Fall Break

So far, fall break has been great - Alongside the obligatory chopping of wood, moving of hay, cleaning and moving of horse tanks and the such like (which I really enjoy), I've been able to get a good deal of homework done and yesterday me, Aub and Aub's mum, Elizabeth, went for an afternoon out; we went to a teeny tiny state park called 'Mushroom Rock State Park' and then went bowling, which was a lot of fun.
Today I only had time for an hour or so of work before we all piled into the car and headed off for Tevin's (Aub's younger brother) football game, which was great as I got to go further west than I had been previously (due to 'The Gladiators' playing away) and see some brand new vast openness, which was nice! Plus we came home to steaks, which is never, ever a bad thing!
Joy of joys ... PICTURES!


Aub and I at one of the interestingly shaped rockes at Mushroom Rock State Park


The view of the road leading out of the park


Another of the naturally mushroom-shaped rocks


Me on top of one of the other big rocks, holding Ruby's lead


Two abandoned old cars in sepia tone (between the park and Ellsworth) (one of my personal favourites)

And more pictures! This time of Emporia and the area close to where I actually live:


The street on which I live; State Street


An artistically placed trunk of a long-dead tree


One of the main streets running through Emporia; 6th Avenue

That's all for now - thanks for taking a look!

I've been busy. No really, I've been freakin' busy!

So, maybe I was a bit presumptuous when I professed to have turned over a new leaf - finding the time to write on this thing isn't easy. I started writing a journal about all my experiences to do with America at the end of April this year - by the time I actually got here, I had filled up a good third of it. I have written in it ONCE since I got here, and I wrote in that thing pretty much every day back home.
When I say I'm busy, I'm not whinging (even if it sounds like I am), because I thrive when I'm busy, but it is rather tricky trying to find time for things that you could very easily put off, even if you enjoy them (like writing on a blog, for example!), when you have 2 jobs and many many hours of classes to do each and every week.
I would like to be able to devote more time to it over the weekends, but the weekends I spend in Emporia consist of homework and the weekends I spend in Ellsworth consist of manual labour AND homework.
So there's my two-cents (or pence, should I say) on the subject - the best I can realistically offer is to write when I can find the time (being harassed helps though ... naming no names ... NAOMI ... ...)
As to what I've actually been doing with my time, I have been splitting it between working in the ID office, doing PR work for the Theatre, cooking, working out, putting in hours in the scene shop, sleeping (not enough), going on the occasional walk, listening to good music and battling to try and find my place in this crazy country.
I think the novelty of my English-ness is starting to ware off, which is quite nice, in a way, because it means that I can start to truly get to know the people here without having to "say it in British" for them - which I don't really mind (hey, who MINDS being seen as something a bit special?), but it does somewhat get in the way of real conversation.
So far as what I'm going to be doing in the near future is concerned, I have one exam at the end of this week and another at the beginning of next week, so I'm going to be revising pretty solidly until next week, then I have other assignments and a lot of reading to get done. Next weekend, however, I get 4 days off - and I can't wait. I'm going to take photos, chop wood, sleep and do all the other things I haven't had time for over the past few weeks.
No photos this time as, shock horror, I haven't had time to take any new ones for your viewing pleasure.
Thanks for checking in.

It's been a while ...

Before I get down to business, I'd like to apologise - I know I said that I would keep this blog updated and it just hasn't happened. My one excuse is this; I have been living it rather than writing about it.
That said - here's an update! (That I am taking a break from the wonderful world of Chaucer to write).
Where to start? ... This past month has been INSANE. First of all, Aub got bucked off a horse and broke her arm on the day she was meant to be returning to Emporia, which has meant a lot of trips to Salina for check-ups on the surgery she had to have on her right arm.
My courses are now all fully into their stride; I am taking Later American Literature, Early British Literature, History of the English Language (known as "Hell" for short, which is apt because it is so damn hard!) and Stagecraft. It has been awesome to be back in the theatre again and I have been lucky enough to be cast as 'Martin Vanderhof' (AKA 'Grandpa') in the ESU production of 'You Can't Take It With You' which we will be performing later on in the semester (don't worry, you'll see the photos of me looking ridiculous as soon as I have them!)
Recently, my days have been taken up with revising for exams, reading, reading, manual labour, reading and some more reading for good measure.
Soon, however, not one but two jobs will be added into the mix - I have two new titles to my name; I am the 'Student PR Assistant to the Head of Theatre' and the 'Student AV Assistant' - snappy, don't you think? Both jobs will be starting one week from now, just as soon as I get my grubby mitts on my elusive Social Security Card (which has been a whole nother saga for a whole nother day!)
Aub and I have made some time to go on a few adventures, so here are some photos to show how sorry I feel for neglecting you all for so long!


