Merry Old Leeds

Transitioning

2011-04-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, just realized that headline could totally be taken in the wrong way. Anyway, since I'm no longer living in Leeds, I'm getting back to my old blog, Thrice Told Tales. Check it out.

Who Knew?

2010-09-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Nico Muhly, one of my favorite modern composers has just turned me on to Benjamin Britten. Seriously, check out "Now the Hungry Lion Roars" near the bottom of his post. It's an incredible piece of music and Muhly shows how a conductor can greatly affect the way a piece sounds. (I also greatly enjoy the post in its entirety)

http://nicomuhly.com/news/2009/my-local/

Check out Muhly's work here: http://www.myspace.com/muhly

Also of side note: if you've never listened to it, just listen to Saint-Saen's Carnival of the Animals, especially Aquarium. You'll probably recognize some of the pieces the next time you go to a movie.

Moving On

2010-09-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

Friday, I finally bought a ticket to the states. I'm not necessarily going to call it my ticket back to the states, though more or less, it is. I leave from Leeds-Bradford on October 6, due to arrive in Kansas City on the same day...after 16 hours of traveling through Amsterdam and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Ugh.

It's a roundtrip ticket though--my open door back to the UK--though I'm sure I won't need it. I wanted to have something waiting, just in case, the day before I left, my dream job offer came through. Money, unsurprisingly, loomed large in the decision. Entry-level jobs don't pay as well here, and with student loans, visas, and other expenses, it would have made for a difficult year.

But, there are always ways around a money issue. Part of the challenge was that I felt like if I left the UK, somehow I would be leaving it forever. Only recently have I come to the realization that just because you leave some place doesn't mean your connections to it die as well. Through a couple of new opportunities, I can retain my business and personal connections to this island, possibly even strengthening them.

Although it's trite, I think I simply had to shift my perspective to understand that instead of leaving England, a bit of England was coming along with me. I'm not sure how I changed, but I feel like I grew up a bit whilst over here. If nothing else, I gained more confidence in my own abilities.

After Kansas City for a week or two, I'll most likely move to New York. I feel pretty confident in this decision; whenever I think about it I smile. But my head is so full of ideas and things to do that it's a bit hard to concentrate. I'm excited for the change, but ready to get settled down again. For the next few weeks, I'll be jumping from place to place, city to city, trying to tie up loose ends, start some new projects, and (hopefully) having a bit of fun.

Either way, come Oct 6, I'll be headed back home, ready to dig into some good food, relax, and start over in a new place.

Something to tide you over...

2010-09-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

...until I can blog again. It's been busy the past few weeks. Some decisions have been made, some new projects begun. I'll send up a post when things are a bit clearer, though. Until then...

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

Incredible.

2010-08-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

If you want to see how the internet can engage and emote, I highly suggest you check out the new interactive video from The Arcade Fire. Just make sure you are using Firefox or Safari or Chrome. You'll thank me.

http://thewildernessdowntown.com/

And So, The Chapter Ends.

2010-08-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

As of Thursday, August 19th, I officially handed in my dissertation. A little before noon, I picked up the two copies as specified by the university: forest green tape for binding, a washed out shade of emerald for the cover, and hastily impressed gold lettering spelling out my name, the year, and my degree. Handing in these 72 pages--almost five months of work when you factor in the planning--felt at once unceremonious and joyful. Meeting coursemates at a local pub for lunch, we joked that they should have given us a ribbon or sash when we delivered it to the grad office. Somehow signing your name in ballpoint pen doesn't quite have the pomp and circumstance one would hope for in such an event.

The days preceding the event were largely drowned in a river of Pepsi Max, pre-packaged sandwich meal deals, and a veritable cornucopia of sweets. I fear a the next time I go to the dentist, he'll examine my mouth only to find myriad greyish-brown caverns in what was once a healthy mouth. I have started flossing to compensate. Long days in the computer lab turned to long nights in front of my MacBook, fruitlessly searching for the perfect word or turn of phrase.

In the end? I'm not thrilled with it. But I suppose that's the nature of the beast. Once it's all over, all you can do is see the flaws, the areas to be improved, the times you should have stayed in to work. Yet, it's done. There's no more work I can put into it. No more graphs or charts. Not one more reference. And it feels good. It may not be my best piece of work, but its the culmination of a year of change.

I finished reading Pillars of the Earth the day after I handed in my dissertation. I'd been reading the book all summer, using it as a form of escape after long nights of work. What I realized was, as they were building their cathedral in the story, I was building mine. I faced setbacks, design errors, and flaws in construction. But I also had (short-lived) flashes of brilliance and delight in the knowledge that my project, bound as it was in its cloak of green, will stand as a testament to the things I've learned over the past year.

Now, it's time to move on to a new chapter in my life: a new job. I'll spend the next month largely looking in the UK. But once my lease is up, if I don't have any leads, I'm going to move back to the U.S., probably to settle in New York. Then again, it may all change tomorrow. Who knows...

*If you have some strange desire to actually read my dissertation, it can be found on my website: http://www.stephenanemeth.com under the "Portfolio" tab.

Inception

2010-08-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Just saw Inception. Really incredible movie. I especially appreciated the many nods to famous architects and designers, especially Frank Lloyd Wright, M.C. Escher, Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbiseur. The architecture nerd in me got excited several times over.

Stupid Dissertation

2010-08-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

I am so sick of writing this dissertation. I have to put my thoughts into a format that is not reflective of how I think or approached the project at all. It's all so linear. So formulaic. So boring. Somehow, they've taken what could be a really interesting project and sucked all the fun out of it (as is the wont of academia, I suppose). Instead of describing the project briefly and really focusing on the results, putting all the boring stuff (in-depth methodology, literature review, etc.) in an appendix, we have to make it orderly and describe every step. I think it would be far better to engage the reader in a compelling story of your research and provide the in-depth support in the back, as a reference. Which is exactly what it is.

I don't know, it's probably just looking at the same words over and over, trying to predict what's going to get me the right grade. Either way, I'm finished for today.

My Secret Garden

2010-08-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

"Home? I have no home."

While playing Uncle Archibald in the Shawnee Mission East High School production of The Secret Garden, I was required to utter this ridiculous line. It was always the line that I had difficultly spitting out, because it seemed so inane. How could you not have a home?

But over the past nine-and-a-half years since I took my bow on that stage, those words have come back to me at various times. They haunted me on that first balmy night I stayed in the dorms, alone, when I went away to college. And they returned when I moved into my first studio apartment. Now, they won't stop ringing in my ears, yet again.

But, for me, these five words express a different sentiment than the OED would tell you.

I have no home. But because I have many homes.

There's my home in Kansas, where I know that various parcels of cheese, haphazardly re-wrapped with their torn Whole Foods labels, await my return. Prior to this will be a father who will excitedly tell me that we have a bottle of scotch waiting at home, all the while asking about the flight, hurrying my oversized duffel to the trunk navy Ford Fusion parked outside. And along side him will be a mother who, on our drive home, will tell me that she dutifully bought Anderson Erickson Cherry Vanilla yogurt (my favorite) and some overly-sugared cereal, preferably Apple Jacks, to welcome me back to normalcy. This is my home. where I spend my time, virtually or physically. It's where I recognize the smell of our musty garage, and anticipate the obligatory glance at the (no doubt) lit pond in the back yard.

But, while this may be my "home." I have other homes.

I have my home in Rome, where ochre-tinted lights allowed us to linger along the Tiber well into the night. The places where I learned to trust myself. To explore the world.

I have the couches where I spent many nights, lazily pontificating to wine-soaked minds. I have the restaurants where I spent so many weekend brunches. The metro stations, from which I rushed home, desperate to discard the day's events.

In the past year, I have added a new home to this list--Leeds. No, it hasn't always been ideal. But, it also has been full of adventures that I never thought possible. Slowly finding new words ingratiate themselves to my vocabulary. Discovering that I'm not alone in my fears. Realizing that it's not easy to start a new life, but it's worthwhile.

In a few weeks, my dissertation will be done, and I'll begin to make a new home. It may be in New York or San Francisco. It may be in Manchester. Or London.

Home? I have no home.

I am always home.

Bias

2010-08-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

Prop 8 was overturned a couple days ago. Since then, people on both sides have been commenting on the decision, unsurprisingly. One of the oddest arguments I've heard from those opposing the decision was that the judge is gay. People are accusing him of bias, but I don't really see how that could work, since, presumably, a straight judge would be biased as well, just the other way. That's like saying a pro-choice judge is more biased than a pro-life judge in an abortion case. The whole point of judging is that, whatever your biases, you put them aside. There is no such thing as a purely objective opinion, unless you have robot judges (AWESOME!), and even then, you could argue that the programmers could have introduced bias in the way they coded.

Listen, it's fine if you don't like the decision. But don't tell me it's invalid because the judge was biased on account of his sexual orientation.

Countdown

2010-08-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

In less than 20 days, I will have to hand in my masters dissertation (or thesis, if you like). The prospect is daunting but manageable. Right now I have over 6,000 words, but the hardest part for me, the methodology, is out of the way. I'm in the midst of analyzing my dataset which I secretly get pleasure out of. Thank god for all those years having to do financial analysis, making me a pro at pivot tables. The looming prospect of statistical analysis still hangs over my head, but I think I can minimize that to a large degree.

I should have probably been a bit farther on this bit by now, but I was in London for most of last week. On Tuesday, I went to the BBC proms with a couple of friends. After spending the day traveling, then going to the science museum, we made our way to the Royal Albert Hall for a bit of Beethoven. Hillary Hahn played with the symphony for one piece, and there were several encores to revel in the classical goodness. The highlight (for me) was Beethoven's 5th. Though not my favorite of his pieces--that would be the 7th symphony--it was still wonderful.

Part of the reason for going down, other than the proms, was to wrap up a few things with my internship at ecoConnect, and go to the Green in the City event it co-sponsors with Cleantech Investor magazine. While I didn't get as much wrapped up as I wanted to (you never do), I was able to attend the event and talk to my boss about future jobs. Though there aren't any opportunities with ecoConnect, there may be a few leads through some diligent networking. I suppose we'll see. The event was interesting, talking about the future of road transport and energy solutions, and after there was a networking session (ugh). It's not that I can't talk to people. Lord knows I could do that for hours, it's more the approach part that I dislike. It always feels so awkward and date-y and a bit forced. But I suppose we all know why we're there, so there's some solace in that.

Aside from the travelling and dissertation, I'm on the job hunt, officially. The trick for me is that I have a broad background in a variety of fields--sustainability, strategy, finance, communications, politics, history, stakeholder engagement, etc. Clearly a lot of this overlaps, but describing that in a resume and cover letter can be rather challenging. And, it also makes the job hunt a bit more difficult. If I were doing something specific, like SAP implementations, that would be slighly easier to find, but looking for jobs in sustainable business and communications strategy it just a bit broader. Luckily there seem to be a bunch of great positions. Unfortunately, I have no idea how competitive they are.

It's exciting and scary, knowing that I'm in for another life change, only a year after I settled into this one. What I do know, is whether I end up in London, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, or Des Moines, I'm ready for the change.

P.S. If you know of anyone looking for a sustainability consultant or marketer or CSR guru, let me know at stephen dot nemeth at gmail dot com.

Work Work Work

2010-07-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

I just got done with about 14 hours of revising my methodology. Sadly, I was supposed to be working primarily on doing analysis of my data (I got in about an hours worth). But, I feel much better for having done it, I have to say. At least now I can go into the weekend in good conscience.

Note to self

2010-07-19T08:00:00.001-07:00

I apparently use the word apparently quite a bit, apparently.

I am not feeling the joy

2010-07-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

I did my methodology section on my dissertation today, only to realise that I can't express why I did a lot of what I did. Also, I apparently can't express why I'm a good candidate for a job in written form (apparently I'm just fine, verbally). As such, I think I'll try to express myself physically (no not that way) at the gym.

Just a thought...

2010-07-18T03:33:00.001-07:00

When will we have The Great Gadsby of the 21st century? Surely there must be someone writing about the insecurity of a post 9-11 world mixed with the optimism of new technology, taking the reader on a journey from the Bush years into a post-Obama world?

Or maybe not.

Covering Up

2010-07-18T03:10:00.001-07:00

After much trepidation, I finally got my cover letter done (well, more drafted than done). It's still way too long, but there are now dots of darkness on the sea of blank pixels that had haunted my dock for the past week. The task of actually finishing it and sending it on to various companies in the hope that they pity me enough to offer up a job still remains, but there are (surprisingly) a number of jobs that I'm at least moderately qualified for/have at least a sliver of interest in.

The work on my dissertation never ceases, though, after talking to those on my program, we've realised that expecting more than a couple of hours work on it in any one day is probably pushing it. But I figure if I stick to a couple of hours each day, I should actually complete it. All I can say is thank god for having to learn typing in school. It's a lifesaver.

Now to procrastinate a bit more before I completely flip out and realise my methodology is completely baseless...

Why Complexity is Better than Simplicity

2010-07-15T02:50:00.000-07:00

There's been talk recently about pushing forward climate change legislation...again. So far as I can tell, this is the third time this year it's been resurrected. Something tells me it won't go through yet again. The lack of action by all parties is beginning to strain our connections with europe (so says The Times), and I suppose it could potentially have significant trade implications down the line if we continue not to act (as U.S. goods won't have certain externalities priced in).

The more I consider the issue, though, it seems to me that the framing is wrong. Caps sound negative, and don't speak to incentives (even though they are fundamentally embedded). Instead, let's frame it as a withholding tax. OK, I realise that sounds just as bad, but bear with me.

Every paycheck, your employer withholds a certain amount of tax based on what you have in your W4 form and your expected earnings.If the amount of tax you owe is under what was withheld: bingo, sweet refund! Alternatively, if you withheld too little: pay up, buddy. Federal tax rates are progressive (10% on the first $8, 375, 15% from $8,375 to $34,000, etc.) based on your earnings, but then there are certain deductions which reduce the amount on which you're taxed. The government provides programs to its citizens, and our taxes go to support these programs and help pay for certain social benefits.

Think about a pollution withholding scheme (see, sounds better already) as similar to this. First, we have to assume that polluting shouldn't be free, and it has to be priced into the system to pay for its effects. Let's say, under this scheme, we decided to go for a straight tax of 1% of revenue for every 10,000t of carbon emitted.

Then let's assume there are deductions, say for the amount you invest in clean technology as a percentage of your overall revenues (for every 1% of revenue reinvested in clean technologies/renewable energy sourcing, you get a 10,000 t reduction in your total carbon 'bill'). So a business that's smart could actually negate its tax by ensuring it invested enough in renewables to reduce its tax burden (which could end up being less expensive than paying the tax). The brilliant thing about this is that assuming it made good investments in, say, increasing the efficiency of its plants, the tax burden would be lowered in that first year with the deduction, as well as the subsequent years since you would continue the tax benefits of a reduced CO2 output.

I'm not going to go into the effects for small business and consumers, as economically we are already paying those costs, just indirectly. This actually allows people to be more empowered to pick businesses that chose to be efficient assuming some costs are passed on to consumers.

Yes, it would be simpler to just have a cap. I'll admit that, but you have to remember that people like to 'game' the system and feel like their winning. You can tell people, just save a bit each month to pay off your taxes. But our complex tax code actually lets people feel like they 'win' when then find a deduction. It's a little victory. A straight tax, while simpler, doesn't give that feeling. A cap sounds simple. People get it, but in many ways people don't WANT to get it. If you can let them feel like they game the system a bit, its empowering, and that's ultimately what people want. Is the power to win over the big guy. Sounds counterintuitive. But think about what brings you more joy (or utility)--paying a straight 10% tax rate, or finding that student loan deduction meaning you now pay...a 10% tax rate.

Though counterintuitive, there is joy in finding loopholes, something a straight cap doesn't bring. So I say, bring on the complexity!

Consumer Choice, Consumer Confusion

2010-07-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, I needed to buy a new face moisturiser, as my old one had run out. I wasn't terribly thrilled with the old stuff, so I decided to go on the hunt for something new. And that's when the confusion set in.

While it's fantastic that companies have created separate lines to cater to their customers needs, often, it seems there's so little differentiation between them, or the difference is unclear, that I'm at a loss for what to buy. Take the face moisturiser. At what age am I supposed to 'graduate' into anti-aging? What's the difference between the blue line and the sport line? And when should I use balm, moisturiser, or cream? Just take a look at the biotherm homme line. There's anti-fatigue, anti-pollution, anti-age, dry, normal, recharge...it goes on and on.

OK, maybe skincare is unique, since it's trying to target a problem. But then look at the CK men's underwear line. There are at least 5 lines of what appears to be the same product at similar price points. There's so little description that it's hard for me to know what the difference between 365, steel, and stretch underwear is, and what each of the benefits might be.

I'm not saying it's a problem per-se that there are so many lines, after all, we know that product segmentation works. But when the products are at similar price points, and are similar products, it can be difficult for consumers to know what to buy...and so they may end up simply going for the cheapest one. By creating "customisers," in websites, brands empower consumers to choose the best product for them, acting as a consultant in abstentia. Nivea has done this, and while it's not perfect, it's getting there. I would argue that the best kind of customiser would narrow the range down to a single product, to truly make the customer feel that this is the 'right' product for them.

It amazes me that more personal goods companies haven't figured this out. For instance, how long would it take to make a customiser on the Brooks Brothers site that would help me figure out what tie I want? It could ask for the pattern of shirt (stripe, gingham, etc.), the size of the pattern (hairline, large check, mini-check, etc.) and the color(s) involved, and then suggest a couple of ties that would match. It's providing a service to your customer that keeps them coming back. Plus, it's fun.

Bottom line, if you've got a couple of lines in your product range, help us consumers out and put a customiser on your site.

British Summer?

2010-07-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure whether it's pigeon-grey sky that has been looming overhead since this morning, or the fact that my dissertation is ever-further from completion, but I feel stuck in a rut today. I went to do a climbing course today because, frankly, my rock climbing skills aren't where they should be. Especially when it comes to belaying. So I went with Karen and Kate (my regular gym-buddies) to the course today, and whilst climbing the walls, I was struck by a thought I hadn't had since the last time I climbed.

I realise it's a bit of a stretch to suggest that climbing is like life, and I'm certainly not experienced in either one nearly enough to make grand determinations, but it does seem that in both instances, trusting yourself comes into play. In climbing it's trusting your feet to propel you towards your next hold. Without that trust, you over-reach and eventually fall back to earth--sometimes without a rope to catch your fall. So far as I can tell, life seems to be the same way, though instead of feet, the metaphor can be extended to your background and skills.

So much of what we do is predicated on true confidence, and if I'm honest, it's something I've never been great at. Sure, I can project a self-assured stance when I need to, and yes, it often turns out that the projection was the reality, but there's still that fear. I suppose it's something everyone has in the back of their head (I hope). That fear that you'll be found out. That you're not as smart as everyone thinks you are. That it's really all smoke and mirrors. But then, you don't fail. You aren't found out. And you move on to the next hold without crashing back down. So yes, the skills are there, but starting with a base of confidence makes the maneuver all the easier. If you trust your feet from the beginning, you can plan your next move, rather than worrying that you're always on the brink of failing and falling.

OK, enough with the convoluted metaphor. I suppose what I'm trying to get at is that I need to work on trusting myself more so I can look to the future rather than constantly look back and my past and over-analyse my missteps. Just accept that I'm standing where I am now because of where I've been, and that the only way to progress is to just stand up and do it--something that I've constantly struggled with. Whether it's talking to someone in a bar or at a networking event, asking for a date, even starting a friendship, it's always easy in retrospect. You realise that it wasn't a life-changing event, just another step.

I realise I'm in a good position now. I'm not tied down. I have a good resume, supportive friends, and a few bucks in the bank. Things could be worse. I guess the thing is to just start taking those steps so I can move forward, trusting my feet a little more, and looking to the next opportunity, rather than analysing my missteps.

Has it really been since April?

2010-07-12T13:49:00.001-07:00

Well classes are over, and I'm in full swing of my dissertation now. Right now, I'm poised for a distinction, but we'll see if that holds up given my propensity to procrastinate. Either way, despite not writing a thing, I have 333 responses (half of 666, you'll note) to my survey, looking at the marketing of sustainable goods and how they correspond with environmental attitudes. I'm supposed to have my methodology section written up by the 15th, but thus far it remains elusive. I do have an outline though, so I suppose it counts for something.

My new internship with ecoConnect has been going swimmingly, though. I'm really enjoying the chance to do a full-on social media/communications strategy. By the time I finish up on August 1, I should have a podcast, website, strategy, master deck, and a few blog posts under my belt. Not bad for two months work.

However, the job front still remains a mystery to me. I have yet to complete a generic cover letter that apparently is necessary for every job searching site. But I do have a good CV and resume with which to go into the hunt. What's difficult is finding where I fit. I tend to always be torn between so many different angles--business strategy, communications, finance/investment--that it can be difficult to know where I fit in. I suppose that combination will serve me well later on in more senior positions, but right now, I find it hard to pigeon-hole myself into the right job. Hopefully the search and some advice from some "trusted advisors" will help me figure that out. Consulting seems like a given, though I'm tending towards boutique firms right now, since I've had the "Big 4" experience. VC funds seem another avenue, as well as sustainable communications firms. What I know is that I need something that allows me to think, and most importantly, to strategise; however, what form that takes has yet to be fully decided. I did apply for a job with Fahrenheit 212, though, and it would be a fantastic fit, but I have yet to hear back from them. Time will tell, I guess.

Leeds is fine, though, for now. It's not my ideal city, but I only have a couple more months. I think, in the end, I just need a larger place, a better flat, and a bit more to do. People have started to move away, which isn't very fun, but a few of us remain. And I go down to London every few weeks, so it's a good chance to catch up with those who are off in the big city, now.

I did just get back from visiting Rome, though. It was amazing. I lived there for a bit as an undergraduate on a study abroad programe, and it was great to see my old haunts. I stayed with my Aunt Paula and Michael there for a week, up on the Gianicolo overlooking Rome. Since I had seen a lot of the sites, there was no need to go again, but we did hit a few museums, and I got a great tour of the Forum from Michael. The food, the people, and the city were wonderful, and it was hard to go back. But back I came, with suit in hand, no less. We went up to Florence for the day, did a bit of shopping, and even visited an archeological dig. But, on the way back down to Rome, our plans were slightly changed by a train strike, forcing us to stay in Arezzo for the night. Despite not being in the itinerary, it was a lovely town and you can't go wrong eating al fresco under an indigo sky.

So it's back to the grindstone. I'm sure now that I'm trying to actively avoid my dissertation, I'll be blogging more. At some point, I plan on switching back to the old blog--Thrice Told Tales, but I'm not sure when that'll be. Probably when I move out of Leeds, I suppose.

Ciao for now.

Life update!

2010-04-05T11:28:00.001-07:00

I figured it was time for a life update. It’s been a while since I did that. So here goes. Mom and dad came in to Leeds in March to visit. We visited the Royal Armouries, the art museum and a couple of other nice, but unremarkable Leeds landmarks. After their stint here, we headed up to Edinburgh for the weekend and met up with Chrissy and Jamie, which was a lot of fun. Sadly, school beckoned so it was back to Leeds for me whilst they continued on for another day or two. It was great having them here and I was sad to have to leave.

After getting back to Leeds, there was another week of school and then classes were done. For. Ever. It’s a bit weird, and it’s flown by, but essays and exams call, so there’s not too much time to think about it yet. I’m currently writing my last assigned paper right now, though I can’t say it’s going swimmingly (yet). We have to make recommendations to the government, which, given my propensity for dispensing advice, should be an easy assignment. But somehow, having to cite everything makes it far less compelling.

I’m still not sure what summer plans will be, other than writing my dissertation. Perhaps an internship? And speaking of internships, for the next two weeks, I’m going to be interning at a company in Manchester, doing some internal communications work for an environmental campaign. I have to say, I’m slightly nervous after being away from the working world for 8 months, in a different field no less. Luckily, I’m working with another colleague who I already know, so it helps alleviate some of the dread. So, up at 6 tomorrow to catch a 6:30 train. It’s going to be a long day.

Der Humpink!

2010-04-02T06:34:00.001-07:00

Saw this a week ago, but it's gotten better with time.

Update, again.

2010-03-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Apparently someone reads my blog.

Update: A Battle against time.

2010-03-28T09:50:00.001-07:00

Apparently Frank Rich agrees.

A battle against time.

2010-03-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

I generally like Charles Blow's op-eds in the NY Times, particularly his most recent which had this gem (about the frustration of the tea-partiers):

"Even the optics must be irritating. A woman (Nancy Pelosi) pushed the health care bill through the House. The bill’s most visible and vocal proponents included a gay man (Barney Frank) and a Jew (Anthony Weiner). And the black man in the White House signed the bill into law. It’s enough to make a good old boy go crazy."

His point is that more-or-less the tea partiers don't represent the direction the country is headed in. Politics aside, this group, still does represent a number of individuals and their opinions have a right to be heard. However, they should be doing it in a civil manner. The same can be said for the far-left groups, though their popularity has waned in recent decades as the demographic shift of the boomers shifted America's politics more towards the right (the older we get, the more conservative, etc.).

It reminds me of some of the exercises we used to do at Deloitte with generational issues. A topic would be posed (e.g. remote working) and invariably the older workers would say it should never happen and the younger workers would say they should be allowed whenever they wanted to. Clearly (as with most solutions) the answer was in the middle, but the important thing was making sure that the older workers didn't feel marginalized. Even if a company is shifting, it is important to give some token points to the older generations. Bottom line, the younger people will be there to change policies when they get in power, while the older generations feel completely powerless if they do not get a bit of deference. This is, I think, how many of the tea partiers feel right now. They feel like their voice is not being listened to at all, so their only option is to become louder and more virulent. Strategically, not brilliant, but one can understand where they're coming from. It's the politics of frustration. Yell and scream until someone does something you like (or you fall apart).

It would seem that the best strategy Obama, as "CEO," could take right now is to divide and conquer, similar to how you would in an company setting. Figure out which workers (voters) have issues that can be addressed and those that you will never get back. I would bet that if someone were to look at the various blogs, conferences, and rallies out there, they could find a few token policies that could be given into to siphon off some of the more marginal tea partiers. Bottom line, it's not a coherent group (organizationally or ideologically) , it shouldn't be that hard.

Quite frankly, I'm not sure what this type of policy would be. But, it would ideally be something that says, look, we value your opinions, but you also have to work within the context of the what's going on right now. The thing the tea partiers fail to understand (and which I have yet to see pointed out by the MSM) is that voting Republicans into power isn't going to make America some magical tea party state. People in power want to stay in power. A representative swept in on a tea party platform still probably only garnered about 50-60% of the vote. There are a lot of other people that they have to serve, otherwise they face a one-term-and-your-done legacy.

Bottom line, America is changing a lot--demographically, economically, and socially. Those who feel marginalized by those changes are going to be upset, frustrated, and start to yell. But, the real problem they feel is not the political stances, it's the loss of a voice. By giving them back a (civilized) voice within a different context, we can, and will, begin to move forward again. It all reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Pleasantville. The people start turning from black and white into color and the response of those who haven't changed yet and feel their power is being usurped is to turn to violence and persecution. In the end, the world keeps on changing, because it has to change. Trying to preserve the status quo is a losing battle with time and history.

The Choir Nerd In Me Loves This So Much

2010-03-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

I totally want to participate in one of these next time around:

New Conservatism?

