groovy-uvy?

veiw from my art class

i'm told uvm, where i'm going back to school, unfortunately not rodney dangerfield style, is not the pot smoking mushroom eating college mecca that it once was, aka, Groovy-uvy. personally, i'd rather compete for grades w/folks who are stoned, but word on the cobbles is that uvm has made some big improvements. new facilities, building updates, smaller classes, a focus on diversity, excellent online tools; overall, a well-balanced education comparable to that of a smaller liberal arts college. at 33, i'm a bit past joining a frat and instead have found myself in the sweet spot for getting my learn on; have been savoring the experience, and have found the other students accepting of my presence - and their perspective(s) on topics fresh. so far, due to entrance requirements, i've taken (or am taking) psychology, philosophy/religion, art, geology, english (sci-fi and fantasy!), and finally Java programming, my first computer science class (my major) - and i'm only in my 2nd semester. this mix has (and is) truly richening my perspective and been incredibly interesting. of course, front-loading all my electives is going to make future semesters extra challenging, but so be it, them's the rules for sneaking-in the back door. if only i could get in the way-way-back machine, 15 years worth, and smack some sense into the teenage me, life would be a whole lot easier right now - and my career a few yrs ahead. some things you (I!) can only learn the hard way.

on a sidenote, tim cook, one of the fellas i rode across colorado with, is now an assistant professor at uvm, a strange coincidence. yesterday i was chatting w/a classmate and she mentioned her geology prof was a younger guy. of course, it turned-out to be tim, who she said was kickin' some geo butt, keeping it interesting. sweet! i can't imagine teaching a 200 person lecture class (and making it interesting) is an easy task. i suppose, if you can ride the colorado trail smiling the whole time, you can tackle a lecture hall!

tim and andy kickin' it at 12,000 ft colorado style.

enough about getting my learn on, today i need to get my interval on. in boston, when bike commuting, intervals were commonplace, it was called "trying not to get killed." in rural vt, i actually need to plan workouts sometimes. as anyone who trains understands, intervals are no fun, made worse by afflicting them upon yourself by yourself. i'm not into hrm's, so i just do them until i want to puke. kinda like splitting and stacking wood which i do until i want to poke my eyes out.

enough of this ramblin', time to get to work!