Rhian Wilkinson's Official Website

RHIAN'S SOCCER JOURNALS:

GOODBYE CALIFORNIA - THE TASK BEGINS 29th March 2008

This is our last day in California. The morning was again an early one, as we were only having one training session, to get it out of the way, so we could have the rest of the day off.

Breakfast was eaten some time around 8:00 am, and we were in the bus and on the way to training around 9:00 am. We did a little bit of everything at the practice, starting with the three grid game, a team favorite. In this drill the team is split into three, usually by age, and we have to string 5 passes together and then get the ball into the far grid for a point . Meanwhile, two girls from the third team try to stop you, and the others try to block it. I am not doing well in describing this drill, but it is fun. Also, when we play it well it is an excellent drill for defensive shape and pressure, not to mention our composure on the ball.

After this training session, we had a quiet few hours, and then D, Robyn, Amy and I headed out with D's brother Stuart. Stuart lives out here in LA and he is a video game developer ... or something like that. I have tried figuring out exactly what he does on the several occasions I have visited him, but I still struggle to describe it. Now, after seeing his office and the quantum maths books on his office shelves, I think I understand why I don't get the nature of his job. The books were not there for show.

We got to look around his office for a couple of hours and had an amazing time doing so. Not only is it jam packed full of video games but it also the office boasts a Segway, This just might be the coolest thing ever. We all had a good time trying it out around the office, and we all decided that we could navigate the thing, because it must just be like driving a car. What I mean by this is that we have the same driving personalities on the Segway as we do in a car: For example, Amy is out of control; D stays the course, I am cautious and slow, and Robyn ... well Robyn doesn't have a car license yet and managed not only to crash the thing, but also to drive it part way up an office wall before bailing out with part of the Segway in her hands.

While Stuart sprinted down the hall to see how she was, with D close on his heels to document the moment, Amy and I were rolling around on the floor in fits of uncontrollable laughter.

Another highlight of the day was getting to try out the new computer game Stuart is working on at the moment. As I have already stated, all the gibberish and code going by on the screen was foreign to me, but I enjoyed playing the game. However, getting to see how something like this is created was pretty awesome. I also find it pretty cool that I know someone who writes the programs for these things.

The five of us then headed out to a Japanese Grill for supper. Amy had sushi and endured the constant waves of sizzling meat wafting over her, while the rest of us had Hibachi yumminess. It was a great day, one that can only make us relaxed and ready as we fly out to Mexico tomorrow. And so it begins......