Law and Order SVU

Today I wanna write about Law and Order SVU.

I wonder if I'll be able to write a female friendship like theirs in one of my stories one day... Olivia and Amanda are grown up in a way I don't feel like I will ever be...

I am not sure if I've ever written about SVU on this blog, but the thing is, I've been watching SVU for a long, long time. I used to watch this on cable with my parents when I was a little kid, before I even started Military School. That's a long time.

I love this show. It's longevity is definitely a part of that. I don't like when things end. And it helps that the actors enjoy the show as well. I mean this is part of what made Star Trek TNG so awesome: the actors enjoyed being together. I've listened to them talking about what it was like backstage, and how close they all were, and it's delightful to hear. Marina Sirtis has said something to the effect of: "I loved being in Star Trek, if they were still doing the show, I would still be on it." And that's awesome. Because I feel the same way about the show. And yeah, I get that for most actors it's just a job, something they'll do for a little while and move on, which is why it's so special when they also feel really close to the story... It's like... being in synch with someone you thought you might be in synch with all along. It's like there's chemistry. And Mariska Hargitay and Ice T seem to have this with SVU. 

Which is not to say that the show doesn't change as it ages... SVU has changed a lot. And although I have had my doubts about a couple of episodes in the latest seasons, overall, I really like some of the new directions where the show is going. They have been doing episodes focusing on multiple cases at once for instance, which feels more like what must actually be like working in a police station, and they choose one or a few stories in the season to bring back in further episodes which is also a nice little bit of continuity without giving up the episodic nature of the show. These things are cool. 

Unfortunately, the characters also change... SVU has had two major phases I think. The first was from seasons 1-12, with Cragen, Olivia, Elliot, Finn and Munch in the team. It ended when Stabler left, and his departure was handled beautifully by the writers. It took time for Olivia to bounce back from Elliot leaving, and it would have taken time, especially with how he left. It took some time for the show to find its footing again - Amaro was probably the most emblematic character of the transition phase - but eventually we got a new team: Olivia, Rollings, Carisi and Finn. Cragen was there in the beginning, and my absolutely favourite ADA of all time, Rafael Barba. Well, now the show is changing again. The person who's leaving this time is Amanda Rollins. 

I was pretty upset when I heard that Rollings was leaving. She is such an integral part of the show! She thinks in a different way than everyone else in the unit, which really adds to the investigation... It's like what Cameron was on House's team. But I have to say, the way Rollins left, it was handled beautifully. 

Episode 9, season 24 ("And a Trauma in a Pear Tree"), was something of a departure from what SVU is usually like and had Amanda and Olivia cutting loose and having some fun while ambushing a third-rate lowlife who liked to place cameras behind the mirrors of cheap motels. Olivia is sort of going through something with Noah finding a brother through a genetic ancestry test and Rollings is trying to find a way to tell her that she is leaving SVU, but more than that, in this episode, they are just there for each other. And that's something that happened over time since Rollings came on the team. They became friends. There aren't a lot of examples of female friendship like theirs in TV, at least not in most of the things that I watch. It feels like their friendship exists in the moments when the camera is not rolling. I don't mean that the actresses are friends - I think they probably are, but I don't know that. I mean that the characters exist even beyond what we see of them on each episode. I could write a million stories about the things we don't get to see, the things that happen between episodes, the little moments between those two women. They are both flawed people, they both went through tough times, but they were there for each other. They admire each other. They talk about personal stuff, give each other advice, show up and make the other know she is not alone. This goodbye episode highlighted all of this. It sucks that Amanda is leaving. But they will remain friends. And if she had to go, this was definitely the way. 

Olivia's reaction to the news was so human. This is one thing I like about Olivia's character: she feels like a real person. She is a hero, but she messes up sometimes. She's never written like a perfect character. And even when I don't like something she's doing, even when she annoys me, even when I would do something completely different in her place, I always feel like it is consistent with her character. That's good writing. Good acting too, I suppose, but I pay attention to the writing part because writing is sort of my thing. 

Anyway, this is it... I just wanted to register these thoughts now, in the present when I am thinking them... Because this is a great show and it feels like it's going into a new phase... And I'll miss Rollings, but I know she'll still be around in between the lines and I look forward to see what's coming next. 

SVU main phases... What will the next phase look like?

