Whew!

Sorry I've been out of touch lately. Dad's here so that means home remodel time!! I kept is "easy" this time. Ok, "easier"....

Here's what we've done so far:
- removed chair rail and wallpaper from living room
- painting living room
- painted dining room
- painted family room
- painted stairway
- replaced molding in living room (floor and windows)
- replaced molding in dining room (floors and windows)
- replaced molding in family room (floors and windows)
- purchased an assload of pictures and...
- hung pictures on wall (the first things we've had on the wall in this house... in over 5 years..)
- took some artwork I bought in Egypt almost TEN YEARS AGO to get custom framed so I can finally use them
- added 2 rows of tile above the tub where the contractors screwed it up a few years ago
- ordered a sideboard to use in the kitchen so I can get rid of an old thing that was all function, no form
- rearranged furniture in dining room
- by doing the above was able to create a true reading/ music room (that also has to act as David's winter workout room. I can't have everything!!)

To do within the next week:
- build and mount headboard
- hang remaining pictures purchased

To do in spring:
- paint and install new front door and screen (that has already been purchased and is biding it's time in the basement)

Left to do to the house when budget allows:
- new windows throughout
- new carpet for stairs and bedrooms
- wood floor for living/ dining room

And I'm convinced we're living on borrowed time with our furnace so I might as well add that to the list.

At least the roof was new when we moved in!!

Whew!

Thanks Dad!!

how do you spell indelible??

Years ago when Cover Girl first came out with that "stay put" lipstick I gave it a whirl. Unfortunately my lips are pretty sensitive. For example I can't use any blistex products. There's something in there that doesn't agree with my lips. Can't do anything with menthol or peppermint oil. You get the idea. Same with the "stay put" stuff. There is something in it that just wrecks havoc on my lips. So I haven't tried any of the stuff in years - even though other companies have come out with their own versions.

I'm also one of those girls that looks best with a swipe of color on their lips. I say I look better, not that I do it on a regular basis. You know how some people just look better with mascara? Like that. The easiest way for me to look "made up" is to put on some lip stick. Which is still good 'cuz when I want to "dress up" I just put on some colored lip gloss and I'm done. You know me - that's just about as much effort as I'm inclined to put into getting "glammed up".

I decided that I'd give the indelible lip color another go. I steered clear of Cover Girl. Standing in the makeup section I saw that Revlon had an indelible gloss. I figured that'd be a good place to start.

That did pretty well. It will eventually come off but not as easily as regular gloss. However the color was a bit more pinky than the browny I was hoping for. But it still looks good. It's a keeper.

Last night I was at good ol' Walgreens and decided to see what else was out there. I again turned to Revlon. I won't lie - there was a BOGO promo. And since these things cost about $10 a pop I figured I could try two different colors with limited financial investment.

I picked up one that had two wands. One end was the color and the other was a clear gloss. I picked out what I thought was a "day" color. "Fearless fawn" or something. Then I decided for my "free one" to get a color with more punch. They have another formula that has no top coat. So I went for it and got a deep, dark red. Yes, me. I did!!

I was sure that at least one wouldn't live up to the color it suggested. So I got home and miraculously the fawn color looked great!! Woo hoo! Even if the red looks terrible at least I got one good one out of it!

As designed, the color would not come off. Not even with toner. I had to use eye makeup remover to get it off!! But now to try the red.

I don't use lip liner - which might change after this experience... It's hard to draw perfectly in the "lines". I had a few slip ups which made me resemble a three year old sneaking into her mother's makeup. But I cleaned it up and it actually looked good too!!

TWO FOR TWO!! Woo hoo!!

I went into the hubby's office to show him. I was so proud!!

I went back in the bathroom because I wondered if I put more on would it get darker?? I was playing with it for a bit and finally stepped back to admire my work in the mirror. About then the hubby walked in, and in an effort to be more spontaneous and sexy, grabbed me and planted a passionate kiss on my lips.

I went with it. I'm not gonna pass that up!

But when he stepped back I confirmed what I thought. Since I had been playing around my lipstick wasn't yet dry when he kissed me. HA! He was now smeared with dark red lipstick all over his lips and above his lips!!

Did I mention the hubby is sportin' a beard these days??

I started laughing. He grabbed a kleenex to wipe it off. It didn't budge.

I had to wet a cotton ball with my eye makeup remover and wipe it off of him. It was tricky getting it out of his moustache!!

Somehow I think I may not be getting many passionate kisses in the future! or at least he might stop to consider if my makeup is "done" before hand...

I heart funnylady

I heart funnylady from my office. On occasion she buys flavored creamer for us. I'm in the process of doing my fiscal 2011 budget along with a cup of coffee infused with Belgian Chocolate Toffee creamer.

YUM!

And that fiscal year is not a typo. I'm currently in fiscal 2010 that will end March 31, 2010. As of April 1, 2010 we are on fiscal 2011. Confusing, isn't it??

Band aids

WARNING: Personal body details below.

I have not run for the past week. And even the week before I didn't log as many miles as I was supposed to due to the blisters-on-the-arch-of-foot issue. Well this week I had a different excuse not to run at all.

See, I had, um... a skin tag. In a "private place". It appeared to be causing some of my aforementioned chafing in the nether regions. So I had that sucker removed.

And let's just say I can't run with a band aid in my crack.

I'm going to go to the gym tonight and see if I can comfortably run a few miles tonight. Sans band aid, of course. Heck, I scoot around too much on the sofa and that sucker wads up in a heartbeat. NOT comfortable!

We'll see how it goes. I really need to get movin' again since my race is in a MONTH!!!

I'm definitely not a kid anymore...

This weekend I finally got around to painting our bedroom. I know, we've only lived in this house for over FIVE years now...

One night last week I trimmed the edges while the hubby was out of town to make it faster for me to get it done in one day during the weekend. So come Saturday I painted the room with two coats. Well, almost 2 coats as I actually ran out of paint! It's not like our bedroom is huge. But I went through a gallon. I haven't used a whole gallon for any of the other rooms...

Because the room still smelled like paint and because I didn't want to move back furniture to sleep just to move it out of the way again the next day to finish touch ups I decided we weren't going to sleep in that room that night. I figured we'd leave it as it to make it easier on Sunday to finish.

So, to make it more "fun" I proposed that we pull out the sleeper sofa in the family room and have a "sleep over". Hey - how else do you sell sleeping on a pull out couch??

I didn't purposefully buy a sleeper sofa. I picked out the one I liked and it happened to be a sleeper. I say this because it's in the family room - not an ideal place to put guests. As a matter of fact I don't think we've ever actually used the sleeper portion before. 1) we have a guest room and 2) it's in the middle of the family room which is open to the kitchen. Whoever is up first (me) will be making a racket feeding the animals, watching the news, etc. It's just not feasible.

Also the family room is a small rectangle. You are required to move the coffee table to utilize the sleeper and even then you only have just enough space to walk between the end of the bed and the sliding glass door. (Thank goodness we have blinds for the slider!!)

Well, we pulled it out. I put on the only set of sheets that we have that fit it - currently our "camping" sheets. As soon as I put on the fitted sheet I remembered that last time we took the dogs camping they put big slices through it. So the fitted sheet on the sleeper has doggie toenail marks through it. Not good for use with guests, but what do I care if I'm using it??

I finished making the bed and the hubby and I climbed in. We watched some tv and when I was tired he used his trusty headlamp to read a book. (which is the same method we employ in our regular bed...)

I tossed and turned trying to get comfy. It's not possible on a sleeper sofa. I don't care what you say - it's just not. But apparently I feel asleep because the next thing I remember is looking at the stack of sofa cushions the hubby put on the leather chair beside my side of the bed. There was the unmistakable outline of a cat atop the cushions. He finally moved, as though trying to figure out how to get down. I thought to myself "good luck with that", rolled over and closed my eyes. Seconds later a huge clatter. The hubby "what the hell was that???" I guess the cat figured out how to get down after all...

Also, Nikki apparently didn't get the memo that we were downstairs to SLEEP. She kept pacing and would smack at the slider to be let out. Did I tell you there's snow on the ground here?? She didn't have to go she just wants to go play in the snow. We kept telling her to lay down. She would still wander around and come back and smack at the door. Finally at FOUR am the hubby let her out thinking maybe she did have to go since she's kept it up for so long.

Nope - she just went outside and ate snow on the deck.

We had the usual fight for leg space with cats. That's not new. We also had to listen to Liam snoring all night. He hasn't slept upstairs with us for a year or so now since his arthritis is getting so bad. So we got a reminder of why we aren't so upset at his choice of sleeping accommodations downstairs.

Then the morning came. Or rather, I decided I'd had enough and got up. And then I realized why we don't sleep on the pull out regularly. I HURT! I ached all over like I'd been beaten with a baseball bat. My hips hurt, my neck hurt. My knees were stiff. I felt AWFUL!!

What happened to being a kid when we thought it was a treat at a sleep over to get to sleep on the pull out???

Never again.

Feels like forever!

Sorry for the lapse in blogging. I have been out of town for work. again...

This time of the year is busy for us since Mr. In Charge thinks it's a great idea to combine a managers meeting, a national sales meeting all together with our biggest trade show of the year. It makes for two very tiring weeks. Yes, including the weekend.

And to make matters worse the hubby had to leave on Sunday to fly out so the pups were in the kennel from Saturday to Tuesday. : ( I hate boarding them. They're gettin' old you know!

So I was in San Antonio for these lovely meetings, etc. Yes, I was in Texas when SNOW came through! Really? People I can get that at home!! Show me some love! Give me heat!!

Ok, well only Houston got snow but it was colder than... than... well I don't know what. But it was cold for Texas. It was actually funny to watch the morning news. The headlining story for three days straight was the cold weather and possibility of snow. I think the last time they got any good accumulation was back in the 50's or something.

I actually heard this on the traffic report:
"It's going to be a very cold day out there. Remember, you're going to need your heater on for the commute!"

Seriously? She had to remind people to turn on the heater in their car?? I understand if you're not used to snow and extremely cold weather, but I'm pretty sure most smart people will figure out to turn on the heater if they get cold. Or maybe they'll just think to bundle up in lots of blankets... in their car. Geesh!

By the way - the record breaking lows were in the 30's. Yet one more thing to laugh at.

So according to the news I get the impression that people aren't too smart in that part of the country. However I will say that they were all exceptionally polite. (and they really didn't seem that slow to me...) I went running and everyone smiled and gave me a nod. Of course they're probably wondering what in the hell I was doing out running in the FREEZING COLD and all. I was in a long sleeve and capri pants and was quite comfy. (as I was running past people walking to the bus stop in Arctic parkas. no kidding...)

And I can also attest to the fact that San Antonio is THE place for margaritas. So much so that I fear I might have to take a break from them for a while. Not a lifetime ban, like whiskey... or bourbon... But I don't think I'll be touching another margarita until at least the spring!

A Family Thanksgiving

Well - I got through the holiday without any incident - even with my mother. I call that a winner!!


The hubby and I drove to Cleveland to Aunt Martha's house. We got to stay in Lossie's old room. And lo and behold - there was Keurig one cup machine and an assortment of coffee and tea options in the room!! (I knew I called her "Martha" for a reason!!) I had to clarify we were at my aunt and uncles house, not a B&B next door or something.


The morning of I decided to run the Cleveland Turkey Trot. It's a 5 mile race that I thought would be good practice for my HM. Well, the hubby had packed the camera when we left. But I assumed it was to take pictures at Thanksgiving so I didn't bring it with us to the course. Whoops! So the following pictures are with my phone. As you can see - NOT good with action shots.




Prior to the race I kept telling myself "whatever you do stick to your pace!! Don't get excited and jet out!" So what did I do as soon as I fought my way, like a salmon swimming upstream, to where the pack started to spread out?? I looked down, saw my pace was TWO MINUTES faster than it should be and decided "this doesn't feel so bad!!"


Needless to say by halfway I was already getting tired. And yes, I had finally slowed down to my original pace goal. Then, what do those sneaky Clevelandites do?? They put a HILL at the END of the race!! Who does that?? yeah - that sucked. So even though my overall pace for the race was better than I had intended I pretty much walked up the hill at the end.


But I came in 95th in my age group (30 - 34) of women!! (out of 262) Funny thing - I swear I saw a girl I went to college with at the race. Sure enough - I found her name in the results. She came in third in our age group. She's always been quite fast....

Can I just mention that I wore my skirt to run in!! I was the only skirt there! I saw no other women ina skirt/ skort! Ugh! Don't you know how much better it is to run in a skirt???


Dinner was fabulous AS ALWAYS!!! Pre-dinner I had people participate in some fun games. The first was Skip-Bo. A fun game (cards) that we've been playing since I was little. I highly recommend it. I think it's a Wally World for less than $10.


The next was a new game that the hubby and I played once or twice at home before bringing it with us. It's called Farkle. I just bought it because I liked the name!! I picked it up at Target for $4.99. I like to think of myself as the queen of cheap fun. (insert your joke here.. ; ) This is a game with dice. And thanks to GK we finally started playing it correctly. When I was explaining the directions my one cousin, Shirley (as in Shirley Temple 'cuz she's got a great head of curls!!), kept asking "where's the risk-taking it claims on the container??" I dunno. We started playing and GK started to read the directions while he wasn't rolling. He perked up and realized we weren't playing the last step!! Which is where the risk-taking was!! DUH!


So, I highly recommend Farkle too - just make sure to turn the instructions over and read the last bit on the back!!


After dinner my mom and her husband stopped by. I'm happy to report there was no incident. Although I didn't realize when they were coming and all us cousins had had quite a bit of wine. It probably looked rude but Shirley and I headed out for a brisk, sober-up walk as soon as they got there. But I think that was the better option than saying something stupid - which I was likely to do... Otherwise they just stayed an hour or two and headed out. There's no more drama when there are lots of people around. Whew!


So, to summarize:
- go get yourself a game of Skip-Bo and Farkle
- when running a race, ALWAYS stick to your pace, regardless of how competitive you are
- make sure you at least try and sober up prior to meeting with any potential firecracker family members or friends, just in case....

Am not!

Per my revelation two entries ago I will NOT be purchasing anything such as this:

'cuz it would belong to a 30+ year old woman and that 's just not right....

Although I was wondering how long it would take for them to match my "VILF" shirt... ; )

Baking tip

I have to make cookies today before heading over to the IL for dinner. Even though I've known this for a while I forgot to set out the butter for it to soften. But I'm resourceful. I found a great way to soften butter (without accidentally melting it in the microwave...)

Take the sticks of butter, still wrapped, of course, and put them between your thighs. Preferable with your pants still on, of course. Or in my case, my cotton PJ bottoms, 'cuz I'm still in them.

Every so often rotate the sticks to soften on all sides.

This is REALLY WORKING!

So all I have is: So sorry to all the skinny be-otches who don't have enough thigh meat to make this work. You should be sure to preplan your baking.

I'm just going to say it.

I've crossed to the other side. I've decided I'm on Team Jacob now.

I've been leaning this way for quite a while but felt like a dirty old lady since the kid is not even legal. But I've realized while watching trailers of "New Moon" I'm not that bad... The inner dialogue goes something like this: "Man, if I were still in high school I'd be ALL OVER that!"

Since even in my own inner dialogue I add the "if I were in high school" caveat I feel sane. Not like I'm a 33, almost 34 year old woman pining after some not-even-legal kid. I'm merely acknowledging that I would be highly attracted to him IF I were in his proper age group.

Considering who I was dating when I was 16 (a safe, appropriate age for someone to be dating a 17 year old...) this is kinda funny. DY was a blond, tall, skinny trumpet player. I believe after him came MacGuyver - a football center.

Ok, after taking a quick trip down memory lane I dated both"Edwards" and "Jacobs". And since I would call my hubby a cross between the two I supposed I could safely claim either team!

THIS is why!!!

Have you heard the big news?? Oprah will be ending her show in 2011 after 25 long, productive years!!

I heart O! I watched her in college and then went on a watching hiatus due to having a real job and not home during the 4pm witching hour. However, for the last few years, and the addition of our DVR, I have picked up where I left off watching. It's like I never left. *sigh*

Since I watch the show I sometimes check out the website. Apparently this week they did a "Make Over my Man" segment. (I haven't watched it yet. I usually catch up on Saturday mornings when the hubby is still in bed.) I saw this brief, simple list of items men must have in their wardrobe.

