Productivity - Week 7 style

Things I have done today so far:

• Fixed my leggings that had been ripped by a boat that is too small/I am too fat for.
• Remembered why I didn't do textiles GCSE. 
• A laundry wash consisting almost entirely of socks
• Realised that I've been getting through approximately 4 pairs of socks per day
• Wondered whether I need more socks
• But I already have lots of socks
• Spent a lot of time thinking about socks
• Asked Siri silly questions
• Had lunch consisting of soup and rice cakes. Felt smug. Then ate chocolate.
• Reorganised my room to the point where I could see most of the carpet (tidy would be a misrepresentation)
• Listened to the entire Lion King soundtrack. Sang along. 
• Played bubble shooter
• Finally emailed the computer office about the fact that my card doesn't scan at hall (about eight months late), only to be told that it's a problem for Catering to deal with.
• Looked at my reading list for this week.
• Watched the John Lewis Christmas advert (again). Began to suspect that, like the bear, I am in danger of sleeping through Christmas.
• Read an article on the BBC about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Convinced myself that it counted as work.

Things I have not done today:

• Gone to the library to get books out
• Read about the American Civil War
• Written any notes about the reading I have not done

Rediscovering my sewing 'talents' 

A grand total of 23 pairs and 8 lone socks. Not sure how this happened.

Why essay writing is maybe kind of nothing like a 2k test

At the outset, the situation seems awfully familiar. You, a machine and 2000 things to get through. In one case it's words, in the other it's meters.

The first 500 of both comes pretty easily - you wonder for a moment what could possibly happen that will make the next two thirds so difficult. They both start off with some semblance of a plan, which, half of the time, will disintegrate and the situation develops... The similarities end there.

For a start, I managed to waste at least ten free hours this weekend that I could have used to write my essay. I couldn't put off my 2k because I ended up sitting on an erg with coaches shouting 'attention, go' at me, with two other people either side of me doing the same thing. Perhaps this is a technique that ought to be employed more often for the weekly essay. Image, rows of students warming their fingers up writing practise introductions, before moving forward to the 'test laptops'. One final stretch of the hands, opening up a blank word documents, your plan fading away in your mind... and go...

Actually, that's an exam.

But in that kind of stressful situation, essays do get written - mainly because I just don't have the choice to stop, make myself a cup of tea, write a blog post (oops) and play pointless games of bubble shooter. A relaxed situation in which I have hours to write my essay simply encourages thoughts like 'I've got plenty of time to watch another episode of Outnumbered', or  'I wonder what the long-range weather forecast for Ely is'. All it's possible to think about during a 2k, however is 'oh god pain no why rate 10 strokes push 9 8 lost count what ahhh stop no keep going' (this is a genuine excerpt from my thoughts on Saturday)

There's a certain degree of certainty with a 2k test that I just don't find with an essay. At least when I sit down on an erg, I know it's all going to be over very soon. Sitting down to write an essay is a different beast entirely. I very much hope that it will be over in six hours, but it might be ten. I could be lucky and get it done in four, or I could end up hitting a dead end, writing a panicky email to my supervisor, not finishing it at all and sending in a list of bullet points. You can't just hand in a race plan and expect the coaches to kindly accept it in place of your seven to eight minutes of pain.

On the other hand, finishing a 2k often involves nausea, dizziness, and an inability to walk or talk for a few minutes, which compares pretty favourably to finishing an essay (sending an email, having ten minutes of frantic self doubt as I realise I haven't actually constructed an argument or included any references, and then relaxing on the onset of apathy). It's just maybe possible that the physical exhaustion of finishing an erg test is comparable to the mental exhaustion felt after an intensive exam, but it's worth taking into account that the 2k is also pretty mentally draining (or maybe that's just me being pathetic). Either way, the recovery period of an essay submission is negligible.

So, whilst I know that I'd much rather be sat in my room writing an essay and drinking tea than pushing my pain threshold to the limit sitting on a rowing machine, the evidence of this weekend suggests that I find the latter much easier than the former. How strange.

