Wet and wild

Last weekend was wet and wild, and it was not just the weather, it rained, and rained and rained and rained in DC, causing all kinds of trouble. Pumps not working, basements flooded, streets closed, etc. It even affected my ride to the airport Monday morning when the cabbie had the nerve to give me a lecture on how much time to give myself to get the airport. I just sat there quietly, and then when he had dropped me at the airport, he started to get away with my bag in his trunk, so at 5 am I started cursing like a sailor, and almost took his cab fair money from him. So angry I was that I walked into the airport, registered for the flight and stomped to the gate without even saying hello to anyone.

Well back the weekend, so I went to my first real straight meet, it sound weird I know, but in 4 years of swimming I have always gone to the gay meets and UMBC, but never the big competitive straight meets. So I went to Colonies Zone, and it was fun, it was different, for once there was no food, so I have to thank the Argentine for packing me some gels, cliff bars and a sandwich. At gay meets there is food, we try to be friendly I guess, or we try to make everyone fat to make ourselves feel less bad about our bodies. Who knows, so at this meet there was nothing but bending machines, and I am usually terrible at carrying cash, so I had to stick to my two bottles of water. That is my big complain, that and the fact that we were the only team who cheered, but I am getting used to that with time.

As usual I swam free and fly, and I did ok. I mean I could go on, and on about how bad I am, and how slow, and how I do not seem to make any progress. But I have to be honest:
a) I am not a born athlete
b) I am 5’3”
c) I have maybe swam 5 times in the last 4 weeks
So all this means that I was not in perfect shape and I did my events ok, I guess. I had a very good 200 free for me, at least 2:35, and a bad 200 fly. The irony is that the only medal I got was for the 200 fly, a bronze. I did a lot of relays, and had a lot of fun. It was a sobering meet I think, because it showed me what real swimmers are. One guy did the 200 free in 1:40, I mean that is my base time for the 100 in long distance events. It was just amazing to see people like this swim. On of the more humbling moments for me, was at a relay, we had two teams in the same heat and we were swimming in lanes next to each other. I was doing the last 100 free, and I had plenty of time, turned to my right and my ageless neighbor was going to swim the same, for the other relay, he is 10 times faster than me. I realized that because of the rest of the people I would hit the water at least 10 seconds before he did, and I thought this is my chance to not be wiped out. Well I am 5’3” and not a sprinter and he is 6’1” and a sprinter, so I jump in and swim, and try to go as fast as I can, and there I am moving my legs as fast as I can, and trying to elongate my stroke, and as I do my third flip turn I just see him coming and I just knew he is going to overtake me, but I thought I had a chance, so closed my eyes and swam, as fast as I could. I came close the wall, as I touched the pad, I noticed him waiting for me in the lane next to me. Dang! At least I have the 1650 I guess, that is until the Canuck becomes too fast, which he already has.

Me and my Nitro

Yes it has been a while, but life has gotten busy, just busy. Also the traveling gets old and there is just not a lot to tell. Lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s, sushi for dinner, I am still the only man in the Chisel class. Same old, same old. This week something is different though, I have been driving a NITRO, yes it is the boxy car, and it is weird to drive, I feel like I am omnipotent, driving so high above the ground being able to bully all the little cars around me. Also I am afraid I will miss something and suddenly go boink!, and hit a tree or a car or a passerby or something that I was not able to observe. One of the funny things about renting a car every week is that in a way it is like a game, and you get what you get. Usually I get economy cars, mostly because I am cheap and I do not need that much space. It is me, my rolling bag, my knitting bag and office backpack. Now that I put it in paper, it does seem like a lot of luggage for a 4 day trip, and the sad part is the only thing I do not need is the knitting bag, because the rest I need.

The car is great, the NITRO I mean. I is big and I can accommodate a lot in it, mostly people going to lunch, but I do feel like an OC wife running errands all alone in a big SUV when I am driving alone back to the hotel or to the Y. The one humiliating part of it all is that when I got it, I get in and the seat was pushed way back, like they were expecting a guy 6’2” tall to just come in and drive into the sunset (sunrise, I guess since it was 7 am). Well I sit down and realize I am way to short to get to the gas pedal, and I start searching for the lever to move the seat forward, and I can not find it. All I see is a button that moved the seat up and down but nothing to move it in the other directions. I step down of the car and look, I see nothing, I go and take a look at the copilot’s seat and see nothing. Nothing. I think, and think, and think a little more. The car has no manual, the glove box is empty. I am going crazy now, I have spent 10 minutes looking for a way to move the sit so I can drive out of the parking lot. I am pissed now, and at the same time I can not contain the laughter. So finally I decide to ask. I get on the truck and drive to the entry, looking like a 10 year old driving their parent’s car, and when the guard checks my driver’s license and the contract I cleared my thought and asked if he knew how to move the seat. So he makes this face, like he did not know, and I thought, shit, shit I am going to have to drive like this all the way to Wilkesboro, but not, he told me to step down and shows me how the button that moves the seat up and down, also goes sideways. I do my little gay laugh, and thank the parking attendant, hop in my truck, put my shades on and drive to Wilkesboro without having to strain my back.