See, I hate clothes. Not wearing them, mind you. I'm not comfortable going around in public naked. But I hate looking for, trying on and buying clothes. However, I could handle this list for men's clothes!

I "get" men's clothes. I understand how to dress a man. Myself? Not so much....

What's wrong with this pictures???

Why is everyone concerned but me??

If you don't already know I should explain, briefly, my relationship with my mother. I guess I would say we are estranged. Trying to keep it brief - obviously there is quite the history here but most recently (as an adult) I have set boundaries that she refuses to acknowledge. Or maybe is incapable of acknowledging. Either way, I have decided I'm an adult and if anyone, parents included, cannot act appropriately then I have a right to to put my emotional (and my marriage) well-being first.

This Thanksgiving the hubby and I are going to my Aunt's "Martha's" house for dinner. Her family will be there as well as my Aunt Newlywed and her family. AM mentioned that every year she invites my mom but she doesn't come. (My relatives have similar issues with my mother. We all lover her but she's an emotional train wreck to anyone near her.) But aside from her issues that's no reason not to invite her.

Last night AM called sounding very concerned. She informed me that my mother and her new husband are eating dinner with someone that lives 20 minutes from my Aunt and decided they would come to her house for dessert. AM seemed to be treading lightly while telling me this. I think she anticipated me being upset.

I wasn't. I am well aware there was the possibility of my mother being there. I don't not want to see her. I'm just not going to go out of my way to see her. At this point in my life she is just another person I know. That's really it. Frankly I think I seem to handle situations with her fine. Over the past few years I've come to terms with that part of my life. I certainly think I can handle dessert with her and her new husband.

Now, if you're reading this and something to the effect of "she's going to regret not having a relationship with her mother" or some similar thought is going through your head please stop. The situation is much more complex than I've outlined here. Some people are so toxic that regardless of their relationship to you it is best to hold them at arms length.

I just hope that maybe this will be a turning point. That she realizes all the rest of us have a warm and loving relationship with each other and not her. Maybe this time she'll be ready to admit/ accept that there is something that she needs to change, and not tell everyone else they are the problem, and that she'll seek help for it.

But I'm not holding my breath. I anticipate this will be the way things will be from now on. And I'm ok with that.

A little embarrassed...

I have always prided myself on having a strong stomach. Things that don't bother me but appear to bother others:
- cat puke (or anything that comes out of a cat)
- blood
- medical shows on TV. (I even literally stood over the should of Dr. K, a neurosurgeon, during brain surgery once and was completely fine.)
- my dog eating his puke or rabbit poo (before we can get him to stop)

Ok, I'm starting to see a trend here:
- vomit of any kind, animal or human
- poo of any kind, animal or human
- bloody scenarios, scrape, surgery, you name it (in person or TV)

Since I've always been enamored with all things medical I'm the one that likes to watch procedures. I don't mind watching when they plunge the needle in during my blood donation. Getting stitches, taking them out..

You get the idea.

So I've become a little worried lately.

It appears my stomach is weakening.

Years ago I was mountain biking and got a rock in my knee. I remember my stomach doing a little flip as I was trying to dig out said rock. Turns out I was trying to push it out in the wrong direction so I figured that's why my body reacted that way. I was actually pushing the rock further into my knee. (For those concerned citizens out there - I eventually realized my mistake and did properly remove the rock.)

However two weeks ago I was at the GYN having a procedure done. It was painful. So painful, in fact, that I broke out into a sweat, got light headed and thought I was going to lose my breakfast. (a large breakfast at that...) They had to do the whole "lay back, let me get you juice" routine. I was embarrassed. I have NEVER fainted. It took me so long to recover that the nurse was concerned. She considered calling my husband to come get me but I assured her I only lived about two miles away and I could make it. She called me an hour later just to make sure.

I chalked that up to "girl pain". Ok - so I don't handle "girl pain" well. I'll remember that one.

Today I had to get out stitches from a mole removed on the back of my calf. I watched the nurse take out the stitches. All whooping three of them. No big deal.

Then I felt my stomach start to churn. "I'm a bit embarrassed to ask, but could you get me a cup of water? I don't feel so well."

I laid back, closed my eyes and thought positive thoughts until she returned with the water. I few sips later I was feeling better and left without incident.

But this has me wondering - is it just experiencing something on myself that gets me sick now?? Honestly I had thought about going back to school to become a PA but maybe I should rethink this. (that and I'm waiting to see how health care reimbursement pans out. I'm not spending time and money on a new degree if they can't get the health care system fixed....)

WHY???

Can someone remind me why I decided I was going to run a HM?? 'Cuz I can't remember.

I ran 10 miles yesterday!! (hurray for me!) The first 4 miles sucked because I was having calf pain. But it was a cramping kinda thing so I ran through it and it eventually went away. Around mile 6 or 7 I started to feel a hot spot on my arches... I ran through that too. I don't like doing things through pain, and to finish sometimes that's just what you have to do. Not like "I broke my leg" kind of pain, of course. But you get the idea.

I was pretty excited since I ran the whole time and my knees and hips did not give my any issues! Whoo hoo!!

Sure enough when I got home I saw I had developed a small blister on the arch of my left foot and a large blister UNDER the callus (on my arch) on my right foot. Yes folks - I have calluses in places where calluses should never be.

Then I got in the shower. I'll spare you the deets, but let's say that I had developed a "significant hotspot" in an unmentionable place. I didn't notice it until the water started running on it and it started to sting.

I'm now asking myself "why"? Why did I decide to do this? And why do I continue to run with arch calluses and blisters... and other "issues"??? This is just not natural!

But then I remember when I started rowing my hands were covered in terrible bloody blisters. In rowing that is considered a rite of passage. If you don't get blisters when you first start to row (prior to them becoming calluses) you're not trying hard enough. It's the price you pay to join the elite club called "rowers".

So I will, for now, assume that these blisters and "hotspots" are the price to pay before you can join the "running club".

Shitty initiation fee, if you ask me...

Mortality.

My dad's younger brother died of a heart attack a few months ago. He was about 51. Dad called me a few minutes ago to tell me his older brother was found dead in his chair last night. I think he was about 65. Dad's dad had his first heart attack at 52 and died at 56. See a trend?

My dad is the last surviving male in his family. He's 60.

Dad's mom died 2 years ago at 86. And dad's sister, the oldest of the siblings, is still alive. I believe she's in her late 60's. Appears the women seem to fare ok.

If you know me you know that I'm very close to my dad. This information is quite the wake up call. For years I've always kept tabs on dad's health. (and he on mine) He seems to be in fairly good health but the thought of him dying young has always haunted me.

I guess you never know when you're going to lose someone. I always assumed my family had used up their ration of car accidents. Even though, one of us could be in yet another horrific car accident and die tomorrow.

But, leave it to me to start worrying about something I can't control. That's what I do! Get myself all twisted in a pickle worrying about things I can't control or things that have yet to happen - something that might happen...

Now where did I put those big girl panties???

Bummed...

Since I've started running I get bouts of sore knees and hips. So, I looked it up on some running sites to see what is going on and how to prevent it.

All the sites tell me in order to make my knees and hips feel better I need to lose weight! Well, what the hell do they think I'm running for?!?!

The last few days I've been a bit bummed out. I've been doing all this running and miraculously ended up GAINING 5 pounds. Which I'm sure is not helping the knees and hips.....

The few friends I've told have all responded with the same thing:

"You're gaining muscle!"

Bullshit... Thanks but that's the nice answer for "I have no idea why your butt continues to grow and why you've developed a muffin top!"

However I shouldn't be surprised at the gain. I realize my usual ritual is to do my run, stretch, take a few sips of water and.... oooooh!! Wine!!!!!

Or it might vary slightly..... oooooh!! Sam Adams Octoberfest!!!!!!!

Or..... oooohh!! Bloody Mary!!

Do you see a pattern?

I think I could probably curb this weight gaining thing by cutting out the alcohol. But as Canada Girl told me "C'mon! Don't be a quitter!!!"

I have a real dilemma....

NOT Excited.....

