18/10 - I went out with a group of two British people, two Kenyans, two Italians, an Indian, three Americans (including me) and a Chinese guy (Sam). It was an awesome night in Bournemouth City Center, and I rode the bus home with Sam. He taught me some Chinese and I hope I remember it in the morning. Sam was drunk, and the only thing he wanted to do was go back to his room and go to sleep. I think people feel much more comfortable when you ask them about their culture, their language. There are lots of different people here, and they all do things different ways. It's fascinating.
19/10 - Defense in football is much easier than offense; it's much easier to learn. Anyway tonight I drank way too much with Bill (again, pseudonym). I got to know him a lot better and he's my friend now. But really, what American can say they've gotten drunk with a British person in England and walked home through the neighborhood with them? I'll have memories of this forever.
And during football practice I got more comfortable with playing linebacker. Linebackers basically have to shed blocks to get to the football or cover their area in coverage, and it depends on the coverage. And since there's fewer people on that side of the ball, I'll play more. I look forward to Tuesday's meeting.
20/10 - I drank and partied too much this weekend. But I'm not ashamed of it; after all, I didn't do anything I'd regret like Bill did. Anyway, today has been spent starting an essay for my sports class. It's coming along slowly but surely. And it only needs to be 2,000 words, which is very short. But it's still a struggle do start this. I never have liked academics.
21/10 - Busy day today. I woke up at 5 a.m. thanks to the tail end of the hurricane here pounding the window. But I met a fellow American named Angel today in my business class, and it turns out I'm the first American she's met so far. So it was pretty cool meeting her and her friends.
I also met with a photography student (from Iceland) working on a project about how international students are getting along in their new life. If he chooses to focus on me, he'd come to football practice and take some photos. It seems like an interesting idea, though he's had a lot more interest than he expected since he emailed all the students.
During the chalkboard session for football, we studied film of ourselves practicing, and I saw the play where I was blown up behind the line of scrimmage. It actually felt worse than it looked. But really, you think you're running fast in real life, but on camera it only looks like you're jogging. Plus, I look pretty big in pads.
I was thinking about how things are different in this country. For example, healthcare is free (because taxes are incredibly steep) and there are strict gun laws. You can own a gun, but only if you have a permit, which is difficult to get. You can't own a heavy duty firearm like an assault rifle. Even the police don't usually carry guns. It sounds like people are against guns here, and they'll demand accountability from police officers, unlike in America where the cops can shoot someone if they feel just slightly threatened. An officer with a gun makes them drunk with power, as we've seen in the states. And another thing, there's CCTV cameras everywhere you can think of. So it's interesting to think about the different ways countries do things like this.
24/10 - I know where my name comes from now: it's Swedish. It came from Brita and Olaf Lingberg when they settled in South Dakota from Sweden. Those are the grandparents of my grandfather James Lingberg. I knew he came from South Dakota, but I didn't know anything after that. I wanted to know where my name comes from after a Finnish classmate of mine asked me where my name came from.
It's been a busy week. I cooked with Stella, which came out amazing by the way, and I'm writing for the student newspaper. It's a story about the Bobcats (I don't mention myself, of course, as it's a conflict of interest already). I'm also slowly but steadily putting essays together for my sports class. I'll focus on that and then go on to the less exciting ones for the business classes.
Now that it's getting deeper into the fall, I'm beginning to see that it's always wet here. When it rains, water usually evaporates eventually. Not here.
Tonight I have football practice. I'm looking forward to it because I'm more comfortable playing linebacker now. I won't get pushed around quite as much this time around.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
Nationalism, identity and a drunk professor
13/10 - I did something today I've never done before: make a mash. It was fantastic! I do have to give some credit to Kate, as she was eating in the kitchen during this time and helped me out. I was trying to decide what to do with a bag of vegetables that needed to be eaten and she gave me some tips and ideas.
I just sliced up some potatoes, parsnips and carrots and placed them all in water for at least 30 minutes to stew. Near the end I put a cube of vegetable stock in there as well. When everything was mushy and falling apart, I put it all in a large bowl and began mashing with a fork. Every so often I poured a bit of the stock into the bowl and continued to mash. I then put some butter, salt and pepper into the mix. That turned out to be awesome because it had the consistency of typical mashed potatoes that aren't dry and have some flavor. I was excited I made something so tasty so I offered some to Tim, Kate and Stella.
14/10 - For the football chalkboard session tonight we had a motivational speaker come to...motivate us (for lack of a better word). I liked it because not only did it apply to football but for school as well. I'm here and this is my opportunity to hit the shit out of people in football, and also to make up for my past shortcomings in the classroom. Log off Facebook and fantasy football and get to work.
Also, I've read more interesting theories about sport and society. Courtesy of George Orwell in the '40s, each and every kind of team or club in sport is like a different nation. Like with actual countries, nationalism is at work with fans. They hate other fans because they're from a different nation or for no other good reason. It creates ill will and hostility towards others, and it doesn't do much for creating good relations.
The more I read I see more and more why being the obnoxious fan is not the way to go. Sport should bring together together, not drive us apart and be part of the problem.
