Birmingham

I have a new city to add to my list of "Cities that I Really Really Like": Birmingham.

(No, not the one in Alabama.)

I'm in Birmingham, UK for the next few days - I've only been here a few hours, and I love it. The center of the town has a big open air international food market with stands selling all sorts of ethnic deliciousness (and a huge beer tent). I love the architecture of the Cathedral (and I'm slowly getting used to the layout of Anglican Cathedrals vice Catholic ones...) Tonight I heard a lecture by Malcom Gladwell at the "Town Hall" (it's a big lecture hall) and tomorrow night I'm going to go to a performance by the Birmingham Royal Ballet.

The weather is phenomenal, the streets are bustling, the food and beer are cheap and delicious, and there's a ton to do.

Happiness, meet my life.

(In other news, the Gladwell lecture was pretty interesting. I felt like his theme wasn't terribly original - he was talking about the blindness that arises from overconfidence, with reference to how that caused the current economic crisis - but he illustrated his point via a tremendously vivid recounting of the events leading up to and including the Battle of Chancellorsville during the American Civil War, so I felt like I got a remarkably solid history lesson out of it if nothing else, and his point was well made. It reminded me of high school and Mr. Rakel's history class - never mind that I never got to be in his class, the few times I heard him were enough - I digress...probably the beer...time for sleep...)