channeling Dory and randomness

so I got my tether-thingy on Saturday; it's the kind with the feet straps instead of the waist strap. It worked out OK. I kept thinking that this concept might translate into reality a bit better if, oh, I don't know, I KNEW HOW TO SWIM!!! Argh.

Yeah, I've got to just keep at it. I can say that I'm getting better at the breathing stuff, but it's hard to tell if my form is just as whacked as ever while I'm held to the one end of the "pool." I need to get to a real pool this weekend and see where I need to make corrections. I have 8 weeks to go. I'm confident I can do this, even if I go from canoe to canoe to get it done.

I also have determined that I will be getting a new bicycle at the end of May. It has to do with Hub bidding on (and winning) a chance to play on a charity flag football game with his boyhood hero, Roger Staubach. A friend of ours called this logic behind this "Marriage Economics" -- he went and splurged on something, so I make it better by splurging on something for me. The good news is that we can afford them both (for once), and we're each getting something we really, really, really want and will appreciate for a long time to come.

Meanwhile, if you haven't yet, go on over to TriBoomer's and give him some fluids and a hug for finishing Boston yesterday despite some tough weather, some tough physical issues, and a bout of unconsciousness. Tough, all the way around, that one.

And finally, on a serious note that I cannot ignore, I cannot begin to imagine the horror and tragedy of the friends and families of anyone associated with Virginia Tech. Having worked in higher ed for 13 years, I remember thinking how sad it was that we had to have regular "lockdown" drills in the administration building , and hoping that we never had to do them for real. There will be criticism and comments all the way around on this one, on how this could possibly happen and what could have been done to prevent it. But nothing will bring back those students, those people, who were doing nothing more than going about their lives on another Monday morning. My prayers are with them all, especially with those who haven't heard from their children yet, and those who have not been notified about the fate of their loved ones.