Just Another Week In The Life Of The Nomad

Been back for nearly a week now, with nary a peep from me in this journal![*] What has everyone's favourite Nomad been up to?

When I travel, I like to "hit the ground running", as they say. I know many people who like to take a day off either just before leaving, just after returning... or both! Personally, I prefer to avoid doing as such; if I were going to take another day off, I could have spent another day travelling!

I am adept at avoiding jetlag in most situations. When I lived in Japan half time, I knew how to avoid it when flying in both directions. Trans-Atlantic flights tend to be a bit trickier, though. When flying West, to the States, I generally avoid getting lagged. When flying East, to Europe, I can mess myself up if I take the "overnight" flight. These put me on the ground exhausted first thing in the morning. A nap usually ensues, and the troubles stem from there. Departing the States in the morning and landing in the evening works best for me -- I can sleep on the plane and upon my return... and thus avoid the jetlag.

Thus it was that, only seven hours after returning to Oxford last week, I was awake and on my way into London to return to work... with a full complement of "extra-curricular" activities planned. What did the rest of the week bring?

Tuesday evening, after my first day back at work, I returned to Oxford to ring with the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers at Mary Mag. I last rung at this church in June, at the end of Trinity Term. Ye gads, an awful lot has changed since then!

On Wednesday, we had an all day T2K UK meeting at Imperial College to discuss the upcoming calibration run using cosmic ray data. In the evening, AB came over -- bearing noodles for dinner -- to play Settlers of Catan with cheshcat and I. Together, the three of us play a bloodthirsty game, which ended with cheshcat winning (10 points), while AB and I came in close behind (seven points and nine points, respectively). Overall, I am fairly impressed with myself for coming so close. I never produced brick during the game, so I only ever built two roads and one settlement. In contrast, wheat and rock were plentiful -- I ended with three cities, and about eight development cards (which gave me largest army and one victory point).

Thursday evening, I rang at St. Giles for the first time in three weeks. Tower bells only -- handbell practice happens to early for me to attend now that I am working in London. I will have to find some other time to continue advancing my skills as a handbell ringer.

For the most part, the weekend will be discussed in separate posts. Still, two things from yesterday are worth noting here.

The first is from when I was ringing for Sunday services at St. Giles yesterday evening. I felt very much in my ringing groove, and wanted to record that for posterity. We mostly rang Grandsire Triples and some Plain Hunt Major. However, we also rang a plain course of Single Oxford Bob Triples, with me on the treble. Single Oxford is a method that I am not familiar with. Going into the method, all I knew was this: (a) My job was to plain hunt from front to back, then back to front; (b) I always began by ringing over the #2 bell; (c) the last bell I rang over at the end of one lead would be the first bell I ring over -- not counting the #2 -- in the next lead; (d) the order of the bells on the way down would not be the same as the order on the way up. Knowing only this, I was able to use ropesight reasonably well to ring the method without going horribly wrong! I was rather proud of myself for this!

The other thing worth noting from last night is that cheshcat and I finished watching the second season of Heroes. I don't watch a lot of telly -- Heroes and Smallville are the only two series that I currently follow. I am enjoying Heroes, though. Overall, it is a very good translation of the super-hero comic to the small screen. I may be driving cheshcat a little bit crazy, though, by predicting -- usually correctly -- what is going to happen. Twenty years of immersion in super-hero comic books have left me a fairly good sense of plot precognition...

---

[*] Bad Nomad! No donut for me!

Just Another Week In The Life Of The Nomad

Been back for nearly a week now, with nary a peep from me in this journal![*] What has everyone's favourite Nomad been up to?

When I travel, I like to "hit the ground running", as they say. I know many people who like to take a day off either just before leaving, just after returning... or both! Personally, I prefer to avoid doing as such; if I were going to take another day off, I could have spent another day travelling!

I am adept at avoiding jetlag in most situations. When I lived in Japan half time, I knew how to avoid it when flying in both directions. Trans-Atlantic flights tend to be a bit trickier, though. When flying West, to the States, I generally avoid getting lagged. When flying East, to Europe, I can mess myself up if I take the "overnight" flight. These put me on the ground exhausted first thing in the morning. A nap usually ensues, and the troubles stem from there. Departing the States in the morning and landing in the evening works best for me -- I can sleep on the plane and upon my return... and thus avoid the jetlag.

Thus it was that, only seven hours after returning to Oxford last week, I was awake and on my way into London to return to work... with a full complement of "extra-curricular" activities planned. What did the rest of the week bring?

