Happy Holidays!

Okay, first of all: it is the middle of winter and there are PARROTS outside my window at my house. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT???? Global warming, man. It's no joke.

Now that that is out of the way, happy holidays everybody! I hope that all of you are enjoying time with your loved ones and keeping warm!

I spent Christmas in a cottage called The Forge in Herefordshire, which is three hours outside of London. We had a very peaceful, cuddly time together. I won't bore you with the details (think: 25 hours of Lord of the Rings + all the extras...). Here is a brief photo-summary:

The dangers of long-arming photos when there are three of you in the picture. Poor dad always gets cut off...

Fortunately the cottage came complete with a tree and a wreath on the door. The Segrans have been notoriously bad at getting into the holiday spirit at home...

The cottage came equipped with wi-fi. Which was great, because after watching LOTR for several hours, I could go online and discover obscure details about the differences between Silvan Elves and Sindarin Elves. (Trust me, you don't want to go there...)

This is what happens when three people from the tropics stay in a cottage that has a fireplace. In the second picture, my father is physically blowing at the fire. The general fog is a screen of smoke and ash.

Snow men are totally out of style. Herefordshire is all about the snow-caterpillars and snow-ghosts. Very cool.

I took my parents to the Stagg Inn for Christmas. Not a bad restaurant. I definitely prefer the Andover Arms though...

When dad is not actually in the picture, mom and I are pretty good at long-arming shots.

Funky hats are a must at Christmas! Ours are completely ridiculous AND match our coats. How snazzy are we?

The Maharaja Exhibit (Or, How Dissertations Affect Mental Health)

Writing a dissertation in the humanities is a psychological nightmare. For at least a year of your life, you are responsible for producing a long, detailed and original piece of work - and you have no external motivators driving your productivity. Advisors can help you set arbitrary deadlines, but all the while, you know everything about this process is arbitrary. You start when you decide to start, you finish when you decide to finish, and really, the thing has a life of its own. It sometimes feels like you are fighting a dragon or a leviathan. (Excuse my epic language - I pretty much always imagine I am fighting a dragon.)

Part of the problem is that the dissertation writing process relies on creativity. In the sciences, at least you have data to collect. For us, all of our work is conceptual and theoretical. I honestly don't think our brains are wired for constant creative or philosophical output. I am as nerdy and bookish as the best of them and even I get exhausted by concepts after a while. In fact, not long ago, my brain went on strike for an entire month. It was impossible for me to get any work done at all! Then, when the wheels got back in motion, I wrote twenty pages in five days.

My dissertation topic is still fascinating to me from a distance - I think that early South Indian poetry deserves to be translated and studied and I also think that feminist theories can shed a great deal of light on the pre-modern period. However, these days, when I dwell too long on the poetry in question, I lose focus and feel a sudden urge to do something completely different.

So, I need to play games with myself to get myself interested in the work again. The whole process is a bit bizarre, because it is entirely self-conscious. I know I am intellectually bored -and I know I am trying to trick myself into snapping out of it. But I have to do it anyway, because how else am I ever going to get back to writing?

Today, I attempted to get myself excited about my current chapter, which is about masculinity and kingship in the early Tamil poems. I finally decided to see the Maharaja Exhibit in the Victoria and Albert Museum. I had been a bit reluctant to go before, because I usually prefer to see art that has absolutely nothing to do with my work (for instance, I love the Tin Tin Museum in Belgium...) But today, I decided to schlep to Knightsbridge in the sludge to check out the pictures of the fat kings of old.

And it was amazing! The V and A made the concept of kingship so sexy. I think they managed to place each painting or artifact out of context - they used very modern design and architecture as a backdrop to the art itself. In a strange way, it made me think of my own work from new perspectives. I think it helps that I am seeing these works of art here, in London, rather than in a dusty old archive in India. Everything was literally positioned in a new light.

The exhibit emphasized the importance of the king in the Indian imagination. The king is a central symbolic figure within all the subcultures in India. He embodies the masculine ideals, which are inevitably connected to power. The exhibit also pointed out that he represented unbridled male sexuality - the kings were known for having massive harems and many paintings display the king's sexuality quite explicitly. Thus, male power is connected to male sexuality. And ultimately, this male sexuality is connected to reproduction and the giving of life.

© Mehrangarh Museum Trust

There is a lot to unpack here. But I think an important concept is that the king is a life-giving force. His military strength keeps the people's lands safe, allowing them to continue to produce food to eat. His riches stimulate the economies in the courts, which in turn, allow for the circulation of wealth within his kingdom. His sexual prowess represents the epitome of male sexual dominance, which sets the standards for men all over the kingdom to produce heirs, in order to perpetuate the cycle of patriarchy.

We live in a world where kingship is an obscure notion. Our politicians make decisions for us by remote, through policy and communal governance - they have very little impact on our ideologies or on our immediate environments. It is sometimes difficult to imagine a world in which a king, or raja, in this case, was a primary figure in people's thoughts and lives. I suppose this is why we go to museums, because if our curators do a good job, it is possible to step out of our current worldview. That is always a good thing.

© Mehrangarh Museum Trust

I'm back!

Friends! Family! Random blog readers!

Many apologies for the ridiculously long lag time since my last post! I have been significantly less connected in London than I was in India. My family moved houses a month ago, and Sky, the major broadband/satellite/phone company in the UK needed a month to set up operations in our house. Which is fine, because who needs to be connected to the outside world anyway?

Why did we move, AGAIN? Well, we're basically gluttons for punishment. In addition to moving countries every few years, which involves packing and unpacking all of our stuff, we are a particular about the kind of house we live in. Our previous house in London was gorgeous. It was huge, with a lovely garden and three guest rooms. Unfortunately, the heating didn't work, the roof leaked, the plumbing was a mess and to top everything off, gigantic white mushrooms sprouted in my bathroom overnight. The mushrooms grossed all of us out, particularly my mother. She finally put her foot down and decided we were moving. So with the help of the Aussie Man and Van moving company (no kidding - that is their real name!) we schlepped all our stuff to our new home. It is on the Hammersmith/Chiswick border, on the bank of the Thames! It is cosier, and importantly, it is structurally sound and free of fungus.

Meanwhile, the weather has gotten terribly cold. The beautiful cherry blossom outside my window is losing most of its flowers and every so often I see a bluster of snow sweep over the rooftops. These days I spend most of my time in my cloud pjs writing my dissertation or drinking tea while staring out the window:

Last weekend, we went away to the Cotswolds. My dad finally found a gap in his hectic schedule so my mother insisted that we get away from London. I had to work on my dissertation, so we decided to go to some place quiet and peaceful. Well, it doesn't get more quiet and peaceful than the Cotswolds. I spent the days curled up by the fire writing about masculinity. I am actually becoming quite an expert on the subject of masculinity. I have read all the latest psychological/literary theory/gender studies literature on masculinity, so if you ever need to know about the inner workings of masculine gender construction, do not hesitate to ask.

Thanksgiving came and went. I was sad not to be in California, doing the Thanksgiving thing with all my American nearest and dearest. It is the only day in the year when football is tolerable to me, and that is mostly because I am experiencing a food coma from Amy's mother's fifteen course Thanksgiving feast. This year, a friend of mine in London, Joyce, threw a little Thanksgiving do where we had a ton of fantastic dishes - the Turkey was perfect, the stuffing was delicious, there were about eight different types of vegetables and four pies.

Joyce and I went to the Borough Market in preparation for Thanksgiving. The Borough Market is a famous old London market with fantastic varieties of fruit and meat and desserts. I highly recommend it to all of you planning a visit to London. There are also stalls that serve food all through the day - and it is all delicious!

