Crouch and hold...engage. (Eeeek!!)

Right, so I've been working pretty much nonstop for awhile now...I have a deadline coming up and scanning the parish registers is taking longer than I planned. Still, when I left the research unit this evening I decided I needed to have a bit of de-stress laptop-TV time. Upon arriving home I found my viewing choices were between Dora the Explorer and the Scotland v Australia rugby test match. Granted it was a tough call, but my graduation from Kindergarten seemed to indicate that I needed to leave the safety of childhood and enter the unknown and sometimes violent adult world...therefore, rugby it was.

This was not my first time watching a rugby match on telly - the first was actually another test match awhile ago - however, this was the first match that I began to understand (or at least I think I began to understand ;-) ) what was going on. Surprisingly, the match didn't have any commentators, but the referee was microphoned. Therefore, all you heard was the ref as the game was being played. I think that's what helped me understand more about what was happening. It was like being a little bird on the ref's shoulder as he told players to "back away" or to stay on their side. My favourite rugby ref terminology comes when they are aligning the scrum formation. Imagine two lines of massive men facing each other and a ref in between them at one end making sure they're aligned. Then calmly, almost in a daddy-like voice he says "Crouch and hold...(pause)....engage!" On which mark, the two lines crunch together (hopefully staying locked and upright) and the controlled insanity ensues.

Did I mention these two lines of massive men don't have any padding on their bodies? There seem to be certain players that wear a kind of head-gear protection thingy, but I say "protection" in a very broadly defined way - it looks comparable to the kind of protection an ace bandage would provide if an elephant decided to sit on your leg. Seriously, I have no idea how all these players aren't reduced to a pile of pummelled flesh and broken bones by the end of every match. It might have something to do with the seemingly endless numbers of substitutions that can be made (or substitutions the ref forces due to bleeding...?) but, other than that possibility, I'm at a loss. A certain rugby-playing friend of mine needs to get his bottom back to England so he can fill me in on this mystery...I shouldn't be left to figure this stuff out on my own...;)

The difference between power and respect

Well, I have officially lived through my first day of outright anger in Oxford. I should have taken advantage of my cloud-nine happy mood yesterday to post an update, but I didn't. Consequently, I missed my opportunity to gush about how I am now able to watch US television on my laptop and how Spurs played an amazing match against Wigan. Instead, I'm saddled with trying to explain why I came home today fighting the urge to throw my backpack through my window...not a feeling I get regularly, I assure you.

Honestly, today started off pretty well. I met up with OPP 2 for a cup of coffee and some poverty chat, which is always a nice way to begin the academic day. After the chat, I made my way over to the History Research Unit - I'm currently in the process of converting the parish registers I have on microfiche to digital images I can burn onto CDs and the Research Unit is the only place with the necessary technology. Anyway, it's a trek out of City Centre to get to the Unit - about 20 minutes on foot. Usually, no problem, but by the time I was done with coffee it had begun to rain, so after the 20 minute walk I was soaked. Still, having lived in rainy areas for the last 7 years, I wasn't phased. Rain happens, and frankly I think it looks good on me. ;-) It wasn't until after I had settled into my scanning/saving routine at the Unit that events began to go sour.

To make a long story short, there was another person in the Unit working on his research and after a couple of hours he asked me what I was scanning. We struck up a very nice conversation about our research and where I am from in the States (he's also American, but has lived here for several years). Then, somehow we started talking about the cultural differences between England and the US. The next thing I know, I had gotten myself into a diametrically opposed debate on gender-stereotyping and gender issues here versus in the States. He was adamantly saying that women hold the power in relationships here and do so without having to be "gender neutral" as they often are in the States. On the other hand, I was saying that the "power" women hold in relationships here tends to be (as he conceded) gained through gender-stereotyped methods of manipulation and passive-aggression. Furthermore, even though many English women may dictate the "rules" of their relationships, the fact remains that this "power" is not a reflection of their partners' respect. It is a reflection of ingrained gender-stereotypes where women "dictate" and men "commiserate" over their missus' dictatorial reigns down at the pub.

To see these situations as women being "empowered" (as he put it) through their ability to wield gender-stereotypes to gain control, is to miss the entire point behind the idea of gender equality. Gender equality is not about power it is about respect - and having one does not necessarily give you the other. Unfortunately, that concept seemed lost on my debating opponent.

And people wonder why I remain happily single...

The Excitement Continues! Yay!!

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to all of my blog readers who are currently stuffing themselves with wonderfully scrumptious and home-cooked meals...I seriously envy you. Thanksgiving just isn't the same when you're somewhere that it's not.

