Life as a Science

Anyone know a song about getting yourself into a situation you know you shouldn't be in, and thinking you could handle it, but then realizing you can't and then having to get yourself out but not really wanting to, but needing to?
Yeah.
I'd like the lyrics to that one, if you have them.
posted by sordaria @ 7:59 AM

Oh my god. Am too tired to write anything now, but have just spent the two most wonderful days. Saw Coldplay perform last night, and spent all day today basking in the sun at the Henley Regatta, surrounded by the poshest people I've ever seen. Even got a sunburn.

Anyway, off to bed. Will elaborate more later. :)

xxx
posted by sordaria @ 7:50 PM

The thing I love about Oxford is its ability to continually surprise and impress me.
:)
posted by sordaria @ 7:06 AM

Every so often, things work out in ways that are slightly unbelievable. Everything just seems to fall into place and opportunities open themselves up and somehow someone puts you in a position to gain incredibly from that moment. This has happened to me a few times before -- when you end up sitting or standing somewhere, and because you are put there you meet someone next to you, and because you meet them, something else happens...and the whole thing just spirals and everything just works out incredibly. I'm not sure what kind of karma thing I did to deserve it, but last night was one of those nights.

I walked into Rhodes House last nigth for what was called the 'Going Down Dinner'. Don't laugh please. (hahaha). Basically, it's the dinner given for all the scholars at the end of their scholarship -- a final black-tie send off. Anyway, I walk in and look at the seating plan, and for some reason, I've been put at high table. And not just AT high table. Smack in the centre of high table, to the left of the guest speaker who is in the fancy central High Chair. On my other side is my friend Moses from Kenya, who is always awesome to chat to. So right away, I was pretty stoked. I had NEVER been able to sit at high table before, and now here I was, my last dinner at Rhodes House, and I get front and centre high table action. I was pretty chauffed. :)

But that's not all. The guest speaker, sitting next to me, is a professor of medicine here at Oxford, but also Canadian (Alberta), AND is a Committee Member of OUBC (Oxford Univeristy Boat Club..that's rowing for you not-in-the-know types) and a former light-weight blues rower himself. Our discussion turned from medicine to rowing to the upcoming Henley Regatta this weekend. Now, Henley is THE regatta. It's HUGE. It's like...um...the final game of the NCAA....the Superbowl...the finals of lawnbowling. Anyway, it's massive. I was going to head down this weekend and sit in the crowds along the bank and watch the crews go by. ANYWAY, in talking to this man, and about Henley, he asks if I have tickets to the stewards area. Now, THAT area is like having centre court, on-the-floor tickets to teh NCAA championships. It's a big area right at the finish, VIP entry only, stewards and their guests only, dress code, fancy stalls, etc. That place is THE place to be. But it's impossible, virtually, to get in. Now, what does this wonderful man do? He can't go on wednesday, so asks if I would like his 2 wednesday tickets. WOULD I? I gush something like, 'uh...uh...yes...uh...' while a smile is basically crushing out the rest of my face.
SOOOOO....last night, I got front and centre high table, some wicked discussion/chat with interesting people, AND 2 tickets to teh stewards area for the once-in-a-lifetime Henley Regatta.
Thanks be to whoever decided to randomly seat me where I sat. Otherwise, that never woudl have happened. Karma was good to me. Time to repay it back.
:)

Oh...and that pic is from last night (obviously, or what would be the point of putting it there). That's me and my friend B. I am smiling hugely because I just got my tickets to the stewards area. B is smiling because he just stole my thunder by telling me he had been able to get stewards tickets for Saturday. Bastard.

;)

posted by sordaria @ 8:02 AM

Just an observation:

I walked home tonight in one of those perfect, warm summer nights -- the kind you dream about all winter long. Along Longwall street, I was strolling close to the huge wall surrounding Magdalen College, and I started to get the sensation of standing by a low heater. Trailing my hand along the wall as I walked, I realized that the stones themselves were radiating heat. The sun and warmth of the day had warmed them to the point that two hours after the sun went down they were still holding onto the feel of it.
posted by sordaria @ 7:40 PM

A couple of stories for your reading enjoyment. :)

First off, I FINISHED MY EXAM!!! WOOHOO. It went well, so I'm a happy camper.
I emerged from exam schools at 12:30 on monday, dazzled by the sunlight and within 30 seconds found a bottle of champagne pushed into my welcoming fingers. Linz and I walked into town, sharing swigs out of this bottle in full sub fusc. No one even took a second look. I love the accepted strangeness of this town. :)
The rest of the afternoon was spent drinking more and more champagne in restaurants, Worcester Gardens, outside exam schools again to pick up more finishing folk, and then at The Bear pub. Eventually, we headed home for food and naps, and then back out into the night. I made my first venture to Filth, and MAN, that place rocks the cazbar. The music was SO GREAt. Like, seriously folks. EVERY SINGLE SONG that came on was greeted to a 'AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!' and hands/arms flung skyward and huge smiles. It was KILLER FUN. Also helped that the drinks were cheap, the place was packed and the immediate company was stellar. After that, D and I met some interesting 'trouble' by the kebab van, I made a stupid, yet funny, decision, but we managed to finally get home alive as the sun was slowly deciding to make it's way into the sky. An amazing way to end the exam hell.

