Spring forward!

A long week draws to a close, at last. Once again, I have been mostly desk-bound, cranking out yet another brief, to meet yet another deadline, so that I can turn to the next brief, in time for the next deadline. But I'm really not whining - I love having so many different appeals, raising so many different issues. This latest one involves particularly fascinating issues, with all kinds of nifty legal twists and potentially significant policy implications. What can I say - I'm an appellate nerd.

While I've been preoccupied with all this work, assorted other developments and happenings have been percolating in the background.

Somehow, it's March already, which, in addition to college basketball (my #^$*@)!*">#^$*@)!*% brackets are already busted), means that triathlon season is upon us! We will be attending a wedding over Boulder Peak weekend this year, so I won't be able to vindicate my abysmal '05 performance. But I will be doing three, possibly four sprints: 5430 Sprint in June (with many of my longtime tri buddies), the New England Danskin in July (with a whole posse of my beloved imaginary internet friends), Tri for the Cure in August (with the fabulous Michelle), and probably Louisville at the end of August (in which I placed 3d in my age group last year, more a testament to the caliber of the field than my own talents, and which Steve will do with me because he can survive the swim by running on the bottom of the pool). I've finally started swimming again, and it's just about light enough out in the mornings for me to get a regular weekday running schedule going. I've been spending lots of time on the bike trainer Steve got me for Hanukkah; hopefully this will pay off when I take my bike outside again soon.

The arrival of longer days and warmer weather also has me itching to climb outside, though the next couple of weekends will be more about backcountry skiing. I've lost some upper-body strength over the past two seasons, but I'm climbing more aggressively these days, and challenging myself with harder leads. Steve and I have been mulling a one-week return trip to Sardinia to celebrate our first anniversary, but we haven't decided yet whether we can (or should) afford it. If we go, we want to be climbing well enough to make a serious go of the Aguglia.

What I am not looking forward to this Spring is the rediscovery of our outdoor spaces. We have an embarrassing number of leaf bags strewn about the side and back of our house, because we missed the final drop-off day in the fall and can't fit them all in the Civic. They must be disposed of, and soon, because they're an eyesore (and we really don't need to be competing with our Very Scary Neighbor for the Toedtli Drive Eyesore Award). We also need to see whether any of the plants we stuck in the ground last year are still alive. We will cross our fingers and hope that our beloved apple tree will blossom this year, after it failed to bear a single piece of fruit last summer. We must tear out the three useless beds in the back yard and build something attractive and efficient in which to plant some sort of vegetable and herb garden. And we need to think about building a deck, or otherwise making our outdoor area more conducive to everyday use. Neither of us is blessed with a terribly green thumb or a huge passion for gardening, but we're making a valiant effort at developing both.

Also, this Spring may, possibly, I think, be the season of my CI surgery. It is hard to say for sure, though, because the clinic keeps postponing my next appointment (it is now on April 24) and the person who supposedly can give me a tentative surgery date ignores my phone messages. If I didn't have a close friend who has survived the administrative incompetence and is doing phenomenally well with the implant, I'd be tempted to bag the whole idea at this point. But the more I think about it, the more excited I am about having the implant, so I'm going to try not to let these annoyances dissuade me.

Comments

[Grace]

That's too bad and really unfair that your phone calls are not being returned. And were you able to resolve the insurance company problem? I saw your entry re 'the insurance company from hell' when you were navigating what the company would pay and what you and Steve would have to pay??? I have a friend who only had to pay $75 toward the surgery that she had last May 2005. The copays for her are only $10 , if I recall correctly.

[michelle]

That's funny about the bags of lawn rubbish. We missed the last drop-off last fall too so we have all these ugly bags in our backyard too. Apparently, for years, Fish was the outcast of our 'hood until we got some new neighbors that we call the ghetto house; I certainly don't want to compete with them.

The gardening is a great idea. For us on the foothills, however, our garden became a buffet for all the critters. Very frustrating!

[Catherine]

Any update on the CI situation? Insurance picking up the cost?