anarchist_nomad | Entries tagged with amaranth

Haven't spend much time on LJ of late -- mea culpa, my friends! Methinks tis a combination of being very busy with other hobbies and the general relaxed atmosphere around here now that the tumbleweed is rolling down the corridors. Still, the lack of posting means I'm part of the problem; I count this as only my third entry for this month.

What's worse is that this isn't going to be a particularly exciting entry, either.
With Samhain coming, I've been doing some introspection... mainly thinking back on where I am now compared to recent years at this time.

As it turns out, one year ago today was the Big One at the Event Horizon. After weeks of packing, we got the moving truck and cleaned it all out. Oy -- what a month last October was! Hard to believe it has been a year already!

Two years ago today, I got Wally -- my current car. In the past two years, I have driven him 19,356 miles, and spent £2916.23 on diesel fuel. Adjusting for the fact that he was purchased empty and is now full, I have spent £2852.23 to drive those miles -- covering 6.8 miles per pound sterling (or, if you like, spent 14.7p per mile driven). My fuel efficiency is pretty good -- 9.6 miles per liter (or 36.5 miles per US gallon) -- but the cost of fuel here is much higher than what folks back in the States are used to. On average, I have paid £1.42 per liter... which, at today's exchange rates, works out to about $8.71 per US gallon. When Stateside people complain about the supposedly high cost of fuel, I point out that I would love to pay those prices. Four bucks a gallon would be delightful!

What else is going on when I compare now to previous Octobers?

I have now been in the same job for five years. In a time of great funding uncertainty in my field, this is not something that one can take for granted. So, yes, job stability is a good thing. Huzzah!

I have now been in the same serious UK-based relationship for nearly four years.[*] Four years ago right now, my darling

miss_amaranth and I were engaged in our pre-relationship flirting, which would last for several weeks. I was thrilled that so many of you were able to meet her earlier this month at the Sooper Sekrit October Pagan Festival! Hooray!

I have now been in the same flat for three years. Chiron Beta Prime is an improvement over the Flat With No Name in every possible way. Tis both bigger and more affordable. Yay!

And, as mentioned above, I have now owned the same car for two years. Wally has been rather reliable in that time, giving us nearly no problems whatsoever. Other than typical maintenance work -- replace the tyres, replace the brake pads -- he has needed to special care at all. Wahoo!

So, yes, many of the core aspects of my life -- relationships, job, home, car -- have all been very stable of late. This is a Good Thing. Not throwing boatloads of energy at job hunting... or relationship drama... or moving... well, it frees up that time and energy for doing things that I enjoy. Like travel... or bell ringing... or running... or theatre... or gaming... or swimming... Is good.

Thus, my dear friends, as Samhain approaches and the Dark Half of the Wheel settles in, I find myself feeling remarkable serene this year. May kick myself if I come back to re-read this in February, when I am well and truly sick & tired of the long dark nights this far North. But for now, gentle readers? Well, life is good!

[*] And, of course, my beloved

cheshcat and I are in our twentieth year together... which is also super-awesome!

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Steely Dan -- Reelin' In The Years

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Two recent numbers of significance worth noting here:

First, on my most recent run -- earlier this week -- I passed the 11 km mark for the first time.

These days, my standard running workout is a five minute warm-up walk, followed by a sixty minute run, then ending with a five minute cool-down walk. When the workout is over, the running app that I use reports an average pace for each of those three parts; I ignore the walking segments but use the data for the run to work out how far I went. Previously, my best record was 5:32 per kilometer (or, if you prefer, 8:54 per mile) -- set on the 5^th of August. That works out to a 10.84 kilometer run (or 6.74 miles).

When I was new to running last year, I used the NHS Couch-to-5K podcast series. The narrator, Laura, frequently reminds us that some runs will be better than others, often without clearly identifiable reason. (She also points out that a bad run is still better than no run at all -- helpful advice!) Well, I'm not sure why... but my most recent run -- the day before yesterday -- turned out to be a very good run! That was evident early on, as I just felt "in the groove" and the distance reports every five minutes were impressive, compared to my normal pace. I knew if I pushed on, I could likely set a new record... and thought I even had a chance of squeaking past the 11 km mark for the first time.

Turns out, I was doing better than I thought -- my average pace for the hour worked out to 5:19 per kilometer (or 8:33 per mile)! That's 11.28 km -- well past the 11K mark! Tis also well beyond the record set eight days earlier! Measuring in Imperial units, I ran 7.01 miles -- just barely passing the seven mile marker for the first time! As the title to this post mentions, this was indeed a literal milestone for my progress as a runner. Go me!

Next, we get more figurative. On Monday -- August 12^th -- my beloved

cheshcat and I celebrated our 19^th anniversary! Go us!

We celebrated by spending a three day weekend in London[*]. Not long ago, right here on LJ,

acelightning had a discussion about travel, in which we noted that there are often opportunities to see interesting things without going far from home. For our anniversary this year,

cheshcat and I decided to do just that. Next year, for the big TWO-OH, we are planning a two week cruise -- either to Scandinavia or the Mediterranean -- so this year we decided to stay nearby and finally see some of the many things in London that we've been putting off for years because, after all, we can go anytime!

The idea was good, and our weekend was delightful -- we finally visited Westminster Abbey (seeing the graves of Newton and Dirac!), we caught a West End show, we indulged my passion for tall buildings by going up to the viewing platform at the Shard, and more. Hopefully, I can find time for a detailed entry -- with pics, of course! -- before heading out for Moscow next week! Fingers crossed!

Meanwhile, dear friends, I will share one shot from the weekend. Just because. The picture below was taken at Kensington Palace. Construction on this palace began in 1689, on the orders of William & Mary; the motivation was to construct a royal residence closer to London than either Hampton Court Palace or Windsor Castle... but further from the polluted air of the city than Whitehall Palace, which used to sit on the banks of the Thames -- William III was asthmatic and couldn't breathe well whilst at Whitehall.

Over the centuries, Kensington Palace has been home to a great many royals. Princess Di lived there, as did the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret. It is also where Queen Victoria was born and where she grew up. The picture below was taken in the so-called "Red Saloon" room at Kensington Palace, which is the room where Victoria held her first privy council on the morning where she became queen. We heard an excellent lecture in the room, and there were also costumes available for folks to play "dress-up". A common tourist attraction, I don't usually succumb... but I thought this jacket was just too good to pass up! Take a look at the pic itself (try to ignore the fact that I'm wearing shorts and sandals underneath!) and tell me if you agree:

(click for full-sized version)

Oddly enough, whilst

cheshcat was taking this picture, one person thought I was a statue in the exhibit! He was visibly startled when the photo had been shot and I started moving and talking -- go figure!

