Eruption

23rd November

There was a talk on MT.Vesuvius today and I was forced into going as it's a part of Geography Society, which curiously is compulsory for all Geography A Level students. This is because very few people would attend otherwise. Volcanoes were cool when we were too young to be taught about them. Fortunately (from my perspective anyway) the talk revolved mainly around the eruption that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. It's incredible that those two towns are in such good condition subsequent to their burial under volcanic ash and mudslides respectively. The amount they have helped us learn about Roman civilisation is endless. I learnt a huge amount regarding that particular eruption. I didn't really pay attention to the dynamics of volcanic activity and other points that didn't interest me much.
Later there was a rugby session. On the back of our appalling performance on the weekend our coach decided to show us the recent Wales Argentina match. He paused and analysed much of it and I learnt a bit about how to improve my positioning as part of the back three. I also learnt a lot about the attitude of some of the players in the squad. They are perfectly within their rights to refuse to attend but I find it incredibly arrogant and somewhat selfish of them to do so. There is more than one player in a team and just because specific people don't feel a session will be particularly productive doesn't provide them with justification for not turning up. I was surprised and disappointed that some players choose not to go without even informing the coach or, at the very least, making up some sort of elaborate excuse. No wonder the team hasn't got any confidence - we clearly don't have confidence in each other.

24th November

In light of remembrance day a week and a bit ago I read an article on WWI veterans in one of the BBC History magazines. It was about troops returning from the front and attempting to return to their normal lives. I was shocked to read about how little respect so many of these men and women received. One man had had his nose blown off and on his return home he was mocked frequently on the street. The nature of some people, even way back to 1918, is terrifyingly unsympathetic.
I also learnt Rebel Rebel and Redemption Songs this evening...sort of.