Well, the great swim caper is behind us. There are still those nay-sayers who want to say that Megan did not deserve the award for swimmer of the meet, but they seem to be outnumbered by those who are genuinely happy for her. What bothers me the most is that the nay-sayers act as if she has done something to offend them. They lose sight of the fact that she is just a kid, dedicated to her sport, and not at all affected by any of the glory of this whole thing, thanks in part to her club coach, who refuses to acknowledge any high school accomplishments, even if they did put her within two seconds of a Y national time, on a weekend when we were closed out of the only meet at which she might have had a chance before Y States.
So she is back to her school and her mega-practice schedule. Tonight she had spinning and lifting as well. Brian had the orthodontist, and then we had dinner at Applebee's. We had a good chat about his issues with school, and he confessed to a couple of strange sensations in his hands and throat when he is having to sit and work throughout the day. He says that sometimes his hands feel all jittery and he just wants to shake them out, and sometimes his throat starts to feel like he has to scream. He also brought up the shaky hands, and said that, in homeroom, he often knocks over chess pieces when he makes a move. It might be funny if it were not so upsetting in some ways...so we will see if we get anywhere with these questionnaires on ADD/ADHD. Our appointment is February 12 with the neurologist. I hate those.
Puff is spayed! She went in on Tuesday, poor thing, I had to chase her around and catch her by a back paw. I asked them to give her something that she could hide under while she waited, but who knows if they did. By 5pm she was ready to come home. I made her a little studio apartment out of the kids' bathroom, complete with a little "cat-house" where she could go and hide away. She is feeling fairly well, as far as I can tell, but her buddy Rusty missed her so much that he can't resist jumping on her neck every time he sees her. I decided to let her stay loose today while I worked for three hours. When I got home, she and Rusty were nowhere in sight. I flipped up the couch, and found them snuggled together underneath. Aww.
And tomorrow: TGIF! and another swim meet. The press covers Megan now. God help her when someone beats her.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Message Board Madness
Two posts in one day! It's because if I don't post, I will go insane. It's because I really want to post to the message board for the swimmers in the state. But I will not and here is why: What do arguing on the message boards and Special Olympics have in common? Here is the answer, politically incorrect as it may be, but I am making a point: even if you win, you're still retarded.
The message board where the poster said "why did they give the swimmer of the meet award to a freshman" is heating up, and Megan has seen it. Here's a basic recap of the posts, summed up in my own words:
Original poster: "Why did they give the award to a frosh? I mean, I know she swam well, beat both times and both top seeds, and I know the senior missed her times and didn't break any records. But usually when neither breaks a record and both win two golds, they go with the upperclassman. Am I mistaken, or can someone explain?"
First response: "No. You are not mistaken. Now you see how clueless the coaches are." (note: coaches are the ones who vote)
Next response: "The award is for the swimmer of the meet, not the senior of the meet. The coaches saw what I saw, and the frosh was the swimmer of the meet." (note: LIKE this one)
New thread started, but obviously meant in response to 'next response': "I disagree. You use the word 'I'. Therefore you must be the swimmer herself or one of her parents. You are immature and bragging - a good winner is a gracious winner."
:::absolute shock:::
Why didn't anyone accuse the original poster of being the senior, or one of her parents? Good God! I want so badly to respond, but I will not. I will not, I will not, I will not.
But I keep checking every two seconds, waiting for 'next responder' to come back and clear our name. OK, that's all I needed to say.
The message board where the poster said "why did they give the swimmer of the meet award to a freshman" is heating up, and Megan has seen it. Here's a basic recap of the posts, summed up in my own words:
Original poster: "Why did they give the award to a frosh? I mean, I know she swam well, beat both times and both top seeds, and I know the senior missed her times and didn't break any records. But usually when neither breaks a record and both win two golds, they go with the upperclassman. Am I mistaken, or can someone explain?"
First response: "No. You are not mistaken. Now you see how clueless the coaches are." (note: coaches are the ones who vote)
Next response: "The award is for the swimmer of the meet, not the senior of the meet. The coaches saw what I saw, and the frosh was the swimmer of the meet." (note: LIKE this one)
New thread started, but obviously meant in response to 'next response': "I disagree. You use the word 'I'. Therefore you must be the swimmer herself or one of her parents. You are immature and bragging - a good winner is a gracious winner."
