Super Bowl Sunday

It is Super Bowl Sunday!!!! OMG!!1!

I'm not a football fan at all, so this is simply yet another Sunday in my life. But for most people in the United States, it is THE highlight of the winter sports calendar. Beer, nachos, salsa, and peanuts undoubtedly flew off the shelves at most supermarkets this morning and will be consumed in absolutely appalling quantities tonight. Body paint will be applied to the chests of individuals who would be better off leaving their shirts on. The infamous 'beer hat' will make a mass appearence. And families will be divided along the lines of who they support (Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers? This is clearly a matter of life and death, and choosing the wrong allegiance could result in disinheritance.) 

Keep it classy America - Source

I was born and raised in the US, and yet I still do not understand this custom. The only time I have ever even been faintly interested in football was when the Baltimore Ravens went to the Super Bowl in 2001 and then it was only because everyone else seemed so keen on them winning. (They did. My Baltimore-raised father was so happy.) There seemed to be a chance that the Ravens would go to the Super Bowl this year, a possibility that resulted in my neighbors back in MD displaying their allegiance on flags attached to their front porches and cars, but they lost to the Steelers at the last moment. Tragic. Anyway, to those readers for whom Super Bowl Sunday has assumed pseudo-holiday status: Good luck! I hope that the insert chosen team's name here win!)


Anyway, on to more interesting news. I spent the weekend in Birmingham at the BUCS Cross Country Championships where I was running as part of the University of London team. I have been looking forward to this event since I found out that I had been selected for the team in December. As my university running career (as short as it was) is coming to a close in June, it is the only 'championship' of any kind that I can possibly hope to attend as more than a spectator. So you can imagine my frustration when a freak accident on Wednesday resulted in my sustaining 3 cracked ribs. Luckily, the ER doctor did not forbid me from running and a Friday morning test run proved that running would be possible, if painful, so it was off to Birmingham for me! The team met at Euston station shortly after my classes ended at 6 and arrived in Selly Oak, on the outskirts of the city, by 8pm.

I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I was packing at 7am on Friday morning before class. I ended up with 3 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of tights, but no toothbrush, hairbrush, or flat shoes (only packed my spikes, trainers, and boots). I also forgot the book that I had hoped to read on cross-cultural communication, the QDAMiner and WordStat manuals (for the upcoming text coding at my internship) and my Garmin. On the plus side, I did remember to bring my swimming goggles...which i didn't actually need. It was a packing disaster.

And it is here that I will have to leave it for today. The rest of my race report will follow tomorrow.