Procrastination

Ah the familiar feeling of procrastination.  Why do I procrastinate so badly?  What is it about that feeling of rushing to get something done in the last minute that makes me return to it again and again and again?  Sigh.

Admittedly, I've gotten somewhat better about it now, because rowing forces me to plan my time out or face imminent stress-related death and failure.  Yet still, whenever I find myself with free time and something important to do (like study for this stupid GeoSci exam), I usually end up doing everything except for that one little thing.  

Yet still, even as I recognize my own procrastination and wax pathetically on about it, I still won't change my ways.  Why?  Honestly, because I know I will get it done with little to no consequences for procrastinating.  The day that procrastination results in me getting anything lower than a B on a paper or test will be the day I stop doing it.  Until then, though, well, if procrastination keeps rewarding me, I will keep doing it.  Plain and simple.  Take this Geo Sci exam for example.  I could study tonight, but I know I'm going to get in plenty of studying for this exam before tomorrow at 3 even if I don't start right now.  It's a 30-question multiple choice test, and most of the questions were drawn straight from the previous quizzes and lecture notes.  Basically, I have to do some rote memorization of some trivial shit and that's that.  Thankfully, even in my old age my memory is still fairly sharp, so I'm really not planning on it taking too long or being too strenuous.  It is, however, boring.  Which is why I can't bring myself to do it now when there are so many more fun things to do, like write a new blog post!  

So far tonight here are some activities I have done that can't (correctly) be labeled "study for my geo sci exam":

• Watch last night's episode of Glee
• Download all the songs from the episode
• Get into a new-music downloading frenzy
• Update my iPod
• Update my Google Calendar
• Read a few ESPN articles (Urban Meyer stepping down?  So much more interesting than reading about microorganisms!)
• Facebook (obviously) 
• Eat (also obviously)
• Read Hyperbole and a Half (my new favorite website)

After doing that, I was kind of out of things to do, and so I was like, aha!  Perfect time to update my blog!  And write about procrastination!  Brilliant!

Will I regret this?  It's possible.  If I get to my GeoSci feeling anything short of totally prepared, I'll probably look back on this post and think "I'm an idiot." Otherwise, the answer is no, no not at all.  Procrastination is just a part of me now.  I might as well embrace it and figure out how to still run my life effectively while dealing with this terrible malady.  

A few random things and then I'll send you on your way:

1. Something I've taken to doing lately is putting tobasco sauce in things and then adding the word "spicy" to the name to make a new recipe.  Marinara sauce?  Add tobasco and VOILA:  "Spicy Marinara."   This is actually quite delicious...most of the time.  Basically, I'm a culinary genius.  
2. 8x500m is the devil's workout, created only to make my legs hurt and my lungs collapse.  I managed to somehow defeat this horrible workout today and now I'm so tired.  Maybe that's why I can't bring myself to do any real work.  Yeah, that's it....
3. I'm going to be 23 soon and I don't know how I feel about that.  On the one hand, 23 is still young (I guess) but I think this is the first time I've ever worried about the fact that I'm going to be 30 someday in the foreseeable future.  Someday, I will be old (not that 30=old, just generally speaking)...this frightens me.  
4. I've started listening to Christmas music again.  Once December comes around and the snow is falling freely it's time to bust out a few of the annual classics and jam.  

Well, that's all for now.  Maybe I'll go do some work (but probably  not).  

Baby, it's cold outside...

xoxo,

Lauren

Life is Good

What's not to love about life right now?  It is snowing outside, I am inside with a warm blanket and a cup of hot chocolate (and my laptop of course), and it is the beginning of my favorite month:  December!  Why would I love December so much, you might wonder.  Well, December holds many of my favorite things:  Christmas, my birthday (which is Christmas Eve), winter break, New Year's Eve, peppermint lattes at Starbucks, Christmas lights, holiday festivities, holiday dresses, and of course, day-after-Christmas sales.  

