This week, we've had our first real morning practices of the spring. It's an odd sensation to be waking up at 4:30 when the rest of campus is completely dead. There's nothing like rowing with a sunrise in the background on Lake Dunmore. The water is often flatter in the morning, and now that we have a dock to launch from, life is good.

Rowing requires complete focus on every stroke. The rest of your life may be out of control, but for a couple hours you have to be fully committed to the task at hand and leave the chaos behind. As much as I whine about waking up early and being tired, crew practice is one of the most rewarding parts of my day.

And now it's off to bed before another morning practice. First, though, some entertainment:
-A number of people have shown this to me recently. Cute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K3MXY5ITxQ&feature=player_embedded
-This song got so many plays in Georgia...it deserved to be on the blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLJf9qJHR3E
-Cool article about music from the Science Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/science/19brain.html?ref=science

don't worry, be happy

For the past few days I've been pretty anxious about my physics test (starting in about 20 hours). In most other parts of my life, I have tried to worry less; being unnecessarily anxious about the future just makes the present less enjoyable. For some reason, though, exams continue to be quite stressful for me. So before I call it quits with the studying and head to bed, I decided to look up and share some quotations about worrying.

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. ~Leo Buscaglia

Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. ~Benjamin Franklin

Nerves and butterflies are fine - they're a physical sign that you're mentally ready and eager. You have to get the butterflies to fly in formation, that's the trick. ~Steve Bull

We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday's burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it. ~John Newton

I think it's important to be at least a little nervous for things you really care about. But when fear becomes paralyzing, it's counterproductive. You're not always going to succeed, but by going in to most endeavors with some preparation and a positive attitude, the results are generally good. Here's to a successful second round of midterms!

Hello April

So it's back from spring break and on to the rest of the semester. Georgia was simultaneously fun and exhausting. The weather was pretty bad, and it's kind of hard to find the sunny side when the previous week was beautiful and next week looks great. Luckily, though, it didn't rain too much during our actual practices, and since it was so cold, rowing in Vermont won't be very different. How's that for optimism? :)

It's a bit overwhelming to be back at Middlebury, faced with the reality that there's not a whole lot of time left before I'm a senior. At this midpoint in the semester, I'd like to make some resolutions. First, I want to get my work done relatively early to have as much free time as possible. I also want to spend time with friends, especially those who are graduating. And finally, I am going to try to keep complaining to a minimum.

Now for some musical entertainment. It's going to be awhile before I can hear the words "It's Friday" without thinking of Rebecca Black's song. I have no idea how it has more than 80 million views on YouTube. Crazy. Even though it drives me kind of insane, here's a funny version from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2011/04/stephen-colbert-sings-friday-with-the-roots/

I much prefer "Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa2nLEhUcZ0

Also, here's an article from the New York Times talking about a new FDA rule that would exempt movie theaters from displaying caloric information. With numerous fast food chains showing the nutrition facts of meals, it seems logical for movie theaters to also comply. I think it could go a long way to help people realize what exactly they're eating - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/business/02menu.html?ref=health

It's Almost Spring Break

This week is rather busy, but there are several things I'm happy about:
1. Banana-chocolate cake tonight at Ross
2. Warm(er) weather on the way in Georgia
3. The end of winter training for crew
4. Only 6 pages, 2 homework assignments, and an application until a week of minimal work
5. Having good friends
I'm looking forward to having a break before the second half of the semester begins, and going to Georgia is always great. Putting so much energy into rowing is really rewarding and a nice change of pace.
This article is kind of old, but I just saw it on the NYTimes website and it addresses some interesting issues.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/us/30mixed.html?pagewanted=1&ref=raceremixed
And here's an article about veggie burgers (yay)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/dining/23meatless.html/?pagewanted=1&src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB
And now it's time to get some work done.

Music

I've spent a lot of time studying over the past week. For me, listening to music while I read, do a problem set, or memorize terms helps me focus, but more importantly, it keeps me happy. Music has the unique ability to grab onto your mood and turn it completely around.

Making music is also a vital part of my life. When playing the flute, I can leave behind my individual mental and physical condition for the music in front of me. One of the conductors I worked with in high school always said "music sounds how feelings feel." Sometimes you can't find the right words to describe a situation, but music has the power to evoke powerful emotional responses. And as elegantly stated by Victor Hugo, "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."

So here are some songs that are especially meaningful to me:
-An American Elegy: Piece for wind ensemble written by Frank Ticheli to honor those who lost their lives at Columbine High School. Both playing and just listening to this piece make my heart hurt. Such great composing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIIKdBYfmlo
-Kathleen: Song by Josh Ritter. One of my favorites...can't help but smile listening to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm3lWq4s5-U
-I'll Fly Away: As sung by Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" The lyrics of this song are powerful, and I love this arrangement. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdRdqp4N3Jw
-I and Love and You: One of my favorites by the Avett Brothers. Just so wonderful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqZZlL0l5Uk

That's just a sampling of music I love. Find what inspires you and you may find writing that paper isn't so bad after all. Happy Friday!

Snow Day!

One of the sad things about college is that there are rarely snow days. At least in Vermont. Many professors live very close to campus, and there are fewer of the transportation issues that gave us unexpected days off when I was younger. Yesterday, though, came pretty close. About two feet of snow fell, covering the recently-exposed grass and creating chaos across campus. It was great weather for sledding and ignoring schoolwork (which I'm beginning to regret), and it made me a little more excited for spring break and traveling to Georgia.

Today, it's back to work. The semester's definitely in full swing...I had my first exam today, and life in general is rather busy. But life is also good. This year for Lent, I've decided to give up Facebook (rather than dessert) so we'll see how that goes. I'm going to try and make an effort to have more meaningful interactions with the people in my life, as well as waste less time online. It'll be a tough 40 days, but I'm up for the challenge.

Here are a couple interesting reads:
-Trying to make silk in the lab: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/science/08silk.html?_r=1&ref=science
-Who are the 7 billion people on Earth?: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/age-of-man/face-interactive
-And The Cave by Mumford and Sons (even though my brother doesn't like them...): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KkUeRPjc-Y

Enjoy the week!

BEST DAY EVER!!!

Saturday was a pretty wonderful day. Maybe not the best, but definitely up there. It began with great skiing on fresh snow at Breadloaf. There was a Bill Koch race going on, and they had FREE maple cotton candy and maple sugar on snow (which, if you've never tried, is my favorite food). After skiing was the men's hockey game. Unfortunately, Middlebury lost, but on the bright side it marked the last time we have to clean up the arena this year. I spent the rest of the day hanging out with friends, and all in all it was a lot of fun.

So now it's on to another week of classes. Hope everyone enjoys the last day of February (!) and has a great week! And can't wait for the Avett Brothers on June 2nd in Portland!