Classes ended yesterday which meant waking up with a touch of lightness in my step. I love, love, love teaching–it’s the best job ever–but it also tires me out. It’s just an awful lot of enthusiasm, and sometimes I need a break to get back to myself. I spent the first part of my day doing just that, hopping on the bike at 9:00am to head down the hill and over to another gym for a swim lesson. Nope–not the teacher. I rode along with a whole lot of cars looking for parking (suckas!) and took a right early to avoid too much of Fells Point. And then I was on Boston Street, riding as fast as I could in a vain attempt to keep up with traffic. A guy in front of me on his bike hopped up on the sidewalk, but I took the lane, not that I’m bragging or anything. And then I was at the gym, locking my bike, putting on a bathing suit, and spluttering across the pool in a vain attempt to keep my feet pointed as the left one cramped up. That 30 minutes ended with a full lap of the pool, and I felt pretty accomplished about the whole thing. I headed out back on my bike and did a lap around the blocks behind the main drag. The gym was super fancy, as was the pool, but right behind it were giant gas tanks and empty lots and blighted buildings. Tanks and a foam house (in case of fire, I think) are in the foreground of this picture, but the background is the bay with the city skyline in the background, interrupted for just a second by military ships. So many layers in this place, just a peek behind things and its a whole different story. I took the long way home, pedal, pedal, pedal, happy to have a morning to myself.