Enjoying My Vacation

What a luxury it is to wonder, at 7 PM, what day of the week it is. Also, I have a full sheet of bubble wrap to pop.

O Christmas Tree

Last night I went on a drive that took me by the building that The Hartford uses. They've put a Christmas tree on top and it looks really nice with the rest of the Hartford skyline. It made me happy, but also anxious- will I ever get home? In the past ten days or so I've written 45 pages and taken two exams. It's hard to believe there's still 15 pages left to write before I can leave guiltlessly.

The last real break in the work I had was last weekend. After we put on a field day for the Burmese children we tutor, Gabe and I decided to get them a tree. Going to buy one on the Berlin Turnpike was the first time I've really felt like Christmas was coming: it smelled like pine there, they had free hot chocolate, and everyone was in good spirits. I don't know if the Burmese really understood what we were doing when we dragged a tree up to their apartment, but they were happy anyway. It made me all the more eager to get home. I can't wait to see my Christmas tree.

Kiwi

Finals are taking years off of my life. I am putting the finishing touches on my 25-page paper now and perhaps taking a small break before beginning my 15-pager. Is anyone else going insane? I wanted to share one of my favorite things on youtube to help you survive.

Pug Fun

For any of you still using slow African village connections, I assure you this is also worth the wait.

Fall Shots

I have a couple pictures from break I want to post. I wish I had more, but my camera battery died on Wednesday night. Very sad. Oh well, these are still good:

This is post-Val's Roast. I forgot to bring my memory card to Coyote Flaco... I am really striking out with the camera lately!

We're dancing to M.I.A. and Val volunteered herself to be the thing we aim at when there are gunshots... no, it doesn't really make sense to me either. Regardless, we are giving her some friendly birthday love.Gabe is tolerating me.Nick is one of my best friends from home. I took a funny video of him swinging Percy around in the air with that stick, but it's sideways :'(Percy in the backyard, looking so wise!This is the tiniest babiest little Cocker Spaniel puppy that Nick and I played with at the pet shop. It's hanging out in his shoe.So teeny!Special bonus picture of Nola at Maynard's talking to Cris. I put it up because I don't mention her enough, and she just turned 21. Yay Nola!

Home Stretch

Earlier this evening:
It's cold and smoky out, but I'm sitting in my big soft chair, wrapped in my new blanket, eating a hot cup of broccoli and cheese soup, listening to the chapel bells. I feel a little better about finals week.

It was pretty rough leaving my home after Thanksgiving this year. I was lucky enough to have no obligations on Monday, so I could stay a little longer, but still. Ugh. Such a tease. I wish Thanksgiving weren't so late this year- we came right back in for the last week of classes and I have a lot a lot a lot to do. Only two more weeks though! And there are some fun things happening in them: the President's Reception, Senior Snowball, a day trip to New York this Saturday, Field Day with the Burmese kids, and maybe another trip after that. I'm done on the 16th, I believe.

Oh also! Today I really came back to team workouts. I did the lift and the erg workout. Well- it was musical ergs and I didn't do the switcheroos, but I did do the whole thing. I will be VERY sore tomorrow, but that's to be expected. I'm just glad I finally got motivated to be back (the holiday weight may have had something to do with this) and I'm well on my way to reclaiming my title as DYNO-master.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Marmoset Monday

One more day until I go home for Thanksgiving, and of course it's agonizing. Two more ten-pagers to complete... not cool. Thank God it's Marmoset Monday....


via Cute Overload

Like a Pine Maaartin

I am a big fan of Planet Earth. Gabe and I used to watch an episode every night, because he bought the whole series for a song in Shanghai. One of my favorite segments was on the mating dances of birds of paradise:



I've watched it so many times, and I still cannot wrap my mind around the fact that I am watching a bird. What would you do if you saw one of these lunging at you in the jungle?

Holy Crap.

Live Puppy Cam.

Sharing is a Virtue

Those of you who are my friends on gmail, or however that goes, get the pleasure (or burden, as one jerk put it) of seeing my shared items. Anyone can see them all here! I wish there was a way to intersperse them in my blog, but I don't think there is. So, I'm going to try and update more with various things from the zillion blogs I read every day, cause sometimes I don't have anything to say about my day, but I do want you to know about Improv Everywhere welcoming home a total stranger at the airport.


Welcome Back from ImprovEverywhere on Vimeo.

My latest absence can be explained by my alarming predisposition for eye infections. I had pinkeye something like three times my freshman spring, and it has returned at least once annually to make me look like a dirtball. Unappreciated, pinkeye.

