Oxford – Page 34 – a sibilant intake of breath

Nought but narrative

General developments

After having breakfast with Roz this morning and walking to Marston with her – through the University Parks – she gave me the copy of Simon Singh’s Fermat’s Last Theorem, which is to be my next piece of discretionary reading. Naturally, having the chance to spend some time with Roz prior to her departure was excellent.

I suspect the Singh book will prove more in keeping with essay writing than de Botton’s novel did. The complete absence of any pressure from Dr. Hurrell to get the things finished has provided excessive opportunity to focus on other things – from the departure of friends to the kinds of sorting and cataloguing that sometimes threaten to consume all my waking hours. I’ve also been trying to coordinate as extensive a campaign as possible to increase the chances of Mica winning the grand final of the Google Idol video contest.

Job search

An exciting job possibility has arisen, but it’s far too uncertain to discuss right now. That said, I expect to have a firm answer about it within ten days or so. While it does sound like something I could do (two friends specifically indicated that they have such faith) the absurdly high rate of pay being offered makes me certain that I cannot possibly be qualified to the level they expect. That said, they are canvassing for applicants only a few weeks before the job is to be taking place. If there are lots of more qualified people floating around with no plans, I would be somewhat surprised.

Upcoming solitude

By Wednesday, I will be the sole resident of the 2 Church Walk basement flat. Both Kai and Alex are heading off in the next two days, with Kai heading back to Germany for the bulk of the summer. On the first of July, Eriko, the young woman who will be subletting his room, is to move in. I’ve met her very briefly. Apparently, she is an Oxford Analytica employee who will be spending her weekends in London and only weeknights in Oxford. That same evening, I will be having a Canada Day party here – possibly co-sponsored by Emily.

The idea of spending more than a week as the only inhabitant of a place like this is an odd one. I’ve never been singularly entrusted with such a large amount of space at once. Past instances of time spent alone in dorms – such as over the Christmas break here – have generally involved a kind of odd retreat from all the world on my part. As such, I hope that the many, many people to whom I’ve extended invitations to come have tea here will take me up on the offer during that period. A few solid kicks of a sort calculated to encourage essay writing would also not go amiss.

PS. (CR: Somno) Continue reading “Nought but narrative”

Socially dedicated days

With so many friends on the cusp of zipping off in all directions, I’ve been doing my best to spend time with people this week. Thus far, it is going even better than might have been anticipated – despite limited academic progress. There will be plenty of time for papers after the exodus, after all.

For a few hours this morning, I was giving a tour of Oxford to Diarmuid Torney: a young man who will be part of next year’s M.Phil in IR class. It was especially gratifying to have the chance to impart a few useful bits of information in a way I wish had been done for me. Essential sandwich shops, pubs, libraries, and individuals were pointed out.

Tonight, there is an end-of-year party for the M.Phil group, followed by the annual lecture for the Global Economic Governance Program. Tomorrow evening, there is a garden party in Wadham. I wish my bike was operable for transport between them, but the seat remains resolutely stolen.

I really need to find people who want to accompany me on my putative European trips; ticket prices are rising quickly.

[Update] Lest I contribute to any confusion, my belief that the IR party was tonight was the product of a bad piece of intel. Sorry. There are also no WMD in the Manor Road Building.

(CR: Somno) Continue reading “Socially dedicated days”

Work cut out for me

As of this afternoon, at least I can say that I have decided on the topics for my last three papers of this year. Together, they should be about 9000 words and based on me reading at least six books, plus articles and individual chapters.

What impact did the ending of the overseas colonial empires have on the nature and conduct of international relations? Have subsequent wars been consequences of decolonisation?
What are the causes of the Arab-Israeli conflict and why has it proved so resistant to resolution?
How has the international trade regime come to encompass ‘beyond the border’ issues – such as human rights and the environment? What does this imply for developed and developing countries?

At present, Dr. Hurrell seems more focused on preparing for a trip and a grant proposal than on pressing me to finish these. That’s both a blessing, because it takes pressure off during the time that will be my last chance to see many friends this year, and a curse, because it draws out this term into what would otherwise be the summer.

A few properly tottering stacks of books around the room should be a good source of motivation.

