tennis, life and a few things in between

Hooray I got in 37,020 yards / 21.03 miles of swim this month.

It started when I signed up the Red Cross 15 mile swim challenge, which I fulfilled on June 21st, with the longest swim of 28 times in the pool this June: 2,620 yd / 1.49 mile.

Michael Douglas or Gordon Gekko once said that greed … is good. I think challenge is even better.

A pretty good timing for the first 15 minutes @ 2’06”, without trying hard in free style, without missing a single flip turns.

The second half of swim is breaststroke, at 2’38” per 100 yards.

Total yardage is 1,660, which brings up to date in June to 32,460 yd. 1.56 miles to go for 20 miles mark.

This is one of my two faves fm China, and a good companion in the pool. Unfortunately, the good recording / live performance is poor – wrong notes are prevalent (which is ok in the water…). The concerto is about 20-24 minutes, so after two, I’m pretty much done my swim: I’ve no problem to listen to it back to back – I’m a bore.

I’m always moved at the end, when East is Red comes on. Looking back at the childhood melody, the feeling is mixed. Out of blue, I googled it today, 黄河钢琴协奏曲 东方红, saw a few posts asking if it ruined the concerto by adding the East is Red.

zhihu 有去掉“东方红”版的钢琴协奏曲《黄河》，至今记得一个可能粗俗但非常精辟的评论，说这个版本的感觉，就好像前面一直弄得很爽，爽到快要出来的时候突然萎了。

要理解这一比喻的精辟，我们可以引入另一个比喻。

某李小龙纪录片中，一个来自白人女演员的著名评价是，李小龙让中国男人有了种（he put balls on Chinese men）。当然，这里指的是在西方的荧幕上。李小龙之前，好莱坞荧幕上的华人男性除了傅满洲那种神秘邪恶的大反派，基本上就是贼眉鼠眼、男人的各种能力都不行的怂蛋。李小龙在他短暂的生命中直接完成大逆转。他让功夫片成为热门，他自己成为荧幕上最能打的人，让白人花钱买票看他揍白人，还为之叫好。这甚至影响出一波黑人崇拜李小龙的风潮，视李小龙为精神导师，拍摄黑人功夫电影（这曾是一个重要的电影类型）。

在荧幕以外的现实世界中，是中国共产党带领中国人民完成了这一任务，如果把它符号化的话，毫无疑问就是毛主席，在音乐里，那就是《东方红》。…

The few I’ve been listing to: (Can’t find one by Lang Lang – thought he’s the perfect one to play this. Li Yundi won’t, imho)

• Zhang Haiou 张海鸥 2022 w/ Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra
• Lu Jia’s in 2022
• Vladimir Khomyakov 2019 w/ Ningbo Symphony 钢琴协奏曲
• Victor Ong 王俊霖 2017
• Rueibin Chen 陳瑞斌 2017
• Yin Chengzong
  • 2024 @ 国家大剧院音乐厅
  • 2021 w/ Suzhou Chinese Orchestra 苏州民族管弦乐团
  • 2019 w/ Shenzhen 深圳交响乐团
  • 1970?

I saw Yin Chengzhong twice in New York. Once at an up state church in 1987, and then Tully Hall (the smaller one auditorium at Lincoln Center; he was hired by a travel agency) in 2015.

这二天的长距离都是1,560 纯属巧合. 今天慢了四分钟 因为中间🎵停了 上岸弄 Youtube (只会用油管) 无意中看到 人民音乐家冼星海… “人民”是啥意思呢? 黛安娜也自称是 people’s princess 前者不知所措 后者觉得很陈词滥调.

非常喜欢黄河钢琴协奏曲 是俺泳池里听的最多的 老柴的第二. 原因之一是没有好的录音/现场 错音符多如牛毛 (不知道为什么没有朗郎的)… 每次听到最后的东方红太阳升时 都热泪盈眶
儿时的记忆难磨灭
通常早上去游 游完后正好太阳开始升起 – 倒是不觉得是败笔
几年前看到70年代纽约时报报道 称此曲是垃圾

Yaaaaa!
The last few yards of Red Cross 15 mile June challenge!

The bulk 2,200 yd is done in 51 minutes (total 2,620 in an hour). The water temp is 82° (better than 85 or 86 … lol).

I swam daily since June 1, (except 6.16) 27,020 yards / 15.35 miles / 24,707 meters.

Music is Hilary Hahn‘s Tschaikowsky violin concerto.

… so the Paris Olympic (Fri, Jul 26 to Sun, Aug 11, 2024) is upon us. One sweet story: Erin Gemmell (2004-), the 19 years old just made the 200m free at the US swimming trail:

Women’s 200m Freestyle – FINAL 1 –

1. Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Md./Gator Swim Club), 1:55.22 2
2. Claire Weinstein (Las Vegas, Nev./Sandpipers of Nevada), 1:56.18
3. Paige Madden (Mobile, Ala./New York Athletic Club) 1:56.35
4. Erin Gemmell (Potomac, Md./NCAP), 1:56.75

Her dad Bruce Gemmell was once, a coach of Katie Ledecky (1997-) and young Erin had been inspired by Ledecky so much, she turned out to be an Olympian herself. With Phoebe Bacon (2002-), the three are all from the same Stone Ridge school.

