12.08.2004
losers and winners
The following post was written offline and added later with a revised timestamp
Heh. On my way into the plane, I passed by a few people with some conspicuous sporting logos on their shirts. Needless to say, I smugly said to myself that no only were these people backing losing teams were, in fact, also failures as people.
Number one:
Cambridge University Rugby. Oh, so sorry. I think we won that game yesterday. In fact, I know we did. 18 – 11. With a Keble College member taking man of the match. So HAH.
Number two:
New York Yankees American League East Champions 2004. Right. And how did that one end? Four words for you. World Champion Red Sox. That’s right. Nothing but net for the Red Sox.
Number three:
Manchester United. Nothing more need be said. This guy sucks.
On my way to Newark now. I was told that I could not just check my luggage to Newark only, but instead had to check all the way to Boston. This was disturbing, as I’d like to go to New Brunswick and visit my brother, and to Princeton, and to the P. school. And I’d really been looking forward to going. Still, my bags are checked straight through to Boston, but I have to go through customs in Newark. What I do afterwards is my own decision, and I think it will be to leave the airport and get myself to New Brunswick.
I haven’t blogged anything substantial in the last few weeks. I’ve been really busy. The term ended on a high note: I participated in three fantastic concerts (well, two, and the third was a good concert, but the music was kind of off), and a recording session. The one race we were allowed to race ended up in total humiliation for our opponent. My papers have been going well (though it is clear that I still have quite a lot of work to do in getting my writing up to the standards of Oxford University and graduate school in general. I sang in a wonderful recital at Keble College, and made my pilgrimage to the Apple Store and Westminster Abbey. My parents and brothers visited for a wonderful couple of days and I enjoyed showing them around this place which I love, this palce which I now call home, this place that has so much history and meaning that it crushes you to think about it for too long.
My friends are taking triumphs of their own: Ted got the grant money he was looking for, Liz was in a recording session with her orchestra and is on the Keble Women’s Football Team, which is set to win the league cup next term. The Women’s Boat Club came in second and fourth in the Christ Church regatta, and Derek was offensive player of the game in his American Football game (Oxford and Oxford Brookes University team up together for an all-Oxford football team). Dan was in a fantastic production of The Pirates Of Penzance, Cait is organizing a conference in Archaeology for Trinity Term 2005, Simon and Basak are still going strong, and Jenny has had huge success getting more people in the MCR to recycle.
Speaking of the new MCR, I don’t have any photos yet, but it’s gorgeous. We moved the dishes, lockers, and computers, and a few couches. Everything else is brand new and has been functioning beautifully. Even the dishwasher, which had been causing us (well, me) a lot of trouble. Why me? Because I am now the MCR kitchen manager.
I’ve met lifelong friends at Keble College and in Oxford University as a whole, I’ve gotten so much out of life at Oxford that I can’t imagine how this year could have turned out any better. Yes, I really do miss the safety and security of teaching life: there were no major crises, every day was about the same, and I always had colleagues whose council I trusted and whose expertise really meant that I had nothing to worry about at all. Oxford isn’t like that: it’s hectic, it’s busy, it’s a lot of the unknown. It’s difficult to get by, sometimes I get sad, sometimes I get lonely, sometimes it’s tough to motivate yourself out of bed. But the discipline which comes from working in the real world (something that many of my colleagues here did not do) provides a basis for self-motivation. I miss my students; I thank those who write to tell me how they’re doing or to inquire after me. I love chatting with them online. If you’re reading this and wondering if you should, in fact, IM me, please do. I’d love to hear what you’re up to.
Heh. On my way into the plane, I passed by a few people with some conspicuous sporting logos on their shirts. Needless to say, I smugly said to myself that no only were these people backing losing teams were, in fact, also failures as people.
Number one:
Cambridge University Rugby. Oh, so sorry. I think we won that game yesterday. In fact, I know we did. 18 – 11. With a Keble College member taking man of the match. So HAH.
Number two:
New York Yankees American League East Champions 2004. Right. And how did that one end? Four words for you. World Champion Red Sox. That’s right. Nothing but net for the Red Sox.
Number three:
Manchester United. Nothing more need be said. This guy sucks.
On my way to Newark now. I was told that I could not just check my luggage to Newark only, but instead had to check all the way to Boston. This was disturbing, as I’d like to go to New Brunswick and visit my brother, and to Princeton, and to the P. school. And I’d really been looking forward to going. Still, my bags are checked straight through to Boston, but I have to go through customs in Newark. What I do afterwards is my own decision, and I think it will be to leave the airport and get myself to New Brunswick.
I haven’t blogged anything substantial in the last few weeks. I’ve been really busy. The term ended on a high note: I participated in three fantastic concerts (well, two, and the third was a good concert, but the music was kind of off), and a recording session. The one race we were allowed to race ended up in total humiliation for our opponent. My papers have been going well (though it is clear that I still have quite a lot of work to do in getting my writing up to the standards of Oxford University and graduate school in general. I sang in a wonderful recital at Keble College, and made my pilgrimage to the Apple Store and Westminster Abbey. My parents and brothers visited for a wonderful couple of days and I enjoyed showing them around this place which I love, this palce which I now call home, this place that has so much history and meaning that it crushes you to think about it for too long.
My friends are taking triumphs of their own: Ted got the grant money he was looking for, Liz was in a recording session with her orchestra and is on the Keble Women’s Football Team, which is set to win the league cup next term. The Women’s Boat Club came in second and fourth in the Christ Church regatta, and Derek was offensive player of the game in his American Football game (Oxford and Oxford Brookes University team up together for an all-Oxford football team). Dan was in a fantastic production of The Pirates Of Penzance, Cait is organizing a conference in Archaeology for Trinity Term 2005, Simon and Basak are still going strong, and Jenny has had huge success getting more people in the MCR to recycle.
Speaking of the new MCR, I don’t have any photos yet, but it’s gorgeous. We moved the dishes, lockers, and computers, and a few couches. Everything else is brand new and has been functioning beautifully. Even the dishwasher, which had been causing us (well, me) a lot of trouble. Why me? Because I am now the MCR kitchen manager.
I’ve met lifelong friends at Keble College and in Oxford University as a whole, I’ve gotten so much out of life at Oxford that I can’t imagine how this year could have turned out any better. Yes, I really do miss the safety and security of teaching life: there were no major crises, every day was about the same, and I always had colleagues whose council I trusted and whose expertise really meant that I had nothing to worry about at all. Oxford isn’t like that: it’s hectic, it’s busy, it’s a lot of the unknown. It’s difficult to get by, sometimes I get sad, sometimes I get lonely, sometimes it’s tough to motivate yourself out of bed. But the discipline which comes from working in the real world (something that many of my colleagues here did not do) provides a basis for self-motivation. I miss my students; I thank those who write to tell me how they’re doing or to inquire after me. I love chatting with them online. If you’re reading this and wondering if you should, in fact, IM me, please do. I’d love to hear what you’re up to.
