Given the way I usually ramble, maybe I should change the quote at the top of this page to "The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things."
We didn’t row today, because of some lightning in the area, so I went to the gym instead. We are now officially in the monsoon season, so this will be happening more often. I probably need to start keeping sneakers in my car, as weight-lifting in the sort of floppy get-wet-able sandals I wear to rowing is a bad idea in several different ways. That is, not only could the gym people yell at me for not having proper footwear, but I could actually hurt myself.
The race this weekend was a blast. It was one of the best-run regattas, run by some of the nicest people, that I have yet encountered. They even invited us to their post-race barbeque, despite the fact the we beat them mercilessly all day. We (my rowing program, that is) brought home gold medals from all 5 of the races we entered.
Several of the races were exciting, too; in their double, Rudder and T2 were behind at 750 meters (out of 1000) and powered through to win their race. After we won the Men’s four (yes, ‘we’; I was coxing), we heard the other crew cursing each other out. (Emphatically not in the spirit of the sport!) Egret and I rowed against two much older women (57 and 64 ... I will not refer to them as geezers because they were extremely cool and I wouldn’t mind growing up to be them). We beat them by 16 seconds ... Not quite enough to overcome their 22-second handicap, but they gave us medals anyway, for winning our class. They didn’t do that in all categories, just where the handicap was huge and changed the outcome of the race. I think they figured no one could hope to overcome a 22-second handicap in 1000 meters. It was especially gracious, since our competitors were two of the organizers. The Women’s four did overcome the 11-second handicap their competition had, though, and the Mixed 8 beat yet another crew who hadn’t expected to lose, so it was a clean sweep all around.
We also got in a quick outing to Venice Beach, and a rower-ly short evening in the King’s Head pub, which combines the excellence of British ales with the quite otherwise nature of British food. The Welsh Rarebit was good, though, and not too heavy. I lost to Egret at darts; I think she plays a lot more than I do. Not difficult, as I play about once every year or two.
Fortunately we got home relatively early yesterday, because we had to unpack completely (as opposed to leaving various bags around to be unpacked at a later date, as usual). Some of Rudder’s cousins will be staying with us tonight, on the first leg of a complicated trip that involves one of them moving with her three kids to join her (Army) husband in Korea, and first making the obligatory grandparent visits in this country. She’s got another cousin to help her drive to California, but still, any woman who can cross the country and then an ocean with three kids, as the solo adult for most of the way, impresses the hell out of me. (She and her husband had already impressed me by bringing up three non-whiny kids. I’m still not sure how they do it.)
I’ve been rereading Gaudy Night, and was yet again greatly struck by all that part about "proper jobs", but that will have to be another post.
Posted by dichroic at June 25, 2001 08:31 AM