Where in the World is Meghan O. Mahoney?

Meghan takes on South Africa...again!

2010-07-04T08:44:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone, Meghan here, reporting from Johannesburg South Africa! My colleague Dave and I are in SA during the 2010 FIFA World Cup working with two different events –the ManUp Summit, which is uniting young leaders from around the world to end violence against women and girls around the world, and FIFA’s Football for Hope Festival, which is bringing together 32 teams of young people from disadvantaged communities around the world for a celebration of education, culture and football.

We’ve been in country for about a week and a half and have been doing and learning a lot.
Our first stop was Cape Town, where the vibrant energy of the World Cup was contagious.
When you drive into Cape Town, the first thing you notice, besides Table Mountain, are the miles of Cape Flats townships between the airport and city center. These sprawling communities of tin roofed shacks are the result of the displacement of blacks from the city during the apartheid era. Although apartheid officially ended in 1994, the townships remain a visible representation of the long way the country has to go before reaching equitable living conditions for all its citizens.

Cape Town’s city center sits between its dominant Table Mountain to one side and the Atlantic Ocean to the other. Though a large city, this position makes it seem intimate and it was therefore impossible not to catch World Cup fever.

The recently renovated Green Point Stadium sits right on the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, where fans and tourists from around the world gather on a daily basis to watch games both in the stadium and live on big screen TV’s overlooking the ocean. FIFA has also set up Fan Fests in each city, which are constant parties where fans watch games, dance to live music and celebrate this global event.

While in Cape Town, we had an informal meeting with a few colleagues from the University of the Western Cape who are all the first doctoral candidates of the university’s Interdisciplinary Centre of Excellence for Sports Science and Development. They are all doing really exciting work using sport as an integral tool for conflict transformation, ending violence against women, supporting survivors of violence, and promoting health and education with youth. One woman is even studying the use of sport for development programming as Corporate Social Responsibility practice of South Africa’s wine making industry. Such a study goes to show you just how integral sport is to every sector in South Africa! One of our South African colleagues had also attended the Power of Sport Summit in June, so it was a great opportunity to hear his thoughts on the event and discuss the potential future of the ISDPA.

We were also excited to hear about the upcoming Sport and Development - Beyond 2010 Conference, which will be held in Cape Town in September. One of the criticisms of large scale sporting events such as the World Cup is that much effort goes into creating infrastructure for the event, but the legacy campaigns often fall short of creating lasting change in host cities and countries. The conference will focus on how to use the momentum of the World Cup to continue to support sustainable development in SA. It will be a particularly relevant conference due to the focus FIFA has put on sport for development as an aspect of the 2010 World Cup’s legacy. If you are interested in learning more about the conference or attending, contact sportanddevelopment@uwc.ac.za to learn more.

One of our powerful Cape Town experiences was a visit to the District 6 Museum in the city centre. District 6 is the name of a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town, South Africa. The area is best known for the forced removal of over 60,000 of its inhabitants during the 1970s by the apartheid regime. The District 6 museum itself is a powerful, community owned and operated museum that maintains the collective history of those who were forced out of the community in the 70’s. The success of activities such as genocide and apartheid includes not only the physical effects they have upon their victims, but also the erasure of the history and culture of a people. By maintaining the collective history and stories of the residents of District 6, the museum powerfully represents that though apartheid may have succeeded in physically removing and segregating black and colored people, it could not completely destroy their collective identity, history and culture.

Because of the World Cup, the museum had also added an exhibit focused on the importance of sport in District 6 both before and after the forced removal. The exhibit told a concurrent narrative of displacement, segregation and racism within sport during the development of the apartheid regime, as well as the vital hope and life given to communities because of sport during this time. One of the most interesting points of the exhibit was the history of Green Point Stadium, which was at one time a location of such segregation and racism in sport and is now being used as a symbol of world unity during the World Cup.

We also fortuitously stumbled upon the screening of a film at the D6 museum about the history of black football (soccer) players in the United Kingdom. The experience of the screening alone was worth it – in a tiny room at the back of the museum, we sat scrunched together with community members and random tourists in plastic chairs around a big screen TV. The event really was a fine example of the intersection of grassroots organizing and large scale international sporting events such as the World Cup. The film was really interesting and provided an informative picture of the connection between the UK’s black players and African immigrants over the past century. Seeing the screening also sparked an idea to partner with our colleagues at the University of the Western Cape and the D6 museum to screen Connie Field’s Have you Heard from Johannesburg.

While in Cape Town we also took a tour of the Cape of Good Hope – a breathtaking day trip to the southernmost point of the African continent, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Driving this route truly puts into perspective the juxtaposition of extreme wealth and extreme poverty, which is more prominent than in most any other place we have ever visited. We chose a local, sustainable travel company; our tour guide was a life-long resident of the Khayelitsha township in the Cape Flats, who had a fascinating personal history. As a young man, he had been arrested and shot, but had resolved to follow a path of reconciliation in his heart and actions. He became the first black tour guide in Cape Town and now also works as a mentor for young men and boys in his township, educating them so that they do not live the same life of anger and violence that he lived for some time. He told us that today, issues have changed and now, beyond discussing reconciliation and racial tolerance, he speaks with them about drugs, violence and sexual health. Our experience with Michael was a truly poignant one and though the day included vast landscapes, baboons, penguins and one of the most gorgeous sunsets we’ve ever witnessed, it was our time with Michael and his perspective of tolerance and hope that will remain with us.

Our second stop was Johannesburg, where we have been for the past week or so. On our first full day, we led a youth forum with the FIFA Football for Hope Festival. The festival brings together 32 teams from around the world; beyond just being soccer players, these teams are all part of sport for development programs that link football to opportunities and education in areas such as health, conflict transformation, gender equity and workforce development. The forum we led was focused on giving participants to hear one another’s inspiring stories of success and hope, as well as generating a collective call to action in which the participants would create strategies for continuing to make change in their communities when they returned home. We were fortunate to have Jon McCullough – a former U.S. Soccer Paralympian and current Chair of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s board – join us as a keynote speaker and group facilitator.
MOVING is certainly a way to sum up the afternoon. Having already been involved in and been transformed by their football for development programs, all of our 65 participants were already committed to the idea of sport as a tool for social transformation and were committed to creating change in their communities. In both a large panel discussion and in smaller group breakouts we heard a number of stories of youth for whom soccer had changed their lives. These young people came from some of the most impoverished countries in the world, dealt with violence/mutilation and racism and misogyny on a daily basis, and educated others about land mines and sexual health and more, but all of them were also positive about the future and about the potential of football as a way to unite, educate and change their homes for the better.

Although we had expected all participants to speak English, we wound up having at least 7 different language groups in the room. While this made for somewhat more challenging discussion groups, it also proved the commitment and interest of all participants, who remained thoroughly engaged in conversations, even in the midst of 2-3 translations. One beautiful moment occurred in a breakout room which had 5 different languages being translated. At one time, a group of Cambodian delegates, Indian delegates, and South Africans were participating in a 3 language dialogue about the struggles in their communities. Each sentence had to be translated twice, but every participant and translator remained fully immersed in the conversations, totally moved by an interested in the stories of the international teammates.
At the end of the day, the three breakout groups reconvened to share the call to action documents they had produced. (You can catch footage of this soon on our You Tube page!) While the delegates came from across the globe and faced a variety of challenges, they agreed that Football was a source of hope and change regardless of their location or challenges. They agreed to return home to act as advocates of their international experience, to share what they learned about other cultures, to recruit more participants for their programs so that more young people would have these same opportunities, and to do so as a universal team that recognized the importance of action, education and, of course, fun!

At the end of the day, participants passed the microphone around the room, thanking us for the day’s experience and expressing gratitude for having the opportunity to both learn so much from one another, as well as to discuss ways that they could continue to grow into social change leaders. Among the most rewarding comments was when one delegate commented, “OK, we’ve been talking about all of this for 3 hours...now it’s time to ACT and do something about it!”

After Football for Hope we did get the opportunity to see to amazing World Cup games. The first was the heart wrenching Ghana vs. Uruguay at Johannesburg’s new Soccer City Stadium. The experience was surreal to say the least. 85,000 people gathered in one place to watch the match and it seemed like everyone was rooting for Ghana, the last African team in the tournament. It was incredible to see not only the continent, but much of the globe, rally behind Ghana. The game itself was perhaps the most exciting sporting event either of us has ever witnessed. With a 1-1 tie, Ghana had the opportunity to win the quarter final on a penalty kick when, at the last second of the game, a Uruguayan player illegally stopped a goal from going in with his hand. Asamoah Gyan’s penalty kick, however, hit the cross bar, sending the game into a scoreless overtime, followed by a final exciting shootout. Gyan redeemed himself by easily scoring Ghana’s first shootout goal, but it was not enough for the team, which lost the shootout 4-2. Beyond a heart wrenching loss felt by the majority of the 85,000 person crowd, the game has also raised questions about the ethics of Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, who knowingly broke the rules to stop Ghana’s final shot with his hand. To some, Suarez is a hero and an icon of professionalism who did what he had to in order to win, to others he is a villain who used an illegal move to send Uruguay to the semi finals. What do you think?

The second match we saw was the exciting Spain vs. Paraguay quarter final, in Johannesburg’s historic Ellis Park Stadium, where the Springboks won the famous rugby world cup against New Zealand in 1995 soon after Nelson Mandela’s election (now the subject of the film “Invictus”). The game was another down-to-the-wire nail biter with a number of near misses, saved penalty kicks, and beautiful team play. Ultimately, Spain was able to score with under 10 minutes left, sending them to the semi final round.

Now we look ahead to the ManUp Summit, which begins today at the University of Johannesburg. Excitement is in the air here, as well, as delegates from Sierra Leone, Liberia, the United States, and many more arrive for our opening Braii (a South African word for BBQ). We’ll be participating throughout the summit and will be leading discussions on the bystander approach, engaging athletes as advocates, integrating social change lessons into sport, and using strategic planning to create impactful social change programs. The summit will be a great opportunity to not only share Sport in Society’s message and work, but to learn a great deal from experts and activists from around the globe who are uniting for the next week to support one another in our collective mission to end violence against women and girls.

Go VISTA! 45 Years of Fighting Poverty

2010-03-30T20:40:00.000-04:00

AmeriCorps Newsroom - Senate Commends VISTA for 45 Years of Fighting Poverty

though i'm still not sure what capacity building even means.

The happiest men in the world

2010-02-09T11:19:00.000-05:00

The happiest men in the world - Times Online

In summation:

Learn to meditate.

Cultivate altruism.

Practise mindfulness.

Make space in your life for spirituality.

Find a genuine spiritual teacher.

Be socially connected.

Be physically active.

Take notice of your surroundings and savour them.

Keep learning.

Give regularly.

OR

...do it all.

Plenipotentiary of Fun

2010-01-27T23:11:00.003-05:00

Today (well, probably two days ago) I learned a new and very useful word, thanks to the sister. I think that I should use it as my own title because I'm pretty sure that I'm all powerful. Vocabulary is magic.

plenipotentiary

\plen-uh-puh-TEN-shee-air-ee; -shuh-ree\ , adjective;

Containing or conferring full power; invested with full power; as, "plenipotentiary license; plenipotentiary ministers."

noun:

A person invested with full power to transact any business; especially, an ambassador or diplomatic agent with full power to negotiate a treaty or to transact other business.

Origin:

Plenipotentiary derives from Latin plenus, "full" + potens, "powerful."

Today (and yesterday) I learned

2010-01-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

That sometimes good things do come out of having football on TV all day...see link below.
Ad Rant: Walmart plays on fears of a clown

Results?

2010-01-25T08:56:00.000-05:00

Beautiful quote...Certainly and interesting quote of the day on a day when I'm facilitating a discussion about defining goals and objectives at work:

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/01/quote-9.html

Quotes for the Day

2010-01-18T15:07:00.002-05:00

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be... The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.

Whatever your life's work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.-

What Did I Learn Today?

2010-01-14T22:41:00.004-05:00

As always, I'm searching for a return to my blog and recently have been re-inspired to write by a few friends' blogs, as well as (sadly) the movie Julie and Julia. I'm eager to write, but feel as if I have no real purpose in writing any more. One colleague suggested I start blogging an "Idea a Day," thinking that my head is filled with all kinds of crazy ideas, but honestly I'm a bit intimidated by such a mission and afraid that it will prove I'm just as unoriginal and uncreative as I often fear. And I realize that what makes blogging great is not necessarily grand purpose, but is rather the acute attention to the mundane details of everyday life, but even then I feel like the minutia of my everyday life holds nothing for you, my loyal followers (and by loyal followers, I of course mean, Mom).

But it dawned on me just now that there is a way to frame the minutia that provides some direction and context -- answering the question, "What did I learn today?" A friend asks me that question every night, half in jest, half in earnest, and I always manage to come up with something, whether or not it's a life changing revelation. And generally it's the latter of those two options. Regardless of complexity, humor or innovation, we all tend to learn something every day; it could be about ourselves, other people, business strategies, or plant fertilizing, but every day seems to teach us at least one thing. If I ever reach a point where I cease to learn something every day, then it might just be time to call it quits and hike it up a mountain to meditate for a few years.

So thus begins my return to purposeful blogging - What did i learn today? By Meghan O. Mahoney.

Today, since I spent so much time introducing the theme, I suppose I'll start small.

What I learned on January 14, 2010:
Today I learned that I can have a completely fulfilling day before the clock even strikes 9 am. OK ok. So we all already knew this, but today reconfirmed it. I went on a gorgeous run around both the pond and arboretum. While it hurt the legs a bit, the bitter cold created a serene stillness in the air that made the run seem somehow lengthy in a surprisingly good way for a run. It was literally as if I was the only thing moving in a landscape frozen in time, the only sound coming from my feet crunching against the hardened snow. From an intensely deep blue, the sky changed to a bright, energizing day by the time I was home. After a hot shower, and a few minutes back underneath my covers just for the hell of it, I headed out to make a stop at City Feed for tea and a scone on my way to work....

It is here that I'd like to say my story ends. Besides some additional face time with my favorite people, and perhaps some reading in front of a fire place, I'd pretty much call this the perfect day...and it was only 8:30. I know a lot of people say they work for a sense of fulfillment, but really I think I'd be ok as a kept woman. Yep...running, dozing, teaing, reading - they're about all I need. Work is good and all and fills me with some sense of completion and accomplishment, but to be brutally honest, my a.m. routine is A OK with me.

Contemplating Contemplation

2009-11-24T11:53:00.002-05:00

Share This

...I'm kind of obsessed with this organization and its bloggers.

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Adventures in Acupuncture Part 2

2009-11-11T16:11:00.007-05:00

After checking your tongue, the acupuncturist will check your pulse in 6 different points on your wrists. I think they have 30 something ways to describe your pulse.

Then they feel your belly to get a read of your body temperature... to see how warm your uterus is and stuff.

Then they ask you to describe your stool. Have you ever tried to do that? It's actually pretty difficult. Fortunately, they also have this chart:

It's not just number 2 any more, it's numbers 1-7...so helpful. (And, yes, gross too)

Bee liked my Kierkegaard Quote...

2009-11-08T19:46:00.004-05:00

so here's another I quite like.

Do you not know that there comes a midnight hour when every one has to throw off his mask? Do you believe that life will always let itself be mocked? Do you think you can slip away a little before midnight in order to avoid this? Or are you not terrified by it? I have seen men in real life who so long deceived others that at last their true nature could not reveal itself;... In every man there is something which to a certain degree prevents him from becoming perfectly transparent to himself; and this may be the case in so high a degree, he may be so inexplicably woven into relationships of life which extend far beyond himself that he almost cannot reveal himself. But he who cannot reveal himself cannot love, and he who cannot love is the most unhappy man of all.

And I love Bee.

sure footed as a billy goat

2009-11-05T21:12:00.004-05:00

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.
Soren Kierkegaard

Adventures in Acupuncture Part 1

2009-11-04T22:30:00.004-05:00

For the past few months I have been going through acupuncture therapy, primarily for the IT Band injury that dashed my marathon dreams (no pun intended). The great thing about holistic medicine, though, is that due to the very fact that it's holistic, treatment is basically one stop shopping for all of your ailments. Anxiety, depression, hormones, gastrointestinal disorders...you name it, they'll poke it!

I was at first a tad skeptical about using acupuncture to heal my leg injury. After many months off the leg and lots of strengthening and stretching, I was still experiencing pretty severe pain when I tried to do anything more than walk. I figured it might just be the end of my distance running career. But, since I had no other real choice except PT, which the orthopedic surgeon didn't even seem that convinced of, I figured I'd give it another shot. Without going too in depth about the process and my progress in this post, I'll at least say that I'm now up to 13 ish miles and running my first half marathon back this coming Sunday.

What I appreciate most about acupuncture is that it truly is a holistic approach to care -- every symptom your body shows is related to another, and has to be treated as such. This means that to treat your problems, the therapist actually has to listen to you and help connect the dots. That's right...listen! Really, acupuncture is half psycho-therapy/half physio-therapy and it's a very new experience for me to have someone treating me actually listen to everything that's going on with my body and, more than that, not tell me I'm crazy. (This isn't even that specific of a reference, just a general note about Western doctors who are now so zoned into their computers during visits that traditional standards of human interaction are completely stricken from existence).

One of the most fascinating aspects of traditional Chinese medicine is the diagnosis approach. In addition to asking questions about your history and current state, there are a few primary tests that they do each visit. The first of which, my favorite, is the tongue test. That's right, the tongue test. They don't run blood tests, they don't listen to your heart, they look at your tongue. Until I had my first tongue diagnosis, I had no clue that tongues could be so different, but in actuality they are each unique and tell the story of your health. After my first diagnosis, my acupuncturist told me what she saw in my tongue and then took out a big book o' tongues to show me the wide variety. In all honesty, the book is pretty nasty, but it's been rather remarkable to watch the shape and color of my tongue transform over the past few months...the ripples on the sides are gone and the color is becoming redder and less filmy by the day! Aren't you proud?

where in the world WAS meghan o. mahoney?

2009-11-03T09:12:00.003-05:00

Today, as regularly happens, i was inspired to revisit the good ol' blog. perhaps because this all began as me writing about an unusual year of international travels, i've been wondering what in the world i could actually write about in an entertaining fashion now that i'm a boring 9-5 er and even more boring MBA student.

But then i said to myself, "self, even when you were traveling all you were writing about was the very experience of being boring. Plus, isn't that how Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld struck it big?"

So, if my life was just as boring 2, 3, 4 years ago...what was I writing about then that I thought others might find interesting? Let's see....

FOUR years ago, I was in Denmark, working out my loneliness and angst. And apparently continuing to discover Rilke. I was actually just searcing the other day for the quote I posted and Caitlin just hung it on our dining room wall.

THREE years ago I was running and fell on my face. I still do a lot of that, too.

TWO year ago, I apparently did find something interesting to post... my ostrich riding video from South Africa. I think I missed my calling as an ostrich jockey.

And LAST year, I was honoring one of the most amazing women I've been blessed to know and share genes with. It's too bad blogs didn't exist during her hayday.

And now we come to today. I woke up and read some T.S. Eliot, uploaded some pictures from my most recent travels (namely Greece and Cali) and I'm about to go for a run and will likely fall on my face. I guess some things never change.

Where in the World are the Wild Things?

2009-07-28T23:02:00.003-04:00

Some things are blog-worthy...

(Seriously, I cried during the trailer).

Google Searches for Inner Peace

2009-07-18T10:39:00.001-04:00

Everyone thinks I'm joking when I say we should have a zen room instead of a conference room....

Google Searches for Inner Peace

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you asked for it

2009-06-22T21:18:00.005-04:00

Darling,

You asked me to write you a letter, so I am writing you a letter. I do not know why I am writing this letter, or what this letter is supposed to be about, but I am writing nonetheless, because I love you very much and trust that you have some good purpose for having me write this letter. I hope that one day you will have the experience of doing something you do not understand for someone you love.

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

Happy Fathers' Day

2009-06-21T23:24:00.001-04:00

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.
-Thich Nhat Hanh-

...and for that I am grateful. (Except the fact that my hands really do look just like my fathers')

Nich-Nich

2009-06-05T20:22:00.002-04:00

Get YOUR Bruno fixx

happy anni-mc-versary aunt kathy and uncle dad!

2009-06-01T23:12:00.004-04:00

In case you never heard "their story," here it is:

Once upon a time, my friends, Aunt Mom and Uncle Dad, lived in Watervliet, NY, the land where it is perpetually 1950.

Aunt Mom was a swingin' chick who liked record parties, drinking Coca-Cola in the bath tub, and of course, the mashed potato (the dance, not the starch).

