Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

Fast Break

Peter E.

January 3, 2010 - 12:42 PM

Wow! The last three weeks have sped past me like California drivers on the I-10. It's been a relaxing vacation with friends, family, and warm weather, and I am not ready to go back to Eugene because it's a pretty good life when others cook, do laundry, and pay for your daily needs. However, I suppose it's back to reality: school, Teach For America obligations, thesis writing, and the day-to-day grind.

Ringing in the New Year has also been exciting and a little bit unsettling to think about all the changes and events that lie ahead of me in the new year: writing and defending my thesis, graduating college, becoming a teacher, and moving to Tulsa. It's rather terrifying to think that this time next year I will be a full-time teacher with a class of my own, earning a living, living in a whole new city, and have a new circle of friends.

Thinking ahead seems to stress me out, so this post is an attempt to keep me grounded in the term ahead of me at U of O. These are a 6-pack (see points 4 and 5) of things I'm most looking forward to:

1. Seeing my girlfriend: Study abroad is a fantastic opportunity at the U of O, and my girlfriend Melissa capitalized on the opportunity by spending the last four months in Copenhagen, Denmark. Unfortunately for me, I haven't seen her in 4 months, so I am eager to get back to Eugene and see her in person.

2. Pit Crew: It will be my third year in "The Pit," and this year may actually be promising for Duck Basketball. Early season games I attended showed me a young team with a lot of potential, but they did not look great against any talented teams posting a 9-4 non-conference record. Luckily though, the Pac-10 is weak this year, and the Ducks won their Pac-10 opener on the road against Washington State (arguably one of the top teams in the conference thus far). With any luck (or skill) the Ducks may turn some heads this season.

3. Snowboarding: Snowboard team and club will kick off soon, and it's a great weekend activity to get away from Eugene for a while to spend a relaxing day on the mountain with friends. Plus, my philosophy is that if it's raining in Eugene, then it's snowing in the mountains.

4. Marathon Training: I ran the Eugene Half-Marathon last year, and after the self-inflicted pain I thought I'd pass it up this year. However, it was a great way to motivate myself to run in the cold weather, and I got in really good shape. Thus, with the deadline looming large to register for this year's 2010 Eugene Half-Marathon, I pulled the trigger and registered. I considered doing the full, but my busy schedule makes it difficult to train for the full. Plus, 13.1 miles is plenty in my book.

5. Turning 21: I thought it'd be appropriate to follow up a healthy item with, well, a not-as-healthy item. Many of my friends are already 21, so it will be nice to join them at the bars and enjoy a new social aspect of Eugene that I have not yet known. Plus, my friends and I are going to the Rogue Brewery in Newport, OR for my 21st Birthday, so I am eagerly awaiting that weekend.

6. Watershed Studies: As I have discussed in previous posts, I took a class called "Pioneers of Sustainability" last term. My friend Ted and I really enjoyed the class, so we approached Professor Rob Young about continuing it this next term. Professor Young was excited about the idea, and we will continue reading similar books and discussing sustainability issues in perhaps a more informal setting in a class we're developing entitled "Watershed Studies."

It's easy to whine or stress about my obligations, but the bottom line is that I'm pretty darn lucky. I have had a post-graduation job lined up for two months, I'm graduating college, and on top of that I've got a lot to look forward to.