15/10 - I was a little surprised to learn I was named the Asst. Sports Editor of the Bournemouth Rock today, even after I made it clear I only wanted to contribute a few articles. Oh well, we'll see how that goes. Additionally, I'm all set to go with Bleacher Report. I'll begin in the morning. Finally, some income.
Tim, Kate, Stella and I spent a fair amount of time in the common room today just talking. Stella and I are becoming friends. Before meeting her I never had a desire to visit Africa at all, but knowing her would make a trip there much easier. She said it would be fun to show me around Kenya and just thinking about that earlier made me game to go. I think it would be a fantastic lesson going to Kenya. Why? I've spent my whole life, as a white person, in the majority. Going to Kenya would make me a minority. Everyone will be a different color. I've never felt strange because of my skin color. I wonder how that would feel? But Stella said I would love African food and apparently Kenyan beer is amazing. Let's go!
What's also funny is how Stella thought it was winter here. Nope, it's barely fall. While in the common room, I was sitting around barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt. Stella had a blanket, a sweater, leggings, socks and a scarf. This weather is freezing to her. No wonder because she comes from a warm country.
17/10 - Last night Kate and I combined on cooking dinner. We ended up with sausages with rice mixed with cous cous and curry sauce and some sauted vegetables in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Just as we finished, Stella walked in. We talked about cooking a meal the night before but she just missed it.
I'm happy to report I now have tickets to two soccer games. One is for Bournemouth AFC with my classmate Krasimir (the Bulgarian guy) and the other is to a Crystal Palace game with Bill (pseudonym) in December. I'm really excited for these games, and of course to go back to London.
And speaking of Bill, I ran into him at a bar in Parkstone tonight (it's 18/10 right now) and what resulted was incredibly hilarious. Bill saw Tim and I and stumbled up to us completely hammered. He just started talking to us in slurred speech and there were several spots where he put his arms around us and drew us in close. He also kissed us on the forehead a couple times. But what was really funny was the fact Tim just set his beer down (which was half full) and left the bar after that meeting because he thought Bill's actions had killed our style.
At football practice I was moved to defense to play as one of the linebackers. The weather wasn't cold but it was raining most of the time. I just want to play, and I know I'm pretty shitty at the game. But tonight it was awful. Coach Charlie was calling defensive plays in the huddle and I had no idea what was going on. I was getting knocked around and spun around. But it was my first practice at linebacker after spending the last few weeks learning the offense, and it'll only go up from there because I really set the bar high for myself.
I'll bore you all with some things I got from more reading in the library. I've been in England for more than a month now; almost five weeks. After reading some sport sociology books, I'm pretty sure I've gone through a change in self, or identity. Bournemouth and Poole feel like home now and I'm not so star struck about being in another county. Things, such as the accent, feel normal now. It's only been about five weeks but it has felt much more than that. British people aren't that different from Americans. Sure, some words are different, but we have similar cultures. Also, servers in restaurants are paid minimum wage so tips aren't expected here like they are in America.
So I'll cut it off here at 2:49 a.m. and go to bed. Hopefully I've drank enough water to get me up in the morning and go have a full English breakfast with Kate.
I just sliced up some potatoes, parsnips and carrots and placed them all in water for at least 30 minutes to stew. Near the end I put a cube of vegetable stock in there as well. When everything was mushy and falling apart, I put it all in a large bowl and began mashing with a fork. Every so often I poured a bit of the stock into the bowl and continued to mash. I then put some butter, salt and pepper into the mix. That turned out to be awesome because it had the consistency of typical mashed potatoes that aren't dry and have some flavor. I was excited I made something so tasty so I offered some to Tim, Kate and Stella.
14/10 - For the football chalkboard session tonight we had a motivational speaker come to...motivate us (for lack of a better word). I liked it because not only did it apply to football but for school as well. I'm here and this is my opportunity to hit the shit out of people in football, and also to make up for my past shortcomings in the classroom. Log off Facebook and fantasy football and get to work.
Also, I've read more interesting theories about sport and society. Courtesy of George Orwell in the '40s, each and every kind of team or club in sport is like a different nation. Like with actual countries, nationalism is at work with fans. They hate other fans because they're from a different nation or for no other good reason. It creates ill will and hostility towards others, and it doesn't do much for creating good relations.
The more I read I see more and more why being the obnoxious fan is not the way to go. Sport should bring together together, not drive us apart and be part of the problem.
15/10 - I was a little surprised to learn I was named the Asst. Sports Editor of the Bournemouth Rock today, even after I made it clear I only wanted to contribute a few articles. Oh well, we'll see how that goes. Additionally, I'm all set to go with Bleacher Report. I'll begin in the morning. Finally, some income.
Tim, Kate, Stella and I spent a fair amount of time in the common room today just talking. Stella and I are becoming friends. Before meeting her I never had a desire to visit Africa at all, but knowing her would make a trip there much easier. She said it would be fun to show me around Kenya and just thinking about that earlier made me game to go. I think it would be a fantastic lesson going to Kenya. Why? I've spent my whole life, as a white person, in the majority. Going to Kenya would make me a minority. Everyone will be a different color. I've never felt strange because of my skin color. I wonder how that would feel? But Stella said I would love African food and apparently Kenyan beer is amazing. Let's go!
