A long-time and beloved employee retired
today. Renowned for her quirky
introversion, she (let’s call her Pat) had insisted from the beginning that she
wanted no party, no cake, no acknowledgement whatsoever of this milestone.
Reluctantly we agreed. But around noon,
our boss Mark appeared with a plaque and announced his intention to present it
to Pat in the conference room. The rest
of us exchanged nervous glances. “Mark,
you know she doesn’t want any –“ He
waved away our reservations, burst into her office and, oblivious to the look
of horror on her face, dangled the plaque in front of her and led the way to
the conference room. Most of us
followed, sheep-like, while a couple of Pat’s friends remained behind, worried
looks on their faces. After a few
minutes, when it was clear that Pat had no intention of joining us, Mark
cheerfully insisted we’d bring the party to her! We shuffled back down the hall, only to learn
that Pat had burst into tears and fled the scene. She sent Aimee a text from Chili’s making it
clear she would not be returning until everyone had gone home. After we got over the shock, Aimee and I
spent the rest of the afternoon exchanging cackling texts about the social
ineptitude of our office, and Mark’s bull-in-a-china-shop management
style. Aimee christened him “Our own
Michael Scott.” OMG…..how I love these
crazy people I work with.
Friday, November 30, 2012
On a Roll
Somebody stop me. I couldn’t help myself, I did five miles yet
again yesterday, after swearing to myself this would be my day off. I took the bus to work, but when it was time
to go home, I found myself craving that long, relentless hill up South
Congress. I googled the distance again –
2.9! Why did I think it was 2.4, or
2.6? Think of all the times Banks and I
did a round trip from home to office, and actually did six miles instead of
five! On the way home I stopped at the
dollar store to stock up on Cottonelle, felt an unexpected craving for a
chicken pot pie in the freezer there, microwaved it back home and took Banks
for two miles.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Knucklehead
About four months ago, I developed a peculiar ambition: I decided I wanted to learn how to crack my knuckles. Do I not have enough bad habits? Both my kids do it -- usually one knuckle at a time, with one hand in a fist, the other hand pressing individually on the middle knuckles of the other hand. Yuck. It looks workmanlike and painful and....I don't know.... kind of masculine. But that's not the only way to crack your knuckles. My ex-husband can ball both hands into tight fists, then release them suddenly, and all ten of them crack with no more effort than that.
I think there's only one way to crack your knuckles with any degree of elegance, and here it is: start with your hands in the "prayer" position, close to your chest, and slowly -- this is key -- slowly push your arms outward in front of you while rolling your hands inward, palms facing out. When your arms are fully extended, keep your fingers tense, while stretching them to their limit. It is at once tacky and graceful, and makes a loud and layered cracking noise which is very pleasing to me. You don't want to do this too often -- maybe just once in the course of an hour-long meeting -- and flash a warm smile at anyone who looks over at you.
Yesterday, again car-less, I walked Banks for three miles up and down Congress just after 5am. Poor Banks. When we got to the end of our driveway, in the darkness, he started tugging me to the right, towards Congress and away from St. Ed's or Stacy Park. He really does not like walking in the dark, and Congress is so much more well-lit. So we did our trek up and down the big hill, I dropped him off at the house, and proceeded on to Lynn's house, one mile away, to pick up her car for the day. I kept it at four miles, because I planned to drop the car back off at her house at the end of the day, and walk the one remaining mile home. But over the lunch hour, I walked to my credit union, about a mile round-trip, and though I didn't intend for that to be my fifth mile, I rolled with it when I realized, halfway home at 7:00pm, that I'd left my jacket at the office, and I just didn't want to walk a mile in the cold and dark in my uncomfortable shoes. Heather, Lynn's roommate gave me a lift.
Today's going to be my day off. Over lunch I've going to close the door and stretch for at least a half hour. I still have a lot of kinks to work out from my New Orleans walks, one of them in boots.
