POST: 4.2.08 St Lucia and Pneumonia..two new experiences!

Another three months have passed so its time to update although it really doesn't seem anytime at all since I last wrote. I'll start with St Lucia, just to make everyone jealous. So the story goes... Rob sailed across the Atlantic on a little 42 ft boat called Penoliam with his friend Rich and Rich's Dad Lindsey (skipper) and two others. I thought it might be cool to meet them as they arrived in St Lucia, and it was, very! I left New York just as big ice storms were about to hit so arriving in the Tropics was amazing. The island is stunning - banana plantations, steep hills covered with rainforest and little villages right on the sea. I got to my guesthouse just in time to tag along with some other ARC people going to the pub and so had a weird but fun first night by myself. Rob was set to arrive early the next morning so I stumbled out of bed at 6am and down to the Marina. Penoliam arrived at 8am after 18 days and 22 hours at sea (see photo). We dutifully went out to meet them in a dinghy and made our way through lots and lots of champagne. We then spent the rest of the time making the most of the celebrations (see photo of fancy dress - Father Christmas Rob, Christmas Present Rico - and I was a Christmas Tree) and getting into the very slow Carribean way of life. We explored the local markets, hiked up the world famous Grand Piton (see photo), swam in a waterfall, went ziplining in the jungle and hung out on the beach trying to slackline. Rob taught Rico and I scuba diving and we are now Open Water Scuba Divers which is pretty cool although a bit of an expensive hobby for my liking. Christmas in the Carribean was a bit strange but I can't really complain. Hot sunny weather, an amazing sunrise - seen from the yacht Asolare on a Christmas morning sail with Mimosas, BBQ on the beach, frisbee and slacklining, Santa arriving by speed boat in the afternoon and then a fantastic sunset over the bay (see photo). We finished off a top holiday with two days in a posh villa on the Atlantic side. I tried windsurfing....swallowed a lot of water and got grumpy because it was hard. I definitely want to have another go some time though. The end of the holiday was slightly tainted by missing my connecting flight from Miami due to stupidly slow and busy immigration and having to sleep in the airport.

So that was Christmas. David came out to entertain me for New Year which was great. We had a fantastic week exploring the many bars and cafes of New Haven. I even managed to get Dave climbing and hiking which was loads of fun. New Year was spent in traditional style - lots of nice food, very large amounts of alcohol, and some very loud and quite likely poor singing.

Since then 2008 has been a bit of a mix - loads of fun and very busy. Its been stupidly cold at times . I'm getting used to running in sub-zero temperatures (-8!). Jaci, Chris and I took part in the Tradition Run in East Peak (see photo) which is strictly not a 'fun' run because its freezing cold and pretty much all up hill. Its in memory of some guy who used to do it every year which is kind of cool. In hindsight, I do think that perhaps running and then hanging around in subzero temperatures may have contributed to the not so fun goings on later in the week. Perfectly timed for Rob's arrival I got Flu! I did manage to go all the way to JFK to meet him which was very cool, go shopping at EMS and go to the Australia Day party. I did however know something was seriously wrong when after three sips of wine I voluntarily threw the rest down the sink and moved to water. I survived about 2 hours and then came home. The next day, Rob's birthday! I got lots worse and decided that a Dr was probably a good idea. Within 5 minutes of being in the surgery I was on a drip and told I was going to the hospital wing for a few days with sever Pnuemonia. My temperature got up to 104 and Rob spent his birthday feeding me water with a straw and watching me sleep. It was a really strange/horrible experience that I don't ever want to repeat. The nurses were great and so were Jaci, Chris, Ruth and Rob - all looking after me. I finally made it home on Wednesday after a rough few days. Its now Monday and I'm actually very nearly back to normal but just can't really do anything strenuous....rubbish! Jaci spent the weekend cheering me up with shopping therapy and some much needed lessons in how to put on make up like a proper girl (see photo) - sorry Andrew and David, I know you tried to help when I was younger (I have some very comedy memories from about age 6?) but putting on make up is just not your thing!


Three and a half weeks until I leave the USA....scary stuff!

 

 

POST: 25.11.07 Time Flies...

