forty

Oh yes, I AM milking this birthday. Unabashedly so.

I will have fun posts on the food, the shopping, the people in my life, certainly. I just want to take a bit of time this morning while I linger over breakfast and lattes to take stock.

I am 40 today.

I have a man I love, one whom I will marry next year. Conrad grounds me, Conrad completes me.

I have family. I have a lot of family - steps and halves and such. At the core, though, is my sister Marie. We've been in this together all my life and most of hers.

I have three of four parents. I do not have a father alive any longer, and I wish he were here to celebrate. I am not sad, do not think that, just simply wishing he could enjoy this celebration and the ones still ahead.



I have no grandparents left. How odd to realize that.

I have a good job that I will still not comment about on this blog. I am employed, I have tenure, and I have great colleagues.

I have my health. I set a goal of being in the best shape of my life when I hit 40. I think I've come pretty close, though I've indulged well in food and wine this last week or so. No matter. Do I need to lose more weight? Well, maybe re-distribute it a little more and firm/tone up more. But I like how I fit my clothes, and I am pretty comfortable in my skin at this moment.

I have friends whom I love dearly. I have former friends I wish were no longer "former". I miss some people who have moved on in my life. I am thankful for my best friend (Todd), my Best Woman (Allison), Kendall, CG, Jeph, Martin (and Mark), BTH, the SF, Darth and Heidi
and the great group from library school, our Yoshi's friends, the good friends who have stuck by Conrad since before I knew them and him,

Louise and Sandra and Wayne and others in Terrace, the Don Diego's family, the Smelts and other swimming friends like Chris and Brian and Daniel and Frank.
The list goes on, and I struggle to name every one.

I have a good life. I have said that several times to Conrad lately, and also to TK when we chat. Oh sure, I want to win that Lottery ($50 million? I MUST buy a ticket today!) and have a life of ease. But I've earned every grey hair starting to poke through, every wrinkle, every memory, ever difficulty and every reward.

So, yep: totally milking 40. Why not?

And thanks all of you who read this blog for being a part of it, too.

39.364

As I write this, it's past midnight in Chicago (where I live) and just shy of an hour until midnight in Vancouver (where I am currently and where I was born). So, sort of 40 not quite.

It's a number. A bigger number than 1, 2, 4 2/3, 6.50, 27 and a half, 39. Ah well. I can deal with it.

Tomorrow.

Before I head to bed, let me state a few things:

I couldn't be having nicer weather here in Vancouver. Sunny, cloudless, temperatures in the low 20s or so (low seventies).

I have Conrad with me. Doesn't that say it all?

My parents (well, not Dad, of course, and Bella is up the coast working) are with me. It changes the focus a little from what I want to do, but is very much appreciated.

I have the good wishes and gifts from a number of friends. TK, Allison, CG, Jeph, Kendall, and more. All the Vancouverites who came by this weekend. I have a good life full of good people.

More to blog - and I know I keep saying that. It's true, though. I plan to take more time tomorrow and in days ahead. Stay tuned - 40 will not slow me down!

;-)

update: Vancouver Island

Writing this Sunday night, posting it Monday morning...

We're home. A long-ish day but a good one. It is my plan to sleep well and, rested, blog more in the morning.

For now, enjoy the photos on Flickr, and rest assured that we tasted a very decent number of wines today.

clinging on to my 3

I arrived in Chicago five days after my 30th birthday. I sit tonight, fewer than 27 hours until my 40th birthday, and laughingly (and affectionately) cling to that digit, that 3, I earned almost ten years ago.

[insert sigh melodramatic sigh here]

Tomorrow I'll go swim, gym, have coffee at Safari, lunch with my parents, shop a bit in downtown Vancouver, try to make it Koda Klothing, then cap my thirties with a date night with Conrad, the man I love deeply and the man who puts up with so much about me. Saint Conrad? Too much? Sometimes it doesn't seem it.

In any case, the last day of my thirties will not be an explosion, nor will it be a whimper. I'll enjoy it all I feel like I want to, and Tuesday I'll wake up a changed man. 40. Hmmm...

A look at Peter through the thirties:

30



31



32



33



34



35



36



37



38



39

2:34:51

I admit, I got more than a little caught up in the whole birthday celebration thing, and, as a result, I have neglected some other things in my life. Like this blog, and like mentioning things other than my birthday on this blog.

So let's fix that and talk instead of how I am a national bronze medalist.

:-)

Two summers ago I was part of a national championship open water swim team, successfully completing my 5km leg of a 25km relay team. The setting was a reservoir outside of Indianapolis, near Noblesville, and was it ever a great swim. Last month I went back for another swim, a longer swim. No team, all alone.

Fun!