Tuesday evening, after my first day back at work, I returned to Oxford to ring with the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers at Mary Mag. I last rung at this church in June, at the end of Trinity Term. Ye gads, an awful lot has changed since then!

On Wednesday, we had an all day T2K UK meeting at Imperial College to discuss the upcoming calibration run using cosmic ray data. In the evening, AB came over -- bearing noodles for dinner -- to play Settlers of Catan with cheshcat and I. Together, the three of us play a bloodthirsty game, which ended with cheshcat winning (10 points), while AB and I came in close behind (seven points and nine points, respectively). Overall, I am fairly impressed with myself for coming so close. I never produced brick during the game, so I only ever built two roads and one settlement. In contrast, wheat and rock were plentiful -- I ended with three cities, and about eight development cards (which gave me largest army and one victory point).

Thursday evening, I rang at St. Giles for the first time in three weeks. Tower bells only -- handbell practice happens to early for me to attend now that I am working in London. I will have to find some other time to continue advancing my skills as a handbell ringer.

For the most part, the weekend will be discussed in separate posts. Still, two things from yesterday are worth noting here.

The first is from when I was ringing for Sunday services at St. Giles yesterday evening. I felt very much in my ringing groove, and wanted to record that for posterity. We mostly rang Grandsire Triples and some Plain Hunt Major. However, we also rang a plain course of Single Oxford Bob Triples, with me on the treble. Single Oxford is a method that I am not familiar with. Going into the method, all I knew was this: (a) My job was to plain hunt from front to back, then back to front; (b) I always began by ringing over the #2 bell; (c) the last bell I rang over at the end of one lead would be the first bell I ring over -- not counting the #2 -- in the next lead; (d) the order of the bells on the way down would not be the same as the order on the way up. Knowing only this, I was able to use ropesight reasonably well to ring the method without going horribly wrong! I was rather proud of myself for this!

The other thing worth noting from last night is that cheshcat and I finished watching the second season of Heroes. I don't watch a lot of telly -- Heroes and Smallville are the only two series that I currently follow. I am enjoying Heroes, though. Overall, it is a very good translation of the super-hero comic to the small screen. I may be driving cheshcat a little bit crazy, though, by predicting -- usually correctly -- what is going to happen. Twenty years of immersion in super-hero comic books have left me a fairly good sense of plot precognition...

---

[*] Bad Nomad! No donut for me!

If I Could Turn The Page Of Time Then I'd Re-Arrange Just A Day Or Two...

( Probably not as cryptic as I would prefer this to be. )

If I Could Turn The Page Of Time Then I'd Re-Arrange Just A Day Or Two...

( Probably not as cryptic as I would prefer this to be. )

So This Is Samhain, And What Do We Do?

Tonight's meeting was shorter than expected -- only about fifteen minutes long. When it ended, I was a touch shaken, but fundamentally okay. Decided that, rather than head straight home, I would take a walk along the Thames to ground myself.

Some say that things come in threes[1]. I am not sure that I believe this[2], but tonight the Universe gave me three things in a row -- all of which helped me to gather my inner strength, focus, and balance. The first happened as I crossed the Blackfriar's Bridge, just before commencing my walk. I am not sure where it emanated from -- possibly St. Pauls, or maybe the Southwark Cathedral -- but the music of change bell ringing filled the air. It was an unexpected surprise, and the beloved music helped me to find my center once again. Next was the stroll along the waterfront. This was not a surprise; being a water elemental, I knew that a walk alongside water would do me good. I walked until I felt calm and balanced once again. Before that happened, my walk led me to the lion statues near Cleopatra's Needle. Two years ago, resourceress and I walked by these lions -- indeed, I took a photograph of her that has become one of her LJ icons. Upon reaching the lions, I curled up between the paws of one of them and sat for awhile, looking out over the water. I remembered the strength and the longevity of the bond between resourceress and myself. I drew strength from this bond. I also remembered an important metaphor about lions that my dear tawneypup recently shared with me. This, too, warmed the heart. While sitting with the lions, I called on that strength to make an important phone call. Eventually, I left the lions and walked further, until I was ready to come home. I am doing so now, writing this entry from the Oxford Tube[3] on my way back to Skullcrusher Mountain.

Tonight's meeting concerned an ending, and was part of this year's Samhain. My Samhain began last Saturday night at sunset. For one thing, that was the final sunset before we changed the clocks back here in Merry Olde England[4]. Since then, the clocks have been changed and the sun sets before five o'clock. This large increment of lost daylight is an essential part of my Samhain experience, and it signals the coming of Winter. Saturday evening was also when my first Samhain ritual of the year took place; cheshcat and I did a small private ritual to honour some who are newly amongst the ranks of the Beloved Dead.

