Boring Friday

I ended up skipping the friend's BBQ that I had originally planned on attending this evening. I didn't really have a valid reason, except that I just felt like hanging out at home by myself. Not totally like me, but there are days, not a lot but a few, where I just don't feel like socializing and I just want to stay at home by myself. Jerry went, but Scooter and I decided to chill at home.

Anyway, I figured it would also give me the chance to delay my planned run for nightfall when the temps would cool some (it was 100 here today with 52% humidity -- not pleasant), and I set out for a planned 5 miler at about 8 o'clock. A half mile in, I noted some lightning off in the distance but figured it was, well, in the distance. But just before I hit the first mile, I saw a bolt of lightning that lit up the sky, and then seconds later felt the reverberations of its thunder.

That was it for me. I went another tenth so I could round out the mile, and then I booked it home. All the while, the sky was ablaze with streaks of lightning and the rumbling of thunder echoed all around me. So instead of 5, I just got 2 in. Kinda disappointing, but I was thinking it was for the best since I didn't get struck down by lightning and all, but now I'm sitting here looking out the window, and there's no rain. No more lightning. Yeah, I can hear some distant thunder, but what happened there? The way it was looking, I thought for sure the heavens were going to open up and pour. Mother Nature tricked me!

Oh well. I'm gonna go read now and then flip on the Phelp-mipcs (those are two words that don't blend into one so well): I think he swims again this evening around 10 or 11. Anyone catch Nastia Luikin's gold medal performance last night? I stayed up past midnight to finish it, but she was awesome. Love those gymnastics. And what about those Chinese gymnasts? They have to be 13 for sure. No way is that He Kexin 15 going on 16. I read an editorial today that said the IOC should do a formal investigation into the ages of at least two of those athletes, and I thought the writer made some very valid, very persuasive points.

Sorry...I digress...hope everyone enjoys their Friday, Olympics or no Olympics!

Silver Medal Champions!

As some of you were able to guess from the lack of an incoherent post last night, yes, I was able to remain pretty sober for bowling. In fact, I commented to Jerry before we left the alley: "I think this is the most sober I've ever been leaving bowling!" Unfortunately, that sobriety did not help out my game, and I scored 3 terrible games; however, my teammate pulled through and we managed to beat the other team and secure 2nd place for ourselves in the league! Wa-hoo!

So, next Thursday is the last night of summer league (we play "fun" games and enjoy the prizes), and then summer league is over. If that makes you sad, then you're not the only one; I always hate it when bowling league comes to an end, and that's why...Jerry and I joined a fall league! We are joining up with a couple of friends to form a team for a league that begins in September (and goes for 36 weeks! holy cats, I may get sick of bowling; nah, they have beer there! how could I get sick of that?), so beginning on Sept 8th, we will be bowling in a new league on Monday nights.

Anyhoo, not much else to report: I've been in faculty meetings all morning, and now I get to go home and enjoy what's left of my break before classes begin on Monday. Tonight, we're going to a friend's for a BBQ, and before that I may have to brave the heat in order to get a run in. Ugh...I'm scurred! It's about 97 out there right now! Pray for me and my hydration.

Busy Bee

Just because the fall semester doesn't start until Monday doesn't mean that I haven't been working this week. The past few days I've been very busy putting together everything for the term, including revising my syllabi and polishing off the final touches on the planning of one class that I've never taught before (I'm so pumped to teach it though: it's a class I developed last spring and I'm so excited that enough students signed up for it so that it's a "go"; it's called "Women Novelists in the 19th and 20th Century" and I'm teaching 5 novels: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Mrs. Dalloway, The Handmaid's Tale, and Beloved -- yeah! It's gonna rock!).

Anyhoo...aside from planning for the fall term, I had to attend a faculty meeting this morning, and I have two meetings to attend tomorrow (all of them are totally pointless, but whatever), and I have been fielding a gazillion student emails. Seriously, my inbox is full of student email -- everything from "can I get into your already full class?" to "can I switch classes of yours?" to "can you change a grade of mine from a year ago?" to "will you write me a letter of recommendation?" -- and because I try to be so accommodating for students, I am swamped with answering their questions and getting them what they need. Phew!

Did I mention that the semester hasn't even started yet?

Thankfully, I am taking a running rest day today because I really don't think I have the time to fit it in today: This afternoon I cleaned the house, and now I need to get some shiz ready for the happy hour we're hosting pre-bowling tonight. We're having about 10 homies and homettes over to enjoy a few pre-bowling beers, as well as some pulled-pork sandwiches; should be a good gathering before our championship game tonight. The Pinderellas are tied for a battle over 3rd place, so cross your fingers in our favor tonight! If we really rock that alley, we could be in contention for 2nd place!

P.S. This time I'm serious: I really need to NOT get wasted at bowling tonight. I have too much work to do tomorrow to spend it hungover like last week!

Not Much

Ok, first things first: regarding my comment from earlier today about the difference between men's and women's volleyball uniforms? Looky here. An article that addresses the exact topic! I'm SO ahead of the mainstream media!

Anyhoo...nothing real noteworthy about my 3 miler (30:02) this evening; it was hot and terrible, but I think I've pretty much exhausted that discussion so I won't dwell there. On the plus side, after the run, Jerry and I went out for Cajun and I had a delicious shrimp po'boy and a Stella. So now I'm really full, I'm in my sweats, and I think I will spend the rest of the evening laying on the couch flipping back and forth between Project Runway and the Olympics. Awesome evening.

Olympic Fever

Like most Americans glued to the Olympics the past few days, I have been enthralled by Michael Phelps and his now historic gold medal count. I mean, the guy seems to be unstoppable. But aside from watching the Olympics, particularly swimming, for the athletic accomplishments they're achieving, like Viv, I'm in it for the scenery:
I mean, ladies, do men's bods get any better than a swimmer's? Why would you not be watching these guys?

But, thankfully, it's not just the swimming: there's the diving (thank you tiny little Speedos -- never thought I'd say that!), the gymnasts, the soccer players, even the kayakers are eye candy! The Olympics are a feast for the eyes!

And certainly, the men aren't the only ones garnering all the physical glory. The other night, while we were watching the women's synchronized diving, my husband commented: "Wow, they have nice asses." I couldn't even argue with him because, well, they did have incredible asses. So, with all this physical and athletic perfection paraded in front of us in mostly skimpy attire, my one question is this: Why do the women in beach volleyball play in bikinis while the men in beach volleyball play in shorts and tank tops? C'mon, Olympics, those guys have to be sweaty in those itchy tank tops! Let them play without shirts!

What'd'ya say ladies? Shall we petition the Olympic committee for a better outfit for those guys? I mean, shucks, it's for their own comfort!

Notes from a Runner

How many times have you left a note like this one?Seems like Jerry comes home to this kind of note frequently. Sometimes the notes vary: I sometimes leave a note informing him of the time I left and the miles I expect to do so he can get a feel for my return ETA, but mostly, the notes are brief and to the point, like the one above that I left before heading out on my 3 miler this afternoon.

The run went pretty well, especially considering that with all the rain today, the humidity is about 82% out there, so it was like running in a terrarium. Still, I was able to finish it up in 28:57. Not too shabby for the conditions.

Found Money and a Lengthy Book Review

I found a dollar on my 4 mile run this evening! With an overall time of 39:17, that dollar was pretty much the highlight of my run. I've never found money on a run before, but after spending who knows how much on running gear and races, it's about time I started to recoup some expenses. I would, however, be more appreciative if those expenses came in hundred, not one dollar bills, but I guess I should be happy with my found money, no matter the denomination.

In other news, I finally finished "Breaking Dawn" today. For those who are currently reading it, no fears, I will not spoil the plot for you, and for those who don't read the series, go ahead and leave me a comment about the found money and be done with the following. But for those who remain (ie: fans of the "Twilight" series who are either currently reading, have read or are anticipating the read of BD, read on my friends), here are my thoughts:

Overall, I think it was good. There are, however, some criticisms. Now, I won't comment on the plot issues that book reviewers and fan reviews online have been noting (although I agree with most of them), but I do have two major criticisms: One, the length. If I were Meyer's editor, I would have demanded that she cut it by at least 150 pages. I am not adverse to a lengthy novel (two of my favorite novels are "Gone with the Wind" and "Les Miserables" each well over 1,000 pages), but I think length should add to the story, not detract from it. And it's my general opinion that editors allow writers who are big-wig-money-makers (JK Rowling, for example, whose last 3 novels in the HP series could have been heavily edited as well) to write with little restriction. Not smart. I am of the E.B. White school of thought that "less is more" and, in my opinion, Meyer was allowed a too-free reign with the word count in this one.

Second criticism? The anti-climatic ending. True, the last 50 pages were incredibly engrossing, and I was on the edge of my brain with anticipation, but then? Well....I thought the plot took an easy way out, and quite frankly, I think Meyer left things conveniently open. Yes, she says this is the last in the series (excluding "Midnight Sun" -- Edward's telling of "Twilight" -- to be released, tentatively, sometime in 2009), but the ending seemed to leave so many loose ends that I would bet $10 she wants the wriggle room to write more if she later decides she wants to. Which, in some ways, I'm fine with, but I think it could have reached a more dramatic and satisfying climax. (Think of the Harry Potter climax in the last book, now that was a satisfying peak to a series' end!)

Otherwise, my other criticisms pretty much sync up with what some reviewers have said, and then I have always maintained that Meyer's writing is a little, well, stylistically lacking, but those concerns are minor. Overall, I am impressed with her ability to tell an engrossing story. And before this series, I had no idea that a tale of vampires and other monsters could be the stuff of fairy tales.

Olympics and Babysitting

Yesterday was a pretty relaxed day: The only two things that occupied us were the Olympics (we watched everything from beach volleyball to swimming to gymnastics to women's cycling to synchronized diving, phew!) and babysitting our friend's baby, Miller.

Our friends, Erin and Ryan, went to dinner for their anniversary and Jerry and I had volunteered to watch Miller while they enjoyed some time alone. Miller is a good baby, so it was pretty easy to babysit. Here's some pics:

Jerry feeding Miller with Scooter's supervision. Scooter was a little jealous of Miller. It's not the first time Miller has been over, and Scooter has been to Miller's house plenty of times in the past, but this was the first time Miller was alone with us, and suddenly, Scooter's non-chalant attitude about him changed. He had a hard time accepting the fact that while Jerry was feeding the baby he wasn't allowed in Jerry's lap.
Here's me and Miller: He's getting so big so fast that soon he and I will be wearing the same shoe size!
Later, Miller fell asleep on Jerry's tummy as we settled in to watch some Olympics. I've mentioned it before, but this below is a perfect example of Jerry's Baby Whispering skillz. Miller is cool as a cucumber with Jerry, and he can't help but just fall asleep.
Scooter, as I said, wasn't ever far away. He had to keep a close eye on that baby -- and on the TV. He's a Phelps Phan.
All in all, it was a good day. And after Miller's parents came and picked him up, I cracked open a beer and read some of my book. Very relaxing.

8 on the 8th

Well...8 on the 9th. Technically.

So, I did my 8 miler in honor of 08/08/08 and the start of the Olympic games; I just did it a day late. It went pretty well, especially considering the fact that I haven't run 8 miles since probably mid-May so I'm out of practice for anything longer than 5-6 miles. Unfortunately, my iPod's battery died at mile 3 (that's the one thing I really dislike about the Shuffle -- it gives no warning or indication that the battery is low and then, bam, it's dead), so I had to run the other 5 miles with just me and my thoughts. Scary. But I suppose it's good practice for the Army Ten Miler since they strictly prohibit any use of headphones.

Anyhoo, splits lined up like so:

1: 9:53
2: 9:53
3: 9:55
4: 10:14
5: 10:22
6: 10:24
7: 10:23
8: 10:01

Total Time: 1:21:07

I blame the slowing time on the loss of the iPod at mile 3. Note how the times support this theory.

Saturday Morning

I'm feeling much better today, and while I'm glad I didn't have any obligations yesterday, it still felt like a waste. That's what I hate most about those kind of hangovers: It makes the whole next day feel worthless.

Anyway, I won't get to my 8 miler until this evening, but I figured I still had some tidbits to chat about this morning:

First of all, Jerry and I started watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics last night, but after an hour, I was pretty much bored with it. We didn't even stay up to watch the athletes' entrance (which is really the best part of the opening ceremony), and we were both in bed by 10:30 last night. Aside from my boredom with the opening ceremony, I really am excited to watch the Olympics; although, the Olympics kinda make me tear up. Especially when an American wins -- hearing the national anthem when they're on the podium makes me cry. Even the Visa commercials leading up to the Olympics kinda made me well up. Weird, aren't I?

I'm still reading "Breaking Dawn"; I'm only about halfway through. It's definitely good, but I really haven't had a lot of time to read in the past few days. But even though I'm not done with it, I do know how it ends because...well, I already read the last page. This is a shaming revelation for me: But I almost always read the last page of a book long before I get to the end. Jerry thinks it's totally weird that I do this, but it honestly doesn't ruin anything for me, especially since the last page doesn't always reveal a whole lot.

Why do I do this? Well, as Harry says in "When Harry Met Sally," what if I die before I finish the book? Morbid thought, yes, but it's true. If I die, I'd like to die knowing the ending of the book. This is also my reason for always cleaning the house well before we go on vacation. If we die while we're gone, I don't want people to think we lived in a messy house.

Anyway, like I said, knowing the end doesn't ruin anything for me, because the excitement of discovering how I'm gonna get to that end is still there. As Margaret Atwood says in her short story "Happy Endings": "Endings are all the same...Beginnings are always more interesting...But true connoisseurs are known to favor the stretch in between."

But, I have to get moving now. I think Jerry and I may be going to do some shopping today (he needs new pants desperately) and then we may go see a matinee of "Pineapple Express." And in the meantime, I have a little dog who is begging for some attention: Oh, he wants me to throw Franken Dog for him.
Guess, I'd best get going. I have a dog who needs some toy time. I'll fill ya in later on my 8 miler report! Check ya later!

Barfy-Barferson

I distinctly remember telling Jerry before we went bowling last night: "I don't want to drink too much. I have the 8 on the 8th tomorrow, and I don't want to be hungover for the run."

Too bad I don't listen to myself.

Before bowling, we met up with some of our homies for dinner and drinks, and I had a beer there, and well, it was delicious. So, once we got to the bowling alley, I just kept on drinking. And the result was that I had WAY too much, and today I am paying the price for such over-indulgence.

It's been a long time since I've puked from drinking, but this morning I was praying to the porcelain god, and I was asking myself why I can't practice some level of self-control. Thus, I've spent all day as a worthless piece of crap, and I'm only now, at 3 pm, beginning to feel like I'm on the mend.

So, because I just ate my first piece of food for the day, and am now able to keep that and the water down, I don't think I'm in any condition to run 8 miles. I guess I'm gonna have to defer the run and do it tomorrow. Right now I need some more to eat, and I need to have about a gallon more water.

Remind me next week for bowling that I must listen to myself and SLOW DOWN with the booze. I mean, seriously, I'm not 21 anymore.

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot

This morning, I had some end-of-term work to finish up on campus before I could be completely done with my summer classes (which ended yesterday -- wa-hoo!), so my plan was to sleep in some, go to campus, do my work, and then go to the campus gym and run on the treadmill. Well, I did sleep in, and I did go and get all my work finished (can I get another "wa-hoo!"?), but the gym was closed. I should have guessed as much that it would be closed until the start of the fall term in a week. Dammit.