Anyway, a very happy anniversary was had by us! Yay for nineteen years... and yay for the next nineteen years, too!

[*] Many thanks to my sweet

miss_amaranth for looking in on our darling kitties whilst we were away. And even more thanks for the lovely card and flowers, set up to make for a wonderful surprise when we got home!

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Kenny Rogers -- Through The Years

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Ever since completing the Yoshida-guchi trail up Mount Fuji earlier this month, I have been eager to do more hiking.

gyades and I already have plans to spend a week next July walking the 84 mile Hadrian's Wall Path[*], and I attempted to organise a group outing with some friends to hike Mount Snowdon next month. With an elevation of 1085 meters (3560 feet), Snowdon reaches less than a third of Fujisan's 3776 meters (12,380 feet); even so, it is the highest peak in Wales[**] and taller than any in England.[***]

All that is fine and good but, as the unusually fine Summer weather persisted over Great Britain, I wanted to get outdoors and hike something sooner. So, on Sunday, my darling

miss_amaranth and I set out from Oxford's Osney Bridge and hiked the Thames Path from Oxford to Abington.

This ten mile stretch of the path is described nicely here, albeit in the reverse order to how we walked -- the description proceeds upriver, whilst we walked downstream. The hike was also a nice continuation of the 42 mile Oxford-to-Cricklade walk that I did with TS last year. Putting the two together, I have walked from Cricklade to Abingdon, covering about 52 miles of the 184 mile Thames Path (which starts at the official source of the river in Thames Head and ends at the Thames Barrier, in East London). Bit by bit, I intend to complete the whole of the trail!

For most of the walk, we enjoyed perfect hiking weather -- clear skies and a cool temperature. Near the end, though, there was a brief period where the skies opened up, when we were near Nuneham House[****]. Of course, a little rain and a little sun make for a most lovely rainbow... and that is precisely what we saw:

Somewhere under the rainbow

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Strangely enough, the lawn ornament that can be seen on the right side of the picture -- just near the base of the rainbow -- is a Jacobean water conduit that was installed in the very centre of Oxford from 1610 to 1787. When the roads were widened to permit coach traffic, the Carfax Conduit was retired and moved out of the city to become the decoration it is today.

Covering ten miles of level ground, Sunday's hike was not particularly challenging. However, it was pretty and fun. It was nice to be outside in the Summer warmth, it was nice to walk alongside the river... and, of course, it was nice to spend time with my lovely

miss_amaranth!

[*] Being a relatively small country, the United Kingdom doesn't have hiking trails in excess of 2000 miles, a la the Appalachian Trail. On the other hand, the Hadrian's Wall Path follows a structure nearly 2000 years old -- the Northern border of the Roman Empire, Hadrian's Wall.

[**] Snowdon is also the third tallest peak in the British Isles, and the highest outside of Scotland. Although I would like to climb the tallest British peak -- Ben Nevis (1344 meters, or 4409 feet) -- at some point, getting there requires considerably more driving than popping out to Snowdonia National Park. Less suitable for an impromptu weekend getaway.

[***] Alas, my impromptu attempt to organise this outing was not successful -- perhaps unsurprising when trying to assemble a last minute group weekend away for August, when folks are already travelling. No matter, as Mount Snowdon will still be there next Summer!

[****] Built in 1756 by the 1^st Earl Harcourt, who had an ancient village removed to make room for a landscaped park around his new home. The park was then designed by "Capability" Brown, who I am convinced is more than a single person -- a la the Dread Pirate Roberts. Oddly enough, the building is now owned by the University of Oxford and used as a retreat centre by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Kermit the Frog -- The Rainbow Connection

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Back in Japan now. I flew out first thing Saturday morning for a week of shift work at Super-Kamiokande, followed by three days of holiday.

As is usually the case on the day before an intercontinental trip, Friday was rather busy. I took the Oxford Tube into London to work during the day; in the evening, I went to the Oxford Playhouse with my beloved

cheshcat and my darling

miss_amaranth to see a fairly dreadful musical adaptation of Golding's Lord of the Flies.

After the show, we went to Indulge to indulge in some going-away dessert. Then we dropped

miss_amaranth off at the House of the Rising Bun and stopped in to visit our lovely girl, Stumpy. Those of you that know Stumpy will not be surprised to learn that she was very happy to see us. Although, to be fair, any three humans petting her would have been welcome to this attention-seeking kitty!

Next,

cheshcat and I headed back to Chiron Beta Prime. We got in at about midnight and ate dinner. Yes, gentle readers, we had dinner after dessert -- is there a problem? Following food, it was time to pack for Japan.

All of this was finally accomplished around three o'clock in the morning. With one exception, all of the pre-flight items on my "to-do" list had been ticked off. That exception? My third -- and final -- Bridge-to-10K run. Oooops.

I've done nighttime runs before. Actually, when I first started Couch-to-5K last Summer, I only ran at night. I'm not too proud to admit that I was fairly self-conscious back then; as an obese and out-of-shape bloke struggling through sixty second bursts of running, I preferred to minimize any "audience" of onlookers. That hasn't been true for many months now, though, and the timing of my runs is dictated more by scheduling than anything else. I prefer to run during daylight hours, but I am also comfortable running after dark if necessary. Between work, theatre, and bell ringing, it is often necessary. I have done plenty of late-night runs, with the latest being a couple where I set out at about half past one.

Even so, there is a big difference between going out at half past one and starting at half past three -- especially when my running workout has grown to 70 minutes[*]. Also, I needed to leave for the airport bus at six o'clock, to be reasonably sure of catching my 9am flight. Thus, I must confess, I entertained the notion of not running. It would certainly be easier and would allow me to get a couple of hours rest before my travels. If I did run, I would need a shower after; together, the two would consume nearly all of my remaining time before setting out. I would have a few minutes to stock up on snuggles with

cheshcat... but that would be all.

On the other hand, this was to be my graduation run! My final Bridge-to-10K workout! After months of effort, overcoming the major setback that was January's torn muscle injury. Yes, I could do the final run in Japan... but there seemed something fitting about completing the programme before my travels.

