21st Century Mom

On Saturday June 28th I met up with FeLady, Mr. FeLady and their friends Mr. and Mrs. Chico to take my second shot at swimming from Alcatraz to Aquatic Park without getting eaten by a Shark. It was the FeLadies 5th swim. Mrs. Chico is the smart one of the group and was just along to socialize and be our sherpa. Her husband is the loony one in the family and was also out for Sharkfest #5.

As you can see, Cheryl and I suited up in sushi just to make things a little more interesting. Were we being chums or would we be chum? That was the question. Interestingly enough, both of us had had fantasies that the event might be canceled due to low visibility. No such luck. The skies were gray and there was wind but you could see just fine.

We suited up in neoprene and headed over to the ferry. This is a fairly long walk that must really amuse the tourists. Where else can you see 800+ wetsuit clad people and 20 or so non-wetsuit nut cases marching along one of the world's most famous tourist attractions? Fisherman's wharf's finest hour if you ask me. Not that it took an hour to walk to the ferries but it does take about 15 - 20 minutes. It's a good time to take a few deep breaths and get in touch with the reality that you are about to jump off a boat in dark and very cold water and swim for quite a while.

The ride out is the ride out. More time to panic if you don't mind your mental machinations. I did not panic. I trusted myself and my experience and tried not to think about how badly I wanted to run out of the water at Couer d'Alene where the water temp was at least 1 or 2 degrees warmer. I kid you not. Sharkfest allows neoprene hoods but not booties. I had neither. I did have 2 caps, though.

T-minus no more time left and we are at the door with the guy yelling "JUMP!". As soon as I hit the water I hear some woman from the other ferry screaming over and over and over "WAHHHHH! WAHHHHH ! WAHHHHH!". I really wanted to yell "STOP THAT - YOU ARE TIPPING MY WAH"* but I knew she could never hear me over the din of her own terror and besides I figured she was one of the nut jobs with no wetsuit so who was I to criticize?.

We lined up at the kayaks and waited and waited and waited and waited some more for the horn to blow. Finally something happened and we all started swimming and that's when things got really dicey. First of all it meant that it was time to put my face in the ice bucket - ow. Second of all I soon discovered that it was very, very rough out there.

My last recollection of being tossed around by water was when I was a kid playing in the surf at the beach on Long Island sound. Scary but I could touch the bottom. Not here. The water was sort of roiling and rough and I think there were currents to deal with. All I could do was poke my head up once in a while and try to find the 2 towers I was sighting on. The problem is that I'm not good l at stopping and looking around. I just want to keep swimming and swimming but I have no skill at all in holding a line. Can you spell z-i-g z-a-g?

So the swim went like this - zig, zag, roll, bounce, blub, blub, blub, swim, swim,swim, look up, correct, zig, zag, blub, blub, blub.... you get the idea. I drank quite a bit of salt water. I'd draw you one of those amusing pictures but honestly I have no idea. I just kept going. I was gratified to find myself not all alone after 15 minutes like I was last year. I could always look up and spot yellow caps and boats and that gave me great comfort. In fact, there was a guy in a speedo (crazy bastard!) who I met up with repeatedly. I knew he was making the best time he possibly could for shore so I took that as a good sign.

The amazing thing about an event like this is that all you can do is keep trying to move forward no matter how totally unnatural it is and let me assure you, clawing at water from a horizontal position to gain forward momentum and trying to breath and not panic is about the most unnatural thing I've ever done. That's the part I love. It is positively surreal - no drugs needed!

At some point I realized that I could see the porches on the building I was sighting on and then I could see the orange buoy on the lead boat and I knew I was actually making progress. Then I could see the seawall and the masts of the C.A.Thayer and I swam harder and there was the speedo guy. I probably headed more to the left of the entrance to Aquatic Park than I needed to but there is a current that will pull you back toward it so it's better to head left than to try to hit the thing dead on.

Finding that opening and getting through it was a kind of relief you feel only when the traffic jam you are stuck in breaks up in just enough time for you to make your flight. It's just like that. In that moment you know you will get to the shore and get out of that water and you will live to tell the tale. Last year I was so knocked out I couldn't even find the buoys that mark the exit but not so this time. I saw those buoys, made a bee line and finally realized that my hand was hitting sand and I was in about 12 inches of water. HUZZAH! I stood up and ran out on the stubs at the end of my legs. My feet had checked out of service about 10 minutes into the swim.

As soon as I stood up I turned around and was elated to see the waters of Aquatic Park chock full of swimmers who were coming in behind me. My time was not so great and I was 15 out of 18 in my AG (FeLady was 9th - TOP TEN!!) but I was 171 out of 223 women (FeLady was numbah 100!) compared to last year when I was 162/209. So I moved up a few slots. The important thing is that I lived, trust me.

There were really 2 great lessons in this experience. The first lesson is that if you just keep going and don't give up you can get there (absent any medical issues like hypothermia or broken bones). I used that thought extensively on Sunday when I decided to climb Mt. Diablo after riding 35 or 40 miles. I wanted to quit and just head down the hill but I kept envisioning orange buoys and shore and I kept pedaling and I got where I needed to be. The second lesson is that FeLady and I are chums. Not chum - chums. We had a great time together.

*ShoGun reference. I think that was the phrase. Does anyone else remember?

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)

A couple months ago I was driving to work listening to the local classic rock radio station (KFOG) and "The Fog Files" was playing. The Fog Files is the news guy's (Peter Finch) feature show. This one was about a Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist who also happens to be a middle aged woman who struggles with weight - just like me! She was driving to work one day, listening to the radio (harmonic convergence!) and thinking about a meeting she would soon be attending. She knew that at this meeting there would be plate of cookies and she would eat them and then hate herself (more harmonic convergence!) and she wondered why it is that there are songs about loving and losing and getting the guy and getting dumped but not a single song about resisting cookies.

In that AHA moment she returned to that comfortable old aphorism - if you need something done right you have to do it yourself and so she did. First she wrote some song lyrics to express her feelings about weight and food. Then she spoke with some industry people about how to go about getting these songs produced and they told her to hire top talent in the music writing and vocals arena. Being that she's a Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist she has more money than fat so that's what she did.

