Just Because

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Oh, yes. It's back. Because, as one friend said, "I love reading about all the awkward stuff that happens to you. It's hilarious." Never mind the nice things in my life... But, I shall take that as a compliment.

Awkward

• Stupidly wearing a pair of flats to walk to lectures when the entire 10 minute walk is across walkways slick with ice. I would like to pretend I glided across them with the ease of a teenage ice skater when in reality it was only the very sharp wrought-iron college gate that saved me from breaking my tailbone and possibly falling into the Cam. (Though the college is pretty gorgeous all covered in snow. (See photographic evidence.))
• Getting the high heel of my shoe stuck between two cobblestones and almost wiping out. This city was SO designed for men. Also, I've clearly been a bit of a klutz lately.
• Reaching across a table to grab a slip of paper and hitting a poor English student sitting there with my massive satchel which contained The Time Machine, The Theatre of the Oppressed, In Praise of Antiheroes, and the none-too-small League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Omnibus. Ouch. And oops. And perhaps this is why I get anxious whenever I'm in an antique store.
• Wearing large infinity scarves. Because when I drop food (and I usually do), that's the first place it lands.
• A very mini snowball fight. Not particularly awkward. Getting into a meeting, pulling something out of your pocket, and out comes a bunch of snow all over the floor. Hm.
• Fighting for the shower at 7:15 in the morning. There are three of us who need it. I'm the closest but I also probably take the longest to gather up all my stuff. And we're all just racing to see who can get in there first, then waiting it out to see who's going to be fast enough to get it second. I haven't had the greatest luck and it just results in my sitting by my door, listening to the person shower (not creepy at all), waiting for the sound of the bathroom door opening so I can rush out and claim my prize.

Awesome

• Getting to read such books as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and watch such films as 28 Days Later for homework. Did I make a good decision in choosing the contemporary paper as my elective subject? I think I did.
• Free tea and cake. 'Nuff said.
• Duck leg confit in Hall. It's like a little slice of heaven cooked in its own fat.
• My amazing new Milwaukee Great Lakes sweater. It's extra warm and comfy and I'd wear it everyday if people didn't already think I'm inordinately in love with my city.
• Both of my supervisors being excited and happy about the work I did for my dissertations over the break. After sweating it out, thinking they'd hate what I'd written, they both were quite pleased. Major sigh of relief. Now I've just got to finish them.
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I loved, loved, LOVED this book. I love Thomas Cromwell. I don't care if he's been the bad guy throughout history. The way Mantel wrote him—gah! In love. I call him Tom Crom, that's how much I'm in love with him. Crommie. My first born son may just be named Cromwell Vallone. (Actually that's pretty hideous, so scratch that.) And a theatre in London is putting on both Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies (though, sadly, it's after I've left the UK...trip for next year?) and I wish desperately that I could have been the dramaturg for that. Ah, Cromster. Can't wait to read Bring Up the Bodies. Nearly buzzing with anticipation. 
  
  
  
  
  
  All right, dear reader. In the comments below, please share your equally humiliating snow stories (we all have them) or tell me that you too are obsessed with a historical figure (now may be the time to mention I have quite a few historical obsessions, Keats and Jefferson being among the top). 

A Photo Diary of Eagles Flying

The Greatest Show on Earth

Sure, Barnum and Bailey had monkeys swinging from trapezes, elephants standing on their hind legs, dogs dressed up as clowns. But did they have eagles sitting next to the guests on their benches? Did they have owls landing on the hands of the audience members? Did they have falcons flying so close they wings brushed your face? I don't think so.

The free-flying raptor show at Eagles Flying was like nothing I'd ever seen before, and I've seen my fair share of raptor shows. Each of them have their strong and weak points, and each are clearly designed based on the birds in the program, the location, the country's laws on raptor handling. But I have to say, Eagles Flying's show was a whole lot of fun.

The show opened with falcons, starting off with Nujo, flying to Joe's lure. For an itty bitty bird he sure was fast, and even for me, being around kestrels, it was incredible seeing him. He was rewarded at the end of each show when he hovered, a trick unique to kestrels. It's a rare sight to see this robin-sized bird hovering around like an oversized hummingbird at a feeder.

Next up was Leilah. She, too, flew to a lure and, I have to admit, she always showed up Nujo. As one of the fastest animals on Earth, she zipped between audience members like a small jet, her stiff wings clipping shoulders and heads. And she can turn on a dime. She'd zoom past the lure, catch herself in the air, arch her back, and drop straight down to the ground again. The end was the best part: Lothar would give a sharp whistle and call, then throw the lure high in the air. With a profound whack, Leilah would catch the lure as it fell and take it to the ground. 

The show next detailed the hawks, owls, and vultures. They flew hand to hand between the handlers, and some of the birds--Molly the barn owl and Jerry the Harris' hawk--flew to members of the audience. This practice isn't something we do in the US, so it was exciting to see the audience interact with the birds. A few people were freaked out having the birds fly to them, but even more were squeamish about holding a piece of chick meat. "Don't you eat chicken legs?" Lothar would tease. 

The last part of the show involved the eagles, and it was by far the most exciting bit. There's nothing quite like having an eagle fly so close to you its wings brush your face. Lothar made a habit of holding his glove right in front of people's faces, so the eagles would land within inches of them. It certainly made for some epic photographs. 

Below are photos of Kelly, the tawny eagle, flying over my head during the show.

This is Lynda, the white-tailed sea eagle and the closing flyer of the show. (Click on the photos to make them bigger and better!)

There's nothing quite like it. If you happen to be in Ireland, take a trip to this sleepy little town on the northwestern coast. Meander out in the middle of nowhere, stroll up the pathways into the centre, plop yourself down on a bench, and prepare to be wowed.