Well, the fact that I haven't entered anything for a while must mean that I've been far too busy having fun. This is actually true, ooops! So since July I've climbed a lot more, played a lot more frisbee including Sectionals and Regionals for a team called Chick Flick (see photo). My first ever post-frisbee lake swim and outdoor hot tub was definitely the best way to round off a hard day. I've also been back to the UK, twice! The first time I went to Ben and Flo's and then Rob's brother's (Will) wedding. These were fantastic. I also managed to squeeze in a work trip to Exeter, climbing in North Wales and lots of time on the Norfolk Broads. The second trip involved a job interview (which I got....hurray!), a trip on Eurostar to Paris for work and coincidently dinner out with Rob and his boss. I saw the Eifel Tower, for five minutes. I had a weekend in the Peaks with mates which was fanastic - blue skies, sunshine, outdoors, ale and good friends (see photos). In between that, Mum and Dad came to visit. I marched them all over New Haven and a made them hike up and down some pretty hardcore routes (see photo) which they coped with no problem. I even took them to a big climbing social where they got the 'Honorary Family Golden Plastic Plate' award. It was a proud moment! It was great to have them here and show them the sights.

Since then I've been working hard (don't laugh!), spending lots of time at the new climbing gym (see photo), and getting outside as much as possible in the new freezing cold but strangely always sunny New Haven. This week though I have mostly been suffering from toothache and a sore throat and then the optician went and blinded me for half the day so I've been a barrel of laughs recently. Thanksgiving cheered me up no end though as I discovered my talent not only for making Pilgrim Father hats but also enormous Yorkshire puddings! It was truely a monster (see photo). I also found a talent for making and drinking copious amounts of mulled wine, whipping up a sponge cake without a recipe and creating stuffing out of whatever happens to be in the cupboards - skills that will no doubt serve me well throughout the many challenges that lie ahead.

The next two weeks are pretty work focussed as I now have my head in the game and know what I'm doing, and I'd prefer not to work too much while I'm in St Lucia. Oh yeah, did I mention that? Christmas in St Lucia! Rob is sailing across the Atlantic as I type (well at least I think he is although the little yellow blow that symbolises the mighty Penolium hasn't moved from port yet....I have faith and am assuming thats just slow communication). Anyway, I'm meeting the boat there and spending Christmas in the sunshine learning to Dive and windsurf...yippee!

POST: 24.6.07 LIFE AS AN AMERICAN...

Time has been ticking along nicely and I've been filling it wisely with lots of fun things. So here's an average week in the life of Kate at Yale!

Monday, Wednesday and Friday - get up early, meet Maria at 7am to do some laps of East Rock park on our bikes. Its basically a big hill. We're up to four now, Maria's faster than me...booo! Its a lovely place to cycle up or run and the view over the city is great (see photo). Check out my bike too...my one of many bargain Cragslist purchases...$60!

Monday and Wednesday evenings I am part of the Frisbee Summer League (see photo). I was drafter for a team called 'Das Boot' which actually refers to the glass boot drinking receptacle. So far I've been lucky enough to avoid drinking out of the boot...I'm sure I will get got at some point though. My team is really nice and we're not doing so bad. We play two games in an evening once or twice a week and then go and drink beer. The first match  was played in possibly the craziest thunderstorm I've ever witnessed...never before have I actually been scared of being hit by lightening but I could see it in the corner of my eye somewhere close and was  then just relieved each time that it wasn't on me. We got totally soaked and driving back was a very very scary experience....we pulled over and went to Macdonalds, this was a slightly less scary experience but not one I'd like to repeat.

On Tuesday evenings I play Frisbee with the Women's pickup lot. Its great and I'm loving the group of people and the level of the game. We have a tournament in Montreal this weekend..woohoo!

On Wednesdays, if I'm not playing Summer League I play frisbee with people from work. This is very relaxed as most people have never played before. The emphasis is on running around a bit and then going to the pub...perfect! 

On Thursdays I have been climbing with Lauren and Paul (see photo). Sadly recently I've become aware that I'm not actually spending very much time at work and so now try and work instead (see photo)....this has however been scuppered for the last two weeks and next week by parties....terrible state of affairs!

On Fridays I either go to Anna Liffeys wth work colleagues or spend the weekend with my new friends Ansgar (see photo) and Maria (see photo). We've had so many great weekends climbing, swimming in rivers, driving Ansgar's tank of a car, which it should be known that I can now officially parallel park (I finally braved the right side of the road - see photo). 

