TV Killed the Radio Star- Question 1: Do you want to be Canadian? Question 2: Really?

This past semester I've been a regular co-host for TV Killed the Radio Star on Star (St Andrews Radio) every Wednesday at 5 pm GMT (11 am CT) when we play music that has been played on tv shows. A couple weeks ago, I went in the studio with my co-host Gillian, but no one else was there. We then turned on the internet radio stream and noticed that it wasn't working, so we figured that someone in charge of the station had shut it down, which wouldn't be too unusual. Since we had already prepared a show, we took some recording equipment with us and made a podcast version of the show to put up on the internet later. Honestly, I don't think we get that many listeners, so more people will probably listen to the show if we put it up on our blogs where friends can listen to it at any time. This particular show has a Canada-theme because Gillian is from Canada, and next week we'll have a "Gulf South" themed show with music from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida since those are my stomping grounds. I might try to upload that show onto the blog, too.

What peace kids do for fun

Along with the three other interns from the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPCS) here, we organized a symposium called "Research Frontiers." This 3 hour event included two panels of presenters (one for professors and another for PhD candidates / postgrads) who spoke about their recent research associated with the CPCS. Naturally, the symposium could only include a sampling of the research that goes on within the Centre, but some of these researchers are very prestigious within their field, including some of our professors. My primary tasks with the event was advertisement: I made the poster (pictured above) from a photograph I took in January of the Old Course and also made a facebook event group in order to spread word about the symposium. Normally, an event like this would only have about 25 people, but we had up to 40. I'm proud of that number. The university also gave us a generous fund so that we could buy wine and snacks for those, so people were more inclined to show up anyways (but I'd still like to think the facebook group got word out).

'Peace kids' (my nickname for Peace and Conflict Studies classmates)

getting ready to learn about our professors' research,

including work on structural violence, ex-combatant

reintegration back into communities, and how the everyday

life continues in post-conflict societies.

ISS (International Security Studies) kid-

they're kinda like our rivals because most of them

would rather blow stuff up when we would like

to make peace. Of course, the stereotype isn't

always true.

Kate handing out the presenters' abstracts.

Lee talking about the Conflict Mapping program

for MLitt and some undergraduate students.

The view from the lecture hall's window.

Many letters have turned me to madness

On Tuesday night I went to a Ugandan children choir's (Watoto) concert at Holy Trinity on South Street. I'm not very used to such overt Christian expression in St Andrews or anywhere else in Europe (except for maybe Poland, which is sometimes called the last Christian country in Europe), and I had also never seen Holy Trinity's sanctuary full with so many students. I thought there would be a descent-sized crowd, but I did not think I'd have trouble finding a seat. My flatmate and I eventually found a small space on a pew where we could squeeze together. I'm not sure why so many people were there or how they heard about it (I heard about it randomly at church Sunday), but maybe they knew about it because the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show chose to give a handsome donation to Watoto. Maybe they advertised the event?

The 90 minute concert was full of constant energy and happiness since the children thoroughly enjoyed singing. Still, I couldn't help but think about class. Over this past year, we have talked about how the international community shapes children identities in post-conflict societies. For instance, the international community (ie- through UN programs) sometimes sets up "18" as the age distinguishing adults from children. Why? Because that's the age of majority in many Western nations. However, different cultures have different ways of determining a child and adult. Sometimes it's based upon physical appearance and not how many years someone lives, so the Taliban can claim not to employ "child" soldiers because all their male soldiers can grow some kind of facial hair. The age distinction can cause problems when a 17-year old "child soldier" isn't eligible for certain peacebuilding programs that train his fellow soldiers who are 19-year old for professional jobs; instead, the 17-year old is sent into an education or family reunification program. Moreover, sometimes "adults" would rather go through an education program designed for "children" if given the option, but the international community sometimes says these programs are for children only. Many peacebuilding programs also strip children of their voices (or agency) because there is a perception that children aren't old enough to really understand what is going on and need adult supervision. Therefore, organizations and adults make decisions for children without really considering what the children want or need. This perception has caused international donors to give money to adult ex-combatants but not former child soldiers; the children aren't old enough or smart enough to understand the money isn't to reward them for fighting but to help them reintegrate into society. Finally, the West has an idealized perception of what "childhood" means, but this perception is not always a reality, even in the West.

