nostalgia

It's funny how certain things can bring back strong memories and yearning for time gone by.  I notice this a lot when I visit IL and take the train into the city to meet with friends.  Every time I ride the Metra, it reminds me of commuting to Evanston for class in the summer.  As the train stops at the Central Street station, I strain my neck to get a good view of Ryan Field, where I spent many a Saturday cheering for my beloved 'Cats.  At the Davis Street station, I get a good view of downtown Evanston: the theatre where I saw many movies, the art store where I would by all my canvas for painting classes, the ice cream shop I would visit on hot nights.  I really do miss those college days.

Lately, watching the Olympics has really made me miss competitive swimming.  A lot.  I start remembering about all the little things that I didn't even know I had memories of: the feel of the yellow starting blocks at the high school; not wanting to get the short shower after practice; having underwater "tea-parties" with friends; Coach Arnold putting powdered Gatorade over the cooler of ice at the end of the lane so we stay hydrated during practice; playing cards in between events during summer swim meets; checking the line-up before every meet and hoping you got good events; the feeling you got when you finished a race, looked at the scoreboard, and realized you got a PB; out-touching someone to win 1st place.  The list goes on and on.  Once I finish dental school and have a little more control over my schedule, I am going to track down a Master's team and get back into it.

Until then, I will continue to wish that I was a member Team USA at the Olympics so that I can dominate in the pool and make funny videos like this: