Journey across the channel

There has been a lot of talk about math, swimming, music, etc....

So I thought I would incorporate it into my day this morning...

I woke up with 1 huge allergy/sinus headache and figured that 1 frontal lobotomy wouldn't fix it.

I have 2 giant schnauzers that needed to go out or I would have 1 massive mess.

So I took 2 Nyquil for 4 hours of doped sleep and instantly became the rest of the 7 Dwarves.
I was already Sneezy, Itchy, Scratchy, and Grumpy - I added Sleepy, Dopey and Doc

I counted snow flakes from the butt end of the storm and realized that I wouldn't have to shovel 18-24 inches (Oh, the weather man last night helped with this)

And when I finally got up, I tried to put 2 legs into 1 leg hole in my sweats (that division doesn't work) and my hoodie on backwards (subtraction?) I guess so I could keep things in the hood handy.. - did I tell you that 2 Nyquil make me Dopey????

I had 3 cups of coffee to fight off the effects of the Nyquil and fixed 2 bowls of dog breakfast, then I had 1 yogurt for human breakfast...
I then got all 3 of us in the truck, 2 schnauzers and me and went to the pool where the 'music' took over....

99 bottles of beer on the wall in 7 languages 3x each..plus 1 real workout...

After my swim, jacuzzi and stay in the steam room, I could breathe... Infinitely amazing ( I don't have enough fingers to count this)...

So is there a moral to my story or even a point, probably not.... just remember that even on days that you don't want to swim, if you aren't having fun.. rethink the equation..

I love this video.....

Last year I spent time doing the killer quad that my home team does in order not to feel so alone. This year I emailed

Now that I have whittled my readers down to 5 again (me, myself and I and the two schnauzers), I think it is time to be active again.  Not that I really have anything to say really most of the time.  It is just life as it happens.  I did enter a swim next month .

It is a fairly short one by my standards, only >7 miles but a cold one and if the weather acts up, an ugly one.  Last time I did it people were fairly shocked that I was faster when the wind came ripping down, not a surprise for me…   Texture is my friend, it livens things up.

My friends have done some amazing swims this year and I’m feeling at odds ends.  One finished a two way channel in force 5 winds, an amazing feat on a good 24 hours but amazing due to conditions.  A couple of others finished a full channel.   One is swimming 3 Lochs in 48 hours and there have been a number of Catalina swims.  Another swam Tahoe and one did a unique Tahoe, a 17 hour ‘L’ shaped course.   And I can’t tell my head from my arse most days. 

I want to just blame work or lack thereof and uncertainties of life but I’m not so sure.  It has to do with that concept of balance that I’m so bad at.  I couldn’t figure out how to balance my life living with my parents and I’m not sure I’m any better on my own.  I always feel I’m just running in place to find the back of the pack.  You can’t run your own race that way. Well, I have a lot of thinking to do….

 Now for the best item I have heard about lately, it is the ‘Shewee’ so any woman who has felt the urge to go on the road and like the guys, can.  And yes there is a website….

www.shewee.com/

My favorite pages are the ‘how to shewee’ and ‘when to shewee.’  Yep, you can’t make this stuff up.  It comes with instructions to aim away from the feet and suggests that you practice in the shower.  Do men come with those types of instructions or just nagging Mothers who get tired of cleaning up after short attention spans?

Best of all it has uses in the world of sport, especially long distance cycling (try practicing that in the shower on your bike), marathon running, triathlon and biathlon (with enough practice can I write my name in the snow?) and of course scuba diving, huh?  It is supposed to 'help you maintain your fluid levels easily.'

I was of course as is the case of my one track mind, trying to figure out the applications for marathon swimming.  Unfortunately I don’t see many because the fish don’t complain in the first place, and we do 'go' on long swims.  Let's be realistic, if you aren't 'going' your aren't taking in enough fluids or are too cold or too hot.  But needing a 'She Wee?'  Yelling to your boat, 'can you pass the Shewee with my next feed?  Yes, it is that hot pink funnel thing!'  Somehow I think it wouldn't fly or I would drown from laughter.....    

