bugsii

The past two days have been a bit crazy.  And my head is spinning and I can’t release the tension in my head muscle (you know what I mean).

Friday morning I had an interview with a small, but prestigious private all girls school in Columbus to be a substitute teacher.  I really miss being in the classroom and I feel like this would be a good opportunity to do it once in a while (since it’s a small school, I don’t imagine there would be a sub needed every day).  But, when I was there, they offered up an after school program, to help their Lego team this year.  The Lego team programs these Lego bricks and other moving parts to get through an obstacle course and then they go to a competition.  It’s a nice-sized stipend and my schedule is much more open this year as I don’t need to take classes, but I’m also gone/busy a lot in September and October what with vacation, five conferences and, oh yeah, my oral defense.  So, I’m not sure they’ll want me when they see my availability, but even so, I’m not sure I should take it since I’ll be super busy.  But, a team of girls who want to do programming?  Hello.  This is so up my alley.  Hmm, we’ll see what they say.

Anyway, after all that excitement, I had to get my 16 mile run in on a Friday afternoon (I usually run Saturday morning) because Dan and I had signed up to run the Crew 5k on Saturday morning and Sunday we are going to Cincinnati for Joyce’s birthday.  Since it was so hot outside, I went to the rec center and alternated between a 1/8 mile track and treadmill.  It was pretty boring, but I did it and it’s done.  Then, I had to come home, shower, and get to work on some analysis for the project I am currently working on with a professor.  I only fell asleep once!  But, it took me until 7:30pm to get everything I wanted to get done finished and I was exhausted after that.  Funny thing is, Dan’s been super busy at work too, and he didn’t get finished with work until 7:30pm either.  We both need spa treatments.  But, instead, I made dinner and went to bed early. Hurrah!

This morning was the Crew 5k and Dan and I finished at a very leisurely pace.  It’s so nice to run with my husband because I don’t have to be jealous of all those perky running couples.    Even though our finishing times were lame, it was worth it for the free shirts.  They were nice this year!  They also give you free tickets to the game in the evening, but Dan has a Street Fighter tournament (What can I say?  It’s the truth.) and there are thunderstorms forecast for the evening, so I am staying home.  After the race we went out to eat at The Best Breakfast and Sandwiches again and the waitress told us that we were becoming regulars.  I like that idea.  Then, I dropped Dan off at his tournament and went grocery shopping.  This afternoon, I made my head spin again by trying to make plans for all five conferences I need to attend.  I’m still not sure if I even registered for one.  The jury and an email is out.  Then, I decided that I should start a Columbus vegetarian food blog, which led me to search the internet and make discoveries (like this Columbus vegan blog and this Columbus vegetarian blog), and also to decide that I didn’t need one more thing to do.  See, this is why Dan shouldn’t leave me alone.  I get ideas!

When it was time for dinner, I called the Happy Greek to get some takeout and walked down to pick it up, only to see that there was some sort of festival blocking High Street.  Turns out, the Gay softball league (or something close to that) is having their world series here this weekend.  There were rainbow flags everywhere and it made me appreciate my diverse neighborhood and the fact that I run into festivals when I’m just trying to pick up some take out.  Everyone loves the Short North.  I can’t blame ‘em. 

1) Ran 7 miles

2) Ate cereal

3) Read on the porch for a few hours

4) Ate lunch (leftovers)

5) Did work for my professor

6) Watched team USA lose

7) Picked up carryout from the Happy Greek, while dodging hundreds of happy Comfest goers

8 ) Watched Lost

9) More Lost

10) Bed

My niece Katie had a track meet today in Columbus.  It was the National Middle School Association state track meet.  Her big event is the 100m dash (She broke the record for her grade school).  So, Dan and I went out to the famed runner run in the state track meet.  Ben, Rachael, Megan and Matt also came.  Here are Katie and I in the stands before she ran:

The two runners

She had to run in the prelims first.  There were five heats of the 100m dash and only 8 girls made it to the finals.  Katie was in the first heat and she was third.  It turned out that she just so happened to be in a fast heat though because all of us in the stands counted how many girls were faster than her and she ended up being fifth overall!  The finals came an hour or so later.  The top eight lined up and Katie dashed to the finish line earning a fourth place medal at her first state track meet!  Go Katie!  Here she is at the finish line!

Speedracer

4:50am, our alarms go off simultaneously.

Dan, “Why does Cincinnati have the earliest marathon ever?”