What's also funny is how Stella thought it was winter here. Nope, it's barely fall. While in the common room, I was sitting around barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt. Stella had a blanket, a sweater, leggings, socks and a scarf. This weather is freezing to her. No wonder because she comes from a warm country.
17/10 - Last night Kate and I combined on cooking dinner. We ended up with sausages with rice mixed with cous cous and curry sauce and some sauted vegetables in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Just as we finished, Stella walked in. We talked about cooking a meal the night before but she just missed it.
I'm happy to report I now have tickets to two soccer games. One is for Bournemouth AFC with my classmate Krasimir (the Bulgarian guy) and the other is to a Crystal Palace game with Bill (pseudonym) in December. I'm really excited for these games, and of course to go back to London.
And speaking of Bill, I ran into him at a bar in Parkstone tonight (it's 18/10 right now) and what resulted was incredibly hilarious. Bill saw Tim and I and stumbled up to us completely hammered. He just started talking to us in slurred speech and there were several spots where he put his arms around us and drew us in close. He also kissed us on the forehead a couple times. But what was really funny was the fact Tim just set his beer down (which was half full) and left the bar after that meeting because he thought Bill's actions had killed our style.
At football practice I was moved to defense to play as one of the linebackers. The weather wasn't cold but it was raining most of the time. I just want to play, and I know I'm pretty shitty at the game. But tonight it was awful. Coach Charlie was calling defensive plays in the huddle and I had no idea what was going on. I was getting knocked around and spun around. But it was my first practice at linebacker after spending the last few weeks learning the offense, and it'll only go up from there because I really set the bar high for myself.
I'll bore you all with some things I got from more reading in the library. I've been in England for more than a month now; almost five weeks. After reading some sport sociology books, I'm pretty sure I've gone through a change in self, or identity. Bournemouth and Poole feel like home now and I'm not so star struck about being in another county. Things, such as the accent, feel normal now. It's only been about five weeks but it has felt much more than that. British people aren't that different from Americans. Sure, some words are different, but we have similar cultures. Also, servers in restaurants are paid minimum wage so tips aren't expected here like they are in America.
So I'll cut it off here at 2:49 a.m. and go to bed. Hopefully I've drank enough water to get me up in the morning and go have a full English breakfast with Kate.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Football: bringing out your inner savage
9/10 - Bournemouth and Poole are wet. And soggy. And today there's been thunder and lightning and more driving sheets of rain to go along with wind. I think there's been more rain today than I've seen my whole time in Porterville. I have a feeling football practice tomorrow night will be cold, wet and miserable.
The library on campus is great. I could get lost in there. Sure, it's nothing compared to the University of Nevada, Reno library, but it's still fun to stay a while looking at stuff about sports, cooking and languages. It's an added plus my student ID doubles as a library card. I think we can take libraries for granted; I sure did at UNR. But I'll use this one to my advantage.
I'm cooking food for myself every night. It's way cheaper than going out and I'll start learning how to cook different things. Like cooking rice in vegetable stock and mixing it with tuna, olives, cucumber and beans. Yum.
I ran into Spencer again today and he remembers inviting me to a Crystal Palace game the other night. So I guess I can just look up which game I'd like to go to and tell him, just as long as it's not a game where a big club comes to visit, like Chelsea, Arsenal or the Manchester clubs because tickets skyrocket for those games.
10/10 - Today I played football with pads and a helmet for the first time. Sure, they weren't my equipment (the helmet was pressing on my temples) and I was only involved in one play (which I was lost on), but they were on. But there's a lot of work I need to do in terms of correct blocking form and getting comfortable with everything in the playbook.
But Bournemouth is an awesome town. It's a big city, and today I saw it for the first time during the daytime, and it's thriving. I went to the beach and could see white cliffs to the east. I don't think they were Dover, however. I found an enclosure in the city center that houses birds, like a zoo. They were mostly finches and love birds but it was still interesting.
There's one thing that's odd about this country. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a publicly funded entity. So because of that people here have to pay a television tax. That means if you have a TV, you pay a tax on it every year. I found out because me and a couple flatmates got some notices warning about a potential fine if we keep watching TV shows and not pay the tax. Kate said nothing can happen to if you don't actually have a box. You're fine if you only have a laptop like I do.
11/10 - My left pinkie joint and right knee are sore from practice. I remember bumping knees with someone but have no idea why my pinkie is sore. There are several bruises on my arms as well. But I have absolutely no issues with that. I like football. But I gotta get rough and way more crazy. What I need to do is let loose.
I walked along High Street with Kate today and had lunch by the docks. Weather here is so weird. It was sunny when we left, but a giant dark cloud moved in quickly with sounds of thunder. It began to rain heavily as we were eating in the pub, but it only lasted 10 minutes at the most. When we finished and left, the sky was completely clear, and right now it's beautiful. That's the thing about the coast; there's hardly any smog that builds up because it's almost always windy or raining. Plus, it smells fantastic here.
On the way back through High Street, we stopped at a kiosk to pick up a wine bottle of freshly juiced apples. They were just giving them away because so many people around the kiosk were peeling or juicing apples. It was like drinking a liquefied sour apple.
