Game Day

This weekend saw a big day in the UConn calendar: Game Day. ESPN, one of the biggest national sports channels was right here on campus and filming from Gampel Pavilion, the basketball stadium. The event? A basketball game against our biggest rivals, Syracuse. And because the UConn huskies were national champions last year this biggest rivalry was also a national event. It was huge.

The beginnings of Tent City outside
Gampel Pavilion

Game Day basically meant that on the morning of the game there was a massive pep rally inside the pavilion. People camped outside in the sub zero temperatures in order to make sure they were inside the following morning as it was done on a first come first served basis! This is apparently a yearly occurrence with the site of all the tents being known as tent city. I, of course, stayed inside tucked up in my nice toasty bed with the heating on, a cup of tea and a good book! You would have done the same people!!!

The following evening wasn't quite as boring however. Remember when I watched my first basketball game back in November? Well this game was even better! Tickets were selling for extortionate amounts so I settled with watching with some friends on their TV. It was incredible. Despite a dramatic and painful loss in the last 13 seconds of the game the UConn huskies put up an amazing fight and I once again found myself yelling and screaming at the TV because of a sport! My dad will be so proud.  It was amazing the rivalry and the competition between the two teams and all over campus. It's something that I've never witnessed at school or university level in England. We're missing out.

On top of all the basketball excitement I also discovered that the amazing UConn fans had performed a flash mob in half time...

How cool is that?!

From Hostel to Hotel

To continue from last weekend's adventures...

Having had a lovely weekend in Philadelphia I didn't go straight back to Storrs. Instead, I got the bus back to New York city with Emily and Rachel and there I met my lovely aunt and cousin who were spending half term in New York. Firstly I should say thank you because it was the first time since being here that I have been completely spoiled and have had a mummy to tell me to put my gloves on when it was cold. Yes, this did in fact happen, and although Claudia (aforementioned lovely aunt) apologised profusely for 'mummying' me I could not take the grin off my face. Having been completely independent for the past 6 weeks it was actually quite nice to be 'mummied' (not the ancient Egyptian way...) and has made me even more excited for the upcoming arrival of my actual mother next weekend! Eek!

Anyways, it was a lovely 24 hours. We had some cheeky cocktails before heading off to a lovely Italian restaurant in Soho filled with New Yorks rich and pretentious famous. With hindsight, Clauds and I may have stuck out a bit as I was still in the days tourist trekking gear and Claudia discovered baby sick on her shoulder from her newly born nephew who she'd been cuddling that day. Despite sticking out like a sore thumb it was an amazing meal and the entertainment was great - by that I of course mean watching all the other customers milling around on their 10 inch heels or squeezing in at the bar in an attempt to be seen at what turned out to be a very swanky restaurant. I'm moving up in the world!

Monday was dominated by Amelia. My completely scrumptious 8 year old cousin who fell in love with the Disney Store, the M&M store and of course the Hershey's Store. We spent hours in all three and I could not get over her level of excitement it was adorable. I was also shocked at how far Disney has come and how I was completely unaware of about 2/3rds of the teddies in the shop - I felt old. Clauds put me completely to shame with her knowledge of every character, toy and animal. I have to say I was rather impressed. 

However the highlight of the day was by far ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre. It's never particularly appealed to me as it seems so small and looks as though you're sort of swimming around in a fish bowl being watched by everyone on the outside. It's not like that at all. It's perfect size for amateur skating and you don't even notice any of the people watching from above. According to Clauds the skates were in amazing condition in comparison to the place she usually takes Amelia and we were given unlimited time to slip and slide as we pleased. It was amazing and I highly recommend it. Finally before I got my bus home we shot up to the Top of the Rock and emerged just as the sun was setting over the New York skyline. It was completely and utterly beautiful and we couldn't have timed it better. It was an amazing end to what had been an incredible weekend and I can't wait to get out for some more adventures. For now... it's back to the essays!

Fun in Philly

What a weekend! I don't even know where to begin; it was action packed and there is just so much to reveal. Firstly, I will start by saying that Philadelphia is amazing: such a brilliantly vibrant, colourful and beautiful city and I would seize any opportunity to go back. The juxtaposition of the old colonial style buildings and the strangely beautiful skyscrapers makes Philly's skyline absolutely stunning. The people were, of course, delightful and the city really has something to offer for everyone.

We arrived late on Friday night and turned up at the brilliant Apple Hostel in the very centre of the historic part of town. There may have been a massive crowd of policemen outside the front door and we may have been in a dorm with 25 other people (!!!) but it was, without doubt, one of the friendliest, cleanest and nicest hostels I've stayed in.

The mandatory tourist photos and treks began on Saturday. We explored Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed and learnt all about the Liberty Bell and how it got that infamous crack - they tried to fix smaller cracks and ended up making it bigger! Alas the bell hasn't rung since. It was however a joyous occasion when bear bell and Liberty Bell were united. If you missed out on the bear bell fiasco please refer back to this blog for a good ol' giggle!