I have a problem distinguishing between child victims (or perpetrators) of war and their adult counterparts because this discourse makes the children more tragic than the adults. Why is a rebel army recruiting 12 or 15 year olds at gunpoint and forcing them to commit atrocities more tragic than a 19 year old who goes through the same process? Because the 19 year old has been alive a little longer? It's all tragic, and it all deserves attention. However, there is a perception that adult men deserve less attention because they're barbaric savages while the women and children deserve more aid because they're helpless victims (this helpless victims rhetoric also excuses the international community from including them in discussions about what to do with aid because the women and children are just as incapable of protecting themselves as making decisions for themselves).

The Watoto concert seemed to play heavily on these Western perceptions of what "childhood" should be. On song asked, "Who will sing my lullaby?" During this song, another line asked, "Will you?" At this point, photos of white volunteers holding African babies appeared on the screen behind the choir; I found this image disturbing because I'm not too keen on Western volunteers spending tons of money to go to Africa to do something the Africans can do themselves, especially when the travel is so expensive and could be spent more efficiently (ie- pay Africans to do the work the volunteers would do). Also, who is going to sing lullabies to the war's adult victims? Didn't Christ die for everyone, not just the ones we feel sorry for? Yet will we ignore the adults because we're not comfortable with what they did: they aren't innocent enough? That's not following Christ's example. He went straight to the ones who would deny Him and crucify Him because it's the sick who need a doctor. A skit played on the idea that a childhood should be carefree and a state of not being quite yet but in the process of becoming (as opposed to a perception that children are full members in society and can make decisions for themselves). There were lyrics and videos that showed how the children couldn't go to school before Watoto, and now they can become doctors, lawyers, and teachers because of Watoto (as opposed to having the option to train for jobs available in the economy).

I can excuse most of this imagery that plays upon Western sentiments because Watoto is trying to raise funds to support their mission, but I do see this as a Western narrative. However, there was one part that shocked me. At the end of the concert, there was a video of the missionary couple who founded Watoto, Gary and Marilyn. In order to explain why the international community should worry about Ugandan children, Marilyn warned "they're going to turn into little terrorists" if someone doesn't do something about their situation. As Christians, we shouldn't get involved because the children might grow up to kill us. Instead, we should help even those who threaten us. Also, the children choir was directly in front of the screen as the woman accused them of having terrorist potential. I find the statement very insensitive and inappropriate.

So these previous paragraphs describe what I was thinking when I watched the children choir. Others I talked to mentioned how they loved seeing so much joy in the children and felt hope for their future. If I hadn't been through the Peace and Conflict Studies classes, I probably would have thought the same thing. I remembered Acts 26:24 when Festus accused Paul of going crazy because the missionary learned too much (hence, the title of this blog post, which is from the Wycliff New Testament translation because I liked this phrasing). Paul retorted that he wasn't crazy but was saying what is true and reasonable. I'm not sure how much of what I just said is true and reasonable, and I do not mean to say that donors shouldn't support Watoto. I just wanted to look at the presentation of children in a different light. I'm sure this organization has done much good, and Christians should support missions like this one. I do think, however, that Christians should ask and consider what the locals (in this case, children) want and need and not just assume or make decisions for them. Of course, this is not to say that Watoto does, but we should be aware that the discourse on children can overplay Western sentiments so that donors have to be careful not to make too many assumptions about children in post-conflict situations.

I've included a video from the concert, but here's a link for a video when Chris Tomlin sang with Watoto children choir.

Impromptu Beach Barbecue- are you happy now, Danielle?

When I first got back to St Andrews from Keyshill two weeks ago, a couple friends told me that they were going to have a barbecue on the beach that afternoon. I strongly doubted this would actually happen because the afternoon was practically over. My friends also doubted this would happen because they would probably settle for an easy dinner instead. I didn't hear anything else from them, so I went to Tesco to pick up a few groceries for dinner. I ran into them while there, and they were gathering a bunch of supplies for the impromptu barbecue. I'm not sure they put much thought into this barbecue except for buying a cheap £1.50 makeshift grill, pre-packaged hamburgers, and beer. They didn't even buy a spatula to flip the burgers (this made the cookout interesting when one friend kept burning himself on the grill as he tried to flip the burgers with his fingers). After another friend joined us and brought some tongs to the beach, I tried flipping a burger but accidently rubbed raw meat all over a finished sausage that I was about to eat. I then rolled another sausage off the grill and into the sand. I don't feel that bad about messing up the barbecue because the grill's surface area was only slightly larger than a sheet of paper. I've never seen a grill like this, but they're apparently popular in Scotland. They're extremely easy to light, but they do seem a bit sketchy (not as sketchy as my college friends spending an hour trying to figure out how to light a traditional grill and then not cooking the meat thoroughly). Fortunately, no one got sick even though we had our skeptics.

