Happy Hallowe'en!!

In honour of the day I bring you Carter the Wonderdog in a different costume!







For those of you who will be in Ottawa over the next couple of weeks, I can highly recommend A Midsummer Night's Dream at the NAC. The costuming is sumptuous, the dance and acrobatics impressive, the staging is fascinating, there are some powerful and engaging performances — and by the end of the show, the audience was standing and clapping. At intermission I overheard a high school student in line for the ladies room say, "Six languages! That's INTENSE!" with not just a little awe. In fact there are eight languages in the production. Due to the changes in language, at least a rudimentary knowledge Shakespeare's work would be helpful, but a quick review of the program should help those less familiar with the play. I confess at times I was slightly confused by who was who, but that was a small matter in terms of the overall performance.

Quick Pix!

And now for some of life's lighter moments. Well, with the possible exception of the first picture. Lots of folks weren't sweetness and light about that, myself included! The Boarder was very pertured about it. There wasn't a bird or a squirrel out till 10:30!!! Not a good morning at all!

Onyx's view yesterday morning (his porch is still covered in a layer of white stuff!):



The Boarder surveying his domain this morning (note his pretty blue collar!):



Special bonus shot courtesy of KD — one of Carter the Wonderdog's possible Hallowe'en costumes — Carter the Bandit!

Blood Vessels Bursting In People With Brains ...

Usually it is unwise to smirk or chuckle at the repetitive comments of a schizophrenic on the bus. But I found it oddly funny. Or maybe I just found it a release.

The outing began being trapped on the wrong side of the street from the bus on the way downtown. Always a good sign. I had to sing The Mary Ellen Carter to myself to banish Céline's Taking Chances from my head. It had been good and stuck, as I heard it on a commercial for her tour before I put my coat on.

Once downtown I did find a temporary solution to The Boarder's collar issue. Really, we're going to go leather when I find just the right one. The money spit machine duly pushed some $20's at me as requested. My hair was restored to its short short status. Things were at least heading the right direction.

I left the hairdresser's and walked towards Kent Street. The rain was coming down hard and the wind was blowing cold. The grayness was profound. What is it about leaving the hairdresser's in cold gray weather? My footsteps clicked along and I held tight to my umbrella. I heard someone nearby laying on the horn and looked up. Half a block or more away from me a dark sedan was trying to stop as it came through the intersection on a fresh red. A split second later I could see was vehicles stopped at the light in all four directions. And then there was a deep, horrible thwunk.

Three people who had clearly led hard lives were standing on the sidewalk at the intersection screaming, "You f*cking @sshole!!". Over and over and over.

By the time I got there, the car had stopped, still in the crosswalk, the driver's door was open. A woman's body was prone on the ground beside it, people on cell phones were everywhere. And the threesome on the sidewalk continued to scream. I turned away from the scene — it was busy and as under control as it could be — and spoke to them, urging them to take deep breaths and trying to calm them down.

The emergency vehicles took no time to arrive.

I did the things I needed to do, but the rest of the day was just wrong.

"Blood vessels bursting in people with brains," said the man on the bus as I made my way home.

No Monday Night Mayhem!

We had a grand lane swim last night! Seven people in the fast lane can be positively vexing, but Monday nights at Plant something unusual is happening.

Former lifeguard and iron distance triathlete Colin and I made plans at the end of the summer to swim together Mondays when we could. We asked regular Monday evening lane swimmer Chris if he'd like to do some sets with us, and then invited a triathlete who often swims at Plant to join us for main sets. Now there is an open invitation for anyone else in the lane to "come along for the ride".

One gentleman was a little reluctant last night — he told me he didn't think he could do it. I told him I was sure he could — and I wish you could have seen his happy smiling face as the high fiving happened at the end of the fifties!

Tri guy was beaming after his first hundred was 1:35. With a big smile on his face he said, "I want to get it down to 1:20."

