Rowing, again

It's that time of year again.  If you're Facebook friends with me, you'll have noticed that my cover photo has changed to the now-traditional THBC crest, as seen here in all its glory.  This can only mean that Lent Bumps is around the corner.

I've had an odd relationship with rowing this year.  In my first year, I was trying to learn and improve.  My second year, I was striving to become as good as most of the W1 rowers who remained, so I pushed myself really hard.  Last year, I poured a great deal of energy into trying to bring up my boat's power and skill from the disadvantage of having promoted four novices (out of eight total crew members).  This year, well...  I'm the lone old hand amongst a whole women's club that otherwise consists of first- and second-year undergrads.  The girls in W1 are lovely, and they're slowly realizing that I'm not an alien creature and that they can talk to me.  But for the first time, my purpose in rowing is a vaguely social experience and bit of exercise.  I'm not pushing myself as hard as I used to, and we have no chance of winning anything right now.  It's disappointing to a certain extent, but what with trying to finish the PhD and such, there's also a certain relief to having the pressure off.

Meanwhile, the weather has undeniably been creeping toward the springlike, with more sunny days and a definite moisture in the air, encouraging the earliest flowers to appear along the backs.  It makes it much easier to face each day of tinkering.  Also helpful are:

• having a good fourth-year review, confirming that my project as currently organized makes sense and will be a dissertation
• going shopping for a new dress and finding the perfect item
• a bunch of friends from my first year gathering for a reunion/birthday party just like old times

And so I enter a hectic week that begins the run-up to the end of term and what will be a truly manic spring break.  Would we have it any other way?