Over the Pond, volume 7 -- On its way...

Hello all...

I know I promised on Facebook to blog this, my last journey to Durham before the new baby arrives. But somehow I've had very limited access to wireless here, and have been trying, trying, trying to get schoolwork finished, and for some reason Blogger Dashboard won't let me post pics or access links or anything. So, I'm going to try and blog it when I return next week. I might even get some good posts done, since I won't be feeling guilty about blogging instead of doing homework.

So, thanks for even being interested, and we'll see you next week!

5 things meme

I borrowed this from Morning Coffee.

5 things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. preparing for our 5-week trip to Europe
2. trying to get pregnant
3. writing a paper on Aristotle
4. working in the garden with the neighborhood kids
5. working with Communality

5 things on tomorrow's to-do list:

1. leadership meeting
2. finish 2 DSE articles
3. fold & rotate laundry
4. order cake & make to-do list for Miranda's birthday party
5. get to the gym

5 things I would do with a million dollars:

1. pay off our mortgage
2. fund a 1-year sabbatical for Billy so that he could do some personal writing
3. donate money to our favorite nonprofits, to Communality, & to One Horizon, & become an extravagent tipper
4. take Billy & the kids to Guatemala, & go with Billy to Africa
5. ok, I'll admit it -- get a twice-monthly manicure & pedicure

5 places I have lived:

1. Lubbock, Tx
2. Jonesville, Va
3. Stickleyville, Va
4. Wilmore, Ky
5. Lexington, Ky

5 things I want to be doing in 5 years:

1. teaching ethics somewhere I enjoy
2. having adventures with my 9 yr old and 4 yr old
3. pursuing a more healthy lifestyle -- eating better, exercising more regularly
4. travelling
5. expanding my gardening and local food skills -- eating more sustainably, locally, & healthfully

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. Leave me a comment so I'll know to go read yours!

The 17-week turnip

Here's the latest on our growing, 17-week baby.

Ok, Ok! I'm back!

It's been a crazy few months, but I'm glad to be back, and am counting on a newly-arrived burst of energy to keep me here. More on that later. What's been happening?

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If you couldn't tell by the change in the picture behind my title, I'm pregnant, and due December 18th! We're at 16 weeks, and I'm feelings much better after a difficult 1st trimester. The dizziness and nausea which were ever-present for about 7 weeks have gone, and the remaining fatigue is tempered by bursts of 2nd trimester energy. Here's hoping they last, and that I make good use of them while they remain!! I'm also going to prenatal yoga at Baby Moon, a truly incredible pregnancy and birthing support center. If you are pregnant in the Lexington area, or know someone who is, I HIGHLY recommend paying them a visit.

Our community hosted another School for Conversion in April. Here's a post on the ashram about our time together, and some great pics of the event. Start with this one and move to the right. I'm also headed to Missiouri next weekend to facilitate another School with the Shepherdsfield Community.

I presented a paper at this conference on the virtue of temperance, which is the subject of my dissertation. Here's an article where I'm quoted about the topic. (Ok, only once, but still.)

Along with the rest of the board and teachers of Schools for Conversion, I'm now blogging at the Tikkun Daily site. It's an interfaith gathering of "spiritual progressives" who are considering how faith makes a difference in daily life.

I'm also working on several articles for the forthcoming Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics.

We hosted another concert by the psalters. Here's a post I did about the evening.

Billy took a fabulous trip to Africa through his work with the foundation. Here, here, and here are some posts about his time.

And, I have been doing some blogging at Miranda's site.

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Whew. Is that enough for now?

OTP (6) -- some humor from Hackney

"Love Poem" by Banksy

Beyond watching eyes
With sweet and tender kisses
Our souls reached out to each other
In breathless wonder

And when I awoke
From a vast and smiling peace
I found you bathed in morning light
Quietly studying
All the messages on my phone

OTP (6) -- Cultural Imperialism (both imports and exports)

I'm not sure if this happens to everyone, but whenever I'm here in the UK, I always find things that I wish I could import back to the States on a grand scale.

