The three things making me happy this week are rather personal. I’ve been so busy and not able to as much reading as I normally do. I apologize for this self-involvement!

1. Successfully navigating a long day of travel by myself. Travel from my home to Bath involved car — plane — train — bus — taxi. I’d not connected to Paddington station from Heathrow before, nor had I ever hopped on a train from Paddington, so I was pleased with how easy it was. I even got into the right line to exchange my ticket for an earlier train!

2. Performance poetry. I freely admit I know little about poetry. I rarely read it and I don’t ever think about writing it. Most poems go over my head because I’m not sharp enough to figure them out. But I went to a poetry performance on Thursday here in Bath — a friend of mine helped put it together. Each poet performed for thirty minutes, both an entertaining, energetic and fun thirty minutes. I would have a hard time listening to a straight poetry reading for a half-hour, but I had no problems watching, listening and drinking in a poetry performance.

3. Old things. I have an M.A. in history, so it’s no surprise that I have an affinity for all things old. In Minnesota, you will rarely find buildings older than 130 or 140 years. So to be living in a flat from the Georgian era is a historian’s dream come true. I feel like I am living in a history book.