a mile

This masters swim course is kicking my butt. My previous delusions of being a strong swimmer have now been crushed as i'm in the slower lane while men and women much older (and seemingly in worse shape) are cruising past me without breaking a sweat. My problem seems to stem from my endurance (or lack thereof). When we do sprints, i'm good. Kicking, one armed butterfly/backstroke/crawl (or, excuse me, freestyle), etc are all good. When we get to pyramids (4 lengths, break, 8 lengths, break, 12 lengths, break, 8 lengths, break, 4 lengths, done), i fall behind. Obviously this is an area i'm working on and hope to improve upon during this course. Last night the instructions were to swim a timed mile (88 lengths in our 20yd pool). The thought was to time us at the beginning, then again at the end, and see how much we'd improved. Going into it i was sure i'd need a break, but my lane partner (who i'm faster/stronger than, but who has much more endurance than i) gave me a pep talk, telling me to swim slowly, focusing on kicks and said he'd keep track of laps (since i lose count after 4). It worked! I managed to swim the entire thing with just a quick drink of water. My time wasn't great (39 mins), but that just leaves tons of room for improvement next time!

car

I bought my new car! A 2010 subaru forester 2.5x limited in sage green. It's on the boat from japan, so within the next couple of weeks, i should be able to pick it up! Here's what it looks like:

Not only am i happy to have a car that won't cost me an arm and a leg in unexpected repair costs, i'm excited to have one with awd. This means i'll be much more likely to make the drive to VT, particularly in less than ideal weather! Now all that's needed is a name for him or her.

brunch

One of my longest friends, Jen, has been staying with me for two weeks while she's been in town for her sister's wedding. It's been great spending time with her, as well as being able to catch up with other friends who actually live in the area (but whom I don't often see for some reason or another (none of which are good reasons)). Today we drove out and had brunch with a good friend and her family. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere very laid back and relaxed, and the drinks...super fun. They'd made horseradish infused vodka and tomato juice (strained to a clearish color), picked home-grown celery and tomatoes, and served us their own version of slightly spicy bloody marys- in an "acton" glass to boot. Mmm mm. Now that I've gotten used to having people around the house, it will feel quite empty when everyone leaves!

comment away!

After a few mentions, i changed the authorization to comment on my blog. Now you all can (even without an id), but you'll still have to do the word verification. Otherwise i'll get a bunch of spam posts.

car

I've decided that i can no longer put off getting a new car. My poor jetta will soon need a significant amount of work, and at 11 years old, it just doesn't make sense to spend the money fixing it. After much research, I've decided on the subaru forester as my new mode of transportation. Though i haven't test driven it yet (in which case things may change), i am in love. Tomorrow i will spend the day crunching numbers to make sure i can swing it, and then it will be on to getting the best deal on the new car as well as the trade in. Today i read through some online info on how to maximize your trade in value. Basically, they have a general idea of what the car's worth from the get-go, but then look at the paint job, the interior, fluid levels, and take it for a test drive. Luckily for vivian, her exterior is great. Most people are shocked when they hear how old she is. (Must take after me.) Her interior's not bad, but the door handle broke off a few years ago, as did the one to the glove compartment. After some research, it looks like the glove compartment won't be worth my fixing, but the door handle should be super straightforward. I already have the whole thing removed and disassembled, so will check with vw to see if they have the replacement piece tomorrow.
I've also decided that i should start picking up lottery tickets. That, or marry rich. Or just find some wealthy person who appreciates that i work with sick kids and wants to buy me a car or pay off my school loans. If only it were that easy!

new pet

After walking my bike down a hill to get to this path on my way home, i saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Turned out it was this doe. Now, i've seen plenty of deer before, but this was something else. She stopped and stared at me, not scared or frozen, but curious. She walked in front of me, paused again, and watched me some more. She was probably within ten feet of me and took a good minute before she decided to go off into the woods. My phone was in my armband recording my route home, so by the time i was able to get it out and take a picture, she'd moved off a bit. She reminded me of those children's stories where one animal wants to be friends with another, but knows it's not allowed. Strange, but true.

progress

Today i had an interview for a per diem position. Going into it, i wasn't sure it would be a good fit for me, but after meeting the people and learning about the program, i left super excited about it. Not only did the interview go quite well, but i managed to get on a train that went express to forest hills which then allowed me to just make the 11:25 bus going right to my neighborhood. That saved me 40 minutes of waiting, or an extra twenty minute walk. So far today's looking to be one of the best!

i need a benefactor

I do. What i really want to do with my life right now is to spend a year traveling around south america, southeast asia, africa, etc, etc, volunteering in hospitals as a child life specialist. I'm sure there are lots of people with too much money who would barely bat an eye at paying my expenses and student loans, and i could help so many kids during that year. Maybe i should set up a blog to raise money- like julie and julia. Once i raised enough money i could set out, keeping a blog of my journey, and come back once the money ran out. Then my blog could be made into a book and movie, which would raise more money. It would be like eat pray love, except i'd be helping poor kids along with myself.