Too busy to blog

So, faithful readers, it is probably pretty obvious that I have been a busy bee over the past six months. The lack of updates is regrettable: I promised myself I would try to keep up on informing people of my adventures, but sadly, there have just been too many to list them all, and they often occurred in between periods of furiously busy work.

Thus, it is with my apologies that I present you with a short set of highlights of the past six months:

DECEMBER-

Christmas in Leicester- it was a snowy, cold winter.


John and Ian planned and executed a fabulous staff and student Christmas party, and I got to enjoy the winter festivities.










I headed to London for a day of sightseeing before I was scheduled to fly home for Christmas on December 19th. This scenic London adventure is somewhat interrupted by a small blizzard.







Oh, Heathrow Airport, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to go home for Christmas....

The small blizzard turned out to be a big disaster for anyone who planned to travel. I was stuck in Heathrow for two days and one very uncomfortable night before getting a hotel and a seat on the next plane out. An interesting disaster, to say the least.

JANUARY-

The return to Leicester was far less eventful, if a bit busier. I came back to spend two and a half weeks finishing up two big projects. It was a bit crazy, with long hours spent working in the library and a great deal of writing. I managed to find some time to appreciate the unseasonably warm weather, however...



FEBRUARY-

Mostly harmless. Spent a great deal of time working on schoolwork and being rather boring.

MARCH-

 Highlight was definitely a brief escape from grey, dreary Leicester to the academic and museum paradise of Oxford. We even got to see a rowing competition!












APRIL-

The weather in April was lovely in Leicester. The grey departed, for the most part, bringing on bright, sunny days just perfect for walking around in the bright sunshine. We had just finished out first round of projects as April began, and then settled into a month off for Easter break. Although we planned to spend the break working, there was plenty to do. During the first week, we tried to relax a bit and recover from papers. This led to quite an interesting excursion along the canal.

April was also a bit sad, as it saw the departure of our friend and classmate John. He left the program in January, but in April, he finally returned to the USA. We made him a scrapbook and had a send-off outing for him. We still miss him, but thanks to the internet, can keep in touch.








Of course, no overview of April would be complete without mentioning the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference (TRAC) in Newcastle. The trip to Hadrian's Wall (pictured to the right), the sessions all day, dinners out, wandering around Newcastle, historic tours, meeting people from all over Europe.... It was one of those events that reminds you why you're doing what you're doing. It refreshed me and helped me come back and refocus on my last round of projects.




MAY-

Work! Lots and lots on mind-breaking work during the first two thirds of the month. The last essay was worse than an overdue baby. It was there, you knew it ought to have been out by now, but it was settled comfortably where it was with no intentions of breathing on its own any time soon. And it was pressing on me quite uncomfortably. I slept far too little and worked far too much. There was a brief reprieve on the 15th for a day trip to Wales (see the amphitheatre in the picture to the left!). And then, after a few more days of furious research and writing, I left work behind and went off to Tuscany. After finishing the essay on the due date and sending it from the dig site to be printed by a friend in Leicester, I began my Tuscan adventure in truth.

And that's the sum of the past few months since my last entry. Perhaps some day I will get around to blogging about the various small adventures I've been on during my time here in Leicester. For now, however, I think writing a bit about Tuscany is necessary!