Well everyone, I am pleased to announce that my work in Charlbury is done.

I am not quite sure that sentence is accurate. I'm not really sure if I'm "pleased", nor am I sure if it's been "work". Clearly-- I should have just avoided that sentence all together, because it has now been the cause of three more lines that only serve to outline vague uncertainty, and really tell you nothing. Make that four.

But what I'm trying to say is that today, roughly around the time I finished watching Scrubs, I ran down to the baptist church for my last meeting with the printer. I hate that printer. And that printer hates me. The stapler also was a bit moody- we all have our moments. But aside from these minor setbacks, the thing is done. Two things really, about twenty pages total, and with a poor works cited (that's always been my weak point). But the content is there, and unfortunately not here- so let me tell you what I've really been up to.

Yesterday I went into Oxford solely because there would be a free lunch, and because I didn't want to stay behind in Charlbury and let a paid train ticket go to waste. The train got in at 11, giving me roughly 2 hours to kill before lunch. (I'm going to get back to that sentence in a minute, because I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the mentality that one must "kill time") It really isn't too difficult to "kill" two hours in Oxford. The city has a lot to offer. So let me walk you through it.
I started off by cruising to the market square, where every Wednesday you can bargain for bananas, grab some vegetables, check out the souvenirs, or make a b-line for the candy table. Everything on this table is roughy one pound, and this table is what makes Wednesday a special day. Yesterday was special. A bag of chewy dinosaur candies for only 50 pence, found on the one pound table. You understand why this makes me smile.

From there, I made my way to "American Street". There is something about this street that just sucks you in- there's no avoiding it. Rain or shine, people perform. I've heard accordians, violins, guitars, harmonica's, and one harp. The harp was yesterday, and the man was there for roughly 10 hours. American Street has stamina. There is a constant stream of people, usually loitering around the McDonalds and KFC (why it's called American Street) and no cars allowed. People-watching is an excellent way to kill an afternoon. But, before I could let myself get sucked into the masses, I got distracted by a tiny mall with a visible escalator. I don't know why, but I had a sudden urge to let it take me somewhere. That somewhere was- no suprise- upstairs. But then I saw another escalator, and was curious what was on the 3rd floor. I couldn't stop there, however, because there was a 4th. Then a 5th. It's amazing how something that appears to be the size of a local mini-mart can turn into a 5 level mansion. And mom, I'd like to say that I was captivated by the latest fashions on display, and made a few trendy purchases.. but let's be real. I was only there to ride the escalators, and then the sunshine was calling my name.

So I was indeed sucked into American street, and spewed out the other end- the more affordable end. "Primark" exists for people with tight budgets, but who still like to look presentable in public. I bought a few shirts.

Then I found a book shop, and the time just flew. It was a good morning.

The group got together for a tasty lunch, and we decided to meet up at 4 to try the C.S. Lewis walk at Magdalene College. And this is where the phrase "killing time" cropped up again, and Tim and I decided it just had to go. Why this idea of "killing time"? Don't we hate to see it go? Does the constant anticipation of something else kind of kill our ability to enjoy the moment? While we chilled out in the botanical garden, under C.S. Lewis' favorite tree- a black pine for those who are interested- lying on our backs and staring at the blue/cloudy skies, I decided to try and eliminate that phrase from my vocabulary. I just don't like it. Now, saying that, I realize I've already used it about three times in this very blog. I'm learning..

After the walk, we met everyone at the Eagle and Child for one last pub meal in Oxford. Talk about feeling the need to reconnect with Clive Staples. The food was yum-the beer was yum, and splurging on a dessert was a great way to top things off. Yum, yum, yum. Clive would be dazzled by that display of intellect, I'm sure.

I'm not sure what happened to me, but after the meal, the walk to the train, the train ride, and the final walk home- I was beat. Beccy and I watched a bit of "tele", and then I was out cold. Gold.

Today was very relaxed. After another Oxford experience, I came home, got my paper's in, and then ran into Mad. I enjoy running into Mad, because she's always got something to say, and I find that very amusing. This time was a bit more strenuous however, involving not just my ears, but my need to convince her that she didn't need Mark and Tim to help her move the giant wooden beams out of her garden, because I was fully capable. Tim and I effectively pried, pulled, and dug out the wooden beams, kept firmly in place by years of gravity, and large spikes. So with shovels, crowbar and sledghammer, we had those beams up and out, and snugly arranged in the neighbour's garden in no time, and in no light. When the sun goes down, there's not much to go by, so hopefully Jillian wakes up and actually thinks her garden looks decent. We did our best, and I got a sense of what it is to work again. Excitement for summer is building.

By now it's past 9- and I realize I'm on lunch duty for tomorrow. So, I ran home and grabbed the money, then ran back to Jillian's, because Tim was there hanging out with Beth. Then we went up to the store, bought stuff, went back down to the church to store it, and then I could finally come home for dinner. Dinner consisted of cold pizza and sour milk at 10:15. Cold pizza- great. Sour milk. Not. Eating after 10? Goes straight to the hips.

It's 11:30 pm. I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm fully enjoying the moment.
Cheers everyone- I am done.