This time, however, my situation was even worse. Over the course of Tuesday night, I developed a burning sensation in my right eye that got so bad that that I couldn't close it. On Wednesday, it was so swollen that I looked like a muppet. Oddly, I had luck enough that I didn't have to sit through my three-hour seminar, but my individual paper meeting was still awkward. Basically I spent the day apologizing for my appearance and constant sniffling. (Sniffling sounds pretty tame but I can't think of a stronger word for it...)

After an agonizing night I finally went to the health center, who promptly sent me to a doctor, emergency-style. My care had been towed that morning since I am so lucky, although there's no way I could have driven myself anyway, so in my hour of need I turned to Campus Safety for a ride. They heroically informed me that 2:30 was not a good time for a ride due to shift change, so I should call back at 3. This posed a problem, as my appointment was scheduled for 3, a problem to which the gentleman on the line said, "oh well!" The receptionist was good enough to push the appointment back to 3:30, and when I called back after 3, the guy on the other end helpfully asked, "Isn't a little late to be calling about a 3:30 appointment?"

I went back today and got a clean bill of health. I was late and missed my morning appointment, which initially made me hate myself, but then I realized that it was quite serendipitous. The office is in West Hartford Center, so I spent an hour and a half wandering around happily. I bought myself a new blanket (If you know me well, you know I hate sleeping under my comforter. I sleep on top of it, under fleece blanket scraps.) and a holiday-scented candle. Both really enhance the ambiance of my room. Knickknacks make me immeasurably happier.

Also making me happy today: a homemade coupon for gummy worms and ice cream. I can't wait to redeem it tomorrow :)

Yeah!

Great Weekend -> Rough Week

I have two important papers due tomorrow, so of course this is the perfect time to work on my long-awaited blog update.

Homecoming weekend has come and gone and I am pretty much exhausted. I am out of practice at partying after this season, as evidenced by my failure to make it out past 12 on Thursday. I didn't even attempt Tuesday. (It was supposed to be a big week, okay?) However, I did well on Friday, which was good considering that it was Halloween. Friday marked a great start to the weekend: I woke up nice and late, did some work, ate a leisurely lunch, turned in my degree application form on time (surprising!), and tutored Burmese children. And by tutor I of course mean that I let them crawl on me while I watched Dr. Doolittle.

So, my Halloween costume. I made a valiant attempt to portray M.I.A., but I am just a smidge too blonde and white to make it work. So I resembled more of an 80s prom queen-M.C. Hammer hybrid, which was really just as good.


Saturday morning was not as rough as you might have expected, but I had to wake up early to help facilitate the Class of 2008 Homecoming reception on the Long Walk... this job did not end up being important at all and I was quickly dismissed. I had some breakfast and went to my room to get ready for the game. Then I got a headache and laid around watching tv for two hours, so I missed most of the tailgating action. Figures. I did show up right on time to watch Trinity win, so I don't feel like I totally wasted the day.

Gabe and I went to Outback, which he loves, and it was pretty good I spose. The highlight for me was that one of our fellow diners was... dun dun dun.... Cave Mary! Wtf? She was looking pretty snazzy too. We got back and decided not to go out; instead we watched Idiocracy, which was very funny.

On Sunday, I brunched with my friends, and then we went to Target and bought a mattress pad to improve Gabe's bed. It's two twins pushed together, which is awesome except that the mattresses tend to slide apart and except for one single time, I am literally always the one who wakes up nestled in the crack. We bought a mattress pad- and also I got a blue fleece and a flannel shirt. So clearly the trip was a roaring success.

After that I was going to work on my paper. Obviously I should have done that since now I am way way way behind. But I had just gotten a bound dissertation on Angkor via Inter-library Loan (finally, in my senior year, I have figured this out) and I was excited to read it even though my seminar paper's not due for a month. So, I figured I'd go with Gabe to his stupid dance thing Danae roped him into and watch him practice. I too became roped in, and ended up sitting there for four hours. So, now you're pretty much up to speed, because since I got home, I've been sitting here trying to get these papers done. One is already late :'(

I need to do my work for once now, but check out Sport Graphics for a truly amazing cover page photo from Head of the Fish. I'm stroking.

Back on Track

It's been a week of minor yet embarrassing injuries for me. I got cuts on my bottom after a rogue launch pushed me off the ramp and into a thorny patch. I got stung by a bee while dressed in a banana costume. And yesterday, I wiped out and sprained my ankle in front of mather.
I was walking with Gabe after lunch when the pavement went out from under me and I tripped on a crack, causing me to fall and twist my ankle. Typical. I just wanted to sit there for a minute because it hurt (I also scraped up my knee and hand) but a pair of random ladies appeared out of nowhere with much unrequested advice. They immediately pulled me to my feet and bossed me around, saying I should call the medical office (is that a thing?), file a campus safety report, and that this happened because I was wearing sissy shoes. I was wearing flip flops, so I was pretty confused all around. Basically they forced me to do the opposite of what I wanted so I was glad when they went away. I eventually headed down to the trainer and it turns out I sprained my ankle. It's supposed to go away on its own over the next week, so I declined to wear the boot.