Aubrey's Grandparent's new puppy, Wally.


Aub and I at her Grandparent's farm in Manford, OK.


The road heading out of Ellsworth to Wilson at sunset.


Aub and I (along with Aub's dog, Ruby) at sunset in Ellsworth graveyard. (It may sound a bit morbid, but it's actually a very picturesque spot).


The grain co-operative in Wilson, KS with a Czech shop in the foreground.


Me by the shore of Wilson Lake, outside Wilson, KS.


The view from above Wilson Lake, past the dam.


The view you get if you turn your back on Wilson Lake.

Thanks for checking in - I'll try to be better in future!

At Jay's Request

As requested by the chief himself, here are some more photos that I've taken so far for your viewing pleasure!

The Rice's beautiful house in Ellsworth.

Silhouette of their silo at dusk.

Lincoln Main Street.
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Aub and the US and Kansan flags outside the Lincoln Courthouse.

Emporia bound.

Today has been a long, painful, exciting and exhausting day. I was up at 6 and had to start lifting lugging and shifting furniture not long after. After getting all of the stuff in the horse trailer, I drove for 3 hours (in pretty much an arrow-straight line) from Ellsworth to Emporia. Then came the fun part of getting everything, including a huge shelving unit, a sofa, three tables and chairs, up the two flight of stairs to my new apartment. This was a trial.
After refuelling with what can only be described as a man-tastic sandwich full of goodness from a little place called Amanda's, I hit the road again, back to the apartment to start unpacking. Did I mention that the electricity doesn't get turned on until Monday? I don't think I did ... ... ... no A/C for me then.
Mexican food followed with a marathon trek around the awe-inspiring and slightly terrifying WalMart was the evening's entertainment. My Wallet is $100 lighter and I still don't have any food! Oh well, looks like a return trip is in order tomorrow.
So, after a day of heavy lifting, followed by more heavy lifting, followed by a lighter wallet, followed by yet more heavy lifting, I'm about ready to call it a night and find something mindless to watch with my remaining battery.

Classic Kansas

Part of the huge wind farm near Lincoln, KS.

Work, rest and play

It turns out that Saturday in the Rice household is not a day for relaxation ... luckily I'm not adverse to a little manual labour. Mortar was mixed, bricks were laid, concrete was carried, mixed and poured, slabs were hauled, huge trucks were driven, bonfires were burned and, to top it all off, some damn good steaks were eaten. It was a hard day's work, but it's really good to feel like I'm earning my keep in a part of the country where hard work is a way of life.
On sunday, the heat finally bit back and I spent the afternoon feeling pretty ill. But by the evening I had rallied and was well enough (thankfully) for some food and a poker tournament with the family and a family friend who had just arrived back from Alaska of all places!
I'm not sure what's on the agenda for today, but if the kids have anything to do with it I'll be playing halo in the basement whilst watching a doll do backflips on to a beanbag in no time!

The first few days

So. The last few days have been interesting to say the least, and somewhat of a culture shock. After getting in to Kansas International at around 11, Aubrey and I drove for about another 2 and a half hours to get to Emporia, where we stayed the first night. On the way, I got some cracking night views of the big city, and a pit-stop at a Taco Bell (which was awesome - I can't think why we don't have them in the UK ...).
My sleep patterns on the first night were pretty erratic, but I managed to sleep off most of the travelling fatigue. After no breakfast other than some flat Mountain Dew (not so good ...), we set off for Aubrey's parents's house in Ellsworth, which was about another 2 house away from Emporia. After playing pingpong with Aubrey's brother and watching her sister do some impressive backflips, it was time to see how a horse is trained, which was very interesting.
After resisting the temptation to have a nap, I seem to have beat the jet-lag within 1 day, which is very nice indeed!
Today, Aubrey and I went into Ellsworth and had a look round the town museum, which was really interesting and the old couple who were curating were hilarious.
It's pushing 40 degrees here at the moment, so I'm off to stick my head in the freezer ...

Last night this side of the Atlantic

As I sit here, in my living room in Cheltenham, a huge adventure awaits me. Due to having to be up at some ungodly hour tomorrow morning, I doubt that I'll have time to update you all on my travels as they happen, so here goes:

6.15 am - Bus to Heathrow
9.15 am - Arrive at Heathrow
12.35 pm - Take off from Terminal 1
15.55 pm - Arrive in Philly (after 8 hours in the air ...) and yes, I will be getting a Philly Cheesesteak, don't worry.
20.55 pm - Take off from Philly
22.54 pm - Arrive in Kansas City (after having flown through yet another time-zone - bring on the jetlag!)

23 hours of travelling and a 30 hour day are going to make for some interesting sleep patterns, I think!

Goodbye England, wish me luck!!