Assorted Notes from Nationals Part Deux

SUMMARY: Random thoughts and photos.

Distance walked: According to my pedometer, I covered between about 7 and 8 miles a day. That's less than I do at a typical trial, where I'm often between 9 and 11 miles a day. One difference is that I had only 1 or 2 runs a day at Scottsdale, for one dog, versus walking and running 5 courses for 2 dogs (so as many as 10 walk-throughs a day) at a regular trial. Some of the distances here were immense, however; I clocked the walk from my crating area to the entrance to Ring 1--the farthest ring--at 5 minutes and .23 miles!

Knee and the rest of its body: My knee held up very well. I iced it only once, which felt nice, but I survived without more. I had to keep up on my ibuprofen to avoid a creeping ache. No swelling. And I enjoy walking; it feels good to move myself around, and I like burning calories. My right shoulder's bursitis, however, acted up, not sure why--too much tug-of-war? Too much photography wednesday and thursday? (I have bad habits when holding my camera.) Too many ice-cold, tasty smoothies with whipped cream? By Saturday evening, as we found seating for the Steeplechase finals, my knee was throbbing, my shoulder was so painful that I couldn't lift my arm, and I was developing a lovely headache. Fortunately for better living through chemistry, I popped some ibuprofen and downed them with a caffeinated diet Coke--and an hour later, everybodypart was happy happy happy. The rest of the weekend I was mostly fine.

Bloody nose: An odd thing; while sitting and preparing my lunch one day, my nose started bleeding. Just, poof, like that. Took a while to stop, and it didn't happen again. Dry air? Altitude? Air conditioning blowing on me all night in the hotel? Odd thing.

Hotel: The hotel was good except when the room keys didn't work the 2nd night. No one except me seems to find the pull-out sofa bed in the main room comfortable enough to sleep on. I've done it 4 years now, no problems; I'm so tired, though, I could probably sleep in a gravel pit. Internet access was excruciating slow at times--probably everyone got back to the hotel at the same time and logged in to do whatever people do on their computers.

Earthquake: We left San Jose Tuesday morning. That evening, a 5.6 quake hit east San Jose. When I got home, I found a few things tipped over or fallen off shelves, but only small, minor, lightweight items. No harm done. Would've been very scary to be in Scottsdale and have another Loma Prieta-sized quake--or bigger--happen while we were gone, though.

Bloggers: What fun it is to meet fellow agility bloggers in person! Got a chance to talk a bit with Days of Speed blogger Elayne and briefly with Team FernandezLopez's Sarah. The Internet DOES provide a real, human, social benefit.

Next year's nationals: I heard that it's definitely in Scottsdale next year. I heard that it might not be in Scottsdale next year. I heard that they'd like it to be in Scottsdale but that there are "issues" with Westworld. I heard that it'll be in Scottsdale but on a different weekend. I heard that it'll be in the midwest the following year. I heard that it'll be on the east cost next year or the following year. So now you know.

Enjoyment: Other than feeling like a dork when forgetting my Team Snooker run, and being really blue (for about 10 minutes) about not making the GP semifinals YET AGAIN, I truly enjoyed myself there. Chatted and hung out with many entertaining people. Enjoyed the weather except the very hottest couple of hours a day, but shade abounded--you could always steal someone's umbrella shade ringside. Watching top competitors from around the country and the world is a blast. Watching the final rounds, where super-fast dogs and handlers complete courses in amazing times, with astonishingly fast contacts and exciting handling moves, and placements determined at times by only .02 seconds (26" Steeplechase final 1st/2nd) or .01 seconds (16" Performance National Standard 1st/2nd) are pleasures that are hard to match anywhere. And it helps when several classmates, friends, and fellow Bay Teamers appear in the various finals, and do well, to boot.

More notes about the competition in general and Bay Teamers in particular are posted here (and more's still coming).

All my photos of Bay Teamers & friends of Bay Team and the whole site and event overall are posted here, with some commentary.

	Sunset over Ring 1. As usual, every desert sunrise and sunset took one's breath away.
	Boost, watching another Border Collie play. (Oh, crud, 2 of these photos aren't rotated. Will fix later.)
	"Heyyyy--who gave you my camera??!"
	Our home away from home.
	Dining with friends at Chez Gourmet Fastfood--Sausages! Nachos! Hamburgers! Philly Cheese Steaks! Fried onion rings! French fries! Fat fat fat and more fat! Well, OK, really, they were well done for what they were. But I don't eat like that any more and just couldn't stomach several meals of it, let alone 5 days of it.
	My devil-made-me-do-it (pop contact, skip pole, bite judge) costume.
	A worthy thought that I tried to remember on a regular basis.

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