I have a new Monday morning goal. It may be harder to meet next week when I don't have my sister's cute little scion like I did this monday morning (and her stinky little dog), but Monday 5:30 am UH Masters is the new plan to sneak a swim in before the week really gets going. Except for one thing - it's short course. Now, I have swam short course yards before, maybe 6 or 8 times. And I get dizzy. And I lose track of the laps because there are just so damn many. Also, flip turns are still ugly here. I come up gasping for air with my first stroke. Today I lost count so many times that it was fortuante Katherine and I were swimming side by side, because I just stopped when she stopped. Did you know that 800 yards = 627 laps? or something like that. It's a crazy amount of flipping around. Also, I knew I was in trouble with the total warm-up totalled as many yards as I sometimes consider an entire workout. This is real swimming. After the swim I ran my way downtown. I've run about 30 miles in the past 3 days or so.. and more and more, I ask myself why I do the other two sports.
At work, I've started calling the corner of Bishop and King Streets my little ant farm. I love my view. A couple of weeks ago I made Todd run diagonally across the intersection to see if I could actually recognize people from 14 floors up. And then I forgot to watch for him. I am such a good friend.
At lunch time, I check the location of the mean Greenpeacies and avoid those corners when I get downstairs. I think the best method for their nastyness is the Heisman Trophy arm. If you answer them, they will yell back something mean. For example:
GPdude: Do you care about the environment?
Me: Yes, I work as an environmental scientist. (still walking)
Nasty GPer: You think that's good enough?
Me: For now, it's all I've got, dude. (come on light. change. change.)
Mean GPer: Well, when you get over yourself, you should make a donation.
If you click on the picture, you can see a blue tshirted GPer with a clipboard in the ewa/makai corner and another cornering some poor innocent on the diamond head/mauka corner. They need to work on their tactics.
Henry hasn't contributed to the blog in a while.. but he bailed me out this morning. There was a little conversation that went like this:
Sky: Mommy, how do the babies get out of your tummy?
Me: That's kind of a long story.
Sky: Tell me half of it then.
Me: The first half or the second half?
Henry: You pee them out.
Me: Thanks, dude.
Shortly thereafter, I heard Henry, out of the blue, from the back seat of the car:
A lot of the time, at school, I can't find my pencil. But then I remember it's in my hand.
ah ha aha... ha ha ha...! I love your kids! JUST love them! never a dull moment!
ReplyDeleteLOL - Henry is pure genius!
ReplyDeleteoh, henry. how did BREE beat me to the comment?
ReplyDeleteyeah, the SCY suck the sanity out of you. we swim short course (i have winter ocean refusal) and i never lead because i simply can't. i need to think about food, manicures, music, anything to get my mind OFF counting laps. i leave the counting for the OCD folks and i just float along.
and last week my coach told me i should probably learn to flip turn..but i never get enough air! i like my wall/breathe/pause too much.
so, you're not doing honu are you. SAD!!
I will remember Henry's answer - i am sure it will come handy one day. Soooo funny.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a flip turn?
ReplyDeleteWhat's a yard?
this one summer the only pool around was 10m long and for some reason i decided i needed to work on my flipturns that summer, so for two months it was 5 strokes and flip, 5 strokes and flip. so, go ahead, complain about SCY like ALL THE REST OF HAVE TO SWIM!
ReplyDeletePS. sometimes i can't find my pencil...
I love the stories about your kids. I laugh so hard!! If I don't have any children of my own, this might be the next best thing. :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I mostly only swim SCY (on occasion my masters team pool is set up LCM) and I do sometimes get dizzy and I do lose count of laps a lot and I do often just watch my swim partner to see when she stops swimming. :) But I hope you enjoy the Monday morning masters anyway!! :)
I have probably swam LCM only a handful of times and was a HS swimmer. I dont know how you do it, LCM hurts my shoulders
ReplyDeleteHA! Love Henry's comments...my kids are CONVINCED that babies come out of our belly buttons. And, I said, "THINK about that kids, how did your bodies come out of this little hole??" They looked at me perplexed...trying to get their little 7 year old heads around it. THEN...I did it. I told them the truth...and they freaked out...and Morgan said, "But mom, that hole is even smaller!" Point taken. 7 year olds don't need to know. HAHA
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing as Henry with pens at work all the time. Good to hear I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteI used to walk three blocks out of my way in DC to avoid the GPers near the Whole Foods in Dupont, didn't matter how bad the weather.
I can't count laps either. The downside of having the attention of a 4 year old.
ReplyDeleteRachel Ross, sometimes you just nail it, and that whole scene with the GPdude was LOL quality. When you get me to LOL by myself... one, I feel a bit lame afterwards; and two, I just think "she is so f#%kin good."
ReplyDeleteYou never disappoint. Well done! The shorter pool is great for you to maintain your form -- that is a good way to think of it! I'm still playing the "Name Game."
ReplyDeleteLaughing now, thank you :)
ReplyDeleteOh, that's the long course is good for...I've just accepted that my swims include many many flip turns. But I see your point.
ReplyDeleteLove Henry!
Your kids = life is never boring!
ReplyDeleteThanks for brightening my day. Your kids are so funny.
ReplyDeleteI've finally just resorted to telling the GP guys I'm already a member. It's the only line that works. I can't believe there yelling "get over yourself" at a woman who rides her bike to work! They probably drive down to your corner.
ReplyDeleteRach-
ReplyDeleteWhen your here in May we will have to explain to Henry and Sky the real way babies get out. My nine year old can do it - she used to routinely tell pregnant women "do you know how that baby comes out"? You have to love kids.