A Glimpse Into What I've Done Here in Oxford

So I finally figured out this picture deal on this site....I'm not exactly a computer effecianado. The top photo is my amazing rugby team, Newford Hall. We ended up being a combination team of New College, Hertford College, and Lady Margaret Hall, hence Newford Hall. The second picture is the New College Women's Football Club. I loved every single minute with all these ladies. Maybe I'll get a picture with Dr. Hurst too, before I leave; that would give a great representation of my regular hours spent in tutorial with him. He looks like the perfect Oxford tutor with his kind smile and very English appearance. I wish I could bring all this back to Hillsdale with me.

Pleasant Surprises

So, as you can judge from the above title, today was a day of pleasant surprises...
The greatest was finding out that my tutorial is suddenly finished much sooner than expected. Dr. Hurst had already set me another essay due this upcoming Saturday on international relations 1923-1930, but after finishing reading for my last essay at today's tutorial, he began setting me my grades for the term. After assuring me that he was satisfied with the number of essays I had written him already, I was able to sit back, relaxed, and comfortably take in his generous analysis or my performance as his pupil since June, earlier this summer. I won't go into details of all he said, but to give you a general idea, I walked out of his house afterwards and once out of sight, I literally jumped for joy. I have never felt so rewarded for all my hard work, and felt that his critique was one of the most fair grades I've ever received my whole academic career. Our last meeting remains scheduled on Saturday, but instead will be a casual discussion of all I have learned to bring my studies in full circle.
That's it then. After my tutorial Saturday, my time lies empty; I am no longer a slave to my day planner. Football finished. Rugby finished. Tutorial finished. My plans then are to do some light Christmas shopping, lots of personal reading (have not read a proper novel in months), and general enjoyment of Oxford before my attention is pulled away to play hostess for my family in two weeks. I have two bigger goals as well. First, I hope to make one last trip into London & spend time with family friends before Christmas preparations become overwhelming. Second, I think I will take some regular walking adventures around Oxford. I know the city center, my neighborhood, and the general area, but before I leave I want to really come to know Oxford. I will therefore venture beyond familiar areas, try new pubs, and continue to absorb every moment here. This will be truly exciting!
Another pleasant surprise occurred not just an hour ago. Caitlin and I just had to get out of the house for a short while, so we grabbed our books and strolled over to the Book-Binders Ale House, and little neighborhood pub that lies just around the corner, but in the opposite direction of our usual traffic route. It was a dim, cozy little establishment with a unique assortment of antiques and oddities lining the walls and ceilings. They even had board games stacked up in the corner for patrons to entertain themselves with. I didn't know what to expect, so we both enjoyed a good pint in our warm little corner and became lost in literature for an hour or so. It was truly a little charming place...I'll have to stop by there possibly with the family when they visit.
I guess not much else was a "pleasant surprise", but that was most of my day. Went to the farmer's morning market and bought some absolutely sumptuous Foccacia to eat with the gourmet olive oil I purchased in Florence less than two weeks ago...checked out "Life of Pi" at the city library as my first novel to start on this Christmas Break...returned all my research books back to New College...Now all my attention will turn to completing internship applications, personal reading, exercising/walking adventures, enjoying city life, and completing simple menial tasks or errands that I honestly do find enjoyable. From now on I am embracing the simplicities I can enjoy in day-to-day life before classes begin to loom ahead in January.
Cheers!
Lindsay