So as you can see I'm having a terrible time. Its the worst place to be in the world and there's nothing to do!

POST: 4.6.07 CLIMBING, SWIMMING BORING BORING...not enough frisbee! I did play Wiffle ball though. 

No updates for a while, far too busy for all that. In the last month I have done some monumental things in my life: bought a laptop and digital camera, joined facebook, used skype, played wiffle ball (wierdo version of softball), laid out properly (thats a frisbee thing!), watched our department chairman get custard pies in his face, done my first lead climb (sports and trad!) and er...seen a moose and a snake although they were dead so not quite sure they count.

The last couple of weekends have been amazing climbing/camping/swimming in rivers sort of weekends with Maria (my Norwegian friend), Lauren and Paul (my real american friends!) and some new friends Ansgar and Christian (German) and Larry Mo (another american). For some reason most of my friends are not American. Must try harder... Anyway, the Memmorial Day weekend was spent with the Connecticut Climbers and Mountaineers (CCM) in a gorgeous house by a lake in the woods climbing at Cathedral Ledge in New Hampshire. We didn't see any bears but walking around at night surrounded by woods was pretty scary. The climbing was great. I've now decided that hot sunny weather, lovely huge cliffs to climb and nearby lakes/rivers to swim in is the norm over here so I expect nothing less. We finished off the weekend with some sports climbing in Rumney, and more swimming. I reaquainted myself with diving....not very elegantly...but I didn't belly flop so all good. This weekend we were at Camp Slime in the Gunks. It was much better than it sounded I promise. If you're a 'technical' climber with a season pass you get to camp for free in a tiny campsite with 20 spaces in amongst the trees. Its within stumbling distance of the climbs too. We climbed from 7.30am to 3pm, went for a run, nearly died of over heating...but thankfully survived, went swimming, did some shopping, had dinner and beer and serenaded my friends...they didn't have a choice!, we were tucked up in bed by about 9.30, the precise moment when the thunderstorms hit...perfect! No bears in the night thankfully, climbing at 6.30 am the next morning. I did a trad lead...woo go me. It was easy peasy though. 

This week I have turned over a new leaf and decided to do more work. Its about time.

POST: 4.5.07 CLIMBING?FRISBEE?CLIMBING?FRISBEE?

I'm torn between my current two favorite hobbies. Fortunately there appears to be an abundance of both but sometimes i have to choose between and it makes me sad :(

Recently I was invited to play for a new women's team at a tournament in Delaware. We were called Hugh Jass CONNstruction...get it? This made cheering from the sidelines slightly offputting. So this was my first taste of real US ultimate. For the most part it was great. I played with and against some amazing frisbee girls. I think its fair to say that I was the worst player on the team but I think I held my own and only remember getting scored on once, I wouldn't be surprised if I've just blanked the bad bit from my memory though. The games were great, really competative, four of them back to back so thats at least 6 hours of frisbee! I was very VERY sore after. Strange thing about US frisbee - no calls, no nice little after match speaches, just lame slap hands. This was really my only negative comment of the weekend apart from being a bit shy around so many new people and my knees getting sore. Highlight was definitely visiting the Dogfish Head Brewery. After all that Frisbee on the Saturday we were all starving so finished up with burgers and very very nice beer. I've finally submitted and bought a visor too, at least it has a dogfish on it and not a lookfly logo though!

So that was Frisbee, the next weekend Maria (my new Norwegian friend) and I fell totally on our feet and had a fantastic weekend of climbing in the Gunks. Steve (pretty boy???) picked us up from the station, took us shopping at a climbing shop, cooled us dinner, gave us some crash space, drive us all the way to the Gunks and then lead climbed for us all day. We climbed Horseman, Classic, Arrow and Absurdland. It was very cool. Sooo much climbing! We saw a real live poisonous snake too! We then met up with the rest of the CCM (Connecticut Climbers and Mountaineers) who took us back to the campsite, cooked for us and then took us climbing again the next day where I climbed Wrist and Thin Slabs Direct...great names! I cam home very happy and very bruised.

More please!

POST: 17.4.07 CLIMBING!

