day off?

brian and i both had a day off today, so what did we do? boat.

we continued our all-out assault on the wood, and thankfully we've almost finished that stage...

bottom piece is sanded and ready for teak oil. top piece is un-sanded and completely nasty... that's what ALL the wood looked like.


both pieces sanded and oiled and waiting to go back on with new hardware.

unfortunately, it was dark by the time we finished tonight. more pictures to come later.

Goings on...

hey there. it's back.

so i could talk about what's been happening in my swimming world recently. but only briefly. two state records. 2 kids on the usa swimming top-10 watch list. 10 or so top-16 times. multiple #2 national rankings. 2 top-16 relays. #1 12-under IMX swimmer in the country. lots of good things happening with the developmental ones, too.

there, done. said it. i'm quite happy, so are the swimmers, and they are swimming really fast!

but onto better things: boat!

pictures? well of course!

it's an 84 boston whaler 18' outrage. classic. below are a few pics during restoration.

starboard hull

some bottom paint and some acetone for the rub rails and it's gonna be nice

it needs a little resto and some tlc, but it's gonna be quite nice when it's all said and done.

starboard gunwale sanded and oiled

stay tuned for more updates as they occur. oh, and on swimming stuff, too.

update!

so... what have i been up to since the last update? plenty, as a matter of fact.

let's start with the swim meet we had at the end of last month and the beginning of this month... my kids swam fast! 81% life-time bests. i knew my dave leitao coaching strategy would pay off big dividends, and it did. 4 top-16 swims at the first meet... not so bad! so now, we're gearing up for a travel meet to spartanburg, sc next weekend. so don't worry, more fast swimming ahead.

i tripped it to charlottesville. want to know how that went? click here. thanks, r.

i tripped it to raleigh. yup, for the nc state/UVa game. it was quite the disappointing loss, but seriously, how many road games could we continue to squeak through? it was an outstanding game, and i enjoyed my time in raleigh. best story? an older Virginia fan was sitting in front of me (she was probably... late 60's) - and she said to her husband, "did you see those girls with the cowboy boots?" now, we had been admiring the state girls in sundresses and cowboy boots all day... they were quite attractive. overhearing their conversation, i blurted out, "well, i definitely saw them!" she turned around and said, "they were nice, but i tell you what, you'd have to put paper bags over their heads to take care of em." hilarious!

i bought a jeep! i think i touched on that the last time i posted - but i don't think there was any info about getting rear-ended. yup, 4 days after i bring the car home, i got rear-ended. thankfully, the girl was insured, so geico replaced my bumper and now it's all new and shiny (it had a small dent in it before!).

basketball recruiting! speaking of dave leitao... man has he raked in a recruiting class in the last 3 weeks. UVa finally brought in some big man talent in the forms of 4-star john brandenburg (6'11, st. louis) - and 7'0 assane sene (7'0, new haven). sene, a rising star on the recruiting scene since he's just in the country from Africa is rumored to be something special - and the schools DL beat out to recruit him speak to that (uconn, florida). 4-star and top-60 combo guard sylven landesberg (new york). so out of those 3 recruits, DL out-recruited stanford, florida, uconn, georgia tech, and st. johns - just to name a few. and he's still got one on the block - with an announcement from ridiculous #3 guard in the country elliott "e-mail" williams supposed to come within the next few days. sources on the internet are leaning towards us! who is DL recruiting against? duke, memphis, and tennessee. that's good company. keep up the good work, coach. and the picture? that's DL keeping the pimp-hand strong.

hmmm, what else? i think that just about covers it. i didn't include anything about boating or beaching it, because well, i think you should just assume i do that, anyway!

oops!

I will update soon, I promise.

my house!

check it out... this is where i live, and where you should come visit!


nice, eh?

oh and i bought a new-to-me suv the other day. i'll try to get pictures up soon. we have our first meet of the year this weekend, so i'll be busyyyy!

the space between

so i never really got around to a dave top 5 or top 10 list.

charlie and i decided that there was just too much good stuff to do a top 5... so we shelved it. but, today, we have come back to it.

dave doesn't need any build up or intro. he is just simply incredible. of course, getting his start in charlottesville gives him even more points in my book.

charlie actually gave me 15 songs, because he felt he couldn't possibly get it to 10. well... i cut off his last 5, so we now have a top 10!

most overplayed dave line with a lot of meaning to it? "the space between the tears we cry, is the laughter keeps us coming back for more" think about it.

charlie's top 10 dave songs (in no particular order)?

1. two step
2. lie in our graves
3. #41
4. dancing nancies
5. the stone
6. crush
7. pig
8. grey street
9. grace is gone
10. recently
    

and my top 10 dave songs (in no particular order)?

