WILL SHE, OR WON'T SHE? DOES SHE, OR DOESN'T SHE?

Jut a warning: If you don't watch the show, this may not interest you.

To all you Grey's Anatomy devotees, after waiting two weeks to see if Meredith, one of the main characters of the show, dies from drowning, will we get an answer tonight?

As you may or may not recall, there was a huge ferry crash in Puget Sound, and most of the interns from Seattle Grace were sent to the scene of that accident, along with rescue personnel from all over the area. Fast forward to the end of part 1 two weeks ago, and we see Meredith doing what she is good at: saving a life. After saving a guy from bleeding to death and giving him her coat to wear because he is cold, the ingrate flails out at her, and she pitches into the water.

Not trying to be cynical, but logic comes to mind here. Unless she had hit her head going over the side of the dock and into the water (which I don't recall seeing), survival instinct would have kicked in and she would have resurfaced moments later, if nothing more, gasping for breath. Even cold water, which appears to be the case, should not have prevented her from resurfacing in some timely fashion. Even fully dressed, as she was, she should have been able to come to the surface long enough to make a sound, a splash, or reach out for some sort of lifeline, whether there was anything there or not. I know, I'm probably spoiling the drama here, but those are just my thoughts, thoughts that I formed after two nights of waiting for someone to find her.

And what's with the kid? I was thinking she might be in shock, but she didn't appear panicked, or maybe autistic, since she seemed detached and unemotional to what was going on around her, yet clinging to someone for help (Meredith). But my feelings took a different turn, and I just considered her a brat. After Meredith takes her under her wing because she was separated from her mother, and is scared and lost, this is the thanks she gets when she needs help? (Remember, she did nothing, just walked away.)

Fast forward again to the end of part 2 and there is Meredith, lifeless and blue. I know I am not alone in thinking they can't kill off the main character of the show. I also know February is ratings month, so almost every show out there puts new episodes on in February. That's one way to get people to watch every week and stretches the season out that will include reruns for the next 8 weeks, most likely. I do think two things, however: (1) that being in cold water likely stopped her heart long enough so she doesn't have (lasting) brain damage (remember they said her temperature was in the 80s) and (2) that this may not get resolved yet tonight. So, the drama continues.

On a workout note, today I finally lapped the woman swimmer at the pool that has more or less been my nemesis for the past few months. When I swam againt her last season, I had no trouble lapping her. Then, after the accident, I slowly lost fitness and strength, to the point where only a month ago I was struggling in her wake. Today was a sort of victory, though, because I caught her before doing a full quarter mile and stayed ahead of her until the end of my workout. I think she knows there is some sort of friendly competition going on there, even though we have never mentioned it. I can just sense it. Today, I was pretty sure. After lapping her, she broke into a breast stroke for a couple of laps and then went back to freestyle, like she was trying to recover. She has a pretty good glide, so even with the breast stroke, she stayed fairly close to me. But I prevailed and finished ahead on each lap. It felt like a true workout! And in the process, took 17 seconds off my 3/4 mile time (today: 30:18). That's two times in a row that my time has dropped, so I think this means progress, not just a fluke!

I always worry I am not counting laps correctly, but I switched to counting 5 at a time and then starting over to be sure I don't get messed up. Usually, my brain manages to be able to count to five easily enough, but get past 20 and I start forgetting! Maybe if I didn't count every stroke too, I might be able to do both. :)

I've decided against doing drills, etc. since I just don't have enough time on a weekly basis to do weights, pilates, swim drills, swim, spin, run, stretching, etc.! Its a vicious cycle otherwise. I figure my swimming will improve as my fitness improves, and hopefully, by the time tri season gets here, I will be close to my swim fitness of last season.