Been training to run a marathon for the last 5 months. Caught a virus this week and the run is on Saturday. Murphy isn't kind. On a more positive note, we got our box of fresh veggies from Local Farmer's Garden today. There should be plenty of quality vitamins inside! On a side note... the baby on the side of the box... the one from the Babe Farms logo... is very creepy looking. Sort of a Damian and Chucky cross breed. Perhaps they should take a look at Gerber and learn what "cute" is. I don't mean it as an insult to their logo designer. Hell... I doubt I could hand draft a baby that well... but oye... time for a redo. If that kid has been the baby face since 1986, he's nearly 25 years old now. Time for some plastic surgery or a make-over Photoshop style. I'm just sayin'.
Short, not so sweet, and all over the map today. I have work to get back to (we're givin' a Hog away!... no no... nothing to upset PETA... this is a Harley), and something sounds like it's trying to kick its way out of my dryer...
Please let me know if you'll be in the Santa Barbara area this weekend. I'll be dragging a virus down the road for 26.2 miles in the SBI Marathon... and I might need to hitch a ride to the finish line! ; ) Hot pink running shirt, unmistakable blonde pony hangin' out the hat, thumb waggin' at the traffic...... I'll be hard to miss.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
getting old...
Do you ever wonder "If I feel this bad now... how am I going to survive being -- years old?" Recently, I pondered the fact that we exercise our bodies to keep them stronger longer, but then wondered... in doing so... have we done more harm than good? Really. Are couch potatoes living shorter but more pleasant and pain free lives? My heart and lungs may be those of a 25 year old, but dang, my joints are feelin' like they belong to my 80 something grandmother! Scratch that... my grandma has new knees... soooooo.
Three weeks ago, I was told "You might be at that age, where you may be required to do some activity modification." Alllllrighty then. I tried to explain that after 20 years of soccer, and 10 more of hockey, running IS my modified activity! :-p Knitting anyone? Underwater basket weaving? Yes yes... I understand there are sports and activities out there that still have some "hair" to them, but are much less strenuous on the body... But, I refuse to believe that I'm hitting middle age. RealAge.com tells me I'm still much younger than that, and computers are never wrong. If it's on the internet, it must be true. Right?
Are we ever too old to reach and dream? I read about a woman who finally earned her college degree at 98 years old, and passed away two days later. My bucket list isn't long... but I guess I have to face the facts that I'm on the "downhill slide". If you can help me out with any of these checklist items, I'd be happy to waste a few more of my employer's hours coming up with a new list to blog out..............
1. See New Zealand
2. Run a full marathon
3. Develop automobile resistant body armour for squirrels and opossums.
....... holla if you can help. You know where to find me.
Three weeks ago, I was told "You might be at that age, where you may be required to do some activity modification." Alllllrighty then. I tried to explain that after 20 years of soccer, and 10 more of hockey, running IS my modified activity! :-p Knitting anyone? Underwater basket weaving? Yes yes... I understand there are sports and activities out there that still have some "hair" to them, but are much less strenuous on the body... But, I refuse to believe that I'm hitting middle age. RealAge.com tells me I'm still much younger than that, and computers are never wrong. If it's on the internet, it must be true. Right?
Are we ever too old to reach and dream? I read about a woman who finally earned her college degree at 98 years old, and passed away two days later. My bucket list isn't long... but I guess I have to face the facts that I'm on the "downhill slide". If you can help me out with any of these checklist items, I'd be happy to waste a few more of my employer's hours coming up with a new list to blog out..............
1. See New Zealand
2. Run a full marathon
3. Develop automobile resistant body armour for squirrels and opossums.
....... holla if you can help. You know where to find me.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Happiness...
I'm reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. It's not that I'm an unhappy person, I just have a curiosity for what drives my joy. It seems that others around me don't always have the capacity to pick up on the simple pleasures that I do. Am I easy? Am I oblivious? Am I weird?
Why is it that some people just seem happier than others? Are you as happy as you can possibly be? Could you learn to be more appreciative... and if so... would it lead to a happier you?
Do you go after what makes you happy, or does happy just seem to fall upon you? Do you seek to improve yourself in ways that you think will make you happy, or in ways that you perceive to be more socially accepted?
I have a lot of questions. I don't expect that Gretchen will have all of MY answers. I hope that she found hers. I suppose it's the optimist in me... the one who wishes all people can have an appreciation for life. The kind of appreciation that comes from little things others let slip past unnoticed. Life goes by too quickly. I don't want to regret a step.
expanding the mind
I bought a Kindle this winter, in an effort to expand my reading, and spend less time rotting my brain in front of the tv. Not that I wanted to quit watching television, I could never do that. It's just that since graduating from Cal Poly six years ago, I've done very little (short of the occasional crossword puzzle) to exercise my mind. The Kindle has proven very handy. It's easy to transport, syncs up with my iPhone, and a new book can be downloaded the instant I finish the previous story.
I'm the kind of person who enjoys reality. NOT reality tv... which I'm certain has absolutely no basis in reality. I appreciate a good movie, and sitcoms to make me laugh, but when it comes to reading, I tend to spend my time with biographical material.
I began my Kindle experience with a story I had run across finding humorous banter for work. The story is about a cat, Oscar, who predicts patient deaths at a senior care center in Providence. I know this doesn't sound like anything the least bit funny, but a creepy kitty messenger of death? I had to read it. The book, though not comedic, was well written and very enjoyable. "Making Rounds With Oscar" by Dr. David Dosa. Pick it up sometime.
My next venture was "Three Weeks With My Brother", the autobiography of renowned romance writer, Nicholas Sparks. The story was engaging, and though a tad depressing, made me appreciate life.
After blasting through the two life appreciation books, I thought I would try something "less heavy" for the next go 'round. "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin was my next choice. I knew after reading the first page, that this was the perfect choice for me. Gretchen had crept into my head in a mere two paragraphs. I'm only up to chapter three, which involves blogging... soooooo... the guilt sank in a bit, as well as the satisfaction I feel in completing a blog... and here I sit.
Since taking the long way around what was to be a short introduction to today's topic "The Happiness Project"........ if you feel the need to read on... I'll close out this little number, and begin again with a new post. Two posts in one day! Is that a good thing, or does it imply that I lack focus? Hmmmmmm....
Monday, March 22, 2010
"I can't"
This weekend, I ran further than I've ever gone in my life. It was my first official 1/2 marathon... something I thought I'd never in a million years do. It was a BEAUTIFUL run through wine country in Paso Robles. The hills are amazingly green... there was water in the river... the farm houses looked like Rockwell portraits... eye candy all the way. I'll post a link to the run photos once the Wine Country folks have them up.
My sister sent me an email today, asking how it went. Initially, I was going to blog about the run itself, but her email exchange with me has pointed me a new direction. She told me that she can't imagine doing 2 miles (the asthma certainly DOESN'T help!)... let alone 13.1. I had that very same thought in my head last June when the folks from St Jude asked us if we would do a team relay marathon for St Jude Heroes. My mantra in life had always been "I hate running. I only run if someone is chasing me............ with a knife!" I mulled the relay thought over for a few days... examined my ever expanding muffin top in the mirror (being over 40 sucks)... and decided that I could spend the next five months with a personal trainer, attempting to prepare for a 7 mile leg in the team relay at the Santa Barbara International Marathon. Five months FLEW by. Coach Dan was an amazing motivator, always positive and cheerful. He made us want to make him proud. In fact... although we haven't spoken with Coach Dan since the marathon, he was one of the first people I had to e-mail to share the joy of finishing my first half. : )
My sister's email today made me think of all the things in life we may not feel capable of. We all have them. My co-workers will tell you what my response was when Coach Dan first told me to run 5 miles. I thought surely the man had lost his mind. He was showing more confidence in me than I had in me. But... 5 miles came and went... then 8 miles... then 10... then 12... and I started thinking "I can do this. I CAN run. And I like it!". Part of the motivation is self pride. You know how good it feels when you pull off something you didn't think you could do? That's what running is. You set a goal... something you may not ever see yourself achieving... and then you go after it.