I have to confess, I’m really homesick right now.  Mostly it is because of all the activity that goes on around this time of year at the South End Rowing Club.  The Five Coves of Death’ swim is held every year on May 5^th, Cinco de Mayo.  This is the first year I have missed it entirely.  As was told, there were 30 swimmers, great support and a good meal afterwards this year.  I’m just waiting for pictures to further cement the homesickness.

But at the same time that I’m homesick for the Bay Area, I love the feeling of home here.  It is amazing the quick change of seasons. Each week brings a darker pink fruit tree into bloom, new flowers and the different shades of green that are starting to mark the trees on the way to work are amazing.  Things are fresh and new after a long winter.  The town is waking up as well.  Gardens are being planted, kids playing in the street.  On the beach, people are walking, running, skating, biking, flying kites with only the odd blond swimming in the cold water.  The softball and baseball teams are out practicing, be they little league or the town adult leagues.  And best of all, the Fish and Lobster shop opened up for the season last Friday, May 1^st.  Now I can support the local fishing folk by buying down the street and the lobster rolls are amazing! 

I drive by the Charles on the way to work and the rowers are out on the water, something that was missing when the ice was present.  I'm looking into community rowing for lessons.  It seems to call to me much like Open Water swimming, the isolation of yourself and the water.

We even had a day of almost 90 degree weather! 

And so the water is warming up; it is usually between 48 and 50 now.  I swam 3 x 2 hours on Saturday and the same on Sunday.  I also added an extra hour Sunday evening because I felt like a wuss and there was still sun to be had.  I also must confess I saw the forecast for rain this week as an added motivator.  I will be glad when the lobster fishermen set their traps up around the Chimney’s (rocks in the middle of my cove).  I don’t beach myself at high tide so much because the buoys are great for sighting.

On the dawg front, I’m not sure I have dawgs but know I have pigs.  Boo-Dawg ate 3 lbs of Strawberries on Tues night while I was fighting a migraine (you know she didn’t share with Whoo-by or me).  She probably would have eaten the Tangelo but it is hard to peel them without thumbs.  So on Wednesday not to be out done, the Whoo-by ate the brussel sprouts I was saving for a stir-fry.  I know that Boo had a couple also.  Now I have to make sure they can’t get into the fruit and veggies, not just the meat, fish, chips, etc.  It is like kid proofing your house but these two are smarter than the average toddler.

They are stomachs with four legs!

I’ll leave you with this gorgeous picture of short beach at sunset.

I know I’ve been away, sorry to my 3 readers (me, myself and I) but I’m back. 

 

 

It has been busy with work so training after January was a lot more sporadic than I like.  It may just be that the little grey prison holds less attraction for me than a lake or ocean.  But it appears that I have survived my first northeastern winter little worse for wear but with no love for the many forms of ice that accumulate on the sidewalk, stairs, driveway, roads…  At one time I swear it looked like my vehicle was parked in the middle of an outdoor hockey rink.  Now I like cold water but that stuff is too hard and I’m getting to old to bounce like I used to.  The older dawg shares my views on this but the puppy, nothing stops her.  

 

She runs, slides, and bounces like a Tigger!  And snow was made for the Whoo-baby.  It is Disneyland for Whoo-bys!  Snow is her favorite form of water with rain coming a far second.  Rolling, attacking, eating and tearing up snow seem tailor made activities for a young giant schnauzer.  But alas, it is spring and she must do with the sun and rain, but she loves puddles much like a five year old.  She will jump in them and then out of them trying to make the biggest splash she can.

She exhibits such joy in the world that you can’t help but laugh at her antics and get out the towel.

I have finally started to get around to entering events for this season.  In case you didn’t know I sometimes will enter the event I want to do and a back up event for the same day.  This is because in this fickle sport there are many variables, boats, support crew, economy and work.  The economy and work variables are the ones I wish I didn’t have to deal with but ‘welcome to the world of being an adult.’  The other issues come with trying to find boats, pilots, and crew in far away places.  It is isn’t as easy as it seems, some swims require the use of a rowboat, just finding someone who wants to row a boat for 11-13 hours is a miracle much less anyone who wants to just be in the boat for that long tossing me food every half hour…  We will see what the year brings, my second choices are just shorter events that I wish were on different weekends so I could swim them all.