The small-enough-big-enough bag and other tales from the Tideway

Last weekend, I went down to London with the rest of the CUWBC squad for some training on the stretch of the Thames known as the Tideway - the same stretch that the men's boat race is held on. It was pretty exciting, especially after having rowed only the Ouse since the end of June. The Ouse is basically the opposite of the Thames in many ways - the Ouse is straight, lacking in scenery, fairly narrow and generally a place of misery. The Thames, on the other hand is large, has waves, has lots to look at (although obviously my eyes are always in the boat...) but I suspect that it also has great potential to be a place of misery.

The first problem I encountered involved packing. I had the choice between two bags, as illustrated below

Clearly the bag on the right is too small, whereas the bag on the left is capable of carrying all the kit I might need for a fortnight. After making the decision to use the big bag, I then felt obliged to fill it with as much kit and food as possible.

The kit I took:

• 2 unisuits
• 2 techtops
• 4 long-sleeved tops
• 1 zephyr
• 2 t-shirts
• 3 pairs of leggings
• 4 pairs of socks

There is not a single item on the above list that returned home dry, which is evidence that I need more kit. Unfortunately I seem to exist in a constant state of 'needing more kit' (Christmas and birthday are coming up soon, hint hint).

My wellies are a tiny bit on the holey side - just a couple of small ones, but I figured that it was probably better to be safe than sorry, and took to customising them with duck tape. It worked on Saturday. On Sunday there was only a 50% success rate, as there was a definite trickle into my left foot. Sealskinz are pretty high up on my list of 'stuff to buy'.

Designer wellies. Sort of.

So, in classic bullet point format, things I have learnt from the Tideway:

• Duck tape will only protect wellies for a limited amount of time
• You can never have enough kit
• You can never have enough bagels
• The more I row, the colder my fingers and the top of my head gets
• Hammersmith Bridge is kind of minty-green
• I need a medium sized bag
• I have no self control around flapjacks
• Or jelly babies
• Or food in general 
• It's possible to write an essay on a minibus
• And my supervisor actually seemed to believe my (totally true, but admittedly somewhat dodgy sounding) email claiming that I had written an essay, but I would be out of wifi contact until potentially past the deadline. 
• Thames water really smells if left in a bag for more than 24 hours. Oops.
• Thames RC have really cool leggings
• Oh, and I also learnt stuff about rowing, which was pretty useful....

We Will Remember Them

I was going to write a post about my weekend on the Tideway, but as this was the first time in about six or seven years that I wasn't parading on Remembrance Sunday, I'd like to take a moment to consider how important it is that we remember all those who have lost their lives in the service of our country as members of the armed forces. Even if you're skeptical of the validity of any war (and it's absolutely right that we should question what conflicts achieve), just stop for a minute to consider the lives of millions of people altered in ways that many of us could never imagine because of something far beyond their control.

The armed forces deserve our respect - again, this isn't to say that they ought to be beyond scrutiny - but the men and women who serve and have served go through extraordinary experiences and conditions for the defence of their country, freedom from totalitarianism and in attempt to better the lives of people all around the world. There's always the danger that support of the armed forces turns into flag-waving nationalism, but this is not, in my opinion what Remembrance Sunday is about. It's not about judgement or condemning unjust conflicts, but neither is it necessarily an unthinking celebration of everything the armed forces do. It's a day of reflection.

It's very easy to focus on one particular conflict, for example, the second world war in protecting democracy, or the first world war for the needless sacrifice of thousands of young men, but on Remembrance Sunday these distinctions ought to be swept aside and the focus should be on remembering all participants in conflicts - the fact is that in the last one hundred years alone hundreds of thousands of people have died fighting for this country.Their lives are worth remembering.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

Why do seagulls fly over the sea?

because otherwise they'd be bay-gulls

Basically, this is a post about bagels. Yay bagels!

As with a lot of food (this is starting to become a recurrent theme) I really like bagels, and it has recently come to my attention that a few different flavours of bagels have been released by the New York Bakery Co. I have to source these particular bagels from the big Tesco in Ely, because the conveniently placed Sainsbury's just down my road (google maps measures it as being 344ft away) doesn't stock them. Considering how much I like bagels, this is probably a Good Thing.

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to do a few reviews of the new bagel varieties (bearing in mind that when it comes to food I have fairly low standards and will eat most things). Here goes.

