Phillay!

So Colin and I have joined the ranks of wannabe farms flocking to West Philadelphia.  Why?  If you know the answer please tell me.  I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out why so many of us who just want a plot of fertile land out in the middle of nowhere have moved into the middle of a huge city.  But we're here and the apartment's beautiful and are friends are wonderful and I'm told there are a lot of urban farming opportunities in the area, though I honestly haven't had much time to explore yet.  

I have now lived here for a total of two weeks - half of one has been spent with lovely guests and another half huddling on cushions with the flu.  

Hopefully I'll be healthy soon and have more to report.

Over 'n Out

Progress Log

http://www.performancemenu.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4546

This is my new progress log if you have any interest in knee rehabilitation or rugby training.

Knee

My knee doubled over itself sideways in a tournament semi-final versus Washington Irish on Saturday, causing a couple loud pops and a sickening feeling of disconnectedness in my leg. Essentially, my right foot planted firmly and attempted to drive my body left, but my knee continued to go right and snapped whatever was keeping it from doing so. I went to the ER and will likely require surgery on top of whatever else I needed surgery on anyway.

There is a disconcerting lack of pain. With something as major as this I would expect to be dealing wit heaps of it. The doctor thinks for the time being that it is ligament damage. But as I'm sitting down writing this, there is no pain whatsoever; only when I touch the outsides of the knee. Standing on the leg is a different matter, and somewhat akin to balancing a stick on top of a tennis ball on top of another stick. There is no stability. It could be a ligament, cartilage, both, or multiple combinations of both.

On the plus side, I had been seeing this year as a "down" year to rehabilitate my body and enjoy myself without athletic pressure. I suppose I could see this as a sign to "slow down" and get everything right and squared away before I push it again.

In addition, we won the 2009 MARFU Sevens Open Championship (for non Super-League or D1 clubs) with two come-from-behind matches in the semi-final and final games.

So...whatever...

MARFU Championships Tomorrow

Set to begin at 10:45 tomorrow morning, the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union Sevens Championships will be in hosted in Richmond with teams from Maryland, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina competing in a 16 team, 2 division format. Richmond will field two sides in the "Open" division, and I will be playing on the first of those sides.

Also my health insurance is denying me an MRI for my knee. Apparently if you had a knee before you had health insurance, it's a pre-existing condition. I am currently carving out a philosophical argument that my right knee is in all actuality a large prehistoric elbow from another time so I can re-enter my case. Cheers.

Norfolk Sevens Cup

Richmond Grey (first side) are winners of the Open division cup trophy of the Verve Sevens tournament hosted by Norfolk Blues RFC. We defeated Rappahannock, Team Fun, Norfolk, and Severn River to take the cup in the final. Mid-Atlantic Union championships are in two weeks. I will have to choose between that and Bele Cher. Both my quads are pulled, both my ankles are impinged, and I need surgery to repair the meniscus in my right knee. I am resting now and reading books.

Off To a Good Start

Had to say goodbye to best friends in Seattle the other day, and another is moving out there soon! My friendship circle is becoming a friendship oval. Whitney took me to play in a 7s tournament north of the city the day before my flight. I scored one try for a random team by chipping it over their winger's head and gathering my own ball. I remembered Derek's chip try versus Clemson a year ago and chuckled. It was great to play for two random teams and get some hits in. My knee's cartilage has torn itself further, however, and I will likely need knee surgery. The verdict is still out on my ankle, but I can run on both for now, so I'm just trying to stretch out a bit after activity.

I sent in my application for health insurance the other day and realized that I need a job that gives it to me, because this shit is unaffordable. You have a dark laugh when you realize the only way to stay healthy as an athlete is by participating in a knowing con. It is understood that the only way this business stays in business is to make more money than it spends; you're basically signing up to give someone more money than you'd spend normally, and accused and victimized and investigated if you ever in fact need the money. Not to mention if you end up needing more money than you put in, you'll have a hell of a time getting insurance later in life. It's very, very silly.

I went to my first Richmond Lions practice today and did very well. I started with the newb side, and after foiling the A-sides plays by running covering defense and making three offensive runs that broke the line and the backfield defenders for would-be tries, the coach replaced the starting outside center with... me. I don't know if this is permanent or just for that practice, but I tackled him three times and he tackled me zero times and dammit, I feel entitled. Thanks to New Zealand for giving me a major boost in my skills. I also have two practices with a Gay/Allied inexperienced Seattle team to thank for giving me the opportunity to work with newer players and develop better communication and teaching skills. I'm feeling very positive despite missing my friends a whole hell of a lot and being kind of isolated.