This barbecue marked the beginning of a busy week since I had two essays due the next Monday, so putting these photos onto the blog or writing about the barbecue was not a priority for me. However, Danielle has been pestering me about when I was going to post these photos for a couple weeks now. She seemed rather upset that I made other posts about events that happened after the barbecue (Kate Kennedy Procession, St Leonard's College Dinner, another 'barbecue', and a Mississippi twister). In order to appease her and make her happy (or at least attempt to make her happy), I'm posting this photos now even though they are chronologically out of sequence with the rest of the blog.

I'm not sure exactly what the girls were talking about, but

as Laura shook her fist, she said, "You bitch."

I'm pretty sure this was before she found out her friends

had a secret nickname for her before they realized it

might not be the most appropriate nickname ever.

Mark lighting the sketchy grill on East Sands.

I like this photo even though she

dodges my camera every time I try

to take a photo of her.

Flimsy grill cooking burgers with pepper edges.

I was kinda hungry, and a simple

burger wasn't going to cut it.

Tornado Hits Complex Chemicals Head On

I'm not sure who follows me on my blog but doesn't follow me on facebook, so those of you who are my facebook friends are probably going to get this information twice. My dad owns a chemical plant north of Tallulah, LA where my brother also works. This morning a tornado swept across LA and western MS where I grew up, and there have been exaggerated reports about what has happened to the chemical plant. It seems like the reporters from MSNBC and the Weather Channel haven't been talking to my dad about what has really happened. For instance, the port (which is next to the plant) was not completely destroyed but instead damaged. I just got done talking to my dad and brother back in the States about what has happened, and I made this facebook status update:

1/2 to 3/4 mile wide tornado hit my dad's chemical plant (Complex Chemicals near Tallulah, LA and Mississippi River) head on with no warning around 11 am (CT), and I just talked to Dad and Travis about it. Lots of national news reports exaggerate the damage: there are 3 injuries, but no one is trapped; there are no fatalities at the plant; empty chemical towers collapsed, but those full of liquids were heavy enough to withstand the wind; warehouses were torn up; a spill prevention system has made certain no chemicals have left the property; government officials are about the inspect the property to make certain they can go back in.

I'll make updates on my blog and facebook profile page when I get more information.

We had the option to eat a salad...

Mexican Turkey Burgers- Yum Yum.

There's onion and chive cheesy goodness

stuffed into each one with guacamole and

spicy salsa on top.

Bratwurst with sausages wrapped in bacon.

Why would we even bother with a salad?

Last week a friend had her birthday, but we were too busy finishing exams to properly celebrate it. Ergo, yesterday we had a belated birthday party for her that was originally supposed to be a beach barbecue, but the Scottish weather wasn't exactly sunny and clear. We went to a friend's flat hoping that we could at least fire up a grill in the backyard, but we couldn't even get the coals lit. There was an oven that was good enough, though. I cooked my world-famous Mexican Turkey Burgers (world-famous because I've made them outside the US of A), and everyone loved them. However, I didn't use my usual taco beef seasonings but used chicken fajita seasoning with a hickory barbecue flavor. The burgers weren't as good as I had hoped (mostly because they were cooked in an oven and not on a grill), but they sufficed. One friend brought a huge salad, but no one even touched it during the party. We did, however, fill ourselves with frosted-covered chocolate brownies, sausages, burgers, and beer.

Free lamb and wine? Hecks yes, please.

As a non-divinity postgraduate student, I am officially part of "St Leonard's College," and each semester this college hosts a free fancy dinner shindig for the first 200 or so students who sign up. Last semester I was in France when we were supposed to sign up, so I couldn't get to the internet fast enough to send my email requesting a spot before all the spots were taken within the first three hours. When I got an email a little more than a week ago telling the postgrads about the spring edition of this dinner, I was determined to get a spot. We couldn't send our email requesting a spot until 8 am a week last Thursday, so I set up the email before I went to sleep. When I woke up at 8, I sat up, opened the computer, clicked 'send' at 8:01, and went back to sleep (I know I should have stayed up at this point, but I had been working on my essay until late the previous night). Of course, I got a spot.