In trying to keep myself from getting ran over while running in the dark I have been keeping you apprised of my various attempts to be better seen in the dark.

It started with a red blinking light on the back of my hat.

Then came, in addition to the previous, a head lamp on the front of my hat.

But I still really didn't feel very secure. Thankfully I didn't have any close calls with any vehicles, but I was afraid it was only a matter of time.

I looked into jackets and vests that have that hi-viz reflective material on them. These jackets for runners look cool. Some are even black - but when they come into contact with headlights they light up like the Christmas tree in town center.

However they are quite expensive. The jackets are between $80 - $100+ and the vests are even $60. I just couldn't bring myself to pay that kind of money since I just made that huge investment into my Garmin. I was going to have to find a cheaper alternative.

Since I was essentially out of places on my body to comfortably attach a light (and almost out of lights) I decided to break down and get one of the reflective "bibs". Just a basic vest that Velcros around your chest. I could swing $20.

The problem: they look stupid.

I'm no fashion bunny - but if I'm going to try to look good, I'd rather spend money to look good working out rather than on clothes to wear to work. (See my priorities??) Alas, I was just out of money.

So last week I went running and it was only 38 degrees outside. (Thankfully NOT raining anymore!)

Long running pants - check!
Proper sports bra (keep them girls comfy) - check!!
Moisture tech tank top for layering - check!!!
Moisture tech long sleeve 1/2 zip mock - check!!!!
Light windbreaker running jacket (purchased on sierra trading post years ago!!) - check!!!!!
Light gloves - check!!!!!!
Stupid-ass reflective bib - check.....

The baseball hat wasn't going to work. I needed to cover my ears. The hubby got me his fleece headband-y thing. I thought it was mine.... Turned out it's not - or isn't anymore, when I put it on my head and it fell down to my neck. Hubby stretched it out. The only other hat I had... well, it matched a scarf I got last year at Disney...

I grabbed the head lamp to go over the hat. I needed it to see - not for safety purposes.

But I don't think anyone was going to miss me on my run.

Talk about feeling stupid... I was not thrilled. Which the hubby was good enough to capture:

But for you moms out there, I will admit I was comfortable and safe.

But I still looked like an idiot....

SNOW!!

Yep. First snow of the season. It's supposed to be in the 50's this weekend so it'll be gone. But still!! I wouldn't mind it so much if I didn't have to run in it.... I knew I'd be doing a good portion of my HM training on a treadmill. That is until I tried to do a tempo run on a treadmill. It sucked!!! A long steady piece I can do inside but not the others. I'd rather be freezing my arse off outside than be on the stupid hamster wheel.


And I bought a reflective bib for running in the dark. I'll try it out tonight and see how utterly stupid I look....

Funny lookin' somethin'

About a year ago I noticed something on the back of my right calf that appeared to be an ingrown hair. Kinda raised and that weird blueish gray color. Being the picker that I am, I decided about 4 or 5 months ago that it needed to come out.

Yes, I'm a dermatologists worst nightmare. I'm a picker. Armed with fingernails and alcoholed manicure implements I descended on the bump for removal. I know - my tools aren't exactly physician-like but they get the job done.

A month later I noticed it was healing but raised. Weird. It was also white. Also weird. I picked at it again and essentially dig it out. again....

Another month later I noticed it was still healing but raised again. Almost like there was fluid in it. Huh. I grabbed a carpenters knife blade (it was brand new and alcoholed too) and lanced it. The hubby was not in favor of this idea. But really - it's my calf, not his.

Healed back raised again. I finally called the dermatologist and got in in THREE DAYS! That's unheard of. (I got a lucky cancellation!! Otherwise I couldn't get in until APRIL!!) This morning the derm said she couldn't tell exactly what it was due to the trauma it had been through. (me pickin' the hell out of it) but she decided to take that thing right off!! Right there! Right now!

Whoo hoo! I didn't have to make another appointment to come back and get it done. That's fabulous!! She numbed it up, removed it and double stitched me up! (cuz I told her I run and I really didn't want the scar to pull...) I go back in two weeks to get the stitches out. That's it!!

Now most of you guys do a good job of keeping yourselves healthy. But if you've found something that looks weird or if there is any other reason you've been putting off going to the doctor - JUST DO IT! Just go. Don't let it linger. You never know what might be going on. (you know I'm talking to you MH....; )

Back at it

Last night KVeg and I hit the weight room for the first time since the spring. I had mixed feelings about it. I love lifting BUT I was afraid it might hinder the training for the half marathon. And the reason I worry about hindering training is because I have already spent big $$ for the entry fee AND a plane ticket to AZ. So I don't want to do something to myself that might cause me to not make the trip....

A few days ago I was at the grocery store (don't worry - this will eventually tie back into weight lifting...) and I noticed they started carrying roasted garlic cloves on the olive bar! YUMMMM! So I got about a cup full and a bag-o-crackers. I headed home and immediately started to chow down.

OMG it was good!

Later that night in bed - don't worry, DEFINITELY no sex story here - the garlic "caught up with me". In a "about lit the blankets on fire" kind of way. I made the hubby gag. Really it was that bad.

side note to MH - see. we don't hold back at our house. I don't know how you do it...

Well I had more yesterday at lunch - BUT preceded it with a few caplets of Beano. I figured I was in the clear. But no - I was having serious gas pains as I was changing in the locker room at the gym that night.

Uh oh.

I told KVeg that if I accidentally farted while lifting to expect me to immediately leave the area and to NEVER return to the gym again. *and to watch out - I wouldn't be past trying to blame it on her. she is vegan after all... I'm thinking she ingests lots of roughage.*

Well, I made through the session without any embarrassing trumpet fanfare. But towards the end of the workout KVeg leaned over and said "I hate to break it to you but you really REEK of garlic".

Oooops. Good thing I wasn't trying to pick up guys. I'm thinking garlic-y sweat is a HUGE turnoff.

What have I done???

I got Lossie hooked on Twilight...

The week after she visited me she texted that she'd already spent $70 on Twilight stuff. She doesn't know whether to thank me or curse me....

And now she just forwarded a SEXY!!!!! photo shoot of Edwa... uh, I mean, Robert Pattinson in Vanity Fair!

HOT!

I don't care what you think - he's one sexy vamp!

Delimma...

Hmmm... Last night I ran 6 miles. Ok, I definitely would not call that particularly attempt "running". More like a fast hobble.

The middle 4 miles were supposed to be run at about my race pace I have set for this half marathon. Well, let's say last night didn't go so well. Which part of my brain says is ok - not every run is going to go great. But the problem is - it went really badly!

How does one get home after a 6 mile run and feel like a lead weight, fat, gross and uncoordinated?? Aren't I supposed to feel GOOD after a run - especially SIX MILES!! ('cuz folks, that's a lot for me!)

So, remember that fancy, dancy expensive Garmin I bought? Well it has this great little feature that allows you to have it alarm, vibrate or both. I had it set up to do both. Notice the "HAD"...

So I had programmed my little workout in the watch for last night. Cool, eh? I thought so.
First mile - no pace (warm up)
miles 2-5 - pace between 9:04 and 9:10
Last mile - no pace (cool down)

So I beebopped down the street to my first mile. I was feeling tight, sluggish. I didn't worry -I just needed to warm up! Then the watch beeped and vibrated to let me know I was "on" for the next 4 miles. I picked up the speed but it was like I was running through molasses. I'd glance at the watch every once in a while.
9:15
9:22
9:20
9:25

Not my target by far. But I figured it was better to go the whole distance slow than to stop it altogether. I was just having a serious "off" night!

I'm concentrating on trying to get my pace up. My knees are starting to get sore (not hurt, mind you) and the outsides of my shins are burning. (don't know what that is! not shin splints!) I feel my watch vibrate (can't hear it due to the ipod...) I figure I finished mile 2.

10 seconds later it vibrates again. I glance down to see the face lite up. I see my pace has dropped to 9:39. But in my oxygen deprived state I can't determine why it's vibrating. I figure sometimes it beeps/ vibrates as I'm approaching a marker. Like it'll beep every 100 feet the last 500 feet of the mile. I just figured that's what it was doing.

I keep running. 10 seconds later it's vibrating again.

I keep running. 10 seconds later it's vibrating again.

