The Beauty of Science

Gravity. It seems that certain things, no matter how hard we try, always revert to some form of natural order. It's not necessarily an advocacy for determinism, but more reflective of Newton's third law that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, which is the basis of gravity- a mysterious force that pulls us towards the earth, and restores some degree of balance in our physical lives.

Demonstration number one: In these past two days, it has become rather clear to me that I, am somehow, (lol somehow), addicted to coffee. Although this dependency started years ago thanks to all the essays I've had to write in high school and the first couple years of university, I never realized the full extent of its restorative force until yesterday. Heading off to my first seminar, which by the way, consist of only ten, count them, ten people- meaning if you haven't read the book, then the professor is bound to notice, anyways, heading to my first literature seminar, I was running late and didn't have time to grab a coffee because amongst the organized chaos of my room I couldn't find my cell phone. Anyways, it was an hour of torture as I felt that I was only half awake and half aware of what was being said. As well, this morning, I found THE best coffee shop right across from the university where they have won awards for the 2nd best coffee in the UK, and have a really nice and posh atmosphere to offer as well. It's a bit expensive, but in my opinion, well worth the splurge. If it isn't yet clear, I have been drinking coffee it seems every day for the past couple of years, and now isn't the greatest time to stop- or else I'll have that horrible reaction again.

Second Example- It was almost, absolutely, incredulously inevitable. It seems that despite having taken my Vitamin C on a religious basis, I, yes I, have been infected with the horrible, the dreaded, but alas the inevitable, fresher's flu. This is what the people here call the after-affects of two weeks of uninterrupted fun- the untimely, miserable, but once again, the inevitable, fresher's flu- an equal and opposite, and horrid reaction. So tonight I decided to head down to the Hillel house for a Friday night Shabbat dinner. Let me just say, that Leeds Hillel has sooo many Jewish students, far more than at McMaster, but certainly far more than I expected here. Most of them seem to go to Leeds Metropolitain, which is just a short walk away en route to the city center. I had a nice time and met a "bunch" (for you Steph) of cool and nice people, and of course a very nice Shabbat dinner, at least better than I can cook myself. What I found really interesting and striking, is how similar Leeds Jews seem to Toronto Jews- maybe it's "jap appeal", but it just doesn't surprise me at all that it seems easy to pick out Jews amongst the crowd (excuse me if I sound a bit racist), but there definitely are some similarities. Anyways, it is also quite ironic that while services were going on in one room, other people were playing pool in the other. Oh, and about the muslim scarf I mentioned previously in another posting, I have seen soo many people wearing them around their neck here that I don't know if it is an act of rebellion or sheer ignorance that I find quite puzzling. Anyways, I spent the rest of the night hanging out in my flat as well as in Steph's flat with a crowd of people. I met a post-graduate from Barbados, and a fresher from Poland. They all headed out to redeem Anna's free drinks, but I decided to call it a night. Ahem. cough. Fresher's flu.

Third Example- Not having enough sleep leads to dire consequences. Fortunately, mine did not involve the operation of heavy machinery. Being so busy, I admit I have been skimping on sleep (don't worry Brooke, I have been catching up!). This clearly manifested itself when I tried to read Conrad's Secret Agent. First lesson, don't read in bed, it's a rather bad idea unless you want to fall asleep, which is what happened. After attempt one, and a 20 minute nap, I figured it best to have a Red Bull energy drink and get back to work. Attempt two and 20 minutes later, another 20 minute nap. whoops.

Fourth Example- This summer I fell in love with the gym. It wasn't just the allure of the luxurious Extreme Fitness facilities, but exercise seems to have therapeutic effects on me. With all the craziness going on, and my recent illness, I hadn't gone to the gym in quite a while and it was beginning to take its toll on me in the form of really adverse effects of me not feeling my best. I think this was most evident when Steph and I had to run from one end of campus to another to make back to back lectures; we arrived 15 minutes late... So I've decided to pick up another good habit again, but I suppose it could be worse.

That about sums it up. I am finally starting to relax a little and settle in, hopefully getting a LOT more travel in. Sophie pinkie swore to take me to Lake District and maybe London, so I'm going to hold her to that. I also applied to be a sub-warden (aka CA or RA) because people apparently seemed to have quit- perfect for me, so I hope that I get it. Oh, I joined the debate team!!!! I think I could use the practise. I've also decided to keep science/chemistry in the mix, at least for now, while McMaster gets back to me (I had to hunt them down by telephone). And if my postings remind you of Meredith on Grey's Anatomy, or Carrie from Sex and the City, it's probably because I've been watching a couple of episodes here and there ;)