there's nothing quite like rowing --

-- to make you aware of precisely how out of shape you are.  (proper rowing, i mean, none of this ergonomic rowing machine, although those can give you a pretty good idea -- they just don't have the benefit of there being other people with whom you are failing to keep up.)

granted, it's been nine and a half years since i was actually in a boat.  and when i said i used to row starboard, these guys didn't understand what that meant, and put me on strokeside, which is british for port.  so with that in mind -- given ten years later and with the other arm, i mean to say -- i actually did pretty well.  but, man, talk about rusty, and also, ow.