Samhain is the start of Winter, and the turning of the year. This year has certainly been all about Change[5]. Compared to this time last year, I have a new job in a new city, working on a new experiment in a new country. cheshcat has a new job, too. Her health is also in a new, and potentially better, place. Together, we have a new car, a new cat, and are about to have a new flat. With one exception, all of the significant romantic relationships in my life have changed, too. I won't pretend that it has been an easy year; most of these changes were quite painful when they were happening -- the period from December 17^th to April ^th hurt like hell![6] However, I find that I am in a strong and positive headspace this Samhain season.

Indeed, I find that my current energy makes for an interesting contrast with Samhains of the past two years. In 2006, somebody turned up the Samhain volume too much; that year, the Samhain energy was particularly intense as the Universe chose to beat the crap out of not just me, but also many other people that I know. Samhain 2007 was quite different; possibly due to a cold, or maybe due to the intensity of Samhain 2006, I felt very little connection with the Samhain energy last year. We did a small ritual and went to WitchFest in London, but it all felt very distant. To use the Three Bears as a metaphor, Samhain 2006 was too much, Samhain 2007 was too little, and Samhain 2008 feels just right. I am wrapping up the last loose ends of the year and moving forward into next year from a place of strength and grounding.

In addition to doing our private ritual on Saturday, cheshcat and I celebrated the season on Sunday with a visit to Blenheim Palace to attend their "Very Victorian Halloween" festivities. These included haunted ghost stories, a show from a nineteenth century magic lantern, and a pumpkin train... as well as a more generic stroll in the formal gardens and past the waterfall.

Plans for upcoming Samhain and Halloween events include running our traditional Ancestor Ritual for a group of good friends on Friday (Samhain proper), followed by a visit to a haunted farm, and a walk in Salcey Forest to watch the leaves changing colour over the weekend. Backup plans, in the event of rain, could include the Halloween festivities at the Oxford Castle, a ghost tour of Oxford, or a performance of Sweeney Todd at the Old Fire Station Theatre in Oxford[7].

To all those on my f-list who celebrate this holiday, I wish you a very Blessed Samhain! To everyone else, I wish a Happy Halloween[8]!

---

[1] Which may come as a surprise to the lovely tawneypup, given her Halloween costume this year.

[2] Indeed, I probably don't.

[3] Where I seem to write most of my LJ entries of late.

[4] A side effect is that, for this week only, I am a mere four hours ahead of the East Coast and a scant five hours ahead of Chicago. If anyone wants a phone call from their favourite Nomad, this is probably a good week to arrange one!

[5] And not the sort a certain politician likes to talk about, either!

[6] The first date is when cheshcat's knee got injured, starting the period where the Universe decided to use us as a punchingbag. The second date is when we laid our beloved Foxy to rest, which was the last of the large traumas. Much rebuilding work remained -- indeed, it is not yet all over -- but the continuous volley of tragedies finally stopped raining down on us at that point. Which gave me the breathing room to stop doing triage and start on the rebuilding.

[7] I am somewhat torn about this. On the one hand, it is Sweeney Todd. On the other hand, it is OFS -- a venue for [very] amateurish productions. Just out of curiosity, would anyone be interested in joining us for this if we were to procure tickets for Saturday night (Nov 1)? It probably won't happen, as we already have plans if the weather is good... but I am just putting out some exceedingly tentative feelers to evaluate the potential of this as a backup plan.

[8] And, to my dad, I wish a happy 65th birthday! That's right -- my father was born on Halloween and my mother was born on 9/11.

So This Is Samhain, And What Do We Do?

Tonight's meeting was shorter than expected -- only about fifteen minutes long. When it ended, I was a touch shaken, but fundamentally okay. Decided that, rather than head straight home, I would take a walk along the Thames to ground myself.

Some say that things come in threes[1]. I am not sure that I believe this[2], but tonight the Universe gave me three things in a row -- all of which helped me to gather my inner strength, focus, and balance. The first happened as I crossed the Blackfriar's Bridge, just before commencing my walk. I am not sure where it emanated from -- possibly St. Pauls, or maybe the Southwark Cathedral -- but the music of change bell ringing filled the air. It was an unexpected surprise, and the beloved music helped me to find my center once again. Next was the stroll along the waterfront. This was not a surprise; being a water elemental, I knew that a walk alongside water would do me good. I walked until I felt calm and balanced once again. Before that happened, my walk led me to the lion statues near Cleopatra's Needle. Two years ago, resourceress and I walked by these lions -- indeed, I took a photograph of her that has become one of her LJ icons. Upon reaching the lions, I curled up between the paws of one of them and sat for awhile, looking out over the water. I remembered the strength and the longevity of the bond between resourceress and myself. I drew strength from this bond. I also remembered an important metaphor about lions that my dear tawneypup recently shared with me. This, too, warmed the heart. While sitting with the lions, I called on that strength to make an important phone call. Eventually, I left the lions and walked further, until I was ready to come home. I am doing so now, writing this entry from the Oxford Tube[3] on my way back to Skullcrusher Mountain.