Anyway, December is pretty much amazing, and true to form, so is my life.  Do I wish it were a little warmer outside, and that instead of erging I could be rowing (if it were warm, that is)?  Obviously.  But, you have to give and take, I suppose.  Plus, with the holiday comes our on-your-own workout period, which I love because it allows me to do the workouts whenever I feel like it.  Usually my finals-time schedule goes something like this:  wake up around 8, 8:30, start studying by 10 with a large cup of coffee, break time from 1-4 during which I eat, erg, shower, and get ready to start studying again.  Then around 4, 4:30 I start up studying into the rest of the night.  It's just so nice to have the entire day to schedule it how I want to.  It allows me to really focus on studying, and actually makes me want to workout, as I consider it my "break" from studying.  

In fact, once Friday evening hits I'll pretty much be home free.  My 6k will be done, my stupid history reading journals will be turned in, and all I'll have left after that are 3 finals, one of which will be a take-home essay.  Not too bad, considering some of the horror shows I've had in finals past, including last year during which I had to write 4 5-page papers for ONE CLASS, only two of which were actually going to be graded.  I think the only way I got through that was my 11 pm McDonald's trip aka "study break."  Nothing like a McDonald's cheeseburger to get you through the night.  

Anyway, enough about finals, let's talk about more fun things, like what I want for Christmas!  

So far, this is my Christmas list:

Ray-Ban avs

YSL parisienne perfume

Also, I like how my frenchy boyfriend HAS to make fun of me when I call it simply Y-S-L rather than saying the entire name.  It's not like I can't pronounce it correctly, but sometimes I just don't feel like saying the whole thing.  That was annoying.  Especially when the woman in the perfume store abbreviated it as well!  Geez.

And finally, I want:  

some more of these babies.  I know, sexy right?

After that, the only thing I want is money to go towards a new laptop (Macbook Pro, baby).  I feel like between the money I get for Christmas and my birthday, I should have just about enough to buy it.  I'll probably have to put a little of my own money towards it to, but that's not a big deal.

Oh and for my birthday I just asked to go shopping with my mom!   One of my favorite things to do.  :)  

Lest I sound like a selfish brat, I should say that another one of my favorite things about the holidays is spending time with my family, and of course, getting them gifts as well!  Finding the perfect present and watching somebody you care about open it gleefully is just so satisfying.  So far I've got presents for my mom and dad, and for Martin.  I just need to get my brothers' gifts and then I should be all set.  

The holiday lights in downtown Rochester are beautiful right now too.  Definitely one of my favorite parts about going home is driving through downtown at night to gaze at the spectacular light show.  For those of you who haven't seen them, they look like this:

Super pretty.  Apparently the woman who thought of this got the idea after going to Disneyworld.  You can definitely see the magical resemblance.  :)  

Okay well that's all for today.  Hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of another magical holiday season!

Love,

Lauren

Random Thoughts

A few random Friday night thoughts for everyone.

-I miss being tan.  Like, I really, REALLY miss being tan.  I guess I will have to invest in some sunless tanner since I don't think I can continue being pale all the way until the end of December, when we go to Tampa.

-The new Cee-Lo Green album is my jam.  Loving it.  I also heard the new Kanye CD is beyond amazing.  Planning on getting that soon.

-I saw The Social Network last week and I honestly cannot get over one thing:  "I row crew."  NOBODY SAYS THAT.  Except, apparently, Aaron Sorkin's vision of rowers or something.  Seriously, it made me cringe every time it was said (which was like at least a half dozen times--ugh).  Between that and the Winklevi just having a casual conversation while doing a pairs workout (let me tell you one thing about rowing in a pair--not a lot of extra breath to be chatting with.  If bow seat can bark out a few commands here and there, it's a success), I can't say the rowing in the movie was too realistic.  The Henley scene was ridiculously cool, though.

-Another great line from that movie:  "Those guys are freakin' fast!"  LOL.  No seriously, I am actually cackling to myself right now thinking about it.