Wrapping Things Up

I am increasingly amazed at how fast things are coming to a close here in Oxford. This next week begins 8th week (out of 8), which means it's all ending sooner than I thought.
Tutorials are beginning to reach a conclusion as well, but dear Dr. Hurst wants to push it on as long as he can because he knows I'll still be around waiting for my family to arrive December 15. Disappointingly for him, (fortunately for me) my Bodleian card expires sometime around Dec. 8 so my tuts can't carry on forever as I can't study without research materials. My last paper covered the entire four years of WWI in general study under the thesis "Why WWI lasted so long". It was one of my most fascinating papers to study and read up on, and I am impressed with many of the ideas I came away with. One that struck me with a resounding blow was the concept that WWI introduced the accession of material supremacy over the individual. The buildup of numbers and power in armaments and weaponry became the greater focus and the story of the individual soldier on the front blended away as just numbers in a trench. My next essay may not be as thrilling, but I'll push my way through reading about more Great Power relations 1923 to 1930.
Saturday was one of the most exciting days I've personally had in a good while. After my tutorial I seriously ran a good two miles through into town and over to the New College sports ground. I had to miss the first match of the Rugby Cupper 7's tournament, but arrived in time to spend another 5 hours of rucking, shivering between matches, and covering myself in dirt with pretty much half the pitch. In total we played 5 games and did reasonably well with no subs. I can't remember if it was 3 wins- 2 loss, or the other way around, but we came away 5th place out of some 14 teams or so and won a silver plate for our team! In all honesty, it was the most fun I've had so far. I loved every shivering moment out there, loved every punch, and still love every bruise and ache I feel throughout my body today. It must have been around the high 30's Fahrenheit, but while we were out there in the middle of a match, you couldn't feel the cold at all.
I was honestly surprised how well I was able to bring it together and contribute to the team as well. Sadly, I've had to miss the last two practices out of necessity, both of which were important because they practiced further tackling techniques. I fortunately soaked up every ounce of information I learned at that first tackling session, and at least knew how to approach it correctly and relatively safely. In all, I would say that my contribution to this tournament was 20% knowledge of the game & techniques, 80% passion & adrenaline. My dad is in humored disbelief that his eldest, most "academically driven" daughter is turned on by violent sport. It's a true fact, however, and have found it's the best way for me to release any energy, aggression, or enthusiasm I have.
I was put in the position forward, and our job is to carry the team's mobility forward through strength, power, and fateful blows delivered to the enemy. Carly & Ann, our captains and the experienced OUWRFC (Oxford University Women's Rugby Football Club) players played back where they were to carry the ball to the try line with swift mobility & sprints. In short, we do the heavy work, and they score the points. I like it that way, and found it much easier to just focus on my one job and the laws guiding my position, unlike other sports where some players have to know and do it all. In more competitive & professional teams of course everyone must know everything, but for small college amateur leagues thats not so important.
The time flew by on the pitch, and every game was a new exciting challenge with different techniques applied to overcome the enemy's weakness or at least avoid them pinpointing ours. As I said, Carly and Ann scored the points, but Senna and Caitlin also contributed a couple in there as well. I spent lots of my time either in the sweaty heat of a half-scrum (to be described soon), on the ground, stuck in a maul, laid flat out sometimes with people stacked on top of me, or either scrambling on top of the pile myself trying to get control of the ball.
One of my favorite descriptions of the drama of rugby, I discovered yesterday occurs in the silence of a half-scrum before the ball is touched into play. I am not exaggerating here either, as those moments are filled so much with athletic tension and heightened senses. A half-scrum is a restart of play where the forwards (me & 2 team-mates) interlock shoulders and heads with 3 opposing forwards. We create a tunnel like formation with all six players crouching low, leg muscles contracted at the ready to either push or run. The few moments before the ball is placed in the tunnel, fingers are grabbing at loose shirt on opponents', your ear is level with the mouth of your rival whose head you are locked against. Her heavy, bated, almost growling breath is clearly audible with a constant background chorus of six cold runny noses sniffling. The ball is placed into the middle of the half-scrum and the team with the advantage foots it through their players, and play is in action once the ball is touched with the hands of one of the runners in back. Other moments of play like rucks and mauls can be twice, even three times as intense as the quiet moments of a half-scrum, but during those everything moves faster than the mind can think, and players are acting on reflexes and instant decisions. In a half-scrum, those 3 maybe 5 seconds of silence, lets one concentrate on the moment at hand. The repetitions of those few brief moments of film-like drama explained everything to me without the utterance of a single word. The passion and energy that was exuded in the sweat and heavy breath of all those players in the half-scrum, instantly told me why that is one of England's most beloved sports. That same energy is carried on in the rest of the game, and I think what encourages it is that play doesn't stop when a player is tackled or the ball touches the ground like in American Football. You just keep going, no matter what. It may take a while for me to appreciate it the same as a viewer, but as a player that energy instantly captured the love of my athletic heart.
