Crew

I know that earlier I painted a picture like my spring quarter was hell, which at times it was. But in a previous posting here stated, "it was the best of times" as well. The second week into the new quarter my mind was absolutely spinning. How in the world was I going to get through it all in one piece and come out on top? I already felt my time was spread so thinly, I couldn't imagine putting anything else on my plate.

And then there was crew.

A group of fellow grad students decided that they wanted to take four precious hours out of their evenings and enroll in some rowing instruction. They approached me with their ideas seeing that they needed one more guy on the team. Initially I laughed in their faces, wondering how in the world they were going to be able to rationalize being away from school those four evening hours a week...hours which were prime time to study, plan, analyze, diagnose, write, etc. But after some thought, I realized it would be a great way to spend time with the same people I would be seeing day in and day out, and yet give us some time to decompress as a group and make other sorts of connections to add to our schooling. I'm so glad I did, because not only did I find out that I love rowing (and I think I could get good at it with some serious training), the time we spent out on the water helped me appreciate this GORGEOUS city and land that I live in. Seeing the city from the water provides another unique and interesting perspective into Seattle living. My love affair with this city continues to grow and grow.

As you can see Seattle is the land of many bridges which make beautiful backdrops, and these pics were all taken the same day as we attempted to row long and hard out to Ballard. I was cockswain or "cox" that day, meaning I was giving the rowing orders and controlling the rudder (or "udder" as I accidently called them the first time) of our boat. It was actually my only time during the quarter to be cox, as I usually rowed portside apart of the bow pair (second from the rear of the boat).

Enjoy.







This is a pretty picture of a very large vessel we successfully beat back to our boathouse before the big wakes could come by and toss us around. I made our team row like their lives depended on it, as Jackie my fellow rower would say.

Vancouver and San Francisco

My dearest and darlingest Linda graced me with her presence over Spring Break, and together we went on a 10 day adventure of the West Coast all the way from Vancouver, BC, to San Francisco. She really took the best pictures, and I'm still trying to get her to send some to me, but here are a few highlights from the trip.



Totem Poles at Stanley Park, Vancouver


Derek hugging Founders Tree in the Redwoods


Linda on Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, Vancouver


San Francisco on a foggy afternoon

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Wow. I did it. At times I didn't know if I could pull it off, but I just got my grades back from Spring Quarter and I passed with flying colors. For any of my gentle readers out there whom I haven't permanently lost, this past quarter was no small feat. Never in my academic life have I ever been pushed, pulled, stretched, frustrated, loaded upon and expected to do MORE MORE MORE than this past quarter. I think I expressed sometime ago on this blog that after my first (fall) quarter I truly felt like a bonafide grad student. Well, those feelings were just one-upped to "tried-and-true". If I ever thought that I didn't want to do this for the rest of my life, this quarter would have shown that to me. I feel like I've emerged from these past 12 weeks like a beaten warrior, but victorious none-the-less. The only regret I have, is not keeping this blog up to date.

That's the thing about me, I have yet (and at this point probably never will be able) to master the fine art of paying attention to all defining aspects of my life when more is asked of me than I think I can handle. Instead, during times of trial, I basically abandon anything that doesn't directly benefit my ability to surmount my challenges. Anything on the side becomes temporarily superfluous. So in the case of school, once I really started to feel the weight of the quarter, I had to narrow my focus on what was really going to get me through it all, taking away distractions and anything else that would set me off course.

I realize how damaging this type of attitude and lifestyle can be -- to friendships, family, and to personal relationships. I wish I were different, but at 28, this is pretty much who I am, and always have been. I'm not sure if there's a lot that can be changed at this point. What I do have going for me is the fact that this program won't continue on for the rest of my life, and as my good grad-school friend Jessica has told me numerous times, "Grad school is just a time to be selfish, not in a bad way, but in a way that you get what it is you need in order to turn around and start giving back to others."

So right now I'm on a week-long break. Summer quarter will probably be no different than last, but with the stress lessened by the fact that I have already done this once before, and I don't see it getting any worse. In the mean time, I'm going to get some pics up of what I have been doing since my last post.

Stay tuned, more to come!