Thus it came to pass that, at a quarter past three in the morning, I did my pre-run stretches and changed into my running gear. Mere moments before I set out, I received an e-mail from the ever-awesome

tawneypup. She had written to tell me that she had just returned from her final Couch-to-5K run. Her graduation run sounded lovely, running into the sunset and passing a couple of deer.

Well, that clinched it. If I had not been certain about this run before, I certainly was now. T'would be a beautiful symmetry --

tawneypup finishes Couch-to-5K with a run into the sunset; minutes later, I set out on my final Bridge-to-10K workout with a run into the sunrise. And that's exactly what I did.

When I left the house, the first glimmers of twilight were beginning to show in the night sky. When I returned, seventy minutes later, it was well past the dawn. I enjoyed a fantastic run, feeling fast and strong, as I ran a variant of my usual East Oxford route whilst watching day break. It was, in all ways, an absolutely amazing run. At that time of the morning, there was a certain serenity in the air. Alas, there were no deer on my path, I'm afraid. On the other hand, the unusual hour meant that there were also very few people -- and cars -- to watch out for.

Crunching the numbers afterward, the numbers bore out what I had felt during the workout. This had indeed been my best run ever. Twas the fourth time that I had run for sixty minutes -- and only the third time that I had done all sixty minutes in one continuous stretch.[**] Of the four runs, this was my best speed and distance yet: 10.7 kilometers (or, if you prefer, 6.66 miles). That's an average pace of 5:36 per kilometer (or 9:01 per mile). Were I "only" aiming at 10 km -- rather than 60 minutes of running -- this average pace would have meant crossing the finish line at precisely 56 minutes. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

I returned home in triumph as a Bridge-to-10K graduate, with just enough time to shower and change before the aforementioned pre-flight

cheshcat cuddles. Then it was six o'clock and time to catch the coach to Heathrow.

And thus it was that the Nomad became a 10K runner...

[*] Five minutes of brisk walking to warm up, sixty minutes of running, then five minutes of not-as-brisk walking to cool down.

[**] Week 5 Run 3 of Bridge-to-10K consists of two 30 minute runs, with a 1 minute walk separating them.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Mike & The Mechanics -- Silent Running

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Much of yesterday was spent celebrating the birth of my darling

miss_amaranth. As she likes to continually mention: "I'm twenty-three. I'm old now." When she does this, I generally threaten to break up with her in order to find a new nineteen year old. Seems the only appropriate reply to claiming that twenty-three is old.

The day was full of celebrations around Oxford. We started in the afternoon at The Rose, home to the best cream teas in Oxford. It was all very casual and unstructured, with people coming and going from the party as we sat around chatting. Indeed, after my own tea and scones were finished, I had to duck out for a few hours, missing the second stop -- Far From The Madding Crowd. In the evening, I collected my beloved

cheshcat, and we rejoined the group for dinner at the Japanese(ish) chain, Wagamama. I don't usually get to enjoy vegetarian gyoza, so that was a nice treat. Then we finished the night off with ice cream (and presents!) at the best dessert parlour in Oxford[*] -- Indulge. Finally, at the end of the night, I went back to the House of the Rising Bun with the birthday girl for some quality alone time.

Due to the unstructured nature of the festivities, we don't have a tally of how many people actually came along.

miss_amaranth felt no need to count... and the Knave of Numbers (me) was not there for the whole time. Still, I estimate that twenty-something people showed up -- from as far away as London and Reading -- to celebrate. Huzzah!

Hard to believe that so much time has passed. When I first met

miss_amaranth, she was barely nineteen and just about to start university. Now she's twenty-three and in her second job post-graduation. Not quite sure where the past four years went -- maybe it's hiding under the sofa?

In any case, I don't have a picture from yesterday's party, so I shall re-use this older photo, taken at Oxford's Harcourt Arboretum two years ago:

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart! I know that twenty-two ended on a high note, with many wonderful things falling into place for you right now. May twenty-three be even more spectacular! I look forward to sharing it with you!

[*] As a side note, I particularly like the fact that all of the chosen venues of celebration were local Oxford businesses, save one. Wagamama was the only chain. I may have an Oxford party at some point that follows much of the same itinerary, except perhaps substituting Atomic Burger for Wagamama. And maybe have The Eagle and Child as my choice of pub, instead of Far From The Madding Crowd.

Current Mood: celebrational
Current Music: Viking birthday dirge

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Hello hello, gentle readers! I hope that everyone is having an awesometacular holiday season!

This year, for ease of reading (and writing), I have decided to split my journaling of Yuletide adventures into two parts. Instead of one "Twelve Days of Christmas", you get two "Six Days of Christmas" posts. Really, it works out to be six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Thus, without further ado, here is what everyone's favourite Nomad has been up to this Decemberween:

Day Zero: (Thu Dec 20) As the sun set at the start of the Longest Night, our coven -- Dreaming Spires -- lit a candle to hold the light through the long dark. Later in the evening, my beloved

cheshcat led us in a lovely Yule ritual.

Day One: (Fri Dec 21) At the distinctly dark hour of ~~stupid o'clock~~ five a.m., my darling

miss_amaranth,

cheshcat and I piled into the car and made the ~75 mile drive to Stonehenge. As noted in my previous post, this was my ninth dawn amongst the Stones -- three Summer Solstices, one Vernal Equinox, and five Winter Solstices.

The first seven Stonehenge dawns took after an early Pink Floyd album -- the Sun was Obscured by Clouds, making a cameo appearance... or often none at all. That changed last year, when we were fortunate enough to witness a spectacular Stonehenge Solstice sunrise!

After last year's great luck, I was ready to accept another year full of clouds, with memories to remind me how glorious the experience can truly be. Imagine my surprise, then, when we arrived at the henge to find the pre-dawn mist slowly dissipating, giving way to clear starry skies! That's right, my dear friends! For two years running, we have witnessed the Sun rising to signify the return of the light!

Don't just take my word for it, though! They say a picture is worth a thousand words... but, truth be told, I think these shots convey the beauty far better than any description that I could ever write:

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn

(click for full-sized version)

Guess Who? Your Friendly Neighbourhood Nomad greets his old friends, the Stonehenge Stones!

(click for full-sized version)

Here Comes The Sun! The first rays of light emerge over the horizon!

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This is basically the same shot that I took last year, included here for comparison.
(Honestly, I liked last year's version of this one better -- what do you think?)

(click for full-sized version)

Um, wow. Just wow. Really, do I need to say anything else here?