And then yesterday, I shopped. And napped. Was fabulous.

Today, feeling the need to send some stuff off to my supervisor. But also more shopping. And more partying. Anyone know of a good place for Wednesday nights? We're thinkgin Jongleurs or the Bridge perhaps....mayhaps....maychange...may...something.

OH. And one more thing. How many of you have ever been shat on by a bird? It's gross, huh? But it rarely happens. Maybe once or twice in a lifetime -- unless you live by a bird colony or something.
UNLESS YOU'RE ME. Because on monday...during this time of champagne joyosity, I got shat on TWICE. TWICE!!!!!!!!!!! WHO does that happen to? BESIDES ME??? Seriously. Once on the leg whilst sitting on a bench in Worcester by the lake, and then once AT THE TURF PUB on the shoulder. I mean...REALLY. Maybe I screwed karma somewhere in the last week.

Anyway, that's all. May you all have good days, and may no bird crap on your clothes.
posted by sordaria @ 10:02 AM

This is it. My exam is tommorrow morning. FREEEEEEEEEEEDOM...almost. So, come 12:30, my body will start a massive toxification process. :)

In other news, this 31 degree heat has turned my room into a vertible SAUNA. I should get people to pay to come sit in here. But..then I'd have naked people sitting in my room...and it would just get hotter. So...scratch that. Maybe I'll just get a fan instead.
posted by sordaria @ 6:34 PM

danielle and Jorge forced me to abandom my books and take a well-deserved break from the studying to go tot he last ever linacre bop tonight. There was a 'tequialla land' there. Am very happy I went. :)

Am drunk now though. There's a simpson's episode where ralph says, 'SLEEP! That's where I'm a Viking!' For me it's 'Drunk! That's where I think of you.'

And it's true.
but sleep should help. And tommorrow, diving back into work. And then, monday morning --exam. Anyone who wants to come down and throw confetti on me monday at 12:30 is most welcome. :)

Cheers. :)
posted by sordaria @ 10:13 PM

Oh...and MJ's been found innocent.
Just thought that was worth a note...seemed of some sort of historical importance.
Some sort.

:)
posted by sordaria @ 7:49 PM

New favorite song -- Colplay, 'I'll see you soon'. Can't quite figure it out yet, but it's gorgeous.

Also, was introduced to a musician named James Blunt tonight....his song 'You're Beautiful' is..well, just beautiful.

Look these up, folks.
posted by sordaria @ 7:41 PM

I don't know what I'm doing.
posted by sordaria @ 7:56 PM

Well, this is it. My last few hours as a 23-year old. I'm not sure why, but this makes me kinda sad. Maybe it's because I have to spend these final hours in the library. That would get anybody down. :)

I think I know why though...23 to me was always 'the age'. I started thinking that way when I was 20....I was in montreal, and I met this guy and he was just the epitamy of everything I saw as young and independent and fun and smart and just everything I imagined a young twenties person to be. And he was 23. I just thought..yeah, that's the age where I'll be all set. I'll be young, but sure of myself. I'll have it all worked out, but be young enough still to enjoy it.

Funny how we think like that. Because...here I am...about to leave '23' behind....and I'm still simply enjoying the ride...rather unsure of where it's going, but just happy to be on it. Got some cool people hanging onto the handlebars with me, so that makes it all the better. :)
posted by sordaria @ 11:59 AM

Just got back from the Achiever Summit in New York. Now, before you barf at how incredibly pretencious that sounds, and before I pass out from lack of sleep, let me regale you -- not with stories, because I'm FAR too tired, but with the names of just SOME of the people who talked to us, ate dinner with us, chatted with us in elevators and on buses over the past few days: AHEM:

Denzel Washington, James Earl Jones, Colon Powell, Bill Clinton, Sally Field, George Tennet (director the CIA), YOGI BERRA, George Lucas, Jack Horner (paleontologist who works on dinosaur behaviour -- was reference for the Jurassic park movies, and has recently disvoered the first flesy remains of a dinosaur), Roger Bannister (1st guy to break the 4-minute mile), Attorny General of the USA, Michael J. Fox, Surgeon-General of the USA, Izak Perlman (cannot spell his name), Frank McCourt (of Angela's Ashes fame), the creator of Google, Tom Wolfe, the guy on who's life 'Hotel Rwanda' is based, Nobel Peace prize winners, Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry, Physics and Medicine, the man who discovered 'Lucy' the older human remains ever found, the founder of Doctors Without Borders, the Presidents of Botswana, Lativa, Senegal and the Queen of Jordon, and on and on and on. That juts TOUCHES on it.

MORE THAN THAT: performances by Kathleen Battle, Winston Marcell, John Fogerty (CCR), and ...wait for it...wait...B.B. KING. THAT'S RIGHT. UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH B.B. KING. The thrill was definitely NOT gone ladies and gents.

I visited the UN, ate dinner in Egyptian Temples and in world class ballrooms, travelled around New York with police escorts and slept on teh most comfortable pillows this world has ever known.

Also got a big sunburn. hahaha...of course, it's me. Had to happen. ;)
Anyway, I must go pass out. But believe me...New York offerred up its best these past few days. ;
posted by sordaria @ 6:58 PM