In the shower one gal with a lovely strong breaststroke told me how much less frustrated she was swimming repeats, and wanted to know how often our "club" trains!

It's not something we can guarantee will work out, because it depends on the willingness of other swimmers, but I can say without a doubt that there were seven people who had a feeling of accomplishment leaving the pool last night!

P.S. The Boarder reports that the Clean Fleece Boycott is Officially Over!

Fail!

I'm not nearly ready to go away in a matter of days. But I thought it would be good if I at least got The Boarder's things in order. We seem to have enough Provisions to Stave Off Starvation for the duration. We almost have the roster of Visitors in hand to Present the Provisions, Remove Deposits and Provide Affection and/or Fairly Maniacal Play. I washed his Favourite Fleece item, and it has suddenly gone from Object of Affection to Object of Great Suspicion. Fail! Whose Stupid Idea was it to remove oodles of carefully placed coat fibres and the scent of cat who owns it?? However, in Turbulent Times, apparently a microfibre towel lightly doused with Eau De Chlore is a suitable substitute ...

Swim Bit!

Except that I didn't actually do much swimming! Yesterday morning we had a mini-camp at Ottawa U. For the first hour and a half, the campers worked on freestyle stroke improvement and had underwater stroke video. For the final hour of pool time (a lecture followed) campers had their choice of stroke, so I got an added bonus — I worked in tandem with another coach with those who picked butterfly! The campers really got their money's worth, as it meant we could have one coach on the deck, and one in the water for demos and to see what was happening under the water.

In my book fly is the most beautiful and magical of the four competitive strokes, and perhaps the hardest to master for the beginner. It requires a combination of strength, efficiency, and timing. And it is my absolute favourite! When you are swimming it well it truly feels like you are flying — when you are swimming it poorly, it is much more like trying not to drown. With critiques along the way, here are some of the drills we did:

♦ 3-3-3 fly — three strokes each one arm, other arm, both arms
♦ 1-2-1 fly — one arm, two arms, other arm
♦ jump deep dive — jump off the bottom, one arm stroke, deep dive and dolphin kick
♦ stroke dive fly — one arm stroke and go deep, dolphin kick underwater
♦ one arm fly — non-stroking arm at side for good undulation

The campers deserve kudos, because working on fly for an hour is hard work, all the moreso after already spending an hour and a half in the water!

Finally, here's a little video bit I found at the Masters Swimming Canada blog: Top Tips from Top Coaches.

Clutch Those Gems!

A flight of fancy for a rainy afternoon that I saw over here at Luxist. Tourmalines and diamonds. You really wouldn't want to lose that purse!



And for added sparkle, The Nature of Diamonds, currently at the ROM, is reviewed at I want -- I got.

One Day Moratorium!

Over at the 17th Man, Joel posted the USMS short course (yards) championship qualifying times and event order for 2009 in Fresno. Just for fun I did some conversions and found I have swum under the times for the 50 & 100 free, 50 & 100 breaststroke, and 50 fly. Cool! Of course I won't go — our own Nationals is just a few days later, but it is nice to contemplate.

Here at 123 we have declared an official One Day Moratorium on Running Around. The Boarder is thrilled. He's thrown himself into it, and is sleeping like a log. Hopefully scheduled deliveries will arrive, Laundry Mountain will be at least partially levelled, and the Big Ginormous Back-Up (yes, I've been procrastinating) before taking the laptop to warmer climes will be completed. Just in case you're anticipating a quick email response and it doesn't happen, you'll know not to send out a search party!

Tomorrow the day starts bright and early with a mini-swim camp, so the moratorium will be over at oh dark thirty!

Thursday Tidbits ...

Corteo was truly spectacular! Those of you who have a chance to see it can take this as a hearty recommendation. And The Boarder was waiting at the front door when I returned well past my bedtime. Things this week have been far too busy for his liking, but with some luck tomorrow will be a quieter day, and he can have a little bit more fun and attention.

In a completely unrelated note, I'm pleased to say that in the post-election aftermath I read a heartening statisic. Although the national voter turnout rate was 59% apparently 71% of this riding's electorate checked in at polling stations. (Centretown News)

Rushing!

And madly off in all directions, too! And not just because I lack focus. Yesterday was plain busy, with a few wrinkles like power failures (and the subsequent resetting of everything) thrown in to make sure I was paying attention.

However, today there are only two things on the books — the first is trip early this afternoon to see my ole pal KD (person of Carter the Wonderdog).* KD can now be found working at Physiotherapy for Ottawa on the Carleton U campus. In an odd way it is returning to my physiotherapy roots, as this was the first clinic I visited for a sporting injury in the 1970's. Of course there have been some major changes since then. And I get to ride the O-train!

Then, tonight, the spectacle of Corteo!

But first I'll see if I can't get some muffins in the oven!

* Incidentally, I hear Carter has an excellent Hallowe'en costume planned for this year!

On Beginnings ...

It is a cool, dark, wet fall morning here in the nation's capital. The Boarder may have gone back to bed! He be onto something there ...

I wobbled over to the pool for the evening swim last night. By 500 metres I could push off the wall with two feet, so that was promising! In fact the swimming itself was quite lovely, but I confess, I was not at my most patient. It could be that my back was making me extra cranky, however, I wasn't alone — at least one other regular swimmer abandoned his workout in frustration. I finally spoke to a young man who was creating serious traffic jams. Oddly, all I said was, "Excuse me ..."

His reply? "I shouldn't be in this lane."

I nodded in agreement, somewhat dumbfounded. What in heaven's name prevents a person from moving to the appropriate lane, if they seem to understand they ought to? Apparently, at least in this case, it has something to do with the beginning.

He told me that when he got in there were only two people in the lane, and he felt he was swimming at the correct speed. By the time I spoke to him there were seven, and every last one was passing him. All I could tell him was that the lanes are plastic. Although it isn't like the posted rules don't clearly state that if you are disrupting traffic you should change lanes. I gently told him that if I were to switch to kick with the fast lane moving as quickly as it was, I would move down without a second thought.

But what almost pushed me over the edge? The abandoned plastic bags and empty sample sachets of shampoo and conditioner left on the floor in the showers!!

On Skipping ...

Well I skipped practice this morning. The Boarder somewhat gleefully reports that I then headed back to bed and he had Quality Cuddling and Adoration. As it should be. The trick is, I think, to keep my eyes on the prize — there is absolutely no sense in pushing my luck now and having to watch the Pirates Week 5K sea swim from the sea shore. Although I am sure it is a very nice shore. Things are improving, and I think if I take today in short bursts of weight bearing, tomorrow I can get back into a regular routine. And really, in the grand scheme of things, taking two days out of the water is not a big deal. Right?!

So instead I fried bacon. The great thing about having Luciano Foods right around the corner is you can buy 2 pieces of bacon from the butcher counter. It will be crumbled on pizza tonight. Along with other toppings. Although Friday is usually homemade pizza night, I chose to weight bear as little as possible, so no standing around grating cheese or cutting up olives and sundried tomatoes and such. Boarder approved Greek on Wheels instead. Next up, sauce preparation ...

Unanticipated Rest Day!

There's an up side to everything. As my back has decided to put up a fight, today is a limited weight bearing day. Because tomorrow is our first hour and a half long course practice you know! The down side is it is a perfect day for fall grounds clean up, and it is such a pity to be sitting on my duff indoors! But there's always laundry ... yeah, that's an uplifting thought, isn't it?

The Boarder is Not At All Opposed to quiet days spent at home. In fact, he is In Favour of them. Company is nice. Especially when the person keeping you company postpones vacuuming again!

Since the current exchange rate to buy Caymanian dollars is very, very sad to look at, I bring you something cuter. There were two of these guys in an unmarked display, looking all sleepy and adorable!

Flashback!

