Believe it or not, two swift weeks have past since my amazing trip to Disneyland. Returning to the real world has had its benefits, but it has been quite routine. The holiday ended; Trinity Term has begun. Fret not, however. It is about to become quite crazy quite soon here.
Routine would certainly not be an appropriate word to describe the weather. After six months of relatively clear weather, English drabness has kicked in with a vengeance. While my friends in the Mid-Atlantic are enjoying sunny skies and beautiful weather, I have yet to put away my winter coat. The daily highs are typically around 10 degrees (50 F), meaning that the slightest breeze sends one clamoring for a jumper. Worst of all, the precipitation has been even more schizophrenic than during the fall. Without hyperbole, there was one day this week with five distinct periods of rain, each broken by a period of sunshine. Crystal clear skies morph into torrential downpours within minutes, requiring one to pack many layers of wind and waterproof clothing even if the skies appear idyllic.
Adding insult to injury, I have a basil plant in my room. It looked like it needed additional sunshine and rain, so I set it outside on my window sill. That night, the wind toppled my basil to its near-doom, causing it to fall one story onto the treacherous concrete below. I salvaged its battered pieces and am now trying to restore its health. From now on, it will be an indoor-plant.
Mercifully, not all is Earl Grey and gloomy in England: the past two weeks have seen significant advancement on both research and dance fronts. In the former area, I have been able to produce some really interesting results, showing the lateral force patterns a human causes when he walks. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Bristol with my supervisors to meet some other researchers in the field. It will be exciting to share our various techniques, discuss the state of knowledge, and agree on some topics for collaboration (or at least not to tread on each others' feet)! If all goes well, my first major milestone will be in July, when I will have my 'transfer of status' from 'Probationary Research Student' to DPhil candidate. "But Dan, I thought you already were a DPhil student?!" Sorry kids... not quite. I'm currently trapped in educational purgatory. With Virgil at my side, I am working toward judgement on admission to research Paradiso. Thankfully, with the proper application of works and faith, my journey should continue past July with no real hitch.
In the dance world, Jenna (on whose blog I was recently featured as food critic) and I have revamped all four of our routines, just in time for Varsity match try-outs. Our quickstep will be exciting as we literally run across the floor and then turn into a side-skipping bit, all while maintaining a jubilant expression (of exhaustion ;-) ). The waltz features a pair of fantastic sways (slow dips) and a music-box style spin-in-place move. Our new jive is quite fast, but hosts some fun 'chicken' walks and kicks, while our cha cha has been likened to the Phantom of the Opera. For the latter, I am having to channel my inner fierce/sultry gentleman (for lack of a better word?).. which, given my typical lighthearted personality, is a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, Jenna says I'm acting the part well, except when I break down in laughter. Good thing we still have a week to pull it together before trials! By the way, for anyone who is interested in seeing our varsity routines, I am bound and determined to get some video footage for all the dances to send to send home. Let me know if you are keen.
Side note: a shout out to Partner for her excellent baking skills! We routinely swap baked goods (recall that I do tend to cook/bake for Acland, the dance team, my lab, etc.) and I typically get the better end of the deal. As you can read in her 20 Apr blog (see link above), I was the recipient of some chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars. This week - while I could only churn out a boxed carrot cake and some uninspiring double chocolate chip cookies - she reciprocated by baking Earl Grey banana bread and red velvet brownie cheesecake bars from scratch. I fear the day when she figures out I'm getting the better end of the deal! ;-)
Indeed, food certainly has a way of bringing people together around here. A week ago Thursday, I spent an evening with a pair of lab partners and their respective dates (no, not the fruit... the people). Christelle, the French girl who hosted crepe night in February, played host once again while Chris (from New Zealand) and I brought all the ingredients for paella. Remember these names: you will likely hear much about them over the coming few years, as they started their DPhil's simultaneously with me. Anyway, we had a very merry evening making paella, having a delicious apple pie, and playing a card game called "Time's Up," which is sort of like Taboo, but with the names of famous figures. I must say, in the States, it would much easier than here, but when you're trying to make a French guy guess "Charles Barkley" or "Miley Cyrus," you can certainly be up the creek without a paddle! We certainly had an amazing time, and I cannot wait for the next opportunity to get together!
Speaking of time, it is time to grab my gown and go to Sunday formal. I shall return shortly.
***Pause for Station Identification***
Alright, I have returned! Sorry for the delay... not only did I go to Hall, but I also went to social dancing (sad that only three other beginners were there, but still a good time) and had tea with the Acland gang. I like spontaneous fun, so I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.
Even though the literal storm has been two weeks in the making, the figurative, activity-based storm is just brewing. I have practiced dancing for seven consecutive days for the first time in my life (I'm sure Jenna will get a huge laugh over that), and the streak will continue at least through this week. Next Saturday is the infamous Keble Ball - a ten hour, 1600 guest (with 700 person waiting list), all night festival hosted on Keble grounds. There will be tons of food and entertainment, so it promises to be an incredible night.. more on that next time!
CULTURE CORNER
Words of the Day
jumper - n. An article of clothing worn in cold weather to keep one's upper body warm. Usually made of cotton, polyester, or wool (spec. 'woolly jumper'), often with a striped or argyle pattern. syn: sweater
paella - n. (pron: pie-ella) A Spanish dish made of fried rice, chorizo, chicken, shellfish, and diced vegetables. Very easy and tasty, I might add.
chorizo - n. (pron: cho-ritz-zo) A Spanish sausage known for it's chewy texture and spicy flavour. Great in paella.
veg - abbr. vegetables. For whatever reason, Brits say veg while Americans say veggies. ex. "For dinner tonight, we're having duck with mixed veg. It should be much better than the veg Hall served up last week!"
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