18th century studies

This has been a difficult 24+ hours. I don't know the exact length of time because I've been trying to busy myself with all matter of distraction, everything from research on my dissertation to pulling lint off the cat. What's happened is that something hasn't happened. Yesterday my grades were ratified at King's College, except for one. It doesn't have a mark. This happened to a classmate in this particular module (class). As of today, no answer as to what's going on. Of course, the mind reels: will I need to write the essay again? If so how will I do that, with a 15,000-word dissertation to write, not to mention that I'm running out of money and need a job that starts by September. The amount of stress I'm under right now could fill the Hoover Dam if it were H20. On Tuesday I have to see a G.I. specialist here in London because I'm not swallowing normally. When I asked the GP today what to expect, she said there's a chance they may stic...

One of my favorite films of the past couple decades was "Spanglish", a 2004 comedy starring Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni and Amiee Garcia, which touches on the hilarious but often uncomfortable topic of knowing a little of one language and incorporating it into one's native language. In this case, Spanish and English, but why not Italian and Spanish? Itanish? Well, I've been in London since October, having arrived two weeks late to start my grad course at King's College. When I got here, I certainly knew what a lift (elevator) was, but I didn't know that nail polish is called nail varnish; that to sort means to sort out; that when one is asked, 'You all right?' here, it doesn't mean someone is worried we're about to pass out, but it's a standard greeting. When I got here, I was a bit worried about whether I'd understand my lecturers, whom I called professors back then - before I realized they are called tutors - and whether I'd be u...