It’s raining outside, but it’s light and I’m hopeful that we will have a lull for the 6:30 start time.

I have all of my gear laying out, bib pinned to shirt, chip fastened to shoe.  I put away my watch and iPod band.  It’ll have to be a no electronics race.  I don’t want to risk damaging either one.  So, I get dressed.  By the time I’m all ready, Dan, Pete and Joyce have gathered in the kitchen.  We grab coffee and our umbrellas and head south.

On the way downtown, we see lightning and the rain picks up.  I update my facebook status and see that the race is a go.  That’s good news.  “At least it’s not cold and rainy,” I say to Dan, trying to stay positive about this race that I love.  It’s about 60 degrees out.

We end up having to wait in a long line to get off of the 5th street exit, but we make it to the garage under Fountain Square with 20 minutes to spare.  We all hurry in the pouring rain to the start line.  I hear the countdown when I am still a little ways away, so I shed my jacket, hand it off to Dan and give a wave to Pete and Joyce.  I find a gap in the fence and hop in amongst the thousands of runners, drenched before the race even starts.  Lots of people are wearing trashbags and start to jettison them within the first two miles.  Everyone is forced to slosh through puddles, hats dripping, pants sagging from the weight of the rain, and yet even in the midst of a pretty crappy day, they laugh, make jokes and generally make the best of things.  I love runners.

We cross over into Kentucky.  I see a little kid with a sign that says, “Go Mom!” and I smile.  Someday.  I feel pretty good, my breath is even, and even without my electronics, I am enjoying the run.  I think it is the collective good vibes of the crowd.  By the time I get to the hill entering Eden Park, I’m feeling like I’m slowing down a bit.  The rain stops for a while, I pass Elvis, grab some gatorade at the top of the hill and start the descent back into downtown.  My socks are soaked and are starting to get a little uncomfortable.  I hear a couple of guys behind me, “My hammy’s are killing me!”  “Yeah, this is some weather, huh?  Are you going to make it?”  “Oh yeah, I’ll make it.”  I start to feel grateful that I’m healthy and running.  I can run.  I’m thankful for that.  I also think of my hubby and in-laws waiting at the finish.  Life could be worse.

Two miles left and I’m still feeling pretty good.  I pass another couple of little kids going crazy with noisemakers.  It makes me laugh and I approach the “finish swine” without much of a push at the end.  I get my medal, grab my water, banana, and bagel and meet Dan, Pete and Joyce at the porta-potties as was the plan.  We make a break for the car.

One more (half) marathon under my belt and it feels kinda great.

4th Flying Pig medal

I got a new Runner’s World today.  I got excited.  I always get excited.  But, here’s the thing.  I still have an issue and a half waiting for my under my nightstand.  In the “old days” I would read an entire Runner’s World front to back, literally every word, in a few hours.  Dan would tell me to put it down because he knew that I was always disappointed when I finished and had to wait another whole month.  Oh, how times have changed.  I still love Runner’s World, but even the books by my bed are school related.  When I read my magazine, I’m usually just thinking that I should be reading something else.  It’s tragic, I know.  Maybe I’ll try to relax a bit tonight and catch up on my back issues.

Yesterday the big snowstorm descended on Columbus.  We were supposed to get 8 or 9 inches, but downtown only ended up getting about 4.  I decided that this meant it was safe enough for me to drive to the rec, so I did.  But, I forgot about that cleaning off the car business, which was a workout in itself.  I couldn’t get the very top of the car, so I left the neighborhood with 4 inches of snow on my roof, in addition to really wet gloves.  I hate that.  The streets were pretty clear and there were lots of parking spaces at the rec, so that was nice.  And, on the way home I saw a snowman Brutus!  The face was carved perfectly and it even had flexing arms.  I was going to turn around and take a picture, but I’m trying to make my car a “no phone zone” like Oprah told me to.  My apologies.  Also on the way home, that 4 inches of snow that was on my roof loosened up enough that when I stopped at a red light, it all slid onto my windshield.  Awesome.  No worries though, the windshield wipers did the trick.

I did schoolwork all afternoon until it was time to go out to dinner for Ben’s birthday part two.  We went to Gameworks at Easton.  Gameworks has this deal where if you eat a 1.25 lb burger, then you get a free $10 game card.  You have to eat the WHOLE burger and the side.  Everyone tried the challenge (but me), and though there was some grimacing and deep breathing (well, except for Matt), everyone finished and received their prize.  Here we all are, ridonculous burgers in hand.

