Exhaustion on a Calm River

A bunch of us were in North Conway, New Hampshire this past summer, kayaking our way down (what felt like up) a slow river. It was my first time, and quite frankly, it had been quite awhile since I had given my arms any sort of workout. This particular river was shallow towards the edges and steeper towards the middle, but that wasn't always the case. If you drifted even a little towards the shore at some parts, you were stranded on a mound of sand that you had to push yourself out of with a paddle (either that or get out of the kayak and walk it somewhere else). It was only our third mile into our adventure when my arms started to hurt, and by the fifth mile I started to feel some numbness. I had developed a great stride and was picking up speed, but compared to everyone else, it was really nothing. I began pleading with a higher power (and with myself) to muster up the strength to complete this seven mile long ride, but the inches looked like feet, and the feet started to look like miles. For the last quarter mile, I pretty much just let myself coast because I had nothing left. My triceps were on fire, and my shoulders felt like I had been doing raises for a week straight. I was so happy to be using just my legs when I got out of the kayak. Too bad I had to carry the boat up two sets of wooden stairs after that.

Hitting the Hardwood

My friend and I figured it would be slow at Mackal today since a lot of students took the three day weekend to go home. We couldn't have been more wrong. When we first arrived, the main courts were closed because of the usual track practice. We made our way over to the secondary courts, where we found an entire court to shoot around on. That was short-lived as people started to poor in. Before you knew it, our shoot around turned into a battle for the court. We finally gave in and decided to play full court (it was either that, or get off the court). It went surprisingly well, considering the level of competition was quite high in this particular instance. Now don't get me wrong, my friend and I have been playing for awhile and can hold our own on the court, but we were outmatched physically and athletically. It didn't take long to develop a rapport with these guys, which was surprising because we had such different playing styles that typically would clash. We ended up winning all the games we played and worked up quite a sweat. You always expect to learn something about yourself when you play, but its an added bonus when you understand the players around you a little better too.

Driving on the Interstate of Hell

I went home on Sunday to get some laundry done and spend a little time with my folks. It was pretty typical until my way back to URI became uncharacteristically frustrating. I could certainly understand a Monday around 4-5 being busy, but why on earth would I have to wait five minutes just to merge onto I-95 from Rt. 146 on a Sunday. Then, I attempted to get move over into the next lane on my left, but of course everyone in that lane was traveling bumper to bumper going 40 mph. For anyone that knows the area, the right lane abruptly turns into the Atwells Ave exit, which will come up quickly even if your crawling. I eventually escaped this fiasco, but I then had to watch a convoy of cars tap their breaks as the Thurbers curve approached. Hey fellow Rhode Islanders, maybe you should give this a thought: Lower your speed once, and maintain that until the I-95's most dangerous bend ends. That way, I can concentrate on the road and not have to play guessing games with your speed. Just when I thought the madness had ended, I get cut off by a Suburu wagon as I merge onto Rt. 4. They must have missed both signs that clearly indicate that the two left lanes are for Rt. 4, and the rest are for I-95. I can't remember the last time I was so thankful for my patience and good fortune.

Breaking Down Break Time

I was on my break tonight when I decided to stop in Roch's Foods on Boston Neck Rd., Narragansett, RI. After getting blown around by tough winds for about a mile, I safely pulled into a spot facing the street. I had decided that I wanted some fresh supermarket food instead of the usual Kingston Pizza or Subway. I have been in Roch's a number of times before, but to my delight, they had the large chocolate chip cookies for $1.59, which is always a fantastic treat to end break with. I took a gamble on some teriyaki roasted chicken for about $3. I also grabbed a slice of barbecue chicken pizza for $1.50. When I got back to my place of work, I dug into the roasted chicken which was pleasantly filling and tasty. The pizza was slightly dry, but pizza crust made up for any other shortfall that existed. As expected, the chocolate chip cookie was soft enough and the chocolate chips were still moist. I wasn't anything less than content the rest of my shift and I felt a little extra "pep in my step." Hopefully my boss notices that I got a little extra work done tonight!

"Homesick"

I went on my first real vacation when I was 11 years old. My family and I went to Disney World in Florida for five days and stayed at the All-Star Sports Hotel. The weather in Florida was consistently inconsistent, but the temperature still managed to stay above 70 for most of the trip. We had an amazing time and were able to visit all the major parks, but I remember Epcot being especially disappointing because the best rides were closed. When we weren't in the parks, we were usually poolside or playing some football on the miniature football field located in the middle of the hotel. My brother and I complained the whole flight back to Rhode Island.

When we got off the plane, we were greeted by rain, hail, and freezing cold weather, which was uncharacteristic for April (even for Rhode Island!). As soon as we arrived home, I started to get the chills. The drastic change in climate sent my body into a state of shock, and I spent the next week or so wrapped up in a blanket. Ever since then, the change in temperature from season to season almost always causes me to come down with a cold. Whenever that does happen, I always think of the Florida trip. I guess I'll have to keep a closer eye on the weather reports the next time I vacation.