M. Willis Monroe

The weather has been beautiful lately. Everyday it’s been about 22 degrees or so.

Today I’m going to the British Library to do some work. I tried to go yesterday but turns out that I didn’t have the right identification. A letter from SOAS confirming my address wasn’t enough it has to be a bank statement of the like.

I just found out that at www.pm.gov.uk there’s a section for petitions. There are a few gems. But what a great system, letting the constituents “own” a bit of the prime ministers webspace allowing them to have their say. Some of the petitions even have responses from the government.

Anna and I bought some bread and humus and goats cheese and tomatoes and had a nice picnic outside SOAS with Esther as well.

I found an article today view Google entitled Bearded or Beardless? Some speculations on the Function of the Beard among the Hittites I just had a quick read and it was somewhat helpful. My goal is to get up to 5,000 words before the library shuts (at five). So i can print that out and then re-read and re-organize it on Sunday so when I get back into the library on Monday I’ll have a clear plan on where to write.

The dissertation is progressing nicely: ~4,400 words out of 10,000 done. I’m looking to go to the British Library sometime next week to get two references I need from there.

The plants in my window box are growing full steam. It might have something to do with the fact that I planted them in pure miracle grow potting soil. I have to rotate the box everyday as the seedlings end up bent over by the end of the day because of the angle of the sun.

I had a lovely Easter. Went up to Anna’s on Saturday. I did some work for her mom in their garden. And afterwards I dug a small test pit in the vegetable patch and found all these small spoons and ornaments from Queen Elizabeth and Phillips wedding in 1947. We took the train Sunday morning to Banbury and got picked up by Peter and his mom. Three of his dad’s siblings and their respective families were there and we all had a great afternoon egg hunt. After the hunt we went for a long walk to the rollright stones and an amazing dinner. The next day we had breakfast and then Anna and I took the train back to Birmingham. Monday night we went out for a Balti in Moseley and had a small campfire in Anna’s back yard. Tuesday we went into town had two great pints of Ale at a pub in central Birmingham and I took the train home.

Now I’m listening to a program about Open Source on Radio 4.

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

I was up in Birmingham last weekend staying with Anna and attending a BANEA conference. The conference was great two days of interesting lectures and good people to talk to. Anna’s house was great as well. Her parents were very nice and I had a great time. I borrowed her dad’s Brompton folding bike and cycled into the second day of the conference (with Anna’s company in the morning for directions). She and I then took the train back on Tuesday. Wednesday I went in to SOAS and wrote two thousand words of my dissertation all from essentially one reference. That’s one fifth of my dissertation done. Unfortunately the library is closed till next week for Easter vacation right now.

As the library is closed and I have little to do I’ve been struggling with time wasting internet phenomena as always. So today I did some tidying up decorated my guitar wrote a song. It’s difficult; I’ve set so many ultimatums for myself and they’re always broken. I think I have to realize it’s not a binary operation it’s just realizing that there are other things to do. Anyway I’m heading back up to Birmingham on Saturday to spend some more time at Anna’s and we’re both going to Peter’s for an egg hunt on Sunday and perhaps staying over till Monday.