Tomorrow I'll work on my resume with Roshelle and begin what should be a long odyssey into finding good work and getting my own place.

I think I will continue to use this blog as my facebook replacement, as I'm still enjoying not having that network around. I've been quite surprised with how many good people I was able to keep in touch with without it. I hope Rania and Colin pop in from time to time as well, as this would be boring with one pony in the show. If not, I will just have to be a more interesting person.

Now, to watch Jeeves and Wooster on DVD. =)
Lots of love, and congratulations to a Guilford 7s side who came together with no training and toppled Eno River and Camp Lejeune at the Triad Rugby Sevens.

Back in USA

Back to business. Living in USA is serious business. I have rugby things to work out and jobs to get and I must begin Operation Feline Reclamation! I am staying with Whitney and drinking lots of coffee in the meantime in Seattle: birthplace of homelessness. Went to a Mariners game for my birthday and it was awesome.

So eventually back to Richmond I go. I feel like a college dropout who missed the draft. All my friends are being drafted to new and larger cities. Most are going to Philadelphia: birthplace of easy cheese. I just want a little apartment with my giant cat and a job I don't hate.

PHOTOSGONUTS!

The following is going backwards in time. Enjoy the journey! We sure have.


ECO-VILLAGE in UPPER MOTUEKA:
This is the garden on Colin's birthday (with the evidence of his birthday bonfire candle). We ate all our meals for a week out of this garden with a few grain and dairy additions.


BUS STOP:
The bus we took from Greymouth to Nelson made sure we didn't miss the Pancake Rocks. Geologists are still unsure as to why these rocks have worn away in such distinctive, regular, and skinny layers. It's nice to know there are still some viewable mysteries out there. They really do look like stacks of pancakes!


ROAD TRIP (SWEET AS!):
On the last day of roadtripping we saw an actual kiwi crossing sign when we tried to see the Pancake Rocks and found a kiwi reserve and beach instead.

Glacial graffiti!

Colin was oh so excited to see geology in action!

He wasn't the only one. The guy in the Hawaiian print shorts is videotaping Fox Glacier (what?).

The water in this area was sooo blue! And not just in reflections.

I don't know if you all realize how grumpy cows sound all of the time. We were happy to find a business establishment that agreed with our assessment.

We found a beautiful spot full of boulders and running water. We did a little rockhopping.

New Zealand roadways. Beautiful scenery and invasive species roadkill.

Best roadside attraction - an entire building of puzzles and such.

We weren't lost forever in the maze!


THE HIKE: KEPLER TREK

Pretty!

ditto!

We were actually near kiwis!

A hutt corner (the third one)

There are amazing looking mushrooms in this country. There are alot of those classic red white-spotted poisonous fairytale mushrooms. We found a bright yellow one in Motueka.

Aww. We aren't being blown off the ridge!

Rania, again not being blown off the ridge.

The ridge crossing on the second day.


Almost being blown off the ridge.

Don't let these parrots fool you! Check out that beak! It will destroy your stuff!


DUNEDIN:
We found Aschel and her cute roommates who build forts.


SEACLIFF:
The Asylum Backpackers was full of beautiful old cars, like this milk truck.

The barn was fully packed.

There were other old things on wheels. Colin took this photo for Brad - enjoy!


New Zealanders seem to love their housetrucks, or at least used to. I think they're going out of style but every now and then you still see one on the road, but mostly in people's backyards as guest houses and such.

We took a hard core bike ride around Seacliff - again, pretty.

Hardcore on the beach

These rocks are called "old woman" and "old man" essentially. You can see why. Up close the woman starts to look even more ladylike. It's quite impressive for a sculpture made by the elements.

No comment.


FARMSTAY IN OXFORD:
The evangelical Christians were super cute and gave us hot chocolate for our hike up the hill.


THE FOOD FARM: (yummy yummy figs!)
And ingenious rabbit hutches built by Rania, Colin, and...

Ruby (not a shrunken Rania).

Colin taught her everything she needs to know.

This is the beautiful view we've left for future generations of chicks at the Food Farm. Your welcome.