• People 2024.6.18
• WaPo

…ok, here is old me ⇓

Mission accomplished 😊

15哩的挑战✅
20天一共🏊‍♀️ 15.35哩
27,020 yd
24,707 米

分享一个温馨的小故事
巴黎奥运马上就要开始了 各种trials 选拔赛都在如火如荼的进行中

女子200米自由式 已经出炉了
#1 Katie Ledecky – 1:55.22
#2 Claire Weinstein – 1:56.18
#3 Paige Madden – 1:56.35
#4 Erin Gemmell – 1:56.75

小4 娃的爸爸训练过#1女神. 二人也是校友. 4娃从小就迷恋#1. 现在二队友就要出征巴黎
小激动喔 [偷笑]

(小四的哥哥也是游长距离. 2012 伦敦奥运会1,500米 第九名. 2011上海 5公里队 得金)

🏊‍♀️周末快乐 [愉快]
多游多乐 [偷笑]

A small record during the 15 mile challenge (in a long time): 2,240 yards = 1.2 miles = 2,048 meter, in the 20 yard pool:🏊‍♀️ 1:01 🏊‍♀️. (98% in breaststroke: the headphone goes on and off …) I haven’t swam this long in the pool for a long while. March 2nd 1.2m was open water. Time wise are similar.

Red Cross 15 mile challenge is pushing me, to exercise seven days a week – this is a first too.

2,240yd = 1.2miles [得意]
一小时一分钟 2,048 米, 98% 蛙泳

长度小记录 有几年没有游泳池2千米了. 三月初的2千米是海里 时间差不多
吃了半条黄油🧈二包饼干 😋

Done 21 miles in total for the month of June!

~ my swimming log ~

Red Cross has a swimming challenge in June, again, and I’m taking it again. This is honor system and you do at your own pace and ability.

This time, I didn’t active fundraising. But if your charitable budget still available, please do consider making one.

Technical part of it:

• 1 mile equals to 1,760 yards (15 miles = 26,400 yards), 88 laps in a 20-yard pool.
• How I keep track: using Fitbit Versa 2. However, the watch isn’t the most realizable … sometimes it just stops.
• Music: I listened to Beethoven’s violin concerto the most because I LOVE it, and it lasts about 45 minutes, which is about the same time I do a mile with breast stroke. Being geeky, here is an analysis of Henryk Szeryng, Itzhak Perlman, Clara Jumi-Kang and Hilary Hahn, playing this piece.
• Headphone: X7. This brand’s quality is so so but inexpensive. It’s also the reason I do breast stroke, to keep my head above water most of the time for better sound. But this headphone can take flip turns but not backstroke.
• Stroke: I do breast stroke most often.

My Log – in yard: starting time, temperature/water temp, music I listened, and cumulative total.

1. ^{June 01} 500 yards
2. ⁰² 1,840 ^{7:23am, 47 min; 80/83; Beethoven violin concerto by Perlman 2,340}
3. ⁰³ 1,720 ^{6:38am, 45 min; 70/83; Whitney Houston; 4,060}
4. ⁰⁴ 320 … ^{4,380 … 22,020 yards to go}
5. ⁰⁵ 1,700 ^{06:45am, 45 min; 80/82; Beethoven violin concerto Perlman 6,080} 
6. ⁰⁶ 340 ^{6,420 … 19,980 yards to go} 
7. ⁰⁷ 1,960 ^{6:53am, 52 min, 78/82; Beethoven violin concerto Perlman; 8,380}
8. ⁰⁸ 2,240 ^{6:52am, 1:01, 76/82; 2’46″/100yd. Beethoven violin concerto Hahn. 10,620}
9. ⁰⁹ 200 ^{after 3-6, 5-7. 10,820 … 15,580 yards to go} 
10. ¹⁰ 1,900 ^{6:49am; 50 min; 76/82; multi composers; 12,720}
11. ¹¹ 1,660 ^{7:38am; 43 min; 78/82, Mozart; 14,380 half way!} 
12. ¹² 1,800 ^{7:06am; 48 min; 75/83, Mozart; 16,180 full fm rain} 
13. ¹³ 200 ^{8pm, 82/85; 16,380}
14. ¹⁴ 2,140 ^{6:45am, 56 min; 75/82; multiple; 18,520 … 7,880 to go}
15. ¹⁵ 160 ^{18,680 … 7,720 yard to go}
16. ¹⁷ 2,360 ^{6:40am 1:01; 75/81; Mozart; 21,040 … 5,360 yd to go}
17. ¹⁸ 540 ^{21,580; Brahms by Hahn. 4,820 yd to go}
18. ¹⁹ 2,540 ^{6:46am, 59 min, 75/81. Fischer‘s Tchaikovsky. 24,120; 2,280 to go}
19. ²⁰ 280 ^{8:30pm 24,400; 2,000 to go!}
20. ^{21 *}2,620 ^{6:59am, 1 hr; 81/82. Hahn‘s Tschaikowsky. 27,020 yd / 15.35 miles}  
21. ²² 360 ^27,380
22. ²⁴ 1,840 ^{6:43am; 49 min. 72/82; 2’11″/100yd. 29,220}
23. ²⁵ 1,580 ^{7:25am,  46 min. 71/82, Yellow River; 30,800}
24. ²⁶ 1,660 ^{7:01am, 39 min; 71/82 2’06″/100yd; Yellow River. 32,460 1.56m shy of 20m}
25. ²⁷ 200 ^32,660
26. ²⁸ 1,240 ^{6:51am, 35 min; 77/82;  Tchaikovsky – Argerich. 33,900 =19.26m}
27. ²⁹ 1,120 ^{7:43a, 30 min; 76/82; Tchaikovsky – Bell. 35,020 180 yd →20m}  
28. ³⁰ 2,000 ^{7:05am, 53 min; 76/82; Tchaikovsky – Lang. 37,020 yd / 21 mile}

A short swim at Hollywood Beach @ Hollywood, FL. The water is emerald green.