The dinner reminded me of informals my college 'fraternity' used to have because I wore my suit and tie while eating an expensive meal. There were some differences: there was no dancing, but there was lots of free wine. The dinner was in Lower College Hall just off of St Salvator's Quad (I've posted several photos of these buildings on the blog already), and many couples have their wedding reception in this room. After a couple glasses of red wine as an aperitif, we had salad with cheese-stuffed figs wrapped in bacon, rack of lamb with steamed vegetables and roasted potatoes, cream brulée with a lemon bottom and side of shortbread cookies and strawberry topping, and finally glasses of port and coffee. I still have a hard time understanding why one of my friends who joined me at the dinner would have rather played soccer (which we can do almost any day) instead of enjoying this free meal.

This doesn't seem posh at all: The Kate Kennedy Procession

Last Saturday the Kate Kennedy Club had their annual "Kate Kennedy Procession" through the St Andrews streets. Though the club has other events throughout the year, it started in 1926 strictly in order to have this annual procession of important historical figures from Scottish and British history, especially those who have strong links to St Andrews. The club has a strong reputation around campus as being a bit posh since most of its members are from the upper echelon of British society, and St Andrews already has a reputation across Britain as one of the most posh universities here. Technically, all male students can apply to become a member, but the current members only select about 9 new members who best represent St Andrews (whatever that means) after an interview process. However, the current members can also nominate additional candidates throughout the year, and I assume those are mostly the members' friends. The club invited Prince William to participate in the interviews, but he declined (I'd say that was a wise political move). The club has a "good ol' boys" feel like a select fraternity would in the US South. I'd also add that the procession had other layers of poshness: most of them were dressed as royalty or other British elites (which makes sense because they were dressed as historical figures); several girls from the polo team handled the horses for the boys (from conversations these girls also seem to be part of the British upper crust).

This is almost like a parade, but not quite. Instead of walking continuously, they stopped at different venues where they would have drinks and chat. My friend and I didn't realize that while we waited for them at the last leg of the procession by the cathedral since this venue would provide the best backdrop for photos. After an hour we thought we might need to figure out what was actually going on, so we walked back down South St and ran into the procession having a drink session at St Mary's Quad. I'm not sure if we were allowed to join them or not, but we did anyways. As the procession continued, we rushed back to the cathedral where I took most of my photographs.

For an explanation of all the characters in the procession, click here for the club's booklet.

Every time I've walked around St Andrews with

my camera, the cathedral has been locked, so I

took advantage of this opportunity to take a

quick picture from beyond the fence.

The University shield at St Mary's Quad: it includes Scottish saltire

an open book representing learning, and the arms

of Pope Benedict XIII, Bishop Wardlaw, and King James I

since they are the university's founders.

The procession moving down South St from St Mary's Quad.

St Andrew leads the procession with his cross (featured

in the Scottish, British, and Confederate flags).

Bagpipers in front of the cathedral.

King Robert the Bruce in front, maybe?

The last carriage includes "Kate," which is always a

boy dressed in drag.

The booklet I've mentioned above says this: Katharine is the central figure of the Procession [...] She was the daughter of Bishop Kennedy's brother Gilbert, the 1st Lord Kennedy, and his wife Katharine. There is nothing to suggest that she was the natural child of the Bishop himself, as some have speculated. Sometime before 1549, she married Alexander 2nd Lord Montgomerie; she bore him four children, their eldest son later becoming the 1st Earl of Elington. There is no documentary evidence that she ever came to St Andrews; but the bell of St Salvator's College, cast in Paris for Bishop Kennedy, bears the inscription: "That holy man, James Kennedy, Bishop of St Andrews, and founder of the College of the Holy Saviour, had me cast in the year 1460, giving me the name Katharine." The Bishop may have dedicated the bell to his niece, there may be a similar connection between her and the 15th Century Chapel of St Katharine which once stood to the north-west of the Collegiate Church, but there is no more evidence for this other than the common name. Kate's legend, however, has prevailed and the spring Procession has borne her name for centuries.

Ash Wednesday

Arni Saeberg. Bloomberg News.

I've seen this photograph of the volcano a few times

from different sources.

A cool photograph I saw from the New York Times

Ragnar Th Sigurdsson

Artic-images.com

FocusOnNature

I know I should read the news more often, especially since tv news can only convey a fraction of the information a newspaper article gives. I'm too entrenched in getting quick updates via CNN videos and podcasts (including GPS, which I've mentioned previously, and Reliable Sources). I'm also a huge fan of the Daily Show, which I watch regularly at lunch, because at least Jon Stewart shoots straight... unlike so many newscasters from traditional news media. Since I am in the international relations department, most of my friends are more up-to-date with the day-to-day global affairs than me, unless it was on the Daily Show... a lot of us watch the Daily Show. I will still glance at the New York Times (mostly because it's free for now) for real news, but I don't read the actual articles often. This should be a resolution for me- read 4 articles a day. I used to read the news a lot more, but I was probably unemployed then.

