Monday, April 26, Day 56. Ran 4 miles/ Total so far 100/ Miles to go 900!
I have done it. I am one tenth of the way through the challenge. I will need to increase my weekly mileage to reach 1000 in a year but I am sure I can do it. Just knowing that I am on tenth of the way is a milestone. It is raining and cold here in New York so I ran the miles in the Mid City Gym on a treadmill. It took slightly more than 40 minutes. Felt great! Tomorrow I return to Dallas and law school life, but today is all about food and friends.
Mid City Gym (www.midcitygym.com) is the oldest gym in Manhattan. It is at 49th and 8th Avenue. You have to go downstairs past a sign that is always out front advertising gym memberships for only $39 a month. The inside is very utilitarian with weird drawings on burnt orange walls. The place is small and basic. There are some free weighs and some machines and a few cardio machines. The floor is uneven with rubber mats laid on top of each other then connected with yellow and black hazard tape warning members that they need to step up or down depending upon which direction they are going.
There is not a lot of talking going on at Mid City. Hard Core no nonsense body builders grunt and grown as they lift. This is where Arnold the Terminator once trained and there are pictures of him in the gym on the walls. There are not whirlpools or saunas or Pilate's rooms and no-one teaches aerobic dance. If you belong to Mid City you are there to lift weights and go. I like the spartan atmosphere. Such a contrast to the LA Fitness in Richardson that I wrote about in earlier posts. If you are in Manhattan check them out. The sale day memberships for $10 I believe but if you are nice they may give you a free pass to try them out...they did for me.
After the 4 mile run on the treadmill I went home and took a nap. We have four friends staying for the film festival in the two bedroom apartment we call home in New York. It was a bit crowded in the living room and I was tired from the night before. The nap was wonderful, enhanced by the fact that it was cold and rainy outside, perfect sleeping weather for me.
Monday night 8 of us went to a Japanese restaurant in the neighborhood, Yaki Tori, which specializes in what I call for lack of a better name, Japanese Tapas....little plates of lots of stuff, especially chicken. Most of the food comes out on little wooden skewers as you discover you are eating chicken heats, and liver and gizzards, etc. When asking what we are eating Taka just tells everyone to "Shut up and eat!" There are also wonderful fried baby octopus...tastes like calamari and a minced chicken breast that you dip in a quail egg that you have stirred in a little bowl they brought for you. Wonderful salads and special rice are all part of the fare. We also drank this Japanese vodka which is mixed with grapefruit juice that you squeeze at your plate on an individual juicer. Very fresh and tasty.
We were celebrating Israel's birthday (which was actually the next day, Tuesday). What a wonderful time to celebrate your birthday with a successful movie at a major film festival. Very proud of him and friend and co-producer, Tony.
I went to be right after dinner....To return to Dallas and work on Tuesday meant getting up at 4 and catching a 6 o'clock flight. All in all the New York trip was a nice break from a hectic time at work and reaching my 100th mile was a milestone I was glad I could accomplish there. Life is Good!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Day 54 Tribecca Party Nights and Big Burgers are the Best!
Saturday, April 24th, Day 54 of challenge Ran 3 miles/ Total so far: 96 miles/ Miles to go: 904
Did not win lottery or weekly grand. Gambling investment so far 21 dollars/ winnings 8, down 13 dollars.
Thursday was another marathon day at work. I had lunch with three Japanese judges. One is a visiting scholar. The other two are here for a few days observing the US jury system. Japan has recently introduced jury trials in some criminal matters. They are sent by the Japanese Supreme Court. We have law school alumni on the court and a long tradition of hosting visiting Japanese scholars and judges.
I have been studying Japanese by listening to tapes and wanted to impress them a little but that morning I could not remember a special expression used only the first time you meet someone which roughly means "Hello and pleased to meet you." I looked at my booklet of 30 some odd tapes and tried to remember which CD had introduced that expression. I use the Pimsleur system. It is very good and teaches by having you listen and repeat conversations between native speakers in 30 minute increments, but there is no booklet or index telling you what is covered in each CD. I was running late and knew I only had one chance to pick a CD that I would listen to in the car. I used my psychic powers to try to discern which to pick. Number 21 was calling my name so I grabbed it and popped it into the CD player and off I drove. Amazingly, the first question on the CD was "How do you greet someone for the first time?" By the time I arrived at school I had practiced my phrase and was able to duly use it when I greet them. I am sure I was more impressed by myself than they were. But I did decide that maybe I needed to try more psychic power before buying my Weekly Grand...etc.
The afternoon found me hosting a delegation from the Cultural Mission of Saudi Arabia who were visiting to discuss programs at the University for their students. It gave me a chance to use my Arabic language skills which, though rusty (I learned Arabic when I was in Kuwait years ago...more in future posts) are better than my Japanese. They seems more impressed and happy to hear me greet them in their own language. We have many Saudi students and and I am an academic advisor to them. The visitors gave me a plaque and a shirt and some other gifts and told me that the students told them how much they appreciated my help. The feelings of camaraderie are mutual. I had to explain also that I was sorry I would miss the dinner and celebration they were having that night. I had a student leaders meeting at 5 and also had to teach my class that night, which was followed a meeting with two transfer students who had not taken my exam last fall and wanted to review it before this semester's exam. I did not get home until around 10 and fell into bed No running Thursday :(
Friday after a brief stint in the office I drove to DFW Airport where I was lucky enough to catch an earlier plane. I arrived and shared a cab from the airport with friend Lars who had also gotten on standby. We stopped at the apartment, dropped off suitcases and pick up daughter, Leigh, continuing on to dinner that night with my good friends, Israel, and Tony and the cast of their movie, Ticked Off Trannies with Knives which was showing that night at midnight at their Red Carpet premier for the Tribecca Film Festival. Taka had arranged the dinner at a wonderful restaurant called, La National. It is the oldest Spanish Tapas restaurant in Manhattan and the food was scrumptious, especially the black ink seafood paella. From the restaurant we went to a club for the pre-party then to the movie. I skipped the post party as the movie was not over until after 2:00 a.m. Great day but once again not running.
Saturday was a beautiful day of perfect weather. I got my hair cut from my favorite Russian barber shop two blocks from our apartment. I love the place. It is a little hole in the wall where an old Russian immigrant and his wife and 21 year old son all cut hair. They always greet me warmly and ask about Texas. The haircuts cost 11 dollars and I give a 4 dollar tip which I know they appreciate. The conversation can meander about life in the US and life in Communist Russian where the older man used to live. His son mostly is interested in sports and the night life in Dallas. I remember one time around the first of the year the son was cutting my hair and his father was making a fresh salad with cucumbers and onions and tomatoes. It smelled so good. When he finished my haircut, the son told me that his father wanted to see me "in the back" which was behind a curtain. I was not sure what was back there and for a moment wondered if this barber shop was a front for the Russian Mob and I was going to disappear...I know, irrational but I guess I have seen too many movies. When I pulled the curtain back, the old man offered me a plate of salad and give me a shot of vodka. "Celebrate Russian new year with me!" he commanded. We downed our shots and I ate the delicious salad and I felt special...like I have been included in the family. Today there was no salad or vodka, but I was still glad I had waited until this trip to New York to get my hair cut.
After the barber shop, I took Leigh to Nana's, the Korean nail salon a few doors down from our apartment. Nana and her crew love us and make a big deal out of each visit. I only wanted a manicure but I knew Leigh would appreciate the luxury of a manicure/pedicure and she did. Nana was so excited. "You bring beautiful daughter!" she exclaimed, then promptly asked Leigh if she was married yet. Leigh laughed....and explained that she was not. Nana proclaimed that she should not worry and that surely soon she would be. I am sure Leigh had not thought to worry at age 22.
The post Nana's day found Leigh and Taka and I running along the Hudson River. Taka runs much faster than we do and had to slow down and loop back, urging us to run faster, which urgings we ignored. After the run we stopped at an outdoor restaurant called the Piers or something like that. We ordered a bucket of 6 Carona beers accompanied by three of the largest cheese hamburgers I have ever seen, surrounded by mountains of seasoned fries. We basked in the sun with our beer and burgers. Since I had run 3 miles I felt no guilt as I pushed the last fry into my mouth.
After an afternoon nap, Leigh and I went to Mont Blount, one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants where Maria, the proprietress and Patricio the Argentinian waiter made sure we felt at home with our crab cakes and mussels and hard crusty bread. The pear and watermelon martinis were the perfect complement to our food.
I skipped another late night Tribecca Festival party and choose instead to go to bed after dinner. I slept well. Life is good!
Did not win lottery or weekly grand. Gambling investment so far 21 dollars/ winnings 8, down 13 dollars.
Thursday was another marathon day at work. I had lunch with three Japanese judges. One is a visiting scholar. The other two are here for a few days observing the US jury system. Japan has recently introduced jury trials in some criminal matters. They are sent by the Japanese Supreme Court. We have law school alumni on the court and a long tradition of hosting visiting Japanese scholars and judges.
I have been studying Japanese by listening to tapes and wanted to impress them a little but that morning I could not remember a special expression used only the first time you meet someone which roughly means "Hello and pleased to meet you." I looked at my booklet of 30 some odd tapes and tried to remember which CD had introduced that expression. I use the Pimsleur system. It is very good and teaches by having you listen and repeat conversations between native speakers in 30 minute increments, but there is no booklet or index telling you what is covered in each CD. I was running late and knew I only had one chance to pick a CD that I would listen to in the car. I used my psychic powers to try to discern which to pick. Number 21 was calling my name so I grabbed it and popped it into the CD player and off I drove. Amazingly, the first question on the CD was "How do you greet someone for the first time?" By the time I arrived at school I had practiced my phrase and was able to duly use it when I greet them. I am sure I was more impressed by myself than they were. But I did decide that maybe I needed to try more psychic power before buying my Weekly Grand...etc.
The afternoon found me hosting a delegation from the Cultural Mission of Saudi Arabia who were visiting to discuss programs at the University for their students. It gave me a chance to use my Arabic language skills which, though rusty (I learned Arabic when I was in Kuwait years ago...more in future posts) are better than my Japanese. They seems more impressed and happy to hear me greet them in their own language. We have many Saudi students and and I am an academic advisor to them. The visitors gave me a plaque and a shirt and some other gifts and told me that the students told them how much they appreciated my help. The feelings of camaraderie are mutual. I had to explain also that I was sorry I would miss the dinner and celebration they were having that night. I had a student leaders meeting at 5 and also had to teach my class that night, which was followed a meeting with two transfer students who had not taken my exam last fall and wanted to review it before this semester's exam. I did not get home until around 10 and fell into bed No running Thursday :(
Friday after a brief stint in the office I drove to DFW Airport where I was lucky enough to catch an earlier plane. I arrived and shared a cab from the airport with friend Lars who had also gotten on standby. We stopped at the apartment, dropped off suitcases and pick up daughter, Leigh, continuing on to dinner that night with my good friends, Israel, and Tony and the cast of their movie, Ticked Off Trannies with Knives which was showing that night at midnight at their Red Carpet premier for the Tribecca Film Festival. Taka had arranged the dinner at a wonderful restaurant called, La National. It is the oldest Spanish Tapas restaurant in Manhattan and the food was scrumptious, especially the black ink seafood paella. From the restaurant we went to a club for the pre-party then to the movie. I skipped the post party as the movie was not over until after 2:00 a.m. Great day but once again not running.
