Update on Being Cold
For those who don't pay for the Globe and Mail, my latest column is now also up on my own website.
There's a follow-up though. Since writing that column we've moved from Grantchester to a couples' apartment at Wolfson College in Cambridge, a place with less charm, but closer to the middle of town, less reliant on the mediocre local bus service, and offering free power, water, laundry and (unbelievably) toilet-paper.
The downside though is the heating. For reasons not close to being understandable, yet which are claimed to be scientifically based, the heating in apartments is only turned on from 8 am to 11 am and 6 pm to 11 pm. The rest of the time, the entire place just sits there and gets cold. Somehow it is believed that every student will always be off studying, researching, or writing dissertations somewhere else during every day - not at the actually very nice desk in their room. And yes, that includes the holiday period when the libraries, study areas, and other warmer places are all closed.
Of course, small electric heaters are strictly forbidden.
Nonetheless, we're ready for Christmas, with gifts, a pre-stuffed chicken to roast, crackers, and plans to visit at least one church for carols. Whatever else you might say about the British, they really do know how to do this festival.
The free laundry offers one of those sets of instructions that always stop me dead, and make stop and read it through twice.
You've got all of that. Right? Here's the actual machine controls....
And that clock for the washer has no relation to the time that the machine runs.
Really though, Cambridge is great fun, is mostly best navigated on foot or by bike, and has tons of really great book stores. If I had a turntable here, I suspect that there are also some very nice record stores.
We've visited several pubs, all with good beer and great food. In fact, we've yet to find a bad restaurant - in itself a pretty remarkable thing these days. We also attended our first "formal" dinner at Wolfson College. I was mightily impressed that the kitchen there, which usually churns out good but basic cafeteria food, can actually cook and serve a really impressive gourmet meal.
Stay warm folks, and have lovely Christmas season.