Science Officer's Personal Log | My Christmas at Oxford (December, 2022)

Although this Christmas was different - far away from my Christmas tree to name just one thing - I had to put a little effort into decorating my room for the season... Watching to my favourite Christmas movies in the theatre did had a little something to do with that, and here are the results...\

Believe in the magic of Christmas...

I love this duvet cover :) So me...

The mailbox Christmas card will be sent home to my brother before the new year...

I got two Christmas cards this season! Both were entirely unexpected! The first was from my brother (he sneaked it into my cello case and it got here when I did, back in September), and the second was from the choir maestro and organ scholars team :P

Before and after of my bold attempt at a Christmas dinner! No one was more surprised than I that it turned out delicious

My view...

And one from back home, little Luke under the Christmas tree, looking like a present :P

Top 3 Star Trek Christmas Memes

 

3. Not gonna lie... this reminds me of what it's like decorating the tree back home :P

2.

1. Oh No!!!

Opinion | What's up with Christmas movies this year?

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Needless to say, it's my undisputed favorite. I thought perhaps it would be different this year because, well... so much is different now, and I'll be on my own for Christmas for the first time ever. But no, it's still my favorite season. I  am actually appreciating all the things that are different about it - all the new carols, the real Christmas trees, the weather... But one that has not changed is this: I've been watching a lot of Christmas movies. 

Now, one of the highlights of this Christmas season has been watching to some of my favourite films - old Christmas films - at the movie theatre. There's a couple of street cinemas less than 10 minutes away from my flat, and in the past couple of weeks I had a chance to see Home Alone 1 and 2, It's a Wonderful Life and The Bishop's Wife on the big screen... I have to say... There's nothing like watching Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart in a cinema. It's absolutely indescribable. 

 

Those are some of my favourite movies of all time. But I also wanted to see what's new, so I have been watching to several Christmas movies on streaming. I mean, for the past few years I have more or less kept up to date with yearly launches, and I actually enjoyed Netflix's Christmas-Royalty multiverse (except for the third installment of the princess switch), and I was looking forward for 2022's addition to the series. But there wasn't one. I mean, there is a 2022 movie called "The Royal Treatment" which seems to be set in that continuum of movies (I'm pretty sure they mention Aldovia at some point) but this is NOT a Christmas movie! Can you believe that? I was halfway through and thought.. huh, there's something missing here. Turns out there was a lot missing: Christmas trees, carols, decorations, spirit... 

But, after I dusted myself off I actually got around to watch some fresh-out-of-the-oven 2022 Christmas movies. My favourite was probably "Your Christmas or Mine?", featuring Asa Butterfield from Sex Education. The movie follows a young couple: James and Haley, two art students from a University in London. When the movie starts, they are in a train station, saying goodbye before parting ways for a few days while each goes to their own family homes for Christmas. They are very much in love and mourning the imminent separation, but eventually each makes the way to their respective trains. Except that when they get there they decide to come back. And in true Kevin McCallister fashion (like when he thinks he sees his dad in the plane in the beginning of movie 2) neither is aware that the person they are getting in the train for is no longer there. 

 

When both trains stop, James and Haley are stuck with each other's families. And although they are in love, they have only been together for a couple of months, and they don't really know anything about their families. And actually, about each other. 

Both of the main characters have secrets. One of James' secrets has to do with his mum. As it turns out, she died a few years ago. She loved Christmas, and after she passed away Christmas was never the same for him, in no small reason because his father is so cold. But, of course, Haley is the catalyst that was needed for the old man to open up a bit, and when he does, he even tells his son that the girl reminds him of James' mum. 

 

Now, this brings me to a trend I have observed in this year's batch of Christmas movies. Having a character who's dealing with grief is not necessarily an original idea, especially in Christmas movies. Here's how it goes: the main character lost a loved one - usually a parent or a spouse. This person loved Christmas, possibly died around Christmas and since then, the season was never the same. Eventually the main character rediscovers the magic through his/her acquaintance with the movie's love interest. A LOT of Christmas movies have this plot, and the formula itself is not a problem. The problem is that every single movie in this year's batch uses it.