:::absolute shock:::
Why didn't anyone accuse the original poster of being the senior, or one of her parents? Good God! I want so badly to respond, but I will not. I will not, I will not, I will not.
But I keep checking every two seconds, waiting for 'next responder' to come back and clear our name. OK, that's all I needed to say.
The Politics of Swimming
So nothing can ever be easy. Megan's being named Swimmer of the Meet is now ensconced in controversy. I am not sure if she realizes, but she might, because on the way home, she kept saying, "the coaches would only vote for me if they wanted to, they had to want to vote for me, right?" The swimmer of the meet is chosen by a vote from each coach. I think there were something like 20 teams there. When I was standing by the scorers table, there were 13 votes handed in, and ten were for Megan.
However, some people feel that since she is a freshman, she should not have been awarded the distinction. There was one other girl there, a senior, who also won two events, and her constituents feel that she should have had the award. People are posting mean things on the nj.com swimming forums, and sticking little digs into facebook postings. Others are just going around shooting off their mouths. The girl herself, as far as we know, has been perfectly gracious towards Megan.
Mostly, it isn't against Megan. They call the coaches idiots and say why would they give it to a freshman, when neither girl broke any records. Of course, we went there as newbies. Megan went to try to swim her best. Of course she would try to win, but she wasn't counting on it. In fact, she was worried about being seeded up so high in this type of a meet.
However - she was a second seed in both of her events. She came from behind in both races and more than outtouched her competitors. She swam good, smart races, bettered both of her times, and she was a virtual unknown before she dove off of the block. The other girl won her two events, sure. But she didn't beat either of her times, and she had no real competition. It is unfortunate that so much emphasis is placed on this award. We were thrilled with the two gold medals, and the videos have even been posted on digital sports - they speak for themselves.
So, no matter what they all say, we know that Megan got into that pool and swam her heart out - did her best and pushed to the limits. That's what a championship meet should be about - not being guaranteed some award just because you're the top seed and a senior. This may never happen again for Megan, but we are not going to take away from her just because she's a freshman. Now she will be the one to beat, and that's a tough position to defend. We have all of our toughest meets coming up in the next three weeks. After that, onward and upward - to the regional meet on February 9! And through all of this, the real goal is Y States in March.
And in other news, Puff is set to be spayed tomorrow. She's been making some noises like she might be going into heat, but she hasn't been trying to tempt the boys with her wares and calling out in the night. They did say they would spay her even in heat, but I could postpone it if I were sure. If she doesn't prove it to me by tonight, I'll just take her in.
However, some people feel that since she is a freshman, she should not have been awarded the distinction. There was one other girl there, a senior, who also won two events, and her constituents feel that she should have had the award. People are posting mean things on the nj.com swimming forums, and sticking little digs into facebook postings. Others are just going around shooting off their mouths. The girl herself, as far as we know, has been perfectly gracious towards Megan.
Mostly, it isn't against Megan. They call the coaches idiots and say why would they give it to a freshman, when neither girl broke any records. Of course, we went there as newbies. Megan went to try to swim her best. Of course she would try to win, but she wasn't counting on it. In fact, she was worried about being seeded up so high in this type of a meet.
However - she was a second seed in both of her events. She came from behind in both races and more than outtouched her competitors. She swam good, smart races, bettered both of her times, and she was a virtual unknown before she dove off of the block. The other girl won her two events, sure. But she didn't beat either of her times, and she had no real competition. It is unfortunate that so much emphasis is placed on this award. We were thrilled with the two gold medals, and the videos have even been posted on digital sports - they speak for themselves.
So, no matter what they all say, we know that Megan got into that pool and swam her heart out - did her best and pushed to the limits. That's what a championship meet should be about - not being guaranteed some award just because you're the top seed and a senior. This may never happen again for Megan, but we are not going to take away from her just because she's a freshman. Now she will be the one to beat, and that's a tough position to defend. We have all of our toughest meets coming up in the next three weeks. After that, onward and upward - to the regional meet on February 9! And through all of this, the real goal is Y States in March.
And in other news, Puff is set to be spayed tomorrow. She's been making some noises like she might be going into heat, but she hasn't been trying to tempt the boys with her wares and calling out in the night. They did say they would spay her even in heat, but I could postpone it if I were sure. If she doesn't prove it to me by tonight, I'll just take her in.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Swimmer of the Meet!
The meet is over, and it exceeded our wildest expectations. Not only was Megan able to beat those times on the psych sheets, she was able to beat the favorites in both events, including the senior who has been called one of the best swimmers in the conference. She swam her usual hang-back-at-first race, so the picture of her in the local paper actually shows her in second place.
After winning the 200 free and being interviewed by the paper, she was charged up to be competitive in the 500. She hung so far back that I just didn't think she'd be able to pull off even close to a win, for a while it looked like a race for second place. Then she turned it on, and by the time she caught up, the senior didn't know what to make of it.
No Nationals times, but the 500 time put her within two seconds, a good place to be for States in March. After so many years of swimming in the middle of the pack, it's so nice to see all the dedication and sacrifice paying off. It makes it all worthwhile for those 24 hours of fame. And a big name to live up to at the upcoming meets! (no pressure.) They named her swimmer of the meet!
And, as per the title of my blog: life goes on. She's back at the pool, as of 6:30 this morning.
Friday, January 4, 2008
TGIF
Well, isn't that the most boring post title ever?
It's Friday. I don't know how I get through five day weeks, I barely got through this three day week, and I didn't even have to work. I did have a whopping headache yesterday, that didn't help. But today I had a free day, and it was slightly less freezing than yesterday, so I went to the mall to drop off Megan's necklace.
I bought this necklace from a mall jewelry store for her graduation in June. It was about $255, that was the sale price. She has worn it about four times, and the clasp is now missing. I called the jewelry store, very proud that I still had the receipt, and they were telling me that they would have to charge me because I didn't purchase a service plan. $40 for a service plan on a piece of jewelry that rarely gets worn. I don't remember the offer, but of course I didn't purchase one.
A manager called me back, and explained that they would give me a 'lobster-claw' (I keep thinking of 'lobster boy' on SouthPark) in place of what was probably a spring-whatever clasp. They act like they are doing me a huge favor by giving me for for "free" what would normally cost $40. So the manager told me they would probably charge me $10. Of course, after I drove there, they told me the jeweler would charge them $20, so I would have to also pay $20.
I'm wondering to myself - now - aren't YOU the jeweler? I mean, don't jewelers work at jewelry stores? Shouldn't they be on some sort of retainer to repair the faulty merchandise? I know when Brian broke his clasp on his cheap choker necklace that is only gold-plated - that guy fixed it for me without some song and dance about a jeweler. In fact, he fixed it on the spot! There was no charge for his services, just the charge for the cheap stanless steel clasp I bought from him.
Let that be lesson #9132214897124124163248 on why not to shop at the mall. Next time I will just go straight to the Stainless Steel Clasp guy.
At long last, tomorrow is the county swim championships. Amazingly, psych sheets were on the site today. Megan is seeded second in both of her events! I just can't wait for this meet to be over. She has yet to come up against competition at a high school meet in either of her events, the 200 or the 500 free. So tomorrow, she will be seeded right beneath the top swimmer in each event. who knows, maybe that will get her to swim a little faster and make her time for Y Nationals - although the times are pretty fast, they are still slower than what she would be seeded with at one of her Y meets, her true USA swimming times.
In other news: I forgot that I let the dog out, and left her in the yard for over three hours! At least she is sleeping now and not bugging me to take her out (haha). Puff Heat-Meter: off. Kitchen ceiling light: still dying. My headache: gone.
It's Friday. I don't know how I get through five day weeks, I barely got through this three day week, and I didn't even have to work. I did have a whopping headache yesterday, that didn't help. But today I had a free day, and it was slightly less freezing than yesterday, so I went to the mall to drop off Megan's necklace.
I bought this necklace from a mall jewelry store for her graduation in June. It was about $255, that was the sale price. She has worn it about four times, and the clasp is now missing. I called the jewelry store, very proud that I still had the receipt, and they were telling me that they would have to charge me because I didn't purchase a service plan. $40 for a service plan on a piece of jewelry that rarely gets worn. I don't remember the offer, but of course I didn't purchase one.
A manager called me back, and explained that they would give me a 'lobster-claw' (I keep thinking of 'lobster boy' on SouthPark) in place of what was probably a spring-whatever clasp. They act like they are doing me a huge favor by giving me for for "free" what would normally cost $40. So the manager told me they would probably charge me $10. Of course, after I drove there, they told me the jeweler would charge them $20, so I would have to also pay $20.
