Happy New Year!

This year I’m trying a different approach to setting resolutions. In the past I would make lists of things I felt I needed to work on or to change. After a month or two life would just get in the way and I would soon forget about what was actually on my list.

My new approach this year is to come up with three words that I can use to measure my actions against to keep on track, to help identify my areas of weakness, and to help measure any goals up against. I got the idea from another blogger I like to follow: Reading Risa. Last year, rather than come up with a list of resolutions for 2009, she identified three words to help her attain measureable goals. At the time I didn’t think I would be able to reduce my usual list of resolutions down to three words – but after mulling it over for a year – I found I was able to come up with my own set of three words to use to measure my actions and plans up against for this new year.

SIMPLIFY | FRUGAL | EVOLVE

One of the reasons I think I was able to come up with my three words is because I have wanted to make some major life decisions for the past two years – but have found myself stuck in a place that prevented me from doing so. I started thinking about what types of things I could do – or would need to do – that would help me get beyond this wall I’ve run smack up against.

Simplify came first. I need to make my life less complicated so that I can focus more on the things that are important to me. I am working to reduce the clutter in my life both figuratively and literally.

Frugal was next. Over the past several years I have not been financially responsible. Nor have I managed my time well. Time to make a change.

Lastly – and this is the hardest one – was Evolve. I finally had to admit to myself that I need help moving forward and being productive. I started therapy last week.

I am looking forward to this new year and the new changes it will bring with it as I work on these three areas of my life. I do want to acknowledge two important women in my life – whom I have never met in person – but whose writings have taught me that it’s okay recognize when you might need help, that you are not a failure when setbacks occur, and that less is more. Thank you Risa and Kristi!

Bad Boys

Some days everything falls into place perfectly.

It is illegal to sell or purchase fireworks in New York State. In Pennsylvania, however, it is not. Over the summer my husband took my son to a Lacrosse tournament in Philadelphia. Guess what they came home with.

When they came home from the tournament, my son tried to discretely bring into the house, and into his bedroom, something concealed in a large plastic garbage bag. When I asked him what was in the bag he wouldn’t make eye contact with me and just said it was nothing. Of course I immediately assumed it was a present for me and he was simply hiding it in his bedroom.

A few weeks later I learned they had bought fireworks while at the Philly Lacrosse tournament and had every intention of setting off those fireworks during a birthday sleepover with two of my son’s friends. I strongly stated my objections to my husband but they fell on deaf ears.

The morning of the birthday sleepover, my husband took our son and his two friends to a local water park for the day. Chance would have it that my daughter was invited to a sleepover as well and so I had a rare day to myself. The weather was beautiful that day – sunny, warm, not too humid – and I was enjoying working outside. My quiet afternoon was suddenly interrupted with loud sirens going off! These sirens sounded like the air-raid sirens you hear in WWII movies. After about a minute the sirens stopped and a loud announcement was heard: “This is an emergency. Ithaca College campus is under a state of emergency. Please go to a designated shelter immediately and stay inside until further notice.” The sirens would then resume – with both sirens and announcement repeated several times before stopping. Ithaca College is about two miles from my house – and I later heard from friends that the sirens and announcement were heard up to 5 miles away. This emergency notice was repeated at least 2 more times until early evening.

My husband and the boys got home about 9:30 that evening. The four of them immediately grabbed the fireworks and headed out to a nearby field. We live in the city – but on the outskirts so we are in walking proximity to a lot of open fields and wooded areas.

I heard one, two, three sets of loud bangs as the ‘boys’ had their fun. After the fourth firework went off – guess what? A loud air-raid like siren went off for about a minute. Then a loud announcement was heard. Of course, if you happened to be in the act of setting off fireworks in a state where such an activity is ILLEGAL then you might be so scared and running home so quickly that you might not have heard what the announcement actually was. So an announcement stating an end to a campus emergency might sound like something entirely different - it might sound like the police with a bull horn coming after you. And when more sirens went off you would probably start running even faster.

Within minutes the ‘boys’ came bursting in the front door. Did I hear those sirens? Did I see any police? Any patrol car lights? How could the police have known so quickly? Did I think that the neighbors may have called them?

Oh what a sweet moment.

