the meaning of Easter

I'm a little confused. Jesus died on the cross, then miraculously rose again. So we eat chocolate eggs because...?

Because Easter's a sodding Spring festival. As Eddie Izzard so eloquently put it, "eggs are for fertility and rabbits are for shagging". It's a pagan festival. And that's fine. It's a very long weekend off (Uni closed for almost a week which I cannot complain about) and one that we tend to forget about. I had intended to work through Easter, but seeing as the dept was closed, I had an impromptu holiday. Woohoo. I just think that we should be honest about the origins of Easter. I know it's a pretty important day for Christians, but it was decided to be celebrated at this time in the year to coincide with the Spring festival. Although I can see the links between Jesus rising again and the new life thing of Spring, we still don't eat chocolate Jesus'. But maybe we should. Or, for the non-Christians, have an Isis-style festival of new life. With much booze etc.

Who votes for choccy Jesus, who for Isis?

Moon. xxx

home sweet home

Am back. Hurrah. But it's cold. And the internet's buggered at home. How to deal with this? Back to Tucson, then...

far from home...

(It's a Levellers song)

Thought I should post from t'other side of the world. Just as a little bit of evidence that I've finally left the country.

Arizona's alright. Can now sympathise with Lord G's ramblings about irritating Americans. They really are larger than life. Gunt spotting tally is ever increasing. At least it's seriously warm. Feel very english for sitting outside for 5 mins and returning a pattern of red and white. All I need now is a spot of sunstroke to liven up the week.

Journey here was an utter nightmare. Despite stressing the previous day I managed not to set my alarm so was rudely awakened by a taxi driver calling to take me to the train station. Somehow managed to make it to Manc airport on time, was about to board the plane when heard an annoucement to pick up my belt I'd left at customs... tit. 9 hours to Chicago. 9 hour wait in Chicago.

At this point the story saddens. I got really homesick, even though had only been away for a few hours. As I've never travelled before I was very aware of the distance between myself and the Shire (what a loser). Although things here are all good now, I'm not sure I'd ever be able to leave home for a long period of time. Does that mean I'm a softie who needs to grow up? Maybe I just have an insecure resistant attachment with my mother. Pathetic. After that 4 hour flight to Tucson. Altogether it took over 24 hours to get to the fine hotel in which i sit now.

Anyway, as I said, things are fine now, and I'll be home before I know it, although slightly redder than before. I have met some dream heroes already, and some nightmares. Conference is good, largely because there are lots of stupid people here and I feel mightily intelligent despite having done no work for quite some time. This should be inspiring, really.

Best bit about Tucson: internet access in the hotel room. So, internet addiction not just bringing about a second year slump. I'm just a computer geek at heart.

See you soon, kids!
Moon.xxx