Saturday morning was gorgeous. Thirteen people showed up to row at 7:30. We had a slow start, which was unfortunate because we finished late, too. I then rushed over to The Buzzards Bay Coalition for a training/orientation session. I begin as a docent in the visitor center on May 7th.
The really unfortunate thing about getting off the water late was that I missed the "Hi, my name is Karen" introduction part of the meeting. Another rower was at the meeting and had explained to them why I was late. But I never got a chance to say who I am and to talk about my project and explain why I will always have a camera with me. By the time I arrived, we were broken into small groups and asked to present information from the training manual. At that time, I pulled out my camera and was going to briefly talk about my project to just my group.
Before I could do that, the woman sitting next to me got very worked up. "What's That." "What's It For?" "Does [the head of the education department] know your doing this?" Etc. Authority-whispering these things while the docent coordinator was still explaining our task. It got me really flustered and self-conscious -- and then defensive. I said that because I was late, I hadn't been able to do that. I turned the camera on. And before I could explain the camera, the same woman launched into our task. Then, when we were done, she started telling me that I was a bad person for filming. I turned the camera off.
After the presentations were over, I thanked the woman for pressing me about the camera. I tend to forget that some people are unsettled by cameras. So this was a good reminder that I need to be respectful, and, if I run out of time, I can not skip ahead and just do whatever I want without bringing people on board. I told her that I was just trying to do too much and that it was really rude of me to just turn the camera on. She said no, I was breaking the law. What really irritated me is that she never said that she had a problem with the camera. She kept referring to everyone else in the room and legality. She was as presumptuous as I had been by turning on the camera. Who made her spokesperson for everyone else? The fact that I had initiated our conversation with an apology evaporated from my mind, and I began to talk about the legality of taking pictures for private use. Then she began quoting school department policy, which is kind of a non sequitur -- so much so that I realized that it would be better to drop the subject. I thanked her again and restated that I had been incredibly rude. She reiterated that I was a bad person. Lovely.
The staff of the education department then started their portion of the session. One of the segments was about how the coalition uses social media to spread the word about the environmental work that they do. The docent coordinator said that, "I've already Tweeted about this training session and posted a picture of all of us here." She never asked our permission.
In 1827, my great-great-great-great grandfather froze to death in a rowboat on Buzzards Bay. I'm preparing to go to the spot where he was found and then row the 25 miles back to my family's home town.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Women's Four
I got up at 4AM to meet the women's competitive team at the New Bedford Community Rowing Pod for their 5:30 training. Coach Bayse wanted to get some footage to help with feedback. I had my Handycam in the coach's launch, and I attached two GoPro's on the four that the women were rowing. Anna, the cox, was a good sport and wore a cam on her head. And Georgia let me put the other one on her starboard oar. They made some jokes comparing themselves to the Jamaican bobsled team in the movie Cool Runnings. But they were great. I rowed in the four once last year, and it was not fun. Granted, four is more stable than a single (which I couldn't stay in at all). However, the morning was so gorgeous that I almost wished that I was rowing.
Here's the view from Anna's seat, reviewing her cox's notes.
Here's the view from Anna's seat, reviewing her cox's notes.
And my view from the coach's launch.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Superfund
The best discussion during practice tonight was about a house that sits right on the Acushnet river (Fairhaven side). It's for sale for 1 million. "No way they're gonna get that for a house overlooking a superfund site."
Still, it's got to be the prettiest superfund site around. I started getting blisters yesterday while using the pickaxe in the garden. After tonight's row, my hands look like they've been handling plutonium. Not so pretty.
Still, it's got to be the prettiest superfund site around. I started getting blisters yesterday while using the pickaxe in the garden. After tonight's row, my hands look like they've been handling plutonium. Not so pretty.
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
On the Water
Today was the first time that NBCR was back on the water for 2013. Tendinitis in my shoulder is keeping me from helping to carry the boat down to the water. I should have brought this problem up last season because I continually aggravated my shoulder carrying the boat. This is part of the learning process here. As an independent studio artist, I'm used to being responsible for doing everything myself. It's a constant effort to remember that I'm not responsible here. I can ask the coaches to decide or help solve a problem. And they will. It's kind of a new experience for me.
Monday, April 08, 2013
Out of Storage
NBCR stored a lot of stuff in the barn this winter. On Saturday, a bunch of members came by and we unloaded everything. The biggest thing was the launch, a small, pontoon motorboat. We had ten people lifting it and carrying it out and walking it onto a flat-bed trailer.
The oars were all tucked up between the pontoons and a small dingy was loaded onto another truck. We get back on the water Tuesday. I'm a little worried because my shoulder has been bothering me. But I'll keep my fingers crossed.
The oars were all tucked up between the pontoons and a small dingy was loaded onto another truck. We get back on the water Tuesday. I'm a little worried because my shoulder has been bothering me. But I'll keep my fingers crossed.
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