"Maurice...I have a plan!"

Maurice being coach, of course. We played rugby. Again. But this time it was a little more adventurous than usual.

There is this strange 'Friends and Family Weekend' malarkey that the Hamburgese folk favour, which involves the strange 'Friends and Family' folk visiting. And eating a lot. And there are even exciting adventures in which to partake. For example, my 'Friends and Family' joined the special and adventurous choir who sang with us Choralers at the concert on Saturday. And we sang a monstrous piece which nobody really understood. It was about birds and whatnot.

However, only taking on one very demanding activity in a day would be utterly unlike me, so I decided to attempt to play rugby as well as sing in a concert. Lawks a mercy. So the day happened somewhat like this:
8:30am - la famille arrives and we venture forth into the unknown a.k.a. Prospect for breakfast.
9:00am - back to my room for banking nonsense avec Vatikins. Also other dull businessy things.
11:00am - Friends and Family choir rehearsal.
11:30am - Rachel sneaks out of said rehearsal and runs super-speedily to the rugby pitch for warm ups and nonsense.
12:00pm - Kick off playing at Inside Centre because of my 'good hands' now turned to gimp because of the mysterious not-broken but yet unhappy thumb.
1:45pm - the most bizarre rugby match ever.
2:20pm - Rachel changes from rugby kit into hideous Chorale nun dress on side of rugby pitch. Still sweaty and disgusting.
2:40pm - arrive at Abbey Chapel to prepare for concert.
4:00pm - concert, Chamber Singers in particular were AMAZING.
7:00pm (ish) - collapse in a heap of death.
8:00pm - really awkward moment involving Choral director, head of music dept, accompanist etc in a restaurant. We left.
8:30pm - dinner at Judie's in Amherst.
10:00pm - SLEEP!

So more needs to be said about one of my escapades. The rugby. As it is the best thing ever. And now that the season is over I cry myself to sleep at night from the extreme and over-enthusiastic woe inflicted upon my tortured soul. Need. More. Rugby. Now.

I have played at inside centre (no. 12) once in my life before. It was probably my third game ever at the beginning of last year and I managed to break the opposing no. 12's fanny. Or so she said. Alas I was terrified this time, as I have issues with not knowing exactly where I am meant to be on the pitch at all times. But it was great fun and larks, and I managed to squish people repeatedly. Gimp thumb was made invincible by coach before the game (i.e. taped up specially). However, I wasn't making all the tackes against the big people. So Lola subbed for me and beat them all up for me. Which was fun to watch.

Then more adventures happened. The opposing team was already made up of two entirely separate teams, and our team was a mixture of A and B side players. So we mixed up even more, and switched shirts until there was a mix of all four teams on two new teams. And we played a truly mind-blowing game without really knowing what was going on a lot of the time. And I set up a try. And cried because I wasn't the one who scored, but at least I got the ball for approximately the third time this season.

Then after the first half I had to abandon ship, and I leapt over to the sidelines and did strange getting changed in public, trying to keep myself somewhat decent, and almost succeeding. And hopped off to Abbey Chapel to sing.

And now I must go eat dressed as a savage norseman.

I'm a little elfling, short and stout, here's my handle, here's my fuzzy pyjamas...

I am an elfling! Hurrah! As I didn't think that I would get to be one. Which made me sad inside. And I found out the secret of who my elf was.

Every year here the sophomores/second years are assigned a new student as their elfling, and this week have been leaving special gifts outside our rooms in the dead of night. So when I woke up each morning there was a surprise outside!

My gifts were mysteriously themed - largely including chocolate, pain-relievers and cold medicine. So I realised that my elf must be someone who knew me well...the mystery began.

In addition to the wonderful gifts there have been some creative advertisements taped to the walls in the corridors, on the stairs and in the bathrooms. These have been adapted for each of the elflings, so I had posters saying: 'I only have eyes for British Rachel'; 'I wish I was like British Rachel'.

AND I have magic jumping beans! I.e. seed pods with moth larvae in, and they move around! I have already lost one in my room somewhere...but I can hear it occassionally...I think it might be under the bed...

What my elf doesn't know is that I plan to send her gifts in return...when she least expects it!

I SOUND MY BARBARIC YAWP OVER THE ROOFTOPS OF THE WORLD.

I have a secret. And I can't tell you about it because it is a secret. But I will anyway. To some small extent. And in a secretive manner. But you mustn't tell anyone else. OK?

On Tuesday afternoon, I had an adventure. After yoga with the rugby team on the rugby pitch I went to see the athletic trainer (who I really don't like, by the way). I then hobbled to dinner with the other Rachel, and when we had finished eating we decided that we were both significantly crippled that walking to the other side of campus was not something that we wanted to do. So we called PubSafe. For those who aren't in the in-crowd, that is Public Safety. And we begged them to come and collect us and drive us home. Which they did, by the way!

On arriving home I realised that I needed to collect a book from the library which had arrived on a merry adventure from Amherst, so I set off on an expedition with my hat and scarf as it is now about -47 outside. And on the way I collected my mail. Which included something which looked suspiciously like a ransom note. And told me to be in a certain place at a certain time (I can't disclose details, remember it's a SECRET!)

Being me, and possibly stupid, I went to said place at said time (in the black of night) and was only slightly terrified by what was going to happen to me. Turns out, I had been selected for a secret society!! I am not going to tell you about the society, other than that it is a copy of one from somewhere else, and I have dropped another hint somewhere else as well, I will leave you to figure it out for yourself!

It was amazing. And there was secret cheese and secret wine (which, of course, I couldn't drink being under-age and all that jazz). We sat in the dark, and felt thoroughly intellectual and special. And then my poor crippled self was carried down the stairs by an obliging friend.

We are trying to locate a cave for next week's meeting, any ideas anyone?