AL Central Champions!

This blog is theoretically supposed to be about adventures in England, but this is a story that demands commentary. As the whole world should know, the Twins, my favorite sports team ever, improbably won the American League Central on Sunday thanks to an equally improbable sweep of Detroit by baseball's worst team, the Kansas City Royals. And the Twins beat the Sox, obviously. I think I called this moment back in June, when the Twins reached .500 with a record of 34-34, and I said it clearly is destiny that we win the World Series. 34, Kirby Puckett, all of that. So here we are, preparing for the best month of the baseball year, October. I have to admit, it is quite painful to not be able to watch the games, or go to the games, or take part in the general atmosphere of October baseball in Minnesota, because half of England doesn't even know what baseball is. But the Twins can take heart that there are a few dedicated fans stuck in the middle of Britain who are cheering every bit as much as those back home. In the great tradition of baseball superstition, I wore my lucky Twins hat around today (the one I always wear) and also used my Twins credit card to purchase my first textbook. Santana pitches in about 3 and a half hours, and I'll be eagerly following the game online. It would be very nice to take the first two games at the Metrodome, and hopefully finish it up quickly. Give us extra rest for the ALCS. Just think about how much more beautiful this will be in 3 years, when I have season tickets in a brand spanking new outdoor ballpark...

I had my first class today, American History. I had some good news, in that the 10 credit class doesn't have a seminar, and the book I had to buy also carries over into American History II, which I'm taking next semester. I'm in a lecture of at least a hundred people. This will freak people out. The only two assignments for the whole semester is an essay and the final exam. No daily homework, no busywork, nothing. All independent study. It's pretty cool, but will present its own set of challenges. I had my Intro to Early Music class approved by the Luther faculty the other day, so will be taking that in the spring with the aforementioned class. That's good news, as it will hopefully help to clear my schedule up next year at Luther. I've spent the last couple of afternoons wandering around downtown. I don't know if the English just don't have jobs, or they have nothing better to do, but Nottingham is always intensely crowded with shoppers. It blows me away. Tomorrow, I'll bring my camera and show you. I bought some notebooks and stuff, and looked around a Marshall Fields-esque department store. On the bus back to the flat, I found some legitimate music stores (like sheet music and stuff) that I'm going to check out tomorrow. There are some pretty cool record shops downtown as well, but CD's are really expensive, a new CD usually is the equivalent of right around $20. Anyways, that's what's up. Tomorrow I have Islamic Tradition, and also am going to check out brass choir, which I hear is pretty cool. If there's time, I'll go to the "taster session" for the ballroom club. But more importantly right now, go Twins! As glorious as they are, I think the state of Minnesota would appreciate some new World Series highlights to add to the old ones.

PS- I gave out the wrong cell phone number the other day. The correct number should be below. I think.

044-79-6003-9380