Rain, Rain

This past weekend was very relaxing. I read a lot (mostly for fun, though I did think about maybe getting some reading done for my classes...) and watched a bit of TV. But it was British TV, so at least I'm absorbing the culture, right?

As promised, it rains a lot here, which I think is great. A lot of the time it's sort of overcast, which you might think would be depressing. But I think it just seems really calm. I've gotten used to putting my umbrella in my bag every time I head out to class or the shop. I was sitting at my computer on Friday afternoon, and when I looked out the window I noticed a big storm cloud rolling in. I thought it looked neat, so I snapped a picture. You can see the flats in the building opposite mine, which are really just mirror images. At night the kitchens of the various flats are always lit up, as none of the Parkwood kitchens come with drapes on the windows. My flatmate Sarah calls the kitchen windows "TVs" because at night you can watch all the students cooking their dinners in the brightly lit kitchens.

I went to an open lecture tonight entitled "Churchill and Roosevelt," given by Professor John Lucaks. The lecture itself was sort of interesting, though I wish he had gone into more depth. He only spoke for about 45 minutes, and he talked mainly about the written correspondence between Churchill and Roosevelt. However, the room was really warm and I admit I didn't stay through the end of the question-and-answer section because I figured leaving early would be preferable to passing out on the floor.

I bought an official University of Kent sweatshirt a couple days ago. The price was a little steep (a bit over twenty pounds) but I figured it was worth it. When else am I going to study in the UK? It's a light purple, and it'll be perfect for those rainy class days.