My new hobby

So I realized this weekend that I hadn't updated about my new (old) hobby: swimming!

It's a complicated story, but it came to my attention recently that there's a pool in Paris with very low levels of chlorine. It's purified mostly with ozone, and you can't smell any sort of chlorine in it. Since my swimming career came to an inglorious end 12 years ago when I developed a sensitivity to chlorine, swimming hadn't been on my radar for years. But when I found out about this new pool, I was excited to try it out.

It's an olympic-size pool, and it's wonderful. Because it was recently renovated, the whole building is super snazzy, even has a retractable roof! I haven't been able to experience the retractable roof yet since we're still in the 30s here in Paris (bah), but I'm looking forward to the summer when it is open. yay!

The funniest part of the whole thing, I'd have to say, is the oh-so-typically French phenomenon of co-ed locker rooms! hahahaha. There are this little stalls where you can go to change, but then the lockers, bathrooms, and showers are all co-ed. Which is really quite annoying because then you're stuck showering with your bathing suit on (which everyone seems to do, I'm still waiting to see how long it takes before I come across the exhibitionist who doesn't). Otherwise, though, it doesn't really matter.

Actually, the other funny part: I don't know what sort of chemical reaction is going on or whether it's the ozone, the minimal chlorine, or something else, but there's something in this pool water that turns my hair into pincurls. Like, insanely so. It lends new credence to my standing joke that I feel like medusa with my curly hair. Now I basically have a fro, it sticks straight up! And it's super dry, I'm going to have to work on that. But the curls are fabulous, haha. Who would have guessed that going to the pool would improve one's hair?

In any case, I am totally fine in this pool and am thrilled to get back to swimming! And as I've found, it's sort of like riding a bike, my technique is coming back to me. I have to think about it a bit in terms of the stroke and the breathing, but overall I'm not as rusty as I expected to be. Yay! I've got a whole routine down now, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, right when the pool opens (7 am during the week, 9 am on the weekends). Because the one downside of this pool being among the nicest in the city is also that it's one of the most popular. But it seems to be ok at the crack of dawn.

So this Saturday I made my way over to the pool (and was particularly excited because it was reopening after being closed for two weeks). I swam my laps (so far I'm at a mile), got dressed and did my hair (sticking straight up as always) and went to bike home. Except that there was a fundamental problem: something went wrong with my lock and I couldn't get the damned thing off. It's a lock with a code, and I tried everything. Twisting the dials around, etc. Then of course I started second-guessing myself as to whether I had the right code, so I tried other variations of the numbers, etc. Finally I was so confused that I decided I would ditch the bike at the pool and think.

I came home and checked, and I was of course right on the code the first time. Obviously...I mean, I've been using this lock without a problem since I arrived, so of course I was right. But that doesn't negate the fact that the damn thing is stuck. I'm going to buy some WD-40 today and take it over there when I go for my swim tomorrow morning. If that doesn't work, I'm going to have to go on a search for both some lock cutters and probably a strong dude to help me bust the lock, haha. Because this thing is no joke, it's a serious lock. Figures things couldn't be easy, right? Talk about annoying. But the bike is stranded well the hell over in the 15th arrondissement until I can sweet-talk someone into helping me liberate it! Here's hoping the Wd-40 works, otherwise I'm going to have quite the adventure tomorrow...