I woke up and my first thought was "Why is my alarm going off?" Not a good start to the day. But, a swimming we must go:
Not too far, just 1550, but I was late, swimming slow, and had to get the car into the fixit shop. 212.4 on the scale, though.
Something I got at work generated some interesting conversation. Here are the top 20 Selling Artists from 1991 to present, while the SoundScan tracking service has been in business:
20. Dave Matthews Band
19. Reba McEntire
18. Various Artists - NOW, That's What I Call Music
17. Eric Clapton
16. Tim McGraw
15. Aerosmith
14. U2
13. Pearl Jam
12. Alan Jackson
11. N'Sync
10. Shania Twain
9. Pink Floyd
8. Backstreet Boys
7. Kenny G
6. George Strait
5. Mariah Carey
4. Metallica
3. Celine Dion
2. Beatles
1. Garth Brooks
Noticeably absent: Elvis Presley. Do you see anyone else?
Life has been rolling along:
Not only was it frigid on the way to the pool (18°F), but the pool must have been just as cold. I think they were pumping in water straight from the lake. I had goose bumps the entire time in the water, and never fully warmed up. So, in response, I just tried to keep moving, and alternated 4-100s and 2-200s until a half an hour went by. My guess is that I got close to 2000 yards total, but it's hard to know since my brain was frozen. The icicles took a while to fall off in the shower.
I also weighed a disappointing 214.2. Must have been all that bean dip. I'd like to say I am going to be eating more healthy, but Thanksgiving is this week, and then it's one holiday party after another until the Alumni meet and Christmas.
After a $20 parking ticket from Wednesday, I made sure I had enough quarters for the meter. This time, the parking enforcement vehicle was making its rounds as I was walking up to the car. I was ready to alert the driver that I was just going to pull out, but luckily it passed my car without stopping. I checked the meter: one minute left. As I got in the car and started it up, the meter flipped to expired, and I pulled away unscathed. Now that's what I call perfect timing.
raining regiment has never been at the frequency that it deserves, as you may have noticed by the lack of workouts. Evenings are just too busy and irregular to maintain a constant schedule. So, I am trying something new. The NAT is open MWF mornings. I wake up a half-hour earlier, and get to work a half-hour later, and get to train an hour inbetween. This morning was my first go. And it was cold. My arms felt so short, I attributed it to shrinkage. I talked to a custodian, who said that it was about 78, and a coil went out two months ago. "Won't be another month 'til I get a new one." But, he must of found an extra one, because halfway through, hot-tub water was pouring out the vents, leaving large regions of warm and cold water throughout the pool.
1950 total. A svelte 211.7 on the scale. (no food)
First, our remotes have begun to freakishly become "stuck" on a button. Two controllers, cable and TV, will, after a small delay, begin flipping through many channels until another button is pressed. The weird thing is that you can't hold the cable remote buttons down and flip through the channels, you have to press it everytime to make something happen. There's not auto repeat with that remote.
Second, after a week of stable broadcast, the wireless network has gone haywire. It goes from 100% strength to 0% to no connection, then back up, and down.
I checked the Sun's latest activity. Nothing. I think we have ghosts.
Here's something to think about: A golfer hit two aces in the same round and was 10 feet away from a third. Surpisingly, he's the fourth to do it this year, and there were at least five others to do the same in the previous two years. Golf magazine puts the odds at 1 in 89,000,000 to accomplish this feat.
Oddly (pun intended), the chances of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 120,526,770. So far this year, 13 winning numbers have been matched, with six of the thirteen coming on the same drawing.
I arrived at the pool the same time as another swimmer. As he was adjusting his full length trunks, ear plugs, and full cover goggles, I asked if we could share the lane he just set his bag behind. Sighing heavily, it was obvious he didn't want to give up the precious half of the lane. "I'm really not that good," was his reason. Nevermind that it was marked as a "fast lane" while there were openings in the other "medium," and "slow" lanes. I suggested that we just maintain our sides, and everything will be okay. And it was, at least for the parts times he spent on the bottom of the pool or floating after he surfaced from said bottom. When he was swimming, he was right down the middle.
I don't want to come off as snotty, but, if you're not a fast swimmer, then don't swim in the fast lane just because it's open. Anyway...the water was cold and felt good. It kept the muscles tight, and kept me thinking about my stroke mechanics, which really aids in efficiency and speed.
The wireless network is up at home. Now, with a pocket pc, you can get information about anything at any time. I now know that subwoofers are more expensive than I thought, Kris researched some drugs, and I know the score of my fantasy football game all from the comfort of our brand new couch. (It's soooo comfortable.) In fact, this post is coming from a borrowed work laptop with integrated wi-fi.
But getting back to what's important, Charlie Garner hasn't touched the ball since their second possession. He ran for nine yards, but Tyrone Wheatley has run almost everything since. Where's Charlie? I can find scores of every NFL game, even play-by-play of the Oakland game. CBS has the Charger/Viking game, FOX has the Cowboy/Bills game. Even with the tickers, there's no word. Shouldn't there be some section within the webcast that has injuries? Why can't they do this? Not even the halftime show has any info.
For my birthday, the wife got us tickets for The Second City performance tonight. That was the show, and now we needed dinner. Delmonico's fit the bill perfectly. I had the tender New York Strip (and yes, I noticed the difference) and she had the Free Range Chicken, though they still made us pay for it. The side of creamy mashed potatoes was divine, but the dinner was topped off with a dessert that stole the show. Topped with cinnamon ice cream melting on warm, thinly sliced granny apples soaked in a tasty graham crisp, all of it covered in caramel topping. Just luscious. (Thanks, honey.)
Everyone has had a week to get use to the lack of hair. While the cut is new to you, it's been done before. I can't get over how many people can't get over the new 'do. I don't think it's all that bad. And it's going to stick around for awhile.
Sometimes getting in the water doesn't feel so good. But, those usually end up being better practices. I haven't been able to go as much as I like, so it hurts every time I get back in. Tonight was like that. The water felt awful, cold and slimey - a lot like my running nose. I just could seem to get a grip. As I forged ahead, I concentrated on longer, efficient strokes. Partly because I wanted to feel good, and mostly because I wanted to upstage the guy next to me giving really bad instructions to a halfway decent swimmer. Who knows what my stroke looks like now that I am fat, but I know it's better than what that guy was saying: "Ummm....You've got to shoot your hand forward, kick three times, breath, rotate your hips....um, I don't know. Just watch me." Ugh.
2100 total 212.9 lbs on the scale.