Giggles last day in Montreal

Our goal in coming to the Super Final here in Montreal was to prepare for Pan American Games in Brazil next week. But also to improve as a team, play some good games.....and kick some butt. Which we accomplished!!! :)
We beat Australia today in the final 8-4.

The venue in Montreal is on an island. It is where they held the World Championships in 2005, only we got to use the permanent pool that was used for the swimming events two years ago. Our pool for that event was temporary and was built behind this pool in a field. Giggles watched us do a few swim sets while we were here. She made sure we kept to our ultimate goal of qualifying for the Olympics and so we continued working on our conditioning throughout the tournament.

What else have we been doing here in Montreal besides eating, sleeping, practicing and playing games????

Walked by the Notre Dame Cathedral of Montreal, rode the metro a few times, and ate sushi. (Which may have made Moriah sick....but there is a bug going around and I prefer to think the sushi wasn't tainted!!!)

LIVE EARTH

If you are not watching the Live Earth Concerts: SOS - A Climate In Crisis , YOU SHOULD BE!!!! It is an incredible thing to see so many people come together for a cause live this. Do your part to be good to our planet!!!

If you want to learn more go to:
http://www.liveearth.org

The theme for Live Earth was done by Madonna. The video is powerful. Check it out.

Chronicles of TTP- More Montreal

It was a monumental day today!!! We played China with a semi-full squad!!!!

Back after many weeks of rehab and recovery from an injury to her groin is- Natalie "Nasty" Golda!!!!!!
That white tape around her leg supports her injured groin muscle while playing and also helps to lift and sculpt the buttox region for a better looking bum. Maybe we should all go out and buy a roll of tape.


Back in the goal after almost two weeks of a very debilitating stomach/intestinal infection is- Elizabeth "Bets" Armstrong!!!




Nat and Bets got to play the first half and they both did a fabulous job. It is good to have them back in action.



Due to the fact there has been thunder and lightning storms here in Montreal. There has been some very awesome views of the sky. Dark rainclouds in contrast with the sun and blue sky. I took a moment during warm down to capture a little of the beauty. Though the pics do not do the scene justice....still fun to share.







With the win today over China, we have secured ourselves a spot in the final match to play for the gold!! Great job girls!! Bring another one home for the US! :) The games tomorrow will determine who we play.

The Chronicles of The Traveling Pig- Montreal

I wanted to introduce you to the one and only Traveling Pig (aka. Giggles) who has come with us on our summer polo advetures. She is here to inspire us and remind us of all the work we did at home these past months. Giggles's mother, Carnitas, has stayed home to hold down the fort in Los Alamitos. I think her weight belt was too much of a burden for travel. (One day I will get you all a family photo of our training pets)

Anywho, Giggles immediately found a Canadian relative, named Bacon, in the Metro during the ride to the pool for trainng, our first day in Montreal. Apparently he is famous here or something.



We have come to Montreal for the World Leauge Super Final. It is the tournament before we head to Rio, Brazil for Pan American Games later in the month. Everything is written in French here.

***Lesson for today: SORTIE means EXIT (If you already knew this than you are smart)

Fourth of July marked the beginning of the tournament. (I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!) Sadly we missed out on fireworks and hot dogs being up here.....but we tried to bring the holiday here. With festive swim suits and sparkly plastic necklaces.



(A big Thank You to Fig's grandmother for that added flare!)

We won our game versus Spain. 12-3






Today we played against Australia. It was a close match. Mostly because we had a beast of a practice this morning, so we were a wee bit tired. On top of that I think the referee's did not want another blow out game like yesterday. Or maybe it was their goal to allow the crowd to see what it would look like to have two people inside one swim suit. (Maybe it just felt that way.) We won 9-8. And a win is a win. I'll take it. :)

Highlight of the game for me was when an Aussie player tried to break my finger. When I asked her if she was in fact trying to break my finger, she was responded with..."Well, you were holding onto my suit." To that I said...."We are playing water polo, dear. That is the nature of our sport." Then I added....."By the way, what do you think you are doing to the front of my suit right now?" She didn't really have a response when she looked down to see her fist full of speedo polyester. Hmmm?

Shiny and NEW!

With the help of friends and family I have splurged and acquired a new bike to replace the stolen one.

