Here's What I Think...

I AM a Southerner

2007-09-12T09:46:00.000-05:00

My poor little abandoned blog is such a lonely little corner! Life's at full speed and something had to give, but I was inspired to check in here when I discovered a heretofore unknown passion for pimento cheese.

Grocery store pimento cheese gives me the willys... it's so, so ORANGE. I have Michigan transplant parents so pimento cheese didn't make an appearance on my childhood menus. Thanks to the aforementioned parents, I've always been not quite a sure enough Southerner. That was until I met HOMEMADE pimento cheese. Oh dear golly that stuff rocks!

A tub of this nectar was featured as lunch rations on a dive trip to the Keys last week and I nearly embarassed myself with how much I liked it. So much so, that I came home and googled away to discover a recipe so that I might have pimento cheese for my own self. This may take a while to perfect, but the first batch is in the fridge, so I'm on my way to unlocking the secrets.

mmmm, cheesy goodness!

What is Paul Newman doing in my pantry?

2007-04-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

I love Paul Newman pasta sauces, but it struck me as odd the other day to see my mother's heartthrob on a jar in my pantry. I wonder if Matthew MacConaughey will be in my pantry someday...

Through New Eyes

2007-03-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

My friends got back from China with their new little girl, Ella, on Friday night. After 20 hours in transit with at least 9 hours of screaming 1.5 year old, the whole family was wrecked and pretty sure they never wanted to get on an airplane ever again. Miss Ella is a complete charmer and I can't stop thinking of what it must be like to be her and to have your world changed so completely.

The drive home strapped into a car seat for the first time showcased her lung power, but she soon keeled over to sleep... taking after her Aunt Debbie who can't sit in a moving vehicle for long without snoozing. Soon she saw her new home for the first time... and her new pet kitty. Do you remember the first time you ever saw a cat? Me, either. I grew up with pets, have never not had a pet, can't imagine life without a pet.

Not so, Ella. It was really funny to witness her first introduction to Tux. Tux, who has never met a stranger, beelined it to the new little person for a look see. Ella's eyes got big, followed by a blood curdling, Freddy Krueger is in the house, scream. Tux nearly turned himself inside out to get away from sceaming baby. Meg and I nearly collapsed from the giggles -- compassionate souls that we are.

Word is that within 24 hours Ella had made peace with Tux and Jake the dog; this week of firsts is so exciting that I'm glad I got to see a couple of them. What a fun, sweet journey.

One Short Flight & a World Away

2007-03-02T13:43:00.000-05:00

I'm spending the week in South Texas at a 5,000 acre ranch filled with deer, cactus and mesquite. It's an amazing place to visit to recharge your batteries and slow down to enjoy life and little purple flowers and a friendly ranch puppy. I'm so grateful for the opportunity and the jalapeno bacon...

Yesterday we trekked down to a border town and loaded up on cool, amazingly inexpensive pewter and pottery. I'm definitely conning my friend Sarah into a road trip and joint business venture of "importing" this stuff back home to re-sell.

As we're driving back from our shopping jaunt, the phone rings and it's my friend Meg who is in China adopting a little girl. What a small, diverse world we live in that I can be staring out at dusty plains filled with cactus while chatting with my friend who's heading off for a day on the Great Wall.

I love the opportunities we have in our world today and want to drink even more of them in... gotta sell a lot of chimeas (sp?) and flower pots to make my dreams come true!

Lent Free

2007-02-20T21:24:00.000-05:00

I have a long tradition of observing Lent. Usually I give up some food category -- fried, potatoes, chocolate or similar. I'm pretty hard core and usually succeed with the 40-day commitment, but this year I'm just not feeling it. I've already cut out diet sodas with a very occasional indulgence and I'm watching what I eat pretty successfully, so my old stand bys aren't in play.

I think this is probably a really good shift in attitude for me. Instead of challenging myself for 40 days, I'm changing my lifestyle in a more permanent fashion.

Now if I could just re-charge my running...

Don't Try This at Home Kids

2007-02-05T16:49:00.000-05:00

Proud to say that it's 36 days into the new year and I remain resolute in my resolution not to drink diet sodas. Yay me. Unfortunately it's proving to be hazardous to my health... I'm developing a love/hate relationship with the water cooler.

Our office has one of those handy water coolers that you put a 5 gallon water bottle on and voila, hot (really, really hot) and cold water on demand. My first run in with the evil-ness of this device was when I tried to change out the bottles. If you drop a 5 gallon water bottle from a height of 4 feet or so, it will bust... dramatically. There's a lot of water in 5 gallons, enough to cover an 8x8 section of floor in about a 1/4 inch of water and soak any (not so) innocent bystanders up to their knees. No problem, it was such a colossal mess that my co-workers are dedicated to changing it before I can eff it up again.

This morning I'm hitting the hot water spigot to steep some tea and in a moment of inattention, I drop the cup full of scalding hot (really, really hot) water all over my freakin' foot. OUCH! No blisters, but still some very angry skin and a sore foot. This would have never happened if I could have just reached into the fridge and liberated a Diet Dr. Pepper... I'm just saying.

Will Run for Food

2007-02-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

The 1/2 marathon training is still in full swing (though I am avoiding running even as I type this). This week was a tough one, I just wasn't feeling it. Wednesday night's 5.4 mile run was particularly miserable. Yesterday I was commited to doing 3 miles minimum, so we hatched a plan. I would run from home to the Hickory House and Steve would drive to the Hickory House and then do a big loop to get his run in. Then we would have breakfast.

It was 30 degrees or so and I had a miserable time warming up for the first half, but no thoughts of quitting because breakfast was waiting! Yep, will run for food. Thankfully the second half was much better and I found a groove and felt good. By the time I made it to the Hickory House I was pretty proud of myself and I'd earned breakfast with 3.3 miles of slogging it out.

Guess I better go run...

Slopes and Sundance

2007-01-24T21:46:00.000-05:00

Second year in a row we went skiing during Sundance week in Park City, Utah. It's awesome, the slopes are empty and the sidewalks are packed with celebs, posers, film geeks and video crews. It makes me happy on many levels. This year we took in some of the Sundance events as well as skiing and despite cutting into my nap time, it was really cool.

