because when i arrive, i bring the fire.

It's amazing how fast the year is going by. As I go through the days, it seems as though they are going so slowly, yet all of a sudden it's October 20th. Bucknell is in 4 weeks, and that's the end of my fall semester of meets. I'm sure it will go by even slower however because we don't have a training trip this year, but because exams are later than usual, it might just feel the same.

I had a killer Day One set today. The best I've ever swam it, most likely. I can't decide if it was because I swam with the boys and I felt no pressure or if I really just had a great set. We'll see tomorrow I guess, when we do Day Two and I'm back with the girls.

ECU this weekend. This will be the test of where we are compared to last year I think. William and Mary was a test also, but because we lost to ECU last year, and only by 14 points, we've got something to prove to them. This is going to be a total mental meet, not so much physical, because I think physically we are there.

Caps had a minor setback this past weekend, losing to the Devils. Both teams battled hard, but Brodeur is amazing and the Caps are incapable of winning a shootout.

Little things here and there are making it hard for me to concentrate. Boys that I shouldn't be thinking about. No good boys. I don't know why I fixate on the ones that are bad for me. And the whole senioritis thing. Because I definitely feel it. This is the last hard semester for me because the spring is going to be a joke with my classes that mean nothing for my major. I just need to do good in these classes right now, but it's so hard.

American Military History in 19 minutes. Need I say more?

you know i like my boys a little bit older.

I think the song Use Your Love really explains the point in my life where I'm at. Think of that what you may...

I'm on an 80s kick and I can't get off of it. Jesse's Girl. 99 Red Balloons. Take Me Home Tonight.

Hockey season starts on October 10th with the Caps in Atlanta and everything is leaning in the Caps favor so far. It seems as though everyone is still on the bandwagon since the end of that amazing last month of the 2008 season. Thinking about it still gets me up and excited.

Right now, I'm kind of just in disbelief that the end of my swimming career is rapidly approaching. And I don't think it will actually hit me until that last night on Conferences. Maybe not even until the morning after.

I have so many things that I need to think about right now. And I need to think of something to do for Sean's birthday. Ah.

and demanded that you stay...

A new season has finally begun. Repeat or Defeat? is the question of the season. It's weird to think that in 6 months I will be done my swimming career. It's different than any other sport I think. It's not something that you can do once you finish your four years. Nor is it something that anyone really would want to continue at the same pace with. You could always swim with Masters but it's not something that you can continue "professionally" unless you're Michael Phelps.

At the moment, things are being placed on the line for another conference championship. Now is the time when we see what people are made of. Who can make the sacrifices in order to win? Who can handle the pressure to win and to reach their goals?