It's purple. Silver flames. Pink rims. LOVE IT!!!!

Even the seat has sweet detailing!


I asked the nice salesman at the bike store what lock to get to prevent this baby from getting jacked. He said the only way to go is the U lock. Well I already have one so I am golden. I had the damn thing before and thought that the two locks already on there to begin with was overkill. Now I know better. I should have used two U locks!!!

I'll just keep it inside in the living room to be on the safe side. :)

Meet Olive.

Look at this face. Quite possibly the stinkin cutest thing I have ever seen.



effing adorable!!!!! Good Lord!

You know, I have been up until this point, a cat person. I love animals. But I have always drawn the line at the loveable creatures I would allow to cohabitate with me. Srtictly kittens. Then cats when they grow up. Ha ha. Ok, maybe a few fish here and there, once a turtle, and my first pet was a hamster.

But I couldn't have a dog. Not without a huge yard (which means I own a house....and that will not happen till i win the lottery) cuz dogs need their space too. To be free to express themselves. Plus enrollment in puppy boot camp is mandatory. Cuz I am NOT into getting jumped on at inopportune times or drooled on. Also, little yapper dogs are annoying.

Then I met Olive. She has changed my mind. I could have a dog. As long as it was just like her. :)

Here is a photo montage to help you fall in love too.


She is soooo small. And squishable!

Finding Nemo.

SNEAK PREVIEW~
We had a run in with some good karma. We had arrived and were taking in the sights of Main Street Disneyland, attempting to take a self portrait of our first moments having fun when a family stopped us and asked us where we were from. Locals we replied. Which happened to be the right answer for they wanted to bestow upon us, bright shiny sparkly blue wristbands that would allow us to go on the newly revamped submarine ride to find Nemo. (It officially opens today.) We got to be VIP, pretend we won the wristbands through a radio contest and preview the ride before the general public. We felt special. Always a good way to start the day. I documented our voyage so that I could share it with you all. This way you are prepared for your adventure when you choose to take it.

Guess I do not need to go see the Great Barrier Reef anymore. I bet it looks just like this.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Oh how I love a day at Disneyland. :)


This is us having fun on The Tower of Terror.

Great ride. It is actually in the California Adventure part of the park. Did you know that you can buy beer over there? Whole new Disney experience. Ok, back to the ride.....

These small children on the ride with us were not having as much fun as we were!

Because we loved it so much we had to go on it again once Monkey had arrived. I loved it as you can see. Darcy can not stop giggling. Monkey doesn't understand. Betsey can't explain it to her in mid-ride so she gets caught between a scream, laugh and clap.

We went on rides.....and ATE!!!! The inspiration for the trip began with my craving for funnel cake. I feel like Disneyland may be the only place you can get that delicious pile of fried dough and powdered sugar. Well, maybe except for the county fair.....but I am not really sure where to find that here in LA. Churros and cotton candy were also consumed. Then there were the corn dogs.....about as big as my arm and fried to perfection as we watched!


Basically if it was fried or had sugar we ate it.

Search for new music.

Sometimes I will wander aimlessly through the internet from one link to the next, looking for new fun music.
Recently I found this new song I really liked. I had never heard of the singer before and figured I would share....
maybe you will like her mellow sound too.

Check out "Bubbly by Colbie Caillat".

Does anyone else have a new artist/song to share???

I was seduced to the dark side.

I tried. Really hard. I wasn't going to give in to the posh Hollywood popularity that is Pink Berry.

I mean who pays over $6 for frozen yogurt? Or fresh greek style yogurt in ice like form. Whatever it is, it should not cost that much. It probably costs $1.50 for them to make.

But it does cost this much. And I can't stop eating it. Because it is deliciously addictive. Kind of like crack. But I like to think of it as a more healthy form of addiction. So it is ok. (This is just me being delusional) You tell me....I just forked over $13 for a 13oz. green tea yogurt with strawberry, kiwi, granola and the secret ingredient. At this rate I will not have money for rent next month.

The fruit they pile on top IS fresh. And cut up small, not drenched in sugary syrup. SO they must charge this much because someone is in the back kitchen actually cutting up fruit. I mean hard labor means cash. WARNING: If you choose to put fruity pebbles on your yogurt, you are really cheating yourself out of your own money, because you know the person that pours the cereal into the container from the Costco sized box in back didn't have to work very hard, and it costs the same as the fruit.

SECRET: For those of you that love the thing called mochi.....they have tiny little balls of it that you can add too. But it is not up on the menu so it is a "people in the know" kind of thing. Like at In and Out.....you have to be a regular to really get the good stuff.

I have become one of the masses and can not live without a little Pink Berry in my life. I say try it once. If you have the will power to "stick it to the man" and not pay a ridiculous price for such things.....you are a better person than I. But enjoy that one that you do buy.....cuz you have paid gold for every decadent bite! :)

Enjoy!

Olympic Flashback

While our team was training in Sydney before World Chamionships we stayed in the Olympic Park hotel and played at the Olympic swim venue we played in for the final game seven years ago. It was surreal to be there again after so many years.
We found the Olympic Couldron which had once proudly burned the Olympic flame had been turned into a fountain. It was hot. There was water. So we cooled off and took a team picture surrounded by the cascading water.....I like to think the water had some lucky or positive energy because we played so well after that. Maybe I should have brought some home for use later.

We found these plauqes surrounding the fountain. There was one for every medal winner from the 2000 Games. All 13 of our names were there! I am so proud of our team. GO USA!

Why #2

In this cell phone driven world, why do people think it is alright to text and be glued to their phone even when they are with other people?

Is it really necessary to sit right next to someone while having coffee, and text or talk to someone else on the phone? Why go interact with real people at all then? Just stay at home and conduct all your correspondence through your phone. Because it is rude to the person you are with. Basically says to them.....you are not as important as this person I am talking to on the phone.

Worse yet is to be driving in the car and be texting so much you almost kill everyone in the car. Get lost or better yet never say one word to the living breathing person in the car with you while on the way to your destination.

Maybe we need to cut the umbilical cord with our cellies. What did we do before cell phones existed. We planned on meeting up and chatting in person. We called home phones and talked. Or left messages so talking could happen when both parties were not otherwise doing something else. Is that lost now??

Maybe not....but we all could do a better job of realizing it. Incorporate the best of both worlds....basically just be more considerate.

Why #1

Why do people feel the need to steal???

I mean, is it so hard to get a job? Even one at a place like McDonalds. Make minimum wage. But earn your own money. Once you have SAVED a little cash, you can buy your own things. Instead of taking someone else's stuff. For f*%k sake people!!! Are we really that lazy???

I mean, you tell me, but.......I think it takes a whole lot more effort for a person to, lets say, stake out someone who locks their bike in the same place behind their house (way in the back, underneath some stairs) for months. Notices the day the person buys a nice shiny new basket for the front, to carry groceries home from the store in. Goes home, gets lock cutters. Comes back to the house. Cuts the TWO locks that secure (and obviously not very well) the bike to the cement stairs. And steals the bike.

Ok, so someone did this to me yesterday. And maybe you say I am stupid for locking it outside. But I'm sorry. I sure as hell figured TWO different locks would keep it safe and deep down I want to trust that people don't do this kind of shit. But they do and I hate it. Makes a person feel violated. So, I put a sign outside where my bike used to be, that reads... "Thanks a lot for stealing my bike, asshole." Hopefully other people living around me, will read this and take their bikes inside. More likely they will think..."That girl is stupid. People are inherently stealers. Protect your worldly belongings at all times."

Great. I have no bike. Boo.

Don't get distracted.

It is so easy to start cooking, find something else to do and forget all about what you were preparing. Until it starts burning and the aroma fills the kitchen. That brings you back real quick.

New food choice: Spelt.
Ever heard of it? It is yummy. An ancient wheat grain. Nutty flavor, fiber and protein. All good things!

You can get it at Trader Joes in a little box. TRY IT!
Note: Warm chicken broth is one of the ingredients....kinda smells like cat pee to me but don't let that deter you from trying it!!!

Take Note!

It has come to my attention that there is a VERY unique time upon us. At 2:03 AM and 4 secconds this Sunday morning it will be.....

02:03:04 05/06/07

Once in a lifetime! Once in a 1000 years! Celebrate. Take note. Have a party!
Have a great weekend!