"The balls which weren't wide looked dangerous"!

Quote of the weekend from Rahman, the captain of Marin CC.

Friday night was Kelly's Halloween party; Madeline and I went as a white trash bride and groom. Big success, minus the Southern Comfort which turned out to be a bad idea. Saturday morning, I was rudely awoken by Andy, who was on his way to pick me up for the cricket match I was 100% sure was on Sunday.

We drove to Marin, just north of the GG bridge, stopping briefly to pick up breakfast, (1/4 watermelon and a snickers). The cricket was awesome. Loads of the guys were English, great fun and refreshingly funny and easy going. I haven't played a proper game in my life; I don't think drunkenly standing in the outfield denying Charles boundary shots in Cambridge really counts.


So I made up numbers for Marin who were playing against a hybrid Pig & Whistle/Dylan's team, (both bars in the city). Fielding was a joy; the weather was amazing, the field was surrounded by lagoons and lush green mountains, and only rarely would the ball interfere with my day dreaming. A dropped catch at point blank range followed by a pickup and lucky run out prompted a change of attitude as I began to get more into the game.

Rahman, perhaps a little naively, slotted me in with the second to last over of the first innings. I'd told him I'd bowled in high school, but little did he know that my bowling extended only as far as the dizzy heights of indoor cricket with a tennis ball, aged 13/14.

Following an over characterized by inconsistency, with a hint of potential, Rahman thanked me and made a quick mental note not to believe me again. Our next stint at the wicket saw me opening, in my first real bout of batting since my 12 not out at the end of the 2006 Grey A/B fixture. I continued my frankly undeserved form by knocking the ball around some what convincingly until I chose to let one through, purposefully retiring myself for the good of the game. I lost count of how many runs/boundaries I slotted, but as the day wore on, I established the total in my own mind as approaching 50...maybe.

For our final bout in the field, we found ourselves short of a wicket keeper. Riding high on the success of my batting, and eager to prolong the box wearing further, I stepped up to the mark. The first ball passed the batsman, passed me and then the boundary. Rahman cursed his trusting demeanor! Things picked up following a few tips, and sneaked in 2 catches to restore some of my pride.

Saturday night, Madeline went out with friends, and I attempted to tackle my take home mid-term. Sunday was pretty slow. I worked, Madeline went to get her nails done, (a present from her friend Michelle) and we watched TV. Another weekend gone.



The big news of this week involves a certain Dr. Paddy Shaw-Brown, and Miss Katy Tickle! Rumor has it that they may be visiting Madeline and around mid-December which gives me Goosebumps it’s so exciting!

Things going well

I've been meaning to write a very positive blog about life in SF, but I've been too busy! I've had exams, a mid term assignment, a new gym membership, Halloween preparations and countless other little things to juggle over the past week, but it's been the best yet. The weather here is wonderful at the moment; warm sunny days and mild-to-crisp autumnal nights. I sort of miss rain, but I’m comforted by my customized Google desktop that the world isn’t going to run out of water just yet:



I decided earlier in the week that I really needed to focus on my studies and brush off the mid-semester slump. The healthy body, healthy mind idea resulted in me joining Gold’s gym with Madeline. We’ve been a couple of times, most notably at 6am on Wednesday morning! It’s a fascinating place, full primarily of huge gay men, and very different to Edge Hill. I’m not sure I’m completely sold on it, but it’s only a short walk from our apartment, so we can’t really complain.

Homeless people are interesting me at the moment. As it’s getting a bit colder, I’m beginning to worry for the regulars at the onramp for the 101, and the guy who sleeps in the doorway down the street. I can’t help but spend far too long wondering what they go through, what they did to end up on the street and just exactly how crazy they all are. Nothing really prepares you for city life like this. It just makes me realize how sheltered Durham was, and how lucky I was to grow up in the suburbs :)

On the way to the car the other morning, I passed a guy strung out on drugs looking very worried, the guy who sleeps in the doorway, several remnants of smashed car windows and a still-warm pile of human defecation. It sounds terrible, but we live in a nice area, and I feel safe and happy in our street. Weird.

School is going really well at the moment. I'm so busy, I have to enjoy it or I'd be deported. This weekend is typically busy; Kelly's Halloween party tonight, getting a credit card on Sat and playing CRICKET(?!) on Sunday. The cricket is against Marin, just North of the Golden Gate, for a team my English/programming friend Andy plays for. Should be fun.

In other news, Madeline is thinking of applying to SF State to study for her teaching credential next year. It'd be so cool to car-pool to school together, and it'd be nice to have similar schedules. OK, well I'm excited to hear reports of mum's new car, and I'm glad to see Dad has been putting pics up. What's the link to your Lancashire Trail map?