rewind

I knew as soon as my alarm went off....it would be one of those days.
I could hear the rain through the open door...

I could feel it coming...

Unanswered...calls.
Ignored...email.
The usual...argument.

The...

I'll have to get back to you...

And...

A friend informed me today that she was diagnosed with incurable cancer.
She's been referred to the best...

I would like to have this day over.

Except for this...

Pillaged by legomen.


Foot wars with my guy.


this part of today....I'll keep.

two peas...

...in a pod.

S....the other half that makes up my twin-ness.

I'm sporting the specs. She's sporting the six-month-old. This pic is couple years old.

She doesn't surf. Always giving me some lame excuse about big bitey fish. No problem....I don't ski. Okay...not entirely true. I snowboard...occasionally.

In a funk for a few days....I rang her up.

Our conversations are riddled with laughter...over absolutely nothing. And are often so obscure....even the most astute eves-dropper wouldn't know what the hell we were giggling about. Our parents gave up years and years ago at ever trying to crack our code. Instead....they resigned themselves to receiving our conversations in duplicate. No...not finished sentences. My parents were blessed. They got our conversations...twice. Instant replay. I would say something. Not five minutes later S would walk into the room and say the exact same thing. Then I would accuse her of being a twin...which always started the giggle-fest.

Anyway........today's conversation.....no different.

N: Hey....what's up?

S: Not much. Where are you?

N: At work.

S: What're you doing? (starts laughing)

N: Avoiding work. (starts me laughing) ....what's the name of the guy that was in...shit, can't remember the name of the movie...? (giggling) ....gets out of prison....looking for the guy that killed his daughter? Lots of gratuitous violence.... (extra giggles)

S: Terence (giggles) Stamp. The Limey. (more giggling)

N: Crap....I can never remember his name. Thanks.

S: Why?

N: No reason....just couldn't remember. Okay...back to work.

S: Later...(still giggling)

Yep....felt much better after that conversation. (giggles)

speaka duh english

50 meter pool
---------------

600 swim (choice)
400 pull

4 x [200 ez @ 4:00/ 4 x 50 @ 1:00 - breast; 0:55 - fly; 0:50 - back; 0:45 - free]

10 x 50 pull ez @ 1:05

200 kick ez

total = 3500 meters
.......................................................

No stoke for stroke.

Stroke sprints suck.

Fly sprints suck.

Especially when you're out of shape.

Sshhhh......

Can you hear it.......?

The ever-so-faint sound.........of a piano dropping.

See it?

Focus in on the 33.33 meter mark....you can't miss it.

Yeah.....the stroke set kicked my ass yesterday.

That's all you need to know.

sidelined

No spare eyes (after last week's contact debacle) and 25mph wind gusts kept me out of the water Sunday...which totally sucked. But...paddling out would have been an exercise in futility. (Just standing on the beach in the wind was a problem. Too much blinking...out would come an eye.) So..I took advantage of the gorgeous weather (minus the biting wind) to do a little yoga on the beach and hike the cape. Also got to play amateur photog with my new camera.

Sy & Thor...inside runners.

Unknown...unable to outrun the section.

Top o' the cape.

Backside blowout.

spell bound

minus tide...

famous last words...

50 meter pool

2 x [200 swim/100 kick/200 pull]

2 x [2 x 200 @ 3:40 (last 25 strong)/ 2 x 150 @ 2:50 (last 25 strong)/ 2 x 100 @ 2:00 (last 25 fast)/ 2 x 50 @ 1:00 (50 fast/50 ez)]

400 pull ez (finger drag)

300 kick ez

total = 3700 meters
..................................................................

Work kept me out of the pool for almost 3 weeks. Got in Tuesday for a slow stretch and felt like lead weights were strapped to my ankles. Ugh...

Today....I figured I'd get in and do another slow stretch.....a little pulling lsd. Dennis wasn't having it though...."It's an easy set...just don't do the fast parts fast....you'll be fine".

