Thank God for free internet in public libraries!!!

Second day in Bath and still no rain...yay! In fact there were even some moments where if you looked really closely, the clouds almost hinted at the blue sky behind them. Actually, I am pretty sure this is just wishful thinking.

I spent the morning in the Jane Austen Centre, which although gimicky and lacking in true Austen substance, was fun for the sheer sense of the Austen community that is out there. I am not the only one! Also, it really solidified an idea that I had secretly been harboring about the resurgence of interest in Jane Austen's work in the past few years. Movies like "Discovering Jane" and "Lost in Austen" reveal a renewed interest in her biographical side, and within the past year, the BBC has come out with at least three new adaptations of her novels. Even the widely popular Bridget Jones' books and movies suggest an interest in Austenien conceits applied to the modern day. I have decided to incorprate this into my thesis. Really, it fits in too perfectly, since I am looking at reading and the novel in Jane Austen's time. What better excuse to re-watch some of my favorite movies than for the solemn duty of research? It will be interesting to look at modern reviews, to see how today's readers have co-opted Austen to fill their modern needs. Also, it will give my thesis a greater sense of applicability rather than being "just another Austen thesis..." Clearly, my thesis will determine that everyone is just waiting for her Mr. Darcy to emerge dripping from a lake to take her away...

The afternoon was spent on a Mad Max Minibus tour of Lacock and Stonehenge. Lacock is a cute Cotswold Village that got me excited for tomorrow's full-day tour, and Stonehenge was actually quite exciting for me. I know what others have said: that it's cliche, looks exactly how it looks, and is a total tourist trap, but there's something about staring at those giant pieces of stone that were hauted 250 miles upriver and set in a circular calendar with absolutely no solid idea of who did it or how. They've determined that it wasn't connected to the druids, but the site is over 4,000 years old! How could the builders have even moved, let alone create columns and bridges of these stones?! It's elevation is really high so it was windy and freezing up there, but for me only added to the mystery of the place.

So that's my sappy £2 about Stonehenge. ( That's meant to be 2 cents, but there is no cents sign.) Today I did a tour of the Costwolds, which was all kinds of amazing. I think I sighed and thought "How adorable!" about fifty times. A few people from yesterday's tour were there today, which was fun. A handful of us got off in this quaint little village called Stow-on-the-Wold, and are meeting for dinner soon, so I had better go. But I will write more about the Costwolds tomorrow, and add pictures when I get back to Norwich! Thinking of you all, and GOOO OBAMA!!! I'll know by tomorrow morning, baby! EEEEEEE!!