So, I got back in my car and decided, "Hey, I'm in running clothes, I'm ready to run, I'm gonna go run, I'm just gonna have to do it outside in grueling temps. I can do it. I'm tough." I drove home, donned my visor and sunglasses, slathered on some sunblock, and headed out into the noon heat. Did you hear that people?! It was high noon! The current temp is 92 out there, humidity at 51%; thus, the "feels like" temp is a broiling 99 degrees. Here I am pre-run, ready to rock that motherfucking heat: Those are actually Jerry's sunglasses. I don't actually have a pair of "sporty" sunglasses. Need to get me some of those. Anyway, back to the run: Truth is, while it was definitely a scorcher, I managed a decent 3 miler, with a total time of 30:16, which is a better time than Monday's morning run at 6:15 am (which as a scientific aside, despite the difference in temps for these two runs, the dew point was exactly the same, so even though one was run under cover of darkness and the other was run in the midday sun, the humidity was essentially the same). I brought a bottle of water along, and that helped, and actually, the worst part about running a hot run, is finishing a hot run. I swear, when I stop, that's when I really feel the heat. Here I am post-run: Pretty, aren't I?
I was completely soaked in sweat, my face felt like a giant tomato, and I could feel my pulse rushing through every part of me, but I was glad I got the run done in such unsavory conditions. Truth be told, I'm feeling like a bad ass right now for such perseverance. I hope all of you are duly impressed as well.

Now that I am done with my work and done with today's run, I am going to spend the rest of the afternoon chillin' on the couch with my Scooter Dog, as per the example below, and I'm gonna read my book in the comfort of glorious air conditioning.
And tonight? I bowl!

4.1 Miler

Why the .1 you ask? Because of race distances over the course of the year, as well as a few irregularly distanced training runs, I have had this pesky .9 mileage in my running log for the past month or so, and I keep thinking: "I should just run that extra tenth of a mile someday so I can have even numbers in my log." But, each run comes along and I never go that extra tenth. However, tonight I decided was the night, so I tacked on the extra tenth, and now I can rest assured that my mileage for the year (thus far) comes to a round, even number.

Phew. I bet we'll all sleep better now, right?

Improved

Tonight's 3 miler was much better than yesterday's 3 miler. What a difference 36 hours can make, right? So, while it wasn't speedy like I'd like, I was able to gradually pick up the pace, and finish under 30 minutes, which when compared to other runs in the past 3 weeks was pretty decent.

1: 10:06
2: 9:47
3: 9:27

Total Time: 29:21

But, now I have to go: I have shiz to do to prep for tomorrow's last day of class, and "Wipeout" is on. Good times, good times.

Not Interested in the Worm

I am not so good at this whole "getting up early to run" business. And for the past week and a half, I have been hit and miss with actually getting up and getting the runs done early in the AM. Thus, today was a miss. The alarm went off, I shut it off, and I snuggled back into the sheets with barely a second thought.

Guess that means I have to do it tonight now.

In other news, I broke down yesterday and bought Stephenie Meyer's "Breaking Dawn." I was gonna wait until I was done with class (tomorrow!), but then I just couldn't hold out anymore! I read the first 40 pages or so last night. Which is barely a dent in its 7oo something pages. It'll read fast though. Especially after tomorrow afternoon since on Thursday and Friday I only have 3 things to do: run, bowl, and read. Folks, I think that's called heaven.

AM 3 Miler

I got up at 6 am this morning, and before I was out the door at 6:15, I checked the weather. I do this mainly out of habit, not because it really changes by much (especially this time of year). What I usually look at is not so much the temperature (which was 80 degrees), but the relative humidity and the dew point. These are, I think, more accurate indicators of what conditions I'm facing out there for a run.

If you want to read more about the difference between relative humidity and dew point, go here. It explains both terms well, and may give you a better idea of your own humidity conditions as you run outside during these "dog days of summer."

Anyway, if you read the above link, you will have learned that relative humidity changes over the course of the day as the temperature changes, so a more accurate measure of the air's humidity is the dew point. By way of comparison, want to know what those numbers were here this morning? The humidity was 81% and the dew point was 71 degrees F. Again, if you read the link above, you will note the chart at the bottom of the page which categorizes the "feel" for dew point, and you'll note that a dew point of 71 is labeled "very humid, quite uncomfortable."

Personally, I would label the amount of humidity in the air this morning as "fucking unbearable," but hey, I'm no meteorologist. Granted, the temp at 6:15 am is better than it is now at 3 pm (if you'd like a glance at our current temps, go here), but one thing basically remains a constant despite the rising temperature this afternoon: You got it, the dew point, which as we all just learned, is the truest measure of the air's water content.

So, what does this mean for running, and particularly my run this morning? Well, as per the general running: High humidity is tougher to run in because we are sweating, but the sweat is not evaporating, thus we are not getting cooler; therefore, dehydration is more likely a problem. But this failure to cool also affects our HR, blood pressure, and even muscle coordination. In other words? It fucking sucks ass to run in high humidity.

Needless to say, my 3 miler this morning sucked ass in the above-described way. I slogged through it, but I felt miserable, tired, and thirsty afterward. And even though I know that this summer heat and humidity will eventually dissipate (yeah, in like, November!), for now, it affects every run. And it's frustrating because I think about how I can run a 3 miler in, like, 27 minutes in cooler weather, but this morning, it took me about 32 minutes. Plus, it's frustrating because I keep thinking that after 4 years of living in FL that I would be acclimated to this shiz, but each summer I prove a wimp in the face of such conditions.

And I know, I know, everyone is gonna comment with "at least you don't have to run in snow and freezing temps in the winter"; true, but right now? I would greet snow and freezing temps with a big bear hug.

Looky what I found...

...on my running shoe before I slipped them on and headed out for my run today: A little lizard!As if I don't have enough lizard woes since I have to dodge their kamikazee ways out on the South Floridian sidewalks; I guess this little guy was trying to trick me into running on him before I was even out the door! But, don't worry. I escorted him safely outdoors where I hope he lives a long lizard life.

Aside from the lizard surprise, nothing was really noteworthy about my 5 miler today. The Garmin was low on batteries, I guess, so it pooped out on me at mile 1, so I have no digits to go by, but all in all, it felt decent. I can't ask for more than that.

Extraneous Scooter Pics

I'll be honest, I'm on day 3 of no running. My "plan" always goes downhill Thursday through Saturday each week. This morning my excuse was that I had a headache (too much wine last night, perhaps -- wine, in particular, seems to give me a nasty headache the next morning). So, since I have nothing on the exercise front to report, I figured I would distract you with some Scooter pics.

In any given week, I probably take about a dozen pics of Scooter. In part because I think he's always looking cute, but also in part because I'm fiddling around with camera angles and settings and he's a good subject to practice on (one day, I aspire to purchase a fancier camera and then the glorious pictures I will take with that!). So, this is a sampling of this week's pics: The first 3 are Scooter playing with an empty water bottle.

See, he has a certain technique that he learned from his dog friend Annie, and the whole goal of the game is to remove both the cap and the plastic ring under the cap.
I screwed this one on extra tight to try and get a few more minutes of play out of it for him. Generally, it's a game that takes about 1 minute.
There. Cap is off! Don't worry, he never swallows anything. And he loves this game. Just like with kids, some of the best toys for my dog are those that don't cost a thing. His other favorite "trash toy"? Empty paper towel rolls. In that case, there's no precision to playing with them; the objective is solely destructive.
Lastly, here he is chillin' in the sun on the red couch in the office. He likes to lay there while I'm blogging. That way he can keep an eye on me and he can relax in the sun. It's hard being a dog. So very, very hard.
But, now I have to go. Scooter is summoning me to throw toys for him. This dog? He has THE life.

Friday Randomness

So, lots of tidbits for you folks today:

• Yeah, we rocked bowling, yet again. My games were as follows: 104, 143, 117. Clearly, game 2 was the perfect amount of beer before sliding into drunkenness.
• Our scores helped us get 7 out of the 9 points, and that means we knocked the #1 team out of 1st place. It didn't put us there, but the victory was still satisfying.
• This morning I discovered that jelly has an expiration date. I woke with a craving for a piece of toast with PB and J, and while the toast was toasting, I opened the jelly and it smelled funky. I checked to see if there was an expiration date, and sure enough, it expired 3 weeks ago. I never knew that jelly went bad. Does this mean I also need to comb through the salad dressings for expiration dates? Shit.
• Scooter's toys all have names. For example, he has a little stuffed fox that we call "Dirt Shrew" (if you've seen season 3 of "Weeds," you'll get the reference). He also has a new toy that he really likes; it's a cow that we call Moomacita. Moomacita bounces in an unpredictable way, and this morning when I was throwing her and Franken-Dog for Scooter, I knocked over a lamp. 2nd lamp that has been the victim of Moomacita's bounce. I may need to restrict her use.
• I only have 3 days of summer classes left -- next Monday-Wednesday. Then I get 11 days off before we begin the fall term on August 18th. I am VERY excited for those 11 days.
• Today, Stephenie Meyer's last enstallment in the "Twilight" series, "Breaking Dawn," comes out. And I'm torn. I want to read it so badly I can barely contain myself, yet I have papers to read, laundry to do, and another book which I'm halfway through. I know I should just wait and buy it on Wednesday afternoon, when I'm all done with classes, so I can enjoy it without interruption, but on the other hand, I'm just dying to gobble it up!

Took Me 3 Times to Log in but I'm here!

Bitvhes!

Okay,,,so Id admit, I accidentally posted tjat title before tyoping test, but ya know, it's coolio.

So...we once again rocked that alley. The Pinderellas did not get all 9 points, but we got 7 out of 9, an that's cool, considering we played the numnber #1 tweam in the league.

I may have had one VERY stirnge shot. + 3 pitchers of beer adb + 1 bottle or beer = many drinks for jess.

Sp....We did a good job, Then I had lots of chaulpa s from Taco Hell, and they were dekilsuous! Never say anything bad about Chalpuas! Or taco supremees b/c they are delius too!!

Okay, now i have to go to bed b/c jerry says" When are you gonn e ome t o bed?" And Scooter had a s toy.

Goodnight!!! Lurv U guys!
Yours,
Jess

The Best Intentions

Well, I had intended to get up early this morning and run, but again, I did not. Too sleepy.

And even though I thought about bringing my running stuff to school with me so I could run on the treadmill after class, I decided against it, and have officially made today a rest day. I haven't been logging a lot of miles, but I have run the past 4 days in a row, so I think a day off is wise.

Besides, I've gotta rest up for bowling tonight!

Dreadmill 3 Miler

After I posted this morning, and as I was getting ready for work, I was feeling disappointed in myself that I didn't get up early and get my run done in the AM. Then, the heavens parted and a ray of light (symbolizing inspiration, of course) shone down upon me: I could run on the treadmill at the gym after class, and then I could still get the run done before evening.

So, as I collected my stuff for work, I stuffed my running clothes into a workout bag, and felt satisfied with my plan to run after class.

At this point, some of you may be puzzled. And I know what you're thinking. Let me guess, is it something like this: "Uh, Jess? Do you even belong to a gym? You never speak of one and you talk about the treadmill as if it is akin to the devil himself. Are you drunk again?" Well, my friends, I do not drink in the morning (unless on vacation, and then I delight in a Bloody Mary or Mimosa), but you are right; I do not belong to a gym. Because...there is a gym on campus that I can use for free. I just almost never do.

Why?

Well, mostly because:
A. I really do think the treadmill is the same kind of evil as Satan.
B. I feel as though I must wear a shirt, and to be frank, I prefer to run in a sports bra and shorts. But honestly, I don't have the bod to parade around the gym in that attire, especially because of reason C.
C. I dislike working out with my students around. Feels weird.

But today, I went to the dreaded on-campus gym (which, to be fair, is actually a very nice gym), I wore the dreaded t-shirt, I ran on the stupid treadmill, and I did in fact run into 4 of my students there.

I only ran 3 miles (had originally planned on 4, but at mile 2 I thought I might yank my hair out from the monotony, so I revised the plan for 3), and I definitely didn't love the treadmill, but I got 'em done. And now I am reminded of the consequence for failing to wake early and get the miles in during the AM. So, tomorrow morning when I'm tempted to hit snooze again, all I need to think is: "treadmill, sweaty t-shirt, students looking at you" and I'll be up in a jiffy!

More Coffee, Please

Why is it that the bed is always at its maximum comfort level when the alarm goes off? The temperature is always perfect, the sheets are nice and cool, the husband has stopped snoring, the dog has re-positioned himself so that he's not crowding anyone, and just when the bed has reached an optimum level -- beep, beep, beep!

Well, this morning I chose to snuff out the alarm and continue to enjoy the bed; I suppose any halo I may desire will have to wait because now I have to do my run this evening.

Oh well, no biggie. I can't be good every day. That would get tiresome, and you guys may suspect I was taken over by cyborgs.

In other news...does anyone want to volunteer to teach for me today? I don't want to go (would prefer to spend all day in that lovely bed), and I think it's going to be one of those days that requires a few extra cups of coffee because I'm feeling slow as molasses this morning. Okay, deep breath...I only have 5 more days of the semester: I can do it! But extra coffee will most certainly be necessary.

Again

Okay, first of all, I feel as though I must confess: I have fallen WAY behind on the 100 Push Ups Challenge. For the past two weeks, I haven't done a single push up, so yesterday, when I decided to resume the schedule, I knew I was not gonna be able to do week 3 (where I left off), so what did I do?

Started over.

Yep. Back to week 1. But, this time I'm doing column 2. So yesterday that meant the sets shaped up like so: 7, 7, 5, 4, 5. And they were hard. Dangit! I was being so consistent with it and then, I don't know what happened but I suddenly realized I had fallen off the wagon. I've been joking in some of my commentary to you guys lately that I'm on the "6 month" challenge not the "6 week" challenge, but now I fear that may very well be true.

Oh well, at least I'm back at it, and I am stronger. When I first started I could only do 5 push ups max!

Now, on to this morning...music please...yes, I got up for the second day IN A ROW and went for another AM run! Do I get my halo issued now, or do I have to order it? Because I feel like I deserve some kind of angelic treatment.

Anyhoo, I did another slow 3 miles -- I can't seem to pick up the pace lately and as I said last week, perhaps it's best if I keep it slower right now with the heat -- and it felt pretty dang good. I mean, it sucks when that alarm goes off, but to be sitting here at 7:30 AM (the time I normally get up for work) having already run and showered is, well, awesome. Now I have more time to waste on the computer, goodie!

Back to Back

Last night, I was true to my post, and I went for a 3 miler, and then, this morning I actually got up early and went for another 3 miler. Neither run was very speedy, but they both felt pretty good and I got them done, which is the most important thing to me right now.

Now, I know that some of you didn't even read that last sentence because you were still reeling from the revelation that I got up early this morning and ran, so if you need a moment to let that sink in, go ahead and take it. There. Ready to move forward again? Okay, so I decided yesterday that morning runs are gonna have to become a regular part of my running.

Yes, I am in my right mind.

No, I am not drunk.

I have decided to switch to the dark side (to the best of my limited, early rising abilities) and try to become a morning runner. Simply because lately the runs haven't been getting done when I leave them for the evening -- something comes up or I feel tired and un-motivated or whatever the excuse of the day is -- so I know that if I get up early they will at least get done. I don't like the idea of morning running, but I dislike the idea of missing runs even more.

Also, I'm in the process of developing "A Plan," or "Schedule" if you will, that will start my preparation for the Army 10 Miler and carry me through my planned fall race calendar. My main goal with this "Plan" is to assign every run a purpose, whether it is speedwork, a long run, or a recovery run; I figure that this will make each run seem important and meaningful, and thus, I'm less likely to skip them.

As always, I know that plans mean more structure, but ultimately, they are not made of concrete so I understand that flexibility is always a key element to any "Plan"; however, I really need something to unify my running (lately, I feel as though it has dissolved into chaos) and help motivate me. Right now, I'm just in need of some consistency and that only seems to happen when I have that little planned grid in front of me -- running without the necessary rows and columns just isn't the same.

Weekend in Sanibel

Well, I did not get one iota of exercise in this weekend, which is kinda bad since I mostly drank... ...ate...
...drank some more...
...and ate some more.
But we had a wonderful weekend. We spent a lot of time on the beach (as our matching burns indicate) and we even saw a dolphin! We slept in, ate out a lot, drove to Captiva for a sunset dinner and walk on the beach, went to the Sanibel lighthouse, and in general, spent quality time together.
Now, after a weekend of indulgence, I need to get back on track with the running. The past 3 weeks of slacking off have been unacceptable! So, I plan on doing something short tonight to kick off the new regiment, and then this week, Jess is getting back on track. Regular runs, fewer foods smothered in cheese, and fewer beers (bowling is, of course, the exception).

Outta Here!

So, first of all, I'm sure you're all eager to hear about bowling: Well, as per my drunken post (below) from last night, we again rocked the alley. But barely. My game was not top notch last night, and the 3 game series' scores looked like so: 109, 115, and 130. Really the only reason we won last night was because we bowled against a vacant team (yes, thanks to computers, a team can be absent and the computer just uses the players' averages and they "play" a simulation of their game) so they could only do the the same each game. Since we were there, and we were human, we had the advantage.

But, yeah, I had me plenty of drinks last night, and I got home around 11 pm, and watch "My Life on the D List" on Bravo and ate just about everything in the kitchen: Hummus and pita, all of the sliced cheese, nearly a full tin of almonds, and I made tater tots, and ate those too. Drunken eating is almost as reckless as my drunken blogging -- no rhyme or reason.

However, I feel pretty good this morning. Two advil, a bottle of water, and 3 cups of coffee and I'm dandy. Plus, it helps that I don't work on Fridays, so I slept in -- glorious!

This afternoon, we're leaving for a weekend away to Sanibel Island. And I'm so stoked. I am craving a quiet, relaxing weekend out of town so badly. And I don't think Jerry and I have been out of town for such a weekend since...last year when we went to Sanibel. So, yeah, it's desperately needed.

Anyway, we're leaving around noon, so I need to pack, get the house in order (I don't travel anywhere without leaving behind a clean house -- that's my official policy), and run a few errands, so I'd best be off! I'll be back Sunday, so enjoy your weekend, peeps!

Okay,

So, I'm fkind a drunk righ now, See...tonight was bowling, and we rocked that alley (another 9 points, wa-hoo!!!!( but I also had many, many beers and one shot.

So now I'm home and I ate my way though a pita and an arm load of hummus, and have athigny=ma jing of almonds, and severla blcock s of cheese. What'c next? I'm so hungry!!

Conversations with Jess

Scene: Entryway of our house this evening.

Characters: Jess -- sweating buckets and looking miserable. Jerry -- in the kitchen finishing up dinner.

Jess: My 4 miler just sucked ass. It was fucking terrible.

Jerry: Why? What was wrong with it?

Jess: It was hot and humid, and I was sweaty and tired and I had to walk some.

Jerry: There's no shame in walking.

Jess: I know, I know, but I'm just sick of running in this hot, sticky weather. I want a cool day so bad.

*Pause*

Jess: In fact, I'd vote Republican just to get a 60 degree day.

Jerry: *Chuckle* How would you voting Republican have anything to do with the weather?

Jess: Well, I assume that if I voted Republican that would mean I'd made a deal with the devil.

Jerry: You think the devil controls the weather?

Jess: Well, it sure feels like HELL out there!

Wipeout!

Forget training for half marathons or marathons or triathalons. This is what I'm training for next!

Better

Thanks for the comments regarding the blog header: After fiddling some more, I managed to change the background color but couldn't do what I wanted to do -- make the pic fit entirely across the header. For now, I am satisfied with the color the way it is, but who knows if later I won't continue to mess with it to try and achieve perfection.

Anyway, aside from spending most of the evening playing with the new blog template (can we say "Jess was procrastinating from grading essays"?), I did get a run in.

As I mentioned earlier, it was like the surface of the sun out there today, and even by 8 pm, the temp was still at 90 degrees. Lovely. So, when I set out, I decided that, really, I just need to slow down. Like, really slow down. Sure, I've been pulling in the reins some on the pace, but I still feel exhausted after a few miles; thus, I finish feeling completely drained and I dread going back out for my next run in such hellish heat (couple that with a lack of motivation and I think I have my reason for such dismal mileage lately). So, as I said, I decided I really, really had to slow down:

1: 10:00
2: 9:58
3: 10:06
4: 10:05

Total Time: 40:11

And seriously, why not? The heat alone has got to be pushing my HR to its limit, and trying to maintain a pace that's not ideal for these conditions is foolish. So, tonight I did slow down, and you know what? I felt great! I finished the 4 miles and felt like I could do another 4! I haven't felt like that since...March? Wow. What a revelation. I guess I allowed my ego to get in the way of letting the environment help dictate the training, so lesson learned -- it's only taken me a few years to figure it out.

Still Under Construction

I'm still working on some aspects of upgrading my blog's template. One thing you can probably notice right off the bat is the header -- I'm trying to insert a picture behind the blog title and description, but I can't figure out why I have this big white space to the right. I imagine it requires fiddling with the HTML coding for the margin with the header, but no matter how much I stare at it I can't figure it out.

Any suggestions, smarty-smartersons?

In other news...not much is new. "The Dark Knight" pretty much rocked the hiz-ouse yesterday. As everyone else has already said in their reviews: It really is a film that lives up to its hype; and yes, Heath Ledger really is that good as the Joker. The only thing I can't figure out about the movie is how it secured a PG-13 rating. Granted, there's no nudity or profanity, but the violence is pretty intense (one scene in particular is pretty shocking in its violence) and the Joker would give any young child nightmares. (Plus, it's nearly 3 hours -- way too long for a kid, right? Didn't stop the people who were in the same theater as us. Apparently, they didn't read a single thing about this movie before bringing six kids, all under 10, to sit in the row in front of us. Needless to say -- they were annoying.)

I do plan on actually running today. But not until the sun goes down -- it was approximately a bazillion degrees here today -- so I'll update later with that report. Until then, I expect you homies to fill my comment section with suggestions about that troublesome white spot. Pronto!

Upgrades

This morning I decided it was time to upgrade some aspects of my blog, and because my blog is old, I had to upgrade the entire template. I fooled around with some alternate colors and templates, but decided in the end, that I wanted to maintain the same look -- I don't know why but I just want it to look the same. (Yes, I know how many wonderful options are out there for improving the look of my blog, but there's a certain comfort for me to keep it looking the same.)

Anyway, the main upgrades came in the form of improving the sidebar stuff and the links to all of your blogs. But now I have a huge white space at the bottom of the sidebar -- where the info ends -- and I can't figure out how to get rid of the white and make it green, as it should be. If anyone can clue me in, I'd be thankful.

Otherwise, the look is much the same, but it still took me about 2 hours to upgrade everything -- it's time consuming to make everything stay the same!

But, now I need to eat lunch before we head to the theater for a matinee of "The Dark Knight"! I'm so stoked for this movie, and I've read/heard so much about it, that I feel like I'm going to an event, not just a movie! Gotta go. I'll catch up with everyone later.

P.S. The crappy thing about upgrading my blog's template is that I now have to reinstall Site Meter, and the last time I upgraded the blog template (2 years ago), I also had to reinstall SM and I lost my previous count. Well, in the past two years my count was approximately 95,000 hits and I was eagerly awaiting the counter to hit 100,000 -- but now that is lost and I have to start the counter over. Again. Booo.

Sporadic

That's the best way to describe the running in the past two weeks.

I don't know if I can blame the summer heat, a busy schedule at work, or a demanding social schedule (it's hard to be popular and to have so many extra-curricular activities). Sure, I could also wedge some personal responsibility in there, but I'd prefer not to. Ultimately, I think what's to blame is the fact that I have no running schedule because I'm not training for anything; therefore, my motivation is nil. The Army 10 Miler isn't until October, so my training for that will officially begin in August, and every other race I have under consideration -- Either Disney's Race for the Taste 10K or Disney's Tower of Terror 13K in October, a Half Marathon in Boca in early November, the Turkey Trot at Thanksgiving, and the West Palm Half in December -- isn't until late fall/early winter anyway.

I wish the FL race schedule could be a little more spread out; instead of cramming everything into six months (from October to March, there's a smorgasbord of races to choose from, but from April to September, there's just a handful of 5Ks), I wish races would be held throughout the year. Yeah, I know weather is the reason that the FL schedule is the way it is, but other regions have equally hot/humid weather and they hold races through those months. Plus, there are runners here. Runners who need some motivation, and while most train in the summer for a fall marathon like MCM or NYC or Chicago, some of us would like to train for something regional as well!

So, on my list of factors to blame for my lack of running? I blame the FL race directors. Yup. One more party who should shoulder the blame instead of me.

Bowling Report

For the second week in a row, Crystal and I rocked the bowling alley last night and won all 9 available points! Wa-hoo! My 3 games scored in this order: 150, 123, 123. So, obviously the first game was my best one (I had one beer with dinner and one at the alley pre-bowling, so 2 beers must be the magic number for that first game stellarness), and then I went downhill a bit.

After bowling, we lingered for awhile and had a few more drinks, and I played some foosball. I really suck at foosball, yet I'm always getting asked to play; I must just be a good "filler" playa. Anyhoo...it was a fun night of bowling, as always.

Today I don't have much on the schedule. I need to do some work for school, and I should go to the grocery store, but otherwise, I don't have much going on. Should be wonderful.

They're Baaaaack

After a few week hiatus, the little black gnats that plagued my runs a month ago have returned. So, on my 5 miler this evening, I ran through cloud after cloud of bugs, and endured them flying into my eyes, nose, and mouth. That definitely was the "suck" factor of the run; however, the rest of it went fine. Forgot to start the Garmin though, and didn't realize it until I was just past the first mile, so I don't have accurated digits for the miles.

But, now I need to skedaddle -- I'm typing during the commercial break of "Project Runway" -- and Heidi is back on now so it's runway time, folks!

FAQ

After both Marcy and Running Knitter inquired as to whether or not I went to work today, I feel obliged to answer:

Of course.

I would have to feel pretty terrible to not go to work; plus, I feel it's a totally illegit excuse to miss work because of a hangover, so I have worked through many a hangovers in my time -- it's not pleasant but that's the punishment for the good times. At least now that I'm in my 30s, a Tuesday night ends at 11 pm instead of 2 am. Trust me, 5 or 6 years ago, that was not the case. But, I felt just dandy this morning. C'mon, homies, have a little respect for a girl's tolerance: I have a decade plus of solid drinking experience, so a few beers may make me tipsy and affect my ability to type, but it won't make me ill. That requires hard liquor and I mostly steer clear of the hard stuff. Well, mostly.

Anyhoo...there's not much else to report. I'm all caught up with my grading, so for once I didn't have to bring home any work, I think I may clean up the house since it's been neglected as of late, and I have more laundry to do (those dirty clothes must be breeding in the hampers), and later, I want to do a run -- so I'll let ya know how that goes.

Hope it's a happy hump day for the rest of ya!

Guess What?

I'm drunk! Well, just a bit.

See, my friend Emily, sister to Erin, came into town today, and the 3 of us got together for good times. We were just gonna get together for drinks, but then we thought 'hey, let's go see if we can scalp ticket sof the tompetty concert.? So we went, but no one had 3 seats together, and at the box office, the tickets in the nosebleed were $60 and Erin said "no." She's the mom so we pretty much have to do what she says.

Then, we went across the sctreet to the bar and had beers there. It was happy hour all the livelong night. I had a good amount.

Now, I'm eating pizza and it's delicious. I wish today were friday. Beer rules. Peace out.

P.S. I don;t thingk I'll get up ealry to run tomorrow.

Hold onto Your Seats

Because I actually got up early this morning and ran 3 miles (29:19). Yes, you read that right: Jess got up EARLY and ran. Before work. Hell, it was before I even had coffee!

Okay, get back in your chairs. You may now resume your regularly scheduled day.

Case of the Mondays

After I unpacked my office last Friday, I was feeling much better about the move that I previously bitched about. Mostly because, I'm just happy to have an office again (last week, during the move, I was without a home base and it was really disorienting), and so I listed for myself some of the benefits of the new office. They included:

• Good parking. Because the building I've been cast away to is remote, the faculty lot is near empty and I can secure a porn star spot.
• My office is bigger.
• It's in the police training facility on campus, so it's incredibly secure. Lots of cadets walking around with their holsters, so any disgruntled students would think twice about attacking me there.
• The police academy people are all super friendly and very, very polite.
• It will be very quiet in my new office since I'm essentially in a nook that was never meant to be an office. Plus, I doubt very many students will trek out to see me, so I should be able to work in peace.
• I'll get some extra exercise on a daily basis.
• On my new route to the other side of campus, I discovered two neato-burrito establishments: A yoga studio and a local coffee shop. I like yoga and I like caffeine!

So, those are the positives, which I really have to try and focus on; because honestly, there are a LOT of negatives:

• I'm in the police training facility, not the English Department. I have to walk to a different building to even make copies.
• I don't fit in at a police training facility! They're so uniformed and polite! I mean, I am parked next to squad cars in the faculty lot! They're gonna make me pay all those unpaid parking tickets, aren't they?
• My office is shitty. Para exemplo numero uno: View of office from the doorway.Yes, the lighting is that bad. Note "rolling thunder" -- my new rolling briefcase -- parked next to my filing cabinet, which is also functioning as a bookcase of sorts. And below is pic numero dos of my office from the inside (view doesn't improve, doesn't it?) with my craptastic desk, circa 1956.Also, chief among the negatives (and this really should count twice on the list of negatives): The distance from my classes. I estimated before that it was approximately half a mile. Well, today, I brought the Garmin, and guess what the distance was? .45 miles. I was only .05 off. Maybe I have a talent for guessing such things? Anyway, this means that the back and forth trek totalled .9 miles and it took me about 9 minutes to walk one way.
• The distance wouldn't be so terrible, but consider two things: I have to walk this is work clothes and it is FL (thus, it is HOT) and it rains nearly every day.
• Like today. I was just outside the building of my office when the skies darkened and the rain poured down. Thankfully, I had remembered to pack an umbrella, but still, my feet got soaked (and the Fred Rodgers' sensible shoes were squeaking) and so did the bottoms of my slacks.
• This would have been okay, except guess what else was piled on today? The A/C was out on campus, so my classrooms, like the beauty pictured below, were about the temperature of hell.
  So, after my second class, when I felt a drip of sweat form betwixt my boobs and then roll down my stomach, I let them go early, and I packed up and went back to my crappy office -- nearly half a mile away.
• I may need to consider keeping a change of clothing in my delightful new office.

The good news is that with the extra exercise, the extra water I'm slurping down because of the walking in the sun (and by sweating in the hot classrooms today), the nearby yoga studio and the nearby coffee place, I will be slim and trim in no time! The bad news is that I have an ear ache in my left ear. I don't think it's connected to the events of the work day. But I could be mistaken.

Scooter Sunday

Today was a family day: Jess + Jerry + Scooter. First of all, we all slept in, and then we all went to lunch (yeah, we got up that late). We went to Panera and they have an outdoor patio, so we occassionally take Scooter there and we sit on the patio and he's actually pretty good. He mostly just sniffs around our table and begs us for a bite of sandwich; he doesn't bother other patrons -- to the contrary, he attracts a few who always want to come and pet him.

After a relaxing lunch, we went to the dog park. It was in the low 90s, so Scooter spent some time in the kiddie pools that are there for dogs to cool off in. He likes to play and splash around in the water; he even kinda rolls around in it.
But, he also did lots of walking around and sniffing. Sometimes he finds a dog friend to run with, but mostly, Scooter is a loner who likes to walk around and sniff on his own agenda.
After the park, we were all pretty hot and tired, so we came home and napped (as if the sleeping in made us real tired). Scooter actually didn't make it all the way home before napping, and he was asleep on Jerry's lap about a block after we left the park.

I went for a quick 2 miler (it's just so dang hot out in the afternoon that I can't bring myself to go any further than that and I figure doing some distance is better than nothing), and then I got dinner ready. I'm baking a chicken this evening and we're gonna have mashed taters and stuffing with it (one of my favorite dinners -- it's like a mini-Thanksgiving), and I cooked up the chicken organs for Scooter and gave him those with his kibble: It was his reward for suffering through the bath that Jerry gave him.

So, now he smells good, his belly is full, and he had a fun day with the 'rents, so we're feeling like the best dog-parents ever. But it was pretty fun for us too.

Now...I have a few papers left to grade while dinner is baking, and then we'll have a delicious meal and watch "Jumper," which I rented this afternoon when I stopped by the store for a few things.

Snail Side-Step

You wouldn't think that running in suburban South Florida would mean coming across much fauna, but you'd be wrong. I see many creatures on my running routes -- granted, most are smooshed -- but I especially see a lot of lizards. Lizards are all over the place here in SoFlo and they vary from the small ones that are barely the size of a large bug to the large iguanas that can sometimes be seen sunning themselves on sidewalks or golf greens. Most are about the size of a human finger and they tend to kamikazee their way across the sidewalk when I'm running.

And I'm ashamed to admit that a few have been casualties of my Brooks. But mostly, I can dodge them despite their propensity to dart out in front of my oncoming shoes at lightning speeds. But, lizards are not the focus of this post; no, another Florida creature also litters the sidewalks of South Florida, but they certainly don't move quickly -- snails.

Snails aren't out in the midday -- too hot for snail sunning -- instead, snails are a night creature and an after-the-rain creature. Unlike lizards, whose deaths at my feet have maybe totaled 2, snails have frequently been squished by my shoes, and the number of snail fatalities that are my fault are countless. But, in my defense, it's easy to see how: They are slow, it's dark, and they look like rocks. But when I hear that unmistakable "scrunch" under my shoes I know I have taken another snail life; thus, I am honest-to-god careful of stepping on snails. Especially on a evening like tonight.

We had heavy rain for several hours, and when I went out for my evening's 3 miler (29:25), it was sprinkling and it was dusky: Prime snail hours. They were all over the place -- large and small -- leaving their snail trail across the wet cement. It was like running a very intricate gauntlet and I found myself starring down at my feet the entire time trying to avoid crushing the small animals. The effort, I am proud to say, paid off, and I can boast that not one snail died, under my feet, tonight.

That's not always a claim I can make.

Fabulous Friday

For the first time this week, I felt like I had a day where I actually got shit done. It was so efficient, it is best conveyed through bullet points:

• Picked up around the house.
• Went to the dentist's for routine cleaning and check up.
• Endured the hygienist's torture as well as her lecture about how I should be flossing everyday.
• Resolved, once again, to floss everyday.
• Was buoyed by the dentist's remark that I have "excellent" teeth. I agree with her. They are excellent for chomping on things. Particularly the fleshy part of Jerry's arm.
• Went to my new office.
• Unpacked all my boxes and set up camp in the new location.
• Prepped work for Monday classes.
• Felt better about new office -- although I think I'll save a full discussion for this topic for next week.
• Went to the grocery store.
• Made wise food purchases.
• Was delighted to discover that Craisins are now packaged in 100 calorie packs. Radical. Now, I am equipped with little fruity snacks on the go.
• Came home and watched "27 Dresses" which I picked up as a rental from the "red box" at the grocery store.
• Thought it was cute.
• Finished the laundry.
• Did my required push ups.
• Thought longing of the day when this "6 week" push up program will be over so I can show off my guns and my abs of admantium.
• Downloaded a few new tunes to the iPod.
• Decided that "Thrash Unreal," by Against Me is my new fav running song.
• Wish I had appreciated Against Me when I saw them open for the Foo Fighters back in January.
• Contemplated how hindsight is always 20/20. Cliches are repeated because they are true.
• Decided that second place in the new fav running song category is "I Kissed a Girl," by Katy Perry. But I think that's everyone's fav song right now.
• Ran 4 miles. It wasn't fast (39:05), but it felt good.

Ta-da! That has been my Friday thus far. Now, I have a Kashi frozen pizza in the oven and I have another chick flick ("Fool's Gold") warming the DVD player. Hope everyone else enjoyed their Friday! Toodles.

TGIF

I'm so happy to see the work week come to a close; this week has had me feeling rather frazzled, and I feel as though I need a few days to catch up with things at work and at home. So today, I have a denist appointment for midday and then I'm going into my office to do some work and this evening, I plan on doing nothing but laundry and going for a run.

Anyhoo...bowling was good last night. I rocked the first game with a 142, but then I guess the beer started to take affect and I got a 102 in the 2nd game and then a 102 in the 3rd game. But somehow we still managed to beat the boys on all 3 games -- woot! After the bowling, we lingered a bit in the bar with our homies, but then we headed home.

Sorry so boring this week. I gotta get some runs in this weekend so I have stuff to post about, and so I feel more sane. I don't know why this week has felt so outta whack for me.

2 Miles and 43 Push Ups Later

After 4 days off of running, I was really in need of a run today. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I was looking forward to it; in fact, it took all my mojo to get laced up and out the door. I just did a short (and slow) 2 miler, but after it was done, I was glad I got out there. I needed to do something.

Before the run, I also did Day 1 of Week 3 in the Push Up Challenge, and all I can say is oh. my. god. It was a huge leap in reps from what I was doing in week 2 -- so much so that after today I think I may need to re-do week 2. For today, I did 15, 12, 6, and 10 and my arms were so taxed after those four sets that I couldn't even do the max set at the end.

This 6 week challenge sure is turning into a much longer project at this rate.

Skipped the Running Again

This time in favor of meeting up with Viv and her husband Shane for dinner and drinks. We met up with them in downtown Ft Lauderdale on Las Olas Blvd and had dinner and then stopped at a nearby bar for after dinner drinks. I hope Viv will post the pics from that. Specifically the waitress we had there. Jerry and Shane reported that she had barked at them while Viv and I were in the restroom, and we didn't entirely believe them, but then later...yeah...that lady was whack. And whenever she came to our table, I just had the nervous-please-don't-take-us-out-back-and-kill-us-laugh that even Viv adopted later on. Hey, it may have saved our lives.

Anyhoo...it was a lot of fun to meet up again with Viv and Shane, and it's too bad that today is a Tuesday (and a "school" night) and not a rockin' Saturday because otherwise, you'd be getting this report in the morning tomorrow and I'd be complaining about my hangover and feeling like I'd just licked a Wookie. Viv and Shane are that cool. Or maybe I just potentially drink that much on the weekend. During the week, I have some level of restraint. Kind of.

It was good to visit with them here in SoFlo; next time, Jerry and I will have to fly out to Houston for a visit. Too bad the Houston Marathon just filled for 2009. Maybe 2010 beckons to me!

Blue and Blistered No More

I held a little pity party for one last night and did not go running. Instead, I took two Advil and a hot bath, and watched some show on TLC about this family who has 11 kids (seriously, 11? I'm sure some people think this is a beautiful celebration of family, but I watched mainly out of circus freak interest -- haven't these people ever heard of a condom?).

I think I needed the day off, as much as I felt guilty over it. I was just in a foul mood (and yes, I'm sure running would've made me feel better, but I was too grouchy to try) and I needed time to myself with my dark cloud.

Today I feel better and I know my office will work out. I'll get used to the trek, and everything will be fine. But yes, it looks like new shoes are in order.

What I did do yesterday, was my re-do of the initial test in the 100 Push Ups Challenge, which you're supposed to do at the end of week 2 (technically, my week 3). And guess how many I could do? 15! Yay! (Sorry, Marcy, you're right, I won't complain anymore about my lack of upper body strength.) My initial-initial test was 5, so in 3 weeks I've improved threefold! Of course, this means that today, when I start day 1 of week 3, I have to use column 2 and it looks a lot more challenging -- no more single digit reps for me -- gah.

I'm Beat

These blisters are not from running. Instead, they're from walking a mile in shoes that are not meant for walking a mile in. "So, Jess, why would you walk a mile in shoes that aren't fit for walking a mile in?"