In which Milan’s dislike of team sports is discussed

For what I think was the first time in my life, I watched a portion of a televised soccer (football) match tonight: Poland versus Germany, as seen in the Saint Antony’s Bar. As a North American, I associate soccer with dreary mornings where children from ages of about ten to maybe seventeen or eighteen play while parents look on. My own soccer experiences were absolutely miserable – even worse than baseball, which I really despised. My experiences with coaches were all mutually hostile, while the ones with fellow players ranged from hostile to genuinely abusive. Soccer was as bad as the Cub Scouts. This has contributed to my general underlying conviction that team athletes are goons. It’s a conviction well reinforced by my spate of unfortunate incidents involving hockey playing roommates.

My natural response to being an obvious outsider in the team sports environment was to defy the lot of them, rather than try to conform. Of course, that is exactly the strategy that will maximize mutual hatred and cement a lifetime of resentment and barely suppressed anger about the whole experience. While I am absolutely certain most people playing team sports are decent people, I have the same kind of fear of them as I have of dogs, after being bitten several times as a paperboy.

Watching the match was interesting far more on sociological than athletic grounds. There was a small but noisome cadre of Poland fans, surrounded by many more people cheering (very softly) for Germany. By the time of the German victory at the end, they had become overt enough to make me pretty nervous. Since I find the whole concept of sport to be vaguely distasteful and unsettling, I suppose that’s not surprising. Even so, I suspect I will see bits of at least a few more matches before the World Cup has ended. I did manage to learn to enjoy Olympic hockey – at least when Canada was playing – so perhaps I am not entirely hopeless.

PS. With two days left in the semi-final of the video contest, please keep voting for Mica. Of course, once he gets to the final, I will be kicking up the publicity a bit.

From academic discourse to fistcuffsmanship

Tonight’s supervision went really well. Dr. Hurrell seemed unusually positive about my essay, and the conversation was engaging and useful. Afterwards, I spent a few hours with a group of Wadham students. At first, we were in Wadham’s Ho Chi Hinh Quad, before moving to the King’s Arms. There, some disagreement seemed to nearly lead to a brawl, so I cycled home. With a seminar at 11:00am tomorrow, it seemed wise.

I still owe Dr. Hurrell three papers, but I can console myself with the knowledge of seeing Antonia at OUSSG tomorrow, then having dinner with Claire on Wednesday, meeting lunch with Bilyana on Thursday, and possibly meeting Roz on Thursday night. It’s great to be seeing so many friends before they leave for the summer: Claire to New York, Roz to Rome, etc. The Wadham Library also got a book that is fairly essential to my thesis today; it is already secured in my backpack.

Northward along canals

By the fading light this evening, I took an unusually interesting ten mile ride. Initially cutting due north, I veered west until I found a canal I’d never seen before: lined with narrowboats and punctuated with weirs and numbered red brick bridges. After about four miles, I found myself at the intersection with the Oxford Canal. I tried an offshoot path labeled ‘River Thames’ but was rapidly foiled when the path narrowed almost immediately, became composed of unstable dirt clods, and proved to be flanked with shoulder-high stinging nettles.

Once you get more than a couple of miles up along the canal, it seems like a completely different world from the residential and commercial parts of Oxford, as well as the kind of roadway-intersected countryside around Kidlington or Cassington. The houses, which vary in frequency along different stretches, have yards opening right out onto the waterway. Cats and children fishing seem to be common, and the general sense of direction that it is easy to maintain on roads falls victim rapidly to the gentle curves of the branching canals.

The light – between about 8:10 and 9:30pm – was that really lovely warm and directed sunset light, though still bright enough to support ISO100 handheld shots at 50mm or so, in the open spaces at least. The only trouble is that the sky is completely blown out in every shot. Perhaps a polarizer would have helped.

Riding on gravel or dirt track takes dramatically more effort than doing so on blacktop: basically constant peddling in my second-lowest gear in order to maintain speed. The feeling is rather more substantial at the end, however.

Since I need to be at Gloucester Green for the bus to London at seven, I should try to get to sleep early. This is unlikely. Being ill the other day (and sleeping fourteen hours) has completely thrown off my sleeping schedule. I find myself waking up ravenous at random times between three and seven in the morning, always a sure sign that it will take a concerted effort to get things on track. That will only be possible once these two upcoming trips have passed.

