Bill with his Head in the Pan - June 22 2008

Bill With His Had in the Pan - "Emergency" Swimming Lessons

I don't even know Bill, but as my friend and expert swimmer, the most lovely Stephanie Cooper, was teaching me to breathe under water (correctly) in order to make a decent swimmer out of me, she related the story of her friend Bill, who went to Immersion Swim Training, and who had to start out learning how to breath by putting a pot of water in the sink, dip his head in and then practice blowing out under water. I am glad I went straight to the pool for the blowing bubbles and bobbing-up-and-down part of the training program. My sink is right next to the window and who knows what the neighbors would have thought what I was doing. But then again my street is full of octogenarians and their eye sight may be compromised.

There was no "emergency" really to the swimming lessons, the term actually stems from my friend Brad and Chris' son Marvon who is enrolled in a Spanish immersion class, but proudly proclaims he is in Spanish emergency class.

Stephanie said that I did good, and to remember that "breathing is important", which I will certainly keep in mind for other activities as well, not just to prevent myself from drowning.

Pennsylvania - Land of Interesting City Names

Last weekend I drove to Pennsylvania and back to attend my Uncle Coop's memorial service. It was a long haul back and forth, but I was more than entertained by the variety in city names, which were just so much fun. There was Kutztown (big festival there this weekend) and Klumsville, Virginville, Bethlehem next to Hellertown, Bird in Hand, and course the most famous of them all, Intercourse, located right between Blue Ball and Paradise. Pennsylvania to me is always like stepping back in time, it has a lot of history, but unlike Boston and vicinity it is very rural. It is beautiful and reminds me that this is the first place I ever visited in the United States as a teenager many many years ago, and how different this place was from the small town in Germany I came from.

The Big Black Bear

Well, on the way back from Pennsylvania, heading up I-84, a huge black bear ran across the freeway, and fortunately for all of us, he was about 15 seconds before we were in that spot, and so no one got hurt. It was an impressive animal and outside of a zoo, this was the closest I had ever seen a bear. Wow!

My new friend Nuvi

I have a new toy, a Gamin Nuvi GPS (http://shop.vendio.com/targetrm/item/970850779/?s=1h214044404) which guides Ella and me to the destination of our or its choice. It is a great tool, in particular locally - you just type in an address and off you go. A friendly voice tells you when and where to take a left or right turn, and pretty soon you're there. Long-distance is a little trickier at times, and I have to figure out how to tell it to avoid certain areas. It tends to pick the most direct route possible, and on the way down to Pennsylvania it decided to send me down I-95, which goes directly through New York City. Boy, was that fun, stuck on I-95 in the Bronx with one big rig after the other surrounding me. For some reason, the Nuvi also got a little confused (may have been the tunnels), and wanted me to take a U-turn right on I-95, in the Bronx. This is when I started talking back to the gadget, informing it that I was on an interstate with a center divider, and even if there was no center divider, there was no way that I would take a U-turn on 176th street in the Bronx. I got through it alright, and can proudly say that I made it across the George Washington Bridge and ended up in Pennsylvania after all.
The return trip was much more delightful (including the bear sighting), heading up I-84 and I-87 with a little Nuvi-induced detour and only one getting lost episode near the Berkshires, but I did make it home without being in one single traffic jam and that does count for something.

Celtics

The Celtics won the MBA Championship this week with a demonstrative victory over the LA Lakers. What can I say, we are a kick-ass sports town!! There was a big parade on Thursday and everyone was running around in bright green outfits, it was a delight to see. Now all we need to do is to win the World Series again and the Superbowl and all will be well in the hub.

Post-Eulogy

Thanks to all of you who send me your thoughts and support on the passing of my little bird Oscar this week. Thanks to the special friends who came by to help me what needed to be done immediately, thanks to the special friends who let me stay overnight, because I could not bear to be in my place without the little chirper around, thanks to the special friends who called, who brought chocolate chip cookies the size of my head, who sent cards and helped with whatever else needed to be done. There were so many memories that came with your emails - I thank you for that. I will keep that little bird forever in my heart because he truly was special.

Saturday

Saturday started out with the sad task of bringing Oscar to Angelview Pet Cemetery to be cremated (his ashes will be scattered in both New Hampshire and Cambridge, places he both loved), and knowing that this would be an emotional day, my friends made sure that I was distracted and kept me busy and going. I met up with my friend Denise for lunch at Stephanie's on Newbury Street (http://www.stephaniesonnewbury.com/) and a visit to the Boston Health and Fitness Expo. The Expo was not that good of an experience for a crowd-phobe like me, plus I think it was really designed to scare people into going to the doctor for every little pinch they feel anywhere. We lasted about 1 1/2 hours, but then I had to hoof it out of there.
The evening was spent with my fire-displaced friends Ruth and Georges, who invited me and their friend Laura to a most delicious dinner which featured a brisket made in the oven with beets, rutabagas, turnips and carrots, fresh pasta, a tasty salad, olives from Georges' family's orchard in Lebanon, tasty cheese (supplemented with fig jam - courtesy again of Georges' mom) and a yummy desert with angel food cake, fresh berries and vanilla ice cream. Truly a wonderful evening, and not just because of the food, but the stellar company. Good friends you are.

The Bionic Woman

I am officially declaring my friend Stephanie the bionic woman - she ran the Mt Washington Road Race yesterday - http://www.mountwashingtonroadrace.com/ - Motto: "Only One Hill. 6288 ft. The actual running distance is 7.6 miles, but the elevation gain is 5000 feet, so this is an unbelievable accomplishment. The winner, Eric Blake of Connecticut ran the race in 1:00:39, with a pace of 7:59, which is something I could not even do on a flat surface even if ran my little heart out. Congratulations Steph - you rock!!! (She is of course also doing a Half-Ironman, just in case if you wondered). I meanwhile have signed up for the sofa Olympics, at least for today, where the weather promises rain and T-storms. Movies it is!

Hope this email finds you well!

pet:)