I'm a tad homesick for all the homes I have collected.

My plant is beautiful, don't you think?
It lives next to the radiator - I'm tricking it to think it's in the desert.
And I've named it Gloria.

The work is piling up, and I'm not doing the best job on keeping up with it. We're almost at half term too, which is wild.

I'm loving the badminton team. I have yet to go in a proper boat for Rowing, so I'm saving my total judgment for that sport until then. I didn't make the preliminary crew list though, so that decision might be made for me if I don't improve. However, I don't think I'll be that heartbroken. I'll stick along for the term though. Probably. I'll see what my calves and abs say tomorrow night.

I'm going to hear the Head of State of Libya speak tomorrow. As the term card puts it - he lead a small group of officers in a bloodless coup to take over Libya (and its pro Western gov) in 1969. USA has had diplomatic relations with Libya since 2006. It should be interesting. I hear the man is crazy.

James Watson canceled ("postponed") his speech at the Union on Tuesday, following the uproar that has been chasing him since he suggested that Africans should not be considered intellectual equals with Western people because we evolved separately. Stupid.

Oh, and I wish you could see the impressive bruises I have from my bike collision. I look SO tough.

good news, or the bad?

Good news: I earned 5 pounds ($10) in a research study where I all had to do was flick my wrist back and forth for around 40 minutes. (The study had something to do with robot development).

Bad news: I was in a bike accident on the way there.

I was on my way to the Engineering Dept, so I'm going through one of the bike paths (with all of the cows). There was a bike up ahead of me, coming towards me, and I moved from the middle of the path to the left side, but literally, she was all over the path, like she was losing her balance (or a drunk wino). And before I knew it, she cut in front of my bike (sideways across the path, into the grass on my side of the path) and I run into her. We both fall.

Luckily, we were both ok (and wearing helmets!) so that wasn't an issue. She, however, did land in a cow patty (but part of me think she deserved it, especially afterward she turned it into a hit and run). She assured me that she was ok, and at this time, a cute little old woman came running over, screaming "Dearies! Dearies! Are you all aright?". The other woman (aka Rider of Doom) kept telling me that she was ok, she was fine, she was in a hurry, she has to go - she wouldn't even wait for us to try and clean her up a bit (While the majority of her body missed the poop, her bike basket - and its contents - didn't. EW.). She then TOOK OFF. 

At this point, I looked down at my bike, and realized what a crumpled mess the front of it had become. Now - while I realize that it takes two people to run into one another, to my virtue, the other woman did admit fault to me. She had explained that she was swerving to miss a cow patty when she cut in front of me, and why she served right instead of left will always be an ironic mystery. But what do you do in a bike hit and run? It's not as though there was insurance information to swap (although there should be, because she DID break my basket. Sob.). The elderly woman was kind enough to help me straighten it all out so it was semi-rideable and told me to have a cup of tea when I got to wherever I'm going to "help with the shock" (accompanying this advice with a story about how once she fell down a flight of stairs and really, the tea helped calm her down quite a bit). I think if she hadn't have been there, I might have sat in that field and cried. Yes, that might have been a bit of an overreaction, but the elderly woman assured me that was because of the shock.

I was able to get it back to the bike repair shop (which was an interesting half ride/half walk) and I became pretty good at balancing on the bike with my handlebar curved over to the right while keeping my wheel straight. And it only took a few moments and some wrenches to get my bike in working order again (although my basket is a bit worse for wear all the same).

But how's that for a bit of excitement?

I told you they were serious about the grass here.

My bike is fixed (and sounds beautiful), my glasses are fixed (they had lost a screw), I got the Union refund (sweet), and I bought a flowering cactus!

In terms of activities - so far, today has been incredibly productive.
As far as the 5-7 books I have to read, not so much.

I did promise . . .

Me and my fire warden vest. It wouldn't be so dark if the vest didn't suck all of the light out of the room.

After some free goodies were left on bikes at the lecture site (part of a promotional campaign for somethingorother), I now have a sweet reflective ankle band to match it.

I have to start taking my camera to lectures.

On the way, I saw cows kissing.

And . . .

We had our first land training today (and time trials for an indoor erg race). Lesson learned: Rowing is not as easy as it looks!

binary oppositions

Good news: bike IS guaranteed = free repairs for 6 months. I'm taking it in this week.
Bad news: first essay due tomorrow.

The first ones are always the worst.

I've been working on it all day, and I'm on my second package of biscuits (in the past three days).

Good news: cookie calories don't count if I have rowing practice this week - which I do.