Thursday, September 30, 2010

Thursday Night - At The Hotel After Day of Travel

I woke up at 4:10 this morning after first waking up 3 hours earlier because I forgot about the different time on my phone again and set the alarm wrong. It's the second or third time I've done that but I just don't feel like erasing my home time. It makes me feel good to have that time on my phone. I'll have to change it now though as I am in Milwaukee where it is an hour earlier than New York and two hours later than Cali.
  Everything went smoothly this morning except my smooth peanut butter, which they didn't let through security!!!! AHHHH. My peanut butter is like my pride and joy of the food world. But I mean seriously - I can take sharp steel razor blades capable of being a serial-killer's weapon; I can take a steel bar from my sharpening jig; but I can't take peanut butter! so instead of checking the darn peanut butter, I deposited it in the garbage. I tried asking the supervisor if I could cut a deal, but she was not having any of it. So I had to wait in security all over again. Gotta love traveling now. I also could not get internet without paying so I could not write in here like I said I would. I read a ton today - more than I have in a long time, maybe ever and I also fell asleep in some of the most inventive positions. I had about six and a half hours to kill in the airport and only about five hours of sleep last night. My slippery cell-phone snuck out of my pocket in the shuttle from the airport to the hotel so I had to have the driver come back and drop it off but also had to pay for the fare twice. tsk tsk tsk - these things happen I guess. It's alright. I am all settled in the hotel now.
  

  Tonight Edin and I had dinner at the hotel. I got a little of the history of the whole situation in Bosnia. Like a typical ignoramus, I had absolutely no idea about just how bad it was. The Genocide was massive when Serbia was Ethnically Cleansing the Muslims out of Bosnia. Around 2 million were either killed or forced to take refuge elsewhere. I don't understand why we learn about WW2 up and down, backwards and forwards, but not a word was ever mentioned about Little Bosnia and Herzegovina defending itself from the Orthodox Serbians on one side and the Croats on the other. All Edin had to say was quite a lesson, one which I surely will not have again in High School unfortunately. Adding to the intrigue for me was the fact that when I played gigs with Mark Judelson  (http://www.storiesofpeace.com/), The Open Window was about the war in Sarajevo so I already had a slight connection to the history. I never would have been opened up to the Genocide that happened there and the history that goes back had I not come into contact with Edin through skating. That is a lot of what makes this whole thing so great and why I am so lucky to be in this position in L.A. - because characters full of new ideas, lessons and stories come to L.A. to be with Wilma.

  - I will try to post some pics of the events here as they come.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Eve Of Departure - September 29th

I am done packing, done planning rides, check-ins, coordinations and what not, and done thinking. My brain is fried, as my mom would say. I have to wake up tomorrow morning at 4:15 AM because though my flight does not leave until 12:10,  I am catching a ride with Jean and Edin who's flights leave at around 7.
  I am not to emotionally up or down before this race. I don't feel like I am skating that fast, and especially not with the confounded foot problem. Maybe in Milwaukee there will be a doctor or orthopedist that can look at it.
I will just take this meet as it comes and enjoy this crazy sport. If not, I think I will be disappointed and frustrated. we'll see. I am looking forward to skating in my first America's Cup and maybe finally receiving my category 1 skinsuit.
  I will write much more hopefully tomorrow whilst laying around.
 A demain

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Tuesday Morning - September 28th

Is there such a thing as a sun burp?

  It has been one of the coolest summers in So Cal and lately had been cold after the sun went down. All of a sudden its the hottest day ever recorded at 111 degrees Fahrenheit! 
The previous high was in 1963, when it was a measly 103. Today the sun has excused itself and it is a frigid 96. bbbbbrrrrrrrr I'm freezing.
  All last night it was hot, staying in the 80s. It was probably hotter in our room as the dark walls basically collect the heat and insulate the room. As Edin pointed out, "you could fdy an eg on dees valls, man!" 
  It feels very strange to wake up in the dark and go outside and have it feel like a hot balmy summer day. This morning, I didn't have to jog long before I was warmed up. We did all speed this morning, except myself. I tried, but I was sooo slow! I think I went to hard in the warm-up relays, as I felt pretty good. Then I did alright in the next warm-ups, but I was not able to recover, and by the time I did, the foot situation was too bothersome to skate very well. I did do some 9.4s, but I should be able to do much faster in all out relays. I am sure I can. I have before! Yesterday I did a 9.1 following Edin. 
  Edin is teaching me Bosnian, which sounds like a mix between Russian and Italian. He is a very funny guy. During our long hours here in "the room" we have separated the room into two territories - his is the village and way up in the sky soars my bed, a towering mountain range. Whenever I come down from the mountains and enter the village I must provide ID. Its serious business.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Monday Morning - September 27th