The rest of the day I just hung out in the dorm with Kate, Jess, Tim, Naomi and some of the other Chinese people on the floor. And speaking of Jess, that girl can box. She started boxing with Stephen last night when we were playing cards, and it was totally unexpected. Her form is perfect in that she bounces from front to back foot and delivers quick and powerful jabs. To complete the image she tsks for every punch.
12/10 - Football is a vicious, savage game. It's definitely not the same watching on TV as it is playing. I used someone else's pads and helmet for practice today and they actually fit great. I again spent most of my time playing as the slot receiver during the scrimmage.
There was one play where I lined up on the right hand side of the quarterback. It was supposed to be a reverse where I get the handoff while running to the left and then I hand it off again to the receiver running the opposite way. Only, it didn't happen that way. I got the ball but never had the chance to hand it off again because a guy on the defensive line named Nick broke through the line and blew me up in the backfield. I never saw him until he hit me.
Yes, it hurts when a guy tackles you and lands on top, driving your side into the ground. But if I'm honest with myself, the masochist in me has absolutely no problem with that. It's the same with getting pelted with a paintball; that little sting makes me feel like I'm really participating and getting everything possible I can from it. The same goes for football (and when dad and I crashed after running into that wire fence at full speed on bicycles): It makes me feel so alive!
I also played a couple snaps in the right guard spot on the offensive line. Talk about a rough position. Put your hand in the dirt, and when the ball is snapped, just hit the guy opposite you as hard as you can. If anyone does that shit on the street, it's assault. If you're not foaming at the mouth, you'll get beat.
Yep, I sound insane.
The library on campus is great. I could get lost in there. Sure, it's nothing compared to the University of Nevada, Reno library, but it's still fun to stay a while looking at stuff about sports, cooking and languages. It's an added plus my student ID doubles as a library card. I think we can take libraries for granted; I sure did at UNR. But I'll use this one to my advantage.
I'm cooking food for myself every night. It's way cheaper than going out and I'll start learning how to cook different things. Like cooking rice in vegetable stock and mixing it with tuna, olives, cucumber and beans. Yum.
I ran into Spencer again today and he remembers inviting me to a Crystal Palace game the other night. So I guess I can just look up which game I'd like to go to and tell him, just as long as it's not a game where a big club comes to visit, like Chelsea, Arsenal or the Manchester clubs because tickets skyrocket for those games.
10/10 - Today I played football with pads and a helmet for the first time. Sure, they weren't my equipment (the helmet was pressing on my temples) and I was only involved in one play (which I was lost on), but they were on. But there's a lot of work I need to do in terms of correct blocking form and getting comfortable with everything in the playbook.
But Bournemouth is an awesome town. It's a big city, and today I saw it for the first time during the daytime, and it's thriving. I went to the beach and could see white cliffs to the east. I don't think they were Dover, however. I found an enclosure in the city center that houses birds, like a zoo. They were mostly finches and love birds but it was still interesting.
There's one thing that's odd about this country. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a publicly funded entity. So because of that people here have to pay a television tax. That means if you have a TV, you pay a tax on it every year. I found out because me and a couple flatmates got some notices warning about a potential fine if we keep watching TV shows and not pay the tax. Kate said nothing can happen to if you don't actually have a box. You're fine if you only have a laptop like I do.
11/10 - My left pinkie joint and right knee are sore from practice. I remember bumping knees with someone but have no idea why my pinkie is sore. There are several bruises on my arms as well. But I have absolutely no issues with that. I like football. But I gotta get rough and way more crazy. What I need to do is let loose.
I walked along High Street with Kate today and had lunch by the docks. Weather here is so weird. It was sunny when we left, but a giant dark cloud moved in quickly with sounds of thunder. It began to rain heavily as we were eating in the pub, but it only lasted 10 minutes at the most. When we finished and left, the sky was completely clear, and right now it's beautiful. That's the thing about the coast; there's hardly any smog that builds up because it's almost always windy or raining. Plus, it smells fantastic here.
On the way back through High Street, we stopped at a kiosk to pick up a wine bottle of freshly juiced apples. They were just giving them away because so many people around the kiosk were peeling or juicing apples. It was like drinking a liquefied sour apple.
The rest of the day I just hung out in the dorm with Kate, Jess, Tim, Naomi and some of the other Chinese people on the floor. And speaking of Jess, that girl can box. She started boxing with Stephen last night when we were playing cards, and it was totally unexpected. Her form is perfect in that she bounces from front to back foot and delivers quick and powerful jabs. To complete the image she tsks for every punch.
12/10 - Football is a vicious, savage game. It's definitely not the same watching on TV as it is playing. I used someone else's pads and helmet for practice today and they actually fit great. I again spent most of my time playing as the slot receiver during the scrimmage.
There was one play where I lined up on the right hand side of the quarterback. It was supposed to be a reverse where I get the handoff while running to the left and then I hand it off again to the receiver running the opposite way. Only, it didn't happen that way. I got the ball but never had the chance to hand it off again because a guy on the defensive line named Nick broke through the line and blew me up in the backfield. I never saw him until he hit me.