Harmonic convergence entered my life yet again when I got an email a couple weeks later asking me if I'd like to review the CD. "Bring it on!" I said, I already heard about this on the radio.

So that's the story behind the review of Skinny Songs by Heidi Roizan. And what about that review?

I admire Ms. Roizen for doing something positive about this cookie problem. Way to go! Clearly this has worked for you You look great, not to mention the fact that this has brought you face to face with Martha! I'm impressed! (see pic below)

As for the music - she did a smart thing by making some of them very country, a couple of them sort of hip-hopish and some more mainstream rock. The rhythm is set to workout speed so you can hear words of affirmation about what you are doing while you do it and that's always a good thing. There are lyrics to remind you of why you really want to lose weight:
From "Who the Hell is That"
who the hell is that? ‘Cause it sure ain’t me!
how’d I get so fat? It’s a shame to see
something’s gone wrong with the photo quality
who the hell is that, cause it sure ain’t me

And lyrics to remind you that it's all up to you and that you really want it and YOU CAN DO IT!
From "You Da Boss"
But you don’t need that piece of pie
Gotta let it go and pass you by
and I’m here to remind you why
‘cause you want to be lookin’ and feelin’ fly

"You Got to Use it to Lose" is my particular fave but truth be told it's the kind of exercise music that gets stuck in your head and just hangs around like post workout sock stink.

I'm not nuts about most of the music (I'm not a fan of country or hip hop) but I think the CD is a great idea and expect there are people out there for whom this collection would represent a huge source of motivation and assistance in the battle of the bulge. Although the marketing is clearly targeting women, many of the songs are sung by men so I think they could relate.

They have a line of shirts, too (look - it's Martha!!) I find some of them offensive but when it comes to my body I've never had a very good sense of humor.

Bottom line - this CD isn't really to my taste but I applaud her effort and I encourage anyone who does daily hand to mind combat with fattening food to check it out - it could be just what you have been looking for.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My weekend in southern California was super fun.

I got in Friday night and DN2 (Pookie, Daughter Number 2) picked me up at the airport and off we went to a Mexican food place she's been telling me about for the last year and half. When she talked about it I was sure she was telling me about Cody Hahn which I thought was one of those comical restaurant names like Carols Goldstien or Shamus Gonzales. I was wrong. We went to this place

A woman who was there asked how it is pronounced and suffice it to say that Cody Hahn is somewhat lacking but there's no good way to write it. What's more important than the name was the meal - a ginormous plate of nachos. When we both declared ourselves stuffed DN2 took her water and poured it all over what was left on the plate. I was both stunned and impressed. If you need help to quit stuffing your face do try it - it was 100% effective.

Back to the on-campus apartment we headed, stopping first to meet her friends who were puppy sitting. A picture of the pup is forthcoming but alas, I don't have it yet. Petting a puppy was EXACTLY what I needed. That and a strawberry creamcheese empanada from a Paula Dean recipie. Yum!

After a night of sleep that reminded me of how hard sleep can be to come by on a college campus I got up, ran 6 miles, showered, had a protein shake and then DN2 and I headed for a day at the San Diego Zoo where we walked our feet down to nubbins. I made a movie of our day that is at the end of this post.

Then it was off to Long Beach to see my prodigal Son and have dinner at McKennas By the Bay. It was lovely to see where he lived and have a really nice meal.

Saturday night, completely spent from traipsing around the zoo and then driving a couple hundred miles I slept like the dead. No amount of collegiate ruckus could penetrate my slumber and apparenlty I dreamt of running because DN2 told me I sort of snored only what she described as a snore sounded like I was inhaling through my nose and making whoofing exhales through my mouth.

As much as I loved all of that I think Sunday was my favorite day. We got up a little later and headed to the La Jolla shore for brunch. First we stopped by Children's Beach where the children have been displaced by a colony of seals.

We watched them for quite some time before heading up to the Brockton Villa Restaurant for some Coast Toast. If there is something more sublime than a beautiful sunny day on the veranda enjoying the deliciousness of Coast Toast I'm not sure what it is in this moment. My mind is suffused in a maple syrup sunshine pool of bliss. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........

We were very happy

After brunch we stood overlooking the water and watched the world's most amazing body surfer. With the aid of fins and webbed gloves this guy was able to ride right on top of the waves from way out until he had to duck under to keep from getting tossed on the rocks. I included a couple of shots of him the video.

Our final tour was of the Birch Aquarium but at that point my camera was out of battery from all the video I shot so I have no pictures.
Many thanks to DN2, Pookie for showing me such a great weekend.

Here is my video memento of the trip. I took all of these with my humble little Casio camera so please pardon its inability to maintain focus on the close-ups.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 08:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Are you as pooped as I am today? Holy Guacamole - I'm just trashed.

Thank you all for the kind words about my doggie. I still feel horrible about it and I keep listening for her toenails click clacking across the floor but you are all correct - it had to be done and I did it out of love and now I just have to wait for the bad feelings to pass.

I had a fabulous weekend in San Diego and I want to tell you all about it but honestly, I'm too tired. I will leave you with this little slide show and the promise of more to come (I know... but really - I'M TIRED!)

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Today was a gloomy day. A gray and cold and wet day. The kind of day where even going out to get the mail takes energy but I'm a mail junkie so out I went. When I opened the box what, to my great surprise should I find but this:

It was a package from Down Under bearing a very formidable ID RECORDED sticker.

Whoa! I thought. Do I have a drug dealer I didn't know about? But then I remembered that Katy the Greaty had said she was going to send me something and squealing with delight I fairly skipped back into the house to see what wondrous thing was tucked into the unassuming but duly noted package (they've got your number, girl!)

Fingers trembling with anticipation, I tore open the package to discover this:

SUSHI TAPE!!!!!
(click for a bigger view. Go on! It's totally worth it!)

I got very verklempt and had to actively engage in full restraint to keep from wrapping my body in that tape and heading for the nicest restaurant in town with my sushi hat on me 'ead (that's Aussie for 'on my head') and a sushi tape dress on me bod.

That's DPR and me in our sushi hats

Refrain I did, though because I think that sushi tape is destined for better things.

