Row Row Row your Boat
Ah Emma was a fine dingy, in fact, one of the finest in the fleet of Her Majesty's Royal Thames River Armada. Swift and exact along the river's waters she went.
this would be true, however, if an ore had worked properly, not giving my right arm the mighty difference in stream controls. Thus careening the vessel into the banks of the canals and low hanging branches. Some causing us to duck into the vessel's hull, barely skimming the low hang of the thick extentions and growths. Fortunately, away from the prying eyes of the construction workers that I had gain'd nonmocking passage by understanding the following
the second bar to lady of Spain.
yes, but whistling the tune to the old sailors hymn, I had gained applauds and safe passage on to the magdalin college's stretch of river. Our course to the Thames was underway. Fortunately for our egos, no errors of commanding the ship had occurred short of the pull out from the docks, always a tricky maneuver to attempt. Or a 4 point turn under the magdalin college bridge....Which was caused by the turn out from the docking. Aided by record low river levels.
with fairly low to do, we encountered a tree branch, which, mind you, the two sets of eyes... Women's eyes mind you, had failed to warn me of entirely. Thus sending us under its wispy wrath of small branches and twiggery which caused no damage and lead to a fit of the giggles amongst the crew.
on the second of such encounters, first mate Hannah made the statement of "if the impact wont kill us. The cold of the water surely will"
aside from this, no major incidents occurred. Barring the full on collation (mind you, after a WOMAN was given charge over the port side ore) with the river bank, to the awe of a score and 4 English citizens, forced to watch the shame of such a proud English ship.
I count a score and 4, as the other 5 were Chinese, and counted not as it was merely another photograph moment to behold the English culture.
if only they knew.
this would be true, however, if an ore had worked properly, not giving my right arm the mighty difference in stream controls. Thus careening the vessel into the banks of the canals and low hanging branches. Some causing us to duck into the vessel's hull, barely skimming the low hang of the thick extentions and growths. Fortunately, away from the prying eyes of the construction workers that I had gain'd nonmocking passage by understanding the following
the second bar to lady of Spain.
yes, but whistling the tune to the old sailors hymn, I had gained applauds and safe passage on to the magdalin college's stretch of river. Our course to the Thames was underway. Fortunately for our egos, no errors of commanding the ship had occurred short of the pull out from the docks, always a tricky maneuver to attempt. Or a 4 point turn under the magdalin college bridge....Which was caused by the turn out from the docking. Aided by record low river levels.
with fairly low to do, we encountered a tree branch, which, mind you, the two sets of eyes... Women's eyes mind you, had failed to warn me of entirely. Thus sending us under its wispy wrath of small branches and twiggery which caused no damage and lead to a fit of the giggles amongst the crew.
on the second of such encounters, first mate Hannah made the statement of "if the impact wont kill us. The cold of the water surely will"
aside from this, no major incidents occurred. Barring the full on collation (mind you, after a WOMAN was given charge over the port side ore) with the river bank, to the awe of a score and 4 English citizens, forced to watch the shame of such a proud English ship.
I count a score and 4, as the other 5 were Chinese, and counted not as it was merely another photograph moment to behold the English culture.
if only they knew.
posted by Jonathan at
2:56 PM
3 Comments:
My one and only visit to England, or the UK if you must, was way back in 1987. I loved the in-your-face antiquity of the place, but the English were a bit hard to take.
My friend asks a bus driver in London where the bathroom is. His answer, "Why you want to take a bath?"
I'm with two buddies at a pub in Cambridge and we start to have a nice chat with a couple of college students. As soon as they find out we are American airmen, they practically accused us of being babykillers and walked away without a backward glance.
It's a Monday night and a carfull of us are trying to find our way to London from Mildenhall. WE stop to ask a gathering of teens the way, and they start to lisp at us with an over-exagerated gay accent. They never do tell us which way to go, and the lisp was because APPARENTLY everyone in the UK knows that Monday night is the day of the week that gays go out.
I rarely met an Englishman that didn't have a snide remark for nearly everything I said. What is that all about?
In a pub, out of no where, some half drunk local starts to criticize American sports like baseball, football and basketball. NOTHING, he drunkenly declared, compared to the superiority of English football! Ok fella, if you say so! Now get away from me.
Maybe my Irish and Scottish roots instinctively prevent me from understanding Britishers. What's the answer Jonathan?
By
PhilippinesPhil, at 4:22 AM
I am one to think it comes from the fact they can smell it (the Irish-Scot) on you like they can smell the Welsh-Irish on me. and for that matter the Muslim population that has grown here can smell the Jewish last name on me.
sure, they are a little rude, but I think it comes from a slightly jaded society. I mean, have you heard of the latest problems that are being faced.
pention schemes falling apart, the National Health System is in disrepair, and to boot a labor government that has failed to do as promised for the 'working class'(though I would call my self a stanch Thatcher-torie)
let alone the feeling of classism which is strongly held in socialized nations, which always leads to a compartmentlization and the almost depressed nature of the culture that is about, feeling as slaves and lower humans due to birth and childhood. whilst as an American, I feel the wonderous and almost scary ablity to move about freely through society in any way possible.
this all translates to a sort of sad confederation of "this is how it is" that makes brits instinctively seek out almost spiteful ways to mock and be a sort of 'sideways pill.'
although, from what I have read of your experiance, seems to have become a little kinder, but perhaps it is due to the expectation of international students here in oxford, and the influx of non-european decended visitors (Chinese, Japanese, and Arab/Persian on the rise and taking a large chunk of the visitor-scape of oxford. even once filling the whole of the market place with students, at a personal estimate of over 3,000 Chinese students from one school, as marked by their matched blazers and 2 headmasters corraling them about the cornmarket street.)
By
Jonathan, at 3:01 PM
Ooops. I went back to your other blog and just noticed your answer to my earlier comment. It's a keeper man! I'm going to save it. Fascinating insights...
By
PhilippinesPhil, at 5:42 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home