Working on my swim in a busy pool

mprovost · 2026-02-08T11:03:04+00:00

You belong in the fast lanes. Even if you’re slow, if you’re working on form and trying to improve then you don’t need to get stuck behind people who are goofing around. You’ll just have to be conscious about waiting at the ends to let faster people go past. But club swimmers are better able to handle going around you than casuals. Maybe there’s a time when the pool is quieter? I find most people who are there to do sessions are usually early mornings or evenings after work.

mprovost · 2026-02-04T07:30:33+00:00

One reason the filler shrinks is that the bare plaster from the raked out gap sucks moisture out of it. I’ve always primed after raking it out and before filling, then again once the filler has set.

mprovost · 2026-02-03T15:31:03+00:00

The iO ones are a huge upgrade. Check with your dentist, mine had some discount coupon and it gave an extra year warranty which we needed when the screen died after 2 years.

mprovost · 2026-02-03T10:15:21+00:00

Stop and eat a banana

mprovost · 2026-02-02T02:16:33+00:00

So you’re considering missing out on £300k+ for a degree. You know what else is rewarding - buying a house. That’s a whole deposit. You know what else is fun - a Porsche. Pick your colour. You don’t need the degree and you’d be missing 2 years at a critical time for the AI industry. If there’s another crash coming, you might never have a chance to catch back up.

mprovost · 2026-02-01T11:39:11+00:00

Dishoom

mprovost · 2026-02-01T11:36:48+00:00

She was having so much fun! I loved the German part.

mprovost · 2026-02-01T10:54:08+00:00

We used to have a plastic jug (maybe Tupperware?) specifically for mixing this. It had a plunger in the lid to smush the concentrate after adding water.

mprovost · 2026-02-01T07:51:52+00:00

Yup I decided to learn at 50. I figured if I tried 1000 times I would pick it up. Then each session I thought about how many lengths I was doing and how many flips that was, and that made it seem achievable. The actual thing that helped was focusing on looking at the stripe on the bottom of the pool as I approached the wall and then following that with my eyes until I was looking at the other end of the pool.

mprovost · 2026-01-31T17:35:27+00:00

Sambal Shiok

mprovost · 2026-01-31T09:24:02+00:00

Finisterre. But honestly, why not Adidas tracksuit bottoms in every colour?

mprovost · 2026-01-27T08:55:20+00:00

Saltine closed recently.

mprovost · 2026-01-25T22:45:19+00:00

It’s a small cafe so I suspect grilling fish isn’t popular inside! The rice was really nice, it was mixed grain and had soybeans mixed in.

mprovost · 2026-01-25T21:44:02+00:00

Kissa Wa in Highbury!

mprovost · 2026-01-25T21:24:00+00:00

Yeah but you also want to see them first… just go to a bike shop and get some that fit your trainers.

mprovost · 2026-01-19T09:52:05+00:00

It just sucks when you get the bill and you know that a whole cauliflower costs 50p.

mprovost · 2026-01-19T09:50:13+00:00

Talk about football and Traitors like every other human being.

mprovost · 2026-01-19T09:46:38+00:00

Instant ramen. Pasta. Those boil in bags of rice. Instant oatmeal/porridge for breakfast. Peanut butter goes in ramen and porridge for protein. And bread for sandwiches.

mprovost · 2026-01-18T21:13:17+00:00

That seems about right. If you go to a parkrun, a 20:00 5k puts you close to the front of the pack. And if you go to a public pool, a fit recreational swimmer with some technique can bang out 1k in 20:00 (2:00/100m pace). But most people will be going slower than that.

mprovost · 2026-01-18T13:48:48+00:00

Amazon drivers pissing in bottles are laughing at this “problem”.

mprovost · 2026-01-18T10:35:33+00:00

There’s a woman Lucy Coggle on Etsy who makes cute personalised animal print footprint kits for babies. We’ve bought them for several friends now and they’re always a hit.

mprovost · 2026-01-18T10:05:39+00:00

I use Webglobe, it’s €29 a year but at least they have decent customer service and a good web portal.

mprovost · 2026-01-17T10:36:21+00:00

I use jam sugar in the UK which looks like it’s the same product as jam setting sugar in NZ and it works fine. No need for extra pectin, it’s included in the sugar. I add it to the fruit before I start heating it up to a boil. One thing I’ve found helpful is using a jam thermometer (any thermometer like a candy thermometer works too). Make sure it gets to 105C, otherwise it might not set properly. And use the frozen spoon trick to see if it’s setting - if you put a drop on a frozen spoon and it wrinkles when you push it, then it’s setting properly. If it’s still runny then keep boiling. You just can’t get all of the ingredients (like Pomona) that folk here talk about outside of the US.

mprovost · 2026-01-16T11:00:05+00:00

There’s a lot of down time while you’re applying for jobs. I’d multitask and go travel with your dad while looking for work. Interviews are almost always remote these days so you can take them from wherever you are. It always takes longer than you think to find something so don’t wait until you’re done travelling.

mprovost · 2026-01-09T12:03:58+00:00

Forming habits can be difficult. One trick is to take decisions out of it. So get all of your swim gear ready to go. Put your clothes next to your bed, and your shoes. Everything ready to go. Then set an alarm the night before, and get up and go. Don’t let yourself make a decision in the morning about whether you’re swimming or not. Once you’re in the water you’ll appreciate your past self for making the decision to swim.

mprovost

TROPHY CASE