Having done all the mandatory historical stuff we made our way to one of Philadelphia's free walking tours and spent the afternoon wondering the streets of Philly and learning little titbits of historical facts and funny stories. It was amazing. It was a 5 hour tour of "real Philly" and so we went through China Town and Little Italy and saw some of the beautiful churches. Our guide was absolutely brilliant and by the end of the day we were all absolutely exhausted. Being a tourist is hard work!

 The next day, after hours of deliberation we decided to split up in order to do all the things that we wanted to do. Sadly the Van Gogh exhibition at the Museum of Art was all sold out and so, after multiple pictures atop the glorious steps of the museum overlooking Philly, Emily and I headed to Eastern State Penitentiary prison. It's one of the first prisons of its kind which aimed to instil penitence and remorse in the prisoners through the use of solitary confinement. Opening in 1829 in the formidable style of a European Castle it wasn't until 1971 that the final prisoners left. After that it was pretty much left to nature and so now all there is to see are the eerily empty cell blocks filled with abandoned bed frames and adorned with peeling paint. There's definitely a strange beauty to it!

We did of course all try our very first Philly Cheese Steak. If you are perhaps wondering what an earth this entails it is simply a sandwich consisting of shredded steak and cheese. Simple, but so good! The stall we found was in Reading Terminal Market, a fantastic indoor market filled with every possible food and stall imaginable. The local Amish Communities have several stalls there although it being a Sunday when we went we sadly missed them. It did emerge however that Barack Obama had in fact eaten from the same Cheese Steak stall as us. It must have been good!

That wasn't the end to my fantastic weekend, but I shall save the rest of the excitement until next time...

For all my Philly photos feel free to peruse my Facebook album!

Connecticut Fever

This last week or so has been very uneventful. "What?" I hear you cry, "uneventful?" How so when this week has marked the holiday where approximately 1 billion cards are sent world wide (second only to Christmas!) and the day when Hallmark and chocolate companies reap in the profits. Why I am of course referring to the day that Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone in 1876... no? Alright, alright it was Valentines Day. There I said it. The dining hall was decked out with flowers and hearts and pink and red desserts were in abundance; heart shaped cupcake anyone? Outside students were selling "candy grams -  to be delivered to your sweetheart on Valentines Day"* and people wandered the campus carrying roses, boxes of chocolates and bouquets. Disgusting, happy, lovey, dovey people. I on the other hand spent my evening at a film screening for my Shakespeare and Film Class watching Tim Blake Nelson's fabulous adaptation of Othello. Nothing like a nice tragedy with death and destruction in a room full of virtual strangers and a professor on Valentines Day!**

This week has also seen plenty of reading and the arrival of a few essays so I've been a very busy bee. But I have to admit I struggled. Last semester I very much got into the spirit of working and was relatively pleased with my process of planning, drafting and editing my essays. Well it seems that in 2012 this has all just gone to pot. I struggled. Boy did I struggle, I just could not remember how to write an essay. Thesis statement? What on earth's that? Topic Sentence? Well where does that go? Needless to say I eventually managed to crank something out at half 11 at night and luckily it's just a draft.

The next day whilst, perhaps slightly melodramatically, explaining the impending failure of my degree my friend pointed out that "I probably just need a break, we haven't left campus since we arrived". She was right. FIVE WHOLE WEEKS and I haven't left campus. No wonder I'm going stir crazy and every now and then cracking out into dance, speaking in funny voices and generally being a bit weird. Luckily that is all about to change. As I mentioned a few weeks ago (precisely five actually!) Emily, Rachel and I got together to plan a number of trips and outings and the first big one has arrived.... Philadelphia here we come....

*"And none for Gretchen Weiners" was repeated just too many times...
** I did of course receive a lovely card from Nick and the promise of a romantic meal when I'm back. Definitely holding you to that one!

A Dark Secret

I've just finished the second Stieg Larsson book The Girl Who Played With Fire having been completely  and utterly attached to it for the last few days. And now, because of the frustrating ambiguously open ending I have just bought the final one The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest and as a result will no doubt be completely addicted to it over the coming weekend. But why? They aren't written particularly well, although I have to commend the translator on being better than most I've read. The stories are gripping but no more so than the drama that unravels in a Sherlock Holmes novel or Ian Flemming. Why do certain books shoot to fame and captivate the nation, sometimes even the world?

Another of these massive cult texts is of course, Twilight. Then, a few years ago there was the Malorie Blackman Noughts and Crosses series. And well Harry Potter is a given, although I think that can be placed in higher regard than the likes of Twilight. There's the obvious argument that once one person raves about a certain book then the trend catches on and thus a downward spiral to 'literary' fame occurs. But why particular books? How is the simplistic writing of Stephanie Meyer any different from the millions of other teenage books that are published every year? What aspect of human (aka teenage, melodramatic) life do they manage to capture so tantalisingly that the vast majority of people become hooked? Yes they are easy to read and easy to relate to (well except for the whole Vampire/Werewolf thing of course!) but so are hundreds of other very average teenage novels.