Last Thursday I glanced haphazardly as I usually do at the CNN front page and read a volcano had erupted the previous day underneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland. The article mentioned a volcanic ash cloud floating towards Northern Europe that would force planes to stay grounded since silicates in the ash would melt in the plane engines and cause them to flame out and stall. Thankfully, I actual read enough of the article so that I didn't look stupid in class when someone started complaining about his cancelled flight. Even though I'm finishing the last bit of my essays, I'm grateful that at least I'm not traveling anywhere, especially in France where there's a rail strike going on during this fiasco (c'est typique). I found some stats while glancing through a couple articles: the ash cloud has affected 6.8 million passengers thus far; the aviation industry has lost $1 billion, so it has cost the industry more than the 9/11 aftermath; this volcano is one of Iceland's biggest ones and was dormant for 2 centuries. Here's another interesting tidbit- German Chancellor Merkel left San Francisco on Thursday but got diverted around due to the closed airspace. After a road-trip across Europe, she finally made it back to Germany on Sunday.

I kept looking in the sky last Thursday to see if it looked different with the ash cloud. It looked just as cloudy as Scotland normally does. I even half-expected to see a thin layer of ash on the ground, but it looked normal. By Friday the sky was crystal clear even though the planes were still grounded. I'm not sure if anyone else in Scotland saw anything different. I did read that a thin layer of ash had covered parts of Britain.

Writing about war. Looking at sheep.

View from my desk this past week

I have 2 20+ page essays due next Monday, so I've been trying to finish as much reading and research as I could these past couple weeks on Easter break. I was semi-successful since I was able to finish my case study essay, which argues that Mobutu's neo-patrimonialism led to neo-medievalism in Zaire/Congo. The subject was a little difficult because we've never talked about neo-medievalism in class, and I had to read up on the material this week to make certain I can link these two theories together. It's an ambitious goal (or at least I think it is), and hopefully the essay will get a good 'mark.' I think I did a descent job, but I have to tidy it up this week, especially since the 5,000 word essay is closer to 6,000 words. I loved writing/researching it because I've been to DRC during the war but only knew the basic details about the war. In the reading I recognized the names of important towns from the war because I've been to those towns. My next essay is critiquing "greed and grievance" theory, which argues civil wars occur not so much because there are grievances but because there is an economic opportunity for warlords/rebels. I've already done a lot of research on resource wars, and yesterday I wrote the introduction, which tends to be the most difficult part. In a few minutes I'll get off the computer, get ready to leave the farm, and write some more of that essay. I hope to finish it by Wednesday. That would be nice, especially since it gives me a few days to spare and time to work on PhD applications.

This past week I set my desk next to the window where I could look out at Keyshill farm, where sheep roamed freely from one field to the next. A lot of the sheep have been giving birth these past couple of weeks, but I didn't go out to see any of these births. I did see some lambs, though. In addition to learning how the government Zairian troops committed atrocities in the Kivu provinces but rarely fought the rebel troops, I learned that newborn lambs don't live very long if they're born in rainy, cold weather. Sheep also get used to living in the same field and won't wander to a neighbor's field without trying to get back into its normal field.

Enough about sheep- back to writing about war...

Did anyone bring mint jelly?

Clock Ticking

About a month ago, I saw my neighbor in St Andrews walking down the sidewalk with a puppy black lab, and the dog was so shy it hid behind its owners legs when it saw me. I've seen this puppy a few more times whenever my neighbor takes it for a walk in the early evening. I joked with one of my friends that some girls' "clocks" start ticking for a baby, but my clock has been ticking for a black lab ever since I saw that puppy. Of course, I'm not in a place where I can take care of a dog (ergo, don't get me one... this one goes out to you, Mom... I wouldn't put it past you to try, especially since you told me you thought about giving me one of your dogs a year or so ago). Maybe in 3 or 4 years I'll be able to get one and actually have time to take care of it. My cousins here have black/brown labs, and the one pictured above is Rosie, who is about a year old.

