Sick as a dog???

Today I'm feeling like I can't deny it any longer. I'm sick! :( How unfair!!! I think I will still be out there tomorrow for the Reindeer Run, even if I can only walk it. So since I'm super grumpy from not feeling well, I don't want to get into anything for real today. ;) I will just sound whiny! All this talk of being sick made me wonder about the phrase, sick as a dog. Where in the hell did that come from? ;)

So in the spirit of my grumpiness I have selected the first listing I found for an explanation aka it may be complete craziness. So this is what it said:

The earliest known usage of "sick as a dog'' dates back to 1705. It has been suggested that the phrase originated from the fact that dogs, being domesticated, are the most common animal we've seen vomiting besides ourselves. Our intimate relationships with dogs have also allowed for many other "dog'' phrases like "every dog has his day'' and the straightforward "you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'' British English has sometimes employed similar phrases involving other animals - "sick as a horse'' and, yes, "sick as a cat'' - but "sick as a dog'' is the only choice in American English.

A surprising variant that has become popular in Britain in the past several decades is "sick as a parrot,'' which typically describes someone who is very disappointed or disgusted rather than physically sick. Parrots aren't especially known for being either sick or disappointed, and no one knows exactly how this phrase originated. (One theory traces it to a famous Monty Python sketch involving a dead parrot.) It was first recorded in 1979, and it has been popular in the years since, especially among British athletes describing their extreme disappointment over losing a match.

So there you are! I'm sure your lives are so much more fulfilled with this knowledge. ;)

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Today is World AIDS Day. And as I would normally provide you with a myriad of links to go check out, I really only have a couple of things to say about this:

1. DO NOT GET AIDS. Now I know this seems super obvious but clearly, this is an epidemic so therefore it would appear to me that some people still do not realize that EVERYONE is at risk. So be wise and think before you act! ;)

2. While AIDS is a terrible disease, the people who contract this disease here in the US and across the globe suffer from serious stigma. Recognize that ANYONE can get it and that it doesn't speak to a person's character to be suffering from HIV/AIDS.

3. We can all do things to help, PERIOD, with pretty much everything that is going today. There are lots of things that you can do to help. And donating money isn't even the biggest thing. There are tons of organizations that you can volunteer with doing all sorts of things. People with HIV/AIDS not only need medical treatment but access to many different types of services. Most of all, many of them just need a smile, a hug and a supportive hand to help connect them to the people, services and organizations that can help them.

I apologize for not giving more info on how to help in the Cleveland area but Google is extremely helpful! ;) If I wasn't so 'like a dog' and grumpy I would totally give you a head start! I have faith though that you are very capable. :)

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I have a little more holiday cheer to send your way. I usually lose count of all the things that make me smile throughout the day but this is one I will be referring to throughout the day. Enjoy!:


This is my nephew, I know he is soooooo adorable! He totally takes after me! :P

I will have a race report of sorts tomorrow and I will post what I had originally planned on discussing this weekend. Have a GREAT Friday!!!!

feelin the christmas spirit

So tonight after work I decorated my living room and the tree! So much fun! :) I was going to swim tonight but alas I had no willpower! I had a pretty good workout this morning, so I will make sure I swim tomorrow and the rest of the week for that matter!

Anyhow, I have created a slideshow of pics from my decorating party! I thought it might be better than posting a bunch of pics like I did for the A&C. I have included a few ornaments that make my tree every year. My grandma used to buy us ornaments every year.

In fact, the year she died she already had quite a few purchased and wrapped; it was only April!! That year a few of us had presents and ornaments even though she wasn't with us. My mom has given us ornaments pretty much every year too, so I have a bunch of those too. Plus I have a ton from my mom and dad that used to be theirs when they were young. Pretty much every ornament has a story. :) I also have a manger that my grandpa made which I'm sure will be cleaned out by morning, since Morris thinks it is his house!

Enjoy!

I enjoyed my evening though and listened to some of my favorite Christmas songs: Snoopy's Christmas, Merry Christmas Darling, Last Christmas, Celebrate me Home and Frosty the Snowman (but only by the McGuire Sisters). I reminisced and sang along.

So all of you lovely inhabitants of blogland, what are some of your favorite holiday memories?? Any favorite songs, stories or food?? Post and share it with the rest of us! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Hello to all of you lovely blog readers!

I hope all of you had great Thanksgivings!!!! Mine was good. Good times, good food! :) The next day I worked out with Alexis and then went with my mom and brother to Aurora Farms and the Nike outlet! :) See previous post re: my obsession with athletic clothing. So that was fun we shopped for a few hours and then my mom and I went to Beachwood Place and then had a girl's sleepover. :) Yesterday I worked out with Alexis and then hung out with my dad and brother.

Today I cleaned and got my xmas tree! Tomorrow I will finish cleaning the dining room and then decorate for Christmas. Which is one of my favorite things to do! I wear my Santa hat and listen to Christmas carols. Ok for future reference, I don't think I need to acknowledge my......uniqueness, just remember that I already know. ;)

I started tracking my miles for the VTC for CTC. Woohoo!!! Monica and I are doing the Reindeer Run this weekend so I can include that too in addition to all my workouts. Plus my swim clinic will help boost me too. Oh who else is in for the Reindeer Run?? It will be fuuuuunn! ;) I mean Monica and I will be there so obviously it will be an awesome time!

So stay tuned tomorrow for pictures of my Christmas tree and decorations! I totally KNOW you all are super excited to see what I've done! ;)

ho hum.....

Well, I guess I don't have too much to say; I mean I have a TON of stuff to say, but I can't really talk about it due to the nature of the subject and my feelings to it. I wouldn't want any 'important' people to read this and...................well, you know! Anyway, I have several things/options that I will be investigating over the next few days/weeks and if those turn out not to be viable I will find some others I'm sure, or resort to standing in the corner, crossing my arms over my chest and stomping my feet like a five year old. *breathing deeply*

So I won't bore you with the list of things that are making me unhappy, instead I will share one of my favorite couples in the world! I'm sure many of you already 'know' them but let me introduce those of you who don't!

This is the very dapper Charles Rennie Mackintosh, artist, architect and designer. He was a Scot and is responsible for the Art Nouveau movement in Scotland. Later he would go on to create textiles, metalworks and furniture. His philosophy of design was to design buildings for those that use them, fitting the needs of each client. Unfortunately, many of his designs were never built although some have been built by others.

He was extremely fortunate to meet, fall in love with and marry the most talented and attractive ;) Margaret Macdonald. She was an artist and textile designer. Together they became one of the most influential arts and crafts couple to date. In his later years, his architectural services included interior design. Similar to FLW, Margaret and Charles would design every last detail of the house from the structure to the windows to the textiles to the wall coverings to the landscaping.

FYI if you go looking for any of the upcoming art, much of Margaret's work is listed as Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Poor Margaret was one of the MANY marginalized women of creative husbands. She has a vast collection of her own work, even before her association with Charles, and was celebrated by her contemporaries, including her husband. Unfortunately, at the time she was creating her work, women were not only seen as inferior but also incapable and therefore much of what she has accomplished has been credited to her husband. This link goes into more detail of her influence on Charles' design.

I truly enjoy the arts and craft movement as a whole although there are many things/people/philosophies that I can altogether do without, it is probably my favorite design movement. There is a wealth of information available on all three, CRM, MMM and A&C online and I have several books that I would be willing to LEND as long as a hefty deposit is first relinquished.

Today, as I sat at my desk pondering my 'future' and my unhappiness, I started looking at counted cross stitch for my friend's Eric and Olivia because they are having a baby!!!! I'm so excited!!!! Ok anyway, back to the story, I found several CCS patterns for FLW and CRM prints. And that lead me to spend some time in the comfort of friends via the internet! I was able to find a little bit of solace looking over their work.

I thought all of my zillions of readers (hey a girl can dream, can't she? ;) ) would enjoy a little piece of arts and craft heaven.

First, here are two of my favorite Margaret Macdonald wall pieces. I have one hanging over my bed and the other opposite hanging over the settee in my bedroom.

Here are a couple of other reproductions of her work, I tried to make them small so the post wouldn't be so incredibly long, click on them if you want to see a larger version:

This is the well known Mackintosh rose. I have a small pendant necklace of this and am always shocked when someone recognizes it. I know I'm not the only person who knows, but still it is exciting! :P Below that is a textile that CRM did of the rose with tears.

Here is a website with various prints, bronze plates and jewelry of FLW and CRM things: (HINT, HINT MOM!!!!! ;) )

I'm sure you all are just DYING to see and learn more!!!! ;) I KNEW IT! I have posted a few links below where you can learn a bit more about the Arts and Craft Movement as well as Charlie and Maggie (I'm SURE that's what their friends called them! ;) )

http://www.crmsociety.com/
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Charles_Rennie_Mackintosh.html
http://www.scotcities.com/renniemack.htm
http://www.theglasgowstory.com/story.php?id=TGSDH09
http://www.arts-crafts.com/
http://www.burrows.com/found.html

Libraries are cool......

I'm supposed to be getting ready for family dinner, but I'm again sucked into the glowing screen of my laptop, reading articles and blogs. I just read this article from the Times, Much Loved, Now Much Used, about the reinventing of libraries as places or public spaces.

Placemaking isn't a new idea or term but it is on the public radar more recently. I think it has to do with a couple of things. First, I would like to believe that we as a society are becoming more educated; not just school education but everyday life stuff, via the internet. Like everything else in the modern day world, technology certainly has its pluses and minuses. One advantage is the spread of information! And that my friends, is making us smarter. At least a little. ;) As we share things with other people and read about experiences in different cities and countries, our awareness grows, as does our desire to experience more. As a result, we still crave that level of interaction that places/public spaces provide.

Also, PPS has been able to facilitate the spread of information via their website and many projects in NYC. Their location of course helps them greatly in terms of getting the public at large to pay attention. Those of us who have spent significant time in NYC and all of the burroughs are slightly less inclined to be captivated by the name alone, but do recognize that NYC can provide a setting perfect for experiments and observations.

Wow, anyhow, please excuse my ramblings! I read this article about the rebirth of American libraries and was reminded of my very own library on Lee Road. If you haven't been over to check it, please do so. They finished the renovations and every time I'm there it is alive with the hum of knowledge exchange and community building. Libraries really are taken for granted and not recognized as placemakers by the planning community.

I think the whole "Sssshhhhh!" thing might have something to do with it. ;)

Pigskin Classic and more! :)

Yesterday, I did the Pigskin Classic 5K with Monica, Abbie and Sara. It was a blast, a cool blast that is! As I feared, the marginal provided all the cool wind it could. I had a really great time though! I did a walk/run combo and just after the water break one of the other participants jogged up next to me and started chatting. Seems she had an injury and was struggling to finish near the end. We walked together for a good portion and then ran in the last block or so. I wasn't concerned about finishing in any certain time so I figured her and I could chat away and if that helped get her to the finish in spite of her ankle so be it. I briefly saw Brandon, Craig and Rob who all did really well! Congrats guys!!!

My philosophy about racing is just to enjoy it and finish when I finish. I'm not too concerned about times just yet, as a newbie. ;) I'm sure next year I will be more competitive, but as of right now, I'm just enjoying myself and running, which I never thought I would say in a million years!!!

I did some yoga last night and then another hour this morning. I didn't make it to swimming though. :( My hips have been weird! I definitely need some PT! I'm calling CVWC tomorrow to see if Dennis has any time to see me.

Today is the celebration of the November birthdays. My dad, gram and Aunt T all have bdays pretty close together so my mom has everyone for dinner. Should be good, she is making her famous lasagna. The only downfall about having a mother who is Italian is that you can't really ever eat at Italian restaurants.

I made up my race calendar for next year. I'm really trying to do the The Beast; we'll see if I can get it or not. I read Brandon's recap of the Flannel Shirt Metric Century and checked out the pics on the Lorain Wheelmen's website and between the two I was like, "I totally have to do this!!!" Then I checked out the Great Lakes Escape website and it looks totally cool too! So I'm hoping to do that one too. I'm also really wanting to do the Bike Authority Cyclocross, that looks like alot of fun. So many races, so little time!

So I'm officially addicted to athletic wear. I have been for a long time and I'm finally admitting it to world! So, I've been drooling over so many things on the Nike website. I'm not a fan of Nike shoes, but I've always liked their sports bras and athletic attire. There is a Nike outlet at Aurora Farms and Monica and I have talked about going. That could be dangerous!!!! Two women who are addicted to sportswear!!!!

So I'm sitting here, getting my playlist together for the Pigskin tomorrow. Trying to find things that will make me think of warmth and going fast! ;) I borrowed a cd of the OSU Marching Band from my dad and am putting a medley at the beginning for my stretching. I was trying to find a free version of the band playing "Hang on Sloopy" and came across this:

http://ets.osu.edu/tbdbitl/video/becomescripthigh.mpg

This is one of my favorite parts of the game! If I miss the dot, I'm devastated. Last year, I started tearing up when I watched it. I know you don't have to say it, see the previous post, I already know!

So anyway, I'm getting everything together and pumping myself up because I know that it is going to be cold. And because this is the first super real 5K that I've actually planned on doing as a real race. Normally, I go with other people to do the whole walk/run thing and do more walking than running. Hopefully, I will do more running than walking this time. :) Wish me luck and warmth, I'm going to need both!

I'm off to finish my mix and do some yoga then off to bed. I will have a report tomorrow!

I totally know.....

I'm a huge dork. Seriously, I know this and am completely at peace with it. :) I found the cutest things this morning. I'm sure everyone out there already knows about these but I JUST discovered them! Check it out:



Oh yes, ladies and gents, you can buy Tri Xmas cards! TriSanta has holiday cards and all sorts of things. Super cute! Too bad I already have xmas cards, the joys of having a father who is a printer; I would totally buy some of these!

I'm going to add one of Peter Dilanni's prints as my header background, stay tuned for that! You can find his other work on the TriSanta site too.

Enjoy the rainy day Clevelanders! And remember, it could always be worse......it could be SNOW!

anywhere but here

mayo county
Originally uploaded by tracie mz

For sure, this is where I'd rather be this morning!

Tonight I had coffee with Monica. So fun! She convinced me to do the Pigskin 5K Classic this Saturday. Woohoo! Although, if the weather is what they predict, the marginal will be freezing! I will of course have a report for all you wonderful readers on Saturday. Ha! I know you can't wait. ;)
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I'm finally sending my packages for my Adopt a Platoon soldiers. It is so weird how you can have such concern for people you don't even really know. I added the link to my list if anyone is interested in checking it out. They often run different programs throughout the year. My mom and I will be sending some fun stockings for Christmas.

It is amazing to me that these two young men will be away for the holidays on their first tour. I can't imagine being 21 or 23 and doing the things that they have to. It is upsetting to think about the reasons that they are there.

I've had a family member and a couple of friends over there already. Thankfully, they are home and safe. Please, regardless of what you think about the war itself, please keep all of our service people in your thoughts not just through the holidays but always.

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I read an interesting article today about RTA. Seems that they are having budget issues and as a result have rerouted the buses to link up to the trains. Can you hear the ta-da horns? ;) Light rail is never utilized enough. I'm excited to see what the results will be. You can read more about the plans here: http://www.gcrta.org/pdf/presentations/2007-11-13-ServiceChanges.pdf

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So sorry for the blah post today! I'm a little tired and have to get to bed. Up early tomorrow to workout. Yeah! Can you just hear the excitement???

So until next time, stay safe and warm! :)

soooo much to say...

So it was a pretty busy weekend. Here is the recap:

FRIDAY:
Work, not much to say about that, pretty busy and uneventful. I left work late so I got to the CTC meeting late. :( I felt horrible because I had told Monica, my fellow newbie, that I was coming and then turned out to be late (which seemed to be a theme this weekend).

The meeting was great and the guest speakers had a ton of info! I met up with Monica and then met some other CTCers and headed over to BW3s. Shout outs to Cat, Elizabeth, Sara, Craig, Charlie, Janet, Debbie and Brandon. It was great to meet everyone, especially Sara and Charlie; from reading your blogs it was great to actually meet the people behind the words. :)

Monica and I started talking about the race upcoming race season, very exciting!

SATURDAY:
I was sooo tired from the week and I ended up sleeping pretty late. Suddenly, it was 8:45 and I was still sleeping. I got up did some cleaning and emailing and headed out to my parent's house. Then in the afternoon I headed to Bally's did a short 30 min run (2 miles) and almost gave the woman next to me a heart attack.

She wasn't wearing a HRM so mine was transmitting to my wrist, treadmill and her treadmill. So I begin and suddenly she is like, "oh oh oh, look at this! that is you isn't it?" I said, "yes, yes, sorry about that!"

So about 10 mins later she takes her headphones off and looks at me quizzically. I can see her looking at me out of my peripheral vision so I turn my head and look at her and smile. She looks at me with shock and concern and says, "Are you ok??? I can see your heart rate and it is at 165. I don't think you should be working that hard. Do you know what you are doing? I mean are you getting back into this running thing or training for something?" I thanked her for her concern and told her I was fine, that I was only running for 30 mins and then swimming for 30 mins so I have to work hard for that short period of time.

She just looks at me and says, "Well, God bless you! Be careful, I'm sorry to butt in, but I think that you are working too hard. I'll mind my own business." With that she covered the treadmill display with her sweatshirt. :( I felt bad and thanked her for her concern but I knew I felt fine so I kept going. I swam and the pool was packed. My lane partner was crazy side swimming lady. ;) Seriously, not judging!