It was a good weekend...it has to be a good weekend when you spend the best part of Friday evening in the pub with workmates and then find that a very very kind faculty member has paid the entire tab so all your drinks are free...yippee! 

Turns out theres LOADS of climbing in Connecticut. I found climbing people!  I found some fantastic climbing people who were kind enough to pick me up and take me with them! It was great to be climbing again and also really nice to finally get out of the city and into the countryside AND in lots of sunshine. We scrambled up to the top of the crag, set up top ropes, abseiled down and spent the rest of the afternoon dangling on a rope, watching some pretty awesome climbing from everyone else and apreciating being warm. I made my way up two of the easier faces which for me were really difficult but fun climbs....especially when it came to manouvering round a possibly dead but potentially rabid bat. I didn't even squeal! it was a top day with top people. My knuckles now look like I spent the whole weekend fighting. We finsihed off with dinner somewhere nice and then sleepy little Kate went home to bed...too tired to go partying, which I was meant to do.

Sunday brought horrendous weather - flooding, pylons falling down, broken umbrellas ...loads of fun! i got totally soaked and very sulky. Fortunately my afternoon plan was to go and investigate the indoor climbing wall. Its pretty cool...loads of routes and lots more realy nice people. Bit hard trying to suss out which holds you can and can't use when the tags are all below the hold but fun all the same. We finished off the session with a special Yoga for climbers hour where I realised that I have no flexibility at all...definitely the worst in the class! Another thing to work on over the next year!

POST: 6.4.07 SEEING STARS! 

My first night in my apartment (yep finally got one!) and I'm just about to think about sleep feeling very satisfied with my efforts at making my room look nice (not easy with only 2 bags of stuff and loads of sad looking empty shelves, at least I had Cebby the fake Carebear!) and as I switch off my light the ceiling lights up with hundreds of green stars.  I'd had a couple of glasses of wine but was holding it well...I thought. Was a bit freaked out at first but then logic returned and I realised they were just someone with even worst style than me's idea of a special touch to the room...nice!

So that's the story of my week really. I got somewhere to live and its very nice. I live with a Spanish PhD student called Jorge who is very chilled and two days in and we're getting on well. THe aprartment is all open plan with a balcony! I have plans for tomatoes. My room is pretty big with a big double bed, my $6 bargain Salvation Army ulra stylish lamp and the best bit....a door straight into the bathroom. Unfortunately, theres another door from the bathroom into the main apartment which might prove a little embarrassing at some point, so far so good though. 

Apart from that its been fairly uneventful. Just general filling in forms, opening a bank account, slowly getting to know more people, checking out the park near my house (it has a hill!). Went on an adventure to Target today which meant being brave and getting a bus by myself to somewhere new...easy peasy. Decided shopping with an MP3 player is much less stressful, although occasionally hazardous. I survived though and now am the proud owner of some towels, bed covers, a mug, a lamp and an alarm clock with a thermometer on it!!! TOld you it was an eventful week. Off to join the biggest gym in the world now. Frisbee tournament to gatecrash tomorrow. Just hoping US frisbee tournaments take the party bit as seriously as the British...we shall see.

POST: 30.3.07 THUMB TWIDDLING!

I made it! After I don't know how many days of panic, saying goodbyes, packing, unpacking, more packing and general running round in a state Iit all turned out ok in the end. They let me into the country. Flight was fun....cried my eyes out for the first 10 minutes and got the cabin crew a bit worried, drank a very nice glass of wine (then had a massive headache for the rest of the flight),  watched a couple of films...and that was it, I was there. New York City, 8.45pm, 20 degrees C. Hurray! Got picked up and driven to  my new temporary home by Cobb which was ace. 

So I've spent the last few days being chauffeur driven round New Haven by Cobb's dad, desparately trying to find somewhere to live, popping into work only to find that I'm STILL not on the system and the keys aren't ready for my office so no work for me! Decided to make a website instead. So its been a bit wierd, but I think I'm gonna like it here - its been sunny since I got here, there's LOADS of very nice coffee and cake places, people are nice (ended up sharing an office with an English guy I know who plays Frisbee!), my new boss plays frisbee, there're parks everywhere, I don't have to be in work early, we get free coffee and cookies everyday, everyone goes to the pub on Friday evenings and the sports centre is approximately the size of Buckingham Palace.  Now...just got to find somewhere to live....