Internet arrives next week, so until then we’re limited to a few minutes of email here or there. We’re busy getting things set up so that we can start really functioning again: getting a washing machine installed, figuring out trash and recycling, setting up utilities, etc. And we continue the game of trying to figure out where we can get what we need from the many, many stores that surround us. Good thing for amazon.co.uk!
One big change to our visions about how this whole Oxford thing would work is the proximity of the Bodleian Library to our new house. It is really only two blocks down the road. Within five minutes of leaving my front door I can be settling into a grand reading room with lots of studious-looking people. Our proximity to the library, which is open ’til 10 most nights, means that we should have a lot less trouble juggling Katherine and work space. We may not even need much of a home office, though I’m not giving up on the idea just yet. Since I still harbor some fears about completely losing touch with academia now that I am not affiliated with the university by which I’m surrounded, it is somewhat reassuring to be able to walk into a place like this and settle into an academic atmosphere.
Sydney, meanwhile, is trying to figure out the maze that is Merton College, since the place seems largely designed for getting you lost! He is taking the college up on its offer of free lunches for fellows, which gives him some time to get to know his colleagues and reduces the cooking needs in our house. That hasn’t kept us from buying a couple of nice saucepans and dreaming up dishes to make once we have a few more spices on hand . . .
Erin
Alan Schmierer