Fleeting and Random Pardeeville Impressions

• Here's a good rule to remember: don't set up your transition area on an anthill.
• I know I said it last week, but watching first-time triathletes cross the finish line is still cool.
• I can't WAIT to turn 50 and get out of the M45-49 age group. I'm resigned to not getting much faster; now I just need slower competition.
• Whaddya know. I'm starting to like my wetsuit. Notice I didn't say 'love' yet. We're more in the dating phase at the moment. Uh-oh. Can I say I'm "dating" a skin-tight neoprene garment on a public blog?
• RE the wetsuit: Intrepid Training Partner is now entitled to a big, fat "I Told You So!" Actually ITP is entitled to more than one, but I'm hoping the others are temporarily forgotten...
• Wisconsin is gorgeous. It'd be even better without all those damn Packer fans.
• You know you're in Wisconsin (or at least someplace up north) when the side of the building across the lake says "Pardeeville Curling Club" in big letters.
• Speedos on women: good. Very good, in some cases. Speedos on men: um, OK, I'm averting my eyes.
• L'Etoile in Madison, WI is still my all-time favorite restaurant. But don't tell anyone. It's crowded enough as it is.
• 6:00 A.M. pre-race breakfasts at the Breese Way B&B in Portage, WI are awesome.
• $50,000 bass boats make pretty good swim course monitoring platforms. Apparently, they also make pretty stable beer-drinking platforms at the same time.
• High school and/or college athletes have huge natural advantages over those of us who spent those formative years chasing girls and doing other unproductive but quite pleasurable things. Revenge Of the Jocks! Who knew?