Aah... A Day Off!
Who would have thought 2 years ago that one of my nice relaxing days-off would involve waking up at 4 a.m.? But there you go, I got up at 4 this morning (OK, so I snoozed until 4:09!) and headed out to the lake, expecting to have to scull in a single for the very first time. Luckily for me, 2 of my fellow teammates could not make it to practice this morning, so our coach re-arranged the line-ups and I got to be back in an 8+, where I feel safe and secure. The weather and water were good and the workout not too strenuous.
I picked up the info and forms for Row for the Cure at the boathouse on my way out and started working on the letter/posting when I got home. Within minutes of sending the letter out, I started to receive responses from friends who are extremely supportive of the event – thank you!
I brought Gander with me when I went out to run some errands. We then headed out to Lake Sammamish again so that he could run around and swim a bit. At the park, Gander met another black Lab, Duke, and they had a great time playing, wrestling and chasing each other. I also had a nice chat with Duke’s owner about the dogs and the infamous ‘Katrina’. I have not been watching the news much because one can’t escape the images of the destruction Katrina has caused. Even just listening to descriptions of the state of affairs down in the Gulf Coast on the radio was enough to bring tears to my eyes; I just can’t bear to seem it on TV.
Besides the heartbreaking stories related to the storm victims, another thing that upset me when I was listening to NPR was the suggestion by some guy from the government or some task force that due to the loss of oil rigs and oil refinery plants in the Gulf, it is now more important to tap into the oil reserve in the protected wilderness in Alaska. I think their reasoning is just wrong: the problem is not because oil production is too concentrated in a region devastated by the storm and, therefore, they should exploit other regions. The problem is that our society is too highly dependent on oil itself. This should be a motivation for all parties involved to pursue development of alternative fuels. There is not that much oil in Alaska in the big scheme of things and in the time that is needed to develop that area, a lot of progress can be made in developing technology to utilize alternative fuels – if only the effort is put into it.
Fortunately, my day ended in a more cheerful and care-free note. After going to my physical therapy session (to work on my sore back resulted from many years of poor posture), I rushed home to get ready for dinner with some friends. 6 of us went to the Attic Bistro at the Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Fall. The food and wine were excellent! We had a great time chatting, laughing and sharing stories, especially those about crazy border-crossing experience. What a wonderful way to end a nice, midweek day-off!
2005 Row for the Cure
As some of you already know, I started rowing again in the past year and we have an exciting race coming up which will be good training for the fall head races, but above all, it is for a wonderful cause. Many of us know of friends and/or family members who are affected by breast cancer. This is what Row for the Cure is about: to benefit the Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. It will take place on Sunday, September 18 and it is a 3500-meter head race for rowing shells, kayaks and outrigger canoes and meters TBD for dragon boats on Lake Union in Seattle.
Even though it is not determined if I will be rowing in an 8+ or a 4+ yet, I know for sure I will be rowing hard and sweating lots that day. Now, here is what you can do to help motivate me to push myself a little further that day: Make a pledge for the event. All the funds will go to the Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Kormen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Here is the official blurb on the pledge form:
Please make checks payable to ‘Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.’ Donations are tax deductible. The taxpayer ID of Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is 91-1624040. Receipts: In compliance with IRS requirements, receipts should be issued for individual contributions of $250 and above. A canceled check will serve as a receipt for contributions under $250. We encouraged each participant (that’s me!) to raise a minimum of $150, which is the cost of a screening mammogram.
For those of you outside of the U.S., please do not fret, I have thought of a way to help you contribute to this great cause! You could send me money via my PayPal account which is associated with my hotmail account. You can set up a PayPal account very easily and can send money in a variety of currencies other than your local one. I have used it for purchases online and it is very secure and convenient. I can then write a check on your behalf. Don’t you just love technology?
If you would like to make a pledge, please provide me your phone number, e-mail and snail mail address (just stuff that I need to put on the pledge form). If you want to find out more about this event or the Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, check out their website at http://www.komenseattle.org/. Please send me your contribution before September 18. Thanks so much!
My First Entry (... So what brought you here?)
Well, here I am! My own blog! Why did I start one? Trust me, I am still asking myself that question. Who would be interested in reading my journal anyway? But with a bit of encouragement from my cousin, Jean, I thought to myself, “Why the hell not?!?” Sure enough, the life of a 33-year-old living in the suburbia of Seattle is a far cry from a 21-year-old living in the Big Apple, but it will be a good way for me to vent. Besides, if I put my thoughts on ‘paper’, perhaps it will help me process them better; after all, it has worked in the past. Yes, I have kept journals before and, yes, I have had on-and-off relationships with them. Who knows how often I will be writing in this one and how long it will last! Maybe with a perceived audience, I will be more motivated to keep up with it. We shall see!
Despite what the title of the blog suggests, I do care about other people and I do realize that the world does not quite revolve around me. My thoughts are with the poor souls affected by Hurricane, now Tropical Storm, Katrina. A few have heard my feeling on this one: as sad as this catastrophic event has been, it is also a very humbling event – no matter how advanced our technology is and will be, you can’t beat Mother Nature.
