It's only early February, but I already feel like we are sneaking out of winter and into spring. Today it is so BRIGHT and SUNNY. Some of us went into the garden (aka the backyard) to read on the grass, which was positively delightful.
Things have been rather busy, since last week I had two tutorials to prepare for and corresponding essays to write. This weekend is providing a little bit of a break. Yesterday afternoon (Friday) I met up with a girl named Lindsey for tea, Evensong, and shenanigans. We ran into each other at a lecture second week, and chatted about strange literary theory but then went our separate ways. Later, I was on Facebook and saw that a ton of my friends had joined a group that was created in support of someone's OCF Real Break trip, so I investigated, and it was for someone named Lindsey who, when I checked to see what school she went to, I discovered that she is a student at Oxford! So I messaged her and we met up, and we know so many people in common! We got along really well, which was really cool. We went to Evensong at Magdalen College chapel, which was fantastic. Together we walked up to Headington and hung out at the Vines, watching Strictly Ballroom with Amy Cannon and then we got kebabs (YUM!) on the way back. I ended up staying up until almost 4 AM for no reason, and slept until 11.30 (GLORIOUS). Upon waking I saw the most beautiful day I have yet seen in Oxford.
I suppose that maybe some of you may be interested in what I am studying and writing about. I wrote an atrociously unfocused paper about Origen and his allegorical method of interpreting Scripture. That's a toughie, because it seems like sometimes allegory is good, but a lot of the time, the way Origen does it, it can be pretty ridiculous. So that paper ended up not having a thesis, which was pretty lame of me. I really want this next paper to be amazing, because it kind of has to be. The other tutorial I am doing is John Donne, and just yesterday I turned in what I thought was my best paper yet, about the connection between John Donne's divine poetry and the meditative devotions that were prevalent at the time, most notably those of Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. This week I am reading his Meditations upon Divergent Occasions for next Friday's tutorial. Maybe I will post some of my notes and ideas about them here. It is probably not very interesting. I'd be better off posting some of Donne's writings. John Donne is pretty magical. I love him again. For a while, when I was having to delve into the depths of his less savory poetry from his early days, I was less than pleased with Mr. Donne. Having escaped the horrors of poetry that I termed 'grossly scatological', I am much happier in general.
The end.
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1 comment:
Erin you are wise beyond your years. Actually so wise that the only thing that I could remark on from your post would be Origen...in that it reminds me of the neutered dog that the monks have up at the monastery that we've visited so often but cannot remember its name. So that's that. Oh and you tube birth videos are swell! Its like knowing how your going to die, but without actually dying, I guess.
I love you Erin!
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