Pre-row Musings from Mr. Frei

Greetings, Gentle Reader, June 5, 2011

As is evident on the blog, Wingman Brian has added his voice to the narrative, and a welcomed addition it is. Of course, reading of his fastidious preparation is daunting as I assess my own preoccupation with school and, yes, wallow in guilt about my sloth. My own training is sporadic, to say the least. I just got back from an all-too-infrequent stint at the gym; I have a long way to go before I “feel” prepared… to say nothing of actually being prepared.

But I must observe...in Shane, Jack Schaffer’s classic novel of the west, little Bobby (age 8) asks his new hero, Shane, about the fine art of gun fighting. Shane offers Bobby some sage pointers and counsels him that some gunmen wear one gun, some wear two, “but one is all you need if you know how to use it.” Which begs the question, Brian: why two rowing machines? Shane’s antagonist, Stark Wilson, carries “two capable 45’s” but lies a crumpled heap on the barroom floor after testing Shane’s single Colt.

My advice? Pick one machine, Brian, and use it. “Two rowing machines by the pool” just doesn’t sound right. I’d be better with “one rowing machine beside the two pools” which, in LA, would make more sense. (If all of this sounds a bit testy and insecure, you’ve got a good ear; I suspect that I’ll be in Brian’s wake during most – if not all - of this trip.)

Brian also informed me last week that several of the locks we’ll need to transit are presently closed due to high water flow. Heavy rain and high snow melt are still roiling northern waters, and we can only hope that all the channels will be open by the 21st. This news is a virtual guarantee that any upstream rowing will be more arduous than normal. All that water has to go somewhere and it doesn’t get out of the way all that quickly. Maybe the idea of two rowing machines isn’t excessive after all?

Closer to home, this is a big week…the last week of school, exams, and graduation on Friday. The 8th grade English exam is written and under lock and key; picture Elwood Blues and the briefcase chained to his wrist and you’ll get the picture of my exam arriving at school tomorrow morning. A wily blend of writing, grammar, and vocabulary, my exam tries to adhere to the idea that the best test is one that teaches you something even as you show what you know. Each year I send the 8th grade English exam to my brother Bill (63) in Florida, and he usually glides by comfortably with a “Gentleman’s B” largely on the strength of his writing. One year I took the complete rasher of science, history, and math exams that my students faced just to see how I might fare as a repeat 8th grader. I did pretty well in English. ‘Nuff said.

Our seniors graduated yesterday, a pristine, picture- perfect spring morning. Seeing seniors who but four years ago were 8th graders traipsing across our own middle school graduation stage is a vivid temporal statement…or question. Where does the time go? As I watched them receive their diplomas I could close my eyes and picture each of them seated at my table working on dependent clauses, work-shopping paragraphs, or just messing around with the red dog ball I keep handy for the messing around that boys do, and now they’re off to college. This was a particularly wonderful group of guys, and now I get to miss them all over again. Where does the time go?

So this week is straightforward: finish school, sustain the training, and get to REI for those last minute things I didn’t know I needed (or existed) until I see them at REI. After all, we’ll be on the water on the twenty-first…just over two weeks from today. There’s a lot to do…and not much time in which to do it.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I did not mention something that you could do to help out. That’s right…let’s bump up those Pledge Paddles; click on the paddles, fill out the form, and write a note so I’ll be able to know that it was you and so that I can follow up with a thanks.

Remember those boys I was talking about a few paragraphs ago? One of them gave me a big hug yesterday because were it not for you, Gentle Reader, he would not have been there. Your gift impacts real people…wonderful fellows and their families…and I hope that you’ll help out at some point along this paddle, OK?

More soon; I‘ll need a break from grading those exams.

Big Ups,
Mr Frei