Ya...

I don't have much to say this week so I thought I'd just post some of my favorite pics from the past few weeks. You might wonder why on earth I have a picture of a small tree included in this post. Well it is actually a tree in a square of Kings College Cambridge and is a direct descendent of the tree under which Newton sat when an apple fell on his head. He posited his theory of gravity which studying at Cambridge, but the tree was actually at his families estate. The reason he was at home when this eternally famous apple fell, was that Cambridge had closed do to an outbreak of the plague in Cambridge. But to keep the heritage of the tree alive Cambridge they have brought a seedling of that tree to the school.

Well its been a while...

I apologize for not having updated you sooner. Its amazing how fast the days all fly by over here, there is so much to do and be involved in.

Well I guess I will take you through the last two weeks.

I have joined a few sports clubs over here so I guess I should inform you as to what I am doing in that regard. I have joined the University of Essex Mountaineering Club and have been climbing three times a week with them. The Uni. has a really good climbing facility in their rec centre and the Club has access to it for roughly 14 hrs each week. There are some really good climbs and bouldering problems for me to tackle. Each week I find myself pushing myself harder and harder to try new and increasingly difficult problems. Climbing is very much like playing a gigantic game of chess but with your body. You have to study the routes, plan your ascent, think through the moves in advance and where each one will put you 2-3 moves up the route. It is a great deal of fun and of course it's physically challenging at the same time, what could beat that?

The club is heading up to Kent this weekend to do some outdoor climbing. I won't be able to make this trip but I will be able to make some of the future trips.

I have also joined the Uni.'s American Football team and played with them this past weekend. Some of the Americans studying over here and I have walked on to the team and will play with them through the end of the season. We played well this past weekend and won our game handily. Its been fun to suit up in pads and get to hit some people. I played on special teams and the Offensive line as the right guard this past weekend and made some good plays. This next week I will be doing some training as a Tight End and Running back for next week. So wel will see how this adventure turns out.

Last Monday I went to the Colchester United vs. Southend Derby. Colchester United is the local football (soccer) team and Southend is one of their biggest rivals. It was a good match. The pitch was in rather poor condition due to the weather we have had over the last few weeks so it created some interesting football. Colchester scored twice to win with a shutout. It was my first proper British football game and a fun one at that. Prior to the match we went down to a local pub near the stadium to have a pint and enjoy the pre-match atmosphere. All in all it was a good night.

This past Saturday (the 13th) I went to London for the day. The main reason for going was to attend the Chelsea v Cardiff City match. It was the 5th round of the FA Cup tournament and Stamford Bridge was sold out. It was my first taste of top flight football and I loved it. Chelsea played well, but not up to their high standards. Drogba scored in the second minute and it looked as if Chelsea were going to run away with the match, but Cardiff battled back and became the dominant team for the rest of the first half. Cardiff scored in the 34th minute to level the score at 1 all. The rest of the half saw some interesting buildup, but nothing came of it for either side. Chelsea returned to the pitch in the second half as a new team. Their passing was efficient, their possession controlling, and their play physical. And it showed as they scored three times to finish the match at 4-1 (the other goals were Ballack 51', Sturridge 69', and Kalou 86').

The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge is outstanding. It is 1000x better than the games that I have watched on t.v. back home. Pics of the day in London, including the match, are up on my Facebook.

This week holds nothing too exciting for me but thats good I guess. We are about half way through the first term now, so things are starting to pick up scholastically. Next week I don't have any class as it is a 'reading week' for students to catch-up or begin preparing for term papers.

My classes are all going very well. If I would have to pick a favourite it would have to be my Philosophy and Mind course. Its is superbly taught and the material is extremely thought provoking.