I think there's only one way to crack your knuckles with any degree of elegance, and here it is: start with your hands in the "prayer" position, close to your chest, and slowly -- this is key -- slowly push your arms outward in front of you while rolling your hands inward, palms facing out. When your arms are fully extended, keep your fingers tense, while stretching them to their limit. It is at once tacky and graceful, and makes a loud and layered cracking noise which is very pleasing to me. You don't want to do this too often -- maybe just once in the course of an hour-long meeting -- and flash a warm smile at anyone who looks over at you.
Yesterday, again car-less, I walked Banks for three miles up and down Congress just after 5am. Poor Banks. When we got to the end of our driveway, in the darkness, he started tugging me to the right, towards Congress and away from St. Ed's or Stacy Park. He really does not like walking in the dark, and Congress is so much more well-lit. So we did our trek up and down the big hill, I dropped him off at the house, and proceeded on to Lynn's house, one mile away, to pick up her car for the day. I kept it at four miles, because I planned to drop the car back off at her house at the end of the day, and walk the one remaining mile home. But over the lunch hour, I walked to my credit union, about a mile round-trip, and though I didn't intend for that to be my fifth mile, I rolled with it when I realized, halfway home at 7:00pm, that I'd left my jacket at the office, and I just didn't want to walk a mile in the cold and dark in my uncomfortable shoes. Heather, Lynn's roommate gave me a lift.
Today's going to be my day off. Over lunch I've going to close the door and stretch for at least a half hour. I still have a lot of kinks to work out from my New Orleans walks, one of them in boots.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Discalculiac musings
This is very embarrassing, so let's just get it out of the way: the reason I couldn't reach Steve, my mechanic, is because I was one number off. His number starts out 332, which I put in my contacts as 322. This happens to me all the time, if there is a number that repeats itself. I've been meaning to do this for a long time, and I finally googled "Is there a number version of dyslexia?" Possibly. It may be dyscalculia. Or numlexia. These terms pop up in informal chat sessions, but neither seem to fit my specific disability. Wikipedia suggests "math learning difficulties" and makes a troubling reference to low IQs. In any event, Steve said he had been waiting for me to okay the work, so now it would probably be Saturday before he'd be finished. Honestly, I don't mind -- it's kind of fun having to get by without a car! The only day I really, really need one is tomorrow, and Lynn and I have worked out a complicated and brilliant hand-off involving her car, her boss's mother's funeral, and her roommate's late night shift.
Last night as I half-listened to the news I heard something about today being 25 degrees colder than yesterday. Truer words, boy, as Holden Caulfield would say. Banks and I were only a block from the house when I rushed us back in to add a jacket and gloves. Since I had to take the bus this morning and didn't really have much time, I planned to do 2 1/2 miles, then finish up the rest after work, but Banks and I were having so much fun (once we adjusted to the cold) that I kept it up for an hour.
After work, I took the bus south again on Congress, and as it pulled into my stop, I was seized with the idea of, instead of making up the remaining half hour with Banks, veering off down Oltorf and picking up Popeye's Chicken for dinner. I don't know if this offer is nationwide, but at least in Austin they have a special every Tuesday -- 99 cents for a two piece dark. You would think I'd lived through the Depression, the way my eyes light up at the thought of that, but God in heaven, 99 cents for a meal? I jumped off the bus and high-tailed it the five or six blocks to Popeye's, picked up two boxes for Jackson and me, then walked the remaining eight or so blocks home, in my clogs. Jackson took Banks out for his nighttime walk.
Tomorrow's Wednesday, I still haven't taken my day off, and I feel stronger than ever.
..
.
Last night as I half-listened to the news I heard something about today being 25 degrees colder than yesterday. Truer words, boy, as Holden Caulfield would say. Banks and I were only a block from the house when I rushed us back in to add a jacket and gloves. Since I had to take the bus this morning and didn't really have much time, I planned to do 2 1/2 miles, then finish up the rest after work, but Banks and I were having so much fun (once we adjusted to the cold) that I kept it up for an hour.
After work, I took the bus south again on Congress, and as it pulled into my stop, I was seized with the idea of, instead of making up the remaining half hour with Banks, veering off down Oltorf and picking up Popeye's Chicken for dinner. I don't know if this offer is nationwide, but at least in Austin they have a special every Tuesday -- 99 cents for a two piece dark. You would think I'd lived through the Depression, the way my eyes light up at the thought of that, but God in heaven, 99 cents for a meal? I jumped off the bus and high-tailed it the five or six blocks to Popeye's, picked up two boxes for Jackson and me, then walked the remaining eight or so blocks home, in my clogs. Jackson took Banks out for his nighttime walk.
Tomorrow's Wednesday, I still haven't taken my day off, and I feel stronger than ever.
..
.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Fun's Over
If I had any sense, I would have made today my day off. Well, I did, actually -- I called in sick. I really did sort of pick up something in New Orleans. For the last couple of days I've felt cold and tired, and today I decided to just sleep in and try to recup from the last five days.
We got in last night around 6:30, and I thought the last thing I'd want to do was my walk, but on the contrary, after 8 1/2 hours of being cooped up in a Honda Element I couldn't wait to start. Banks is usually a little cool when I return from a weekend, but this was five days, and he couldn't hide his delirium at seeing me again. Off we went, over our old, comforting route. I didn't realize until then that New Orleans is a little flat -- or at least the uptown section, where we stayed, was -- and I was ready for those hills.
If I had gone into work today, I probably would have let this be my off day. I figured my average daily mileage was between 7-8 in New Orleans, and my knees were feeling it. But I remembered for once to to wear my knee brace, and it is very hard for me to not walk on a day when I have all day to do it, since I know there will be work days when it's really a challenge to fit it in, so off we went again.
As much as I love to travel, and hang out with my family, that's how much I love reverting to my old routine. After my walk I kept the momentum going with a trip to HEB to stock up on lots of healthful foods. There is a time and a place for Po'boys, pies, turkey sandwiches, fried chicken and begnies, but that time is brief and limited, and I am ready to pay the price for the last week's excess.
Oh, and speaking of walking, I may be doing more of it than I planned. I know a guy, a former relative by marriage, who is an ace mechanic in Bastrop, works out of his own place and is totally honest and willing to work out payment plans for high-dollar work, which I'm sorry to say I am in the middle of. Only problem is, he has, shall we say, relaxed ideas about time, and my cousin (his ex-wife) had warned me "Don't tell him you've got all the time in the world, because he'll take that and then some." I left my car with him on Wednesday morning, and then continued on to New Orleans, confident it would be finished by the return trip on Sunday. On said return trip, he did not answer his phone, and there was no option of leaving voice mail. He did not answer his phone today either. This is vexing. Stay tuned.
We got in last night around 6:30, and I thought the last thing I'd want to do was my walk, but on the contrary, after 8 1/2 hours of being cooped up in a Honda Element I couldn't wait to start. Banks is usually a little cool when I return from a weekend, but this was five days, and he couldn't hide his delirium at seeing me again. Off we went, over our old, comforting route. I didn't realize until then that New Orleans is a little flat -- or at least the uptown section, where we stayed, was -- and I was ready for those hills.
If I had gone into work today, I probably would have let this be my off day. I figured my average daily mileage was between 7-8 in New Orleans, and my knees were feeling it. But I remembered for once to to wear my knee brace, and it is very hard for me to not walk on a day when I have all day to do it, since I know there will be work days when it's really a challenge to fit it in, so off we went again.
As much as I love to travel, and hang out with my family, that's how much I love reverting to my old routine. After my walk I kept the momentum going with a trip to HEB to stock up on lots of healthful foods. There is a time and a place for Po'boys, pies, turkey sandwiches, fried chicken and begnies, but that time is brief and limited, and I am ready to pay the price for the last week's excess.
Oh, and speaking of walking, I may be doing more of it than I planned. I know a guy, a former relative by marriage, who is an ace mechanic in Bastrop, works out of his own place and is totally honest and willing to work out payment plans for high-dollar work, which I'm sorry to say I am in the middle of. Only problem is, he has, shall we say, relaxed ideas about time, and my cousin (his ex-wife) had warned me "Don't tell him you've got all the time in the world, because he'll take that and then some." I left my car with him on Wednesday morning, and then continued on to New Orleans, confident it would be finished by the return trip on Sunday. On said return trip, he did not answer his phone, and there was no option of leaving voice mail. He did not answer his phone today either. This is vexing. Stay tuned.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
New Orleans
I've been kind of slacking off on the blog the last couple of days, and it's not because I've been lazy. It feels very strange having, like, half my readership here in New Orleans with me, asking if I've blogged yet, reading my blog right in front of me, asking each other if they've read the blog yet....it makes me feel self-conscious, and appreciative of the normal distance I have between the writing and the reaction. But I couldn't put it off any longer, because the trip has been so fantastic, and I don't want to forget anything.
But if I've slacked off on writing, I have NOT slacked off on walking. Oh My God. The first day I mentioned that my whole family walked five miles around Centennial Park, but I didn't mention that I also walked two miles earlier that morning in search of bagels and coffee. Yesterday, I again walked two miles in the morning, and we went on an even longer one walk in the later morning, this time City Park which surrounds the New Orleans Museum of Art, and containes a sculpture garden and a lake. It was beautiful and scenic and over before we knew it.
Then today. Once again I went out early, this time on a reconnaissance mission for milk for our coffee, just over a mile. Then it was on to the French Quarter on foot, which Kristin and Keene thought was just over five miles from their doorstep, but I know was at least six, God in heaven, we were walking FOREVER. And once we got there, we kept on walking, down Canal Street, Bourbon Street, back towards Napolean via Canal to get a cab...honetly, I think I can give myself eight or 8.5 miles today alone. My sister Betsy asked me why I always feel compelled to make up the miles the next day when I fall a little short, but never give myself "credit miles" when I've overdone it, and I'd never really thought about it. All I know is that considering what I've eaten today alone, eight miles is just about right. A bagel for breakfast. Half a turkey sandwich and stuffing shortly thereafter. A catfish Po'Boy for lunch. (Incredible). Three begnies and hot chocolate at Cafe DuMond. A drink at Napolean House.
Some of our party is still out on the town, listening to jazz, but we're leaving tomorrow, and I'm walked and partied out. I love New Orleans, the people, the food, the vibe, the energy. It's been an amazing few days. Here's a few pictures.
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But if I've slacked off on writing, I have NOT slacked off on walking. Oh My God. The first day I mentioned that my whole family walked five miles around Centennial Park, but I didn't mention that I also walked two miles earlier that morning in search of bagels and coffee. Yesterday, I again walked two miles in the morning, and we went on an even longer one walk in the later morning, this time City Park which surrounds the New Orleans Museum of Art, and containes a sculpture garden and a lake. It was beautiful and scenic and over before we knew it.
Then today. Once again I went out early, this time on a reconnaissance mission for milk for our coffee, just over a mile. Then it was on to the French Quarter on foot, which Kristin and Keene thought was just over five miles from their doorstep, but I know was at least six, God in heaven, we were walking FOREVER. And once we got there, we kept on walking, down Canal Street, Bourbon Street, back towards Napolean via Canal to get a cab...honetly, I think I can give myself eight or 8.5 miles today alone. My sister Betsy asked me why I always feel compelled to make up the miles the next day when I fall a little short, but never give myself "credit miles" when I've overdone it, and I'd never really thought about it. All I know is that considering what I've eaten today alone, eight miles is just about right. A bagel for breakfast. Half a turkey sandwich and stuffing shortly thereafter. A catfish Po'Boy for lunch. (Incredible). Three begnies and hot chocolate at Cafe DuMond. A drink at Napolean House.
Some of our party is still out on the town, listening to jazz, but we're leaving tomorrow, and I'm walked and partied out. I love New Orleans, the people, the food, the vibe, the energy. It's been an amazing few days. Here's a few pictures.