 

Well being spring via the calendar if not always by the weather, the ocean has begun its slow climb in temperature.  A week ago, I was hoping for 42 degrees and now I’m looking for 45.  Alright, so once it starts it really does heat up quick but being the inevitable clock watcher, it feels slow.  And there is the air temperature to consider, low 40’s in the water are easier to take with high 60’s+ out of it.  Unfortunately most days are more of a 40/45 mix with cold winds to top it off.  But I keep telling myself that it wasn’t more than a few weeks ago that a warm day was one above 32.  I also have the daffodils that are growing almost ready to bloom to remind me that Mother Nature hasn’t forgotten to warm the world up for Summer.

I hear that a lot at this time of year because I’m doing a lot of sets involving 100s because:

 

1. Back home my team is doing the killer quad.  It includes a one hour swim on or about Halloween (October), 50x100s on or about Thanksgiving, 75x 100s on or about Christmas and 100x100s on or about New Years.  I didn’t have the money to go home during the holidays and want to feel a part of something.  Besides Alcatraz won’t move here this year….


I'm also doing multiple sets of 100's because of number two.

2.  I am trying to establish a significant base but that base isn’t only physical, it is mental. 

 

I hear these comments from swimmers training to swim a Channel – English, Catalina, Santa Barbara, etc… or some other really long water based swim that could easily turn into 20+ hours. 

 

And I have to think to myself, yes it is boring.  Yes, it is monotonous but it is training your brain to handle long periods in the water and those times during swims when you hate what you are doing.  The times you ask yourself ‘why did I sign up for this again’ and cry into your goggles underwater.  It helps you realize those times won’t last; they are a temporary part of the whole.  You just have to get through it and you can handle the next 5 minutes and then negotiate for another five minutes. 

 

I know a lot of swimmers that got out of a long swim because it was ‘boring’ or because they couldn’t control their minds for long periods of time or because they didn’t understand that it is an exercise in ‘sensory deprivation’ when you are horizontal and wet, just repeating the same motion for long periods of time… 

 

From the Wiki on Sensory Deprivation:

Though short periods of sensory deprivation can be relaxing, extended deprivation can result in extreme anxiety, hallucinations, bizarre thoughts, depression, and antisocial behavior.(1)

Had to put that in...
 

These people didn’t get out because they were physically incapable or having a problem that wouldn’t resolve but because they couldn’t turn their minds around.  They couldn’t get in the zone, go with the flow, just endure, or entertain themselves until the next change happens…

 

I’m not sure that this isn’t applicable to the everyday monotony of life.  Let’s face it if you love to do dishes, wash clothes, windows, vacuum, and mop floors, I would probably adopt you.   But let’s face it OCD people are high maintenance, so maybe not… 

 

But it has to be done along with redundant work at school or the job.  Money helps us follow our passions and hopefully education gets us there. 

You do have choices in this, hate it, avoid it or make it creative. 

I’m avoiding finding the remote I lost in the middle of the night but eventually I will have to go on a treasure hunt, who knows what is under that bed?  Last time I found $5 I didn’t know I was missing.

 

So yes, it is boring if you let it be.  It is monotonous if you aren’t creative.  And it will serve no purpose unless you assign one to it… 

 

(1) Stuart Grassian Psychiatric effects of solitary confinement(PDF) This article is a redacted, non-institution and non-inmate specific, version of a declaration submitted in September 1993 in Madrid v. Gomez, 889F.Supp.1146.

My Mom sent a box with bills (yeah) and magazines and some cookie recipes that I asked for.  I'm making them for neighbors, the kennel, postman, etc... 

She also enclosed an envelope that had in it a card my Grams sent to me a very long time ago.  Grams has been gone for 10 years now but I still miss her.  I loved to bake and the memories I have that are most clear about my Grams' home are of the garden, the kitchen, and the basement. 