It all moved so fast though, I can hardly remember everything I did on the field, not to mention remembering 5 different games in one day. I know though that I did some good tackles, some poor attempts, and some confusing moments when no one knows what's going on so you all just jump for the ball. One good tackle I do remember, is that an opposing back was running with the ball straight towards me. I remember positioning myself for launching a tackle and thinking at the same time, "she is so stupid if she keeps running straight at me". Well she did, but that was lucky for me. Not only did I gain the advantage for my team, but I also felt good especially because I pulled off something that looked like I actually knew what I was doing out there. She was much lighter than me as well and I hit her square on in the abdomen, grabbed her knee pulling her legs off the ground as taught, and seriously set her back a good 2 maybe 3 feet. I only know this because she was light enough that I had to get up off top of her. Usually when you tackle you both fall to the side, but she was so light she just kept going back! I felt badly though when it took a couple minutes for her to catch wind and get up again. Coach Scholl from MI would be proud of me though...I did not show any weakness and say "sorry".
My team-mates were so supportive of me (as we all were of each other) and encouraged me after every good tackle I made. One such tackle they told me about at the end of the last game, I didn't remember, but they said that when I hit the other girl, Ann said it was "right on brilliant" and Helen mentioned she even her a "wham" type sound at contact. I knew then that not only was I having fun & contributing to the team, but I was helping make it fun for them too. I'm glad I didn't hurt anyone though, just as much as I am relieved to have not been mortally wounded myself. There were some serious injuries that occurred in the matches going on around us. There were medics on site throughout the day, but in addition, there ended up being three separate ambulance calls. One for a messed up neck, one dislocated shoulder, and one broken leg. Funny story, I overheard a recent conversation from the broken leg lady and she mentioned that while in the ambulance on way to the hospital, the paramedic told her "If you were a real rugby player, you would have bitten your leg off and continued playing".
So, in conclusion, rugby is finished. They actually continue the season next term but I won't be here anymore, so that's it for me. Ann and Carly encouraged me to keep up rugby though, and said that I picked up really fast and play well for someone who's never touched a rugby ball before this term. Suggested even that I start up a rec league at Hillsdale due to the fact that there's no more rugby for me back home. That idea was definitely intriguing, but will currently sit on the back burner of my mind until the appropriate time.
To Wrap up a rather lengthy description of Saturday, I came home utterly knackered and achy with 3 hours to shower the layers of mud off and make myself presentable for a footy social. The New College boy's football teams and our girl's team were to spend an evening together full of fun, curry, lots of drinks, toasts, and quality time together. Well only 3 of the girls from our team ended up showing, so it was a little awkward, especially because the boys gravitated to their natural division of footy friends leaving us girls to ourselves. Optimistically, it turned out perfect, and I got to spend a wonderful night bonding with Nicky and Lydia. Other excitements include witnessing the men's team hazing of the fresher boys making them drink a rather nasty booze/milk/cereal concoction, and an R-rated Trinity college Crew team social at the other end of the restaurant (they had a little too much to drink, but I have heard crew socials are crazy), and an endless round of toasts that seemed more like a drinking game. It ended up becoming something like "To those who've never scored a goal from behind the goal-box line" or "to those who don't support their local football club" and the respective people had to stand and drink. I was fortunate they didn't pick on goalies too long, but I did hear the unavoidable "to you who play keeper and have never scored a goal". We ended up calling quits around 11:30 though, as we ladies had a match scheduled for the next day. Sadly though, that ended up being canceled the morning of! What was most disappointing was that it was Lydia's and my very last match with the team and we had very good chances of winning too. The other team was short too many players (they should suck it up! We won a cup match with only 7 players against 11!) so it ended up being a forfeit to us. So no last football memories, but we have all intentions of making up for this loss with a ladies' footy social sometime before end of term.
So that's about it right now. Rugby is over. Football is over, possibly one last hurrah together. Tutorial coming to a close soon & I should get working on this next paper. But that still doesn't mean the excitement is over yet!
Cheers,
Lindsay

