This week, as a junior, I finally got my first Marathon Monday. I had a blast cheering for the athletes, beginning with the wheelchair racers and continuing through the general field of runners. I recognized some of the pros, and when the regular folks started coming through, we cheered louder every time we saw a woman. At crew practice later in the day, my coxswain lost her voice, having cheered so much during the marathon.
Des Linden running by!
On Tuesday, I met up with friends from my gap year program who I hadn’t seen in two and a half years. We caught up over Ethiopian food. It was lovely to hear what they’re up to and reminisce about our year in Ecuador.
Classes started up again on Wednesday. My fall break wasn’t much of a break. I did have fun, but I didn’t have free time—and the rest of the week has been similar. I have a paper on economic inequality due tomorrow, a paper on school resource officers due Friday, and a big research paper on the history of racism in Middlesex County (MA) due on the 26th, plus the regular load of readings. But I still made time for Shabbat dinner on Friday and an episode of The Great British Bake Off (there’s a vegan baker!). After practice yesterday, a bunch of my teammates’ families came to the boathouse to schmooze over bagels and donuts. I got some work done when we got back to campus, but since it was 75°F and sunny, I couldn’t help but go for a bike ride with a friend. We took a route through Wellesley and Dover that I followed three times in the spring, and for the first time, I didn’t make any wrong turns. It was family & friends weekend, and I loved seeing so many students showing their families around, toting bags of baked goods from Claflin Bakery and taking pictures in front of dorms.
I went to a friend’s birthday party last night. I wasn’t going to stay for long, but then we played Jeopardy and had vegan carrot cake. I went to bed at 11:30 and I’m incapable of sleeping past 7:30, so I’ve been tired all day (my in-season bedtime is 8:00), but I’ve still managed to revise one essay, write a draft of another, and take notes on a couple of readings.
To start the week out with enough energy, I’m going to be in bed by 7:15. It’s a big week—three due dates, two guest lectures, and, on Sunday, the Head of the Charles.