in daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee

8 weeks. Holy-- 8 weeks -- Crap. It's officially in 8 weeks from today my lease will be up in my apt in LA and I will be in my car driving back to my condo in GA. I'm really ready to move home ..

... but my to-do list, not so much. 

8 weeks means 1 midterm, 2 papers, 2 presentation, and my USC OT Comprehensive Exam to graduate ... AND 5 more regattas, 1 fundraiser, 1 banquet to plan ... AND packing, selling my furniture, and finding someone to drive back to GA with me. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

but it also means JACKSON!!!! 

Crew Classic

The San Diego Crew Classic has become one of the largest regattas in the Nation. It is an all Eight's rowing regatta that draws over 3,000 competitors in 96 races with over 5,000 spectators. It's a massively awesome weekend of good early boat races. For USC this year, our V8 ended up in the middle lane in the fastest heat in the first race of the day. (Lane 1 has an atrocious advantage being protected from current and wind by the shore line). Our guys pretty much rowed like crap the first race. -- Sorry boys, but it's the truth -- So we ended up in the Petite Finals. All 6 boats in our final had finished within 3 seconds of each other, so it certainly wasn't going to be an easy feat. Thankfully the second race was a much better showing. USC held the lead until the 1350 mark, which proves the boat speed is there, and all of our race day performance issues are just mental! (Sheesh). 


Outside of the races, most of my day was spent hanging out in the Beer Garden with the likes of Mike Holbrook, Elliot Hays, James Long-lerno and his cool fiance Candice, and Erin Cafaro to name a few to make myself seem way cooler than I really am. Also introduced myself to GT's head coach and announced my moving back to GA in June. It was a promising conversation, and he at least knows I exist now. 


All in all, stellar weekend. Now back to work. Midterm yesterday. Midterm friday. Papers, projects... and COMPS in 34 days. Holy crap. 

speak slowly, i can't hear you

Spring "break" came, went, and is gone. All I have to show for my last "break" from college (EVER!) is a bunch of new freckles. Now i know that freckles are the first sign of sun damage, but man do i love them.  I have 3 favorites. --which yes is weird -- but all the same.

Biology of freckles: Freckles can be found on anyone no matter their genetic background; however, having freckles is genetic MC1R gene variant.The formation of freckles is triggered by exposure to sunlight. The exposure to UV-B radiation activates melanocytes to increase melanin production, which can cause freckles to become darker and is related to the presence of the dominant melanocortin-1 receptor

One to grow on

ONLY ONE MORE DAY LEFT.

While I have absolutely no complaints about getting tan aka freckles, being in OC for a week, not being in classes, and not being stuck in Los Angeles .... I am so happy that tomorrow at 7pm I can begin my decent back into the physical, emotional, and mental routine of my life.It's been a long week. 

Just one more practice and this fundraiser that I planned to get through.

Oh, and I'm just going to come out and say it b/c it's been consuming my thoughts for 2 days .. my father is now on facebook. Which wouldn't be so awkward if it hadn't been 15 years since the last time I saw or spoke to him. I was nine. Good times. 

Diam Dos

Yeah, day 2.Survived.

Took mazda to be fixed. New spark plugs, spark plug boots, spark plug coils and wires.$370 out the door and i can pick her up tomorrow in between my morning and afternoon practices. -- so much for the new camera lens i wanted to buy -- 

Getting more sun than expected. My legs looked maimed from the horrific part of the Redwood trip. Great and interesting seat racing from the Varsity today.Novices FINALLLY look like rowers. And got a great free BBQ dinner from an incredibly generous and kind family. (Delicious).

it's just gross how many bruises and cuts there are ... apologies for sharing haha

spring training

Day 1:

7am:Drive to Newport Beach. Get coffee at C'est Si Bon. 

9am: Oversee the rigging of our fleet of 8's, 4's and pairs.

10am - 12pm: Row. aka get a tan on the coaching launch b/c it was already 70deg

12:30: attempt a run in the heat ... uphill

12:50: fail

1pm: Body circuits, shower, and lunch!

2:30-4: Rows. aka turn pink from UV rays despite copious amts of spf

All in all, nice day. Can't ask for nicer weather and a nicer venue. On  the menu tomorrow: get my car fixed!! it keeps shutting off at stop lights. never a good sign. poor mazda, it's been through a lot lately.

the desert brought news from the west

the last week was such a crazy adventure, i dont really know how to recap the amazing time i had with some really great people. i have no photos (working on it) and no real grand words to describe the week, so bare with.

picked up one of my best friends, his best friend, and another good friend at the airport on Sunday night and Monday morning. did some very Los Angelian things: In-n-out, hiked to the observatory, Diddy Reice, finally ate at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Got a few hours of sleep, then headed out to Redwood National Park. Word to the wise, NoSnooze is not NoDose ... just say no. 

14 hrs later we made it to Redwood. Sam took some really great shots in Fern Canyon then we set off for a hike. Umm ... this is were it gets hard to really be specific, so all you're going to get is one word sentences ... Hiking. Elk. Chase. Lost. Marsh. Rain. Dark. Rain. Lost. Freezing. Numb. Marsh. Ocean. Hand-holding. Beach. Freezing. Lights. Campsite. Strip. Car. Heat. 

Lets just say that I have a new appreciation for great friends and new friends.. even though Harrison kept playing out scenarios that I'd be the first one to be eaten. 

Since we lost a good bit of time roaming the forest, we decided to skip LA and head straight to Vegas! With a car full of soaking wet clothes and barely enough dry layers left to stay warm, we hit up Goodwill on the route to Vegas. For under 12 bucks I got a dress, shoes, and jacket and for under 20 spent then evening with 2 smokin' hot gentlemen in suits! Stayed at Planet Hollywood in Vegas and finally learned a little more about Roulette. Can't say i had the greatest luck since I walked out in the red, but at least one of us walked away with a couple hundred extra bucks!

It was so great to have my friends out here again (and to make a new friend). It makes me feel like such more of a normal, non-isolated human being. Apparently I am growing more quiet and less social the older I get ... I should work on that... or embrace it. So, to my friends .. THANK  YOU for sharing in such a great adventure with me and I'm looking forward to spending more time with you guys when I move back to GA in June.

Photos soon, swear. 

Sisters

Wow, so it's been one hell  of  a crazy week, but before I move onto recaping the escapades of GSU's spring break, I wanted  to comment on the birthday card my sister sent me. I really thought it was us!

Here's the card image:

 And a few of my sis and I  as kids:

I see the better, yet i choose the worse

Dear Shakespeare, please write your own paper

 ... and by that I mean my paper about a theme you stole from Ovid. 

I'm stuck on my intro sentence ...

birfday review, the best and worst

SOOOOOO, I actually had a really great birthday! One of my very best friends and gang booked plane tix to come visit me all next week, I got a few incredibly generous gifts from some very thoughtful and caring friends (who know me well!) I got to have a very great skype date with my very handsome 1 year old nephew. Who blew me kisses and melted my heart.

and since my 2-4 birfday fell on a Sunday, I had to wait till today to get my bday cards from the family. I get home from 6 hours of class and there is my mail ... opened... monies missing ... Yup, the post office stole my bday money from my mom. (I was fuming earlier, but now I'm just mad!) But I did get four incredible cards. 1 from my nephew! 1 from my mom, and 2 from my sister! One of the cards has an image of 2 girls hugging and it is ridiculous how much they look like her and i as kids!  I'll post it later on with a nice blast from the past photo. 

All in all, hoping that 24 is way better than 23.