Everytime you went to Grams no matter what time of year, she would have Applesauce Raisin Cake.  She always had either Hot Coco or sodas (from the basement) depending upon the time of year. 

Her garden was her canvas as an artist, visually and herb wise.  She painted when she was younger but I really remember the garden, it's beauty and all the lessons she taught me out there working in the soil. 

When I was about 6, she sent me this card for Valentines Day that had a 'sweetheart sugar cookie recipe' for me to make.  Mom helped me that year and we made them together until I was 8.  Then I was on my own to make them. 

That is the card my Mom found and sent with the recipes...  So maybe those sugar cookies aren't just for Valentines Day anymore, huh Gram?

 

Last weekend, Thanksgiving:

 

I spent a lot of time swimming in the pool and the ocean and taking care of a sick schnauzer.  I did part two of the killer quad, 50x100s, three times over the weekend.  I was in the ocean in 47 degree water for two swims a day, short but lengthening them a little each time until I was in an hour.  Man, does the sun make a large difference even if the air is cooler, it is just mental but it ‘is what it is.’    

The pup is slowly getting back to normal foods, according to her and her behavior, she is just fine….

 

On Sunday, I let the two dawgs back in the house after a wrestling session and got Boo’s paws cleaned off.  The little one evaded me and ran up the stairs to drink out of the big white bowl.  Or so I thought…. 

I follow her upstairs just in time to see her dart out of the newly cleaned bathroom leaving muddy foot prints in her wake, black muddy foot prints.  Took a quick glance in the bathroom and wouldn’t you know it, she decided to wash her feet in the big white bowl.  It was now a big black bowl with mud all over the floor and the hall.  Having had given them baths a week before there were no towels at hand.  They were all in the washing machine.  I locked her in and went to grab a towel while she proceeded to paint the back of the door with her paws.  I had two choices, laugh or kill her…  This was the funniest thing I had seen out of her in a while, so she lives to be a terror another day.

 

Now to this weekend:

 

Took Saturday off after having a roto-rooter on the Achilles again….  Didn’t swim, just was a vegetable, I think a rutabaga.  I really want this ankle to heal and correctly and all I keep hearing is patience.  I’m out of patience. 

I did head over to the church behind the house for the holiday bazaar.  When I moved I only brought what fit in the truck so all holiday decorations, etc are in San Jose in storage.  I got a cool plaque for the dogs that said ‘Dear Santa, Leave the presents  take the cat.’  Now we don’t actually have a cat but the dawgs appreciated the sentiment.  I picked up some Santa candle holders and a piece for the mantle, some other holiday nick-nacks,  and two warm hats.  I also have this snowman thing going on, I found a few at the dollar store last week along with stockings for the dawgs.  Between the dollar store and the church bazaar, the prices have been amazing for the things I picked up.  I also spent some time talking to the resident priest, he stirred up some things to think about...

 

 

On Sunday we got our first snowfall, I went for a quick 45 minutes in the 46 degree water just to see how it felt.  It was very cool swimming with the snow flakes falling and disappearing when they connected with the water.

 

I was back in the pool on Sunday for one long session of 6 flat tops which for those of you who don’t know is a set of (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100).  The two 500s make it a flat top…  I finished off with 4x400 IMs.  Yep, could have done these first but doing them at the end when I’m exhausted is better, there is much more colorful language this way also. 

 

I was going to go to bed early but got caught in a Hallmark movie, it was a good one so I stayed up to the end.  Got woken by the pup at 3:00 AM, she didn’t have to go out.  She just needed a place to ‘toss her cookies.’  Next time I hope it isn’t on me and the quilt!  But she could have got the wallet, iPod, token, phone. 
And if I hadn’t put the computer on the floor so that I wouldn’t forget it, it would have been in the direct line of fire…. 

After putting everything in the washer and letting the dogs out, I took some time to be thankful for what wasn’t hit by the puke at 3:00 AM…..   I now understand the predicament of new parents and they have my sympathy.  I wish them all the sleep they can get.

This evening after a lot of water time today I was dozing with the boob-tube on.  It was the Peaceful Warrior.  I had avoided watching it because the book ‘the Way of the Peaceful Warrior’ by Dan Millman had such an impact on me as a mid-twenty woman.  I didn’t think the movie could do it justice and didn’t want the let down. 

The book was given to my by an Aikido teacher who also taught Judo.  I wasn’t swimming at the time.  Actually I never was going to get wet like that again and didn’t until I turned 36.

It is about a gymnast, Dan Millman who is a UC Berkeley student.  Accident happens and his Olympic dream is over.  He meets the owner of a gas station “Socrates” and his daughter.  Socrates trains him in a way he has never experienced before.  I’m not going to say anymore….   

The book for me at the time I read it was about not ‘future-tripping’ living in the moment and enjoying the process.  It taught me to enjoy lining up every domino whether it was work or sport as the ‘moment,’ each day, each project, each workout.  It was about ‘being present in your own life.’  You know back to the concept of ‘life is a journey not a destination.’ 

 

Well with what I have planned this year and with all the changes, it is maybe time I watched the movie for real.  It seams to be a very good representation of the book and its concepts.  It is also time I re-read the book and see what I get out of it, now tempered with age and the fact that I’m swimming again.  Even if I only get what I got in my mid twenties that will be enough.

It is now almost 3:30 in the morning and the pup woke me at 1:30 to go out....  I can't get back to sleep.  If I was home on the West Coast I could go to 24 hour fitness and swim.  Instead my ankle is really hurting and I just finished emptying the dishwasher, reloading and cleaning the kitchen...  I did figure out there is a method to my madness in leaving out some dog biscuits by the stove, I give them a treat when they are being especially good when I cook.... 

But then again if I was on the west coast, I wouldn't be cleaning the kitchen at 3:00 in the morning because someone would be complaining about the noise or just complaining....  I also could just be lazy at my parents house, it is a thought. 

I think about the trade-offs, living very lean, missing my west coast dogs and my friends, the amount of swimming options available, but I also think about having a house to myself and being able to sit in sweats at 3:00 in the morning with J sleeping upstairs, hanging with the dogs and nobody questioning me except me....   There is no yelling or drama in this house, it is in the rules.

I also remember my mother doing these middle of the night insanity all through my growing up years.  Everyone had to get up and clean house, the yelling, rages and the craziness and just wanting to get though it and go to sleep...

That is not what this is about, I just can't go back to sleep, pretty simple.  Maybe I'm not becoming my Mother!

I was taking a time-release melatonin and I'm out of it.  I do think that made a difference in my sleep patterns as much as I would like to blame it on J's snoring :-)  It really isn't true, just some of it...  I'm hoping to have enough money to buy some more of it soon and test that theory...

My kitchen looks presentable, clean enough to cook in, pretty much clean dishes and pots, and there is lunch for tomorrow,. it seems I'm already a little a head of the game...  I would still kill a rubber chicken for water to swim in though! I even looked outside, no moon....

Hopefully this is good night and sweet dreams......

It has been a weekend of choices but not hard ones.   The weather was not great yesterday so it was an easy choice, a swim in the concrete prison down at the Y.  The pups slept in the back of the truck while I swam.  They aren't quite well behaved enough to stay home past a quick trip to the island store.  We are working on it though.....

So this morning it was at high temps around 55 this morning at 10:00 with a cold front coming in, so I opted for the ocean swim because with the cold front I don't know how far the ocean will dip and the concrete prison will be open all week! 

So I headed down the rocky beach for a swim, leaving a crutch and my shoes above the water line.  It was out to the chimneys in the middle of the cove (large rocks that form an island at low tide).  The tide was so high today that there was barely a crest across the top of the rocks.  But I stayed in the right hand channel and swam out around East Point for awhile. I really like the other side of East Point and the knowledge that nothing stands between me and Europe at that point.  I swam back and out past 40 steps beach and down the side of the island. No one was out today, usually I find a dog parent or runner but not today.  A quick turn around and a lap up close to 40 steps and and around the rocks between the two beaches and in on the left handed side.   I thought I kept the cold in my head but my chest is a little tight after my swim, could just have been the cold and the cool water, anyway it was a nice hour plus swim for the middle of November...

