I slip into the water. Vicki and I are the first ones into the pool. This often happens because we are waiting when the doors open. She wants her lane, #6, and as they say here, "first in, best-dressed". I take lane #3, walking right into the cool water, push off and breast stroke the first 25 meters. It feels great on this 104 F. day. The surface of the water is glassy, still and reflects the brilliant blue of the Australian sky. I love being first one down to the end, first to break the surface tension.

Today (as usual) I'm listening to eclectic stuff. A little Paul McCartney, Over the Rainbow by Izzy Kamakawiwo Ole', Podrunner techno music at 148 beats per minute (good for 20 laps), DragonPage Cover to Cover podcast about how to find old, out of print books on the Internet, and Aretha Franklin singing "Think!". I do this with my SwiMP3 headset, a birthday gift several months ago from my folks. This is a funny device that charges off my computer USB port and carries 256MB of music or podcasts. I think its the best thing since sliced bread to combat the boredom of cranking out 66 laps every day. I just load it with stuff I have on my computer. It is very simple, has only 3 buttons, and I turn it on and just go. The sound is fair, and I think it would be better if I had better hearing. Its not like listening in my car after all, because there is splashing, water moving past my head, and oh by the way, I have to breathe which means noisy bubbles blowing out my nose and mouth. This interferes a bit with the bone conduction of the sound. Music seems best if I know the piece, as my brain will fill in the missing notes or lyrics. Bach's Chaconne, for example, works in the water, as I know the piece well. Spoken word is harder to get. The recording needs to be high quality. Men with deeper voices are better in my ears, and if I backstroke or sidestroke I can follow most conversations. Dr. Karl's Great Moments in Science is great; Slate Explainer and the poetry in Writer's Almanac are much more difficult to follow. I do get a lot of funny looks when I strap this thing on. I think it kind of gives me a bit of a Captain Midnight look.

A week of so ago I was listening to Cover to Cover and heard about DailyLit.com. This is a great website for those of us who always meant to "read that Great Book" but never got around to it. The idea is simple: pick a book, enter your email address, and the site will send you a 1 minute chunk of the book every day (or MWF, or once a week or whatever you want). They have tons of the classics, but also some contemporary literature that the authors have released from copyright restrictions.

Vicki had never read Moby Dick, and I last read it when I was 12 so I'm sure I never really understood it from a very deep perspective. We've both signed up for Moby, and are on part 10 (of 252). Its great. And very appropriate for travelers planning to settle in New England. I also subscribed MWF to Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, a modern novel by Cory Doctorow. These are a great break in my day, and just the right amount. Like a piece of Whittakers wonderful chocolate, best consumed in small bites.