PS. To anyone considering replicating the ride above, I suggest wearing glasses. The canalside bugs seem particularly drawn to the eyes of cyclists, and a few uncontrolled moments could easily land you among the floating ducks.

PPS. With two days left in this round, please keep voting for Mica’s video.

Another scholarship rejection

It was the J. Armand Bombardier Internationalist Fellowship this time. They lose points for sending out rejections by email. “Dear Applicant…” It was always a long shot, with 678 applicants for 25 fellowships and what I am told is a strong preference for people aiming at French language related programs.

Now, there are only two small ones left, plus the departmental bursary: for which all of these rejections (Commonwealth, Chevening, ORS, Bombardier, etc) are actually an advantage. I have never actually received any scholarship for which an application was necessary: only automatic faculty and departmental scholarships and UBC and funding offers from grad schools other than Oxford.

Any friends out there who applied for this and don’t get an email in the next few hours, take heart. A cool $10,000 might be coming your way.

[Unrelated] Someone left a link to this optical illusion as a comment. It’s well worth a look.

Recuperated today, productive tomorrow?

Obviously, today’s photo is not from Oxford. I didn’t take anything good enough to warrant public display, partly because I slept until 1:00pm to purge yesterday’s acute and short-lived illness. The above is a photo of the Capilano Reservoir in North Vancouver: one of the important sources of water for Vancouver, and located about ten minutes’ walk from my high school. Taken during the last week or so of August, you can see how seriously the water level has been depleted by a thirsty summer. The closest mountain, on the right hand side, is Grouse Mountain (with the famous ‘Grind’ hike). The two distinctive peaks close together and farther off at The Lions. How I miss the mountains, the conifers, and the sea…

Today wasn’t really productive, in any standard sense of the word. Even so, it was a day fairly well spent. I recuperated, did laundry, washed linen, got a haircut, and sorted something important out. This evening was that really wonderful combination of the right levels of light, warmth, and humidity to make being outside really wonderful. As such, I just had to take a quick ride out to Kidlington. Now, when I do so, I make sure to at least bring tire irons, a backup tube, and my new pump.

Continuing my experimentation with British cheeses, I went through a block of Sainsbury’s Wensleydale today. It has a consistency similar to Cheshire and a common fondness for breaking into bits. Antonia apty described the taste as somewhere between mozzarella and feta, though quite pleasantly so. I recommend trying it on toasted dark bread, along with either tomato and some black pepper or zucchini slices fried in olive oil.

Brain feeling vaguely crunchy

Since I am going to London from Thursday night to Friday night, and finally doing my first hike with the walking club on Sunday, I suppose I really need to get to work on my third-to-last paper for Dr. Hurrell today. It is a shame that I have been feeling rather ill since yesterday afternoon. Perhaps I can spend today immersed in the reading of books, the doing of laundry, and the sipping of ginger ale.

At least the presentation on unipolarity and great powers managed to go fairly well, ably expanded upon by Alex.

[Update: 7 June 2006, 1:33pm] After sleeping about fourteen hours straight, I feel much better. Now to do laundry and have my hair snipped back to a helmet-friendly length.

Life on an upswing

I am really glad to have my bike in working order again. Using it for a mail-run to Wadham and finding a card from Sarah was doubly gratifying. Oxford is a really fun place to cycle at night, lights blinking. The familiar streets feel liberating without traffic. I am equally glad to have dropped another paper into the inter-college post for Dr. Hurrell. It’s the one I am presenting on tomorrow, so I hope it is acceptably good. Now, I just need to write another three for him in the next couple of weeks and the academic year will be over.

Having a trio of parties seems the natural response: one next week to mark the end of term, one on the 22nd to celebrate the summer solstice, and another on July 1st to celebrate Canada Day. It will be a grand affair and I encourage all the Canucks in Oxford who I know to come out for it. Those wanting to observe Canadians in groups may also be considered for admission, though you will be required to learn any one sentence in French, as well as the chorus to ‘The Log Driver’s Waltz.’ Anyone who can provide actual Canadian beer is automatically extremely welcome.

PS. Mica’s video contest quarter file is ongoing. Please take a moment to vote for him. His film is really dramatically better than the version of ‘Song 2’ it is up against. Incidentally, yes – I will continue advertising this contest until i