I'll never forget our trip home from the Santa Barbara Internationl Marathon. Four of us were in the car. We had each taken on a 6-7 mile jaunt. There on the road in front of us, STILL walking, nearly an hour after we had completed the marathon, was a heavy set woman at about the 13 mile marker. I remember thinking "Wow. She'll be lucky to finish before they start tearing down the finish line." I also remember thinking "Wow. She's doing it. The WHOLE 26.2" I immediately flashed back to my leg of the run. I had tackled the first 7 miles. There was a man in his 60's. One with an obvious limp. I had been behind him the whole way. Here was a man old enough to be my father, and "running" as if he'd stepped out of a car donning handicap plates..... and he was kickin' my a**!!! I'm not kidding. It was all I could do to keep up. And there on his shoelaces, was the pink timer tag. The tag that signified he was running the WHOLE 26.2..... not my short 7 mile leg of the team relay. Ouch.
I'm not sure if it's the competitive grunt in me, or if it was the determination and spirit that these particular two people displayed, but I decided then and there... I could do more.
I've continued my running. I'm training for the Santa Barbara International Marathon again... and this time... I'm going to finish the WHOLE 26.2 miles. Running has become a new passion. I do it for me. I do it to prove to me that sometimes, we are capable of doing things that we don't think we can do. I proved that to myself this weekend at the Wine Country Runs half marathon in Paso Robles..... and I'll prove it to myself again on November 6th in Santa Barbara.
What CAN you do? What will you prove?
My sister sent me an email today, asking how it went. Initially, I was going to blog about the run itself, but her email exchange with me has pointed me a new direction. She told me that she can't imagine doing 2 miles (the asthma certainly DOESN'T help!)... let alone 13.1. I had that very same thought in my head last June when the folks from St Jude asked us if we would do a team relay marathon for St Jude Heroes. My mantra in life had always been "I hate running. I only run if someone is chasing me............ with a knife!" I mulled the relay thought over for a few days... examined my ever expanding muffin top in the mirror (being over 40 sucks)... and decided that I could spend the next five months with a personal trainer, attempting to prepare for a 7 mile leg in the team relay at the Santa Barbara International Marathon. Five months FLEW by. Coach Dan was an amazing motivator, always positive and cheerful. He made us want to make him proud. In fact... although we haven't spoken with Coach Dan since the marathon, he was one of the first people I had to e-mail to share the joy of finishing my first half. : )
My sister's email today made me think of all the things in life we may not feel capable of. We all have them. My co-workers will tell you what my response was when Coach Dan first told me to run 5 miles. I thought surely the man had lost his mind. He was showing more confidence in me than I had in me. But... 5 miles came and went... then 8 miles... then 10... then 12... and I started thinking "I can do this. I CAN run. And I like it!". Part of the motivation is self pride. You know how good it feels when you pull off something you didn't think you could do? That's what running is. You set a goal... something you may not ever see yourself achieving... and then you go after it.
I'll never forget our trip home from the Santa Barbara Internationl Marathon. Four of us were in the car. We had each taken on a 6-7 mile jaunt. There on the road in front of us, STILL walking, nearly an hour after we had completed the marathon, was a heavy set woman at about the 13 mile marker. I remember thinking "Wow. She'll be lucky to finish before they start tearing down the finish line." I also remember thinking "Wow. She's doing it. The WHOLE 26.2" I immediately flashed back to my leg of the run. I had tackled the first 7 miles. There was a man in his 60's. One with an obvious limp. I had been behind him the whole way. Here was a man old enough to be my father, and "running" as if he'd stepped out of a car donning handicap plates..... and he was kickin' my a**!!! I'm not kidding. It was all I could do to keep up. And there on his shoelaces, was the pink timer tag. The tag that signified he was running the WHOLE 26.2..... not my short 7 mile leg of the team relay. Ouch.
I'm not sure if it's the competitive grunt in me, or if it was the determination and spirit that these particular two people displayed, but I decided then and there... I could do more.
I've continued my running. I'm training for the Santa Barbara International Marathon again... and this time... I'm going to finish the WHOLE 26.2 miles. Running has become a new passion. I do it for me. I do it to prove to me that sometimes, we are capable of doing things that we don't think we can do. I proved that to myself this weekend at the Wine Country Runs half marathon in Paso Robles..... and I'll prove it to myself again on November 6th in Santa Barbara.
What CAN you do? What will you prove?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Reach out and touch someone
Do you ever have one of those moments where something sparks a memory of a friend you haven't been in contact with for a coons age? You always intend to get back in touch with that person.... and yet... something always seems to get in the way. I don't recall where I first heard the phrase, "but first syndrome", but it sure does ring true! "I really need to get this laundry into the wash... but first... I'll pick up the kids clothes from the bathroom floor. Oh gads... look at this bathroom! I'll get to that laundry... but first... I have to clean this toilet!". You get the picture. Before you know it, the entire house has been swabbed down, the weekend is GONE, and you still haven't got any fresh drawers to put on Monday morning.
Don't let the same things happen with your friends! Too often, we find people passing in and out of our lives. To some degree, that is to be expected.... lives change... we get busy surrounded by new things and new people... it happens. But if you can take 5 minutes to reach out and send a text, send an email, friend them on Facebook...... it will keep your life surprisingly interesting. Even if you're only keeping touch twice a year... you just never know when that 5 minutes is going to contain something that will stop you in your tracks... make you smile... and make you wonder why it took so long to put everything else aside for a few minutes and say "Hi".
No more "but first". You know you're thinking about at least one person right now... if not 10-20 people! Yes... 10-20... I know some of you are total social butterflies... and for you... this could be an hour you need to set aside. ; ) One person a day. Five minutes that'll let them know you were thinking about them today. Shoot... making THEM smile should be enough to make you smile too.
Don't let the same things happen with your friends! Too often, we find people passing in and out of our lives. To some degree, that is to be expected.... lives change... we get busy surrounded by new things and new people... it happens. But if you can take 5 minutes to reach out and send a text, send an email, friend them on Facebook...... it will keep your life surprisingly interesting. Even if you're only keeping touch twice a year... you just never know when that 5 minutes is going to contain something that will stop you in your tracks... make you smile... and make you wonder why it took so long to put everything else aside for a few minutes and say "Hi".
No more "but first". You know you're thinking about at least one person right now... if not 10-20 people! Yes... 10-20... I know some of you are total social butterflies... and for you... this could be an hour you need to set aside. ; ) One person a day. Five minutes that'll let them know you were thinking about them today. Shoot... making THEM smile should be enough to make you smile too.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
giving things up.....
A few Bishops in London are suggesting people give up iPods for Lent. They're also suggesting an entire day without technology. No cell phones. No tv. Eat by candlelight.
All I can say, is that it is a good thing I gave up giving up things just prior to my 10th birthday. Good gracious! I understand that reading a book and dinner by candlelight might seem like a wonderful change in lifestyle..... and I could MAYBE pull that off for a night... ONE night. But give up my iPhone, laptop, the dvr, or my Kindle reader? AHHHHHH! Time would stand still. In fact... it might start going backward!
Technology is an addiction. I admit it. I'm hooked. What I don't understand is the idea that we need to "punish" ourselves for any given change in the calendar. If you have a need to appreciate something by denying yourself access to it....... I will gladly unsaddle you from all of your personal electronics and chocolate. Drop any of your evil devices (or just "vices") by the radio station. If I don't grow too attached to your cool gadgets, you might even get them back........