Saturday was a beautiful day of perfect weather. I got my hair cut from my favorite Russian barber shop two blocks from our apartment. I love the place. It is a little hole in the wall where an old Russian immigrant and his wife and 21 year old son all cut hair. They always greet me warmly and ask about Texas. The haircuts cost 11 dollars and I give a 4 dollar tip which I know they appreciate. The conversation can meander about life in the US and life in Communist Russian where the older man used to live. His son mostly is interested in sports and the night life in Dallas. I remember one time around the first of the year the son was cutting my hair and his father was making a fresh salad with cucumbers and onions and tomatoes. It smelled so good. When he finished my haircut, the son told me that his father wanted to see me "in the back" which was behind a curtain. I was not sure what was back there and for a moment wondered if this barber shop was a front for the Russian Mob and I was going to disappear...I know, irrational but I guess I have seen too many movies. When I pulled the curtain back, the old man offered me a plate of salad and give me a shot of vodka. "Celebrate Russian new year with me!" he commanded. We downed our shots and I ate the delicious salad and I felt special...like I have been included in the family. Today there was no salad or vodka, but I was still glad I had waited until this trip to New York to get my hair cut.
After the barber shop, I took Leigh to Nana's, the Korean nail salon a few doors down from our apartment. Nana and her crew love us and make a big deal out of each visit. I only wanted a manicure but I knew Leigh would appreciate the luxury of a manicure/pedicure and she did. Nana was so excited. "You bring beautiful daughter!" she exclaimed, then promptly asked Leigh if she was married yet. Leigh laughed....and explained that she was not. Nana proclaimed that she should not worry and that surely soon she would be. I am sure Leigh had not thought to worry at age 22.
The post Nana's day found Leigh and Taka and I running along the Hudson River. Taka runs much faster than we do and had to slow down and loop back, urging us to run faster, which urgings we ignored. After the run we stopped at an outdoor restaurant called the Piers or something like that. We ordered a bucket of 6 Carona beers accompanied by three of the largest cheese hamburgers I have ever seen, surrounded by mountains of seasoned fries. We basked in the sun with our beer and burgers. Since I had run 3 miles I felt no guilt as I pushed the last fry into my mouth.
After an afternoon nap, Leigh and I went to Mont Blount, one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants where Maria, the proprietress and Patricio the Argentinian waiter made sure we felt at home with our crab cakes and mussels and hard crusty bread. The pear and watermelon martinis were the perfect complement to our food.
I skipped another late night Tribecca Festival party and choose instead to go to bed after dinner. I slept well. Life is good!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Day 51 As a last resort....Singing to my Class!
Day 51 Wednesday, Ran 3 miles/Total so far 93/ Miles to go 907
Did not win lottery or Weekly Grand :( Gambling investment so far 18, winnings 8 down $10.
This week has been a marathon of a week so far with work. It is the last week of classes and I have breakfast and lunch meetings every day almost and dinner meetings too before teaching three nights. As my Dad would always say in stressful times, "This too shall pass!" I know he is right, just ready for it to pass.
Tuesday started with a 7:30 breakfast at the Preston/NW Highway Taco Diner...I have decided I do not like this place. My migas were dry and almost inedible. I was meeting with the other officers of the Dallas Bar Real Estate Section where I am Treasurer this year. We were planning the rest of the year's events, etc. Normal committee work that people do who the volunteer work that most are not willing to do...like the story of the Little Red Hen....most prefer to eat the bread once it is cooked rather than grow the wheat, harvest, grind and bake.
Tuesday lunch involved taking a law school classmate of mine and now faculty member at SMU to the International Law Section of the Dallas Bar where she was giving a presentation on Australian Litigation Law. I serve on the Executive Committee of this Section since I work with so many of our international students and I had secured her as a speaker.
Tuesday at 5 was a graduation planning meeting with the law students who are graduating this May. One of the big orders of business was to vote on what percentage chance of rain in Texas' fickle weather, would be so much that we must move the ceremony from the outdoor quad of the law school which is beautifully decorated each year, to an indoor venue at Moody Coliseum. The atmosphere was festive and the anticipation that school was almost over was electric. I cannot believe how quickly this year has passed.
In between all of these meetings was a string of meetings with students with last minute requests to withdraw from a class, or get an exam accommodation, or deal with other issues. All things that I do all the time, but this week the volume increases exponentially. By the time I taught my class at 7:20 pm I was truly tired. I could tell my class was also tired. The energy level was low and a few minutes into my lecture and Socratic questioning I was not getting anywhere. The student I had called on was just not responding, refusing to admit they were not prepared and desperately trying to scan the case for the answer to my questions when most of my questions were common sense and not found in the case....requiring independent thinking.
When I could no longer stand it, I broke out in loud a Capella singing from an old country song which to which I made impromptu lyric changes:
"I know it's late"
"And I know your weary"
"And I know your plans"
"Did not include preparing for class"
"Still here we are"
"For about an hour more"
"I need some help here"
"What do you say?"
At which point either because I had woken up some of the students or probably to shut me up, another student said, "Dean Camp, I know the answer" and he was mercifully more prepared and as the laughter died down we muddled through the rest of the class.
At this point I was totally exhausted. I had taught the night before my breakfast meeting and the bed was calling. But I also knew that the rest of my week would not be any easier. I decided I would run even though I was so tired. Thanks to this goal and the blog I dragged myself to the gym and ran three miles. I am going to New York this weekend and expect to reach my first 100 mile, 1/10th of the way goal there, where this who blog/challenge started. I am behind a little but know I can catch up as the mileage increases....I appreciate all the support. Life is Good!
Did not win lottery or Weekly Grand :( Gambling investment so far 18, winnings 8 down $10.
This week has been a marathon of a week so far with work. It is the last week of classes and I have breakfast and lunch meetings every day almost and dinner meetings too before teaching three nights. As my Dad would always say in stressful times, "This too shall pass!" I know he is right, just ready for it to pass.
Tuesday started with a 7:30 breakfast at the Preston/NW Highway Taco Diner...I have decided I do not like this place. My migas were dry and almost inedible. I was meeting with the other officers of the Dallas Bar Real Estate Section where I am Treasurer this year. We were planning the rest of the year's events, etc. Normal committee work that people do who the volunteer work that most are not willing to do...like the story of the Little Red Hen....most prefer to eat the bread once it is cooked rather than grow the wheat, harvest, grind and bake.
Tuesday lunch involved taking a law school classmate of mine and now faculty member at SMU to the International Law Section of the Dallas Bar where she was giving a presentation on Australian Litigation Law. I serve on the Executive Committee of this Section since I work with so many of our international students and I had secured her as a speaker.
Tuesday at 5 was a graduation planning meeting with the law students who are graduating this May. One of the big orders of business was to vote on what percentage chance of rain in Texas' fickle weather, would be so much that we must move the ceremony from the outdoor quad of the law school which is beautifully decorated each year, to an indoor venue at Moody Coliseum. The atmosphere was festive and the anticipation that school was almost over was electric. I cannot believe how quickly this year has passed.
In between all of these meetings was a string of meetings with students with last minute requests to withdraw from a class, or get an exam accommodation, or deal with other issues. All things that I do all the time, but this week the volume increases exponentially. By the time I taught my class at 7:20 pm I was truly tired. I could tell my class was also tired. The energy level was low and a few minutes into my lecture and Socratic questioning I was not getting anywhere. The student I had called on was just not responding, refusing to admit they were not prepared and desperately trying to scan the case for the answer to my questions when most of my questions were common sense and not found in the case....requiring independent thinking.
When I could no longer stand it, I broke out in loud a Capella singing from an old country song which to which I made impromptu lyric changes:
"I know it's late"
"And I know your weary"
"And I know your plans"
"Did not include preparing for class"
"Still here we are"
"For about an hour more"
"I need some help here"
"What do you say?"
At which point either because I had woken up some of the students or probably to shut me up, another student said, "Dean Camp, I know the answer" and he was mercifully more prepared and as the laughter died down we muddled through the rest of the class.
At this point I was totally exhausted. I had taught the night before my breakfast meeting and the bed was calling. But I also knew that the rest of my week would not be any easier. I decided I would run even though I was so tired. Thanks to this goal and the blog I dragged myself to the gym and ran three miles. I am going to New York this weekend and expect to reach my first 100 mile, 1/10th of the way goal there, where this who blog/challenge started. I am behind a little but know I can catch up as the mileage increases....I appreciate all the support. Life is Good!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Day 48 "If you get into her shit you will get shit on you!"
Day 48 of Challenge Ran 5 miles/ Total so far: 90 miles/ Miles to go: 910.
Sunday was cold and rainy. I really did not mind. I know that in a few short weeks summer will slap me and Dallas with hot dry weather and I will miss the cool, wet spring we have had this year. I had planned to do a lot of work at the house, both personal and for school, but as I sat on the front porch with my coffee, Gym Rat called and asked me to meet him from brunch at Lucky's. I enjoy Sunday brunch and succumbed to the offer. I also assumed that he wanted to talk about putting in an offer on the condo, etc., things we could have discussed and finalized yesterday instead of shopping at the Gap, but I did not bring that up.
As I have written before, even though the food is not as good as it once was, there is an energy and ambiance at Lucky's that brings us back many Sundays. It is always crowded, with lines sometimes outside the door. You serve yourself coffee while you wait and usually see some friends or other regulars that you recognize who also frequent the place. This Sunday was no exception. I worked my way through the crowd to the coffee area at the bar and found it occupied by one of the more annoying species of customers...a gaggle of "pretty girls" too made up in the face for the sports outfits they were wearing. They were either oblivious of the coffee etiquette or just did not care, because after getting their coffee they kept standing there, chatting nonsense and blocking the way for everyone else who wanted coffee. Fortunately the outdoorsy type bartenderess behind the counter noticed my frustration and in a loud voice hollered out "Move on Ladies, people want coffee!" God bless real women in plaid shirts who tell it like it is!
Unfortunately the coffee was very weak and I wondered if that was another casualty of the demise of local ownership of Lucky's like the loss of fresh strawberries. When they called out our name "Oscar" I was happy to get a nice table by the window with our favorite waiter, Jim. Of course, neither Gym Rat or I have the given name, Oscar. We just use it at Lucky's. It was a mistake that David the Host once made and it stuck as a running joke. My brother Cameron, on the other hand, often gives the name Wong when waiting for a table, particularly at a Chinese restaurant, but then, you would have to know Cameron to understand this behavior.
It was past noon and I decided I wanted lunch after a week of cooking eggs and bacon at the house. I ordered grilled salmon which came with a side salad and two other "sides". I tried to pick the healthy ones, broccoli and steamed spinach. When it all arrived I knew this was another mistake. The salmon was overcooked as were the vegetables and the salad was tasteless. I ended up eating half the salmon and a few bits of the rest. I did not feel great for some reason and this was enough. Lucky's was followed by a stop a Luke's Locker, a local running store across the street from Lucky's, where Gym Rat needed to pick up some running shoes he had ordered. As he was fitted I picked up a number of race forms. I think I will try running a lot of races as part of my training and as a motivation.
After lunch, the lure of another nap called my name but I resisted and I have you and this blog to thank. I knew if I went home and napped I would not get back out and run, especially in this weather which is perfect for sleeping. So I went instead to the gym and ran five miles. I was not as fast as Friday. I tried using ear phones attached to the monitors so I could hear the tvs stationed in front of the cardio machines. I did not really like any of my choices. CNN was too depressing and golf was too boring. After just a few minutes, I pulled the earphones out and went back to my mind games of calculating how long I had to run to hit gravy and then double gravy and triple gravy, etc. I guess I need to break down and get an Ipod and join this decade's technology (or was that last decade?)
After the run, my calves were hurting some, even with stretching. I decided to go to the King Spa and reward myself with an acupressure treatment and lots of hot whirlpool and steam. In truth, it does not take much to want to reward myself with a trip there. It had been a couple of weeks since my last visit. I was lucky when I checked in that the Phillip, my favorite therapist, was available for a 90 minute treatment in about 30 minutes. I went to the sauna and steam and whirlpool and then to my massage, which Phillip refuses to let me call a massage. "It is acupressure, not massagee!" He tells me in his heavy Korean accent. "Massagee, like Swedish, it ok, but not like this....I have special training and this is acupressure...get rid of all toxins and treat all of body...not just rub up and rub down like Swedish!" And he is right, after pounding and pulling and pushing and stretching and even walking on my feet and legs with his feet, I felt like a piece of overcooked spaghetti, but it was wonderful.
After the massage, and on strict orders from Phillip, I went to the wet area again in the Men's locker room for more whirlpool and sauna. That is where I met another strange cast of characters. Usually about two thirds of the patrons of King Spa are Asian. Sunday night was no exception. In the sauna there were four older Asian men and when two younger ones entered, there was the proverbial introductions and bowing. While I did not understand the language, I gathered from the body language that one of the newcomers was the son of one of the other men.
The ritual in the wet area is to go from sauna to steam to whirlpools (three with slightly higher temperatures) showering in between and then to plunge into the cold pool and do it over again. My second trip to the steam was where I encountered the first of my memorable characters Sunday. When I entered there were three older large Caucasian men and two younger fit men in the steam room. One of the fit men, I shall call Blondie, was explaining to the older guys how they could stay in the steam for 15 minutes if they first went to the cold pool. He had that "truck driver from the country" accent. "Yeah, I looked it up and I learned all about the technique of this place" he explained. The older guys said that they did not think they could make 15 minutes. Just then, one of the spa workers, a Mexican cleaning boy, opened the steam room door and asked if Kevin was there. "Yeah, I'm Kevin." Blondie remarked. The worker continued "Some girls are outside. They said they are ready to leave and want you to come out." Kevin just sat there and the worker left. "Shit" he explained. "If my girlfriend thinks I am leaving now she is really dumb. I spent over 70 bucks for us all to come here and I will be damned if I am going to leave until I am ready to leave. She can just wait....she is probably not comfortable with being naked and all of that, this being her first time here and all, but hell, men don't give a shit. She was in a car accident and it was pretty bad but she and walk and shit...."
At this point I had to use all of my willpower not to laugh. My perverse mind was wondering so many things. First, how he had the self confidence to just do what he wanted and piss her off and not care. I have always been too nice. It was refreshing, in a weird sort of way, to see someone totally content to just do what they were going to do and let the rest of the world adjust or not. I knew that in the world of Cosmopolitan Magazine or Oprah, he would be considered a world class asshole. But there was something strangely liberating about listening to a man who was not "sensitive" in these politically correct days. And then there was the entire speculation about how we use words today when they can have so many meanings. Like shit...when he said his girlfriend could "walk and shit" what did he mean? Was he using shit as a verb or a noun? I know, gross and way too much information, but after the acupressure and steam, I was tripping. It was at least another 45 minutes and two more urgent messages from the spa worker before Blondie finally left. I wish I could have heard his encounter with his girlfriend. But I will just have to speculate.
I also saw what I have always assumed a Sumo wrestler must resemble without the little cloth. This black man opened the sauna door and promptly slipped on the wet wood floor coming withing an inch of crashing to the floor. He somehow caught himself and I was glad because I do not know what I would have done if he had fallen down and blocked the door. No way I could have moved him. He did not even stay. He was just opening the door so he could hang a large towel (his own, as they do not supply these at the spa and instead give you mountains of small ones about the size of a large dish towels). I am sure you are not supposed to use the dry sauna for a dryer. I told him to be careful and he left. Later as I was leaving I saw him again and what was definitely the most creative use of belly fat. I wish I could have recorded it for America's Funniest Home Videos. He was walking around with one of the small towels that they furnish covering his privates, but the way he attached it was amazing. He simply slid one side of the towel up under his belly fat roll and the weight of the fat hanging down against his belly held the towel in place so he could walk around and comb his hair, brush his teeth, etc. Amazing and creative.
The final character I encountered at King Spa was a Dear Abby kind of a guy sitting in the locker room area in his towel and pontificating to someone on the phone about how to handle some drama in their life. I could not help but overhear his conversation (as I am sure everyone else in the locker room could considering the volume, including the strange eastern European man speaking to another in a language I did not understand...this man having tied a towel around his head in some manner I cannot explain other than to say that there were round towel buns on both sides of his head so that he looked like a Scandinavian girl who has twisted her braids into buns on the side of her head...twilight zone) Mr Abby told his mentee "Listen, She gots lots of pressure now...you gots to let her blow or it will blow up on you man, you get it?...You can listen to her shit, but don't go trying to solve anything or get messed up in her shit or your gonna get shit all over you...you understand man?" Shit was flying everywhere it seems at King Spa tonight.
I returned home to eat the rest of my bar b cue chicken from yesterday's Kroger experience. I opened a bottle of Zinfandel left over from the Easter party to wash down the chicken and went to bed. Life is Good!
Sunday was cold and rainy. I really did not mind. I know that in a few short weeks summer will slap me and Dallas with hot dry weather and I will miss the cool, wet spring we have had this year. I had planned to do a lot of work at the house, both personal and for school, but as I sat on the front porch with my coffee, Gym Rat called and asked me to meet him from brunch at Lucky's. I enjoy Sunday brunch and succumbed to the offer. I also assumed that he wanted to talk about putting in an offer on the condo, etc., things we could have discussed and finalized yesterday instead of shopping at the Gap, but I did not bring that up.
As I have written before, even though the food is not as good as it once was, there is an energy and ambiance at Lucky's that brings us back many Sundays. It is always crowded, with lines sometimes outside the door. You serve yourself coffee while you wait and usually see some friends or other regulars that you recognize who also frequent the place. This Sunday was no exception. I worked my way through the crowd to the coffee area at the bar and found it occupied by one of the more annoying species of customers...a gaggle of "pretty girls" too made up in the face for the sports outfits they were wearing. They were either oblivious of the coffee etiquette or just did not care, because after getting their coffee they kept standing there, chatting nonsense and blocking the way for everyone else who wanted coffee. Fortunately the outdoorsy type bartenderess behind the counter noticed my frustration and in a loud voice hollered out "Move on Ladies, people want coffee!" God bless real women in plaid shirts who tell it like it is!
Unfortunately the coffee was very weak and I wondered if that was another casualty of the demise of local ownership of Lucky's like the loss of fresh strawberries. When they called out our name "Oscar" I was happy to get a nice table by the window with our favorite waiter, Jim. Of course, neither Gym Rat or I have the given name, Oscar. We just use it at Lucky's. It was a mistake that David the Host once made and it stuck as a running joke. My brother Cameron, on the other hand, often gives the name Wong when waiting for a table, particularly at a Chinese restaurant, but then, you would have to know Cameron to understand this behavior.
It was past noon and I decided I wanted lunch after a week of cooking eggs and bacon at the house. I ordered grilled salmon which came with a side salad and two other "sides". I tried to pick the healthy ones, broccoli and steamed spinach. When it all arrived I knew this was another mistake. The salmon was overcooked as were the vegetables and the salad was tasteless. I ended up eating half the salmon and a few bits of the rest. I did not feel great for some reason and this was enough. Lucky's was followed by a stop a Luke's Locker, a local running store across the street from Lucky's, where Gym Rat needed to pick up some running shoes he had ordered. As he was fitted I picked up a number of race forms. I think I will try running a lot of races as part of my training and as a motivation.
After lunch, the lure of another nap called my name but I resisted and I have you and this blog to thank. I knew if I went home and napped I would not get back out and run, especially in this weather which is perfect for sleeping. So I went instead to the gym and ran five miles. I was not as fast as Friday. I tried using ear phones attached to the monitors so I could hear the tvs stationed in front of the cardio machines. I did not really like any of my choices. CNN was too depressing and golf was too boring. After just a few minutes, I pulled the earphones out and went back to my mind games of calculating how long I had to run to hit gravy and then double gravy and triple gravy, etc. I guess I need to break down and get an Ipod and join this decade's technology (or was that last decade?)
After the run, my calves were hurting some, even with stretching. I decided to go to the King Spa and reward myself with an acupressure treatment and lots of hot whirlpool and steam. In truth, it does not take much to want to reward myself with a trip there. It had been a couple of weeks since my last visit. I was lucky when I checked in that the Phillip, my favorite therapist, was available for a 90 minute treatment in about 30 minutes. I went to the sauna and steam and whirlpool and then to my massage, which Phillip refuses to let me call a massage. "It is acupressure, not massagee!" He tells me in his heavy Korean accent. "Massagee, like Swedish, it ok, but not like this....I have special training and this is acupressure...get rid of all toxins and treat all of body...not just rub up and rub down like Swedish!" And he is right, after pounding and pulling and pushing and stretching and even walking on my feet and legs with his feet, I felt like a piece of overcooked spaghetti, but it was wonderful.
After the massage, and on strict orders from Phillip, I went to the wet area again in the Men's locker room for more whirlpool and sauna. That is where I met another strange cast of characters. Usually about two thirds of the patrons of King Spa are Asian. Sunday night was no exception. In the sauna there were four older Asian men and when two younger ones entered, there was the proverbial introductions and bowing. While I did not understand the language, I gathered from the body language that one of the newcomers was the son of one of the other men.
The ritual in the wet area is to go from sauna to steam to whirlpools (three with slightly higher temperatures) showering in between and then to plunge into the cold pool and do it over again. My second trip to the steam was where I encountered the first of my memorable characters Sunday. When I entered there were three older large Caucasian men and two younger fit men in the steam room. One of the fit men, I shall call Blondie, was explaining to the older guys how they could stay in the steam for 15 minutes if they first went to the cold pool. He had that "truck driver from the country" accent. "Yeah, I looked it up and I learned all about the technique of this place" he explained. The older guys said that they did not think they could make 15 minutes. Just then, one of the spa workers, a Mexican cleaning boy, opened the steam room door and asked if Kevin was there. "Yeah, I'm Kevin." Blondie remarked. The worker continued "Some girls are outside. They said they are ready to leave and want you to come out." Kevin just sat there and the worker left. "Shit" he explained. "If my girlfriend thinks I am leaving now she is really dumb. I spent over 70 bucks for us all to come here and I will be damned if I am going to leave until I am ready to leave. She can just wait....she is probably not comfortable with being naked and all of that, this being her first time here and all, but hell, men don't give a shit. She was in a car accident and it was pretty bad but she and walk and shit...."
At this point I had to use all of my willpower not to laugh. My perverse mind was wondering so many things. First, how he had the self confidence to just do what he wanted and piss her off and not care. I have always been too nice. It was refreshing, in a weird sort of way, to see someone totally content to just do what they were going to do and let the rest of the world adjust or not. I knew that in the world of Cosmopolitan Magazine or Oprah, he would be considered a world class asshole. But there was something strangely liberating about listening to a man who was not "sensitive" in these politically correct days. And then there was the entire speculation about how we use words today when they can have so many meanings. Like shit...when he said his girlfriend could "walk and shit" what did he mean? Was he using shit as a verb or a noun? I know, gross and way too much information, but after the acupressure and steam, I was tripping. It was at least another 45 minutes and two more urgent messages from the spa worker before Blondie finally left. I wish I could have heard his encounter with his girlfriend. But I will just have to speculate.
I also saw what I have always assumed a Sumo wrestler must resemble without the little cloth. This black man opened the sauna door and promptly slipped on the wet wood floor coming withing an inch of crashing to the floor. He somehow caught himself and I was glad because I do not know what I would have done if he had fallen down and blocked the door. No way I could have moved him. He did not even stay. He was just opening the door so he could hang a large towel (his own, as they do not supply these at the spa and instead give you mountains of small ones about the size of a large dish towels). I am sure you are not supposed to use the dry sauna for a dryer. I told him to be careful and he left. Later as I was leaving I saw him again and what was definitely the most creative use of belly fat. I wish I could have recorded it for America's Funniest Home Videos. He was walking around with one of the small towels that they furnish covering his privates, but the way he attached it was amazing. He simply slid one side of the towel up under his belly fat roll and the weight of the fat hanging down against his belly held the towel in place so he could walk around and comb his hair, brush his teeth, etc. Amazing and creative.
The final character I encountered at King Spa was a Dear Abby kind of a guy sitting in the locker room area in his towel and pontificating to someone on the phone about how to handle some drama in their life. I could not help but overhear his conversation (as I am sure everyone else in the locker room could considering the volume, including the strange eastern European man speaking to another in a language I did not understand...this man having tied a towel around his head in some manner I cannot explain other than to say that there were round towel buns on both sides of his head so that he looked like a Scandinavian girl who has twisted her braids into buns on the side of her head...twilight zone) Mr Abby told his mentee "Listen, She gots lots of pressure now...you gots to let her blow or it will blow up on you man, you get it?...You can listen to her shit, but don't go trying to solve anything or get messed up in her shit or your gonna get shit all over you...you understand man?" Shit was flying everywhere it seems at King Spa tonight.
I returned home to eat the rest of my bar b cue chicken from yesterday's Kroger experience. I opened a bottle of Zinfandel left over from the Easter party to wash down the chicken and went to bed. Life is Good!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Day 47 Squashed Frogs croak the loudest!
Saturday, April 17, Day 47, Ran 2 miles/ Total so far 85/ Miles to go 915. Did not win the lottery or the Weekly Grand...Gambling investment so far $21/ winnings $8 Losses so far: $13.
Saturday morning found me at the Original Pancake House with Gym Rat. I decided to try the Eggs Benedict.....once again on the theory that I would get something I would not cook at home. Big mistake...the holandaise sauce must have come from a can and was covering the plate and the food was just not good. Gym Rat got his usual, the name of which I can't remember now, but it is basically pancakes that are smashed so thin they look like crepes that have not been rolled up. He gets a side of whipped cream and strawberries (real here, as opposed to frozen like Lucky's our other weekend breakfast haunt, now serves since they were bought out by a chain and lost the local, individual owner pride). Even Gym Rat could not eat his and left half, remarking that we would not be back. So now there are two restaurants in that category, Mi Concina and Original Pancake house. We shall see if that resolve holds out.
After breakfast I went with Gym Rat to do a little shopping. I don't like to shop and did not buy anything. He had a coupon for money off at the Gap and they were having a sale so he ended up paying almost nothing for some t-shirt he liked. I am sure it was a great bargain but I never have understood how you save money by spending money. To me, you spend money by spending money. I left him later to home for a nap. I love weekend naps, love the decadence of it.
But first on the way home, I stopped at Kroger to buy some fried chicken. I was hungry because of the bad brunch and I have a weakness for greasy fried chicken, even cheap store chicken. Kroger had 8 dark pieces (my favorite...don't like the breasts...usually dry) for $4.99. (And before you say it, yes I knew that I was not really saving a dollar by spending $4.99 on chicken that normally cost $5.99 when I already had food at my house that I could have eaten. ) On the way in to the Kroger I spied (for about the 10th time) a large pot on the sidewalk in front of the store in the shape of a frog. I had been eyeing that frog for days. It cost $45 and I kept debating if I should buy it. Taka's mascot for some reason, is a frog and I thought of buying it and putting some big plant in it and situating it on the front porch. But we have a small frog pot already on the front porch and $45 is $45 so I had been procrastinating.
Inside I went to the chicken counter. Normally the 8 pieces are already boxed and under a heat lap for easy pick up but there were no 8 pieces of dark, just mixed. I went to the Deli counter and asked for 8 dark pieces. The poor viajita (little old lady in Spanish) tried to box me 8 pieces but they were short on chicken and she only had four dark pieces. She asked if I wanted white meat and I told her no...I could see that she had 4 already boxed 8 piece mixed chicken that they were about to take to the heat lamp and I wanted her to open one of them and take out the dark meat, but when I said I only wanted dark and wanted to pay the sale price, she started picking up dark pieces from the bar b cue chicken at the deli to complete the 8 piece. Her supervisor yelled at her that those were bar b cue and I felt sorry for her and said that is ok, I would take them. So I left the store with an 8 piece consisting of 4 friend pieces, three bar b cue and one baked thigh she having ran out of bar b cue also. I also had decided that Sunday when I had more time I would return and buy the large frog pot thinking "What the Hell, why not? You only live once and that is the biggest frog pot I have ever seen!"
It was on the way out that I realized something was very wrong. I looked at where froggy had been and all I saw was a pile of broken pottery pieces and that the bougainvillea vine that someone had stuck in the froggy pot, was on its side with dirt spilling out everywhere. Some car had hit my froggy and, like Humpty Dumpty, no one could ever put froggy back together again. I was so sad. I realized that my procrastination was the reason that froggy had come to such an untimely end instead of ending up on my front porch full of geraniums or other such beautiful flower. The whole scene was surreal. No one else seems to notice or care about the demise of froggy. It reminded me of one of my favorite Mexican expressions that I got from a book of Mexican expressions....."La rana mas aplastada es la que mas recio grita" Which means "The frog that is squashed the most yells the loudest." Poor froggy.
After my nap I went to the gym for a short run....short is better than nothing. Hoping for a longer run on Sunday.
Life is Good!
Saturday morning found me at the Original Pancake House with Gym Rat. I decided to try the Eggs Benedict.....once again on the theory that I would get something I would not cook at home. Big mistake...the holandaise sauce must have come from a can and was covering the plate and the food was just not good. Gym Rat got his usual, the name of which I can't remember now, but it is basically pancakes that are smashed so thin they look like crepes that have not been rolled up. He gets a side of whipped cream and strawberries (real here, as opposed to frozen like Lucky's our other weekend breakfast haunt, now serves since they were bought out by a chain and lost the local, individual owner pride). Even Gym Rat could not eat his and left half, remarking that we would not be back. So now there are two restaurants in that category, Mi Concina and Original Pancake house. We shall see if that resolve holds out.
After breakfast I went with Gym Rat to do a little shopping. I don't like to shop and did not buy anything. He had a coupon for money off at the Gap and they were having a sale so he ended up paying almost nothing for some t-shirt he liked. I am sure it was a great bargain but I never have understood how you save money by spending money. To me, you spend money by spending money. I left him later to home for a nap. I love weekend naps, love the decadence of it.
But first on the way home, I stopped at Kroger to buy some fried chicken. I was hungry because of the bad brunch and I have a weakness for greasy fried chicken, even cheap store chicken. Kroger had 8 dark pieces (my favorite...don't like the breasts...usually dry) for $4.99. (And before you say it, yes I knew that I was not really saving a dollar by spending $4.99 on chicken that normally cost $5.99 when I already had food at my house that I could have eaten. ) On the way in to the Kroger I spied (for about the 10th time) a large pot on the sidewalk in front of the store in the shape of a frog. I had been eyeing that frog for days. It cost $45 and I kept debating if I should buy it. Taka's mascot for some reason, is a frog and I thought of buying it and putting some big plant in it and situating it on the front porch. But we have a small frog pot already on the front porch and $45 is $45 so I had been procrastinating.
Inside I went to the chicken counter. Normally the 8 pieces are already boxed and under a heat lap for easy pick up but there were no 8 pieces of dark, just mixed. I went to the Deli counter and asked for 8 dark pieces. The poor viajita (little old lady in Spanish) tried to box me 8 pieces but they were short on chicken and she only had four dark pieces. She asked if I wanted white meat and I told her no...I could see that she had 4 already boxed 8 piece mixed chicken that they were about to take to the heat lamp and I wanted her to open one of them and take out the dark meat, but when I said I only wanted dark and wanted to pay the sale price, she started picking up dark pieces from the bar b cue chicken at the deli to complete the 8 piece. Her supervisor yelled at her that those were bar b cue and I felt sorry for her and said that is ok, I would take them. So I left the store with an 8 piece consisting of 4 friend pieces, three bar b cue and one baked thigh she having ran out of bar b cue also. I also had decided that Sunday when I had more time I would return and buy the large frog pot thinking "What the Hell, why not? You only live once and that is the biggest frog pot I have ever seen!"