1. #41
2. lover lay down
3. christmas song
4. crush
5. grey street
6. cry freedom
7. dreamgirl
8. stolen away on 55th and 3rd
9. raven
10. grace is gone

and a few honorable mentions? song that jane likes, jimi thing, stay or leave

superstar!

so apparently they were filming one tree hill last night right outside the pool. all i know is that the parking lots were closed and there were people with headsets on running around everywhere. unbeknownst to me, this occurs all of the time. great i can't wait.

apparently there was some division 1-aa basketball championship game? i'm pretty sure that doesn't even exist, right? do they know that? maybe i'm wrong. anyway, i kept looking at the signs they had up (not knowing it was for the tv show) and i couldn't for the life of me figure out why i had never heard of the schools. well, they were fake. i'm a genius. but the signs looked so real i was quite confused.

speaking of one tree hill, yes, there was a chad michael murray sighting. my 12 and under girls thought it was quite possibly the coolest moment of their lives. the best line i heard? "oh my god, chad michael murray is the hottest guy on planet earth."

i told them they had just seen me from a distance and must have us confused.

happy anniversary!

it's the one-year anniversary of my talk like a pirate day post last year!

i think i'd like to make it an annual occurence.

check it out here.

and want an awesome keira knightley wallpaper? here.

this could be my favorite holiday...

arrrrrr!

happy talk like a pirate day!

hail.

that is all.

ballin'

fact: i bought the new kanye cd the other day. that's right. i'm freakin hard (h-town!).

no, but seriously, i like his beats.

there are a few rap lines that i have heard in my days that have just made me really, really laugh out loud. kanye has now topped the list. my two favorite... pre-kanye?

"i use crest, so ain't no cavities creep up in my grill"

"i'm seeing light up on yo face cause you peepin' my chain"

can you identify those?

but i'm sorry, when i heard kanye spit out this line, i literally started cracking up as i was driving down the road...

"heard they do anything for a klondike, well i'd do anything for a blonde dyke"

hiliarious. simply hilarious. good work, 'ye!

vote!

come on, vote people...

for cavman!

labor day weekend

phew. what a weekend. peter arrived on thursday night, and we didn't slow down until tuesday morning. we had another visitor arrive on friday, as well... who won't be named.

highlights from the weekend:

• beer pong night 1... 2 games of double overtime.... consisting of over 24 beers being pummeled in a short amount of time. and with cigars to cover up the smell of the horse farm that happened to be drifting over.
• shots. 7 of them. in an hour. so many they had to come on a tray.
  
• brian taking 4 shots in a row.
• paying $20 to hear it's a great day to be alive at the piano bar, and $5 for the sweater song!
• as a result of above, other visitor puking her guts out in the cab, and us distracting the cabbie by singing hail to the redskins very loudly
  
• lots and lots of bojangles sweet biscuits and krispy kremes
• beer pong night 2... not quite as many beers drank, but it's only the 2nd time i've ever played in a garage (cinco de mayo!!)
• the mechanical bull at the bar downtown. something magical happens when you get drunk, hot chicks and a mechanical bull in the same room. strapless shirts, anyone?
• the crazy cab driver who told us stories that i simply can't repeat here. jeeeeesus bleep bleep christ.
  
• boating. day 1 was pretty chill, just a little laid back action on the 32'.
• boating. day 2 was ridiculous. a raft-up with the 32', a 48', and a 50'... can you say lots of ridiculous hot chicks in bikinis? we even had a hooters calendar girl aboard. and one girl who peter and i could only describe as "delicious." and trust me, it's rare we agree on those sorts of things
• the look on my swimmer's faces when i showed them our next set which was actually the first set they did... doubled

yah, that sums it up. i'm tired. i actually slept 11 hours on monday night.

on a second note, ANDY is helping me sell my old beater acura. you should buy it. it's awesome. and it's for sale at his parent's gas station.

when i think about heaven...

having moved to north carolina, i have been seperated from a very important group of my friends. and while i may have been friends with rachel longer... susie ranks right up there. i've slept with susie. no, not like you're thinking. not in the biblical sense. in the friend kind of way. well, let's be honest, she has the most comfortable and amazing sheets on her bed. of life. but as amazing as the sheets are, they simply can't compare to the amazingness of susie, the actual person.

sometimes, at night, when i'm asleep, i dream about susie. what do i dream about? usually it's about her incredible talents and abilities, and well, you'll see. so read on and learn about the incredibleness of the one and only susie.


sometimes, when i dream about susie, i dream about how awesome of a leader she is. generally she is always ready to make a decision, to direct people traffic, to tell people how she feels. it might not always be what you want to hear, but trust me, susie will let you know. i know that i've been on the (oftentimes negative) receiving end of some of susie's blunt and direct comments... but in all honestly, it's her forthright (that was a big word for michael vick to use!) and charming nature that makes her that much more endearing to me.