Uncle Dad was kind of the same, but minus all the things I just said. He was, however, on the school's Latin team. This in itself would have made hime the coolest kid in school, but he always got beat up cause he tried to wear his toga to class all the time, when everyone knew that the toga was only supposed to be for Latin competitions. Man, that kid could declinate nouns like it was nobody's business (and it really was nobodies business, cause declination is a very private matter); he could also conjugate verbs like there was no tomorrow, but seeing as how he's since lived a heck of a lot of tomorrows, that theory has been disproven.

Anyways, in addition to being a Latin rockstar, Uncle Kevin was also a Church rock star. A Church rock star?, You ask incredulously, doubting that such a thing could exist. But if you ever saw that cat swing on stage, I mean on the altar, with his leather vest and capo, twinkiling his little fingers off during the Our Father, you'd know it does exist. And you'd probably develop a MEGA rock star crush. Unless he was your uncle dad too, in which case that's just gross.

And it turns out that Aunt Mom DID develop a mega Church rockstar crush on uncle dad. And by Aunt Mom, I mean Aunt Mom's best friend. But uncle dad didn't digg her, he dug aunt mom cause he had a thing for gals with polka dot eyes, and that's just what aunt mom had (green with brown polka dots). She could also sing somewhere over the rainbow in Russian, but that wasn't for a few years, so he had to go for the polka dot eyes.

So, the big moment came when aunt dad was gonna ask uncle mom out (wait, strike that, reverse it), and aunt mom responded by saying she had to "ask her dad," even though she really just had to go get a cootie shot and make sure it was ok with her friend first.

And the rest is really history:
-uncle dad and aunt mom went to the movies
-one time they went looking for a turtle and I'm pretty sure uncle grandpa called the cops cause he thought they was dad
-then it came time to want a dog, so they decided to get hitched
-then some stuff happened
-then they bought a really neat Chagal painting (because love just isn't love without a violin playing goat)
-then they moved to Newark, NY with a bunch of guys named Dwayne and lots of sauerkraut
-then they moved to Utica, NY with a bunch of guys named Tony and Rocco and lots of pizza and arsons

I think somewhere in there they had some kids, but no one is sure of how many are actually theirs except the one that looks just like them, Simon. Simon grew up to be get a PhD and be a MetaPhysician, but none of their other supposed children ever amounted to much.

A Couple of years went by and then it was today and it was their thirty-something-year wedding anniversary (if I knew how to count I could tell you exactly). I haven't talked to them, but I can only imagine they will celebrate very romantically by eating hot dogs, while watching Law and Order with my friend, Cousin Caitlin. If the night gets real crazy, they may even stay up past 10 pm.

Someday I hope I have an aunt mom and uncle dad as swell as my friends, aunt mom and uncle dad.

i'm mean because i love you

2009-05-30T12:15:00.002-04:00

turns out, i can make a living, and help the youths at the same time, just by being the a-hole i already am

liberation thinkology

2009-05-29T23:57:00.005-04:00

sometimes this blog is good. sometimes it's overdone. today it is needed.

i like this bit:

Use reminders to help you stay mindful. There are a lot of mental triggers (or anchors, in NLP terms) you can create to prompt you to return to mindfulness. One great trigger is remembering to be mindful every time you see a red light at a stop light; or just every time you come to a stoplight, green, yellow or red. I have a bell on my bike that I ring when I’m riding to help remind me to be mindful. Another good and more permanent reminder is getting a tattoo somewhere you can easily see to make you mindful.

Trying to learn to use words, and every attempt Is a wholly new start, and a different kind of failure

Because one has only learned to get the better of words

For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in which One is no longer disposed to say it. And so each venture Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate With shabby equipment always deteriorating In the general mess of imprecision of feeling, Undisciplined squads of emotion.
-t.s.-

The Excitement Never Ends

2009-05-24T23:45:00.001-04:00

Just when I thought Boston might be getting a little boring, the US Air Guitar Championships decided to come to town.

Why wouldn't ya?

best email greeting ever?

2009-05-22T23:18:00.002-04:00

you tell me:

Dear Ms. Mahoney,
How are you? Are you enjoying the warm rays from the star that shines the brightest at the center of the universe?

Also, here's some good stuff I saw today:

little girls swinging from the overhead hand rail on the subway
a guy riding with a little pug in a basket on the front of his bike
a dread locked man on the T, eating his subway cookie dessert first and dancing to the song playing in his head
Caitlin G. finger painting with her face

And I'm Back

2009-05-20T21:40:00.001-04:00

Bee is Hiking the AT. She is more interesting than all of us combined. Her words are more beautiful than a medium mint patty explosion on a sugar cone with chocolate sprinkles.

Watch me go....

2009-01-27T21:57:00.004-05:00

Watch me run here from now on: Sport in Society Marathon Challenge

Watch me a-preachin' here: Community Church of Boston

More Miles than Degrees Outside

2009-01-17T14:43:00.004-05:00

Date: January 17, 2009
Distance: 14.1 miles
Degrees: 10
Falls: 2
Breakfast: Oatmeal Carrot Pancakes and the Dima's Omelet at Sorrella's (halvsies w/ Suzanne)

I've decided to add a new category to the weekly training run -- number of falls. My dedicated readers may remember way back to my first "The other day while running I fell on my face post," which was probably the first week of my most recent (and longest yet) running stint two years ago. Sadly, the falling wasn't limited to that time. Who can forget the morning I went out for a short jaunt before day two of emceeing Sport in Society's Power of Sport Summit, tripped over my shoe laces a quarter of the way around the pond, and scraped up my knees so badly that they bled through my pants the entire morning -- it at least made for a good shtick for my introduction at the event.

Because I wear the same shoes for way too long before buying new ones, I had the very same irksome shoelaces untie and trip me not once, but twice on our run two weeks ago - a gorgeous 14 miler through what I consider to be the Best Of Boston - the River Way, Fenway, Copley, the Bike Path, the Arnold Arboretum and Jamaica Pond. Fortunately, we were running more miles than it was degrees outside, so my 4 layers kept me from feeling both falls (or was it the cold-induced numbness?).

Despite the falls, the run was literally sensational! While I try to deny it, getting sufficient sleep really does do my body good and having conked out 10 minutes into a movie on Friday night, I woke up refreshed and ready to roll with 10 hours of sleep in me on Saturday. WOW! Only a few weeks ago I was doubting if I could still run a 15 K ...and here I was busting out a 14 miler and feeling incredible while doing it. My energy wasn't just coming from sleep, though - it was coming from the presence of Suzanne and Mark, with whom I feel honored to run; it was coming from the gorgeous sunshine dancing off of the snow and through the trees in the River Way; it was coming from the ironic sense of freedom that comes with true commitment. Although my face hurt within seconds of starting the run, and the hair poking out from the back of my hat again formed some wicked icicle dreadlocks, and my legs went sort of numb at mile 13, I was physically and spiritually flying with not just a runner's high, but something more akin to a runner's elation!

I knew when I decided to blog about my training that I would want to bring Sport in Society's work into my reflections, but I did not expect that the links to SIS would come as naturally as they have. This particular run my thoughts were very much centered on the economic disparities that exist in Boston's urban communities, as well as the powerful change that can occur with the right mix of leadership, civic engagement, and hope...which is just what Sport in Society works to foster. The thought hit me as we ran to Suzanne's apartment, our halfway point, for a water stop. Suzanne now lives on Mission Hill - one of the most racially diverse neighborhoods in Boston, which has seen a great deal of revitalization in recent years, thanks to tremendous government leadership (especially Sport in Society's Kevin Fitz, after whom Mission Hill's Puddingstone Park was recently renamed) and an incredible combination of community organizations that engage both youth and adults in community revitalization. As we ran to Suzanne's, past multiple run-down factory buidlings, dodging potholes and avoiding traffic, I for a moment regretted taking that route because it was so "unsightly." But instantaneously, I checked myself. "Self," I said to myself, "aren't these streets, these crowded houses, this concrete landscape, the very reason you're training for this marathon?" Yes. I'm running to raise awareness about the disparities that exist ... to remind myelf that they exist ... and to support an organization dedicated to converting the concrete urban landscape into one of hope and opportunity. Last week, my gratitude was focused on my very ability to run. This week, I was incredibly appreciative to be a part of the Sport in Society family, to talk about Mission Hill and how Kevin Fitz, one of Boston's most loved change makers, was also a member of the SIS family, and appreciative for the opportunity to use sport itself to support an organization that brings the power of sport and a wealth of social justice education to communities like Mission Hill.

And then there was breakfast...after much confusion, the team, a few significant others, and coincidentally, a Mission Hill youth worker friend-of-a-friend, teamed up for one helluva brunch at Sorrella's. As always, the omelet was bursting at the seams with an odd assortment of veggies and the pancakes were piping hot and mouth-wateringly delicious! If I had to choose, I would take the pumpkin cranberry pancakes over the oatmeal carrot ones, but luckily I didn't have to choose since I got to trade half my oatmeal cakes for Dave's pumpkin ones.. God bless halvsies and food swaps!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ma/jamaica-plain/592108616722"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;14 Mile River, City, Arbor&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/ma/jamaica-plain"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Week 2 - 13 Miles and Scrambled Eggs

2009-01-11T01:01:00.007-05:00

I am on a high. A sheer high from this week's run.

At the end of last weeks ten miler, I was afraid that I had perhaps lost all of my running juice. I've been running 10+ miles on the weekend for nearly two years now, but the past few weeks have hurt... a lot. Over break I ran a 10 miler with a former coworker of my mother, who smoked me, absolutely smoked me, on what may have been my most painful run ever. Then, last weekend, I had my second awful feeling 10 miler in a row. Because we ran only in one direction, we were running against the wind the entire time. So, although it was a great run overall, it was somewhat brutal beating on against the wind for over an hour and Suzanne and I most definitely clocked our slowest pace yet! This week just added to the feelings of insecurity in my running. I now realize that my lack of juice was an attribute of just getting back from break and getting back into the swing of a full day of work plus evening classes, but every morning felt like I got hit wit a ton of bricks and that my legs just wouldn't GO.

But yesterday was a redeemer for all of the pain and negative feelings. Suzanne, Mark and I set our for our first long distance run as a threesome and I genuinely had a fantastic time for almost the entire 13 miles. It's hard not to enjoy a run when you're blessed with the beautiful sunshine we had yesterday morning. The sky was clear and the sun was radiant. There is still a bit of snow on the ground, so rays of light were dancing off both the sky and ground. The only downfall to such a clear winter day is that it is freakin' cold. I think the temperature read 20 degrees when I left and I didn't have to take off any of my 4 shirt layers during the run as I usually do. Once we got going, the cold wasn't a problem since there was no wind factor, but it does make it extra difficult to get your legs warmed up and in the running groove.

They sure got there quickly, though! I ran from my house (uphill) to meet Suzanne and Mark closer to the pond, if you take a look at the map below, you'll see that the next few miles go behind the pond and up Perkins and Goddard Streets into Brookline. If you know the area at all, you'll know that Goddard St. is something of a mini mountain, going up and up until you get to Larz Anderson Park....but with its gorgeous green hills and amazing view of the city, it's always worth it when you get to Anderson! It's my favorite place to watch the sun rise during a run, but these days I'm generally back home and in the shower before the sun starts showing its head.

I was torn between running up the hill at the beginning both because our legs weren't quite warm and because I didn't want to ruin the next 11 miles we'd have to run, but it turned out to be a great incline. I imagine if we keep running that hill we'll definitely be in good shape for heartbreak hill on the marathon course!

The rest of our run brought us through Brookline's Allandale farm area (even MORE uphill) and back down Centre St. (a very weak downhill for all the uphill) and past the Pond again.
We stopped for a quick water break back at our starting point and then set out for another 4.5 mile loop down the Emerald Necklace to Fenway and back.

I never cease to be blown away by the sheer beauty of the area in which I live. I technically live in one of the biggest cities in the Northeast, yet I can go out for a thirteen mile run and spend most of that time in wooded rolling hills, farmland, and in the quiet of secluded riverway trails. Thank you for that, Olmstead!

While I was certainly tired by the end of the run and could think of nothing but food by mile 10, the best word I can think of to describe the morning was sensational. Literally, my mind and body were alive by the sensations of sunlight, fresh air, good conversation, and as it's written in the Olympic Charter, the joy of effort.

It is easy to experience such contentment while running 13 miles when you're running with Suzanne and Mark, two of the most humble, grateful people I know. Seriously, I can't count the number of times each expressed gratitude for having the sheer ability to run, having a downhill, having good jobs and supportive friends. That kind of positive energy is contagious. They are both quite inspiring in their commitment and determination. Two people who, if they decide they are going to do something, do it. Mark actually ran the San Diego Marathon last year, so is the only Marathon veteran in the group. However, he did it entirely without training, so we've got a step up in that department. He's committed to it, though, that's for sure. It's amazing to me that he can go from barely running, to finishing a 12 mile loop with us without a hitch.

Suzanne is equally as determined and committed. Honestly, the girl is pumping with so much energy that she could go out today and run a double-marathon (yes, people actually do that!). But she's determined to train. And she's determined to do all that she can to honor the memory of Jonathan's mother, who gracefully passed away with cancer this past year. Suzanne shares her faith and love with everyone she encounters and is able to do it in a humble, inviting way that is both impressive and inspiring. Her running is a facet of her faith and where she often gets in touch with her deepest feelings and it has been a joy to be present to that for the past year and it is undoubtedly going to be a driving force for me the day of the marathon.

My own gratefulness and commitment are definitely most present when I run, or reflect on my running. This past week, especially, my thoughts kept returning to how grateful I am for the very fact that I have two strong legs and am able to get out there at all. Sure, after 13 miles it hurts and perhaps I didn't run that 13 miles as fast as I would have liked, but I just ran 13 miles! A lot of people don't have the physical ability to walk, let alone run 13 miles. Others don't have the time, the safe surroundings, or the physical health to even get out the door, let alone run 13 miles. So this week, whenever doubt set in, I returned to gratitude for these two long, gazelle like legs I have.

And I am committed to doing "the leg work" for those who can't. Not only those who can't run or don't have the access to be physically active, but those who are generally disenfranchised by our so often unjust society. No, running a marathon is not going to create a just society. But my hope is that I will be able to use my pursuit as a means of raising awareness and funds for Sport in Society, an organization that strives to foster equity and empower people with the knowledge and tools to construct the just world we all envision. And that is another opportunity for which I am unbelievably grateful. I am thankful every day that I get to work for such an extraordinary organization, and I wish there was even more I could do to support its work and our amazing staff.

Oh, yeah! Breakfast! Let's not forget the most important part - how lucky I am to return home to my own support team, which this week included Jessi, my best friend growing up! DQ took the cooking lead this weekend and made us some AMAZING scrambled eggs with veggies and toast. Jessi put together a sensational fruit salad and, of course, the java was hot and delicious as always! Really, though, the best tasting thing in the world after 13 miles of running is three huge glasses of water and a banana with a dollop of peanut butter!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ma/jamaica-plain/957790882343"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;13 Mile &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Allandale&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fenway&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/ma/jamaica-plain"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Run Meghan, Run

2009-01-03T13:02:00.003-05:00

My two New Year's resolutions are to write more and to commit myself entirely to training for the Boston Marathon, which I'll be running to raise funds and awareness for my organization, Sport in Society. So, I said to myself, "Self, why not just blog about your runs?" Bingo, bango, bongo.

What makes me most excited about training for the marathon is that Suzanne is also in training; she's going to be on the Dana Farber team, running in honor of her boyfriend's mother who recently passed away after an inspiring fight with cancer. There is no better way I can imagine running a marathon than running it with Suzanne by my side. Suzanne has the ability to keep me thoroughly entertained throughout the entirety of a run, regardless of the distance. Although I once feared running with a partner because my running is a time for reflection and meditation, I do not lose that with Suzanne, a person with whom my conversations range between deeply religious and philosophical questioning to frivolous jokes about flatulence.

I'll also be training with Mark, who works for Northeastern's athletic department and recently graduated from Sport in Society's Master of Sport Leadership Program. While Suzanne's Dana Farber team is made up of about 500 people, Sport in Society's team is just me and Mark! I'm excited to have him as a partner, not only because he's able to swing us free burritos at Qdoba, but because he's also completely committed to and confident in our ability to raise a combined $10,000 for SiS. We've already got a number of fundraising events and campaigns in the works!
I may wind up shifting my running blog to a Meghan and Mark training blog, but I figured I'd start here.

People keep asking me if I've started training yet, and my answer has been that I'm kind of in perpetual training. For just over two years, I've been running about three times a week, between 5 - 8 miles during the week and usually around 10 on the weekends. Plus, three times a week I do an outdoor work out with a group of friends, which consists of a lot of body weight training infused with sprinting and core work (lots of push ups, sit ups, and stair workouts!). So, I'm kind of always training. BUT running the marathon takes it to a whole new level. Now I HAVE to run at least three times a week and my weekend distance runs will start making my weekly 10 milers seem miniscule. So today, I suppose, I started my "official" training. From here on out, I'm dedicating myself to going to bed early, eating like a champ ("eat like a champ, play like a champ")...maybe even stepping off the booze bus until the Marathon in April...and running til my legs fall off on Saturdays.

What am I most excited about? Breakfast. Breakfast is good, but breakfast is AMAZING after a long run on a cold winter day. Saturday breakfasts for the next few months are probably going to seem like the best tasting food ever!!! Although I run for ice cream, this training has breakfast written all over it.

Ok, what am I REALLY most excited about??? Getting other people excited about Sport in Society. For a while now, one of my tasks has been developing outside networks of SiS supporters, from people who work in similar fields, to young professionals who want to use their passion for sport to do something for the community. Although there are only two of us running the marathon, I see this as a perfect opportunity to get people excited about helping out...joining our fundraising team, running our water stops during training runs, helping us plan our events, etc. We have a gender violence preventio campaign called Leaders Act. The idea behind Leaders Act is that everyone has a right and responsibility to take a stand against gender violence. Really, however, it relates to everyone's responsibility as a citizen to do what they can to take action and make a difference. So, in this intance, Leaders Run....and my hope is that others will step in and Act in whatever way they can to support our cause. I really feel that this past election and all the attention focused on participation and service has made the atmosphere ripe for community involvement. I want to seize that wave of excitement and get people excited about Sport in Society. And, if you are excited about Obama, then you should be excited about Sport in Society, an organizaiton with a core mission of Social Justice. Listening to Obama speak is like listening to one of our facilitators lead a discussion with youth about "becoming my brother's keeper" by helping one another out, finding ways to engage in life with the eyes and ears of compassionate understanding, and taking action to solve those problems you see around you. Because Leaders Act. I am excited every day to work for an organization that, for 25 years, has been empowering youth through adults to make a difference in their communities and which uses sport and athletes to do it. And now I'm even more excited about getting others just as enthused about having this fantastic organization as a platform to make the changes they are ready to make.

Today Suzanne and I had our first official run back after break. I planned out a route, as I mentioned, focused on breakfast. We went from my new 'hood in JP, all the way through the City, and ended up in my old Somerville 'hood, where we got Acai at Modelo, the fantastic Brazilian bakery on Winter Hill. Acai, if you don't know it, is a "super food" form the Amazon rainforest. It's a berry that is jam-packed with Omega 3's and is blended into a smoothie like meal and mixed with fruit and granola...it's kinda like eating ice cream for breakfast!!! According to facebook, it's the new diet of the stars, so if you eat it you might just turn into Oprah. But, hey, if that happened, then I'd be rich and wouldn't have to do all this fundraising!

The run was, on the whole, great! It was fantastic to see Suzanne after a few weeks, and the 10 miles gave us plenty of time to catch up. We were on the South West corridor bike path for quite a while, so didn't have much traffic to worry about, and then we were in the Boston Public Garden (Suzanne's favorite spot) and running down Beacon Hill's Charles Street, lined with great restaurants and gorgeous brownstones. We were on the Charles for a bit, which every time I'm on it and taking in the gorgeous view of Boston, makes me SO glad I stayed here! At the museum of science we crossed the river and then ran through Cambridge and Somerville, through Inman Square and Porter Square, and then finished with an end of the run uphill push to Peter G. Piro Square....mmmm, Acai. The sun was shining and gorgeous which made for a soul-filling experience. The only down to the run was that we were running against the wind the entire time (since we just went in one direction the whole time). We wound up finishing much slower than we usually do, so either we were talking far too much or the wind was slowing us down as much as it seemed to. When we got there, Caitlin was primed and waiting with warm sweatshirts and a credit card to buy us some Acai. Of course, the support team is the most important part of the training experience!

Below I've posted the map of our run. Suzanne took a picture, but I'll have to wait til she sends it to post it. Thanks for reading and, when we get our page up and running, donating!

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ma/jamaica-plain/602594191128"&amp;gt;10 Mile Acai Run&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/ma/jamaica-plain"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Smile at the world and the world will smile back

2008-12-05T14:37:00.003-05:00

"Sometimes I think the so-called experts really are experts."
-Jack Handey-

"It's like there are emotional stampedes that ripple across this infinite fabric of humanity."

wait for it....wait for it....

2008-11-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

Pure Genius.

Barack was not the first....

2008-11-06T22:43:00.003-05:00

i guess social justice is just in the jeans.
fighting the fight until 98.
God Bless.

and then there was that time i got a tattoo...

2008-10-29T00:36:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics from my recent trip to Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo, where I got myself inked.
Per usual, the day would not have been complete without a little passing out action. AND, to top it off, when I went to upload my files from my camera phone page, I found the pictures from our exciting trip to the ER LAST fall (just about a year ago) after I cut my hand trying to shuck a clam with a steak knife and promptly passed out. Thank God for Jenny and Abby and the wonderful camera phone.

Bonus points go to those who DON'T know what my Tat is and can guess....my English professors will be either profoundly impressed or profoundly weirded out!

you know the economy is bad...

2008-10-27T23:16:00.002-04:00

when you see one bum hit another bum up for money

bum 1: got a few dollars you can help me out with?
bum 2: seriously?

seriously.

Much Ado About Nothing

2008-10-15T19:20:00.002-04:00

Notes on JP:
-Apparently I'm not the only one who skips down Centre Street.
-Last Friday, 6pm, man walking down Centre Street with Tuba upon shoulder
-My landlord does not wear shoes. He wants to paint pink flamingos all over the city to slow down traffic. The city despises him.

Notes on life:
Men make a great ado about the folly of demanding too much of life (or of eternity?), and of endeavoring to live according to that demand. It is much ado about nothing. No harm ever came from that quarter. I am not afraid that I shall exaggerate the value and significance of life, but that I shall not be up to the occasion which it is. I shall be sorry to remember that I was there, but noticed nothing remarkable -- not so much as a prince in disguise; lived in the golden age a hired man; visited Olympus even, but fell asleep after dinner, and did not hear the conversation of the gods.
-HD Thoreau-

And on not writing....

Is not the attitude of expectation somewhat divine? -- a sort of home-made divineness? Does it not compel a kind of sphere of music to atend on it? ... What if I should forget to write about writing. It is not worth the while to make that a theme. It is as if I had written every day -- It is as if I had never written before -- I wonder that you think so much about it, for not writing is the most like writing in my case of anything I know.
-HD Thoreau-

So, it's as if I've been keeping up with this blog all along!

And, to all of you who have 2 years of letters stashed way back in my brain, I guess I can let myself off the hook for not officially writing you! As the profound Joey Lawrence once wrote, "the longer I delayed sending the email, the more necessary it seemed to pump it full of inner significance - which is why so often the best letters simply go unwritten." (Whoa!)

Other things to note:
On the bottom of this web publisher, there is a space to add labels for this post. As examples, they give: scooters, vacation, fall. I choose scooters!

Ya Mahn

2008-10-07T23:25:00.001-04:00

Dig

Two Quotes for the Day

2008-08-27T17:56:00.001-04:00

"My life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is a privilege to do for it whatsoever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment; and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."
George Bernard Shaw

"Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos."
Don Kardong

Speaking of Music...

2008-08-26T20:24:00.003-04:00

Who needs cable or an i-pod when you've got your own acoustic band living in the apartment next door to keep you company while you're cooking and eating and your own solo violinist living behind you to set the mood for the rest of the evening?

Don't ya just love JP?

Also, yesterday I saw a small white yorkie beeping the horn of a pick up truck to tell his owner to hurry up in the fruit market. I shit you not.

but you are the music / while the music lasts

2008-08-06T22:08:00.008-04:00

Some Signs That Might Indicate You're Happy...

You can't get to sleep at night because you're too excited about the next day.
When you finally DO get to sleep, you wake up giggling.
For some reason, when you walk, whether it's around your office, down your street or around the neighborhood pond, you can't help but skip.
You listen to Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing" continuously for a month.
You find yourself getting caught singing really loudly whilst listening to Coldplay's "Strawberry Swing" and other such spirited jigs and reels as you settle into work every morning.
It turns out that the giggling isn't just a morning sickness and lasts throughout the day.
The music keeps going, even when the i-pod is off.
You randomly begin crying happy tears every few days.

And this one goes out to Ballycastle....

And the way up is the way down, the way forward is the way back.
That time is no healer: the patient is no longer here.
When the train starts, and the passengers are setled
To fruit, periodicals and business letters
(And those who saw them off have left the platform)
Their faces relax from grief into relief,
To the sleepy rhythm of a hundred hours.
Fare forward, travellers! not escaping from the past
Into different lives, or into any future;
You are not the same people who left the station
Or who will arrive at any terminus
while the narrowing rails slide together behind you;
And on the deck of the drumming liner
Watching the furrow that widens behind you,
You shall not think, "The past is finished"
Or "The future is before us."
At nightfall, in the rigging and the aerial,
Is a voice descanting (though not to the ear,
The murmuring shell of time, and not in any language)
"Fare forward, you who think that you are voyaging;
You are not those who saw the harbour
Receding, or those who will disembark.
Here between the hither and the farther shore
While time is withdrawn, consider the future
And the past with an equal mind.
At the moment which is not of action or inaction
You can receive this: 'on whatever sphere of being
The mind of a man may be intent
At the time of death' -- that is the one action
(And the time of death is every moment)
Which shall fructify in the lives of others:
And do not think of the fruit of action.
Fare forward.

O voyagers, O seamen,
You who come to port, and you whose bodies
Will suffer the trial and judgement of the sea,
Or whatever event, this is your real destination."
So Krishna, as when he admonished Arjuna
On the field of battle.

Not fare well,
But fare forward, voyagers.

--t.s.--

There's No Place Like Gnome

2008-07-13T22:29:00.001-04:00

The ladies of 55 Halifax journey back to the homeland for Boilermaker '08.

new game!

2008-07-03T22:05:00.000-04:00

Painting or photo i took?! Winner gets a prize to be determined by how much I like winner.

See?

2008-07-01T00:02:00.002-04:00

There IS an important link between social justice and sport!

Andrew Sullivan and the guy he's referencing are on to something.

Also, Here: Who knew? WE Knew!

(We being my fellow sport and social change compatriots, that is)

Act Your (Spiritual) Age

2008-06-22T23:21:00.004-04:00

"The Warrior of the Light behaves like a child.

People are shocked; they have forgotten that a child needs to have fun and to play, to be slightly irreverent and to ask awkward, childish questions, to talk nonsense that not he believes in.

And they say, horrified, "So this is the spiritual path, is it? He's so immature!"

The Warrior feels proud of such comments. And he remains in touch with God through his innocence and his joy, without ever losing sight of his mission."

-Paulo Coelho-

...a fitting quote for this past week in the life o' O. Mahoney

Good things come from good protests

2008-06-20T18:27:00.003-04:00

Check out what my brother was up to during the writers' strike this past year.

...and we all thought he was just gambling away his unemployment checks!

Be sure to watch ALL the episodes!

When reality hits you like a ton of bricks...

2008-06-19T00:30:00.002-04:00

It always comes back to T.S., doesn't it?

T minus two months until the big move out West and, for perhaps the first time ever, the girl without forethought has realized that life is about to change, that she has fallen in love with place and people, and that she is leaving them behind in pursuit of the unknown.

I may have posted this at least 5 or 6 times already, but it seems that when you're the sort who can't quite sit still for a great length of time, it is always the time of dying and rebirth. I leave it to T.S. to tell you what this past week has felt like, but I hope that he is wrong and that, in this case, I can turn again.

from "ash-wednesday"
by t.s. eliot

Because I do not think
Because I know I shall not know

Because I know that time is always time
And place is always only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and...
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice

And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And I pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again...

Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still...

Although I do not hope to turn again
Although I do not hope
Although I do not hope to turn

Wavering between the profit and the loss
In this brief transit where the dreams cross...
And the lost heart stiffens and rejoices...
And the weak spirit quickens to rebel...
Quickens to recover And the blind eye creates...
And smell renews...

This is the time of tension between dying and birth
The place of solitude where three dreams cross...

Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still...

Map My Meghan

2008-06-04T23:29:00.002-04:00

So, I "often" write about my runs, which fuel my day with beauty and contemplation, so perhaps I'll start including the maps, too...at least it's one consistent thing that could keep me blogging. Here's one from yesterday:

Almost 9 miles...Almost entirely UP Hill
Find more Runs in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Green Power

2008-05-30T14:38:00.000-04:00

Dig it:

IZZIT GREEN?

How to have a good day...

2008-05-08T14:02:00.000-04:00

Yeah, this is pretty much my philosophy.

Now THIS is an Awareness Month I Can Get Behind!!!

2008-05-02T17:57:00.001-04:00

Salads of the world...unite!

Uncle Kevin's Big Day

2008-03-06T18:21:00.002-05:00

He's just so handsome!

Unleash Your True Potential

2008-03-04T22:22:00.003-05:00

When was the last time you checked your Spam inbox? It's just fascinating what one will find:

Re: Your Order for Enhancement
Re: Always ashamed of your small tool? Unleash your true potential NOW
Most popular male device enlargement
Wait til she sees the changes.
Re: When it absolutely, positively, has to be there tonight
The person really desired me.
The person was really desired by others.
consider your male aggregate length
Most popular male aggregate enlarger
Never lose hope to improve!
Girth and length - your best companions
10 inches is possible
Who says that wishes can't come true?
Want it to hang?
Upsize where it matters
A little d.i.c.k.
Girls love it when you plunge deeper
Being larger is everything
Does it satisfy her?
Win from benefits of hidden secret of porn stars!
Sorry for the bad news
The person had beautiful eyes.
Now this is funny!
I'm going to show you

And that is only the FIRST PAGE! Thank you for existing, automatic Gmail Spam filter!

Caught ya!

2008-02-28T18:31:00.002-05:00

I love catching teenagers, when they think no one is watching, acting like the genuine individuals they really are. It's so easy to just get pissed off when you see "a group of them" sit down next to you on the train and expect them to be loud and obnoxious -- which is probably they so often decide to meet this expectation by acting accordingly.

But sometimes they don't realize anyone is watching. I usually catch them walking to my office from the train in the morning, when they're headed in the same direction on their way to school. Or sometimes the train will be particularly empty. Usually it happens if there are just 2 or 3 of them. It's typically whenever the need to put on a show is that much less. It's like quietly sneaking up behind a family of deer in the woods and, by staying perfectly still, you can watch them in their true nature as a completely third-party observer. They're just so REAL! And they make me smile and want to grab them and cry out, "Act this way all the time! And, if you already do, get your friends to do the same!"

Tonight I was walking home from the train station and a few were discussing, "the amazing doors or opportunity that scholarships open up for you." YES!

Or, on the way to the train after work, three were discussing how ostracized they felt in class when their teacher only called on and offered supportive comments to the most intelligent student. I wanted to ask who their teacher was so I could go give him/her a lesson in positive youth development.

Or, the other day, three of them on their way to class, with the neatest polka dot and plaid book bags and the most meticulous of outfits, discussed an upcoming history project with sincere interest and excitement.

HaHa!!! Caught ya!

Also, my sister is AWESOME.

Food Stamps

2008-02-27T18:34:00.005-05:00

I just finished filling out an application for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship.

Part of my application required me to write a narrative autobiography (don't even get me started on the fact that it could only be something like 1500 CHARACTERS). I wound up writing about how my current work and my academic interests (international affairs, peace and conflict resolution, etc.) have largely been shaped by the suffering I have witnessed throughout my lifetime: from the soup kitchen my parents brought us to volunteer at when I was 5, to the Zambian village of Nkwazi where I spent a month living and working my first year doing Habitat International.

The other night, while tossing and turning in bed, I realized that while I touched on my AmeriCorps*VISTA experience, I did not correlate it to this larger idea of suffering. And, what good is such an experience if you do not bear witness and open perspectives. So, I'd like to tell you about what it's like to be on food stamps.

I think I made about $5 an hour after taxes when I was in my AmeriCorps year. If I hadn't gotten food stamps I pretty much could not have payed for groceries, rent and utilities. If I hadn't convinced work to pay for my monthly Bus/Train pass, I wouldn't have been able to get to work.

So, what is it like to get food stamps? Well, first you have to go to the Office of Transitional Assistance, which no matter where you live is pretty much impossible to get to. You have to take hours out of your work day to go, because they're only open until 5pm every evening...and it's a government office, so they shut down as soon as the hour strikes. Then, whether you had an appointment or not, you get a number and wait and wait and wait.

If you have no money and no income, getting accepted for food stamps is fortunately not all that difficult. BUT when they decide how much you'll get, they don't care about your medical expenses, or your mortgage, or your car payments. For me, that was ok; work would pay for my T pass and I don't have kids and a mortgage. I had loads of dental bills, but they didn't care. (And by "they" I of course mean "the man").

Using the food stamps isn't all that difficult, or at least isn't supposed to be. You get a swanky little debit card that, I believe, is supposed to make the act of paying with food stamps more conspicuous and less embarrassing. Great if it worked out that way. First of all, I'm pretty sure that the debit card was a dual "poor person alert" card, because as soon as I put it in my wallet I just "happened" to set off the theft alarm every time I walked into a grocery store. Secondly, paying with the debit card was never as discreet as it was intended. It seemed like the computer NEVER successfully read the card; and, each time it failed to go through, the cashier would declare "are you paying with food stamps?" or "swipe your food stamp card again" or something else that completely worked in opposition to the card's intended discreet nature. My favorite was the time my card was out and the woman literally yelled "You're out of money on your food stamp account. What do you want to do?" Ok, maybe this doesn't seem all that bad. And it was never all that bad to me. BUT what if I was someone who was not just on food stamps for a one-year trial run? What if I was someone on them indefinitely, with two kids by my side, perhaps whose classmates were standing directly behind us and heard everything?

But the thing is, they don't just give you food stamps indefinitely. No, no, no. One must be reevaluated at least every half a year. For me, this meant no more food stamps. Why? Well, after originally obtaining my assistance, I moved. This meant that I was now under the jurisdiction of a different Office of Transitional Assistance. And this meant that my "file" had to be transferred from the first office to the new one. When I called the old office to find out how this should be done, I got an answering machine. When I directly called my "agent" I got her answering machine telling me that it was full and she could therefore not take messages. When I was able to leave them, I left them, and left them, and left them, for weeks. Finally, I reached someone, who told me I merely needed to go to the new office. So, on a rainy day, I walked a few miles down into the unsightly region of Mass Ave where the Boston OTA is. Within 5 minutes I was leaving again, told that I had to have my agent send them electronic notification that my file was closed with her. So I called her again. And again. And again. All she had to do was return my phone call and press a button. But she didn't.

Fortunately, I was about to transition into a decently paying job. And, again, I have no kids. No mortgage. I hadn't yet been to the emergency room and racked up my $3,000 bill for a band-aid. I was livid. But really, I wasn't angry on my own behalf. I was angry on behalf of those individuals who were going through the same thing and did have kids, mortgages, bills and weren't about to start earning a decent wage. I understood that the OTA is incredibly busy. Unfortunately, they are in high demand by the vast numbers of people in need of their very important services. However, business is no excuse for leaving people in need in even greater need.

I'm not really sure where to go with this. Or if I painted an effective picture. But hopefully I did at least a little.

Beaud-WIN

2008-02-14T18:53:00.000-05:00

Check out what the Little Ball of Fury has been up to lately:
Faculty art raises questions on first amendment - News

If you want the whole story and examples of her work, check out her site (on the right bar) or her Blog. (I particularly like the bit about the waxing).

Modern Day Community

2008-02-07T09:53:00.001-05:00

Proof that the internet isn't really tearing humanity apart...

And that sport is more than just a bunch of dumb jocks.

An essential reading list for humanity...

2008-02-07T08:44:00.001-05:00

This is a work in progress and additions are welcome.

As I sat quietly munching my Kashi and reading Thich Nhat Hanh's "True Love" this morning, after an amazingly profound discussion about the essence of religion and tradition with Suzanne on our morning run, I was struck by the profound truth in the similarities among a long list of writers and thinkers whose poetry and prose have brought me meaning in recent years. Together, they represent appreciating the beauty of the present, understanding, compassion, joy, life.

Here is just a start ('cause I have to go do my work):
-Merton
-Rilke
-Levinas
-Thich Nhat Hanh
-Eliot
-

Not 'til the at risk for overweight/diabetes lady sings...

2008-02-06T10:57:00.000-05:00

It ain't over 'til it's over...

Seriously.

Be Smart, Vote

2008-02-05T08:59:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to tell you who to vote for...

Though if I were to do so, I would tell you to vote for Obama...

I am, however, going to tell you to Vote...

And even though as I consider my audience, I know I'm preaching to the choir...

It's the least I can do.

If you don't vote...

You have no right to complain.

If you don't vote...

You're saying that you don't count.

If you don't vote...

Well, history speaks for itself.

Dirty Yurting

2008-02-03T21:59:00.001-05:00

If this isn't Yurt-alicious, I don't
what know what is!

who was that masked man?

2007-11-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

sometimes it's hard to believe that i'm not the only one whose life has been shaped for the better by aunt kathy and uncle kevin.

Watch Hope House Parts 1 and 2

I always wondered what I should I do with my avacados..

2007-11-19T22:21:00.000-05:00

Besides guacamole....

http://www.avocado.org

Did I ever tell you guys about that time...?

2007-11-13T23:07:00.000-05:00

I rode an ostrich???

Is it just me?

2007-11-13T22:47:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or does this tree look just like a very tall person, with some very long (almost gazelle-like?!) legs, quite a nice bum and a rather long tail, perched atop this rock? Almost "Pan's Labyrinth"-like perhaps?..........................

.......................................

...................................

Apparently, it's not just me...

There's no joy like the joy of the sun..almost..coming in.

2007-10-31T22:17:00.000-04:00

Three things: first, a greeting; second, a new site to check out; third, an anecdote.

First: Happy Halloweeeeeeen! Boo!

Second: Check out what I've been up to: UYS Young Pros

Third:
So I was running yesterday morning.

No, I did not fall on my face this time.

It was nigh on 6:45 am and the sun was juuuuuust starting to show signs of potentially rising. The sky was this amazingly intense BLUE - but not just any blue - this incredible PURPLE BLUE that was almost BLACK. And that same PURPLE BLUE was the PURPLE BLUE of Jamaica Pond. A lone sail boat sat perfectly still atop the deep dark water (deep in color, of course, cause I'm pretty sure the pond isn't all that deep). Over to the East, there was enough light to make out Boston's Prudential Center just a few miles away...though after a run through the farms and hills of Brookline, the city seems eons away. I'd be headed that way in an hour, but at that moment it didn't matter.

I'm not even sure how I can express the brilliance of the moment. This sheer beauty, coupled with the peaceful serenity of solitude.

And it dawned on me, no pun intended, that this is the stuff life is truly made of..these moments of beauty. People tell me I'm crazy for getting up at 5:15 every morning to workout..and maybe I am..ok, definitely I am.

BUT I thought at that precise moment how different everyone would be if each person resolved to wake up and see the sunrise at least once a week. But that one moment changed my entire perspective for the day. (In all honesty, I don't even think I was really awake until the colors hit me like that. I never really wake up until about the moment I jump in the shower after my runs - I exist in some robotic, dreamlike running stance until that point.)

I wished at that very second that everyone could get to experience a moment like that all the time like I do every day. And it is every day that I wish I had my camera at boot camp to capture the rowers gliding silently over the dark, foggy water or, later, the sun rising in oranges and fiery reds over the Charles with the Boston sky in the background. I think that is my addiction more than the workout itself.

Just think what it would be like if we were all overwhelmed by the world like that on a regular basis. Just think.

There's no joy like the joy of the sun coming in...

2007-08-31T08:57:00.000-04:00

Recently, one of my tasks here at Sport in Society has been to review the applications coming in for my current role as resident Americorps*VISTA. I've gotta say, most of the application essays are pretty terrible. They give you a really tiny word limit, but most people can't even fill that. Granted, it's Americorps, but you should at least try.

