I’m very quickly learning what my graduate program is really about. It turns out that what goes on in my classes pales in comparison to the importance of what I do at conferences, parties and meetings. Not that my classes aren’t important and interesting, but so much of what I learn in my classes I could just as easily learn by reading on my own or on-the-fly in the context of a job. What I’m really here to do is to learn two things: how to network, and, more importantly, how to make things happen. The latter is critical. For so long I have filled my head with great ideas for projects, but always with a sense of frustration because I had no idea how to make those projects come to fruition.

Last Sunday Brent and I went down to Roger Williams Park, for a little Sunday morning tennis-league that they have on the clay-courts there. I was actually rather excited about the prospect of playing a competitive tennis match, seeing as I haven’t done so in about 3 or 4 years. I was also curious to know how I would play now that I am no longer encumbered by the desire to be a professional tennis player.

The guy I played was either a 5.0 or 5.5 level player. In other words, he was pretty good. We started warming up and I felt good–it was fun to be back in the feel of playing a match, the nerves, the excitement, etc. I was also a little concerned about my poor ankle, which necessitates that I wear a very firm ankle brace whenever I play. In fact, two sundays ago I was playing with Brent when I tripped, and if it hadn’t been for the brace, I would have most certainly sprained the ankle again.

For the last month, ever since my debacle at the mid New Hampshire road race, I have been training hard and properly, with the goal of having a good showing at the Jamestown, RI road race on October 8th. So far the training has been going far better than I could have ever hoped. Last Saturday I once again did the Tim Horton’s ride, a 40 mile loop that the Brown Cycling team usually does on Saturday mornings. On this particular day there were about 8 riders there that are either current or former racers, so it was a great opportunity to get a sense of the state of my fitness. There are 6 sprint areas throughout the 40 mile loop where people race to a designated line–usually a sign post indicating a new town. I’ve never really sprinted before, so the first couple of sprints were hard for me.

A recent NY Times article discussed the Bush administration’s plan to to issue a new rule that will expand the practice of mountaintop coal mining. The rule change will make it easier for mining companies to engage in the practice, which “is the most common strip mining in central Appalachia, and the most destructive. Ridge tops are flattened with bulldozers and dynamite, clearing all vegetation and, at times, forcing residents to move.” The real goal of the rule change, according to the NY Times article, is to “to make it easier for mining companies to dig more coal to meet growing energy demands and reduce dependence on foreign oil.”

Yesterday I finally realized my dream of doing a bicycle race. I say it was a dream because ever since I first saw the Tour de France at the age of 12 I longed to try my hand at racing, but for various reasons I was never able to (my mom wouldn’t have let me, and then once I got old enough to decide for myself, I was nervous about the prospect of entering a race). Sometime last week I got an e-mail from Casey Marks, a rider on the Brown Cycing team, asking if anyone wanted a ride to the Central New Hampshire Road Race. I was both excited and scared. It turned out that the race was going to take place on a 10.6 mile course that includes 1 major climb and several rolling hills. Now that seemed perfect for me, as I have always enjoyed the challenge of climbing. So I e-mailed Casey back and committed myself to my first race.

This op-ed article appeared in today’s LA Times. It is especially interesting because there is a similarity between the celebrity charity work done by people like Bono for Africa, and the work done by Al Gore for the Environment. Notice how the articles points to the way in which celebrities distort facts–an important point given that they influence public opinion and policy. In any case, the article raises some interesting questions about celebrities and charitable causes. On the one hand, they can shed light on an issue that otherwise might go unnoticed. On the other hand, they can mislead the public, offer an incomplete vision, or simply distort reality to better serve their pet-cause.

At the moment I am at my parent’s house in Los Angeles, house and grandma-sitting while my mom and dad vacation in Italy. In all honesty, I haven’t been doing much at all aside from working on this website and researching. It’s really hot here, and I find it hard to motivate myself to do a lot here since my life is really in Providence now. (Well, we have moved into Providence already, but we have yet to make many friends and all that good stuff, so we are kinda half-living in both cities for now) In any case, my current plans are to return to Providence on July 16th. On the 17th my good friend Jared Auld (who rode across the US with me) will be coming to visit me. I am really excited because I haven’t seen him in two years and he is one of the people that I most respect. After that, I will move on with my plans to build a worm-composting bin at the apartment. I also hope to train on my bicycle, as I have begun riding with the Brown Cycling Team, and I would like to do a race or two with them.

Congratulations: you have taken a big step by venturing into my virtual world. I’m really excited to finally get this site up and running, and it is my sincere hope that I will able to share exciting ideas, thoughts, ponderings, musings, cogitations, ruminations and the like. Even if I don’t achieve that lofty goal, I’m sure that I’ll have a good time doing it!