February 2009

Stephanie: February was a month of lots of working and classes started up again for me.  I am taking modules on Fantasy, Picture books, Publishing and Non-fiction for children this semester. Good stuff.

On Valentine's day, our friends hosted a Murder Mystery dinner.   Lots of fun!  There were eight of us and we had to act and dress as specific characters (I was a mysterious French socialite, Russell was a rough-around-the-edges, opportunistic Aussie).  Then we had to figure how who killed our host.  Turns out it was the Vicar. 

Seems like the 'Vicar' is the new the 'butler'--such a shame.

On February 26, we took a tour of the Abbey House (a former abbey), which is now the official residence of the Winchester mayor (for business purposes only though.  He lives somewhere else).  I have found a new dream career!  His or her main duties include attending official functions (i.e. ones with lots of good food) and acting as host for the city.  How awesome is that?  The mayor is elected from the city council and serves one year.  As Winchester is the ancient capital city, it shares a unique position with London's mayor: when the next coronation happens, they are the only two mayors invited (another reason it is a plush job!).  At the end of the tour, we got to rub elbows and chat with the former mayor and future mayor (the current one was unavailable--probably off at a fancy party :).

Salisbury, February 5, 2009

Stephanie: We were bummed about missing our Prague trip, so to cheer ourselves up we went to Salisbury for a day.  It was still very cold, with snow on the ground, so that made for a most picturesque visit.  First, we visited the Salisbury museum which has a wonderful Stonehenge exhibit (still need to go there) and a large collection of artifacts donated by General Pitt Rivers, the 'father of British archeology.'  Pitt River was born Augustus Henry Lane Fox but changed his name in order to inherit a large fortune from his great uncle--not a bad deal!

Next we visited the famous Salisbury Cathedral (although it wasn't famous enough to have an annoying pop song written about it like Winchester Cathedral, was it?).   A few facts about Salisbury Cathedral: 

it is one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, the main body took 38 years to complete, it has the tallest church spire in the UK at 404 feet, it has the largest cloister and largest cathedral close in Britain, and the world's oldest clock (from AD 1386).  It also has one of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta.

We took a tour of the tower where we got to see the ancient wood scaffolding in the interior of the hollow spire.  The views of the city were beautiful.  Russell and I were the only two people on the tour, so it was very personal.  Our guide was great and let us stop for lots of pictures! 

Stephanie on School and Writing

Steph: Since we haven't gone on many trips recently, I thought I would write a little about my school experience.  I really love being back in school again, though I'm glad I didn't do back-to-back degrees.  My work experience has given me a better perspective on life and makes me appreciate the student life all the more.

My favorite part about my program is being around people who are interested in the same thing as I am.  That support and camaraderie is so important.  Writing is a lonely process and it's comforting to have encouragement and feedback from fellow classmates.

I am learning more about myself as a writer and how I work best.  What I've come to grasp more and more is that writing is rewriting.  It is easier for me now to plough through terrible drafts, just so that I have something on paper, and not get hung up on perfection.  I then rework and rewrite the drafts until I almost go crazy (!), keeping in mind writer Philip Roth's quote: "I often have to write a hundred pages or more before there's a paragraph that's alive."  Yikes.  But I keep thinking, no writing is wasted.  Even when I delete pages in frustration, it is all practice.  Though it is mentally agonizing work, I am still enjoying the process.  When I get something right or I have an idea that fits into place, it it so rewarding.