Yes, it hurts when a guy tackles you and lands on top, driving your side into the ground. But if I'm honest with myself, the masochist in me has absolutely no problem with that. It's the same with getting pelted with a paintball; that little sting makes me feel like I'm really participating and getting everything possible I can from it. The same goes for football (and when dad and I crashed after running into that wire fence at full speed on bicycles): It makes me feel so alive!
I also played a couple snaps in the right guard spot on the offensive line. Talk about a rough position. Put your hand in the dirt, and when the ball is snapped, just hit the guy opposite you as hard as you can. If anyone does that shit on the street, it's assault. If you're not foaming at the mouth, you'll get beat.
Yep, I sound insane.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
A bad haircut and a fellow Arsenal fan
4-5/10 Disclaimer: I'm writing after I just got home at 4 a.m. after a night of visiting pubs and people buying my drinks. I'm a little pissed (drunk in British).
I went out in Bournemouth with Franky, my pub buddy. I think I've written about her, but if not she's the one who grew up around pubs so she knows a good British pub. She's cool. She's 22 but she was completely hammered tonight. She owes me taxi fare. (Update: it turns out Franky bought a round of drinks. She was shocked to discover how much she spent in the days that passed.)
In other news, I have full access to my loan funds now. When I found out this morning I was giddy. Now I have cleats, gloves, a membership to the football team, an unlocked phone (in two weeks) and obviously a night out. But I realize I paid for this with money that isn't actually mine. But whatever, I'll deal with that when the time comes. I also found a few local stores on High Street in Poole where I can get stuff for really cheap. For example, a pair of shoes for four pounds. Good deal!
But my biggest concern at the moment is making it to 11 a.m. football practice. It's now 4:04 a.m.
Later on Sunday...
I can't wait until we get pads and helmets.
Drawing up the formations on a white board in a classroom session is one thing, but it's a whole other ballgame when you actually go out and physically line up in those formations and learn what all the signs and terminology mean. It's very confusing at first, like a new language, but it becomes more and more clear.
I spent the practice lining up as a slot receiver. When the play call comes in and the offensive coordinator makes his signs there's something that applies to everybody. So for example, if he calls "over 2 flex Y," that means I line up on the right side. And if the coordinator locks his hands together and spreads his arms wide close to the ground, that means the play will run to the left; over his head, the play goes to the right. Additionally, there are plays such as "under 1 slot 2" which means the slot receiver (me) lines up on the quarterback's right side and could receive a handoff depending on which side of the field the play is running.
As a result of learning these formations, we had an intra-squad scrimmage where the defense, offense and lines combined to play a game. This was pretty fun, as it's a bit of a rush to go block someone. It feels great to be able to shove someone hard in the chest and drive them back. It's a one on one matchup with another person where both are battling for position. It's tough, but exhilarating.
And later I rode the bus to Bournemouth with Michael, the other guy from California on my floor. He plays volleyball for a couple teams here, and it turns out he likes Regular Show too. If you don't know what Regular show is, it's about a college-aged blue jay and his raccoon friend who work for a public park and have a gumball machine for a boss. It's absolutely fantastic. Check it out, it's on Netflix.
6/10 - That was one hell of a storm last night. It went all night and didn't stop until about 1 p.m. My window wasn't completely closed so noises were louder than normal which woke me up a few times. The wind was really blowing and the rain was driving down. I loved it! I haven't seen a storm like that in California for a while.
Since I don't have classes on Monday, it was a stay-inside-and-study-and-do-chores kind of day. With my business classes, readings are typically so much more interesting when real-world examples are used when supporting unfascinating theory. But with a sports and society book, I came across another interesting reason why we have sports, and it goes along with the fact we like to kill. We have sports because modern humans haven't completely evolved from their hunter-gatherer ancestors. So we still chase the feeling of the hunt. We're still predators.
While I was around town today getting groceries (it's kind of difficult because things like tomato sauce and paste are labeled differently, such as tomato puree) and visiting CrossFit Poole, I'm still marveling at the fact I'm here. I'm not uncomfortable anymore. I have a routine now, I've got some money and a bank account and some friends and am discovering a new hobby. Man, I'm glad I came here.
And as a final thought, when talking to Floyd, one of the coaches at CrossFit Poole, it turns out he was born at one of the Air Force bases in Sacramento, though he moved here when he was very young, and has some family there. Small world.
7/10 - Some bad news: I didn't make the first team with the American Football team. The announcement was made during tonight's chalkboard session, and I gotta say I was disappointed. However, the lineups are fluid, so anyone can go up or down at any time. I still get pads and a helmet and a kit, so I'll just keep going to practice, getting stronger with CrossFit and work my tail off to take someone's job. (I apologize for the generic statement a football player makes to the media; it seemed appropriate.)
Now for some good news: I met with the editor and sports editor of the school newspaper and they seemed impressed with my resume so that's a good start. I guess it's a plus to have professional experience when trying to get on the school newspaper. I was also picked to contribute to a UK American football website called Double Coverage.
I found out the German guy (Nico?) in my sports principles and practices class is an Arsenal fan, because while in discussion he said he's going to the Champions League game between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. So I hung back to talk to him and his friend Frieda who comes from Munich. We seemed to hit it off after I told them I studied German for four semesters in college but have since forgotten most of it.
