Tuesday 16 February 2010

Reading "Wow"


I was asked by a campus reporter to submit a story from Reading, something that shows the behind-the-scenes joys of the program and something that made me go "wow"! It took me a day to narrow it down, and while I cut out getting mugged in France, finding an apartment for myself in Athens via a one-in-a-million-chance-rendezvous in a Tube station, and dancing Thriller in silence with the rest of my house in Trafalgar Square, I thought this was a nice moment to relay. Not as epic, perhaps, but it was more relevant to the Reading program itself.


It was a dark and blustery night. I'd been listening to the Beatles my whole life, so just being in Liverpool was a dream come true. But I was beside myself that night because my friends and I were all talking about going down to the Cavern Club, the venue where the Beatles got their start. It was still a thriving club, and we'd heard the night before had had mediocre music, but we decided to go give it a try, if only for the novelty of being there. We fought the wind (we must've looked like those men in the old movies who hold onto lamp posts, it was that strong) all the way to the pedestrian center of Liverpool and finally arrived in the Cavern Club. I think the next moment is a memory that will live in my head forever. As I led the group down the spirally stair case that descended into the cave-like club, I slowly came to the realization that the air was filling with the sound of the climax of Hey Jude, being sung by a live band. When I finally reached the bottom, it was like I walked into one of my childhood dreams: the room opened up from the tunnel of the stair well and exploded in sound as an entire mob of people sang the final words of "Hey Jude" in front of a stage littered in color. To me, that moment was the very meaning of the word "perfection". It was like bringing my parents to the Westminster Tube stop right under Big Ben and telling them to look up right as she starts ringing. Or finding the perfect pair of Wellies while standing in a shoe store in Bath, my current shoes completely soaked through and leaving puddles on the floor. Or cooking Thanksgiving dinner with my housemates, my new found family in my home-away-from-home. Or eating meat pies in a shop called Sweeney & Todd. Or seeing Les Mis in Covent Garden. Or going to Midsummer Night's Dream in the Globe Theatre. Or watching Harry Potter in Leicester Square. Or taking the train into Paddington Station. Actually, it was perfect like spending a year of my life in Reading, England with some of the best people I could ever care to meet. It really doesn't get any better than that.


Tuesday 9 February 2010

2009 Recap

Here's something of interest. On Facebook, there's an application that lets you see all your statuses from 2009. It's a little late in the year now for reminiscing, but oh well. It makes for an interesting summary.

And these are all phrases because what proceeds it is "Katt Janson..."

January

is stuck in France. Oh noes!


has, in the past 24 hours, seen the Eiffel Tower in the snow, ridden 6 trains, sailed across international borders on a ferry, and been mugged. Long day.


caught some crazy French bug and is sad that Tony just left =(


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061673765?ie=UTF 8&tag=icahachfabl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creati ve=9325&creativeASIN=0061673765


misses Tony


thinks she'll like the 11th Doctor


wants her fever to break


is attempting to teach herself modern Greek


's sister just had her baby!!! =DDDD


needs to start getting shit done. ...tomorrow.


is stressing over her summer schedule!


really wants a Quiznos sandwich. And a bundt cake!!


loves sharing in Reena's film noir homework!


is surprised to find herself a little homesick, and hopes it'll pass soon


is breaking out the champagne and toasting to a better America


hates waiting around to hear back on stuff. Am I going to Crete? How much is Athens? Silchester? Answer me!! =(


is jamming to her new headphones, eating Pace salsa, and anticipating her mac & cheese dinner. Life is good.


misses you.


just watched Out of the Past and is depressed about life


is learning the Thriller dance for Z day.


thinks she can't return a completely frozen dove to the pet store and get the full refund she feels she's entitled to.


cannot be contained in a Facebook status

February

is wishing Tony a happy birthday!!


is on a trans-Atlantic dinner date.


so much snow!!!


thinks failed zombie fall over Brooke = ouch.


is tired of living in the subjunctive


@#$&!


feels a little better after a cup of tea and Sally Lunn bun


is GOING TO CRETE!!!


is doing the Thriller dance in London on Friday the 13th whether the cops like it or not. What's the worst that can happen?


is in London, totally not getting arrested


made a badass zombie. Take that, London bobbies.


