Many adventures!

Well its been over a week, but I can't say I'm surprised, I have been so busy, and its been a bloody good week. I probably shouldn't be blogging now, given the minuscule amount of revision I've done, but I'm eating lunch, so if I don't do it now I never will, and I'll get nagged by my frequent readers, well Matty.

The days up til Friday weren't overly exciting, just relaxing and nice really, went to all you can eat Chinese on Thursday and was going to go to the Varsity (vs Trent uni) Hockey match in the evening, but I felt very full and it was raining so that soon lost its interest.

But this weekend was fantastic. On Saturday we had an all day hockey tournament, and it would be no exaggeration to say it was one of the best days at uni ever, up there alongside the summer party last year. The weather was perfect hockey playing weather, not too hot but warm enough and dry. Although as it turns out hot enough to burn horribly, I have never been so badly sun burnt in my life, that evening I was bright red, and the next day there was pus everywhere, lovely eh? I still have some gorgeous dry skin on my face, it is quite horrible to be honest, but the day was so good it didn't take away from it. I've said this before but I'll say it again, the hockey lot are some of the best people I've ever met, I don't know whether its the hockey which fosters the community spirit, but you are always guaranteed to have a fantastic day with them. It was actually 11-a-side on a full sized pitch which as I didn't go on tour I hadn't played since school, and in midfield I thought I might die. But as it turns out my fitness was better than I thought it was and I did well. Other than injuring myself within five minutes that is . . .

Yes, dangerous sport hockey. My hand got hit by a ball from about 2 metres away and it hurt like a bitch. I actually had dimples on my hand from the hockey ball, but after an hour or so hugging an ice pack I went on to play three more matches in true hockey player style, despite not actually being able to grip a hockey stick properly. Anyway at various points I couldn't move my fingers or wrist, it bloomed up to the size of the tennis ball and went a lovely purple colour, my knuckles are still beautifully black. Ah but that's all the fun of hockey. Anyway we came 5th out of 18 teams which wasn't bad at all, given some of the teams had illegal numbers of uni players on them, and we had the highest score of the tournament (5-0) due largely to Sam channelling his aggression from Man U losing in to the game, I would not have liked to be that goal keeper.

Anyway after we all staggered home, Broadgate Hockey aren't famed for their warming up or cooling down, most of us met up again in the evening and went out. It was quite a quiet tame one by our standards as everyone was knackered and sun burnt but was still good fun, plus went to a couple of bars I hadn't been to before, The Hogshead (which was a bit like spoons but nicer and cheaper!), the Pit and Pendulum (which is a unique bar, I'll give it that, very gothic, and the toilets are behind a bookcase, pictured!) and the Bla Bla Bar (which was actually really nice, and opposite the Cookie Club so I'm sure we'll be back).

Then the next morning at some unearthly hour for a Sunday I got up to catch a train. Bumped into Jit on the bus which was nice cos I hadn't seen him in aaaages, Salma's birthday perhaps which was November. Then had the usual troubles with Sunday trains, was delayed in Derby for a good forty minutes in which time another train from Nottingham arrived, meaning I could have had an extra half an hour in bed! Anyway finally got to Oxford an hour late, where Mike and his girlfriend Fiona were there to meet me. I'd not met Fiona before but she seemed lovely, and a lot more rational than some of his ex-girlfriends, so maybe she won't hate me, we can live and hope.

Anyway we basically wondered around in circles that afternoon browsing through the shops, looking for a confirmation card for Mike's friend Ashley (a history student!), and trailing halfway across Oxford to a Christian bookshop only to realise it was a Sunday and thus closed. Then collapsed in Mike's room for a bit before going to Ashley's confirmation in the Chapel, Mike said I was more than welcome to stay in his room but I thought I'd come along out of curiosity really. Well it was all very religious and traditional with lots of the choir singing in Latin, even Ashley complained about it going on too long afterwards, still made me appreciate how dull church must have actually been for the people I'm reading about in my Protestant Nation module. Anyway after that we went into a bizarre room, for a strange tradition which as far as I can work out happens every time after chapel, which involves free alcohol, Oxford is a very odd place. They also have a Wine Cellar with very expensive old wine, which I fail to see the point of, surely students would rather buy a bottle of plonk from Tesco?

Then I even went to formal halls and wore a robe, which really wasn't half as bad as I imagined, despite having to stand for the top table and the prayer in Latin before it began (granted this was vaguely comical as was recited by a Scouser). The food was pretty good too, much better than halls food last year that's for sure! Anyway that evening we spent in the college bar (which didn't sell Strongbow! I was devastated), playing pool and on the IT box, which was set on the hardest level ever designed for Oxford students. Then we went to an ice cream parlour at half 11 at night, which was odd, but good fun, and had the most amazing brownie sundaes in the world! We proceeded back to Richard's room, which was comically on a slant and the wall panels extremely wonky, still I envy it from my tiny little room here in Nottingham.

Didn't get up to much the next day to be honest, just strolled around, it decided to rain on us, we discussed newspapers in the college bar, went to the University of Oxford Press Shop, because I was so excited by it (anyone who reads a lot of scholarly books will understand that excitement), and to the Bodleian Library which is one of I think three copyright libraries in the country (one in Cambridge, and the British library) and therefore has pretty much every book in existence. Unfortunately we weren't allowed in as I am a lowly Nottingham Uni student but we wasted hours in the gift shop. And eventually we made it back to the train station, I nearly had a heart attack that I'd missed my train as I ran over the railway bridge, but turns out mine was late anyway! Only by a couple of minutes this time at least!

Wow, this has been a long entry of my doings, I can't imagine many people are still reading, but I'll round it off briefly with my adventures last night. We went to Oxjam, which was a charity gig for Oxfam surprisingly enough. It was in a venue above the bar Muse, which was so nice, I'd love to own a room like that, the stage was raised and it was so cosy and relaxed, the music wasn't bad either, very chilled out. Unfortunately we came back earlier than I wanted to really as Merel wasn't feeling well, and I didn't want to have to get a taxi back to Broadgate on my own, oh well, was still a good night before that!

And with that I'll leave you to carry on whatever it was you were doing before I so rudely interrupted you!