Now I Realize How Much I Am In Love

Well, it's been two days since my return from Italy and its about time I say a little something about my short jaunt. Caitlin and I visited our dear Pi Phi sister, Kristen Elmes, in Florence, Italy for four days. I'd already been to Florence before on the Academy senior class trip, but this visit was truly extraordinary. It was nice to saunter around the city, window shop at a leisurely pace, browse among the street vendors, and sit in trattorias for hours just talking. Not the go-go-go quick pace of tour groups, racing through museums & galleries where all the art blends together after so much. It was a pleasant experience overall with gellato, gnocchi, amazing pastas, fine leather, and lots of pictures.
One thing that really struck me was Kristen's passion for living in Tuscany, and how much she has grown to love everything about the culture and the city of Florence. Her unwillingness to leave the beauty of Florence, got me thinking about how I view Oxford. In retrospect, I have taken every moment of every day for granted. I go about my regular schedule, completing any errands or academic goals that lay before me without much consideration for how blessed I am to be here, experiencing this. Consider this my Thanksgiving day thought of gratefulness. I've now returned from beautiful Italy to embrace every single moment I spend in Oxford & England with a renewed thankfulness. I love taking my daily walk through my neighborhood to the City Center, visiting the Wednesday morning market with the occasional cry "2 for a pound!", frequenting the local pubs for a friendly pint with my mates, handing over my Bodleian library card with pride then walking through the restricted access doors of that ancient library...even the little things like walking gingerly over the cobbled parts of the street when I'm wearing good shoes. I've realized how much I enjoy every detail of my life here, so much that I would willingly do it all over again. In short, I don't want to leave, but responsibilities back home make that a necessity. My next best option? Oh, I don't know...graduate school for a Masters here in Oxford (both of my tutors have said I am doing graduate level work already & have high recommendations for me...yay!), maybe find a marketing job in London...all somewhat unrealistic dreams, but still worth pursuing because I love it so much. To conclude this thought, I am in LOVE with life here and I know that I will cry when I hop on that bus and take my last look at Oxford, January 3rd...Okay, no more sentimental thoughts; I still have a month left!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

All the Best,
Lindsay

Why? Why? Why?

Quick Question, this is not a long post...
Why is it that people cannot respect another person's opinion???? Why can you not just listen sometimes and not feel the need to speak a response???

I agree that we are allowed to express differing views, but I find that at certain times, if someone expresses certain feelings about a particular matter or issue, others should listen and not just give an immediate response overridden with emotional and irrational thought. I'm sorry but there are certain times when it is and is not appropriate to be confrontational with expressed personal opinions. In my own experience, when some people jump aggressively against any ideas I may say I sympathize with, it is actually a turn-off and I immediately lose any sense of respect for that person's capability of rational thinking.
In the last month that particular dilemma has occurred to me a few times in conversation, and twice on my facebook account. My point being, there is a particular time and place when it is appropriate to enter debate over an issue, and both my experiences fulfilled the 'inappropriate' category. For example, a profile page like facebook is geared to sharing information about oneself and maintaining casual communication with friends. For me on the rare occasion, I will post an article or two that may have caught my eye. I might or might not agree with the afore said article in its entirety, or, it may be one certain point that rung a bell. I will post it if there is something of interest about it which I personally feel a connection with. Therefore, if someone responds to such personally-reflective posts with confrontational rants, I myself would perceive such a response as a minor form of personal attack. If it was a blog website, designed to present political issues and other such related material that would be one thing, but a personal profile is to be appreciated by others for the personality that individual is presenting themselves to be. Furthermore, depending upon how well constructed the response argument is, I may or may not take any offense by the wording, but 90% of the time, my opinion of that individual and their capacity of social etiquette is significantly altered. In other words, choose your timing carefully.
Call me strict or old fashioned about my public manners, but it is my personal reaction to occasions like this which support the meaning "there is a time and place for everything'. In a recent book I read called, The Descent of Manners: Etiquette and Society in the Victorian Era, a passage discussed how it would be considered socially uncouth to discuss heated issues such as religion and politics in public as they repeatedly lead to intense debates. Instead, it is more appropriate to pursue such debates during a time specially set aside for like arguments. To separate such issues from common-day conversation definitely allows for more pleasant conversations on a regular basis, and enables people to develop friendships without the complexities of debate interfering with relationships.
To end this query... I apologize if my reaction here, in reference to recent occurances may have upset anyone. And yes, I am thinking clearly for 2 in the morning. This is a common hour for me to be writing, but usually I would be writing a paper for tutorial the next day.
Cheers All! Tomorrow morning I jet my way to Italy!

