Chompida Chompida

I can hear many a firework going off in Reading tonight, thanks to the numerous Guy Fawkes celebrations. As I rolled off the train from Oxford, I thought that the fireworks were all in one area and organized by the local government. But oh no, it seems that fireworks (good ones, too) must be more avaliable than I thought. Walking back to my hosts home, I saw them rocketing out of several backyards and more than once I spotted some embers bouncing along by my feet - presumably after a large plummet.

Meanwhile, Oxford was wonderful. I took many a picture, which I shall upload tomorrow when I'm not worn out. I got a chance to go back to my beloved bookstore, Blackwells, and see books which went back to the 1400's (though once you passed 1800, it was pretty much all bibles). The "Musem of the History of Science" was also inspected as they had an exhibit on Leonardo Da Vinci's mathematical tools. That may sound dull, but keep in mind that:
a) each tool was hand-made, with the kind of decorative flourish you would see applied to any cathedral of the era (Did your high school geomatry set come with golden inlays of apocalyptic battles between heaven and hell?)
b) I am the son of two goldsmiths

At this point, it's worth mentioning that my friends in Oxford actually live near the town in a little hamlet called Uffington. Near there you can find several remarkable pieces of history, the most famous being the 3000 year old, giant white horse. This afternoon I took the most incredibly relaxing walk along the Ridgeway so as to visit a large, 3,500 year old tomb that was laid across another tomb (5,500 years old this time). I got a decent picture of me taken in front of the darn thing, which is essentially like the end result of a mating rut involving Stonehenge and a tiny Pyramid. What made the tomb more remarkable than just age or arrangement of large stones which primitive folk could not have easily moved with their technology, was the circle of hard oak trees which surrounded it. The sound of the wind passing through them was quite moving, almost to the point of being surreal and frightening.

Many a film crew has used this site as a set for horror films and I can't say as I blame them.

Otherwise I ate incredibly well and enjoyed hours upon hours of excellent conversation with my Oxford hosts, well-educated people that have lived rich lives thus far and are able to spin a fascinating anecdote at the drop of a hat. I should be so lucky as to be able to have others describe me as such when I reach their age.

Tomorrow I should hear back about the forum nerd-job, which I shall take if I can get it. Being temp work, I should be able to drop it like a hot potatoe if Lead Generators get back to me or anything else wonderful comes up. I'd likely work for three or four weeks from Reading, then grab a room in London (preferably in the Camden Town/Oxford Circus/Islington trifecta). Aside from pictures, I also plan to add the first installment of a pulp serial idea which seized me viciously by the taint while I sat reading on the train back.

Current working title: The Mysanthropic Misadventures of Dirk Hardwood