I'm wondering to myself - now - aren't YOU the jeweler? I mean, don't jewelers work at jewelry stores? Shouldn't they be on some sort of retainer to repair the faulty merchandise? I know when Brian broke his clasp on his cheap choker necklace that is only gold-plated - that guy fixed it for me without some song and dance about a jeweler. In fact, he fixed it on the spot! There was no charge for his services, just the charge for the cheap stanless steel clasp I bought from him.
Let that be lesson #9132214897124124163248 on why not to shop at the mall. Next time I will just go straight to the Stainless Steel Clasp guy.
At long last, tomorrow is the county swim championships. Amazingly, psych sheets were on the site today. Megan is seeded second in both of her events! I just can't wait for this meet to be over. She has yet to come up against competition at a high school meet in either of her events, the 200 or the 500 free. So tomorrow, she will be seeded right beneath the top swimmer in each event. who knows, maybe that will get her to swim a little faster and make her time for Y Nationals - although the times are pretty fast, they are still slower than what she would be seeded with at one of her Y meets, her true USA swimming times.
In other news: I forgot that I let the dog out, and left her in the yard for over three hours! At least she is sleeping now and not bugging me to take her out (haha). Puff Heat-Meter: off. Kitchen ceiling light: still dying. My headache: gone.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
On Self Esteem
I feel so stupid. I am like an ancient person, I can't seem to master the world of blog image posting. Using Photobucket, I thought it would be simple. But none of the photobucket url's work on here. I don't know what I am doing wrong.
On the other hand, here it is 4:14 pm and I have not been recalled yet by the mammography center. That should lift my spirits.
I am afraid to let my guard down, as that is exactly when the phone will ring.
And I am ready to press charges for mental anguish caused by repeated phone calls from an 800 number, which we believe to be Kitchen Magic calling repeatedly. Their desperation is not appealing. This alone is reason enough to not use them when we feel like we can afford some kitchen magic. Maybe they're really calling to tell me I won that free kitchen contest I entered a year ago at the mall.
Today, however, I would settle for a replacement light for the four-long-bulb fluorescent light we have in the kitchen. This light has no cover, and of the four bald bulbs, two work. That is, two worked. One began to flicker today, so now I suppose we're down to one. If we can't even replace the ceiling light, I think a whole kitchen is out of the question for now. I'd include a picture if I were not so blog-image challenged.
Which brings me to the issue of my blog. I am not finding it to be taking direction as I had hoped. It is still about everything that happens, it just seems like nothing ever happens. I click through the link "next blog" at the top of the page when I post and find all sorts of fancy blogs. How is it that so many people know how to design these beautiful blogs, and I can't even post a stinking picture without having it shrink, stretch, or appear incomplete? Is there a blog college, like a clown college? I knew I should have paid attention in school.
So - what has happened? I swam my 40 laps today and then totally blanked out as to my member number when I went to log the swim. It was very cold today, so I stayed in for most of the day with my little cats. The phone rang a bunch of times, scared me half to death each time; only once or twice was it Kitchen Magic.
I picked up Megan at the bus, then picked up Brian. I received emails from two teachers, found out he got a 77 on the science test he studied "his way" for. I put a pot roast into the crock pot. I played isketch.
I hope someone calls me to work tomorrow! The less I have to do, the less I do. I don't even think I have scooped the litterboxes today! Maybe I should order one of those lamps for people who live in cold gloomy climates. Today our sunshine was called "ineffective" by one forecast, and "feeble" by another. I think I took those words to heart for myself!!
On the other hand, here it is 4:14 pm and I have not been recalled yet by the mammography center. That should lift my spirits.
I am afraid to let my guard down, as that is exactly when the phone will ring.
And I am ready to press charges for mental anguish caused by repeated phone calls from an 800 number, which we believe to be Kitchen Magic calling repeatedly. Their desperation is not appealing. This alone is reason enough to not use them when we feel like we can afford some kitchen magic. Maybe they're really calling to tell me I won that free kitchen contest I entered a year ago at the mall.
Today, however, I would settle for a replacement light for the four-long-bulb fluorescent light we have in the kitchen. This light has no cover, and of the four bald bulbs, two work. That is, two worked. One began to flicker today, so now I suppose we're down to one. If we can't even replace the ceiling light, I think a whole kitchen is out of the question for now. I'd include a picture if I were not so blog-image challenged.
Which brings me to the issue of my blog. I am not finding it to be taking direction as I had hoped. It is still about everything that happens, it just seems like nothing ever happens. I click through the link "next blog" at the top of the page when I post and find all sorts of fancy blogs. How is it that so many people know how to design these beautiful blogs, and I can't even post a stinking picture without having it shrink, stretch, or appear incomplete? Is there a blog college, like a clown college? I knew I should have paid attention in school.
So - what has happened? I swam my 40 laps today and then totally blanked out as to my member number when I went to log the swim. It was very cold today, so I stayed in for most of the day with my little cats. The phone rang a bunch of times, scared me half to death each time; only once or twice was it Kitchen Magic.
I picked up Megan at the bus, then picked up Brian. I received emails from two teachers, found out he got a 77 on the science test he studied "his way" for. I put a pot roast into the crock pot. I played isketch.
I hope someone calls me to work tomorrow! The less I have to do, the less I do. I don't even think I have scooped the litterboxes today! Maybe I should order one of those lamps for people who live in cold gloomy climates. Today our sunshine was called "ineffective" by one forecast, and "feeble" by another. I think I took those words to heart for myself!!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Waffles or Water Balloons?
OK ... so I had a mammogram today. This is one of the most traumatic experiences any woman can have, and not because it hurts. A few seconds of discomfort is nothing compared to the anxiety that a nervous person feels even just stepping into the world of pink ribbons and blue gowns.
I started out with grandiose plans - although what made me make an 8am appointment I will never understand. I thought I'd go to the Y and swim afterwards, if I got out in time. Then I thought, no! I already took a shower, so I went to Target and bought a mop so I could shampoo the rugs and a shower curtain liner so I could replace the moldy one in the kids' bathroom.
Then I came home and sat by the phone. For hours. It rang four times. It was never the mammography people.
It's all because the unthinkable happened. Well, first, I had to see the films of my old breasts. The ones from last September (or thereabouts). Please note that I have never seen this before. The mammography center has gone digital on me. Now they slap up last year's films on the viewer, and this year's come up on the monitor in front of the tech's face!
So I have never seen them. The normal process was that you went in, got the water balloons smashed in the waffle iron, and were sent back out to wait in the waiting area with the other blue-gowned ladies. Then, every year, I was sent home. A few days later I would get a letter in the mail that there was "no change."
Well, this year, I had to see the films. They are very scary. There is a lot of white. Obviously this must be OK, because last year I was not recalled. This year the tech decided to take one extra shot. This sent me into an absolute panic. It has died down a bit only because it is 9:21 and I am quite sure anyone who would bring me ill tidings is well into their third martini by now. The feelings will resurface tomorrow morning. That's when I'll take my new swim-p3 and hit the icy waters. And not a moment too soon.
I started out with grandiose plans - although what made me make an 8am appointment I will never understand. I thought I'd go to the Y and swim afterwards, if I got out in time. Then I thought, no! I already took a shower, so I went to Target and bought a mop so I could shampoo the rugs and a shower curtain liner so I could replace the moldy one in the kids' bathroom.
Then I came home and sat by the phone. For hours. It rang four times. It was never the mammography people.
It's all because the unthinkable happened. Well, first, I had to see the films of my old breasts. The ones from last September (or thereabouts). Please note that I have never seen this before. The mammography center has gone digital on me. Now they slap up last year's films on the viewer, and this year's come up on the monitor in front of the tech's face!
So I have never seen them. The normal process was that you went in, got the water balloons smashed in the waffle iron, and were sent back out to wait in the waiting area with the other blue-gowned ladies. Then, every year, I was sent home. A few days later I would get a letter in the mail that there was "no change."
Well, this year, I had to see the films. They are very scary. There is a lot of white. Obviously this must be OK, because last year I was not recalled. This year the tech decided to take one extra shot. This sent me into an absolute panic. It has died down a bit only because it is 9:21 and I am quite sure anyone who would bring me ill tidings is well into their third martini by now. The feelings will resurface tomorrow morning. That's when I'll take my new swim-p3 and hit the icy waters. And not a moment too soon.
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