I rode the bus back to Poole with Stella, my flatmate from Kenya. She said she was going to get some KFC at the bus station because she was too tired to cook. I rolled my eyes at her and she started laughing.
Finally, I got a haircut today courtesy of a guy on the football team named Sammy. I'll say right now it was the strangest haircut I've ever had. Going through the door I had to step over beer bottles and empty pizza boxes. The kitchen to the left was completely filthy with no counter space. Sammy whipped out a chair in the middle of the carpet and had me sit on it. He didn't lay out anything on the floor, nor did he put a towel around my shoulders. I said I wanted a fade, but I don't think he had either the skills or the tools to do it. He just ended up quickly shaving my head while his roommates laughed at him and about the night they had last night. Several times I pointed out where Sammy missed, such as around my ears and on my neck. So now I'm little better than bald, though I can't complain because it was free. I don't know the guy too well, but I had to give him a chance. I think this qualified as a train wreck, so I'll look elsewhere.
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But I like it, especially after I got a chance to wash my head with some shampoo and shave off my widow's peak. The only problem is that my head is freezing now, especially with fall well and truly here.
And speaking of fall in Poole and Bournemouth, it's awesome! The colors are so vibrant and it's pretty chilly and wet, just how I like it.
I went out in Bournemouth with Franky, my pub buddy. I think I've written about her, but if not she's the one who grew up around pubs so she knows a good British pub. She's cool. She's 22 but she was completely hammered tonight. She owes me taxi fare. (Update: it turns out Franky bought a round of drinks. She was shocked to discover how much she spent in the days that passed.)
In other news, I have full access to my loan funds now. When I found out this morning I was giddy. Now I have cleats, gloves, a membership to the football team, an unlocked phone (in two weeks) and obviously a night out. But I realize I paid for this with money that isn't actually mine. But whatever, I'll deal with that when the time comes. I also found a few local stores on High Street in Poole where I can get stuff for really cheap. For example, a pair of shoes for four pounds. Good deal!
But my biggest concern at the moment is making it to 11 a.m. football practice. It's now 4:04 a.m.
Later on Sunday...
I can't wait until we get pads and helmets.
Drawing up the formations on a white board in a classroom session is one thing, but it's a whole other ballgame when you actually go out and physically line up in those formations and learn what all the signs and terminology mean. It's very confusing at first, like a new language, but it becomes more and more clear.
I spent the practice lining up as a slot receiver. When the play call comes in and the offensive coordinator makes his signs there's something that applies to everybody. So for example, if he calls "over 2 flex Y," that means I line up on the right side. And if the coordinator locks his hands together and spreads his arms wide close to the ground, that means the play will run to the left; over his head, the play goes to the right. Additionally, there are plays such as "under 1 slot 2" which means the slot receiver (me) lines up on the quarterback's right side and could receive a handoff depending on which side of the field the play is running.
As a result of learning these formations, we had an intra-squad scrimmage where the defense, offense and lines combined to play a game. This was pretty fun, as it's a bit of a rush to go block someone. It feels great to be able to shove someone hard in the chest and drive them back. It's a one on one matchup with another person where both are battling for position. It's tough, but exhilarating.
And later I rode the bus to Bournemouth with Michael, the other guy from California on my floor. He plays volleyball for a couple teams here, and it turns out he likes Regular Show too. If you don't know what Regular show is, it's about a college-aged blue jay and his raccoon friend who work for a public park and have a gumball machine for a boss. It's absolutely fantastic. Check it out, it's on Netflix.
6/10 - That was one hell of a storm last night. It went all night and didn't stop until about 1 p.m. My window wasn't completely closed so noises were louder than normal which woke me up a few times. The wind was really blowing and the rain was driving down. I loved it! I haven't seen a storm like that in California for a while.
Since I don't have classes on Monday, it was a stay-inside-and-study-and-do-chores kind of day. With my business classes, readings are typically so much more interesting when real-world examples are used when supporting unfascinating theory. But with a sports and society book, I came across another interesting reason why we have sports, and it goes along with the fact we like to kill. We have sports because modern humans haven't completely evolved from their hunter-gatherer ancestors. So we still chase the feeling of the hunt. We're still predators.
While I was around town today getting groceries (it's kind of difficult because things like tomato sauce and paste are labeled differently, such as tomato puree) and visiting CrossFit Poole, I'm still marveling at the fact I'm here. I'm not uncomfortable anymore. I have a routine now, I've got some money and a bank account and some friends and am discovering a new hobby. Man, I'm glad I came here.
And as a final thought, when talking to Floyd, one of the coaches at CrossFit Poole, it turns out he was born at one of the Air Force bases in Sacramento, though he moved here when he was very young, and has some family there. Small world.
7/10 - Some bad news: I didn't make the first team with the American Football team. The announcement was made during tonight's chalkboard session, and I gotta say I was disappointed. However, the lineups are fluid, so anyone can go up or down at any time. I still get pads and a helmet and a kit, so I'll just keep going to practice, getting stronger with CrossFit and work my tail off to take someone's job. (I apologize for the generic statement a football player makes to the media; it seemed appropriate.)
