Laying in bed, I heard some yelling and chanting outside our window around 11pm. I figured it was another party, but I took a peak out the window just to see. In fact, a bunch of undergrads were just playing a soccer game in our front yard. I was tempted to go out and show them a thing or two about how middle-aged Americans can play "football", but, I was already cozy and comfy in bed.
So, our little Clio starting acting up again. I guess that is what you get when you spend only a couple of thousand dollars on a cute French car. All of a sudden it stopped zipping up hills. In fact, when you floor the gas, it slowly starts to pick up speed and rumbles along just fast enough to avoid continuous honks from the Brits revving up on the back bumper. I took it into the shop and it is a problem with the gear box. It seems the Clio starts in second gear rather than first (it is an automatic). The shop guy said that it is an expensive fix, and he suggested that we manually put it into first with the lever thing and then when it picks up speed shift it into drive. Works for me.
On other not so cheery news, Noah had a "friendly" (pre-season practice) game on Tuesday against the WASPS school (Weston All Saints Primary School). Someone failed to let Noah's PE teacher/assistant coach know that it was a "friendly". He is your typical old-fashioned-yell-at-the-kids-competitive-sexist kind of guy. So, when Noah's team lost the match, he let them have it, saying that they were "girls" and he was ashamed of them. Noah was not used to receiving that kind of a tongue-lashing, and he was less than thrilled. Rachelle and I have been debating whether we should be all American about it and say something to the principal. We are going to check with some other parents to see what they think. On a slightly positive side, the teacher did call the boys for a meeting the next day and apologized before explaining the various reasons he was angry, which included how the boys' poor play embarrased him.
One highlight of the week is that a friend introduced Noah and me to this super-concentrated flavored liquid that is sold in bottles at the market. You just add half a teaspoon or so to a glass of water, and it makes the water taste great. It also brings back some memories of a beverage I had at camp as a kid called bug juice. I should preface this story by letting you know that the water here is rank. Yes, it does taste like Bath water and I can barely choke it down. So, we can now hydrate again! For Liv and Rachelle, the jury is still out on the new beverage and they are sticking to hot chocolate and coffee (Liv is the cocoa consumer).
Liv had a playdate with a girl named Alex, which was especially exciting because there was a playhouse in the back hidden behind trees and bushes. Liv has been keeping her eye out for secret spaces such as this ever since she read the Famous Five series in Atlanta before we left. The Famous Five books were written in the 1940s about 4 children and a dog who solve mysteries and have great adventures in England. They are reminiscent of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew novels. Speaking of Liv, she scored 2 goals in soccer practice this week.
Rachelle and I were very excited to receive our absentee ballots. Along with just about everyone in Europe, Obama is our man and we are embarrased by Palin. If McCain and Palin win, our travels in England might have to be extended another 4 years.
I centerpiece of many of my days is a Skype meeting or two with my graduate students at GSU, where we hammer out how to help ailing children. We also talk politics and gossip and they feign interest in stories about my kids. To be honest, they are a great gang. See the picture Josie, Naomi, and Don, which was is the view I have via my computer. Also, a shout goes out to sweet graduate student Margaret Banks, an avid reader of this blog who reportedly is amused by one of the pictures of Noah with a funny expression.
At soccer practice last night, I came across 2 words that are not used here. First, pennies (the little mesh tops that are used in games to distinguish one team from another). We had split into 2 teams and I noticed that one team had 10 and the other 8. So, I yelled to someone on the other team, "Hey, grab a penny! Put on a penny! The teams are uneven. Slip on a penny!" No one did anything but turn and stare at me. Then one guy said, "Oi, Lindsey, what the f**k is a penny?!" I now refer to these items as "bibs." At the beginning of practice we always do about 40 minutes of fitness (springs, pushups, situps, etc.), which drives several us crazy. Some of us are of the opinion that we can do fitness in our own time and practice should consist of playing soccer. So, after 15 minutes of jogging around the track and stopping for pushups, I said, "Hey, let's scrimmage now! Come on, let's scrimmage!" One chap then responded, "Oi, Lindsey, what the f**k is scrimmage?!" When I explained, he responded, "Do you mean a game?" Yes, these English blokes still have a lot to learn about proper English. On the topic of soccer, at the top is a picture of Liv at the Belvedere pub with the team and her first Shirley Temple drink.
This weekend, we are headed to the Isle of Wight, a small island off the southern coast of the medium-sized island called England. I hope to have some nice pictures and fun reports of our adventures on the beaches.
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment