I am learning how to swim properly. It's one of the hardest things I've tried to do in a long time. Ari, his sister Ellie, and a great book called Total Immersion are teaching me how to swim at Temescal pool.

Breathing is the hardest part. You have a split second to inhale, and water is pouring down your face, into mouth, nose and ears. I inhale water and gulp air, which I must cough and burp out at the end of a rough lap.

Today I started to swim almost as though I know how. Push your chest down so you float horizontally, initiate each stroke from the hips. Reach to the other end of the pool with your arms to make yourself tall in the water, and make your belly button point to the sides of the pool. It all worked all right except for the breathing.

It feels good to get so much better at something, which is why it's nice to be a beginner. With experience, it gets harder and harder to eke out further improvements. But when you have almost no ability, gains are big and obvious.