-I hate any kind of event that causes non-Ann Arbor natives (foreigners?  haha) to come into town.  Why?  Because driving in Ann Arbor is an acquired skill.   For example, you have to be somewhat aggressive when it comes to pedestrians, otherwise a crowd of them will walk in front of your car for literally ten minutes straight.  Just inch out until they get the hint.  But do the foreigners know this?  Nope, they just sit there and sit there all worried they're going to hit some poor student or something.  JUST GO ALREADY.  Jesus.  Also, State St. traffic is always a nightmare whenever there's any kind of sporting event, which is such a pain in the ass.

-I hate that gas prices are so expensive in Ann Arbor, too.  :(

-I am getting old.  You know how I can tell?  Because I would rather curl up by myself on a Friday night with a glass of wine and a good movie/TV show (thinking about starting Dexter tonight...) rather than hit the bars.  Granted, I'm planning on going out tomorrow, but the thought of getting ~crazy~ two nights in a row is just so daunting to me now.  When did I become so lame?

-I have to say, though, that I enjoy taking some "me" time whenever I can.  I feel like I'm always around people--roommate, teammates, classmates, boyfriend, friends, family, etc.  As much as I love ALL of these people (some more than others, haha), sometimes I feel like the only time I get to myself all day I spend with my subconscious.  So when I do get a little time alone, I don't mind it.  It's nice to just be with yourself sometimes.  :)

-I don't get how people can stay in and study on Friday and Saturday nights, though.  By the time the weekend comes, the last thing I want to do is think about school.  That's what Sundays are for!

-I'm SO excited for Thanksgiving!  I can't believe it's already here though.  I know that "time flies" is such a cliche, but it really does.  Anyway, can't wait for some tasty Jayme cooking.  Martin is coming home with me this year!  It's our first real holiday spent together--awww.   Should be super fun.  Can't wait to take him to all of my favorite metro-Detroit locations.  We're definitely hitting up Yates and I'm thinking about taking him to the Henry Ford Musem/Greenfield Village too.  And Somerset for a little shopping in Michigan's most fabulous mall.

-Mmmm Florence + The Machine just came on.  I really like this CD too.  I love good music.

Alright, time to bust open the wine.  Have a good and safe weekend everybody.  And GO BLUE!

Cheers,

Lauren

I Love Fall!

Of all the seasons, fall is probably my favorite.  Sure, everybody loves spring and summer, which bring the warm weather and budding flowers, but I really do love the fall.

This is not to be confused with the fall rowing season--which, admittedly, is not my favorite.  That can mostly be blamed on 5:45 am practices, the constant lottery that is "mixed line-ups," timed scrimmages against OSU and MSU that don't really tell us anything about what's to come in the spring, and the fact that we're just not fast in the fall (that's what Mark keeps telling us anyway).  

Anyway, beyond that, I love the fall!  Here are a few reasons why:

1.  BOOTS!  I love boots-.  In fact, I am wearing my favorite boots right now.  And fall is the perfect time to wear boots because it's cold enough to need them, but there's no snow on the ground to ruin my fashionable boots.   Suze knows what I'm talking about.

2.  Fall foliage.  One of my favorite parts about living in Michigan is the beautiful fall foliage we get.  The changing leaves are just so beautiful to me.  Check out this picture Kate (my favorite launch buddy) took when we were up at Lake Leelanau for "rowing fun camp"

Right?  I mean, that's gorgeous.

3.  Cozy clothes.  Sweaters, scarves, mittens, hats, socks, pretty much anything made out of wool or cashmere, I will wear in the fall.   I am in fact, wearing a cozy wool scarf right now.  It is amazing.

4.  That "perfect fall day."  Everybody knows what I'm talking about.  Those days when it's mid-50s, sunny, not a cloud in the sky.  The air is brisk and crisp and you feel energized as soon as you walk outside.  This fall, I think I've seen more of these days than I can remember.  Sure, you're going to have those days where it is ungodly cold, where it's raining/sleeting, and you think "why can't it just be summer?!" but honestly there is probably no type of weather I enjoy more than that of the perfect fall day.

