3.28.2005
weekend
It really has been a phenomenally great weekend. Not only for the religious holiday and the significance it carries, though this is indeed important, but just for the little things - the experiences with friends.
I went to St. Mary's Church in Marylebone yesterday - it's where my friends Edith and Jon go. The 10:30 service had kids running around, which a lot of conservative parishioners might not like, but which I think is exactly what the church should be about. Toddlers walking around behind the pastor during the message was an interesting visual though...
After church, I met up with a lot of Oxford people and a few 'Tabs (that's Cantabrigians, or Cambridge folk) to go to Hammersmith Bridge for the Boat Race. This isn't the largest rowing event in the world, it's not the most exciting, it's not the longest. It is, however, one of the oldest. The race is almost four and a half miles long and it's a dead head-to-head sprint. Check out the video of previous boat races online. This year, we beat the 'Tabs by about two lengths. :)
It's impossible, if you don't row, to imagine the pain involved in hauling a boat through 4 miles of water, especially at a full sprint. These boys do it in 17 minutes. I wouldn't be able to row 17 minutes at a full race pace, let along pull the amount that these guys pull. It's insane. It's ridiculous. And it hurts a lot. Next time you're at the gym and you're going over to the treadmill or elliptical trainer, give the rowing machine on the floor a try. Get on and try a 2000 meter piece - get the big split number (X:XX/500m) down as far as you can, and then hold it for the next seven minutes. Severely painful. Rowing truly is a great way to keep in shape.
So anyway, life here is good. And of the past six days, four of them have been exceedingly beautiful and sunny. Quite unusual for England, I think. England - adventures in sunless tanning.
I went to St. Mary's Church in Marylebone yesterday - it's where my friends Edith and Jon go. The 10:30 service had kids running around, which a lot of conservative parishioners might not like, but which I think is exactly what the church should be about. Toddlers walking around behind the pastor during the message was an interesting visual though...
After church, I met up with a lot of Oxford people and a few 'Tabs (that's Cantabrigians, or Cambridge folk) to go to Hammersmith Bridge for the Boat Race. This isn't the largest rowing event in the world, it's not the most exciting, it's not the longest. It is, however, one of the oldest. The race is almost four and a half miles long and it's a dead head-to-head sprint. Check out the video of previous boat races online. This year, we beat the 'Tabs by about two lengths. :)
It's impossible, if you don't row, to imagine the pain involved in hauling a boat through 4 miles of water, especially at a full sprint. These boys do it in 17 minutes. I wouldn't be able to row 17 minutes at a full race pace, let along pull the amount that these guys pull. It's insane. It's ridiculous. And it hurts a lot. Next time you're at the gym and you're going over to the treadmill or elliptical trainer, give the rowing machine on the floor a try. Get on and try a 2000 meter piece - get the big split number (X:XX/500m) down as far as you can, and then hold it for the next seven minutes. Severely painful. Rowing truly is a great way to keep in shape.
So anyway, life here is good. And of the past six days, four of them have been exceedingly beautiful and sunny. Quite unusual for England, I think. England - adventures in sunless tanning.