other times, when i dream about susie, i dream about how awesome of a person she is. how awesome? one word: indeblue. or indebleu. or however it's spelled. she is able to see people for what they truly are, not the color of their skin or whatever subpar university they happened to attend. she is even so kind of a person that she let her cousin who attended, unfortunately, a lesser university, live in their basement. that says a lot about her character. i'd say something spectacular about her public speaking skills, but in all honesty, i'd be lying because i've never heard her speak publicly. although in my dreams, i dream that she is probably 10x better public speaker than even old abe lincoln.



i also dream about how athletic susie is. if cal ripken were a girl, he definitely would have been a cheerleader in high school. i know susie would like to meet cal ripken... even maybe, you know, get to know him a little better. you don't think they call him the "ironman" just because of his streak do you? even though cal ripken is a crusher of childhood dreams, susie loves him anyway (see susie entry above, regarding quality of character). if susie had decided to play baseball, there is no doubt she would be tearing it up, without steroids, because she is just that incredible. instead, she decided to be a friend, an all-around ridiculously cool person, and a graduate of the university of virginia. and she got out of maryland.


other times, when i dream about susie... well, i'm only a guy, so... sometimes i dream about how sexy she is. like i said, i've slept with susie. and it's already out on the table that anytime we decide to um, be friends, that we could probably take care of that. i even know where she keeps her stash. susie is definitely sexy. with a skin tone surprisingly close to keira knightley (without the sun burn, of course), susie is damn sexy. susie has been known to roam around in my presence in simply her underwear, which, upon reflection, thinking back on my DC days, well, that was pretty exciting. because my roommate now, not as exciting when he wanders around in his underwear.



not only is susie sexy in that keira knightley/modern kind of way, but also in that classicly sexy way. when i dream of susie, i envision marilyn monroe. sexy. classicly sexy. charming, good singing voice, good solid drinker, socialite, bubbly, and sometimes slightly introverted... keeping her secrets. she is a boy-killer, for sure. she aims high, monroe aimed for kennedy, susie got out of maryland so that she could shoot higher... perhaps a well-respected, old money, dc socialite?

top-ten list? pshhhh who needs one? i <3 sus.

totally, dude

**this post originally got deleted, but since susie declared a blog-off... you're on!! i'm going to shower you with niceness**





lots of fun things have occurred in the last week. rachel. i went surfing for the first time over the weekend, and have got to say... it's a lot of fun. rachel. it's definitely something i could get into. rachel. affording a decent board, on the other hand, i'm not so sure. rachel. we only stayed out about an hour, and i didn't actually "ride" a wave, but i sure would've if my dang foot hadn't hit the board. rachel. so i rode it on my knees. rachel. between the beach, the sunset, and the moon, it was pretty incredible. rachel.

we had our first day of practice yesterday. rachel. everything went well. rachel. needless to say, without giving too much detail, we're going to have an awesome season. rachel. i won't tell you why, but take it as fact. rachel.

i ordered a pair of croc sandals online (sorry, rachel) and i do have to say they're quite incredible. rachel. they squeak, but other than that, they're fantastic. rachel.

i was planning on making this longer, but i've got to go meet brian for lunch. rachel.

sorry, susie, i had to. rachel. maybe one day. rachel.

playa, please!

it's been a fun weekend/week so far. this is definitely a fun town. last night we took this yacht out and had a good time with a couple of folks. the thing is incredible. 63' is a big-ass yacht.

work is going well, i've met just about everybody on staff at this point, minus one or two who are out on vacation. we start new swimmer orientation tomorrow night, so i'll finally be getting back on deck! it's been a while... even though i coached swim camps all summer, it's not the same as having your own group and getting into it.

office! we've moved into it. i don't have a desk yet, it's supposed to be delivered on friday. or a chair. which is also getting delivered. so in the mean time, i've got my virginia fold-up chair to use. awesome. the office isn't much, but it's really nice to have a place to get up and have a destination. that and all of my swimming/workout stuff can live in one spot. i've amassed somewhat of a collection of swimming stuff... from books to old workouts to just... stuff. and it's nice to have it out of my room.

hmm, what else? i think that just about does it. i've got a sweet new work e-mail that if you want to have, let me know.

for me? really?

indeed, my new team is throwing a meet and greet bbq tonight from 6-9. should be good times. i went out and bought a bottle of wine to give to the hostess... i need to remember to be on my best virginia gentlemanly behavior with all of these southern mothers around.

speaking of virginia gentleman... i wonder if you can get their top shelf here in NC... hmmm? you definitely can't get any virginia wines, at least not at the grocery store where i was.

