Student SPHere 2008-09

I woke up Saturday morning and cringed when I looked out the window. Was it going to rain? Nnnnnoooo...oh wait. Internet says no rain. Instead, I was just privy to the first of a typical Minnesota fall day; cool and cloudy. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons in the Midwest, particularly when the air is crisp and the sky is clear and blue. To be able to sit outside underneath a big tree with some friends is an affordable luxury that's easy to accomplish. All you need is a clean patch of grass, a big tree, and some people whose company is somewhat tolerable. And if you're feeling ambitious, a bottle of wine and some cheese.

Lazed about in the morning but by mid-afternoon, I was cruising out to Aamodt's Apple Farm in Stillwater with some colleagues. I started to visit apple orchards during my senior year in Madison, Wisconsin and immediately regretted not going sooner. What meager years were lived in the darkness before finally walking up and down rows of trees, using the hem of your shirt to wipe down a sweet and crunchy apple plucked off the branch, and eating it right there.

Aamodt's also has a winery, which we immediately locked onto when we saw the "Wine Tasting: OPEN" sign. While we appreciated the free wine, the wine itself was not very good. Other people seemed to be enthusiastic though; it's probably a nice "adult" breather in the midst of a frenzied family adventure in the apple orchards.

The grapes off the vine were very good though!

Since they've been around for a while, Aamodt's has the whole "family farm experience" down pat: tractor rides, kettle corn, hay maze, and petting zoo. I spent a precious quarter on some animal feed in the form cracked corn, but became disgusted when I realized that what feeding animals is really about; allowing animals to slobber all over your hands. Watching MingTa become the first victim, I tried to give away my cracked corn before being forced to feed the minature ponies. Arg, minature pony slobber.

Sorry, MingTa!

Aside from the many trippable objects in the form of small children scurrying about, I had an excellent time.

On Sunday the Confounders - an ultimate frisbee team composed of students from the School of Public Health - played their second game against Snowball's Chance. We had played them last spring on the A League, so it was surprising to play against them in the B League. They're excellent players but they're also quite professional and had no women on their team. For them to participate in a casual co-ed league was really pointless on their part and unfair to other people in the league.

The lineup

However, we played our best game of the season yet. We really rose up to the ocassion while still maintaining a good sense of humor. Although losing was a sad affair, games like this remind me why I like this sport so much; by nature I am not a competitive person, but I do like team sports. So to play with these easy-going people in a game that emphasizes good sportsmanship is a real pleasure.

Because of our improved game, we were also able to photograph some impressive acrobatics!

Great leap, Peter!

Blood sacrifice

This is pretty incredible

Although it may not look it, Sarah was able to fend off these guys, hold her own, and keep the frisbee