In the news . . .

If you were wondering what I did during my last year at BYU, this is a part of the answer. 

(I really wanted to make the link read: OXFORD MOM LEARNS WAY WEIRD TRICK, but I didn't. But obviously I still wanted to say it so I included it above. Anyway. I'm weird. Moving on.) 

I got the chance to work on a great project with Professor Jill Rudy on fairy tales in television. You should definitely check out the article and check out the teleogrpahy we created. 

(Also, I am counting this as making it onto the BYU homepage. Bucketlist check!) 

Matyroshka Goodness

Bah! Guys! Look at what I found the other day (and of course had to buy):

[photo courtesy of fredandfriends.com] 

They're measuring cups shaped like a матрёшка (matyroshka--the Russian stacking dolls). 

How cool is that? 

Answer: soooooo cool. 

I will be baking with these, thank you very much. [the white, plastic ones. NOT the hand-painted, wooden ones.]

And, just for kicks, here's a great sign we saw the other day at the Logan Temple: 

Don't park there. Just don't do it. 

Or else I will challenge you to a Soviet staring contest . . . 







and win. 

History Nerd Moment

So if my last post didn't cast me as a nerd, this one takes the cake.

In my History 328 class (Modern German History), we have the coolest assignment EVER.

My professor received a grant that gave him some micro-reels which document the correspondence between the American ambassador in Berlin and Washington. And we get to view these micro-reels, make them into PDFs, and transcribe them!

People, this is cool.

There were people in my class getting dispatches from John Jay in Vienna! And dispatches from the Franco-Prussian War! And from the siege of Paris!

I don't know what mine will have in it yet (my professor didn't tell me), but I am sooo excited to find out.

 That blue thing is the micro-reel from the National Archives. 

 The micro-reel! 

Me being a super-happy nerd. 

Seriously, folks, this is like Christmas for history nerds. I just need 4-5 hours in the library to find out what's in store! 

Why it's a good idea to clean your room once in awhile

You never know when you'll find a long-forgotten $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

This. Is. It.

GUESS WHAT I JUST BOUGHT TICKETS TO?!!!?!!!?!

Bah! So excited! July 15th at 12:01 a.m., here I come!

Life in Bullet-points

Hello, dear reader. I do hope that you're doing well and that the rain hasn't brought you down.

I know you've all been on the edge of your seats, wondering: What has Megan been doing the past few weeks? Well, no need to fear. I'm going to tell you. With bullet-points.

• School. I'm taking spring classes right now, and they're going well. Nothing too exciting, except that President Uchtdorf's twin grandsons are in one of my classes. And guess who just talked to one of them the other day?! That's right. Score. Now I just need to talk to them auf Deutsch.

• Crazy temple trip adventures in the rain. With shoes with holes in them. :( And ankle-deep puddles. Yes, I screamed. Yes, my roommate laughed at me. 

• Movies with roommates. Namely "Newsies" in the Varsity Theatre and "The King's Speech" (PG-13 version) in the Dollar Theatre. By the way, "The King's Speech" is a.maz.ing. Amazing. 

• Wedding receptions! It is the summer of weddings. Seriously. (But let's be honest . . . what summer isn't the summer of weddings?) But it's good, because I've realized that I absolutely love weddings. They make me really happy, which some would say is weird for a very single girl, but I love them. The hopeless romantic in me gets all giddy at wedding receptions.                                                               Recently, I went to Christina's wedding reception (a very good friend from Cambridge), and McKenzie's wedding reception (a very good friend from high school). Both were beautiful brides, both had beautiful wedding receptions, and I'm very, very happy for both of them. :) Below are pictures from Christina's wedding reception (all photos taken by Michele Trichler): 

The lovely bride and groom. 

This is me pretending to be Lucy Pevensie. In Narnia. Yes, I have a very active imagination. 

We love to laugh. 

The cake! It's made to look like Christina's dress. 

Hello, face. 

Dancin', dancin'.

I don't have any pictures from Kenzie's wedding reception, but it was beautiful, too. AND GUESS WHO CAUGHT THE BOUQUET?!  Yep, you guessed it. It's another sign. 

• Writing Center internship. I've been interning at the BYU Writing Center for spring term. It's definitely been a learning experience, and I'm enjoying my time there. I hesitate to put too much on here, because now my intern profile on the website links to this delightful blog, and I never know when Big Brother is watching. . . . (answer: all. of. the. time.)                                                                                                                                       Not really. But I might blog more about the Writing Center in the future. I probably will. It's part of my life now. And it's turning out to be a really fun part of my life. 

So there you have it. My life for the past couple of weeks in bullet points. I can't really think of a clever way to end this blog post, so I think it will just end . . . 

now. 

Procrastinator's Dream

One of my friends posted a link on her Facebook page to this delightful "click square, make music" thing. It's wonderful. A wonderful way to waste time during Finals week.

I wish I could put it on my blog, but alas, I don't have Tumblr so I can't.

But you should follow this link, you really should. (Unless you're prone to epileptic seizures, then you really shouldn't.)

awesomesquaremusicthingyofincredibletimewastingentertainingamazingness

It's like bubble wrap, but with music and LIGHTS.

Endless entertainment for the easily entertained.





like me.

Rise and Shout

Oh, yes.

Sixteen is sweet.

Especially when BYU is in the Sweet Sixteen!!!!!!!!

First time since '81, baby.

It's about time.

Rah, rah, rah, rah, rah! Gooooooooooooo . . . COUGARS!!!!!!!

Eeeee!

That, my friends, is a squeal of excitement.

Like when Liesel screams after Rolf kisses her on "The Sound of Music."




But no . . . I wasn't kissed. Not tonight, anyway.

But, I applied for an internship with the Church Magazines last Friday. And tonight I got an e-mail saying that they want me to send in my portfolio!

This doesn't mean that I'll get the internship (I still have to send in my portfolio and then, if they still like me, I'll be interviewed. And if they still like me after that, I'll get the job).

But for the moment it means that . . .

They like me! They really like me!

And it feels so good.

Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (too many for an English major, I know. But that's okay.)

Brag Post

Just because I'm super excited . . .

I've been working on a paper for my Literary Criticism class, and I had my writing conference with my professor this morning. 

I got an A! This is from the professor who told me at my first writing conference with him that he "doesn't believe in giving out As." 

Sweet, sweet success. 

He also told me today that I will do well in the rest of my English career and that my future professors will enjoy reading my papers. 

Ka-Chow!

Megan = very, very happy. 

A Candy Shop for Bookworms

Right by the Church of St. Edward the Martyr, there are two lovely bookstores that sell old books: the Haunted Bookshop and G. David.

They are wonderful places to visit, especially if it's raining outside . . . like it was today. The smell of memory and antiquity fills the air, and knowing that some of the books you handle are older than the American Revolution makes you realize that you're holding history in your hands.

Like in G. David, for example. I was handling a volume of Shakespeare's plays that was printed in 1734!

Anyway, being in antique bookshops makes me act like a Primary girl walking to Sunday School--I'm very reverent. I speak in hushed tones. I run my hand gently across the spines of the books and carefully take them off of the shelves. I turn the pages slowly.

There are treasures in these bookshops. In the Haunted Bookshop, I found a first edition of C.S. Lewis's A Horse and His Boy. Price: About 200 pounds. (Just a little out of my budget.) But it was special just to handle it in my hands.

G. David had a well-preserved copy of The House at Pooh Corner. That was a beauty to see.

G. David also had first-edition copies of The Lord of the Rings. Those were behind a glass case, so I couldn't handle them (sigh). I felt kind of like a child going Christmas window-shopping and stopping outside the toy store, nose pressed to the glass.

Such beautiful, beautiful books.

London Calling

Sorry it’s been awhile. My computer was sick. But now, through a myriad of tender mercies and an amazing friend who has an amazing, incredibly smart younger brother who can fix my computer while I'm in England they're in Utah (that experience deserves a blog post too . . . but no time right now), I am back online. Which has its pros and cons. But mostly pros.

Anyhoo. As promised, my trips to London:

I was in London the past two weekends, and I had a marvelous time. My first trip was with PKP, and this past weekend I was with my Nana. Both times reinforced my decision that I’m going to come back here someday.