(click for full-sized version)

From a different vantage point. If you look closely, you can see that the Sun is passing through two of the Stonehenge archways here. Behind the large inner arch in the foreground, there is also the lintel of an outer arch visible. Pretty spiffy, no?

(click for full-sized version)

Finally, the new Sun rose high enough that its brilliant light made everythng else seem dim by comparison. This one is taken well after Sunrise, and shortly before the site was cleared.

(click for full-sized version)

Two years in a row? How lucky is that?! And what an amazing way to welcome in the return of the light! Huzzah!!

Day Two: (Sat Dec 22) Much holiday prep during the day; in the evening,

miss_amaranth,

cheshcat went out for a delicious Yule feast at one of our favourite Oxford restaurants.

Day Three: (Sun Dec 23) Started the day by ringing a quarter peal of mixed doubles -- Plain Bob, April Day, and Grandsire -- at St. Nicholas Church in Old Marston. I am pleased to say that the quarter was a success; this makes my second quarter peal of the month.[*] Later in the day, I also rang at St. Giles Church before their annual candle-lit carol service. Along with

miss_amaranth and

cheshcat, we stayed for the service. The atmosphere is really quite lovely, with the church lit up by all those candles and the celebration of the season through singing!

Day Four: (Mon Dec 24) More holiday prep ensued during the day; in the evening, my beloved

cheshcat and I went out for a Christmas Eve dinner at The Old Parsonage Inn. Over the past couple of years, we have slowly been sampling some of the best restaurants in Oxford, splurging on an expensive meal for special occasions. This marks another one checked off the list! The food was absolutely excellent, and the venue was delightful -- particularly since we managed to reserve the table near the fireplace!

Day Five: (Tue Dec 25) In the morning,

cheshcat and I woke up early to see what had been left under the tree and to open our presents! I received many lovely gifts from my beloved... but, without a doubt, the most impressive was a fantastic new Citizen Eco-Drive watch! Vunderbar -- I have been in need of a new watch! Actually, this is my first analog wristwatch. I have always appreciated the art of timepieces but, until recently, opted for a high-tech digital watch for practical purposes. Now, after a quarter of a century, my smartphone can do everything any watch of mine ever could manage (and more)... which frees me up to go for aesthetics on my wrist, rather than functionality!

After all the unwrapping was done, we spent a bit of quality alone time together before packing up our bags (and a kitty) and heading out to London. Our destination was the latest home of D&J, who were hosting the Christmas feast. And what a feast it was! Other than the roast goose, all of it was vegetarian-friendly: The stuffing, the cranberry sauce, the potato and onion mix, the carrots, the roast chestnut chutney[**], the sweet potato, the onion gravy -- incredible! For those of who could not enjoy the goose, there was even a yummy mock chicken dish as a substitute!

After dinner, we played a few party games like Werewolf and Celebrity[***] before the dessert was brought out: Pumpkin pie and homemade ice cream and cheesecake! My diet may have gotten slightly derailed for a day -- whoops! But, hey, it's Christmas, right?

Day Six: (Wed Dec 26) We stayed over at D&J's after the big Christmas party to spend Boxing Day in our pyjamas with these dear friends. The mellow follow-on to Christmas was part of the plan, with nothing more strenuous in the works than a few rounds of No Thanks! and some Christmas movies, like It's A Wonderful Life and Patrick Stewart's 1999 version of A Christmas Carol.

After an exciting Christmas and a mellow Boxing Day,

cheshcat and I stayed over in London with D&J for one more night, before heading out for more adventures the following morning. But I believe that we have come to the end of Day Six, gentle readers... so stayed tuned to hear about Nomad's Six More Days of Christmas!

[*] The first one, on December 16th, was a quarter peal of Cambridge Surprise Minor -- my very first quarter of a Surprise method... and a significant milestone in my accomplishments as a ringer!

[**] Try saying that five times fast!

[***] A new game, for me, but one that bears a striking resemblance to an old favourite: Bag of Nouns.

Current Mood: festive
Current Music: Nightmare Before Christmas -- Making Christmas

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My beloved

cheshcat, my darling

miss_amaranth, and I returned to Oxford from Nottingham[*] earlier this evening, where we had travelled to commemorate Samhain with our traditional Ancestor Circle. I was rather lucky, having no new people to toast this year; unfortunately, not all others in our circle could say the same.

I have done this particular ritual more than any other, as I first partook of it in 1994, when I was only nineteen. Nearly every Samhain since,

cheshcat and I have repeated the ritual -- that's nearly half my life now! The long continuity means that I know most of the stories that

cheshcat will tell, and vice versa; there is a certain comfort in hearing them again, year after year.

We started doing the Ancestor Circle with others in the UK back in 2008; this marks the fifth year that we have held the Circle with our Pagan friends here. This year, we had seven people in our Circle -- besides

cheshcat and myself, there was one person who had first joined us in 2008, one person who had first joined us in 2009, one person who had first joined us in 2010, one person who had first joined us in 2011, and one new person for 2012. It made me smile seeing each year thusly represented.

For reasons of privacy and confidentiality, I will not repeat any of what happened within the Circle itself. I will note, however, that this ritual marked the close of the 2011 - 2012 Wheel of the Year. Once again, I am pleased to note that

cheshcat and I were able to celebrate all of the sabbats in this Turn of the Wheel. The Wheel has turned four times since we first committed to making this happen; I am happy to say that we have succeeded in three of those four times; only in the 2009 - 2010 Turning did we slip, when much of our life was thrown into disarray due to the chaotic energy of a particular person who was in our coven during that period. Not only have

cheshcat and I continued to honour our commitment to WORK all the sabbats, but we have added others along the way. For instance, this Turn was the first time that

miss_amaranth was present for all sabbats -- so many congratulations to her!

I hope that all had a most blessed Samhain. As the new year begins, there are many new beginnings to look forward to; for instance,

cheshcat starts her new job tomorrow and she becomes a British citizen next month. I am excited to see what other adventures the new year will bring.

[*] Well, more specifically, Long Eaton.

Current Mood: thoughtful
Current Music: Oingo Boingo -- Dead Man's Party

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A couple of years ago, somebody asked me:

"Hey, how are things with that nineteen year old that you're dating?"

I somberly responded that I was not in a relationship with a nineteen year old anymore, to which they replied:

"Oh. I'm very sorry to hear that." [PAUSE] "What happened?"

