Keele Diary #16

Well, I guess today is a social day on campus here at Keele. I was invited to coffee by one of the senior historians whose classes I sat in on, and who chaired my research seminar, and when we got there we met a gaggle of other members of the faculty, which got me a lunch invitation for next week. I just got back from visiting with another of the professors, the head of the Bruce Centre, who has been in Germany for the last fortnight. We made plans for him to show me some of the local sights that I still have not gotten to. That will also give me the chance to buy a nice gift that will allow me back into my house back at home.

When I got back form Oxford I was in a bit of doldrums, I must admit. But suddenly just a few days later I realize that I am a short-timer here at Keele. One week from today I will be on an American Airlines plane bound for the United States. (Just as a courtesy -- if you are flying internationally, I'd avoid American. It is a terrible, terrible international airline. And I have flown a lot of different airlines, so I do have a broad basis for comparison. Come to think of it, I'd avoid American domestically as well, but given that my choices on the domestic front flying from Midland-Odessa tend to be Southwest or American first and foremost, I just have to live with American's awful, awful, bad, terribleness. Have I mentioned the awfulness?) Given that my calendar is beginning to fill up, my guess is that the next few days will fly by fairly quickly.

With a week to go, here are seven things I am very much looking forward to:

1) Seeing Mrs. dcat. These long trips were a lot easier when I was single, as there was no one to miss back home. Damn her and her ways!
2) My shower. I am really seriously sick of taking baths every morning.
3) Wearing shorts and a t-shirt. They say here that rainy Mays equal great summers. Good for them. I want to see some sun. To hell with the UK summer!
4) Mexican food (4a) My kitchen. I am going to cook a fifteen course meal (give or take) my first day back. I've been able to do some decent cooking in my flat, but ingredients are of necessity limited, the space is tiny, and my tools are fairly shoddy.
5)TV. Or not just tv, but my tv, and especially sports plus my accumulated tivo fare plus bucketloads of digital cable channels.
6) Different clothes. I get sick of the same suitcase load of options, even if I packed reasonably thoroughly enough.
7) My bed. Queen size, nice pillows, a good mattress. Oh -- and a warm body. (See #1).

Oh -- did I mention that it's rainy again today? Did I really need to?