It got me to thinking, though: I wonder what I wrote? It was just about this time last year. Did mine suck too? And, now that I'm almost done with the program, did I achieve what I set out to (or, at least, did I achieve what I lied about). So I went back to take a look at my essay and, I've got to say, I'm quite proud of myself - not only for writing a thoughtful, concise essay (the latter part being very difficult for me as you know, dear reader), but also because it seems that I wrote in earnest and, in many ways did something along the lines of what I set out to do. What I was also happy to realize is that, althougy my passions often come and go and I'm often torn between diverse life choices (from cooking to international social justice), so many themes remain consistent between these loves and, moreover, over time.

My true calling? Still haven't found it. BUT!! Somehowe it is tied in with paragraph two and this profound desire to share this joie de vivre with the world:

I want to join AmeriCorps because I cannot conceive of taking on a career which does not have some greater community good in mind. My travels with Habitat International and as a Watson Fellow have only increased my awareness of what it means to be a part of the global community. Additionally, they have shown me just how much there is to be done in bettering that community. And, after spending so much time traveling, I feel it is time to see what I can do within my own country.

I do not know yet what my "true calling" is, but I know that it is aligned with AmeriCorps' mission. I feel that I have the skills and outlook necessary to succeed as part of AmeriCorps - from my broad world view, to my life-long experiences volunteering and doing social justice work. As a hockey player, I know what it means to be a team player and have a sincere work ethic that has helped me succeed thus far in my life. At base level, I can contribute my passion for life and my sincere desire to enable the world to share in my appreciation for living. By spending a year working towards such a goal I know that I will gain an even heightened sense of community, the skills necessary to take my passions into my career, and the profound satisfaction comes with being able to use my God-given talents for a good outside of myself.

PS: My mom left a comment asking where the promised posts have been. In response, I must remind her that another was recently written, which she was in charge of editing. Ahem....

At least there is ONE good thing about NYC....

2007-07-30T22:59:00.001-04:00

Proof HE listens:
Yolato...Frozen Yogurt Gelato

Back to Blog?

2007-05-13T11:47:00.000-04:00

In the Berkshires with my ladies (mom and cOm).
Inspired.
Back to blog.
That pesky writer on my shoulder.

Today I Fell On My Face While Running

2006-11-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

Actually, this was the second time in the past few months that I've fallen on my face while running. I was virtually done with my run, just jogging across the street directly in front of my house and my left toe got caught in the oversized bunny ear loop of my right lace and I ate it. Throughout my run I had been extremely careful not to slip on the wet leaves covering the sidewalks or catch my foot on the numerous broken pieces of concrete and pavement and just when I thought I was safe....oof. Don't worry , I'm alright - just a little scrape on my right hand. The last time I managed to bang up my knee and shoulder in front of the Waltham Papa Gino's (salivating over the "Help Wanted" sign not the pizza), so this was child's play in comparison to that one which was really child's play itself, so I guess this one was more like infant's play which is really laying there sleeping and drooling, so I guess I'm doing ok for myself.

Welcome Back to My Blog!

"Met my life gurus and shit like that" - Or, My Final Watson Report

2006-09-21T01:08:00.000-04:00

I am sitting at my computer after weeks of procrastination trying to figure out how I could possibly fit the whole of my Watson Fellowship experience into five pages. Unlike a thesis or a term paper, I am not putting my writing on hold because I have nothing to write and don’t want to face the prospect of ranting for ages on a subject so inconsequential as the relationship between “Hunger, Consumption and Christianity” in The Lord of the Rings (as I spent nearly half of my waking hours doing my senior year at Holy Cross). Rather, I have everything to write that is, to me, of utmost consequence. My brain and, more importantly, my heart, are bursting to share each and every moment of this past year with each and every person I encounter. But when it comes to wrapping my mind around this incredible journey and formulating pure emotion into coherent sentences I find myself ready to implode - not knowing how to best convey the essence of my great adventure.

Although I shouldn’t be on the internet and should be writing my report, I check my email. A new message has just appeared in my inbox from Rachelle Beaudoin: a former teammate at Holy Cross, one of my dearest friends, my “little big sister” (as she is at least five inches shorter than me), my “mentor” and my initial inspiration in applying for the Watson in the first place. Rachelle was not selected as a Watson Fellow when she applied the year before I did, but her interest in the program fueled my own. When I learned that I was not an original fellowship winner either, Rachelle urged me to believe that all things really do work according to some greater plan. Her phone calls and emails were pieces of advice that only seemed acceptable from one who had not only gone through the same devastation before, but who also holds the same passion for ice hockey. And today, as I struggle to make this report as profound as the year it summarizes while the question of what my next life venture will be competes for mental attention, I find yet another email from Rachelle, offering me a couch to stay on, supporting my interest in Americorps and even urging me to take a position in her own city. Rachelle is not merely a friend – she is a soul mate, an inspiration and indeed my mentor.

So why go into such detail about a college friend when this report should be summarizing my year abroad? Well, to do that I must back track to before my fellowship year commenced. After my final hockey game at Holy Cross, I thought my career was over forever and I literally could not remove my equipment. I wondered, ff I took my skates off that night would I ever them on again? It was a prospect I could not fathom. But at that point I am not sure if I had a complete sense of why hockey was so important to me. Yes, I had been playing for 11 years and dedicated almost every spare moment of my time to bettering myself and my play, but other than the sheer love of the game I am not sure if I ever stopped to ponder just what hockey added to my life. In February of 2005 it was the inability to imagine a life without hockey that made me physically incapable of unlacing my skates, but it was not until my Watson journey that I fully realized exactly what a life without hockey would mean as I experienced life where hockey was indeed my only demand, my only currency, my only social web in an array of foreign settings.

At the beginning of my fellowship year I worried that my days weren’t “active” enough, that Denmark wasn’t enough of a stretch or as interesting as tramping through a third-world country on a donkey. Why did I choose ice hockey? If only I had taken Mysticism earlier on in my collegiate career, I would have proposed, instead, to hunt down shamans, monks and Sufis and walked the mystical path of enlightenment! But as I began to look deeply into my experiences, I realized I was walking my own unique mystical path – one that required me to play ice hockey. By playing the game that has shaped me and comforted me and pushed me to become better in so many ways throughout my life I encountered a number of personal “gurus” who have provided me with models of the way I would like to live out my adult life. Much like traveling to other lands enables me to pick and choose elements of various cultures to develop my own personal ethos, all of my gurus have shown themselves as extraordinary women (and a few men), whose qualities I would love to succeed in emulating and will be much better off if I do. Each woman is completely different from the next and each has offered me insight into an entirely different aspect of myself and my desires. But what unites them all is that they are all independent, strong-willed, free spirits - the kind of woman one has to be in order to successfully make one’s way into a “man’s sport.”

I never would have even traveled to Denmark had I not received a response from Laura Mackenzie in regards to the email I sent to nearly every ice hockey union in Europe requesting information on their women’s programs. Laura, as I have previously written, is a true inspiration. She began her hockey travels nearly 5 years ago, leaving Canada and going to play in Denmark and Australia with friends. Her travels were much like my own, only she did it all without a fellowship. In their first year abroad, besides making up for the partying they missed as busy Division I college athletes, she and best friend Tamra Jones were among the first to push for gender equity in both countries. When it was time to go to Australia, Laura fell in love and continues to fall for a man she met while “talking hockey” in a bar. Her passion for hockey is just a manifestation of her passion for life. She does everything with zeal: playing and coaching; providing in-home care for quadriplegics; learning Danish (which she advised me not to even attempt!); and dancing in her pajamas at midnight. At thirty years old, life is still fun for Laura and, to me, that is the one thing for which we should strive.

In Denmark there was also Tine Perry – women’s hockey legend and still one of the nation’s top players at 40 years old. Tine played when girls were not allowed play in any leagues and told me of her struggle to fight the inequality within the sport that is significantly less apparent today. At 40 years old, she is the most ripped mother, nay the most ripped woman, I have ever met. I envy her six-pack. She is a caring mother, player and coach who spoils her children with love and reminded me of the important role families – especially dedicated mothers – play in creating successful hockey players. If I am as cool of a mother as Tine when I am forty, then I have done something right.
(In this pic we have Charlotte Hansen - whom I didn't even get to mentioning! - Tine Perry and Laura).

I must also mention Camilla Bedmar, with whom I often filled days drinking coffee and talking about everything from hockey to books and esoteric religion. Though I share hockey with all of my teammates, Camilla is one of the few with whom I can also nourish my love for intellectual and spiritual dialogue. Often I am known only as “the hockey player,” especially when I choose hockey as my primary topic of study. But I am so much more. In fact, I consider myself much more of a bookworm than a jock – I am, I suppose, an “intellectual jock.” With Camilla I remembered that I am not alone in this respect. She too craves learning and understanding. She is one of the few people I met in Denmark who embraces the ideals of the liberal arts. She refuses to choose a career path based solely on the need for money and considers her self-assigned reading list far more important. Though life is till fun at 34, life is still serious, hockey is still serious and books are of utmost importance. Although her goal-tending will be put on the backburner this coming year when she has her first child, we all know she is not done playing and I know she will never be done learning.

Hockey in South Africa is small and women’s hockey is therefore miniscule. However, in the handful of female hockey players I had the pleasure of meeting, playing with and living with I encountered a handful of equally inspiring, fascinating women. It is no coincidence that I stayed in Cape Town with Kirsty Oxenham and her hockey-playing boyfriend Bobby. Both are two of the kindest most generous individuals I have ever met. Although hockey has become a recreational sport for Kirsty after a few years playing with the national team, she still thirsts for instruction and betterment. She is also one of the most cheerful individuals I have ever met and within hours of meeting we talked as if lifelong friends. Kirsty’s religious conviction is captivating and almost guilt-causing. Her positive energy and love has transformed her boyfriend into an equally uplifting and goodhearted person and due to her influence I sincerely feel a desire to better myself both in her presence and even now when we are an ocean apart.

Then there was Jadi Wessels who has used her difficult upbringing as incentive to better the lives of others. Her house is a literal zoo, filled with the countless stray and abandoned pets she has taken in and spends nearly her entire paycheck caring for. The rest of her check goes to Michaela, the 4 year old girl she began baby-sitting three years ago when she met her parents in a local pub and refused to let them take the child there all day every day as they were accustomed to do. Instead, she cares for her when she is not working and will not let the child feel the same pain and abandonment she once experienced. And Jadi is only 22. But for all the growing up she has already done, she luckily still has hockey, the one place she can still play. Although she hopes to begin coaching and in order to prevent South African women’s hockey from dwindling into nothingness, I hope she continues to be “selfish” in this respect and allows herself to keep playing and inspiring girls in that way.

Sabrina and Nadine also had to grow up too soon when their mother passed away when both were quite young. Sabrina, being a few years older, had to take on a maternal role for her kid sister, but it was actually Nadine who got her big sis’ into hockey. Their hometown of Durban is well-known as a surfing spot, but the ice rink was always a place of cool refuge after spending hot summer days out on the beach a few blocks away. Local recruiters asked Nadine to start playing when they saw her skate and when Sabrina got sick of watching and driving it was time to start playing herself. It was on the ice that they were again sisters. In fact, Nadine, who is probably the nation’s most talented female player, became the role model. The rink was therefore a retreat back into childhood for the sisters, as well. The two are now in their late twenties and leaders and coaches in different provinces. But they still meet on the ice in the annual inter-provincial tournament where they compete in the game that brought them together as sisters.

Tamra Jones is Laura Mackenzie’s true “other half.” The two became best friends as New Kids on the Block-obsessed teenagers and the rest is history – one long, amusing history of friendship, love, hockey and beer. Through our mutual friend Tamra readily invited me to coach at a girls’ camp in her now-hometown of Adelaide, Australia. The camp became more of a small power skating clinic in which the two of us were students rather than coaches, but I relished the opportunity to learn not only more about my skating technique but also about how to lead an extraordinary existence. Tamra grew up in a hockey household in Canada and it was only natural that she went on to play at Brown University. Although she was also recruited as a Division I golfer, her heart was with hockey. I would never have wound up in Denmark if it were not for Tamra, who was the first import player in Rodovre and then brought Laura to Adelaide and back to Denmark to play with her the next year. Tamra is still famous in Rodovre for her feisty attitude; in her first two seasons she staged a walkout of the Danish National Championships when the females were unfairly treated and bridged a social gap between talented and beginning players that once existed on our team. While Laura got “stuck” in Copenhagen, Tamra got “stuck” in sunny Adelaide. Not satisfied merely coaching, she is now gaining Australian citizenship so she can play for their national team and help them get to the next Olympics. Beyond being a hockey player, she has her MA in Education and is working towards a PhD. She is an entrepreneur who has started a company called “Hockey Fit,” which specializes in strength and conditioning for hockey players. She is a wine connoisseur and the “mother” to a house of four hockey players ranging from 18-35 years old. Time spent with Tamra is, above all else, fun. She lives each moment to its fullest, admittedly because he has had numerous friends die young and knows that life is too short not to make the most of it. Her wisdom far exceeds shooting technique and vineyard grapes; she spoke to my very fears about falling into a life of monotony and selfishness and showed me that it is indeed possible to “live the life you imagined.” She and Laura still dream of moving back to North America and starting a collegiate hockey program together and I sincerely believe that they will do it. Like Watson fellows, Laura and Tamra aren’t the kind of people that just say they are going to do something – they do it.

When I first met my New Zealand roommates Deb Bain and Sally Dickson I thought that they were in their mid-thirties. My jaw dropped when Sally admitted that they are nearly fifty years old. I want to be Deb and Sally when I grow up. At first I thought it was something in the water that seems to keep Kiwis looking so young, but I quickly learned that it is their active, healthy lifestyle that keeps them happy and young at heart. Deb founded the women’s league in Christchurch years ago and although she is the nation’s oldest player she is still one of the best. Her love for the sport leaves her unable to quit playing at the national level, even though most of her teammates are teenagers young enough to be her daughters. In addition to being on the national hockey team, she is a national water and downhill skiing champion, avid tri-athlete, moonlighting vending machine owner, and genuine goof ball.

Sally started playing hockey at the suggestion of friends who thought it would be a good place for her to meet a man. Instead, she met Deb – not exactly the relationship her friends had imagined. Although she is the more serious of the two, she is by no means boring; her award-winning travel agency earns her enough to live on, but she has a zest for life and activity that has allowed her to succeed in a variety of careers. In addition to their work and busy weekends camping, spending time with their equally amazing mothers and building a second home, they run the hockey league, which would fall apart without their dedication and wisdom. Deb and Sal were part-mothers and part-friends to me, caring for me and partying with me in one fell swoop. Their happiness was contagious and they are therefore my role models not merely due to their dedication to hockey, but due to their dedication to “the good life.”

“Coincidence is the anonymity of God,” my father wrote to me, and indeed God put these amazing women on my path to show me the way, to make this year easier, and to direct my future life. I expected to “study” female hockey players around the world, but little did I know that my journey would become such a self-study in which my “subjects” were in fact my own atypical spiritual masters – whom I found not in the religious ring, but in the rink. I learned about myself by witnessing the struggles and successes of these amazing women, who are all in so many ways different versions of myself at various points in life and altogether represent the various facets of my entire being. These friends, like Rachelle, are what kept me going this year through their hospitality, wisdom, company and outstanding example of how to live life with passion and joy. I now know that it was not merely my love for playing hockey that made it so difficult to take my equipment off when my college career ended. Hockey has been my life’s blood, has provided me with my most sincere friendships, has shaped me into the independent, out-going person I am now. And, thanks to these women, I now see that I can continue to be the very same person throughout my future life, whether or not I am playing hockey (though I also now know that I can and will never stop playing).

I have coursed the face of the earth and realized, just as in a mystical encounter, that everything really is one, that all people are connected in some way (indeed in the small women’s hockey world, one realizes just how small and connected that world is!) and that all things really do work out according to some higher order. What the Watson truly entails is putting one’s trust in a world that so often does its best to darken humanity and it is only by doing so that my sincere faith in humanity was refreshed and restored. Upon each of my arrivals, I was greeted with a smile at the airport and welcomed into a complete stranger’s home; I was trusted solely on my membership in the female hockey world, and trusted in others based upon this unique kinship and some distant notion of fate and faith that is no longer all that distant.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

2006-08-29T10:35:00.000-04:00

I think I need to go back and read 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being,' which I think was probably a bit heavy for me when I read it the summer after freshman year. I enjoyed it then, but I think its "weight" totally escaped me. But lately, as I try to wrap my mind around all that has happened over the past year and attempt to use language to express everything I felt and experienced - either verbally or through my writing - it all seems utterly futile.

In so many ways it is as if nothing has changed since I first left nearly one year ago: Except Me. Things look the same, people act the same, food tastes the same, but me, I've got a new history of events, relationships and emotions that are now entwined with my very being. But what do I have to show for all of this besides a head full of memories and a computer full of digital photos? Experiences are fleeting, emotions are temporary and relationships are inevitably changed when you go from living with a person to monthly email exchanges.

How then do I proceed from here? I want to tell everyone each and every detail of each and every moment of my journey, but as soon as I try I hit a wall. Actually, it's more of a double edged sword: either I'm struck with the feeling that people just don't care, don't want to take the time to learn about the details of each picture, and wouldn't understand anyways, or I'm completely incapable of transforming these memories into language. It seems as if after a year of travel the most I have to show for it besides the pictures is this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I just lived a tremendous dream (or is that just indigestion?).

To you, dear reader, this probably seems utterly somber and depressing, but really it isn't. I know that in a more existential and less tangible sense that this experience was something extraordinary that will undoubtedly shape my future both in terms of what I do with my life and the numerous relationships I have developed around the globe. But the very fact that my experiences were all in foreign lands now makes them seem even more foreign, so much so that I keep saying "last year" in reference to senior year, as if this whole past year really was just some weird dream, after which I woke up to the very same life I was living before I left, but with some eerie feeling that it really did occur.

It is both a blessing and a curse that the Watson Foundation holds us accountable for so little at the end of our fellowship: 5 pages double spaced. Five pages double spaced!! How do I possible capture all that I want to convey in five pages? But even with that problem, how do I even begin to write it all down when at this point it still seems like pure emotion and thus every time I attempt to write I start to cry?

I guess I have to go back to Eliot on this one, who said that words fail, but ultimately, it is all in the trying. So I'll keep blogging, journaling, working towards my book and final report and eventually I'll find something at least close to the right words.

So here I am, in the middle way, having had twenty years—
Twenty years largely wasted, the years of l'entre deux guerres
Trying to use words, and every attempt Is a wholly new start, and a different kind of failure.
Because one has only learnt to get the better of words
For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in which
One is no longer disposed to say it.
And so each venture Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate
With shabby equipment always deteriorating In the general mess of imprecision of feeling,
Undisciplined squads of emotion. And what there is to conquer
By strength and submission, has already been discovered
Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope
To emulate—but there is no competition—
There is only the fight to recover what has been lost
And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions
That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss.
For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.

-From "Four Quartets" by TS Eliot

Funny how TS had the same problem with not being able to put into new words what the great writers before him already said, but in dealing with his problem, actually said it so well that his words are what I turn to. No?

(I know...I am an Uber Dork.) cheers.

Home?

2006-08-08T11:37:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm home....or am I? What is home? It's a question we discussed on end this past weekend at the Watson conference, but it is one that shall never truly be answered.

One question that was answered, however was, "Is Meola's as good as I've been dreaming about for a year?" The answer, "INDEED." Yes, I missed my loved ones, I missed my stuff, I missed America, but I REALLY missed my ice cream. Mmmmmm, Mint Patty Explosion! (I'm still not sure who the guy is in the picture with me).

Is home where you live? If it is...then do I not have a home as I continue my nomadic lifestyle until I find a job and a place of my own? Or do I have countless homes all over the world where I have temporarily lived, including all of the couches that have already been offered to me since I've been back? Is home still Utica, where I probably haven't spent more than two weeks at

a time in the past three years and where all my stuff from college still awaits for me to unpack it?

If home is indeed "where the heart is," then I suppose my home is just the world itself. This past year, if anything, has reaffirmed my faith in humanity itself. My mom wants me to write a book entitled, "How to Travel the World for a Year and Not Pay for a Single Night's Accomodation." But it's not all that difficult. All you have to do is reach out to the world and the world will reach back. Despite delving into so many varied projects over the course of our journeys - from "finding the perfect beat," to singing protest songs, to playing ice hockey - I realized at the conference that every Watson fellow ultimately had the same experience and came "home" with the conclusion that what we really learned over the past year had little to do with our actual research projects and everything to do with meeting wonderful people, who opened their homes and hearts to us and welcomed us into their communities without hesitation (except perhaps the Danes, who are just a wee bit hesitant at times!).

