People I get to swim with

How cool that I got to share a lane with Pat Sparkuhl the other day. He is a local mixed media artist who I am fond of:
http://www.patsparkuhl.com/
I also saw Marlo Bartels (wow he is tall). He is a local tile artist and his works are easily recognizable all over Laguna Beach:
http://www.marlobartels.com/
I also ran into David-who-paints-backdrops-at-the-Pageant-Of-The-Masters. His stroke has improved alot over the last year!
Community pools are interesting. There is such a huge mix of swimming styles and abilities. I think I have gotten spoiled swimming with Masters Swimmers who (mostly) have a clean style and have lane etiquette thing down. today I shared a lane with the "Human Tsunami"; his jerky, spasmodic stroke created a gigantic chop and caused me to alter my breathing to the other side and I tried to consider it faux-open-water training. Later on in the day, I got stuck in a aftershave slick. You know those guys that have some thick smelling 70's fragrance slathered all over (Brut, anyone?), and usually have some big bling chain to top it off. In the water, up your nose that smell is just nasty. I also had one of those "Lane Joggers" next to me. The ones in the floaty belts, positioned upright, flailing their legs about as if they might go somewhere soon.
I ended the day as the last lap swimmer between 2 lanes of waterpolo kids. This meant occasional balls in my lane and sometimes a dozen or more tangles of ten-year-olds swimming beneath me like animate seaweed.
I am at 336.39 miles (592,050 yards) with 2 days left to go in the February Fitness Challenge. This has been tough and my skin hurts.
I need to go get some food now!