About Me

Hey there and thanks for visiting my blog!! My name is Ashley and I am a history/literature Anglophile who enjoys nothing more than reading a good book whilst chilling with my dogs. Movies have always been a true love of mine, so I have combined both my interests here.

I reside in Georgia and am in my third (!) year at the University of Georgia. I used to still slave away at schoolwork, only now it really matters. I am a History major (with a German minor), my particular concentrations being the Napoleonic Wars, Regency Society and Fasion, the Royal Navy, and my historical crush, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, with whom I share a birthday.

After college, I hope to put my cake decorating hobby to good use and become a pastry chef; but as “caking” and “cupcaking” are the new “cool” jobs, graduate school in museum studies or military history is my backup plan. Fall 2011 will be especially exciting for me, as I will be spending a semester studying at Oxford University and travelling to many of the places in England that have featured in posts, and I look forward to reviving this blog with photos and comments on my travels.

I am a member of the Jane Austen Society and Phi Sigma Pi Co-Ed Honor Fraternity. When at home, I live with two Dobermans and a Dachshund, along with family of a more humanoid nature. I love comments and feedback.

My Favorite:

Books: Vanity Fair (W.M. Thackeray); though it just barely edges out many, many others, including Jane Austen’s works, Wuthering Heights, The Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik, Catch-22, and Harry Potter. I am also a major fan of historical nonfiction, especially concerning the Napoleonic Wars.

Movies: Titanic is my all-time favorite, but others that I adore include Vanity Fair (2004), The Reader, Legends of the Fall, Pride & Prejudice (2005), the Horatio Hornblower Series, Braveheart, King Arthur, Bright Star, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Below is a hand-painted (with icing gel and vodka) cake I made for a fellow LOTR fan.

TV Shows: Cake Boss, Samantha Brown travel shows, JEOPARDY!, Cash Cab, and  Masterpiece Classic.

Author: Jane Austen!!

Sports Teams: Georgia Bulldogs, Real Madrid F.C., Seattle Sounders F.C.

Music: classical, movie scores, and alternative