My reply? "She had a birthday"

Well, that lovely woman isn't nineteen anymore. She isn't twenty or twenty-one, either. As of about two o'clock this morning, my darling

miss_amaranth is now twenty-two.

Happy birthday, Sweetheart! And may the year that is just beginning be at least as wonderful as the one that has just ended!

Current Mood: celebrational
Current Music: The Beatles -- Birthday

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amaranth,
birthday

Hello, World! (Or at least the little portion of it that belongs to LJ-land!)

Looks like I've done gone and left my poor journal to languish in obscurity for a fortnight or so. In times like this, I believe the convention response is: Whoops!

To be fair, I have had the best of excuses. The day after my latest entry, my beloved

cheshcat and I had a visit from the effusive EB -- a fellow attendee of the Sooper Sekrit October Pagan Festival who, alas, has no LiveJournal. EB popped over from New York City to spend six days with us in Merry Olde England. We had loads of fun in and around Oxford, then he and I wrapped up the time with a weekend trip to Old York City.

Three days after EB departed, I followed suit. Not in the same direction, though! With the sweet & adorable

miss_amaranth for company, I hopped a flight to Spain for five days in Catalonia. Two of those days were spent attending OpenCon Catalonia, a lovely weekend event for polyamorous people. The other three were for exploring!

We visited Barcelona[*], splashed on the beaches of Costa Brava, climbed the city walls in medieval Girona, and hiked the serrated mountains of Montserrat. Each of these remarkable destinations deserves a write up of its own, replete with photos. Time will tell if they get the travelogues which they so richly deserve. In the meantime, dear friends, I give you a single photograph, taken yesterday from an altitude of nearly 1100 meters, near the very top of Montserrat. Enjoy!

Then we got high...

(click for full-sized version)

I take my leave of you now, gentle readers, as I am writing this from Ye Olde Oxford Tube and have very nearly arrived home. Once I arrive, I am off to enjoy a delicious dinner the the Pink Giraffe with my dear

miss_amaranth and my beloved

cheshcat. Have an awesometacular evening, everyone!!

[*] Which I had been to before, albeit briefly, in July 2001.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: Three Dog Night -- Never Been To Spain

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Still in Japan until Thursday but, just for the length of this entry, journey back with me to Chicago in January, gentle readers!

This post is in keeping with the "tall buildings" theme of the last entry, "All Structures Great And Tall". It is specifically inspired by a comment from

dragonmamma. In her response,

dragonmamma referenced a building in Manchester with a glass overhang from which one can look down to view the city.

Of course, her words reminded me of my recent trip to the Sears Tower's Skydeck, where my darling

miss_amaranth and I walked out onto the glass balconies protruding from the 103^rd floor. I had been to the Sears Tower before, back in 2006[*]; however, the balconies were only installed in 2009, so this was a new experience for me. In a [hyphenated] word, it was super-awesometacular!

On our way to the Tower,

miss_amaranth expressed a degree of nervousness about having nothing but glass between her and the street, some 1353 feet below. She asked that I hold her hand to reassure her when we reached the glass boxes. I agreed but, when the moment arrived, I must confess that I temporarily forgot her request in the midst of excitement. With much bounciness, I raced out onto the balcony and must have been there, admiring the amazing views, for the better part of a minute before I recalled that conversation. I went back for my sweetheart, who was rather stunned that I had left her. Ooops!

That said, I should point out that, by the end of our visit, she had quite thoroughly gotten past her fear, and she enjoyed the skyboxes very much, indeed!

Dear friends, I would like to share with you now a few of our photographs from that excursion. Enjoy!

Believe it or not, I'm walking on air!

(click to see full-sized version)

Look down, look down -- don't look 'em in the eye

(click to see full-sized version)

Did I mention that miss_amaranth got past her fears?

(click to see full-sized version)

You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out...

(click to see full-sized version)

"Don't let the sun go down on me," thinks da_pupdetz

(click to see full-sized version)

Oooooh -- all this talk of very tall buildings has me quite psyched up to visit Taipei 101 next week!

Right, we now return your friendly neighbourhood Nomad to Japan and to the present. Hope you enjoyed this trip to the [recent] past, dear friends. Have a very Happy Sunday!

[*] When it was actually still called the Sears Tower.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: The Beatles -- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

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Writing this entry from an airline coach en route from Oxford to Heathrow. By this afternoon, I will be back at the Event Horizon, and I hope to see several of you, dear friends, at Poly Chicago's monthly karaoke tonight.

February was a quiet month for travel; I rarely left Oxford. A handful of visits to London, one overnight with my darling

miss_amaranth in Winchester, and some ringing in towns and villages around Oxford proper. That's all. With March upon us, and Spring immanent[*], tis time for the Nomad to start Nomading once more!

I begin March with a one week trip to the Windy City, visiting Chicago and Fermilab. This is mainly to meet some people at the lab and deliver the Particle Astrophysics seminar next Wednesday. Afterward, I will return to Oxford for one week before popping off in the other direction to spend five days sightseeing in Berlin with the fabulous

faerierhona.[*]

Rounding out March is a ten day visit from the ever-adorable

tawneypup, and the always-awesome

jadesfire55.[*][*] This is certain to involve some domestic travel, as road trips around the UK are a must -- particularly since it will be

jadesfire55's first time here!

That, gentle readers, is the Official Nomad Forecast for March 2012. This should be a nice way to kick off the year's travelling; subsequent plans include a three week trip to Japan in April, followed directly by a visit to the lovely

bonzifan in Taiwan. There is also talk of a possible expedition to Spain in May with my sweet

miss_amaranth before my return to Japan in June for Neutrino 2012. And, of course, my beloved

cheshcat and I are in the process of planning our big trip for the year. Stay tuned, dear friends!

[*] Hooray!

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Music: Billy Joel -- Travellin' Prayer

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Helloooooooooo, World! Happy 2012 to all of you, gentle readers!

Late last night, my darling

miss_amaranth and I returned to Chiron Beta Prime, after a delightful twelve day trip to the States. Hence my inaugural LJ entry for the new year, now that my galavanting has concluded for the nonce. We had a fantastic vacation, and it was truly awesometacular to see so many of you, my dear friends! The journey took us to New York City for three days, Philadelphia for three days, and Chicago for five days... with one day in between Philly and Chi-town for driving. It was a brilliant mix of sightseeing and socializing with splendiferous people. We ascended the Empire State Building and the Sears Tower; we ushered in the new year with our dear friends at Asylum House and we toured the Big Apple's Christmas sights with friends from the Sooper Sekrit Pagan Festival; we walked the Brooklyn Bridge and toured Independence Hall; we went to poly karaoke night in Chicago, celebrated a birthday with Ohana house, and enjoyed a visit from my favourite Michigoose, the astounding

tawneypup. All this and more, making for twelve wonderful days! Also, it was

miss_amaranth's first time in the States, and I dare say that she enjoyed herself enough to return at some point.

