Sigh

I feel like I've climbed out of a blender. What the hell?

In the last two weeks since Colin and Rania got here I explored the city at night, played and scored in my first New Zealand rugby match, met new friends, and went on my first actual date in years. My new flatmate has certifiable dual personalities, a Frenchman I know fell 20 meters through a glacier and has been unconscious off and on for four days, and I've been through the NZ healthcare system for sports accidents, cheaply ($26 x-ray and free physiotherapy) and quickly. I watched (metaphorically) my favorite rugby team, that I stayed in Carolina to help coach and condition through the fall, progress from a 35-player outfit that took a top-10 Div 2 side the distance to a team that forfeited their first playoff invitation since the 80's because less than 15 were "able" or willing to go.

I am playing left wing this weekend for the Div 2 Linwood team versus Rangiora Saracens. I am officially "Nicky on The Wing." I was at first somewhat offended. We just plain have guys with more skill on the ball that are bigger than me playing the centers. Then at practice today I realized that teams here actually use their wings quite frequently, and the end result of every play we're running on Sunday is me getting the ball and running to my heart's content. We'll see how it goes.

My cousin Hillary has moved to flanker at her college's RFC. She's really driven and I know she'll do well if she likes it and gets committed. She's already lifting to supplement her conditioning and it's really exciting to be able to give her advice on training and the game. Get low and put your shoulder into the tackle, Hil, and you'll have a leg up on most American players I've seen.


The weather is getting colder and I'm into my second leg of the trip. I'm now running a full mile (1.6km) at the end of every practice in the form of 8 "200s" at a hard pace with 10 seconds rest between repetitions. I eat like a horse, so I haven't lost much more weight, but I've never run this much this hard in my life. A good friend of mine once told me "If your workouts don't scare you, they're not hard enough." I am still scared before every practice, I still fight off a thousand self-defeating thoughts every "shit-work" session, and I still feel great about it afterward every time.

And we'll save the best pictures for last.