So it has been awhile since I updated on life here. A few weeks back I went to visit my cousin in Marlborough, Wiltshire and meet her fiancee, David, the dapper young man in the photo below.
While we were there, we decided to go to Avebury Henge, which is sort of like Stonehenge only much bigger and the stones are farther apart (so it's not really as spectacular). BUT, you can walk up to them, touch them, bring your dogs, etc. It's much more accessible than Stonehenge and not filled with nearly as many tourists.
Aunt Lucy and Uncle Harry at the first Stone we encountered. It was so great to see them. We've been really blessed that our paths have crossed 3 summers in a row!
Panoramic of the village and the site. The village just sort of spills into the archeological site. they can't really be separated.
So my friend Amanda, from my NYU days and who has been hosting me in SF, competes in the Bay Area Derby League (BAD for short) and I finally got to see her play in a bout last night.
But first - the volunteering to set up the track! This is an entirely volunteer organization, so anything that needs doing they have to do themselves. The event was being held at Craneville Pavillion in Richmond but it was BYOT (bring your own track). So we loaded up the UHaul truck with the plastic tracking that the ladies use on such occasions (since there isn't a dedicated track in SF) and began the laborous process of putting it all together, literally piece by piece.
Laying out the floor
What can't these ladies do!?
Track is all laid out
Setting up the lines and barriers
The finished product in use
I could try to write up all the rules of bouts (the pack, the jammers trying to lap the pack, penalties, etc) but its probably best if a professional explains it. See the video below for a brief intro of how the game is played.
Amanda - excuse me, I mean Cass, as in Cass Warfare, her derby name; which is literally what all of the other players know her as. Anyway, Cass plays for the Oakland Outlaws.
Oakland Outlaws warming up
Enthusiastic crowds are the order of the evening at derby matches I've learned. And it is pretty common to come with homemade signs cheering your favorite players on. Below is the sign of one of Cass's teammate's boyfriend's (mouthful!)
Go Sinnocent!
It was like a giant party: there were food stalls, vendors of all sorts, merch, bar stands ... you name it. And I was really super impressed with how many very enthusiastic fans there were in the crowd (myself included).
The ladies in black, unfortunately, didn't win their bout, but they didn't go down without a fight.... quite literally in some cases
But, despite the loss, these women are all still friends (or maybe frienemies?). Yeah, emotions get riled during a game, but they all mix together in the all stars league or the traveling team. They are competitors and teammates... and maybe most importantly friends.
All smiles!
But honestly, that camaraderie really blew me away. We had been joking on our way to the bout that derby girls would have their own A League of Their Own style reunion 60 years from now and reminisce about the "old good days" --- but there is something truly remarkable, I think, about a bunch of women doing traditionally masculine things (hard-contact sports) but doing it in their own unique way. Maybe their more like the Greek Amazons, a tight knit collection of warriors.... It is very hard not to feel inspired by them as you see them racing around the track
Newest derby girl? Probably not......... yet?
That said, I'm probably not ready yet for the commitment to derby. Cass commits between 10-15 hours a week to practice, team meetings, setting up and helping at bouts, etc.... and I just don't think I have that time to commit right now. But it really makes me happy to see women making roller derby a fun and fascinating sport to watch.
It has been an eventful week in London. On Monday I went to Anthropology in London Day at UCL which was really fun. I particularly enjoyed panels on materiality and labor, which had obvious resonances with my work. Then on Tuesday I went to ANOTHER conference at UCL, this one on India, specifically organized around the theme of "veneration."
When I left that conference, I discovered that someone had clipped the cable on my bike lock, stolen my rear wheel, and left another perfectly good rear wheel behind in its place. So I reassembled the bike with the "new" wheel and rode home perplexed.
I dropped the bike off and then walked down to the Globe Theatre to meet Gina for an awesome production of Henry V.
Our "seats" were actually standing room, but we had gotten there so early that we were actually touching the stage. It's fun to be a peasant. At one point I almost got taken out by Henry's cape!
For the most part, the band seemed to play "period" instruments, though I noticed many of their drums had synthetic heads - not impressed - just kidding. They were all very talented performers.
Walking back across the Millenium Bridge with St. Paul's in the distance.
Action shot of Gina trying to take much better pictures of St. Paul's than I could with my point and shoot.
THEN, on Wednesday I got a fun email from Jan Sota, the mother of Ben, the founder of the Zany Umbrella Circus and old friend of mine currently living in Hawaii. So she and I went to the British Museum to go look at old relics of colonial conquest. It was quite entertaining.
Here is photographic proof of that.
I also met some of Gina's co-workers at the Museum and can attest to the fact that her badge is legit and not faked. She does in fact work there and it is not part of an elaborate ruse.
Tonight! Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Tomorrow! Meeting the Jonckheere's for a trip to the British countryside.
I saw Nikki's awesome post, so I decided to write one too.
Super fun weekend.
Wednesday and Friday of last week I went and saw classical Indian music and dance at the Nehru Center in London, which was totally awesome. (it had been awhile, so it was fun)
Then on Saturday all of a sudden the sun came out! In celebration, I rode up to Hampstead Heath to do a bit of gardening with Bill, Heather, and our friend from college, Kelly, who I hadn't seen since 1999. It was fun, and a gorgeous day.
Afterwards, I went back home and ultimately decided that it was much too pretty outside to try and write a dissertation (on a saturday too) so I ended up inviting myself over to Bill and Heather's for steak grilling, football watching, and Rock Band! They were wonderfully gracious hosts! All in all, it was a very pleasant way to spend one of the few amazing sunny days we have had here in London.
I've been remiss in posting lately, but I hope this picture filled description of my recent activities makes up for it....
I was exploring the Mission and went to Dolores Park, with great views of the city. Oh, and Bi-Rite ice cream store.
Last Saturday was one of the Mission Arts and Performance Project's open-house nights, where local art galleries and performance spaces open their doors for a night of art and performances*. I was able to meet up with some Michigan friends and fun times were had by all!
Art gallery
Vibraphone performance
My favorite, the robot art workshop that is blocks from where I'm staying
ROBOTS!
Live music
The other VMware interns started this week, which means we have a full house in our little hive. They all seem like really great ladies and it looks like there will be opportunities for us to collaborate because there is some overlap in our projects. Haley, who is also a classmate of mine from SI, redecorated the office a bit...
Go Blue!
Besides that, I've been doing my best to get out and about the city as much as I can. SF is beautiful and I'm really happy with the culture and food here ... but man am I having a hard time navigating this space. Where is my grid and comprehensive public transportation system!?**
Thankfully I have a lot of friends from Barnard, SI, and work at this point so the only thing stopping me from exploring more of the city is my own laziness*** There is so much to see.
Urban Coy Pond
The Painted Ladies of Alamo Square, with down town in the background
I mean, the only way I'm going to start understanding this place is if I dive head first into it, right?
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* You get the idea
** I took you for granted NYC MTA
*** Or the blisters on my feet from walking 10miles a day
On Monday, Mithi and Drew drove in from Bristol to meet their friend Marc who had an 8 hour layover at Heathrow. then I met them at the Kew Botanical Gardens on the outskirts of London. During the Colonial heyday, the British liked to collect plant samples from all over the world. Well, this is where they put them! It was like the "British Museum of Plants." And it was tons of fun. Magically, it only seemed to rain when we were in the greenhouses (of course we also carefully timed our trips to the greenhouses).
FYI if you ever find yourself in and around Heathrow with time to kill, apparently the gardens are only about 15 to 20 minutes away and conceivably a taxi could take you to them and back again.
Drew, Marc and Mithi posing with a peacock
The peacock with which they were posing
One of the Victorian Greenhouses as seen from the "Rhizotron"
Marc Taking a photo of the greenhouse on the "Rhizotron" which is a "canopy tour" (only no ziplines, so I think my mom might actually enjoy this one).
We all totally geeked out about this plant because its leaves seem to spontaneously change direction on every branch.
It's a "wollemi pine" from Australia, and it's quite cool.
The wollemi pine
Looking down on a giant fern from the balcony of the greenhouse.
Mithi photographing a flower up close. Perhaps some of her photos will be on their blog soon!
After the Gardens, I went into town and met friends for Belgian food followed by Swing dancing. All in all it felt very Jubilicious and was, in my humble opinion, a perfectly splendid way to celebrate the Jubilee!
The first week in London has been great so far. It started out super sunny and altogether pleasant, and for the most part hasn't been too bad, though the rain and clouds did creep in. As you know this week is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in which 1,000 boats are supposed to float up the Thames in a giant Flotilla. As of now the forecast is alternating between rain and light rain for the entire day, so we'll see if I decide to venture out or just stay in and work.
Speaking of work, I have been getting a lot done and finding having an office really pretty amazing. I share it with three other people, but it's really big, so it doesn't seem squashed at all. My desk is the one by the window on the right.
My office.
The day I chose to bring my camera, it was raining, so I don't have any good outdoor pictures yet. More to come.
As for the dorm, it is about 15 to 20 min. walking from the office, but only about 5 min. by bicycle. Really very convenient. I like having the structured time there as well. The office is open from 9 to 6, so it's a great way to structure a day. The dorms, are fine. I can't imagine 4 undergrads sharing such small space, but when I think about it, I think my dorm life experience wasn't so different....
My room.
The Kitchen
What is pretty neat is that I was supposed to have a flatmate, but since his girlfriend lives in London he decided to forego his NYU housing. Pretty cool. So I have the entire flat to myself.
Solon's Room conveniently holds the bicycle Heather and Bill so graciously loaned me, and provides some extra space to hangout in. If only I had a couch to put in there!