So now it is the start of 2012, the beginning of the year that will supposedly end the world. Sounds a lot like last year in that regard, doesn't it? As I re-integrate into my life in Merry Olde Englande, I find myself sometimes confused upon seeing people for the first time this year. How long is it okay to greet somebody with a "Happy New Year"? Tis clear when to begin granting such new year wishes; on the day after Christmas, I drop the "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays", replacing them with a hearty "Happy New Year!" But when do you stop? For me, I was cheerfully addressing strangers in this fashion for two or three days, but stopped sometime around the fourth or fifth. However, I am still employing the phrase with acquaintances if I encounter them for the first time in the year. Not quite sure how long that will last before it, too, feels out of place. How do you phase out the New Year greeting, gentle readers?

For that matter, how long is it acceptable to keep one's holiday decorations up? Whilst enjoying breakfast at Butterfield's on January 4^th, I noticed them taking down their Decemberween ornaments. At home, on Chiron Beta Prime, ours are still in place, as I have been away for nearly a fortnight. They shall be coming down over the weekend, with our lovely tree being donated to become wood chips in a local park. How about you, my friends? When do you restore your home to its non-December mode?

Finally, and apropos to nothing, I should note that this entry is being written from Ye Olde Oxford Tube. Of itself, this is not surprising, as many of my entries are written thusly. However, there was one unexpected detail when I tried to post. I am online by generating a network connection via my phone... as the WiFi network on the coach no longer allows me access to my journal. This is new and has never happened before. A little investigating revealed that it is not LiveJournal as a whole that is blocked, but my individual journal. It would appear that new content filters are in place... and they seem to balk at accepting the word "Anarchist" in a URL. Oi!

Nearly home now, so time to sign off. I hope that everyone had a vunderbar holiday... and I am rather looking forward to interacting with all of you in the new year! Huzzah!!

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Billy Joel -- This Is The Time

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In the interests of being a better blogger, your friendly neighbourhood Nomad is taking a momentary pause from the holiday festivities to update Ye Olde LiveJournal.

I hope that you are all enjoying the Decemberween festivities, dear friends. Here at Chiron Beta Prime, a delightful three-day visit from the lovely

weegoddess and J has just come to an end. Whilst they were here, there was much holiday goodness to be had by the five of us[*].

On Tuesday evening, we brought them to see the Mother Goose panto at the Oxford Playhouse. Panto is a very British holiday tradition and, despite having previously lived on this side of the pond for three years, I was delighted to introduce them to their first panto. Needless to say, a good time was had by all!

On Wednesday, as the Sun began to set, we did our Yule ritual at Chiron Beta Prime. Lighting a candle to keep the light going through the longest night, we did our ritual WORK then celebrated by going to the ever-delicious Pink Giraffe for dinner.

There was also much fun to be had, unrelated to the holiday season. A visit to one of our favourite neighbours, the exquisite Coco Noir; a tour of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein sites, including their favourite pub, the houses where they lived, and a trip to their final resting places; dinner at the always awesome Atomic Burger. However, the highlight of the week was very much tied in with the holiday cheer. On Thursday morning, as the longest night drew to a close, we made our way to Stonehenge to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun from within this ancient Stone circle.

Open access to Stonehenge is permitted on the Solstices and the Equinoxes. I have been attending regularly since Summer Solstice 2007. In that time, I have been at Stonehenge for three Summer Solstices, three Winter Solstices, and one March Equinox. Each experience is magnificent, of course... with variations that make it unique. For instance, Winter Solstice 2009 was the first time that I saw snow on the Stones. Winter Solstice 2010 was the first time that I had a snowball fight whilst within the circle. These nuances keep the experience fresh... and this Solstice was no different.

In fact, this time was extra special, as we finally saw the Sun rise. At the seven previous dawns, the sky was overcast and the Sun could not be seen. The eighth time was a winner -- at long last, I have seen the Sun rise, aligned to shine from the SouthEast through one of the Stone arches. Words cannot do this justice; it was truly a spectacular sight to see. Of course, dear friends, with camera in hand, I did my best to capture this uncapturable moment on [digital] film to share with you.

Here is the new Sun, freshly risen above the horizon.

A closer look; with this dawn, the days will begin to get longer once again.

According to the news reports, over one thousand people were present to witness this breathtaking sunrise. This is much more then the tens of thousands who attend at the Summer Solstice, but still a nice crowd.[**] Of course, with so many people present, I was not the only reveler with a camera on hand. You can see many taking pictures in the above photos and journalists were also there. The Daily Mirror has an article on the event here, and the BBC posted some of their own photographs here.

Of particular interest to me is the second photograph in the BBC collection. My first reaction upon seeing it was: "Oh! They took almost exactly the same picture that I did!" In contrast,

weegoddess's first response was a more astute: "Oh! You and miss_amaranth are in the picture!" You can tell which of us is the more observant.

For those who do not wish to cycle through the BBC collection, I have re-posted their image here:

Courtesy of the BBC. Can you find everybody's favourite Nomad in this picture?

Yesterday's trip to Stonehenge was definitely the undisputed high point in a very lovely week. Also, there is much more holiday splendour to come! With

weegoddess and J moved on to other travels and

miss_amaranth en route to her parents, my darling

cheshcat and I are off to London this evening to visit D&J for Christmas Eve... then home late tomorrow night to spend Christmas Day together at Chiron Beta Prime.

Happy Yule and Merry Christmas, gentle readers!

[*] "five of us" = them, me, my beloved

cheshcat, and the adorable

miss_amaranth

[**] Actually, one thousand is a much nicer turnout. When there are thirty-six thousand people present, as was the case for Summer Solstice 2009, the site can feel a touch overcrowded.

Current Mood: enthralled
Current Music: Have Yourself A Groovy Little Solstice

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Every once in a blue moon, you come across an instance of Pure Happy^TM. These moments of completely unfettered joy are a gem, and one well worth sharing.

