Lifespeed Rising

Yup! Life is going to be getting a bit crazier in the next month or so. Following a month of complaining of boredom and sheer laziness, you will now find me being a bit more productive. Not only have classes kicked into full swing, but I made it into a theatre show for the semester called "Fear and Misery of the Third Reich" by Bertoldt Brecht. I have been in another Brecht piece back at Luther last year, the famous "Threepenny Opera" so I am semi-acquainted with his work. This play focuses on 24 little snippets or snapshots surrounding WWII and all the issues and dilemmas faced by different people involved in the Nazi regime and the effects of the war. Jews hiding in their rooms, conversations between SS soldiers, and the pains of being in concentration camps. should be some heavy material, and very emotional and physically draining as well.
(I will write about my two classes, American Literature since 1900 and Environmental History at another time.)
I thought it would be nice to mention a new place I finally got to explore right here in good ol' Nottingham last week. Mary and I decided to go for a bike ride to Wollaton Park. It's the largest one in the city but I had no idea as to its grand size til we started riding around in it.

Most of the park slopes at a slight grade towards Wollaton hall. It is at the very central part of the park and is quite an imposing building. Very impressive and rather beautiful. The architecture is a bit different from what we've seen in other massive manor homes. It is now under renovation, but has a museum I think inside. I had no idea such an impressive building was right here in Nottingham.

As well as the part itself. Very beautiful with lots of wide open spaces, and the People!! Everywhere you looked and walked people were out strolling. Lots of families so there were kids everywhere. It was heart warming to see the pulse of the city of the people in a more tranquil setting from the hectic and somewhat dirty rush of the streets themselves. This day made me respect Nottingham just a bit more.
I don't know how the tree is feeling but Mary gives good hugs!!!!
Long walk down to the lake. I had failded to notice on Mary's return from London a few days earlier that she had dyed her hair brown. I won't figure this out for a few more days, and trust me did I ever lose some brownie points for not noticing that. I don't know how I couldn't but sometimes those little things just slip your notice.
The day of the Superbowl!!! Of course we weren't going to miss this great American Event, and needed to find a place to do it in the proper style. Why not Hooters?! Very American, and appropriate for the evening. We got 50 free wings with an order of 50 for the 9 of us, and tucked into them like none other. Enjoyed Budweiser and Coors and watched a very dissappointing game. (not so much that the bears lost, but that neither team really got to play to their full potential be it weather or what not so I was a bit dissappointed.) Another dissappointment...no US commercials!! those seriously can be amazing, but I've heard since that we didn't miss much. Oh, and Prince for a half time show??? He did all right, but really they could have done better than the man formerly known as "The Artist".
T his weekend we went on our first overnight housetrip for the new semester with Mark and Carol and the whole gang. Sadly this was also our last trip where we would go somewhere to stay overnight as well. The rest will be short stints covered in a day. This trip was devoted to seeing some of the land that the Brontes sisters lived in. For those of you who don't know the Bronte sisters (there were three of them) were all very artistic children who wrote some famous classic british novels back in the early 1800's. Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights etc.
First on the way we stopped at the National Coal Mining Museum which was actually a very cool experience. Not only was it a well done museum with nice displays etc., but we went underground into some old coal mines. 450 feet underground. the only light we had was the one on our hard hats and we often were ducking under roofs in the narrow mine shafts. Got to see what working conditions were like so deep in the earth back at the very beginnings all the way to present day work. Even crawled around on our hands and knees for a bit to get the feel of it. Our tour guide was a retired elderly miner with a heavy Yorkshire accent. He was tons of fun in a free-spirited gruff yet very friendly way. ONly problem was that we couldn't understand him sometimes with his heavy accent, so we didn't always get when he was cracking jokes or screwing with us. Just to get a taste for some of the lingo: " yah a going to get ou' yoh snap tin with Mucky drippin's on proper bread with a doodly 'o water" Miners terms for a a lunch tin with bread slathered in the leftover juices in a pan from the sunday pork roast that many miners had throughout the week and the special canteen of water.
Could walk around the surface structures of the coal mill. Had stables down below with retired mining ponies in stables. The last pony was taken out of the shafts in 1999! Even with our advancement in technology they still used animals down there for a long time!
On to Haworth. We went to the important scholarly part of our trip. We visited the Bronte home and museum, and walked around the area around the house. This is a lane alongside the house that the girls walked often. One of my favorite pics of the trip.
The one main street in the town of Haworth. Cute ain't it. Didn't do much but wander down this and then make our way back to the hostel on foot. as you can see from these pictures we did have some snow underfoot most of the time on out trip, but it was pretty warm so it was very slushy and mucky everywhere we went. Wet feet all the time.
After a supper of only the second time that I've had fish and chips and I must say for a hostel the food was great, Aaron and I played a rousing few rounds of foosball. It was...to say the least...intense. I don't know from what God or energy source I was getting it from but I was giving Aaron a run for his money. With Buddhist concentration I fended off many of his well practiced attacks that usually leaves me mercillessly destroyed. I must remind you that this is the man who destroyed me 10-0 back in Ambleside in the lake district. He is a foosball master, and I dang near beat him. In the final tie breaking match he beat me 4-6 I believe. Well done Aaron, but dude, I am a quick learner and I think you are coming to realize the threat I pose to your status as champion foosball player in the group! Practice up my friend!

This is the hostel we stayed in. The most impressive low budget accomodations I have ever set eyes upon. the inside is just as grand as the out. It was once a mill owners residence in the town.
Big event of the day. Rambling the Haworth Moors. Weather: Bleak, windy and mildly cold.
We plunged into the moors in the best spirits possible given the crummy wet circumstances.
Oh, Mark. He is a good man.
Cute little stone bridge. Bronte sisters walked here. They even know of a rock that is the Bronte chair cuz apparently we know that Emily Bronte sat in it often on the far side. Lah, dee dah!
Anna is always eyeing the landscape for good photo oppurtunities. Me being the nearest, I was snagged to be her photographer for the moment. Very nice.
Aaron had asked earlier if we could eventually take a brooding picture together since I am known and have often been told by people that my natural attitude is one of pensiveness and maybe a bit of inner brooding. It always looks as if I am deep in thought. Not a bad thing, not my words but apparently that's what I'm like. We made the most of it.
I don't know what my body is doing but the sun just erupted from the clouds and the sky cleared putting us all in much better spirits the rest of our walk and the rest of the day.
After the hike, we got in the cars and headed to Saltaire. This town was built by Mr. Salt back in the mid 1800's solely to be a utopian factory town. There was no drinking, or other various forms of improper recreation but his workers were treate better than any others at this period. The mill was it's own little town. VEry unique.
We went into the Saltaire church and Ryan began to yak with the organist fellow who convinced ryan to play a little something he knew on this massive and very beautiful organ. Ryan played amazingly, and I snapped away trying to capture the moment for him.

What a fun trip. Sadly this will be our last sleepover trip together. That's very tough to think about, and it makes it even more difficult when I think about all the places we have seen together around England together....but...sniff...ohhh I won't get all sappy and sad on yah. I still have a whole semester to make something of, and boy will it be great!