But now I'm back. The Watson journey is over and the Life Journey is just beginning. What's next? I haven't really got a clue. For now it's crashing on Caitlin's couch yet again until I find gainful employment and a place to live and although I've got many reservations about being back, fearing that life at "home" may seem utterly mundane compared to my fellowship year, I am so excited about having a place to call my own at last - unpacking my suitcase, decorating, sleeping in a BED!, knowing where everything is in the kitchen! As for employment, I've got a few resumes in to various jobs, but it seems like the front-runner is Americorps. I've got this increasing desire (especially after this year) to make whatever I do in life a means of contributing positively to the world. Yes, yes, I know that I can make a positive contribution in whatever field I choose and one can always volunteer and stuff in one's spare time, but I need to do more. Unfortunately, my fellowship year did not, as I had hoped, leave me knowing what I want to do. Rather, it's only left me more confused. I want to be a writer, I want to go to culinary school, I want to travel, I want to do something in the International Relations field. No, they're not all mutually exclusive, but the question is, "what next?" So Americorps should be good because it is a job doing meaningful work without having to do solely volunteer work or travel abroad, it will force me to make a decision when my stint is up, and it will keep me constantly aware of the world I so want to help positively impact.

There is so much more, but I want to post this before I wait any longer and it never goes up (I started it about 2 weeks ago). I shall return, perhaps having a swell new "job" to tell you about. Until then, stay safe, live well and if you want to donate any money to the "Meghan is now jobless and poor now that TJW isn't funding her life anymore Foundation" feel free to shoot me an email.

South Afreeeeka Again!

2006-06-30T08:16:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is gonna be quick cause my comp is out of batteries!

New Zealand = Brilliant!!! I saw almost all of it and still that wasn't enough. Can't wait to post all of my glorious pictures, but just go and watch LOTR and know that the movies don't even compare to the real thing. And it's not just the beauty, the people are equally as amazing. It was definitely my hardest departure yet (aside from leaving home) and some tears were definitely shed.

South Africa = I'm baaack. The sun is shining and it is on bright sunny days like these that I am thankful for global warming. It's been a bit of a frustrating week, as I arrived here and learned that they're again on school holidays and hockey won't kick into gear for another 3 weeks! This does allow me to travel, so tomorrow I'm off for some hockey in Pretoria, some more hockey in Durban (about a week left in each place before their holidays) and then a wee bit o' travel down the "wild coast" and "garden route" before my FINAL week here in cape town.

That's right...less than one month left! Crikey! I was only able to get a flight on the 26th of July so I will be back quicker than I can eat a pack of TimTams. It's been and continues to be one incredible journey and I am sure this last month will be equally as wonderful. As I near the conference I am struggling to find just the right way to present my 10 minute "show and tell" at the conference in a way that is fun and informing and gets at a fraction of this wonderful trip, so i'll keep you posted (who am i kiddding? no i won't!) on my progress.

Until then, hi hi!
-meghan
(wow, that is a record for my own ability to be concise. well done, me.)

Eight months to the day

2006-05-17T17:19:00.000-04:00

"Day unto day uttereth speech. The clouds change. The seasons pass over our woods and fields in their slow and regular procession, and time is gone before you are aware of it" (Thomas Merton, Seven Story Mountain).

Eight months ago, I was boarding a plane in Boston's Logan Airport, wondering just what in the hell I was getting myself into. Everyone was speaking Icelandic and I was about to arrive in Denmark, which I had to locate on a map two weeks earlier. And now, suddenly, I find myself in New Zealand, the exact opposite side of the world, dealing with a much different kind of ambivalence - torn between not wanting this fantastic journey to end and, at the same time, very much looking forward to getting home to see my friends and loved ones and to eat copious amounts of frozen yogurt at Meola's Wayside Dairy.

Fear not, though, I am still living wholly in the present, truly soaking up everything this marvellous adventure has to offer. In fact, I've been so immersed in life here that I hadn't realized that it has really been just about a month since my last update - I thought it was only a week or two ago! Perhaps this mental lapse is because of how quickly and easily I've gotten into the rhythm of life here:

I'm still with Deb and Sally, who beyond being wonderful, open, warmhearted people, also have some of the most interesting hockey stories to share, since Deb was actually the one who founded the women's league here and has been on every national team and provincial rep team in their histories (beyond that she's a national water skiing champ, and triathlete). My plan was to find my own digs, but it will probably turn out that I will just stay with them, as I'll only actually be in Christchurch for a total of two and a half weeks left, with 17 days of travel planned to start at the beginning of June.

And although I have plenty of time for relaxation and mental activity, I find myself quite busy, which I did not expect. Hockeywise, I am playing in two leagues, including a men's checking league where I feel quite accepted and respected by my teammates, who describe me as "Meghan, the girl who plays in our league and is better than all of us." I am finally at the point where I feel totally comforatble and confident with the men, though I've learned that I am a hopeless checker and its best for me to just ignore the fact that it's an aspect of the game! (I have thrown a decent number of solid hits though, and I always impress the guys when I take some huge ones too). I am, of course, also in the women's league, which consists of 4 teams, though I often play against all the same core players because we usually have trouble getting an entire roster of 10 players to show up for a team's game, so subs are called in from the other teams. I am lucky to be coached by a man named Rob, who has an equally long history with the women here, and who because of his positive coaching style and creative criticism, never has trouble getting most of his players to show. Rob actually began coaching the women 10 years ago when he was reffing the national tournament and saw that the Canterbury Rep Team (ChCh is a part of Canterbury) was hopelessly attempting to play without a coach. Rob basically stepped on the bench and said he was their new coach and he's been with the women ever since then! The level of women's hockey overall has grown quite a bit since then, but they lack the depth of talented players and dedicated players who will make their national team prosper. They are certainly limited by only getting one ice time a week and I am utterly impressed by how well these women do play and how intelligent they are about the game (as women around the world seem to be), despite that lack of ice time. So, although I kind of school everybody and try not to score too much, the games are a blast and filled with laughs and good fun and are not too painful to play with everyone slow AND out of position - just slow.

Beyond my hockey leagues, I have just begun coaching in a weekly HS development league, which is not sponsored by any schools, but is open to all local students to come. They have a few levels, and I am basically workin with the learn to skaters. Learn to skate + teenagers = hard work. My first session was a lot of fun, though, and I am glad to help in any way I can, as their current coach is doing it out of the goodness of his heart but really has a short hockey background and is dying for assistance. I am also about to start helping out coach the Tykes in the youth league, as well as some of the 9-16 yr. old teams, on which about 14 girls are playing at various levels. Unlike SA, the coaches here are volunteering, but I am happy to see that they are not only using the IIHF "Learn to Play" program, but they all exude positive enthusiasm and a real desire to have me help them and give them a few pointers as well.

Hockey-wise I have also been conducting a lot of interviews. They are all much easier to conduct here than anywhere else I've been, since most people live relatively close to the rink, and it is easier to set up with people who not only speak English as a first language, but who also are very open and willing to be interviewed. The girls often just rush in and out of the rink, so it is a great way for me to be meeting everyone since we are only there once a week together. So, basically, the rink is becoming my new home!

I am also doing a lot away from hockey as well. I began volunteering at two places - on Wednesdays I cook lunch at a Church in a low income community, where I am one of three volunteers with a group of people doing it as court-appointed community service, and I am doing casual office work for the Red Cross. I was first adverse to doing Red Cross work, thining office work wouldn't be all that rewarding, but I then recalled how much they did for us after the fire in August, and knew it was the least I could do. And what a good thing i did! I have been helping the marketing manager, who is actually working on a book of personal narratives based on oral interviews much like my own, but his focused on the 75th anniversary of the RC in NZ, so he's been great to shoot ideas off of. Plus, he's offered to help me get TV and Radio spots to talk about my research and promote hockey here, which is quite unknown. And I think I have done less work for them than I have gotten to do fun things, including a trip to the west coast, my first elite rugby game (the Crusaders!), and giong to a Maori "Marai" for a feast with a boatload of Kurdish immigrant families - plus I've even met a few hockey contacts who work there.

Other than that, I've gotten to do a lot of reading and writing, going to the gym and running, and just enjoying life. It's been raining like whoa here, but there has been enough sunshine to keep me smiling. I wouldn't call ChCh my favorite city in the world, but the people and my activities have made it a place I am sincerely loving to be. So, although I am indeed looking forward to my return to SA - and already working on setting up some power skating camps there - and thinking about my eventual return home, I am fully immersed in life here and it will be sad when the end comes, and comes sooner than I know it.

Eight months ago, I was wondering why I didn't propose to go study with a mystical guru, or something "more exciting." As it turns out,though, I have indeed walked the mystical path in a way, realizing through all the connections I am making just how connected we all really are - thus really raffirming my faith in humanity and forcing me to tap into my own "creative void" and write. Plus, as I am realizing, all of the extraordinary women I am encountering are, in fact, my gurus, showing me the kind of women I want to AND can become: creative, atheltic, adventurous, not your typical 9-5 gal! And as I continue to play and my interviews increase and I see my story reflected in theirs, and as I see the end of my playing career perhaps approaching, I am aware of how blessed I am to be able to continue to play the game that really has shaped me into the person that I am today....so if you don't like me, I suppose you can blame hockey.

Oh, and happy mothers day (belated) to all the hockey moms out there, who dragged us to rinks at 6am and sat for hours in the cold, who bought us expensive kit, and who drove us 4 hours and back to a game in the midst of snow storms.

Here's two more to keep you thinking:

"Because there is happiness only where there is coordination with the Truth, the Reality, the Act that underlies and directs all things to their essential and accidental perfections: and that is the Will of God" (Merton).

""In one sense we are always travelling, and travelling as if we did not know where we were going.

In another sense, we have already arrived" (Merton again).

Cheers,

Norm

Dang - Those Hobbits Gots Some Big Feet!

2006-04-21T18:03:00.000-04:00

Well hello there, e-world. Can you believe it's been over a month since my last update? I think I've been putting off blogging because so much has been going on that I fear it will turn into another painfully long post for you to read. I will do my best to be brief, but be warned that they didn't call me '26 Pages' in my Tolkien seminar for nothin'.

Where in the world is Meghan O. Mahoney? Right now, I am happy to say I am in Christchurch, New Zealand, now unbelievably SEVEN MONTHS into my journey! I haven't seen any Hobbits yet, but the cat where I am staying is named Frodo.

When I last left you, I was thoroughly enjoying my stay down in Cape Town, where I made some extraordinary friends whom I'm really looking forward to seeing when I head back there in July. The highlight of my trip may have been when I was "allowed" to play with the men against a Finnish club team that had come down for some exhibition games and I went from playing third line, to not being taken off the ice and being named "Man of the Match" and acquiring a fanclub along the way. I saw almost everything there is to see on the cape peninsula, so when I go back I hope to see much more of the country itself, perhaps getting to Jo'Burg and Pretoria to see the hockey there. SA is a fascinating place. The direct juxtaposition of extreme affluence to extreme poverty is more striking than any place I have ever been and as much as I love it, it is impossible to escape the rampant political and cultural problems that still lurk as a result of apartheid.

I left SA at the very end of March and it's a good thing I did because my last weekend there the club I was playing in was actually banned from play by SA Ica Hockey Assoc. because, they claim, they let players on the ice who owed the association money (one of them only owed $3!). Basically, however, it seems that the real reason is a conflict between Cape Town and Jo'Burg and the president not wanting Cape Town players to usurp his power after seeing that he knowingly allowed the national team to take the ice while intoxicated not once, but two times, against the Finnish team. I have never seen a game so destroyed my politics as it is in SA. And it was tragic to see the young kids unable to play because of such bull. I think things have been "resolved" since then and they are at least playing once again.

After that it was off to Copenhagen for the Danish national championships, which we unfortunately lost to our rival in the final game. Win or lose, it was great to go back and see a few people one last time. Although we didn't have the big blow out party I was promised, Laura, Claus and I did have one wicked pajama party my last night there.

Then it was a mad dash for Adelaide, Australia and on the way debating having to pay 1,000 bucks for my excess luggage and at least getting it down to 150. I spent a terriffic two weeks in Adelaide, participating in a power skating clinic (the camp I was going to coach at was cancelled due to a lack of interest). I stayed with Tamra, Laura's best friend who is also a Canadian and will soon have Aussie citizenship to play for their national team, as well as her three housemates. The camp was amazing and I made good friends and travel buddies with a woman who travels the world coaching skating and coaching clinics and is basically an older, quirkier version of me. We had a terriffic time playing tourist together and, as it turns out, she wants her next stop to be Africa so I am now working on getting her down to SA with me in July since I wanted to set up a camp while there anyways. I absolutely adore Adelaide, which is a tiny but beautiful city, right on the ocean. The one thing that really struck me about Australia was just how new everything is. We think America is young, but Oz didn't even acquire independence until the 1900's. Churches stood out to me the most, especially after seeing the ancient churches in Europe and all of a sudden everything is just brand spanking new. It is different, but beautiful in its own way. The weather too was gorgeous and I must say I totally fell in love with Oz and its people and may wind up going back for a few weeks to play in a tourney (allowing me to meet a great deal of their female players) and see a bit more of the massive country.

And now I'm in New Zealand, where I've been for about three days. The weather is a beautifully crisp autumn, though I think the rains will be coming soon. Christchurch is def the center of women's hockey here - the only city with a league (about 40 players) - so although I may come to like some of the other artier and trendier cities better (this one is very British), I cam to the right place to play. I am currently staying with Deb and Sally, who are a couple that both play and help organize the league and they have been absolutely terriffic. They live just a 15 minute bike ride outside of town and right at the base of some incredible hills which I biked up yesterday to get a gorgeous view of the southern alps. I am SO looking forward to exploring the entire country but am waiting to here if sister will visit to plan my sight seeing around that. And although no sets are still up, I will be going through (hopefully) many of the areas where LOTR and Narnia were filmed and will def take some pics for my fellow dorks. (Really, I can't escape the Hobbits, as I even wound up in a bar in Cape Town called 'The One Ring,' which has maps of Middle Earth painted all over and is patronized by exactly the kind of people you would expect in a bar of that name...the drinks are super cheap though. The owner also owns "Gandolf's" Dance club and 'Middle Earth' bar, so Prof. Mulrooney, you may need to take a trip to SA).

I'll be here in NZ for at least 7 weeks depending on if I go back to Adelaide, though I may be moving in with a few other players who need temporary flat mates (lucky for me). My days will be a bit empty once again, but unlike at the start of my trip, I am quite looking forward to the freedom to read, write, run and do off-ice training, and really savor the last 14 or so weeks of my trip.

I did do my best to keep this concise, so I hope you got through it alright. I left out a ton, but you at least have the basics. I apologize to everyone I am behind on emailing and I'll do my best to progressively get back to you all. Enjoy the springing of spring as I brace myself for yet another winter!!! Toodles!

Hello From Afreeeeeka!

2006-03-16T03:12:00.000-05:00

Has It Really Been A Month?! Crikey!!!! Funny how the more I have to blog, the less I actually do so, eh?

In brief, the Olympics were incredible! I met up in Milan with one scally-capped David M. Quinn and we set off for quite an Italian adventure. (And if Sharona Quinn is reading this please take note that I am utterly infuriated with you for purchasing said cap for Mr. Quinn after I searched high and low for one in Ireland, only to have you give him one first.)

Because of the ridiculous prices in Turin, we only stayed one day and saw the US beat Switzerland 7-0. SUI put up a surprising fight and their goalie was phenomenal, but they couldn't keep up with the US late in the game and eventually broke. It was definitely cool to sit in a section with all the American parents and see how proud they were - and to even be able to tell them that I used to play against their daughters (they would of course skate circles around me). Although I of course wanted the states to do well, I was so thrilled that they were beaten by Sweden...especially since I played against almost half of their team in the European Cup. I actually didn't find out about it until I got back to Denmark, as we were completely away from the TV, but luckily Laura taped all the games, so I was able to watch when I stayed with her for my last few weeks there. What a game, eh?! This is def huge for women's hockey as it may incite countries to pump more money into their women's programs, now seeing that competition is possible. It's especially big for Scandanavia, in particular. We saw Sweden take on Canada in an exhibition game back in October and they lost something like 10-0...and to get to beating the US and then only losing 4-0 to Canada in the gold medal game is quite an accomplishment, especially since their development funding is laughable according to their coach. This win could thus do a lot for their budget. PLUS, the coverage was terriffic - in both Denmark and Sweden every women's game was shown at least once in its entirety, meaning that a lot of girls had the opportunity to watch and fall in love with the game and a lot of current players were able to see that if they keep working hard they can indeed keep up with the powerhouses. It was also awesome to watch the gold medal game with Laura, whose name was mentioned many times by the Danish broadcasters as they discussed her team's potential for the Vancouver 2010 Games (her home country!). I've already told her that if they go I expect a spot on their staff roster and if not I will attend anyways to see Michelle, our 15 yr old Finnish all-star and Heikki's daughter, who was the last player cut from Finland's team merely because of her age and who will undoubtedly be in the next games.

Italy itself was simply amazing. I had no idea that i would love it that much! Rome is truly "Romantic" in every sense and I delighted in meandering through the city streets, where you couldn't help but stumble upon beautiful ruins and statues and the like. And it's all so huge!! When I next get my own comp online I will certainly post pictures. Florence was also captivating and a great contrast to Rome for its small city feel. And the food!!! Wow! KRems def would have been proud of me for following her advice and eating carbs like a true champ. I am now in love with risotto, seafood pasta, seafood risotto, bruchetta, rabbit, red wine, and GELATO. And, of course, I'm even more in love with pizza than ever. We had a few "minor" setbacks with the train system and shelled out a hell of a lot of money on Trenitalia, but luckily money is just money and a 6 hour train ride sitting on your bag in a hallway of a crappy, overstuffed, secondclass car when you payed for a first class sleeper carriage isn't all that terrible. The week luckily didn't pass too quickly but it was def sad to say goodbye to Italy....oh, and Dave, too.

My last few weeks in Denmark were filled with real happiness. Unfortunately a good deal of our games got cancelled, but I did spend a weekend coaching the national team at their most recent samling, during which they played a number of games. They are really progressing wonderfully, thanks in large part to Laura's dedication and the terriffic job she is doing in obtaining increased ice time for them. Although they are 14 in the world, competition is close for the teams that will be battling to get into Vancouver and with 4 years to improve their chances are improving every day. As I mentioned, I spent those weeks with Laura and her gentleman friend Claus and had a terriffic time hanging with them, cooking for them, painting their apartment and, most importantly, implementing the "Gold Star Board" to reward good behavior (i.e. cleaning and doing the dishes)...though I fear that being gone three weeks will make me terribly behind in the competition. I didn't really have a big goodbye when I left, knowing that I will be back for the national championships in April and have scheduled myslef a day to recover from the big goodbye/victory celebration before leaving for Australia.

And where am I know? CAPE TOWN!!! I arrived last Wednesday to Cape Town after an awful 24 hour layover in London (never ask British public transportation agents for help in finding your destination as it appears they just lie to you and send you to whatever train station they like the name of) and a long ass flight through Qatar and Jo'Burg. The flight did give me time to catch up on my movie watching, including the new Harry Potter and Elizabethtown, which I highly recommend if you really want to cry yourself some happy tears.

And CAPE TOWN!!! Wowwy wow wow wow. It's unbelivable how much a little sunshine will change your mood, that's for sure. My skin didn't know what that bright thing in the sky was and proceeded to burn a bit, but I am finally beginning to get some color and almost look like a living human being again. After some failed phone calls and my mother thinking I was dead in the streets of Cape Town, I managed to hook up with my contacts here and am set up both on the ice and off. I am currently staying with Bobby and Kirsty, a couple about my age, both of whom play at the Western Province club; they are in the running with Beaud-lose and Steve-o for my favorite couple ever. Completely opposite of my first weeks in Denmark, I feel completely at home and at ease and have nonstop conversations covering everything from hockey to politics and religion with them. As a whole, the people here are so cool and laid back - definitely the "warmth" that was missing in Denmark at times. Oh, and they eat with their hands!!!

Hockey down here is frustrating, to say the least. The club is obviously very small and is getting smaller every day. Apparently they once actually had a pro mens league down here that did quite well, but it eventually failed. And although there once was a women's team here, there aren't enough women any more so the girls are just mixed up on the guys teams. Unlike clubs in America, this one club is comprised of multiple teams which play eachother in weekly matches (since there are no other clubs close by).All of the teams practice with their age divisions and one coach runs the whole thing. The ladies play in the Intermediate A division, which is basically 14-18 year olds. There is also a younger division and a senior men's league. I have been practicing both with the men and our division and will be helping coach the kids, which is now much easier since the kids understand what i am saying. The men have quite a range of skill and it's good to practice with them and get some fast-paced play under my belt before the Danish championships. OH! And we play in a Casino...so I walk into the building, send my sticks and bag through an xray machine as I walk through a metal detector before walking down a garden-filled corridor to classical music, and then walk by a slew of fast food joints (very tempting after a few hours on the ice), before heading into the absolutely beautiful new rink...very bizarre. And, yes, the rink is hot as Africa and I sweat my brains out. If you want to find out a bit more about the club, you can check it out at www.icehockey.co.za. It was just updated the other day, which I think is quite a rare occurrence. The guy on the front page is Marc, my initial contact here who has set everything up for me and is a great guy who is really passionate about developing hockey here and keeping politics out of the rink (which is something that happens more here than I've ever seen before).