That's a lot of meat!

After that, we played some games… while trying to keep down those big burgers.

Look at that face!

This is a familar scene... from Tokyo to Columbus.

And, now we’re back at Ben’s house watching some UFC.  Happy Birthday, Ben!

Last night I got ten hours of sleep.  A ridiculous amount if you ask me.  When I get that much sleep, I always seem to remember my crazy dreams and last night I had another dream about being late for Marcy’s wedding (even though it’s over).  This time, all the bathrooms in the house were in use, so I went outside to find a bathroom and got lost at a carnival.  By the time I found someone to drive me back to the church, the clock said 9:88 and I had no idea what that meant, but the wedding in my dream was at 10, so I was afraid I missed it.  Yeah, I know, bizarre.  I woke up all nervous and glad that it was just a dream.

Last night it snowed, so this afternoon, I took a lovely run in the snow.  It was still snowing a bit, but it had also warmed up, so it was more of a slushy run.  My feet were all wet by the end and that hot shower felt great.  I love snowy runs.

Dan had to run some “errands” today, so I stayed home and did laundry while I slowly packed for Cincinnati.  I think it took me about four hours to pack, which must be a record.  The problem was that as I packed I was both doing laundry and watching episodes of 30 days on hulu.  It’s a really great show and I highly recommend it.  It’s by the guy that did Supersize Me.  When Dan got home, he also slowly packed and then we headed down to Cincinnati.  I’m looking forward to a relaxing week with family.  Uncle Ray gets in Monday night!

If you knew my dad at all, you knew that every winter he wore this ridiculous 20-year-old Kent State stocking cap, with a large, even more ridiculous fuzzy ball on top.  He wore it to all of my games and field trips in school.  He wore it to church.  He wore it everywhere, all winter.  “It’s warm,” he said.  For the race, since I was dedicating it to my dad, I wanted to wear this hat.  Alas, the hat is missing, lost in the shuffle.  So, I decided to get my own version.

Ridiculous Ohio State Hat

This hat was nice and warm, but after about a mile it was a little too warm.  I kept it on the whole race though, and I liked it.  I thought I might get a few “Go Bucks!”, but I fear I was far from Buckeye country.  I only got one “O-H!” and that was at mile 5.  I thought Buckeye fans were everywhere.

Dan and I got downtown around 7, about an hour before race time.  We snuck into to the Holiday Inn’s lobby to stay warm.  At about 7:45, we headed out to line up.  It was in the low 30s and sunny, very nice weather for a winter marathon.  The race started in waves, so as each corral left, I slowly walked forward, waving goodbye to Dan.  We headed out downhill and by mile 2, the Mississippi River was in full view.  It’s pretty huge and there were even steamboats out!  I think I might have spotted Huck Finn!  Then, we headed back uphill toward Beale Street where there are a bunch of Blues cafes and a statue of Elvis (the whole area also smelled like fried food!).  Mile 3 brought us back close to the start and I got to wave to Dan one more time before we headed away from downtown.  At mile 5, we reached St. Jude.  There was a big balloon archway, kids and families everywhere and signs that said “Thank you!”  I fought back tears.  Eventually I just had to keep my eyes on the asphalt.  It was too overwhelming.  I felt my dad with me then, so proud.  He always wanted to go visit the hospital and here I was, having raised well over my $500 goal, running a marathon right through the hospital grounds.  He would have loved to have been right there with me. He was in a way, but I also wished he could have really been there.  He would have been bawling like a baby.  That was my dad.  He had a big heart.  After St. Jude, we headed out through a nice neighborhood to a nice park and then back downtown.  I felt really good and I finished with a PR (personal record)!  My fastest half marathon before this was a 2:12 and today I ran in 1:56!  I even felt like I could have kept going!  It was such a great race!

After the race, I peeled off my sweaty hat, and we headed back to the hotel for quick showers.  Then, we needed to get some Memphis Barbecue!  Dan found a place called Corky’s, which claimed that they had the best BBQ in Memphis.  Dan got some good ribs (according to him) and I was very happy with a delicious baked potato, corn on the cob, and a salad.  They also had good rolls that were covered with butter on the outside and served with some more butter on the side.  The south is not the land of the health nut, that’s for sure.

After our yummy lunch, we had plans to visit Graceland.  I don’t know what I expected, but it was way better than I thought.  It was pretty cool to see Elvis’ house preserved perfectly since the 1970s.  I’ve never seen so many mirrors in a house in all my life.  And, since it’s Christmas time, it was all decked out with original decorations (white trees and tinsel and everything!).  Dan got some really good pictures of the estate (and of the marathon) and you can see them if you click on “piictures” above!

After Graceland, we got on the rode and drove halfway home, so we would have a shorter trip tomorrow.  So, here I sit in Elizabethtown, KY.  Dan’s watching some UFC and I’m going to bed.  That PR wiped me out!  What a great day in Memphis!

This morning, Dan and I got up early to head to Memphis for my half marathon.  It was a nine hour trip and Dan drove the whole way.  He let me get some work done revising an article, emailing and finishing Twilight.  We stopped a few times to eat and take bathroom breaks, but we made pretty good time.  The tiger-striped dinosaur in Kentucky was the highlight of the trip.  At some point we also stopped in the middle-of-nowhere Tennessee for an emergency bathroom break.  The only two things at this exit were a gas station and a pinball museum.  The pinball museum was a glorified trailer with shoe polish on the windows and the gas station had an outhouse!  An outhouse!  “I can hold it a little longer,” I told Dan.

When we finally  arrived in Memphis, one of the first things we saw was St. Jude’s!  It’s a huge complex of buildings right off of the highway and it made my heart flutter a little to see it.  It made my fund raising a little more real.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

A few exits later, we were downtown parking in a church parking lot and walking over to the expo to pick up my race packet.  I love race expos.  Everyone is all a buzz and excited for the race.  This one seemed especially exciting as it was for such a good cause.  At the expo I bought some St. Jude gloves (I forgot mine) and a mug (I’m a sucker for a souvenir mug).  Then, Dan and I headed back to our hotel to order pizza and relax.  This sounds like a simple task, but if you could have heard Dan try to order pizza, you would have been rolling on the floor laughing.  It was one of the most difficult conversations I have ever heard.  I’m not sure, I think it was Dan’s yankee accent, but the guy must have asked him to repeat himself about toppings SIX times.  I’m not exaggerating.  It was hilarious.  And then his name, his nice, simple name… This is what I heard: “Dan.”  “D-A-N.”  “Yeah, a D.”  “As in delta.”  “Delta.”  “D as in delta, A, N, Dan.”  And can you even imagine what happened with Angelone?!?  Holy cow, it was a nightmare.  A really hilarious nightmare. 

But, I’ve recovered from my laughing fit and am tucked in bed with my Runner’s World and hot herbal tea (free in the lobby!).  Tomorrow’s going to be a great day!

I got the super secret, super elite Google Wave invite from my former boss the other day (Thanks, Eric!), but I had to wait until today to try it out since I was busy finishing up my exams.  I’m not really sure how I feel about it yet, but I know I need more contacts (which is sort of impossible because of the whole “invite” business).  Google Wave is supposed to be the next generation of email and I guess it works more like a chat/conversation (?).  I tried to start a “wave” with Dan and Eric (my only contacts) so that I could figure out how it works a little better, but later I asked Dan if he got my wave and he didn’t because it doesn’t email him (which I guess would be beside the point).  He had to go to his wave account to see my wave.  Hmm.  I don’t know about this.

It reminds me of the day way back in ‘94 when we got AOL and my dad was all excited about my having a screen name and he showed me how chat worked.  And I was all excited and signed into chat and… had no one to talk to.  I imagined that it would be really cool, if my friends also had computers and AOL, but not that many people did at that point.  I mean, imagine Facebook with only a few friends.  Not fun.  Eventually wave will be opened up to everyone (gmail started with the same invite deal), but I’m not convinced it will replace email.  We’ll see.

Sometimes I think about all these new technologies and I wonder what my dad would have said about them, geek that he was.  Wikis, blogs, twitter, facebook, skype, Garmins, iPhones, google wave… man alive, he would have loved this stuff.  Although he liked to be surprisingly grouchy about some things (like cell phones… after he got in a fight with the Motorola people because they wouldn’t give him unlimited minutes for $20 a month).  On a side note, I’m headed to Memphis tomorrow for the St. Jude’s Half Marathon, in honor of the old grouch!  If you still want to donate you can do so here:

https://waystohelp.stjude.org/sjVPortal/public/displayUserPage.do?userId=315633&programId=401&eventId=55854