Now for some good news: I met with the editor and sports editor of the school newspaper and they seemed impressed with my resume so that's a good start. I guess it's a plus to have professional experience when trying to get on the school newspaper. I was also picked to contribute to a UK American football website called Double Coverage.
I found out the German guy (Nico?) in my sports principles and practices class is an Arsenal fan, because while in discussion he said he's going to the Champions League game between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund. So I hung back to talk to him and his friend Frieda who comes from Munich. We seemed to hit it off after I told them I studied German for four semesters in college but have since forgotten most of it.
I rode the bus back to Poole with Stella, my flatmate from Kenya. She said she was going to get some KFC at the bus station because she was too tired to cook. I rolled my eyes at her and she started laughing.
Finally, I got a haircut today courtesy of a guy on the football team named Sammy. I'll say right now it was the strangest haircut I've ever had. Going through the door I had to step over beer bottles and empty pizza boxes. The kitchen to the left was completely filthy with no counter space. Sammy whipped out a chair in the middle of the carpet and had me sit on it. He didn't lay out anything on the floor, nor did he put a towel around my shoulders. I said I wanted a fade, but I don't think he had either the skills or the tools to do it. He just ended up quickly shaving my head while his roommates laughed at him and about the night they had last night. Several times I pointed out where Sammy missed, such as around my ears and on my neck. So now I'm little better than bald, though I can't complain because it was free. I don't know the guy too well, but I had to give him a chance. I think this qualified as a train wreck, so I'll look elsewhere.
But I like it, especially after I got a chance to wash my head with some shampoo and shave off my widow's peak. The only problem is that my head is freezing now, especially with fall well and truly here.
And speaking of fall in Poole and Bournemouth, it's awesome! The colors are so vibrant and it's pretty chilly and wet, just how I like it.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Changing identity
This begins with a rant, and for that I'll apologize ahead of time. Also, language is NSFW.
Fuck the banks here in the UK. I got my loan money in my hand Wednesday morning, and of course I felt so relieved to have the money I desperately needed. But that relief was replaced, once again, by frustration. I thought I'd have some physical money in my hand today. Nope! Sorry, this check has to clear before it goes into your account, and that takes three business days.
.....ugh.
There are several numbers I have to memorize to log on to the HSBC website to bank electronically. Unfortunately I couldn't remember one number, so typing it in a few times has locked me out of the site temporarily. They've made this shit so difficult and maddening. I have a debit card now, but what the fuck is the point of it if you have to activate it and wait several days for a check to clear?
Oh how I miss Bank of the Sierra.
1/10 - (this is how the date is presented in the UK. Day first and then the month.) Today I made a fuss with HSBC, so as a result, I got some materials earlier than they said I would. I guess I'm just so tired of waiting for everything to fall into place. I'm now registered with online banking and have activated my debit card. However, I can see the money in my account but it's unavailable. That's the bank sticking its tongue out at me and teasing me with potential funds.
But I got my student on today. I read for a while and checked a book out from the library. It was uneventful until that night when Bill (pseudonym) ran into me at the elevators on the first floor. He had just come back from the pub and was a little tipsy, so he talked a lot to me. He even had a grocery bag full of beer at his side, so the man likes to drink. A lot. Though just before we split up he basically invited me to come to a Crystal Palace (soccer club in London) game with him in the coming months. So whenever he gets tickets, he'll tell me. Or so I hope. Did I get my hopes up? It's an exciting prospect nevertheless.
2/10 - Woof. Thursdays are going to be brutal. Lectures from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and no breaks besides the small 5-minute intermissions. Today was the kind of day that makes me question why I'm doing this. It was four hours total of business strategy and finance with a little bit of sports sociology sandwiched in the middle.
You'd think sports sociology would be fascinating. Nope. Not when the lecturer stands in one spot for two hours, looks at the back wall or the ceiling, doesn't engage the class (six of us) at all and essentially talks at people, not to them. I'm secretly hoping I don't see that woman too many more times.
But some positive points:
-I've found some textbooks online in PDF format. I've learned long ago to never buy a textbook new, or even used if I can avoid it. There are also required readings in the library.
-Football practice after class tomorrow!
-It's awesome being around people from all over the world. I thought I was talking with two Americans today, but they turned out to be Canadian and Swedish.
To close out today, I'll share what I've learned reading some of these books about sport and society, as well as one about business. First off, the business book. An interesting point I've remembered is an organization is something that applies knowledge to its benefit rather than gathering knowledge.
And in the sports book, sport can be seen as a way for humans to satisfy their primal instinct for killing. Since modern society has forbidden people to kill, humans have to satisfy that urge through competition. The same goes for spectators of a sport, any sport. It's pretty neat. What do you think?
3/10 - I did some more reading this morning. Already I feel like the student I never was. However, the reading isn't too interesting. It's about business strategy theories and it's a slog. It's like trying to run through chocolate pudding; in other words, it's like trying to read and understand an academic article.
Today was the first lecture of my third class: Managing Organizations. Again, not a very interesting subject, but the professor at least made it engaging. But I'm going to be a little mean for a moment. This guy must have had a rough childhood. He's pale, pudgy and short. He has a massive overbite makes him look a bit cartoony, as well as a lisp. And when he smiles, his skin stretches so that his eyes become slits and his teeth burst to the forefront.