BUT on a totally happy note - I just received word that I have been offered an interview for a part-time position with the Young Lives Research Centre here at Oxford! To say I am thrilled would be an understatement. The Centre is conducting ongoing research on the lives of children in poverty in 4 culturally/economically different developing nations (Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam.) I am so excited about this possible opportunity. I'll keep you updated on how things progress!

YAYAYAYAYAAAAAAAY!!!

I just found out that OPP 1 has officially been offered a place at Oxford for her graduate studies...Jo, I told you that you had nothing to worry about...I'll see you here next October...you better be matriculating at Lincoln...no excuses accepted. Congrats sweets!!!!

PS - I just realised if you come to Lincoln then we'll be dining over scrumptious Gaudy dinners together in our golden years...dammit sweets, if you matriculate at Christ Church or some other poshy place I may never speak to you again...remember, big and rich is not synonymous with better. The Lincoln imp is calling you home...;)

"Can we go to the fun side now?"

Massive work productivity has defined my life over the past 10 days...so that's good news. Still, as rewarding as productivity can be, the uber-focus began to take it's toll, so today I stopped the research and had a fun movie marathon.

Whenever I decide I need a "happy" fix, two movies always top my list: Shrek, and Shrek 2. So, it was a given that they kicked off today's entertainment. On top of the normal movie fare, I also added Madagascar (the relatively new Dreamworks film) not knowing how absolutely hilarious it would be. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, you definitely should. It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, that movie is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. And if you're anything like me, your experience will leave your head full of memorable quotes (see post title ;-)). To that point, the new anti-social Tiff slogan: "Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave."

Oh, and never forget: "What is a bite on the butt amongst friends?" shakes tail "Here, give me a nibble."

Oh man...I swear, I'm still rolling from that movie....

A tremendous dinner

Well, this week has been rather chock full of exciting milestones. The first, the outlining of my thesis, was already covered in my last post. The second happened this evening when I accepted an invitation to be the dinner guest of the conveners and guest speaker of my core seminar. This was a very exciting invitation as it gave me a rare opportunity to have a prolonged discussion with three well-established and respected historians, two from Oxford, and one from the University of Warwick. I had a fabulous time as the conversation easily flowed and covered topics ranging from each of our research, past and current experiences both as students and lecturers, and the career prospects of current graduate historians. The discussion was enlightening and entertaining on many levels and I was happy to end the evening with a feeling that some excellent academic connections had been either stregthened or forged. Since my supervisor was among those at dinner, I also was able to briefly describe my newly outlined thesis and he seemed pleased with my progress. We're planning to have a meeting next week to discuss the outline and my research in a more detailed way. I am greatly looking forward to talking with my supervisor more. Strange how an encounter that bestows positive reinforcement from those in authority in my field can create such a renewed sense of purpose and self-confidence. It was a good night, indeed.

It's good to have a plan

When it comes to my research, the last several weeks have found me feeling rather unfocused and a bit unsure. In a general sense, I know what I am supposed to be doing - writing my intro chapter - but the actual mechanics of doing it became progressively muddled the more I thought about my project as a whole. Remember the recent post where I confessed I think too much? Well, the paralyzing effects of that problem can hit me intellectually as well.

The good news: when intellectual paralysis hits there is a definite solution - it's called an outline. Of course, I have done previous outlining during my time here, and have had an outline for the chapter I'm working on for quite awhile. Still, what has caused my recent mental paralysis was not writing the current chapter but thinking about how the chapter would fit into the broader project. Since the intro chapter needs to cover the scope of the project along with relevant background issues, it necessitates a fairly detailed understanding of the project's "big picture" both in content and structure.

Until today, I had only developed a plan for the content my thesis would cover. By leaving the structure unfixed, I gave myself a good deal of wiggle room in order to accommodate any large issues that could arise. Basically, lack of structure became my safety net, and one that I seemed quite desperate to keep. However, with any project there comes a point where you have to relinquish the safety net, believe in yourself, and commit to your visualized outcome. Today I accomplished exactly that and the result was not fear, but purposeful relief. Next time, my net won't remain intact for so long.

OPP - Phase 3

OPP Phase 3: ANNETTE

Alias: None
Codename: Child magnet
Nationality: Proper English
Oxford Status: One of the "History Crew" mentioned previously, and also one of the three grad students convening the social history seminar with me this term. Annette focuses on the English Civil War, so is a great help when I'm trying to figure out what the heck was going on during the mid-17th century. Plus, she's an awesome person to chat with over coffee.
Last Known Whereabouts:Sifting through the barely catalogued Civil War sources in the archives of my college. Poor girl.