They told me that they were so startled at first that they simply ran and left my son’s backpack (which has his name in it) and all the fireworks behind. My son rushed back to grab them. Then his friend realized he left his jacket (with his name in it) behind and rushed back to grab it. What a slap-stick comedy skit it must have looked like. I was so enjoying this.

The next day my husband reads to me from the paper that there was a state of emergency on Ithaca College campus and that was why the sirens went off. Really, I said?

Enough!

I have issues. I keep putting off posting because it's been a while and then I have to think of the perfect post to start back up again but keep putting that off and in the mean time - well - time just keeps going by. So. No segue. Tomorrow I start again. Just like that. I'm also looking for a good therapist to help me with my procrastination and perfectionist issues. Any recommendations?

The Bigger Picture

It’s been a while. I took on an overload of classes last semester and it ended up consuming all of my time. I would equate the extra courses to picking up a 20 hour part-time job on top of a 40 hour full-time job. Why did I do this? I’m struggling to answer this question. I have a very difficult time maintaining balance in my life. I tend to embrace one thing and pursue it single mindedly – to the exclusion of other things. In an attempt to prevent myself from these single minded pursuits, one of my last posts before I disappeared was a list of daily goals – all of which were designed to help me strike a balance between work, family/friends, and me. It is just like me to recognize what I need to work on, make lists of where I need improvement, make schedules to factor in time, and then go about doing everything possible to ensure that it doesn’t happen. Hence the list of daily goals and then taking on such a work load that there was no way I would be able to actually DO any of those daily goals. Then I started making a list of resolutions for this New Year – and realized I was making the same old resolutions all over again. Yes – I did accomplish some from last year – and I don’t want to ignore those accomplishments. I did do three triathlons – which kept me exercising. I managed to maintain my weight loss – but I hit a plateau and did not lose any more weight this past year. I did not eat very healthy. I did not take care of my health - nor my personal or my spiritual growth. I feel as if I just let my relationships coast this past year. And all this came to a head last fall by taking on so much at work that it prevented me from having to do anything but – well - work. Once I realized my resolutions were repetitions of years gone by, I started taking a good long look at myself. I THOUGHT I already did this two years ago with my whole “I’m turning 50 and the next 50 I’m turning my whole life around” rhetoric. I think that I hit a plateau not just in my weight loss but also with my own personal growth and how that extends outward in my professional, social, and family life. As I’m reflecting on my struggle to maintain balance and realizing I’m not really making the kinds of changes I want to in my life – I’m hit with a huge realization. I’m an Avoider. I create situations where I have to “this” (“this” being something I HAVE to do) before I can do “that” (“that” being something I might really WANT to do or would ENJOY doing). I’m not afraid to take risks; I’m not afraid of learning or experiencing new things; I’m not afraid of failure. This avoidance behavior prevents me from maintaining any kind of healthy balance in my life. I understand this intellectually – but I need to work on the reality of it. Then two seemingly unrelated events occur as I’m struggling with my resolutions. The first was when talking to a friend about a course she teaches about the cognitive behaviors of diufferent cultures. The focus of the course is on how Asians and Westerners (us Americans) think differently. We think differently I asked her? How do we think differently? And I was fascinated with the answer she gave me. So much so that I ordered her text book to read for myself. It’s called “The Geography of Thought” by Richard E. Nisbett. I didn’t even get through the introduction before I saw some parallels to my struggles with balance in my life. I never look at the whole picture! I look at problem areas as if it were an isolated issue to be “fixed” and devote all my focus to that area. I need to start taking a holistic approach to the whole issue of balance in my life. The second event is in regard to my husband deciding to lose weight. Diets are very difficult to sustain with our lifestyle. So he decided to try counting calories as a means to lose weight rather than try a diet. His intent was not to deny any certain foods but to just watch how much he ate. He found a website that tracks your weight loss with a graph – and calculates a daily average weight based upon your actual weight from day to day. The philosophy behind this is to show overall weight loss over time. Since your weight might fluctuate up or down from one day to the next – the chart is a visual demonstration that over time you are indeed showing steady progress in losing weight. I read everything the author wrote about this approach on his website and realized this was putting into practice what I started reading about in the book “The Geography of Thought.” Again – looking at the bigger picture. What a concept! These two events have changed my whole approach to my next 50 years. I’m going to try a more holistic approach and look at the “bigger picture” in all aspects of my life. I’m examining my avoidance tendencies and trying to determine why I have them and how to eliminate them. I have much to work out. My first step is to rework all my resolutions – but with a very different focus now. And once I get my house clean I’ll be ready to get started on the New Year!