Changing my Thursday swim to a long course outing at the Sportsplex is putting me off my blogging game. It's disturbing my rhthym. So today, I have dug this up from the photo archives. A click will enlarge the image.



Taronga Zoo, Sydney.

The Boarder's Adventure ...

Today The Boarder was unceremoniously stuffed into a black plastic box, lugged to a car, driven many miles across town, unloaded at the clinic, and then after a series of indignities, the same basic thing happened but in reverse.

I can report on his behalf he:

♦ was a very good boy in the car, crying a bit as we got underway, but not afterwards, and not at all on the way home
♦ got s-h-o-t-s without incident, and now has yet another tag, this one to prove he's had his rabies shot — he's really going to jingle when he walks!
♦ has nice clear sounding lungs and good heartbeat noises
♦ has a fine coat
♦ weighs in at 6.68 kg (14.7 pounds) — his ideal weight would be 1 pound lighter, but Dr. Daren is fine with him at this weight
♦ won't fight claw clipping with a simple accessory — apparently this is the secret to giving him a pedicure! Who knew?
♦ impressed Daren with how far he has come and how well he has done
♦ is now resting after his ordeal



Many thanks to Lise for providing transport and moral support!

Tuesday Tidbits!

The best election sign I have seen this fall had two words on it: JUST VOTE! Below that there were empty check boxes and lines in the colours of all the national parties. I thought it was brilliant! This afternoon I'll try to bundle my errands: vote, bank, Clinique bonus, swim practice.

And in exciting shopping news, there's a banner at Neiman Marcus' web page: Now Shipping to Canada. A pipeline to Dana Buchman woven silk tanks opens! This is important as nobody in town carries them now. Further investigation reveals Bergdorfs now ships online orders north of the 49th, too!

The Boarder will be looking forward to some turkey holdovers this evening when I eventually return home. His travel arrangements for visiting Dr. Daren tomorrow area are all firmed up, although at this point he is still blissfully unaware! Incidentally, he is just full of surprises these days. This morning he walked on my chest before we got up. Perhaps he will someday reach the point of settling down on it for a cuddle. My ole pal George used to enjoy that immensely! And, he discovered with careful focus before leaping, he can get into the basement window. So now I have my very own Basement Cat!



Clearly I need to vacuum way up there, though!

The rhubarb-strawberry crisp* is cooling, and will make its way over to my folks for our mid-afternoon turkey dinner today — so now is clearly the time to wish you all the happiest of holidays!

I am thankful for many things — good friends and family are at the top of the list— and you folks are most definitely a part of that. So, if I may borrow a phrase from Spokane Al, thank you for reading!

* This is the last of the season's rhubarb. The plant started at Grandma Matthews' in Toronto (I believe some of it went to Pefferlaw, too), part of it moved to Winnipeg, then Ottawa, then from my parents' place to mine. There's something very special about that. And since my brother is in warmer climes, no worries about serving rhubarb for dessert!

Sunday Shoes!

Well, really, I'm not going to wear them today, largely because I have to walk over the gravel "sidewalk" of the Destruction Zone, but likely will tomorrow. I've taught in them, walked back and forth to the transitway in them, and I expect they will be my go to shoes for the winter season — I'm so looking forward to wearing them with tights and my cashmere sweater dress from last season! My American friends can find them here. This is my third pair of Beautifeel shoes (you may remember number two) and my second pair of dressy lace ups. This may just be the beginning of a collection ...

Swim Bit ...

Thursday the two Pats and I met at the Nepean Sportsplex for a long course practice, as one of the Pats and I were coaching skills and drills in the evening. This year skills and drills is the last half hour of an hour long practice, so not quite long enough to swim and get a good workout in. It was a fine session — good company and a good swim. So good in fact, we think we'll keep doing it!

Skills and drills went well, too — in fact one of the swimmers thanked me again this morning and told me she was working on the tips I gave her! That'll warm the cockles of a coach's heart!