Katy- you are just the bestest! You've made my holiday season complete.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

To those of you who celebrate Christmas I wish you a very Merry Christmas filled with love and joy and happiness and may all your days follow suit.

For those of you who don't I wish you the same today, tomorrow and every day.

My little bit of Christmas Cheer can be found over here at Completerunning.com (thanks to the first person who pointed the way - I've forgotten who it was)

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I've been a New Yorker subscriber on and off for years. It started when I was in college and read a fantastic short story in my roommate's New Yorker. I was hooked. And of course, no matter how busy you are there are always the jokes.

When I found myself with a house full of unread New Yorkers I quit subscribing. A few years later I couldn't resist and ponied up again. I now have a year's worth of New Yorkers that need to be read. I do read the jokes every week, though.

If that fails me I can always just go to YouTube and get my New Yorker humor that way. Like this:

I'm not convinced that the animation and sound add much to the equation. What do you think?

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 07:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

All the kids are home. Pookie got here at about 3:30 AM and Small Son (who is bigger than me but who I call Small Son to keep him in line) got here at about 4:30 AM. Whereas Pookie came in and threw herself on my bed and declared "Mama I'm SO glad to be home!!" so I knew she was here, Small Son did not. When I woke up at 6:00 to go swimming I was afraid to look out the window and see if his car was out there, lest it be not. It was and the world was right!

My plan for the night was that we would all drink delicious drinks and get merry and play Trivial Pursuit. In reality we drank delicious drinks and we are all ready for sleep at 9:30. We really know how to party - woo hoo!

Tomorrow we will cook and drink and eat and be Merry and we will all tell each other what we are Thankful for. I am Thankful for so much. For good health, good friends, great kids, the means to enjoy the day, and love and wellness. I know that is a little redundant but can we give thanks for love and for good health enough? I think not. Those are the 2 most important things in the world and we have them in abundance and for that I am eternally thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I just finished the entire Sopranos series on DVD. I feel a little bereft - no more Sopranos episodes to look forward to *sniff sniff*

For those of you who saw one or 2 episodes and didn't see the point or thought it was too dark and violent I understand. I thought that, too. Then I saw just enough to get emotionally invested in the Soprano family and I was hooked. I'm not an HBO subscriber, though so I had to wait for it to come out on DVD. Sometimes it took forever, sometimes not too long.

Getting to the 2nd set of discs from the last season took way too long. I was so afraid that I would find out how it ended and yet I managed not to - not really. And now I know.

It makes me feel like getting a boxed set of the whole thing and just holing up to watch it hour on hour.

NB - typo fixed - thanks for the heads up FeLady! And yes Six Feet Under was also a fave. Loved it.

Adieu Soprano Family - I'll miss you.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Shout outs to Language Log for pointing the way to this video and several other hysterically funny videos.

Go here to read more about the fine art of Autour-du-mondegreens

It appears that my brush with Washoe has paid off in that I find a blog about language interesting and funny.

ps - I did not fine LolCat on Language Log and yet there it is. Odd.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Today I introduce you to the LOLinator . You can put in any URL and it LOLinates it.

Here is my blog LOLinated (click the kitty)

See what yours looks like - it's fun!

The Treasure Island Triathlon is still on but without the swim. I'm too tired to do it. I'm going for a bike ride and I'm going to run 5.5 as a tribute to Ryan Shay (wrong week!) tomorrow and Sunday I might just eat pancakes and read the paper all day. And paint and clean but you know... a girl can dream.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

After much deliberation, hemming and hawing and after overcoming some bizarre dread fear of shipping my bike - I am on my way to SOMA today! My bike is currently in Tempe and will soon arrive at Big J's office (Momo's husband). I will arrive tonight in time for a repeat of last weekend's wine, Brie and hot tub experience. Not as crazy wild, though. I could live without the hangover.

Tomorrow I will meet up with a passel of blogger buds, some I have met before, some I will meet for the first time. I am so very excited to have a big community of triathletes to hang out with and to race "with". I use the quotes because I'm reasonably certain I will not actually "be" 'with' any of them on the course but I will be with them at the end. I am doing the Quarterman and most of them are doing the Half so I have faith that I will be at the finish line cheering them in. If not then it means I broke my leg or something.

I am so SO excited that this is last triathlon of the season for me. I won't do another until..... probably May. In the meantime I'm going to go pedal to the metal at this race in search of a final, season ending PR. This will be tough as my last Oly was basically short on distance and this one is a bit long. It's all about the bike, though and I intend to ride hard and just let it hurt, something I've never done before. Seriously. I usually back off for fear of not being able to run. This time - NO FEAR! I'm just going for it. If the run hurts it hurts. If I tank, I tank. NO FEAR! I need to break 3:10 - can I do it?

My transition bag is packed and checked and ready. My boarding pass is printed (flying SWA means printing it out EARLY people - I'm group C - 101 which means I'll have to choose who to piss off as I ask to take the center seat).

Think speedy thoughts for me!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 07:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Book Group is the Quilting Bee of the 21st Century. Although there are some book groups that are co-ed and some that are just guys, a vast preponderance of bookgroups are women who like to get together, drink some wine, eat some sinfully delicious food and talk. The talking may or may not center around the book - it just depends on the group. My bookgroup not only meets once a month to discuss what we read (among other things), we spend 1 weekend every October at a house at Stinson Beach where we up the ante on the extra-curricular book group stuff and just enjoy each other's company.

We bring some wine

and some more wine

and some champagne and orange juice

and food - lots of food.

Our favorite house has a hot tub, and an outdoor fire pit and an indoor fireplace and a lagoon on one side.

The actual beach is across the street.

Friday I set out for this long anticipated beach weekend, stopping in SF to pick up my race packet for the Nike Women's Half Marathon. Then I headed over the bridge and through heavy, scary fog on the winding and scary road that runs along the cliffs with the waves crashing below. It was terrifying and all I could think of was what it would be like to make that drive at 0dark30 on Sunday morning. Thus was born my first crack at a cheap excuse not to race but as it stood I was still planning on racing Sunday and that had serious implications for how I needed to conduct myself Friday and Saturday. Somewhat painful implications as it turned out.

Friday night was my night to party and let me tell you - I got trashed. Seriously trashed. I drank and hot tubbed and ate about 5 pounds of Brie and made pizzas and laughed harder than I have laughed for years. I probably aged my face 10 years in the process but it was worth it - it was so well worth it. I drank quite a bit of water but alas, Saturday morning dawned clear and bright, complete with the kind of hangover you associate with crazy high school parties where you drink a concoction of whatever booze you could steal from your parents all mixed together and carefully blended with Coke - ugh. I drank some more water, my friend shoved 1/2 a banana under my nose and made me eat it and then I dozed for a bit, overcome with banana vapors and nausea.

When it was time for a beach walk I rallied, took some Tylenol and headed out. I love the beach and it was a perfect day The swell was high, the surfers were out and I would not be denied. I had the second moment where I started to think I would not go run the Nike - I would just send my chip back and write a letter asking for my necklace seeing as I had paid for it. After all, what is more important - running a race or spending another night getting wasted in the hot tub and then going for a beach walk in the morning? I mean really - I HAVE PRIORITIES!

Alas, - the voice within wasn't letting me off that easy so Saturday night was my night to be good and good I was. I had 1/2 a glass of wine, ate a delicious dinner of sea bass, potatoes and salad and drank a lot of water. I thought about skipping the race one more time and then thought about how there is no honor in tossing off an event you have committed to because you want to defile your body with alcohol and go for a beach walk. Fun perhaps, but no honor. Then I thought, "I could have it all! I could have the beautiful beach weekend AND the race and then some more beach." I envisioned myself returning to the House of Debauchery, triumphant and be-medaled and watching as one by one my friends dropped to one knee in admiration of my triumph over sloth and depravity. It was with that thought that I got all my stuff for the race together and went to bed with my cell phone set to wake me up at 4:30 AM.

In the morning I tip-toed around but I think I woke up everyone in the house - but just for a moment. The ride out was fine - crystal clear. I got to the start line where I was consumed in a sea of women excited to toe the line - many of them for the first time ever. Finally we were o ff - through the financial district, through Fisherman's Wharf, along the water and then over the hill to a most spectacular vista of the Golden Gate Bridge. The sky was a perfect Cerulean and clear and sharp - you could see for miles. The run was a visual feast from the crazy people in costumes to the San Francisco vistas. I felt much better this year than I did last year and managed to jog up all the hills and run strong on the other side.

As I was coming close to the finish I heard someone yell my name - it was Jen, my new best blogging/triathlating local bud who has hopefully joined my run club with her husband. I crossed the line, got my necklace, got my t-shirt, tried to walk back and find Jen but got a little lost and finally struck out for my car. 40 minutes later I was back at the beach. Half of the group had already left and although everyone was impressed that I got up and ran my race there was a distinct lack of genuflecting... sigh.....

I enjoyed another round of hot tubbing and sun soaking but alas it was soon time to clean the place up, pack up our stuff and hit the road. We admired our handwork with the wine before tossing out the evidence of our once a year bacchanal.

My race was fine - I finished in 2:29 something. Not fabulous and not a PR but better than last year and more than good enough. I was happy. I did rather enjoy having it all this weekend but next year I'm going to make sure that the beach trip and a race do not coincide as we know it's all about pacing and racing Sunday has me going out too hard and fast on Friday - and that's not a winning strategy.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

It be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Be makin' sure you do, ye survey dog or ye'll be walkin' the plank!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

My next race is Sunday. It is my "A" race because this event was where it all started for me with triathlon. In 2000 I did this race on a Schwinn Varsity 10 speed that I had ridden 3 times. Those were the first 3 times I had ridden a bike since I was about 16. I had been swimming quite a bit but not really running all that much. The race is 700 meters swim in open water (a first for me), 16 miles bike, and a 4.2 mile run on a convoluted, run in circles dirt trail - with hills. My swim was a predictable first effort replete with panic, rolling on my back and sputtering. The ride was sloooooowwww.... and by the time I got to the run it was about 95 degrees and I ended up walking repeatedly. I finished in 2:31, just ahead of a 9 year old kid and a man who was limping. I guess there were about 5 other people behind me, too.

In the summer of 2005 I went on vacation with my siblings and their spouses and my sister and brother in law and I rented bikes and went for a ride. I was SO impressed with myself. I could ride hills! Thus began my life as a cyclist. I started on that Schwinn but quickly decided to buy a hybrid bike. I thought it was so sleek and cool despite it's hefty 22 pound weight. I rode and rode that bike with my friends. Last year I did my "A" race again but this time I had way more time in each discipline. I came in at 2:08 - a 23 minute PR. Woot!
This year I approach this race with 2 Olympic distance and 1 super sprint under my belt. I have trained like a triathlete doing brick workouts a few times a month. Okay so I train like a lazy triathlete but it's better than last year! My goal has always been to break 2 hours and I have every confidence that I can do that.

As though that isn't enough, my race club has decided to make this a team challenge and they've developed some sort of handicapping system. This makes my "A" race exceptionally "A" for me because with my hideous Wildflower time I expect my handicap is HEEEOOOOGE! I could place in the top 3 for my club! Maybe. In any case I will have a lot of buds out there and that alone is worth the price of admission. The club is having a BBQ and doing some awards later in the afternoon so it will be just a ton o' fun on Sunday.

Here is an excerpt from last year's (absurdly long) race report:
"The run on this thing is hard because it loops around a couple of times. I kept thinking I was done but then there was another loop or another hill. The thing that made the run so much better than it was last time was the Forward Motion Race Club who came out to pass out water and encourage the participants. This is the club I believe I will join so that I don't have to cry in my beer about doing these events alone any more. They were fabulous, yelling out 'Way to go! Looking Strong!" and that meant a lot to me because I was tired. "

Of course I picked up some airplane spooge on the way back from Madison and my throat has been sore all week and I'm a little snotty in the head. Hopefully this will clear up by Sunday AM. Sick or not - I'm going for for it! In fact I'm so excited about this race that I bought myself some new toys. A swanky new transition bag and a white helmet, because my blue helmet clashes with my team kit. A girl has to do what she has to do, you know?