...repeat for a mile and a half!

I'm getting P-I-S-T, pissed! I know I'm jogging slow, I'm tired, I'm cranky. I'm mad that this run is turning into such a ball-o-crap! I just want to get home. So why in the HELL is my watch "yelling" at me!!!!

I'm so mad at the watch I'm really thinking of taking it off an chucking it in the lake. Really.

Then I remembered how much I paid for it...

I finally look down and really focus on what it's trying to tell me.

That bastard!! It's flashing a box in the middle that says:

RUN FASTER!

Well screw you, Garmin! I'm trying my damnedest. I don't need you to throw it back in my face!!

Yes folks, the WATCH was telling me to run faster. Apparently it has some time cushion built in based on the pace you want to run. It will tell you to either "slow down" or "run faster"!! Let's say I usually don't see the "slow down" screen often...

Well, now that I see what it's saying I'm SUPER PIST! I finally stop my run, right there in the middle of the road, and start going through the menus to turn the frickin' vibration off. I've had it. AND I still have 3 miles left!

The rest of the run I was MORE cranky and MORE sluggish. I swear I just gained 40 pounds in the middle of the run. But I did finish. I walked into the house all cranky.

I thought running six miles was supposed to make you feel good!!!!

Help from a friend

Neda's been reading my posts and I'm pretty sure laughing at me!! It's ok, I can handle it! : )

But to show what a great friend she is she has tried to help my Twilight obsession. Check this out.

Yes, Neda. Hugh will do just nicely! Thanks!!!!

Reality Check

Ok, y'all know I'm a Twilight groupie. And I'm really starting to have doubts as to whether I'm going to stay on "Team Edward"... "Team Jacob" is lookin' mighty hot these days!!!

But let's get real. The kid that plays Jacob is only 17. So moving to "Team Jacob", although all just-for-fun to begin with, still seems a little creepy seeing as how I could technically be his mother.

Ewwww... that last statement sent me over the holy-shit-I'm-getting-old edge!

Ok, what was I sayin'? Oh, right. Taylor Lautner is only 17. Which is also why I think they haven't made a "Jacob is a WILF" shirt, in my opinion.

But I digress. again.

I was scrolling through tmz.com today ('cuz I have nothing better to do) and was readin' up on my latest gossip.

Did you know that Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner appear to have gone on a date or two?!?!

Oh sorry... "something shiny..." (as she points in the opposite direction and gets distracted. AGAIN!)

So, on this site they actually have a countdown ticker with a picture of Taylor L. that says
"XXX Days: XXHours : XXMinutes: XX Seconds until 18 & legal"!!

Even I recognize that's gross.
WAY over the top!

Somebody quick - get me a photo of Hugh Jackman... or at least someone more appropriate for me to swoon over!!

As promised...

I promised some pictures of our wine outting. Here they are!!

Aunt "Martha", Lossie, me and Aunt "Newlywed"



Here we are with a picture of our "Driver"... ; ) The hubby was great!!

Here is a picture off the backporch of one of the wineries.

And here is our famously "fun" picture... the end of the day!!

IT strikes again!!

I hate to complain about our IT department. Because I really like the guys that are our "Corporate IT". But the two yahoos I have to deal with for our "Company IT".... let's just say they leave a LOT to be desired.

Like today....

I think I mentioned they had to reinstall my OS on my "new" computer about a month ago. So today I got a request from a sales rep that required me to reference something in my archived emails.

To make a LONG story short (and to keep me from telling the story again, thus probably causing me to have an aneurysm) all I will say is that the IT f*&%er erased all my archived emails.

That was over two years worth of info. (shakes her head in disbelief...)

Family Weekend

This past weekend my Aunt Newlywed, Aunt Martha Stewart and cousin Lossie came to visit!!!! I was SSSOOOOO excited! None of them have ever come to just visit me!!

Ok, I must explain the nicknames...

Lossie - that's been the 'cuz's nickname at her house forever.

Aunt Newlywed - she's just been remarried for 3 or 4 years. (less than me and the hubby!!)

Aunt Martha - as long as I remember she's always had the perfect Martha house and entertains just as fancy!! ; ) This IS a compliment.

Hmmm... what to do with guests that are here only from Friday night thru Sunday??

Wine trail, of course!

Us + wine = serious entertainment!!!

Aunt Martha-ism: well, it's carved in concrete!!

(This is the same aunt that coined "well,, it's just water over the bridge!")

I can't post lots of the really funny conversations - I promised I wouldn't. But let's just say that Aunt NW had to give Aunt Martha quite the education!!!! I think my Uncle would die if he knew what his wife learned this weekend!!!! : )

So Saturday we did wine all day and BBQ for dinner. Unbeknownst to me it was parents weekend at the university so we waited TWO HOURS for a table at the BBQ place. But if you come here to visit you must eat there. It's rated the best BBQ in the USA!!!

On Sunday we just hung out at the house and....

....watched Twilight!!!!!

Yes, I introduced the fam to my obsession. Luckily Lossie seems to think RPatz is as sexy as I do. But something about him scared my aunts... Aunt NW kept asking me what was going to happen and commentating through the whole thing. Aunt Martha kept making fun of Kristen Stewart. I'm not sure either of them really watched the movie!! (although in my defense they asked to watch it - I didn't push it on them)

Note to self - don't watch a movie with the aunts....

Also I got to hear a lot of family stories that I'd never heard before. Aunt NW is 4 years younger than my mom and Aunt Martha is about 6 years older than my mom. So I got to hear some stories they remember growing up in a rural area of WV. It's very interesting!!

I had a great time and I'm really glad they came to visit. And I want to thank my fabulous hubby for chauffeuring us around the wine trail and just putting up with us otherwise for the weekend.

Pictures to follow...

Running in the rain

Now that it's getting darker earlier I find myself doing my runs in the dark. And as it happened last night - in the rain.

I have a dilemma that I need to solve soon. I don't have great running stuff for the dark. This could obviously pose a potential safety hazard. I've been looking into reflective gear. I'm partial to a hat I found and a jacket/ vest thingy. I know they make those reflective bibs but I just can't bring myself to wear it.

No offense to anyone who has one - but due to certain family stories those reflective bibs reminds of a grandpa. Apparently the hubby's grandfather did (and apparently still does) put reflective tape on EVERYTHING. My M-I-L loves to complain that her dad covered her bike in that stupid reflective tape growing up. (although I do agree that's a complain-able offense...) The hubby said grandpa once showed up with a new Honda with reflective tape on the front and back bumpers.

Ok, a bike I can kinda understand. But a CAR?!?!

So that's why I think the bibs are a bit grandparent-y.

The gear that I use now for running in the dark - a white long sleeve Under Armor shirt. Not reflective or anything - just the only light-colored item I own. The hubby also had me attach a blinking red light to the back of my baseball hat. That's getting really close to covering my in reflective tape - but I didn't complain.

I have found that running neighborhoods in the dark can be hazardous in other ways. The asphalt is sketchy in some places. I swear I almost turned my ankle once because it was dark and I couldn't see the cracked pavement in front of me. So last night I decided, in addition to my blinking red light on the back, to put a white light on the front. The only one I could find was the hubby's headlamp that he uses for reading in bed. ('cuz we're too trashy to actually purchase reading lamps...)

I had already run in the dark earlier this week so my white top was dirty. So I was in black shorts and a black long sleeved top. Hence the reason I decided I needed a bit more lighting on my person.

I'm sure I was a sight to see. In all black, as though I'm looking to burglarize some place. With a baseball hat on with a headlamp on the front - pointing as much as possible to the ground. When drivers then saw me in their rear view mirror they were greeted with my blinking red light from behind.

Oh. and it was raining. Apparently harder than I originally thought. There's a piece of my run between neighborhoods were I have to run on a busy road for a quarter mile. (thank goodness it has a wide shoulder!) Since I'm a considerate runner I run against traffic. Cars were passing me splashing up rainwater all over the front of me.

Not long before I got home I realized when I ride my bike in these conditions my bike is covered in gross road grime. (think dead animal bits and such). And then it occurred to me...

GROSS!!! I was covered in road grime!!

Ugh!! all over my face!!!

Yeah - I was spitting all the way home. I scrubbed my face as soon as I got in the house.

I gotta figure out a way to keep all that grossness out of my mouth and face.

Worried about the cold

Everyone is worried about Cabby getting cold with her new 'do. So I bought her a teeny tiny doggie sweater - 'cuz they don't make cat sweaters. But I think her butt is still cold...

Weekend fun

As you may know I have a cat, Cabby. She's getting old (about 14-ish) and is mostly, not completely, blind. She's also a tiny five pound, long haired cat....

For most of her life she was able to keep herself well-groomed with little to no help from me. As she started getting older she would get some knots in her fur. Usually she'd sit and let me brush/ cut them out if they were too much for her to handle.


The past year or so she's become much less tolerant of this grooming ritual. She might let me start to cut out a knot and then she bolts. I think it's mostly due to her eyesight. She can't see much and will hold still for me but as soon as she "thinks" another cat or dog is approaching she wants to go. Usually there is no other animal near. Ok, maybe she's going senile...


Regardless, the knots have been getting worse. I found one on her lower chest that was bound pretty tightly to her skin. I tried to cut it out but she wasn't having any of it. (I have these sharp, small sewing scissors that allow me to cut bits through and through the knot until I've released it without any harm to her.) On top of the one her chest she was starting to get many started on her back. She refused to sit still to let me gently brush those.


I'm certain they were bothering her - at least the one on her chest. It was literally bound right to the skin. That can't be comfortable. She I called KVeg to bring over her animal clippers. We had to get to the bottom of this.


So, between me, KVeg, two towels, clippers, closed in my bedroom and an hour later, we got this:





Don't laugh. I am convinced that she is happier now without the skin-tugging knots. The hubby is not convinced. She does look a bit pathetic... But I laugh every time I see her. However I am happy to report that she seems fine with it. (Don't worry - there are plenty of warm places for her to hide in our house...)

Friday Funny

The Black Bra (told by a woman)

I had lunch with 2 of my unmarried friends. One is engaged, one is a mistress and I have been married for 20+ years. We were chatting about our relationships and decided to amaze our men by greeting them at the door wearing a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over our eyes. We agreed to meet in a few days to exchange notes.

Here's how it all went.

My engaged friend:
The other night when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos and a mask. He saw me and said, 'You are the woman of my dreams. I love you.' Then we made passionate love all night long.

The mistress:
Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing a raincoat, under it only the black bra, heels and mask over my eyes. When I opened the raincoat he didn't say a word but he started to tremble and we had wild sex all night.

Then I had to share my story:
When my husband came home I was wearing the black bra, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. When he came in the door and saw me he said, 'What's for dinner, Batman?'

Oh, where do I start??

This past week I was in Hot-lanta for a wonderfully exciting trade show. (insert sarcasm here....) Monday my company had a holiday - but I didn't. I was on a plane. Fun, fun.

Well I'm not sure where to start describing this adventure - so you're just going to get it in chronological order.

Trying to get anywhere on a plane these days requires the patience and understanding of a celibate priest in a strip club. I was supposed to land at 2 which gave me plenty of time to check into the hotel and get the booth set up at the trade show before the show floor at the convention center closed at 5. Well, our plane was delayed due to weather so they announced we had a 2 hour delay. With that kind of time I decided to trot my rear end up to the "lounge" (aka: US Air Club. My company pays for a membership for manager for just this occasion...) sit down, get a cup-o-joe and read my new "The Lost Symbol" from Dan Brown. No sooner did I get comfy with my cappuccino was there an announcement in the club.

SURPRISE!! The flight to Atlanta decided to board NOW!!!

So me and two other guys hoofed it back down to the gate. We were the last three on board. As we were getting our our boarding passes the attendant said that we were still not scheduled to leave until almost two hours later. But they have a plane coming in that needed to use the gate. So they were forced to board everyone just to have us taxi out and sit on the tarmac until they got the clear to go.

Really. We sat out on the frickin' tarmac for over an hour.

After that fun delay I ended up having to go straight to the convention center to set up to ensure I was in and out before 5. Man - you have never seen me hustle like that! A newly-minted-wife friend of mine TPS was due to pick me up at 6 to meet for dinner. Luckily I had enough time to jump in the shower because I was DISGUSTING! I was sweaty from rigging up the booth and covered in a general "travel grime" that one accumulates when traversing our country's fine airports.

Now I should mention that I was gone for 4 days and only took a carry on. I only bring basics. One way I cut down is that I only bring one "real" bra. (I also had sports bras for running...) What I didn't count on was getting all sweated up in it while being in a hurry to erect the booth. I got out of the shower and went to put my bra back on only to realized the bottom band had a one inch WET sweat stain around the bottom!! (going up into the overly zealous padding too!) So here I am standing neckid' in my hotel room the bra hanging on the towel hook on the back of the bathroom door using the hairdryer to dry my bra.

I know what you're thinking - I should have just worn a sports bra.

No can do. These "real" bras of mine really set the girls up and out. It was imperative that I wore THIS bra.

So here is where I want to apologize to TPS. Little did she know I was wearing a completely grossed out bra all during dinner. I hope that now knowing this she isn't too terribly offended...

By the way - Congrats on getting married TPS!!! ; )

During the days of the show I encountered many funny things. Unfortunately there really aren't many that I can accurately portray in my blog for you to get the same effect. Suffice it to say - trade shows are great places to people watch.

I thought you should know - JD owns a slip.

It just occured to me on this trip . I have one skirt that isn't lined. When I wear it in the winter it always sticks to my tights so I went out and bought a slip just for it. When I was getting dressed one morning for the show and put it on I had to laugh. 1) I can't remember the last time I had a slip in my possession and 2) I'm still flabbergasted that I own one.

There was one incident at the booth that I can tell...

As you know, New Yorkers (specifically the NYC and surrounding area, including NJ) are famous for being so inexcusably rude. I'd like to clarify here that I was primarily raised in the Midwest....

I was working the booth and these two guys came up. Their badges said they hailed from Staten Island. So, trying to make conversation I said, "Staten Island, eh? I'm from NY too!" (me smiling from ear to ear, pointing to the city on my name badge.)

One guy looked up at me and said (in a tone that was a mob boss with his best 'I-don't-give-a-shit' snarl) "Yeah? Good for you." and returned to looking at the product on the table.

Ok then. Fuck you and get away from my table, asshole.

And New Yorker's can't understand why they get a bad rap?!?!?

To make matters worse I went back to the hotel to continue reading my book. I turned the page and found this:

Yep - a big fat hole in the middle of the page of my new hard cover $30 book!!!!

Oh, I'm not done. I still had to get home from Atlanta. I might have mentioned that air travel is a bit of a chore these days....

Here is the shortest version of the long tale of getting home.

Facts:

- coincidentally the boss and I are on the same flights home. Leave ATL around 5:30pm. to Philly and then a flight that get us home around 9:45pm.

- We leave the convention center with plenty of time to get to the airport, eat, waste some time etc. We end up arriving at the airport between 2:30 and 3pm.

- fate decided that we were NOT going to be on those flights. But fate forgot to inform the two of us...

While the boss and I are eating I get a message telling me my flight is late, therefore I'm going to miss my connection, call the airline to make changes. Ok. So I call and while I'm on the phone get them to change the boss' too.

We go to the gate to get new boarding passes. We're told they oversold the flight in order to get us on so they can't assign seats yet. Until they can assign seats they can't print our connection boarding passes. Great.

We sit and wait. and wait...

Announcement: "Your flight is delayed. If you have a connection before 7pm come up for reassignment." Whew - our connection is at 10:15pm so we will be fine.

We wait. and wait...

Announcement: "Your flight is delayed longer. If you have a connection before 8 come to the desk to get reassigned." And then they proceed to rattle of a long list of names - ours being two of them.

We get in line because we're guessing that we're getting seat assignments since so many people aren't going to be on this plane after all. We get to the desk and the boss and I each hand him our tickets since we're on the same flights. He sees my name and my destination city and asks where I live there. He used to live here years ago but now resides in Atlanta. Turns out he went to high school with my husbands aunt! He lived in a house behind them growing up!!

Small world. We walked away with seats for our first leg of the trip and first class seats for the longer second leg! I know you know this - but it pays to know people.. ; )

So we sit back down and wait. and wait...

Announcement: "Your flight is delayed even longer. Good luck suckers!"

Our only option is to wait for this flight and go to Charlotte (oh, did I mention we're going thru Charlotte now?!?!) and if we miss our connection to grab hotel rooms there. So we board the plane and they taxi out. While on the tarmac the pilot comes on the intercom and announces they decided to delay planes due to weather. (again) We hope to get off the ground in about an hour....

Are you frickin' kidding me?!?!? We proceed to sit on the tarmac. again.

SO - we finally take off. While in the air they tell us "We'll be landing at gate B." First good news of the night - our connection is in gate B. This is important because we're going to be cutting this close.

Our wheels touch down at 10pm. Our connection is at 10:15. I'm already resigning myself to the idea of spending the night in Charlotte.

Announcement: "If you're connecting to Providence, Minneapolis or Julie's city, they have put a 10 minute hold on your planes. You need to deplane here and go DIRECTLY to your gate as fast as possible."

Here we go.

By the time I get off the plane the boss is no where in sight. I'm looking around to orient myself with the concourse to see which way I need to run. That's when I realize we're not in B, we're in C!!

I have to now SPRINT down the length of C, through the middle common area of the airport and partly down the length of B. Essentially - ACROSS THE AIRPORT.

...with my computer book bag on my back smacking around because I didn't have enough time to pull the straps tight.

...pulling my suitcase. Thank god for roller bags!!

I round the corner and see the gate and the boss getting ready to walk down the jetway.

WE MADE IT!!!

(In my defense the boss was sitting much more towards the front of the plane than I and got a considerable head start....)

I settle into my first class seat and....

...sit on the tarmac for another hour.

I'm not kidding.

We touched down at home at 1am this morning.

I'm exhausted.

So don't expect me to be on the computer much this weekend. I'll be sleeping.

Fall in NY

During the fall and winter I always feel like I'm pooing on this place where I temporarily reside. (Yes, I consider 5 years temporary as in "I'm not going to live here forever". )

If you're not aware we get LOTS of snow here during the winter - which isn't necessarily bad. What is terrible - we have almost no sun. This is one of the least sunny places in the US. I've said it a million times - I can handle snow. I cannot handle no sun. It depresses me somethin' fierce. Every year we've been here I get in a terrible funk when the weather starts to change. I know it's the lack of sun and not the snow. Want to know how I know? Because I used to live in CO where there is plenty of snow AND sun!

Now I don't necessarily have to move back to CO to be appeased. But I eventually will need a change of scenery. But that time isn't right now. So, since I'm here for the time being I decided to focus on the good things that we have here. This is also a reminder to me to actually DO these things and not let the seasons pass me by without indulging.

- We have the 37th annual Lafayette Apple Festival this weekend! The hubby and I went last year and I had a great time eating apple "things" and drinking cider. It's just a beautiful ride out in the country too.
- In the event I can't make it out to the festival this year we also have quite the array of "apple places" around here to go apple picking. Some have great little gift shops too.
- Talking about apples got me thinking about baking. And I have already started "feeling" fall. I've made four different soups in the past 2 weeks (and fed not only the hubby and I for a few days at a time but my office as well.) So at least if the weather outside is rainy or some other version of sucky I can always stay inside and bake. (or cook)
- I have family coming to visit in 2 weeks - so I'm taking them to the Finger Lakes Wine region, of course!!
- When the snow starts falling I hear we actually have some ski places about 30 minutes away. That's much closer than it took me to get to the slopes in CO! The hubby and I went skiing once winter before last. Unfortunately I don't think he's very fond of it anymore. I guess that just means I'll have to head out by myself! ('cuz none of my other friends around here ski either...)
- Speaking of great outdoor sport areas - I hear we have great places to snowshoe too. I've only tried that once before out in CO... but why not give it a whirl again?!?!
- Ok, back to something that I can do sans snow.... I haven't gone mountain biking all year (or last year, or the year before...) If the rains stops for a bit before the snow comes I already have a place picked out to hit the trail.
- Speaking of rain - we've had LOTS of it lately. I don't mix well with cold rain. So I have plenty of things to do around the house instead. Like an ass-load of yarn that has yet to be knitted into something useful. And I really do think it's time for me to move on from scarves...
- And I've already made a list of things to do this winter. Such as paint a bunch of rooms and actually purchase frames and hang things on the walls. Yes, we've lived here over 5 years and I still don't have anything hanging on any walls save a large mirror in the hall.

Looking back on this list I think I have plenty of things listed to do. But if you know of anything I've missed let me know!!!!

Make up your mind already!!

The weather here has been strange! Tuesday and today it's been sunny and in the low 60's. Yesterday - in the 40's with rain and wind gusts up to 50 mph. Power had been knocked out in places and the hubby even cancelled practice. I even came home to the golf umbrella by the back door. Apparently prissy-pee-pee-pants wouldn't go outside to do her business in the rain...

Is the end near?!?!?!?

Of course it's worked out for me so far as I run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. So I had a great day Tuesday and today looks like a winner too. It does make it hard to sit in this office, though...

So much for a hiatus...

Well, I thought I wouldn't be blogging much in the next two weeks - but I changed my mind. At least for today.

I've been noticing really dry skin patches on my cheeks. This usually happens in the winter- but it's not winter here yet. I think it might be from running outside. Damn sensitive skin... If you're familiar with Body Glide you'll know that it's an anti-chafing stick that you can also use for wind burn, sunburn (if you get the one with SPF) and other "conditions". BTW - get your mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about "Body " Glide, not "Astro" Glide....

me: My skin is getting really dry. I'm going to start putting a swipe of Body Glide on my cheeks before running. It says it's good for wind burn....

the hubby: how fast have you been running?!?!?!?

yeah - ha, ha.


In other news...

Our dog Nicole Joan, aka pee pee dog, is foiling my attempts to get her to stop peeing in the dining room. For some reason she will pee on the carpet in the dining room on occasion. We don't know why. She's been doing this since we moved in. Maybe once or twice a month. (which is reason #287 why we own a steam cleaner) But over the past year she's been doing it more often. It's getting old.
It's not that she can't hold it until she's outside....
It's not incontinence because she only pees in this one spot....
We've already paid a bazillion dollars in UTI meds over the years.... and she was just tested and doesn't have one....

Sooo - it must be she's acting out.

See, dogs aren't so much different than human kids.

We can't figure out what's prompting her to be pissy - pun intended. Plus it's in a room we're hardly ever in and we've never been able to catch her in the act. So I gave up. Last time at the pet store I bought adult Pee Pee Pads. I came home, unfolded one and set it over the spot where she usually goes.

Two days later I smelled doggie pee pee and went in the dining room. Instead of peeing on the pad she just peed a foot to the left of it.

Damn dog....

Slow couple of weeks

Just as a warning - my work laptop bit the dust and had to be sent out for repairs. Therefore I might not be blogging as much until I get "my" computer back. This "loaner" from the mothership it not my favorite. As a matter of fact, it is my OLD laptop. The one that crashed and burned about a year ago. Go figure. That's how our IT department rolls. They couldn't fix it when it was my computer but they sure can reload it with a bunch-o-crap to use as a loaner.

Also, next week I'm going to be on the road for work. Luckily I only travel twice this fall, next week and the first week of December. On one hand it's great because I'm not out of town as often. On the other hand it sucks because I think I might be losing status on my hotel and plane carrier....

On a funner note - I've been using my Garmin, aka portable computer, during my runs. It's awesome!! I download all the data and can even access it online from any computer! Although I still haven't gotten all the way through the owners manual/ CD. And I can't look at it at work because my old computer/ current loaner has a detached CD drive. Guess what they didn't send me.....

Random thought - I'm worried that I might get dementia... apparently it appears that my dad is getting it: (actual conversation...)

me: Dad, I just found out Sara B is pregnant! (childhood friend)
Dad: That's great!
me: Yeah, she's due the end of January!
Dad: Agh, that's gotta be awful, she still has the winter AND the summer to go! It must be awful being pregnant in the summer!!
me: uh, what? Dad January is just a few months away. She's not due the FOLLOWING January! How the hell long do you think humans gestate?!?!?
Dad: Oh right! I forgot! You know, it's been a long time since I had kids....

Pray, send good vibes, anything!

Some of y'all who read my blog also read some of my friend's that I've linked. Through that some of you have come to "know" "Wandering Girl" aka Tiffany, a friend of mine from college. About an hour ago she just posted on FB that her apartment building burned to the ground last night. She wasn't able to get her cats out before the firemen pulled her out. (she didn't say anything about her dog.) She's not sure if the cats are ok or not.

Please keep her in your thoughts.

It's here!!

Yes, it is, indeed HUGE!!! My new HRM came today. I brought it back to work with me to see if I could play around with it.

Um, that'd be a negative, ghostrider.

This thing is quite complicated. Actually, finding the menus on the wristband is fine. But I spent forever trying to download the software for it off the net. You can download the info from your watch onto the software - not, I suppose, if you can't get it properly off the net.

So I think I have it downloaded but I can't find a tutorial or anything. Plus since I haven't done a workout yet I don't have anything to download. It came with a disk - supposedly the users guide... I mean really - how complicated does something have to be that they put the owners manual on a disk?!?!?

I see myself taking the laptop home tonight to see if I can learn more about this fantastic piece of electronic equipment. My next run is tomorrow so I better get something figured out by then!!

Finally a real runner!

Last night - for the very first time - I felt like a "real" runner. I ran in the cold, in the dark in the rain. I felt really dedicated!!!

Granted it was only in the low 50's, which as most of you know, it gets a helluva lot colder here than that! And it wasn't so much dark but more twilight. But I did wear a white top and the hubby had me put a blinking red light on the back of my baseball hat for safety. And it wasn't pouring the rain, just drizzled for the last half of my run - which was only 2 miles....

But you get the point.

Blame twin mom!

If you are reading this blog then you've seen comments from my various friends. I think it's great that I have friends from all times during my life reading and commenting!! What fun the internet is!!

So you might have caught Emily's comment on my last post. In case you haven't checked out her blog (which is linked on mine) she's a new mom to twins!! Everyone on the count of three: one, two three, Aaawwwww!! : )

However, if you are one of my readers who lives close or sees me on occasion you may not like her anymore. (Christy - I'm really talking about you. YOU may not like her anymore... ; ) She just suggested me wearing Twilight stuff while racing!!

WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!

Christy - think about it - I'll be easy to find at the end of the race!!

I might have to look into this. The only issue I may have is getting anything remotely "Twilight" on performance wear. Surely I could figure it out!!

See - you guys are all perpetuating my addiction!!! I was perfectly fine just running in a regular, plain top and shorts.... I'm just not that creative on my own - but you guys are AWESOME!!

Ready for 13.1

This week begins my official training for my half marathon. BTW - I think I will continue to refer to it as a "half marathon" because just 13.1 miles doesn't really sound like that much.

Ok, so technically my first run according to my training schedule isn't until tomorrow. I have to figure out how to combine lifting weights with this running thing - and not kill myself in the process. I'll give the lifting a good 'ol college try - but if I can't get all my running in then the weights are taking a back seat (take note KVeg. this is your official warning...)

I noticed a few weeks ago my heart rate monitor was acting up. I can't figure out why - I've replaced the battery in the watch and chest strap all within the past three months. It keeps cutting in and out of getting a signal. I'm pretty sure I'm not dead...

Well this past weekend it wouldn't read at all and and when it did it told me my HR was 239 (as I was casually standing in the bathroom trying to get it to work.) I am certain I was not at 239.

So I finally gave in and declared it kaput. Now if you know anything about HRM then you'll know there are many more on the market these days than just 5 years ago. Today you get even get ones with built in GPS! I'd been eyeing those but they are a bit pricey. And since I already had a working one I wasn't going to bother.

But now since I'm in a position to HAVE to get one... I had to think long and hard over it because they are not cheap. As a matter of fact I'm not even going to mention what I paid because I'm too ashamed. According to the hubby, at that price it should run the race for me.

The other reason I had to think about it is due to the size. These GPS enabled HRM are HUGE! I have itty, bitty , tiny wrists. So this will be interesting. I will not be wearing it everyday like I do my current HRM watch. Although I can think of other people that will be thrilled to know that I won't be wearing my men's Timex Ironman HRM watch all the time. What they don't realize it that I'll just be wearing my smaller women's Ironman watch instead. It's not like I'll finally start wearing a "girly watch" like they'd hoped. (yes, I even wear it when in a biz suit...)

So once it comes in I'll let you know how it goes. Of course, that's if I'm smart enough to figure out how to use all the fancy stuff on it....

Fall is officially here...

... never mind that it was over 80 degrees and humid as hell on Wednesday. How do I know fall is here??

I used my seat warmers for the first time this season.

I accidentally left my car in the driveway last night (and the garage door wide open... ) and it was freezing this morning! Seat warmers - one of the upgrades on my Jeep that I am grateful that I have.

(yes, I occasionally STILL mourn the lose of my Explorer.)

Our garage is insulated (as it should be with our godforsaken winters here....) and so even in the dead of winter going out to the car isn't so bad. It should be even warmer this winter since we now have new, insulated garage doors to match. But since I left it outside last night it was covered in cold dew and the seat were FREEZING! even in my jeans!!

Oh - and the hubby's been out of town this week so he's going to be annoyed to come home tonight to find that I put these on my Jeep.

I got a feeling he's not going to be driving it much anymore....

Cabby

Here's my first kitty, Cabby. I hardly ever get any pictures of her!!! I snapped this last night while we were cuddled up on the sofa watching tv. She'll come over and sleep on the couch with me when it's just the two of us. I think when D's home she thinks it's too crowded...

Pix from the ride

Here are some pictures that were taken during the ride.

Heading out first thing in the morning... "Team C" (D has red handlebars and mine are yellow...)



Here are all the riders and our entourage... we have a full police escort, paramedics, a gear wagon and a box truck should we have a mechanical issue not fixable on the fly.

Here's the hubby checking out his gear before we set off from a school stop.

And me doing the same check to my bike. Aren't we hot in our spandex and helmets?? ; )

D anxiously awaiting for us to take off to the next school... (that's his "concentration' face... he's one serious biker...)

Here's our group rounding a corner. The lead guys, Carl and Todd did us all a favor leading. They had some serious wind resistance to deal with while the rest of us benefited from drafting. But don't feel too bad for them - they are arguably the strongest riders and are racers.... this 100 miles was nothin' to them. At the end D joked with Todd that he could go do his "real workout" now - insinuating that our century was easy for him. The sad part - it was easy for him....

Ah - D had an issue riding behind this guy in the picture. We would try to get away from riding behind him when we lined up to leave a school but he was like a magnet! And he was a "weaver" (weaved side-to-side) and wasn't always as fast going up hills - both being issues when you're riding in this kind of group as tight as we were. (at least he looks like he's having a great time!!)

Ah... the hand slaps at the infamous "That's a woman!!" school....

Lots of our ride between schools was something similar to this... I like how the photographer never got a shot like this that showed any of the mountains... um, I mean hills....

I told you - we're like rock stars!! Look at the posters they made for us!!

I did it!!

This is me in the morning... before we got started...

Well folks - I did it. I finished the 100 miles - and in the front of the pack no less!!

All the schools have been learning about safety for the past few weeks. The day of our ride the program ends with a pep rally for the kids and then they all come outside and stand on the side of pavement to cheer us on. You can hear the kids as they announce we're there. You would think we were the Jonas brothers or Miley Cyrus or something!! These kids are screaming and cheering - we felt like teeny bopper rock stars! We ride by and slap hands with them - they love that!

Since this was a fundraiser for missing and exploited kids we stopped at about 5 schools to say hi to the kids and reinforce what they've been learning in school about staying safe in their environment and on line. It was also the time we grabbed a bathroom break and refueled. Each stop was about 10 - 15 minutes.

We did just a "ride by" at a few schools. They weren't scheduled stops, just on our route. So we ride by and slap hands and move on. At the first ride by school there were kids lined up on both sides of the pavement. I decided to go to the one side where not many riders had gone yet. As I was slapping hands with the kids I heard one of them say after I passed "That was a woman!!"

Yes kids, women can ride bikes too.

And here's the 100 mile proof: