A lesson in Weed Extrication

Man I love my new hair - makes it about 100 times easier to pull out the bits of Cam-Weed out when it's just over a centimetre long! As you can tell, I have just been canoeing - in the cold and rain. It's May for Christ's sake; and it's still freezing! We played some polo though, which was great fun, we had some fun in the "rapids" below the weir, and did a few strokes. Was good fun, but am glad to be back in the warm of my room!

Finally got May Ball tickets after messing up and forgetting to collect them - and now we have found out that Jen, Lydia and Me are wanted to play a 50min set at the start of the mayball - which will be a little weird, because it'll be right at the start, but, it'll be good fun. However, this means we'll have only 10 days (after exams) to rehearse (and come up with some songs) before the day! AARGH. Still, it'll be an amazing experience.

What else? Humm.. have done some work, have some food for my birthday tomorrow (and parcels. Ooooo!) Can't wait for exams to be over! Here we cooooooommmeee!!

Tom

Manic Monday

Monday was a strange little day, starting off with plans of no lectures, and little planned whatsoever to a big full crazyday. I got up at a sensible ish time of 9.30 am to get some work done, and Alex came round at 11.30 to revise over here too - Castle End is actually a very nice place in the summer.

After my canoeing larks of the weekend, I had emailed the secretary of CUCC (Cambridge University Canoeing Club) and asked when the 1* classes began. I got an email that afternoon saying that they were on Monday and Thursday nights from 6pm-8pm. I can't make Thursdays as I have a VanVeen supervision in the afternoon, so I plumped for Monday, giving me a few hours to get a couple of cheques together (it's good value for a term of classes - £12.50 for membership and £15 for the classes), cook a big lunch (as I would miss dinner) and pack some things in a bag. Also, a few hours before I went, I got an email from Rachel-the-vet-from-girton (Spikes), who invited us out to the may-day funfair that night. Another thing was planned!

So, at 6pm I arrived at the canoe-sheds, having again manically pumped up my bike (my new inner tube has a slow puncture), and we got down to some canoeing - they taught us the sweepstroke, monkey stroke, and side-stroke (think those are the names). We also did a capsize drill, played a bit of polo and bulldog. It was really really good - well worth it, and if I'm any good then I can do the assessment at the end to try and get a certificate!

I got back at about 8.20 having stopped off in Sainsburys for some coke (apparently staves of Weil's Disease) and some crisps (I was starving), and at 9pm we went to the Midsummer Fair, where I was tempted onto the "Twister" with Jen and Alex, despite my terrified cries "It's just not normal!" and actually really enjoyed it to the point that I went on the "Terminator" - a fast spinny, strobe lighting sideways spinny thing. It was great fun, though I felt a little groggy afterwards (and managed to walk into a lamppost on the way home) - hehe. Great fun.

Canoeing

Rich invited me canoeing! They had a try-it session and BBQ, so I turned up, had a sausage, and got put in a long thin black boat by Rich. Within 5 minutes I was in the water - every time I moved more water sploshed over the sides, and eventually I just sank when trying to catch a polo ball. But, seeing as now I was wet, I got back in, and lasted a little bit longer (30 mins) before trying to turn too sharply again and crashing in. By this time I was very cold and soggy, so I cycled home (in soaked jeans... why did I wear jeans, just why??), and had a warming shower.