I just wish...

I just wish I could both skip ahead in time about 9 months to graduation and go through and enjoy the experiences I'm going to have this last school year at USC. Three weeks into my second-to-last semester, four weeks since coming back to the sport I love (my back is finally letting me row again), three weeks before heading to the Bay Area to schrimmage Cal's varsity boat, three weeks and 2 days from taking the Foreign Service Officers' Test. I have a lot going on, now that I think about it. But I figured it was, again, time for an update:

1) I am no longer working at Bottega Louie. I stopped working there shortly after my Kentucky trip. School was starting soon, and I had my Montreal trip to get ready for. I loved working there and plan on going back many times as a customer.

2) As I said, second-to-last semester at USC. Last semester of student tickets to Trojan football. Last Fall semester of 10k's and 45-minute erg workouts getting ready for NARF and Head of the Harbor. I've still got 9 months, but I'm already wondering if I'm going to miss L.A. Certainly not the traffic. Definitely not the air quality. But when I'm cold I'm sure I'll think back to the sun and blue skies of southern California. This semester, 20 units. So far, not so bad. I've already done one of my two presentations for IR 454. And I have my topics chosen for my research papers. Now I just have to write them. They're interesting classes, too. And the sweetest part of it all is that next semester, I can basically do whichever classes I want. I'll have completed my foreign economics concentration, my regional requirement and my 400-level requirement. I'll be in Russian IV and then three more IR classes (though I may look into finding other classes that can be counted towards my major). It would have been awesome to be able to travel abroad to study, but I figure I'll have plenty of opportunity to live and work abroad. College has been amazing (still is), and I feel I've made it exactly what I wanted.

3) I'm back, baby! My lower back has finally been feeling loose enough to let me row. With that said, I'm terribly out of shape. But it's coming back quite well. I didn't miss the blisters, but I've realized in these last few weeks just how much happier I am when I'm rowing (whether on the erg or in a boat, even riding on the launch). We've gone through novice recruitment, and of course we'd like more numbers. But the guys that we do have, whew... they are going to have a good season. Everyone on the team is impressed with how these guys have picked up the sport so quickly. I'm really excited for this season overall.

Well, I think I'm going to end this post. There's so much that I could go on and on about, but for now, I'll give myself time to organize my thoughts. Even though my cooking has be nearly nil, I'll still sign off with: Happiness begins in the kitchen, be BOLD!

-Peter