Thursday, September 22, 2011

Merriam-Webster Method of Swimming

To combat the mind numbing boredom of swimming, I use the Merriam-Webster method.  You can only stare at that stripe of  three blue 2-inch tiles for so long without loosing your mind.  If you want to know, the Merriam-Webster method involves the alphabet.  At the beginning of each lap I go through the alphabet.  I start with A.  Across the pool, I come up with two words starting with A in a certain category.  On the way back across the pool, I define each of the two words in my head.  Today the category was adjectives.  First half of the lap I'm thinking awesome, admirable, asinine, acrimonious, ancient, applicable, aromatic, acid, appropriate, and amenable.  Back and forth across the pool, I go through all 26 letters of the alphabet.  Some letters are easy.  The letter X is about impossible so either I focus on dirty words or let my mind wander at will.  Besides adjectives, I've focused on animals, birds, verbs, places, foods, colors, areas of study, and names of people.  Clock watching has totally disappeared since I started using the Merriam-Webster method of swimming.

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