Foremost, thank you all for your posts and comments - as your words of encouragement are warmly appreciated.
The last two days have been a treat for myself and Thomas, having the opportunity to catch up with old college friends as well as spend an evening back at Oxford. However, before I left for those occasions I did a one mile swim in the Harbor without a wetsuit (as I didn't have time to dry it out). I did a fair amount of shivering afterwards and was numb for some time - thus gaining a real appreciation for the protection that is neoprene.
I believe that Thomas already wrote about my friend Pippa's birthday party, so I will fill you in about our night at Magdalen College in Oxford. My old biochemistry tutor, Dr. Robert Gilbert, put us up in a beautiful guest room in the Cloisters. We then met Dr. Gilbert, as well as a few other fellows (or professors) and the Dean of Divinity, in the Senior Commons Room for a high table dinner of goose and pheasant. It was a candlelit multi-course dinner. It was a most beautiful evening to be able to catch up with Dr. Gilbert as well as discuss a host of pressing issues in Britain and the US. After dessert and coffee, Dr. Gilbert took us through a trap door into the old college library to see the classical texts of Newton, Hooke, et al., and we topped the night off at the Bear Pub - an Oxford establishment since 1270. The experience brought back found memories of my time abroad, and Thomas hopes to also spend some time there (or possibly Cambridge) next year.
We arrived back in Dover yesterday afternoon and have checked into a local youth hostile. It is definitely the cheapest accommodation yet, and its biggest perk is the community kitchen. I went for a swim last night in the cold and rain, and we are both becoming quite used to these miserable conditions - which just happen to be quite rare this time of the year. We then cooked a pasta dinner back and the hostile and enjoyed being stationary for a bit.
The plans for today are quite optimistic, considering that we finally have blue skies (however, the duration that they will last is very unpredictable). We are going on a hike up to the Dover Castle which over looks the Channel, and I plan to splash around for 2-3 hours afterwards. We must commence our journey soon as the skies will inevitably turn on us.
Tomorrow afternoon we plan to jettison over to Canterbury to see the finish of Stage 1 of the Tour de France. We'll post again when we are able to get back to the library. All the best.
Friday, July 6, 2007
An Oxford Independence Day
Top down...
A view from our room in the cloisters
John and an Oxford Ph.D who swam the channel in '05
A view of the Magdelen gardens
The Oxford library with first editions of Newton's Principia, Optica, and Principia Mathmatica (hallowed ground for all of us science nerds)
John and Professor Rob Gilbert
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Oxford Blokes
Yesterday, we departed from our beloved channel in favor of London. we met up with john's friend, murray from oxford and had a great afternoon (though dealing with bouts of torrential rain). we had one small objective--as we were to attend a birthday party for another oxford friend (that we rather unexpectedly found out was a black tie affair) we needed a suit and a black bow tie. this is no small task in possibly the most expensive city in the world. with a stroke of luck we were both able to nab somewhat respectable suits for £1.50 apiece with a tie for £9. that's right! (though shoes eluded us so i had to wear my vans sneakers and john his chaco sandals). we left london for the country side and arrived only so see an english chateau nestled in acres of gardens with some of the most elaborate food i have ever seen. john and i were true english aristocracy for one short night!
This morning, we left for the countryside for Oxford in which we arranged to meet an Oxford Ph.D who had swam the channel in 2005. we had some tea and discussed logistical swiming issues and strategies (i.e. working out feeding patterns, mental exercises, and words of advice for the support team on the boat--like throwing up off the otherside of the boat than john). it was incredibly helpful--we want to take all the advice we can get.
(side for k&a: after the meeting, john and i investigated the radcliff camera geocache and found it was still there)
off to have some dinner in college... cheers!
p.s. i don't have my camera cord here in oxford but as soon as we return to dover tomorrow i'll post some more pictures.
This morning, we left for the countryside for Oxford in which we arranged to meet an Oxford Ph.D who had swam the channel in 2005. we had some tea and discussed logistical swiming issues and strategies (i.e. working out feeding patterns, mental exercises, and words of advice for the support team on the boat--like throwing up off the otherside of the boat than john). it was incredibly helpful--we want to take all the advice we can get.
(side for k&a: after the meeting, john and i investigated the radcliff camera geocache and found it was still there)
off to have some dinner in college... cheers!
p.s. i don't have my camera cord here in oxford but as soon as we return to dover tomorrow i'll post some more pictures.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Some Meditations
So why am I doing this? When spending a while in the harbor this morning, coupled with our raw living conditions, I've had time to ponder this question and hopefully more clearly articulate my answer to those of you who still think I’m nuts.
I honestly feel that the philosophy of the free clinic is in my bones; however, who am I to trumpet their amazing service to Iowa City? I was only a student-volunteer. I have no letters behind my name and only 22 years of experience in life. Yet, with a bit of creativity, you have listened and hopefully spread the word about health care access as a limiting reagent in our state and country. I thank you for also physically spreading access with your donations.
Everyone suffers in life, but some more than others. No one deserves to get sick, no one deserves to experience the loss of comfort or security, and no one deserves to go without health coverage. To make a point that people across all strata can be uninsured, Lance Armstrong had to pay out of pocket for his hospitalizations and chemotherapy treatments because he had no insurance when changing cycling sponsors when diagnosed with cancer. When he did get covered under the new sponsor, the disease was considered a pre-existing condition that his new plan wouldn't cover. Funny how that works.
Thus, I have been putting my head down in the cold waters to have a little hope for others who find themselves on the wrong side of luck - and, selfishly, for myself. To be quite honest, I don't swim for the pleasure but rather for the pain. And when it comes to swimming the Channel, there is no bloody reason to attempt such a "feat of idiocy" - except that I need to search the depths of stamina that my body is able to endure. It is really a "contest in purposeless suffering." The intensity and numbness of swimming for hours on end, especially in the Channel's current 55 F waters, makes me feel at peace. The simplicity of monotonous repetitions allow me to stop thinking about the weight of the world and focus on each stroke and kick. I guess I see it as a more holistic approach of treating pain with pain.
Well that is enough of my ramblings for now. Coach appears to be ready for an afternoon tea.
All the best.
I honestly feel that the philosophy of the free clinic is in my bones; however, who am I to trumpet their amazing service to Iowa City? I was only a student-volunteer. I have no letters behind my name and only 22 years of experience in life. Yet, with a bit of creativity, you have listened and hopefully spread the word about health care access as a limiting reagent in our state and country. I thank you for also physically spreading access with your donations.
Everyone suffers in life, but some more than others. No one deserves to get sick, no one deserves to experience the loss of comfort or security, and no one deserves to go without health coverage. To make a point that people across all strata can be uninsured, Lance Armstrong had to pay out of pocket for his hospitalizations and chemotherapy treatments because he had no insurance when changing cycling sponsors when diagnosed with cancer. When he did get covered under the new sponsor, the disease was considered a pre-existing condition that his new plan wouldn't cover. Funny how that works.
Thus, I have been putting my head down in the cold waters to have a little hope for others who find themselves on the wrong side of luck - and, selfishly, for myself. To be quite honest, I don't swim for the pleasure but rather for the pain. And when it comes to swimming the Channel, there is no bloody reason to attempt such a "feat of idiocy" - except that I need to search the depths of stamina that my body is able to endure. It is really a "contest in purposeless suffering." The intensity and numbness of swimming for hours on end, especially in the Channel's current 55 F waters, makes me feel at peace. The simplicity of monotonous repetitions allow me to stop thinking about the weight of the world and focus on each stroke and kick. I guess I see it as a more holistic approach of treating pain with pain.
Well that is enough of my ramblings for now. Coach appears to be ready for an afternoon tea.
All the best.
Dover
I arrived into Dover yesterday and haven't done much today but wake up to a full English breakfast and go for a morning swim. I met with our pilot yesterday, Andy King, a jolly good chap, who will guide us across this body of water. It's looking like I'll be swimming on July 12th at the earliest and the 15th at the latest - but it all depends on the weather. The three swimmers before me are fellows from New Zealand, the US, and a Brit. I had a good chat with them last night at the White Horse Pub. We were all happy to meet other people just at crazy as ourselves.
Our current B & B is real sketchy (smoky and the karaoke bar below played the Grease sound track over and over last night). Restaurants are too expensive - so we've been subsiding on bread, peanut butter, bananas, scones, and digestive biscuits. The water is cold; however, after my digits and face are numb it isn't a problem. I also don't think I'll ever salt my food again - based on the amount of NaCl that I've already consumed. I've gone on a few strong 2 hour swims with Thomas pacing the beach as I get battered by the waves (waves were rough on the windward side of the Folkestone beach but not as bad in Dover Harbor - but a lot more boats). I just finished a 4 hour swim in Dover Harbor and feel fine. I plan to start backing off now for the next week.
We are going to London tomorrow to meet up with some Oxford mates and then have dinner at Magdalen College with my old biochemistry tutor on the 4th. We'll then come back to Dover to splash around some more and get serious for the swim. Cheerio.
Our current B & B is real sketchy (smoky and the karaoke bar below played the Grease sound track over and over last night). Restaurants are too expensive - so we've been subsiding on bread, peanut butter, bananas, scones, and digestive biscuits. The water is cold; however, after my digits and face are numb it isn't a problem. I also don't think I'll ever salt my food again - based on the amount of NaCl that I've already consumed. I've gone on a few strong 2 hour swims with Thomas pacing the beach as I get battered by the waves (waves were rough on the windward side of the Folkestone beach but not as bad in Dover Harbor - but a lot more boats). I just finished a 4 hour swim in Dover Harbor and feel fine. I plan to start backing off now for the next week.
We are going to London tomorrow to meet up with some Oxford mates and then have dinner at Magdalen College with my old biochemistry tutor on the 4th. We'll then come back to Dover to splash around some more and get serious for the swim. Cheerio.
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