A few things...

In the past few days, I've done a few interesting things, tried a few new endeavors, and generally had too few time to get everything done. Okay - the last point was grammatically incorrect, but you, errr, get the point.

Highlights? Why of course...

- I saw both "Harry Potter (is it 6...?)" and "Public Enemies" (a film about John Dillinger). For someone who rarely goes to the cinema, two movies in seven days has got to be a record. But the company - Nathaniel for the first, and Dave and Meredith for the second - made it great. Although, I'm sure that Nate would have preferred PE to HP...but he was a great sport. And I love him

- Eating fantastic food at Mama Testas with Dave and Mer, and the seeing the SAME place on "Throwdown with Bobby Flay". FYI - Mama Testas won the throwdown and I promised Nathaniel a 'fish taco' date in the near future. And I've got a feeling (especially after Harry Potter) that he'll hol me to it.

-I did power meter pieces on the trainer. I was a sweaty mess and it hurt. Hello and welcome back to training! But it felt GREAT.

- There's a spider that has taken up residence and built a beautiful web between our cactus and bougainvillea. It's a big one - and I can see its pincers or fangs. But not too big so that I don't want it there... But I'm happy that its outside and no in.

- I've done MORE OPEN WATER OCEAN SWIMMING than pool swimming this week. Without saying - THIS IS A RECORD FOR ME! Something like five miles in the great wide open ocean - nearly all of it in the company of tri studs Eileen and Reid Swanson. I was so afraid to be left on my own that I practically hugged Eileen's feet the entire time. But we survived, and I love The Cove now more than ever.

- The wildlife encounters while swimming in said open water have been, errr, interesting. The pod of dolphins on the first day and numerous Garibaldi fish were great. During Wednesday's swim, I saw a giant ray of some sort, several schools of fish, a sand shark or two...but....the topper had to be the seal.

-Eileen, Reid, and I made friends with a seal! The little guy popped up (literally) in the middle of no where. We were between the 1/2 mile buoy and about 1/3 a mile away from the La Jolla shores when suddenly Eileen stopped swimming and we found ourselves face-to-face with the seal. He (or she...) seemed more curious than anything else - and we took turns looking at each other above and then below the surface. Super cute! And it wasn't until Reid commented, "Don't they have teeth?" and the seal moved about 12 inches away that we panicked. But all was well and eventually he/she swam away and the three of us were left on our own... But I still wondered - what else was in there...?

- Because you know that you're never alone in the water - wild life is abundant. And the fact that Discovery Channel is advertising "SHARK WEEK" doesn't help. In fact, I turn away every time I see a swimmer alone...relaxing...

- I've done two "speed" running workouts in the past few days: nope, NOT fast. But just getting the leg turnover is good for me.

-Yelling at the computer and hitting "REFRESH" while spectating IM Lake Placid - It was wonderful seeing so many people compete in and finish their Ironman. How fantastic, how truly wonderful!

-One hour into my two hour bike ride, I decide that either I didn't like my bike shorts OR my saddle. As the shorts are easier to replace, I figured it was them...and NOT the saddle. But in order to complete the 120 minute workout, I "rewarded" myself with a glass (or two) of wine. And yes, it was worth it.

-Listening to the stories of the 70 and 80-year old members of the La Jolla Swim Club are touching - and watching them swim (all 6-10 of them), just fantastic. I want to be like that when I grow up - flowered bathing cap and flippers included.

- Watching in AWE the big surf that hit the coast last weekend. It was incredible: 10 foot waves, and they seemed even BIGGER - up to 12-15 feet at times. I almost stopped to watch during my run. Almost...

- I tried a new gym and realized that the one I've been going to all along is perfect for me. Plenty of functional strength equipment, not a big crowd, and a great space to practice said functional strength. The newer one...not so much. Being the ONLY girl wasn't the issue: rude people were. Lesson learned!

-Tabbitha and Anabelle are getting along sort of...? They've bumped noses twice this past week, but its always been right before they've been fed. And then they go back to their 'usual' ways - Anabelle chases Tabbs, and Tabbitha lashes back. I'm convinced that one of these days, they'll be friends...

-Alba Body Lotion is wonderful, smells like tropical coconuts, and makes me crave a Pina Colada. But I haven't given in...yet.

-I'm excited to see what the rest of the week has in store: a climb up Palomar with Charis and The Tour of the Buoys OW swim race, among other things. YEA!