We went to a taping of the NPR show "Says You" and that was great fun - such a clever group of people having a great time with language and lore. The two Sundance films were a hit - Clubland - and a miss - Year of the Dog (I couldn't disagree more with the review linked here - it wasn't charming or comedic, no one is treated kindly in this film and it was painful to watch). Clubland is an Australian film featuring a love triangle between a boy, his lover and his mom. Mom is an entertainer who wants to keep her boy to herself. The movie was funny, touching and all around wonderful. After the screening, the director, producer, writer and several of the actors answered questions and talked about the film. It was the positive end of the spectrum of movie going/festival experience. Year of the Dog, not so much. The best thing I can say about it was the theater was stunningly beautiful. The cast - Molly Shannon, John C. Reilly, Laura Dern, etc - was top notch, but the story was painful. If you see Clubland at a multiplex near you, GO, GO, GO. They did get a distribution deal, so be on the lookout.

Our only celeb sighting was Richard Dean Anderson (I think) heading to the slopes. I got busted on last year that our only celeb was Rosie O'Donnell, but look what a good year it was for her. It sure looked like MacGyver was about to hit the slopes, but I didn't have Little Willy with me to yell out his name and make a positive id so I could be wrong. Either way, I clearly suck at celeb stalking, but I can report that last year's must have accessory of a little dog in your coat is totally out in '07. No little dogs to be seen. Lots of fur on hats, coats, boots, etc but none of it on actual animals... yuck. The other thing that was out this year was free street schwag. Mr. Redford reportedly objected to how commercialized the festival had become and was urging everyone to "Focus on Film." But, but, but I LIKE free stuff... I'm a total schwag ho and I'm very disappointed by this artsy, high brow attitude. Just kidding Mr. Redford...

Please, Call Me Princess

2007-01-15T15:56:00.000-05:00

... And don't speak to me of hard labor. After a weekend of roofing and running, I've decided a (another) life change is in order. I am a princess, how could you even think I could help with something like roofing?!? This new leaf is not going over well with my manservant, err husband, I mean Prince. I may have to wait for my next life time to implement this, but I'm planning ahead.

In THIS life, just about every part of my body hurts, and I am so thankful that my office doesn't get MLK day off. Thank god I'm safely at work, behind my desk, sitting, quietly and I'm clean. Life is good.

FG drug me along for 5.5 fun miles of training yesterday. I'm really questioning the viability of the 1/2 marathon in 10 more weeks goal. A Princess shouldn't sweat so... :-)

Beep, Beep, Beep Your Heart is About to Explode

2007-01-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

Last night FG made me run with my heart rate monitor on and boy does that tell you what lousy shape you are in. As we had to practically crawl up hills to stop the danger, danger beeping I felt like I hadn't made much progress in this running thing.

I guess the only solution is to keep putting the miles in (17.5 ish so far this month) and give it time to get easier/better. I do FEEL better and that's what really counts! Woohoo, between the running, drinking boatloads of water and eating better, I'm on the road to healthy living... kinda makes you want a Snickers and Diet D.P. to celebrate doesn't it!?!

Stop Poking Me Already

2007-01-10T08:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's only Wednesday; this week has been eternally long already. Monday started at 6:00 a.m. with a barium cocktail, Yum-O - NOT, followed by a CAT Scan on my innards. As if that weren't a lovely enough start to the week, it took me an hour and half to get to work (normally 25 minutes tops) thanks to a horrible accident on the interstate. It was interesting to get turned around and go the wrong way on 285 to backtrack to a detour. One of the rare occasions where I'll say I think the GA DOT had it going on to clear us out as quickly as they did.

Yesterday I had a late afternoon appointment at the dentist for crown prep. This is a PSA on the importance of flossing, brushing and not grinding your teeth like crazy all night long. Getting a crown sucks both pain-wise and pocket-wise. There better not be any further attempts on my person by medical professionals this week, I've had enough thank you very much.

Despite all this I've been in an astonishingly good mood, go figure! Last night we had terrific seats at Cirque de Soleil and the performance was amazing. There was one section where a guy supports a woman twirling and whirling by holding the line only in his mouth, that I could only think that dude was gonna be seeing a lot of the dentist soon enough. We were close enough to see the strain and concentration on the performers' faces as they did things with their bodies that defied belief.

Resolution Update: Still no diet sodas consumed in '07. Also hitting the target on making 2 of 3 meals vegetarian-ish during the week. I'm far shakier on the first one than the second one thanks to Coke and Pepsi's dominance of the fast food world. Chick-fil-A is the only reliable source for good iced tea in a hurry, but I'm managing so far.

And on the 5th Day...

2007-01-05T09:29:00.000-05:00

The cravings hit. Here I was cruising along without diet sodas thinking it was no big deal to cut them out of my diet. All was fine and dandy until I walked by my boss' office just as he tipped up Diet Mountain Dew. My knees went a little weak as I thought I really NEED some carbonation. Nope, nope, not gonna do it. I'm huddled in my office with a big cup of hot tea hoping the jones passes soon.

More importantly on the 5th day, my hubby celebrates his birthday! Happy Birthday Honey! Sorry your cake is so ugly... :-)

Gear Head

2007-01-04T14:55:00.000-05:00

I may never be fond of exercise, but I sure do like the stuff. Today is grey and grim outside, but I can't wait to go home and run cuz it's the first time I'll be taking my iPod Shuffle out for a, well, shuffle. It's loaded with tunes and it's little bitty self is just waiting to be clipped on my shirt. Yippee!

Day 3, WTF?

2007-01-03T16:04:00.000-05:00

The resolutions are going great, but let's hope Day 3 of '07 is no omen of things to come. It started with a trip to the dentist - ouch, my teeth are still angry at being poked. The fun isn't over though as I have two more dates with the dentist in the coming weeks to get a crown -- loverly.

Heading to the office, Svetlana - my car - blew a tire, on 285, in the far left lane. Thankfully it was a little after 9 and traffic had thinned and I was able to make it over the shoulder. My right rear tire was shredded and it was cold and being on the side of 285 scares me, so rather than try to attempt changing the tire myself, I availed myself of Volvo road side assistance. Their service ROCKED, but I'm growing ever more cheesed with my car. This is the 2nd time this relatively new (2004) car has left me stranded and waiting for help. I know tires are not technically a mechanical issue, but the low profile ones on this car are particularly easy to chew the sidewalls up on. One more strike and Svetlana joins Diet Dr. Pepper as being dead to me!

I've been car shopping on line already. How disappointing that I must file Svetlana under the heading of "be careful what you wish for cuz you might get it."

2nd Day of the New Year and 2nd Resolution

2007-01-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

As if giving up my favorite beverage weren't torment enough, my 2nd resolution of 07 is to try (operative word) to make 2 of the 3 meals on the weekdays vegetarian-ish. Nothing like building in enough outs to make it bearable, eh?

Today was good. Breakfast was a no-brainer to keep meat-free. I was aiming to make lunch meat free, but the Frank and Marzita's dieter's chicken was calling my name. I'm not sure what about a chicken breast sauteed in butter is diet, but it sure is good. Dinner was couscous, green peas and black-eyed peas. Yum-O as Rachael Ray would say!

I'm not going to stress about this, but just try to be mindful and see if any health benefits transpire. I am a total carnivore so this is major, but I'm up for a challenge... or six.

New Year, New Me

2007-01-01T20:38:00.000-05:00

Yeah, right. That's the promise every year isn't it? Last year I tried to better my language by removing the F-word -- didn't make it into the second week of January. This year my resolution is to give up diet sodas. I'm a serious Diet Dr. Pepper addict and I'm fairly sure that those things just can't be good for me, so now they are dead to me! Day One went pretty well. Hot tea is an acceptable substitute for the caffeine fix.

The other healthy start of the day/year was an 80 minute trail run (with lots of walking) in Amicalola State Park. Getting healthy may kill me -- my left knee and ankle are objecting to the new program -- but it does feel good to be outside and moving.

RIP James Brown

2006-12-25T16:35:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of spending an evening with Mr. Brown a few years ago. We attended the President's Dinner together. It was a surreal evening as the Godfather of Soul rocked the house of the Republican faithful just by showing up. Our table was in one corner of an enormous convention center and all night a parade of folks came by to pay their respects to James Brown. The Secret Service even collected him up for a backstage chat with the President. It was a surreal brush with the power of celebrity.

Godspeed James Brown. He certainly wrung a lot out of his 73 years.

I Hear Phoenix is Lovely This Time of Year

2006-12-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

I love my job, I really do. It's interesting, I work with and for great people, it pays the bills and for my horse addiction. Yeah, there's a but coming... I have to @#%ing travel to Phoenix the week before Christmas for a 1/2 day meeting. Of course since the 1/2 day meeting is in Phoenix, it's a 3-day trip. Bad enough to miss my prime last minute shopping days, but I also have to travel with all the amateur flyers who will be packing the airport and slowing the process. argh.

On the bright side? This little last minute jaunt across time zones will boost me to medallion status on Delta for the first time since they changed the qualifying requirements - bastards. Gotta google running routes in Phoenix. Joy.

Half Marathon Training v2 (or 3?).0

2006-12-15T09:32:00.000-05:00

I had slacked off in the last couple of weeks -- running once a week whether the schedule called for it or not. But last night the training resumed in earnest with an hour work out that included 54 straight minutes of running. That's a personal record and fairly amazing feat in my (admittedly limited) book. Now I just have to triple that by March 25... eeeeeek.

I usually think of friction as my friend but last night my friend turned on me and some chafing ensued. OUCH. I've got to work that issue out and quick.

Christmas Blues

2006-12-10T13:39:00.001-05:00

I always get the blues at Christmas time to some degree or another. I used to think it was because I was alone, but now I'm happily married and still get the blues, so I guess they are just part of me. The fact that my favorite Christmas song is Joni Mitchell's River doesn't help. Every since Robert Downey Jr.'s character on Ally McBeal picked it out on the piano in a poignant scene and I sleuthed out the original, it's been a Christmas-time listening staple. This year Sarah McLachlan has released a new cover of it. It's such a sad song, but for some reason it lifts my Christmas blues even as it lets me wallow in them a bit.

An Odd Tradition

2006-12-08T18:40:00.000-05:00

I fly a lot. But it just struck me yesterday what an odd tradition it is for the pilot to greet each passenger as they LEAVE the plane. Air travel has become a bus ride mostly. Unlike when I was a kid and it felt special to fly, now it's just a means of impersonal torment. Except where the pilot says a word to you on the way off the plane.

I can see the point of the pilot taking a close look at his passengers as they get ON the plane, but after the fact of a successful flight (i.e. we all walked away from the landing) I don't really want to make nice with the guy. I've been crowded into a seat and tossed a bag of peanuts if I'm lucky so it's not like he/she hosted a really great time.

On the other hand, I'd like to get a good look at the pilot BEFORE we take off -- remember those guys who had downed a few before climbing into the cockpit -- I'd like a chance to see if he/she was tipsy or looked particularly morose about something. It also seems like a good idea for the pilot to check out the souls he's about to be responsible for and make sure none of them are particularly morose/drunk/or have suspiciously bulky shoes.

That's it; let's size each other up before the flight and let parting proceed without that awkward smile and word of thanks that's so out of step with the rest of the flying experience.

Food is Not My Friend v 2.0

2006-12-04T16:41:00.000-05:00

Off to the doctor lickety split. Took a lot of blood and didn't say shit.

Okay so we're in testing mode. The options are ulcer, gall stones, some sort of bacterial induced colitis. Don't they all just sound lovely. I have Prilosec in my possession and a date with an ultrasound machine on Wednesday. In the meantime, food still causes discomfort and I'm still eating -- I'm simply not trainable. But you knew that...

T Minus 16 Weeks

2006-12-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

Darn those weeks slip by quickly. 16 weeks to the ING Atlanta 1/2 Marathon. I did do better this week with 3 running incidents under my belt. Yesterday was a 3 mile-ish jaunt with probably a mile of running, so it's good, all good. I have 4 more weeks to be able to run 3 miles without stopping. I think I can, I think I can...

It's a goal, but I'm not going to stress over it and just keep on getting out there. It's too easy for me to psych myself out rather than motivate myself.

Food is Not My Friend

2006-12-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

On so many levels, but lately because it makes me feel really badly. Unlike Pavlov's dogs, I'm clearly not trainable. Here's the deal, when I eat almost anything I feel like serious crap almost immediately after and for the next several hours. You would think this would make me not want to eat. Oh no! I'm still eating 3 squares a day. I'm just whining a lot.

Bev, our office manager/lay doctor, is convinced that my gall bladder is on the fritz. We'll see what the real medical professionals say on Monday. In the meantime this would be a good weekend to fast... but I won't.

3 Weeks to Make a Habit

2006-11-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

Rumor is that it takes 3 weeks to establish a habit. Not sure what the magic of 3 weeks is, but that's the rumor. If it's true I'm 2.5 weeks away from making exercise a habit. Today was day 2 and I can't say I bounded out of bed with enthusiasm, but I did get up and get my act together enough to get in an exercise event before flying out of town. Yay me.

I did my 2 song walk warm up and then jogged along for 3 songs (a little over 10 minutes) straight and then walked until I had reached my goal of 30 minutes. I discovered that my mp3 player has a stopwatch feature which was cool and handy since most training schedules don't use songs as the measure of how long to work out.

I'm a bit inspired. I was talking to someone I know tonight over dinner who took up running in recent years and has become a bit fanatical. His wife decided to join him in running in the last couple of years. She ran her first marathon (NYC) last month and -- get this -- qualified for Boston. How cool is that? I remember walking a 5K with her in San Fran a little over 2 years ago and at that time she had not yet started running. So she picked it up post-40 and is rocking. I don't have my sights set on qualifying for jack diddly, but I do feel inspired to tackle the next 17 weeks and beyond!

T Minus 17 Weeks

2006-11-27T21:52:00.000-05:00

Okay so I let a week get by without any exercise events in preparation for the half marathon I signed up for. But this is another week and we're off and running - literally. Tonight was 45 minutes of torture... err exercise. It actually it wasn't bad at all. Following the methods of the amazing FG (sorry Sarah, but he is!) I started out walking (2 songs worth), then did the FG shuffle (1 song), walked (1 song), then did the extended FG shuffle (3.5 songs - WOOT!). Cooled down with 1.5 songs of walking and another song of the shuffle (hard pressed to call it a run yet) and one last song of walking. That's a total of 11 songs... I wonder how many songs long a half marathon is? We'll know in March!

Somebody Call the ASPCA

2006-11-25T15:04:00.000-05:00

Our dogs have perfected looking pitiful when they are outside and we're inside. Never mind that it's 70 degrees and gorgeous outside. Cassius is curled up on a flattened lounge chair like he's starring in Eight Below, the movie about sled dogs in Anartica. Zoe looks like she collapsed walking up the little hill toward the pool in exhaustion. She's sleeping with her little nose propped on the ground. Satch is the only one who has abandoned pitiful for crafty. He's napping with his nose and eyes firmly on the door looking for an opening to dash inside.

It's 70 degrees, you're dogs, you should WANT to be outside.

Year of Wonders

2006-11-24T22:12:00.000-05:00

I love books that stay with you after you've turned the last page. I'm not sure what compelled me to pick up a book about the Plague in 17th Century England (not a laugh riot), but I can't stop thinking about it. While it could have been totally depressing, it's actually about feeling empowered and hopeful and the main character's transformation is what stayed with me. It also had a wonderful twist that exposed the "perfect" relationship as not really perfect at all.

Things to think about on so many levels. I used to be in a book club and this book makes me really wish that I still were. I want to talk about it!

H2O at 50 - 55 Degrees

2006-11-21T19:27:00.000-05:00

That's the temp range they keep water in for polar bear habitats in zoos. Coincidentally, that was also the temp of our pool on Sunday when 3 hardy souls jumped in -- It really was a polar bear swim!

Preparing to Prepare

2006-11-20T11:07:00.000-05:00

I'm totally into preparing to exercise. I got the threads, I got the shoes, I got all different kinds of socks, I got the ergonomically-friendly-to-small-hands water bottle. Now I've also got tunes on both the iPod and the more suited to running Rio Cali mp3 player. All that's left is to actually go outside and log a few miles this afternoon...

Thanks to Paulie I have the 12 week prep for a 1/2 marathon handy. That means I have 6 more weeks to prepare to prepare for running. That damn Oprah was rushing things! According to the superior-to-Oprah's schedule, I should be comfortably running 3 miles when I start the 12 week countdown. So that's 6 weeks to get to running 3 miles, thanks to FG, that seems doable, sorta.

I think I'm totally over thinking this...

Now I'm the One on Crack

2006-11-19T21:05:00.000-05:00

Peer pressure is a bitch... so is being tired of being out of shape and over weight. All that to say that I DID sign up for that freakin' half marathon. Yeah, the one where I should have run 5 miles today. Nope didn't do that, but I did sign up. At least I won't be alone in misery on March 25, apparently 80% of the people I know are running that dang 1/2 marathon. Thus the peer pressure -- can't miss out on a shared experience with a bunch of my favorite people, the other motivations are self evident.

So the pressure's on my buddy Ray (aka the Genius/Fucking Genius/Running Buddy), to both help me train and plan the, err, creative route on the 25th. The pressure is on me to get off my ass every day for the next 18 weeks and prepare my creaky self. This should be interesting.

I haven't completely lost my mind though... I didn't jump in the wicked cold pool this morning.

An Unseemly Attachment

2006-11-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

I love my iPod! I've now transferred all my cds into my iTunes library and have 639 songs or 1.7 days of listening pleasure. I've also downloaded the episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip that our DVR failed to capture as well as an Inside the Actors' Studio show I want to see. All this plus a game and I've still filled less than 30% of the capacity of this little jewel. The possibilities seem endless, but I do have a limit.

It's okay to love your iPod, but you shouldn't LOVE your iPod. This just cracks me up. I wonder how the NPR Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me podcast would, err, perform? Not so much when Tom Bodette is on I'm thinking. How would you like Carl Castle on your "machine"? Oh my.

Too bad I didn't see this before we talked Christmas wishes last night...

This is Your Brain on Drugs

2006-11-15T15:50:00.000-05:00

So I get an email from my husband with a link to the Oprah.com half marathon training schedule along with a little encouragement to consider the March IMG Marathon as a goal. I wonder how much the rehab is going to cost -- the man is clearly on drugs. I dutifully go to the training schedule and see that I should start my preparation with a 5 mile RUN this Sunday... yeah and monkeys might fly out of my butt.

Sure I bought new shoes (3 pair) and a water bottle for running, but I was thinking more like a 5K... in 08. Nice try, sweetie, but it's Betty Ford for you.

The Secret Life of Houses

2006-11-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

Instead of heading to DC today, I was home in bed with a migraine. The best dogs evah were keeping vigil by the sick bed and at least 2 visitors dropped by. Which made me think of the secret life of houses. We hardly ever have unexpected visitors when we're home, but apparently this place is grand central on a weekday.

One guy wanted to grind our stump for a $100 and the UPS man left a nifty water bottle with a handle for running (yeah, I'm all geared up now I just need to actually use it). I didn't actually answer the door on either ring of the doorbell, but I wonder if they appreciated the newly planted shrubs (photos pending).

I Dreamt of Monkey Grass

2006-11-13T14:06:00.000-05:00

So, my pal calls while I'm in the shower yesterday morning and tells my husband that there is no need for me to come out to her horse show as I won't make it in time for her class. Big mouth. Here I had a nice horsey morning planned -- hanging with other like minded folks, but the best laid plans and all that. So now that I'm "free" we get the bright idea to tackle replanting our shrubs.

We tore the old shrubs out THREE years ago, so it's not like we were in a rush or anything. Off to Homo Depot we go to rent a tiller. In for a penny in for a pound so we go ahead and pick out the shrubs. Four back breaking hours later our shrubs are planted, watered in and looking dandy -- we are both broken, but it looks great. Even better when I got home a couple of hours late and Steve had put in mulch and a border and cleaned up the mess.

But this is about Monkey Grass. Apparently monkey grass thrives on benign neglect because it does really well in our yard. One of the beds that has "rested" for the last 3 years had a thick nice patch of monkey grass. So we decide to replant it as a border in one bed and as filler in one area that looked too poor to put shrubs in. Monkey Grass has a root system like Fort Knox and it's a bitch to pull apart. To say I did not have fun with the monkey grass is a vast understatement. I now loathe monkey grass.

Postscript to the hike from Hell

2006-11-08T19:38:00.000-05:00

So, we're looking at the map for the "2.8 mile" trail. How can a 2.8 mile trail have a 3.3 mile marker? I'm not a cartographer, but this seems mutually exclusive. Thank goodness, I thought I totally lost any sense of distance.

2.8 Miles My Ass

2006-11-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

I'm my own worst enemy at times. Last Sunday I get the bright idea that hiking straight up a mountain would be fun. Not so much for my chunky out of shape self. This morning I decide that another pre-breakfast hike is in order. Did I mention that my favorite place is in the freakin' mountains?

The South Loop trail sounds innocuous - 2.8 miles thru the woodlands of the Homestead, past the homes on Ski Hill Road (sense a problem here) and the new equestrian center. The first 40 minutes were a pleasure - tough in places, but enjoyable enough. After 40 minutes which is 39 minutes longer than I'm used to exercising, I'm officially over it. Fifty minutes later we stumble back in to the hotel, only to climb 5 flights of stairs because we're in a hurry to change before we miss the breakfast sitting.

I certainly earned my bacon and doughnut this morning. We both agree that the trail has got to be longer than 2.8 miles. Fun times, fun times.

Favorite Places

2006-11-04T08:22:00.000-05:00

We're heading to one of mine today -- The Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, VA. We'll be there in time for high tea this afternoon - can't wait. The last time I was at the Homestead I was with my friend Katie . We had a great time, but it was a really quick trip - only one night. I'm looking forward to a more leisurely visit.

Hair Woes

2006-11-03T11:47:00.000-05:00

So today I got a hair cut. Nothing like spending $65 to walk out feeling badly about yourself. I usually totally love my hair stylist's work. This is the 4th haircut from this new person and I think the honeymoon is definitely over. I've got a mullet vibe going on. Thank God hair grows and mine quickly.

Time Change? What Time Change?

2006-10-31T11:01:00.000-05:00

It takes me a full 2 weeks in the spring to get used to spring forward. Losing an hour of sleep in the morning feels like a terribly cruel burden. You would think the flip side of gaining an hour would make me joyful for at least a week. Nope, 3 days in and I'm already resentful of the alarm clock again. I'm completely assimilated and looking for ways to eke out a few extra minutes of snooze.

Settling in to 40

2006-10-30T13:56:00.000-05:00

Decade birthdays are my nemesis. They get all in my head and freak me out for weeks, days and particulalry the last few hours (I had a countdown) prior to the actual birthday. When I turned 30 I had a little meltdown and 40 wasn't particularly easier. Which is just silly.

My birthday was great fun. Cool prezzies, nice dinner out, terrific scuba diving trip to the Keys. How can you be morose about being spoiled silly? I managed it, a little, but I'm over it now. I've decided that 40 is the sweet spot. It's certainly the best time of my life to date and seems to be getting nothing but better, so bring it on.

My friends are making 50 look good, too, so my goal is to approach my next decade birthday with a much better attitude. Check this space in 9 years, 10 months and 27 days... eek.

From Whence We Came

2006-08-14T15:02:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend at a family reunion and celebration of my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. It was so interesting to be in a room full of people that I've never met, but whom I'm related to in some way or another. I'm not a very good mingler so I mostly watched and observed. Some revelations:

1.) There is a distinct family look. We definitely all resembled one another with good strong noses being the most common feature. Fair skin, dark hair and light eyes were also pretty prevalent.

2.) I'm fighting my genetics when it comes to weight. On the good side, there were some darn fine cooks contributing to the potluck buffet.

3.) Bullshitting is the family hobby. It's nice to know when you come by things naturally.

It was weird to find myself rather removed from the whole thing. It's interesting to know your people I guess, but having grown up 800 miles away and with just my immediate family, the concept of extended family just doesn't synch for me. It was more than enough to make my parents happy by being there and to hear stories of how our family originally came to America. I don't think I'll be the glue that holds the family together in future generations which is sad on some fronts, but just reality.

My understanding of family is much more oriented to my friends. The people I'm choosing to share my life with, who really know me and get me. I came to this conclusion some time ago and it was just re-affirmed this weekend. I wish that bunch of folks who look like me good luck and good will, but I have my family thanks.