• I'd bring back the beautiful window boxes which seem to exists absolutely everywhere. They adorn houses, restaurants, and lots of other public buildings. And they always seem to look beautiful, whatever the time of year.
• I'd teach everyone to make tea like they do here -- usually by the pot, and when they pour, they leave enough room for you to add milk without it spilling over the rim.
• I'd introduce pub culture. I ate dinner Friday night at a pub in Edinburgh, and was interested to see all these folks at the same pub: 1) 2 elderly women eating a sandwich dinner, 2) 3 academic types (one was carrying a work by Foucault) discussing something esoteric and sipping pints), and 3) a table of hevily pierced, tattooed, mohawked fellas watching sports and being mildly rowdy. I just LOVE that all these folks felt at home in the same place.

And conversely, there are things which I wish I could bring to the UK.

• I'd bring enough "mixer valves" to install in each and every faucet in the country. That is, the contraption that allows you to mix the hot & cold water before it comes out of the faucet. I get so tired of washing my hands or my face or brushing my teeth, and having to alternate between the cold and hot taps. First you freeze, then you scald, then freeze, then scald, etc. Bleah.

OTP (6), day 9 -- Quick update

In Edinburgh.

Conference went well.

No one laughed at my paper.

In bed, exhausted.

Headed to London tomorrow.

Until then.

OTP (6), day 8 -- Time flies when you're having fun

It always happens. I find myself packing for the train out of Durham and wonder, "Didn't I just get here??" Well, here are some of the other interesting things I did when I wasn't studying.

• I got to watch Maeve and two colleagues work on a project/grant from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on 'The Media, Poverty, and Public Opinion in the UK." It was fascinating to hear about ways in which media, both traditional and "new media", can be used to shape pubic opinion -- positive and negative -- on poverty. People like Daniel Meadows at Photobus are using digital storytelling to empower people to tell their own story in their own way. Maeve & her friends did a presentation that evening in the St. Chad's Senior Common Room, which was great and very well attended.
• I attended a postgraduate seminar on "Trees in Tarkovsky's Work" by Prof. Gerard Loughlin.
• I watched children from a local school prepare for a concert in the Cathedral. It's nice to see the way that this magnificent World Heritage site is incorporated in the daily life of the community.
• I went to a formal dinner at St. Chad's College and sat the Reverend Canon Rosalind Brown, the "residentiary canon" of the Cathedral. She also used to be part of a group called Community of Celebration outside Pittsburgh, which sounds strikingly similar to Communality (yes, in more than just the name).

Sorry for all the links in this post. It's all just so interesting.

OTP (6), day 7 -- What else should I do between papers?

It seems there’s always something interesting going on in Durham. This time, there’s a fascinating exhibit at the Cathedral entitled On Being Human, created by South African artist Jane Alexander and featuring her ideas about the Bom Boys, children who live on the Streets of Cape Town. Check out the website through the link – it’s quite something.

Also, Robert (my advisor) and others are becoming involved in Climate Durham, an initiative to help reduce the city’s carbon footprint.

OTP (6), day 7 -- What should I do between papers?

Through some stroke of luck, I have arrived in Durham during the most glorious spring weather. The sun has shone almost every day, bringing to my awareness the beautiful, vibrant green of the lawns, the vivid yellow of the daffodils and the blooming forsythia, the heather flowering a deep violet. The temperatures have stayed in the mid-60s, absolutely perfect for sitting on the Palace Green, as I’m doing now.

It’s easy to forget about the charmed aspects of life as a college student. As I sit here and write, there are dozens of students lounging on the Green – eating pastries from The Almshouses on the Green, discussing their end of term papers, young couples holding hands or napping together. Most interesting to me is the group of guys playing a passionate game of croquet on the lawn. This is not something you’d see in the States. (Maeve has just informed me that you wouldn't see it most places in the UK, either. "It's a class thing," she said.)

OTP (6) -- Proud of my (future) alma mater

The Department of Theology and Religion here at Durham got some exciting news this spring. Apparently, they are the top ranked theology department in the UK for research and publications. That's actually very cool.

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(from the Durham U website)
Department Receives Top RAE Rankings

The Department of Theology and Religion is pleased to announce that in the Research Assessment Exercise for 2008, it has been ranked at no. 1 among all departments of theology and religion in the UK in two categories: (a) the highest percentage of publications at 4* (world-leading research) and (b) the highest Grade Point Average for these publications. This is a major achievement, which confirms Durham University's position as a front-rank institution for Theology and Religion and reflects its continuing leadership in the academic discipline.

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Good thing I was accepted before they received this accolade and could start getting picky!