In Falling For Christmas, Sierra Belmont, spoiled daughter of a wealthy businessman has an accident and finds herself in the care of Jack Russel, owner of a small ski lodge, a single dad and - of course - a widower - for whom Christmas was never the same since his wife passed away. In Christmas on Mistletoe Farm, single dad and also widower Matt Cunningham takes his five kids to a farm and rediscovers the meaning of Christmas by falling in love with an eligible young lady from the neighboring village. Christmas with you has pop star Angelina rediscover the magic of Christmas by falling in love with - surprise, surprise - single dad and widower Miguel. Having lost her mother already, Angelina also bonds with Miguel's teenage daughter, Cristina, over shared grief, and in The Noel diaries, main characters Jake and Rachel bond over loneliness and grief again!

2022 batch of Christmas Movies on streaming...

 

I have a high tolerance for repetition. I mean, just looking at the history of this blog you'll find three Christmas Marathons, and one of those (December, 2020), focused exclusively on Christmas movies that involved royalty and nobility! More than that, I understand that a plot does not have to be surprising to make a good movie. But I don't think the problem of this year's batch of Christmas movies is the plot - I think the problem is that they are all hitting the same emotional notes. 

I understand why it can be tempting to write about a character struggling with grief. Grief is a powerful emotion, one that most people will be able to relate to and even those who can't should be able to understand it, and even feel for the characters in the story. But the characters have to be interesting. The setting should be compelling. In these movies, none of this is present. They don't even highlight a specific element of Christmas - a story, a decoration, a tradition or a song,... The characters are interchangeable.  The story rests on this single emotional punch, and the same notes are played so often they don't even sound like music anymore. At some point instead of feeling for the characters your response is just: "Oh, not again." 

When I look at my favourite Christmas movies, I realize that each of those stories stands on its own. Home alone is about rediscovering the love of family, and I bet most people - children and adults - can relate to Kevin, when he's in his parents' bed, holding a family photo and giving it a little kiss, after a quick look around to check that no one was there to witness him. That moment - the regret at the stupid thing he said before, the love for his family regardless of their problems, the need to seem tough and not let anyone see your vulnerable spots - that's what home alone is about. The traps and slapstick are just for fun - part of the setting, a setting that keeps things interesting. The Bishop's Wife is about the difference between what you think you want and what you actually need, and how easy it is to loose sight of the things that are truly important in life - things like family, charity and goodness. That scene where the angel pleads with Julia, not to send him away, the way he tells the Bishop of the dangers of an angel envying the mortal under his care, that's what The Bishop's wife is, beautifully delivered by Cary Grant's masterful performance. It's a Wonderful Life is about rediscovering one's own value, and being able to find success in an ending that is radically different from what one had originally envisioned. It's George begging to have his life back after seeing all the horrible things that happened without him, and feeling the friendship and love of people he had known his whole life, though he never knew how much they actually cared about him.  I could keep going, but I guess I made my point... Each of these movies plays a symphony of different emotional notes. Yeah, Christmas is there, but even then, each of them highlights different aspects of it. Home Alone emphasizes the decorations - which are incorporated in Kevin's traps. The Bishop's Wife and It's a wonderful life veer towards the religious aspect of the holiday, bringing angels to the forefront, but even then the angels are unique - Duddley is very old, and experienced, Clarence is an angel second class in need of his wings. The characters are unforgettable. 

Notice the cool Italian version of The Bishop's Wife on the right...

I don't mean to say I only enjoy old Christmas movies. That is not so. It's true that I sometimes wish people still wrote scripts like they did in the old days, but Last Christmas came out in 2019, and I found it truly extraordinary. But this year's batch wasn't so strong... Fortunatelly, Christmas, like Carnaval, happens every year. Here's hoping that next year's batch fares a little better.

Science Officer's Personal Log | Winter Break, week 1 (Sunday, 4/12 - Saturday 10/12)

 

Balliol College behind the Christmas Market

I wasn't really sure what to expect from the first week of winter break. On one side, week 8 was absolutely lovely and I was starting the break with the "right" foot forward. On the other side, most of the students would have returned home, and I wondered whether the drop in activities would make me a bit blue about not going home for Christmas this year. Over the break, there would be no more choir rehearsals, no more evensong, none of the delicate structure I managed to built over my first term. What is more, I was supposed to have a supervisor meeting on Friday, which always adds a bit of anticipation to my week. Like I said, I had no idea how everything was going to go. 

