I Am Disgruntled And Pissed

I should've known.

I should've known.

I should've known.

What can happen when I swim in a pool that apparently has just been vacated by a pack of ill-kempt little rug rats who don't put their kick boards back where they belong?

Swimmer's ear. And two weeks before a triathlon. Sigh. The left side of my head feels like it's about to explode. Biking would hurt, running would be excruciating, and I don't even want to think about getting in the water. Got a doctor's appointment in the morning, so I'm hoping he'll offer more than the isopropyl-and-vinegar cure.

I suppose I should be happy I didn't get lice from the filthy little vermin.

Took the 20-year-old down to the bus stop this morning. She's going ... well, she's going somewhere. At some point, I expect she'll check in with her dad in New Orleans and grandparents in Alabama.

Then I went into New Hampshire for the day job. Stopped by the CSA and picked up the week's haul:

Romaine
Broccoli
Garlic scapes
Swiss chard
Cilantro
Summer squash
Cucumbers
Mesclun
Snow peas

En route home, I stopped and got a water filter for the Long Trail hike with John, as well as some dehydrated dinners he might eat. I've tried explaining that Honey-Nut Cheerios can only take you so far in the wilderness. Not sure he's listening to me.

Made it home and felt like I was sliding downhill fast. It was hotter than hell today -- about 90 -- so I put the hammock up. Turns out the field mice had eaten through the strings. So now I need a new hammock. Grrrrrr. Sat out on the front porch and did some day job work, made a few phone calls. Watered the garden, although I now believe that my potatoes thrive upon the worst kind of neglect. Fed and watered chickens.

Also futzed around with my knitting. I am told I'm picking it up quickly, but (a) I don't believe it and (b) any and all credit is due to my wife, who's being fairly patient about my flailings with sharp, pointed sticks.

Which feel like they're currently impaled in my left ear.

Tight Hamstring

Not too much going on today. Went outside and did a little knitting, then went to the gym and swam for a half-hour. Didn't cover any great distance; mostly worked on my roll-over and freestyle. I swim about three times faster doing freestyle than my normal side-crawl, but I haven't practiced enough. Two weeks before the sprint tri, so the swimming practices are gonna have to change.

For some reason, I'm re-reading two really depressing books: Random Family, by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, and The Looming Tower, by Lawrence Wright. Both just piss me off royally.

I think John and I are going to hike the Long Trail in mid-July. We need to go over the menu and figure out what we're going to eat for a couple of weeks. I'm not too picky -- granola and PowerBars, plus a few dehydrated meals ought to work fine for me. So far, John is pretty set on cereal. Sigh.

And still feeling the glow (and the tight hamstring) from yesterday. And I swear, I'm not as fat as this photo makes me look:

I'm No. 3!

So I got up early this morning, around 630-ish, and we drove to Arlington for the Covered Bridges 12-K, sponsored by the Batten Kill Valley Runners. It's a pretty little town; Norman Rockwell used to live there, and even when we lived in New York, we'd drive the boys down to a little store on the Batten Kill for our ceramic Christmas villages.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day - cool, with a clear blue sky and a few high white clouds. The race started a little after 9a. I didn't think I ran the first couple of miles quickly but I got lulled by the Batten Kill. Felt like I was being pulled along by the river. Looked at my Garmin and saw I was running a 7:30 pace.

Rolled along for another couple of miles and hit a pretty tough hill, but kept going and passed a few people. Saw big brown trout in the river and enjoyed the wind at my back. Didn't get passed again until mile 6. Checked the Garmin again and saw I was doing nearly 7:20.

Finished the race in 54:35. Not bad for a Wheezing Geezer, third in the 40-49 age group, and 13th overall. So I was pretty pleased. It wasn't exactly a world-class, crowded field, but there appeared to be some pretty respectable runners there.

Stopped by the post office on the way back and dropped a letter off to Dad. We went into Manchester and stopped by a wood store to look at various and sundry pieces of wood. Went by Northshire Books, which is one of the best independents in the state. Got a Steven King book (Tommyknockers) for John, and a couple of cards for Dad. Headed back through Jamaica and stopped to chat with the owner of Margie's Muse, one of Lisa's friends. She and Lisa both agree: I'm going to need better yarn to learn to knit without losing my mind. So much for my Wal-Mart acrylic camo yarn, I suppose.

Not done yet. We drove into Brattleboro and looked a ridiculously overpriced canoes, went by the farmer's market (closed) and picked up staples at the grocery store before heading home for good. Dug one potato bed -- they're going great guns in the other beds -- and called it good.

I'll do some knitting tonight and hope for more of this weather tomorrow.