Skype Fairies

I feel I should take the time to mention Skype. It is, without a doubt, amazing, and, I do not hesitate to call it the greatest invention of the 21st century. That's right I said it. I cannot currently think of any other inventions of the 21st century with which to compare it to... but I'm sure they all crumble in comparison. The other day I called my boyfriends mobile from my laptop for mere pennies! In fact, I've called his number from my American phone for mere pennies because Skype gave me an American number to call which magically got me through to his phone. It's amazing. I don't understand how in any way this can possible work so I've narrowed it down to what can only be the truth... it's magic.

I watched THIS interesting article the other day about a strange Canadian man who releases hundreds of bottles with messages inside them into the ocean every year waiting for replies. Now while it turns out it isn't quite as Romantic as it seems as he bulk buys bottles and bulk prints his messages I still liked the idea that he is trying to reach the rest of the world the old fashioned way. 20 odd years ago my parents were separated as Daddy went off to Sandhurst (aka Army school!) and Mummy was still in college. Then Daddy went off to various silly wars and Mummy went travelling and so on. They drifted apart and got back together bajillions of times because of this constant coming and going and it was largely because of their inability to communicate. They didn't have Skype in the good ol' days and there was no other simple/cheap alternative. In comparison, I speak to my boyfriend every day without fail via Facebook and Skype and BBM - I fly across the Atlantic and I still can't get rid of him... jokes! This weekend I have spent hours talking to my friends from Uni and from home and it's just so lovely that we can easily stay in touch. I probably wouldn't be brave enough to have come here if it wasn't for the fact that I can easily talk to my family and friends and get a daily dosage of that good old English accent which I do so adore!

So, to the powerful magical fairies that control Skype, thank you.

Zumba Zumba Zumba!

As I've mentioned before (Here!) I have been taking various exercise classes this semester in an effort to balance out my increased fatty diet.. pancakes, waffles, fries, pizza.. I'm living in America people, it can't be helped! Anyways, on Friday I forgot about my pilates class and so instead Rachel and I decided to brave a new class, the class of all classes... Zumba.

Now for all of you who have absolutely no idea what Zumba is here is the description that Bodywise (my gym) gives: "Ditch the workout and join the party! Zumba is a dance aerobics class that combines Latin-inspired rhythms along with pop music to create a fun and energizing workout for all fitness levels." Still not getting it? Well here's a youtube vid. Now all fitness dvds are hilarious so this doesn't quite do it justice but you get the picture...

You laughing yet? Now imagine me attempting to do that!!! So along we went to the busiest Bodywise class; a class that is always full no matter how much snow is piling up outside...

It was hilarious. The instructor was the most enthusiastic gym instructor I have ever had. She spent the entire hour singing along to all the songs and "shakin' her booty" to the various Beyonce and salsa songs that came on as we all tried desperately to make our bums and hips move the same way. It wasn't happening but boy was it fun trying.  I've just given Emily a mini demonstration of my Zumba experience and I'm now struggling to put into words my actions. Needless to say Emily was in hysterics at my attempts to simultaneously 'shimmy' and wiggle my hips and move across the room in a salsa beat. Coordination isn't my strong point.

It was fun, even if I was completely humiliated at having to shake my bum in some poor unsuspecting stranger's face. Despite that I am definitely planning on making it part of my weekly schedule mainly because it's such a giggle and who doesn't want a giggle while exercising! If you get a chance, I highlyyy recommend it, though go with friends and prepare to make a fool of yourself, it's inevitable!

I'm Dreaming Of A White... Halloween?!

The BBC really weren't kidding when they announced that a blizzard was due to strike the east coast which would dump up to 10 inches of snow upon us. Nope. They really weren't kidding.

Within the space of about 2 hours the level of snow went from this...

 to this...

crazy huh?! I feel it is appropriate to mention that I am in fact smiling in both of these photos which is a great feat considering how much I dislike snow. I know that statement is shocking to many but, come on people, it's frozen water falling from the sky! FROZEN WATER! What is there to like!?

I would also like to tell you of my near death experience because of the aforementioned frozen water: I know on the BBC it's reporting that power outages (HA how American do I sound?!) are likely and this is due to a number of reasons. Firstly, America's power cables are all above ground and so any trees which fall down in the 40mph winds are likely to strike one. Secondly, the trees are more likely to fall because it's unseasonable early for there to be this much snow and so many trees still have their leaves. The snow combined with the leaves equals really, really heavy weight which the trees can't carry and so fall over or snap or bend or all of the above.

Now it is because of these heavily burdened trees that I almost died... well ish... Rachel and I were casually walking back from the bus stop admiring the snow and marvelling at our amazing snow coats and boots. We were about to cross a road when we heard loud cracks and, looking up, we saw that the tree across the road was practically at a right angle until... SNAP. It cracked and came plunging down to the ground. We ran for our lives... no I'm kidding we were completely out of range but if it had happened ten seconds later, we might not have been! It was a large branch and it was completely blocking the road so we, obviously, got really excited about the possibility of pressing one of the emergency buttons that are situated every 100 metres or so around campus. Sadly  Luckily a UCONN snow clearing man was just up the road and was able to radio through to warn about the blockage so we did not have to run to the nearest emergency button - typically we were bang in the middle of two, sods law. 

So that was today's excitement.

Snow No...

So it is official. The snow has arrived. It's very, very cold and I've cracked out my big, puffy snow jacket and my amazing new Timberland snow boots. But I'm still cold. I've piled on fluffy socks, wool scarfs, layers and fleeces and guess what I'M STILL COLD. It is now that I should take a moment to thank my darling mother for giving me next-to-no circulation. So, thank you Mummy, I love you very much but REALLY?! You're killing me here!

I know lots of you strange, weird, crazy people are probably very jealous of the FROZEN WATER that was falling from the sky last night and, while I'm not a fan - as you may have guessed - I have to say that New England snow... well it's much better than Old England snow. It's not as damp and pathetic and horrible, its proper snow. Post card type of snow that you see in films and on posters that falls in great big drifts from the sky.

Now I really have to laugh because whilst writing this blog a friend of mine has just posted this news article on my facebook. A weather warning for the East coast. Up to 10 inches of snow expected. Greeeattt. You really can't make this stuff up!

"This is very, very unusual. It has all the look and feel of a classic mid-winter nor'easter. It's going to be very dangerous," John LaCorte, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pennsylvania told the Associated Press.

 Thank you very much BBC you're filling me with hope with your positive reporting! I would also like to highlight that this photo...

... was taken just 3 weeks ago. Notice anything strange or incongruous? I'll give you a few hints... the blue sky... the sunglasses... the strappy top... and, something which you can't see, the tan lines! Yes three weeks ago I got tan lines AND NOW THERE'S A BLIZZARD HEADING THIS WAY.

I'm beginning to think that there's some strange God who's trying to make my America experience very, very difficult. First I left all my documents at home (passport included) on the day of my Visa interview. Then, I flew to America without the most important document which actually validated my visa - I would just like to add that no one had told me that! And now this. Snow. I hate snow. I hate cold. 

...It's going to be a long winter....

DOOHH...nuts

Now I've mentioned before how Dunkun' Donuts really are taking over America. I see them everywhere, more so than McDonalds and it was a huge deal when it was announced that one would be opening up in the Student Union next semester, despite the fact that there is one half a mile down the road. But that's beside the point. America is 'Donut' mad, and I have to say I rather like it. In England we're very boring and tend to stick with the standard Jam Donut (sorry 'Jelly') and that's about it. Here I could stand for hours and gaze at the sheer multitude of flavours. There's the standard glazed (my favourite and first pick always) and there's, caramel and chocolate and vanilla and cinnamon and strawberry and triple cocoa and even a pina colada flavour - to name just a few.

I have to admit that I may have had several Dunkin' Donuts since being here and I have enjoyed and not regretted a single one. I also have to add that from what I remember of my previous experiences, Dunkin' are wayyy better than Krispy Kreme, hands down.

Now you may be wondering where exactly I'm going with this, other than to make all your tummy's rumble and mouths salivate with hunger for the best donuts in the world, and it is because the other day I came across this interesting and rather hilarious article about this blog. This guy Dave has written an entire blog about Donuts. He's travelled the country and has given ratings to the various Donut stores and cafes that he has encountered along the way. Now I'm sure many of my Brit readers will be shaking their heads with a smile on their face muttering "only in America" and, to be honest, I would do the same. But I read this article in between seeing horrific pictures of a dead Gaddafi on the news and hearing about the failing economy and the history of child deaths in America and it made me smile. So thank you Dave and thank you Dunkin Donuts for making my life a better place... too cheesy... naaah.

Hung, Drawn and Quarters!

I like to collect things. I hoard unnecessary ticket stubs and receipts with the hope that I will one day compile them all into a scrap book which I do occasionally get around to doing. As a child I collected gems and crystals and kept them in boxes and every now and then would get them all out and spread them out on my floor and polish them all. When I last lived in America I bought a pencil wherever I went. Now you may mock the people who buy the overpriced pencils in the gift stores of touristy places but they are in fact the best keepsake from any where; they are cheap, affordable, they come in hundreds of colours, shapes and sizes and they fit into any travel suitcase! In fact I came across them as I was packing for America. They were all stuffed into a pencil case which barely opens and which I did in fact fail to close afterwards.

Now you may be wondering where all this rambling is going, but I have found something new to collect and I am in fact reallllly excited! Well, it's not quite new seeing as my parents began the collection in Virginia (I lived there 2004-2007) but that's besides the point, I am choosing to continue it. My latest obsession is American quarters. Between 1999 and 2008 quarters featuring unique designs of all 50 states were put into circulation (Wanna see? Just scroll down*). We moved back to England in 2007 and so I'm missing a few**. The fun, however, doesn't stop there. In 2009 they released quarters for the territories of the US such as Puerto Rico and Guam etc (See previous blog for previous mumbling!) AND as of this year they have started producing a collection entitled "America the Beautiful" featuring various state parks and national sites from across the country (see here)! How cool is that?! Are you excited?! Sadly the latter series continues until 2021 so I don't quite know how I'm going to succeed in completing that collection... I guess I will just have to come back!

Since I've been here, I've collected two new ones, Hawaii and Yellowstone National Park, and so have now decided to start spending more cash in an attempt to get more change and thus more quarters. My plan is fool proof!

* I know Wikipedia isn't quite the valid source you were looking for... but it has all the pretty pictures!
**I'm missing Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona and Alaska so check your wallets people... that's definitely not cheating!

Witch Way To Salem?

Yesterday, Rachel, Emily and I escaped campus on a trip to Salem, Massachusetts. That's right, the Salem infamous for the hanging of 19 'witches' in the late 17th Century, a reputation that it has failed to rid itself of ever since. Well the town now seems to embrace it whole heartedly and so we were in for a treat. We arrived outside 'The Witch Museum' and then walked past 'the Haunted House' and 'the Witches Dungeon' and 'the 3D Haunted House' and 'the Psychic Fair', the advertised Ghost Walks by candlelight and the list goes on. Despite this blatant touristyness (I now declare that a word) it didn't at all come across as tacky or gaudy. Yes it was silly and there was a ridiculous emphasis on their witchy background but they seemed to get away with it in a way which I don't think we would in England.

It is, of course, also the final days in the countdown to Halloween, and I have been warned that it is, in actual fact, exactly as advertised in Mean Girls. As of yet I have no plans, no costume and no idea what I'm doing. I'm rather inclined to go down the boring English Route and stay in and watch Hocus Pocus - the 90s classic - but I feel that I would probably be missing out on an intrinsic part of 'American Culture'. But that's another debate, back to Salem; due to the impending festivities everyone was dressed up. Even people's dogs were dressed up! It was crazy! I saw witches, and Harry Potters, and police man, and even a dog dressed as a lobster. In addition, despite having been to New York and Boston and Newport not one of those places was nearly as touristy and crowded as Salem was. There were hundreds of people all lining the streets to look at the houses which were in some way associated with witches or ghosts or vampires or aliens... ok maybe not vampires or aliens but I wouldn't be surprised!

Despite the crowds the town was actually really nice. We followed a pre-assigned route, a bit like the Freedom Trail in Boston, just a red painted line around the town, which took us down to the wharf and we went through the towns first cemetery and the 'bewitched statue' and all the other touristy sites. We then of course sat and drank a ridiculously large pot of tea in a cute little cafe having indulged in a lovely lunch at what turned out to be one of the most popular 'sandwich shops' in town, 'Reds'. We only went there because it was cheap and looked nice but the food was amazing and apparently it was 50 years old!!! (Remember, that's old in American standards!) I jest, it was in the building of the London Coffee House which dates from the 1700s which is pretty old. The walls were decorated with the hundreds and thousands of awards which they have won over the years including best bagel, best pancake, best sandwich, best soup, etc. It was really good. I even managed to indulge in one of my favourite foods ever which I had been denied last week with Nick... Calamari. That's right, fried Squid. It is amazing, and if you haven't tried it and are judging me right now (ahem Nick) then shame on you!

That afternoon we also went to a re-enactment of one of the witch trials and shown around a reconstructed dungeon. Again, it was done really well; the scene was set and the characters were introduced before they did their little acting part. Afterwards the scene was summed up, we were given another brief history lesson and then were shown the dungeons. I have to say I was impressed. There was no cheesy touristy gimmicks, it was factual but at the same time fun and interesting and certainly kept us on our toes when various characters jumped out from cells to make us scream. It is almost Halloween after all!

Procrastination For The Nation

As I mentioned in my previous blog I am currently bogged down by a ridiculous amount of work. I have poetry to read, several books to start and finish, an essay to complete, two essays to plan and the list just goes on and on. I'm swamped. Which is why I am sat here complaining about my life to all you lovely people and not actually doing any of it. Because one thing I'm really amazing at is procrastinating. It's probably what I'm best at. That and arguing. And complaining.. I'm pretty good at those things too but for now lets focus on procrastinating. So I would like to share my favourite procrastination tool with you and that is this here blog. See right up there at the top of the page the bar across the screen? See where it says 'next blog>'? Well, when you've finished reading this blog, I dare you to press it, and press it again, and again and again. It basically takes you through all the various, random blogs on the blogger website and it's amazing. There are hundreds of complete strangers just like me writing about their lives and their passions on the internet. So have a flick through until you come across one that's interesting. Of course there are hundreds of awful ones and there seem to be a plethora of religious ones but whenever you come across that beautiful, poetic real one, then you know you're procrastination has been worth it! And that's always good because I really do hate that feeling that I've just wasted hours of my life- because then I just panic about all the stuff I should have done and still haven't done and so need to do... But that's besides the point go blog-exploring, I highly recommend it.

Having swamped you with my latest adventures I think I'll leave you with that thought. I'm going to Salem tomorrow so I'm sure I'll have some more exciting news to spill, but for now it's back to the work...

Boston Tea Party

Me and the beautiful Fall colours (sorry 'colors') in Boston Common

Our final trip for the week was three nights spent in Boston. It really is a beautiful city but, if I'm honest, there isn't an awful lot to do there! We set off at the crack of dawn on Friday and again managed to navigate Boston's T lines (i.e. underground) and the fact that they were the first in America... well, you can tell! We did some shopping and you'll all be pleased to know that I AM prepared for New England winter and I am NOT going to die and I AM going to return with all my my fingers and toes - that's the aim at least! I'm sure it will be a very different story when the snow does eventually arrive but that will be an entirely new blog I'm sure.

Nick was entirely in charge of our trip to Boston and so I had no clue about the geography or where our hostel was in relation to anything else or what there was to see, let alone what we were going to go and see! Other than booking the buses, he arranged everything: He organised what we were going to see, when we were going to go where and so on, so I blame him entirely.. no I'm kidding there's nothing to blame him for it was lovely, but we did spend a phenomenal amount of time in Starbucks drinking tea which I think has a very beautiful irony to it.

When I say that there really isn't much to do in Boston I really do mean it. The main highlight and tourist attraction is something called the freedom trail which is basically a red line painted on the streets of Boston which guide you to all the historical sites. Now, when they say historical sights what they mean is several 'ancient' graveyards - ancient meaning from the 1600s of course- various statues remembering various Revolutionary figures such as Paul Revere, and some churches. It's not really all that it's cracked up to be. Now yes, while I know the Revolutionary war is a massive and vital part in Americas history and it is fascinating, there's a limit to how many statues and churches a girl can see in one day.

There isn't however a limit to WATCHING RYAN REYNOLDS FILM IN BOSTON! Yes you did read that correctly. I SAW RYAN REYNOLDS. That would be the same Ryan from The Proposal and Just Friends and.... *swoon. Needless to say Nick became completely invisible for the half hour or so that I spent dribbling watching him fire up into the air as part of his new film R.I.P.D. It was super exciting!

The Photo Evidence - It's him, I promise!

Ok so I know I'm sounding like the only exciting part of my trip was Ryan Reynolds and that's not true, we also did a trip around Harvard in Cambridge which I really recommend if you're up for being super cringey and touristy like me! It was embarrassing and hilarious being carted around in a tour being led by a freshman (i.e a really, super keen first year!) with other strangers and a sticker on my coat but I did really enjoy it. The tour was really brilliantly done, it was funny and it was insightful and Harvard really is beautiful. So if you don't go on a cringey tour, at least go and see it.

I almost forgot, we also went to see the Spin Doctors... Am I getting blank stares? Yea I figured as much...

That ringing any bells? Ye I thought it might. I bought tickets for Nick and I to go and see them on Saturday night for his birthday. The most hilarious shock of the night was when the band announced that the reason they were touring was because it was the 20th anniversary of their album... that's older than me... that made things a tad awkward! It was a fun night, even if I couldn't drink (click here for previous mumble!) and the band, although not the greatest (sorry Nick!) were actually really good fun live!

Monday saw tearful goodbyes and a horrible bus ride back to campus and reality where a whole pile of work was waiting for me... and still is waiting for me... great.

Second Bite Out Of The Big Apple

Picking up from where I left off, our next big adventure was our trip to New York. A fleeting 24 hour trip, but an exciting one nonetheless. We caught the bus on the Tuesday evening and at 9pm we saw the flashing lights ahead and before we knew it we were at Penn Station, New York City. Our first holiday together... if you can call it that! We'd arrived so late that after having some food we slowly wound our way up Amsterdam Avenue (via Times Square) to our hostel where we crashed early for the night in preparation for the next day's super-sight-seeing-tourist-extravaganza.

So we rose up the next morning to the sound of sirens whizzing past and people screaming up and down the streets and, having spent less than 10 hours in our hostel, we checked out. We mastered the subway - which makes London tubes look like a haven in comparison - and made our way down to the site of the World Trade Centre, via a Dunkin Donuts for breakfast of course - might as well make the most of being in America! The Ground Zero area is still very much a building site which we noticed as soon as we came within a few blocks of it because the area is thick with dust, and sadly you can't really see the memorial garden from the outside which is a shame. You have to book in advance in order to go in which we didn't to because apparently it's booked up for the next year or so, so maybe next time!

Sadly the previous glorious weather we had enjoyed, no longer decided to grace us and so we wandered around a grey, drizzly New York with hoods up and umbrellas seeing some of the not quite so touristy sites. We'd both done New York before and seen the Statue of Liberty etc and so where did we go instead... why 66 Perry Street of course...

Recognise it? It is of course the steps from Carrie's house in Sex and the City!!!! I was star struck, I have to admit, despite the fierce 'No Trespassing' signs and warnings.

Our next less-touristy stop was a place called The Highline which I'd happen to have come across only a few days before through the BBC news homepage. It is basically a brand new public park in the centre of Manhattan but one which is above the roads and in the air. It's amazing, and somewhere I really recommend going to if you happen to be in New York. The history behind the structure is that it once housed the railway lines which transported goods into the city, in particular into the meatpacking district, and was for a long time known as 'the lifeline of New York'. Train's stopped running in the 80s and until the 90s it stood there gradually becoming overtaken by nature until the city proposed to knock it down. Of course there was outrage and petitioning and eventually this; a park in the sky and it is fabulous!

With viewing spots to just sit and watch the traffic go by and then more landscaped areas where the original train lines have been incorporated into the foliage it really is an amazing place to visit and was definitely one of the highlights of the day!

That is of course because we had yet to visit the main attraction of the day, around which we had planned all of our sight seeing... the Rockefeller Centre! WAY cooler than going up the Empire State building I reallllyyy recommend spending $23 to see the amazing views and read about the fascinating history of the building - built during the Great Depression to provide jobs is the simple version! I loved it, probably because I completely took the whole being a tourist and taking hundreds of cheesy photos in my stride, but also because there is definitely no better way to truly capture and see the city - well, not one that I've experienced!

The rest of the afternoon was spent wondering around seeing central park and looking for some food before our long bus journey home. We also managed to fit some shopping in, of course, and I managed to get some new snow boots in preparation for the coming winter. I'm actually so excited by my new purchase that I'm sort of looking forward to the snow just so that I have an excuse to wear them... but I'm pretty sure the novelty will wear off pretty fast!