An explanation for my hiatus

This should explain everything.

Whatever Steph.

Okay, I apologize to all the millions who read my blog for not updating in a fortnight. I apologize especially to Steph, who appears to have no life outside mine. :'(

Several important developments have occurred since the last update, which I will enumerate here:

1. First race. Head of the Riverfront: first place eight, one-two in the fours.
2. I joined a band. We are performing at Rumble in the Jungle on Friday night and I will try to have someone record it and then attempt to post it here.
3. I got a boyfriend.

I think that is it in terms of big important things. Also I finished a ten-page paper in under 24 hours so that is an accomplishment. I have to finish some work before class now but I'll try to post something again later, to entertain rather than to inform.

Introducing....

Pink Camera 2.0 has ARRIVED!! All fans of unattractive and incriminating candids, rejoice. I'm going to start off on a boring note and post some pictures of my room in Vernon, for those abroad/too lazy to hike over to north campus.

Here's my desk and my beloved chair, acquired via craigslist.


A closer look at the chair. It's even more comfortable than it looks.


Gabe agrees.


All of knickknacks and foofaraw.


And here's Mina and Mather, in case anyone forgets what they look like.

You're Welcome

I added some of my favorite links to the sidebar... now you can procrastinate like a pro (ie, me!)

Clogged.

Currently, I am slightly miserable. I've been sick for over a week now and this morning was the worst so far. Thankfully the health center says I don't have strep, but they didn't really offer much else. I just have to ride it out, so I'm very happy that today was our off day.

Since I wasn't feeling great yesterday either, I hadn't planned to do the extra workouts- just to go see Wes and maybe see some video from last week's practice. He wasn't in his office when I went though, so I went downstairs and encountered Amory. For reasons that I'm finding difficult to explain, I decided to do the power erg with her... in sandals, a skirt, and a nice top. I guess it had just looked a lot shorter/easier on paper; when I was done I was very embarrassed to find that I had soaked my (white) shirt with sweat. I think this can be described best as 'a Carmel move.'

Rowing has been fun lately. Being in set boats is great, if you're in a good boat. Being in bow, all I have to really think about is fast catches, and they are very satisfying to get right. Yesterday we rowed the head racing course in 20 on/10 off intervals at about a 33, which was extreeeemely new and difficult but we killed it and it was great. It was a really important step in getting really, really good again.

Oh, for your sweatband detractors: my attire for Saturday morning practice moved Wes to shout across the river through his megaphone, "Purdie, I see you have on another stunning headband. Well done." The sweatband is here to stay.

The only other complaint I have is that it's getting cold. Earlier than I remember it happening last year! I sat in my Seabury class today in a long-sleeve shirt, fleece vest, and jacket, and was still shivering... why? (It should surprise no one that this did nothing to stop me from falling asleep).

Welp, it's time to get down to business and write an arduous 2-page paper so that I might go out on the town tonight... or maybe just get some much-needed sleep.

Ker-plunk.

Today was a very wet day on the water for some of us. Practice involved a fleet of assorted boats racing from Glastonbury to Charter Oak in three segments. It was a windy, choppy, wake-y day. From the stroke seat of a bow-loader four I had a pretty good view of Remi flipping her single, and then the double capsized as well. I didn't think my laughter at them was particularly cruel, but apparently karma did.

When we docked a few minutes later, I undid my oarlock and stepped out of the boat to put my oar down. When I stepped back in to close it, someone stepped out. The boat tipped, I skidded, and saw a rigger rapidly approaching my face. I tucked and rolled to avoid it and hit the river face-first. Observers say it was the most graceful thing I've done in ages.

FYI

This week was a bit of a nightmare, classes-wise. On Tuesday (the last day of add-drop) I found out I was not actually enrolled in enough credits, because one of my enrollments didn't go through. I had to scramble to get instructor consent, fill out forms, visit the registrar many times, etc. It doesn't sound as annoying as it was, trust me. I ended up unable to reach my professor before the end of the day on Wednesday, and was thus ineligible to practice. I was pretty upset; I still drove people to the boathouse but then had to go home. Fortunately I am now cleared to row!

Cracka please.

There's nothing like opening the door to your cozy little room after a long day of meetings, rowing, and hitting up alumni for money and smelling... cigarette smoke. It seems that my next-door neighbor likes to smoke out his window, and since the fabulous quality of my window led to the handle ripping off of my window and falling two stories to the ground as I tried to close it (gently!) one night, it wafts right into mine and slowly asphyxiates me. In fact, I woke up this morning with a sore throat that hasn't gone away. Tomorrow I plan to leave a passive-aggressive post-it on his door. Sharply-worded!

So I have finally gotten my class skedj worked out. I am taking three history classes, an international studies class, and possibly a half-credit of an independent study on Southeast Asia. Challenging but actually interesting.

In rowing news, today I debuted my 70s sweatband and aviators combo, with smashing success. I would only suggest this look for people with large egos and a previous history of unusual headgear. Also, today was my first time back in an eight. It was a little tippy but all-around not bad, although I sat seven so I couldn't see too much of the off-time mayhem behind me. I received not one but TWO Wes compliments, one being that my straight-arm hang was 'a thing of beauty.' If you know Wes, and my role as team whipping boy, I have to assume that your mind has been blown. Additionally, I now hold the record for most bench squats in 20 seconds, with 29.

So all is well, except that I have a buttload of reading to do and I haven't started (sidenote: 'buttload' made it through spellcheck... why?) so, I'm off.

Back to the Boathouse

First day on the water!
I was so excited that I went an hour early to rig (facilitated by getting out of my seminar two hours early- nice!). We rigged up a quad for a small boat practice. Pre-row was long and involved and I got sweaty, WEIRD. Seven of us went out on the water; I rowed bow of the quad. I only caught a crab twice which I was very pleased about considering that it was only my second time ever sculling. It's much easier in a quad than a single, obviously, which was helpful. We were having a little race with the single and the double, but then two jetski-cops came to tell us that there was a severe thunderstorm on its way, so we docked quickly. Then we did the gauntlet post-row, and I finished first... I love starting with push-ups. The thunderstorm unfortunately failed to materialize, although it is raining quietly now which I like as well.
In other news, I had my seminar today, and it was not bad. It's about European encounters with the East, a topic I am quite interested in. One weird part was that the class meets in the seminar room of Summit... it's random, far away, and one whole wall is just a window to outside, so hopefully that will not be too much of a distraction.
I wish I could be a little more interesting, but at the moment I have not been doing much. I don't ever have class until 1:15 pm, so I've been enjoying sleeping super late. I've been missing lunchtime, even, which is ridiculous but also bad because I haven't seen any non-rowing freinds in a while. This will not last long, however, before I start feeling bad about myself for being lazy, so don't worry.
Oh and.... broccoli and cheese soup is delicious.

And So It Begins...

First day of classes are always scary for me. Something that lame about getting older is that as soon as everybody has to declare their major, you start having class with the same group of people again and again. Sadly I do not care for most folks in my major. Today was fine though. I had one class, beginning at the manageable time of 1:15, with the inimitable J Ron Spencer in a new Seabury classroom, and I did end up having a friend in the class.
Afterwards I attempted to figure out the debacle of getting an internship with very minor results. That was/remains stressful as contracts are due on the 5th. If I had to put money on it, I'd say the entire endeavor is going to fall through as it has for the past two semesters. The main reason that would suck is that I would have to join another class, late. Otherwise I can always do one next semester.
Now onto the topic you're likely to care about: the first day of practice. I was so nervous thatI had a stomachache all day which is atypical for me.... I even got sweaty. But I passed two standards and did at least survive the erg test. So, on the water I go. On the whole I'd say we did pretty well. The freshman recruits were cute and there were a very satisfying number of walkons present.
That's about it so I am going to watch Greek... ta ta.

Senior Year Begins

I'm back to school, for the last time. I've been here for four days now, so my room is very homey. It's a big room so today I arranged to buy a chair from a woman in Fairfield... need to figure that one out because it's definitely not going to fit in my car.
It's weird being back here. On one hand, I've spent a lot of time on campus this summer, training and then working. But during that time I had the luxury to choose who I spent time with or even saw. Now that classes are starting up again, I will have to interact with people that I don't necessarily like... that's part of life of course but it does have me a bit anxious.
Hung out at a crew party last night, to prolong the isolation a little longer. After a long day of recruiting it was nice to be able to throw my weight around at the freshmen, instead of being nice so as to coax them into signing up for the email list.

hello

Photo: sparlin

My friends have begun blogging from their far-flung study abroad locations, and I have to say... I'm jealous. So even though my life is Hartford-centric for the time being, I'm going to write about it anyway.