Lindsay

Guinea Pigs

I couldn't help but write about my new favorite TV show that I will never see again once I go back to the states. It's called "The Guinea Pigs" and features 5 young men who are foolish, reckless, and just plain idiotic. Sounds like a waste of time, but funny thing, you actually learn random facts from this show. Guinea Pigs is presented similar to M TV's Jackass, where the men do stupid stuff to each other as well as have pranks pulled on them by surprise, all videotaped live. The goal of this show, however, is to prove or disprove any vaguely known fact about physics, human science, psychology...you name it.
Tonight's episode had lots of little known facts to teach & I thoroughly enjoyed it. First they watched how the human body reacts to fear by taking one of the most gullible of the 5 guys and placed him in a frightening situation like the Blair Witch Project combined with the Ring. His mission, to videotape his effort making contact with the alleged ghost 'Jessica' in the dark damp basement of a pub. He was also given the code word 'Mesopotamia' if he wanted to escape the situation. The team watched as Mr. Gullible began to scare himself with his own imagination. It was also recorded that his heart rate jumped up to 150 beats per minute as the human body "prepared to run away to safety". The key of the project was to see how focused the human mind zeros in on the unpleasant situation, hence the code word. This poor fellow forgot to say the code word he was so scared, but it gave the audience and his friends a good laugh to see him jump & scream when 'jessica' popped out from the shadows. He was so scared he peed his pants...wouldn't want to be him.
The second task was to prove if ESP existed. 10 eggs were hard boiled, placed among a collection of 15 raw eggs, and the hard boiled numbers recorded from the 25 total. The numbers were placed in a sealed envelope, and given to the 5 fellows seated around the eggs. So if ESP exists then they should correctly guess the hard boiled eggs from just handling the envelope with the answers. How do they find out? Smashing the eggs against the head of course. One messy way to prove it, but that's where all the fun is! The answer was obvious, and all but 2 guys ended up with egg on their face.
The third was perhaps the funniest. Task: eat a sugar coated jelly donut without licking the leftover sugar off your lips. Try it! It's gotta be the most concentrated donut anyone has ever eaten. After a short while a couple of the guys were actually began salivating profusely down their chins, their faces looking absolutely tortured. Lesson: the skin on your lips is so thin and sensitive that even tiny remaining granules of sugar is like a constant tickle you can't get rid of. The best part though was watching the poor guys salivate they wanted to lick their lips so badly.
The last one I really enjoyed too, though perhaps for a more twisted reason. This time two guys were chosen by body type; one big guy, one small, each respectively representing a car and a motorbike. The point was to illustrate the level of impact on each during a car collision. This was done by repeated but unexpected, violent tackles from players of a professional Rugby team, no padding. After the first fellow was humorously tackled (after foolishly chiding the Rugby men as 'little ladies' no less) he was visibly banged up. Guy #1 was knocked about so much, Guy #2 actually became nervous and visibly frightened. Just as guessed, guy #2 was even carried a good 5 feet farther out; he looked like a poor rag-doll. In the end our guinea pigs exhibited whiplash, a couple broken rigs and a broken collar bone...in the joking words my beloved sister Mallory quotes.."Poor little bugger". Maybe its a little disturbing that we get amusement from the foolishness of others, but I justify it with the little lessons you get from their mistakes. Everyone needs a little half-witted enjoyment every now and then to lighten up life a little, and currently "Guinea Pigs" fulfills those simple pleasures adequately.
In conclusion...a little update on my life lately. My last paper for Dr. Hurst went fabulously & I am very proud that I was able to grasp the general picture of Europe 1906-1914. It can be a very confusing period to study because there are around 3 or 4 different issues going on, that involves every country in one way or another. One just has to analyze it in layers. No Rugby practice this week as I had already accepted an invitation from Dr. Hurst to lunch with him and his wife that Saturday. It was thoroughly enjoyable, the food adequate, but I most enjoyed the spirited conversation we had over coffee after dinner. Dr. Hurst never ceases to amaze me, and I was absolutely thrilled to hear his stories about growing up & his boyhood during WWII. He has one fascinating story about a German bomber going down in the local park...such things you don't normally hear anymore. My last week finished with an incredible football match. One of the most challenging games yet, neck to neck competition. Even better, we won 2-0! Part might be because I happened to be really doing well this particular match as keeper, not one ball went by me; I just slipped into this new mindset that really helped me focus and play well. Hopefully I can bring it back again for the next match I play. My punts surprisingly turned out best ever that match too, and at times crossed almost 3/4 of the field. I credit much of the win to our defense/midfield. Usually they play a little loose and just kick instead of really passing the ball, or stop it in motion, throw it away, etc. But this match they also seemed to have their game on, and followed through with some really impressive tackles, steals and one touch passing. I was so proud of my mates for their performance out there. I am so proud to be a part of this incredible team for the quality of ladies, as well, and I always enjoy sharing a good time & good laughs. This also happened to be a great time to choose to win, as it was a Cuppers tournament game and was an important victory to qualify us to keep on moving up towards the finals. I'd say overall, I had a very impressive and fulfilling week! And next post may be a while, as I leave for Italy on Thursday!
Cheers All,
Lindsay