is the luckiest girl in the world


needs a holiday


has a new dream job: Mediterranean Marine Archaeology


spent a depressingly rare gorgeous day stuck in the library. Stupid sem paper...


watched a beautiful day go by from a library window. Stupid sem paper.


can't take much more of this.


is falling for Neil Patrick Harris

March

is back from Liverpool, and is exhausted. But the Cavern was so worth it...


will be uploading Liverpool pictures for days at this rate.


is legendary


is apartment hunting


?


sings the woes of my dear Angelo.


is in London with the parents until Tuesday


has a flat in Athens!! ANGELO LIVES!!


already misses 153, and she hasn't even technically left yet. Well shit.


soooo happy to be back home in Reading


thinks the world's a mess and I just need to rule it.


is devastated by the thought of walking out of 153 for good today.


could really use a hug.


is saying her goodbyes.


is on to her next stop for world domination: Crete. It's going to be Legend--wait for it--


falls asleep to the sound of Mediterranean waves as they crash against the shores of Crete.


fancies a dip in the Mediterranean, with a side of hitch-boating.

April

wishes she had a MacDoodle day in Crete. Alas, back to soil flotation and pottery washing... Happy MacDoodle Day anyway!


has had enough of exciting travels and just wants to go home.


feels better now that she found a bar with free WiFi. Cocktails, ice cream, an ocean view, and internet. Life is better.


has no other option but to register for fall courses in a bar.


is absolutely and thoroughly disgusted by the constant intolerance at her home campus. How dare you destroy Macon with your filth.


is in your taverna, stealing your internets.


is not joining SG groups. Stop inviting her.


is in love with Greece.


is sad that she worked 10 hours today and is now missing the Doctor Who Easter special. David Tennant is happening somewhere, and I am not witnessing it.


thinks some people should just die in a fire.


sure hated walking up Death Mountain every morning, but she's never been fitter.


is on a boat.


signed the lease for her very first apartment... in ATHENS!


knows where her towel is.


still knows where her towel is, and is a little terrified by the Greek Easter. O.o


has lost her towel. How do you say "My clothesline broke, may I retrieve my pants and towel from your balcony, please" in Greek?


new email name: indianajans


is webcamin' it to Garden Party!! =D


thinks you should follow me. http://thelitterbox-katt.blogspot.com/


couldn't take the homesickness anymore and is booking a flight home for 2 weeks in June, 13th-26th. See you soon, Houston.


Make that the 14th-27th. In case you cared enough about the details.


couldn't take the homesickness anymore and is booking a flight home for 2 weeks in June, 14th-27th. See you soon, Houston.


is a Feta fan.


Swine flu? Seriously? This is just the Bird Flu in different packaging. Calm the f*** down.


is going to miss everyone being only 2 hours off of her timezone...


wonders if the Greeks know how to celebrate anything without the use of explosives. Her experience so far says no.

May

ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΟΣ!


feels alone in her timezone.


It's been so long since I last heard thunder. Now Athens feels a little closer to home.


had a good day today. =) Athens is slowly starting to grow on me.


is bringin' it on down to Omletteville.


@&$%Artistic Frustration!&*$£


needs a senior hat. Spartan helmet, Bruce the Philosopher brim hat, Greek guard phareon, or scuba helmet? Decisions, decisions.


is off on a hike through the mountains of Athens!


Congrats RMWC c/o 2009!!


is dizzy with Greek drama.


Summer papers = not cool. Researching in foreign countries with a limited library and no online sources = very not cool. Moving out of a 'home' for the third time in the past 2 months = the least cool of them all. But Macon group coming to Athens = cool!


is packing and cleaning. I'll miss you, flat of Angelo in Athens. We had such epic times together.

June

is celebrating 3 of the happiest years of her life with Tony! =)


can't stop crying over a stray kitten.


is mourning the loss of her stray kitten. Goodnight, Thalia.


You know what? I've ignored the creative side of myself long enough. It's time to follow my dreams and be a writer, even if it means living in a cardboard box.


is performing in R-MWC's Centennial Greek Play TONIGHT in Greece!


Well that was... interesting. But hey, we had a great show and we all gave 110%! Great job everyone!


is down to her last day in Athens... then it's hello Houston!!! After 10 months out of the country I'm ready to go HOME.


is homeward bound!!!


is HOME!!!!


has a fever and a 3500 word paper to write. Welcome home, indeed.


is happy she went to a doctor, because apparently she was about 2 days away from kidney failure. Awesome.


is on the mend.


This paper is going down.


Suck it, Karfi. Suck it long, suck it hard.


is making it better with Dr. Horrible and obscene amounts of ice cream.


You were a crazy bastard, but man you could dance. [Michael Jackson]


has a new American cell number. Please do not call the old number, as the lady who inherited it is getting a little tired of answering calls for Katt.


Five countries in five weeks? Bring it on. brb, America.


is smiling. It's a rainy day in London... <3
July

I can now clearly see that field archaeology is not for me.


is happy that she's down to her last two days of digging in the mud and sleeping in a freezing cold leaky tent!


Damn you, horrible exchange rate! On the plus side, I have a senior hat!


is in Paris. In case you were wondering, $630=€450=£390. FML.


is in London.


is in Dublin, then Edinburgh.


Et tu, exchange rate? >.


finds Scotland hauntingly beautiful.


is off Nessie huntin'!


MIGHT have seen Nessie... wait for her Scotland album to find out! =D


will always be in love with London.


will soon be stateside, this time for good. *conflicted sigh*


is back by popular demand. ... yea, not really, but I am back in the US of A.


is rediscovering the wonder of cheap phone calls. Hooray for the return of convenient communication!

August

is working on her Hippo books.


is finding that scrapbooking is messy business!


is craving gyros, Goody's, Greek salads, and REAL FETA CHEESE. =(


is a little bit under the weather.


is off to Michigan!


desperately misses England.


is unreachable for the next week, as she is in Michigan and does not have the cell service to communicate.


is back for 2 days to pack and then off to Macon for senior year!!!


actually finished and ordered the Hippo books for her nephews! These summer projects are actually getting DONE! How exciting!!


My life is travel sized.


lost her debit card, drivers' license, cash, and diary for the past year, but made it to L-burg safely.


Dear Thief: keep the money, the debit card, the ID. All I want is my diary back. The address is right inside, just send it back to me.

September

Ah, Mr. 8am Leafblower. We meet again.


is sooo excited about her Hippo Books!! They look so good!!


believes no one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day. Demand universal health care!


is seriously considering joining the Peace Corps...


is Pushing Daisies: because I totally have time to get addicted to *another* television show.


A man walks into a tailor shop in ancient Athens and drops a pile of tattered robes on the counter. The salesman looks up at the customer and says "Euripides?" and the customer replies, "Yea, Eumenides?"


's brain is melting.


thinks karma owes her one hell of a good day, after all the awful ones she's been having. It's clearly not today. Maybe tomorrow...?


thinks that this is absolutely ridiculous. I can't handle much more of this semester if it's really going to be like this. I'm done.


has decided to try and think positive about the next few weeks! I can do this!


really hopes the sophomore class rediscovers their excitement for school tradition and SIGNS UP for Pumpkin Parade!!


might just pull off getting these Hippo books published... stay tuned!


is sooooo excited about Pumpkin Parade!!! =D


has an awesome sophomore and is off to the Greek Festival. What a great end to a rough week!


has Greek feta once again!!! =DDDDD Suck it, Wisconsin.


I am Sparticus. And so can you! But only if you come to the Classics movie night, tonight 7pm Leggett 537.


, Michaela Gabrielle Margida, and Samantha Henderson are hosting an information session on the University of Reading TONIGHT, 7-8pm in the Ribble Lounge. All are welcome! Come with questions! English Toffee might be involved...


Information Session Success! Thanks to all who came! =)


hopes she has enough presents for her fantabulous sophomore!


feels like a kid waiting for Santa to come and... decorate her door.


LOVES HER SOPHOMORE LONG TIME!!


=D!


"is super fantabulous" XD I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my sophomore!!!


would like to pass on walking down to Martin in the raaaaain. For the third time today, no less.


Brian Regan tonight! Go team. go!


is an avid Ovid reader.


doesn't know whether she should sport a sundress or a sweater. Pick a season already, Virginia!


Poll: What should Katt do with her life? Go.

October

hates campus PCs with the passion of a thousand fires.


is super excited about her show tonight! For Adventure! Travel! and Excitement! with Sweet Charity, tune into Intermission: on the WWRM tonight at 8:30e/7:30. You won't regret it!


would just like to know where the stink bugs are *coming from*. My evidence so far has raised suspicious of a stink bug cloning machine hidden somewhere in the depths of my room.


thinks that if Texas seriously wants to seceed, it should just do it. The rest of the States won't miss it, and that'd be one less red state to worry about.


stumbled upon all her high school pictures on her external hard drive, and is torn between feelings of nostalgia and relief that she's no longer in high school.


Screw you, ModCloth, and your ridiculously adorable, way too expensive merchandise.


left her Plato at home! Crisis!!


is getting Cabin Fever. Fall break can't come soon enough.


misses the sound of a train pulling into Paddington.


loves starting off her morning with a little John Stuart Mill.


Yea, Fall Break!!! ...now what?


is in Maryland.


is back and counting the days until the next break...


is nostalgic for an era she never knew.


Who on earth is Sonu Cena and why does Facebook want me to be his friend so badly?


How could I have known that murder could sometimes smell like honeysuckle?


is smart, fun, responsible, dedicated, creative, and a damn good friend. Ladies, be positive! Tell the world how awesome you are. <3


Stop the world, I want to get on!


thinks that instead of a new shiney track, this school should've invested in computers that can scan and send two pictures in under an hour.


is Carmen Sandiego.

November

Best part of the evening: photoshoot with Pyramid Head.


wants everyone to tune in to The WWRM tonight at 8:30 to hear the original War of the Worlds radio broadcast! Courtesy of Intermission: and Sweet Charity! :D


is about to go Live with the Original War of the Worlds! Tune in on the WWRM!


"All radio is dead, which means that these tape recordings I'm making are for the sake of future history - If any."


Ob-la-di, Ob-la-dah...


Happy Guy Fawkes day! Now give me a pint and something to light on fire.


Congrats to the whole Rocky Horror Cast! Party hardy tomorrow: you've deserved it.


loves her some Macon Women!! Thanks to the Houston Alumnae Chapter and the fellow Macon Woman on campus for brightening my day with presents. :D


&%#@ it.


Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but Moses supposes erroneously.


thinks it's high time Hippo visited DC...


A father to his 5 year old daughter, after trying to explain how the dinosaurs went extinct: "You're right, it IS kinda like how grandpa died."


fears the day when last year's experiences become irrelevent.


Where might one find the Productivity Switch? I think mine's stuck on 'off'.


Textbooks are taking over my tiny territory.


Hello, fever.


Where medication fails, Back to the Future prevails.


The worst thing about being sick is the lonliness. And the chills. The fever sucks, too. But mostly the lonliness.


Happy Birthday Alex and Megan!


is feeling better! Just in time to be Nancy Perrault for tonight's frivolities!


writing a murder mystery party is totally stressful, but so worth it!! :D


sees Tony tomorrow!!! :D


is off to North Carolina!


needs a refill on her Chill Pill prescription.

December

Epiphany of the day: Socrates was like the Michael Moore of Athens.


thinks you're just jealous because her "fucking queer" friends are sexier, smarter, cooler, wittier, funnier, and utterly better than you and your homophobic, idiotic alcoholic, tragically barbaric clique will ever be.


Dear Doctor, please stop distracting me with your Time Lordian wiles. I have papers to do. Signed, Me.


keeps having dreams about traveling. Yesterday London, Chicago today, how I wish I was anywhere but here.


always brings a banana to a party. Bananas are good.


just got a phone call from her 3 year old nephew saying "Hi Aunt Katt, I miss you" :D


Cupcakes + Hedgehogs = success. And it's not even the 15th yet! :D Katt <3>


So much for Forever 21.


is done with Latin forever and heading home!


Hair poll: Keep it short or grow it out?


My next door neighbors are doing Native American tribal dances to a very enthusiastic drum beat. Never a dull moment.


If that's not Nathan Lane, I'll eat my shoes.


is still not feeling the Christmas spirit. Bah, humbug.


Beer, tomato soup, and South Park. Christmas Eve has never been classier.


omgdoctorwhowtf.

January

is a little sad to see 2009 go. After all, it was the year of Paris, London, Liverpool, Crete, Athens, Scotland, and Ireland. You've got a lot to live up to, 2010; let's see what you've got.