Well, my lovely boyfriend has gifted me with my own domain, web site and journal. I'm really very excited (and I'm not just saying that because I think he'll be reading it soon). I'm looking forward to learning html coding and other cool web stuff. Luckily, I'm pretty close to the end of my associates degree (yes, it has taken me 11 years to earn a 2-year degree.....what of it????) so I'll have time to devote to playing around with this site. I'm sure Stepan is just as eager to instruct me as well!
Yesterday (Sunday, 6/10/01) I completed my 2nd Danskin Triathlon. My goal this year was to take about 15 minutes off my time from last year - I was able to cut my time by about 12 minutes.
I think I need to focus on swimming this year; particularly I need to work on regulating my breathing. I have been getting much better at bilateral breathing, but I'm completely useless at it when I'm nervous/excited/suffering from pre-race jitters. I think I'll purchase Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way to Swim Better, Faster, and Easier. I was able to briefly review the book before the race and was very impressed with it.
I want to especially thank my friends (Stepan, Meredith O w/Nolan, and Doug) and family (Mom, Aunt Kathleen, and Stepan, ) - yes I purposely included Stepan in both groups - for coming out to support me. Seeing and hearing them cheer me on between each event and at the finish line made the experience so much more memorable. Mucho congratulations to my fellow participants; especially my co-workers (Lynn Wright, whose training time was constrained by the demands of an MBA program at UT, and Kathy Hornaday, who only started training (i.e. learned to swim) about 2-3 weeks ago) and fellow Training Camp participants (especially my swim buddy, Melisa Ramos).
I have a beef with my beau!....on 2001-06-14 he posted the following on his journal:
It's a bit like giving every participant at a competition a medal - it becomes meaningless when it no longer distinguishes.
He claims he wasn't thinking in particular about the Danskin Triathlon - which he watched the weekend before posting his quote and in which every participant gets a medal. To be fair, he probably wasn't consciously thinking about the Danskin, but personally, I feel the timing of comment makes his subconscience thoughts very suspect!
I gave Homer a bath yesterday (with a lot of help from his saviour, Meredith O.). Poor dog did not enjoy the experience at all! He kept trying to pull away and his hind quarters were trembling. He was very full of energy when we were done though, so I don't think the experience scarred him too badly. This morning, he ate his breakfast with me sitting by his bowl and petting him so I don't think he's holding a grudge either.
Stepan and I started taking Homer on walks on Saturday. He really enjoys them; I think the walks are helping turn him into a more social dog...not only with other people and dogs, but also with us. Last week we had to work to coax him into the house. Now we have to trick him into returning to the backyard!
Last night, after our walk, Stepan and I spent some time on the couch reading the paper. At 10pm we turned on the television to watch Junkyard Wars, Homer had a fit! He wouldn't stop barking at the strange little men talking in the box by the wall...he's never been too fond of men...
Work has been a real bear the last few weeks. Tonight I worked until 8pm to meet tomorrow's 9am deadline. Once done with that, I had to stay at work to finish my portfolio for the class I'm taking this summer at school. I still have to speak with my advisor, but I'm pretty sure I only have one more class left to complete my Associates Degree in Engineering Design Graphics.
