I Went Back to the Pool-O

That title's a reference to a Pretenders song.

Sorry. It's all I could think of.

Anyway, today I went to the Y to swim....all my swimming buddies from last year (Noodle Lady, Navy Guy, etc) were absent, and that was a real bummer. So, I thought I'd just splash around a bit and see how things went.

I did a measly 2000 yards...which totally violates my "It's-not-worth-getting-wet-for-less-than-3000-yards" rule, but I'm finding that most of my old rules are being broken on a regular basis now. And you know what? I'm starting to be OK with that.

I could definitely tell I was out of practice, and felt like the best I could do at holding a semi-decent pace was to do sets of 200s. So I did 200 pull, 200 swim, 10 times. Not the most exciting workout ever, but hey, it worked.

And I totally raced the dude next to me in my second-to-last set, but he didn't know it. I caught him pretty early on and then was able to still bury the hatchet. So I've still semi-got-game.

Okay, maybe just a teensy, tiny bit of game. But we'll take it.

Then I had my guest speakers come to school today, which is always awesome. A WWII-vet who was shot down by the Germans and held in a POW camp for 22 months, and then two Japanese-Americans who were interned during WWII when they were kids. Very different perspectives and all pieces to a very large puzzle of a story. I'm glad I have the opportunity to bring such amazing people into my classroom.

So I'm feelin' pretty good....it was 75 degrees and sunny here....Opening Day is in T minus 10 Days, the Buckeyes are in the Final Four (but I think I may have to root for Georgetown since I do have a transcript there...so torn....), and life is pretty much rockin' right now.

A certain friend of mine has a pretty big birthday coming up on Thursday, too. Hee hee! The secret's out. :)

Lots of reasons to celebrate around here!

I DON'T WANNA WAIT

I WANNA SEE THIS NOW!!!

Here's your daily hit of inspiration...



Some one just posted this on our tri club forum! SO cool.

Now, don't you wanna get out there for your run today?

A Bad Date in Hollywood

Okay, I have an admission to make.

*hangs head in shame*

I really, REALLY like that REALLY STUPID MTV show, "The Hills."

There. I said it.

I am fully aware it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ridiculously stupid. I know it doesn't really match up with my interests or intelligence quotient. But, I TiVo it and watch the dumb show anyway. Here's why.

It is very refreshing to see that no matter where you are--no matter how glamorous your life may be--your twenties are still probably going to have the same drama. Uncertainty about your future, what you want to be when you grow up, boys that are dumb and some that are not, and going through it with your friends.

These girls have a lifestyle that I never did, and never will have. They live in the Hollywood Hills and despite the fact that they are 20 year old INTERNS, they have a nicer furnished apartment than any furniture I have in my house NOW. They drive ridiculous Mercedes Benz cars, wear expensive clothes, and go out to glamorous LA clubs.

Now, for me, I spent the early part of my twenties in a blue-collar kind of town, drinking Rolling Rock and eating happy hour pizza at the local holes in the wall, trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted to be with my best friends. So, in a way, it's a TEENSY bit similar. Take out the glitz and glamour, and it's the same old story.

So, it's nice for me to see that it doesn't matter where you live. It doesn't matter if you move to the "it" town and have Daddy Dollars coming out your nostrils. You have the same ol' same ol'. And I enjoy seeing that, and remembering going through some of the stuff these poor little rich girls are going through.

A bad date is a bad date, no matter if it's Brody Jenner or some guy I met at Local Bar X. And I remembered this last night, as I had a bad date with the Masters Swim Team.

I sort of knew this was going to happen. But I've been desperate for some things to change around here--hoping things will change and ready to try anything to make it happen--so I took up my buddy Joh when she said that I should give it a shot. Now, for me, swimming is a solitary thing. I spent many a year getting yelled sets and having a whistle blown in my ear doing endless laps, so I really, really enjoy swimming solo now. But I'm desperate.

"Sure," I thought. "No problem--I haven't had a swim in 2 months--literally--but I can usually wing it in the pool."

Almost everything about my date was wrong, starting with the first guy I met there, who was about as warm and welcoming as the Berlin Wall in January. He clearly was trying to "size me up," and bombarded me with questions that eventually got quite rude and obnoxious. Where, oh where is Joh? Agh!

The best part of my date was hanging out with Mr. Buckeye (totally cool hubby of Buckeye Runner) and Joh. Other than that, I knew it wasn't a good fit for me within about five minutes--just like a real date.

It's not you, it's me.

See, lots of other people like you, Masters. But we're not clicking.

I think I'd just be better off alone for a while.

And, like any bad date, well...then at least you know. So you shake hands, say "nice to meet you," and you leave. You find someone that's much more your type, since only you really know why it wasn't clicking.