** minor update** The handicaps were posted and mine, as predicted, is the worst/best. My number is the lowest so I think that's good - very good. I still have to race really hard to grab a spot. Excellent incentive.

See what I mean - I HAD to get a new helmet. It was not optional. I can't believe Brightroom thinks I would buy this photo. No way!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

My flight for Madison, WI leaves at 6 AM tomorrow - ugh. Good thing I know how to sleep on airplanes! When I get there I'll be sleeping with 3 men I've never met before. That's right - I'm putting the 'racey' back in 'race'.

If you are watching the developments then you already know that there are several places you can go for updates. Here and Here for instance. My blog will not be updated until I get back.

Meanwhile - I'm getting stronger! I'm very excited about that. Yesterday I rode my bike faster than I have ever gone before. I was cruising on flat land at 16 and 17 mph. Yeah me!

When I get back I will tell you all about my upcoming A race and how it got more A thanks to my race club.

Ciao!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Update - for a full, first hand review of this thing go see Greyhound's blog. He took one of these for a stinkin' hot 100 mile training ride. And stay tuned for my race report from yesterday's Olympic distance event. I did okay.

iHome has developed a case/speaker system for your iPod for the bike! It will add a few ounces so if you are a carbon bottle cage freak who tries to cut the extra weight to as close to nothing as possible this might not be for you. Of course it is possible that this thing weighs less than the water bottle it displaces - I don't know. Then there is the issue of the displaced water bottle. Now what?

If you want to listen to tunes but don't like wearing earbuds on your ride this toy's for you! Especially if you lose your job and need to take on work as a bike messenger. Perfect!


Do you suppose it's race legal?

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Pirate tagged me so here goes a few lists:

Jobs I've held:
HoJos waitress
Burger flipper
plastic bag folder in factory
cheesecake maker
chamber maid in dodgy hotel in Bayswater London
tutor
TA
many jobs in technology

Expressions My Mother Used that want to come out of my mouth against my will
I'm not the village idiot
passed me like I was tied to a post
six ways to Sunday
The shadow is over the yardarm somewhere!

Places I've lived
Yellow Springs, Ohio
Madison, CT
Amherst, MA
Bekeley, CA
Oakland, CA
Walnut Creek, CA

Things I Quit that I now regret
Playing the flute
Playing the piano
Playing the guitar
Singing
Graduate school

Things I will do someday
Play the flute
Play the piano
Play the guitar
Write a book

Guilty indulgences
Pizza
Soft serve ice cream dipped in chocolate
Chocolate covered raisins
Sleeping in (which has somehow turned in to 7 AM at best - WTF??)
Marshmallows in any form (s'mores, floating on hot chocolate, straight out of the bag, mooched up with chocolate chips)

Things I Read Every Day
The comics page
The front pate of the newspaper
Your blogs - way too many of them
Feministing
So Close

Things I love more than anything else
My Oldest Child
My Middle Child
My Youngest Child

I hereby tag everyone who hasn't done this yet. Go for it!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Kermie - what was that you said??? You are so wrong - so very wrong

For those not in the know - what Kermit said was "It' Not That Easy Being Green"

Not only is it easy - it's push button fun!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Yep - that's me according to my friend the DPR (fi you haven't checked out her new header do it NOW!) So what's a Rockin' Girl Blogger to do but give you something that sort of rocks out?

I believe the drill is to tag 5 others and I'm afraid if I break the chain I'll get hit by a car or something so I nominate the following Rockin' Girl Bloggers - Jeanne, Nytro, AM, Runner Susan and Katy the Greaty.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 09:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Before I get to the meat of this article a couple of things.
1). My official time from my not a PR 5K was 29:49. That's 9 more seconds than I thought but I'll take it.

2). Yesterday morning I woke up in a hotel room very tired and very comfortable. I thought about not going for a run. I thought about how nice that cushy hotel room bed felt. I went through the whole rationalization process about how I'd been drinking wine the evening before and how I MUST be dehydrated and running could ONLY do me harm and blah, blah, blah. I could not stay in that bed. I HAD to get up and run. There was no option. That was a first. I only ran 2.5 miles because the work day was beckoning but I got out there.

3). Today I woke up in my own bed tired from traveling and thought "I could take a day off and I don't really have time to swim and then run so really - I could go back to sleep". I could not. Could.not. That was a second I swam 1850 meters and I will get my run in later.

So, about those Pom Poms

A few days ago I sort of kind of thought it might be fun to go to Madison Wisconsin the weekend of Sept 9 and cheer for all my friends doing something BIG. It was just a thought. By yesterday it was a reality thanks in large part to IronMomJenny who just kicked the whole thing into gear. BOOM! So that's it. I've got plane tickets and a room reservation and travel buddies. And I've got Pom Poms!

I'm very excited to be going because there is such a long list of blogger buds who are competing and another list who are cheering and I intend to see all of you. I'm super exicted about getting to spend some time with IronJenny who I met for about 42 seconds before my wave started at Wildflower.

We bonded, though. Yes we did. As I headed for the water I looked over my shoulder and yelled "I love how we identify and mothers and triathletes" to her and to TriMama. Not sure where that came from but I needed to express my sense of bonding and that's what came out of my mouth. The other woman in that picture, FeLady, was also headed to the water.

Jenny and I will have lots more time to bond as we will be spending quite a few hours in the car together as well as being roomies at the hotel. I have a secret agenda to try to suck up some of her triathlete mojo because the woman is a masheen. She really is. If I could get 1 tenth of 1 percent of what she has going on I'd be a much better athlete. I will be looking to bond more with the rest of you, too.

Moooooooooooooooooooooooooo........................

See you there!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 07:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Yesterday was a wining day for me.

It started out with my daughter Pookie and me going to the kickoff training session for the Nike Women's Half Marathon. This event sold out in hours to the people who got the early registration email. I was one of them but didn't register soon enough. Then they had a lottery and I didn't get in that way, either. The only avenue left open was to join the 'Club Run SF' program, a.k.a. "Come Be a Nike P1mp". You have to do a lot of stuff to get a spot but if you do it you pretty much get one. What you have to do includes show up at training runs, bring friends, go to retail outlets and try Nikes on your runs. It's a little obnoxious but not only do you get to run a race that has beautiful SF Firemen handing out Tiffany necklaces as prizes, you get to access special tents with warmth and water and Luna bars and, at the finish line, a lot of very good food.

They had a pre-kickoff 'retail' event a couple of weeks ago where, in exchange for visiting all the stations (see -Nike p1mp!) you could enter a drawing to win a spot in the race. I did that and yesterday I WON! And I'm one of those people who never win - ever. And I won! I'm so happy.

As though that wasn't enough, I got have lunch with the traveling Family Momo. I gave them directions to a Park and Drive lot right off the freeway and then picked them up from their luxury liner RV and off we went to a local diner. As detailed in previous posts by others, the Angelones are just great, great people.

Melisa and I sat and jawed away through lunch (were your ears burning, peeps - we talked about you!) and the kids were just too adorable. They sort of pay lip service to sibling rivalry but they are obviously really close and really like each other as demonstrated in this fine photo. I also spent some time talking to Big J aka 'one of the nicest guys in the world'.

The visit was all too short but it was truly a winner. Momo is every bit as gracious, fun and down to earth in person as she is in cyberland and Big J and the kids are equally great people.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 07:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)

The 16th annual ALCATRAZ SHARKFEST is planned for June 28th, 2008. Registration for this event is now open!.
but don't tell anyone - it sells out fast. Of course that won't impact me - I'm already registered.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Last week I flew to Illinois to see my first born baby, Humbly Ann and enjoy a wedding reception local to her husband's family. Get that? Her husband. I'm still having a wee bit 'o trouble settling into the notion that my baby is married but I'm getting there, having been a guest in her very grown up home. It doesn't hurt that I love her husband and feel blessed that my child found someone who loves her and takes care of her so well.

The trip was really fun. You can click on any of the pictures below to see a larger image and/or you can watch the slide show at the end.

We drove a few hours to get to very heart of the heartland, passing many a corn field and bean field on the way.

We stayed on the lovely family farm where Humbly Ann's husband grew up and attended a lovely party his parents put on:

We communed with cattle and toured the farm

and saw these GIANT pieces of equipment:

The Combine (which combines harvesting the corn or soy beans and stripping them down to kernels and individual beans) which are then put in GIANT wagons and taken to storage bins or silos:

The Combine has HUGE wheels:

Then we did something really, really fun (it was my only workout for the entire trip). We climbed a 70 ft. grain silo and saw the world from another perspective. It was a hazy, cloudy day but it was still quite a view:

We played with babies, met aunts and uncles and cousins and 2nd cousins, and 2nd cousins once removed and old family friends. Humbly Ann got to see friends from home and Mr. HA saw many friends from high school and college. It was the stuff family and American Pie are made of and it was good - very good.

And as though all of that weren't enough, HA's friend who shares my birthday and occasionally my brain gave me this most fabulous coffee cup to honor my athletic pursuits

This last pic is for you, Momo

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Tomorrow I go down to San Diego to fetch my daughter Pookie who has just finished her frehsman year of college. Go Pooks!

I will be yelling Go Pooks! again on July 4 as she joins me in a local 5K event. For me it means tryng for a PR. For her it will also be a PR because it is her first. When we talked about it she told me she would need some motivation and reminded me of this little girl and asked me to be her own personal monster.

Continue reading "Battling our Monsters" »

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 08:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Could you tell that is the theme from Jaws? Okay fine -it doesn't translate to ascii. They did play it just before we headed over to board the ferry to Alcatraz today. I am way too tired to trot out the details but suffice it to say that swimming from Alcatrz to Aquatic Park is an experience like no other and I felt like Superwoman when I got out of the water. A woozy, light headed, dizzy Superwoman but Superwoman none the less.

I had a fabulous time with FeLady, Mr. FeLady and the friends of the FeLadies. Just excellent. I can't thank FeLady enough for getting me in to this. It is by far my favorite athletic experience of all time.

Results have not been posted yet so I have no idea. I was not last. I did fine. I loved it. Pictures to follow.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

I can't remember where I found this video so if I got it from your blog I'm sorry for being a copycat. I just love it, though. It's fun and upbeat and makes me smile every time I watch it. Does the Navy have an equivalent to Hoo Ah?

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Sunday is the big day

Sharkfest! is here. Thanks to Bigun for his wonderful write up of his 'Escape from Alcatraz' I am really excited and not so scared. If you haven't read it either at raceAthlete or on his own blog, git on over there. It is beyond entertaining.

I've been trying to figure out all week what I should or shouldn't do for workouts. It's a little hard to think of tapering for a 1.5 mile swim but you really don't want to cramp up or lose steam when you are in the middle of SF Bay, battling Great Whites so I've taken it easy. Monday I ran, Tuesday I swam but we did a lot of drills (I still made my arms sore), Wednesday I spent the entire day in running clothes and never left the house, Thursday I tossed myself out the door mid-day for a run in the heat and today I am not doing anything. Tomorrow I will do a little easy open water swimming with the tri clinic peeps and then Sunday I will meet up with FeLady, pull on a wetsuit, hop on a ferry, hop off said ferry into the cold waters of the San Francisco Bay, scream "OH MY GOD THIS IS COLD!", put some more water in the wetsuit and yell "REALLY COLD!!!", swim to the starting line, hear the foghorn go off and start swimming. I expect by then I will be warm and very happy to be following the boat with the big buoy on the back.

And yes - I will be wearing a different pair of goggles than the ones I wore for my funny but not all that successful swim at Wildflower. I will wear clear goggles and if they fog up I will stop and rinse them out.

