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