It was on the way out that I realized something was very wrong. I looked at where froggy had been and all I saw was a pile of broken pottery pieces and that the bougainvillea vine that someone had stuck in the froggy pot, was on its side with dirt spilling out everywhere. Some car had hit my froggy and, like Humpty Dumpty, no one could ever put froggy back together again. I was so sad. I realized that my procrastination was the reason that froggy had come to such an untimely end instead of ending up on my front porch full of geraniums or other such beautiful flower. The whole scene was surreal. No one else seems to notice or care about the demise of froggy. It reminded me of one of my favorite Mexican expressions that I got from a book of Mexican expressions....."La rana mas aplastada es la que mas recio grita" Which means "The frog that is squashed the most yells the loudest." Poor froggy.
After my nap I went to the gym for a short run....short is better than nothing. Hoping for a longer run on Sunday.
Life is Good!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Day 46 Where Are the Mayans?
Friday, April 16, Day 46 Ran 2 miles/ Total so far 83/ Miles to go 917
Was an extremely hectic week of breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings and classes. Running did not happen. Thankfully after next week I will not be teaching in the evening again until the summer and school will slow down with the end of classes. Missed my runs. Friday I was determined to run. After work I stopped at the gym, but only had time for two miles. I needed to hurry home for a birthday dinner with my son Eric and his wife, Karla. Can't believe I can have a son who will be 29 on Sunday. I guess when you start a family at age 11 it is possible....lol
Karla cooked a wonderful shrimp alfredo and we stuffed ourselves with salad and garlic bread in addition. The meal ended with large slices of chocolate cake that I had baked that morning before school. All the more reason I need to keep running. Seems that no matter how busy I am I find time to eat and the busier I am, the less healthy my meals.
Had dinner Thursday night with an old friend I had not seen in a while. Over bone-in rib eye steak with potatoes, mushrooms and the proverbial lettuce wedge salad, he shared with me that recently he had become fascinated by crop circles and aliens. In a very matter of fact voice he told me of websites and alien races who were already here, but not to worry because the New Earth was waiting when the mother ships came for us at 2012 when this Earth was going to go through "The Shift." His coup de gras to prove his point was the rhetorical question "After all, Where are the Mayans?" I had to admit I did not know where they were. His fervor reminded me of a fundamentalist christian friend in my youth who, when I once asked what his: "I found It!" t-shirt meant, explained that he had found Jesus. I remember pissing him off when I replied that "I did not know He was lost!"
So I think I need to stop now and do some meditation so I can channel some being who can tell me the winning lottery numbers....After all, there are less than 2 years left before December 21, 2012 and the mother ships, so I better win soon....
PS...did not win the lottery on Wednesday and did not win the Weekly Grand. Gambling investment so far: $18/ Winnings: $8/ Net down $10 But Life is Good!
Was an extremely hectic week of breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings and classes. Running did not happen. Thankfully after next week I will not be teaching in the evening again until the summer and school will slow down with the end of classes. Missed my runs. Friday I was determined to run. After work I stopped at the gym, but only had time for two miles. I needed to hurry home for a birthday dinner with my son Eric and his wife, Karla. Can't believe I can have a son who will be 29 on Sunday. I guess when you start a family at age 11 it is possible....lol
Karla cooked a wonderful shrimp alfredo and we stuffed ourselves with salad and garlic bread in addition. The meal ended with large slices of chocolate cake that I had baked that morning before school. All the more reason I need to keep running. Seems that no matter how busy I am I find time to eat and the busier I am, the less healthy my meals.
Had dinner Thursday night with an old friend I had not seen in a while. Over bone-in rib eye steak with potatoes, mushrooms and the proverbial lettuce wedge salad, he shared with me that recently he had become fascinated by crop circles and aliens. In a very matter of fact voice he told me of websites and alien races who were already here, but not to worry because the New Earth was waiting when the mother ships came for us at 2012 when this Earth was going to go through "The Shift." His coup de gras to prove his point was the rhetorical question "After all, Where are the Mayans?" I had to admit I did not know where they were. His fervor reminded me of a fundamentalist christian friend in my youth who, when I once asked what his: "I found It!" t-shirt meant, explained that he had found Jesus. I remember pissing him off when I replied that "I did not know He was lost!"
So I think I need to stop now and do some meditation so I can channel some being who can tell me the winning lottery numbers....After all, there are less than 2 years left before December 21, 2012 and the mother ships, so I better win soon....
PS...did not win the lottery on Wednesday and did not win the Weekly Grand. Gambling investment so far: $18/ Winnings: $8/ Net down $10 But Life is Good!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Day 43 Monster Drinks and Kennedy Smiles
Monday, April 12th, Day 43 of the Challenge...did not run. Still at 81 miles run and 919 to go.
I took off Sunday after running two days in a row. I had a lot of backed up chores to do including a couple of weeks of laundry...yuk, and an event Sunday night that I had to attend at school. The weekend had passed entirely too fast and I also had to prepare for my classes ....excuses, excuses...blah, blah.
Monday was incredibly busy. Started with a breakfast meeting and then I literally had meetings back to back all day, culminating in teaching my class at 7:20 so that by they time I finished I was beat. It did not help that I had not slept well Sunday night for some reason. I usually have no trouble sleeping but I had woken up at 3 and could not fall back to sleep until after 4. An early text from a friend woke me up around 7 from a weird dream in which I was talking to a panel of relatives that I did not know that I had. They came in all shapes, sizes and sexes but all shared the same big toothy grins. They said that they were Kennedy's and that is why they all had the same smile....Never knew I was related to the Kennedy's.
The only way I got through class was by purchasing in the vending machine next to the class room a large Monster Lo Carb Energy drink....not sure what all was in it but the rush got me going and an hour and 15 minutes later I said goodbye to the class, erased the marker board and headed home where left over steak and potatoes and a little Cabernet enjoyed on my front porch provided the other bookend of my day....Have a 7:30 breakfast this morning.....let the chaos begin.
Life is Good.
I took off Sunday after running two days in a row. I had a lot of backed up chores to do including a couple of weeks of laundry...yuk, and an event Sunday night that I had to attend at school. The weekend had passed entirely too fast and I also had to prepare for my classes ....excuses, excuses...blah, blah.
Monday was incredibly busy. Started with a breakfast meeting and then I literally had meetings back to back all day, culminating in teaching my class at 7:20 so that by they time I finished I was beat. It did not help that I had not slept well Sunday night for some reason. I usually have no trouble sleeping but I had woken up at 3 and could not fall back to sleep until after 4. An early text from a friend woke me up around 7 from a weird dream in which I was talking to a panel of relatives that I did not know that I had. They came in all shapes, sizes and sexes but all shared the same big toothy grins. They said that they were Kennedy's and that is why they all had the same smile....Never knew I was related to the Kennedy's.
The only way I got through class was by purchasing in the vending machine next to the class room a large Monster Lo Carb Energy drink....not sure what all was in it but the rush got me going and an hour and 15 minutes later I said goodbye to the class, erased the marker board and headed home where left over steak and potatoes and a little Cabernet enjoyed on my front porch provided the other bookend of my day....Have a 7:30 breakfast this morning.....let the chaos begin.
Life is Good.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Day 41, Long and Fast....Pancakes and St. Paulie Girl
Saturday, Day 41 of challenge. Ran 5 miles in 50 minutes! Miles total so far: 81/ Miles to go 919. Did not win the Weekly Grand or the Lottery :( Gambling investment so far $15/ winnings $8/ Down $7 dollars. But no one won the Texas lotto so that just means more for me on Wednesday :) "Hope springs eternal in the heart of man!"
Saturday found me sleeping in. There is a luxury to sleeping late on a weekend. I was tired from the run and fun of the night before. Met Gym Rat for brunch at the Original Pancake House....a popular breakfast joint in uptown where almost everything comes with a stack of pancakes. I ordered two eggs with sausage on the premise that I usually cook bacon at home so I would eat something new. The two sausages were smashed so thin they looked more like pieces of rye bread and covered most of the plate. They tasted fine...think I was just hungry. I felt no guilt when I ate the pancakes....I was planning a long run and would burn some calories.
After brunch I went with Gym Rat to look at condos with his real estate agent. Think he has found one to make an offer on. Old complex of two story town house type apartments which have been gutted and made new with the hardwood floors and marble counter tops, new stainless steel appliances, etc. There is a main street that runs in the middle of the complex and it is lined with huge live oak trees. The place has a lot of character. Hope he get it.
Took at nap on Gym Rat's couch as I did not want to drive back to Richardson and he lives in uptown. Later I left Gym rat's place and went to the gym. Wanted to run 5 miles. Started at a pace on the treadmill a little under 12 minute miles then each quarter of a mile I increased it so that by the time I ran the last of the 5 miles I was running under a 9 minute mile pace. Endorphins were kicking in so hard that I forgot that it takes 60 minutes to equal an hour and when I looked at the time and it read 50.70, I was sad. I thought, gee, I almost ran 5 miles in an hour. Then as I cooled down, I realized that I had run my 5 miles in only 50 minutes...a 10 minute a mile pace. I was really happy.
After stretching and showering at the gym, I went to the Barnes and Nobles in West Village. I am always a little intimidated when I go in a bookstore. I am proud that I am a published author, but it is so humbling to see so many books and realize how many authors there are and how many new books come out all the time. But I also am a little sad when I go to the bookstore these days. I have this sense that I am seeing the end of an era, that fewer people will be reading books, at least paper ones, and I wonder if someday they will go the way of the 8 track tapes of my youth or just be collectors items like vinyl LP's? The times they are a changing. Students at law school these days tell me that they do not know how to write in cursive....that it is taught and then dropped early in grade school. Oh well, I refuse to feel old or live in the past!
So I left the bookstore and went across the street to an outdoor Pub. The weather was perfect. I sat outside and ordered a St. Paulie Girl beer. I know I was, in chronological age, the oldest person there by a decade (or more) but the little boy who lives in my head and drives this body around soaked in the energy and ambiance and just chilled. From there I walked to Mi Concina, a Mexican Restaurant that is too popular and tonight was no exception. I wanted to order their speciality, a Mambo Taxi, which is a margarita with a swill of sangria. Unfortunately, it was so loud that the bartender thought I said mango margarita (something about me and mangos these days) and I did not correct him when he came. About 30 minutes later and after the margarita was gone, Gym Rat met me. I just had water with my meal. Gym Rat does not drink and I usually do not drink when I am with him. One margarita on top of the St. Pauli Girl was more than enough. We ate so so mexican food and had to almost yell to understand each other. We made the decision never again would we go to that restaurant.
Went to bed after the dinner. Content that this had been a good day! Life is Good.