Funny comment on another topic -One of my guilty pleasures is watching dancing shows. I watched all of "Dancing with the Stars" (go Apolo!) and I'm now watching "So You Think You Can Dance". I love watching dancers because I know from painful experience that the coordination it takes to do the moves with grace and in rhythm with the music is not that easy to come by. I took a dance class once in college and let's just leave it at I was not born to dance. Anyhow, last night they were picking the 20 people who will be on the show and one after the other the judges first scared each contestant by hinting that they hadn't made it and then told them they had. It was sort of irritating but the result was that each contestant got emotionally overwrought fighting back tears of disappointment and then when they got the good news morphed in to an explosion of unbridled ecstasy. Tears were shed and words flew out of mouths and my favorite of all was a girl who clearly wanted to say STFU! but who instead said "Shut The Front Door!" I loved that. It conveyed the same sentiment without being crude.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 07:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I had a crazy dream last night that Dick Cheney and his wife met through "Hot or Not" They were both young and attractive in the dream. And then there was a part about me and Ashton Kutcher. I was on a round stage and we were throwing ping pong balls at each other and flirting. I detest Ashton Kutcher and his stupid 'Punked' show. He was funny on 'That 70s Show' and he is very devoted to Demi Moore and that's about all I think of him. Anyone care to venture an analysis of my dreams? Oh never mind.


I should have been having anxiety dreams. Tomorrow I am going with my race club to ride up in Napa. It is so beautiful that I decided to swallow my pride and just go even though I'm sure I can't possibly keep up with anyone. That's okay. I'll just take a map, take a shortcut so I don't hold them up too long and enjoy the scenery.

Sunday I have an opportunity to do some open water swimming with said group. If it works with my schedule I'll do it because we get to go in a really nice, private lake and it sounds way fun.

I almost wore my arms out this week swimming in preparation for Sharkfest! next weekend. We had a Mama and a baby gray whale that got lost in the Bay and swam up the Delta for about a week and I was secretly hoping they might just stay in the bay and Sharkfest would have to be called on account of whales. Then I could just go out to brunch with FeLady and Mr. FeLady and not have to buck the tides. The whales finally found their way back out to the open ocean so the event is still on. I'm ready but maybe just a teeny bit nervous. I have zero experience swimming in salt water swells. I guess I'll just figure it out on fly - or on the stroke - or something like that. Whatever it takes to get to shore, that's what I'll do.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I know you've all been wondering just how I arranged my weekend training wise (sure you have...). So here's what happened:

Thursday - ran with my race club. There were 4 other runners and I did a great job keeping up with them on the way out but I was chatting and chatting and running don't work for me. I ran out of breath and thought I might die. When we got to a water fountain I sent the others on their way and I ran back - quite a bit faster than I had gone on the way out. For me, silence really is golden when I'm running. I did 3.21 miles in 34:30. The first 1.5 miles were 11:45/mi and 10:45/mi and the second were 10:11/mile and 9:59/mile. I should have gone a few more - I was on a roll!

Friday - None of the above. I ended up sleeping in and then going for a great, hard walk in the evening with a friend. It turns out that about a mile from the house I have lived in for the last 19 years there is access to the hills and open space and great trails for walking or running. It was a nice evening and I got in a good hill workout of very fast walking.

Saturday - Triathlon clinic "Faster Transitions". I had a great time and learned some stuff. Most of it seems very obvious but it was informative and a great reminder. I'll give the low down in a minute. Then we practiced open water swimming in which I tested out my new wetsuit. Loved it.

There are some people in these clinics who are gearing up for their first triathlon so the leaders used the experienced people to let the rookies practice getting hemmed in and swum over and having your feet grabbed. I was on the rookie team. It was a little like this:

Then we did the bike route for the up coming teeny tri. I think I might do the July one. It was fun and those rookie ladies kind of kicked my ass on the bike. Very humbling but mostly just a ton of fun.

Sunday - laaaaaazy...... I gardened. I did not swim. I did not ride. I did not run. I slept in until 8:30. Naughty but really enjoyable. I also had a birthday party to attend.

Monday - rode my bike ALL BY MYSELF for an hour and then went to masters workout that was exhausting but good. We did 2 finger swimming, 2 strokes between the lines swimming, build up swimming... exhausting but great and then I went out for coffee with friends. Now I'm out to do more gardening. Excellent weekend.

What I learned in the clinic:
T1 -
1). Have your bike stuff in front of your run stuff. Now that sounds like DUH! but honestly I never thought about it before.
2). Have your bike shoes opened up as far as possible. I knew this about running shoes (have the laces undone) but never thought about how you should unvelcro the riding shoes and open them up.
3). Forget about the socks if you can live with it. I rode sockless and for 11 miles it was okay but I can't imagine doing an Oly like that. SO if you must wear socks:
4). dry your feet off fast and make sure you have socks you can pull on really easily .
5). have your sunglasses in your helmet and the helmet straps undone and open, untwisted. Putting on your helmet and buckling it shut should be one fluid motion. If your glasses/helmet will stay together you can have the glasses stuck on the outside of the helmet through the air vents. Then you can put on the helmet and grab the glasses after you get out of T1. My glasses were uncooperative in this regard but it try it with yours. If it works it will save a few seconds.

T2

6). Use Yankz or at least those lace locks so you can tighten your laces FAST. No bow tying, please.
7). Grab your race belt, your hat and glasses and get a move on!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Friday afternoon the Dread Pirate Rackham rolled into town with an "Avast Ye Scurvy Dog!" and a "Hardy Har Har".

Okay - she rolled into town looking totally adorable and excited for a fun weekend on the Left Coast where she was slated to run the famous and whacky Bay to Breakers 12K on Sunday. She gave me the most excellent shirt I'm wearing in that picture just for lending her a bed and towel - sweet

We sat around for a couple of hours chatting, drinkng water and lemonade and eating cherries and then headed out to a paved trail for a run. We started out running together which left me panting and puffing and thinking I might just die and her thinking 'hmm... this is a nice recovery pace". After a mile of that I told her it was time for her to take off, go up to the 2 mile mark and turn around and that I would go to the 1.5 mile mark, turn around and wait for her to pass me on the way back. She didn't, but worrying about it was excellent for my pace which was:
10:18, 10:03, 9:16. (confession - the trail is all up going out and all down coming back). !

After returning home and showering we ate homemade pizza that I made, chicken curry that my son made and spent more time chit chatting until it was time for bed.

