Weekend at the lake

This weekend I went up to the lake for a fraternity retreat with a bunch of friends. Getting up there was quite the hassle because apparently finding the correct beach isn't as easy as one would think. As I arrived I noticed how unbearably hot it was, there wasn't a cloud in sight. I noticed everyone in my party putting sunscreen on so I lathered as much as I could without making myself look whiter than I am and plunged into the refreshing water.

After my swim I came out of the water and noticed the two English members of our Fraternity playing with a football (soccer ball) on the beach, I gladly joined them and was quickly shown up by their superior skills that they had learned as young lads whereas I had just started to pick the game up.

After my miserable failure of trying to dance with the ball at my feet I decided to take a seat and get some sun, giving me the opportunity to observe my brothers, hanging out and having a good time. After a while I decided to try and catch some dinner casting for some fish. After a couple hours of nothing but nibbles and false hope for a fish I noticed the guys got the fire pit ready and I was starving.

Thankfully I didn't put all my eggs in one basket when it came to the food, I brought traditional campfire foods, Hot dogs, burgers, beans, and smores,  After dinner we had a ceremony for the new members.

Time For A Dip

Its 3:45 pm on a Sunday afternoon as the sound of rushing water, conversation and laughter fills the air. It’s a place for people to release, to look back on the week that was and get ready for the next. People are in all corners of the facility and with alcohol and company a good time is sure to be had. Everyone in their own little groups but all with the same purpose. They are here to relax, these college aged kids are here to enjoy the water and an ice cold beer.

The array of cultures is heavily present with the sound of multiple languages being heard. The fountain is the center of it all, standing alone in the middle of the pool, it acts as the centerpiece. The interesting this about the pool I that it isn't occupied as it is intended. The pool is there for people to swim and enjoy the water, but what the pool has become is merely a place to sunbathe and hang out in chairs above water level. It seems that even though people made the journey to the pool and dressed in bathing suites, they have no intention of actually swimming. They intend to lie out in the sun and let the ray form above burn their skin to a brown or red.

It seems as if good conversation and drinking has the replaced the act of swimming. To be fair there are a few people in the pool but not swimming, they are standing up wait deep drinking a beer. Another thing that seems quite unusual is that it is 95 degrees and more people are in the warm water of the spa opposed to the cool refreshing temperature of the main pool. Just an observation which is perplexing to me. The main thing is that everyone is enjoying themselves. It seems as if that people no longer associate the pool with swimming but with a good time. Even if they could do the same activities outside on their own patio, they still prefer to be in the confinement of the boundaries of the pool. It’s all mental. Mentally telling themselves while in the pool area that they are relaxed and that inside the boundaries is nothing but pure relaxation and enjoyment.

I've been here for close to an hour now and no one has left. Everyone who was here when I arrived is still present. As the alcohol slowly starts to kick in the conversations gradually get louder and the sound of the rushing water is slowly drowned out by increasing laughter and people start to care less and less about the other groups. Everyone still seems to be having a great time and I can safely conclude that the pool is a place to let things go. It seems no one has problems and no thinks about the challenges they have. It seems that in the four walls of the pool on Sunday afternoon these people are trying to enjoy the last bit of their weekend knowing that when they wake up tomorrow a new week at school will begin but they will have the thought of their pool visit to look back on and look forward to next weekend.

Stormy Night

The sky was a dark blue color and the presence of a storm was approaching at the campus duck pond. The clouds were dark and lightning can be seen flashing in the distance. A light breeze blows through the night and you can tell the rain isn’t far behind.

There is a pair of what seem like college students sitting at a table just talking. They seem like a happy couple. They just sit there and quietly talk throughout the night. They stay a long time and when I leave they are still sitting there peacefully talking.

To my right side there is two young men fishing on the edge. They seem like college students as well and might even be related, as their appearance looks very similar. One of them seems to be new to fishing and the other is trying to teach him a few pointers.

It seems like there is construction going on at the duck pond, as there is heavy machinery on the opposite side. There is a few large construction vehicles and machinery parked on the side and what seems like a foundation for something on the ground. We will see what this turns out to be as the weeks progress.

On the opposite side close to the construction vehicles there are 4 older men fishing from the side as well. They are just all gathered together talking and casting their rods in the calm water. It doesn’t seem like a good day for fishing,  I don’t see them catch anything and soon begin to pack their things and leave.

There is a man sitting on a bench all alone by edge of the water. A woman later joins him with two kids. It seems like they know each other quite well and I believe they might actually be a family. They sit there and talk for a while, I cant understand what they are saying as they are speaking in another language. After a while one of the kids starts to cry and the family starts walking around the pond in what I believe is an attempt to calm him. The mom is trying to point out things trying to stop the little boy from crying. She points out a turtle floating in the water, as well as the two young men fishing on the side. They make their way around to the other side of the pond and I don’t see them again after that.

I was expecting to see more people here today but it seems like a calm night. Everything is really calm compared to the busy heavy foot traffic by students throughout the day. Maybe its empty because of the upcoming storm or because it’s a weekday and people have things to do tomorrow. 

Plastic Bottles

Have you ever noticed how there is usually trash floating in the water in public places?

I couldn't tell you why, maybe it's just a natural human reaction to want to throw things into water just how pennies are always at the bottom of a fountain. I never see anyone throw their plastic bottle into the water, yet they are there, floating along with other trash and grime from the bottom.

People like to sit by the water, again, natural human instinct to be attracted to water, probably why I even picked to sit here. I see a few people eating, some with a friend with their bags laid next to them. A girl even has an umbrella due to the fact it is always beaming sun down here, although today there are clouds, and I even woke up to see puddles of water leftover from the rain last night. There is even a cool breeze, very unusual for the hot desert, although it's been raining more often than I expected it to. Maybe it was force of habit to have the umbrella.

The grass is somewhat wet, and there are blank, empty patches just of dirt scattered around this area, especially when you get closer to the water, probably because people stand and play around the edge. I'm not sure if there are turtles or fish happily living in the water. If so, I would be that person to run up and get close to see. I'm sure other people do too.

I feel like there would be more people to watch if I had picked a better time of day, or even better day of the week. People usually leave on Fridays; Heck I'm even leaving to Albuquerque to pick up some art supplies I can't for my class here.  I wonder what would be the best time to come here. I'm not sure if a lot of people do come here. Although that could be a reason to relax here, I'm not big on crowded areas either, such as Corbert right around noon. Have you been to that area with Taco Bell and stuff around that time? It's nuts. I have a heart attack even though I really want my parfait. That would be a great place to watch people but I just can't handle it. Maybe if I'm really brave and this area ends up being a floozy without much traffic.

Anyways, the woman that was eating some sort of weird chick pea spinach mush out of a mason jar with a spoon is starting to get up. I figured shes finished her snack-thing. Or break in better terms.  She dusts any dirt particles off her brown dress, grabs her pink backpack, puts on her hat, and starts marching away. The land is at a bit of an incline, that's why I say marching.

There is now a gentleman with headphones on sitting on one of the red benches under a tree. He just kind of flips through his phone trying to go unnoticed. I do that too, although there's nothing wrong with just chilling by the water; it's nice (just a little grimy but whatever).

The two sitting next to each other with their bags are still here. They were here before I got here as well as the woman with the pink back pack and spinach mush.  I hope she doesn't read this and figure out it's her, I'm sure whatever you were eating was healthy and fantastic, it just had a very odd aesthetic.

The two with their bags next to each other, girl and boy, are just talking to each other. it doesn't appear to be romantic, they just seem to be friends, laughing and sharing stories. It's pretty normal out here. Everyone tries to pick a spot out of the sun either under a tree or where a cloud shields the light out. I'm thinking of buying maybe a beach towel or something to sit on while I'm out here instead of sitting on the grass where you get that weird condensation feeling where you've been sitting. Hopefully there will be some more traffic next time, or those LARPers (I believe) I saw near here practicing sword fighting.

-QM

All Athletes

The room is crowded, but purposeful. Each person has a reason to be in here, and only particular students are even allowed in this building. I am sitting in the athletics center, a well kept building made specifically for the student athletes here at the university. It is obvious that the school's or the athletics department keeps the athletes taken care of. This room is heavily stocked with expensive equipment for only the athletes to use. In the room, I can see three temperature-controlling tubs used for ice/heat therapy, an underwater treadmill that probably costs thousands of dollars, mats, dumbbells engraved with the school's mascot, scales, ice machines, locker rooms, showers, therapeutic bands, rollers, treadmills, etc. The athletes are supervised by multiple well-trained athletic trainers, a doctor, and coaches to help the athletes with injuries and any health concerns. I can see the each staff member must wear a shirt with the university logo printed on it while on the job. The room is kept at a cool temperature, probably to keep the athletes from overheating, (it is over 100 degrees outside). 

The room is crowded with the athletes. Each look slightly exhausted and beat up, either sweat rolling down their face or an ice bag tied to some part of their body. They each walk around with a different sort of confidence, or "swagger" than most students on campus, knowing that they are student athletes and that they represent the school in a unique way. It is obvious that these people are extremely fit and are put through grueling workouts. Some of the men in the room easily weigh three hundred pounds of pure muscle, a lot of them are football players. It is sometimes easy to tell which sport they play by their body time. For example, the men's and women's basketball team tends to be tall and extremely strong-looking, while the cross country athletes tend to be skinny, without an ounce of fat on them. You can tell what sport they play usually by the logo on their shirts as well, and it seems like athletes from particular sports seem to congregate together. While they all look tired from a hard day at practice, the general tone in the training room is light-hearted. Lots of laughter and positive vibes from everyone. The athletes and the trainers alike seem to feel very comfortable in this place, and everyone from each respective sport seem to know each other pretty well.

As I am observing the athletes more closely, I see that some are sitting in ice baths, and seem to be very uncomfortable from the cold water. Some are stretching, and some are being treated by the trainers. Others are also simply standing around chatting with one another while eating protein bars. I can hear some talk of how a particular practice went, some "gossiping" and exchanges concerning injuries with the staff members. The staff members seem extremely helpful, and the athletes seem to trust them with their injuries. There are some massages going on in the back corner, and some complicated-looking medical procedures taking place. This seems to be a normal day in the athletics center.