered "the secret of life."
It was Watson and Crick, shouting out their jubilation that they had figured out the double helix structure of DNA.
Only in this weekend's Guardian newspaper did I realize that, at that very site in 1953, two gents stood and announced to the lunchtime crowd that they had discovered "the secret of life."
It was Watson and Crick, shouting out their jubilation that they had figured out the double helix structure of DNA.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Freelance life
This is M...a brief catch up...
My internship at EUP ended at the end of February, just in time for me to pick up lots of freelance work. I was traveling to Edinburgh 3 days per week in addition to teaching my classes and freelance editing. I've always been one to take on multiple jobs/projects at once, but this experience definitely takes the cake. I was waking at 4.45am to let the dog out, catching a 6.25 train to Edinburgh, starting work at 8.15 and heading home around 4 (getting to Newcastle around 6). Not an easy schedule to maintain (or to maintain my sanity while being sleep-deprived).
All this being said, I've managed to come out with a perfect lifestyle. I am writing lots of educational materials, along with copyediting an academic volume, and more work on the academic side in the pipeline. I am very busy, but am able to pack B's lunch and get him out the door (I mean that in a nice way), walk or run the dog when I want to, practice yoga, do my choreography much more easily, and cook (and apparently blog!) This lifestyle is making me a very disciplined at-home worker, and I reward myself with good skype sessions:) It's also nice to be able to work side-by-side with B as I do my work and he finishes his book!
It has been gorgeous weather here--- sunny almost everyday.I hope I didn't just jinx it.
Today is my niece's birthday, her first one! Happy Birthday Veda! I am so sad that I am not able to be there for the party--she is so adorable. My mom texted this from her birthday party.
Recently, my very dear friend Emma and I made a trip to London to experience Bikram Yoga in all its hotness, and to go to Whole Foods---it was like a slice of home! I bought Frank's Red Hot, yessss!! Not just that, but that was certainly a very exciting part. More pictures to follow as soon as I can pull them from my phone!
I've managed to snag Heather a cheesy Royal wedding gift! Lots of people are having Royal wedding parties--there are several party favors and signs for sale around here.
I am gearing up to visit Robin who is making a trip back to the UK. She is going to be staying in Derby so I will go meet here there to hang out for a couple days.
B and I are leaving in a couple weeks for out first trip to Spain. We are going to Malaga, Granada, and Seville...I can't wait! Sun, tapas, and wine. That's all I need!
Ok, there's amy brief check in, more soon!
My internship at EUP ended at the end of February, just in time for me to pick up lots of freelance work. I was traveling to Edinburgh 3 days per week in addition to teaching my classes and freelance editing. I've always been one to take on multiple jobs/projects at once, but this experience definitely takes the cake. I was waking at 4.45am to let the dog out, catching a 6.25 train to Edinburgh, starting work at 8.15 and heading home around 4 (getting to Newcastle around 6). Not an easy schedule to maintain (or to maintain my sanity while being sleep-deprived).
All this being said, I've managed to come out with a perfect lifestyle. I am writing lots of educational materials, along with copyediting an academic volume, and more work on the academic side in the pipeline. I am very busy, but am able to pack B's lunch and get him out the door (I mean that in a nice way), walk or run the dog when I want to, practice yoga, do my choreography much more easily, and cook (and apparently blog!) This lifestyle is making me a very disciplined at-home worker, and I reward myself with good skype sessions:) It's also nice to be able to work side-by-side with B as I do my work and he finishes his book!
It has been gorgeous weather here--- sunny almost everyday.I hope I didn't just jinx it.
Recently, my very dear friend Emma and I made a trip to London to experience Bikram Yoga in all its hotness, and to go to Whole Foods---it was like a slice of home! I bought Frank's Red Hot, yessss!! Not just that, but that was certainly a very exciting part. More pictures to follow as soon as I can pull them from my phone!
I've managed to snag Heather a cheesy Royal wedding gift! Lots of people are having Royal wedding parties--there are several party favors and signs for sale around here.
I am gearing up to visit Robin who is making a trip back to the UK. She is going to be staying in Derby so I will go meet here there to hang out for a couple days.
B and I are leaving in a couple weeks for out first trip to Spain. We are going to Malaga, Granada, and Seville...I can't wait! Sun, tapas, and wine. That's all I need!
Ok, there's amy brief check in, more soon!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Cambridge
I got to experience a different side of England yesterday.
As most of you have gathered, Newcastle is a former industrial shipbuilding blue-collar type town (although surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK). So it's a bit jarring when you go to world-class metropolis London or other realms in the country that are recognizably British but a whole different universe. This was confirmed yesterday when I partook of an invitation to present on my research at the American History seminar at Clare College, Cambridge University, home of the Mellon professorship of American history, which is currently held by a very respected scholar of modern Southern politics and race relations who used to teach at Newcastle before he was replaced by the guy who was my PhD supervisor (who himself got his PhD at Clare College, Cambridge--a bit incestuous, but that's the norm in my particular line of work).
The sun kind of messed with my photos, and I only had my iPhone, but I'll try and share. This building is what passes for the dorm for the college, and where I stayed:
If you cross the road you can enter the back way through a greenspace area called "the Backs" with amazing gardens off to the sides of the path:
Then you get to the river Cam, on which the town's name is based, and to the south:
and to the north:
and straight ahead, Clare College (with the steeple of Kings College chapel off on the right):
and through the courtyard--the seminar room is off the door to the left:
I'm a good ol' American boy, of course, and it's a shame that even a place like this has its downsides: the poshness, the surreal "bubble" of an ivory tower and the utter unreality compared to the rest of England. But even so the history and the tradition and the beauty all make the place "feel" the way a university is supposed to feel, and its absolutely overwhelming when you get to walk through it, and play even the tiniest microscopic role in the academic life there if just for an hour or two, and all the while thinking about who else walked these grounds over the centuries. It was pretty fantastic from that vantage.
As most of you have gathered, Newcastle is a former industrial shipbuilding blue-collar type town (although surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK). So it's a bit jarring when you go to world-class metropolis London or other realms in the country that are recognizably British but a whole different universe. This was confirmed yesterday when I partook of an invitation to present on my research at the American History seminar at Clare College, Cambridge University, home of the Mellon professorship of American history, which is currently held by a very respected scholar of modern Southern politics and race relations who used to teach at Newcastle before he was replaced by the guy who was my PhD supervisor (who himself got his PhD at Clare College, Cambridge--a bit incestuous, but that's the norm in my particular line of work).
The sun kind of messed with my photos, and I only had my iPhone, but I'll try and share. This building is what passes for the dorm for the college, and where I stayed:
Then you get to the river Cam, on which the town's name is based, and to the south:
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Robert Burns & Haggis.
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace As lang's my arm.
Robert Burns is the national poet of Scotland, born 25 January, and Scots commemorate his memory every year through a special evening centered around haggis. I think we made reference to this when we went to Edinburgh last year but, for those who don't know, haggis is a traditional Scottish dish that is basically made of various sheep organs chopped very finely, mixed with oatmeal to bind it all together, and then cooked inside a leathery pouch which is actually the sheep's intestine.
Gotta tell you, kids--it is fantastic. It's got a bit of an oily residue which one might expect, but the effect is very much like a heavy/meaty comfort food, like meatloaf or something. Absolutely delicious. A friend who is versed in the ways of the north of England managed to procure two lovely examples from a decent butcher shop and had me over to sample:
The one on the right had burst as it was cooked, but the one of the left is ripe for goodness, as you can see once it is slit:
And just to make sure it stays moist, you add a couple drops of Scotch to the haggis, and a few more to your glass (that's Talisker 10 year in the pic, which happens to be my new favorite booze if anybody is looking to diversify the liquor cabinet). Roasted potatoes and some mashed neeps (parsnips) completed the awesome meal. The book you see is a collection of Robert Burns' poetry which we recited a few verses of as tradition demands before "tucking in," as the British say:
You powers who make mankind your care
And dish them out their meals
Old Scotland wants no watery food
That splashes in dishes
But if you wish her grateful prayer
Give her a haggis!
PS More info for the kilt-obsessed:
http://www.essortment.com/all/burns_rknw.htm
http://www.worldburnsclub.com/begin/address_to_a_haggis.htm
PPS In case you were wondering, Michelle wants nothing to do with eating haggis.
Robert Burns is the national poet of Scotland, born 25 January, and Scots commemorate his memory every year through a special evening centered around haggis. I think we made reference to this when we went to Edinburgh last year but, for those who don't know, haggis is a traditional Scottish dish that is basically made of various sheep organs chopped very finely, mixed with oatmeal to bind it all together, and then cooked inside a leathery pouch which is actually the sheep's intestine.
Gotta tell you, kids--it is fantastic. It's got a bit of an oily residue which one might expect, but the effect is very much like a heavy/meaty comfort food, like meatloaf or something. Absolutely delicious. A friend who is versed in the ways of the north of England managed to procure two lovely examples from a decent butcher shop and had me over to sample:
The one on the right had burst as it was cooked, but the one of the left is ripe for goodness, as you can see once it is slit:
And just to make sure it stays moist, you add a couple drops of Scotch to the haggis, and a few more to your glass (that's Talisker 10 year in the pic, which happens to be my new favorite booze if anybody is looking to diversify the liquor cabinet). Roasted potatoes and some mashed neeps (parsnips) completed the awesome meal. The book you see is a collection of Robert Burns' poetry which we recited a few verses of as tradition demands before "tucking in," as the British say:
You powers who make mankind your care
And dish them out their meals
Old Scotland wants no watery food
That splashes in dishes
But if you wish her grateful prayer
Give her a haggis!
PS More info for the kilt-obsessed:
http://www.essortment.com/all/burns_rknw.htm
http://www.worldburnsclub.com/begin/address_to_a_haggis.htm
PPS In case you were wondering, Michelle wants nothing to do with eating haggis.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The World of Podcasting.
Ok. A bit embarrassing to do this, but Michelle is insisting.
A former graduate student of mine was kind enough to include me in a new side-project he's working on now. He's doing a radio series for WRCT-Pittsburgh 88.3 FM called History for the Future, which includes interviews with historians discussing their book projects. Why he chose to slum it by including me, I'm not sure, but anyone who is suffering from major insomnia and wants to hear a bit more about the book I'm (forever) working on can follow this link:
http://www.historyforthefuture.org/wordpress/?p=310
Or can download it on iTunes here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/history-for-future-podcast/id354075489?ign-mpt=uo%3D6
I confess I've always wanted to be on iTunes. Now if Will Shortz would only fit me into the New York Times crossword puzzle....
A former graduate student of mine was kind enough to include me in a new side-project he's working on now. He's doing a radio series for WRCT-Pittsburgh 88.3 FM called History for the Future, which includes interviews with historians discussing their book projects. Why he chose to slum it by including me, I'm not sure, but anyone who is suffering from major insomnia and wants to hear a bit more about the book I'm (forever) working on can follow this link:
http://www.historyforthefuture.org/wordpress/?p=310
Or can download it on iTunes here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/history-for-future-podcast/id354075489?ign-mpt=uo%3D6
I confess I've always wanted to be on iTunes. Now if Will Shortz would only fit me into the New York Times crossword puzzle....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
