Finesse [rowing]

Run-on poem.

"Finesse" is the term used to describe rowing that is smoothly and skillfully executed, with the blades catching the water just-so (a light "chock!" sound), without disrupting the run of the boat, with the start of the drive smoothly engaging with the legs to push the boat forward, followed by the swing of the back, the draw-through of the arms to the *correct* release position allowing the oars to slip smoothly out of the water and feather, hands-away, feeling connection to the boat with the heels while the toes are light and lifted up, swinging the body forward to follow the hands, then drawing up the slide again, a gentle flick to square the blades, then catching again before the weight on the feet transfers back from the heels to the balls of the feet for the next drive.

I had a few good strokes this morning. Most of the strokes just made me think back to one memorable row with Interlochen at the Pocock Center, where we were in an 8+ and testing out a new coach, who might have been Dutch. The Interlochen master's women were all old enough to be my mother. After we had rowed for a bit, he had us weigh enough, and then he went down the boat, starting from the stern, providing every rower with a blunt personal critique. When he reached me, he said, "Three seat, you row like a teenager. You're all over the place," and he was probably correct, referring to me squirming around to try and help out the boat's set. [After that, he said, "Bow pair - have you ever considered playing golf?" ...He wound up not jiving with the team dynamics, plus the commute to coach was too arduous.].

Last Thursday, Iz made me remember that balance in the single comes from keeping the heels down at the release, generating some tension between the heels and seat in order to have a stable platform for the arms as they come in to the correct release height (just below the boobs). If I'm doing it correctly I can feel it in my hip flexors.

Things will come together with time and conscious practice. I was grateful this morning for the glassy water, which meant I couldn't use wind or chop as an excuse for sloppiness. I just have to keep building on those good strokes until they become the new normal.

Miscellaneous academic links (mostly)

Ants that don't appear to age: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-unusual-american-ants-never-get-old-180957887/?no-ist

I have been reading about ageing recently, because I am working on a manuscript on the nature of connections between nutrition, reproduction, and lifespan in crickets. I should probably read the primary article in this case, at least to get an idea of ways to characterize senescence.

Comments on reviewing the statistics in that manuscript you're reviewing: https://methodsblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/03/reviewing_statistics/

This diagram on why dishes pile up in the kitchen sink makes me think about what we call the "Dishwasher Model" for the division of labor in social insect colonies. Essentially, it is based on the idea that different individuals have different stimulus thresholds for the various tasks that need to be done in a colony (or apartment). Once the level of stimulus (amount of dishes in the sink) reaches the threshold for the person most sensitive to the task, he or she will do it, and so the stimulus won't ever reach the threshold of the others and the sensitive person will become a task specialist for that task.

Okay, this one isn't quite so academic, but it's sorta related? Apparently, a Liverpool student has created insect haggis. S bought a can of vegetarian haggis once, when we were in Boston. I think it was made of lentils. It was all right.

Tips for responding to illegal questions asked during job interviews. Or, related ideas in comic book form.