Well,  I am happy to report it actually went great. There was no choir rehearsal on Sunday, but I dropped by the chapel anyway, and used the time during which I would be at rehearsal to write instead. I love writing at the chapel. It's a good atmosphere - specially with the "monuments" lights on - and there is usually nobody around. This Sunday a small group of tourists dropped by at one point, though, and I overheard their guide saying that "because of its Welsh connection, Jesus College actually has the best choir in Oxford". Had to exercise all my Vulcan self control not to smile at that and add: "that's right, we do". 

The big event of this week was my second trip  to the Sheldonian, last Thursday. I spent the day at the Library, leaving at around 18:30, in time to drop by the Christmas Market, on broad street. The market was lovely, with a huge Christmas tree - a real tree, I believe - and an assortment of different stalls, selling everything from food, to socks and Christmas decorations. It actually felt a lot more like a Christmas Market - or at least my idea of what a Christmas market should be - than the Leicester Market we visited in London last week. I had a German bratwurst for dinner, with onions on top, and I couldn't have asked for anything better. 

Huge Christmas Tree on the Market at Broad Street...

 

Then it was time for the theatre. The programme was as follows: Mozart, Piano Concerto No 21 in C Major and Bethoven, Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op 55, 'Eroica". I was at the lower gallery, in the back, at a spot with a really good view of the cellos. 

I actually went to watch the 'Eroica",  because I have listened to recordings of this symphony many times, but had never had a chance to watch it live. But I was very impressed by the Piano Concerto. The piano player was the maestro himself, Marios Papadopoulos, and he sort of conducted the orchestra with his piano, which was something I had never seen before. The lid of the piano had been removed, so people could see him, and all the instruments gathered around him in a way that felt almost like a group of friends, sitting around a fire, making music together. The cellist in the first line watched the maestro with the most sincere of smiles. It was rather lovely. 

During the break, the piano was removed, and the instruments assumed their standard positions. It was amazing. Nearly an hour long, I'm sure of it, and gripping throughout. Once again, my eyes naturally drifted to the cellos, and the first pair - a man and a woman - were an absolute delight to watch. It seemed like they were talking to each other at times, albeit not so much with words as with looks, and they seemed to be having a great time. At one point she played, he didn't, but he made a sort of gesture with his hand, almost as though they were dancing instead of playing the cello. And later on, after it was all over, when the maestro was giving flowers to his musicians, that playful cellist indicated his companion deserved a  rose. I had a blast watching those two.  

 

My view from the lower gallery...

Eventually it was all over. Since my spot was at the very back - and the Sheldonian is a cramped up building - I thought it best to wait until everyone else had left on my side. One of the other spectator, however, a white-haired gentleman, who also seemed to be by himself actually stopped and gestured that I might leave ahead of him, so as not to have to wait for the entire line. It was sweet of him. A kindness from a stranger, and the type of small moment that makes me smile and sets my mind in motion with thoughts that sound a lot like: "I really should put that in a book". 

As far as work is concerned, the first week of the break went great. I hurt my foot, unfortunately, so I have been limping to the library and back since Monday, but working in the library all day is exactly the sort of thing I feel I was meant to do with my life. This week, because of the foot injury, I chose my College Library, which is really starting to grow on me. Because the college is empty - with all the undergrads away - the college is a quiet heaven for study and research, and it's close to everything - meaning I can go easy on the foot. My favourite spot is at the gallery of the Upper Meyricke, at a round table in the Sociology/Economy session. I wouldn't expect the books in that particular session to be of particular interest to me, but I did take out "The Right to Sex", by Amia Srinivasa, which I am currently reading, and there's another one named "Peoples and Plagues", or something to that effect, on which I've been meaning to take a look. 

Talking about books, I finished two Star Trek novels this week: "Children of both worlds" and "Autobiography of Captain Janeway". It would take too long to go on about my thoughts on these though. Both were loans from the Oxfordshire county library, and I am glad to actually be reading and finish books from the many libraries in the city (my room is full of them :P) 

All things considered though, it's good that I chose a spot with few distractions, next to a window overlooking third quad. I had time to watch several sessions from an online Oxford Nanopore conference, and I could work on a literature review that is critical for my current project. It was a good routine for me. Wake up, pick up a hot chocolate on my way to college, get to my spot and work all day, breaking only for lunch at Hall, around 12:15. Hall is looking lovely, with a Christmas Tree and some decorations here and there. I just wish they would light up the fireplace, because the days are really starting to get colder now. My meeting on Friday went well, and I have a really clear idea of what to focus on for the next couple of weeks. Let's just say I see more days at the library in my future. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas indeed. 

