Less Potatoes, More Globalism

Good morning, TGIF! My day is packed with a lot of reading and errand running and some French class, but here is a quick snippet of my week...

Tuesday 6:30 a.m.  Do you know how disconcerting it is to bike to the boat house without being able to see the ground?  It feels eerily as if you're defying the laws of gravity or friction; you're floating across the world like a specter.

Rowers are a particularly admirable breed. Not only do they practice on (cold) water, in darkness and (freezing) wind, but they voluntarily get out of their nice warm bed to do so.  And you get some really cold hands. It is surprising that I find rowing more mentally than physically exhausting.  There are so many things to think about with the motion....not the least of which is making sure you don't tip the boat over by shifting your balance (a real difficulty!).

Wednesday I could have attended a really-interesting extra seminar or presentation every day this week. The best and worst thing about Oxford is the amazing amount of events going on.  How do you decide? What if you miss one that could have potentially shaped your research, or radically changed your views?

Wednesday Formal Dinner Dear St. Hilda's, I am very very sick of potatoes. I have yet to see a meal served without them.  I am forwarding you the New England Journal of Medicine study that said that potatoes were the number one food making us obese.

Thursday Netball is... interesting. The game comes to a standstill every time someone tries to shoot the ball, since only two players are allowed on each team in the shooting area.  I was the only American playing and lots of the Brits have played since grade school.  Why do only females play it? Do we even have a sport that only females play in the U.S.? Is it like the softball-baseball divide? What did the guys play while the women played netball in school?

Friday I. Need. To. Get. To. London.  It's only a hour and a half away, this is embarrassing.  I get to play an Ultimate Frisbee hat tournament tomorrow!  And I am nervous about my French class today.  I got into the fast-paced beginner class, and now I'm bemoaning the lack of language learning I've done in the past three years. Plus I pronounce all French words like Spanish words, which is not ideal.  But I will not perpetuate the trend of everyone learning our language while we make no effort to learn others. Global citizenship! 

Au revoir, LP