Swim Meets and Schwinkies

This last Saturday we piled into the luxury vehicle pictured below, and headed northwest from Philadelphia to the Pottstown YMCA for Winter Blast '08. This car brought to mind my forever favorite car, my 1990 red Dodge Omni that I drove during my senior year of college. I deserved nothing better (how could you get anything better anyway?) - I never added oil and the engine literally locked up one day driving down College Avenue toward my apartment.

Why participate in a swim meet on our vacation on the other side of the country, you might ask? Well, the folks back here never get to see the kids swim (grandmom in particular), and it was going to be interesting to see how our provincial Idaho kids could compete with the extra-intense Philly suburban area teams.

Being "unattached", the kids drew the short straw on warm-ups -- 9:00am, with the meet starting at 11. Although honestly, a start time of 9:00 blew us away - usually we have to start when it's still dark out.

With time to spare, we took the Cress mobile to downtown Pottstown for some breakfast. We were hoping for something special... Little did we know, we'd have The Very Best:

An establishment in existence since 1921, The Very Best offered some pretty unbelievable deals and offered just the perfect size breakfasts. For $3, I had myself a fried egg sandwich with homefries (extra greasy). Wendy was so jealous at that moment, she didn't even know it. I was thinking of my Solanco friend when I spotted Scrapple on the menu for an extra $1. Apparently, the high prices did not hit The Very Best. I also enjoyed some weak, bad coffee. Yummy.

So how did the swim meet turn out? Even though it was unbelievably crowded and long, things turned out quite well due to our kids' personal best performances and the ruthless efficiency of a certain organized Pottstown Y lady in red. That place was a well-oiled machine, even down to the line of kids by heat and lane about 10 heats prior to their race.

THE RESULTS
Not only did the kids get personal bests, they performed quite admirably among the tough competition. I wasn't sure how they'd do (if they'd squeak out a ribbon or two) - they didn't let us down.

ETHAN
25 Breastroke - 28.84s, 5th place, personal best
25 Backstroke - 22.03s, 2nd place, personal best
25 Butterfly - 27.32s, 6th place
25 Freestyle - 19.11s, 2nd place, personal best (under 20s milestone is pretty important!)

LUCY
50 Breastroke - 56.45s, 22nd place
50 Backstroke - DQ (she got tangled up in the lane rope, poor kid)
After seeing her in great distress over the DQ, I grabbed my iPod and hooked her up to some Nelly Furtado, with great results:
50 Butterfly - 39.91s, 4th place, personal best
50 Freestyle - 35s (Lucy claims 34.9s), 4th place (or 3rd), personal best

These are their best results of the year, for sure. Maybe it's all the extra oxygen and their high altitude training.

What's this about a "Schwinky"? Well, I had a LOL moment (hate that abbreviation, but it works here) at the end of the meet. I was walking out, and I overheard a grandmother and grandson:

"Just take it off, you need to change".

"No!"

"I have the towel up - don't worry, nobody is going to see your Schwinky!"

That's a new one.

Lost in the Snow

As of mid-last week, I thought maybe we'd get a slight reprieve as compared to the constant onslaught of snow last year, treacherous roads, and general depressiveness of the weather. I thought too soon. We have now entered what I can only call a "snowy pattern" (for lack of a better term) -- forecasts of "Few snow showers" (like today) can mean "Snow all day - with 3+ inches"; temperatures are not even close to the freezing mark, so I don't expect the snow to be going anywhere too soon.
My "Biggest Loser" buddy and I will be relegated to the treadmill (God help us) or potentially cross country skiing in Tautphaus Park - tedious, but not mind-numbing like a treadmill.

Here is a shot I took on the cross country ski trail last Sunday. Single digit temperatures, driving wind and constant snow - I knew it would be a lovely shot. I didn't want to take a picture of my face, because it would've been all scrunched up and miserable, with a look that said, "Why the HELL do I do this? And when am I moving to some place warm?" Cross country skiing is questionably fun. If there isn't snow and wind in my face, there's the taste of blood in my mouth. Ah, but at least this year, I am no longer alone! The only bright light in all this snow is that we will now be able to leave our extra-large Targhee treadmill track behind for real woodsy trails off the beaten path.


So I have been suspiciously silent for some time now. My blog lays dormant, as my hands furiously type elsewhere. I am a programmer by trade, and so after typing for 10-12 hours each day, I don't so much want to type for any other reason. Usually I eat and then poop out on the couch watching John Stewart on my laptop. I haven't yet succumbed to a Mountain Dew/Cheetos habit - I am staying strong, ever vigilant against the traps of the sedentary.

To end on a bright note, here is a lovely sunset we witnessed in Victor before we ate our dinner that gave David and I mild food poisoning. I am just so FILLED with the Holiday cheer. I am trying, though, really (this is me trying) ... at least the picture is lively. It's definitely preferable to seeing snow fly at your face like a bad screensaver every time you close your eyes.

Ok -- we can turn it around. The snow falling gently relaxes my mind and puts me at peace with the world, where all is white and pure and beautiful. Right. Sounds fake. I need Lucy's assistance.

Need a Laugh?

So tonight we had crab legs for dinner. Ethan's eating his crab, and he says, "Daddy, why is this crab so crack-a-lackin' good?"

Where does he get these things? Crack-a-lackin'? I laughed so hard!