################################## THREES ##################################

This email is an update. If you haven't got one from me before you'll
find I write them about four times a year. Rather optimistically
(euphemistically?) I call them epistles. Apparently that's another
word for long letter.

This time I'll be chronological, which means starting in Eastern
Europe and heading West - Christmas in Vienna, New Years in London,
everything else in Oxford. Everything else includes some electoral
shenanigans, a lot of dancing, an internship for the summer and I've
even done some work on my DPhil. At least two of the photos won't make
sense without captions. and I'll do that at the end.

I've noticed something very interesting. The further East you are, the
friendlier the locals are. Take the Germans. They have a stern and
humourless reputation, and it is entirely undeserved. Perhaps it was
in comparison to the Czechs and Poles? Susanna and I had a fantastic
time in Prague, and an even better time in Krakow. Part of that was
the people, but the wild spaces in Poland reminded me of New Zealand,
and of how much I miss it.

Auschwitz is... hard to describe. Strangely bland. There's nothing
special about the buildings or the site - quiet, bleak, dead, but
normal. Even the crematoriums. And maybe that's the true horror of the
Holocaust? That it wasn't some exceptional trip to the bottom of the
abyss, just an example. That might sound controversial. Some other
trips? The Armenian genocide, the Japanese atrocities in China, the
bombing of Dresden, the Soviet gulags, the Cambodian killing fields,
Rwanda, Bosnia and others, all in the last 100 years. To put it
bluntly, we aren't very nice.

On a much happier note - Christmas in Vienna. Being able to go and see
the opera or ballet for 4 euros and without even having to book ahead
was incredible, and hearing the Vienna Boys' Choir was amazing. Two of
my brothers and two of my sisters were there too, and it was the first
time James, Ash, Dad and me have all been together for Christmas since
2002. Given that none of us actually live in Vienna I can appreciate
the irony, but just being able to hang out was fantastic.

The defining feature of New Years in London was public transport. It
would be a lie to say we spent half the night on a bus, but that's
only because we also used the tube and the trains. We had an amazing
night though. Dinner with a couple of friend's near Tulse Hill, then
Westminster Abbey for the changing of the year, and we joined Natalia
(my dance partner) for her birthday celebrations in Camden town after
that.

Dancing has been brilliant. Although it didn't go as well as either of
us had hoped, Natalia and I had a magic partnership, a great time, and
- especially for me - a real chance to improve. I wouldn't say our
(my) dancing was brilliant, but it's certainly not terrible, so I've
uploaded a couple of videos to youtube
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_KvSRsiqC8 and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFXjZKoCzp0). Natalia and I are the
tiny dots, dressed all in black...

Research-wise, the "supervisory committee" arrangement has been
working really well. I have two more articles under construction and I
should be working on those, but I've been helping a friend move house
and writing this email today instead. As I type I have 2 experiments
running though, so at least I can pretend that I'm being productive.

It snowed recently in Oxford, as it did over the rest of England. I
didn't take any photos of the city so you'll just have to trust me
when I say it made a beautiful city even more gorgeous. We even had
swans in our meadow! That was mostly because the snow melt turned our
meadow into a swamp - there's something disconcerting about a pristine
white swan paddling around in what looks a lot like a cesspit - but it
was still pretty cool.

The MCR Presidency is nothing like West Wing
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnxQk8C_-kE). It is a lot of fun, and
I really enjoy being able to help with this kind of thing, but the
high powered meetings and crises which need some Hollywood-style
inspirational leadership just haven't come about. I wrestled a 14
litre box of milk into a dispenser in our MCR yesterday though, and
cleaned up the mess when I didn't set it up quite right. Does that
count?

Looking ahead to the summer, I'll be one of 3 interns with BCG in
London this year. I am incredibly excited about that, and really
looking forward to London - there are so many shows to see, parks to
visit, and all the action after the sun goes down. Maybe I won't have
the time or energy when I finish the work day, but however it works
out it will be wonderful. I had to choose between a couple of
internships, and it wasn't an easy choice, but I'm happy with the
decision I've made. And I hate it when people moan about getting the
chance to choose - so that's enough words on a summer that hasn't even
happened yet!

I haven't included many links in this email. I can't explain how Pale
Blue Dot makes me feel, but I think it's as close as I get to a
religious experience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmMUuR--Qvo
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Pale_Blue_Dot.png

Captions for some of the photos. Number (2) is just typical - no one
in my family knows how to look at the camera! I think (11) is the most
interesting one. Why? It's just a photo of people dancing. Yes, but
have you noticed that the girls are mostly naked?! Because I didn't
notice that at the time, or at any other comp, and it suddenly struck
me some time later. It's a truly weird thing to become blind to, but I
think that's what competitive dancing does to you. You look, but you
don't see.

In other news, it was my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I turned 3^3
on the 3^3th day of the 3rd month. My status as a nerd is thusly
assured. But hey - any chance I had of being cool is a few years ago
now anyway!

FINIS

[Hover over each image for the caption/filename.]