Yeah....right.

He knows I don't know how to do "easy".

I missed half the warm up......which means I was finally loose halfway through the main set. No more drafting. Crap...why can't I be satisfied following someone else's feet?

As I finished the workout and exited the pool....there stood Dennis....laughing at me.

"That was a nice slow stretch....eh Nance? Don't worry....I said the same thing yesterday and ended up doing 2000 fly."

Famous last words...

anticlimactic

That's the best way to describe....Tax Season.

A mathematical crescendo. Gradually building. Shifting gears. Without warning....evenings are filled. Saturdays spent. Sundays lost.

Paces pick up. Tensions strain. Tempers flare.

The Deadline....looms.

Then.....

Nothing.

The BIG day...here and gone...in the bat of an eye.

Almost....disappointing.

There are still numbers to crunch. Forms to fill. Returns to file.

Eh....you know what they say........

Death and Taxes...

sunday

Big and unruly with an incoming tide. Paddled out anyway. Fought the current. Found a couple of fun rights. Finished off another set of eyes. Yeah....it was that good yesterday. No complaints though. Water time....is water time.

four eyes

Seventeen days.....straight....behind a desk. Yesterday....they finally set me free. Now that's a good F... word. Sat and watched for awhile (yesterday) until it was finally time to get wet. The sun was shining. Easy paddle out. Good crew in the cove. And....as if my special order had come through....the left was working. Not my day though. Forty minutes in the water (damn those F... words) and I lost my first set of eyes. In I go....for the long (blind) walk up the beach....to the car. New set of eyes in....back to the water. Poor timing on my part. Thought I had the lull figured.....nope. Half way out....and in comes the clean up set. Three white water bombs on the head....and I was once again without eyes. Fuck. Another fabulous F... word. Unable to see....rode the white water in....as I was done.

Can't complain too much....

Sunny day.....crystal clear water....time away from my desk.

frenetic

nothing like adding insult...

driving in to work (on a Saturday) and some bastard is westbound up Burnside with a board on his rig

...to injury...

forgot my keys to the office this morning...had to drive home and get them

stay tuned....four days left.....I know lots of words that start with F....

frazzled

12 straight
4 to go

".....better win a hand...you're on a blitz...."

fffffffftttttpppppppppppppppppp.........................................

breathe

slow down girl...

photo courtesy of gaz

dawn patrol

Two alarms.....both announcing their presence at 4:30 a.m. One sounds like a siren....the other...a church hymnal. Both....annoying. Feels like fifteen minutes since I actually fell asleep. Stumble out of bed and make my way to the kitchen. It's dark. Water's already in the pot....so all I have to do is turn on the burner. Brush my teeth and consider putting in my contacts. Nah....eyes are tired....glasses will do. Still dark. Pull on some clothes and load up the car. Water's boiling. Green ginger tea....to go.

I hate waking the cute boy that's sleeping. Still....he sends me off with hugs & kisses.

4:45 a.m.

Dark.

Drive past the cape. The requisite "slow down to check the cove" isn't even warranted. Can't see a thing. Past drainpipes.....to the fourway stop....where I roll down my window to listen. I can hear it...

No stops.

I turn off my headlights. The moon has long gone down....but the stars are bright. No traffic.

I contemplate the forecasted east winds....the 7 foot west swell at 11 seconds. I should've called in sick. Couldn't do it. I know what's waiting for me. 15 files in the queue....4 under my desk waiting for information....3 on the table to be processed....and one on my desk that's still open and half completed from Saturday. It'll be head high...at least. No glass....guaranteed. Victory at sea.

I'm still smiling though.... as I crest the coast range. Close to 3 hours of water time on Sunday. Chest high fun. Popped the cherry on a new wetsuit. Sun sun sun.

Just....what I needed.

dennis...