5.  Cider mills!  I LOVE cider mills because they bring to the table two of my favorite things:  apples and cinnamon-sugar donuts.  Cider mill donuts are so good they need to be their own category of donut.  No other donut can compare; it's just not even fair.  There's nothing better than going to the cider mill on that perfect fall day in your cozy clothes and boots, sitting down and gazing at the foliage, while eating a donut and drinking some apple cider.  Can't wait to make a trip to Yates when I'm home for Thanksgiving!

And that reminds me that the fall brings two of my favorite holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Christmas and my birthday are just around the corner, too!

Anyway, this was my ode to the fall season.  Not to be confused with Keats' ode "To Autumn" (though I know that my writing is right up there with his so this would be an easy mistake to make) because he basically compares the end of autumn to death (note: I shamelessly stole this analysis from Mel's essay on the poem).  Not cool, Keats.  Not cool.

Now I'm off to take a nice long walk to class on this beautiful day (which inspired me to make this post)!  Then it's time for a tasty Level 4 erg workout, and dinner at the Darntons!  Sounds like a great day to me.

Stay classy,

Lauren

A Classic Weekend

I knew last weekend would be a good one as soon as I heard the words "No Friday morning practice" come out of Mark Rothstein's mouth earlier that week.  The only real question was just how good of a weekend it would be.

Well, it turns out it was a classic weekend.  Literally and figuratively speaking.  Let me take you through it.

It all started on Thursday.  As our afternoon practice (lifting) was cancelled as well in the name of "recovery," I decided to do just that:  recover...in the form of an accidental 6 hour nap.  That's right.  I went to take my nap at 5 pm, figuring to wake up at 7-7:30 latest.  Nope.  I wake up--it's 11:15 pm.  Oops.  As I hadn't eaten anything since 3, I had a quick snack, went over to Martin's in order to ensure him that I was not, in fact, dead, and was asleep again by 12:30.  Woke up at 7:30 the next morning, after a solid 13 hours of sleep, feeling more rested than I had since summer vacation ended.  I went to my one class for the day, then prepared myself for the greatest fall head race created since Head of the Charles:

The Belleville Classic!


First of all, can I just say that's like, the classiest regatta name ever.  It sounds even classier when you call it "The Third Annual Belleville Classic."  You could mistake it for a prestigious golf tournament or something.  I love it.

Anyway, the Belleville Classic, our annual "friendly" competition between us and the Michigan men's team, is always something I look forward to.  It's probably the lowest-stress race piece I do all year, because even though Mark calls this our "most important fall race," we all know that at the end of the day, the coaches barely even remember anything beyond which coxswain almost ran into their launch and/or the bridge (again). This year was especially fun as, in a freakish turn of events, it was actually sunny and warm instead of the usual cold/wind/rain/snow combo we usually get around this time of year.

After the usual clusterfuck in the start bay ("Bow number 7?  Bow number 7?!  WHERE IS BOW NUMBER 7?!?!?"), we were off!  As my boat passed some men's novice eights within the first 1000m of the race, I actually thought to myself, "this is kinda fun!"  However, then we got to the final 1000m.  I was tired, the water turned to shit, and we were rating somewhere around a 47 (I think).  At that point, all I could think was "don't catch a crab, don't catch a crab, don't catch a CRAB..." and any notion of "fun" was long forgotten. By the time it was over my emotions ranged from relief to sadness. On the one hand, I was thanking any higher power that would listen to me that this race had finally ended (and that I hadn't crabbed), but on the other hand, I was sad that I had just completed my last ever Belleville Classic.

Later that night, my parents took Martin and I to Zingerman's Roadhouse for an amazingly delicious dinner.  Plus we got free brownies since my mom's ribs were burnt on top!  Hellll yeah.  An amazing end to an amazing day.  But there was more to come!

The next day, after my last fall practice on Belleville Lake (moment of silence), we had Boathouse Day!  This was awesome for several reasons:

a.  Free, tasty food!
b.  Rowers coxing; coxswains rowing!  Madness!
c.  Jayme rowing--yessssss
d.  Felice's "power five" calls.

A few of my favorite pictures from that day:

Brett's attempt to coach novice master's. 

Jayme rowing!  In three-tard!

Emily coxing...hahaha.

After Boathouse Day was over, it was time to rest and recover (and watch Michigan eke out a win over Purdue) for the weekend's final act:

The Belleville Classic Classic

Oh, the Classic Classic.  Words cannot even accurately describe this amazing event, so I will just give you a casual summary.  Basically, the Classic Classic is a chance for the rowers of Michigan to get together and celebrate another successful Belleville Classic.  This year's theme of Cross-Dressing at Cross St, while slightly tamer than last year's One-Piece Party, brought out some amazing costumes.  My choice for best female-to-male transformation goes to my friend Melisa Ongun.

Perfection.

Unfortunately, I can't really post the best male-to-female transformations because they're not appropriate for eyes which are not glazed over after at least a second can of 4 Loko.  But they were epic, and I have to applaud the men for their willingness to go balls-out (literally) in the name of the Classic Classic.  

My weekend ended on a high note as well:  a lazy Sunday complete with a trip to Angelo's.  What more could a girl ask for?  

Peace,

Lauren

Inaugural Post

I had been toying with the idea of writing a blog for a little while now.  My reasonings for finally getting one:

a. I have many (important) thoughts, and I enjoy writing.
b. This will give me something to do that doesn't involve rowing, school, or Facebook.
c. Maybe my blog will be SO good that it will turn into a book deal and eventual biopic.

So many pros to getting a blog!  The only major con that has been holding me back thus far is that I'm a bit self-critical.  Already I've read over these past few sentences about a dozen times and thought "I'm bored.  This is boring!  Who will want to read this crap?"  Well, my mom probably still will, if she can figure out how to navigate here (she only recently learned that the world of the internet expanded beyond her Yahoo! email account).  But that barely counts anyway.

I suppose I will just keep telling myself that I am writing this blog for myself and not for the fame, fortune and notoriety that so many bloggers receive..

It took me about an hour to think of a title for this thing.  Eventually, I ended up ripping off the title of my favorite 80s movie (Fast Times at Ridgemont High--cinema at its finest) because it is both a cool name, AND has many possible meanings.  "Fast times" could refer to my blazing fast erg scores (I wish) since I am a rower here at Michigan.  Or it could refer to how time is passing by so fast (I'm already almost halfway through my fifth year here).  Or something else entirely!   The possibilities are endless.

After that decision was finally made, I moved onto my next conundrum.  Currently I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to buy this cashmere scarf off of ruelala for $30 ($38 including shipping).  Thoughts anybody?

Pros:  I like the color.  I love cashmere things.  I live in a state where winter lasts for 6 months out of the year (more or less) so I will have plenty of opportunities to wear it.  ~$40 for a cashmere scarf (that was apparently originally $75) is a steal.

Cons:  I shop too much and fear becoming a shopaholic.  I hate paying $8 for shipping just on principle alone.  I should probably save money.

I know I must sound like a spoiled brat because I'm acting like this is my most pressing problem.  I can live with that.  Don't worry I have real!complicated!life! problems too.  Unfortunately it's a lot harder to solve issues like figuring out what to do with my life, how my 2-year relationship figures into this equation, and how I'm going to stay financially afloat once the UofM athletic department stops giving me scholarship money all in one concise blog post.

This post has definitely been all over the place.  I think it's because it's my first entry, and doesn't really have a purpose beyond saying "wassup, fools?" to the "blogosphere" or whatever.  I will try to be more focused in the future.

But for now, peace out.  I have to leave for practice 30 minutes before it starts in order to ensure I get an erg that doesn't suck.  Cool.

Kisses,

Lauren

P.S. It's Martin's and mine 2-year anniversary today!  Ain't no thang.  :)