afterthoughts�followed by work, seeing china...in pictures

as an afterthought to last night's post, i felt the need to mention that there are a couple of non-sports things i learned at the race (the stuff no one tells you): 1) always have some tissues or toilet paper among your transition items at a triathlon. because no matter how much you sweat during a triathlon, you WILL have to pee�possibly A LOT. and the port-a-johns WILL run out of toilet paper. 2) even if you wear SPF 45 during a triathlon, you WILL get burned. whether or not it gradually turns into a tan depends on your ancestry, though.

you can still kind of see my where my number marking was on my arms. there's a pale "3653" on my upper arms, surrounded by what has finally become a lovely tan. i guess permanent marker ink acts as a sunblock. ha!

i was recently given a new laptop at work so i can be more mobile and cut down on all the paperwork. i love it, but it's a double-edged sword: as nice as it will be to be able to telecommute, work from home, etc., i now need to be careful not to let work follow me wherever i go. it's so easy to let things spill over when the boundaries get blurred.

speaking of work, my co-worker, ellen, brought in pictures from her trip to china last month. wow! they took my breath away, w/ all the vivid richness and colorfulness they portrayed. i've never been to china but can only imagine how amazing it must be to take in everything there through all five senses. she said she was moved to tears while standing on the great wall, looking at the vast expanse in all directions. as i flipped through the pages, i was at once curious, intrigued, amazed, envious, inspired to go there myself, and also a little bit regretful & sad. sad because my dad is nearing retirement. he's a history & asian studies professor, and unfortunately i didn't get to accompany him on his far east trips in 1990 or 1993. imagine how much it might have broadened my horizons to, say, have done a junior year abroad in china or japan, under my dad's mentoring? i really missed out. then again, i don't know either language, so my only realistic study-abroad option during college was probably england (english/american lit major). i really admire ellen. as a young 2x breast cancer survivor, she has such zest for life and told me she & dave (her husband) make it a point to travel often now, esp. to more unusual, faraway, or exotic places. they want to be sure to fit in all the adventures they can while they're young & healthy.

AND�speaking of photos�as i mentioned yesterday, i got official (professional) finish line proofs from my danskin race. i shared the link with select co-workers and friends. do you want to see yours truly in action? stay tuned, in case i decide to share them here...or maybe you don't want to see me in that wetsuit. triathlons aren't about being pretty, after all. right?

i WILL write more on the rest of my vacation soon. but for now, i'm off to the fair tonight