Different Points of View

Yesterday was the first day of classes for me. My husband stayed home with the kids since they don't go back to school until tommorrow. He also watched two other kids in the neighborhood as there are no camps this week for working parents to send their kids to before school starts. My 13 year old son greeted me when I got home. As I was walking up the driveway with him, I looked all around the yard and the front patio – and saw baseball bats, baseball gloves, baseballs, footballs, bikes laying on their sides, bike helmets, lacrosse rackets, scooters, etc. I turned to my son, sighed, and asked, “What do you suppose the neighbors think when they see this mess in front of our house?” He looked at me and said, without pause, “They think healthy active kids live here.”

He won that one.

Teamwork

Two weeks ago my husband and I took the two youngest kids white water rafting on a 5 mile Class 1 (the easiest) stretch of the Genesee River. This was designed for beginners – and there were families there with children much younger – and smaller – then ours! It was the first time for all of us – and we had a blast. In reflecting back on the experience, there was something about the excursion that I enjoyed just as much as the thrill of doing it. It was the teamwork needed to navigate the river.

Everyone who had signed up for this (about 40 people) had the choice of navigating their boat with or without a guide. I leaned over and whispered in my husband's ear that maybe we should opt for a guide in our boat. You know, since it was our first time and we had two kids with us and all. My husband gently whispers back "NO (insert swearword here) WAY!" So – if you opt out of having a guide in your boat then you need to appoint one person as the leader. This person sits in the back of the boat and tells everyone else what to do. My husband thought I’d be good in this role.

However, at my insistence, my husband was appointed the leader of our boat. I grew up in central New Jersey. I have no experience with boats in water. He grew up in the Finger Lakes region of New York. He has lots of experience with boats in water. It turns out I made the right call.

Everyone needed to work together to get through the spots where the water ran faster and rougher. Everyone also needed to listen to the boat leader – who had the more global perspective of maneuvering through the water from the back of the boat. It was these two factors – listening and working together - that made this event such a great learning experience for each of us.

My youngest daughter is a natural leader – only at age 10 she hasn’t yet refined this skill enough to add diplomacy to it. She had to learn not to be on the lookout for what her older brother might be doing wrong, that it wasn’t her role to correct him if she thought he was doing something wrong, and not to contradict the boat leader’s instructions if she disagreed with him. Simply put, she had to learn she couldn’t be the boss (or bossy – whatever fits).

My youngest son does not like to be told what to do. Nor does he like to be wrong in any way. He is 13. He had to learn to not be defensive when being told what to do. He also had to learn that just because he was being told to do one thing and then – quick – do something else instead (as in “paddle FORWARD – now BACK, HOLD!) didn’t mean he was doing something wrong - just do it.

This was an eye opening experience for me. I loved how we had to work as a team to negotiate the river – and had to depend on each other to do his or her part. I loved watching how my two youngest had to get over their desire to constantly annoy each other and instead work together. There was no time for arguing, no time for blame, no time to monitor who did more or what wasn’t fair. No arguing at all – just learning to work together.

I’ve always tried to work on teaching my children how to work as a team – but being kids and all – they are more interested in monitoring what the other one is doing. And reporting loudly about the unfairness of what each one got stuck doing. You can’t do that when your raft is stuck on a rock and you’ve all got to work together to get off the rock.

I saw my role as a parent in a whole different light. I also saw what I was missing. It isn't just about teaching your children how to navigate rivers on their own. It's also learning/knowing what baggage you need to get rid of in order to work together to accomplish a goal. I'm struggling to put this in words - but I do know that I need to provide more of these type of real life experiences to help them.

~Swingset

Daily Goals

The fall semester starts next week. As I prepare the goals for the classes I'm teaching this next semester, I started thinking about setting some personal goals of my own. One of the issues I've been examining for my next 50 years has been how to find balance in my life between my career, my family, and my self. So I came up with a set of daily goals for myself:

1. Write every day.
2. Draw every day.
3. Exercise every day.
4. Listen to music that I want to listen to every day.
5. Encourage my children every day.
6. Let my family know that I love them every day.
7. Do not work after 5:00 pm on weekdays.
8. Do not work on weekends.

I don't have any answers yet - but creating this list might get me on the right track. I'll work on why I have a tough time finding balance tomorrow.

~Swingset

Caramel Apples

My kids love to go to the grocery store with me. Why? Because they know that by distracting me they can get me to say yes to all kinds of goodies. They are masters at this. They also offer to help by going off on search missions for items on the list. They bring back the desired item and slip in extras. They know what snacks are my weakness and will also bring these back to the cart. I am defenseless against this type of tactic.

So tonight we had to go get something for dinner. I was determined to be strong. I said no to everything. I didn’t let anything slip past my eagle eye. Then they tried a new tactic. They asked permission. They actually asked me if we could make caramel apples. They actually asked! How could I resist!

So my daughter and I just took two caramel apples out of the oven and are waiting for them to cool. This is such a great snack! I might actually save those Pringles I stashed under my bed for another time.

~Swingset

Booking Through Thursday: Recent Best

This weeks Booking Through Thursday posting asks what is the best book you've read recently. It would be The Help by Kathryn Stockett - which I just finished two days ago. This was our most recent book club selection - and I highly recommend it. The book examines how three courageous women from Jackson, Mississippi in 1962, rise above the roles they were born into during a time when our nation was struggling with segregation and racism.

It will soon be my turn for a book club selection and I still haven't decided what I'm going to pick. Any suggestions?



~Swingset

Zombies

One of the courses I developed teaches students how to write code for computer games on a cell phone. When we get to the part where you learn the code to move an animated character around the screen, one of the animation examples I use is a green zombie. When developing the example, I did a Google search for zombies and came across a blog that posed the following question:

You are backed into an alley by a pack of zombies. You have:

1. One weapon
2. One song blasting on the radio
3. One famous person to fight alongside you

Me:

1. A crowbar.
2. Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
3. Buffy. I never got the whole Edward/Twilight attraction thing when the movie came out. When I saw this video, I knew I’d want Buffy by my side when the zombies attack. Buffy rules.

How about you?

Socks

So – I was putting some socks in my sock drawer today thinking I needed to get some more socks. As I tried to shove the clean socks in the drawer, poking in those socks that were sticking their little heads out the top of the drawer and gasping for air, I realized that I must already own about 100 socks.

There is a reason for this.

In 6th grade I only had one pair of socks that didn’t have holes in them. They were a pair of white polyester knee socks. We had a music teacher who taped a scale of piano keys (starting with C) on the floor at the front of the class. Each day she would call on a student to come up, take off their shoes, and stand on the first key in the scale. She would then call out a note and you would then move to step on the corresponding piano key.

I wore those white polyester knee socks to school every single day until my name was called to take my turn on those piano keys. To this day I can not identify the keys on a piano. My daughter – when she was 7 – tried to teach me but I was incapable of remembering. I am, however, prepared for the event that I may have to take my shoes off at any given moment.

~Swingset

Recent Worst Books

Today’s Booking Through Thursday topic asks for the worst book you’ve read lately. I belong to two book clubs and most books I would list as the worst I’ve read would be book club selections. I like being exposed to books I might not normally choose – and some of my favorite books have been book club selections – but the same can be said for the worst.

Here are the most recent:

The Orientalist by Tom Reiss – This book was great for the historians and anthropologists in my book club. It was a tough read for the rest of us.

Eat Pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – I couldn’t get past her narcissistic self-indulgence. Although I tip my hat to her ingenious idea.

Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products by Mark Shapiro – Too redundant. Reading one article on the internet summed the entire book up quite succinctly.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - Just didn't grab me.

Rather than end this with a list of the worst books I’ve read recently, here is a list of some of the best books I have read recently:

City of Thieves by David Benioff – A great and grim story.

Memoir From Antproof Case by Mark Helprin – Wonderful tale. Thrilling descriptions of flying a bomber plane. The main character loved his women fantastically.

Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje – A beautiful and poetic story.

She Got up off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel – Joyful, tearful, and inspiring.

~Swingset

Women Swimmin' at Cayuga Lake

On Saturday I participated in a fundraising event called Women Swimmin’ for our local Hospice Care Center. After my oldest son’s death I went to grief counseling at the Hospice Center. I wanted to give something back so I decided to sign up for Women Swimmin’ this year. So on August 8th, along with almost 300 other women, I swam the width of Cayuga Lake. We had to raise a minimum of $125 to participate in this event. It was a 1.2 mile swim – with lots of kayakers along for support.

The swimmers were divided up into two waves. Each wave was divided up into pods of about 15 women each. A huge two story boat took one wave at a time from the dock at the Ithaca Yacht Club over to the shore at Ivy Point – on the other side of the lake. Each pod took turns jumping from the boat into the lake. Kayakers were there waiting for us and escorted us the 1.2 miles back as we swam.

I loved being a part of this community event. I can’t find the right words to describe how it felt to be one of the women who participated in this swim. It was exhilarating, emotional, and empowering. I was in the second wave of women and as we boarded the boat we were cheered on by all those who came to watch us swim. My mom and step-dad were there – as well as my husband and my two youngest children. When the boat left the dock, all the women on board let out huge cheers of joy. It brought tears to my eyes. We passed the first wave as they were swimming back – and many of them stopped in the water to cheer us on. It was amazing seeing these women bobbing in the water and waving to us! When the boat reached Ivy Point all the women on board let out another cheer of joy! There were about a hundred kayakers in the water waiting for us and they enthusiastically returned our cheers!

I was pretty confident I could do the swim – but it was also comforting to know that I could rest at any point by hanging on to the end of one of the kayaks escorting us. When I first leapt into the water I couldn’t see when I surfaced . I couldn’t figure out what happened – did I loose my goggles and my contacts? I immediately panicked – how would I be able to see to swim back? It took me about a minute to realize that I still had my goggles on – but they were filled up with water. I emptied the water out and tried to start swimming but I was still panicky. I couldn’t relax – and my goggles kept filling up with water. My pod was pulling away from me and calling for me to catch up. I started thinking that this was the most foolish thing I’d ever attempted – I didn’t eat enough to keep me strong. I already felt weak. My arms were already tired from struggling. What was I going to do?

I know this sounds silly – but I was so panicky that it took me about five minutes before I realized that my goggles were too loose! It finally occurred to me that all I had to do was make my way over to a kayaker for help. One had already spotted me struggling – and was making his way over to me. He asked if I was alright - so I asked him if I could come over for help. He tightened my goggles up for me, introduced himself (Jeff), and said he would stay with me for the duration of the swim. He must have pegged me for a hysterical swimmer (which I was at that point).

By this time my pod had long left me behind. I was alone. I just put my face in the water and swam. Jeff stayed to my right. There was a strong current that, along with the wind, pulling me to the right – but with Jeff on my right I stayed on course. I quickly learned not to fight the rolling waves and let my body roll over them as I swam. Once I started to swim, I swam the whole way without stopping to rest. I felt strong and was never out of breath. I stopped only once when I passed a marker to ask Jeff if it was the half-way point – which he confirmed. When I passed the ¾ marker I knew I was about a quarter mile out so I picked up my pace. I can’t describe how it felt to be coming in close to the dock and seeing everyone there cheering.

This wasn’t a race – but I did time myself to see how long it would take me. From my leap into the water until I climbed up onto the dock it took me 1 hour and 4 minutes. Given that I probably lost 10 minutes to my initial difficulties, I estimate I did the 1.2 miles in 54 minutes.

Allow me to strut a minute. I swam the width of Cayuga Lake without stopping. Two years ago I was 49 and never thought this kind of feat was achievable. I am now 51 and I swam 1.2 miles across Cayuga Lake without stopping.

::chin up, shoulders back, struts to and fro:: Oh yeah – I’m bad.

~Swingset

Cayuga Lake Triathlon - Post Race Report

This was my best race yet – and it rained the whole time! My overall time was 2 hours 21 minutes and 41 seconds. I finished 345^th out of 359 – so I wasn’t last! I finished 17th out of 20 in my age group – so I didn’t place last here either! I also finished 175 out of 214 women. This race also included some of the worst pictures ever taken of me!

Swim: I didn’t even need to get used to the water. My only hesitation was to wait to let the pack of swimmers in my heat get ahead of me. I didn't think I'd be able to hold my own with the faster swimmers so my strategy was to let the pack go first. This was a mistake. It added about 3 minutes on to my swim time. In retrospect, I would have been fine in the midst of all the swimmers. I did the 750 meter swim in 24 minutes and 41 seconds – I swam the whole time and never once stopped to rest. I was very pleased with this swim.

T1: I am so happy with my transition time here! I peeled off that wetsuit and got my sneakers, socks, shirt, and shorts on in a whirlwind of 3 minutes and 56 seconds! This includes running from the water to the transition area! I knocked 5 minutes off my usual T1 time!

Bike: I had biked the course three times prior to the race – and each time I improved my time. The day of the race was my best time ever. The course starts out with a two mile hill with a 7% uphill grade. I think I could have done it even faster but the rain made the road very wet on the downhill. I went slower then I normally would have for the last two miles – but I’m just not experienced enough to go any faster then I did in the rain.

I am still very pleased with my 12 miles in 1 hour 12 minutes and 49 seconds.

T2: Another best for me! 1 minute and 10 seconds from bike to run!

Run: The run was my slowest event. I had trained really hard for both the swimming and biking - and as a result, I had let my training for the run lapse too much. It took me 39 minutes and 6 seconds to run the 5K. Much too slow. However, I ran with integrity – never once walked – and actually passed a few runners!

I am sad that this is the last triathlon of the season for me. I am already planning how to train better this year for faster times next year!

None of my family was able to be at this race – so I didn’t have anyone here to cheer me on. It was strange – and emotional - being by myself after I finished. Never in my life could I have ever imagined myself doing this kind of thing. I kept thinking how symbolic it was to wrap up the season going to the last race on my own. I started this journey of learning to run and swim as a personal accomplishment – and this milestone saw me celebrating my achievements alone. I was okay with that.

~Swingset

Cayuga Lake Triathlon!

My last Triathlon of the season tomorrow! Can't sleep....

UnRead

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done Booking Through Thursday. I just love this topic!

“So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, ‘No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!’ “

These are the books by my bedside – and some have been in this pile for many years. When I do finish one from this stack I replace it with a book from a whole other shelf containing “books on the queue!”

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery: Since I read before falling asleep at night this bedside book is one that I’m actually reading right now.

New Orleans Morning by Julie Smith: I don’t usually read mysteries but this was about New Orleans and I couldn’t resist. I’m saving it for a light read – which I need occasionally.

Carved in Sand by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin: I heard the author interview on NPR and had to get it. It’s about all the different things you can do to enhance your memory. Once I remember to read it I’ll be all set.

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich: I love Louise Erdrich.

Birds of America by Lorrie Moore: I try to keep up with a book club I used to belong to when I lived in Syracuse. I haven’t got to this one yet.

Zorba The Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis: I try to mix up my books with a classic now and then.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski: This one is for my vacation read.

The Reindeer People by Peirs Vitebsky: I saw this in a Daedalus flyer and had to have it.

We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates: I enjoy her books. She’s lecturing in town this summer and I plan to go see her.

The Ghost Stories of Muriel Spark by Muriel Spark: Who couldn’t resist a book of ghost stories by the author of “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie?”

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson: I actually started this for book club but haven’t finished it yet.

Total Immersion by Terry Laughlin: This is a work in progress. It has changed my life.

A Shooting Star by Wallace Stegner: I love this author but haven’t gotten to this one yet.

An Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: Just because I want to be an artist someday.

Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling: My sister lent this to me and I’ve finished it. I like to keep books that I’ve finished by my bedside (before moving them to the "read" shelf!) so I can look at them for a while. Each time I look at a book I’ve read some excerpt will pop into my head.

Freddy and Fredericka by Mark Helprin: I just love this author too. I’m hoping to start this one soon.

The Lives They Left Behind by Penney and Stastny: I heard about this book in our local newspaper. The story haunted me so much that I had to have the book.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom: This was a “used book gift” one of my book clubs does during the winter holiday time from two years ago.

Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay: Another “used book gift” from three years ago.

Klutz Juggling for the Complete Klutz by John Cassidy and B.C. Rimbeaux: Because someday I want to learn to juggle.

Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: There is an essay in here that my husband recommended I read.

~Swingset

Better DFL then DNF

Oh – it’s been too long since I’ve posted – and I want to post about my last race. I did not finish last!

The triathlon took place in one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever seen. Green Lakes State Park has two meromictic lakes – one of which the swim portion of the triathlon took place in. A meromictic lake is a lake that does not turn over in spring or fall – therefore the upper and lower layers do not mix. As a result, the two lakes are a beautiful turquoise green. There are only 7 of these types of lakes in the United States – of which 6 are naturally occurring.

There were 20 competitors in the Empire State Senior Games and I placed 17th with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes 21 seconds. We were the last heat in the swim (we were tagged onto the end of the Syracuse YMCA Triathlon). I spent a few minutes getting used to the water and getting comfortable with front crawl breathing before the gun went off.

I have to say – the swim part of this race was a bit tough. It was early in the year so I didn’t get much lake swim time in the weeks prior to the race. While I had no problem with the distance in a pool – I found it tough in the lake this time. My arms got tired and I had to side kick more than I’d have liked to simply due to fatigue. It is tough to get lake swim time in CNY before June 20th – many of the lakes nearby are simply too cold even for a wetsuit. However, I still had a reasonably well swim time – and was happy to come in 16th at 19 minutes 11 seconds.

Here I am coming out of the water and taking off my cap.







I was ready for the bike part – had spent time both in spinning class developing strength and time on the road getting better at shifting gears and doing hills. This course had a lot of up and down hills. There were two very long up-hill sections where participants were getting off of their bikes and walking them up the hill. I was determined not to do this – and there were times when I was biking slower than some were walking. Now that I know what to expect from this part of the course I will be better prepared to deal with short, steep up and down hill climbs. I did the bike in 1 hour 7 minutes 59 seconds – putting me at 19th out of 20 for this portion.



Starting out on the bike.







I may look casual here – but in reality I was frantically looking for the start of the bike race!



The run was still tough for me. I have to start doing some interval and pace training to improve my speed here. I was also tired at this point. My time for the 5K was 37 minutes and 18 seconds – placing me at 17th in this category. There was this one unbelievably steep hill in the run – with three wonderful cheerleaders at the top who cheered and encouraged me all the way to the top!

I just crack up at this picture of me running! I really look like I’m dragging my butt to the finish line here! Yes I was tired – but my posture wasn’t quite that bad at the finish. Something about that angle and the color blocks on my shirt make me look like I’m really hunched over!


I think I can knock about 25 minutes off my time for next year – which might actually enable me to place in my age bracket! I need to strengthen my arms for the lake swim, work on a quicker swim to run transition, and run more prior to the race next year. A racing bike would also give me a tremendous improvement in my biking time.

Here’s Coach John trying to look tough as he delivers the “Go get ‘em” speech!










~Swingset

Empire State Senior Games

I'm heading out for my second triathlon of the season. The New York State Senior Games! Am I nervous? You betcha!

~Swingset

Niche Books

I’ve just discovered a blog devoted to books and I am completely smitten with this site (I just love that word – smitten!)! The blog is called Booking Through Thursday and it posts a weekly question about books. This week’s posting is related to niche books:

“There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.)

But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that.

What niche books do YOU read?”

What a great question! I love books about Art. I have several categories of Art books – on techniques (drawing, painting, and clay), works by artists, and biographies of artists. Most recently I am studying A Drawing Manual by Thomas Eakins and Cedric Emanuel’s Canberra Sketchbook – both of which I’ve picked up at a used book sale that occurs twice a year here in Ithaca. My most favorite book that I refer back to time and time again is The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp. I’ve blogged about this book in the past.

I also love gardening books. The two I’m referencing most right now are Labyrinths by Virginia Westbury and Gardens of New Orleans by Douglas and Hardy. I have hopes to convert my backyard into one that has an NO look and feel to it – a wrought iron backdrop with a foreground consisting of decadent shades of viridian and orange – and a large labyrinth of stone to walk when seeking peace.

I’m going to try to participate in BTT each Thursday. What are your niche books?

Note To Self

I will not acquire any more effin' pets that require aquariums, large amounts of water, filters, pumps, heating elements, UV lights, warming rocks, bedding of any kind, or water bottles.

No pets that poop in a cage.

No cute little bunnies, cool turtles, nifty tadpoles that morph to fantastic frogs, caterpillars that become butterflies, entertaining hermit crabs, bearded dragons, lizards, salamanders, fish, baby ducks, geese or chickens. No birds. Even if they sing.

Note to those who live with me: Intervention may be required.