“If you’re going to miss something, miss Gandhi. At least he was nice.”

[hermionesviolin]

The above was Joan’s reaction to my statement that i miss Smith. I don’t miss the schoolwork, but i miss having my own space and my own computer with all my files on it which i don’t have to share and which has a really fast Internet connection, and i miss having 3 meals a day (okay, 2 on weekends) at regular times, and i miss having all these wonderful people in close proximity to me. This Saturday, baby; i am so ready to go back.

Today was Let’s finally work on going to Oxford day.

I applied for a passport. I don’t drive, so i don’t have a driver’s license. I had meant to get a regular state I.D. last summer but didn’t, partly because i already had a student I.D. So because i don’t have either of those the guy wanted 2 kinds of photo ID, and who has that? Thankfully, he said a student ID and Social Security card (which yes i do carry in my wallet) would suffice, and of course my father filled out an identifying witness affidavit. Now, CVS says they do passport photos, 16 for $8.39 (and who needs 16 2x2 inch photos?) but passport regulations are strict about your face having to be between one and one-and-three-eighths inches tall, so i had a photo taken there, 2 for $11.99. Hopefully the CVS photos will suffice for all other photo ID situations. Oh and they took the birth certificate with my application. I get that back, right?

I went in to Northeastern (conveniently located on the commuter rail) and was excited that it was snowing and found the Curry Student Center where a nice blonde girl named Suvi gave me a shiny green ISIC. She also searched for airfare to London this summer via STA Travel. (Yay for student discounts. I had searched -- thanks to offbalance for the sites -- and found that most are about $850 round trip but you can go via Icelandair for only $760, but she found one for $501, plus $107 taxes -- apparently taxes fluctuate from $75 to $120.) I really like that Student Center, incidentally. Northeastern is now on my list (along with Hampshire) of colleges i would like to visit more.

It can be entertaining to read 3 different horoscopes for 1 day.

1) Travel to faraway lands may seem tempting at this time, ELIZABETH, but don't make definite plans at this time.

2) There's always reason to be optimistic. The unknown is an open book, ready to reveal its excellent secrets to all who would read it. Let warm intuition lead you to places where cool logic would never dream of going.

3) By poetically embracing your limitations, you define and transcend them. Pomp and melodrama are appropriate in a ceremony of transition. As the relief sets in, learn again what a normal life feels like.

I dislike waiting. I am waiting for my transcript (one of the necessary portions of the Oxford application). Nina from SpeakOut Boston finally e-mailed me back after nearly a month and said “Spending 6 weeks with us this summer is definitely workable. You should send me your resume and I can call you after I receive it and we can talk more.” I e-mailed Ann Johnson because i realized i hadn’t asked her if i could use her as a reference and she is my most recent employer. All the Smith financial aid apps for this ask if i’m getting Praxis funding.

In other news, congrats to my little bro on his PSAT scores (whoda thought he’d actually score better on the verbal than on the math), Evelyn and i have been keeping in touch though ImprovBoston obviously isn’t happening this break, on the walk back home from the train station i chatted with a guy i knew a little in high school and who now goes to Northeastern, and i love finding a LiveJournal belonging to a Smithie i know, however vaguely. (jessikins4774, are you still planning to have that big LiveJournal party over J-term?) Also, i am currently reading the uncut Stranger in a Strange Land. Yes, you need to know all this, because i am just that fascinating.

“Remind me,” Jubal said to her, “to write a popular article on the compulsive reading of news. The theme will be that most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five billion strangers.”
-p. 127

Comments

[athene.livejournal.com]

yay for you being back around! yay for Stranger. Now all you have to do is read Once and Future King and I'll think you've been rading my recently read/reading book list. We should get together and talk about it and Dune when you are done.

[offbalance.livejournal.com]

you're quite welcome for the sites. Any other help or information I can provide is entirely my pleasure. Have you tried expedia or travelocity? (or do they not count?) I'm a bit amazed that it costs THAT much to fly to England, especially with the specials going on - unless you're trying to fly to Oxford directly. Isn't there a way to take a commuter flight from Heathrow after getting a cheap Boston-London flight? Or is that too much of a hassle? Granted, flying direct can cause less of a problem with your luggage, but I'm hoping that you save every penny possible, yanno?

antheia? you want to weigh in on this one?

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

I finished Dune before i started Stranger in a Strange Land and read The Once and Future King in junior high. Anything else? :)

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

I plugged my dates in to all the sites you suggested, which yes did include travelocity and expedia. These prices are for a round trip, in the middle of the summer, traveling on the weekend at both ends. They're Boston to London (i figured that would be easiest and i could look into train schedules or getting a cab or whatever at some later date). Any suggestions as to how to get to Oxford from here and back again for under $600 would of course be thoroughly welcome.

Re:

[offbalance.livejournal.com]

These prices are for a round trip, in the middle of the summer, traveling on the weekend at both ends.

doh. *sigh* I suppose that is the problem of it, isn't it?

you might want to check and see if Gatwick airport is 1.any closer to oxford 2.any cheaper to fly to (may not be). I'll begin wracking my brain again when it's fully functional.