My Entry into the Olympics?

A friend of mine shared that she added swimming to her workout routine. Once a week, she goes to the local aquatic center and swims laps. I've been pretty jealous about this since the Tamarac (the local gym) has a dinky, odd-shaped pool which isn't set up for laps. 

So, I was so excited to see this show up in my Facebook feed:

They re-opened the old high school as a community center!!! Best of all, they have lane swimming from 5:30-7:30 AM - which is when I work out! 

So, I've been totally geeked...but haven't gone. I've been nervous!!!

Today, I put on my big girl panties...er, swimming suit...and drove the 3 blocks to the high school.

I wanted to be early to get a gutter lane (to hang onto) so I arrived at 5:34 AM. Much to my dismay, there were a BUNCH of cars in the lot. Shit! I thought. Are there lots of GOOD swimmers here?!?!?!

Sure enough, I found myself amongst Olympic Swimmers. The pool has 5 lanes, and there were 6 fit dudes in the pool (no lane markers so that more fit).

Well, crap. I actually have to do this. In front of a bunch of dudes that are great swimmers who are really in shape and gosh they are swimming fast! 

I asked the lifeguard the best lane to get in and then I did it -- I got in.

Let's be real: I am not a very good swimmer. I stuck to the breast stroke and rested every lap. 

Ok, wait. I think a lap is down and back. I rested every half a lap. 

Next to these graceful gliders I looked like a walrus having a seizure. Spitting and sputtering, kicking up geysers of water, gasping for air, and barely making it down the lane. 

I "swam" until my muscles gave out. Technically I was in the pool an hour but I'm guessing actual swim time was half or less of that. 

But, shit - I DID it! What are most people doing at 5:34 AM? 

And, I'm doing it again next week! 

Btw: my goggles are the best goggles I've ever worn - and clearly I'm an expert - they are Speedo Resilience

Fingers Crossed

Do you know what the date is today?

August 26.

Do you know why that date has meaning?

Come on, you know...

Think about it...

...but seriously, if you know me, you can easily figure it out.

Does this help?

Um...yeah. LAST YEAR, on August 26, a bat made his nasty way into my house.

If you forgot about that, feel free to read this

As you may imagine, I'm petrified of what may happen today or in the next few days. I'm carrying around tennis rackets and have them posted in every room of my house. I am NOT looking for a three-peat here.

There is a slight possibility that I have bat "proofed" my house. This year I:

• Had the attic fan closed off (the little buggers were HIBERNATING against the attic fan)
• Had the exhaust to my shower fan fixed so there wasn't a gaping hole into the attic
• Had the screen replaced on my exterior vent

Peek at the old vent screen:

For realz, that ish is NASTY! (I made Mom set it down so I could take a pic -- I did NOT touch it). Apparently when he replaced the screen, there was bat poop everywhere!

So, let's all cross our fingers and say a little prayer. Bats are the worst thing EVER and I will lose it if another one gets in my house.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwww

Movie Review -- Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Have you heard about this movie?

If you haven't, you should know it's based on book 1 of the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

My friend, Raquel, and I have a tradition. When our books come out in movies, we take off work and go see a matinee showing of the movie on the day it opens. This one opened on Wednesday, August 21, so we were at the theater for an 11:45 AM showing.

In case you want a brief description, you can view the trailer here

Here's my Top 10 Things you need to know about the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

10. Read the book FIRST. All bookies know this, but you won't truly understand the characters without reading the book first. READ. It's good for you!

9. While many things were changed, I found myself saying "Oh yeah" and "I forgot about that". I read the book probably in 2008 so the movie helped bring me back into the world of the Mortal Instruments. Yep, I totally got pissed at the things that were changed but I loved the things that were on point - it made me want to re-read the whole series.

8. As what usually happens in a book turned movie, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the book was cut out. Why can't they just make 4-6 hour movies for us bookies? (Intermission people!)

7. Lily Collins was a great Clary.

6. While he wasn't given enough time to develop his character, (and originally I thought he was a poor fit for this role) Jamie Campbell Bower was a fantastic Jace. Jamie - you were tremendous and truly fit as Jace. I apologize for my hasty judgement!

(So sad that Lily and Jamie broke up in real life -- maybe they will get back together for the next movie)

5. Yes, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, and Jemima West: You were great too! Robert totally broke my heart in the movie! (I can't spoil it for you so I won't tell you why)

4. The set director and costume designer totally rocked the house on this one. The scenes were magnificent! The apartment! The institute! The vampire hang out! The club! MAGNIFICENT! The costumes were on point and EXACTLY as described in the book, if not better than I imagined.

3. CAUTION: CHEESE FACTOR! Ok, I'm a total mushy sap and I enjoyed the "garden" scene - BUT, let's be honest, it had a cheese factor of about 8.7. Lily was a great Clary - but not a great tripper, if you know what I mean. However, that's only a short part of the movie so don't let it stop you from watching.

2. The Book is MUCH better. I mean, really? When are movie makers going to figure it out?
Here's what I say to the creators/directors: DON'T CHANGE IMPORTANT PARTS!!! - like changing Hodge's journey, or completely cutting out Rafeal, nobody understands what Simon drank at the party because the movie didn't show what truly happened, and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD - please take the time to explain Magnus Bane! While, Godfrey Gao is a dream, the movie in no way let the watchers understand his true essence!

PS. I love you, Godfrey. You are pretty much the best looking man on the planet.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING:

1. PLEASE see it!!! I really want them to continue making the books into movies and they can only do that if it grosses enough money!


Directed by: Harald Zwart
Screenplay by: Jessica Postigo Paquette
Based on the novel by: Cassandra Clare:
Executive Producers: Bob Shaye, Michael Lynn, Martin Moszkowicz
Cast: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Lena Headev, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao