So I blew a radiator hose a couple of days ago. Nice, eh? Then I spent a day fretting about how I was going to pay for it, and trying to make sure it was indeed the upper radiator hose that I had blown ( Read more... )

Totally stolen from roguederek . Because the rest of ya'll should watch this.

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Had a milestone swim today - 6000 meters. I started cramping almost 2000 meters before finishing, but I never let it get bad. Go me. It took a long time, but I did it. That being said, it took a lot less time than I thought it might - in fact, it really didn't take that much longer than when I did 5000 ( Read more... )

note to self

if you are going to swim endurance, do not swim 75 laps freestyle (after finswimming and a tai chi class) and then attempt to use your fins for additional finswimming when your hands and knuckles get too sore from the paddles. You will get a leg cramp that will cause a nearly golf ball-size hole in your calf that will be difficult to ( Read more... )

Our pool (and the town's senior center) were saved by rabid and tenacious residents.  The town hall meeting was over-flowing, even in the bigger venue.  The write up in the local paper was stellar; people were extremely aware, pointed and not willing to take any fecal matter from the mayor or council. Good on them ( Read more... )

Last night there was supposed to be a meeting at the town hall about the pool.

Our town is running a thirteen million dollar deficit due to loss of revenue this year, and naturally the council is scrambling to balance the budget.  It's not rocket science; if property values take a big dip, the taxes follow suit.

There's a bigwig on the council that ( Read more... )

This is taken and lightly modified from a private journal entry (yes, in a real paper journal I keep)

The thought is never very far away, and neither is the reality. That's the case for all of us; it's just that some of us are more aware of it than others.  Many people attempt to whitewash it right out of their lives and treat it like it doesn't ( Read more... )

( The Meme Questions Junk )

I got a new set of fins last Friday and have been using them. As a result, I haven't been doing any endurance swimming and have been swimming dolphin style nearly exclusively the past two swims. This is excellent, because it's a vigorous workout and because it gives me an opportunity to rest my over-trained arms. So, yay!

So, kiravmoon, your ( Read more... )

I've been working on swimming endurance. Today I managed 4000 meters pretty easily; earlier in the week I swam 3000 for the first time.  I probably could have swum at least another 1000 meters today except there was a clusterfuck in the pool shortly before I was finishing the 4000.

It really annoys me that so many of the people who take up lane ( Read more... )