"Real life gets in the way"...

I said I was going to post the specific details of my new program.  I said I was going to compete this summer.  Then real life got in the way.

I started my new internship at The Kombine in Mt. Kisco, NY.  I'm spending half the week with my cousin, and the other half back in East Stroudsburg.  So far, its a great internship - but unfortunately, the long commute and erratic hours have left little room for a regular training schedule.  If I end up working there for real, I'll be able to make my schedule a little more regulated, but while I'm the intern, I need to do whatever they need me to do, whenever they need me to do it.

So, training is once again going on the backburner while I sort the next phase of my life out over the summer.  Its happened before and its happening again.  I'm not retiring from throwing, just on a hiatus.

Speaking of throwing, today I began my road trip out to Eugene, Oregon to see the 2011 USATF National Championships!  Coach, aka The Unsung Hero of North American Hammer Throwing, and I will take our time driving out to Eugene to see a bit of the country along the way (the championships don't start until next Thursday).  We're basically going to make it up as we go along, it'll be more fun that way.  So here's a summary of day 1 of our trip;
Things I've never seen before:
* A sign saying "Speed Limit 70".  Yup, I knew you could drive faster in some states, but I haven't ever actually seen a sign that goes above 65 until today.
* A triple trailer big rig.  Apparently they're illegal in some states...including all the states I've ever lived in, since I've never seen one before.  But here's a picture of one...

*Had Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold.  We were deciding what beer to try, and of course I wanted to know if there was such thing as an Ohio microbrew...we found the Dortmunder Gold, brewed right in Cleveland, Ohio.  Its your basic lager, but pretty good.  Worth trying if you're ever in the Cleveland area.

Coach's Quotes of the day:
* In regards to being on cafeteria duty at the school he works at, how messy the kids are, the cursing you hear at lunch time, etc... "Lunch duty is a reprehensible view of humanity."
* Everyone who has been coached by Coach will appreciate this one.  I was driving, and I've never been west of Columbus, OH:
Me: "I wish I had a map or something.  I want to know what point I'm crossing, I want to know what point is when I'm officially the farthest west I've ever been."
Coach: "Don't worry about it Tom, you're just gonna go more wester."

There are others you'll just have to ask me about.

More tomorrow...