...took one look at me as I approached him on the deck and said, "You look like you could use a swim....burn off some of that stress."

Ya think? I mean....I could just sit at my desk and cry. Of course....this was before I actually read the workout. The usual 1000m warm up....then a 1500m set of 200's & 100's with some speed play mixed in. Oh joy...

The bulkhead is up...so it's the 50 meter pool today. Fabulous. Actually...the 200 & 100 parts don't bother me. I've always been a workhorse at these distances. It's the speed play that's a real bitch. Guess I should mention that "speed play" means breaking down the 200's & 100's by 25's (in a 50 meter pool) and randomly assigning a number of those 25's as fast...ie: sprint. Having to pour-it-on in the middle of a 50 meter length...without the help of a wall...pretty much sucks. At least I didn't have to pull the train. (Lead the lane.) The rest of the workout consisted of a pulling set...a kick set...and a drill set. About 3500 meters in all....in just over an hour.

Side note: Dennis....my coach. I use the term "coach" loosely...as I no longer compete. I just happen to drop-in on his workouts a couple times a week. Anyway....Dennis is a lifetime Oregon swimmer. Still competes at the top levels. In his early 20s he was ranked top 10 in the world...for his 200 fly. At 43....his 200 meter fly @ 2:04....is still faster than most 20-year-olds. To watch him swim....amazing. Such ease, grace & strength...

As I exited the pool....he smiled and asked the inevitable...."Feel better?"

Yes....actually....I do.

random

Degrees of separation...

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Prometheus Bound

Aeschylus

Agamemnon

Greek Tragedies

Norm Anderson

That's where fifteen minutes of distraction lead me to today....

A typical Tuesday....hip deep in horse shit....distracted by a two-day headache. I was making my way through the muck & mire when Elizabeth Barrett Browning arrived. Uninvited. Not very ladylike of her...to call unannounced. She waited....as I worked the sales & trades....till I could no longer ignore her.

Fine....I hear you. ...what do you want?

Follow me...

...she whispered...leading me down a path. A path.....I hadn't visited in years.

Years...

Norman Anderson.

The only high school teacher that truly inspired me. Inspired me....to read.

An English Teacher.

He's the reason...I studied English in college. (The first go around.) The reason....I became fascinated with words.

Norman Anderson.

A man of...flare.

A lover of Greek Tragedies. He wore a burgundy blazer. Occasionally a cravat. Always....a large garnet stone (in a rather raw/artistic 18k gold setting) on his left hand. His dog Herkimer...usually found chasing tennis balls down the hallway...accompanied him to class. He loved earrings....and would often stop in the middle of a lecture to comment on a pair that caught his fancy.

Norman Anderson.

Norm.

He didn't take to brown-nosing. And....didn't allow slacking in class. Always took interest in the kids that needed coaxing....prying shy kids out of their shells. Delivering the kind of attention....that inspired participation.

He was the epitome of good teaching.

Words are the physicians of the mind diseased. ~Aeschylus: Prometheus Bound~

From...

Poetess...
to
Translation...
to
Dramatist/Poet..
to
King/Greek Tragedy...
to
Lover of Greek Tragedies...

Degrees of separation....

stoke

Mid-morning call from a boyscout that breaks up the monotony of numbers.

Sun shining...east wind blowing...west swell 7 @ 11.5... the left...working.

Wish I was there to enjoy it.

Still...

...knowing that cute boy is scoring...

Smiles...

photo courtesy of Gaz

bromide

50 meter pool

400 swim
200 kick
200 pull
200 swim

3 x {3x100 @ 2:00 desc. 1-3 to strong; 6x50 pull @ 1:00 ez}

300 kick - build

6 x 50 @ 1:10 - 25 fast/ 25 ez

cool down...

No more chlorine!

I grew up a pool rat....spending virtually all day in & at the pool. Sun-tanned and fried white hair. Never green. The pool guys (always a bunch of slack lifeguards) knew what the hell they were doing....and always kept the ph & ash levels straight on. Needless to say........I've never had a "good hair day". And quite possibly.... if I'd bought stock in Jergens body lotion......I'd be rich.

Chlorine.

It was Nancy Reagan (I believe) that coined the phrase "Just Say No" to drugs. My twin & I would joke about not needing to do lines of cocaine.....as we did "lines" of chlorine....every day....twice a day. We even had T-shirts made up that said "Cl2...just say no". (Our coach/dad was not amused.)

Anyway.....

There are 3 pools at the club I'm a member of. The 50 meter pool has become the guinea pig for this test. Over the weekend they swapped out the chlorine for bromide. We'll see how it goes. Only noticed a few differences: softer water, no cotton mouth & no familiar itch after getting out of the pool.

Doubt it will help me swim any faster....

rubber

It was a dark and stormy night...as we cautiously made our way to the north side of town. The wrong side of town. We were to see a man.....about....a suit.

Picked up a new wettie Friday night.

An acquaintance that works for Solomon....stocked his garage before they completely dissolve their line. I was hoping to get it at cost. He offered it...for a few beers. A few beers?! Deal! ....almost. Told him I couldn't do it for "a few beers". I would only do it....if I could ply him with a few good wines. Not that there aren't any good beers out there. I mean....this is Oregon....after all....microbrew heaven. Just the same.....

He received four bottles of various reds.....all rated 90 and above.

I got me some new neoprene.

Fair trade.

I can't wait to get it wet....

LSD

Tried to drown myself today.

Okay...

Not really.

Forced myself to go to the pool at lunch today. Hip deep in horse shit...I shoved it aside and went for a swim. Figured it would be good to clear my head. Nothing like following a black line...back & forth...back & forth...for an hour. It's amazing how easily my brain shuts off as soon as I jump in the water.

Long. Slow. Distance.

3 x 1000 meters

Didn't have it in me to do the workout posted on the dry-erase board. Instead.....I ignored the time clock...focused on feeling the water. Entry...placement...extension...pull...recovery. Paying attention to each subtle nuance....that's developed over the past 30 years. Head level. Hip level. Relaxation. Finger drag. Timing. Breathing. If anything's off......I feel it. Today....I was off. Left elbow slipping. Right shoulder over-extending. The stress of work...taking it's toll.

I ticked off the 1000s....and slowly worked out the kinks. Ignoring the queries of other swimmers. "Where've you been?" "Not swimming with us today?" "Work keeping you busy?"

Yeah....work.

I spent an hour......away from work. Not thinking. Just...feeling. Feeling the water temperature changes at each end of the pool. Feeling the water glide over my shoulders. Feeling the day's aggravations slip away...

Oh yeah...

Haven't been on a board in a month. Not only has the surf been shitty...but it's that time of year. The time of year...when WORK....takes over. Not to mention...a new schedule with the v-man...getting him to and from school...means I've lost 60 work hours over the last 8 weeks. SO....hours need to be made up. And...making up those hours...means working Sundays as well as Saturdays. Just the name of the game.

No matter...

I busted my ass yesterday...a Saturday...to try and get ahead. I busted my ass...so I could avoid spending a Sunday working. I busted my ass...to make a drive. A...well worth it...drive.

The sun was out...

There were waves. Not great waves. But....waves...just the same.

Decided to dust off Red Sonja. With all these winter storms...it would seem...she's been neglected. Stuffed away in a closet. Seen even less water time than myself. For Shame. A true nose rider....she does her best dancing in smaller conditions. Not today though. We had a nice knee paddle out...but the wind had turned west and brought some chop. And...well...not being on a board in just over a month...I sucked. She didn't complain...too loudly. We were both happy to get wet.

On a Sunday....in the middle of tax season....

I...

...escaped from town.

...surfed.

...worked out a new kink.

A day well spent...

I'd say.