i actually did sit on the beach yesterday and worked up the remainder my vague season/cycle plan. i even worked up a couple practices to kind of run with the first few days. i'm going to try something new and different at the beginning of this year. what, you ask? i'll keep you posted. let's just say i'm going to model it after the dave leitao school of practice.

i went boating on tuesday, also. we tried to tube without a tube, using only the throw floaty thing and a rope. it didn't work, and actually we just ended up getting a lot of saltwater up our noses. and a nasty rope-burn. we've got more boating lined up for next tuesday. deep-sea fishing is, i believe, on the agenda. i've never done it so it should be a good time! yay beach!

rachel wins the award for the first person to send me mail at my new address! thanks, rachie. the next award up for the taking is who will be the first visitor... will it be you?

and in virginia news, we got 7 pre-season votes in the AP football poll. i'm pretty surprised. the reports out of training camp (at least the ones on virginiasports) seem to be overwhelmingly positive... so maybe there's some hope after all. most people think that if coach groh has another mediocre season, he'll hang around for another year. let's hope that he has a great season and we don't have to even ponder the point.

beach!

well, i packed all my stuff up and rolled down to the beach this week. i'm slowly getting unpacked and getting everything set up. thankfully, brian had nothing so my overabundance of shit has a place to go.

the job is lining up well. i think it's going to be really fun. the kids are going to swim very fast, obvi. it's going to be good. in fact, they're having a bbq in my honor. a pig-pickin' would've been nice, but i understand the involvement that requires. so, i'll settle for a bbq. it's saturday. i suppose it's my formal introduction.

and man, talk about a good time to be at the beach. we went out last night, and let me tell you, there are nothing but beautiful (but mostly dumb, unfortunately) women in this town. i'm talking freakin put you in a magazine hot. it's a little overwhelming.

it's also a good time to be shopping for linen clothing apparently. i hit up banana republic today and got 3 linen shirts for $19/each. and a pair of linen pants for $49. that's a steal, people. i've got to get all beach-bum attired up, and i think i've succeeded.

i'm going to sit on the beach and start working up my season plan... have fun in your cubicles!

only kidding!

whew, finally all settled. in the end, i AM moving to north carolina. things didn't quite go so well with my old team... i was actually lied to and then insulted. but it's cool... their loss. besides, i don't want to dwell on the bullshit.

so, i took the new job. i'm absolutely pumped. it's a step up the ladder and for good money.

after getting back from coaching another swim camp very far away yesterday, i had today and yesterday to pack and get moved. i successfully packed today, so by the time i get the truck loaded up tomorrow, i should hopefully be able to get on the road tomorrow afternoon.

i got one of those sweeet trailer things to drag my car behind the moving truck. i'm pretty excited. that and i got my car detailed today. it really puts me more at inner-peace or something. it's hard to explain... like a weight has been lifted. don't ask. i love that car.

so yah, the new job is at the beach! i've finally made it. it took me some time, but i've figured out how to get there and do a job i love and make enough money to live. all around, it's a success.

on the other hand, i'll miss my friends here like woah. i was over at rachies/susies/naris tonight and i won't lie it was way sad. and maybe andy will eventually answer my text messages and get by here before i leave... we'll see. i'll miss you guys :(

relocate?

so there was a serious flirtation with a different job in a different part of the country. there was an offer. there was lots of advice asked for and received. but in the end, i'm going to stay put. i really like where i am now, i'm in an awesome situation with my current team, this is where my friends are, and i'm happy here.

so, where does that leave me? honestly, this is the brokest i've ever been in my life. sorta fun, sorta scary. i was hoping to get to the beach at some point this summer, but i'm not sure that's going to happen. it's not that i don't have a free place to go to, it's that i don't think i can afford not working.

that's a slightly depressing thought at 24, but eh, it's all worth it in the long run.

i never really updated how the rest of camp went. obviously, it got way busy. in the next couple days i'll throw up a recap to get everybody up to speed.

fun story from the weekend: rachel said she'd leave her door unlocked so that i could crash there. i had that gut feeling it would be locked, but hey, i trust rachel. sadly though, when i got there, the door was locked (one of her other rooommates had come home and locked it, unfortunately) and she wasn't answering the phone. i slept on the front porch. luckily only for about 45 minutes before her other roommate came home. good thing it wasn't raining.

what's my line?

"When Morrison finished school at fourteen, coming from a hard working family, he was expected to get a regular, full-time job.^[14]After several short apprenticeship positions, he settled into a job as a window cleaner,^[15] referenced in the autobiographical songs, "Cleaning Windows" and "Saint Dominic's Preview"."

from wikipedia.