Saturday found me sleeping in. There is a luxury to sleeping late on a weekend. I was tired from the run and fun of the night before. Met Gym Rat for brunch at the Original Pancake House....a popular breakfast joint in uptown where almost everything comes with a stack of pancakes. I ordered two eggs with sausage on the premise that I usually cook bacon at home so I would eat something new. The two sausages were smashed so thin they looked more like pieces of rye bread and covered most of the plate. They tasted fine...think I was just hungry. I felt no guilt when I ate the pancakes....I was planning a long run and would burn some calories.
After brunch I went with Gym Rat to look at condos with his real estate agent. Think he has found one to make an offer on. Old complex of two story town house type apartments which have been gutted and made new with the hardwood floors and marble counter tops, new stainless steel appliances, etc. There is a main street that runs in the middle of the complex and it is lined with huge live oak trees. The place has a lot of character. Hope he get it.
Took at nap on Gym Rat's couch as I did not want to drive back to Richardson and he lives in uptown. Later I left Gym rat's place and went to the gym. Wanted to run 5 miles. Started at a pace on the treadmill a little under 12 minute miles then each quarter of a mile I increased it so that by the time I ran the last of the 5 miles I was running under a 9 minute mile pace. Endorphins were kicking in so hard that I forgot that it takes 60 minutes to equal an hour and when I looked at the time and it read 50.70, I was sad. I thought, gee, I almost ran 5 miles in an hour. Then as I cooled down, I realized that I had run my 5 miles in only 50 minutes...a 10 minute a mile pace. I was really happy.
After stretching and showering at the gym, I went to the Barnes and Nobles in West Village. I am always a little intimidated when I go in a bookstore. I am proud that I am a published author, but it is so humbling to see so many books and realize how many authors there are and how many new books come out all the time. But I also am a little sad when I go to the bookstore these days. I have this sense that I am seeing the end of an era, that fewer people will be reading books, at least paper ones, and I wonder if someday they will go the way of the 8 track tapes of my youth or just be collectors items like vinyl LP's? The times they are a changing. Students at law school these days tell me that they do not know how to write in cursive....that it is taught and then dropped early in grade school. Oh well, I refuse to feel old or live in the past!
So I left the bookstore and went across the street to an outdoor Pub. The weather was perfect. I sat outside and ordered a St. Paulie Girl beer. I know I was, in chronological age, the oldest person there by a decade (or more) but the little boy who lives in my head and drives this body around soaked in the energy and ambiance and just chilled. From there I walked to Mi Concina, a Mexican Restaurant that is too popular and tonight was no exception. I wanted to order their speciality, a Mambo Taxi, which is a margarita with a swill of sangria. Unfortunately, it was so loud that the bartender thought I said mango margarita (something about me and mangos these days) and I did not correct him when he came. About 30 minutes later and after the margarita was gone, Gym Rat met me. I just had water with my meal. Gym Rat does not drink and I usually do not drink when I am with him. One margarita on top of the St. Pauli Girl was more than enough. We ate so so mexican food and had to almost yell to understand each other. We made the decision never again would we go to that restaurant.
Went to bed after the dinner. Content that this had been a good day! Life is Good.
Day 40 Friday Big Hats, Boots and Pizza but no Prada.
Friday April 9 Day 40 of the challenge. Ran 3.6 miles/Total so far 76/ Miles to go 924
I took Thursday off from both running and writing. My legs were sore from running the prior two days and, not wanting a repeat of my post Easter almost injury, I decided that pacing myself was in order. I also had a dinner engagement after work and work itself was hectic.....At least this is my story and I am sticking to it! But Friday found me not wanting to miss my run but also having a 6 0'clock fundraiser at school: the Big Hats and Boots April Fools Auction for APIL - the Association for Public Interest Lawyers. This year it was going to be in the law quad. This event which has a regular and a silent auction, raises thousands of dollars so students can participate in externships helping those who need it the most. I wore my black alligator boots especially for the occasion.
So I left work 30 minutes early, at 4:30 (Friday being the one day a week I leave at 5) and ran at the gym. I wanted to round out my miles so I chose 3.6 miles as the goal. That would give me an even 76 miles total. I had another goal/motivation: afternoon pizza. Another work place hazard of my school is that almost every day there are one or more programs enticing participants with free food, often pizza. In the afternoon when I went into the large area we call the Dean's suite where there are many desks and administrative assistants, I saw the tale tale signs of Pizza...octagon red and white boxes staked on a counter....Leftovers are frequently brought here. This is the same counter that often displays candies or cupcakes, or other sweets that are given for various reasons to the school. The whole Dean's suite is a disaster area if you are on a diet because it almost seems like the administrative assistants compete for the title of Goodie Queen. Every desk has bowls of candies, mini chocolate Mr. Good Bars and Hershey's, cherry sours, tootsie rolls, jelly beans, etc. For a sugeraholic like me, it is a veritable mine field, especially in the afternoon when the sleepy 3 o'clock slump hits.
I was proud that I had bypassed the candy, but the pizza....I could not pass it up. Even though it was not hot, I still grabbed two pieces of pepperoni and ate them on the way back to my office. Of course, once the carbs hit my system the craving returned and 4 o'clock found me back at the pizza table and two more pieces disappeared...or actually will probably reappear as additions to my love handles....that is, I thought, unless I do my run. And so I did run, thanks to the dual guilt of pizza and knowing I needed to blog.
At the silent auction, I bid on a guitar and lost and on a pair of Prada shoes. I don't wear Prada shoes and have never owned a pair, but I have a friend who prides himself on his and I wanted to see if I could get a bargain and rub it in....but others wanted the Pradas much more than I did, so other than my contribution of a shrimp scampi dinner for 4 students as an auction item and my commitment to participate in the Karaoke with the professors night, my wallet remained in tact and I retired to my home satisfied that today's battle of the bulge was a draw. Life is Good.
I took Thursday off from both running and writing. My legs were sore from running the prior two days and, not wanting a repeat of my post Easter almost injury, I decided that pacing myself was in order. I also had a dinner engagement after work and work itself was hectic.....At least this is my story and I am sticking to it! But Friday found me not wanting to miss my run but also having a 6 0'clock fundraiser at school: the Big Hats and Boots April Fools Auction for APIL - the Association for Public Interest Lawyers. This year it was going to be in the law quad. This event which has a regular and a silent auction, raises thousands of dollars so students can participate in externships helping those who need it the most. I wore my black alligator boots especially for the occasion.
So I left work 30 minutes early, at 4:30 (Friday being the one day a week I leave at 5) and ran at the gym. I wanted to round out my miles so I chose 3.6 miles as the goal. That would give me an even 76 miles total. I had another goal/motivation: afternoon pizza. Another work place hazard of my school is that almost every day there are one or more programs enticing participants with free food, often pizza. In the afternoon when I went into the large area we call the Dean's suite where there are many desks and administrative assistants, I saw the tale tale signs of Pizza...octagon red and white boxes staked on a counter....Leftovers are frequently brought here. This is the same counter that often displays candies or cupcakes, or other sweets that are given for various reasons to the school. The whole Dean's suite is a disaster area if you are on a diet because it almost seems like the administrative assistants compete for the title of Goodie Queen. Every desk has bowls of candies, mini chocolate Mr. Good Bars and Hershey's, cherry sours, tootsie rolls, jelly beans, etc. For a sugeraholic like me, it is a veritable mine field, especially in the afternoon when the sleepy 3 o'clock slump hits.
I was proud that I had bypassed the candy, but the pizza....I could not pass it up. Even though it was not hot, I still grabbed two pieces of pepperoni and ate them on the way back to my office. Of course, once the carbs hit my system the craving returned and 4 o'clock found me back at the pizza table and two more pieces disappeared...or actually will probably reappear as additions to my love handles....that is, I thought, unless I do my run. And so I did run, thanks to the dual guilt of pizza and knowing I needed to blog.
At the silent auction, I bid on a guitar and lost and on a pair of Prada shoes. I don't wear Prada shoes and have never owned a pair, but I have a friend who prides himself on his and I wanted to see if I could get a bargain and rub it in....but others wanted the Pradas much more than I did, so other than my contribution of a shrimp scampi dinner for 4 students as an auction item and my commitment to participate in the Karaoke with the professors night, my wallet remained in tact and I retired to my home satisfied that today's battle of the bulge was a draw. Life is Good.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Day 38 Wicked Wednesday..."avoid the near occasion of sin."
April 7, Day 38 of Challenge. Ran 3 miles/ Total so far: 72.4/ Miles to go: 927.6
Weekly Grand/Lotto - did not win lotto...won $4 on Weekly Grand...Total Investment so far $12, winnings $8 Net: down $4
Wednesdays are the days of the temptress at work. I arrive to the smell of donuts and warm sausage kolachis strategically placed in the faculty/staff coffee room so that I have to both see and smell them everything I get a cup of coffee or brew some hot tea or refill my water glass. There are all kinds of donuts, but my favorite are the fried cake donuts crusted with sugary icing. I am sure they have more calories than two of the others combined and I know that if I eat one that the few minutes of blissful sugar high will soon be replaced by the sugar withdrawal low which can often prompt a repeat performance since whoever buys the donuts, etc. (which also includes all kinds of bagels with endless tubs of flavored cream cheese) buys enough for two days worth, resulting in the leftovers from the morning frenzies remaining in boxes begging to be taken throughout the day like sad puppies in pet shop windows.
As I moved through the crowd of morning feasters to get my first cup of coffee (having run out at home and not being at all satisfied by the Tetley's tea substitute) I remarked to the assemblage that they reminded me of a flock of pigeons who had just alighted when a homeless bag lady started spreading bread crumbs. Everyone looked at me with that "What are you talking about?" look that I often get when I trip out in my stream of consciousness thinking that gets orally expressed....then they smiled a knowing smile and parted like the Red Sea just enough so that I could pass to the coffee maker. I tried to not look at any of the goodies. I have the most will power in the mornings and this morning I smugly left the food alone, content that I could overcome that desire, one donut at a time.
Of course, like the siren's call, all day the leftovers whispered my name. I had eaten a healthy breakfast at home of oatmeal with blueberries, a banana, a handful of pecans flavored with some Cinnamon but by 10:30 I was hungry so I passed by the donuts and got a yogurt out of the refrigerator in the staff lounge, Activia....more healthy fare. I keep a week's supply so I can eat one in the mid-morning. I also keep a jar of almonds on my desk for an afternoon snack (supposed to lower cholesterol) but in my haste to leave this morning I left the new bag of almonds and some apples (I keep them on my desk also for afternoon munchies...apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?) on the kitchen counter. But I did succeed in avoiding the temptation of the donuts this morning.
Lunch found me at the Belo....the Dallas Bar Association conference center located in an old mansion downtown that has been greatly expanded. It is call the Belo because that is the name of the family that once lived there (owners of the Dallas Morning News). There was an Ethics Committee lunch meeting which I needed to attend, both because I am the Vice Chair (love that word...vice) and to get one hour of MCLE credit to keep my law license (Mandatory Continuing Legal Education). The buffet good at the Belo is good and once again I exercised my will power to avoid the desserts and stick to some grilled chicken, veggies and a spoonful of herbed wild rice.
Educated and satiated I returned to my office about 1:30 for the rest of the hectic day.
As the afternoon wore on my hunger set in. No almonds, no apple and in a room away cake donuts calling out my name. I had (and I know this will sound weird because it is to me too) a can of sardines in a cupboard of my office left over from one of my Atkins diets when I ate only protein and veggies and was looking for some variety...no carbs in sardines. At 4:00 p.m. I succumbed and ate the sardines, out of the tin. I can't say they tasted great, but edible they were. And I had once again dodged the donut bullet.
I had a Student Bar Association Voting Council meeting at 5:00. As Dean of Students I am the advisor. They always have food. I wanted to abstain because it is usually not the healthiest and often there is not enough for everyone. Unfortunately today the meeting was not that well attended and there were mountains of waffle fries and Chick Fil-a fried, breaded chicken strips left over when all the students had eaten their fill. So like the Apostles gathering the crumbs from the leftovers after the miracle of the loaves and the fishes and the feeding of 5,000, I found myself loading up a plate of chicken strips and waffle fries...dinner before my 7:20 class. And they tasted GOOD!
After class, tired from a day that began at 6:30 a.m. I wanted to go home, but instead went to the gym and for variety, ran 3 miles on the indoor track which is 19 and a half laps. Basketball and indoor soccer games were in play below and I could follow each as I circumnavigated the gym. I felt good after the run and got home about 10:15. Here is where I made my fatal mistake. I should have just gone to bed but I decided that one glass of Cabernet would allow me to unwind and relax. It did. But it also made me hungry again and the bag of potato chips left over from Easter company (crispy Kettle chips) was too much for my wine weakened will power. After salty chips I always want something sweet and so the last piece of Mrs. Savages coffee cake also disappeared.
So the good news was that I avoided the donuts but the bad news was that I ate the chips, cake and chick fil'a. Of course the other good news was that I did run. All these struggles reminded me of the Catholic prayer called "An Act of Contrition" which you say before and after going to confession. There is a line in there about being sorry for your sins and promising not to sin again (which is always broken...at least in my life) and also agreeing to "avoid the near occasion of sin." As a child I used to think this was just too much. Not only could I not sin, I could not even get near it....impossible. As an adult and looking back on today I understand more the wisdom of that line. If there had been no chips or coffee cake in the house, I probably would not have gotten in my car at 11 to go to the store and I would have enjoyed my wine and gone to bed. A lesson to be learned in what to keep and not keep in my house.....But in any event, Life is Good!
Weekly Grand/Lotto - did not win lotto...won $4 on Weekly Grand...Total Investment so far $12, winnings $8 Net: down $4
Wednesdays are the days of the temptress at work. I arrive to the smell of donuts and warm sausage kolachis strategically placed in the faculty/staff coffee room so that I have to both see and smell them everything I get a cup of coffee or brew some hot tea or refill my water glass. There are all kinds of donuts, but my favorite are the fried cake donuts crusted with sugary icing. I am sure they have more calories than two of the others combined and I know that if I eat one that the few minutes of blissful sugar high will soon be replaced by the sugar withdrawal low which can often prompt a repeat performance since whoever buys the donuts, etc. (which also includes all kinds of bagels with endless tubs of flavored cream cheese) buys enough for two days worth, resulting in the leftovers from the morning frenzies remaining in boxes begging to be taken throughout the day like sad puppies in pet shop windows.
As I moved through the crowd of morning feasters to get my first cup of coffee (having run out at home and not being at all satisfied by the Tetley's tea substitute) I remarked to the assemblage that they reminded me of a flock of pigeons who had just alighted when a homeless bag lady started spreading bread crumbs. Everyone looked at me with that "What are you talking about?" look that I often get when I trip out in my stream of consciousness thinking that gets orally expressed....then they smiled a knowing smile and parted like the Red Sea just enough so that I could pass to the coffee maker. I tried to not look at any of the goodies. I have the most will power in the mornings and this morning I smugly left the food alone, content that I could overcome that desire, one donut at a time.
Of course, like the siren's call, all day the leftovers whispered my name. I had eaten a healthy breakfast at home of oatmeal with blueberries, a banana, a handful of pecans flavored with some Cinnamon but by 10:30 I was hungry so I passed by the donuts and got a yogurt out of the refrigerator in the staff lounge, Activia....more healthy fare. I keep a week's supply so I can eat one in the mid-morning. I also keep a jar of almonds on my desk for an afternoon snack (supposed to lower cholesterol) but in my haste to leave this morning I left the new bag of almonds and some apples (I keep them on my desk also for afternoon munchies...apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?) on the kitchen counter. But I did succeed in avoiding the temptation of the donuts this morning.
Lunch found me at the Belo....the Dallas Bar Association conference center located in an old mansion downtown that has been greatly expanded. It is call the Belo because that is the name of the family that once lived there (owners of the Dallas Morning News). There was an Ethics Committee lunch meeting which I needed to attend, both because I am the Vice Chair (love that word...vice) and to get one hour of MCLE credit to keep my law license (Mandatory Continuing Legal Education). The buffet good at the Belo is good and once again I exercised my will power to avoid the desserts and stick to some grilled chicken, veggies and a spoonful of herbed wild rice.
Educated and satiated I returned to my office about 1:30 for the rest of the hectic day.
As the afternoon wore on my hunger set in. No almonds, no apple and in a room away cake donuts calling out my name. I had (and I know this will sound weird because it is to me too) a can of sardines in a cupboard of my office left over from one of my Atkins diets when I ate only protein and veggies and was looking for some variety...no carbs in sardines. At 4:00 p.m. I succumbed and ate the sardines, out of the tin. I can't say they tasted great, but edible they were. And I had once again dodged the donut bullet.
I had a Student Bar Association Voting Council meeting at 5:00. As Dean of Students I am the advisor. They always have food. I wanted to abstain because it is usually not the healthiest and often there is not enough for everyone. Unfortunately today the meeting was not that well attended and there were mountains of waffle fries and Chick Fil-a fried, breaded chicken strips left over when all the students had eaten their fill. So like the Apostles gathering the crumbs from the leftovers after the miracle of the loaves and the fishes and the feeding of 5,000, I found myself loading up a plate of chicken strips and waffle fries...dinner before my 7:20 class. And they tasted GOOD!
After class, tired from a day that began at 6:30 a.m. I wanted to go home, but instead went to the gym and for variety, ran 3 miles on the indoor track which is 19 and a half laps. Basketball and indoor soccer games were in play below and I could follow each as I circumnavigated the gym. I felt good after the run and got home about 10:15. Here is where I made my fatal mistake. I should have just gone to bed but I decided that one glass of Cabernet would allow me to unwind and relax. It did. But it also made me hungry again and the bag of potato chips left over from Easter company (crispy Kettle chips) was too much for my wine weakened will power. After salty chips I always want something sweet and so the last piece of Mrs. Savages coffee cake also disappeared.
So the good news was that I avoided the donuts but the bad news was that I ate the chips, cake and chick fil'a. Of course the other good news was that I did run. All these struggles reminded me of the Catholic prayer called "An Act of Contrition" which you say before and after going to confession. There is a line in there about being sorry for your sins and promising not to sin again (which is always broken...at least in my life) and also agreeing to "avoid the near occasion of sin." As a child I used to think this was just too much. Not only could I not sin, I could not even get near it....impossible. As an adult and looking back on today I understand more the wisdom of that line. If there had been no chips or coffee cake in the house, I probably would not have gotten in my car at 11 to go to the store and I would have enjoyed my wine and gone to bed. A lesson to be learned in what to keep and not keep in my house.....But in any event, Life is Good!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Day 37 I'm back in the saddle
Tuesday, April 6th Ran 3 miles/ total so far: 69.4/ Miles to go: 930.6
Forgot...Saturday invested 3 more dollars in the Weekly Grand and Lotto ticket. Did not win the lotto or the Weekly Grand. Total invested so far: $9/winnings: $4/ Deficit: $5
Life is going back to normal. Everyone is gone from the Easter Bash and, other than memories and leftovers (which have fed me the last couple of days), the weekend is past. Felt much better today and hope the cold or allergies are over. After a busy day at work I went to the gym. Here is where I want to thank you readers for this blog and the impact it has on me and my running resolve. The Good News was that I went to the gym even though I was tired and really just wanted to go home and to bed. The Bad News was that when I got there and checked my locker, I did not have any gym shorts. I always keep a lot of extra exercise clothes in my car but I am not driving my car right now. Actually my car is really my Daughter Leigh's car... a little burgundy convertible Miata that I am driving now that she is in Manhattan and does not need a car. My worn out old Lexus died an untimely death a few months before she graduated and I saw no reason to incur more debt with a new car when hers would be sitting here. But this weekend with all the out of town guests to be picked up at the airport, I rented an ugly blue I do not remember what it is called Chrysler for a week since the two seater Miata has a trunk smaller than a woman's purse and I needed space. I have to return the blue bomb Thursday....but I did not transfer my gym clothes to it and so at 6:30 p.m. I had to face the dilemma of no running shorts at the gym.
Of course, first I had to pay $45 dollars for the yearly rental of a locker since they do not let you do it on line and then when I got to the locker and realized that I did not have the shorts my first reaction was "Oh gee....well, guess I will just have to go home....maybe I am not suppose to run today....what is it that the Universe is trying to tell me? Zennnnnnnnn." But then I started thinking about having to write about wimping out and how I could hear people coming up with all kinds of reasons why I could still run like "Couldn't you run in your neighborhood?" etc. Then I thought about getting back in my car and driving to a Target a few miles away to buy gym shorts or driving home and returning but I knew if I got in that car the lure of home and supper and a glass of wine would be too strong. For a fleeting moment I considered the option of running in my khakis...I said fleeting. Then I remembered that the SMU Bookstore run by Barnes and Noble was only a block from the gym and they have all kinds of SMU clothing.
So off I went by foot on my mission for some stylish SMU shorts. Of course, once I got there I realized that I would be paying SMU prices for what at Target would have been cheap and serviceable. After groaning at the prices of the merchandise I finally settled on some $34.99 (They always try to trick you with the lower than $35 rouse....but we are on to them) blue all purpose shorts which, with tax etc., ended up costing about $37. But at least I had them and so I was able to complete my run, start back on whittling down my remaining miles and get a few endorphins flowing at the same time. So the Good News is that because of you I ran tonight. The Bad News is, it cost me 37 dollars but the Good News is...I feel great and ........Life is Good.
Forgot...Saturday invested 3 more dollars in the Weekly Grand and Lotto ticket. Did not win the lotto or the Weekly Grand. Total invested so far: $9/winnings: $4/ Deficit: $5
Life is going back to normal. Everyone is gone from the Easter Bash and, other than memories and leftovers (which have fed me the last couple of days), the weekend is past. Felt much better today and hope the cold or allergies are over. After a busy day at work I went to the gym. Here is where I want to thank you readers for this blog and the impact it has on me and my running resolve. The Good News was that I went to the gym even though I was tired and really just wanted to go home and to bed. The Bad News was that when I got there and checked my locker, I did not have any gym shorts. I always keep a lot of extra exercise clothes in my car but I am not driving my car right now. Actually my car is really my Daughter Leigh's car... a little burgundy convertible Miata that I am driving now that she is in Manhattan and does not need a car. My worn out old Lexus died an untimely death a few months before she graduated and I saw no reason to incur more debt with a new car when hers would be sitting here. But this weekend with all the out of town guests to be picked up at the airport, I rented an ugly blue I do not remember what it is called Chrysler for a week since the two seater Miata has a trunk smaller than a woman's purse and I needed space. I have to return the blue bomb Thursday....but I did not transfer my gym clothes to it and so at 6:30 p.m. I had to face the dilemma of no running shorts at the gym.
Of course, first I had to pay $45 dollars for the yearly rental of a locker since they do not let you do it on line and then when I got to the locker and realized that I did not have the shorts my first reaction was "Oh gee....well, guess I will just have to go home....maybe I am not suppose to run today....what is it that the Universe is trying to tell me? Zennnnnnnnn." But then I started thinking about having to write about wimping out and how I could hear people coming up with all kinds of reasons why I could still run like "Couldn't you run in your neighborhood?" etc. Then I thought about getting back in my car and driving to a Target a few miles away to buy gym shorts or driving home and returning but I knew if I got in that car the lure of home and supper and a glass of wine would be too strong. For a fleeting moment I considered the option of running in my khakis...I said fleeting. Then I remembered that the SMU Bookstore run by Barnes and Noble was only a block from the gym and they have all kinds of SMU clothing.
So off I went by foot on my mission for some stylish SMU shorts. Of course, once I got there I realized that I would be paying SMU prices for what at Target would have been cheap and serviceable. After groaning at the prices of the merchandise I finally settled on some $34.99 (They always try to trick you with the lower than $35 rouse....but we are on to them) blue all purpose shorts which, with tax etc., ended up costing about $37. But at least I had them and so I was able to complete my run, start back on whittling down my remaining miles and get a few endorphins flowing at the same time. So the Good News is that because of you I ran tonight. The Bad News is, it cost me 37 dollars but the Good News is...I feel great and ........Life is Good.
April 5 Still Alive....Day 36 of Challenge
Day 36, Ran 0/ Total so far 66.4/ Miles to go 933.6
Blog has been silent a few days...power outage caused in part by Hurricane Easter Holiday with a mild case of "not ready for prime time allergies/cold"! Today I plan to run again for the first time in about a week after work...Wish me luck and give me encouragement!
Thursday last week began a marathon of a different kind.....holiday fun. Picked up son Haydon at Love Field at 10 and Taka and daughter Leigh at 11 at DFW. Wonderful that everyone could be together for the Holiday. Haydon and Leigh promptly went out with some of Leigh's college buddies. When reminded that she was not arriving until 11 Leigh reminded me that the bars close at 2!. In Spanish they say "La noche esta en penales" (the night is still in diapers) when they don't want to end the party....so I guess the penales were in style Thursday (and most other nights of the trip...but you will have to go to Leigh's blog to find out about those times...see the link on my home page of this blog).
Good Friday was a holiday from work. I was reminded after cooking bacon for breakfast that observant Catholics are not supposed to eat meat on Good Friday....I observed my clan did not have a problem eating the bacon, however. My gracious and forgiving God will forgive me and them I am sure for our transgression. It reminded me of the time that my time my daughter-in-law's mother, Janie, as the Roberts and the Camps were trying to decide where to eat one other Good Friday a few years ago, reminded Eric that they could not go eat ribs because Good Friday was a Holy Day of Obligation....no meat. After which she promptly crunched down on a pork skin....(if you are not from the south, you will not understand but a port skin is like a potato chip kinda, but is actually fried port skin which sounds horrible but tastes great to those privileged to grow up in the the land of cotton). Eric looked at Janie and asked "Isn't a pork skin meat?" The look on Janie's face......Priceless as the skin was spit out.....
So Friday lunch found Taka and I at a favorite Vietnamese Restaurant for Pho (beef noodle soup) and Friday night Taka and Haydon and I at a Korean Barbecue Restaurant near our house for wonderful barbecue cooked at the table on a hibachi ....thin slices of meat, wrapped in lettuce instead of a tortilla (much healthier....) We toasted each other and the good life with a Korean vodka like drink....Life lived to the fullest.
Saturday was the big day...about 16 people, all the kids, Kay and the kid's grandparent...Big Mommy and Big Daddy (how southern is that?) Karla and Eric and Karla's parents, Mike and Janey and Uncle Nick. Good friends Nickie and Bob... and friend, Pat Parise. Dear Mrs. Savage was sorely missed but remembered as we ate the wonderful coffee cake she had sent and toasted to her health (She was away at a grandson's graduation). I baked a large ham and succeeded in not burning the yeast rolls which were heavenly. Janie brought peas flavored with wild boar sausage. Karla made a yummy squash casserole all the while bemoaning the act as indicative of her new family status....time passes and we grow up. Nickie brought carrot cake and Big Mommy a lemon pound cake in which she used lemons from a tree in her back yard.
Taka was his amazing self. I wish I had half his energy. One look at my spotty crystal and he was washing the wine and campaign glasses in soapy water. He cleans as he cooks and took over the duties normally handled by Mrs. Savage. He cooked a wonderful three color pasta salad with three colors of peppers, another salad with baby mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes and some broiled asparagus and when he finished you would not have known someone had been in the kitchen whereas when I cook the place looks like a band of wild banshee's ransacked the place.
Many, many mimosas and bloody Mary's mellowed out the crowd. At one time I realized that the women had gathered in the living room and the men in the den and I felt I was back in the 1950's, but most of the time everyone just circulated from group to group and inside and outside of the house as the weather was perfect and the back yard was usually full.
In the afternoon we played monopoly with 100 dollars of weekly grand tickets distributed in order of success and also placed in the Free Parking space for those lucky enough to land there. I won the game but the winning from the weekly grand were slim, only about a 25 dollar return on our 100 dollar investment.
Sunday saw Dim Sum with good friends Jonathan and Alfredo and with nephews Gary and Matt and their wives Aurdrey and Naomi. Gary and Audrey drove all the way from Oklahoma City to see us...such a wonderful family and such a blessed time.
Today, Monday, found me sad as I took Taka and Leigh to the airport......But Life Is Good!
Blog has been silent a few days...power outage caused in part by Hurricane Easter Holiday with a mild case of "not ready for prime time allergies/cold"! Today I plan to run again for the first time in about a week after work...Wish me luck and give me encouragement!
Thursday last week began a marathon of a different kind.....holiday fun. Picked up son Haydon at Love Field at 10 and Taka and daughter Leigh at 11 at DFW. Wonderful that everyone could be together for the Holiday. Haydon and Leigh promptly went out with some of Leigh's college buddies. When reminded that she was not arriving until 11 Leigh reminded me that the bars close at 2!. In Spanish they say "La noche esta en penales" (the night is still in diapers) when they don't want to end the party....so I guess the penales were in style Thursday (and most other nights of the trip...but you will have to go to Leigh's blog to find out about those times...see the link on my home page of this blog).
Good Friday was a holiday from work. I was reminded after cooking bacon for breakfast that observant Catholics are not supposed to eat meat on Good Friday....I observed my clan did not have a problem eating the bacon, however. My gracious and forgiving God will forgive me and them I am sure for our transgression. It reminded me of the time that my time my daughter-in-law's mother, Janie, as the Roberts and the Camps were trying to decide where to eat one other Good Friday a few years ago, reminded Eric that they could not go eat ribs because Good Friday was a Holy Day of Obligation....no meat. After which she promptly crunched down on a pork skin....(if you are not from the south, you will not understand but a port skin is like a potato chip kinda, but is actually fried port skin which sounds horrible but tastes great to those privileged to grow up in the the land of cotton). Eric looked at Janie and asked "Isn't a pork skin meat?" The look on Janie's face......Priceless as the skin was spit out.....
So Friday lunch found Taka and I at a favorite Vietnamese Restaurant for Pho (beef noodle soup) and Friday night Taka and Haydon and I at a Korean Barbecue Restaurant near our house for wonderful barbecue cooked at the table on a hibachi ....thin slices of meat, wrapped in lettuce instead of a tortilla (much healthier....) We toasted each other and the good life with a Korean vodka like drink....Life lived to the fullest.
Saturday was the big day...about 16 people, all the kids, Kay and the kid's grandparent...Big Mommy and Big Daddy (how southern is that?) Karla and Eric and Karla's parents, Mike and Janey and Uncle Nick. Good friends Nickie and Bob... and friend, Pat Parise. Dear Mrs. Savage was sorely missed but remembered as we ate the wonderful coffee cake she had sent and toasted to her health (She was away at a grandson's graduation). I baked a large ham and succeeded in not burning the yeast rolls which were heavenly. Janie brought peas flavored with wild boar sausage. Karla made a yummy squash casserole all the while bemoaning the act as indicative of her new family status....time passes and we grow up. Nickie brought carrot cake and Big Mommy a lemon pound cake in which she used lemons from a tree in her back yard.
Taka was his amazing self. I wish I had half his energy. One look at my spotty crystal and he was washing the wine and campaign glasses in soapy water. He cleans as he cooks and took over the duties normally handled by Mrs. Savage. He cooked a wonderful three color pasta salad with three colors of peppers, another salad with baby mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes and some broiled asparagus and when he finished you would not have known someone had been in the kitchen whereas when I cook the place looks like a band of wild banshee's ransacked the place.
Many, many mimosas and bloody Mary's mellowed out the crowd. At one time I realized that the women had gathered in the living room and the men in the den and I felt I was back in the 1950's, but most of the time everyone just circulated from group to group and inside and outside of the house as the weather was perfect and the back yard was usually full.
In the afternoon we played monopoly with 100 dollars of weekly grand tickets distributed in order of success and also placed in the Free Parking space for those lucky enough to land there. I won the game but the winning from the weekly grand were slim, only about a 25 dollar return on our 100 dollar investment.
Sunday saw Dim Sum with good friends Jonathan and Alfredo and with nephews Gary and Matt and their wives Aurdrey and Naomi. Gary and Audrey drove all the way from Oklahoma City to see us...such a wonderful family and such a blessed time.
Today, Monday, found me sad as I took Taka and Leigh to the airport......But Life Is Good!
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