Saturday she had a swim on her schedule so we headed to the pool for 100m warm up, 8 x100 alternating pulling by 100s and 100 cool down. I'm happy to say we are pretty evenly matched in the pool but I let her lead for most of it. I then took her back to the train to go meet up with another friend and we made plans to rendez-vous in the morning.

This morning we all met up and joined the steady stream of the crazy people as they headed for the start of the Bay to Breakers. I took my camera with me and got a few shots like this one of the Brides of Bay to Breakers

but I failed to capture any shots of naked people although there were some out there. Not nearly as many as usual but some and most of them fairly fit in contrast to years past when the course was littered with fat, jiggly people who would have done well to keep their glory under wraps.

This official shot from San Francisco Chronicle gives you a sense of scale for this event - it's HUGE!

I also got a shot of this angel who ran the entire 12K in this little get up. Lots of people run this race in big, outlandish costumes that just can't be comfortable

My very favorite part of the Bay to Breakers, though are the people who put on Salmon costumes and start at the finish line and run upstream. There are quite a lot of them and it is most amusing. DPR and I were still running together when they arrived on the scene and we high fived them all down the line.

I guess if you are really lucky you can see the Salmon go to battle with the Yogi Ninjas

The Pirate and I made a port-a-potty stop at the bottom of the infamous Hayes Street Hill and when we started our ascent it was clear to me that it was time for the Pirate to fly solo because she had a lot more uphill oomph than I did and you know - if you love someone you set them free and by now I ♥ ed the DPR and just watched her back and her totally cool hat as she zipped up the hill.

All 3 of us met up at the finish and took a seemingly epic bus journey back to the start where we bid our good-byes and went on our merry ways. It was a great, great weekend with me running further and faster than I've run in a long time. It totally pays to invite a Pirate to your house and then try to chase her down. DPR is a great person and wonderful houseguest not to mention an a$$ kicking athlete.

B2B finish time 1:22:30.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

When my kids were little we would go every summer to Berkeley Touloumne Family Camp.

The accomodations are tent cabins with nearby bathrooms, showers built of stone that are open to the sky and a dining room where they served 3 meals a day with more food than anyone should rightfully eat. Arts and Crafts was a major component of the experience for me because although I lack talent I love the activities. There was a different craft every day of the week and our favorite was Tie-Dye Wednesday where would maniacally round up every white cotton thing we could find and take it down to the crafts area to tie dye it. Some people would bring sheet sets, jackets and tableclothes. I still wear a nightgown I tie-dyed at Family camp many years ago.

(click for larger image)

There were evening activities, too. There was Bingo night and Campfire night and Table night where the kids would put on plays in the amphitheater.

A couple of times when we went in July there was a very large extended family who would all come together to spend a week at camp and they put on the funniest shows that always included some crazy prank one adult brother played on another. One year Family A got the Dad from Family B to go out on stage and get on his hands and knees. They then proceeded to do a skit where Dad B was a table in a bar and Family A would come in one member at a time to get a drink which he or she would then leave on Dad B's back and then leave the stage. The subtext was that everyone was crying in his beer over something. At the end of the show, there was Dad B on his hands and knees with a dozen glasses of soda perched on his back and no way to get up. It was very funny.

I don't expect to be able to have Table night at Wildflower due to time constraints but all of this was brought to mind when I read the blogs of various raceAthlete team members who tell us that there will be campfire songs sung at Wildflower. One of my favorite songs is called Wada Lee Atcha which has some fairly intricate hand motions and it goes like this:

Wada Lee Atcha
Wada lee atcha,
wada lee atcha
doodly doo, doodly doo
Wada lee atcha,
wada lee atcha
doodly doo, doodly doo,
*Simplest thing, there isn’t much to it,
All you’ve got to do is doodly doo, it
I like the rest, but the part I like best
Is the doodly, doodly doo doo – faster!!
repeat, singing and doing the hand motions faster

I can only hope I have the opportunity to teach everyone the song that has taken up residence in my brain for the last couple of days as I prepare to just doodly do it - faster or slower, it matters not. I could not be more exicted to meet everyone and to race my first Olympic distance triathlon.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 03:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Jessica of Daughter of Opinion issued a challenge to post a picture of yourself taken first thing in the morning.

So here I am, bedhead and all. No makeup, semi-conscious, bad breath, holding the camera myself (hence the appearance of what seems to be an oddly off-center nose. It isn't). If you are camping near me at Wildflower this is likely what you will see. Sorry 'bout that but I will try really hard not to breath on you before I've brushed my teeth.

In other news - swam and worked out on my trainer yesterday, I ran today and I am riding and running tomorrow. Things are starting to come together!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 06:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger

Does this mean I'm destined to end up with a ring on my finger? As if.
ps- I'm the most unartistic person on God's Green Earth. I can't draw a decent smiley face.

Wildflower note (yes - it sits right on top of my head and distracts me all day). I forgot to mention that when I was running my event Sunday (4 hilly miles) I was struck by how hard it was. That lead me to realized the run at Wildflower will be really hard. At the time it bothered me but now? BRING IT ON!

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I have a role over at CRN to provide the Saturday inspirational video. It's a fun job because it gives me a reason to wander the internets in search of fun and/or inspiring video that pertains to training. Sometimes I bump into something else, though and today was one of those days. I give you this (word up, Roman - video mashups are fun, too!):

Speaking of CRN, I need you to do me a little favor. If you are subscribed to this blog I need you to dump the feed you are using and use my Feedburner feed instead. You can do it by clicking on the link at the top of the upper right side bar. I'm not sure how all of this works but that's what I've been told. One of the things Feedburner provides are lists of posts sort of like the lists of blogs you get with Bloglines. To see my last 5 posts at CRN just look toward the bottom of my sidebar on the left. If I were more ambitious I could figure out how to put those titles in a scrolling and well decorated square thing but I spend too much time at my computer as it is so you just get the static content.

In trainnig news - I swam AND ran yesterday (booyah!) and today I went to go on a 25 mile ride and just didn't. I only went 12. I wanted 25 miles in 90 minutes and I got 12 in 60. Not the plan. Not the plan AT ALL! I will not be discouraged, I will just keep on keepin' on. Yeah - that's it.

Posted by 21st Century Mom at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)