If yesterday was unbearably hot, today is even hotter. I am trying not to move at all, laying here in our room, reading, writing, going on the computer and talking with Edin about deep things. This morning's practice was up and down. I skated through the pain with the blister and it actually was much better than I expected. I am optimistic that it is the right thing to do and that the blister is on the mend. Of course as the session wore on, it got more and more painful, but so does everything. It is not a cut anymore but a scab and you know how scabs are very sensitive?
  Anyway, this morning we did 2x 20laps very slow and technical, then relays then one more 20 lapper. There always seems to be something annoying in the rink. If its not the ice being bad, its the figure skaters music on the other rink coming through the speaker system over and over. This morning they decided to PAINT exactly when  WE got on the ice  and we all got headaches and became dizzy. Yet Wil kept us on the whole morning and no one seems the worse for wear. This morning there was a great moment I had where we did the 3 lap part of the relay and Edin and I were on the track. He passed me and I sprinted to stay with him until we pushed the next teammates. we did 9.3, 9.1 lap times after he passed and it felt really great. I followed his exact steps and was very close and it really felt right - like real short track. I hope to have more of that soon and just keep dropping the tenths on the lap times.

  I am happy to be training again. I feel contented and not antsy, as I felt often when home and not training on the ice. I am also happy I was able to skate on the blister and hope it keeps moving forward.

One skate on one skate off

Last night Jon took a quick snapshot of me with one skate on. I was heat-molding it to the new bump I have on my foot from the blister's side-effects and I was dying of heat. I retreated to the kitchen for a cool blueberry break and Jon snuck up behind me. lol

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"The Room"

Looking in at our room.

Hurricane Cledin

We are trying our best to keep it somewhat organised, but we are failing.

Locker room - 6:30 am.

From left to right: Sir Edin, Andrew, and Casey

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Hey everybody. Ive been trying to upload pictures/get the internet to work on my computer so I've been sort of pre-occupied. I also am trying everything to get the blister situation better. I heat-molded the skates tonight with a huge lump of mole-skin over the spot to exaggerate the lump on my bone. I actually feel better about it after this round of heating. I skated Friday and the blister/bone was just not feelin that - noo. It got all red again and much more sensitive and the scab that is forming is all untidy and messed up. I thus did not skate in the club race Saturday but watched instead. Edin has moved into the house and is in my room. It is tight - comically so - and I have been taking pics and trying to post them but I keep on getting distracted with something or having something stop working. tomorrow it'll happen, though I am not holding myself to a promise. It has been so hot here. Today it was in the high 90s and tomorrow we are entering the 100s I hear. The house gets so hot, it's impossible to concentrate on anything much. haha. That's part of my problem. The room is a very dark blue and  this does not help, as Edin pointed out, as the sun comes in and both makes the stuffed small room even hotter and insulates it greeeattt for the night.

  I am out now. More tomorrow. U all are asleep anyway in New York. goodnight.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Oh and just another funny thing: I was at the baggage claim, which was impossible to find by the way, and while I was getting my cart, I missed one of my bags coming out. I thought I was watching closely, but I didn't recognize it. So I had everything except the bag. I approached a security lady about it twice and looked for it among the bags unclaimed on the belt twice. Then I sat down and waited for the belt to start again for about ten minutes. Then I found the bag. Just sitting on the belt. I'm a shrewd one, you know?

Back in Cali - September 23

Ahhhh, i have been uprooted again, just as I am getting situated. I am becoming good friends with the people in the sky as I shlepp across the country time and time again. This morning when I got on the plane, the captain or co-pilot recognized me because of the cello. He said " heeey, he's flown with us before!! I remember the instrument!" They kept asking me to play for them, but I refused, as I had no meals for free! The flight was alright. To Washington, I was next to a young woman from Arizona who complained of a boring Husband. To Long Beach, I was next to an old woman, who offered me plenty of tasty peanuts. I sort of like being in a plane with all those people. Somehow, it seems cool if it goes smoothly.
  This morning, was not exactly smooth, as I woke up just after six, but then after I closed my eyes for " a second" it was just after seven - when I wanted to leave by!

  Thank you sooooo much to those who have been donating. I mean, you just can't imagine how encouraging it is, not to mention how much it helps. ah! Ur Awesome.

Friday, September 17, 2010

what is this Donate button?

Well we put this in so that anyone who has a cent or two to spare can help me out. What goes around comes around, I guess. Any donation helps and I know people always say that, but even a dollar or two can pay for a power bar or what not. lol. Anyway, I just thought I should describe what the button does. If you click on it, it will send you to a page where you can choose the amount and then if you have a PayPal account you can log in and pay, or if not you can enter the credit card info.
  So there you have it

Going Back to Cali - Miss D. is the best.

Well it's official - I am returning to the west side next Thursday leaving JFK at 9 something with a stop in D.C.  It is soooo soon and I have so many people to see before I leave. The tickets were actually paid for by Miss Diesslin, who besides being a great cello teacher, is one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I have ever met. Miss D. had extra sky miles points on Jet Blue and they would have expired today so last night she gave the call that she could fly me and my cello out to L.A. with the points.Miss D. is also writing me a letter of recommendation for a grant I am applying for. I mean, there are no words for that amount of kindness. WOW. Thank you again so much Miss D!! Ur the best as usual.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Well not much is new around here. I am training very hard still and practicing and reading and thinking of ways to make money. I am starting my workouts earlier and earlier every day - today I was up before eight. lol. I can't believe that is early already after waking up at 5 almost every day.
  Cal is gone to college, which is crazy - I remember playing baseball in his backyard in like second grade. My cousin Sam is in college too and I remember (via a picture on my fridge) taking baths together as infants! Man, time flies. Life is short so you gotta make the most of it.
  Ummm, what else... OH! I learned how to drive stick-shift the other night, although my dad laughs at me when I say I "learned" because I haven't perfected it by any stretch of the imagination. It is a pretty sweet car too - a red, Toyota Mr2. I heard something about it being collector's edition...? not quite sure. It's my grandpa's old car - he always had sweet cars. This morning I did a hill workout on the bike. 3 sets of  3x10 sprints up this hill - each sprint varied from 30 seconds to 52 seconds - always had a rest of 1:30. My heart rate never went above 189. It is a very steep hill, I think 10-11% gradient, getting steeper as it goes. That is a super hard workout. Oh, and I did a ten mile warm-up and 5 mile cool down. In total I did 27 miles (but remember, half of the hill workout is coming down and circling around the dead end) with 4,000 feet of climbing. I did this workout last week and it was easier this week - one time I passed a lawn care truck that was going up the hill. I looked at the driver as I went by, but he didn't race - oh well, it still was cool. I was using my dad's top of the line Look bike and it is truly "an amazing piece of machinery" to quote my dad.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Man, I forgot how tough it is to train by myself! No inspiring yells when I start to slip. Nobody to internally compete with. Just you and yourself and your inner voice telling you to stop because it hurts. Damn, I wanna go back to Cali.
  This morning starting at 10, I did 5x 5minute mixed jumps and then a 45minute run and finished by 12. I did some Yoga and now I gotta do a bunch of other things like practice, read, make a bunch of calls, and do the afternoon workout Wilma bade me do.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Back Home

I'm back home and already lazy, I guess, seeing as I havn't written in here in ages. Anyway, it's been nice being able to just chill with the good peeps of the nut once again. School has started for Green Meadow and it feels so weird not being a part of that. 

  I have been doing some pretty intense dry-land as I am determined to stay in the shape physically, if not on the ice, that I left Cali in. I tried to workout Monday morning, and I was feeling the effects of the 2 1/2 days off and the plane ride and all. I did a warm-up run then a circuit, then band - up-downs, 4x30 each leg. As I said, I tried. I did not finish the band - maybe 3sets on each leg. I was light-headed and sapped of energy after the run and circuit, again, it was the first day after a long rest. Tuesday morning I did a 45 minute run with 50 meter sprints every 15 minutes. Then ladder exercises, then basic position holds, then hamstring exercises. I did the basic position holds very short but really trying to keep a perfect position and to tuck as much as I could the whole time. That night I did 40 minutes of two minute jog, two minute low-walk, two minute jog, two minute dry skate. So each is done 5 times. That is tough. Then I heard Wilma used to make her skaters do that for three hours! All these workouts of course come down from Wil. Yesterday I did 3 sets of 10x 45 second sprints up a very steep hill by my house with a min. and-a-half rest. After the third set I was just D E A D - I die on a daily basis. It's pretty cool actually. ;)
  Right after that workout I went to the school for a cello lesson and I saw Miss D. for the first time in a long while. That was so nice, as we had a short but interesting( as always) lesson.
  That's all for now - more later.

Friday, September 3, 2010

So today was my last day and I didn't skate. The blister is starting to get infected I believe, or else it is really healing in a special way. lol. I really wanted to skate but it would have been like having no right foot. I did the dryland and then said all my goodbyes. Hopefully I will be back soon. So me and my friend the cello will hopefully enjoy a quick safe flight back to NY and be back tomorrow. Seeya.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Wednesday night: I stayed with Andrew and his father through the day, again going to the beach after stairs in the morning. Wed, night we did two circuits after the agility ladder. Those circuits are so hard. You alternate between 20 sit-ups, 20 jumps, and 20 push-ups with Wil counting the rhythm out ruthlessly. One circuit I think consists of 6 different jumps and 6 sets of push-ups and sit-ups and then  a minute plank at the end. There is no rest during the circuit and no rest between circuits. The second is the same except that the plank at the end is two minutes. I did very well on them and I was able to hold the plank at the end without dropping for a second for the first time. I took Kendal's advice and just closed my eyes, concentrated on my breathing and tried to enjoy the sweat poring off my body. By the end, I was shaking so violently that my teeth were literally chattering, which is definitely another first in my short life so far. So I was very happy with the circuits which have honestly frustrated me until yesterday.
  Unfortunately, the ice was not nearly as good. I had some good moments, but for the most part the blister on my foot was too much of a distraction and just put me in a bad mood so that I had trouble getting over the fatigue from the days workouts so far. It was an easy practice. we did starts and accels. I also got a strip within 5 minutes and now that I remember, that was what really put me in a bad mood. After ice was 4x 15 crossovers with the turn band. I grabbed a Subway with Jean on the way home in order to eat something as fast as possible, confirmed a lesson for today with my students, sharpened my skates and went to sleep. There is absolutely no break or time to rest from Wednesday night to Thursday morning. I fell asleep at ten and woke up at 5 30. I was so sleepy and just drained in general this morning - I don't know if it's because I have been doing really well this week so far and pushing myself more, or that I sense the end coming soon. What really kills me is the blister. It is on the inside of my right skate where there is the most pressure because you are constantly steering around the turn on the inside right edge. It sucks. Wilma told me to just push through and to make the best because even if I am not able to give 100%, it is still going into my system and making me stronger and tougher and that a break is close. I only have one more day before I leave for home.
  I pushed through and did okay in dryland. I was so tired when I came home, I did nothing before I fell asleep. I had the presence of mind to set my alarm for 12 as I was being picked up at one by the wonderful mother of my students to teach them in a near by church. Yet despite setting the alarm, I woke up to Jon knocking on the door saying there is someone here to see me. Not even thinking about my students, I went out for a quick glance in just my boxers, and I recognized Susan, and almost jumped as I quickly retreated to my room to cloth myself and get ready. I don't know if the alarm went off and I turned it off in my idiotic sleep or what, but I slept a good three hours without waking once. I actually taught a great lesson though. in a church nearby with leaf blowers going the whole time.
  Ice tomorrow at 6 40 again. My last session before returning home.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Off to the beach again. Then sprints and starts tonight. Hope the blister o my inside right acts okay.  Latrrr.
So yesterday at the beach was mighty fine - the norm. maybe I don't have to say that any more. r maybe I should just find some exotic new adjectival phrases.
  This morning we did stairs. 5 sets - 1st, 3rd and 5th with jumps on the middle flight and the other two just sprinting every flight with a minute rest in between. wilma is really happy with how I am improving and she said today I'm gunna kick some !@s this year. she said she was thinking about it yesterday and that she's just really happy with how I'm doing. she says she sees me getting stronger every day. I am really starting to understand that you use the muscles around the core and hips and hamstrings more - much more than the muscle on the inside of the knee. I have always skated from the latter and she says my right is much bigger than my left. stairs was real tough but I am starting to make it harder by doing better technique, so it is good.