Yesterday I had a little sprinty bit over at Plant in my favorite Friday afternoon time slot — I probably shouldn't let the cat out of the bag, because again I had 500 metres alone in the lane! Although if Saturday mornings are going to be this tough, I may reconsider and make sprinty bits Monday nights, especially given Saturdays become hour and a half workouts next week ...

This morning, another long course practice. We certainly moved solidly out of zone 2 this week! Which brings me to an important point — knowing what you can reliably do. In a hard set, especially one designed for not too much rest, swimmers should slot themselves not based on top speed, but on what they can reliably repeat. The leader in the lane is always expected to be able to do this, but that doesn't mean everyone else should be off the hook! Even early in the season, what should not happen is folks skipping a 100 and then moving back in the starting order. When that happened this morning, because the instruction was 10 seconds apart, people lost 10 seconds rest. Now, I hear that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, but still! Had we stayed on our original times and kept to the assigned interval, the swimmers at the front would have caught the ones then at the back. So try to be realistic assessing your fitness and ability when the set is put on the board, and slot yourself accordingly. There is no question this is harder for newer swimmers, but there are plenty of experienced swimmers who approach their assessments in hopeful rather than reasonable ways. If you tend to go fast and then die, please consider slowing your initial pace and maintaining it throughout. It's really better for everyone!

Wednesday Was ...

Dad's 80th birthday — and I think it was a good one!

Swim Bit!

Last night was the most distance I've covered in an hour this season at 2,700 metres. Duane has reorganized the overall plan for practices this year, and last night he revamped the lanes as well.

Those of us who have been swimming in lane 5 got shuffled over to lane 4. Lane 6 to lane 5. Lane 7 to lane 6, and lanes 8 and 7's composition reorganized. We have some younger faster swimmers swimming evening practices this year. Also Tuesday nights will focus on distance/middle distance, Wednesday morning on sprinting. Duane is excited about this change. Me? Not so much. It is hard for me to do real sprint practices on my own, and I don't go to Wednesday morning practice. Thursday nights I'll be coaching some skills and drills sessions during the second half of practice, so I'll be making up some distance on my own.

I thought I'd make an early night of it after supper, and just as I was getting the dishwasher ready to go, my doorbell rang. The Boarder came to answer too, but was a little slow to sit. On my instruction to sit, the fellow at the door did! Onyx did too. So Dave Robertson and I went out for a drink ... that lasted till almost midnight! A very groggy Onyx met me at the door and sat properly while Dave and I said goodnight.

Soup's On!

The crockpot is set up to produce chicken soup by 8:00 (when I get home from practice). So that's one thing under control today ... the rest of the day may well be touch and go!

The Boarder reports he has changed his sleeping habits. Why stay at the foot of the bed by yourself, when you can lean up against your person in the middle? His person notes that this does make it more difficult to wriggle out of bed at night without disturbing the cat! Also he asks, why make soup in the magical cooking device when you could make chicken?

A Stone's Throw ...

Yesterday I joined some teammates for a camping style brunch cookout at the Keogan Lodge (shelter) in Gatineau Park. Just a stone's throw from the city, the park is also where we do our open water swims in the warmer weather!



The fall colours are not quite at their peak but are showy and some of the leaves are falling so it really is a lovely time to visit the park. And it was a good chance to wear my stomping boots!



Vincent (who organized us all) brought a wonderful portable barbeque, so toast and eggs were prepared outside. Inside the lodge there is a woodstove so some food can also be heated there once you fire it up.



Vince's sister Lyne helped with the cooking duties!



But we certainly all enjoyed the eating and the company!



Above: Lyne, Aaron, Vince, Cathy, Suzanne (Vincent & Lyne's mom)

All images can be enlarged with a click. Map courtesy of Vince.

Critter fix!

Not only did I have a most enjoyable time yesterday hanging out with chums during and after the Merrickville Studio Tour, but I had a triple doggie fix. First some lovin' with Hazel and Hawkeye the Portugese water dogs, later a bit of Sneak-y adoration. A pubby dinner at the Goose and Gridiron capped off the day. Hopefully there will be some pictures to follow, but I'll have to wait for Elaine to download and email them, because I didn't bring my camera. Many thanks to the Rotors for organization and transport!

Another Swim Bit ...

At 2°C this morning, we're coming close to the freezing point, but because it's not damp and windy weather at least the furnace isn't being pressed into service!

We didn't reach what Joe calls the high water mark at practice last night (although had I swum an extra 50 I would have equalled it), but at 2,450 metres it was solid, perhaps a bit moreso because I was pulling the train. Some observations:

♦ foot cramps abounded in the 10 x 25 fly set (it followed hot on the heels of a kick set) — I announced "foot cramp after the first one!"; the lane mate behind me finished her second and laughingly said "foot cramp after the second one!"
♦ lots of people had trouble with the 3 x 200 breathing towards only one wall (Duane threatened us with 100 push-ups if we cheated!)

Breathing towards only one wall is a variant of bilateral breathing, but lots of people find breathing on their "bad" side for a length to be even tougher. Breathing on both sides balances both your stroke and your muscles (remember the business of stretching and the things we do in our daily lives that create imbalances?). If you are the competitive sort, it is much easier to see your position in a race if you can breathe on both sides, too. For open water swimmers and triathletes if you are comfortable breathing on your "wrong" side you don't have to breathe into the chop and you can sight to landmarks on either side of the body of water. Yes, it can be challenging to do, but it really does get easier!

Aside: The last few years I have had great difficulty with my finger nails especially as the weather cools down. They do a lot of splitting and peeling. Dunking them in chlorinated pools, even more chlorinated hot tubs, and then exposing them to cold just may be part of the problem. I had almost given up, but hope springs eternal! I bought some Sally Hansen Hard as Wraps this week, and I have to say at this point I am encouraged.

Brrr ...

This morning I felt I had to change. The t-shirt wasn't doing it. Out came the long sleeved cashmere pullover! It may be
8°C (46°F) out there, but it is damp, overcast and windy too. Phooey! I even turned the furnace on for a while last evening to take the edge out of the air. It'll be a soup and sandwich lunch I expect! And there's a crockpot meal afoot for after practice tonight. All signs winter is approaching. On the up side, there's a winter weight pant suit in my future.

The Boarder will be getting 6 new windows before too long. He fully approved of the salesperson (after the Evil Tape Measure was secured and guaranteed to stop terrorizing him). This gentleman had a big black cat in his youth, and was quite taken with Onyx. I'm sure the windows will be much appreciated once they're in as the sunny window spot should be warmer in the depths of winter — but installation day will be a difficult one for him no doubt! He has several trials in his future, what with the pedicure (and s-h-o-t-s which he seems to like infinitely better than claw cutting) and my intent to abscond to warmer climes for among other things a swim in the sea!

Swim Bit

I have a teammate who says that my swim suits always match my glasses. Not completely true, but she's not very far off — although that's really not how I choose them. So last night I was really looking forward to showing her my new jacket, because it comes very close to matching my bifocals!! People who know me are well aware that I have a bit of a penchant for jackets and blazers. Note that I'm showing it to you on a model ... not on me! It is a lightweight leather, so I'll be wearing it as outerwear now but likely as a blazer in cooler weather. The post-practice locker room fashion consensus was that it is indeed a fine choice for me. And it does match my glasses.



Our main set was hard work! We seem to have forgone the "easing in" stage, and are moving into a more intensive training phase. Part of the challenge in hard breaststroke for me is keeping the stroke long, so I was busy counting strokes. After the pull-out, 10 strokes seems to be the right number (at this point) to keep some power in the pull and not hyperventilate from stroking too quickly! That was the most breaststroke I'd swum since wondering where I was in the foggy 2K! Of course that was a leisurely heads-up kind of a breaststroke ...