After slowly rising from the bed this morning, I first got The Rosetta Stone software working with the German introductory modules. I want to practice with another language, because my friend Christian, and his flat-mate, Andrea, both speak German. If I have some friends to speak conversationally with, I think it will substantially improve my chances at learning German over my attempt at learning French.
During the day, I read a good chunk of Greg Egan’s Diaspora, and I went for a walk to Blackwell’s and Tesco. I returned to my room with a copy of Richard Dawkin’s The Selfish Gene and two six packs of Coca-Cola.
Tonight, I went to a social event for postgraduates in the English department. I was the second person to arrive. A cute Asian girl was already there, and I promptly struck up a conversation with her. Her name is Susan and she’s from Taiwan. After my second glass of wine, I was quite the conversation maker! We exchanged numbers after I told her that I would call her once I find a place that serves Kahlua (which many bartenders apparently haven’t heard of). I also talked with Jonathan Olsen, a PhD student, about presenting a paper in the Postgraduate/Staff English Literature Seminar Series that he’s organizing. This will be a great opportunity to get feedback on a future paper! I also got to talk to Professor Dinah Birch, Head of School. She told me that she reads SF too, so we talked about that. After the social, Christian and I went to dinner with Jonathan on Bold Street. Above, I’m pictured wearing an awesome t-shirt that Mike and Diana gave me before I left Atlanta. Several folks commented on it at the social.
Tomorrow, there might be a university wide postgraduate social event. I’ll find out more about that in the afternoon. Also, I discovered that I won’t have to worry about the research skills module until next week–thank goodness!