SUNDAY:
Swim class this morning. LATE! So embarrassed!!! It is the first class and I was late. :( Well, I got to see some familiar faces. Cat and Charlie are swimming too so that was fun! I definitely realized some areas where I need to focus on more. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up; I think I did ok. I was feeling bad for a few laps because I kept coming in after everyone else was done but then I realized that we had more people than most lanes. (I think!) So whether that is me trying to boost my ego or reality, I didn't feel completely lost or drowning!

Then I went over to see Don and my Auntie Terri. We looked over her photography and some of mine. That was fun, visiting and just relaxing a bit. She has a gallery opening coming up soon!!! I'm so excited. You can check out her website and blog, the links are listed on the right. She keeps trying to get me to put stuff in the gallery; we'll see.

I also had my free training session at Bally's this evening at 5pm. I thought it was earlier but thankfully it wasn't! I met with Shi Hong who rocked. She really pushed me and then did a great job stretching me out after. She was a competitive synchronized swimmer for like 13 years in China, so she said she could help me with some stroke mechanics and give me a few exercises to help with core stability and upper body strength.

Now I'm just exhausted and totally unsure about how tomorrow is going to go with Alexis.

Oooooohhhhhh, they are announcing the new Iron Chef. Michael Symon from Cleveland is one of the finalists.

drumroll please..........

and the winner is......................Chef Symon!!!! Woohoo!!!! Congrats!!!

I actually had dinner at Lolita with my friend Krista this past spring for my birthday. It was wonderful! Very yummy food!


Sorry it was such a long post tonight! I promise the next will be better aka shorter. ;)

I can't wait for January...

I know, you must be thinking, "What?! It's only November."

No there isn't anything exciting going on in January, I'm just ready for the Fall and the busy times to be over. Lately, I've been feeling a little out of control. I have been super busy with work, family and friend commitments, workouts and everyday life that I don't totally feel like I'm accomplishing much of what I actually want to. I wanted to swim yesterday AM, but got up late because I went to bed late because I worked late and had to do a load of laundry so I had clean workout clothes. :( And so the endless cycle continues. I would have gone last night but I had a million errands to run and Thursdays I spend with my brother. So this morning I had big plans for getting up at 5am and getting to the gym by 5:30am to swim for 30 mins and then be back home so I could get him to school on time. I didn't get up till 5:30am and then I did a little cleaning in the kitchen. *sigh* Oh well. Ok, I'm done complaining. :)

I ran a couple of miles yesterday, but only on the treadmill. (Yes for all you CTCers, I did listen to my mix that I posted on the forum, including George Michael. :P ) I think the running by far, is going to be the biggest challenge for me. I have noticed though that I'm building endurance faster than I thought I would, so that is always a plus. :) I have a workout with Alexis this morning and hopefully she will kick my ass with it!

Sunday begins my swim clinic/classes. I'm really nervous because I'm not sure that I'm completely ready. I know the whole point of doing this class was to get better, but I still can only do a few laps consecutively before I have to rest. I wanted to start swimming 6 weeks before the class so I would be in better condition. So many things prevented that from happening and I've only been able to swim for two weeks. :( And I'm only averaging 12-15 laps in 30 mins because of my resting and goggle issues. While I'm averaging 1:10-1:30 per lap (50 yd), I should be doing more laps in 30 mins. Wish me luck!

Tonight is the first meeting I will be attending for the CTC. I'm excited to meet everyone! This makes me feel like I am actually going to become a triathlete. :) I also want to check out Bike Authority and see what swim stuff they have.

Yesterday, work was crazy crazy busy! And at the end of the day, as I was closing everything on my desktop, I say this article: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21689083/?GT1=10547 .

It is a pretty awesome story about a surfer who was attacked by a great white shark and then saved by a ring of dolphins. I love all things water and animals so I enjoyed it. :) Apparently, this is not some weird phenomenon. The article mentions that a group of lifeguards in New Zealand were recently saved from sharks in the same manner.

Here are some more stories of dolphins to the rescue:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2004/11/24/dolphin_newzealand041124.html
http://www.eurocbc.org/page157.html

So the first thing that came to my mind was how awesome it was that dolphins, which are already cool, saved a human who as a race destroys their habitat everyday. Then I thought about how applicable it is to what I'm going through. We all have to have faith that things really will turn out for the best and that all the little details will fall into place. I lose sight of the fact that I really don't have control over everything that happens in my life and that it is ok. But you still have to have that fight to keep the sharks at bay until your ring of dolphins shows up.

