New Blog

So, I've started a kind of officialish author type blog over at lindseyappell.blogspot.com

So you should go read that.

End of this leg

I'm back in the States and more or less settled. By which I mean, I'm living with my grandparents and washing sheets at a motel for not much more than minimum wage.  I'm only three days in, and while the management and my coworkers are fabulous, manual labor at an understaffed motel/campground may make communist out of me. Psyche! I've always been a communist.

I'm so grateful and happy to have had the opportunity to live in the U.K., and I hope to return to Wales and see my friends soon, as well as hike the West Highland Way someday...

I'll be keeping this blog up for a while for family and friends who are curious and didn't keep track while I was sporadically updating.  I have a Tumblog in the meantime at lakaddy.tumblr.com full of silly stuff you may or may not care about. I'll be starting the arduous process of applying to grad schools and rereading Ulysses so I can polish up a paper for publication.  I may start another Blogger blog on my academic and creative writing musings soon. 

I'll keep you posted.

Love and unicorns,

Linds

I did it myyyy wayyyy

This is my last night in Aberystwyth as a student (I will be back for two more nights later this week when my parents come to visit).  And then?  A bit of adventure, a little family time, and back to the States.

So long, Wales.  It's been breathtaking.

Olympic Torch Relay

The Olympic Torch was in Aber the two nights ago, and it was glorious.  See, I even got my picture taken with it, courtesy of NukaCoca-Cola:

My awesome cannot be contained

Hiking

There's a fantastic trail along the coast from Aber to Borth and beyond, and we caught a bus to Borth last weekend so we could walk back along it.  Gorgeous weather, gorgeous views, and minimal sun burns for me.  That is a win in my book.  I highly recommend this hike to any outdoorsy person spending a substantial amount of time in the area.  It's very up-and-down, with some real grunts and steep stairs along the way, but the payout, in the form of fantastic seascapes and rural Welsh countryside views, is well worth the panting and sore knees.

Oh, yeah.  And we saw dolphins on the beach.  That's right bitches.  Dolphins.

Weekend!

11-12 May.
Crazy May Ball carnival/concert/party time? A trip underground to King Arthur's Labyrinth?  A barbecue on the beach?  I call that a successful weekend.

Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare's birthplace

A few weeks ago, the student union organized a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon for the international students.  Free transportation and free tickets to see a Royal Shakespeare company production of The Tempest. Aw, yeah.  The play was fan-freakin-tastic, with just the right combination of creepy, funny, and sad elements.  And that part where Ariel turns into a harpy thing and basically scares the shit out of everyone? Legit. Holy crap.