it's been so long that i don't know how to start...

Pictures are to be included, for sure.

Let's see...last Thursday I went to my Grandmother's house in Mountain Lakes, NJ and saw my aunt from England that I haven't seen in years...my mom and of course grandparents were there too, and we all just hung around. My grandparents live on a lake, so I got in some good open water swimming (about 2 miles!).

On Friday, I left pretty early to go back to Cleveland for the weekend. Going back to Cleveland, I felt like I was going back home. I didn't at all feel weird about being back. I know, I know...it had only been 6 days since I moved, but I have this place all set up now...it's really where I live. In Cleveland, I stayed with my student's parents, and just kind of flitted from place to place. It was nice to have no responsibilities (taking out the trash, washing the dishes, etc), but at the same time it was kind of unnerving to be in a place that I've called home for so long, but not really have a home there...

Saturday, I did a 15 mile run by myself...I actually felt good throughout the run, but it definitely gets a little boring to run that long of a distance by yourself.

Sunday was the 'Sunday in June' ride. I went with Kurt, Bryce, and Brian, and we all did the 100 mile route. It was a gorgeous ride through Amish territory and all throughout Ohio farmland. But jeez...talk about hilly. It actually has more climbing than the bike course in Nice--and that's through the mountains! So, I guess I feel pretty good about the biking. I'll have to make sure I make the cutoff, but other than that I think I can definitely get through it. I got lost at one point and added about 4 miles...I was incredibly annoyed (okay, I was pissed) at the time, but afterwards I got to gloat to Kurt and Bryce that I had done more than them, so it ended up okay. Pretty funny, eh?

Oh! On the ride, I almost got eaten by dogs. Really. I got chased for a good freaking mile and these things would just not let up. Guys, if you ever need some practice with sprinting, just get some dogs on your tail...it'll make you pedal like you've never pedaled before. I'm a total dog/animal lover, and I've never experienced real fear around them before. But, these damn things were drooling all over the place and nipping at my heels. I was shaking when I finally dropped them. This was not a silent pursuit either...the dogs were barking, and I was screaming at the top of my lungs for them to 'Go Home!'...high drama, for sure. Makes me kind of wish someone had been videoing it, if only for the sake of entertainment.

On Monday, I did a quick 2000 recovery swim and then met up with all the people in Cleveland that I hadn't really gotten to say good-bye to...it was a nice day, which ended with a FATBURGER!!! Yes, they opened one in Cleveland, and rumor has it that there is going to be a second one before long. These burgers awesome, but I guess that eating them on a regular basis probably wouldn't be the best for training...and probably wouldn't be that healthy in general, right?

Tuesday, I went down to Wooster to visit Phil and had a really great time. It was nice to see him and his environment down there; Wooster has a really pretty, laid back campus. Then on the way back, my car broke down.

Yep. $1000 of 'minor' repairs. I guess it's good that something huge didn't collapse, but seeing all those little things add up to such a big number was just heartbreaking. It was kind of scary too; on the highway, my car started shaking and groaning and it smelled like smoke and the 'check engine now; you're about to blow up' light was blinking at me. So, I pulled over and checked the oil. It was fine and I was only about 2 highway miles from the Saturn dealership, so I decided to just roll my way there. I went 40 mph and managed to get there just fine. They fixed my car overnight and now it's running better than it has in years, so it all ended fine. It just resulted in me having to rely on rides from friends for a night, and made me leave Cleveland later than anticipated on Wednesday. I'm really lucky it happened so close to the Saturn place, and not in the middle of Pennsylvania the next day. That would have been a complete disaster...

Tuesday night we all went over to Kurt's and ran and then had an Ironman planning evening. It's going to rock, guys. We have awesome places to stay and this trip is just going to be great. I'm nervous about the race; I'm nervous about making the bike cutoff, but you know what? I think I'll be fine. I'm not going to be breaking any records; I know I could have trained harder and been faster by now. But, it's been a hard spring and I am where I am. Whatever happens is fine. There will be other races, eh?

Wednesday was basically just a driving back day, although I did get to spend some time with Ta before I left. I was waiting for my car to be done, so she drove out to Beachwood and we took a walk. It was gorgeous in Cleveland the entire time I was there...kind of unbelievable.

Thursday I was back in New Brunswick...I met my aunts and we went to IKEA!!! I didn't go crazy; I just got some things to finish putting my apartment together...mainly cushions and lights and a small dresser for the ridiculous abundance of clothes that I have. Of course, Thursday night was occupied by putting all the stuff together. I'm happy to report that I managed with little difficulty and only swore at the stuff once or twice.

Yesterday I went to New York. Yep, this country girl got herself to the city. I met up with Derek, and we went for a 7-8m run around Central Park. He took me on some detours to see the typical New York stuff...I think I was ridiculously slow for him and he probably had to go for another run later in the day to make up for it, but I had a nice run. We went to get frozen yogurt afterwards and then watched Six Feet Under...it was a perfectly enjoyable afternoon. Afterwards, I met up with an old friend and we ate some awesome Thai food and just caught up. I'm ridiculously pumped to be in the same area as her. She's one of the only flute players that I've ever been close to with no reservations. I hope we see a lot of each other next year, and maybe even do some gigs together??? I guess I'll have to take my flute out and start practicing in order to actually get paid to play though, eh?

So, today I'm blogging, obviously. I kind of felt like it was futile since it had been so long and since I'm leaving next Wednesday for almost a month. But...maybe I'll be able to blog overseas? I'm not going to bring my computer, so pictures will be hard, but I'm sure I'll be able to find internet cafes where I can post little updates...don't give up on me yet, guys...I'll get back into the swing of things, I promise.

Also on the agenda for today is a 50-60 mile bike ride. Tomorrow is my grandfather's 80th birthday, so I'm going to head over to their place early to get a swim in before the extravaganza starts...then on Monday I'll try for a 10-15 mile run and the taper will begin! I can't believe I leave on Wednesday. Arghhhh!!!! I'm excited and nervous and every other emotion that I can't even begin to describe.

Alright, enough of this boring blathering. I'm going to end this post and then put up a picture post...