C19 H28 02 Overload!

That my friends, is the chemical composition of testosterone. Yesterday, we had a birthday party for Joey (his birthday is this coming Sunday, June 18th) on the last day of "school" which is actually just a mass and then going back to the classroom to get their report card. Anyway, I made the mistake of inviting TEN (10) boys 9-11 years old. The even BIGGER mistake was having them until 4pm! This experience will never be repeated again!

First of all, Joey has never had a party where all that were invited came. Trust this to be the time they all decided to come. I figured that a mass starting at 9:30 would end at 10:30 and maybe a half-hour in the classroom to get their report cards and say goodbye to friends. Then the theres the travel time to our house and the waiting for everyone to get there, I would then have the boys from 11:30 to 4. NOT! Well, Father Jim, in his infinite wisdom from doing this year, after year, after year, gave a very short service. You could totally tell that the kids had ants in their pants in the way they were just half-sitting in the pews. It was over at 10:15. Everything got pushed back early and all kids were at my house before 11. Swell!

We had a total of 12 boys, including Timmy & Joey. Thank God Ben took the day off! Since this was going to be a waterslide/pool party, they brought lots of props with them. Again, so happy Ben cleaned out the garage. All backpacks and paraphernalia got dumped there. Next, everyone needed sunblock. Lots of groans, but surprisingly, everyone complied. They each had a buddy that would help them apply it. Next up, sustenance. We had to get rid of some energy then eat, then digest so you don't cramp up in the pool and drown after eating or whatever. We walked to the Pizza Hut about 2.5 blocks from our house and went for "all you can eat" buffet. We got there before the lunch hour rush, much to the relief of the management and staff.

There was a LOT of teasing and name calling on the walk over and even more at the restaurant. I pointed out this fact to them and said "... and all of you are in Catholic school. What a shame!" They said "It's okay Mrs. Blight, we're only kidding around." This was very true as I found out much later. We left Pizza Hut without incident (whew!) and walked back. Of course, there was the inevitable spitting contest as we passed a small bridge with 12 boys in a row spitting over the handrail to see who could spit the farthest. Gross! It makes me nauseous while I'm typing about it. Eeeeewww!

Got home, took the solar blanket off the pool and the chaos began! Limbs were flailing in all directions. I was amazed there were no cries of pain. However, the harsh words kept coming to the point of insult. They were playing very rough but no one seems to be hurt. Its a very strange age. These guys can beat and insult one another and after 5 minutes, it all evaporates. Its as if nothing was said or done! Amazing! They were all just having a grand old time. Of course with girls, it would have been a very different story.

My backyard isn't big enough to have the slide to empty out into the pool. Therefore, the boys had to toggle b/w the front yard where the waterslide was, and the pool in the back. This meant that one adult was in the front and one in the back. Ben and I alternated. Then, it was time for cake. In all of Joey's parties since he was born, there was always leftover cake -- except for this one. Some kids had seconds and thirds AND asked for ice cream. I guess their appetites are also "maturing." It was only 2 pm. 2 more hours to kill! Back to waterslide and/or pool! The pinata killed about 30 minutes so one more hour. Is this party ever going to end?

The parents finally came! Yaaaay! Ben and I were congratulated for our valor and I agree that it was well deserved. This is so not going to happen again! Me and a dozen testosterone filled boys do not go well. I was spent! It was a relief to go to work from 6-9 pm. Maybe I was psychic and anticipated that the panacea from work. Who knows...and who cares?! I'm a survivor! Pardon me for puttinig the photos in random places. Somehow I haven't gotten all my bearings. Hoping to post something more coherent soon. Hanggang sa muli, until next e-time...

First Tri

It's my first tri of the season, and in true Judith fashion, my blog comes in last. I guess I still believe in that old Filipino adage "Huli man daw at magaling, maihahabol din." Closest literal translation (trust me, it has to be literal, otherwise it will get too long and boring) : "Even though last and good, it could still catch up." I had a wonderful time though. It was terrific going on a "doable" tri with good friends. Overall, it was definitely a positive experience! I really enjoyed myself, and that's what matters.

I felt really bad at having to wake up the boys (all 3 of them) at such an ungodly hour (5:45 am). They were troopers, especially Ben who had to listen to all the whining and take care of them during the time that I am setting up transition and doing the tri. Joey was very helpful, walking my bike and carrying some of my stuff. Timmy was as pleasant as a 5-year-old could be at having his sleep interrupted.

Here are 2 of my sweet boys waiting for the race to start. They haven't had breakfast yet :(

Rebecca and I are in the 3rd wave together. This was the day that I met the famous Rebecca for the first time. She's a really wonderful person and much, much prettier than I imagined. I haven't really gotten it straight what she does for a living, but Lizzie told me that she was a "rocket scientist" -- seriously! She's also giving other competitors an edge because a.) She partied the night before with Elaine and b) She comes from a different time zone (Virginia?) This brave woman was not going to put on a wetsuit. BRRRR!

Anyway, after the introductions, Lizzie and Elaine helped me get into my wetsuit. How many triathletes does it take to get Judith in her wetsuit? I was so glad that Lizzie was there to take care of me ;)

Lizzie and Elaine trying to get me in my swimming gear.

Now that I was mostly inside my wetsuit, its time to do the most important exercise before a tri -- PRAY. This is Elaine's specialty. She's very good in leading us in prayer and thinks of any and every thing that we need to accomplish our goals.

The 4 of us in prayer -- very cool! By the way, that zip DID go all the way up (in case you were wondering if I still fit in my wetsuit).

It was time to get down to the starting area. It wasn't very cold but I anticipated the water to be way cooler. I was wrong. I maybe could have gotten away without wearing a wetsuit but it was too late to take it off. I found Rebecca in the water and she showed me where the bouys were. I have known since my very first tri that I have a sighting problem. It took Rebecca to show me how bad it was! I couldn't figure out what direction I was supposed to go.

Rebecca and I were somewhere in the very front. I had my back turned on the camera.

The wave started and Rebecca took off like a shot! I started swimming straight -- or so I thought. I was just running into several swimmers and this was when I realized I was swimming right. I needed to adjust and tried again. Kept bumping into other women. I gave up doing the freestyle and decided to doggie paddle instead so I could see where I was going. Honestly, I don't even know why I bother training in freestyle because I could never swim more than 10 meters in that stroke during an actual tri. It's either sighting or water temperature. The big improvement was I did not take a rest and chatted with lifeguards (it wasn't worth it anyway since I did not spot any cute ones in the water). Lizzie and Elaine were on the "beach" encouraging and cheering for all they're worth. My 3 boys were there too of course, with Ben taking pictures and a videotaping to preserve this event for posterity.

Me climbing up the slope to transition.

Lizzie and Elaine ran all the way up to T1 telling me to get my act together and get out of there. The wetsuit didn't want to come off in spite of the body glide that I smeared on generously before the tri. Maybe I need to loose some serious weight. Hmmm, you think that would make a difference?

Why do I embarass myself showing the whole world what I look like in a wetsuit? Why I embarass myself even more in showing a photo of me getting out of it is an even bigger mystery! Aaaaargh!

Finally, I got out of that &%#*! thing and into some relatively dry clothing. It was a long way to walk my bike out of transition but it was my fault for being in the wrong transition area. Whatever!

Getting started on my 3 loops for a total of 11 mi.

Okay, when we were pulling into the parking lot, Ben spied one of the lunch ladies from our kids' school. He knew her by sight and name so he told the boys to do the polite thing and say "hi" to her. Ben followed the boys while I started unloading my stuff from the van. When they came back, he told me that the "lunch lady" was doing Mermaid and its her first ever tri and she's scared to death. When I got done with 11 mi., which I did very well in my opinion. There was this one random guy though, on a bike by one of the traffic lights who said "Hi Judith!" as I went Ben was in T2 filming me while I was racking up my bike. He told me that he heard the lunch lady's name announced at the finish line a while ago. Great. Beaten by a first timer by about an hour! Why bother finishing?

I got out of T2 in a very distracted state (on account of the lunch lady issue). I forgot to put on my race belt so I ran without my number (25, I don't like 2 digit race numbers). The course, as expected was pretty flat. I was running very slow because I was tired. By the way, on my way to the course, I realized that the guy on the bike was Brian. Brian is Lizzie's and my co-worker. He's the local library "bike god." He came to cheer Lizzie and me on. What a sweetie! I guess I have to get on the trainer that Brian loaned me. My legs were getting wobbly, but I am proud to say I did not walk at all. Approached the finish line and there was Rebecca cheering me on. My family was there on the finish line and were very excited to see me.

Rebecca and me after I crossed the finish line. Unofficially, this gal finished 3rd in the Athena division. Way to go!

Grabbed a burrito and water while I waited for Lizzie and Elaine to come in. Our waves were at least an hour apart. I didn't have to wait very long though since I am, as you know, your local torquoise. Poor Timmy, he was really getting cranky because he was hungry and sleepy. I had to wait for my two friends though. I didn't know what color shirt Lizzie was wearing because I only saw her in sweatshirt that morning. I felt so bad that I didn't get to cheer her on because after a while, all these women all look the same. She was about 1 minute in the finish line when I discovered that she got there with no one to meet her :-( Soooo very sorry Lizzie! We hung out for a while as we waited for Elaine. After that Lizzie disappeared and I didn't see her after that. Still haven't seen her yet since Sunday, as a matter of fact.

Our happy family after finishing my first tri of the season.

Overall, here are the results:

Lizzie came in 105/214 with the time 1:20:07.7

Elaine came in 118/214 with the time 1:22:11.4

Rebecca came in (unofficially) 3/12 in the Athena division with the time 1:21:57.5

I came in 72/83 in the For Fun division with the time 1:49:54.5

Get this, the lunch lady who was a first time triathlete finished 87/214 with the time 1:18:30.4!

I guess I just have to up the stakes and do the Olympic distance even though given the present state of my abilities, it is crystal clear that I am waaaay out of shape. I am so out of my mind! This report is getting way too long. Gotta go. Hanggang sa muli, until next e-time...

Timmy's Graduation

Did the Mermaid Tri today and am extremely exhausted. I'm sure Lizzie and Elaine will have posted something about the race so click on the Nisamina or Curlygurl link on the right. Meanwhile, enjoy the photos from Timmy's graduation last Friday.

Timmy on stage looking good in a formal shirt.

Father Jim, as always available for photo ops. He doesn't seem as ready yet though.

Timmy with his favorite friend Andrew and a Mom who wasn't paying attention to photo takers.

My Mom and stepfather Noel, with Timmy and the good Padre at the Kindergarten patio reception.

We will surely miss Mrs. Brazelton in first grade. My little baby is growing up so fast!

Hope you enjoy the photos. I have much to tell you about the tri but am too weary to publish tonight. It involves my twin Lizzie, my sweet friend Elaine, a rocket scientist, a lunch lady, and a random guy named Brian. Stay tuned. Hanggang sa muli, until next e-time...

To my linguist friends

My friend Bochman sent this to me a few days ago and today was the first opportunity I had to read it. You linguists out there should have something to say about this. I just don't know if this is for real! What say you? Hanggang sa muli, until next e-time...

Joey's Tri

Last Sunday, Joey did his very first tri. It was a good day for it, nice and not too hot. His wave started at 10:15 so I got up at around 7:30 so I could shower and get some donuts for breakfast (not the best for a tri, I know, but it is something that he would eat -- guaranteed). The whole family got up early but not cranky which was a good sign. I got all of Joey's gear ready the night before, even pumped up his tires. All we needed was for Joey to get dressed.

As Joey was putting on his very athletic looking attire, Timmy suddenly decided that he wanted to do a tri too. I have talked to Timmy about this months before and after asking him several times, he said he did not want to do it so I didn't register him. On the morning of the tri of course, he decides he wants to do it. There was a lot of whining and tears involved and we tried to explain and comfort him and promised that he'd get his chance next year. It was all very difficult and the tried and true method of bribery calmed him down for a few minutes. Enough time to get us out of the house and into the van.

We got to De Anza College (where they were holding the kids tri) in plenty of time, and thank goodness for ample parking. Joey got registered, got his goody bag and t-shirt and his body marking. Then, we were off to transition. This event by the way, was being immortalized by Ben using his camcorder. We set up his transition area and I gave him his race instructions then it was time for photos.

Ben, Joey, and Timmy in the hot beginning of summer sun.

Joey in his transition area, with the sun still in his eyes. Ben and Timmy are just waiting for me to get done with taking pictures before we go to the pool.

The course for the 9-10 yrs. old age group was 100 m. swim, 4 mi. bike, and a half-mi. run. The length of the pool is 25 m. so he needed to do 4 lengths. Joey is not a good swimmer. He can doggy paddle, kick really well and tread water. I know I should be ashamed, having a swimming pool in our backyard and me having taught kids to swim in my former life, and yet my own children do not know how to swim a proper stroke. Well, this will be our goal for the summer.