2010-03-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Really interesting article from David Brooks about Conservatism in Britain (or more correctly, "radical conservatism"). I particularly found this line interesting:

Essentially, Blond would take a political culture that has been oriented around individual choice and replace it with one oriented around relationships and associations.

It seems more and more of what we do is dominated by relationships, exemplified by the boom in social networking. It's difficult to imagine what this looks like policy-wise in the U.S., but it's not uncommon for socio-cultural trends to make their way into politics. There seems to be more and more discontent, but as others have pointed out, it's disjointed. This may indicate that we're on the verge of a massive shift in governance philosophy.

In many ways it goes back to something that we discussed in my climate change mitigation class. People are having difficulty relating to complex problems with linear solutions. Our dominant paradigm has been to look for cause and effect, but as we're discovering (especially with climate change), that linear relationship does not always hold true (e.g. multiple causes and multiple effects). I tend to think that the shift will occur once we begin to think of issues/problems/policies as interconnected ecosystems. Healthcare is much more easily viewed as an ecosystem than a linear cause-effect relationship. The same with finance, climate change...the list goes on.

The current frustration seen in Tea Parties and other movements is that we're realizing we cannot operate on the old model any longer. There is no 'cause' for many of these issues, it's a complex series of events happening within a network of related issues. The frustration, then, is that we want to still be able to identify the 'cause' even though there isn't one. We don't have the conceptual and policy models to be able to deal with this, and it's a big problem, because it makes it impossible to improve the situation. We don't need different policy, what we need is a new way of thinking about our relationship to issues.

Now the question is what those new models look like...

The Smurfette Principle

2010-03-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

I greatly enjoy this video (via Clusterflock)

I was thinking today

2010-03-07T07:14:00.001-08:00

Wouldn't it be fantastic if there were an agency/department of government that was tasked with looking at new academic ideas in all kinds of areas, then determining ways to scale them to government and run pilot programs. It could be a great cross-functional entity that would work to develop new solutions to problems. I can imagine such a type of organization looking for new ways to spur job growth, deal with social security, even combat obesity. Before you say, "but agencies already have that capacity." The problem is, the organizational capacity of many agencies can tamp down efforts to reform, as they run into politics, entrenched opinions, and resistance to change. But, if taken out of that context, and allowed a pilot program, it could be a wonderful way to demonstrate what works and what doesn't, outside of the confines of the traditional government bureaucracy. Think of it as a government trial of 20% time.

OK, GO.

2010-03-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

You might have seen the OK GO marching band video, but this one is about 10,000 times cooler.

Dam, I'm Back

2010-03-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

Lame puns aside, I got back from Amsterdam on Sunday after a much appreciated vacation. School continues to be crazy, with the administration attempting to cram 11 weeks of work into 8 weeks. It's not pretty. But, work must be done, so it will be done.

It was a bit of a tight fit getting in a paper on the topic "Copenhagen: Success or Failure. Discuss" in before I had to jump on my plane (oh, irony). Being sick with a cold the weekend before meant that I was hopped up on meds, and as a consequence in no state to press my case for the fact that Copenhagen was a success, even in spite (or because) of its failure to be legally binding. If you're interested, there are a couple of blog posts that make the case far better than I do. Luckily, a friend of mine offered to print out my paper and hand it in for me so that I could get on my merry way Thursday morning.

All in all, the trip there was relatively uneventful. Aside from an hour delay due to extremely thick fog, I got in with no complications in the early afternoon and headed to meet my friend Steve at the hotel. After tooling around a bit on the streets and canals and picking away at sandwiches and espresso, we headed back to the hotel to meet up with his coworkers for dinner and general merriment, including getting lost on the canals. Once we found the signs for the Centraal Station, we were home, though.

The next day was filled by trips to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, both of which were very impressive. I especially enjoyed the Rembrants at the Rijksmuseum. Later on, we walked around the Red Light District (natch), though I declined to purchase any of the, um, goods. It's a weird thing walking around there. On one hand, you can't help feel that a lot of these women are being degraded by dancing around in a window like a tea kettle or something. On the other hand, they are making decent money, and I suppose it reflects more on my values that I find it somewhat "icky" to be a prostitute, than it does on the actual act. After all, people sell their best assets all the time, whether it's the delicate hands of a seamstress, the brawn of a builder, or the abstract brain of a designer, we are all selling ourselves, physically and mentally.

The rest of the crew shipped out Saturday morning, but I soldiered on to see the Anne Frank House, the Niet Normaal exhibit at the Beurs van Berlage, as well as just generally walking through the city and getting a feel for the canals and streets. Honestly, there really are that many bicycles. It's fantastic to see people going around in other ways than cars.

Later on, after checking into my new Hotel in the Museumplein, I headed over to the Bols 'experience,' more or less to get a decent cocktail. While the exhibit was rather boring, the cocktail was excellent. I had a Holland House with Bols Genevere, which is one of the best cocktails I've ever had. It reminded me, in some ways of the tartness of a Pegu Club, combined with the smoothness of a Vesper (both favorites of mine, anyway). I'm not sure if you can get it in the states, but it's worth tracking down. I never knew the history of it, but it was more or less the forerunner of gin, and was used in many cocktail books at the turn of the century where gin features now. Another reason I probably liked it a lot.

I'm still not sure what's going on here, but I managed to look like a homeless emo kid.

After the museum, I decided to walk around the back streets of the museum quarter, to get away from some of the more touristy attractions. I was not disappointed. Beautiful houses and small boutiques lined the streets, and after happening in on a tea shop to warm up a bit, I was offered a free loaf of bread because the woman was closing and need to get rid of it. Dutch hospitality, score!

The night concluded with a long meal solo, at, fittingly, a place called Solo. It was a very well presented and solidly constructed meal--the duck pate was excellent. The next morning it was off to the Foam photography museum and then back to the train station to get back to the airport for my flight home. All in all, a very relaxing weekend. Unfortunately, now it's back to work.

There's nothing like dancing in public with headphones...

2010-02-15T13:38:00.000-08:00

With the semester now in full swing, my life for the next few weeks continues to be a race to the finish, save for a few pleasant interruptions. Monday's (now regular) meetings with presentation groups continue unabated. Luckily, one of said presentations will be out of the way come Wednesday. Honestly, I'm a bit nervous as to how it will go. We have the unenviable task of writing on three sustainability standards for which there is no--ZERO--academic, peer-reviewed literature. Seriously, I've Google scholar'd, Proquest'd, and ABInformed, all to no avail. So what we're running off of is basically blogs and news articles. While I'm happy to blag our way through this, there's this terrible suspicion that there's this treasure trove of critiques that our group is missing; however, I sincerely doubt it. Still, the doubt remains.

There are a couple of honest-to-goodness highlights, though, throughout the week. On Tuesdays, our program now has a "coffee talk" about sustainability. Essentially one of us circulates a topic/paper/video and then we talk about it for an hour. It's good to get the different views, and work through some of the issues we're bound to face. Speaking of, I really need to read the one for tomorrow. Thursdays bring our climate change seminars. After an hour-long lecture in the morning, we have a couple of hours to discuss a problem facing the world, whether transportation, energy solutions, or otherwise. Its honestly surprising how often we come up with the same general solutions. Though, as they say, the devil is inevitably in the details.

As much as I like the climate change class, though, it's difficult, because I feel like all too often sustainability is conflated with carbon, and, at least for me, the two aren't one in the same. I'm glad that scientists continue to question the evidence around climate change. They should. Though, unfortunately, the slightest bit of doubt is what makes the headlines, like so many other politicised issues. To me, either way you slice it, whether the world is cooling or warming, fewer pollutants in the air like CO2 and SO2 are a good thing. But that aside, sustainability for me is about living better. It's about cleaner air, and fresher foods, healthier populations, and happier families. We often forget that so many of the sustainability initiatives have such a positive impact on our happiness. More light from sustainable buildings, trees and flowers in landscaping, and fresh foods all make for a happier people, and that's worth something, even removing CO2 from the equation.

Back to our regularly scheduled program. I was interviewed by Samantha's boyfriend, Marcus, recently about UK fashion for his website. I'm sure most of my UK friends will disagree, but, I had the platform, so there you go.

I was originally going to go down to London on Friday to see an exhibit at the Design Museum about Dieter Rams, the head designer for Braun for 40 years. See some of his designs here. I really believe his principles of good design are the bedrock for sustainable design in the future. I'm hoping I can incorporate his work into my thesis somehow. So, as I was saying, I was going to see the exhibit on Friday, but then got an offer to go with a coursemate down on Saturday morning and stay with her sister that night and leave on Sunday. I figured longer in London wouldn't hurt, and I'd be going with a friend, which is far better than going alone.

I ended up having such a nice time. The ride down was uneventful, but we met her sister, who lives in Brixton, around 1 at the Brixton market for lunch with another couple of friends. The place served sourdough Neapolitan-style pizza. Even though it was a bit of a wait, it was worth it. FINALLY, decent pizza in the UK. Though, I don't think I'll travel down to London every weekend to get it. After, we toured around the market for a bit, where her sister volunteers for Brixton Transition Town. After walking into the shop next door I ended up getting in a great conversation with a guy about design, then off to the house for some dinner and a movie. The next day, after breakfast, we headed into central london, only to stop at a silent disco for a quick dance. For those of you who don't know, it's where you wear a pair of headphones and listen to music, rather than it being pumped over loudspeakers. Looks kind of funny when you're on the outside looking in, but there's something very liberating about dancing with 50 strangers, where no one cares. I highly recommend you attend if you have the opportunity. After an hour dancing, we got to the design museum, I saw my exhibit, and then we went for a late pub lunch. Tired, we dragged ourselves back to St. Pancras for the ride to St. Albans (lots of saints in this country) to catch our ride home. I was exhausted by the end of it all, but I had a great time.

So that's my life thus far. Oh and I forgot, Wednesday I went ice skating with climbing club, which was a blast. And we ended up going to a really great bar afterwards with live jazz-y type music. I guess I was a bit busier than I thought.

Well, pancake day is tomorrow, so I've stocked up on shake and pour (thank you betty crocker) and some nutella and bananas for a bit of a morning/night rendezvous with the frying pan. Sexy.

Back to the reading and presentation preparing! Oh, and check out The Local Natives, they're quite nice, if a bit similar to a lot of the other indie acts out there right now.

Color tests and me

2010-02-09T01:05:00.000-08:00

So I decided to take a color test based on this article from USA Today. Great, done. And of course, what top two personality types does it come up with? Creator and Persuader. I mean, I'm glad a test validated what I perceive to be my skill set, but my career options based on this are limited to everything I'd find interesting to do but have absolutely no background in. Where is "sustainability expert" on there?

Quasi-full report:

Best Occupational Category

You're a CREATOR

Keywords

Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

CREATOR OCCUPATIONS
Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.

CREATOR WORKPLACES
Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-expression work best with your free-spirited nature.

Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.

2nd Best Occupational Category

You're a PERSUADER

Keywords:

Witty, Competitive, Sociable, Talkative, Ambitious, Argumentative, and Aggressive

These enterprising types sell, persuade, and lead others. Positions of leadership, power, and status are usually their ultimate goal. Persuasive people like to take financial and interpersonal risks and to participate in competitive activities. They enjoy working with others inside organizations to accomplish goals and achieve economic success.

Second verse, same as the first...

2010-02-08T12:06:00.001-08:00

Most of last week was pretty uneventful. I have a strong suspicion that in this compressed semester, that's how much of it is going to be. Lots of reading, meetings, and papers with a little time to play. Thursday was a big day, though. I met with someone about a potential masters thesis, and she agreed to be my advisor. We still have to work out the particulars of the topic, but it will be something concerning sustainable consumption, likely with a history twist. Right now we're thinking of examining advertising over time. Needs work. Also, I switched out of my law class and into a climate change mitigation class. I thought it would be a bit boring, but it turns out to be very interesting. I suppose it's one of the "happy classes" wherein I don't come out feeling incredibly depressed about the state of the world.

Sunday saw a trip to Roundhay Park for a leisurely pub lunch and then a long walk around the park. A nice (if chilly) way to spend and afternoon. Last night I meet up with a friend to watch the Superbowl. Of course, here, the Superbowl goes from 11pm to well past 3am, so it was a bit of a long night. Also, no commercials, which was very odd. Either way, a great game, though it was a bit sad not having my DC friends around me to partake in some pigs-in-a-blanket. Side note: pigs-in-a-blanket in England are sausages wrapped in bacon; a lovely idea to be sure, but lacking in the amazingness of cocktail sausages cloaked in golden, buttery dough.

Oh well, off for some more reading, that is if I can stay up...

First week done!

2010-01-29T12:44:00.000-08:00

The first week of the new semester went off without a hitch (so far as I can tell). My schedule this year is pretty amazing. Mondays off, Fridays off, and every other Thursday off. All that adds up to travel and lots of on-demand internet TV. Glorious. I also found out that we have a full month off for Easter break. Which is damn generous, if you ask me. Sure, the semester is compressed. But one month off!

I handed in my dissertation concept note yesterday. I settled on something dealing with the intersection of design and sustainability, but beyond that I have about 20 ideas for how that could be carried out. At least I have a professor who's interested in discussing the topic, so I guess that's good. Classes overall are much more practical this semester. I think it will be interesting to see how they unfold. European Environmental Law is going to be my most challenging, but I think most rewarding course. I'm just not a "5 foot" thinker, I tend to be at the "50,000 foot" level, so it will be a good exercise, even if I want to kill myself by the end of it. Updates will follow...

I'm glad to be getting past January and moving on. It's such a slow month, with resolutions and whatnot. I've been better about keeping to my resolutions. So far, I've cut down on sweets and have been working out more and doing more yoga. Though, I'm not sure there's a perceptible difference, yet. We shall see. Maybe I'll become really ripped and start up my modeling career as an underwear model. Ha.

I have to say, it's pretty difficult trying to watch things over here that happen in America with the time difference and all. I was able to catch the iPad announcement, but the State of the Union came on too late for me to stay up and watch the whole thing, so I saw clips and read about it the next day. Probably more efficient anyway. From what I could tell, it seemed to be a fine speech. Though, it was nice that he was more-or-less like, I screwed up, you screwed up, but lets not throw out the baby with the bath water. Everyone seems to be yammering about how they can't see the point of the iPad, but I think the problem is that most of the people talking are computer savvy. They can't understand why someone would want a device that can only surf the net, get e-mail, read e-books, look at photos, and play music. But, I tend to think there are a lot of people for whom that's really their only functional need. By stripping out all the other things that can go wrong (viruses, spyware, etc.) it may be the perfect solution for a lot of people who only have basic computing needs. Time will tell, though.

Last night I went out to a Moroccan buffet with a few friends, then on to the pub for a pint an some snooker. I suck at snooker, I might add. Tonight brings a birthday party with coursemates, which should be a blast. I'm pretty excited. Yes, and I'll post pictures from York soon.

York was lovely; now onto the controversy.

2010-01-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

First of all, York was quite nice. I did take a few pictures (mostly of buildings), and as soon as I can run them through iPhoto, I'll post them up here. But, I have something more personal that I feel like I need to discuss. No, I'm not pregnant. Though, that would be AWESOME. Imagine tiny Stephens running around. Plus all the press coverage.

Since I've started the blog I've, naturally, moderated some content. Some to protect what little dignity remains (though clearly, that has been shredded by pictures on Facebook). And some because, well, I knew it would piss people off. But, I've decided that I need to discuss this topic because it's important to me, and because it is part of my experience here (I know, I know, get on with it). The wall is coming down--I'm posting about politics. Specifically generational politics and the politics of anger. For those of you not interested, close your browser now. For others, read on. But, know that I write this with the greatest trepidation, and for those of you whom I offend, I apologize. There, apologia done.

*****

I've loved the game of politics from an early age, as my parents will surely inform you. Growing up, around the dinner table we had lively debates on all manner of things, from abortion rights to international policy. This parlayed into one-half of my undergraduate degree in the form of a BA in Political Science (the other half was History). With regards to political philosophy, it's a mix between a libertarian ideal, conservative pragmatism, and a liberal view of personal rights.

I have watched the health care debate from both sides of the Atlantic now, and frankly, it's frustrating. Much of what I see are reductionist politics playing into American anger over the state of the economy. We are so stuck in a state of paralysis by the current debate that we fail to be able to step back and understand the complexity real issues at hand. Healthcare is a series of interlocking components that feed into one another. The fact that there are so many uninsured continues to drive up the cost of healthcare daily. Issues like mental illness (e.g. depression) which plague more than a quarter of the population and often play into a feedback loop of physical illness (e.g. obesity) are rarely treated properly due to stigmas and chronic underfunding of treatment, further driving up costs. The system is so overly fragmented between the insurance company paying the hospital, the doctor, and the pharmacist, that rarely does anyone know the true price of any component much less the proper billing code. We have failed ourselves by refusing to take responsibility of the actions that we can control. How many people could significantly reduce their health problems if they were to lose weight and stop eating unhealthy food (again, demonstrating the complexities of poor agricultural priorities)? How much asthma could we prevent in young children if we were to fix emissions standards and reduce air particulates? A free market system ultimately fails in healthcare because it's nearly impossible to put a price on health since it is an immensely personal issue that is extraordinarily difficult to remove from emotion. Just try it. Ask 10 people how much they think a life is worth. And tell them they can't say "priceless." Yes, a market economy should theoretically work this all out, but the problem is the price you might put on your neighbor's health is likely very different than that of your child's. Does it make sense to spend thousands of dollars per-year to extend the life of a 75-year-old man for just one more year? Economics would say no. But, ask me how much I would have been willing to pay to extend the life of my grandparents and the number is incalculable.

It is due to this inherent complexity that I support universal, single-payer healthcare--with a caveat. I truly believe that universal healthcare will help remove complexity in the system on a basic, interface level. But the caveat is this: the universal system should not be an all-you-can eat plan. In my mind, it should provide a base level of care that would be necessary to maintain adequate health for a normal person. But, it should allow for supplementary care above-and-beyond what the base plan offers. Everyone should have access to truly affordable healthcare. No patient should have to die because they couldn't afford basic medical attention and generic drugs. But, patients should also be allowed to purchase supplemental policies that cover chiropractic work, plastic surgery, and gastric lap-band procedures.

Looking at the current social programs in place, this is surprisingly the model that we often use. Social security provides a base level of income for many workers, but should you want to supplement that income, you can invest in an IRA or a 401(k). (Clearly there are issues with the benefit structure due to miscalculated life-expectancies, but let us assume that the fundamental model works). The same actually goes for another little social program: Medicare. You are provided a base level of Medicare for a relatively low fee; however, should you wish to purchase Medigap insurance or additional prescription drug coverage, you are afforded the opportunity to do so. And you know what? Medicare has been successful by many accounts in holding down costs (and by some marks has less waste than traditional insurance providers). Do I think this will solve every problem? Far from it. But, it's a start.

I honestly don't find this potential system that radical, given our current policies, but I can guarantee you that if it were proposed, people would throw a fit about the expansion of government and more government waste. It's not infrequent that I am asked about my positions on healthcare and/or the U.S. government generally. I think in many ways, people can't understand a system in which you wouldn't provide basic care for all citizens. Honestly, I can't either. It's difficult to explain the divide in U.S. politics between liberals and conservatives because I don't necessarily think there always is one. I truly believe the difference is between those who are willing to accept that many of the problems we face are immensely complex and exist at the intersection of emotion, economics, and personal history, and those who would rather reduce problems to slogans and newspeak because they would rather not have to think about it.

The issues of reductionist politics occur on all facets of every issue. Democrats are just as guilty as Republicans in this. People would rather not think about the complexities because in doing so, they have to give recognition to the "other side." It's easier to get angry at your enemy than to understand where they're coming from. We have gotten into a mode that says that because 1/100th of the counterargument is false, suddenly the entire position is false. That's like saying because you get one foul in basketball, you lose the game. These issues are fluid networks of problems and solutions that flex and sway in the winds of academic and social debate. We have entered into a phase wherein we are unwilling to educate ourselves through experts and would rather be told a 30-second sound clip by a blow-dried desk jockey. This is inane. There are multiple angles to be told. I recognize that my position on healthcare has a counterargument. And I am willing to have that debate. But not with someone who is only willing to call me a socialist and reduce my position to a word they saw on a poster.

But I do have hope. I look at the current generations in power and it seems that much of their socio-poltical beliefs are rooted in a distrust of authority and a post-modernist mindset. Boomers and Gen-X were the first generations to feel the effects of divorce on a personal level, through themselves and their parents, respectively. Social institutions that had once been the norm slowly broke apart. Naturally, this engendered a mistrust of authority figures. After all, how could you believe anyone when your spouse, to whom you had promised a life of love, decided that they didn't feel the same. How can you trust an authority figure after you see part of your world destroyed in a parent's divorce. This is not to condemn divorce, as I think people often grow apart. But the difference is that we have social mechanisms through television and mores that help people deal with divorce now. It is no less shocking, but it is now a common experience, which reduces its impact to the collective psyche of the nation. Both generations saw immense socio-political change as presidents (Nixon and Clinton) were publicly discredited. How easy is it to trust authorities, experts, and anyone when the status-quo is evaporating on the front pages?

Similarly, the Boomers grew up at a time when post-modernism was coming into our national consciousness. No longer was there an ultimate purity of truth to be attained, to put it simply, if your worldview was your reality, why would you need to consider others opinions? It was this shift towards post-modernism that served to reinforce this distrust of authority. I think Americans were profoundly affected by these social shifts, in far larger ways than we realize. Much of the anger we are experiencing now is misdirected. I don't really believe that people are upset at Obama. Or the health reform bill. Or taxes. I think what people are upset with is the fact that we're in situations that are complex and difficult and are going to be extremely difficult to solve and work through. And that brings up issues of insecurity and uncertainly, causing people to lash out with anger.

So the hope part. It really does exist. I think it comes through Gen-Y and Gen-Z, but through new concepts of society and interconnectedness. As trite as it may sound, growing up in a fully globalized economy with the internet available at a moment's notice has prepared these generations to accept and appreciate complex issues more than other generations. They grew up with a basic understanding that the products came from all around the world, seeing and interacting with networks on a daily basis, from satellite feeds on CNN to Wikipedia entries on Miley Cyrus. When issues of distrust of reigning authority still persist, the solution is not necessarily to get angry and hurl pathetic barbs, but instead to band together to work around the problem. These generations embrace complexity, as long as it is wrapped in a simple, easy-to-use interface. Witness the technologies created or modified by the current generations. Peer-to-peer file sharing (e.g. Napster or Bittorrent) is perhaps the epitome of network visualization, intended as a workaround to poor distribution models and over-priced content, but achieved through a simple click and download interface. The creation of social networking sites with clean and simple designs (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) as a counter to the disconnectedness of a modern lifestyle. Home-brewed apps that enhance the functionality of existing systems (e.g. the iPhone). Yes, Gen-Y and Gen-Z may demand more on-time access and total connectivity, but the ways in which they create solutions to roadbloacks is a new paradigm that serves to enhance society. The good news is that more and more, the Boomers and Gen-X are utilising this paradigm--albeit in more traditional ways--as a way to work through problems.

The current generation of politics, exemplified by the healthcare debate, is simply a symptom of larger problems in society. But by embracing complexity, and using it as a medium through which we can understand problems and develop new solutions, we have the potential to actually improve our global society. The trick is this complexity must be wrapped in a cloak of simplicity. A paradox, to be sure, but consider the fact that most people don't know and don't care how the internet works, they only care that it works when they open up their simple browser. Universal, single payer healthcare will not remove the complex financial and emotional decisions and networks that underpin a hospital, or the doctor-patient relationship, what it will do is simplify the interface so that people can focus on the things that can benefit their health, rather than worrying about the complexities of getting a bill paid. And the more complexity we remove, the more we can focus on the networks that matter--our personal relationships.

Semester one: done.

2010-01-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

As of Thursday, my first semester is officially over. After studying on and off for the past week, at 9:30 am, I walked in to the Great Hall on campus, sat down with my pen and hammered away at two of the five essay questions printed on the pale pink piece of paper in front of me. The exam was pretty much about how I expected it to be. Obviously, I don't really know how I did yet, but I don't think I completely failed it. I hope. I ended up using most of the time available, so I suppose if nothing else, I have a lot of words.

After the exam, my coursemates and I all went to the Terrace Bar for a celebratory pint (or five). What started out innocently became a mad bar-hop around the city. I'm still recovering, as is my pride. Given last nights events, it seemed like a good idea to sit out tonight and stay home catching up on 30 Rock and Modern Family.

Wednesday I saw "Bright Star" with a friend, and Monday, it was Avatar. I've got to say, while I think Avatar was incredible for the artistic direction and the action sequences. The script was--to use one of my favorite britishisms--pants. Really, I'm not sure there could have been any more holes in the plot if they had written it on mesh screening. But, the great visuals made up for it. I was definitely glad I saw it in 3D. Still a couple of movies I want to see before semester two starts up on Monday, though. Maybe Sherlock Holmes tomorrow night.

Tomorrow a few of us are taking a day trip to York. I've really wanted to see it for a while now, so I'm hoping the weather will hold out and it will be pleasant. But, I promise I'll post pictures from the excursion. If I can remember.

Oh well, time to become friends with my liver again and let it rest for a bit.

Music Monday!

2010-01-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Whilst "studying" for finals I came across a couple of nice new artists. OK, so I like acoustic stuff. Whatever. I'm in that kind of mood.

J. Tillman - http://myspace.com/Jtillman
I honestly can't figure out who J. Tillman sounds like, but it's someone I've heard of before. But, with a pure voice, a bit of a twang, and nice riffs, it's good background/Sunday morning music.

Download a few free tracks here.

Mason Lindahl - http://www.myspace.com/masonlindahlsongs
Parts of his song remind me of Nick Drake and Elliot Smith, but he's not as refined, and his voice is not nearly as pure. Really love the guitar work on "No Man," though, and "Serrated Man Sound" is quite nice. Again, good background music.

Anyway check 'em out.

Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success | Video on TED.com

2010-01-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

This video is brilliant.

Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success | Video on TED.com

Close to done

2010-01-16T06:16:00.000-08:00

Inspiration (or desperation--I can never really tell the difference) hit around 8pm on Thursday. The realisation that I had at least 1500 words left to write, and no citations kicked my mind into focus mode. Sadly, it meant missing out on a house party, but it was worth once my mind actually kicked into focus. Up until 1:30, and then back at it at 8:30am the next day, I finished my final essay around 10:30 and trotted off to school to hand it in. Damn, it felt good.

I can't say it was the most exciting paper I've ever written, but how thrilling can cost-benefit analysis, be anyway. I originally had some awesome ideas for telling the story, but it seemed that a cost-benefit analysis of prostitution probably wouldn't fly with the lecturers. Then again, maybe it would have gotten me a better grade. Oh well.

So, after catching up on Modern Family and 30 Rock, I met a friend for a pint, which ended up turning into going to the international store for a full-on middle eastern dinner, with a little TV on the side. Hummous in a can is scary stuff.

Feeling listless later on in the night, I went to Fruity at the University with a few people. First, Fruity, despite what it would sound like, is not some multi-colored gay bar with skittles vodka shots. Our student union in addition to a traditional-style pub, has a bar and three clubs. For Fruity, they open up the clubs and have a different style of music in each one. Since they're clubs, they naturally all have one-word names--Stylus, Pulse, and Mine. Side note: I'd really love to see a club with a descriptive name sometime, like Jack's Den of Debauchery or STDs Free With Every Shot. Walking in, I felt older than dirt given the overwhelming number of freshers milling about. Luckily, some guy with grey hair missing a few teeth was standing close to me at the bar, at which point I felt better about myself again. Either way, it's still weird to now go to hear 90s music as quasi-retro. 90s music as faux-ironic I get, but the fact that I can remember hearing some of the music on the radio makes the cobwebs start to creep out. Obviously, I'm 26, so it's not as if I'm headed for retirement village anytime soon, but it does put a bit of perspective on the situation. Still, I had a good time, though I don't think I'll be heading back to Fruity any time soon. It was good for a laugh.

Now, off to go gum down some food, watch a history program on BBC and fall asleep at 7pm.

In which I find myself disgusted at the fact that Pat Robertson hasn't been arrested for being dumb

2010-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

After an inauspicious start to my stats experience, I finished my paper on Monday, and turned it in around 6 (I think--I tend to lose track of time). A day early! This, mind you, is not so much reflective of the quality of the writing so much as I really couldn't figure out anything further to say. Seriously, when your results indicate that there's a significant link but, really it's not THAT significant, what are you supposed to do? It's kind of like casually saying someone's your best friend when they're really more of an acquaintance.

The next hours/days were filled with more-or-less doing nothing in an attempt to get motivated to write my Sustainability Assessment paper on cost-benefit analysis versus multi-criteria decision analysis. Riveting stuff. By Tuesday night, I ended up with about 1300 words, and not much else.

I have a terrible time concentrating. I suppose part of it is due to the fact that my mind goes in about 1,000 different directions every second. It doesn't take much--a word, a picture--and suddenly I have to find out what aboriginal peoples of south Gambia knew about paper making in the 14th century. All this is just a giant timesuck. As are the multitudes of flash games available on the Internet. God, I hate flash games. They're far too addictive.

So Wednesday brought the big 24-hour take-home exam. Oddly enough, despite the title, I did most of this in the library. It's about the only place I can concentrate, plus stare awkwardly at people while I contemplate things such as "ecological modernisation" and bias in aggregate index scores. Really, I lead a thrilling existence. A few breaks with some of my coursemates later, I was done and finished by 12:30 last night (this morning?) and I walked home with a little Sam Amidon to keep me cosy. Nothing says "you're finished" like listening to "O Death" on your iPod.

Not being able to concentrate anymore, I rolled into bed, only to find that, of course, I couldn't fall asleep. Hesitating to take melatonin was really a poor decision on my part, and meant that I only got a couple hours of sleep before waking up at 7:30 to get a start on the revision. Which didn't go as planned after my printer crapped out on me. Damn internet inks. While the first essay revision went well, the second, uh, well, let's say the second paragraph's OK, but after that it's a ski-slope of mangled words and awkward phrases. OF COURSE, the internet was slow at school, which meant that after e-mailing the final paper to myself, printing, and trotting off to the dropbox, I only had about 2 minutes to spare.

After a hot chocolate (I'm five years old) and a Pimms (but also of legal drinking age) in celebration, I headed off home to fix myself lunch and settle down for a long winter's nap. Which. Was. Glorious. Apparently others had the same idea, though their's didn't turn out so well. Girl Robin apparently had a nightmare where I said horrible things to her. While this sounds entirely plausible, I'd like to think that when girls dream about me it concerns my incredible love-making skills rather than my ability to call them fat. C'est la vie.

Unfortunately, now, I still have to finish the other essay by the 2pm deadline tomorrow. It'll get done, I'm sure, but until then I'm just going to stew about how idiotic Pat Robertson is for talking about devil pacts, and how entirely comfortable Sarah Palin is in her own bullshit. Incidently, her talking about George Washington at the end reminds me of my favorite history clip of all time.

And the papers go marching along...or, you know, halt

2010-01-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

3:30pm. Still nothing written. I am not a fan of stats. It's just so hard to write about something you don't care about. But, at least I have my questions and variables picked out. And I've run them through SPSS (a statistics program), so at least that's something.

On the upside, I did (lightly) work out this morning (crunches + pushups), which is an achievement, and I did about 10 minutes of yoga. I guess it's gotta start somewhere. Since it's been snowing on and off all day, I have no motivation to leave my room.

On a brighter note, I love my socks. Seriously. I've never been much of a sock man, but these new boot socks I picked up may have changed my life. Comfortable as hell, I basically never want to take them off again. Which could be a problem for anyone near my feet.

Eh, on to the paper, I suppose. Ugh.

Dine on a (GBP) Dime

2010-01-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

The next installment of my student loan doesn't come through for another week, which means time to start pulling a nice round of stretch the budget. The first semester was rather expensive. Not only were there startup costs in furnishing a new place, but still being in the i-make-a-salary mindset for a while meant the money dried up, um, rather fast. That plus traveling, buying clothes here and there, and one too many nights out. Either way, it's going to be tight until the next round of pounds comes along.

In an attempt to stretch the limits of my budget, I turned to those old (cheap) standbys--canned tuna and potatoes. As anyone who's known me for a while knows, potatoes and I don't have an illustrious history. My feelings can be summed up in the song "Yakkey Yak, Don't Come Back." Slowly I've come to endure, even enjoy them. In an attempt to find anything other than plain roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes, I came across this recipe for "Crash hot potatoes."

It was freaking revelatory. It was like a potato latke + smashed potatoes + the top of twice baked potatoes. Anyway, they're dead simple, so I suggest you try. The only thing I did different was cut out the rosemary and added hot sauce. 'Cause I'm caliente.

My experiments with tuna were slightly less revelatory, but nevertheless good. Let's call it a hot tuna salad (which sounds kind of gross thinking about it). Either way, you can't go wrong with sauteed garlic, red onion, canned tuna, and spinach. Or you can, but I didn't. 'Cause I'm caliente.

And cooking post, complete.

Back to School

2010-01-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

I got back into Leeds last afternoon after a very full (24-hour) day of travel. My last day in DC, I saw Precious, which left me both keenly aware of my privileged and simultaneously depressed. So, I did what any self-respecting white, middle-class pseud-hipster of my age would do...I got a latte and listened to podcasts at an independent cafe. Continuing on a theme, I met a friend for dinner at Rice where we consumed a variety of thai-inspired dishes. After that, it was on to Whole Foods to pick up a bottle of wine to share with a couple friends, recently back from the wedding I attended in New York.

Wow, reading that I sound like a total yuppie. I swear, it's not as bad as it seems (or maybe it is).

After a few hours of restless sleep, I caught a ride to the BoltBus pickup point (nee abandonded parking lot) for a four hour trip to New York. Thankfully, I was able to get a seat with a power outlet and the wifi worked.

Jesus, I'm really digging my way into yuppie hell, aren't I?

Anyway, I met my sister for a quick lunch and then it was on to Newark International (god help me) to fly back to Manchester, via Brussels. I sat between two aging boomers who compared sleeping pills and bitched to the stewardess about not having a pillow. In theory, I would have given her mine, since I never use them, but I resented her for the inane conversation and her stupid, look-how-arty-and-independent-I-am brown felt clogs and flowing clothes. Unsurprisingly, she had moved to Bennington, VT recently. Shocker.

My mild annoyance was quelled by the exceedingly large glass of scotch the flight attendant poured me. I'm not sure if it's standard or not, but it was about a wine-glass full. Needless to say, water post-drink was appreciated. Vegetable curry was on the menu, since they were out of the meat dish, but it was tolerable (the scotch may have helped). The flight was uneventful, save for a spate of turbulence, and I was able to finally watch Inglorious Bastards.

After a quick layover in Brussels (where there are a shockingly high percentage of hassidic jews), I flew into Manchester International, eyes closed and mouth agape the entire way there. So far, only a 30 minute delay the entire trip. But then there was...the snow. I didn't realise that much of Northern England reacts to snow in much the same way DC does. Had I been coming a day earlier, the entire airport was shut down. Personally, it didn't seem like that much, but I am not an air traffic controller, so perhaps it was the equivalent of a blizzard. After deboarding and checking the balance in my UK account (ugh), I bought my ticket for the trip into Leeds. Despite the warning from the station agent, the trip was quick and without many delays. Into a cab and onward home, I quickly stocked up on a few essentials (pizza, yogurt, and veggies), and crashed.

More or less, my entire day was spent mindlessly looking at my computer screen. Something I am extremely good at. Sadly, today was much the same story. After falling asleep at 9pm last night, I woke up at 9am today (after a bit of melatonin-fueled sleep) raring to go. It would seem I'm not terribly adept at statistics, and much of my go-get-em attitude was quickly subsumed by a what-the-hell-is-this-sign-or-is-that-a-number feeling. A brief study group today helped clear up a couple of things, but I still have nothing more than a title on the page. I did manage to download a trial of SPSS. So I guess that's something, right? RIGHT? Maybe I'll pick out some sexy variables upon which to perform calculations that, no doubt, a fresher could do far better than me.

And so it goes.

Food, Movies, and Cocktails

2010-01-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I leave for New York on a bus, only to grab a quick bit with my sister in Penn Station (classy) and then hop a train to Newark for my flight back to Leeds. I can tell you, I'm not going to be in a fantastic mood when I get home. Especially now that I just realised that I'm flying back to Manchester instead of Leeds, which means an extra hour on the train. UGH.

But, on a lighter note, I had a great day yesterday. I had lunch with an friend downtown, then saw a movie and grabbed dinner with another friend then went to a new cocktail bar with a few others. All-in-all, a great day. Today I've got dinner with an old friend at one of my favourite thai restaurants in DC, Rice, and I'm off to see Precious in a couple hours, which I've heard was really fantastic, if depressing. Not sure what tonight holds, but it might be a trip to Red Derby, my old local bar, or maybe to another movie (Sherlock Holmes or Avatar?) with friends.

Twenty Ten

2010-01-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

Listening to NPR, I rang in the New Year with friends in Vermont after a great meal and a few fireworks. Earlier that day, I did something that I've wanted to do for years--ski. While I had been to Stratton, VT previously, for one reason or another we had never skied, but this was my year. After a few lessons from Chrissy, I was pie wedging my way down the learning hills, eventually skiing all the way down the mountain (on the easy route, of course). I have to say it's one of the most fun things I've done in a while. Not only was it completely exhilarating, but there's such a feeling of solitude when you're out there, curving and carving down a mountain drenched in sound-swallowing snow. It shall happen again...once I have the money. Though it happened on the 31st day of the year, it was one more tick against my goals for myself from 2009.

Overall, I've hit a lot of them, learning how to rock climb, boulder and ski, doing more kayaking/rafting and yoga (though that's fallen off recently), getting my MacBook and taking more picture, etc. 2009 was a year of big changes. I left my job, friends, and the life I had built over the prior 8 years and moved across the ocean to England to begin my masters. It hasn't always been easy, and there's been a lot of emotional upheaval at times, but I'm enjoying my course and I've met some wonderful friends.

It's hard to say what 2010 will hold. I find myself faced with the prospect of finishing a masters and finding a job, not knowing what kind of job that will be and where it will take me. But that's OK. One of my goals this year is to try and make sure that I don't discount my own happiness in the pursuit of what I think that I should be doing (more on this in a future post).

While 2009 was a year of revolution, I'm hoping 2010 will bring evolution (along with some inevitable revolution, I suppose). I want to get better at the things I enjoy, and remove the elements that drag me down. Tangibly, I'd like to get better at climbing, get back into semi-regular yoga, and concentrate on doing more, and better writing.

But it's not all something I can just attend a class for, or practice at. Part of my goals are to get better at the intangibles--strengthening friendships and making an effort at having an adult relationship. Unfortunately, these are harder to achieve. I don't yet really have an action plan or know what needs to be fixed, but I guarantee you there are many things. So I'll seek help where available and reflect when necessary. Part of the reason why I haven't blogged as much as I'd like to is that I've got a few really serious posts that are swirling around in my head, and I'm not sure how comfortable I am yet with putting it out there for anyone to read. But, taking inspiration from Paige, I think it's time to lay it on the table and fess up to my emotions, thoughts, and the power of an open forum.

So that's where I am right now in 2010. A bit confused, with no tangible goals, but more experience and a readiness to face things I haven't wanted to over the past 26 years. As 27 creeps up in June, and the completion of my masters presents itself in September, it's time to cast off the bad and embrace the good. Happy twenty ten.

Clothes

2009-12-28T18:30:00.001-08:00

I intended to be streamlined. One suitcase. FAIL. I forgot that I left half of Macy's in my closet at home. Good lord I have a lot of clothes. Many of which I don't wear. But it's hard to give a lot of it away. Because there's always that "well, I really like it" or "someday, once I have a job again." In reality, I just need to get rid of it. It's doing no one any good sitting in my closet here. I think the trouble is that I feel like I spent all this time amassing it, and to just give it away makes me feel like I'm just going to have to start all over again. Pain. In. The. Ass.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

Though they're spread through several continents at this point, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. I miss and love you all.

Kansas City, Here I Am

2009-12-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's been too long since my last post. Spare me. I've been busy with school. And friends. And playing Farmville on Facebook (thank god that addiction is over). But here I am, back in Kansas City, town of my birth.

Officially, I'm not done with the semester. While classes have ended, I still have two papers and two exams to complete prior to starting up again. I haven't even begun to think about completing those papers yet. Oh well, after Christmas.

Really, the last month and a half has been like the other months, full of work, writing, reading, and--yes--partying*. A few of the Americans (along with a couple of Brits and a Canadian) hosted a wonderful thanksgiving meal. Turkey and all. My responsibility was the cranberry sauce. Unfortunately, the supermarkets I went to were out of whole cranberries, so I had to buy the jarred stuff (no cans here, my friends!). I may have overbought a bit. With more-or-less a liter and a half of the stuff. Lets just say there's been a lot of straw-cranberry yogurt for the last few weeks. Being the night before a presentation, naturally I stayed up far too late, and was completely knackered by the time the presentation rolled around. Our group,instead of a traditional powerpoint decided to do it in talk-show format, with yours truly in the role of Oprah. It went off like a charm. Lots of fun.

Other than birthdays for friends, a few late nights, and a great Christmas meal, it's been lots of paper writing and reading. Though I've learned a lot this semester, theory-wise, I'm really to dive into more practical application next semester. Lets just hope the professors pull through.

So on the 14th, after a long night at one of my mates' house, I left for the states on a plane where the in-flight entertainment was malfunctioning. And boy, did the family next to me let the stewardess know about it. They got free Bloody Marys, I got a headache. Even trade, I suppose as I don't really like tomato juice. But, I was back in KC for a day and a half, then I left to see my friends in Chicago for a few. They held a rousing Christmas Cocktail party, replete myself taking off my trousers in the middle of the party (all in good fun, not drunken). So back to KC on the 20th for my parents' Channukah party, helping to paint the family room with my dad, and then Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow (yes, we celebrate both). On the 29th I'll head off to Vermont to spend New Years with friends and then down to NYC on the 1st to a wedding. Then to DC, then back to NYC to fly out. It's going to be fast and furious, but fun. But, I'm still looking forward to come back to Leeds and my friends there (though not to the mountain of work).

Hopefully in the next few days I'll get around to getting hoodies for my course (I'm slow on these things...sorry), and setting up my website--stephenanemeth.com. I've decided to take a new approach to blogging, and begin blogging again about whatever I feel like. Because, frankly, there isn't enough specifically about Leeds to excite me. So, I'll probably switch back to my other blog (thricetoldtales.blogspot.com) in the coming weeks. Or, you can go to the website once it's up and running.

Until then...MERRY CHRISTMAS, etc.

*I really hate that gerund. It's so non descriptive, since rarely am I actually going to a specific party. But, I often find myself doing the things that one does at a party when I go out (booze, dancing, saying inappropriate things, retracting inappropriate phrases, etc.) so I suppose it will have to suffice here for the sake of succinctness.

Friday Night Plights

2009-11-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

This week (6, if you're counting) began the start of my "reading week." Trust me, it's in quotes for a reason. The idea is that you can catch up on all the reading you've been slacking on over the past few weeks, and work on the hundreds of papers and group projects that will be due in the subsequent ones. Clearly they didn't consult me when coming up with this brilliant idea.

After long nights last Friday and Saturday, Sunday promised to be a day of reflection (ha!) and reading. Not so much. Turns out my body likes this thing called "sleep" and focusing on anything longer than a blog post turned out to be a complete hassle. I did, however, manage to write about 4 paragraphs for a group project, though. That roughly works out to 1 paragraph for every 4 hours I was awake. I'm a rock star.

Between the responsibilities of group projects, plus my unenviable ability to distract myself with shiny things, reading week has turned more into research week. I mean, I guess I cursorly read a few dozen articles, but did any of it stick? Guess.

Aside from the group meetings, the big project this week was writing a 2,500 word essay on the extent to which "the business case" can promote sustainable business practice. Let me tell you: the ideas I had...and then realized were dumb. Sure I can tell you why a business case is good. I can tell you how it should be used, but that question "to what extent" has tripped me up for most of my academic career. Give me a "how?" and I'm solid. "why?" even better. But "to what extent" causes me to inevitably throw up my hands and say "it just does, OKAY!?!?" Not an effective argument in a paper, apparently. So here I sit on Friday night, paper started, but without any direction. Yep, I've got sources. Yep, I've got points, but I cant seem to make them all go together. Unfortunately, my penchant for extended metaphor keeps getting in the way, and I end up with a bunch of really good points but no academic support. This kind of writing, it appears, is not my forte (pronounced FORT...get it right).

Speaking of my inability to write, I got back my first essay. And I did, well, alright. Mediocre really. I figured it wasn't going to be stellar (1500 words on "What is sustainable development?" Really?) but I assumed that the feedback would be good and give me areas to improve upon. I was wrong. Much of the commentary was contradictory and the parts that could have been good advice were so vague I really don't have any takeaways other than I need to define things better (note to professor: so do you). I'm actually not as upset with the grade as I am with the fact that I have no idea what to do with the comments. Hopefully talking them through will give me more insight, but I doubt it. When I talked to him today he seemed just as confused by them as I was. Good signs.

On the upside, I'm going climbing this weekend, so it should be a nice getaway from my seemingly endless ability to dwell on arbitrary judgments.

Also of note, though semi-unrelated, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do when I graduate. For a while I was thinking of maybe exploring a PhD. Then maybe a consultant (again). I think what I really want to do is talk a lot (shocking) and think, plus play around on the internet a lot. So I'm thinking now that the way forward may be something in publishing field. I'm not a stellar writer, and I have no portfolio to speak of so this task may be a bit more difficult than I want it to be, but right now, I'm thinking that maybe something in the vein of an online magazine/blog/site about sustainability could be a good career move. We shall see though. All I know is I have to do something more creative than making PowerPoints and work-plans all day. Thirty more years of that, and I'll end up a depressed, philandering alcoholic whose sole respite is the occasional phone call from a long-lost friend. Anyway, happy weekend!

All Hallows' Eve-Eve

2009-10-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

On this Mischief Night (Devil's Night for your Michiganders), I find it necessary to reflect on Halloweens of yore, and my weird traditions/memories.

Over here, Halloween is primarily a childrens' holiday, sure some people dress up, but since fancy dress (costumes) are a common occurrence on any night of the week (I kid you not), I suppose it doesn't hold the same special place in the hearts of the English, though apparently it's a bigger holiday in Scotland and Ireland. MASSIVE fail England. Massive fail. Clearly, Halloween is one of the best nights of the year.

Despite the fact that in America, for women, it has largely become a chance to experiment with various careers (Slutty Nurse, Slutty Librarian, Slutty Sanitation Worker, etc.), it does remain one of the few times when you can express your creativity in a real and meaningful way. I love the unexpected costumes that people come up with. Case in point, my sister went as a towel rack (two towels attached to a bra). Yet others have gone as "The Fall of Man" by Magritte. Absolutely brilliant.

I tend to have wonderful ideas...in May. Sadly, despite my efforts to remember these, I inevitably fail. I was considering going as Max from "Where the Wild Things Are." Unfortunately, my onezee didn't come in time (oh, don't worry, it's still on the way). Plus I was facebook-threatened if I went as that. So I didn't. Instead I'm going as Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. For those of you who haven't seen the incredible movie that is American Psycho, behold (I can't embed): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzN3qO-qc8U

I'm excited. I even printed the business cards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoIvd3zzu4Y

I suppose it reflects something in me that I'm a little OCD about the details. OK, so the font isn't Cillian Rail, but I did manage to get something similar. Also, I found the Four! album cover and have my CD printed and ready to go. So it's not the most creative, but it works given my limited resources.

Last year, I was a banana split, the year before, a hipster, other years I've been sports themes, usually due to a lack of forethought. But, I always get really excited about Halloween. By far, my best costume ever was a man in the shower, done when I was in elementary school (Briarwood Bulldogs!!!). My mom, dad, and I built a shower curtain around me that I could wear, with a shower head and cascades of glittering blue foil in the place of water. It was quite the costume. I may just repurpose it again if I get the chance.

Halloween in elementary school was always something special. The day would start out with the music teacher coming on over the school's PA system and playing a recording of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Then, the day's announcements would be read in a commensurately scary tone. After that it was onto the classroom Halloween party, provided by the PTA mothers. Pumpkin cookies (natch), apple cider with dry ice, and likely a game of bobbing for apples or some such activity would take place. When we had library on said day, we knew we were in for a treat. Though we had some pretty sweet (for the time) technology, like Laserdiscs, the scarier movies were always played on that little tape/filmstrip combo. Essentially it was a film projector where you would play a tape of someone reading the story, and at the "ding" you would advance the frame. It was AMAZING. Trust me. Anyway, it was usually something like something about a haunted house or, my favorite, Saint-Saen's Danse Macabre, with oil paintings to accompany the music. A must-see for any 10 year-old. The younger grades would have a costume parade, full of pride in their various costumes of dragons, witches, ghosts, TV sets, and M&Ms. It was always one of the best days of the year.

At some point Halloween became less about the day and more about the night, with the obligatory parties, jungle juice, and flip cup tournaments. Though it's changed in the way it's celebrated, I still get giddy on the day before, hunting around for that perfect accessory. The one that makes the whole costume. I can't wait to see the creativity on display tonight.

Even though it's the night before, since the party is tonight, Happy Halloween. Shortly, I'm off to an old gothic house to celebrate with my coursemates and friends here. To my DC/Chicago/NYC/KC people, wish I could be there with you all. I'll be sure to raise a glass tonight. On to show these Brits how it's done!

And Kristen, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Pictures!

2009-10-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally managed to get a few pictures of my flat and of the campus. It's not much but I'll try and get more in the next few weeks. To take you on a tour from campus back to my flat, I present...

Our student services center

One of the older buildings on campus, which forms the Clothworker's Court

The park I walk across (Hyde Park)

The street where I live

View of flat from the outside.

My kitchen

My Room (some things never change)

Classes are beginning to get a bit more interesting. Although Research Methods continues to be a snoozer, we do have a few essays in the next few weeks, so I suppose I need to start getting prepped for that. Unfortunately, I tend to write best under pressure, so I fear what the days before the essays are due will bring. On the upside, my shipment of wine from the Naked Wines should be coming soon. 6 bottles of (hopefully) decent wine at £6 each. Sounded like a deal to me. And a coping mechanism for the coming weeks.

Next week is reading week meaning no classes and a chance to catch up on all the readings we haven't been doing. In reality I'm sure I'll spend a few days reading/writing, but I'm hoping to take a day trip somewhere. Maybe to York or Durham if the weather holds.

The weather has turned fully into fall. It's started to get a bit grey and rainy, but the leaves are changing, so it presents nice contrast, at least. Plus, it's a good excuse to eat heavier foods (storing my fat for winter).

Speaking of fat, while I've been running on a (semi) regular basis, I have yet to actually go to the school gym. This is primarily because it's terrible. Seriously, it looks like the weight room in our high school. I'm glad they're building a new one, but for now, it's still daunting to have to go, sign in, and work out on one of the 20 treadmills they have--shared between 30,000 students. Maybe I'll go tomorrow. Then again, maybe I'll just eat. I'm much better at it.

Friday I finally made it to the theater downtown to go and see The Fantastic Mr. Fox with a friend. It was comforting to know that the overcharging of concessions has made it to England. 1 student ticket, a small popcorn--which could have fed a small village--and a "small" coke (same story) set me back £12. That's about $20 for those of you counting. I think I'll skip the food next time.

I didn't mention it in my previous post, but the place where I saw The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is one of the only gas-lit movie theaters left in the UK. It's pretty cool. A balcony, non-stadium seating, a lack of cupholders, and the soft flicker of gas-light (seriously) during the film give the whole experience a very pre-WW1 feel. I think I'll be attending there more often.

In other news, my upstairs neighbor continues to blast his subwoofer right above my head. As I'm writing this. Ugh. Sadly, I don't think reasoning with him is going to do much. So I'll just use my tried and true technique of banging on the ceiling. Fortunately, he has really good taste in music. Unfortunately, I don't want to listen to the bassline of the new(ish) Animal Collective CD five times in a row.

I did just find out that William Fitzsimmons is coming to Manchester on November 13th so I may try and go see that if I can recruit anyone to go.

Also, I have my debit card! Finally. But I got locked out with my PIN number, so I can only buy things online until my replacement PIN comes.

The subwoofer is getting to me now. Time to go punch some holes in my ceiling. You think I could just leave headphones at his doorstep? Also of note. He sounds like a bleating sheep when singing. Just sayin'.

On Food

2009-10-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

To be honest, the food here has not taken much getting used to. There are certainly more meat pies and their variations (pasties, etc.), but aside from a few things, I'm able to get most of what I need/want. I can't say much about the restaurant scene, as I've only been to two or three thus far, but the curries are AMAZING and generally, the quality of prepackaged foods are years ahead of what we have in the U.S. Also, food is far less expensive.

I'm not going to get into a rant about food politics, though I certainly could, but needless to say, it is far more likely that someone of limited means could buy a healthy meal here than in the U.S. What's interesting is that looking at people and the kinds of food they have in their carts, even though healthier options are cheaper, people still load up on the processed carbs in the form of sausage rolls, bakewell tarts, and mince pies. This is making me somewhat reconsider my stance on food politics in America. Although I wish that the fruits and veg were cheaper at my local Whole Foods or Safeway in the States, there is a very large cultural barrier that may never be broken down when it comes to getting people to eat healthy. Simply put, tradition often rules out over logic. I truly think the only way that food policies could get people to eat healthier would be to tax the hell out of the foods with higher calorie/fat ratios, to discourage people from eating them. This is not something that will likely happen anytime soon, though. Nor should it. In spite of what the hall monitor in me wants.

What is nice though is that I don't have to worry about high fructose corn syrup when I go to the store, since it's banned here. So many food companies have complained that they would have to reformulate all their brands and food prices will go up, etc. Given what I've seen, this doesn't seem to be the case, since most of those foods are produced globally. Honestly there's not THAT much difference in taste between an Oreo here and one in the States, I don't think most people would be able to tell the difference unless they were looking for it.

I know I said no food politics. I lied.

Anyway, I'm a big fan of the Indian food over here. It outranks the U.S. stuff by a mile. But given Britain's colonial dealings with India, I suppose it should. The pizza here is by-and-large pretty weak. I have yet to find a proper stonebaked pizza with the charred crust. I'm still feeling around for a decent sushi place. Unfortunately the "New York Maki Rolls" (whatever THAT is) at the sushi place on campus are pretty crap, though the fish itself isn't too bad. I haven't tried it here yet, but from what I hear, Mexican is pretty much a lost cause. And barbeque? Ha. I was pleasantly surprised by a nice Italian place only a few (30) minutes walk from me. I'll probably be spending more money than I should there.

Burgers, despite their ubiquity here, are generally pretty average. I'm not sure what the British definition of burger is, but in the states, it's generally meat, salt, pepper, and maybe a bit of garlic salt/onion powder. Apparently it's common to put in things like breadcrumbs, egg, and onion. To me, this is a meatball, but to each their own, I suppose. I did make a proper burger tonight, with Shake Shack sauce (nb: the sauce recipe is amazing, I highly recommend you try it), which was exciting. It was probably 90% of what I was expecting, though the meat was a bit different, and I can't find a Kosher dill here to save my life.

Also, I miss delis. I'm really considering opening up a (sustainable) kosher deli with decent pastrami here. Max's doesn't look to promising from what I can tell online. I have yet to head to Myers to see if I can procure some pastrami, but I'll probably head over there soon and bring back a proper deli sandwich for my coursemates. Hopefully they'll have kichel, my all time favourite jewish food (aside from mandel bread).

Either way, I'm slowly readjusting to my D.C. routine of cooking decent food. But it's hard with limited pots, pans, and cookware. I make do, though. At least I can find most of the same food.

So far, so good on the food front. I'm going to keep my eye out for decent mexican and sushi. I'm sure there's a proper pizza place SOMEWHERE. I continue to add to my list of British foods I don't (and probably will never) understand, like Salad Creme and various fermented yeast products. But, the pasties are amazing, the water is potable, and the veg is fresh.

One Month, One Post

2009-10-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

It's been almost one month since my last post, but upon reading Paige's blog(ue), i am determined to write at least something to my slowly dwindling followers. Over the past month, I have certainly had the intention to write several times, yet friends, reading, or the overwhelming sense of there being too much to say has delayed me to this point. No more. Now, since we last left our hero...

Overall the move-in was rather painless. Aside from the unpleasant surprise of not having any plates/cups/cookware, things went rather smoothly. All I have to say is thank god for Wilkinson. It's more or less a midget Target, though without the good design. Luckily, glasses, cups, and plates can all be had for less than £1 per piece, so despite overspending on bedding, some comfort could be drawn from the 4 for £1 drinkware.

The first night, there was a "Pub Etiquette" social through the international office. Some lesson. More or less they said "don't push to the front of the bar, and order ale or lager." Gee, thanks for the tips. But despite the remedial lesson in alcohol consumption, I did manage to meet some new faces. Naturally, any time I heard an American accent, my ears perked and I introduced myself. Mind you, it's not as if I only talked to the Americans, but there's some commonality there, and many of them were grad students, so it was nice to find people my age, since many of the students at the pub were deceptively young. I ended up chatting with a few people, and we decided to head off to another bar--DryDock--which is, I kid you not, a ship on the side of the road. Too many pints later, I headed home with new friends in my phone and a sore liver.

International orientation continued throughout the week, with various seminars and meetups; some of which I attended, many of which I didn't. I think the week is primarily geared for people not from english-speaking countries, so much of the time was spent comisserating with my new friends. By the end of the week, I was registered, had done a tour of the city, and had a cadre of new friends, which inevitably led to many nights out at the pub/clubs. Typical freshman stuff. But all of it fun.

My flatmates had more or less all moved in (save for one) by the end of the first week, so we had the obligatory flatmate bonding over movies, food, and pints. All in all, I really enjoy my flatmates. All of us are quite different, but we all add perspective to the mix. Our final flatmate moved in the day before school began on the 28th. So five of us total, four of which are postgrads, three of which are from England, two of which are international, and one of which is a woman. Quite the diverse flat. We're like the UN, but with better style.

Classes started on the 28th (I think), after a day-long orientation to our program, a short group activity, and a trip out to Hebdon Bridge to see an old mill which was converted into a sustainable tourist attraction. It was nice to get back out into the countryside for a short hike, and getting to know my coursemates better was certainly beneficial, though, remembering names was not exactly the easiest thing. Thank God for facebook.

There are maybe 80 of us on the programme overall, but we're all in various sections, each varying in size. My section, Business Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility, has 12 people in it, many of us international. It's quite nice, too, that many people have worked for a bit, so I'm not the oldest person in my class (though I'm certainly in the running for that title).

Classes, thus far, have been rather uneventful. Most of us in the overall programe have about 60% of our classes together, so it's been nice to form a community. Since many, if not all of us, have the same Introduction to Sustainablility class, it was good to have others to commiserate with during our first essay: "What is Sustainable Development?." Now please, answer that in 1000 to 1500 words, using academic references. Ugh, what a disaster. Either way, I'm really enjoying the time with my coursemates. We all went out for a night after the essay was turned in (evidence of which has been appearing on Facebook). It's been nice to have a community within my course whom I can hang out with, as well as those outside of my course.

Other things I've done: went to see "Caucasian Chalk Circle" with a friend of a friend (who's now simply a friend), did several nights out, went to a proper Italian dinner, meet up with a friend from high school, saw a documentary at school, and, oh yes, rock climbed.

That's right. I'm a climber now. I have the shoes to prove it. And the chalk bag. So far I've only been on a few trips with the Mountaineering club, but it's been great fun. I like a lot of the people in the club, and though I'm quite terrible at the actual climbing, they're all very helpful to a novice such as myself. I'm sure pictures will follow at some point. Just this past weekend, we went to Northumberland for a weekend trip to climb a few crags. Though I fell off more often that I'd like to, I'm slowly getting a hang of the technique, and soon, I should be able to lead...something. We'll see.

Obviously, that's not the most comprehensive overview of all that's happened, but it'll have to do for now. More on life here later. Not much later hopefully.

Oh, and I saw The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus tonight with a few friends. Interesting movie, though more for the art direction than the actual acting. Still, I liked it. But I have weird taste in movies, so take that for what it's worth.

Moving In

2009-09-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

So, after the zoo, gardens, drinking, and kittens (not in that order), I finally made my way to Leeds on Tuesday. Thankfully the ride back was much easier. Tons of space on the train for myself and my bags, and no delays. Delightful, really. I made it into the train station, dropped off my bags at the left luggage, and walked up to my leasing office to get my keys to the flat.

When I arrived, after a little confusion, I had keys in hand. Since I didn't have my bank card yet, because they forgot to copy my passport visa, I had to go to the bank and get a bankers draft. Fortunately, Danny, the chap who helped me the first time was there to scan in my visa and helped me get a bankers draft for no charge. Shockingly, the teller had a really good sense of humour, which made the whole experience--dare I say it?--enjoyable. With bankers draft in hand, I went back, paid my deposit, and gave them checks for the entire year. I guess they just cash it on the first of the month. Which actually seems to be a far more efficient way to do it. There was a weird thing with getting the keys. Something about them being unsure which keys were the right ones, so one of the guys from the office drove me to the flat to make sure I could get in and out. Nice man, and it was good to actually know where I was going. My first impression of the flat was that it was nice and clean, a bit like a small dorm. We have built-ins, so it kind of reminded me of the dorms at American. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a bit different from what I was expecting.

On the way back down to collect my luggage, I was hoping to stop in the Primark to get some cheap sheets. Unfortunately, while I saw the bags, I couldn't find the store. And, stupidly, didn't think to ask anyone. So, I went to British Home Store (BHS) to go get some sheets £125 later, I was ready to make my bed. So I overpaid. Egh, it was bound to happen. I grabbed a cab and took my bags and sheets, pillows, etc., back to the flat. My flatmate, Chris moved in, but didn't end up staying the night due to some mix up with the office. All in all, after my delicious (yeah) sandwich from the Sainsbury's up the road, I did a little exploring of the neighborhood. There's a mosque right near me, as long as a few grocery stores. The pubs mostly seem to be on the side streets, but there's a great park right next to my flat, and I'm only 10 minutes away from the uni! Score.

There's more to update, replete with descriptions of the flatmates, new friends, and all the fun that is international orientation. But that'll have to come later. Until then, cheerio!

March of the Tourists

2009-09-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, the zoo. Well, one day (I forget which one now), I decided to go explore the Edinburgh Zoo. It's a nice little city zoo, and I'm sure had I been there on a day it was sunny it would have been lovely. Unfortunately, not many of the animals were out that day, and it was overcast, so the effect of animals behind bars was a little bit depressing. The zoo has the largest penguin enclosure in the world. And the penguins didn't really seem to mind the weather, so they were out in full force.

And what would a visit to the zoo be without the zebras and sea lions?

I really got a kick out of this sign, since, I'm pretty sure you would never see a publicly funded zoo acknowledging the human-monkey evolutionary link. Or maybe you would, but either way, I like the sexy stares the monkeys are giving each other.

So many updates, so little internet...

2009-09-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

So, I clearly haven't kept up on the blogging recently. It's not for lack of want, but more for lack of internet in my flat. Unfortunately, no one has their internet unlocked in our flat, so naturally, I have to haul to uni to get online. So here I am, and here you are. Lucky you. Annnnway...

First order of business. Chrissy and Jamie got a kitten named Quincy (not Dave or Ichabod as were also discussed). Evidence of said kitten is below. It is quite cute and cuddly, despite my general aversion to these sorts of things (kittens aren't terribly rational creatures; I'm more of a dog man).

So aside from getting the kitten, we ended up going to the Royal Botanical Gardens, as well. It's an absolutely gorgeous place, full of flowers (natch) and other fun green things. I particularly enjoyed the glass houses (greenhouses). Not only was it very cool to be able to go through 10 different exhibits, but the smells were incredible. Some had this incredible, heady, flowery aroma, while others mad a very earthy, green scent that reminded me of walking through the perfume area in Macys. I highly recommend the visit should you go to Edinburgh. I'm going to post all the pics on Flickr eventually, but for now, here are a couple to satisfy your yen.

Well, this post is getting quite long, so I'll save the zoo for another post...

The Pentlands

2009-09-12T07:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday (Friday), we went to the Pentland Hills, right outside of Edinburgh. After a bit of a bus ride, and a short walk on the road, we entered the park and hiked in and around the reservoir and along some really beautiful countryside. I’m easily impressed by large fields of golden wheat contrasted against a brilliant sky; so naturally, I took about 500 pictures of the same thing.

We took lunch in a little garden area next to a ranger station. It was a gorgeous day out, so the weather was perfect for dining al fresco.

After lunch, walked a bit more, making our way to Black Hill (named for obvious reasons), eventually making our way through muddy roads and over to the bus stop.

After a rousing debate over the state of health care in the U.S., we encountered a very, um, happy gentleman who proceeded to tell us about his house for sale and how much he hated Cleveland, Ohio (we had to agree). Soon the bus came, and we were on our way back into town.Once back in town at the University, we met up with a couple of Chrissy's mates at the pub, had some nice coversation, and played a game of darts. I started out strong, with a bullseye on my first round, but sadly, it was all downhill from there. Highlight--or lowlight--of the pub was trying Bacon Fries and Prawn Fries. Kind of disgusting, but eh, that's what you get for pre-packaged pub food. Back to the flat for some late night kebab and pizza, and then we settled down for an episode or two of Stargate SG-1, which is one of those terrible, but great shows. A show where 95% of the aliens speak English? Great. And terrible.

I'm getting ready to move into my own flat on Tuesday. Hopefully all will go swimmingly.

Going to Edinburgh

2009-09-12T07:49:00.001-07:00

On Friday, September 4, I set off for Edinburgh to visit Chrissy and her fiancé, Jamie. I traveled to Edinburgh last year to visit them, and met up with my sister while there, so I had done a lot of the touristy things (Camera Obscura, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, etc.). They just moved into a new flat in Portobello, right near the Firth of Forth (the sea, more or less). This explains the lack of internet, and consequently, the lack of posts for the last week or so. The train trip was a short hop to York, then a change for the train to Edinburgh. Much of the track that I was supposed to be riding on had been flooded the prior day, so I was naturally a bit worried about significant delays, but it had all been taken care of before I had to board my train, thankfully. The train to York was only about an hour, but it had been delayed by about 30 minutes (which meant there was no way I would make my connection), and we were constrained to the first three cars of the train. While this wouldn’t have been a huge deal had I had an overnight bag, with two large suitcases, it meant I basically had to stand for most of the trip. Not a huge deal, though, just a little annoying. After finding a new train from York to Edinburgh I was on my way, only about 20 minutes behind schedule. Luckily, there was room for my luggage, and seats on this train, so I was able to dive into my book The Botany of Desire (sounds sexy, but it’s just pop-science).

The trip was relatively uneventful, save for some slow going over a bit of high water, and I arrived in the station to find Chrissy and Jamie waiting for me. We took a cab back to their flat and promptly set about catching up, drinking wine, and eating a home-cooked meal. They have a guest room/office in their new flat, so I was able to crash in my own room. Bonus. Oh, I should mention that after I set my things down, we went to go look at a new kitten they are getting. While the kitten was supposed to be picked up on the 25th, it’s mother died, so we’re getting the cat today! Bring on the Zyrtec!

During the day, on Saturday, we went to look for new furniture for their apartment and did a bit of shopping. Sunday, we went to the IKEA to do some major furniture shopping. God, I love IKEA. I never fail to get excited and overwhelmed, no matter how often I go there. That night, we went and watched fireworks from a room at the University. The fireworks capped off the Edinburgh International Festival, which unfortunately, I just missed, but the fireworks were set to music, which was pretty cool. Afterwards, we went to a pub and met up with some of her friends from the linguistics program, whereupon I had the game of cricket explained to me. None of it still makes sense, but at least I have an introduction.

Chrissy and I went into the city center on Monday to go to the bank and deposit my wad of cash, do some milling about, and have a bit of a late lunch. We finally got to some Internet when we went over to the university, which was like being hooked up to an IV drip. Much of the time we’ve just been hanging out, which has been a really nice vacation. Since I now have a bank account, and everything seems to be going along with my housing (we’ll see on Tuesday), I’m much more relaxed now than I was before I left.

Money, Money, Money

2009-09-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

And I’m back. Catch up time, I suppose. The day before I left Leeds, I secured a phone and went in to Barclays to set up a bank account. Unfortunately, because I’m an international student, I had to make an appointment, and also get a “bank letter” from the school, which turned out to just be a visa letter I already had. So I went in last Friday for my appointment and with very little difficulty was able to set up a bank account. The only downside is that I have to fund it with £1000. I was planning on setting it up with my money from the loans, once they were distributed, but due to timing, the money ended up coming out of my U.S. account…in £300 chunks. I assumed this wouldn’t be a big problem, I figured I’d just take it out of the ATM, no problem. Wachovia, apparently thought differently. Before I left, I had set my card to “international,” it seems this didn’t apply to ATMs. So after my mom called Wachovia, and then they called me, we got it all sorted out with the fraud department. £1000 later, I was set to go. Everything got deposited in the Barclay’s account and, although I’m still waiting on my debit card (which would make things easier), I do have checks, so at least I can pay my rent. While waiting for my appointment, I did have a chance to check out more of the campus. I finally found my school, which was exciting. Though, since it appears to still be under renovation, I wasn’t able to actually go in and check things out. From the outside, it looks pretty normal, though. The campus is rather interesting. There is a real mix of early 20th century brick buildings and some newer, more modernist architecture. A few of the buildings remind me of the Lloyds of London building, but they’re all significantly bigger than those on AU’s campus. Luckily, the campus is relatively compact, so it should be pretty easy to navigate once I get a feel for everything.

In Edinburgh

2009-09-07T11:42:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm currently in Edinburgh, visiting Chrissy; however, due to lack of the internet at the flat right now (moving, etc.) I'll have to write about my adventures thus far a bit later.

Keep refreshing every 5 seconds starting...now.

Good news, though, I was able to get a bank account. Of course there's bad/mediocre news, so I'll just have to keep you guessing until I fully form my thoughts. Which may take a while. Either way, Scotland is great, and I think I'm addicted to 99 cent cookie packages and Maynard's Winegums. Also, please note that Dr. Pepper is made with actual sugar here, which I had forgotten about. It's like a Dublin Dr. Pepper in England. Except Dublin is in Ireland and Texas, and now I'm just confused. 'Till later...

Hipsters...You Knew It Was Coming

2009-09-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

On a side note (this whole blog is kind of a side note, no?) I found the hipsters. Clearly this will not be shocking to any of you who know me, but still, it is exciting for me. Even better, they seem to congregate near the University of Leeds. And Subway. I can't figure that one out, other than there are some lost kids from Williamsburg that hopped on to the wrong flight and were hungry for a sandwich.

While I figured it would be potentially difficult to spot them, given, the generally tighter and more eclectic fashion sense of the UK, I must have hipster-dar. Seriously, I spotted one the minute I went on to campus. It's like hunting for big game, except with flannel. And Beards. And peg-leg jeans.

I shall attempt to find photos of them in their natural habitat soon enough.

(...starts playing Animal Collective...)

Other things I enjoy

2009-09-03T16:01:00.001-07:00

The most notification I ever had in DC that it was midnight was when I ran to the metro, only to find the last train had left and the station was closed. Cut to Leeds: church bells at midnight.

Things I Appreciate

2009-09-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

Signs in the UK tend to be more courteous to their readers. Witness the sign on the leisure/fitness center: "Would all guests please show their picture identification to the attendant." Much nicer than "All guests MUST show ID before entering the premises." It's the little things, really.

Finally

2009-09-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

After the anticipation, e-mails, flights, trains, and blog posts, I'm finally settled (kinda) in Leeds. The flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was largely uneventful, aside from having my seat switched on me. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sleep (note to self: bring Ambien next time) but I did catch up on "The Proposal" and "Star Trek." By the point we landed, I was ready to go to sleep, but the airplane gods had other plans. Those plans included 5 hours in the Amsterdam airport. The flight wasn't delayed, but Northwest had changed my flight so many times that what was supposed to be a 2 hour layover became 5. So I ended up mucking about for a while until my short flight to Manchester, whereupon takeoff, I promptly passed out. I think it was when we were on the tarmac, waiting to board the plane that I had my "oh shit" moment and realized that yes, I was actually going to be living in the UK for 1+ years. Weird.

After a train ride of a little over 1 hour, I finally arrived in Leeds. When I got in the taxi, the driver mumbled something, but I couldn't quite understand him. When we arrived at the hotel I finally understood. It seems my hotel is all of 2 blocks away from the train station. Perhaps I should have thought about this ahead of time and just walked. Oh well, it saved me from having to drag my bags all around.

I checked in, set my bags down, took a shower, and promptly poured myself a cup of tea (gotta get in the spirit). After a short nap, I took to task #1: getting a mobile phone. I decided to go the pay-as-you-go route, since it seemed the easiest. Well, at least the concept seemed easy. While there aren't appreciably more major carriers in the UK than in the U.S., they all have varying "top-up" specials going. I honestly had no idea which to choose. I went into all the major shops, but at only one (O2) did someone offer to help me. Ugh, I'm not sure if this is a british thing or not (I'm assuming its more of a mobile phone store thing), but if I'm standing there, offer to help me! The phone selection was, to borrow a line from 10 Things I Hate About You, "whelming." Lots of poor choices, and I was still unsure about the company. Did I want 300 free texts, or free mobile internet? Free in-network calls or 100 free minutes? While I was glad to have all the bonus offers, it all gets a bit confusing. I decided to hold off and do a little more research.

On the way I home I decided to stop into a pub for a pint in the hope of a little human interaction. I'm not sure what I was thinking, since I was feeling a bit out of sorts anyway, but going to a pub by yourself in an unfamiliar city is not so much fun, especially when everyone's with their friends (mates) already. Ergo, no talkie. I drank my pint as fast as I could, stopped at the noodle shop for some thai (naturally) and headed home to eat my take away. All in all, I felt pretty unaccomplished, very American, and totally unfamiliar. I resolved to go to the gym, which I think was a good idea since I knew it was the one thing I could definitively accomplish.

Anyonemileonthebike, I had a great nights sleep and resolved to get my phone. After a bit of research this morning, I got my crappy phone. I decided on Virgin Mobile since I'm a history buff and I can only assume it was the same mobile the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I, used. That, and I get free mobile internet. I went into Phones4U to get my phone. Tried to pay for it on the old Amex, since there was a discount, but apparently, despite having the appearance of a smart chip in the card, I actually don't. Out came the cash and away went the discount. Oh well, 34 pounds (I need to find that symbol on my computer) later, I was the proud owner of the same quality phone I had six years ago. Eh, all it has to do is text, and make a few calls. And help me Google when I get lost.

I did end up exploring a bit, however, and walked up to the university, trying to get a bank account and look around the campus. Unfortunately, you have to have an appointment with the bank to open a new account. Seems a little odd, but hopefully, after my appointment tomorrow, I'll have a new Barclay's account. I did have to get a bank letter, though, from the university, which, like everything, was a process, not a difficult one, mind you, but it just meant more lines. Letter in hand, I explored the local scenery. The campus is just one big maze of steps, limestone, and brick. I'm sure in time I'll get used to it, but for right then, it was confusing as hell. I did manage to find Woodhouse Moor (big park) and a cemetery (score!) along with the student union. I still have no idea where my school building is. I mean, I saw it on the map and everything, but I couldn't find it for my life. On the way back, I had time to think and reflect on my whole day and a half here, so here are my first impressions:

No one wears sunglasses. I find this odd, because a) at times there is sun, hence the need for protection and b) the sun through the clouds gets awfully bright
British people LOVE to queue up. Jesus, everywhere I went there was a queue. I'm sure that at some point I'll encounter a queue for a queue and I'll just go insane.
Leeds supposedly has a financial district. The only evidence I have found thus far are a large number of people in suits.
Leeds has great shopping arcades. I mean, really, its the way it should be: pedestrian only, large indoor and outdoor streets lined with shops.
It seems there are a lot of clubs and it's the primary way to go out. This may be a problem as I dance like a robot-monkey on redbull.
Good food can be found for cheap. Full meals for 3 pounds. Glorious.
Marks & Spencer's Food Hall. Enough said.
Not having to tip on a pint is awesome.
It rains. A lot. But it's really schizophrenic. It'll rain for 5 minutes, then stop for 10. I suppose that's why people just ignore it.

Well it's off to get a bank account (hopefully) tomorrow, check out of my hotel, then I'm on my way to Edinburgh to see Chrissy. I can't wait.

Orbitz FAIL

2009-09-01T13:53:00.001-07:00

Hey Orbitz, next time, when I select a seat on a plane, how about you actually let me have it? Just an FYI, 18-F isn't an aisle seat...it's a small valley in the middle of two mountains of flesh. K? Thanks.

My Life In Two Bags

2009-09-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

After all the prepping, packing, waiting, calling, and Facebooking, I'm finally off to Leeds in a few hours. First stop: Detroit. Then it's off to Amsterdam, a 3 hour layover and a short commuter flight to Manchester. From there I'll hop on a bus or train to Leeds and settle into my hotel for a couple of days.

I hope they don't have a heatwave--I only have one pair of shorts.

Last night, after watching a couple of episodes of Mad Men with my parents, my mom and I set about packing up my life for the next year. Naturally, very little was packed (or unpacked from the boxes I shipped home, for that matter) prior to her help. But after laying out clothes, considering what I really needed, we managed to get it all down to two bags. My life in two bags. Weird.

So now it's off for a long day of travel, some bad airline food, and crappy romantic comedies from the in-flight entertainment.

I'm really looking forward to that hotel room.

Travels with Sallie

2009-08-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have that feeling where you just don't stop? I feel like I'm in the eye of the hurricane right now, waiting for the next storm to pick up. It was a whirlwind couple of months prior to leaving DC, with some late-night packing (courtesy of my sister), a few too-long nights with friends, and a few crazy days at work.

After leaving DC on the 7th, I went to Chicago to visit a few friends. The original plan was Chicago for a week, then back home to Kansas City for a couple of weeks before getting on my plane across the ocean (pond, whatever). Unfortunately, as is often the case, an interloper appeared--Sallie Mae. Oh, I know she seems sweet and harmless, but she can be a demon of inefficiency when she wants to be.

Although the application/approval process for my loans was relatively easy, online and such, I didn't realize until it was too late that I needed a hard copy of my loan approval letter to accompany my visa. This shouldn't have been too difficult as I had a PDF. Our international office informed me that I would actually need a letter straight from Sallie Mae...on letterhead. With little time left (early July), I figured I could get the letter quickly, postmark my visa application, and get it back in time. This did not happen. After being tossed around to several people, I got someone on the line who said they would send the letter. Great, right? Wrong. When I got the letter a few days later, it was on letterhead, but was the statement of my current loans. Ugh. So another round, and a new person. She apologized and said they'd send a new letter. After one hadn't appeared for a few days, I called--concerned/pissed--knowing that time was running out. Turns out they denied my request for a letter. I'm not quite sure how they can deny a letter for a loan you already have, but they did. By this point, time is really tight. Had I had the letter originally, I would have been fine, but by now, it was looking like I would have to push back my flight. After leaving messages and getting tossed around again (round 3!), I finally got a message from a very nice woman in the middle of a trip to the newport folk festival with my sister. In between driving in the rain to Newport, and with some transcription help from sis, I got a hold of her. She said she could overnight the letter (huzzah!) but I would need a UPS account (ugh). All I can say is thank god for online applications that work on UPS.com. Good job guys. So I have the letter sent to my parents because due to the timing, I was out of my apartment. Letter arrives, parents overnight. Case closed? No. It doesn't have the account number on it, which, I may or may not need (the guidance on these things is kind of specific, but not). So round 4, nice lady (who is now programmed into my phone as "Sallie Mae") overnights me another letter. With account number. Finally, the golden compass/chalice/horcrux/whatever.

By this point I had given up all hope of getting a visa quickly. LUCKILY I'm apparently not the only one with documentation problems, among many others. Turns out you can stand in line and get your visa the same day! And in Chicago, where I would be! But, my "home office" was NYC; hence, plane ticket to NYC. And then back to Chicago, and back to KC. This is how Sallie Mae became an interloper on my vacation. For those of you who are still with me, allow a visual (kind of):

DC...(Crap, no letter!)...(Round 1--wrong letter)...(Round 2--denied letter)...Move out of Apartment...Newport Folk Festival...(Round 3--letter! No account number)...DC...Chicago...(Round 4--letter!)...NYC...Chicago...Kansas City.

And so now I'm back in Kansas City for a couple of weeks, hanging out with my parents and staying up late like I used to. Finally catching up on life and working on getting my housing situation squared away (more later). So after watching a movie with the 'rents tonight, I'm left with a stack of 6 month old magazines I've been meaning to get to, 12 boxes of clothes, books, and junk, 1 passport, 1 plane ticket to go, and 1 visa.

A Whole Mess of Songs

2009-08-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

For those who were unable to come on Friday or didn't get a copy, below is the track list from the "A Whole Mess of Songs" mix.

You can access the iMix from iTunes here. I'll try to find free copies and update the post with links later.

Major Tom / Shiny Toy Guns
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go / Madeleine Peyroux
Tables And Chairs / Andrew Bird
Stay Humble / Tyler James
O Valencia! / The Decemberists
A Death Waltz / Jay Brannan
After Afterall / William Fitzsimmons
Brown Eyes / Andy Davis
Saro / Sam Amidon
The Avalanche / Sufjan Stevens
February / Barnaby Bright
Sing, Theresa Says / Greg Laswell
Hard Luck Tom / The Silver Seas
1901 / Phoenix
Bay Springs Road / Charlie Mars
Brother Sport / Animal Collective
Snowblind / +/- {Plus/Minus}
Gobbledigook / Sigur Rós
The Opposite of Hallelujah / Jens Lekman
Fake Empire / The National