River Rats

I come from a family of River Rats. At my house, Memorial Day means RAFTING. My family made our annual trip up to Shoup, Idaho to run a stretch of the Salmon River, and I managed to con Russ and Kelly into coming along.Rafter Megan and Rafter Kelly all geared up and ready to raft. The trick is to wear your shorts OVER your wet suit. Then you look REALLY cool.

Here is the brave crew. The river is a bit daunting when the weater is cold, the water is high, and the wind is blowing. We only had three boats run this year. Usually there are 8 or 9.

Landslide Rapid: Class 4, Big Rollers, Nasty Quarter Wave on the Left
Kelly and Russ's boat made it through unscathed.

The next boat didn't fare quite as well. (That's a full-sized raft carrying 8 people.)

And here are the survivors. It rained for a lot of the trip, and there was a soggy sleeping bag or two, but all in all the trip was a winner. Everyone stayed in the boat and no one dropped a paddle. And really, that's what counts, right?

Who needs knees?

So I tore my ACL a few months back, and my day of surgical reckoning has come and gone. This entire experience has been quite educational. I now know that jello and backless gowns are not just hospital urban legends. Morphene, while interesting, really should be avoided whenever possible. Leg braces are evil. So are crutches. And stairs. And when my foot swells up, it definitely resembles a walrus flipper.

Needless to say, I've found myself with some spare time recently. This is how I've been trying to fill it:

Number of Movies Watched: 30 something

Books Read: Mio, My Son, A Man For All Seasons, Walk Two Moons, Pathki Nana, Kim, Mere Christianity, and part of Jesus the Christ

Consecutive Days Without A Shower: 6

Hours Spent With Leg Attached to Ironing Board (CPM Machine): 18

So I'm in the market for new forms of entertainment. Any recommendations for books and/or movies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

The truth about homework

Lately, I've learned a lesson that I wish someone would have told me about years ago. Homework is a genuinely bad thing. Being responsible actually makes your life HARDER! I am prepared to back this claim with evidence.

Ahem.

Case #1: I recently took a stats test. As my first test had not exactly been a "home run," I stepped up the studying, and spent a lot of quality time with my notebook and calculator. And the result? I DID WORSE! My score dropped!

Case #2: In an attempt to illustrate the positive effect reaching goals can have on a person, my professor recently assigned my class to set a goal, and report back on our findings. (I know. Weird assignment.) My goal: join the ward's soccer team. So I did. And what happened? I blew out my knee. (What does ACL stand for anyway?)

In conclusion, I would just like to post this general warning. Despite what you might have heard about homework, it is really something to be avoided whenever possible. Trust me. Your grades and your health are hanging in the balance. I trust you will make the right decision.