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| Playing "Smart Ass" -- Betsy Ann (in pink), Allison, Larry, Jason, Keene, Lynn |
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| Keene and Sam taking advantage of NOLA's VERY relaxed open container policy |
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| This is Brad and Angelina's house. Obviously nobody's home |
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Life's Better with a Dog
I just had to get that out. This morning, I was sitting in PJ's, a little coffee shop on Magazine Street, watching people walking their dogs, and sitting outside reading their newspapers and drinking coffee with their dogs at their feet, and it just came to me: "Life's better with a dog." I've got to do something with that. Wouldn't that be a great line for a public service announcement? Like for the ASPCA, or the Humane Society? Videos of people playing frisbee with their dogs, riding in their cars with their dogs, snuggling on the couch with their dogsj, and then either a voiceover or fade to the tagline: Life's better with a dog.
We got into New Orleans with surprisingly little traffic at about 5:00 yesterday. All nine of us went on a five-mile walk this morning to and around Audobon Park, then watched football and cooked -- well, some of us cooked -- ate dinner, and then play a trivia game called Smart Ass. Most of us are staying in a three-level house that must be 100 years old. I love New Orleans. The people here remind me of Austinites -- friendly, laid-back, a little eccentric. I love hanging with my family. I love the food, and the fact that most of it is remaining in Keene's and Kristin's apartment, out of reach. I can't wait to explore the city in earnest beginning tomorrow. My only complaint is that Banks isn't here. I miss him. Life's just better with a dog.
We got into New Orleans with surprisingly little traffic at about 5:00 yesterday. All nine of us went on a five-mile walk this morning to and around Audobon Park, then watched football and cooked -- well, some of us cooked -- ate dinner, and then play a trivia game called Smart Ass. Most of us are staying in a three-level house that must be 100 years old. I love New Orleans. The people here remind me of Austinites -- friendly, laid-back, a little eccentric. I love hanging with my family. I love the food, and the fact that most of it is remaining in Keene's and Kristin's apartment, out of reach. I can't wait to explore the city in earnest beginning tomorrow. My only complaint is that Banks isn't here. I miss him. Life's just better with a dog.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
I already miss Banks
As I had planned, I walked to breakfast at Mi Madres on Manor Road this morning to meet Brian for breakfast. My left knee was hurting the whole way; I know I'm due for a day off, because it always feels better after 24-hour rest. However, I'm inclined to push it tomorrow and fit in another five before we leave for New Orleans, because sitting in a car for eight hours, with my muscles cramping and my joints locking up, does NOT seem to me to be a quality "day of rest." I'm envisioning a day of relaxed walking, maybe through the French Quarter (maybe with a glass of wine in my hand), complemented with stretching. I'm really going to try to get packed and be totally ready to go tonight so I can do this. It's so much less stressful to pack for a drive than for a flight!
Brian's two rescue dogs, Roscoe and Cosmo, sat in the car patiently while we ate, and then we drove them to their 8:00 AM appointment at PetCo for baths, brushing and nail clipping. They are SO adorable. Brian and Mark got them from the pound almost seven years ago. They were deliberately looking for a "sibling group" and fell in love with these two, who were 3 1/2 at the time. Only problem is, both had epilepsy. And hip dysplasia. They talked it over, decided they were up for the challenge of two "special needs dogs," and have never looked back. Honestly, why would anyone want anything BUT a rescue dog?
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Brian's two rescue dogs, Roscoe and Cosmo, sat in the car patiently while we ate, and then we drove them to their 8:00 AM appointment at PetCo for baths, brushing and nail clipping. They are SO adorable. Brian and Mark got them from the pound almost seven years ago. They were deliberately looking for a "sibling group" and fell in love with these two, who were 3 1/2 at the time. Only problem is, both had epilepsy. And hip dysplasia. They talked it over, decided they were up for the challenge of two "special needs dogs," and have never looked back. Honestly, why would anyone want anything BUT a rescue dog?
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Monday, November 19, 2012
Countown to NOLA
It took discipline, tremendous discipline, to force myself out to walk tonight. I had my heart set on seeing the second part of "The Dust Bowl" at 7:00, and I was hungry, but just wasn't in the mood for another 9:00pm walk, especially since I've got to get up around 5:00 tomorrow and walk to Mi Madres to meet Brian for breakfast. So off I went without Banks, because Jackson had taken him for two walks today and I felt like walking fast and having some alone time. I tried to do something different today and took a right off Live Oak, instead of going through the light and proceeding to Stacy Park, but almost got hit by two different cars and decided that narrow and fast street was pretty incompatible with walking. Back to Stacy Park and the quiet, sloping residential streets.
