hmmmm friends a knocking.....Olympics or Bust!!!

I've just finished a grueling week of training courses here and now I am ready to head home for the holidays. I must say that I am a little sad leaving here and my new buddies (although most are leaving as well). This sadness is outweighed by the thrill I feel when thinking about seeing my family and friends.

Last night VFJN and JA came over and we stayed up late chatting and planning/booking a weekend trip to the Winter Olympics in Turin. We have been chatting about this for a bit. VFJN is an Olympic junkie...and hell I love Italy. VFJN was walking by my place and knocked on my. We all have been trying to hang out more because we are all leaving in the next two days. She sat down at my computer and said you know we should just book this trip because I don't want it to turn into something that we talk about but never do...... LOVE HER!!!! She rocks!! So we are going and have narrowed down our sporting events we want to see.

As we were looking for deals there was another knock on my window and JA was outside. Love JA!!!! My room and location cracks me up, I am on a busy (for Cambridge) street I am sub-ground level so everyone just knocks on my window and peeks in. I am used to it know ...I must say that at the beginning I was startled but I am now starting to tell my visitors apart by their knocking sound and pattern. I was honored when some friends confessed that they alter their normal routes to see if my light is on and I am home. (Trust me I do get scorned when their knocks are missed and un-answered). I love this situation; it adds character to the whole move to UK thing.

An hour later two more buddies were passing by and came a-knocking and we had a lovely little gathering. We kicked them out after a bit because they are boys and we wanted to go back to our womanly gathering....you know around our Caldrons ;)




It was such a lovely time just hanging out and brainstorming our potential weekend trips. I love girl nights that go way passed your bed time on a school night!!!!

Rowing lilke a Christmas Cracker!!!

Xmas Race

Last Saturday I put together a mixed boat together for a fun costume race. It was mixed sexes and colleges….wound up being a good group. Again another Crew went with my costume idea due to lack of any others and dressed up like Christmas Crackers. We used Silver, Gold, and Green shiny foil wrapping paper and made body wraps and hats. It was tricky to design and make the costume rowing friendly…but we looked great and it worked. I have become Vera Wang of rowing costumes….. We had so much fun getting ready and everyone really got into becoming the best Christmas Cracker that we were late to the starting line and almost didn’t get to race.




It was so odd rowing wrapped up in foil paper. I just kept giggling. We finally get to the starting line and spin the boat to get ready. We start building up for the rolling start and take the rating and pressure up…..50 strokes into the race I look at JA (our coxswain) and ask, “Are we racing? Did we Start already?”

JA starts laughing and nods YES. It is pretty bad that I, whose stroke (rower everyone is following) doesn’t realize that the race has started. We actually did pretty well. It was one of the most relaxing and fun rows/races I have done. We looked great and costumes had a definite “Wow” factor.

What was great was that we all left our cracker hats on as we went out for drinks. Nothing like seeing a bunch of weirdo’s riding bikes.

Other notable costumes were…. Santa and Reindeer, Manger Crews (baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, 3 Wise Men, Angel, Camel/sheep), Santas

Great...Formal Hall-ing

Formal Halls


Some here have commended me on my Formal hall-ing. My goal is to go to every college formal hall before the end of my time here. (31 Colleges total)






..Not bad for my first term.

Great Birthday!! Great People! Great City! Great Concert!

Birthday

Woke up and LA came over bearing a gift…..she noticed that I had lots of pictures in piles but no frames. So she gave me this beautiful self standing frame and lovely card. JA came over and we headed out for brunch. VFJN met us there and we had a lovely long enjoyable brunch.

LA, VFJN and I headed to the train station to head for a day in London. I got my Student Rail card for cheaper train tickets…..(here is where I learned that VFJN is very wise and always right.)

Heading to the train we saw IVY also taking the train to London. IVY is responsible for me finding a great salon and hair dresser in Cambridge. I went a month ago and it is the best cut I have ever had.

We get to London and shop shop shop. We went around High Street to see the lights and to be in the holiday shopping crowds. I miss city crowds. We were hungry and in five minutes we were at a great Noodle restaurant during there happy hour special. Everything was just so easy that day! LA and VFJN are great travel campaigns…I have noticed that everyone that I have started hanging around with here….are very low maintenance. Things are just so easy. We are hungry so we look around and go eat in seconds. LOVE IT!!!

We shopped and I bought some great things. It was soooo much fun! The girls take me to café and get me a piece of chocolate cake….cause birthday girls need their cake.