Apparently New Zealand in the fall is rainbow country. This is a rainbow arching out of a pile of firewood we created.

This is the yummy veggie garden.

These are some yummy veggies.

CHRISTCHURCH:

Yes, this is a giant statue of metal wheat stalks held together by a tire in the middle of Christchurch. A celiac's worst nightmare.
This is the plaque:
HA! (This is mostly for Astrea)

This is what happens in front of the Cathedral besides evangelism and craft stalls.

America & New Zealand unite - burger and pretty Coffee (here that means espresso - always delicious and beautiful, even in a burger joint).

A bunch of city benches look like this. It's pretty and interesting = pretty interesting.

THE BLUEBERRY FARM in UPPER HUTT:

At long last, this is Lazarus. He lived, but is at the bottom of the pecking order and still stumbles awkwardly every now and then.

This is Dumbledore - the spaciest rooster I have ever met or hope to.

This is Frodo Barkins

This was great. Here we are setting up the pancake stall at Martinborough Fair round II

Leaving

Flying from Christchurch to Auckland on Wednesday to stay at Antara for a couple of days before boarding another plane to LAX en route to Seattle. I'll be in Seattle enjoying three weeks of what will be the only real vacation time of the trip.

Saturday we played the Sumner Wave, a senior div-2 side (their first team is div-2) who hadn't lost in two years. They still haven't lost, but our guys played harder than any team I've been a part of in heaps of wind and rain to make it a close game and a tough win for them. I stepped in at blindside flanker and was Linwood's 'player of the day' for the match. I went the full 80 minutes and probably played the best game of my time here. I was given a club jersey and a small trophy by former All Black captain Tane Norton and got to make a speech in front of the whole club. I definitely slept in the jersey last night.

I'm excited to get back to the States, but it's been pretty sad to say goodbye to all my friends here. Typical sob story, to be sure, but I've felt at home for months. I have made friends and contacts from six different countries and rugby mates who may come to visit me in America in a year or two. Lots to think about, but right now my brow is swollen and aching and I look like Frankenstein's monster.

Making Up for Lost Calories

Last weekend was the Div-2 Kangaroo Court. I will never laugh at a kangaroo again. In addition to all the drinking and rough-housing you'd expect, I ended up in a weird sports costume party in the back of an ale house with my prop partner Bones, who was wearing full American football gear and threatening to tell the physio that I thought she was cute. My well thought out response was to walk home from said party at 10:00pm, from the other side of the city, in the rain. I showed up soaking and sauced and proceeded to battle out a 45-minute wrestling match with my Kirkcaldy, Scotland-native flatmate which resulted in several half-assed submissions and him closing the bathroom door on my torso repeatedly. Everyone was impressed. I ended up with a case of acute gastritis, couldn't eat properly or sleep more than an hour at a time for five days straight due to the pain, and nobody feels sorry for me nor should they. Fantastic times in the Linwood!

Back on the up and up now. In other news, here's a little clip of our Div-1 side taking on Syndeham. The #11 winger, Sam Lemalie, played some games with us in Div-2 earlier in the season and picks up a try off a nice little run here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwFSw1PqEFg

We've been taking a little break from WWOOFing for the past few weeks and some wonderful adventures have ensued. From Christchurch we treated ourselves to two nights at a little hostel out in Seacliff called The Asylum. It's a former Insane Asylum. The building that housed the patients has since been demolished, but it used to be the largest building in New Zealand. But the former bakery, office, powerplant, and a few doctor's houses remain and these make up the backpacker's. The fellow who runs the place also collects antique cars and revamps them (some more than others) so three buildings are filled with running, close to running, and nowhere near running vehicles. In among these wander four big brown horses, a cat named Diesel, and a few chickens.



From there we ventured into the city of Dunedin. We met up with Aschel and spent a magical evening on the beach following glow worms along the shoreline and singing by the fire in the biggest cave I've ever been in. When we returned to her house, her housemates were uber cutely cuddled up in the fort they'd turned the livingroom into. Awwww.



Then off we were to Te Anau to fulfill Goal: Trek. We hiked the full four day Kepler Track. I am convinced we found Dinotopia. The bush was full of moss and ferns. The second day of hiking was spent mostly above the tree line among the tussock grasses and at the mercy 100k wind gusts. For survival we teamed up with an Israeli fellow, a Brazilian agricultural student, and a woman from the UK. We stumbled along and chatted when the wind forced us to sit. We had a great time sharing stories and views on and off the mountain. We beat my rainbow siting record! Day 2 had two rainbows! Which I guess isn't surprising when you consider the fact that it was windy, sunny, and sprinkling (Oh New Zealand). Day three had another rainbow and was pretty wet, which brought out the waterfalls. And day 4 was wonderfully sunny again. On day four we thought we heard a kiwi, but it turned to be just a bunch of ducks (phooey). Apparently kiwis mate for life and at night you can hear the high-pitched male call out to the female who responds in a husky voice.

After Kepler we headed out to Gore where we stayed with a lovely Catholic family and worked in a community garden that the wife is a part of. The idea is that the garden feeds low-income families in the area, but Gore is still pretty rural, so they've found that there's not much demand for use of the space or the vegetables. But they do donate what they don't eat to organizations like the Salvation Army that distribute food. We were only there 4 days, but in that time we met Father Tom, from their church who wanted to meet us out of excitement and curiosity about Quakers. He has done a lot of work in prisons and had met an interesting group of Quakers in England who he saw doing some great work with prisoners. We were also introduced to the Transitional Initiatives movement. Transitional Initiatives deals with issues related to Peak Oil and generally how to be ready for it. Apparently these groups have meetings all over the world. It was wonderful to see the way this family were really involved in the Catholic tradition of doing good works.

Then we headed back to Dunedin to pick up a rental car relocation and we (dun dun da dun!) drove on the left side of the road!! We had 48 hours to take this car to Greymouth (a 10 hour drive max) and all we had to pay for was fuel. So we first stopped at Shag Cove where we huddled on the edge of a cliff for half an hour to see a penguin. And we did, we saw exactly one penguin stumble out of the water and hop from rock to rock until it reached the beach grasses. It was very cute and well camouflaged. From there we drove up to Wanaka where we spent a night in the worst hostel ever, but it was the only one open past 8pm. So we fell asleep in our ten bed bunk room to the lovely base booming from the bar below. From Wanaka we meandered up to Fox Glacier stopping to master a maze, do some pretty picture taking (the west coast is absolutely amazing, I don't know how to describe it - mountains and rivers and ocean and the bluest water you've ever seen). We found this lovely river flowing under a bridge over massive boulders and hopped down to it. One day we will post photos and you will be able to understand what I'm talking about. We stopped for the night in Fox Glacier where we met some wonderful Frenchman who've been exploring New Zealand from their gang colored van (they discovered red and black are gang colors in these parts after repainting their van) and made Quinoa porridge for the first time. In the morning we checked out....Fox Glacier. It's a massive glacier, but we saw a nice little corner of it peaking around the mountains. We thought we'd be able to walk up to it, but there had recently been floods and slips (avalanches in kiwi), so the path was closed for the time being. We had to have the car to Greymouth by 3:30 so we were a little more determined in our driving, but did manage to take time out to visit a Maori art gallery with beautiful carvings made out of the oldest whale bone around. In Greymouth we stayed at the Shortbread backpackers (we tried to get to the Gingerbread house, but the bus driver didn't seem to understand the difference). We were reunited with 'Mericans who knew at least where Maine was. It was the first time I'd been in a backpackers that felt like a home, it was just a house full of people making food and watching tv and the owner left cookies on our pillows - all very cute.

Now we are in Motueka at an ecovillage in the making. We are staying in a house with a teeny kitchen and 6 other people (two of them 6 year olds). We're eating mostly from the garden and heating with wood. It's an interesting place. We cook our own food here, and I've found it an important reminder of what food one can get locally and how bountiful of a diet can be made. I'm excited to be settled enough to eat locally on a more longterm basis.

That's the news from here so far. On Tuesday we'll head towards Wellington. On May 20th we're going to start WWOOFing at a place in the Northlands that should have some interesting projects going. On May 27th we'll be reunited with the first hosts we stayed with and on May 31st we fly back. It's been a great adventure.

Linwood-- some, Marist Albion-- the rest

Ugh.
Bad: we lost to Marist today by about six tries to three. Good: I only played the second half, in which we outscored them three tries to one. Bad: I played blindside flanker today, further confusing me as to what I'm supposed to be training for. Good: the man I replaced joked he's fearing for his job and said his rugby-obsessed family wondered why I wasn't selected for div-1.