Highlights of my London trips:

7/31-

Houses of Parliament Tour=AWESOME! We got to see both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords was very ornate, grandiose, and everything was maroon. The House of Commons was a lot simpler, and everything was green. It was neat to hear the history behind some of the pomp and circumstance of a few of the ceremonies, particularly when the Queen opens Parliament. I also thought it was so cool to be in the same chambers where women finally got the right to vote in Britain, and where the Stamp Act and Sugar Act were passed. The history in the Houses of Parliament was almost tangible in some places. No pictures of the tour itself (they're not allowed), but here's one of us waiting to start the tour:

We're all really excited because Jeff was able to score a ticket.

Seeing Big Ben. I’ve always wanted to see it, and now I finally got my chance! I don’t know how many photos I snapped of it. There were a lot. I know it's very much a cliche, but that doesn't matter to me. It's beautiful, and so quintessentially London. I love it.

Peek-a-boo!

n Eating lunch at Trafalgar Square. I love Trafalgar Square. I think it’s my favorite place in London that I’ve been to so far. I loved being able to sit up on Nelson’s Column and watch the city go by. I also was forced to climb on one of the lions for a group photo. I don’t do very well with heights/balancing, and when you put those two fears together, you’ve got a frightened Megan. But Jen forced me to get on, and the boys pushed me up there, so I had no choice. And I was glad that I was forced to forget about my fear. It was definitely worth it. (So thanks, Jen. :))

Trafalgar Square

Seeing the Peter Pan statue. I’ve always loved the story of Peter Pan. In fact, he was my first crush. I know that he’s a ladies’ man (or a ladies’ boy, I guess . . . as much as you can be for a twelve-year-old—but now that I think of it, I’ve known a few in my time). Wendy, the mermaids, and faeries all love him—as evidenced by this statue—but I couldn’t help myself. I always wished that he’d fly me away to Neverland. Anyway, enough reminiscing. I really enjoyed seeing the statue. And singing “You Can Fly” to myself . . . and out loud. Ahhhh, nostalgia.
Peter's Admirers

n Seeing Henry VIII at the Globe Theatre! I had a “nerd moment” at the Globe. Being an English major, it’s expected to happen. I mean, Shakespeare’s plays were performed at the Globe! I was basking in the light of great literature. I didn’t necessarily like being a groundling and standing for three hours (next time I go, I’m paying the extra money for a seat), and the play itself was okay—the performance was great, play was just okay, in my opinion—but I was in the Globe, people! That, I believe, qualifies for a nerd moment.

Sarah Shumway and I having a nerd moment.

8/06—8/08

Last weekend, I got to explore London with my Nana. I had a really great time with her. It was really special getting to spend that time with Nana in a city that I’m beginning to love more and more.

Highlights:

British Museum and National Gallery: I got my culture fix. I know this is cliché, but I really did enjoy seeing the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. So, so cool. I also liked seeing the mummies. The National Gallery was incredible, too. So many beautiful paintings.

Imperial War Museum: This museum is very cool. Nana and I were very impressed by the the quality of the exhibitions. There was a "Secret World" exhibition that I really enjoyed, especially because I'm taking a "Spooks and Spies" class at Cambridge.

War Horse: This is a fairly new play on the West End. And it was incredible. Very moving, extremely professional, really good soundtrack. Go see it if you get the chance.

Sleeping in a nice bed: This one doesn't need any explanation.

Spending time with Nana: I am so grateful that I was able to spend this time with Nana. I had a great time seeing the sights with her and talking with her. I'm so grateful for her generosity.

Pictures of Nana and I:

(They're out-of-order because Blogger is dumb. End of story.)

The "Parting of the Ways"-- right before I went back up to Cambridge

In front of the National Gallery

Matching in blue at the British Museum

On Top of the World

I've been on top of the King's College Chapel Roof.

How cool is that?! Not very many people can say that . . . not even if they go to Cambridge as an undergraduate!

The Programme Assistants for PKP are given permission to take students on roof tours. Usually only fellows can go up to the roof, but the PAs were given permission by a fellow. So we are able to take place in a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity while we're participating in a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity. Pretty awesome.

View from the roof

Me on the roof

It was scary being on top of the roof. I'm not a fan of heights, and my shoes were slippery. (They're good walking shoes, especially for two pounds, but not good for walking on lead roofs.) So I didn't do a ton of actual walking on the roof. I did a bit of standing, but every time I tried to take a step, I started slipping. So I preferred just sitting, or shakily standing.

Sitting on the roof

Almost sliding down the roof. (I didn't do it . . . I mean, I would have been fine, but the roof was very hot and I almost had a heart attack from feeling the roof slip away from my feet, even if it was just for a moment.)
It was really neat to be up there, though. The view was incredible, and it was so neat to be on top of the city and the colleges of Cambridge. It made me think about how often, it is by facing our fears and climbing to the top of our mountain (or rooftop) that we can really gain the perspective we need. Being on top of King's College Chapel made me view the world of Cambridge that I've been living in for the past four weeks in a different way. I could see out: I was able to see the panoramic view of my world--of Cambridge. And seeing the whole picture gave me a better sense of the remarkable place where I'm living and the experiences that I'm having.
These last few weeks at Cambridge have been incredible for me. They've been exhilarating, terrifying, fun, humbling, and exciting. I've definitely felt growing pains. But through these experiences, I'm learning more about myself. I'm learning about how to handle situations better. I'm learning how to listen. I'm gaining courage.
These experiences might just be bits and pieces at the moment; snatches of memories, remembered quotations, thoughts forming into ideas. But at the end of my adventure, I'll metaphorically climb the roof of King's once more, and I'll be able to see the whole picture. I have a feeling that the panorama of my experiences here will be a beautiful sight to see.

Excursion to Oxford

Last weekend I went on an unexpected trip to Oxford.

I was sitting on the grass with some BYU students at the BYU party on Friday, and a couple of them were talking about going to Oxford in the morning. Really early in the morning, like at 6. I'm not really a morning person (although I'd like to be, actually. I know that sounds weird, but it's true), and there were some other things I would have liked to do on Saturday, but I made a spur-of-the-moment decision and decided to tag along with my seven other friends who were going.

I wasn't disappointed.

The bus ride was long (it took 3 hours to travel 60 miles . . . they have a lot of bus stops in England), and we had some, um, interesting experiences on the bus (like an angry bus driver and a car running into the bus; don't worry, everyone was safe), but we ended up getting to Oxford on time.

Ruth, a former BYU student who currently studies and works at Oxford, gave us a tour of the city. To be honest, I wasn't initally impressed with Oxford. It's darker than Cambridge; it was a bit intimidating. But it warmed up to me as the day went along. Ruth took us to her college (and I wish I could remember what it was called), we went through the gardens, and we admired the Victorian homes in the area.

Lovely Victorian home and English Garden

Ruth's College


She also took us past the Rhodes House, where the Rhodes Scholars stay, and the Pitt Rivers museum (where a stuffed Dodo Bird is on display . . . and this is the same Dodo Bird that inspired Lewis Carroll). In fact, the day we visited Oxford was "Alice's Day," and they were celebrating Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. When we went to the Bodelain Library, there were some really interesting (and rather disturbing) pictures by Salvador Dali about Alice in Wonderland.

The Rhodes House

The Restricted Section (in Harry Potter)

Ruth also took us to the Cathedral of St. Mary's, and showed us C.S. Lewis's inspiration for The Chronicles of Narnia.

We also got to see the Old Library at St. Mary's, which was built in the 1300s! And Ruth got us past the huge line for the Tower, so we were able to go up there as well. It was exhilarating seeing the city of Oxford from such a height. (Although there were very narrow balconies up there . . . we had to squeeze together multiple times to let people get past.)

Up on the Tower

Ruth had a "smattering of appointments" later on in the day, so she turned us loose after our Tower Tour. We decided to get some meat pies at a place called Pieminister's. The pies were delectable. Mmm. So good.

"Minty Lamb" Meat Pie

We also went to Magadlen College, which is where C.S. Lewis taught. It is said to be the most beautiful college at Oxford, and I believe it. I fell in love with it. The gardens were absolutely gorgeous. I just felt at home there, actually. (Haha, and I kept thinking about the Shire from Lord of the Rings. Anywho.) We also walked along Addison's Walk, which is where C.S. Lewis had his ephiphany about Christianity and decided to become a Christian.