Development is the biggest problem here, as there is none (both on the men's and women's side). I, like most players I've spoken with, am already utterly frustrated with the coach at the club (a former Scottish player and citizen) who is paid full time to coach and not only does an awful job coaching (they rarely do any drills and just scrimmage with no guidance), but is abusive and foul-mouthed and cares very little for actually teaching his players. And apparently the women's national team coach is even worse and has caused over half of the team to quit recently. My new goals include running off ice sessions with the ladies here so they can actually learn, as well as finding out how I can put in to take over for these awful coaches! I have meetings with the SA Ice Hockey president and the women's team rep this weekend when they come down for some national team exhibition games against a Finnish club team and am interested to hear what their concept of development is. I will also be able to attend a ladies meeting with the women's rep, during which they will discuss the national team coach and how no girls will play if the current coach is rehired...so maybe there will indeed be an opening to lead their team in the world championships next March!!! I definitely picked the right time to come here, as well. Apparently, women's hockey is much "bigger" in Jo'Burg and Pretoria, so I may schedule some visits up there when I come back here in July (that's also where the national coach is and it would certainly be interesting to see how bad he actually is).

Other than that, I've been taking my time doing the "tourist thing" and have done some Apartheid museums and went to Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned. I am fascinatated by the rich history here and am planning on reading up on it while I'm here. I am also learning a lot about cricket and was fortunate that the first game I watched was said to be the greatest match ever played.

In other random news, I had my first (and probably last) paintball experience on Sunday (sorry, I'm a lover not a fighter). I spent yesterday at a wildlife rescue owned by a teammate and her husband (also a player) and played with babboons all day long...I now know why there is an expression about having a "monkey on your back." Pictures of this will def follow as well.

Ok, this utterly long update is now over. I am off to turn in my second quarterly report, which I was able to keep within 10 pages on the first draft this time. I have two more weeks here in SA, filled with hockey, a wine tour and a tour of the cape, some sunset views - the sunsets are the world's best here! - on the beach and on top of Table Mt. (the huge Mt. righti in the center of cape town), and more living the life.
I close with some of my new favorite words for your learning pleasure:

Kit = Hockey equipment (equipment in general / bags)
Hectic = Wow (As, in, "that's totally hectic")
Kiff = Good ("Are you kiff, man?" or "It would be kiff if you handed me that [insert object of interest here]."

I hope you enjoyed today's lesson.
Until next time, i remain yours in South Africa,
Meghan

A Quick Hello Before I Go

2006-02-08T18:17:00.000-05:00

Here we see some lovely photos of the team warming up. Normally we just stand in a circle and not on bleachers, but I kind of like the way the one on the bottom looks sort of like dancers in a musical, no? (and we all know I wish life was a musical). And the top is our team huddle, where we clap and yell "whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" (I know, my powers for description are captivating.)

Onwards: I am such a poet, eh? (Re: my title. "Eh?" I'm also turning into a Canadian thanks to Laura. And, coupled with my tiny bit of Danish and all the catch phrases I'm sure to pick up everywhere else, I should have one interesting dialect upon my return to the US).

Onwards: Denmark. Who knew it existed until I came here? And now look how "famous" it is. I think it's a good thing I'm leaving soon! Though I haven't seen anything myself I know there are a lot of protests going on around here and there are a lot more police sirens than usual. I had a really interesting chat with, Bodil, one of my "interviewees" today over lunch. She actually is an Anthro. student studying the Islamic experience in France and a bit in Denmark so has a learned and insightful perspective. As she put it, it's just become a lot of stupid people saying a lot of stupid things and not listening to one another. I'm not really concerned about my safety, but I never really am when these sorts of things occur (what does that mean, Caitlin?), so perhaps it is good that I'll be out of here for good in a few weeks....if there is some sort of attack it better not happen at the airport and popular train stations that I'm always going through, that's for darned sure.

Onwards: life is good. This is my last night at Tine's before I head to Italy. I've had a terriffic time shadowing her and really becoming one of the fam...and definitely loving the fact that they all speak English.

Hockey is great! I still can't get over how well I'm playing! Some wall has broken where I no longer have to really think about the technical aspects of the new skills Heikki is teaching me and it's all coming really naturally. He and Tine are really impressed as well and the other day he laughed as he said to me, through translation of course, that he bet I never would have thought I'd come to a tiny hockey country like Denmark and learn so much. True that, Heikki.

Onwards: I'm really getting into the coaching life. Though it makes me certain I want to keep playing because just watching is not enough, I really love being able to help other girls learn. I've donned the coach's cap for the past 3 weekends, first at the national camp, then they camp I set up in Jutland, and this past weekend I coached the younger girls on our own team at a local tournament. The first stringers took the weekend off from the tournament in order to give the younger girls a chance to play as much as possible and make the competition more equal, since it usually isn't among these teams. It was a wise choice and the teams we usually beat 20-0 wound up coming out within a few goals of us. One of the main problems facing DEVELOPMENT here (which is what I'm studying after all) is the club mentality: Clubs only want to develop their own players and WIN. Thus, Heikki at times will sit some of the weaker girls during games when we're already up by double digits, just so the top players can practice and resultantly humiliate the other team. The clubs then wind up hating each other and no one thinks about the development of the national program. I'm so glad that didn't happen this weekend.

I also had a real break through in my personal relationships with the younger girls...who it seems are FINALLY comfortable enough to talk to me. Yeah, wait until I leave in two weeks, thanks gals! It's great though, and some girls who just giggled around me before are now talking my ear off. I know it's time to move on, but it will definitely be hard, and strange to say goodbye for good....I mean, this could be a kind of "forever" goodbye that I don't want to think about.

Upwards: I've been working on another "samling" in Jutland and was able to get ice for next week, which is incredible for Denmark. But, again, the lack of concern for development strikes again: I'll be in Italy so I need to find coaches, but they just don't care. I finally found a national team player willing to help out, but it might be two late and 4 good hours of ice time will probably be wasted because the Jutland coaches in particular aren't in it for the betterment of their players as a whole.

Eslewards: (new word?) Well, I'm honing my PR skills by writing university recommendation letters for some of Laura's national players and really enjoying it (that's the English major in me of course), I'm honing my baking skills by baking banana bread like whoa (Nicholas said it was the best cake he had ever tasted as he and his sister proceeded to eat an entire loaf in one sitting), I'm still pushing my essay contest and have decided that if I get enough entries I may start another website as a place where I'll put all the self-written stories I gather from the different countries, and I am of course getting psyched up for Italy (I leave Friday!). Like I mentioned, I'll be meeting up with some guy I know from back home so it will probably be nice to catch up with him a bit. Then it's back here for two more weeks and off to Africa (said in the fun African way like Becky Mahoney-Phillips)!!!!

And in conclusion: Congrats again to my HoCroWoHo Seniors!!! Well done on a super career (though I know it's not over yet...especially since I've also made the decision that each of you will come to Europe and play for a bit before taking on 'the real world'). And some advice to everyone else: do yourselves a favor and go cheer them on at the ECAC Open Tournament at the Hart Center the last weekend in February....send VBs my love and tell him I'll be back to coach with a slew of foreign recruits.

Peace, love, puck,
19
PS: Don't let me forget to tell you about Ulla - former national team coach, breast cancer survivor and living inspiration who was told she's never play again and now is able to come back every once in a while and remind everyone that we play because we love it.

As Bono Once Sang....

2006-01-28T17:39:00.000-05:00

"It's been a while"

"Sending you a smile from Transylvania"
Superfluous Superfluous Redundancy. Now THAT'S Superflous!

So. In summation:
-Right before Christmas - while riding my bike home from a good lift with Laura, I'm struck by a strange sensation. What is it? I thought. Hey, that's happiness! For the first time, I've found a group of friends with whome I actually can relate to. Though each friend brings out a different of my varied qualities, it is amazing to have realized such friendships and connections I have barely before realized while being an ocean away from home.
-Christmas = Excellent.
-Reunion with Caitlin and Tibi = Phenomenal. It was such a relief to just feel completely comfortable again.
-Budapest = Beautiful. Apparently there's a lot mroe to it than an ice rink and a shady hotel.
-Transylvania = Food. And lots of it. At least 2.5 kilos worth.
-Things that make me happy on Christmas = hershey kisses from grandma; Holy Cross hockey pucks from Dean Peace.
-New Years Eve = Failing to find a single pair of shoes in all of Transylvania into which I could slide my enormous feet. Good times, lots of dancing and lots of champagne nonetheless.
-Transylvania = Citadels. Churches. Food. Citadels. Churches. Food. Dance parties. Gotta love Tibi. I brought my running shoes, but instead of working out I did the next best thing and ate 5 pieces of cake at every meal.
-Copenhagen = Caitlin learns the Spaniard was right: It's fuckin cold in Denmark. And dark.
-And I'm Back = Hurting a bit getting back into shape, but I'm about there now. Semi got ousted from my living arrangement (it really came down to giving my hosts some space), and now I'm moving from place to place with different teammates. However, it's all good and so much better for learning about the women about whom I want to write. The past two weeks I've been living with Tine Perry, female hockey icon in Denmark and following her as she coaches/watches/gets up at 7am with her kids, go to practice and talk all day with her. And work out. A lot. God bless mothers and all that they do. And she's got an American husband and thus English speaking kids and a kick ass electronic cappucino machine to boot.
-Hockey = better all the time. The season's at a lull, but I feel incredible out there and am amazed by how much I'm improving. AND now there's a new american..former Brown player (current junior) here studying for the semester. now I'm not the new kid anymore and can actually show someone else the ropes!
-"Research" = beyond learning about Tine, I spent last weekend helping coach at the national team camp for 4 days and this weekend was the day camp I had for all of the potential national players in Jutland. A HUGE success I'll talk more on soon. (I swear!).
-Time = Almost up! Can't believe it, but I've only got 4 weeks in Denmark plus one more in the middle when I'm meeting up with some guy in Italy to watch the Olympics....and maybe do some sight-seeing too. And by maybe, I mean Rome, Florence and Venice.
-Sunshine = forecasted for August 3rd...conference at Davidson College...right near lake NORMAN. Here comes the sun, little darlin. And honestly, now that it's time to leave Denmark, the sun is finally coming up earlier than 10am and staying out more than 30 min. WTF?!
-And how are you, dear readers?
The only good dance parties are 80's dance parties....but I do like that new Black Eyed Peas song about "my lovely lady lumps." And by like, I mean: "are these people SERIOUSLY SERIOUS?" Unfortunately, the answer is yes.

1940's Black and White Movie Kiss in a certifiably "romantic" setting in Transylvania....Stoker and Shelley would have been eating their hearts out (or at least sucking the blood out of! bahdaboom i'm good!...and it turns out Stoker never even WENT to transylvania!

This one's for Prof. Cull...

2006-01-16T03:38:00.000-05:00

Don't worry, I have indeed tried the "fine Danish beers," though they're nothing compared to the fine Transylvanian wines, that's for sure.

What's next?!

2005-12-17T03:41:00.000-05:00

Goethe would be rolling in his grave!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/12/16/mona.lisa.smile/index.html

Quote Time

2005-12-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

For your reading pleasure, some quotes that aptly summarize my recent adventures and the fortuitous events that have transpired:

"Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God." - Kurt Vonnegut, cOmplements of sister

"There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will." -The Bard and his famous Dane

and, my personal favorite:

"Coincidence is the anonymity of God." -Kevin Mahoney, a man of very few, but very powerful words.

In other news, I began my three page quarterly report today. I am not like my father. It is not close to completion, but it is close to ten pages thus far. I've done it again. I expected this, however, and though I will cut most of it for the official report, it is wonderful to be able to take a more holistic look at my time so far and really try to integrate everything I've learned about myself, hockey and the world. As much as I lamented paper writing, I have always been a firm believer in how much one gains from having to analyze and write down (in a more organized fashion than my prolific journal entries) what one learns as a means of arriving at both further knowledge about the subject and a deeper understanding of the subject matter. I've spent the afternoon trying to get it all down and have really enjoyed the ten pages. Plus, it's taking a narrative tone, which makes me confident in my ability to turn this into a book. I think I might even blog the whole thing (maybe in segments so that you don't have to take it all in at once...sort of like a sitcom or something).

Time to go institute my new team lifting program and be mini Coach Oliver for the day! Should I make them do squat jumps?

My Mom Needs a New Hobby....

2005-12-13T17:03:00.000-05:00

But, good God do we have a good looking family!
The O'Neill Chronicles, aka Betty O'Neill Rocks.Com

..and man, do i miss my pretty green skirt collection!

Here in the World is Meghan!

2005-12-11T12:42:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems I'm always apologizing for my lack of updates, so I won't. Instead, I'll jump right in and tell you how busy and excited I have been lately. Ever since I returned from Ireland, where I had a great chance to reflect back upon my time in Denmark, and actually missed my new home a little, I've really begun to appreciate and enjoy this opportunity so much more. Maybe it's the whole "Hygge" Christmas atmosphere around Copenhagen and within the team as we open our "Nysse" presents (or the little tasks we force our recipient to perform - such as making Laura write and sing a team song and bake the team a cake - and tricks we play on them when they don't do the tasks) and I attend Christmas and Birthday parties, but Denmark is increasingly earning a spot in my heart. In fact, as I realize that I'm now three months into my trip and that the next few months, filled with numerous short trips, are going to fly by, it's become sad to think about leaving and I wonder if I'll even have enough time to do everything I now want to accomplish before I'm gone.

What do I want to accomplish? To start, I've started an essay/story contest open to all current and former female players, asking them to write their own hockey narratives for me so that I can collect as many stories as possible while I'm here. I've gotten support from the Danish Ice Hockey Union and a few hockey shops and reps, who are all donating various items like jerseys and signed sticks as prizes. I'm also working with Laura and setting up some sort of camp or gathering for the girls in the Jutland league (the other of the two leagues), who are almost at national team level and would greatly benefit from getting ice time with talented coaches and players, since they don't get the opportunity to play high-level hockey at their own, less serious clubs. We've got a practice and some additional off ice sessions planned, but now it's the issue of finding ice time somewhere on one of our rare free weekends and getting the girls interested. Laura has also put me to the task of designing a weekly lift for the team so we stop wasting the short time we have in the weight room on Wednesday nights (in addition to teaching some of the younger girls how to properly use the weight room, seeing as every week I think one of them is going to take herself out with a dumb bell). I will also be going to the next national team gathering, so now have to come up with some sort of session to run with the girls. I'd love to do a meditation or visualizing session, but the language barrier will keep some girls from getting anything out of it, so Bine is going to take charge of that one. I am at least going to talk to some of the older players about the opportunities they have to go to the states on scholarships, since the whole idea of scholastics and sports being combined is so foreign to them. AND, on top of all this, I've got my first quarterly report due around next week! Time has flown and I now see that I certainl haven't wasted my days, since I have no clue how I'll fit everything I've done into three pages!

Did I mention I went to Prague? Yes, I went to Prague to visit the red headed boy across the street - Mark Smith. We met up on Sunday night, and and we both shared a few seconds of being unable to believe that we were actually looking at one another as adults (he is now a tall, deep voiced, bearded young man who looks downright eastern european, save the red hair and all), having only the memories of the 12 year old the other used to be in our minds. We had a nice low key time wandering the streets and getting a drink, sharing our similar experiences living with strangers who can't/don't speak English to us and lamented that I will for the first time ever miss the Christmas Eve party, where Mark is in charge of getting Martha Swann drunk (Devin took that job last year, so now it's someone else's turn).

Much of the trip was centered on meeting up with Mark, but my good old friend fate once again decided to mess with me and smashed his cell phone on my second day there, leaving us unable to get in touch with one another. While this could have been ruination of the trip, it turned out to be quite a fortuitous event: I actually wound up befriending and spending a day and a half exploring Prague with one of my hostel roommates, a girl around my age from South Carolina, who has been backpacking throughout Europe on her own for the past month and a half. It was another one of those truly "Watson-esque" moments that showed me just how open you become to others when exploring the world on your own. We had a terriffic time and I don't think conversation stopped the entire time we were together, probably because it takes a certain kind of person to do this kind of travel, so we are bound to have a lot in common when we meet one another. While I didn't get that much time with an old contact, I made a brand new one and just added another name to the incredible web of connection I've been building this year.

Unexpected was the word of the week. I got an email from my Cape Town contact, who is happy to have me come, but wanted to let me know that there is no ice time in April and I was planning on heading down there in March! But that immediately turned positive, as Laura informed me that her friend who now coaches the national team in Australia has invited me to coach at an international camp down under in Australia. So now, as long as the Watson heads approve, I've changed my itinerary completely. Now I'm thinking: March in Cape Town, back to Denmark to play in the national championships in April, down to Australia for the camp in mid-April, New Zealand after that, and finally back to Cape Town to play in some games there in mid/late June! I think and hope it will fit my budget and since I'll have to book my tix soon so I can afford them, it won't be too long before I know. And even if I start to run out of money, I'd rather scrounge at the end and see it all, then save my money and wind up with money left over and lands unseen.

AND I also had a great weekend attending a conference on International Perspectives on Women in Sport at the university, where I met an amazing group of women (and some men) who are carrying out a lot of really interesting studies on women's sports, including the Editor who I'll be visiting in Budapest. Here, too, I made a wealth of contacts, a few of whom expressed interest in my book and gave me leads on publishing! Plus, I got a weekend of free food and coffee...boy I missed academic life. It really was an interesting conference, though, and it was great to be in this small group of intelligent and noted researchers, who actually are interested in making me a part of all of their plans for future conferences and their hope to create an institute for studying women's sports somewhere in Europe. So Sports Antrhopology/Sociology - there's another option for me!

One crazy week left and then I take off for Budapest. I can't believe Christmas is here! And as excited as I have been about getting away, I'm now equally excited about returning in a few weeks to get back to playing and carrying out all my projects - and hopefully making Belgium happen too.

OH! And! We played our rivals, Herlev last weekend. And, thanks to me and a number of stupid changes and mistakes, we fell behing 4-0 early in the game. I did have a really good game other than that, though, always loving getting to play good competition, and the team finally kicked it into gear in the third and we wound up losing 4-3, just missing a goal with 4 seconds left in the game too! I had a pretty sweet assist - a slap shot that a forward beautifully tipped over the goalie's shoulder - so I was able to not totally feel like I blew the game for the team.

I think I'll have to make another post this week and maybe actually talk about hockey for once, seeing as I always seem to neglect my research when writing my posts...maybe tomorrow after I meet with the Danish Ice Hockey Union I'll be prompted to to a good old hockey update, as I have been throwing myself in the way of hockey every chance I get - playing, watching, talking, etc. - and learning a lot about what needs to be done to help the women's program here. Because that's what I want to do now: help the development of women's ice hockey, not just study it. I now feel that I am a real part of that development which is why I want to help my new friends and teammates succeed in the future, which is why I'm holding this essay contest and trying to hold a gathering so that the talented players can be seen as well as see that there is other talent out there. So, yeah, I'll do that soon. Now I'm sure you're bored, so peace, love, puck, I'll catch ya later.

My sincere apologies!

2005-11-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

Dearest Readers,
I must apologize for my long blogging hiatus; this post is certainly a long time coming. While I'd like to say that I've been so overwhelmingly busy that I haven't had the time to post, that would be a bit of a stretch, even for one prone to blatantly lie such as myself. I have at least been mentally busy if not entirely busy with activity, however, and am enjoying all aspects of my life in Copenhagen a little more every day.

Since my last post, I've had a lot of terriffic happenings in terms of my hockey research:
-A few weeks ago, I met with a man at Team Danmark, which is a body under the Ministry of Culture that provides funding for individual and team sports on the national level for athletes/teams with Olympic medal potential. T.D. once gave money to women's ice hockey, but revoked their funding just when the team qualified to qualify for they olympic games years ago, leaving me with a number of questions as to why such a decision was made. Laura, my Canadian teammate and new national team coach, accompanied me to the meeting with an equally journalistic agenda. We were lucky to meet with a man who was consultant to the women's team when they did get funding and we received a detailed account of the team's history and learned that it was less that they did not want to give the women's team money and more that they basically revoked funding from all sports that didn't have the potential to win olympic medals. Denmark is not a sports culture, but they do have a high standard of living, including winning in sports. Thus, they only want to give money to those teams that prove they will win medals, and right now that's actually only 5 team sports all together! I did question him quite a bit about gender equality, and learned that they don't have such laws and that many people would probably rather not hear about how successful they are. Poul (the man we met with) was quite interested however and even asked that I send him more info about Title IX (so i'll have to get in touch with the guy who left me my first comment) and I now feel like a little Title IX advocate!

