3 Bad Things

1. Lady Vengeance at 4am. Great movie and rich with issues I could discuss in my thesis. I thought I was over jetlag so I’m not sure why I’m still waking up at 4am, but those silent hours are a nice time to watch DVDs or write or read.

2. Seeing the irony in driving 6 hours each way to go to a solidarity camp for the campaign against a new coal mine and deciding not to go to Scotland this weekend. I'll get fit and then cycle up to see her in the summertime. :)

3. Started a paper & ink journal which I’ve named 3 Bad Things – kind of a sordid companion to 3 Good Things in which I can write about aspects of my Cambridge adventure not suitable for this public forum. :) My characters JD & Janey paid me a visit on its pages, which was particularly lovely because the communication between us hadn’t been flowing lately.

Indian summer

1. It's not too cold to ride around without gloves, which means it's really not that cold at all. The media is calling it an 'Indian summer'. I didn't realize it was unusually warm for this time of year, but I'm grateful that Cambridge is apparently easing me into dreaded winter very gently.

2. Discovered FOPP - an amazing DVD & CD store. Turned into a major DVD spree as movies I need kept dropping into my hands - The Hills Have Eyes, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Straightheads, Sleepers, Baise-Moi, Lady Vengeance, An Eye for an Eye, Last House on the Left.

3. The possibility of popping up to Scotland for a camping trip this weekend!

"Don't you find respectable people terribly dull?"

1. Facebook & email love from Josh, Zero, & Elise. xx

2. Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express. "I don't care to bargain for love with words..." Those cheekbones, that dialogue - it makes me want to do bad things... like smoke and wear fur. :)

3. Hiroshima Mon Amour at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. Loved the soundtrack, the framing in the shot/reverse shots, and the cinema's comfortable chairs.
Might've found my new favourite Cambridge hangout. I'll probably go back in the next few days for the African Film Festival.

Hashbrowns

1. Hashbrowns and fruit salad. I didn't expect breakfast at the Cambridge YHA to be so lush.

2. Feeling like I'm on holiday. That'll wear off at some point (whenever it hits me that I'm stuck here for a while) but I'm enjoying the feeling for as long as it lasts.

3. Travel plans. Elise & Georg are going to visit me for my birthday, and I'm going to visit them in Germany for Xmas, and me and Gemma are going to go camping, and I'll get to London and Brighton as soon as I've settled into my new place. Once the novelty of Cambridge wears off, I'll just travel! :) I don't have to teach until next semester so I am free to travel whenever I like until the end of January.

4:30pm sunset

1. The quality of the headphones on the televisions in the uni library. Capturing the Friedmans is certainly not a cheerful film but the quality of the sound made me happy.

2. A bunch of boys yelled abuse at me from their car as I was cycling through the city, but I couldn't make out what they were saying through their accents. So the only reaction they got out of me was an unsatisfyingly unoffended look of confusion as I tried to figure out whether it was the usual 'Pig!', 'Dog!', 'Faggot!', or some new British insult I haven't had yet. :)

3. The pretty sunset as I walked through Midsummer Common, complemented by the ducks and boats on the River Cam, at about 4.30pm.

First day of school

1. This morning I was like a little kid on my first day of school, riding my bicycle wearing a brand new raincoat and backpack, feeling excited and nervous and not knowing what to expect. I met my supervisor and a few other faculty staff members, and they are all super friendly and supportive.

2. Cups of tea with my new friend Gemma. I went to her house, which is nice and also very cheap for Cambridge, so fingers crossed I might be moving in there next week.

3. Stationary shopping spree. I upheld the annual back-to-school tradition me and my sisters had of going on a stationary shopping spree (at home it was at Officeworks, here the equivalent is Staples). I bought pens, highlighters, a notebook, and an expanding file - much more restrained than I used to be. :)

This blog is already full of nerdy confessions - did I always get so excited about conferences and stationary or is this Cambridge rubbing off on me? :)

Women in Comics

I spent the day at the 'Women in Comics' conference at Cambridge Uni.

1. Nerd joy. An academic conference, and a comics conference no less. :) No shortage of nerd joy in this university town - I'm excited about the many conferences that lie ahead.

2. Made a friend. We were hanging out all day talking politics, activism, art, Super8, and possibly becoming housemates!

3. Slideshows of amazing artwork throughout the presentations. My favourite artists of the day were manga artist Asia Alfasi, political cartoonist Kate Evans, and French artist Dominique Goblet.

First day in Cambridge

1. Hiring a bike and cycling around my new town for the first time. Cambridge is so pretty and I'm finally excited to be here.

2. Vegan Mango & Ginger Cheesecake at The Rainbow Cafe. Whenever I get homesick for the East Brunswick Club I'll come to this amazing vegetarian cafe and scoff down a slice of its heavenly deliciousness. Maybe it'll become my new regular Monday night dinner.

3. House-hunting is going well. I've already checked out 4 places and I'm keen on a place in Ditton Fields. I'll find out Monday night if I've got it. Then I'll celebrate with a slice of cheesecake. :)