Keyshill Sunset

Of course Scotland is well renowned for rainy days, and normally the sky is so cloudy in Ayrshire that I can't see very far in the distance. However, I went running around the farms here a couple days ago and was awestruck when I crested the hill and saw a huge mountainous island 50 kilometers from here. It was an odd sensation to see a snow-covered mountain when I was expecting more dreary gray clouds (actually, I don't really know if it's a 'mountain' or just a rocky hill, but we'll just call it a mountain). It's as if the sky pulled back the curtain and unveiled even more beauty in the distance. Just before sunset today I was watching a movie in the living room and saw windmills in the distance for the first time because the sky was extra clear; I thought I might be able to get a great photo of the Isle of Aaron during sunset sinwith this clear sky, and Dorothy told me where to go. I stood in the middle of a cow pasture and snapped a couple hundred photos as the sun set behind the distant island. I've only seen a couple other sunsets that might compare to tonight's sunset, including one from a Yucatan beach . I'm pretty sure this was the best one, especially since it seems like a rare occurrence to have such a clear sky as today.

The correct pronunciation of "garage"

I spent yesterday afternoon visiting the Patons, whom I first met when I was 8 (well, at least those who had been born by then). I hadn't seen their house in 10 years, and a lot has changed due to renovation and add-ons (I do love their new sitting room overlooking the hills and Isle of Aaron... I need to find a place in St Andrews that has a view like that while still being inside and warm). I probably don't remember much from the barbecue we had back in 2000 except for the Elton John music playing in the background (for some reason that has been seared into my memory). My younger cousins asked me about words that are different in American English, so I kept correcting them when they said words like "garage" or "petrol station." Even after all my efforts, they still won't talk like Americans. Oh, well. Maybe next time. I did teach them the card game Egyptian Rat Screw, though.

Again, I'm making up for not taking many family photos last December:

Some family photos this time around

While I was on Easter break, I wanted to come visit my Scottish cousins in Ayrshire, so I've been here for the past week. Since it has been a rather quiet week, I've been able to catch up on my 2 essays that are due soon, and it's been great catching up with all the cousins around here.

Last December my sister criticized me because I posted pictures of cows but only a couple family pictures, so here are some more family pics:

Easter's for mimosas

Friends cooking brunch. There's a mimosa to the left.

Whenever Christians give something up for lent, my mother taught me that we were supposed to keep it secret and not to talk about it because Christ spoke against public displays of righteous suffering. The fast is supposed to be between us and God and not everyone else, but I found it difficult not talking about givnig up alcohol last February. Everytime I ordered a hot chocolate or water after all my friends ordered pints of lager, the bartender would roll his eyes or shake his head. Some friends were confused and thought I didn't drink. When they found out it was for lent, they then asked if I'm Catholic and were confused when I told them I'm Protestant. Most Protestants were especially confused because they rarely heard of a Protestant giving up something for lent. My Armenian/Russian Orthodox friends said I gave up too little because lent was supposed to emphasize suffering: they all had to give up eating any animal products including meat, chicken, milk, eggs, and cheese. Long story short, I found it difficult to keep lent secret while at St Andrews, especially since every night or so we went to the pub. I did save money, though (but I then spent that money on afternoon coffees when I studied).

This past Sunday marked the end of lent with Easter, but I didn't go to church. I generally don't care much about going to church on Easter Sunday because everyone who doesn't go to church goes to church then. Back home we called those Christians who never went to church except for Christmas and Easter, "C-n'-E. Christians." Instead of church, I joined some friends for an Easter brunch, which actually started at 1 pm because it took so long to cook everything. One friend cooked a Swiss version of pancakes, and we also had quiche, fruit, sausages, hash browns, and French toast (one Scottish friend put salt instead of powder sugar or syrup on the French toast- we heckled him for this faux-pas). I didn't cook, but I did bring mimosas, which I thought was an important addition since I was breaking lent this morning (actually, I broke lent once when I had dinner at a brewery in Sarajevo, but I was at a freaking brewery in freaking Sarajevo- it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience; that dark beer was one of the best beers I've ever had; since I live in St Andrews, I'd consider breaking lent only once not a small achievement). As soon as I got to my friend's flat at 11 am, we broke into the champagne bottle and orange juice. Another friend brought a second bottle, and we finished all of the mimosas by noon. I believe mimosas are a drunkard's excuse for drinking in the morning. Some other friends arrived later with white wine and mango juice, but I didn't try their "mang-wine." I rarely have mimosas, but I must say they would make a nice Easter tradition.