Thus, I invite you, gentle readers, to take a look at one such moment from today: Namely, the reaction of my darling

miss_amaranth on learning that our flights to the States have been booked. Here it is!

Current Mood: smiling
Current Music: Billy Joel -- New York State Of Mind

Tags:

amaranth

In the hopes of getting back to blogging more, here is a simple entry that details what I did yesterday:

The day started with the annual ritual known as The Imaging of the Kidneys, which originated in my 2009 kidney stone incident. In addition to the stone (now long passed) that was being problematic on my left, the CT and ultrasound images also showed a small (3mm) stone dwelling in my right kidney. The good people of A&E (or the ER, if you prefer), observed that this might never be a problem. So long as it stays small and remains in the kidney, this stone should not cause any harm and no action need by undertaken to pulverize it. In short, the stone and I reached an understanding to continue our coexistence on good terms. To ensure that the stone is indeed meeting its end of this bargain, we now take annual images of my kidneys via ultrasound. Just to be certain. Yesterday's peek showed that all is indeed well, so the stone and I shall continue to peaceably cohabitate. Stay tuned next year, gentle readers, for the next exciting installment!

After cycling back from the Churchill hospital, I hopped a bus to the Oxford rail station. There I met my darling

miss_amaranth and a couple of people from channel 4 who are making a seven part documentary series on love & relationships. One of these parts will focus on polyamory, which was the focus of yesterday's meeting. The four of us strolled to the St. Aldate's G&D's where we proceeded to chat for two hours over bagel sandwiches and hot drinks. I indulged in a new creation known as the "holy cow", which adds a scoop of ice cream to a mug of hot chocolate -- delicious!! More about this experience will likely soon be found on the lovely

miss_amaranth's polyamory-dedicated blog, Love Is Infinite. For now, I will just say that my initial impressions were positive -- much more so than when we were dealing with Nina Clement at ITV2, earlier this year.

Around 13:00,

miss_amaranth needed to return to Winchester and I came back to Chiron Beta Prime to attend the bi-weekly collaboration-wide T2K analysis meeting. The collaboration has a rotating pool of people to take meeting minutes and, as one of the suckers who volunteered, it was my turn once again. So I paid even closer attention than usual and jotted everything down as we went. After the meeting ended, RT and I had a brief follow-up meeting one-on-one, then I did some work on my own.

In the evening, I hopped a bus back into town and made my way to the University of Oxford's Examination Schools. The Exam Schools building dates from the Victorian-era, completed in 1882. Although I have walked passed it many times, I had never before been inside of this architectural lovely.

cheshcat once did a tour, via the Oxford Newcomers' Club back when we were newcomers in Oxford. However, before last night, I never had the opportunity or the pleasure. So yesterday evening started on a high note just from getting to stroll about within. I had come to the Examination School to hear the inaugural lecture from Oxford's new "Programme on the Impact of Future Technology." Last night's talk was titled: "Exploring A Timeless Landscape: What physics tells us about the potential of advanced nanotechnologies." The speaker was Eric Drexler, the so-called "father of nanotechnology", who I had met the week before at a Halloween party. The lecture was interesting and largely focused on the increases in manufacturing productivity that could come about from developments in nanotech. It also introduced me to the concept of "exploratory engineering", which is a term that Eric invented to describe the region that science says is possible but is beyond the engineering scope of current technology. When the talk ended, I stuck around for a few minutes to ask another question, then hopped on a bus to get back home.

After a grazing a light dinner, I cycled down to the Barton Leisure Centre for some exercise. I jumped in the pool and swam my canonical mile -- sixty-four lengths of crawl -- which felt great. Due to recent travel, it has been some time since I last did this and it was excellent to get back in the water. I then cycled home again and did various and sundry chores whilst waiting for my beloved

cheshcat to return from an evening out with colleagues. When she did, we wound down for the evening together before retiring to the bedchamber.

All in all, I can say that yesterday was a splendid day! I did not leave Oxford at all, yet there was much local goodness to be had. Ah, I do so enjoy living in the City of Dreaming Spires!

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: John Mellencamp -- Small Town

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Landed in Merry Olde England yesterday morning. Had a fabulous day in Oxford, where the October weather feels more like what I would expect from July! After a fortnight away, it was lovely to see my darling

cheshcat again, as well as my furry babies, Giles and The Boy. The Boy, in particular, was absolutely delighted to see me come home. Also, the wonderful

miss_amaranth and I took advantage of the unseasonal warmth to go for a walk through Angel & Greyhound meadow. We were also able to share some special quality alone time, which will help to tide us over during these back-to-back separations.

Now I am back at Heathrow, Terminal 5, where I disembarked yesterday. In less than an hour, I should be in the air again, en route to Chicago and the Event Horizon! Looking forward to seeing the germane

gyades again, as well as my home and my dear furry baby girls, Stumpy and Chirp!

Time to board! Have an awesometacular day, gentle readers, and I shall write again from the other side!

Current Mood: high
Current Music: Phil Collins -- In The Air Tonight

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Landed in Japan to find the weather is warm[*], the wind is fast, and the rain is heavy. Looks like I have found myself in the midst of a typhoon!

About to hop a bus to Tokai, my first visit there since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Disaster disrupted our operations at J-PARC back in March. This poor country just can't seem to get a break this year!

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that my last weekend in Oxford (for now) was absolutely fantastic!

fire_kitten and

cheshcat and I went to a dance performance at the Oxford Playhouse on Friday; I attended a bell ringing course on Stedman Triples on Saturday; and we did our Mabon ritual on Saturday night. All of this was fun and good... but the highlight of the weekend, without a doubt, came on Sunday when

miss_amaranth and

cheshcat and I spent the day at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. My beloved

cheshcat had bought me a ticket to be Zookeeper For A Day, and it was an utterly fabulous! All three of us had a most awesometacular time, with penguins and tenrecs and giraffes and lions and iguanas and lemurs and more! (Oh, my!)

This amazing experience deserves a write-up of its own -- replete with pictures and full descriptions. Such will come but, for now, the above placeholder is all you get, gentle readers... as I must be off to catch the bus to Tokai!

Stay tuned!!

[*] About 26^oC, or nearly 80^oF.

Current Mood: wet
Current Music: Billy Joel -- Falling Of The Rain

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...the lovely

miss_amaranth has taken the record for my longest emotionally serious and significant relationship in the UK![*] Huzzah! Congrats to us, Sweetie! And here's to the many fun times ahead!