All I can say, is that it is a good thing I gave up giving up things just prior to my 10th birthday. Good gracious! I understand that reading a book and dinner by candlelight might seem like a wonderful change in lifestyle..... and I could MAYBE pull that off for a night... ONE night. But give up my iPhone, laptop, the dvr, or my Kindle reader? AHHHHHH! Time would stand still. In fact... it might start going backward!
Technology is an addiction. I admit it. I'm hooked. What I don't understand is the idea that we need to "punish" ourselves for any given change in the calendar. If you have a need to appreciate something by denying yourself access to it....... I will gladly unsaddle you from all of your personal electronics and chocolate. Drop any of your evil devices (or just "vices") by the radio station. If I don't grow too attached to your cool gadgets, you might even get them back........
Friday, January 22, 2010
what moves you...
Six years ago, I tripped over a path that has changed the way I listen to music. Sometimes we float through life enjoying the tunes we listen to on the radio, cds, ipods, etc.... without ever really HEARING the music. If you've never taken the time to stop and listen with undivided attention, you should do so... immediately. Block yourself into a quite room and hear the music... feel it... absorb the lyrics and the melody. Soak in the work that has been presented to you....... and then track the path it has taken.
Some of your favorite artists are both singers and songwriters. Some of your favorites may leave the writing to others, while lending their vocal talent to give a song wings. When a song grabs you, look it up. Find out who sings it. Find out who wrote it. If you're anything like me, it will open an entire new level of appreciation for you. Incredible vocal talent can breath life into a song, but hearing the raw emotion and intent put into it by a writer, will open your guts up.
The internet contains a vast world of music that will go generally unheard. Spend five minutes on MySpace and you'll see what I mean! When you discover a great song, get the songwriter's information. Dig. Dig. And dig some more if necessary. That writer probably has other songs out there for you to sample. Some that will go without ever making it onto an album. Some that will go without ever being granted one spin on the radio. Why wait for what someone else deems worthy to listen to? A lot of great music is out there waiting to be heard. Find what moves you. Find WHO moves you.
Some of your favorite artists are both singers and songwriters. Some of your favorites may leave the writing to others, while lending their vocal talent to give a song wings. When a song grabs you, look it up. Find out who sings it. Find out who wrote it. If you're anything like me, it will open an entire new level of appreciation for you. Incredible vocal talent can breath life into a song, but hearing the raw emotion and intent put into it by a writer, will open your guts up.
The internet contains a vast world of music that will go generally unheard. Spend five minutes on MySpace and you'll see what I mean! When you discover a great song, get the songwriter's information. Dig. Dig. And dig some more if necessary. That writer probably has other songs out there for you to sample. Some that will go without ever making it onto an album. Some that will go without ever being granted one spin on the radio. Why wait for what someone else deems worthy to listen to? A lot of great music is out there waiting to be heard. Find what moves you. Find WHO moves you.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
People are crazy.....
The past two nights have been difficult for me. Not sure why... but I can't seem to sleep. I fear I'm becoming my mother. A worrier. The terrible thing is that I'm NOT a dramatic person. I'm NOT a worrier! How is it that the changes coming along with being over 40 are changing me in ways I can't control? It's like a permanent case of pms (sorry for the "ick" factor there fellas... but the ladies know what I'm talking about)! I know it's crazy. I know I'm lying awake concerned over things of which I have no control... but I can't help it.
Just when I convince myself that this thinking is irrational, and that I am overly concerned about nothing....... I find someone who makes me feel completely, totally, clinically, SANE by comparison............
Arthur Firstenberg is sueing his neighbor for $530,ooo for refusing to turn off her iPhone, claiming that the electromagnetic fields generated are destroying his health.
Just when I convince myself that this thinking is irrational, and that I am overly concerned about nothing....... I find someone who makes me feel completely, totally, clinically, SANE by comparison............
Arthur Firstenberg is sueing his neighbor for $530,ooo for refusing to turn off her iPhone, claiming that the electromagnetic fields generated are destroying his health.
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