Monthly Archives: April 2015

WEEK TEN: IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN ST ANDREWS

After a couple weeks of moving all around and seeing the sights, this week was a welcome reminder that where I’m at is pretty gosh darn swell too. Unfortunately, much of my time was also spent writing an essay, which I turned in this morning. While a lot of college kids tend to procrastinate, I’m pretty good at just spreading out my work so I don’t stress out much, so writing my paper was a very #chill process. I have another one due on Friday, so I’ve got to keep cruising on that paper grind. Once I’m done with this next essay, though, I won’t have any more assignments until my finals in late May. So for those keeping score at home, I will have four essays and two final exams for the entire semester. I’m not complaining.

Otherwise, I had lots of time this week to just hang out. I got out and played golf a couple times, and I think I’m getting a lot better. I had a great round early in the week, and then got absolutely humiliated this weekend. Baby steps. I’ve also been working out a lot, which is nice, especially after literally not eating any fruits or vegetables over spring break. Like, other than the tomato and lettuce in my burgers, and the grapes in my wine, I consumed only meat, bread, and cheese. So this week I’ve been eating a lot healthier and hitting the gym more frequently as an apology to my body for what I put it through over spring break. I’m hoping that I’ll be like 220 pounds of straight muscle, and come back to Whitman as an absolute tank, but we’ll see how that goes.

I also spent this week reading a ton. I’ve been reading a novel a week for both of my classes, which is a lot, but not too bad once you get to used to it. However, this week both of my classes assigned 600 page books, so I really had to get down to business. You might ask, “Quin, you had two weeks of spring break. Couldn’t you have used that time to get ahead on this reading?” I’m not going to respond to that. Fortunately, both books were really good. So if you’re bored and need a good book, check out To the End of the Land by David Grossman (about a mother of an Israeli soldier) or Lanark by Alasdair Gray (this bonkers split narrative about a guy in both Glasgow and its dystopian equivalent).

I had a real nice weekend too. On Saturday, I went to this printmaking workshop, which was interesting, especially given my current obsession with art, and then I watched the Arsenal game at the pub with some guys. I definitely haven’t watched enough soccer at pubs, so that was pretty fun. Then I had my aforementioned terrible round of golf, but hey, it happens.

For Easter Sunday, I grabbed some coffee and walked through St. Andrews Cathedral and along the coast. There were a ton of people in town, and the weather was the best it’s been in my time here, so it was awesome to see the town with so much energy. I went down and hit some balls at the driving range, and then came back and finished my essay sitting on my windowsill, overlooking the park next to my dorm, which was full of frolicking college youths. Then I got a burger with some guys. It was a pretty good day.

The weather is supposed to stay sunny for the week, although as I’m currently looking out my window, it’s just super foggy. You never know here. Earlier in the week, I was walking down to play golf, and suddenly got hit with hail blowing sideways in the wind. I actually thought I was going to die, right there in the street. But hey, I’m still here! This week will probably be more of the same, lots of essay work and golf. Then maybe a little weekend trip, who knows. I can do whatever I want. How cool is that?