I Must be an Imperialist at Heart

In all my academic readings so far, I always find myself caught up in the text when the author begins discussing the British Empire. Everything about it I always find intriguing; the economic interests through investments and the market, the dire need for a secure local government, the breadth of British influence around the globe, the extent of its defenses with the navy, conscript military or Indian army...perhaps because Imperialism is an idea that no longer exists in the same way today, that may be why I am so attracted to it in history books. Of course native peoples were conquered and governed by an Imperial viceroy, subjected to its laws and dictations. I am not repulsed by this, however, because for the most part, 19th and 20th century British Imperialism provided many benefits for the cultural development of the afore mentioned lesser provinces or states. For example, British investments in the Suez Canal at the turn of the century did lay the road for eventual occupation in North Africa but her financial contributions, particularly in Egypt, helped rebuild an indebted city into one of the most prestigious Near Eastern economic capitals.
To get to my point, I was reading Winston S. Churchill's "The World Crisis, 1911-1914" in the Bodleian Library today and the pages just seemed to fly by. It helps that Churchill is a very entertaining author and easy to follow, but he also focused greatly on the dilemma of Anglo-German naval rivalry. From approximately 1900 to 1914, German militarism began to greatly increase their naval building programme as well as the armament power of their battle fleets. This led to great tension with Britain, as one of their primary foreign policies was to maintain the two-power naval standard, or, keep their navy equal to or greater than the strength of the next two largest naval powers combined. As Germany significantly increased her navy, Britain began to feel threatened. The Royal Navy represented the independence and strength of Great Britain, especially because it was the communication link as well as the primary defense of the entire British Empire. I found the following excerpt from Churchill's book of great significance to my personal academic interests in the Royal Navy and British Imperialism. I hope that the above synopsis can only serve to better help you see the genius of not only Churchill's authorship but also his ability to grasp significant themes in British history.

The World Crisis, 1911-1914
Churchill, Winston Spencer

For consider these ships, so vast in themselves, yet so small, so easily lost to sight on the surface of the waters. Sufficient at the moment, we trusted, for their task, but yet only a score or so. They were all we had. On them, as we conceived, floated the night, majesty, dominion and power of the British Empire. All our long history built up century after century, all our great affairs in every part of the globe, all the means of livelihood and safety of our faithful, industrious, active population depended upon them. Open the sea-cocks and let them sink beneath the surface, as another fleet was one day to do in another British harbor far to the north*, and in a few minutes - half an hour at the most - the whole outlook of the world would be changed. The British Empire would be dissolved like a dream; each isolated community struggling forward by itself; the central power of union broken; mighty promises, whole Empires in themselves, drifting hopelessly out of control, and falling a prey to strangers; and Europe after one sudden convulsion passing into the iron grip and rule of the Teuton and of all that the Teutonic system meant. There would only be left far off across the Atlantic unarmed, unready, and as yet uninstructed America, to maintain, singlehanded, law and freedom among men. Guard them well, admirals and captains, hardy tars and tall marines; guard them well and guide them true.
(p. 86)

*Churchill's reference to the 72 German warships captured after WWI, moored at Scapa Flow in Scotland, and scuttled by their own German crews as a last effort of defiance to the allied victors 21 June, 1919 and prevent the ships from falling into the hands of the enemy.


This is where history becomes exciting for me...