I've also taken on a bit of an apprenticeship with my coach, which I'm really excited about. Heikki's job is coaching all of the Rodovre teams and he's invited me to come out with him whenever I want, not only to "study" hockey, but to learn how to coach (since Rodovre wins every national championship each year and he coaches all the teams, he asserts that he is thus the best coach in Denmark), as well as relearn how to skate (my downfall as a player). I've spent a few afternoons with him, doing his skating drills over and over with every team and slowly picking up on the mechanics of good skating (we'll see if you really can teach an old dog new tricks). It's so much fun to spend my days on the ice and I really think that I can learn a lot about playing and coaching from Heikki, even if we can't verbally communicate.

I finally booked my tickets out of here, but just learned that the national tournament won't be until April, so I may go back and change the dates again so I can bounce from here as early as possible in March and get sufficient time in South Africa and New Zealand.

Now, where have I been? Well, first I was just trying to limit my computer use and so I sort of put blogging on the backburner. Plus, I had a lot of great days hanging out with teammates, as well as hanging out with myself and reading and writing my days away. I've really rediscovered the Meghan that used to get told to stop reading and go to bed every night as I sat up and finished whole novels in one night. And then last week I went over to Ireland and spent a week outside of Galway. I spent some time in the city, took a drive through the Connemara, ate some amazing soup, AND genuine whole wheat sandwich bread!, took in a terriffic local performance of "Waiting for Godot," which merely reaffirmed my goal to never get stuck in a life of mindless routine, and I lucked out with a gorgeous day while visiting Inis Mor. It was good to at least get to Galway since that was where I was headed and helpful to remind myself that Galway will always be there (I got a look at the apartments I would have lived in too), but the Watson wouldn't have been had I turned it down. Plus, stepping away from Denmark for a bit gave me a great chance to reflect back on my time here and generate some new ideas about directions I'd like to take with my research, including coaching at some other teams' practices and initiating some sort of gathering for all of the female players in Denmark to get together and see just how the game is growing while having a chance to discuss how that growth can be bettered in the future. I might even start some sort of essay contest as a means of gathering personal stories and see if I can get a hockey shop to donate something for whomever can write the best piece about why she plays hockey and what the game means to her (though the language barrier could get in the way of that).

Games are finally starting up again, which is certainly a good thing. Still not sure if I'll be moving in with any new teammates or not, but for now I'm taking it day by day and trying my best not to live in excitement about heading to Transylvania at Christmas time. In fact Christmas season has started here and it's something they're really into, so I could really enjoy the next four weeks. We've got a Secret Santa exchange on the team, which includes doing naughty and nice things to your teammate, and the city is already decorated and the sales have begun. I really enjoy XMas at the grocery store, where they were giving out free samples of everything and walking the aisles with free candy to hand out!

There is tons more to post but I know it's a lot to take in so I'll stop here for now.
Thanks to everyone for your Birthday wishes; yes I'm very old now. And I can't believe that it was an entire year ago that I was racing down to New York City to make it to my Rhodes interview (yeah, remember when they didn't tell me about it until the evening before, when I was on my way to celebrate my big 2-1, that was awesome wasn't it?).

And now I will stop writing.

thank you, rilke

2005-11-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

For your spirit

"...be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now."
-Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Some creative non-fiction comin' at ya

2005-10-27T17:05:00.000-04:00

Ok, so Prof. Roorbach instructed me not to work on my book until I had completely "lived the experience" and I really think that's excellent advice. Otherwise, the goal of writing about my experience might get in the way of the experience itself. However, last night I had one of those moments - one of those moments that told me I made the right decision. And I really need those moments. Even afterwards last night I found myself second-guessing the way I've spent my time: I probably shouldn't have, but I did a google search and found the blogs of some other current fellows, who are off trekking across Mongolia (in yurts no less!), tangoing in Buenas Aires until 5 a.m., and hiring guides to take them through African canyons. Am I being to safe? I find myself asking the question time and again. Am I making the most of this Watson experience? The essence of the Watson is adventure, isn't it? But, I have to go back to my proposal: I proposed to live the life of a Danish hockey player, to become a teammate, which requires being in one place, going to practice instead of going out at night, living in one city, in someone's house, rather than living nomadically in Asia - those weren't my proposals. I love hockey, I do. Thus, I need moments like the following one to remind me of just why I find joy in being a teammate and to let me know that I am making an impression on my teammates here, just as they are making an impression on me. And today, the idea to put it into a short creative piece just seemed right. I've been doing so much journaling, that I needed to do something more creative, especially after reading a book of creative narratives, both prose and poetry. I haven't even reread it, but thought I'd blog it anyway. I hope you enjoy - I did:

I hadn’t even gotten my towel on yet when Lizette popped her head into the shower.
“Meghan, Meghan, hurry up!” She half whispered in the serious voice she uses when she tells me not to forget which side of the bench the defensemen should change at, or which player each of us is replacing on the ice. “I have to ask you something!”
“What’s going on?” I questioned skeptically as I wrapped my tiny towel around my freezing torso. I hate showering at the rink, but that’s what the team does, so I do it.
“I can’t ask you here, just hurry up.”
I grabbed my huge bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash, each big enough to last me the entire year away from home. Denmark was my first stop, so each was also nearly full, meaning I had to tote them all back and forth to the rink every practice and game until I found the equivalent of a Danish Wal-Mart where I could by smaller, more transportable bottles.
I threw on my sweat suit, still damp with sweat from the pre-practice 5K run and weightlifting session, struggled to pull my too-small socks over my damp feet, slipped my sneakers on without bothering to tie them, and quickly wrapped my towel around my wet hair. I ran out the door to find Lizette walking past me down the hallway, her arm around a crying Louisa Doj. I marveled again at how well these girls take care of one another. Two weeks ago it was Michelle crying on Louisa’s shoulder when she found out she had been cut from the Finnish Olympic team. Tonight it was Louisa leaning on Lizette. I gently closed the door and eased back into the locker room.
As I bent over shaking my hair dry with the towel, I was again summoned.
“Meghaaaan, Meghaaaaan, hurry.” Even if she wasn’t being serious, Lizette always seemed to sound it; her accent couldn’t be any more stereotypically Scandinavian – so much so that I always wanted her to tell me that her name was Hans and she wanted to “pump ME up!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
I jogged to the door – rather, I waddled to the door, my legs aching from the hours of exercise. She motioned for me to follow her down the hallway, so I let the big fuzzy pink ball at the end of her ear-flapped winter cap guide me.
“I saw something in your…what do you call it…your…” she pantomimed the shape of a box as we walked into the locker room, a long, cold, dimly lit concrete corridor filled with shoulder-high, cage-like lockers and the dank smell of wet hockey equipment.
“My locker?”
“Yes, yes, that.”
“There was something in it.”
Oh shit, I thought. Someone’s played their first prank on me. I wondered if someone had managed to open it up and put in the team’s second “mascot:” a purple dildo that got passed secretly from hockey bag to hockey bag to see how each girl would react and hopefully get someone some sort of embarrassment.
“That,” she said, pointing to the floor of my locker, which as far as I remembered was empty besides a few roles of black hockey tape and some old purple socks.
“My hockey puck?”
“Yes. Is that something from home?”
I had forgotten about my college bookstore souvenir hockey puck, which said “Holy Cross Hockey” and had a big purple Crusader head in the middle. I had thrown it in my bag, figuring I would find someone to whom I could give it as a gift.
“Yeah, yeah. That’s from my university,” I responded with excitement. “The Holy Cross Crusaders!” I found myself talking about, and missing, my old team a lot. Many of these girls couldn’t even conceive of being able to play hockey and go to school in one place and I was proud to tell them all about it.
“Can I buy it from you?” She asked tentatively.
“Buy it?! No way – it’s yours!” I laughed. “You don’t have to pay me for it. I’d love to give it to you. I had brought it knowing I’d give it to someone and it turns out that someone is you.”
Lizette was my defensive partner. She was only fourteen years old, but she was a solid hockey player. She took life seriously, especially hockey. Laura, our fellow teammate and national team coach, told me that Lizette had begun crying when she received the letter inviting her to play for the national team; she had wanted it so badly and finally (I say finally, though she was only fourteen) got that chance. But it served her well on the ice - she was strong and she was level-headed about the game, always knowing what the next move should be.
For a short while, I thought she might take things a bit too seriously, but I saw her goofy side more and more each day. In fact, I think I often brought the goofy side out of her. We seemed to end up in a wrestling match every night at the end of practice and I’d always here my name called out in different voices around the rink and, looking up, see her giggling face pretending to hide behind something. But nothing could hide that big pink knit cap. I was glad she was my partner; I was glad that being partners was bringing us closer together (we both lamented being separated that night at practice); and I was glad she wanted my puck.
I took my keys out of my pocket, unlocked the tiny padlock on the locker, reached down and grabbed the puck and happily put it in her hand.
“Yes, I saw it there and I thought I could have it and then, oooh I could have something of Meghan’s!” She threw her hands in the air as if she were indicating a star’s name on a Broadway sign and looked up as if in serious admiration.
Really? Does she really think that much of me? I wondered and I smiled.
“Well you take that and remember Holy Cross hockey. And you get a video camera and have someone tape you so that I can tell my coach all about you and you can go play for him when he starts giving out scholarships.”
“Yes, yes alright,” she answered enthusiastically. “Thank you, Meghan. I’m going to go home and put it in my room.”
“You better.”
She turned, and started to run out, but before she got out the door she turned back. “I will see you next Monday then, Meghan.”
“You’re not going to work the concession stand with us this weekend?”
“No, I must go away for the weekend with my mother and grandfather. We’re going to our summer house.”
“It’s not exactly summer,” I laughed, thinking about all of the dark, rainy days we had been having, so typical of Copenhagen, “but have fun anyways.”
“Ok, goodbye.” She ran out. I was a little disappointed she wouldn’t be selling “French Hot Dogs” with me that weekend.
“Hi-hi!” I shouted in one of my small attempts at fitting in with Danish culture. Our hot dog adventures would have to wait.

...cough, cough, sniffle

2005-10-23T06:10:00.000-04:00

This week has certainly been a strange mix of wonderful and sucky, that's for sure. I've had a great week of alone time in Laura's apartment (she nicely let me 'move in' while she's back in Canada until November 2nd)...well, I guess it's a week and a half now that I've taken so long to get back to this update.

I've had some great writing sessions, some great reading sessions, and really expanded my web of contacts, but I've also come down with a bit of a cold, which has made my body unable to share in all the positive energy flowoign through my mind.

I took the bus here last Tuesday and was very fortunate that the bus driver pitied this pitiful foreigner, who let me ride for free after seeing me running down the street to catch him, weighed down with two book bags and a giant Ikea bag, and then rifle through my pockets, only to realize that I had lost my ticket somewhere along the line. I'm just ticked off because those things are damned expensive and I had only used 3 out of my 10 fares! ah well, such is life.

As soon as I got here I crashed, still exhausted from Budapest and even more worn down from not sleeping much. I am definitely still a creature of the night and have a difficult time turning my brain off; but then, as it turns out, I'm a creature of the day, too, because I wake up just as early as I usually do after sleepless nights and am left feeling the effects later. I'm glad I had a space for myself for my sick week, though. I didn't go out much, instead I had a terriffic time working on my cooking: some incredible chili, my first loaf of bread, an amazing soup that I mindfully mashed up by hand for 40 minutes since I realized halfway through making it that Laura doesn't have a blender, and omelets on multiple mornings. Not having to worry about being in someone else's way, I really got into the cooking groove and remembered how much I enjoy it. Don't worry, I even took pictures that I'll post later. Now, Prof. Mulrooney, here's your 'Lord of the Rings' reference: I'm sure you all now that I was an Uber-Dork last year, spending a great deal of my time philosophizing about the Hobbits' relationship to food and the more time I spend away from home, the more I realize that I am, in fact, much like a Hobbit: I guess Tolkein was on to something and I was right on with my paper. When I'm cooking the foods I made at home and not agonizing over the fact that I can't even figure out what I'm buying in the grocery store, my spirit feels a little more refreshed; plus, it makes me remember the times I cooked the same foods for my friends and family at home (Caitlin, you totally would have licked your bowl after eating my chili). And, yes, eating does breed fellowship: besides on the ice, the dinner table is the place where I find it easiest to connect with my hosts and teammates. Here are two great quotes from the November 2003 issue of Oprah's Magazine that I've been reading (it's all I've got here for my breakfast/coffee read besides the Danish newspaper and grocery store ads):
Food is our common ground, a universal experience. -James Beard
Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly. - M.F.K. Fisher
I think that's one of the reasons I want to open a cafe: I want to be the means for others to come together in the same way. AND! I think I've come up with a good name for our cafe: "Cafe Hygge." Hygge is a Danish word, which basically means "coziness." Think of a night at home, drinking tea with your friends, surrounded by candlelights, listening to jazz - that's Hygge. Yet, they also use it to describe just having a nice time together. After our trip to Budapest, someone described it as Hygge. So what, do you think? A certain boyfriend, whom I shall leave nameless, thinks it will be too difficult to pronounce so people won't go, but I think that it will just get people talking and therefore be trendy. You've got until Caitlin and I get enough capital to fund the place to decide.

Now, once you stop laughing at me for my LOTR reference, I shall continue. Ready? No, seriously. Ok, thank you.

I also went down to the University last week and picked up a book of female sports narratives from Sally (the old fellow). I basically tore through it this week, another good reason to just sit inside. The book is called "Crossing Boundaries" and is a collection of short stories, poetry and even dramas all written by women and centered on their experience with sport. As I read it, as well as the editor's comments about the different divisions of the book, including exclusion, reaction to exclusion, connections with nature, connections with one another, discovery of self, relationship to one's body and, finally, the very nature of sport, I couldn't help but continue forth in discovering just how profound an impact hockey has had on my life. I guess I always knew hockey was important, but just not how much: hockey has been my outlet when all else seems falling apart (indeed it is, like I've said, what keeps me going here), hockey has strengthened my relationships with my parents and, of course, teammates, hockey has given me the strength and confidence I needed to apply for the Watson...and there is so much more that I know will go into whatever I write at the end of all of this.

I've even been in touch with the editor of the book who is a professor in Budapest and we're hoping to meet up when I head that way during Christmas time - she even offered me a place to stay and invited me to her New Year's party!

Now, more about food (sort of): I spent last weekend working in the concession stand at the rink. Just like my club teams at home, here we have to sort of earn our keep as a team and work, somtimes concession and ticket selling at open skating, sometimes sweeping after the "pro" games. I don't mind, though, because it's a better chance to spend time with teammates. I had a hilarious time with Charlotte on Saturday and then Camilla on Sunday, selling disgusting hot dogs, working the deep-fryer, trying to figure out what the Danish children wanted. And I even began to get their "stories," realizing that I am so much like these women, and it is surely in large part due to our unique role as female hockey players that makes us so alike. Charlotte, though all smiles is tough as nails (she was the only one besides myself who showed up to run before practice last week and we did the 5K by ourselves and running it with her last night I wanted to puke afterwards and shaved at least a minute off of my regular pace). She spent a year riding horses around the world (Australia and Iceland), just like I'm playing hockey internationally. After that. she joined the Danish army and served in Bosnia, and now she's got to go internationally for a year for her schooling and wants to go back into the army after that. We had a lengthy chat while watching the U-18 National Development camp (luckily, I just happened to be at the rink for it) about our shared travel bug and how we don't understand "settling:" "just go!!!" she says with a huge grin!!
The next day I had an equally great time with Camilla, who just might be my soulmate: she doesn't work because she's still figuring out what she wants (though she said she thinks she wants to study Art History at the University), so she spends her days reading, 'The Little Prince' is even one of her favorites! She, too, loves cafe life and said her neighborhood (where I may move with another player in November) is filled with used book stores and cafes!! She even likes Lord of the Rings AND cooking AND WANTS to read my paper. (Seriously, stop laughing, we got into talking about it after discussing how beautiful New Zealand appeared in the films and how she should visit me there). She too has been everywhere, including a year of scrounging in England. So cooking, even if it's nasty hot dogs, does bring people together. I wonder what stories I'll have after working this coming weekend!

Yesterday I did manage to get out: the sun was shining and I was feeling so much better, so I rode my bike down to the Ny Carlsberg Glypotek Museum, which is like a Mecca for all of my Classics friends out there. It's dedicated to classical art, though they have a lot of modern works and French landscapes and impressionists (I could gaze at Monet for days, well, his works anyways). They have an incredible room that you walk into and feel like you're in the Parthenon (I think); it's filled with huge statues of Roman gods and it really is being in the midst of gods...I only wish I remembered more of the mythical stories. I enjoy museums because I find that, though my "liberal arts" education wasn't all that pragmatic, I can at least go to a museum and know that I've now got a much greater appreciation for what I'm looking at. You should have seen the way people flew past Monet and VanGogh!! I could actually walk from the Roman statues, into the abstract room and say: my, what an abrupt change! My particular favorite examination was an abstract that had a title along the lines of "Mythical Story" (or something like that). Which mythical story is a yellow conversation bubble like shape on top of a gray background? Curious juxtaposition for sure. (thanks for that background, prof. dustin!)

Today I will be interviewing a girl from a local team, which I'm really excited about. It will be my first "interview" but I've actually got a lot lined up with University anthropoligists, Team Denmark, the Ice Hockey Union, and even an old player/antrho. student. I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere because my legs feel like they're going to fall off. Spinning and practice monday, lifting Tuesday, riding my bike all day plus a 5K team run plus team lift plus practice last night, all of these add up to some sore legs! I think I may take a "rest" tomorrow, too. It's supposed to be sunny and I'm hoping to get to Helsingor to see "Hamlet's Castle" before the weather turns really bad. After fearing the weather, though, it looks like it's tropical here compared to back home. The Apocalypse perhaps?

I just flew in from Budapest...

2005-10-17T03:50:00.000-04:00

...and boy are my arms tired; but that's mostly because the Russians are friggin' huge and wore me out.

The tournament was a great time and we really played well: 2 losses and a win, but the two losses were genuine 'moral victories' in which we played some incredible hockey against some of Europe's best teams (the Swedes and the Russians), both of which have multiple Olympians playing for them. I'll post more later, but I wanted to get some of these pictures up while I'm putting them on my computer. Enjoy.

The team getting ready to leave for Budapest in our fancy new sweatshirts...we look happy because we have yet to find out about our 6 hour delay at this point.

I was told I had to bake a cake for the team since it was my first away trip I think that may have been a mean lie, but I did it anyways 'cause, hey, it's chocolate. The witty label on the box says: "HUNGARY for a win? It'll be a PIECE OF CAKE!" [insert WoW face here] I'm good!

Me in action: please, PLEASE don't hate on the Jofa helmet!

Before I Go

2005-10-11T18:07:00.000-04:00

Hello, e-world.
I leave for Budapest in the morning to play in the European Women's Champions Cup. I just found out that this is actually the first official Women's EuroCup, so I came at a good time! We'll be playing teams from Sweden, Hungary and Russia, including a number of Olympic players who I'll be going to watch in Italy in February, meaning I'll have a good point of comparison when I go there.
I'm not sure, but you may be able to get updated info on us at the IIHF Website as the weekend progresses. If anything, you can take a look at our schedule (we're the Rodovre Mighty Bulls in case you've already forgotten).
Wish me luck and please do tell VB that this time we really are going to "kill those commie bastards," (his words, not mine) not just that Manhattanville Valiants, who happen to wear red.
Peace, love, puck,
Norm

Rollin' Along

2005-10-09T08:04:00.000-04:00

Dear Friendly Reader,
Hello once again! How have you been? Still dealing with that pesky rash? Well, I'm sure it will clear up soon.

As for me, my trip is steadily beginning to pick up and the time is actually starting to roll by....for the most part at least. This was a great week in particular and I suppose that's why it seemed to go by so quickly. Last weekend we had three games, which was terriffic because, as I've mentioned, that's when I feel most comfortable here and time definitely does not drag. We've had some really uneven games against women's teams, coming out with 10 and 17 point leads (or something like that) and I can see why the team prefers playing in the boys U-16 league for good competition. Last Friday we lost to a boys team, but I did get something like the team's game MVP, which meant I got to take home the team mascot (see above).

If you can't tell, he's a bear, wearing our team t-shirt and he's swatting at some bees around his honey, which represent our rivals, the Herlev Hornets. Heikki, our coach, talked about why I was getting him, but since I don't speak a word of Danish and he doesn't speak a word of English, I didn't know he was coming my way until he handed him to me. From what I was told, though, I got it for being a "smart" player (primarily, I had played a 2 on 1 really well).

(One of these things just doesn't belong. So, they don't like my black helmet; Rodovre is all about style. Meaning I wasted 100 bucks on a nice new one and now have to wear a teammates old Jofa! Ick! How very European I'll be. If my old teammates view any future pictures of me in said Jofa helmet, please don't hate.)

I also started working out with Tine, a 40 year old player on our team, who has been playing hockey in Denmark since the 70's and was on their first national team. Tine is definitely one of the women I'd like to write about, as she's an amazing inspiration and has a wealth of knowledge about the history of women's hockey here. She has fought against a lot and I think women's hockey here owes a lot to her and her fellow-pioneers. She's also amazing at hockey and is kicking my ass running and lifting in the mornings, which is great! I went with her Tuesday night to play "Old Boys" hockey, which is a strange mix of ex-elite players who take their weekly pickup game/practice WAY too seriously, and guys who are there just to goof around. We weren't even allowed to play with the first liners and I don't think that any of them looked at us the entire time. I did play a few shifts with the less serious guys, but I was so worn down by our morning lift, that I benched myself more times than not and just sat back and had a good time observing. It was at least worth the experience, especially getting a laugh out of watching the serious ones. They reminded me of the intramural basketball team we played against that thought our bitty 30 minute games were a shot to live out their NCAA dreams.

I told you all about my great meeting on Wednesday already, so I won't go into that, though I am a bit intimidated by the challenge I've set out for myself. I've been working on my interview questions and have gotten a few responses from some of Sally's contacts already, though, so I'm hopefully on my way to getting at something.

Thursday was also terriffic because in the afternoon I went to help out at a Piger (girls) team practice in Hervidore. They are the only young girls team around and are thus the potential of Danish hockey in a nutshell really. I had a great time at the practice...and when the coach translated to them that I wanted to write a book, they all got really excited and asked if they could have free copies. I'm sure I'll go back whenever I can, though because we have conflicting schedules it won't be too often.

Friday meant a practice game against the Rodovre boys U-16 team, which also meant that this time we were the ones getting romped 17-0 (and in only 2 periods!). They are an incredibly talented team, but we needed to play them in order to see more competition like we will face when we head to the Europa Cup this Wednesday in Budapest. It was a little difficult since we were missing a number of players who had to work, including our starting goalie, but I actually enjoyed all the action I was seeing as a defensemen. After the game, the team went out for dinner at a pretty nice cafe. I'm sure the conversation was quite lovely, but I couldn't really tell you. It's great that everyone speaks English, but when people get together, they are less likely to use it than when just speaking to me. It is both good creative practice as I try to make up stories about what they could be talking about, as well as a good excuse not to have to pay attention and just space out (note: Caitlin and Dave, you would both do well here).

And I finally got my team warmup, so I'm becoming more and more and official member of the team. Now I can stop wearing Laura's old one, which is good because she's only about 5'3" and her pants only went down to my shins.

I'm definitely still adjusting to the ebb and flow of emotions, but I think the flowing is beginning to take over (at least, that's what I hope). I have a feeling that this next week will fly by since I'll be with the team in Hungary the entire time. It will be my fourth week here, meaning I'll have been here just about a month next Monday. It seems like that's a pretty big mile marker and once I hit that, I'll know I can keep going (1 down and 9 to go). When I get back from Budapest, I'll also be staying in a teammates apartment for a few weeks while she visits her family in Canada. That, too, should be good for me: a change of pace and scenery, and a chance to be on my own a bit more. Things are going well living with Jeanette and Michael, but polite old Meghan can't help but feel like an intruder at all times.

Finally, I'm too lazy to figure out the html codes for inserting links onto my page, so check out these sweet blogs:

i am the lotus and rachelle's yet-to-be-named blog, which you should visit and vote for my naming contest entries

AND a BIG HELLO to the HoCroWoHo mini-reunion if any of you see this! Send Jerry my congrats! And do get some good crazy stories for me!

So long, farewell, tak frammel.

A Writer is Reinspired

2005-10-05T18:37:00.000-04:00

Today was a good day and a day filled with inspiration and a sense of purpose. I realized after a great chat with a former fellow (now an Anthro prof. here in Copenhagen) that to fill my day with reading and writing is indeed part of my purpose. It's now my goal to narrate the stories of a select group of the women I meet over the next year, and not just their sports stories, but their life stories (which will necessarily intertwine with the hockey stories). And I think it's only appropriate that I start with my own. How else will I know what to ask? But it is going to take action and really allowing myself to fall into time here, "for what is actual is only actual for one time," meaning I can't get caught up missing home so much, nor can I let myself miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity to live, learn and hone my craft. "Consequently, I rejoice," writes Eliot, "having to construct something." This is indeed "the place of solitude," but if only I can learn to "sit still" and listen to my experience, I'm certain I'll have something incredible by the end of this year.
I thank my sister for reminding me of this great poem, which today takes on more meaning for me than ever before:

from "ash-wednesday"
by t.s. eliot

Because I do not think
Because I know I shall not know

Because I know that time is always time
And place is always only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and...
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice

And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And I pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again...

Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still...

Although I do not hope to turn again
Although I do not hope
Although I do not hope to turn

Wavering between the profit and the loss
In this brief transit where the dreams cross...
And the lost heart stiffens and rejoices...
And the weak spirit quickens to rebel...
Quickens to recoverAnd the blind eye creates...
And smell renews...

This is the time of tension between dying and birth
The place of solitude where three dreams cross...

Suffer us not to mock ourselves with falsehood
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still...

---Life is in the journey, kids. So sit still, listen up, and enjoy the ride....
(NB: I know I write this and will have trouble living it out still, but as Eliot also writes, "it is all in the trying").

2005-09-30T16:46:00.000-04:00

This is Hans, just call me Frans, and we will pump YOU up.

2005-09-30T05:16:00.000-04:00

boo!
-this message has been brought to you by Bjarne's cell phone.

Stiiiiiiill In Copenhagen

2005-09-30T04:07:00.000-04:00

Hello again, world.

And welcome back to the inner-workings of my brain. I apologize that my posts have not been more prolific, but I find myself torn between living the experience and making a record of it - and my journal writing alone has been so profuse that it's been hard to also keep on on letters AND a blog.

So, what has happened since my last entry? Well, we had an entire weekend off, which meant hitting up Copenhagen with some of the team. I'm glad that they, like me, are dedicated to their season and thus only "go out" once in a blue moon, because Copenhagen doesn't even start to party until around 1am...that's bedtime, kids, bedtime.

Though we didn't have any games Saturday, I did get back into the swing of the "hockey life" with Bjarne, spending all day at the rink watching his son's game, as well as some older teams. I must say that though hockey is relatively new to Denmark (it's only begun to be popular in the last 50 years), they have a lot of talent. I was really impressed even by the 13 year-old boys. I think, like everything, they take sports very seriously, which has led to such a high level of talent. And if watching all day wasn't enough, we went back to the rink for the "ice disco." And I thought my public skating days were over in 8th grade! But it felt good to be a kid again and skate aimlessly, in tune with nothing but my own stride.

Sunday was a beautiful day, so I headed once again into Copenhagen and found "The Little Mermaid Statue" (a famous tourist sight, due to Hans Christian Anderson's fame here). Like most people told me, it was a tad anticlimactic, but the seaside was beautiful and I just kept stumbling over one ancient building after another, including the palace. I swear, I'll put up a link to my pictures soon.

Julie (who is really becoming my little sister here) and I headed into the closing night festivities at Tivoli that night after getting free tickets from someone. Tivoli is a rather small amusement park, but is filled with gorgeous gardens and was all lit up at night. She made me ride the big "tower drop" ride to get the "best view of Copenhagen," which was beautiful, but after bungee jumping, the drop left a little to be desired. Though we had gone in to see the band Cashmir play, she got tired and had to go to school the next morning, so we headed back before the big fireworks display (couldn't say my tired body minded, though). If anyone wants to come visit, I recommend a little before Christmas time, when Tivoli reopens for a big ol' winter festival. (hint hint).

This past week has been a strange mix of emotions and activity. It's amazing that I can go through such highs when discovering new sights and playing hockey, to experiencing the real sense of solitue that comes with the Watson journey (watching the informational videos on their website and knowing that the loneliness is part of the experience has been helpful). I have tried my best to go into the city and explore, but on game days I'd rather not tire my legs out, so I've been reading and writing here at the house, though having trouble really focusing. The hockey is terriffic, though. Spinning is so much better when you haven't just traveled for 8 hours, and each time I step on the ice I feel a little bit more like I know how to play hockey. We had a game Wednesday and won 13-1 (they were right about the competition in the women's league being uneven, but that is what I am studying!); I had two goals, one was on a feed to the middle as I cut in and the other was a slapper from the blue line. We have 3 games this weekend and I will let you know how those go.

And it is playing hockey that I am reaffirmed of my purpose. Though days can get lonely and I can hit lows, when I am out on the ice, I know why I turned down going to Galway: I love hockey. Though communication with the girls can be difficult, somehow language barriers and inhibitions subside when we are on the ice or sitting next to one another on the bench. No matter what happens, I have hockey and that is what matters. And, whatsmore, I have developed a number of sincerely strong bonds already (i.e. Bjarne and Julie) and those too will carry me through.

I am a bit torn now, however. Somehow, I have made an e-contact with a coach (originally from Chicago) in Belgium, who has 4 girls on his team and may know of a women's team playing out of Leuven, a city somewhat close to Brussels. Not having many games in December or most of January, I am now enticed by the idea of heading to Brussels to help him coach, perhaps play, and investigate why women's hockey is NOT succeeding in Belgium. I think my desire is a mix of the lonely days here and the fear I will tire of Copenhagen, as well as knowing that Belgium is originally where I intended to be. Maybe I should put up a poll to see where my readers would like me.

What else? Oh yes, tried my first smoggrebread (traditional Danish lunch of and open faced meat sandwich on dark Rye bread), which Bjarne brought me and was absolutely delicious! He is a great cook from cooking in the fire house and I think I may fill some of my time with having him give me lessons! He also found my weakness: chocolate! Last weekend at his house it was chokoladdesklpaddle, a chocolate turtle (kind of like a Cadbury egg, but better), and at lunch the other day he brought us chocolate cream pie-like cookies -- pie heaven is right.

So, gonna read today, work on my creative writing (I am forcing myself to begin writing exercises), and then 3 games this weekend!

And now, some notes to my readers:
1. For all those who want to post comments, one does not need to sign up for a blog to post a comment; one must simply check the anonymous box and, to sign the post, just put one's name at the end of the comment.
2. Thank you for the posts, they make me happy.
3. My stick bag is NOT "superfluous," "Bee" (if that is your real name). It was indeed necessary, as I needed to check the sticks on the plane.
4. My green stick rocks.
5. There are lots of people dressed up like spiderman and other various characters parading around the street and screaming right now and I'm not sure what the hell is going on, but they did wake me up at 8:30 am. Perhaps I shall investigate.

Peace and much love,
Meghan

Check Us Out

2005-09-24T17:56:00.000-04:00

http://www.ishockeypiger.dk/default.htm
I, of course, still have no idea what any of this means, but I am using it as a tool to learn everyone's names (I am especially having trouble pronouncing #9's name). The one thing I really can't pronounce is Rodovre, which is terrible because when people ask me who I play for, I can't exactly tell them. You can also check out our games online play-by-play and will post that link when I get it, because I know you're all dying to find out how we're doing.

Hallo from Copenhagen

2005-09-22T21:50:00.000-04:00

Hello, world. I apologize for my lengthy absence, but apparently preparing to leave the country takes a lot more time than I originally anticipated. So, to catch you up: I left Boston for Copenhagen on Sunday night last and arrived on Monday afternoon. I must say that after flying to Papua New Guinea (circa 25 hours in the air, plus layovers, I believe) any flight will seem short. In fact, I think that the flights may have been TOO short...before I knew it I was in iceland (paying about 6 bucks for a freakin' cup of tea!) and just after that I was in Copenhagen. The time flew by (seriously, no pun intended) and I didn't even have the chance to collect myself before I was picking up my bags and going to meet Bjarn. As many of you know, I have no foresight, so I wasn't too nervous before leaving, but the feeling of wanting to throw up hit me like a thousand tiny gnomes using my stomach as their punching bag as soon as I hit the ground (you'll have to excuse the gnome reference, but I'm kind of in withdrawl until I find one to be my traveling companion).

Luckily I had no immigration problems as I originally thought - hell I didn't even have to go through immigration except in the Iceland airport (boo for no Denmark stamp) - so the whole charade you may have heard about involving applying for a resident permit and all expensive stuff like that was virtually a waste...meaning I got up at 5 am to call Copenhagen a few weeks ago for no reason at all!

As I said Bjarn, team equipment manager and one of the girl's fathers, picked me up at the airport. He is at first a very quiet man, who wouldn't be when you're picking up someone you've never met? But he is an amazingly warm individual, who I can tell is going to be quite a father figure to me. I was quite impressed by how much love his family exuded...they're huggers just like me! He is a fireman (yes, we all respect them now, that's for sure!) and an excellent cook after cooking at the station for 30 years, so he cooked us all dinner, including Laura, the Canadian player/coach who has been helping me out, and Jeanette (a goalie) and Michael, who are letting me stay in a room in their townhouse. The dinner was a great chance to start feeling comfortable with everyone, and it is true that the Danes have wonderfully dry wits and like to mess with people, much like myself, so I should be alright.

Despite my jet-lag, I am indeed an overachiever and thought I should join the team for an hour of spinning and practice that night...by the time practice was over at 11pm I don't think my body knew what was going on. I slept until 1pm the next day and I'm sure I could have done more if I wanted to.

The past few days have been dedicated to finding my way around the city. I am about a 30 minute bike ride from Copenhagen (an hour and a half if you get lost like I did today), which is not the easiest of cities to navigate, having no grid whatsoever. I still have to hit up all of the tourist spots, but I at least now know how to get to the city and even found the perfect coffee shop for living out my poetic aspirations! (http://www.robertscoffee.com).

As for the hockey, these girls are good! They range in age from about 13-40 and I'd say they are all at least on Division III level hockey. They say a large part of it is due to their second year coach, Hecky, who is Finnish and specializes in skating technique (much like John Dillon only this one knows how to play hockey). He doesn't speak a word of English, but the girls are doing their best to translate (however, that too proves difficult since he is known to go on just as much as one PVB). So I am thoroughly impressed by their skill level, dedication and work ethic. They are also one of the smartest group of girls I've played with; everyone always knows where to be...and most of them have only been playing for a few years! Quite honestly, they don't need much from me to better their team. Hopefully I'll have a little more to show them once I get back into the swing of it. Apparently, though, their team is quite different from most other women's teams in the nation. There is one team that gives them good competition, while all other games are complete blowouts. I just happened to wind up with the national champions, which works for me becaus that means I get to go to the Eurocup with them in Budapest in mid-October.

On the ice it's kind of like shock therapy right now, since I had practice the first night I was here and my second time on the ice was a GAME last night. The game was against the U-14 boys national champions, which means that they were amazing skaters (Hecky also coaches them) so we shouldn't feel awful about losing 6-1. We play in a women's league and two boys leagues, meaning that we get to check sometimes. Checking is a totally new experience for me, but I think I will grow to love it, especially since Europeans don't make checking the center of their game like so many Americans do.

So tomorrow is another day of wandering the city and then hitting up the Copenhagen night-life with some girls on the team. I'll try to upload some pictures once I figure out how!

Yours in green,
Meghan

A Timely Reaffirmation

2005-09-15T15:38:00.000-04:00

My mom sent the following article to me (originally from The Daily Om) and I found it quite a nice reaffirmation of my upcoming adventure, which in many ways will be a mental one. A lot of people have acted surprised and a bit wary of a life in which my only main task is to play hockey a few times a week. But really, does it get any better than this? A wise man by the name of Kevin Mahoney instructed me last evening that the greatest gift I am receiving this year is not so much money, but rather, time. When else am I going to get the chance to write the next great American (or will it be Danish?) novel, or learn to play the guitar, or catch up on my endless "To Read" list, all on someone elses dime, and while restarting the hockey career I was certain was over in the process? NEVER! So, if I'm not on the ice or at spinning, you can find me at a cafe in Copenhagen, sipping tea and being mindful (and if you see this as a good plan and want to donate to the "Lattes for Meghan Fund"), just let me know.

September 15, 2005Conscious IdleThe Art of Inactivity
Our world is one of cycles. Tides ebb and flow, one season gives way to the next, night follows day. In our own lives, we have periods of great activity and periods of rest. Just as high tide is no better than low tide and summer no better than spring, activity is not, in itself, better than inactivity. If fact, these times of rest and rejuvenation, idleness and dreaming, help us connect to ourselves and to our divine source. Our culture tends to applaud action and achievement. We are often most comfortable with ourselves when we are clearly traveling toward a goal. During these times of striving, we direct our energy outward. We take action on our vision and follow the steps that lead us to our goal. But there are moments in this process when the urge comes to take a break, retreat, or just lay low. The tendency may be to judge ourselves negatively as we may be less comfortable with these moments of down time which is a great time to check in with our intention. By being aware of your intention behind the action of laying low you can gain a higher perspective on it. Ask yourself if your intention is to honor an essential part of your being or to hide from it. Is your intent one that is ultimately kind to yourself - empowering rather than diminishing? Perhaps you sense it is simply time to pause and allow the universe work its magic on your behalf. When you feel the urge to have down time, trust that this is a natural part of the process of achieving your goals. Know that what may appear to be a deviation from your path can actually prove to be a shortcut and give yourself permission to do exactly as you are moved to do. Curl up under the covers with a favorite book or catch an old movie on TV. Soak up some sun or daydream the day away. Better yet, do nothing at all. Allow yourself to simply be - alive and at ease.

Holy Cross Article

2005-09-07T13:35:00.000-04:00

Holy Cross Scholar-Athlete Earns Watson Award

Meghan Mahoney, a 2005 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and member of the women’s varsity ice hockey team, has received the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for her self-designed research project titled "Life Without Title IX: The International Development of Women’s Ice Hockey." Mahoney was one of five alternates when the Watson fellowships were announced in March; and received official word this month that her project was accepted.
Mahoney, an English major with a creative writing emphasis and philosophy minor from Utica, N.Y., will be studying in South Africa, New Zealand and one of the following countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland.

"During my time, I hope to play as much hockey as possible," she said. "I have proposed to play in women’s club leagues in each of my chosen countries to find out how the game is taking shape in those countries that aren’t already dominant, well-known forces in the game. I may also attempt to train with each nation’s national team in order to expand my playing time, as well as coach youth teams and perhaps even observe physical education classes in local schools in order to discern how females are treated in athletics in general. My goal is to assess how strongly girls are encouraged to play sports and how equally they are treated in countries that may not have laws such as Title IX. The law has made a large impact on the growth of women’s ice hockey here in the U.S. and I want to see whether such legislation is being implemented in and effecting other countries, as well as whether or not the game can develop strongly without it."

In addition to playing varsity ice hockey, Mahoney was a member of Habitat for Humanity International for two years (going to Zambia her first year, and leading a trip to Papua New Guinea this past June); president of the English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta; president of the Literary Society; a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, Phi Beta Kappa and the Philosophy Honor Society, Phi Sigma Tau; a member of the English department Student Advisory Committee; on the editorial staff of The Criterion; and a SPUD (Student Programs for Urban Development) participant.

Mahoney is one of 50 college seniors nationwide selected to receive a 2005-2006 Watson. The fellowship with a stipend of $25,000, is a one-year grant for independent study and travel outside of the United States.

August 30, 2005nm

Welcome To My Blog

2005-09-06T23:32:00.000-04:00

Dear Friendly Reader,
Welcome to my blog, where you'll be kept up to date and informed on all the important and exciting events that are bound to transpire during my year as a Watson Fellow. If you know me, then you know I am longwinded and verbose (see what I mean?) and have a knack for thoroughly corny jokes utilizing my affection for the English language. Nevertheless, I suggest you sit back, relax, and hold on for the reading adventure of your life as I embark upon my next big real life adventure.
Yours in green,
Meghan O'Neill Mahoney