Jobs. They sure are not what I thought they were growing up. Swimming was my first job. Dream job! I remember bitching about practice and Matt drilling sense into my noggin: “You do realize we’re working out for a living.” Swimming is all about self-improvement. Long ago Phelps understood he was immensely talented. He knew …

I’m not always joyful. Some days my self pity sinks me. When I rain self pity, I pour self pity. Snowballing pity is a recipe for misery. Here’s a recent example of me wanting to make my life sad:  I’m at work on my birthday. No one knows it’s my birthday. I guess I could …

Early this morning, I discovered Yogi Nora on YouTube. Her high-on-yoga smile and sporadic looney laugh leads me to believe she may be high on more than yoga. What she can do with her body is truly amazing and she has a pleasant voice, which is the primary trait I look for when doing my …

I’ve long considered myself a caffeine addict. After discovering the wonder of the cafe con leche as an 18-year-old venturing around Ecuador with my pops, I’ve never taken a hiatus from coffee. Well, there was a three-day cleanse I did prior to my wedding. I remember giving a private lesson and I was struggling to …

Latest from a Berkeley sensory lab: NBA basketball teams whose players touch each other more win more games. My San Antonio Spurs did seem to give each other record-breaking amounts of encouraging butt pats last season. The secret to winning? Surely not. But we do all hold some magic in our hands. Last night I …

Soft, buttery, leathery goodness My Aunt Tam used this expression (slave to fashion) to describe me this weekend. After some consideration, I must agree with her in part. I do not claim to be uber fashion forward, but I really do love me some exceptional retail finds. I blame Anthropologie for my heightened interest in …

I’m forever in debt to my parents and every person who may have sat through a session of a Nationals meet to watch me swim. Bleacher butt and back is real! Bleacher life could not really be any more different from competing athlete life. You have zero control. You do not have a 50 meter …