Tonight's meeting concerned an ending, and was part of this year's Samhain. My Samhain began last Saturday night at sunset. For one thing, that was the final sunset before we changed the clocks back here in Merry Olde England[4]. Since then, the clocks have been changed and the sun sets before five o'clock. This large increment of lost daylight is an essential part of my Samhain experience, and it signals the coming of Winter. Saturday evening was also when my first Samhain ritual of the year took place; cheshcat and I did a small private ritual to honour some who are newly amongst the ranks of the Beloved Dead.

Samhain is the start of Winter, and the turning of the year. This year has certainly been all about Change[5]. Compared to this time last year, I have a new job in a new city, working on a new experiment in a new country. cheshcat has a new job, too. Her health is also in a new, and potentially better, place. Together, we have a new car, a new cat, and are about to have a new flat. With one exception, all of the significant romantic relationships in my life have changed, too. I won't pretend that it has been an easy year; most of these changes were quite painful when they were happening -- the period from December 17^th to April ^th hurt like hell![6] However, I find that I am in a strong and positive headspace this Samhain season.

Indeed, I find that my current energy makes for an interesting contrast with Samhains of the past two years. In 2006, somebody turned up the Samhain volume too much; that year, the Samhain energy was particularly intense as the Universe chose to beat the crap out of not just me, but also many other people that I know. Samhain 2007 was quite different; possibly due to a cold, or maybe due to the intensity of Samhain 2006, I felt very little connection with the Samhain energy last year. We did a small ritual and went to WitchFest in London, but it all felt very distant. To use the Three Bears as a metaphor, Samhain 2006 was too much, Samhain 2007 was too little, and Samhain 2008 feels just right. I am wrapping up the last loose ends of the year and moving forward into next year from a place of strength and grounding.

In addition to doing our private ritual on Saturday, cheshcat and I celebrated the season on Sunday with a visit to Blenheim Palace to attend their "Very Victorian Halloween" festivities. These included haunted ghost stories, a show from a nineteenth century magic lantern, and a pumpkin train... as well as a more generic stroll in the formal gardens and past the waterfall.

Plans for upcoming Samhain and Halloween events include running our traditional Ancestor Ritual for a group of good friends on Friday (Samhain proper), followed by a visit to a haunted farm, and a walk in Salcey Forest to watch the leaves changing colour over the weekend. Backup plans, in the event of rain, could include the Halloween festivities at the Oxford Castle, a ghost tour of Oxford, or a performance of Sweeney Todd at the Old Fire Station Theatre in Oxford[7].

To all those on my f-list who celebrate this holiday, I wish you a very Blessed Samhain! To everyone else, I wish a Happy Halloween[8]!

---

[1] Which may come as a surprise to the lovely tawneypup, given her Halloween costume this year.

[2] Indeed, I probably don't.

[3] Where I seem to write most of my LJ entries of late.

[4] A side effect is that, for this week only, I am a mere four hours ahead of the East Coast and a scant five hours ahead of Chicago. If anyone wants a phone call from their favourite Nomad, this is probably a good week to arrange one!

[5] And not the sort a certain politician likes to talk about, either!

[6] The first date is when cheshcat's knee got injured, starting the period where the Universe decided to use us as a punchingbag. The second date is when we laid our beloved Foxy to rest, which was the last of the large traumas. Much rebuilding work remained -- indeed, it is not yet all over -- but the continuous volley of tragedies finally stopped raining down on us at that point. Which gave me the breathing room to stop doing triage and start on the rebuilding.

[7] I am somewhat torn about this. On the one hand, it is Sweeney Todd. On the other hand, it is OFS -- a venue for [very] amateurish productions. Just out of curiosity, would anyone be interested in joining us for this if we were to procure tickets for Saturday night (Nov 1)? It probably won't happen, as we already have plans if the weather is good... but I am just putting out some exceedingly tentative feelers to evaluate the potential of this as a backup plan.

[8] And, to my dad, I wish a happy 65th birthday! That's right -- my father was born on Halloween and my mother was born on 9/11.