This past weekend I was in Chicago for the 2003 ISI World Figure Skating Competition. Though it has a very prestigious sounding name, really I was only there for a beginner's competition. I competed in Adult Freestyle 2. My performance went relatively well. No major mistakes as far as I could tell. I was pretty happy with it even though I didn't do as well placing as I would have liked (I got 3rd out of 3 people.) Regardless given my practice time and lack of skating for a few months prior to registering, I'd have to say I did pretty well.
I'm not sure if I'll continue to skate or not. The problem is I know I'll never be an Olympic champion and it's really difficult for me to get to the rinks for public sessions in Seattle. In Houston it was all so much more convenient and I had so much more time. I want to focus on my career at the moment, but yet health is important too. I suppose eventually I have to figure this all out, but in the meantime I'll skate when I have time and try not to worry about it too much.
I went to Top Gun in the Seattle International District this past Sunday. Due to waking up late and moving slowly we didn't get there until 2pm. No big deal, they serve dim sum until 3pm. We over ordered as usual (or more specifically *I* overordered), but overall the dishes were tasty & the price approximately $2-$3 per dish. The total bill was $48 (w/o tip) per person. They had really decent char siu baos and good bean curd rolls (though everyone agreed steamed would probably have tasted better than fried). Afterwards we went to Uwajimaya (asian grocery market) and I bought some of the fine tip pens i like so much for a coworker of mine.
For a Sunday, I thought it was pretty productive, though I did forget I had a skating lesson until 30 mins before so I was a bit rushed getting there.
It's approximately 4 weeks out from the competition. My Seattle ice skating coach Heather recommended we go to twice a week. Though it doesn't do much for my confidence, I suppose it's reality. I'm not sure how much more time I can devote, but it's coming along okay. The price of this competition just keeps increasing, but I'm looking forward to a short vacation if nothing else. I have a lesson tomorrow so we'll see how it goes...