Jacques, Is that You?

2006-08-01T13:56:00.000-05:00

I loved Jacques Cousteau specials when I was little. I would sit mesmerized by the underwater world and how graceful they all looked cruising through it. The same graceful ease of Warren Miller films compared to my own attempts at skiing should have been a clue that it's a little harder than it looks!

This weekend was SCUBA class and the pool work in anticipation of getting our certification to be full-fledged SCUBA divers. Sarah, Steve and I did all (okay most) of our required homework and showed up as eager students.

It wasn't exactly a weekend of fun and games in the aquatic world, but we muddled through and learned all the required skills to be safe if not entirely comfortable quite yet. Next stop the open seas and 5 check out dives. Yippee.

Low Tech Solutions in a High Tech World

2006-07-25T11:58:00.000-05:00

I had been a little remiss (about 9 months worth, oops) on scheduling my annual gyn check up. (No, this will not be a TMI post.) Leave it to me to find a gyno who specializes in, oh, shall we say, less than modern approaches to family planning.

I arrive at 7:40 for my 7:45 appointment and have a minute to read the doctor's brochure. Doesn't believe in any medical birth control intervention; encourages Natural Family Planning i.e. the rhythm method and advocates abstinence before marriage. Whew doggie, I'm gonna have some 'splaining to do with my IUD equipped, newly wed self. I almost just left, but that whole 9 months late for my annual exam thing held me still.

All in all it was as painless as any such appointment can be, but I don't think I've found my solution for long term treatment of my gyn health needs. There was an uncomfortable few moments in the office under the watchful gaze of the Virgin Mary figurine where I felt I had to defend my and my husband's decision not to have children. A little heavy first thing in the morning for my lapsed Catholic self.

The good news? It was in the network!

Happy Anniversary Honey

2006-07-19T02:50:00.000-05:00

"I'd like to buy you dinner if you would allow me."

Who knew life was changing when that email first arrived in my in box. I still have it saved there. A keepsake of the first time you asked me out. I might have deleted it that August when we had our first fight, but I didn't and you didn't give up either and from there we began to really grow. In fits and starts at times, but growing nonetheless.

Now I really can't remember life before that email. How did I manage without my best friend? I think we've talked every day with but one or two exceptions since that first date. How quickly you became my constant, the first person I wanted to share things with, the last person I wanted to talk to each night.

Now we're married and still growing together and finding new ways to love each other. Every day seems better than the one before and I can't believe how blessed I am.

Never Wear Flip Flops to Church

2006-07-11T16:24:00.000-05:00

I have nothing against flip flops. They are wonderful little shoes and they have a place. I have a snazzy pair of "dressy" flip flops that are a highlight of this summer's footwear collection. I wear them all the time. Wouldn't wear them to church, but that's just me.

Today I had the sad misfortune to attend a funeral. It was a sad remembrance of a life cut tragically short and too solemn of an event to talk about here beyond the footwear choices of a few individuals. Ladies: don't wear flip flops to church.

There is no dignity in the clip clop sound of flip flops especially in the silence of reverence. It just shouldn't be heard.

Whew is it ever dusty in here...

2005-09-09T14:44:00.000-05:00

All this blog space and no postings. Well kids this is what happens when you are working your ass OFF. I promise to do better.

I have much news to share. I rode my horse for the first time last weekend. She's been at horsey camp learning the joys of working for a living. The inaugural ride was successful with no injuries to either party. I'm picking her up tomorrow and the real fun begins.

In the meantime, I'm buying another horse who is a bit older that I can go ahead and start training seriously and competing while horse #1 continues growing. This cutie - a soon-to-be former racehorse, he has one last race on Sunday -- will arrive on Wednesday.

So my quest is to figure out how to post photos so that you can see my "herd". Any tips to shortcut the learning process?

Wonderful weekend to everyone!

What a week...

2005-09-02T17:21:00.000-05:00

Wow has this been a tough week in our country. As a frequent visitor to New Orleans with friends & colleagues living in the city, this week has been profoundly sad. My friends are safe and accounted for, but they won't know home for quite some time to come. If you've haven't had a chance to listen to the 12 minutes of radio interview with the Mayor of NOLA, do it. That's a scrappy dude and he's putting it out for his people and his city.

Katrina has driven home for me how tenuous the grasp on "normal" is for each of us. I'm feeling guilty that my normal remains, but also deeply grateful for it. You won't find me bitching about the price of gas in coming weeks or playing the blame game. Let's just focus on taking care of these people and helping them find a new "normal." Their old normal is gone forever.

On a happier note, today two of my "children" celebrate their 5th birthday. Five short years ago I saw their little squirmy bodies shortly after their birth and picked them out to become part of my family. Now they are big dogs and, just like me, approaching middle age. Although unlike me, they're svelte and muscled. They've had celebratory cookies and many hugs and pats. If I ever figure out how to post pics, I'll put them up. Cassius Clay and Zoe Schmoey Pumpkin Pie are mighty cute boxers. I'm glad they are part of my normal.

Road Tripping in the Beast

2005-08-31T15:54:00.000-05:00

The trek home with the Beast was almost 800 miles through the eastern Midwest (I think I just made up a region but work with me.) Since we were on the road an adventure was in order so we planned a stop at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky.

Mammoth Cave is a national park surrounded by middle Kentucky enterprise. We passed up all the yard art and headed straight for the cave. What a cool place! We signed up for the guided River Styx tour which took us to the lowest part of the cave that tours go -- 360 feet under ground. Now might be the time to mention slight claustrophobia. Actually before the tour might have been the time...

We join up with Ranger Jeff and we're off to see the cave. We walk down the hill on a steamy morning to the mouth of the cave where the temperature drops precipitously. The cave is 50 something degrees year round. Feels good in August. Ranger Jeff informs us that the cave was rediscovered after a 2000 year hiatus by a bear hunter who chased a wounded bear into it. Can we say dumbass? Seriously, it's 1700 something so there aren't critical care centers on just every corner, it's dark in there and that bear is pissed...

Anywho, the cave is amazing and has been being toured since the 1820s or so. It's creepy enough down there with electric lights and a cleared path. Hard to imagine going down there with a torch and crawling over rubble to see the deep dark place, but people did it. I bet they'd buy stuff off eBay if they were alive today.

We walked through 2.5 miles of cave. More than 350 miles of cave have been mapped and they think as much as 300 more miles might yet be unexplored. That's lots o' cave. Our tour was pretty cream puff for the first couple of hours -- pretty wide pathways, ceilings low in some places, but not too bad. Then we came to this little area that was both narrow and so low you had to bend over quite a bit. I'm right behind Ranger Jeff and about halfway through this part, I start thinking I should have asked more questions about his credentials. I'm also thinking a diet is in order. I'm also wondering about back up generators for the lights. Yep, I should have asked a few more questions, the story of my life.

It really was a cool tour and I'd recommend it. The park is beautiful with miles of hiking trails and lakes; I'd love to camp there. We saw deer and wild turkey and just outside the park you could browse the yard art displays for days or play some putt putt. All the elements of the perfect vacation...

The Beast is in the HOUSE!

2005-08-29T13:56:00.000-05:00

Well I thought buying a truck off of eBay would be an adventure and it was. I'm not sure I'd recommend it -- waaaayyy too stressful. Here's the skinny...

Friday morning we head to the airport for the flight to Detroit. Marta was not being cooperative and we get the airport a little behind schedule. A glance at the board shows our flight leaving out of D16. No problemo, we speed through the security lines and off to D. Sure enough there is a flight to Detroit leaving out of D16 -- it's just not OUR flight. Dammit.

Now we're really pushed for time and a sprint for the B concourse wasn't on my agenda, but we did it and I even got a bonus stairmaster workout on the escalator. Board the plane, settle in for a nap and figure after all this hoopla the truck will be a cherry and no more worries. Suckers.

On the Detroit end we have a driver who will deliver us to Pontiac to pick up our Dodge. (There's some car brand humor there, but it's too cheesy even for me.) Unfortunately our nice driver from the other Georgia is new to the job and like us has no idea where he's going. Not the best vibe going on this project, can you tell? We had a couple of wrong turns and tour of a neat little lake neighborhood, but eventually we make our way to the right spot. Oddly there is no sign of our truck upon arrival, the vibe continues.

We're shown into the little smoke-filled office area and assured that our vehicle will arrive shortly for the test drive. Finally it's time to meet the Beast. A picture may say a thousand words, but sometimes those suckers lie. In the pictures, the Beast looks pretty good in the interior. In person, not so much. There are cigarette burns all over the doors, seat and ceiling (WTF?) and the headline features a nice staple line right over the windshield. Lovely, I wasn't expecting pristine, but used hard ain't pretty. I'm starting to feel antsy, but off we go for a drive and it drives pretty well. Back to the dealer and take a peek under the hood -- things look a little rough here to, but after a couple of calls to our "experts" we decide maybe not too bad.

So we close the deal and the Beast is ours for better or worse. The worse starts immediately when it stalls repeatedly backing out of the dealer. (The jury is still out on the severity of this problem, but we'll know more after it's doctors appointment later this week.) The better doesn't kick in for another couple of hours til we're heading down the interstate and the Beast is humming along eating up some road. The Beast is a hoss.

All and all I'm neutral on the whole experience. I don't think I'll buy a vehicle sight unseen again; it was just too stressful. But I think we got an okay deal on a truck that will serve its purpose. Call it a draw.

In a Blog Fog

2005-08-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

I've been a lazy blogger. Nothing to say really. In the meantime, amuse yourself at www.subservientchicken.com. I'm in a bit of a funk and this made even me laugh outloud.

How do they do that? Who would have anticipated that someone was going to type in "walk like an egyptian"? Or to do the hokey pokey?

Too funny.

Adventures on eBay

2005-08-17T12:22:00.000-05:00

I love eBay. It's like cruising the mother of all garage sales without having to find a parking spot or elbow pushy suburbanites or get up early. (I bet Bobbi goes to garage sales.) I am amazed at the number of cars that are sold on eBay and last night I joined the ranks of folks who have bought cars on eBay.

I was the "lucky" winner of a 1997 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel Dually truck. I'm holding onto the quotes and my skepticism until I actually see this fine ride in person which won't be for another week. If it is as advertised, I think we got a fine deal and it will certainly pull a horse trailer wherever I want to go. We'll fly up to Michigan next weekend and pick up what I've already affectionately dubbed "the Beast." Stay tuned for, as Paul Harvey would say, "the rest of the story." In the meantime I think I'll get that Triple A membership I've been thinking about...

I'm sure you're wondering about the color. The "Beast" is black. Not my fave as noted yesterday, but I don't care so much with this vehicle. It's only going to be a work horse not a show horse, so if the dingies show or it looks dirty well it's a truck, it's supposed to look used!

Color me cautiously optimistic.

What Color is Your Car?

2005-08-16T09:56:00.000-05:00

It's car shopping time around here and we are squabbling over color. The last two cars have been black and road grime gold. I'm not a fan of either. Black is pretty IF you wash it twice a day. The gold one never looks particularly clean and shiny just kind of dull and ick. I'm typically not consulted on the new car purchase in regards to color, but I have to live with it after the first two years. So I'm putting my foot down! (I know you're laughing Ms. Ananon, you can just hear the squabbles, can't you!?!)

So what is a good color? Must not show door dingies and mustn't require really frequent washings. I'm recommending white. Now I know that's not a sexy color, but it looks great right after the carwash and good if you don't bother with the carwash. Someone else is rooting for metallic gray. I could like that, but I wonder about the dingy issue.

Don't even get started on the make/model of the car which I realize is a little more important. I used all my chits on that the last go around, so I'm not even trying to influence the outcome -- other than to subtly diss Ford Exploders which are so five years ago (or 10) AND the gas tanks are on the wrong side (right). I could go on about that, but I'll save it for another day.

If you are right about now musing that there are far more pressing issues in our world, I'm with you. But hey, maybe world peace is possible if every one were happier with the color of their car.

Busted -- Again

2005-08-15T09:03:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning -- time to sleep in and relax. Not when you're having your house re-roofed. Newsflash, roofers work on Saturday and they start early. I'm not sure who was more embarrassed when I opened the door in my robe and bedhead, me or the nice hispanic roofer man. You know Bobbi's gonna be talking about this...