Went home to work on the Boo Dawg again.  We are working on grooming her, yesterday was the ears and today were the eyebrows.  I found a tick, so I took the pliers and removed it.  I was very glad that she had her lyme vaccination finished last week.   She was really good when I removed the tick, much better than when I was working on her ears yesterday....
 
And can anyone tell me why the Pup likes my dirty socks to carry around better than her stuffed animals?  I'm constantly having to round up the socks, she even takes them out of the hamper..... 

Well I'm off to round up socks, etc for the laundry today..... 

Well I have been kind of down for two days with a cold, thanks Tim!  Tim is an example of the world being very small.  It turns out that I was in 7^th grade when he was in 8^th at the same school and possibly on the same cross-country team.  He went to my sister high school, the same one my niece currently attends.  Many years later we meet on the opposite coast of the country at the same company.  That is a small world.

 

So the dogs and I have been working from my bedroom.  Actually the dogs are dividing their time between sleeping and making me crazy. 

 

It turns out that Boo Dawg (the 5 year old) has been stealing Whoo-Baby’s breakfast (the pup) and still eating her own.  I just thought that Whoo-Baby was still hungry because she hasn’t had time to get used to the new schedule.  But no, it turns out her big sister was trying to starve her.  So that behavior is stopping now, Whoo-Baby gets her own food and Boo can live with just one breakfast.  Basically the Boo Dawg is really the Boo Pig!

 

So I may be sick but I can still mess with the dogs.  I put pig’s ears in the back pockets of my jeans and yes, I have two pickpockets.  Boo Dawg is much better and more consistent than the Whoo-Baby.  But I’m trying to teach them to ‘leave it’ until I give it to them and I wanted them to eat it upstairs where I was working.  So it was pretty funny going up the stairs on crutches and keeping the pickpockets out of my pants….

 

We later tried it with chicken jerky, their favorite treats except for maybe pig’s ears.  Now for some reason they think that every time I head downstairs for cold medicine or OJ, etc they think I must be bringing them back treats.  They are special, not spoiled just ask them….

 

Also it was nice to find out one of my favorite artist put out an album today. He hasn’t released a studio album in 10 years.  I have been listening to the clips from the new album on his website www.michaeltomlinson.com/west/west.htm.  My favorite right now is 'Wild Horses Run'  with this lyric.

       I walk along the river, watch the water flow
       I wonder if I swim her, will she ever let me go?
       Or will she hold me like a lover? Make me part of her own soul?

Does that not sound like a long distance swimmer and the passion for the open water?

My favorite album of Michael's is 'Face Up in the Rain' and my very favorite song is 'The Way We Are Going' with this lyric...

       Hear that storm dancing on the river
       Shower over me
       Rain feels so forgiving
       The sky's a canopy
       I'm this lonely swimmer leaving part of me
       Ripples in the water rolling out to sea

 

   .....I leave that thought with you tonight......

 

For the last two weekends there has been sun!  The trees on the almost island are the some of the last to change this year so swimming has been beautiful.  The weekend prior to last (Nov 1-2), the water was 51 degrees and the ambient air temps were in the high forties.  It is amazing how much the sun can make up for when stripping down to a swimsuit and immersing oneself in the ocean.

 

On that Saturday, I was in for a 45 minute swim and then home for a nice bath.  On Sunday, I decided to swim for an hour and then take the dogs for a run at East Point.  Hey, they had their leashes on but as there were no others up there, I let them walk themselves.  They were obeying the letter of the law.  ‘All dogs must be on leashes,’ it doesn’t say anything about holding it. 

In hindsight though, I will do that in reverse next time, it took 2 hours of whining after getting home to warm up.  So next time the plan is run the dogs then swim and head home for the shower with a lot less whining or at least a little cheese to go with the whine.

 

Last weekend we had rain on Saturday but Sunday was gorgeous with water temp up to 52 and air temps in the early 60’s.  So in for a 90 minute swim after running the dogs on the point.  See I did learn something!  It was a nice long swim, with a little bit of speed work to keep up the body temps.  Of course I didn’t really do much else that day except the mandatory wash and dishes.  You know you drink to much coffee, and are not home much when most of the dishwasher is filled with mugs and spoons and just a couple of plates and bowls.

 

So Sunday night the pup got sick all night.  It was probably the vaccinations in accordance with what the vet said.  So we worked from home on Monday.  Can’t in all due diligence send her to day-care if she could have a virus? 

So Monday evening, it was…..  Yep, in the water again for an hour swim, the 52 degree water isn’t going to last and my concrete prison will still be there.  Yep, I actually got around to joining the YMCA but attendance has been spotty at best right now.  Who knew the water would actually go up a degree this November?

 

Well, today is Wednesday and the dogs are healthy and I seem to be trying to catch a cold…  And no, it has nothing to do with swimming in cold water.  I don’t get colds from the water just from germs….  Well there maybe a meeting tonight, a swim in the prison or just a night of rest….

 

Keep you apprised. 

 

Yep, I'm actually excited by this evening.  Nothing big planned except picking up the dawgs early and handing out candy to the neighborhood kids and taking some pictures of the costumes.  We have some great kids in the neighborhood and it is first year in the house, just seems like a relaxing night and a lot of fun for the kids.
I think  there is also a 'B' movie marathon of the old horror classics tonight, so I'm thinking popcorn and old movies.

You know it is kind of funny, I was remembering Halloween as a kid.  There were constants as a kid.  There was always swim practice before any fun and Mom always made 'home made' from scratch Chili.  I really miss that part so maybe next year I will have to bring back the Chili. 

Then there was trick or treating and the 'rents going through the candy and checking it.  Those old wives tales were big then also.  I used to save my candy and trade the ones I didn't like for gum for the next few weeks.  As a kid I didn't really have a big sweet tooth most of the time...

And do you remember those wax skeletons, etc with the syrup in them from 7-11?  Now I think, how disgusting! but I really liked them as a 5-7 yr old.  Thank goodness I grew out of them quickly.

Have a 'safe and sane' Halloween!

OK, I learned a long time ago you don't lend what you can't afford to give so that is not the issue. The issue is that it has become time to tell someone 'No, I can't give you anymore because I can't afford it.'

I did this with others that are related by blood this year so you would think that it would be easy. But in someways I hope it never is easy to say this to a friend. Of course, I also would love to not make friends that I have to say this to also... Hope springs eternal!

It is just a cycle where we all need to cut back, I've changed a lot of my life. Where I shop, the cheap grocery store, Walmart, the dollar store, the way I entertain myself, watching 'schnauzer wars,' TV not movies, not buying books or music, etc. But I need to also stop giving into sob stories. I have to realize that it doesn't mean I care less but maybe I care more by being honest with myself and the friend.

When I got the ear infection, I opted to go for the cheap antibiotics, well that was a big mistake. I have been down now for almost a week with pneumonia and missed the second surgery on my ankle. I been just wenchy and miserable to be around. I feel like there has been a 2 ton elephant on my chest and some really vivid dreams due to the fever. It has also bugged the snot out of my asthma, so next time... Yes I will take the expensive stuff, please!

Today after a breathing treatment I don't feel like I'm hyperventilating. So, feeling so-so, I spent some time on the 'total gym.' Every time I talk about it, I think we need to have a Chuck Norris'ism...

'When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris'

I really like that one. But I spent about a half an hour on the machine with the big black dog trying to figure out what I was doing. I usually lock her out and listen to her whine but today I decided she needed to see what I do behind closed doors. She stuck her nose everywhere, I was afraid that her nose was going to get clipped. She is such a curious pup, in more ways than one.

Then we were going for a walk on the beach. October 1st opens the beaches, not just doggy beach to the pups! But it was to cold for my chest so we settled on the open space at the Country Club. She dashes around like she had been house bound for a week, well in many ways she has been with the evening exception. She does these wild circles and then dashes within centimeters of you and is off again for another circle. But the black dog blends into the shadows, if you want to know if she is coming, you have to listen for the herd of thundering paws.

Well for those of you that don't know, in a little less than two weeks we will have two large black dogs. The Whoo dawg is going to come live with us as Boo's little sister. I can hear it now:

can't we take her back Mom!
She is bugging me!
I had it first, she stole it!
It wasn't me Mom'
It was her idea!

Well here is a little sneak peak of the Whoo dawg.



Life should be a very busy place here with the two girls and I'm very much going to be out numbered!

That is just a catch up on life 'out of the water.' And boy am I ready to go back in.

Well it became time to immerse myself in the H2O again last evening.
I was driving home in the rain and seeing that the leaves are just starting to migrate colors for the season I realized two things:

1. The water temperature is going to start dropping faster very soon.
2. I have not yet signed up for the concrete prison.

So I have a choice, me and the pup can make the journey to the YMCA on the way home and I can get the details done or I can take a dip in the 59F (15C) degree water.

Well if you guessed that I chose the latter, you know me well. Paperwork over swimming, it really is a no-brainer any time of year. I did the internal check, my ears feel pretty good; my allergies, not so good but a good bath in salt water has to be good for my sinuses, right? I can rationalize myself into a swim most any day, given any situation except a concrete prison with lines. So, instead of turning to the ‘Y’ or home, I just continued out to North Eastern and my favorite swimming hole at Canoe Beach and Forty steps.

By the time I was dressed for the dip, it was sprinkling just a little, more mist than anything and ocean was calling to me like a siren trying to snare sailors.

The air temperature was a little warmer than the water and that isn’t going to last much longer with any regularity.

As much as I could feel the drop of those three degrees of water temperature, I know it is nothing compared to what is coming, every degree will be colder by orders of magnitude. For those of you that don’t understand this concept, the drop between 59-55 F (15C-12.8) feels much smaller than the drop from 54-50 F (12.2-10C) and then every degree feels like 10x and then 12x and then 14x, etc…. Until you get smart enough to not get in or you really are a masochist.

So, of course I’m 'inch by inching' my way in as fast as possible knowing the most I can count on is a two hour swim due to the shortening days of fall and the lengthening nights. But soon I slip into the water and start my swim. The water is calm and it is low tide which means I probably won’t beach myself on the rocks, aka, the Chimneys. I really miss those lobster floats that used to surround them and form a sighting chain that I could follow. I will just have to actually rely on my own sense of where I am in the cove in relation to the rock, right? Maybe not today, it is so calm and quiet that I’m heading out to the end of East Point and around the Island toward the Boston side. I wave toward England as I swim down the East Side of the Island headed toward Pea Islands, parallel to the shore. One day I will get here early enough to actually swim into the cove that is home to Swallow Cave and maybe a swim around the little Islands. But alas, that is not for today, after about 45 minutes and two Gatorade stops. (I shove the bottle down the back of my suit for easy access on the go during a small swim) It is time to head back to the real world that exists out of the water, so I swim around the point again, back to the beach. The swim felt strong even with the time out of the water. I was just making my strokes long and even, bi-lateral breathing.

When I got to the beach I figured that I wasn’t quite done. A couple of sprints would finish off the swim nicely. I threw the bottle on the beach for a pick up later and headed back out beyond the Chimneys. I did 2 quick laps between Canoe Cove and Forty Steps Cove to get the heart rate up, faster turnover, and still trying to still keep my strokes long and even. I feel pretty good. These sprints are where I usually sense that I have been out of the water first but not today. It appears it was a welcome break from the water physically if not emotionally. After I’m done and meander back to the beach, I seriously have to face the real world, it is time to get out and get to the truck with my bottle. I’m sure that if anyone saw me crossing the road to the truck in my shoes and suit, they would think I was crazy….. Today, I left all the clothes in the car so they would be dry when I returned.
I get dry quickly and take the dog out because she is telling me ‘she has to’ before going home. So we go around the park once and head home to work on homework, etc, for the evening and an early leap into bed...