The rest of the story

I realized, after I published it of course, that my last post left a few things unfinished.  To begin, my mom has found another job after being laid off from the other one, and she started it last Monday just in time to get the flu from my dad and miss the rest of the week.  She seems to be getting better though so maybe this week will be good.  Also, my dad lost his job a few weeks ago, the same week that my mom was hired, but given the stress of his job and the nature of the people that he worked for we're all considering the loss a major gain; I got my dad back!  My uncle is supposed to have surgery tomorrow to remove the cancer, so things are looking up all around.  

As I mentioned earlier, I've gotten back into rowing sometime during the past three months, and it's beginning to really take off.  I and the other rowers are attempting to start a masters rowing program, and, although it's been slow going, we're finally getting to the good part.  We still only have enough people for one eight boat, and much of the time we only have six rowers and a coxswain but those of us who have been at it for a while are now able to row all eight while keeping the boat remotely set.  Today four of us rowed through a massive wake caused by an asshole power boater who apparently didn't have the brain cells required to realize that a rowing shell does not handle waves like a normal boat.  What will make another boat rock gently can capsize a rowing shell, even an eight.  Unlike with a normal boat where you want to point the bow into a wake and go at it perpendicular, in a shell you want to make the boat parallel with it in order to better row through it.  We hit the wake this morning at an angle and, while I'm used to rowing through barge wakes many of the other rowers aren't.  Honestly, it was like rowing down a roller coaster.  Tackling three foot swells in a shell is not something any of us are inclined to do again.  Other than the wake, both practices yesterday and today went pretty well.  We still have a lot of work to do before we get into racing form, but we've also come a very long way - at the very least, every one of us, through early morning practices, cold weather (it was 22 degrees one morning), and blisters, have earned the title, rower.  We're rowers, and although it's been really tough at times, I don't think any of us have regretted the past three months of becoming such.

Alright, well BBC America is doing a James Bond marathon and, having not had many adventures recently, I'm trying to get my fix.  I'm also happy to report that Tampa has hit 71 two days in a row!  It appears that I do live in Florida, I was beginning to wonder.  Now that I'm warm again and rowing is going well, I just need to survive until next weekend.  I hope you guys had a good couple of days over the weekend.  I did.