Now, I should never say never. Matt, my hubby, tried several times to ask me out when I was in 10th grade and he 11th. I kept turning him down, despite the fact that he was the nicest guy ever, very cute (of course), and all my friends were knocking me upside the head saying YOU IDIOT! GO OUT WITH HIM!

I just needed about 9 more years before we really connected. And look how things ended up!

So, perhaps Masters and I are not finished. For now, however, we are. Aside from hanging with 2 cool people, everything else about it felt wrong at the moment. I need a break and it just didn't work for me. Totally not my style right now.

So, whether you're 20 in the Hollywood Hills, or 29 in blue-collar Cleveland, Ohio, you know when it's right and when it's not. And why waste your time?

This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race

The Scene: somewhere near Painesville, Ohio. August 12, 2001. Two smelly, sweaty chicks flexing on a curb.

TriShannon: I am so pumped we just did our first Tri!

TriSaraTops: Me too! I'm pudgy! Let's get a Blizzard.

TriShannon: Seriously, we should probably pass on the Blizzards. You want to get one every time we finish a workout.

TST: OK, Dude, whatever. You so go with me every time and I don't even have to twist your arm.

TriShannon: Yeah, yeah. I know. Hey, I think our $19.99 Adidas trail shoes we got at Kohl's a few months ago are fierce!

TST: No way, man. The best part of my shoes is the COTTON socks I have on that I put on in T1. So necessary. They totally made my race.

TriShannon: Is that a nuclear power plant in the distance?

TST: Yeah...it's cool. I don't have a third eye yet, do I?

TriShannon: No...I suppose you're right. So, um, we did get here a little early didn't we?

TST: Well, the book I have says always to get to the race early so that you have plenty of time to set up your transition!

TriShannon: Yeah, but I don't think they meant to get there 2 hours early and before the Race Director shows up.

TST: Well?! We SO had lots of time to get ready.

TriShannon: OK. Whatever. These leis are hot!

TST: NO WAY. What's HOT is my shorts that I put on in T1 that made my thighs chafe because it poured on us and I like to eat Blizzards. Now THAT'S hot.

TriShannon: I executed a flawless pre-race strategy.

TST: I was at a wedding last night and my drunk roommate best friend forgot her key and had to throw things at my window at 1am to wake me up. At the time, I was really pissed but I bet in a little bit that will seem funny.

TriShannon: I am SO going to do an Ironman someday.

TST: YOU CRAZY! I will NEVER do one of those. That's just INSANE. I mean, HOW can you do that?! There's no way. I have no desire to ever do that.

TriShannon: Whatever, wuss. I've always wanted to do one.

NOTE: TriShannon would have done an Ironman LONG before TriSaraTops if it wasn't for a nasty injury she had to deal with. She would have most likely whooped her ass.

TST: I don't doubt it, dude. You do everything you set your mind to. Hey, maybe I'll do a marathon now!

TriShannon: Um, don't you think you should try something more than a 5K first?

TST: Nah! No biggie! I just did a triathlon, so now I think I can probably do anything!

TriShannon: Yeah, I feel strangely invincible. Like our training ride where we rode 21 whole miles on our mountain bikes! Our mountain bikes are FIERCE.

TST: Yeah! Remember when we were doing a ride on our heavy mountain bikes and I ran into a curb, skinned my knee, blew my tire, and we had to walk all the way home? That totally sucked.

TriShannon: Yeah. We looked like tools.

TST: I need a Blizzard just thinking about it.

TriShannon: Hey, if I ever move away, let's be tri friends forever!

TST: Totally.

Possibilities

I just posted on the Flash Point Blog here. I'm being a somewhat bad blogger and commenter here, but only for a little while longer...I swear!

For now, I'm off to enjoy a picnic dinner with my two boys up at the Lake! 71 degrees, baby!

Don't worry, it's supposed to be 31 on Saturday. :) March is so nutso!

Happy training, everyone!

Being sick is no fun.

Waaa.

I'm sick and have lost my mojo.

It's cold and I'm over it. They say this is the "last arctic blast," but I've lived here long enough to know there will probably be one more...but the little 50 degrees and maybe even a 60 that comes our way in March will get me through!

And hey, Daylight Savings comes this weekend! Yahoooooo for that!

This weekend one of my bestest friends, Sammy, came into town and we had a blast, despite the fact that I was hacking up a lung. We went to this awesome store, Big Fun, where they sell old, new, and used toys....and I traded in my old broken Nintendo set for a BRAND NEW (OLD) ONE THAT WORKS!

Oh yeah. We played Mario like nobody's biznasssss. I still got game!

And we played Double Dribble, too. But we both were HORRIBLE. Lost my touch on that one.

Um....not much else to report that I can say at the moment. Perhaps I can say more later...

Bring on the spring! And BASEBALL SEASON! Yahoooooooooooooooo!