Instead of sleeping in we headed off to the Ol' Hickory House for a healthy low-fat, low cholesterol breakfast. As the waitresses' tshirts advertise, it's the place to put a little south in your mouth. I'll pause here to let you mull that over...

Back to breakfast. I had a little flashback to growing up in the rural south as I overheard two elderly gentlemen discussing the best place to get fried catfish on Friday night. My family isn't southern, but that was one tradition we embraced. Instead of the traditional Catholic family fish stick Friday, we went out for catfish. The lines were long, but when you finally got a table it was groaning with platters of fried catfish, cole slaw, sweet and dill pickles, and french fries. I bet we went 3 out of 4 Fridays.

The two old men referenced the Galaxy diner as a place to go, but I got news for them it's no where near as good as traveling about an hour south of Atlanta to a hole in the wall place hanging out over a bend in the river. I haven't been there in YEARS but those old guys sure reminded me of some good times with my family. I thought about making a road trip, but maybe it's better to just visit those memories.

The last time I actually tried to fulfill my catfish jones, I drug my unsuspecting coworkers out to a scary place that I haven't lived down yet. I'll certainly never forget seeing that waitress's boob resting right on the catfish she served yours truly. Left a nice little grease stain on her tshirt and a bad taste in my mouth. Yeah, let's stick with the more pleasant memories!

The Roof, the Roof, the Roof is On Fire

2005-08-12T09:42:00.000-05:00

Well no not really, today is the day that I FINALLY get a new roof. I've been putting off this little expense for 3 years. Three years ago I turned my formerly dilapidated screen porch into a beautiful sunroom. This little transformation was actually on tv -- the Home and Garden Television network show called Room to Improve. The result was a gorgeous room. Unfortunately no sooner did we get the beautiful wood ceiling and flooring in that we discovered a leak in the roof. Aargh!!

Through the application of some tar, occasional tarps and fixing the gutters, we limped along with me procrastinating calling for roof quotes. Shouldn't have bothered. Turns out new roofs aren't as expensive as I feared. And this kids is why procrastination is a bad thing. I stressed myself over this for 36 needless months. Just fix the damn roof already.

So not only am I getting a new roof, but I also got to sleep late (Woot!) because I had to wait on the crew to arrive. As my honey heads off to work at his ungodly hour, I hatch a plan. Hey, why don't you call me when you get to work, so I don't have to worry about setting an alarm and I get an extra hour of blessed snooze. Good plan, right!?!

Not so good. The phone rings, me in my REM and my honey supposedly on the line. I answer with my best whine..."But I don't wannnnaaaa get up." The voice on the line? "Hey, this is Bobbi with Year Round Repair and our crew will be there at 8:30."

Well isn't that a little embarrassing! Especially since I'm the type who if you call and wake me up instantly claims "No, I'm awake!" In a high tight voice like it's a felony to be caught sleeping. Do you do that? Why? It's not like you're saying "No, I'm not smokin' crack!" It's sleep for God's sake. Eight hours a day recommended.

Oh well, at least I'll never meet Bobbi, she of the raspy smoker's voice with a godawful loud parrot in the background. She might tell her friends about that good for nothing woman who sleeps past 7:20 in the a.m., but they won't know it's me at the grocery store. Whew, all that and a new roof, too. Life is good.

Godspeed Peter Jennings

2005-08-11T07:45:00.000-05:00

Did you see the 2 hour memorial show for Peter Jennings last night? Let me first say, I liked Peter Jennings and I think he led a fascinating life and had a wonderful career. BUT 2 hours of primetime!?! I watched and it was nicely done, but could have been done and more powerfully in an hour. I think Peter would agree.

The tenets that nightly anchors with 30 minutes to cover the world live by are finding the fewest words and images to fully convey an event. Brevity has power and impact. ABC forgot that last night. If I were Tom Brokaw I'd be on the phone to my NBC cronies laying down the law regarding any posthumous memorials.

The same is true of most movies these days. I LOVE movies. I love going to movies and being immersed in a different world for a couple of hours, but I hate when a 90 minute or 2 hour script gets stretched to 3 hours or more to accommodate the director's colossal ego. Ridley Scott are you listening? He's not the only offender, but he certainly lives by the mantra.

I hope this year's Oscar triumphs for Clint Eastwood help reverse this trend. Million Dollar Baby was tight and spare. It featured the characters and the powerful story. Just what a movie should do.

Enough with the Lurking

2005-08-10T18:55:00.000-05:00

I have a little blog addiction. I read my friends' blogs every day and am irritated when they post late or (horrors and you know who you are) fail to post at all. Perhaps having my own blog will give me a little more standing when I'm pressing them to get bloggin'. Time will tell. If not, well I'm off the bench now so we'll see if I'm up to filling this space.

So what's on my mind? Well only one thing really at the moment. You could say I am obsessed. I'm trying to buy a truck, a big honkin' truck. I'm a girly girl, but I have this little horse habit and that horse needs transportation. You may be thinking that's a little backasswards -- after all in some cultures horses ARE transportation, but the Eisenhower Interstate System and horses don't mix unless you've got a truck and a trailer. The trailer will be delivered next month, but it's not so easy finding a good truck on a budget. You would think people would be dumping their gas guzzlers for a song, but not so much.

Here's what I learned in the big truck hunt today. Flood damaged vehicles are not a good plan for amateurs. Who knew a little water could bring an F-250 to its axles?!? Well thanks to the magic of Google, I do now. It sure looked like the deal of the century, but after a little research it's clear that flood damaged vehicles are best left to the pros.

So here's the next question: Gas or Diesel? These are not things that I normally contemplate but lately I find myself hanging out at thedieselstop.com website learning the lingo and doing research. Funny where wanting to ride your horse can lead you! Apparently diesel trucks get better mileage but they are more expensive to buy and to maintain. On the upside they last forever. I've been mulling this aspect for weeks and coincidentally during that time the price for gas and diesel has pretty much equilibrated... I think gas has the edge at the moment, don't tell those boys at thedieselstop.com.

You're probably not nearly so interested in these things as I am, but fuck it, it's what's on my mind! If you do have any interest or wisdom on these things, I'd love to hear it. And if you've got a hot lead on a nice F-250 with under 200,000 miles and a tow package, we need to talk.