On June 12th, 2011, over 450 humans readied themselves for battle. I was one of few without a wetsuit, and nervously convinced myself that the water I was toes away from would feel balmy, and my quick transition into the bike portion would make up for any chill induced by the swim.
But there is much to tell and much to learn from the events and the competition. Suffice it to say that I have found yet another activity or group thereof that has captured my zealous attention! I somewhat unexpectedly placed 2nd in my age bracket in the Pirate triathlon, much in spite of a horrendous swimming performance. This has led me to a) research YMCA membership with pool access details and b) sign up for the Lobsterman Tri in Freeport on September 10th!
Stay tuned for pictures, more stories, do's and do not's, and more!
Pirate Triathlon!
Random in Tandem
Living in Maine is one thing. Working for three of the greatest places/companies in Maine is another. (Can you guess all three?!) I can have conversations with almost anyone and connect it to any one of my jobs. Even if I was unemployed there would be enough to talk about. Working a cash register and on the sales floor has taught me that people love to talk about the weather. It's a great way to find a common ground and understand what kind of a person someone is before opening up to them. If they are negative over mere clouds, you're likely to hurry "ringing" them up because they don't like being anywhere. If they use metaphors to describe the weather, they are creative and will usually value that same quality in others. Perhaps they will go into activities - indoor or outdoor - that they recently launched into. This will give you insight, along with how they discuss their activities, as to how much you are expected to contribute as well as how much they are interested in sharing. All this is well and good. But at the end of the day, your job remains making this experience fun, interesting, and rewarding. Luckily for those of us inclined to do such things anyways, this is what we are inclined to do anyways. I find that this task is best completed by being yourself.
Let me explain. When I get home from work I usually open a bottle of wine. I usually put on music and dance. I usually cook something. I usually think about my To Do list. I usually think about my affairs of the love variety. I usually think about the activities I plan to carryout in the days to come. These are things I can talk about in depth and describe to great extents because they are innate. But what I care to do when interacting with others is not merely take note of the immediate circumstances: the weather, ourselves, and the color of our shirts and shoes, but the beyond: goals in the future, unjustified beliefs and why they are held, other worlds, concepts, abstracts, shapes, numbers, and why humans sit so much. 
OK, the last one doesn't really count. But not everyone's into this. That is why being yourself must be satisfied under the condition that you aren't always necessarily satisfied. It's ok to yearn for more. That's probably why I still want to dance and think and yearn once I'm out of work. And in my dreams. I think one day I'll find someone to satisfy me. I hope one day I don't dream. I strive for that day. I already don't have nightmares. What if I didn't even have dreams because my life was so darn creatively and energetically satisfying. YEEHAWWWWW!!!!!
Come on Mars. Come on Aphrodite and Cupid. Give me your best shot. I'm sure as heck gonna give you mine.
NEXT TOPIC: My life: The normal version.
I have insecurities. I have aims that I'm struggling to complete. I'm not entirely open. I'm not entirely happy. I am working to fix all of these facets and understand doing so is called life. I love doing this. I love love. My three jobs are at L.L. Bean, Trader Joe's, and Maine Rock Gym (pending a meeting tomorrow, which I expect to go splendidly due to my experience and flexibility). I don't know why I'm writing this except that I haven't written in a while and feel that I owe readers and myself a little exegesis.
My parents moved to an island off the coast of Maine. It's lovely there. My brother is back in Maine. My sister and brother in law just visited. I went clamming with my brother and dad. I ran 4.69 miles with my sister and brother in law. I jumped off the pier into the ocean with all three of them. My buddy just got married to an awesome woman. Things are going quite splendidly well. It's eerie. And I'm so into life I'm feeling oblivious now and then to the other side. I guess that's another reason why I'm taking time to reflect a little now.
I hope everyone's taking life as it comes to them and giving it some flavor!
Cheers, -n8
Posts