Then in no particular rush we head along to Alexander Palace to see Franz Ferdinand Concert. Getting the shuttle bus to venue was a bit tricky but once we are there. We missed the two crappy opening act and wait 10min and Franz Ferdinand hit the stage. Great Venue, Good Show and after I have heard my songs we head out early to make the next to last train…..again so easy.

It was a great birthday!!! So much fun So NOT stressful..
Yeah!!!

Recap Birthday Weekend….. Birthday Eve….

Friday Night (day before b-day) I went to College Boat Club Formal Hall. Everyone is decked out and happy our final big race is over (happened that morning went well). It was funny I was dressed all fancy and hair down to which half my team didn’t recognize me out of my rowing kit and morning “beauty”. I was wondering why none of them were talking to me and then I overheard one of the girls say, “Oh my God, that’s Reb…. over there.” They came over and exclaimed how great I looked and how pretty my hair down is….. I just started laughing because I thought they were mad at me or something. But then I wondered how horrible I must look at rowing practices.

It was a lovely dinner and then there were Captain Speeches and gift giving. The girls gave me a gift and told everyone it was my birthday Saturday, so I got to have a princess moment where the men and women’s teams sang “Happy Birthday” to me! It is funny to stand in front of a room of 50ish people singing to you….so I held my gift like flowers and started waving and gushing like Miss America! It was lovely.

Next was Karaoke….oh yeah how I love Karaoke. Some of the organizers come running over to me alarmed because NO ONE was signing up. I went up to the DJ/Karaoke guys and check out their small list. I asked if anyone signed up. They say no one is even looking at the list……so readers…. I stepped up to the mic and started the Karaoke night!!! 5 people were in that room and everyone else was in the adjacent bar/room. The DJ makes an announcement of the First Karaoke of the night going on and everyone starts pilling into the room. What did I sing as the first song of the night…..what else? The queen herself….Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”.

Others started signing up and I got brought up for a lot of duets with the shyer singers. My highlight song was one that I didn’t realize was in karaoke form yet and that someone signed up for and didn’t show up….Gwen Stafani’s “What You Waiting For?”
I run into the room to claim this unwanted song and think cool this is going to be fun. But as I started singing the first couple of lyrics I didn’t realize how telling this song would be for my new move…. I start saying the words and look out at these new people and friends then I think of the last time I sang karaoke with my old friends…. I was having a moment but I think it came across as moving and reflective to my audience.

Lyrics:
What an amazing time
What a family
How did the years go by
Now it's only me

Tick-tock, tick-tock
Tick-tock, tick-tock

Naturally, I'm worried if I do it alone
Who really cares, cause it's your life
You never know, it could be great
Take a chance cause you might grow


…there it is I took a chance and I hopefully will grow into a better person for it.

As midnight ticked everyone was wishing me an official birthday cheer and my phone was going off with sister’s call….she is always the first!!!!

Horror

I was walking to the store today and I was on a really hectic road during traffic. I happen to look up and over at a certain moment and see a woman on a bike get hit and then caught and run over by a bus. The noise was horrible and seeing this happening to a person right in front of you….was awful. The noise was hitch pitched grinding metal and then her screaming and then her silent. It was as though time stopped. She tried to move herself out from under the bus but didn’t get far. She was lying out in the middle of the road and a car was about to hit her.

I didn’t think I just kept looking at her and I stepped out to run for her. I then heard a car slamming on the breaks. I got scooped up on the hood but it had slowed down enough that I just wound up being pushed to sit on the hood of the car. I got off and ran to her. I took my jacket off and placed it on her. I looked her up and down and asked her some questions. She could not feel her legs. The bus’s back tire ran over her lower back. Someone else was calling an ambulance and police and others were gathering her things.

I just tried to smile at her and talk to her very calmly. I asked her where her cell phone was and who I could call. I went over to her bike to look in her bag….and her bike was mangled and her seat was missing…..I got her cell phone and she whispered the name of her husband. I found his number and got an answering machine, I panicked…what do I say? All that came to me was, “Hello this is R…., I am with J….. she has had an accident. A bus hit her, she is awake, Help is on the way. Please call her cell phone.” I hung up and wanted to hit myself for saying that a bus hit her. What an awful message to get about your wife….

I went back and talked to her, I looked at the bus and for where her seat went. The back of the bus near the lights had damage to it.
The medics came and I was getting ready to ride with her and then her husband called. He was freaking out and I explained that she was awake and being cared for by the medics. I told him where we were and then handed the phone to one of the medics for hospital details. The other medic told me they would take care of everything and the police asked me questions. I packed up her stuff in the ambulance and then left.

I feel so shaky and sick. I will stay with my stance of not getting or riding a bike here.