Apart from all this very civilized fun, I have been able to hear some good music lately! I haven't been to a concert in so long! Prog rock hasn't really made it to India and I hadn't met anyone into the indie music scene in London. But after a couple of months, I managed to find some kindred spirits who are moderately plugged in. A few weeks ago, I went to see the Panama Kings at the Luminaire. They are a grunge rock group from Northern Ireland. They were pretty excellent musicians, even though grunge isn't really my thing. I really liked the act that opened for them. They are called Sixstarhotel. They are mostly post-punk - lots of repeated verses, lots of hooks.

For those of you who are interested in some other good bands - at the moment, I am really into:

1) The Receiving End of Sirens: Really dark, epic music. It's kind of hard to describe. It's very ambient. Very good.

2) Dance Gavin Dance: I have been very disappointed with the latest Alexisonfire. As much as I hate to admit it, I am really kind of a fan of screamo... and I needed to find another band to fill the gaping void that Alexisonfire has left in my life. I love the combination of pretty-voices singing about sappy issues and the animalistic screaming. I find that old DGD is just the perfect blend of the two. Their album Downtown Battle Mountain is very good. It is like old-school Alexisonfire, except perhaps a little less hardcore. Their new stuff is just emo, without the screaming.

3) Paulson: They are a small band from Jersey. I got introduced to them by my Jersey indie music connection (Cub...) They put out an album in 2005. Pretty cool prog rock group. Nothing pretty mainstream prog rock fare, but very addictive music nonetheless.

Christmas will be here soon! I am not sure where we will be this Christmas. Our lives are very exciting at the moment. We decide at the absolute last minute exactly where we will be - I suppose provides some balance to my very sedentary academic tendencies...

I hope everybody is doing well. I still miss all of you in California and I'm looking to seeing you early on in the new year!

Old Habits

This weekend, my mother had to go to Oxford to cover a Fairtrade conference that was going on there. My dad and I were supposed to go with her, but the day before, our hotel plans fell through. It was so sad to be separated like that. So, in our despondent states, dad and I decided to find comfort in our favorite place on earth! The Natural History Museum. Now I realize that I have recently written up a post about it, but it is just such a wonderful place that it couldn't hurt to write about it some more.

Going there with dad was a little trippy though, because I feel like the two of us have been going there my whole life. When the family visited London when I was growing up, we would stay at the Gloucester Hotel, which is down the road from the Natural History Museum. So, while my mother shopped to her hearts content, my father and I would sneak off to see the dinosaurs. It is still fun going there now at the age of 26. I am amazed by how excited my father still gets about seeing the giant plastic whale or the bizarre stuffed animals. I blame him for my lifelong fascination with museums.

After the Natural History Museum, including the mandatory tea break, we walked over to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Indian collections. They're collection is rather small, unlike the British Museum which has heaps and heaps of interesting artifacts. Still, being around the beautiful old Indian paintings and sculptures, I was reminded of why I love what I do. It's been hard to feel passionate about my work lately, with all the deadlines and the daily grind of sitting and writing. But Indian culture is rich and fascinating. There is still so much to uncover and learn about.

Being at home has been wonderful! I never thought I'd ever have another opportunity to live at home for an extended period of time. I have been living on a different continent from my parents for eight years now. It is such a luxury to spend the day in Kensington with dad.

I have completed a full chapter of my dissertation and I am in the process of submitting to a journal. I am feeling a little worn out from all the writing. Summer seems like such a long time ago, with all the traveling and the new sights and wonderful people I met! Still, it is nice to have my feet on the ground and to be surrounded by the stability of family and routine.

Our Local (Pub, that is...)

I am absolutely loving London at the moment! I love our neighborhood, I love our house, I love my daily routine. Lately, I've been getting out of bed and jumping right into the writing. I've been clocking about five or six hours a day. To keep me going, my mother has been keeping a supply of diet coke in the fridge. I shudder to think about what it is doing to my health, but unfortunately it is the only form of caffeine that I enjoy. In the evenings, I've been working out at the gym down the street, which I know sounds unbelievable to those who knew me in my previous life... But what can I say? I was well trained in the arts of getting ripped by two boys from the Jersey shore.