Magadlen College

Along Addison's Walk

All in all, Saturday was a very good day. I was glad that I traveled to Oxford, especially so I could compare and contrast Oxford and Cambridge. I'm leaning more towards Cambridge at the moment. Which is good because I'm here for the summer. :)

Of Hikes and Kilts

I got back from the PKP programme weekend trip to Scotland and the North yesterday. It was a really fun trip, and Scotland is absolutely beautiful. I think I actually like the Scottish countryside a bit better than the English countryside. Both are beautiful, of course, but I love the wild, windswept moors of Scotland. Gorgeous.

Some highlights of the trip included:

Reaching the Scotland-England border. The coach driver stopped at the border so that we could stretch our legs and see the view (which was stunning). The best part, however, was that there was a bagpipe player at the border, playing for us! It was the perfect welcome to Scotland.

Awesome, is it not?

Hiking was another highlight of the trip. We were staying in Pollock Halls at the University of Edinburgh, and Arthur's Seat was right behind us, so I enjoyed hiking that. I also hiked the Trussachs (aka the mini-highlands) on Saturday. It was a wet and muddy hike (and there wasn't much of a trail), but it was fun, and the vistas were incredible.


Hiking the Trussachs

On top of the world!

Also, HARRY POTTER. I wasn't on the bus where BYU students read the 7th Harry Potter book out loud on the way to Scotland, unfortunately, but I did get to hear them read Harry Potter on the way/on the way back from hiking. It was totally awesome. Also, the cafe where J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter (on napkins!) is in Edinburgh. It's called The Elephant House, and I got to go there. I really liked it; the atmosphere was inviting and casual. And, I did write on a napkin while I was there. Hehe. :)

Writing on a napkin (cheesy, I know, but it had to be done).

And finally, last but CERTAINLY not least, kilts. 5 of the BYU guys (Jason, Jonathan, Jeff, Tyler, and Drew) bought kilts. And wore them to the Scottish Ceilli dance that we had, and it was awesome. I don't know what it is about kilts, but they give guys more charisma. And it makes them super happy. At least that's how it was for our guys. Also, kilts definitely attract the ladies. Just sayin'.

These guys emit pure awesomeness. They're cool anyway, but with their kilts, it's almost too much to handle.

Three of them (Jason, Jonathan, and Jeff) also wore them to go hiking to Arthur's Seat. It was super windy, and they all had to watch out for "Marilyn Monroes," but seeing them run, pose, and frolick in the hills with their kilts on was pretty much amazing. And super funny. They did a photo shoot up there. I wish I had pictures, but (sigh) I don't. You'll just have to take my word for it.

Anyway, there's my trip in a rather large nutshell. School's starting to get a bit hectic now, so I don't know how many adventures I'll have this coming week. In the meantime, Cambridge is starting to feel more like home, and I'm loving getting to know so many people--both from BYU and elsewhere. It's neat associating with so many bright, brilliant people.

Formal Hall

Yesterday was special because we had our first Formal Hall at King's College. We got all fancied-up and had drinks--on the lawn! You're not allowed to walk on the grass at King's (and most of the University of Cambridge) unless you are a Fellow or you've been invited to walk on the grass with a Fellow. Except for Formal Halls. It was quite satisfying walking on the grass. They took a picture of all 285 of us (that's the number I heard) in front of the King's College Chapel. And they had orange juice to drink for the BYU students. :)

Here are some fun pictures of Formal Hall:

Lining up for the picture

Most of the BYU group

The dinner was really nice and really delicious. There was onion and thyme soup, chicken, and an amazing chocolate mousse cake for dessert. It was just a really long meal (we entered the Great Hall around 7:45 and didn't get out until 10:00), and really loud. It was hard to hear the people around me, which was a shame. But it was a really neat dinner; I enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed talking with my friends afterwards (when I could hear them). :)

Our Table

The Great Hall

Delicious dessert (yes, I took a picture).

So much to do here! Classes, exploring, making new friends . . . it's all very exciting for me. But I need to figure out a schedule soon. Fun times are coming up, though. We're going on a trip to Scotland on Friday!