I know they are on their way, I'll try to be patient...

Hello and welcome to my blog! :)

I guess a little introduction is in order. I decided to keep a blog about my training, workouts, nutrition, etc. So here I am.

A little about me:

I'm 27 years old, a NE Ohio native and I currently live in Cleveland Heights. I share my apartment with my crazy, but super lovable cat Morris. I did both my undergrad and grad in Buffalo, NY (Canisius College and SUNY Buffalo, respectively) and just moved back to Cleveland in 2005. Which is much longer ago than it feels.

My degree, well grad, is in Urban Planning. I currently work for an environmental firm and do some consulting and web design as well.

I have always been pretty active; I have been a swimmer, not competitively, since I could walk and I did diving for a few years. I played tennis in high school but sadly haven't been at it in a while. When I lived in Buffalo, I pretty much biked everywhere.

So what brought me to triathlon??? Well, I have been working out with a personal trainer, Alexis, (No you can't have her number, I'm not sharing. ;) jk, well only a little!) and as I began to reach some of my fitness goals, I thought I should make some long range ones and triathlon presented the perfect opportunity. So that pretty much brings you to present day.

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So today I swam after work. Let me just warn you that there is a bit of a rant coming. *sigh* So I don't think that pool etiquette is really any different from real life manners. Here is the deal. I left work a little early, I had to go to the bank and run errands after my swim so I thought leaving early would be a great idea. Weeellllll, I got to Bally's at five to five. I thought for sure I was beating the rush. So I head towards the pool and don't see anyone.....yet. Not only are all the lanes full but there are other people waiting too. So much for my big plan! :)

Anyway, there are two serious swimmers and then a guy in the short lane chatting with a lady in the second lane. She was doing some improvised side doggy paddle thing so not to get her face wet. Whatever, not judging, just saying. ;) Chatting man leaves around 4:57pm and I look at the other waiting swimmer. The other guy that was waiting is sleeping on a recliner and I tried to wake him up, ok maybe not that hard, but I said excuse me a few times. So I got into the short lane, with the stairs. As I turn on my HRM, the lady says that she will be done in two minutes. So I do a leisurely backstroke waiting for her departure. I'm on my second lap, returning and I see the sleeping guy in my lane. I guess I couldn't be too upset, after all, I didn't wake him up or anything. So I just suck it up and stand next to the rope and start my swim.

About five minutes in, I see a woman step into the pool. In the lane I am clearly swimming in. When I got back, I kind of looked at her like she had arms growing out of her head and she just politely smiles and says hello. I look at her incredulously and say, "Are you going to be swimming laps?" She says, "What?" I'm like, "I'm doing laps in this lane. All the lanes are full." She just kind of looks at me and then sees serious swimmer in lane four is out of the pool doing push ups. So she is like, "Well he is done." And I say, "No he is still using the lane." At this point my heart rate is going down despite my attitude; so I just say suck it up and swim. She actually didn't do too much except bob around and practice her kicks so it really wasn't any bother.

5:10 pm - On my return, I see a man wading into the pool. Which in itself isn't out of the ordinary, except none of the other swimmers had exited. I just kept swimming. In my head I was completely bitching and couldn't believe what was going on, but I kept swimming. I see him talking to my 'lane partner.' She gives him the go ahead to swim. He wasn't too bad. Slow breaststroke on the rope and I stuck to the wall.

5:15pm - Swimming man exits the pool. I seriously heard half of a choir sing.

5:20pm - I get to the end of the lane and I'm catching my breath and this guy enters behind me and in a heavy accent I hear, "Well hello!" Without turning around, I say, "Hello! I'm swimming!" and with that I push off and continue. I'm still practically attached to the wall and on my return I see as I'm breathing that he is swimming directly towards me. I'm like he'll move. Closer, oh he'll move, then closer until I almost run into to him. I'm like WTF!!! I stop mid stroke so I don't run into him. I start up again, which isn't fun at all, and finish the lap.

5:22pm - I look at my watch and am disappointed that I still have 8 minutes left. I'm ready to kill someone because all I wanted to do was swim for 30 mins. At this point, I have given up. I see that there are 5 people waiting and suddenly get a chill thinking that at some point they might all be my lane partners. So I exit the pool and go shower.

Basically, it seems like common sense to me that when you see someone swimming in a lane, not even swimming, but occupying a lane, that it is taken. And whatever happened to the rule about asking to share??? Seems like a whole lot of people missed the memo. Ok so only 3 people missed it but I was still disappointed.