Unabridged Opinions

This is York. I was in York with a friend who was visiting us from the US this month; it’s the third time I’ve been to York, partially because I will take any excuse, any excuse at all, to eat at J Baker’s Bistro. This place is definitely a destination restaurant, and while there are tons and tons of reasons to travel to York, it would be difficult for me to convince myself to eat somewhere else. So, so good. And reasonable. And right next to an excellent used bookstore. See? perfect!

This time I was also with a friend game enough to go to the Jorvik Viking Centre.  It’s full of animatronic Vikings, ancient medallions, and…authentic smells. Luckily, the friend I was with is a middle school admin and so is used to people breaking down into giggles at funny smells.  Also, she’s willing to giggle along. We hiked to the top of Clifford’s Tower for a gorgeous view of the town. And then wandered around the shops and various other historic type landmarks. It was great fun, and my Jorvik entrance is good for twelve months, so I have yet another excuse to go back!

Before York, though, I was at conferences in Hertfordshire and Portugal (first one…fine, second one…more fun, but exhausting). Both of them were…warm.  The weather here (up until this week) has been…well, unusual.  Super warm, a bit muggy, and not a drop of rain in sight. It was eerie, although I think I was the only one who had been programmed by her upbringing to get very twitchy at the mention of “lack of rainfall” and a “possible drought”; everyone else mostly seemed okay with the idea of a very dry summer!

I was also lucky enough to get invited to a Simon and Schuster “bloggers” event.  We watched a short presentation and got to listen to a roundtable discussion about publishing from a few of the Simon and Schuster editors and others. It was actually quite cool. Of course, we also got…free books! AND a bag to put them in.  A high-quality bag, I must mention, because it managed to cart home the 15+ books I grabbed without showing any sign of strain.  To top it off, I finally got to meet the guys who run Bookgeeks, AND I popped into the British Library on my way over.  Total success, I think.

Next, we’re off to Sri Lanka and phase two of my work project kicks off.  August and September are already looking very, very busy.

So, I was recently lucky enough to read Scott Westerfield’s Leviathan. It’s amazing. The world-building, the characters, the flying whales (nope, not a typo, flying whales), all combine together to make one of those books that always ends too soon–and makes a reader grateful for the promise of entire series. Especially when the story also has mechanized war-machines, steadfast companions, and worthwhile causes.

Westerfield has placed his steampunk environment into the familiar history of WW1, and he has a deft touch with the history that makes the political shenanigans accessible to the audience without overwhelming them with the portents of what is to come. Alongside the wonderful prose are gorgeous illustrations, perfectly capturing the movement and ferocity of the world that Westerfield has designed. So, yes, go read this book, it is wonderful. At some point, there will be a much longer review of the book up on Bookgeeks, but I didn’t think any should wait to buy it.

I’ve also found another place to ride! It’s a bit farther out into Cheshire, but they have a lot more land, and it seems to be a bit livelier… Two lessons so far (with two different instructors), but I assume it will take a few weeks to make a decision. The have a ton of arenas, a cross country course, and a farm ride–and there’s just a lot more room (and a lot more horses…). The drive up there is gorgeous–although I did run into a ton of traffic the second time I went up–it’s just nice to find that there are more places to ride around here.

And the weather, well, it’s been gorgeous for two days. And supposed to be nice tomorrow. And then rain this weekend.  So, not so much new weather I guess as improved weather for a bit.  Plus, even when it’s gloomy outside, it’s still a lot warmer.  Finally. In June.

snow!

It has been snowing, off and on, since December–the most spectacular storm even went so far to shut down the University and prompt people to cross-country ski into work . And then get sent home early a few hours later, but, still, cross-country ski into work.  It was not a lot of snow by Minnesota standards (not even a foot, really), but it was enough to grind the entire country to a halt in surprise and to spawn what seemed like limitless stories about the shortage of salt/grit for the roads (we still seem okay) and the number of people who would slide/freeze/ski to their deaths because of the weather (not happened yet).  Mostly, though, it really seems to have delayed the daffodils and other early warning signs of Spring that usually come along with the now slightly longer and lighter days.  The snow isn’t really sticking around, but the cold has been loathe to let go (this week, finally, we broke out of the 30’s for about ten minutes).

Even with the cold, though, it’s definitely starting to look like Spring might arrive before, you know, July–if only because some of our trees are making brave efforts to bud out, and the bird song has gotten extremely loud and raucous again. That, and the squirrels who seem to think that tap dancing on our skylight is the best way to say good morning to the world. (Of course, every time I even think the word “squirrel” I think of Pixar’s “Up” so it’s difficult to get too angry.)

I’ve been busy at work looking into the data our study is generating (hey, it turns out that students would like more contact with…people who are willing to help them learn!).  It’s been fascinating if only because there are huge assumptions about what is going on…and then there is reality. It’s been an interesting winter to say the least.