Here we go!

We've finally made it - the last week of classes. It has taken a long time to arrive, but in hindsight, it seems like nothing. I've also received some good news about my finals schedule. Originally I was planning to have three finals on Saturday (the first day of finals) and one on Wednesday, but some recent changes have lightened my load substantially. Now, I only have two on Saturday, and am free. Well, not entirely; I still have a paper I must finish and submit by Wednesday, but I will get the bulk of my work done early and be able to relax while everyone else is stressing. Sure, I feel a little spoiled, but I do not think that my two finals on Saturday will be walks in the park. My chemistry exam is comprehensive over the entire year (not to mention it is at 8 am!) and my botany exam requires me knowing over 20 different plant families and their respective attributes. It will still involve a lot of studying, but I am glad to have a few days free before moving on to the next thing.

 

I am getting excited for summer, once again. I have my wilderness first aid course for 9 days in Iowa City and then am home for about a week before I head out to Colorado again to work as a whitewater rafting guide for the summer. I hope to do some training on the class V river, which, for those of you who do not know, is very intense - the hardest class run commercially. I am a bit nervous about leaving town again, trying some new things, and missing some folks back home, but I think it is good for all of us to step outside of our bubble for a while and see something different. I hope to be refreshed again upon my return and ready to start an even bigger adventure.

 

I must run to botany now - time to memorize all those families. I hope you are all having a great spring day; it is beautiful here in Decorah, so I plan to enjoy it as much as possible. Take care, everyone.

 

Peace,

Collin

One Down, Three to Go

It has been a pretty hectic week, especially these last few days. Things are starting to pile up as finals grow ever nearer. I've been struggling to finish a couple papers, study for a lab exam, get some hours at work, and finding some time for myself, as well. College is all about time management. Unfortunately, I am not that great at it.

 

This past week was pretty typical. The normal schedule of classes and homework. However, I have rediscovered my addiction to mountain biking over the last couple weeks. It has been pretty warm and sunny, apart from a couple overcast days, and it has gotten me out on the trails once again. It had been a while since I had spent any significant time riding off-road, but it only took one good ride and I was hooked again. I have been trying to fit in some rides between work and school, but I wish I could devote more time to it. I may have mentioned before, but Decorah is a great spot for all types of riding. If you are interested in biking, you should check out the website www.bikedecorah.com. It's got all sorts of information about the local trails and road rides. It is also a good resource for hikers since it has electronic versions of the local trail maps.

 

This weekend was pretty fun. I went to a couple musical performances on campus, both put on by student groups. I spent some quality time outdoors, putting off homework, which was a bad idea because the weekend ended with a beautiful Sunday, which I spent inside writing an ethical analysis of climate policy options for my Paideia Capstone class. It was a bit rough.

 

Today was pretty tough, too. I spent most of the day studying for a chemistry lab practical that I just took tonight. It was a comprehensive lab exam that covered information from the entire year. Needless to say, it was pretty brutal. We shall see how that turns out. But I can now check one final off the list, only three more to worry about.

 

If you are a student, hang in there, we are almost done. If you are something else, I hope you are enjoying springtime and the blooming of the wildflowers. Go outside and enjoy it.

 

Peace,

Collin