Thursday, September 11, 2008

Footlong hotdog

ONE day to go and yesterday we went on the unofficial tour of Harvard University with freshmen MK and Tyrell. It was a highly amusing walk around the grounds with some informative commentary on the way. For instance, I had no clue that Al Gore and the actor Tommy Lee Jones shared the same room together while studying at Harvard, or that the statue of John Harvard, the benefactor, which sits in Harvard yard is not actually of the man himself as all records of him vanished in a fire.
We also had the embarrassment of having to do Primal Scream (although we were fully clothed at the time), a ceremony performed by Harvard students every year. The students don't charge for this enlightening tour, rather they claim tips at the end of it. It is probably the best way to see the famous old university and I take my hats off to them for making it so enjoyable and informative.

Later in the day we went to see the Sox for the second and last time on this trip. It was the third game in the series against Tampa Bay and on this occasion took place in the evening.
The Sox fans are an amazing group though, as my dad warned me, no one can sit still for a minute and we were on our feet most of the time trying to catch a glimpse of the action.
We first sat next to a couple who were indulging themselves in wine, beer and peanuts. Having had a good chat with them we went for a walk around and I fulfilled my desire to have a footlong hotdog. We also went into the vast merchandising store at the back of the stadium and I bought a new baseball cap, while Wren bought herself a sleeveless t-shirt.
Resuming our seats we found we were now sitting next to a guy called Al, a teacher from Rhode Island. He was a pretty talkative chap, originally from New York, and we had a good natter about baseball and sport in general.
When the ninth inning closed the score was still tied at 1-1 after what had been something of a pitching duel. As people started to head for home the game went on and on, past midnight, before eventually Tampa scored a three-run homer at the top of the 14th to steal the game. Oh well, can't win them all and the Sox are virtually guaranteed a place in the close season through the wildcard anyway.
By the time we got home we were both pretty knackered, and worried about how we would get all our purchases in our cases. I've bought three pairs of jeans since I've been here, plus a levi jacket and all manner of tee-shirts. With souvenirs as well, the last thing I'm going to have to buy is a bigger bag to accommodate all my hand luggage. See you all soon.

1 comment:

Jack Regan said...

Was one of the blokes on the Haaaaavard tour really ginger? If he was, he was there two years ago! Sounds like you've had an ace time. I trust you've got lots of pix to share.