Fruit and Oat
When I first bought a packet of these, I ended up eating three in one go after coming back from a night out still drunk and rather peckish. I think I enjoyed them, but it's very hard to tell, so I made sure I bought another packet.

Totally unnecessary post-erg bagel selfie. Neither me nor the bagels come off well in this photo.

It should be noted that the oats do tend to fall off, so watch out for suspicious burning smells emerging from the toaster if you choose to toast, or just be aware of the general mess that can be caused. I spent a good ten minutes of my life picking oats up from my floor the day after my drunken bagel-binge.

These bagels are great because they're basically my breakfast (porridge with raisins) in bagel form. Ultimately, I think this works as a bagel. They're sweet, oaty and it almost feels like you're eating something healthy.

Cranberry and Orange
There's a little note on the packaging that suggests putting chocolate spread on these bagels. I wish I had the courage to test this, but buying a whole jar of chocolate spread is just asking for trouble. The other side of the packaging recommends toasting with butter, which is a suggestion that I feel somewhat happier at taking up.

I've never really thought of cranberry and orange as going particularly well together, but these bagels have made me re-evaluate all that I previously held to be true of fruity combinations. They are really good and would definitely recommend them, toasted or otherwise.

I ate them all earlier this week - hence the lack of photos. Oops. On balance, they were probably the best out of the three types.


Blueberry
These were my least favourite out of the new flavours. I kind of felt like the blueberry didn't come through quite as well as it might have done, and the bagels themselves weren't quite as flavoursome. They're still pretty nice though, and I've almost demolished the whole packet.

The last of the 'Blebry' bagels

I think my main issue with these bagels is that they kind of remind me of blueberry muffins (big surprise there), but they aren't quite sweet enough to satisfy my expectations triggered by the similarity. Or maybe they're just a bit too simple compared the fruit and oat or cranberry and orange.

Verdict
All bagels are good bagels, but cranberry and orange bagels reign supreme, with blueberry being not quite as nice. However, I think the real loser at the end of this review is my lightweight diet.

A cinema trip

I went to see Thor: The Dark World last night, and without spoiling too much, here are my main thoughts about the evening. 

• Thirty five minutes of adverts.
• THIRTY FIVE
• Seriously, though. Why were there thirty five minutes of adverts?
• A film purporting to start at 19:30 should not run past my bedtime
• I have a bedtime. Don't mock me. 
• Maybe it would have been over sooner if there weren't thirty five whole minutes of adverts
• We actually didn't go into the screen until about 19:50, so I didn't even have to sit through all the adverts. It's a matter of principle. We left Goldie at 19:25, got lost, had time to go to Tesco AND STILL had 15 minutes of adverts. That's not right. 
• Chris Hemsworth. 
• Gratuitous shot of a topless Chris Hemsworth (this isn't a plot spoiler because the scene had absolutely nothing at all to do with the plot. This is not necessarily a criticism.)  
• Popcorn is light in weight. This makes it an acceptable snack for a lightweight. 
• Trying to stand up after sitting in a comfy chair for two hours is a challenge. 
• After having a sports psychology talk, it became very interesting to analyse the mindset of the villain. "I will destroy Asgard" is clearly an example of good visualisation. Meanwhile, Odin displays high levels of self-confidence "What makes you different from Malekith?" asks Thor, "I will win," replies his dad. That's the mindset of a champion, right there. 
• If there is a dangerous object/substance introduced within the first few minutes of the film and someone says 'shall we destroy it?', then maybe it might be a good idea to destroy it. Because what could possibly go wrong with just burying it really deep inside a planet? 
• But aside from the fact that a few of the plot points were a little bit trope-y, I really enjoyed it. It was very strong on comedic, light-hearted moments, especially in the midst of big action scenes, which was definitely a plus for me. When things in films get too serious, I start to get really nervous.
• Talking of getting nervous - the trailer for Gravity almost killed me. Not going to see that one in a hurry.
• In conclusion: If you liked Thor/The Avengers, go watch Thor 2 (but there's no point getting to the cinema on time. I still have excessive advert related rage.)

This post has been an incoherent mess of bullet points. Full sentences/paragraphs might make an appearance if I sleep more. 

