Quickly quickly!

Just a quick update ...

...Saturday plans have changed for those of you who are looking to join in on the festivities. Gin Mill in Canton at 8pm for drinks. We may move about after a few--this being the case, let me know if you're interested in attending (if you haven't already done so) so I can give you my new number (the old cell phone from the last few visits was stolen--hence why I've been unreachable to most these past few days).

Anyway, thoroughly looking forward to seeing everyone! (Though my time in Philly has been extremely enjoyable!!!).

'Roll away your stone I'll roll away mine...'

*So I'm home. I know that some of you may have not known that I was coming back to the States for a while, but my reason for not saying anything on here was so that I could surprise my mother; and may I just say, she was quite surprised :) I decided that, because I may not have my passport/work permit sorted come the summer time, I would need to find another time to come home to see friends and family. With that said, this trip is geared more towards family as I will be home in October for the Rosenfielder/Schapiro wedding, so my time in Baltimore will consist only of Saturday to Sunday. Anyone wishing to get together, I'll be heading to Canton/Fells Point Saturday night for some drinks (nothing too crazy--just a way to catch up with everyone). Let me know if you want to meet up (I'll take your number and let you know where we end up).

*I'm taking this time home to relax, catch up with some much needed reading/running, and applying for jobs. I've already applied for one this morning at the International School of Choueifat in Bahrain. They are offering such a fantastic deal to teach such fantastic students in a cultured, unique and exciting environment, how could I do anything but apply? If I were to get this, I would be able to save up enough money to pay my way through grad school and not have loans to worry about--how amazing?

*Over the weekend I was able to celebrate (to an extent as it had to be cut short due to having to come home quicker than expected) Easter with Adam's family. It was more family time than it was religious. The meal on Friday was great; Adam's family is wonderful (I have a few pictures that I will post when I get back to the US). We also ended up seeing a more modern version of The Canterbury Tales in Leeds, which was so well done. I've never seen a group of actors so talented in my life! Not to mention, half the time you were rolling in isles or had your mouth open from disbelief that they had said or dome one thing or another. Over all, I'd highly recommend anyone go and see this (if you happen to be in the Leeds/England area some point soon).

*It's 77 degrees here right now so I am going to take full advantage of this and go for a run. Oh how I've missed the sunshine and warmth--maybe Bahrain will be a nice change of scenery, eh?

Newest Blog

Hello all.

A quick update.

I've decided that, after the disappointment that was Oxford, I am going to start taking my writing a bit more seriously. I've created a new blog devoted to my writing, in hopes to push myself to improve my ability.

http://lovenotwisely7.wordpress.com/

At this point in time, my poetry is a far cry from wonderful; however, even the greats needed to start somewhere and I figured that what better time to start than now.

Please visit and enjoy!

Thanks!

-Ashley

Rolling with the punches...

For those of you whom do not have Facebook, I received my letter from Oxford today informing me that I was not accepted into their programme.

For much of today I was extremely upset; however, with much encouragement from a variety of friends and family (thank you again everyone), I'm finding myself already feeling better about the situation. I suppose when one doors closes, another one opens. As cliche as that sounds, it's so very true. Thinking back to being rejected from Northeastern, that landed me at Towson, eventually leading me to the Towson Study abroad programme ( one of the many positive things), finally landing here in the UK. No doubt my experience at Northeastern may have been completely different, altering my experience after university.

Anyway, tomorrow is a new day and a new outlook at that.

I'm too tired to write anything else this evening...more in a few days.

God Bless you, Dylan Moran.

Oxford makes their decision tomorrow.

Right. Breathe.

For the next 4 days or so--or until I receive notice--I may be something of a nervous reck. Yes, this is completely out of my hands, but the thought that someone currently has my future resting on the surface of their mahogany desk, in some small upstairs office-like closet, in a building that probably dates back to Chaucer, makes me feel the slightest bit uneasy.

Let's put things into prospective.

Being accepted to Oxford could lead to the following:

Becoming one step closer to becoming a university professor.

Publishing my first piece of writing.

Networking with some of biggest names in publishing.

Coming out with a resume that may look like it's on steroids (metaphorically speaking).

And yet, being rejected could lead to the following:

Looking to other schools in hopes to complete a Masters in Writing/Literature.

Traveling with Adam to India to do some volunteer work/teach English.

Moving back to the US (NYC) sooner than expected.

Saving a bit more money to go towards more traveling.

All of these seem like viable possibilities--none of which are less than the others. Either way, in this situation, I think I win. Yes, I will be relatively disappointed if I do not get this; but let's be truthful here; who wouldn't be?

Moving away from Oxford for a while, I've been a bit homesick for a the past few weeks or so. I'm not quite sure what it is. Perhaps it's the fact that I've been listening to specific music that reminds me of home. Perhaps it's looking at pictures from University that makes me wish I was back in Baltimore, even just for a weekend. Or perhaps, with the coming of Spring and Summer brings back certain smells, which bring me back to certain places and times, reminding me that this will be the first summer NOT spent in the US. Luckily, I know that this pang I'm feeling will pass. I'm happy to say that, when I'm in Notting Hill/London, I don't feel it nearly as much (if at all), as I do here in Milton Keynes. I suppose that's a good sign as well.

'I'm not done with my travels, so lets run, lets run, lets run...'

A real quick update...

...for those of you whom I haven't spoken to, I finished yesterday's half marathon in 2 hours and 12 minutes; a whopping 5 minutes faster than last year. Running with another person certainly helped, as did not having stomach cramps and resisting walking at all costs. Sarah was my saving grace at times as she certainly kept me going during the painful 9 and 11 mile marks. Well done Sarah!

There are quite a few pictures up. My favourite happens to be my finishing picture caught on film. Take a look! This is, indeed, the look of pain (the last mile and a half was immensely painful). Regardless, I managed to sprint to the very finish! My next will be in July and I'm looking to cut my time down by 2 minutes. Fingers crossed.

' 'Cuz I've still got miles to go...'

A very quick post...

Milton Keynes Half-marathon this weekend. Very excited at the prospect of finishing in under 2 hour especially considering the people I'm running with and their incredible endurance levels (it'll be good to have a running group so we can keep one another going--or rather so that they can keep me going). Looking forward to that same feeling I felt when I finished last year--only this time, it'll be almost 20 minutes sooner and Adam will be running along side with me, rather than standing out in the pouring rain (like the awesome boyfriend that he is) waiting for me to finish. Not much else to say. More to come after Sunday...