But after classes was football practice at Meyrick Park. I got there about an hour early and saw that it's home to a semi-professional rugby club. It has a grand clubhouse and everything. Plus there are short hiking trails all around it in the woods.
We went from 6 to 8 p.m. There was some conditioning involved, but there was also a lot of application of what we learned in the class session. So that meant lining up for plays, both on offense and defense. I just wish I had some money so I can actually buy some cleats and come to practice prepared! Plus I still need to pay for the membership, which includes the pads, helmet, travel, insurance and other good stuff.
So it looks like I'm going to have to be that guy and borrow some money from someone this weekend. As of right now, my loan money is showing in bank account but it's not yet available. I'm so close! But I'm also incredibly far away.
So I sit here at the bus station, smelly and dusty from practice at 9 p.m. But it's totally fine. Playing football is going to make me go through a bit of an identity change. I've never been a violent person. I've never hit someone or truly thrown a punch. That'll happen in football. It's rough already, even without pads. I like that. This'll bring out a side of me that hasn't come out before.
Fuck the banks here in the UK. I got my loan money in my hand Wednesday morning, and of course I felt so relieved to have the money I desperately needed. But that relief was replaced, once again, by frustration. I thought I'd have some physical money in my hand today. Nope! Sorry, this check has to clear before it goes into your account, and that takes three business days.
.....ugh.
There are several numbers I have to memorize to log on to the HSBC website to bank electronically. Unfortunately I couldn't remember one number, so typing it in a few times has locked me out of the site temporarily. They've made this shit so difficult and maddening. I have a debit card now, but what the fuck is the point of it if you have to activate it and wait several days for a check to clear?
Oh how I miss Bank of the Sierra.
1/10 - (this is how the date is presented in the UK. Day first and then the month.) Today I made a fuss with HSBC, so as a result, I got some materials earlier than they said I would. I guess I'm just so tired of waiting for everything to fall into place. I'm now registered with online banking and have activated my debit card. However, I can see the money in my account but it's unavailable. That's the bank sticking its tongue out at me and teasing me with potential funds.
But I got my student on today. I read for a while and checked a book out from the library. It was uneventful until that night when Bill (pseudonym) ran into me at the elevators on the first floor. He had just come back from the pub and was a little tipsy, so he talked a lot to me. He even had a grocery bag full of beer at his side, so the man likes to drink. A lot. Though just before we split up he basically invited me to come to a Crystal Palace (soccer club in London) game with him in the coming months. So whenever he gets tickets, he'll tell me. Or so I hope. Did I get my hopes up? It's an exciting prospect nevertheless.
2/10 - Woof. Thursdays are going to be brutal. Lectures from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and no breaks besides the small 5-minute intermissions. Today was the kind of day that makes me question why I'm doing this. It was four hours total of business strategy and finance with a little bit of sports sociology sandwiched in the middle.
You'd think sports sociology would be fascinating. Nope. Not when the lecturer stands in one spot for two hours, looks at the back wall or the ceiling, doesn't engage the class (six of us) at all and essentially talks at people, not to them. I'm secretly hoping I don't see that woman too many more times.
But some positive points:
-I've found some textbooks online in PDF format. I've learned long ago to never buy a textbook new, or even used if I can avoid it. There are also required readings in the library.
-Football practice after class tomorrow!
-It's awesome being around people from all over the world. I thought I was talking with two Americans today, but they turned out to be Canadian and Swedish.
To close out today, I'll share what I've learned reading some of these books about sport and society, as well as one about business. First off, the business book. An interesting point I've remembered is an organization is something that applies knowledge to its benefit rather than gathering knowledge.
And in the sports book, sport can be seen as a way for humans to satisfy their primal instinct for killing. Since modern society has forbidden people to kill, humans have to satisfy that urge through competition. The same goes for spectators of a sport, any sport. It's pretty neat. What do you think?
3/10 - I did some more reading this morning. Already I feel like the student I never was. However, the reading isn't too interesting. It's about business strategy theories and it's a slog. It's like trying to run through chocolate pudding; in other words, it's like trying to read and understand an academic article.
Today was the first lecture of my third class: Managing Organizations. Again, not a very interesting subject, but the professor at least made it engaging. But I'm going to be a little mean for a moment. This guy must have had a rough childhood. He's pale, pudgy and short. He has a massive overbite makes him look a bit cartoony, as well as a lisp. And when he smiles, his skin stretches so that his eyes become slits and his teeth burst to the forefront.
But after classes was football practice at Meyrick Park. I got there about an hour early and saw that it's home to a semi-professional rugby club. It has a grand clubhouse and everything. Plus there are short hiking trails all around it in the woods.
So it looks like I'm going to have to be that guy and borrow some money from someone this weekend. As of right now, my loan money is showing in bank account but it's not yet available. I'm so close! But I'm also incredibly far away.
So I sit here at the bus station, smelly and dusty from practice at 9 p.m. But it's totally fine. Playing football is going to make me go through a bit of an identity change. I've never been a violent person. I've never hit someone or truly thrown a punch. That'll happen in football. It's rough already, even without pads. I like that. This'll bring out a side of me that hasn't come out before.
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