I got a sweet and supportive email from Keene today after he read my post about my New Orleans food anxiety. He said he and Kristin have also made a point of trying to rein in their eating after moving there earlier this year, and offered to split entrees, take my walks with me and otherwise be a supportive nephew, while also keeping an eye on his own health. He said something about a very lax "open container" law there which turns a blind eye to people walking with glasses of wine or bottles of beer in their hands, an intriguing and certainly different type of walk than I'm used to. I cannot take my day off until I'm safely in New Orleans. I'm betting there will be a day there when I need it badly.
I got a sweet and supportive email from Keene today after he read my post about my New Orleans food anxiety. He said he and Kristin have also made a point of trying to rein in their eating after moving there earlier this year, and offered to split entrees, take my walks with me and otherwise be a supportive nephew, while also keeping an eye on his own health. He said something about a very lax "open container" law there which turns a blind eye to people walking with glasses of wine or bottles of beer in their hands, an intriguing and certainly different type of walk than I'm used to. I cannot take my day off until I'm safely in New Orleans. I'm betting there will be a day there when I need it badly.
Of barefoot walks and Italian men
I love it (sometimes) when my days are full and busy, and I am forced to be creative and resourceful about getting my walk done. Yesterday I gave in to the temptation to stay in my jammies, drink coffee and pore over the Sunday paper, then met Sam at the Omelettry at 9:00. I never fail to come away from our breakfasts with a renewed sense of gratitude about the kind of person he has turned out to be, and how much fun it is to interact with him as an adult.
We could have lingered over coffee for another hour, but the place was getting crowded and we sensed our waiter's itch for a free table, so we cleared out after about an hour. I arrived at church at the inconvenient hour of 10:20 -- it starts at 11:15. As I was parking on a street under a bridge that T-bones Cesar Chavez I noticed a little trail leading upwards. Why not just do my walk, or at least half of it, right now? The path sort of paralleled the Amtrak rails, and it turned into a very smooth asphalt surface, so I was able to take off my uncomfortable shoes and walk barefoot. I crossed this very cool footbridge, which is I think over 5th St., and then walked around the shops and the big apartment building, back and forth a couple of different times, til I reached 45 minutes, and it was still cool and beautiful enough that sweating was not an issue. Then tonight, after the Ken Burns documentary "The Dust Bowl," I took Banks out for a late-night stroll down to Stacy Park. It was perfect.
I really need to go out and listen to live music more often. Saturday, Steve (remember him? The tennis pro who lives in Chicago half the year and Austin half the year?) was playing at the Saxon Pub with a band from Chicago featuring Billy Prine (John's brother), and I went there with Lynn and Terry. It was a blast. There was something about the harmonica player that got us all going....there are just not enough Italian men in Austin, that's all there is to it. There were loads of them growing up in Pittsburgh, with names like Vespignani, Spizzoletti, Luppinacci, Cirincione, and on the rare occasion that I encounter an Italian man in Texas, I find myself staring, almost hypnotically. Those prominent noses, those sad dark eyes. Oh My God.
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We could have lingered over coffee for another hour, but the place was getting crowded and we sensed our waiter's itch for a free table, so we cleared out after about an hour. I arrived at church at the inconvenient hour of 10:20 -- it starts at 11:15. As I was parking on a street under a bridge that T-bones Cesar Chavez I noticed a little trail leading upwards. Why not just do my walk, or at least half of it, right now? The path sort of paralleled the Amtrak rails, and it turned into a very smooth asphalt surface, so I was able to take off my uncomfortable shoes and walk barefoot. I crossed this very cool footbridge, which is I think over 5th St., and then walked around the shops and the big apartment building, back and forth a couple of different times, til I reached 45 minutes, and it was still cool and beautiful enough that sweating was not an issue. Then tonight, after the Ken Burns documentary "The Dust Bowl," I took Banks out for a late-night stroll down to Stacy Park. It was perfect.