OTP (6), day 6 -- Grandeur

Tonight, I went to Evensong, then had dinner at La Tasca, a Spanish tapas restaurant on the Bailey. Afterwards, I walked up the cobbled streets to my friend’s flat, and cut through the Palace Green between the castle & the cathedral. As I entered the Green in the darkness of late evening, I was amazed, yet again, by the grandeur of the cathedral. Enormous, majestic, frontlit by spotlights, with tombstones on the lawn dating back to the 1200s. Even on my 10th visit, I just can’t get enough.

It's arrived -- Over The Pond, volume 6

Someone said recently that I should change the name of this blog to Over The Pond, since that's the only time I seem to blog consistently. Point taken.

So here I am, again, in Durham. Usually I try to blog at the outset of the trip, but somehow there's no wireless in the Charlotte International Airport (not even for purchase). And when I got to my bed & breakfast for the weekend, nothing there either. So here it is -- Tuesday, day 4 of OTP (6), and I'm trying to get caught up.

This trip has been a bit of a blur so far, probably because the week previous was somewhat crazy. However, the actual departure day was lovely and relaxed -- somehow I'd packed the evening before, so Miranda & I were able to watch Sesame Street, and paint, and dig the garden bed & plant snap peas, and walk to the Meadowthorpe Cafe for lunch. It was wonderful, such good quality time with my girl. Then off to the airport at 2pm, where I caught a plane to Charlotte and on to London.

I spent my first nights at my old standby, the Castle View Guest House in Durham. It does indeed have a view of both the Castle and the Cathedral, plus a lovely garden when one can relax, read about Augustine, or just do nothing in particular. It's nice to be staying there for the 4th time, and have them recognize me and say, "Oh, hello, back again? How are the studies?" That just feels good after a long flight & journey up from London. The English breakfasts were also nice -- bacon, sausage, baked beans, eggs, toast, grilled tomatoes, & wonderful tea. Very sustaining.








I had dinner twice at the Cafe Rouge alongside the river Wear. The food was lovely -- caramelized onion & gruyere cheese bread, spinach tartlets, creme brulee & cappuccino. I was amused to see a young couple eat about half their entrees, then step outside and smoke for about 15 minutes, then return and finish their meals. I'm fairly sure that in the States, their table would have been cleared.


On Sunday morning, I walked about 20 yards down the street to St. Margaret of Antioch, a parish church there in Durham. It's pictured there on the left, and is literally a stone's throw from my bed & breakfast. It was small and welcoming, and the high church liturgy was just perfect for the setting. It was also nice to see a pile of toys in the back corner, where young kids & their mums could peacefully coexist with the rest of the worshippers.

I'm now staying with my friend Maeve, who's another of Robert's students. She's studying the theological bases for Church of England education, which is interesting to discuss as an American, with our stricter separation of church & state.

I'm trying to be witty -- I'm trying! But it's late, and I have some work to finish, and an early meeting tomorrow with Robert. But at least I can compose the daily highlights, days 1-4:

• Having a truly fabulous meal -- pulled pork, fried okra, greens, hushpuppies, & my first fried pickle -- at the Charlotte airport. The last time I flew through there, I was 14 weeks pregnant & was just emerging from morning sickness. And the food was just as good as I'd remembered.
• Staying close enough to the Cathedral (around 50 yards) that you can really hear the bells calling you in for the Daily Office
• Being here 4 nights, and already having dinner twice with Robert & the family
• The lovely, lovely spring weather
• Sprays of daffodils on the castle lawn
• Taking Communion in a church built in 1153
• Hearing Miranda squeal with delight during our first call on Skype
• Not having Miranda cry & ask me to come home during our first call on Skype
• Just being back in Durham. Hello, old friend.
  

Over the Pond (5), day 13 -- Comings and goings

Please bear with me -- I do have a couple of posts in the works about my academic progress while in England, and a couple other things. We have houseguests and our community's 10-yr celebration this weekend, and after that I'll get caught up.

I've been trying to decide whether is more enjoyable -- the journey across the pond or the journey home. In some ways I vote for the outgoing journey:

• I'm excited about getting a break from childcare and having several days of uninterrupted adult time.


• I've usually been working hard in preparation for leaving, so the relief of just sitting in the airport or on the plane is more acute.


• I usually have several books that I've been saving to read while I'm gone, so breaking into the first one feels like opening the first of all the Christmas presents.


• It's the beginning of the trip, so I'm just excited in general. That first day away feels like the first book -- the first of many exciting days away.

However, this time the journey home felt much more restful.