Well, I'm glad you ask my friends. I walked a mile because my new office is half a mile away from my classes, so to walk out there and back totaled a mile (this is an approximation -- I'm not sure that it's really that far, but it's not much of an exaggeration -- it's pretty dang far); and certainly, I should have pulled a Fred Rogers and changed out of my heels, but I didn't have an extra pair of shoes today and I had to make the trek out to BFE (aka, the new location of my office).

Some of you loyal readers may remember me mentioning that the English department at my college is moving. Well, the department is moving to one building, but I (and a few other straggling faculty members) are in a separate building -- in a galaxy far, far away. So tomorrow, the department, along with my office, gets moved, and today I had to do the last of my packing and organizing in my office and I had to go out to the distance edges of the planet to organize some stuff in my new office. That, along with continuing to meet with classes, means that I was on my feet a lot today.

And I was hot. And sweaty. And my feet hurt. And I was grumpy. And I was feeling pretty sorry for myself when I got home this afternoon. So, as I see it, I need to do either one of, or a combination of, things to deal with this move (which will probably last about a year -- on the conservative side):

A. Get a golf cart
B. Start taking experimental drugs or drinking in my office
C. A combination of the two elements in option "B"
D. Get more sensible shoes (or begin the Mr. Rogers routine)
E. Get a segue (any clue on the spelling? is it "segway"?)
F. Get a scooter...wait I already have one of those......and he has never carried me from one place to another. Useless dog. Maybe I need a horse or a camel...

Anyhoo, I suppose the most cost efficient (although, certainly not the most fun) option is to wear more sensible shoes. Add that to my "rolling briefcase" that I bought this weekend, and I'm one step closer to early bird specials and more Sunday morning rounds of golf. Might as well embrace FL living, eh?

Sooooo, I know I should run today because I didn't run over the weekend and I ate the weight of a Volkswagen in cheese, but at the same time, I really, really don't feel like it. Instead, I'd like it if someone rubbed my feet, fed me grapes, and brought me wine.

Got My Hairs Cut

My hair was desperately in need of a cut and style. I hadn't had it cut since February, and I had essentially been allowing it to grow without care or concern, and the result was a haphazard look. So today, it was time to visit a salon and get that remedied. Here's the new 'do: I'm quite pleased with it. She did a good job, and I'm especially pleased with the way she cut my bangs. She cut "into" them in order to angle them instead of just cutting across my forehead, and I think they lay much better. I might even go back to that stylist (which would be a first -- in my time in South Florida, I have yet to find a repeat stylist).

Of course, the only disadvantage to a short cut is that pulling it back for running is a bi-atch. Will probably be running in a hat or visor for awhile now. It's just easier.

4th of July Celebrations

We had a really enjoyable 4th of July yesterday with our friends at their annual gathering: We drank many beers, ate WAY too much food, and lit shit up! Here I am, enjoying a frosty beverage with the firework launch pad in the background. It was a gray and stormy day here in South Florida, so it rained off and on all afternoon and evening, but it was probably for the best that the area was wet, rather than dry -- no need for any more brush fires. Here's Jerry getting to light off some of his "afternoon" fireworks.
Jerry feels about fireworks the way some people feel about religion or politics -- he's passionate about TNT. He purchased all his fireworks for this year's festivities back in early May, and they have been sitting in our bedroom for 2 months so he could admire and discuss them as frequently as possible. Yesterday morning was like Christmas day for him, and he was plain giddy. But in between the afternoon fireworks and the evening fireworks (aka, the "real" ones), he also got to share in holding Baby Miller, who was dressed in his 4th of July finest.
At the end of the night, the combination of alcohol and fireworks is always a little dicey, but thankfully, the boys get so excited about their fireworks that they usually set down their beers and focus on the explosives, and we haven't lost any limbs in the last few years. But, here they are shooting Roman candles into the lake. Pretty, right? You should've seen the "big" fireworks. Yeah, we pretty much put on a show equal to a small town's arsenal. It's awesome.
At the end of the night, we were all pooped. I was tired from getting up early for the race and then drinking so many beers; Jerry was worn out for lighting off two Rubbermaid containers worth of fireworks, and Scooter was pooped from running around all day and then freaking out during the fireworks, so we all went home and crashed.

Today, we don't have anything planned -- I'm kinda thinking of going to get my hair cut -- and I think we'll just chillax. Hope everyone else's 4th was spectacular!

Weston 5K Race Report

The best thing about this morning's 5K? The homies, yo. I got to meet up with sRod and Viv for the race; we met prior to the race and chatted before heading to the start line, and then afterward, we met up again and got to visit a little more. sRod had to head out almost right after the race, but Viv and her husband, Shane, and I grabbed some lattes and chilled in the A/C for awhile chatting. It was great to meet up with both bloggers, and I had a great time getting to know each of them a little better. Below, after the race, from left to right: Moi, sRod, Viv, Shane. The second best thing about this 5K was that I achieved a new PR!! I wasn't sure if it was gonna be possible with the way my runs have been lately, but I guess I had the right mojo this morning, and the splits looked like so:

1: 8:45
2: 9:06
3: 8:59
.13: 0:57:77

Total Time: 27:49!!

Of course, I was slightly deflated when I looked at my chip time after the race and it was 28:05, but I'm gonna go with the Garmin time, not the chip time. My Garmin wasn't short on distance (to the contrary, I clearly weaved some with that little extra mileage at the end there), and I am very good at starting the timer right as I go over the mats at the start and stopping it when I come over the finish mats; usually, I am like a second off my chip time with my Garmin time. The only way I can account for the discrepancy is that the race started the chips when the gun went off instead of as individuals went over the mats; or, with everyone going over the mat at once, perhaps the computer couldn't accurately record chip starts.

Either way is a PR for me, but I am gonna use the 27:49 for my own personal record and make that the new time to beat for my 5K PR.

I had a great morning -- it was so fun to meet up with the fellow bloggers -- and I had a great race. Now...I am going to spend the afternoon and evening drinking plenty of beer, eating tons 'o food, and blowing off fireworks. Wa-hoo! I hope everyone enjoys their holiday!

Happy 4th of July!

Speedwork

After some afternoon showers, it was a little cooler out this evening, so I decided that with the cooler temps, it was perfect to do a little speedwork with my planned 3 miler. I am only capable of Fartleks as my form of speedwork since every other method involves numbers that confuse me when just glancing at them (to study them would, I'm sure, boggle my brain). So, here are the splits:

1: 9:13
2: 9:02
3: 9:09

Total Time: 27:25

If I could replicate this for Friday's 5K, I would be pleased, but I really can't predict how that will go in terms of speed, and I just don't hold high expectations for a PR. But...I am pleased to announce that I have confirmed that two VIP bloggers will be joining me for Friday's 4th of July 5K! That's right, guest starring in Jess's world will be: Viv and sRod!

Both are joining me for the race from out of state. Yes, they are flying here specifically to run a 5K with me, Jess. Kidding. They are both gonna be here from their respective states to visit family and I just stalked them down and wore them out convincing them to run with me, but it sounds better to say they're coming specifically to see me, doesn't it? Anyway, I will get to meet up with them prior to the race (if we can all roll outta bed early enough to find one another) and afterward. I expect it to be a good time. I hope my pimple goes away by then. I don't want to frighten either of them. It is rather scary.

Tuesday Dull Day

I did a slower, easier 3 miles this evening without the Big G, and because it rained earlier, it was a little cooler out -- humid still, but much cooler.

After that, I officially began Day 1 of Week 2 of The Hundred Push Ups Challenge. You'll recall that I held myself back a week, so even though this is my 3rd week of the challenge, I'm only on week 2. Anyway, it went decently. In my max set, I did 8 consecutive push ups. Still laughable, but an improvement nonetheless.

Nothing else really going on. I have a pimple in the middle of my face that is angry. It's one of those sum bitches that's still under the skin so I can't yet squeeze the crap out of it, but it hurts like a bitch. It kinda reminds me of the episode of "Family Guy" when Chris has that pimple that talks to him and tells him to commit crimes; mine's big enough to have a personality, that's for sure.

Yeah. Betcha wanted to know that detail, huh? What can I say? Tuesdays don't offer much else for material. Sorry.