Linwood got off to a shit start from the beginning and looked visibly broken for the better part of two halves. I admit I lacked a sense of purpose during my first ten minutes on the pitch. Back at flanker, I was bewildered about my positioning and played the game like an extra back; that is to say, not like someone whose job it is to get the egg for the back line. Once I got fed up with contributing nothing to a losing effort, however, I decided I would at least hurl myself into every breakdown available with reckless abandon and attempt to win ball. I have one piece of advice for my Guilford boys: that's exactly what works.

Lots of players treat the ruck like a fine dinner, waltzing in to set up shop before pushing, like a scrum. But the ruck looks like a bunch of idiots trying to kill themselves because that's exactly what it is. Treat the ruck like a multiple-tackle opportunity. If there's anyone on his feet near that ball, I'm going to stay on my feet and tackle him (at which point I'll leave my feet and fly all over the place.) It's a perfect opportunity to tackle someone without the ball, just because he's standing there, and it really does win ball for a couple of reasons. 1) Nobody wants to go near a three foot area that some other guy is running straight towards looking constipated. 2) Entering the ruck savagely means your body is tensed and ready, and you have momentum, so you're less likely to be injured and more likely to push someone else off the ball... winning it.

So we ended up with the ball for far more of the last twenty minutes. Besides running through my own backline like a blind fat man exiting a full church pew, I actually gained a lot of confidence in my play. This translated to feeling like I had a right to talk, which is what I should have been doing anyway. This could also have been due to my being an only child.** Once my voice rose, I could call for the ball and point out overlaps, both of which actually contribute to your team's effort, believe it or not. I ended up having a starring role in (though not claiming) all three tries of the final span of the game.

After the match, myself and Matt ("Scooby" on holiday, whose position I'd taken) watched the Senior div-1 team in their well-fought loss to Christchurch. Matt then took me on a mini-road trip up the Cashmere hill to a bar overlooking Lyttleton harbor, which was fantastic consistent with the rest of New Zealand. He bought beer, we played pool, and then went to meet his fiance at their house where she cooked an impromptu restaurant-class meal of chicken, broccoli, white and sweet potatoes, and corn. Matt also bequeathed unto me an older swankier Linwood RFC jacket, and is getting me a jersey as well to take back home. We three capped off our evening by swinging through Manchester street to gaze at the selection of prostitutes available. To quote Colin, "Just lookin', ladies."

My Canadian and French housemates moved out today, and my Irish and Australian housemates move out on Monday. They are being replaced immediately by three traveling dorks and a Dutch girl. In addition to all my excitement to come home, I'm finding myself wanting to spend more time in this country as I get to know my teammates and close a firmer grasp on how to enjoy my favorite hobby.

**Gottlieb, Drew. "Why You Say Things." Soapbox Publishing. 2008.

A Break in Routine

Okay, so even in my paradise of rugby and weightlifting there must be room made for variety. Variety, however, comes in positives and negatives.
Pro: I went rock climbing for the first time the other day at a local climbing gym. I've never felt so useless! I was great for about thirty minutes, and after that I couldn't hold a soda can. Not that I drink soda.
Con: The neighbors got robbed... by the neighbors. Apparently this girl's boyfriend took some things from the house and wasn't allowed back. He took this to mean he was allowed back with a moving van and proceeded to relieve these kindly UK travelers of a laptop, lots of cash, a camera, and some other junk. I'll update you when I hear the ending, but what a dumb toolbag.

I went to Queenstown over the weekend to see a friend of mine. The town is gorgeous, set on a lake inside tall mountains, and every house on the hill has that view. The rivers in Otago are full of rock dust, which gives them a bright opaque color and creates the illusion of flowing solid rock or icy syrup. I've never seen anything like it. What's funny is the rent there is the same as my flat! Well... gotta pay to play, I guess. My friend Hana is a hard lady. She's an NZ-Maori U21 Canterbury hockey rep and now practices at wing for the local men's rugby team. We pretty much have the same hobbies, so it was great to see a beautiful new place and do nothing but watch the NRL and eat junk food. The picture above is the view from the deck.

My Killer-B's mucked up a close game with Lyttleton over the weekend I was gone and sunk to 2-2 on the season. Our seniors, however, are 4-0 and will play Christchurch for the top spot in Div-1. More to post but my computer is running out of battery. I've been doing a shit ton of research on athletic training and body segment lengths. Not surprising, really.