CAKE

Today, my mum visited. Not only did she bring with her a mild level of scorn at the state of my room (the furniture is sparkling because I might have taken a glittery hat home from a club last night, and yes, I am an adult and I do need a space hopper), but also a beautiful banana cake.

Oh cake. 

I have a bit of an issue with cake, that can be easily summed up in three bullet points:

• I really really like to eat cake
• Cake isn't exactly the healthiest of foods
• I am currently trying to maintain weight/maybe lose about 0.5kg.

So today, I am trying to work out a way to conciliate the aforementioned Inconsistent Triad of Cake. (Philosophy note: the Inconsistent Triad normally refers to the problem of evil and God's supposed omnipotence, omni-benevolence and omniscience. The cake issue is far less abstract and therefore the one that great intellectuals of centuries past ought to have been focused on) 

I first came across a problem when I discovered that the cake was slightly too big for my tin, so I had to readjust the size a bit...

Banana Cake

Slightly different angle, just to appreciate the banana cake a bit more

Semi-artistic close up. Check out how fluffy it is.

Obviously, it's just not right to leave a slice of cake alone in the tin. I was pretty much obliged to eat it by the universal laws of cake. 

It was beautiful. Light and fluffy, and made with enough fruit to almost be considered healthy. I'm choosing to ignore the copious amounts of butter and sugar that I know were part of the recipe.   

I haven't eaten any more than the necessary slice and I'm determined to make it last as long as possible. My (not particularly cunning) plan will be a great test of my will-power: I will only eat one slice a day and I've put a big note on the tin left in the gyp room inviting everyone else in my house to eat all my cake.

Take note of the really cool oboe paper

The temptation to keep the tin sat on my desk in an easily accessible location is great, but I hope I'll come out of this experience a stronger (and maybe slightly lighter) person. 

Bonus picture: A space hopper wearing a glittery hat

Why?

First things first - I'm starting a blog. Yay! This is mainly because I'm avoiding confronting my essay and as I'm still a little bit ill at the moment, I'm not otherwise occupied by rowing or eating, which would normally take up the majority of my weekend.

This first post should probably be devoted the the major question that faces me (quite literally now, thanks to my housemates interaction with the whiteboard on my door) every time I leave my room. Why do I row? On the face of it, there are many reasons not to:

• Getting wet and cold 
• Regularly waking up before sunrise
• The pain
• Smelly kit that constantly needs washing
• Tired. All the time
• Going to bed at 9
• Strange tan lines
• Blisters
• Stairs become painfully inconvenient
• 2k tests
• Erging in general
• Always rushing off to training
• Not much spare time

And to top it all off

• There's just under a 50% chance that I won't even make it into a boat at the end of it. So by some measures, this could all be for 'nothing'. 

And if someone had grabbed me 13 months ago when I was about to step into a boat for the first time and told me all of this, would I still have done it?

Look at that smile. So naive. So unprepared.

Well. Maybe not. 

But, as with everything in life, there's more than one side to this:

• Endorphins
• Knowing you've burnt off 700 calories before most people have woken up
• Camaraderie
• Winning races
• Eating an entire Soreen in one day and not feeling guilty
• Rowing puns
• Rowing innuendos 
• Seeing the sunset behind Ely Cathedral
• Mist rising off the river on a perfectly calm day 
• Finishing ergs (I'm still trying to work out if this is a legitimate counter-point to the fact that ergs are horrible. Probably not. It's a good feeling, anyway)
• Feeling good about my body.
• Finally finding a use for my broad shoulders. 
• Food. (I've still not totally come to terms with the fact that I'm potentially going to need to lose 3-4kgs in the next 6 months)

When it comes down to it, though, I don't really think my decision to row is as simple as weighing up the positives and negative. It's very rare that we choose our activities based on a rational assessment of pros and cons. There's something about rowing that just clicks with me. I love the way that it's about how far an individual can push themselves for the team. I love the fact that dedication in training pays off and I can feel myself getting stronger and making improvements every week. I have a definable goal, and there's something incredibly fulfilling and satisfying about knowing what I'm aiming for. 

And that's why I row. 

(Also, I think I just get really stubborn about things sometimes. That helps.)