Cheers, Lindsay

How I Learned to Ruck

Yesterday was the beginning of my rugby training sessions in tackling and it was such a thrill! I was also very excited to learn that Yvonne (from South Africa) on our New College football team joined rugby. She is an incredible football player and wanted to try something new, just like me. So we shared a few good laughs over how different and slightly awkward it was to do rugby moves and full-force tackling compared to the slight of foot in soccer.
We began with slow motion attacks to make sure that the approach was correct, moved into stationary attacks against an oncoming opponent, and then finished with defensive drive tackling. What I learned from this was the key is you have to come in low. It was especially hard for me because I am much taller than many of these girls so I practically had to sweep in off the ground to come in at the right angle. Your head should be tilted to whatever side you are taking them down on (never straight back) and allow your shoulder to dig forcefully into their middle, just around/above the stomach area. So if you combine this head & shoulder approach with driving force low off the ground, the strength from your leg muscles will allow you to easily offset their balance and knock the approaching player over out of play. I really got down the shoulder technique and was impressed even with my own tackles already. Our coach, Ann, wrote a team email later explaining training times for next week, how we had a good practice that day and mentioned that she has a big bruise developing from my "awesome shoulder action". Haha....oops. It's a good thing though, it means I'm getting somewhere. I really like this new found strength on the field of play! I'm a little sad though that I can't use it for any other sports. I wonder if they'll let me get that physical in IM football next fall at Hillsdale...
To quickly update you all, I've otherwise been keeping busy with mass amounts of reading and paper writing, but I am very happy that it still leaves enough time open for football practice, matches, and socializing with friends. That reminds me...Caitlin and I need to get on top of booking for our trip to Italy to visit Kristen Elmes the weekend of the 16th. We'll do that after my football match this afternoon. Until the next post, have a beautiful fall weekend & happy Guy Fawkes Day on the 5th! (It's like the British 4th of July, but not as commercialized)

On Personality

During my tutorial today, Dr. Hurst brought forth a curious observation. We were discussing figures in pre-WWI British Politics such as Lord Salisbury, Landsdown, Chamberlain, Duke of Bedford as well as other less prominent figures from the Liberal, Conservative and Whig parties. He pointed out the strengths and weaknesses in these men as political leaders, but also brought up definitive characteristics that came through in their personalities. As he articulated about their lives and position in society, the portrait of each of those men became much more clear to me. For example, Salisbury was one of the best foreign office ministers and could work through international complications to the minutest detail. He could not, however, remember simple facts of life very well and was often portrayed to be a rather maladroit person. One particular instance, he accidentally sent to his son, a welcome note inquiring if accommodations were adequate at the Cecil family country estate, and had mistaken his son for a guest.
Concluding this discussion, Hurst made a final comment that stuck in my mind and I brooded on it for a short while. He mentioned something along the lines that "personality can truly define how an individual can adequately fulfill a leadership role in government". I then began to review familiar historical Prime Ministers and Presidents in my head, and found that Hurst's comment had a great deal of support. Sir Winston Churchill was a very independent and contemplative personality but also was willing to pursue passions like watercolor, writing, and travel, but also attempted new challenges such as bricklaying and following dangerous adventures in war. Margaret Thatcher had a dynamic personality though often cloaked with refined words and proper social etiquette. Many of her conversations with journalists reveal an educated but fiery rhetoric that exhibits her strong and affirmative character.
If you look at some of the presidents of the United States, one could analyze their leadership similarly. Ronald Reagan had the bright and spirited personality of an actor, but also displayed the reason and moderation necessary in politics. Years before his 1980 presidency, Reagan was a leader in many circles from social, and artistic to small government. Even then, his easygoing nature made him come across as a person one could look up to and respect but also someone you could comfortably approach or look to for assistance. These are qualities, I believe, are necessary in a successful presidency. As the chief leader of the nation and not the decider on all issues, it is the President's role to be a public servant and be capable of communicating with society so that he or she may adequately represent what "We the People" want in our government. A personality such as Reagan's easily meets those needs in leadership. If one were to look at an opposite disposition, such as Jimmy Carter, the need for strength in character becomes even more obvious. Carter was a casual people pleaser, and never exhibited any qualities that would instill any sense of respect from a judgmental society. In other words he was weak, and when that translated through to his role as President, our government was seen as weak also. Without some sense of leadership and control, society will in turn, disrespect the government. The exact same holds true for state governments also, such as what occurred in the recall of California Governor Grey Davis.
So to conclude this thought, I will now pay even more attention to the personalities and personal history of our current politicians and diplomats. With a more thorough observation of the qualities of political candidates, I hope to make my citizens' vote a more wise contribution to the benefit of my dearly beloved United States (despite all it's current shortcomings).