Thursday, August 8, 2013

Negligence

I am the worst. Clearly. I am the total worst. Today is August 8th and my last post was in March. Who even am I? The trip ended over a month ago and my next semester of school here in the states is about to begin in twelve days and I haven't even spoken about all of the things that happened to me on the trip. Since this is my "Travel Blog" I might as well not mention much about the people and keep it more straight to the point on where I went, how I did it, what I did and what I liked and disliked along the way. I find that might be the most interesting and probably the most helpful. However I must say that I blame my procrastination partially on the fact that my laptop is now in literal shambles; the screen is completely detached from the keyboard and in order to use it I must prop it up on a pillow, on my lap and balance it while I do whatever needs to get done. (In this season's case, my Sims have been terribly neglected). However my problem is that since my laptop is such a hassle, my pictures have not been uploaded to a hard drive so I am not able to access my pictures (which I can assure you, there are many). Once I am able to show you my pictures, then my blogging shall truly begin. Until then I must leave you with only a few pictures to tide you over until I can get back to explaining them at another time.

 
Oxford
C.S. Lewis
 
It is well that there are palaces of peace
And discipline and dreaming and desire,
Lest we forget our heritage and cease
The Spirit’s work—to hunger and aspire:

Lest we forget that we were born divine,
Now tangled in red battle’s animal net,
Murder the work and lust the anodyne,
Pains of the beast ‘gainst bestial solace set.

But this shall never be: to us remains
One city that has nothing of the beast,
That was not built for gross, material gains,
Sharp, wolfish power or empire’s glutted feast.

We are not wholly brute. To us remains
A clean, sweet city lulled by ancient streams,
A place of visions and of loosening chains,
A refuge of the elect, a tower of dreams.

She was not builded out of common stone
But out of all men’s yearning and all prayer
That she might live, eternally our own,
The Spirit’s stronghold—barred against despair.