In other news, this week has been both hectic and full of surprises. Hectic is easy to explain: I leave for Japan in eleven days, with a collaboration meeting to prepare for. I have one or two analyses of my own to present there, plus two or three students that I am helping to ready for presentation, as well.

One day after returning from Japan, I head to New York for P**T***, the Sooper Sekrit Pagan Festival. This P**T*** will not be quite as much work as last year, since we are not the organizers this time. Still, I continue to wear a lot of Official Hats^TM in the community: Vice-President (along with

cheshcat), member of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Feedback Analysis Committee, and now a new administrator for our new online facilities. Roughly translated, that means boatloads of work! So even though Dreaming Spires[**] is not running the show this year, preparing for P**T*** is a rather involved process. At the moment, I am preparing two workshops, using our expertise from last year to assist the current organizing team, writing the closing ritual for 2010, interfacing with the main ritual coordinators, preparing a private ritual with

cheshcat, and gearing up to field questions about the feedback analysis. I am not the only person working this hard.

cheshcat is certainly doing as much as I am... and I know that several other people on my f-list are also busting their butts in preparation.[***] Tis proof of how amazing P**T*** is -- I would not give so much if I didn't love the community so very very much!

Other items that have (or will have) grabbed some of my attention include: Bell ringing at Iffley on Wednesday and at a new tower -- North Hinksey -- last week; theatre in Oxford tonight, and on Monday with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon; and the annual Oxford Open Doors event this weekend!

As for the surprises? These have come in various shapes and colours. For instance, in one of my online games of Carcassonne: The Castle, it seems as though I may defeat the #2 player on the site to advance to the finals in my current tournament. Being the #14 player, this was not at all expected! In the other part of the playoffs, the fantastic

wolfpeach has completed a similar upset, trumping the #4 player to advance. If I can pull this off, it will be the first time that I face off against a friend in tournament play... and for a championship, no less! Definitely not what I expected... but good fun!

Another surprise was, less than one week after declaring my intention to leave the UK bisexual community, receiving an offer to help run the community's biggest event in 2013! Given that the two happenings seem entirely unrelated, the coincidence is rather amusing!

And, of course, I wrote about a really fantastic surprise earlier in the week: Receiving the incredible list of shows lined up for the World Shakespeare Festival next year!! Hooray!

Hurm. This post was supposed to be a quick events round-up leading into an entry about the bells of St. Giles. However, the lead-in seems to have taken on a life -- and a length -- of its own! Perhaps better to end this update now, then, and make a completely separate entry on the bells. Stay tuned, gentle readers!!

[*] For the pedants out there, I should state that I am not considering

cheshcat when counting. Since I imported her from the States, she does not qualify here!

[**] "Dreaming Spires" = Our coven, founded at Samhain 2008.

[***] In the interests of respecting your privacy, I won't say who you are publicly... though do feel free to stand up and take a bow if you like! Y'all know who you are, awesometacular people, and you are absolute gems!

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Loverboy -- Working For The Weekend

Tags:

Whilst making my annual Summer visit to the States last year, a friend asked me how things were going with my nineteen year old girlfriend. I smiled softly and replied that I was not dating a nineteen year old any more. Said friend appeared sympathetic and asked what had happened. I smiled more broadly and replied that she had had a birthday.

By much the same process, I am no longer dating a twenty year old. My darling

miss_amaranth turned twenty-one yesterday! I would be a bad boyfriend for not writing about it in this journal on the day... except that the delay was caused by spending the entire weekend with her, helping to celebrate the start of her twenty-second year.

Over the course of the weekend, we had various friends over for hanging out and gaming; we had a fantastic dinner at Pink Giraffe and a yummy breakfast at Atomic Burger; we had cake and presents! To wind down the weekend,

miss_amaranth and I took a long stroll along the Thames Path yesterday evening. We walked about five miles, from the Osney Bridge[*] past the Osney Lock, through Oxford City Centre, past the Foley Bridge and the Donnington Bridge, past the Iffley Lock, and finally making it just outside of the ring road before turning around to come back again.

With such jubilations, we celebrated the birth of my beautiful partner! Twas a very good weekend, indeed!

[*] Lowest headroom of any bridge on the Thames.

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Music: Alphaville -- Forever Young

Tags:

amaranth,
birthday

Tis now Thursday, my fourth day back in Merry Old England since returning from Japan on Monday morning. It is most excellent to be back at home in Oxford again, and to see my beloved

cheshcat, my adorable kitties, and my darling

miss_amaranth.

Since returning home, here is a quick snapshot of what your friendly neighborhood Nomad has been up to:

On Monday, I went North (about 50 miles) to Stratford-upon-Avon, with cheshcat, where we saw Sir Patrick Stewart play Shylock in an excellent Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Merchant of Venice.
On Tuesday, I went South (about 50 miles) to Winchester, where I saw the lovely miss_amaranth perform in a student production.
On Wednesday, I went East (about 50 miles) to London, where I spent the day at Imperial College working with RT and PS.
On Thursday, today, I will go West (about 75 miles) to Bristol, with both cheshcat and miss_amaranth, where we will see the awesometacular Jonathan Coulton perform in concert with Paul & Storm.

That pretty much covers the four cardinal directions, one per day. Ironically, I have not yet been to the city centre of Oxford, about two miles distant, since my return. I think this says something... though I am not quite sure what. In any case, the oversight will be rectified soon because:

On Friday, tomorrow, I will stay local, going into Oxford city centre to do some interdisciplinary collaborating with some good people at the University of Oxford.

That is my week in a nutshell, dear friends. What have you been up to?

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Billy Joel -- Travelin' Prayer

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The place where lost socks go...

A Muppet of a Man

Days Gone By

Milestones (Literal & Figurative)

Look! In the Sky! It's a Bow! It's a Rain! No -- It's a Rainbow!

And I Ran, I Ran All Night And Day

A Very Oxford Birthday

Nomad's Six Days of Christmas

Another Year Over, And The New One Just Begun

Twenty-Two For A Moment

Homage To Catalonia

34: The Sheep Seem To Shower Off This Office Tower

15: On The Road Again

Beginning Of The End

Even The Darkest Night Will End And The Sun Will Rise

Happiness Is...

A Day In The Life

Passing Through

I'm Never Gonna Stop The Rain By Complainin'

Six Hundred Fifty Eight Days Later...

Another Year Over And A New One Just Begun

Cardinal Points

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