My Bay Area epicurean instincts have not faded away, however. I have still been in search of delicious new places to eat and I am happy to report that I have found a place that rivals Chez Panisse! And it is just around the corner from our house! It is called the Andover Arms, and EVERY time we have gone there, the food has been unbelievable. It is what is called a gastro-pub, which means that there is a chef on staff. The menu changes daily, and like many Slow Food influenced restaurants, the chef designs meals with local, seasonal produce in mind.

I highly recommend this place, so if you are passing through town, definitely come around to Hammersmith to check this place out.

Tonight, I had a mind-blowing lamb shank dish. The lamb was nicely placed on a bed of butternut squash and swiss chard. It was heavenly. For dessert, we shared the most amazing chocolate sponge cake with chocolate ice-cream and raspberries drizzled in chocolate sauce. And as you probably know by now, I don't really have a chocolate limit: I would eat myself to death if chocolate was involved. So, needless to say, the dessert also made me very happy.

What about my neighborhood do I love so much? Well, here's an example. Today, I was walking down the street, and this was graffitied onto the pavement:

I think I could live in a place like this. The only problem is that I really do miss all of you back in Berkeley - and I can't wait to see you very soon!

London Life

I've been away from Berkeley for about five months now - and I've had my feet in London for a solid month. With my current itinerant lifestyle, a month seems like a really long time. (In fact, I am kind of itching to go away again - to perhaps Morocco or Spain or Italy - is anybody interested in joining me?)

I sometimes forget how culturally different this side of the pond is from the states. Tea time is very important here. When our gardener comes by to tidy up our flower beds, he insists on being provided a cup of tea and biscuits (anything by Rich Tea biscuits, because those are just so boring...) I've been structuring my life around tea time a lot lately - and honestly, there is nothing more comforting than an warm cup of tea and a biscuit waiting for you at about three in the afternoon. We've been going to pubs a lot - we have a gastro-pub near where we live that has the most amazing food in London. I'll write more about that soon. So much social interaction happens over an early evening visit to the pub - it's an aspect of life that is completely absent in America. I have also been exacerbating my current state of Anglophilia by watching period dramas. It seems much more acceptable to be watching them here - it seems like more of an exercise in exploring historical fiction than an indulgent foray into sappy romance and funny posh accents. Also, it helps that I no longer live with Alan and Alex - it was impossible to watch anything British without an endless interruption of fake British accents and swooning in the living room.

I've been taking the tube a lot recently to get to more central parts of town. The city is a bit more spread out than, say, New York. It takes twenty minutes to get anywhere. It serves as a good opportunity to catch up on some fiction. (Incidentally, British people tend to read a LOT! I LOVE that about them.) Life is just as busy in London, but from where I stand, it doesn't seem as intense. The city is spread out and is peppered with spots of greenery. The Thames is always nearby, which seems to have a calming effect on the whole city.





My mother and I have a list of plays and musicals that we have been meaning to catch up on. We're having to compromise on our list, though, because we have such different tastes. She's not so interested in avant-garde nihilistic theatre, and I'm not so interested in lots of fluffly love songs and dancing. I decided to give in, on our first musical, so we went to see Hairspray. Mom really enjoyed it! I enjoyed dinner beforehand and the coffee break. Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music is supposed to be in London. I'm hoping to see that soon.

This weekend, I was out in the country again! It was lovely, with plenty of the beautiful scenery. We stayed in the Otford Manor in Kent, which is surrounded by rolling hills. Londoners are so fortunate to be able to spend their weekends relaxing in the peaceful British countryside.

Important Speech on Healthcare

Even though I am not in the States at the moment, I have been keeping up with the political news there, particularly the latest struggles with healthcare.

I try not to use my blog as a platform for my liberal politics, however, this discussion by Keith Olbermann was much too important not to share. I think it cuts to the heart of the healthcare debate.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A Weekend in the Country

My family spent the weekend in a mansion called Sunbury Court, not far from London. It was the Gunnersbury Church retreat. It was so relaxing and pleasant. The building itself was rather spectacular. I also loved spending time with a group of people that have become like family, or perhaps more accurately, like grandparents (seeing that most people at the church are in their sixties). It was essentially a weekend full of hugs, kisses and lots of people validating my life choices and telling me everything is going to work out great. I don't understand why more people in their twenties don't hang out with older folks. They are so much more together than we are and have much more love in their heart to give.

On Saturday, we had an afternoon off to do something fun. I think the schedule had a list of activities such as swimming and nature walks. The Segrans, of course, decided this would be a good time to go to the pub. So we did. We brought a couple of other people with us to The Phoenix and talked about life as we watched the Thames and drank our beer.

Despite our lazy tendencies, my father couldn't resist playing cricket, even though his opponents were about 6 years old. You just can't take a cricketer away from the field.

Now, I'm back in London trying my best to get back to work on the dissertation. It is hard though, when it is so much more fun going out for a tea with my mom. Which is exactly what we did today. Procrastination is more pleasant when you have someone to procrastinate with. I have had to join a gym for the sole purpose of burning off the teatime calories. It is just so hard to resist crumpets and scones and Victoria sponge cakes and chocolate truffle cupcakes.

Liz Loves Dinosaurs!

This is a little known fact about me: I am kind of a dinosaur fanatic. I also love dragons (which I believe were remnants from the jurassic period that lingered through to the middle ages). When I was ten, my parents had to drive all the way to Loch Ness, and the three of us had to sit there until the Loch Ness Monster showed up (it was just a matter of time). I still make periodic pilgrimages to that wonderful Scottish lake, just to try to catch up with my (very) old buddy. It has been well-established by the people who know me that I have the psyche of a seven year old boy.

Anyhow, today, I managed to have my fill of dinosaur fun. We have guests in town, so I took it upon myself to give them a guided insiders London tour of places that I love.This, of course, meant going to the Tate Britain to dwell on all the paintings drawn from literature. Then we took a boat along the Thames.

Then we went to Sloane Square to go shopping. Finally, after all this happy tourist jollification, we moved on the the most important thing of all - the Natural History Museum and the dinosaurs.

I used to come here with my dad all the time when I was growing up. The museum has changed a bit - the gift shop is significantly snazzier - but for the most part, I still get very excited about the dinosaurs. I also love how science is celebrated there - how it was made exciting for me, when I was a little girl. After living in the states and seeing the extent to which science is made an enemy, especially in conservative Christian circles, I am so happy that my childhood was spent taking in the wonders of nature and getting excited about evolutionary science.

Navaratri - The Festival of the Nine Nights

I happened to come to Madras during Navaratri, a festival celebrated throughout India, but celebrated rather differently in each region. In South India, it is known as the festival of dolls, because all the women and children spend time making dolls, then dressing them up, so that they can be displayed during the festival. In North India, I am told the festival revolves around the worship of the mother goddess Durga - it is sometimes known as Durga Puja up there.

When I arrived at my collaborator's house for the first time, his mother was busy making dolls. It was a wonderful sight. She would sit for hours during the day with bits of cloth and ribbon, creating the most fantastic dresses for these little dolls. His mother is now 76, with a serious illness that prevents her from walking a great deal. So, she occupies herself with little crafts.

They make her happy.

Her dolls are known throughout the neighborhood for being fabulous. In fact, during the night nights of the festival, people from near and far come to visit her house. I was just fortunate to be here while it was all happening.

The festival kept reminding me of the Disney "Its a Small World" ride. I wonder if this festival inspired the ride. You never know...

In other news, my collaborator took me to his family doctor, called Dr. Vijayaraghavan. This man is amazing. We waited for about half an hour so that I could go in - then within five minutes, he diagnosed my illness and gave me list of medications to take. Now, he doesn't prescribe any old whimpy meds - he prescribes hard stuff that will kill the bacteria for real. The first time I took a dose of the antibiotics, I nearly threw up and passed out simultaneously. But you know what, when I woke up the next morning, I seemed to be completely cured. So, rock on doctor V.