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Cambridge, day 1
Jul. 3rd, 2008 07:25 pm[This was written yesterday, but I didn't get the user name & password for the network until today.]
Now this is what dorm life should be like! I'm housed in Whewell Court in Trinity College in Cambridge tonight and tomorrow night. My room has high ceilings and vaulted corners, a sink in a closet, a fireplace (OK, I couldn't burn any wood in it, it's got a heating element installed in it), and cave-like bathrooms (with bathtubs!) down in the basement. The only drawback is that I can't just plug my network cable into the wall and get online; it appears that I need a user name and password. Since I'll only be here one more night, I'm not sure it will be worth trying to get said user name and password tomorrow. Then again, it might be, since I will need to find out just how to get to Leeds University before Sunday.
Trinity College itself is this absolute maze. When the porter led me from my room to the room where the conference itself is being held, about half-way there I commented that I was glad I didn't have to figure this out for myself! Then again, I may have to in order to get to the first talk tomorrow morning...unless I want to admit defeat and go to the porter and be directed again.
What with having to change my plane ticket 'cause of my dr. appt. this morning, and having to fly to Heathrow instead of Stansted, and then having my plane delayed because of bad weather, I missed the first two talks today and the first half of the final one; but I arrived in time for drinks, which by that point in the day I felt I needed. :) My leg is still lots better than it had been even yesterday (I think Joel was right in expecting that there would be nothing, nothing, nothing and then sudden improvement when the clots dissipated), for which I am very glad because I would not have been able to do the walking I had to do today on it if it hadn't gotten better. As it is, it's pretty sore and as has become rather standard by the end of the day, has swollen such that there is no appreciable difference between my lower calf and my ankle. It's just one straight-sided cylinder...
I was able to give myself my shot tonight without flinching, which bodes well for the future.
After drinks we went to a Japanese restaurant where John, the organizer, just ordered a bunch of things for everyone to share, starters, sushi, and sashimi, and then when we finished that the main dishes. Everything I tried was absolutely wonderful, and that "everything" included both prawns and eel. With the former, I had the sudden realization that there is actually some shrimp that I like. I'd never really been a big fan of shrimp before because of the way they sort of cringe underneath your teeth. But these were really firm and plump and very good. And I had the eel (which looked like it was just grilled with soy sauce) because I knew if I went back to Joel and told him I had a chance to try eel and I had turned it out, he would've been disappointed in me. It wasn't bad. It was like fish, but more so. But the best out of everything was some truly astonishing eggplant. A very small eggplant (about the size of a 2&eur; coin in diameter) had been cut into pieces and baked/fried/grilled (I don't really know!) in such away that the outer bits were nearly crispy, and the inner bits were absolutely melting. I could've eaten an entire plate of the eggplant myself.
Well, it's only 10:30 GMT, but that's 11:30 my time and I was up earlier than normal to get to the doctor on time, and I've done a heck of a lot more tromping around than was probably best. So time to dig out the alarm clock and head off to bed.
Now this is what dorm life should be like! I'm housed in Whewell Court in Trinity College in Cambridge tonight and tomorrow night. My room has high ceilings and vaulted corners, a sink in a closet, a fireplace (OK, I couldn't burn any wood in it, it's got a heating element installed in it), and cave-like bathrooms (with bathtubs!) down in the basement. The only drawback is that I can't just plug my network cable into the wall and get online; it appears that I need a user name and password. Since I'll only be here one more night, I'm not sure it will be worth trying to get said user name and password tomorrow. Then again, it might be, since I will need to find out just how to get to Leeds University before Sunday.
Trinity College itself is this absolute maze. When the porter led me from my room to the room where the conference itself is being held, about half-way there I commented that I was glad I didn't have to figure this out for myself! Then again, I may have to in order to get to the first talk tomorrow morning...unless I want to admit defeat and go to the porter and be directed again.
What with having to change my plane ticket 'cause of my dr. appt. this morning, and having to fly to Heathrow instead of Stansted, and then having my plane delayed because of bad weather, I missed the first two talks today and the first half of the final one; but I arrived in time for drinks, which by that point in the day I felt I needed. :) My leg is still lots better than it had been even yesterday (I think Joel was right in expecting that there would be nothing, nothing, nothing and then sudden improvement when the clots dissipated), for which I am very glad because I would not have been able to do the walking I had to do today on it if it hadn't gotten better. As it is, it's pretty sore and as has become rather standard by the end of the day, has swollen such that there is no appreciable difference between my lower calf and my ankle. It's just one straight-sided cylinder...
I was able to give myself my shot tonight without flinching, which bodes well for the future.
After drinks we went to a Japanese restaurant where John, the organizer, just ordered a bunch of things for everyone to share, starters, sushi, and sashimi, and then when we finished that the main dishes. Everything I tried was absolutely wonderful, and that "everything" included both prawns and eel. With the former, I had the sudden realization that there is actually some shrimp that I like. I'd never really been a big fan of shrimp before because of the way they sort of cringe underneath your teeth. But these were really firm and plump and very good. And I had the eel (which looked like it was just grilled with soy sauce) because I knew if I went back to Joel and told him I had a chance to try eel and I had turned it out, he would've been disappointed in me. It wasn't bad. It was like fish, but more so. But the best out of everything was some truly astonishing eggplant. A very small eggplant (about the size of a 2&eur; coin in diameter) had been cut into pieces and baked/fried/grilled (I don't really know!) in such away that the outer bits were nearly crispy, and the inner bits were absolutely melting. I could've eaten an entire plate of the eggplant myself.
Well, it's only 10:30 GMT, but that's 11:30 my time and I was up earlier than normal to get to the doctor on time, and I've done a heck of a lot more tromping around than was probably best. So time to dig out the alarm clock and head off to bed.
