Rats!

What on earth have I gotten myself into?

We had a short team meeting today, discussing the expectations of us during the recruiting trip.
Then we had to go run. When you're finished running, you immediately go into jumping jacks, until everyone is finished running and also doing jumping jacks.
According to coach, we didn't do jumping jacks properly, and we weren't serious enough at practice. After lecturing us on how we have to raise the bar, that details really count especially when you're tired, he told us to do jumping jacks again. I thought that I'd be okay, but I didn't know he'd have us doing hard dryland for a half-hour, including push-ups on his command. Which means you're up for about 20 seconds, down for about 10-20 seconds. Someone dropped a knee, so we had to start all over again. Then again. Then we did jumping jacks, then down on the ground AGAIN. By this time, everyone's shaking and whimpering and some people were even sobbing. When we finally finished those push-ups, I swear I wanted to die. Despite all the turds left from aerating, the grass was so warm, so soft, and it felt good just to collapse, to give up...
But a tall Russian swimmer yanked me by the arm and pulled me up. "You can do it, you're doing great! Keep going!" And I continue with the jumping jacks. He kind of surprised me. He's very aloof, does his own thing, and never talks to anyone. He practically saved me today, and I will always be grateful for that.

When I wanted to give up, the quiet one kept me going.

Rabbits!

One day I was riding my bike around campus, and lo, and behold! I saw something dart past my eye. I looked directly at it, and to my surprise, it was a cute small brown furry rabbit. Not knowing any better, I thought it was a lost pet, probably slow and tame like the one I once had.
So I try to catch it. Many passer-by gave me strange looks, shook their heads with a smile, and walked on.
The rabbit was impossible to catch.
So I gave up, assuming that it was probably going to have a sad, pathetic death. Like my rabbit.

The next day (today), I notice a rabbit hanging out by the elevator by the Legacy Bridge. It looked up and chomped on its grass.
Then I saw another one.

I asked around the swim team about rabbits. Many didn't know what I was talking about and thought I was pulling their leg. But a select few (very few) knew what I was talking about. And we got excited to recount our adventures among the rabbits.

Keep yer eyes peeled. There's lots to enjoy in life, if you move slowly and enjoy the scenery.

I'm alive, don't worry!

Well, I just noticed that I haven't posted in a little while.
Let me bring you up to speed.
Well, there isn't much to tell...
Weights went much better this morning.
Workout was hard.
I have a chemistry exam this wednesday.
My bruises aren't gone yet.
My guilt-pleasure right now is zoning out watching star trek deep space nine.
I actually got 7 1/2 hours of sleep last night.
I have stayed upright all day today, a grand accomplishment.
I spaced out in only two classes today, but not for the entire class, don't worry.
It's only Monday, and I'm very tired.
I have to write up a thing for the coach saying what three things that I think make a ute.
I'm not sure what I think makes a Ute...paint, tomahawk, and a feather?
I was just kidding. I have some ideas that would brown-nose to the coach like:
Mind controls the body. (Your body thinks its tired, but according to the powerful mind, you can make your body do whatever you want it to...)
Being the best person you can possibly be. (Doesn't necessarily apply to just athletics...)
Having the drive to accomplish your unrealized dreams.

What else is new? Uh...I ate a home-grown peach after practice today! But I couldn't really taste it due to stupid cottonmouth. (Cotton mouth is a term used by swimmers meaning that the chlorine has practically fried your whole mouth so it's numb and tingly and feels all swollen.)

First weight training session

What can I say about my first weight training session besides "ugh"?
Well...
It was very hard. Not very much weight involved, more of just body weight, medicine balls, and cardio workouts. My least favorite station was pushing a 45 pound weight on the ground around two cones that were far apart. You had to do three laps. The worst part? Everyone else at their station have to do what they're doing until you are done.
So, it's my turn to scoot that dratted weight on the floor, I finally finish one lap. "Everyone stop!" The weight trainer corrects someone. (If someone is doing something incorrect, we all have to stop and start over.) So, I had to do three more laps. It was hard.
But I didn't get ornery at the person who made us stop. I never know what's going on, especially in a circuit, because everyone's doing something different. I made the team have to start over twice. Luckily, once, the there was no one having to push the weight...
My favorite station was definitely the weird bike-fan. It cools you off as you work. And the treadmills were swell too.
One station I was struggling big time, and I happened to look up, and there was the Coach, staring me down, making me feel incompetent and weak, like I should be doing better. I was doing my best! Grrr...
After completing about 30 different exercises, we all gathered together to do bridges and core stuff. It was extremely hard. About half-way through the circuit, my sight was getting dark, as the darkness was creeping from the outside of my vision gradually closing inwards. I hate it when that happens. I don't think it's a good thing.

Then we hopped in the pool to swim. That wasn't too bad, since we were working mostly on floating. Sounds easy, but he wants straight alignment, and to focus on core. We also did multiple 25's where we run in, dive, do four hard strokes, then flip. We're working on lots of flip turns.

Looking back, I don't think I made much sense to the people who don't swim... all well. Just know that it was hard, and that it was training for training...

Accident-prone...AGAIN.

That, my friend isn't simple redness. That's a bruise. And the camera can't seem to capture it at its best...

Yes, today is one of my clumsier days. (I don't think I go through a single day without doing something clumsy...)
I woke up bright and early this morning, 5:24 to be exact. I got ready and started heading down to the pool.
There was a group of swimmers ahead, taking up the whole sidewalk. I didn't want to disturb them, being the pushover I am, and decided to go around on the grass.
Unfortunately, the grass was wet and soggy, so when I attempted to get back on the sidewalk, the wheel got caught in that little space between the grass and concrete. And I wiped out in front of a few swimmers.
I didn't care about the embarrassment. I was mad because I fell to my right. My left hand with the gash from running had healed quickly. But my right hand had a bruise, so it healed more slowly. It was just yesterday when I realized that I felt pain no more in my palm. But because I fell to the right this morning, my hand hit the concrete again. In the same spot. It's swollen.

Because of this incident, it makes me want to take physics. Then I could figure out how much force/weight/power? is behind that hand getting crushed into the concrete. I figure that I weigh so many pounds to start with, then the pull of gravity accelerates that, etc. etc. etc.

Anyhow. How was your day?

Silly Chemistry Question

I thought this question was just plain silly. It's from the "challenge problems" in the Chapter 2 section. So, here goes:

111. Use the concepts in this chapter to obtain an estimate for the number of atoms in the universe. Make the following assumptions: (a) Assume that all of the atoms in the universe are hydrogen atoms in stars. (This is not a ridiculous assumption because over three-fourths of the atoms in the universe are in fact hydrogen. Gas and dust between the stars represent only about 15% of the visible matter of our galaxy, and planets compose a far tinier fraction.) (b) Assume that the sun is a typical star composed of pure hydrogen with a density of 1.4 g/cm^3 and a radius of 7 x 10^8 m. (c) Assume that each of the roughly 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy contains the same number of atoms as our sun. (d) Assume that each of the 10 billion galaxies in the visible universe contains the same number of atoms as our Milky Way galaxy.

SO the reason why I find this amusing is the fact that we have to do a lot of assuming. Lots of which are incorrect. So, was I really finding the estimated amount of atoms in our universe, or in a pretend perfect universe where all the numbers work out just right?

AND...if there really are researchers and such really trying to find out the real answer to this question for our universe, I'm sorry for them. I don't see how knowing the amount of atoms that make up the universe help us at the present moment.

ALSO...I'll give you the answer to the above problem on... whenever I'm on next to blog. I'll put it in a comment under this post.