• It's always more relaxing at the end of the trip. While I'm usually fretting over schoolwork on the outgoing flight, I tend to take a break on the way home, so I can read those non-school books or watch those movies with peace of mind.


• The flight doesn't represent one "night" of sleep, so I'm less concerned about actually getting some sleep, and more able to relax with a fun diversion.

Anyway... coming home was so relaxing this time around. (Come to think of it, it was last March as well. Two blessings in a row!) I was somehow upgraded to Economy Plus, with extra leg room, and then I had the two seats by the window to myself, as the flight was only half-full. The plane was somewhat chilly, so I drank a glass of wine, snuggled under a blanket, relaxed on the window and let the warm morning sun shine on my neck and shoulders. It sounds silly to describe it now, but it was utterly blissful. I did the crossword, dozed, read parts of Stumbling on Happiness and Acedia & Me, and watched the X-Files movie.

Whereas I usually have a long layover in Chicago O'Hare, this time it was a mere 3 1/2 hours, which is actually the perfect length of time to accomplish the following:

• deplane


• get through Passport Control


• collect my luggage


• get through Customs


• recheck my luggage


• take the train to my next terminal


• realize, once again, that I'm at the wrong terminal to get my next boarding pass; walk to that terminal, collect boarding pass, and walk back


• proceed through security once again (since I left the "secure" area when I left the international terminal)


• locate a Chili's on the way to my Lexington gate, have a burger and check email


• get to my gate with 30 minutes to spare before boarding

This is very doable and stress-free. Which is good, because I inevitably crash sometime around now. By then, it's around midnight England time, and my body's ready to sleep, but I still have several hours before reaching home. But my shorter layover meant that I arrived into Lexington around 9:00, where someone was anxious to regain her mommy. Although I'd mentioned to Billy that they could stay home (as I was delayed until 9:45pm), he said that she was looking forward to "getting my mommy from the big airplane." They watched my plane taxi to the gate, and while Billy collected my bags, I was subjected to the delighted cries, kisses, and snuggles of a Wunchie. The best part of the trip home?

"I missed you so much while you were gone, Momma. So much. So SO much. And then you came back to me!"

No question about it -- arriving is better than departing.

Over the Pond (5), day 12 -- Hackney as bookend, and as a potluck of great experiences

As I often do, I spent the last day of my trip with the Turners in the London Borough of Hackney. Not much of a day, actually, as I arrived just in time to help get the kids from school. Rachel, her mother-in-law and I walked through the drizzling rain and collected the kids, with me marvelling at the intercultural nature of their school. For instance, there are 18 languages spoken in the various homes of Eve's classmates -- English, French, Spanish, German, Yiddish, Fante, Twi, Igbo, Yoruba, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, Tagalog, Arabic, and three others I can't remember.

After getting caught in a rainstorm on the way home, we made dinner for about 10 guests, families from the neighborhood. It was a great time, and I had a nice time cuddling with their 4-yr-old Eve. Then we put all the kids to bed, and I read a few pages before heading to bed. The next morning, I just had time for tea and toast with Andy and the kids before Rachel took me to Mile End Tube station, where I caught a train to Paddington Station and then to Heathrow.

It seems that I either begin or end my trips in Hackney; it's like a bookend to my trip abroad. And there's always something interesting going on, someone interesting to talk to. Here's a sampling of some of the things I've done while with the Turners in Hackney.

• taking long, lovely walks through the Docklands and Hackney Marsh with Rachel, discussing all kinds of things


• using too much soap in the washing-up, each and every time


• eating takeaway curry and kebabs with Billy after Greenbelt


• walking with Rachel to get the kids from school, seeing all the interesting sites in Hackney


• sleeping in Jessie's room, sleeping in Millie & Eve's room, sleeping in the lodger's room, sleeping in the lounge, sleeping in the cellar


• fixing tea (dinner) with Rachel -- for us, for the kids, for 10 dinner guests


• sleeping late


• watching Angela's Ashes and Notting Hill by myself


• watching Doctor Who with Rachel and Millie


• watching Starter for Ten with Rachel and her friend (whose name escapes me)


• blogging


• visiting the Tate Modern museum


• doing laundry


• chatting with their lodgers (boarders) -- Rachel, Matsui, Nathan, John

A few years ago I told a man who was considering moving in, "You'll never have a dull day in this house." Fortunately, I've always known that to be true. Until next time!