No, I wasn't exactly alone. For starters, the handsome, wonderful supportive Conrad was my very able and willing biggest fan. Not much for him to see while I was swimming, mind, you, and I'm glad that he went off in search of breakfast.

Also, Ruth (from Smelts) and Marcia (who was a teammate in 2008) were there to swim, as was Ruth's friend (and former Smelt) John. I wish more of my teammates had made it to Indiana this summer - I'm talking about you, Tim! - but ah well.

Conrad and I drove down after lunch on the Friday and made it in time for me to get inked (which needed re-application the next day - apparently sunscreen will remove Magic Marker) and for the pre-race meeting. Butterflies were settling in a little, but only a little. Heck, it's just a swim, right?

To the hotel, check in, dinner with the handsome Greg, then to bed. Up early and dawn at the race site. Warm up.







And then, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else, we were off in waves. I was in the first wave, the faster wave, and I soon settled into a rhythm. An hour and a bit later (around 1:13), I passed through the timing area at the completion of my first loop. Back out again.

The second loop started well enough. Yep, tired, but not worn down. Sore, definitely. I had banged my right forearm on a car sideview mirror in the restaurant parking lot the night before, and it was beginning to throb. By the end of the race, it was screamingly painful.

I was also not bilateral breathing like I thought I should. The vagaries of where the sun was at the outset kind of set me on single-side breathing out my strong side (my left), and I kept that up throughout. It worked for me, in the end, but I do wonder how the race would have turned out differently.

And Ruth, I know, is horrified that I didn't take water or nourishment during the race. Worse, I had a glass of wine the night before!

And then, you round that last little curve, and the end is there. SPRINT! Or something like that. Conrad there on shore to meet me. Done!





In the end, though: 2:34:51. Really, that's quite good, I think. I was pleased with my time, and when I saw my placing, all the happier. 22nd overall, 3rd in my age group. Yes, you can tell people you know a US Masters 10km Open Water Swimming Championships bronze medalist.

;-)

And then it was time to rest, refuel, cheer for Marcia, Ruth, and John as I saw them come in. Text TK. And eat. Oh man, did I eat. I feel like I've been eating non-stop since!

I don't often compete, and I don't take it too seriously when I do. I know there's a lot of people out there who can kick my butt in swimming (and running) - heck, I used to coach 9 year old girls who were faster. I have no illusions. Still, I did well. I know I did. And I had fun, truly. 2+ hours of swimming is remarkably meditative, and that time to expend energy and just be alone with my thoughts was pretty precious, I have to say.

2012, perhaps?

(More photos on Flickr!)

late Saturday night

Even here in Vancouver it's late. Sunday, technically. To bed soon, though I do want to get photos from the day that was up into Flickr.

Three things:

• I'd forgotten how skunky an experience walking in Vancouver can be. The scent of regular cigarettes came as an oocasional relief.
• I've eaten far too much and far too badly, but isn't that the point of a birthday weekend?
• I think we'll cram more into this trip than we have on any other trip, including the one back in February for the Olympics. This is NOT a complaint.

OK, a few Vancouver shots from around the city today, off to work on the Flickr, and then some sleep before tomorrow's jaunt over to The Island!

two meals in

Between recent (and current) travel and dining out while in Chicago, we're not getting much chance to cook and dine in. That's not a bad thing - it's nice not to be too overheated in the apartment from the cooking. Summer has been a real summer this year in Chicago, unlike last year.

This past Monday and Tuesday I got myself back into the kitchen for a bit, however, and managed to cobble together two very similar meals. Side dishes were the same: a bit of salad (tossed with balsamic vinegar, white truffle oil, salt and pepper), and a bit of corn on the cob (the Swiss chard of summer 2010).

The main part varied (as did the beverage - martinis one night, white wine the next). Coho salmon on the Monday, simply pan fried. Pork tenderloin the next night, seared and then roasted in a hot toaster oven (yes, we've done our duty at converting the straights).

And for two consecutive nights, we sat out on the balcony and enjoyed a quiet evening there. Some berries macerated with chopped fresh lavender leaves, some yogurt, some Icelandic chocolate,
and we were well and truly content.

in Vancouver!

Folks, I am almost 40. Mere days away. Ah well.

We've come to Vancouver to celebrate the occasion here. And you know, in this very short blog post, I can only say that any trip that promises to be sunny, warm (NOT hot), and starts with a great run before 7 in the morning then moves on to coffee/breakfast at Safari Cafe HAS to be a good trip.



Free time for blogging in days ahead. I'm going to milk my last days of 39 as best I can!

;-)

reasons to love WF

I love my neighbourhood Whole Foods. Oh sure, there must be a ton of reasons to rail against them - they are a big company, I know.

But gosh darn it: soft licorice.



Peter = very happy.