My cats come running to me then hide. I don't know that it is helpful.

Pumpkin is all over me in this weather. Applying eyeliner this morning was hard because she kept trying to redirect my hand for pets. She's kneading my knee right now. Loki, otoh, likes lying in the evening sunbeams upstairs in the spare and hasn't wandered downstairs since I got back from the pool(!)

Beat last night's swim time. 56.6s. This is just wild. It was fast night for me back when my paces were regularly in the 57s range. My slowest lap was 58.7. A week ago, I was just aiming for sub 59 averages.

At least I'm getting something together right now.

There was an article recently about how it's cheaper to live in Spain and commute than live in London.

That's interesting. I have cousins (second cousins, I guess, my dad's generation and I'm not exactly sure how I am related to them, honestly) who came to the US after WWII and decided pretty quickly that they'd rather live in Spain where it was cheaper. Eventually ended up in Florida overlapping the time we lived in Louisiana, which is when we actually met. Which is all entirely tangential, but I guess i have that Spain-is-an-inexpensive-place-to-live association from that and you just confirmed my bias.

Were we looking into buying a village in Spain?

OMG, I have to complain a little bit. My biggest headache today was caused by my backup making a mistake, which I do not blame her for, exactly, mistakes happen and this was an easy one to make, but it happened yesterday and if she had been just a little lazier and said to herself "-t can take care of this when she gets back tomorrow, I'm gonna leave it alone" it all would have been fine. WHY CAN'T PEOPLE BE LAZY LIKE ME?!?

So interesting, sarameg. I feel like I almost get why that would happen - not specifically right now to you, but in a general way, how performance ebbs and flows. No, not that I almost get it, but that there's probably a general principal that someone else might get.

Well, the unfamiliarity of Druid sparked this, I think. Lead to a stroke adjustment by accident (narrower lanes where I wasn't always sure how close to the lines lead me to pull my stroke closer under me to avoid thwappage) and now that I've figured out what it was, conscious of doing that. The slowdown coincided with swimming in the ocean, which is a totally different skill set. I think there was a lot more going on that I haven't sussed out, those ebbs & flows you mentioned. But it's nice what is happening now. I needed it.

Cool. I'm glad it's going well for you.

Jack seems to be making progress on the backing at anyone who isn't us front. On our walk today, we passed a family of 4, no barks. Passed a young girl and her dog, no barks. Only a couple of barks at one person who surprised him but that was it. HUGE improvement for him.

WHY CAN'T PEOPLE BE LAZY LIKE ME?!?

I ask myself this ALL THE TIME!

You know what improves my mood? Wine. Way more than whine actually. I'm not convinced it improves my grading however, so maybe I should stop soon. But not yet. My grading is helping to motivate Frances to keep at her homework.

Ooh, I have wine. I think I need some food first, but then wine, yes. Thanks, Burrell!

Mmm, wine. That's tempting.

I should be doing work--I have a thing that's overdue, and another couple that are due soon. But instead, I caught up on Great British Bakeoff, and thanks to Burrell am now contemplating some wine. Tomorrow, I drive to portland for a dance convention all weekend. Not sure how that'll go--I have so little energy right now, and stamina is what's needed for these events, but...ah well.

Sad I'm missing the biannual warehouse sale for the awesome women's running clothing brand that's this weekend (their stuff is usually $50-100, and at the sale it's all $10, though often there's not much or it's ugly, I have a LOT of their clothes now). If I hadn't already paid for the dance thing (I think $100 for the convention and $140 for the room?) I'd stay home and do nothing. I fear that may be a recipe for hating the dancing, but hopefully not.

I'm playing school bus for one of my neighbor's tomorrow. Might mean I feel all mom again if I end up driving them with my hair half dried. Family is one of my friends' beloved new tenants, I've been getting to know them. Glad I'm able to help and that they trust me to ferry their kids. And I still boggle at this school system. It botched their transfer such that even though they live 2 blocks from the school, they don't get in. The fuck? Luckily, they did get in to a school the kids love, but they've gotta do transport. I do NOT like the way the public schools work here. My experience was so much more egalitarian,