I have to admit that while I abhorred the style of the Twilight books I did become absolutely addicted when I read them... and I have read them more than once. While at school I devoured hundreds of the classic chick lit books, teenage drama novels and the likes and yet none of them captivated me in the same way as Twilight. I cannot believe that I am revealing this information to the world and I understand that it is probably social suicide but it's the truth. And I imagine hundreds of other girls out there can relate. In some mysterious and creepy way these writers have managed to unlock some aspect of the human psyche and appeal to it in such a way that is plays with our emotions. Or alternatively, there's some creepy conspiracy going on and we're all being brainwashed into believing in Vampires and Werewolves and, rarest of all, Prince Charmings...

Send a Hug, Send a Letter

For a while I've been meaning to write a blog about the beauty of letters and so you can imagine my astonishment when I logged onto the BBC news magazine website and was met with this article: "Mourning the Loss of the Written Word". I'm distraught. Why has everyone stopped writing to each other? I am in no way denying the usefulness and pure brilliance of modern technology with Email and BBM etc which I've already written about in a number of blogs, but you just cannot beat a good, old fashioned, hand written letter.

For as long as I've known how to write, birthdays and Christmases have always been followed by the task of writing everyone a thank you letter for their gifts (which of course requires having to remember who gave you what - not an easy feat). And visits to friends houses have always been followed by a quick thank you for what will no doubt have been a lovely time.  Of course most of these visits and occasions will include texts and emails of thanks as well but a letter shows that you're making that much more of an effort; you've taken the time to chose a card and it is hand written and personal. Emails and texts can be dashed off in a second while waiting for a bus or in line at the supermarket whereas a letter requires time and consideration. It won't get lost in cyberspace but will, if you're anything like me, remain cooped up in a box somewhere for years and years. Eventually it will be dug out and read and I will sit reminiscing and recalling the gift or dinner party - or that's how I envision my future discoveries!

There are also the letters for the sake of letters. When I arrived in UConn last August I was met with a lovely hand written letter from Nick (my boyfriend) and they've been coming ever since. Cheesy I know but when was the last time you wrote a letter? I dare you to sit down and write one to your best friend, whoever that may be. There is nothing quite as relaxing as putting your thoughts down on paper and the excitement of placing it in a red letter box (well if you're in England - mail boxes here aren't quite as cool!) and imagining it making its journey across the country, or world, to the recipient.


The picture at the top of this blog was an advertising campaign by the Australian Postal Service and I think it perfectly highlights what I'm trying to get at. Send a hug. Send a letter.

Super b-ADs.

One of the main reasons I watched the Super Bowl last night (other than Tom Brady) was the widely anticipated 'commercials'. That's adverts to my friends across the pond. A 30 second slot during the Super Bowl costs over $1m and so companies go big, I mean really big! The main commercials were car companies (because they're the only ones who can afford it!) and the occasional beer or other sponsor. There were a lot of half naked women and the occasional dog trick but other than that there was nothing particularly new or original. Despite companies supposedly pulling out all the stops and spending millions on what would be their biggest advertising campaign of the year, I have to say I was rather disappointed. Yes in comparison to the usual insipid and mundane American commercials that are on TV throughout the year they were 'watchable' but I couldn't help thinking that they'd just about pulled themselves up to Britain's advertising standards and that if any English company were to spend millions and millions of dollars, the commercials really would be worth watching.

We have the fantastic delights of Compare the Meerkat (simples), Phil Collins in a gorilla suit (or so the rumours claimed!), John West Salmon, the best way to get a job with Pepsi Max and of course the Skoda Cake Car.

and one of my all time personal favourites... the T-Mobile advert. For those of you who don't know, this was just a normal day at one of the busiest commuter train stations in London... or so they thought...

So you can imagine my disappointment when the only commercial I found remotely funny was...

and that's only because I laugh at pretty much anything!

Now wouldn't you rather have a talking meerkat or a drum playing gorilla? Yea I thought so.

Touch Let Down

I just experienced my first ever Super Bowl and oh my gosh I never thought I'd get so excited about a football game, or any sport for that matter! It was incredible. In my last blog I held a vote in order to try and decide who I should support in the NFL final and the results were the Patriots - they lost. Thanks guys.

But it was an incredible game to watch and the last quarter had me on the edge of my seat I was so excited and nervous and a whole tonne of other emotions I didn't know existed when it game to sports games! My Father will be so proud! 

The first half was pretty boring, not going to lie. The Giants were in the lead, I had no clue what was going on and on top of that I was hungry. So what did I do? Well I popped downstairs and grabbed a masssivve scoop of choccie ice cream and then proceeded to some of the rooms on my floor to watch the rest of the game - enticed by the sounds of Madonna in the half time show: she did good!

Packed Room number 1:

Mike "Who are you supporting"

Me "urmmm, the Patriots"

Entire room "NOOOO GET OUT OF HERE, NOOOOOO ARGHHH *loud scary noises*"

Needless to say myself and my ice cream swiftly left. 

I finally ended up in the correct Patriots room where I was left hanging on the edge of my seat. Literally. It was so tense with the Giants scoring a touch down in the final minute bringing the scores to 21-17. Not cool Tom Brady*. Not cool.

As for those infamous commercials, I'll have a think and get back to you tomorrow with the best and worst!

*Tom Brady is the rather yummy quarterback for the New England Patriots...
yea I wasn't just watching it for the sport!