Science Officer's Personal Log | Michaelmas Term, week 8 (Sunday, 27/11 - Saturday 3/12)

Last week of my first term at Oxford. I can hardly believe it. 

Sunday 

 

St. John's secret garden...

 

Sunday started strong,  with me meeting a couple of friends from Trek Soc - best close-knit group of people I've met in this town so far - so we could explore colleges. First I took them around Jesus, showing the highlights of my pretty little college, and sharing a few tidbits of its History, as well as my favourite spots. Then we went to St. John's, home of Trek Soc's first officer. John's is an impressive College. Grandiose, and maze-like sometimes, with multiple quads, a private croquet lawn and a secret garden. My favourite little thing about it though was a tree - known as the O2 tree, I am told - with a wooden bench around it, like Captain Picard's tree at the Academy. 

I had had a tour of John's before, but it was nice visiting again, especially with my friends from Trek Soc. I think of them as friends, at least, and I have a good time when we're together. They went to Hilda's next - our first officer wasn't around when we went last week - but I couldn't join them because I had to get ready for choir. We all had lunch at Najar though. Najar is an institution at Oxford, a falafel stand right in front of John's to which I'll definitely be returning in the future. I had never had it before (I had a wrap with falafel and chiken tikka), the price is fantastic. Great experience.

The highlight of this week, no doubt, has been singing Christmas Carols with the choir. It started on Sunday, 27th of November, the last Sunday of term. Because most students go home after week 8, it is tradition, at Oxford, to celebrate Christmas with the college one month in advance. Oxmas, it's called, and Oxmas is upon us. This week's evensong was then, replaced by Christmas Carols. 

 

Link to the Christmas Service on facebook: https://fb.watch/hgThx7f7zH/?mibextid=j8LeHn

 

The service was unusual in another way also: because it is so popular - and our chapel is so small - we agreed to perform twice, so more people would have a chance to attend. This meant a different schedule: 

14:00 Rehearsal

15:15 Break

15:45 Carol Service #1

16:45 Choir Tea

17:30 Carol Service #2

Followed by formal as usual

The schedule wasn't the only thing that was different. There were two types of carols for us to sing. Choir hymns, which are for the choir alone, and congregation carols, which everybody in the church is invited to sing along. The thing is, last Thursday we practiced none of the congregation carols, and there were so many of them that we barely had time to get through them all before the performance. It wasn't supposed to matter, because most people in the choir have been listening to these since they were children, but all I had to go on were a few recordings I'd listen to in preparation for service. I did my best to catch up though. And it was a plus that we got to sing a second service. For me it was a chance to do even better the second time around. Both services were by candlelight, as is tradition at Christmas, and the choir had little lamps for our sheet music folders, that made me feel like part of an orchestra. 

The music was a lot of fun. It was hard, surprisingly hard, especially because they had higher notes than anything we'd tried the entire term. Notes I can reach, but that are hard to reach especially in the middle of a song. I'm still pretty novice at this. Of the congregation carols, my favourite was one named "The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came". I had never heard it before, but the rhythm of this one was really lovely. Constantly moving, difficult to explain but easy to listen to. I hope we do it again next year. 

Monday

 

Christmas Tree in front of St. John's... It's a real pine tree, and my view every Monday evening, before Trek soc starts :)

 

On Monday, at the last in person meeting of Trek Soc, I was chosen as new Science Officer of the society, which is exactly what I wish I could be on the Enterprise :P My duties shall involve taking the computer to meetings to show episodes, managing the website and - I think - looking after the cups. It was movie night for us and we ended up watching "The Search for Spock", which was a lot of fun. I always have a good time watching trek, and it's always doubly special if it involves Spock. 

Prior to our meeting, I stopped by Jesus Chapel for an hour to watch the Christmas Carols in Welsh, by the Welsh society. It was cool. Jesus was originally founded to educate Welsh clergymen at Oxford, and to this day, the college maintains a strong link to Wales. The Welsh Draig is all over our walls, next to our boating victories. Now that I am a part of Jesus, I want to learn more about Welsh also. Seems like too good an opportunity to miss. The carols were an interesting experience. The service was much more packed than evensong ordinarily is. I had a leaflet to follow along - so many consonants!! It was fun. And there was a harp presentation, so a nice musical evening.  

Tuesday

 

Jesus by candlelight... Photo from @jesuschapeloxford instagram

 

I worked intensely since the beginning of the week, focusing on my lab projects and revising the material for an important exam on Thursday morning. By Tuesday evening, I welcomed the chance to stop by Chapel for an hour or so, to have a break, and write a little. The Chaplain lit up candles all over the chapel, creating a nice, intimate atmosphere. It's amazing how big a part the chapel has come to play in this beginning of my new life at Oxford, especially considered how non-religious I am, and what an insignificant part church has played in it so far. Be that as it may, I am glad of it... The chapel certainly looked cool tonight.  

Wednesday

 

An evening stroll around London...

 

Sunday service was not the last chance for carols this week! On Wednesday night we had a special alumni service in London, for alumni and donnors. A coach would take us from the Randolph to St. George's Hanover Square, leaving at 13:30h. The trip took forever. It took us over an hour just to get to the church, AFTER we had entered London. But I didn't mind. I was doing revision for a big test the next day most of the trip, but I also listened to music, and even joined a few of the others in a quiz game in which we tried to guess movie names based on tips from the other players. And after we arrived, I took a stroll to the Christmas Market in Leicester square. The market was no bog deal, but a walk in the city at night... I always enjoy that. Not to mention, well, as they say, there is no place like London.

Singing at the church however was great. The church was bigger than our chapel, with a much larger organ. There was a Christmas tree inside, a large tree, taller than I. and we had four lines of chairs for the choir, instead of three, but there were less of us this time so the sound was very different. I worried about reaching the high notes, about actually contributing to the sound, but I enjoyed everything about the process. The first rehearsal after the walk to the Christmas market. The break for a packed dinner, when I had a delicious sandwich of chicken and stuffing with chips and water. The actual performance to a much larger audience than what we're used to, accompanied by a much bigger organ. I was happy and grateful to be a part of it. I didn't sign up for the MCR Christmas dinner because it would coincide with the alumni service and the choir has played a bigger part in my life than the MCR so far, so it was an easy choice. 

St George Hanover Square, London

 

After the performance there was a reception. That was a challenge. There were too many people there, loads of strangers, and I barely know even the other members of choirs, at least well enough to maintain a proper conversation. That meant the reception was a challenge. By the end of it I was exhausted and I actually retreated to the silent church for a few minutes before meeting the others at the bus. Then back to Oxford, and I was home by midnight.    

Thursday

 

The guy at the pizza place had no idea who we were, but somehow he gave us the perfect spot _\\//

 

This Thursday was the JCR Christmas dinner, which traditionally has 20 spots for the choir. Sadly I couldn't get one of the spots, but there would be a rehearsal before the dinner, and the maestro asked as many of us who could come to do so, to support the choir, because a  movie crew would be filming the us for a documentary. I went. It just seemed like fun, a last chance to do some singing before term was over, and the maestro even let all of us to participate at the rehearsal - not just the filming part - which turned out to be cooler than I expected, with all of us gathering around the piano to sing stuff like "Ding Dong Merrily on High". Loads of fun. 

After that, Trek Soc had a social at a place called  Atomic Burger. That was a fiasco. By the time we got there, the place was closed - despite confirming our reservation through email (since then we learned it actually closed for good). So, we had to walk to a different venue - a pizza place with a nice Star trek poster on a wall, but it was not close to the burger place and we walked VERY fast. At the pizza place, there were only about six of us, and we were all a bit tired from a busy week. But the pizza was nice.  

In addition to all this singing (which, I have to say, has taken a toll on my voice), the week was busy. I had a lot to do with regards to my projects, an important meeting on Friday and a big test on Thursday (I passed, by the way). On Saturday, I even found time to cook a nice little dinner: chicken and vegetables. I am practicing my cello again and I finished the first draft of the first five chapters of my novel.  All things considered,  a strong start to my first year. 

The days are definitely getting colder now. I might have to go out soon to buy proper winter things like gloves and a wooly hat, things I never really had much need for until now. I wonder what the winter break will be like...