In kooky company, Heedless habits, and May the force be with me

See Jane Come Over After a long day at the office on Saturday and a short track run, Liam and I feverishly got the commune ready for new company. Well, not really. Jessica made a grocery run while I ran and Liam and Kelly biked. Ironbabe Jane was coming over.

We were all VERY nervous. Would she like us? What if she can see right through us and figure out we are all.... Head Cases See, Jane is not just a triathlete, she's a psychiatrist. A shrink. Someone who helps wackos like us. My shrink had me draw this during my last session. We wanted to impress Jane so we splurged and made steaks. And while Jane likes her steak nice and rare and bloody... She likes her french bread extra done.

Whatever Jane wanted, we did it. We were trying our best to make a good first impression. Canine Cuddling

Jane also brought her daughter Toby. Toby and Jasper instantly locked eyes and connected. They are now BFF's, even if Jane got crushed like a grape trying to tear the two apart

Training Transgressions At this point, I am almost certain Kelly and I were the same person in a past life. As organized as we attempt to be, invariably one or both of us forget something when we cycle. There's just so much crap you have to take! This time I forgot my aero bottle, even though it was strategically placed on my breakfast table, along with other waters bottles as mnemonic devices. Even the sponges were in the bottle. Yep, plain forgot it. Kelly forgot her SHOES. So there was a moment of panic. We are 60 miles from home. There is no bike shop around at 6:30 in the morning out in the middle of nowhere. Hope was fading until from a distance, we met with... Fiona Fate There were some triathletes getting ready a few cars away. I recongnized a few of them and asked if anyone had extra bike shoes. Who knows? Why not take a chance. As if God was saying, "Okay Kelly and Chau...I'll give you ANOTHER break," ...Fiona happened to have an extra pair, albeit a few sizes too big. Bless you Fiona!!!

Tragedy averted. Kelly got shoes. And she got to ride wearing 3 pair of socks to fill out the shoes. Oh and check out her new Gut'r on her forehead. It wicks the sweat from your eyes. I swear by it. Kelly likes to copycat me. She gets everything I get. I think she just wants to be me. A Yoda Yearning Some blog entries back I recounted Kelly's encounter with Derek, the massage therapist we met at the buffalo springs half ironman. Within minutes he became her new BFF , her Yoda. Stories of "Derek said" have become tri commune lore. Well if Kelly can have one, I want one too. Maybe "Derek said..." But "Yoda said..." “Size matters not, ... Look at me. Judge me by size, do you?” This Yodaism speaks to me. Pinkgurugal's Paragon Meet Larry Lipton. He's a bit taller than Yoda and isn't green. But he imparts similar sage wisdom. He has accepted the challenge of being my Yoda. It's a tough one. He's a community activist and an extraordinary human being. Funny, altruistic, wise and an all around good person.

We talked about all that matters in life: you, your God and loving and helping others. Oh and my obsession over triathlons and his over motorcycles. Our lunch today was food for my soul!

I'll leave you with one of my favorite "Liptonisms". Cheers and happy training!

"All the frosting in the world isn't going to make the cake better." Larry Lipton