Anyway, before Joey did the tri, we went to the Y so I could see if he needs help with swimming. I made him swim the 25 m. length of the pool (our pool is only 10 m. long) and he did so with no problem. He "swam" with his head out of the water propelling himself forward with his powerful kick. It wasn't pretty to watch but it got him from pt. A to B. I made him do 200 m. and it was NOT a problem. Now, it was race day and Joey's age group was waiting at the "bleachers" watching the older kids do their swim. Ben noticed that Joey started to look very nervous, scared even. He was watching the kids do the proper freestyle, and then the backstroke and/or breast stroke when they got worn down. He also saw a few waves where there were last place kids, who kept trying to finish the course, be the sole person in the humongous pool. Oh, these kids struggled to the end and were given the loudest applause from the audience to give them the encouragement they needed. Still, I think Joey did not want to be the center of attention like this, especially if he did not know how to swim "properly."

Joey waiting for his wave to start. He is sitting right next to the girl in the pink bikini, he is the one with goggles on his head.

It was his wave and the kids got in the water. He shared a lane with a girl who, like him, was not a great swimmer either. He did 2 lengths and got out of the pool.

Joey approaching the end of the first length.

I could see that the volunteer was trying to encourage him to finish the course but he kept shaking his head. He got pulled out of the pool and a chair was brought out for him to sit on while the paramedic attended him. After a few minutes, I was beckoned over and I walked over with Timmy behind me. I could so totally tell that this was "Joey drama." I knew he could have finished that course EASY. I think he was just afraid to finish last. This was so not cool. Meanwhile, he paramedic was asking him where it "hurt" and Joey was just pointing at random, unrelated parts of his body. The paramedic guy told me to just take him home and make him rest. He said that Joey must be "overly fatigued." Overly fatigued my @$&!! He is 9, he is not overweight, he is an active boy who had a "good" breakfast and a good night sleep. No fatigue there. I gave Joey the option of going home or continuing the rest of the course (minus the swimming). Why wasn't I surprised when he chose to finish the course?! Meanwhile, this paramedic guy was shaking his head, looking at me like I'm the stereotypical Asian mom who is trying to push my child too hard. He looked at Joey with sadness in his eyes and he was staring at me like I was this evil mother who didn't know when to quit. I had to get out quick. Meanwhile, I talked to the officials and asked if Joey could do the bike and run and they said it was okay.

Here is Joey in transition, putting on his bike helmet.

The rest of the course was not a problem. No surprises there. In fact, he was pumped for the run as you can see below.

He "finished" and got his finishers medal and all that. "Officially" his time was 40:50, finishing 112/115. I tried to talk to him about finishing what he started but he was too distracted. My sister said I was being too hard on him and I should just let it go. Not easy for me since I finish my tris, often being last or nearly last. His cousin Ethan (6 yrs. old) finished his entire course and didn't do too badly 34/55.

Ethan crossing the finish line, you can see Joey cheering him on.

I have to teach this son of mine the importance of really "finishing," and why there is no shame in being last. In his effort not to draw attention to himself for being the last swimmer in the pool, I think he didn't realize he did just the opposite by being the ONLY athlete who did not finish the swimming course. Way too sad!

Next year, Timmy is going to do a tri -- even if I have to go in the water with him. They allow parents in the course for the little ones. He so wants to do it after seeing his big brother and cousin do their tri. Also, next year, if Joey does not finish the swim, he will not do the rest of the race. If there is something he would learn from this experience, its to finish what he starts. Hanggang sa muli, until next e-time...

I finally succumbed to Lizzie's (aka Elizabeth, erein, curlygurl, Mary-Kate) suggestion that I get my own blog. I don't know how much I'd be posting, but considering how vain I am and how much I love to blab it's probably going to be a lot.

Most of the stuff on here are Lizzie's suggestions. The avatar that would be making an appearance soon was found by her and the blog name itself was Lizzie's idea. Not that she speaks Tagalog or anything -- she says it was just "so you" and by that of course she means me. Hanggang sa muli is a Tagalog phrase that means "until next time." She has received lots of mammoth e-mails that I send en masse to my friends all over the world. For some reason, I chose to end them all with Hanggang sa muli, until next e-time... and thats what got her thinking that this was a Judith trademark. I thought it was really cute. So now, I've got a blog with an "all me" title, albeit quite corny for Tagalog native speakers. Whatever.

Anyway, I'll try and post stuff up tonight about my son Joey's tri so people can read something interesting. Hanggang sa muli, until next e-time...

Okay, I'm not really sure how to do this but I guess I can have Lizzie do revisions and all that. This is just a trial post, just so I could see how it works. I'd like to be "up and running" within this week. Hanggang sa muli, until next e-time...