I really need to go out and listen to live music more often. Saturday, Steve (remember him? The tennis pro who lives in Chicago half the year and Austin half the year?) was playing at the Saxon Pub with a band from Chicago featuring Billy Prine (John's brother), and I went there with Lynn and Terry. It was a blast. There was something about the harmonica player that got us all going....there are just not enough Italian men in Austin, that's all there is to it. There were loads of them growing up in Pittsburgh, with names like Vespignani, Spizzoletti, Luppinacci, Cirincione, and on the rare occasion that I encounter an Italian man in Texas, I find myself staring, almost hypnotically. Those prominent noses, those sad dark eyes. Oh My God.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Stronger than....
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As Banks and I headed out at 7:50 this morning, I had a plan to walk him for an hour and five minutes, return him home, and then do another hour and five minutes myself, figuring that would even things up after Thursday's truncated walk. But the day was so beautiful, and he was having so much fun, I decided to just do the whole five and then, around dinnertime, take a 35 minute walk (the average time for a Fresh Air podcast) around dinnertime, either with or without him. We went through the woods and then back to St. Ed's -- the picture below is of the short but steep hill we've incorporated into our St. Ed's route. It's really more of an incline than it looks, and leaves the back of my thighs burning.
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Did I mention that most of my family is meeting in New Orleans for Thanksgiving? On the drive home last night, I told Lynn I am seriously stressing about those five days. New Orleans is all about food. Two days ago, Keene sent out an innocent email asking for some requests/suggestions, and the responses are 21 and counting. Jason informed us that there is a place called Willie Mae's, a kind of hole-in-the-wall that won the James Beard award for the best fried chicken in the country. World, maybe! Kristin referenced something called buttermilk drops, apparently a NOLA staple. Shubh, who lived in New Orleans for a year once, informed us that we have to visit this place called Drago's, which features charbroiled oysters. Everyone is buzzing about farmer's markets and turkey sandwiches and oyster stew and Larry's famous pancakes, and I'm thinking, how am I going to resist all this? And don't tell me a five mile daily walk will take care of it because it won't. Maybe for the rest of the family, but not for me -- my body is way, way too used to this level of activity.
But a funny thing happened during last night's walk. About halfway into it, those old demons of "I can't" and "what if" and "how am I gonna" began fading away. They were muted, if not completely drowned out, by competing mantras, mantras that I didn't have to summon up, but that surfaced buoyantly all on their own. I can do this. I'm disciplined. I'm in control. I'll figure out something.
I think I'll stop by Gold's Gym before Wednesday and pick up one of their "stronger than" T-shirts as inspiration. "Strong than an Ice Cream Sundae" will probably be best suited to this particular week.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Houston
I just got back. Lynn and I drove there together yesterday, because I had work there and she had other business, and we both wanted to spend the night with Stacy and Shubh, whom I think I've mentioned here before -- Shubh is the most incredible cook that I know, and I know a lot of great ones -- and a sleepover at that house means the most mouth-watering steaks you have ever had. Anywhere.
So we left on Thursday about 4:30pm. I was unhappy with my walk that day; I'd taken Banks on just a mile first thing in the morning, with the intention of doing the remaining four over lunch, but two work crises interrupted that walk, with the result being, once again, probably a total of three miles instead of five. Nothing could be done about it, so it was on to Houston.
And those steaks....oh my God, as good as anything I've ever had a Ruth's Chris, Three Forks or Austin Land and Cattle. And not only the steak, but some kind of potato/bacon/garlic concoction, which complemented the meat perfectly. I had thirds. On top of all that I had, oh, four or five glasses of wine, an excellent cabernet. And then pecan pie for dessert. These people love to cook, love to entertain, and do it effortlessly.
The downside of this? I am so constipated it is not even funny. As we drove back, I told Lynn it was shaping up to be one of those days where I was just going to have to skip the walk and do ten tomorrow. I was totally ready to do that, but I got home around 7:50, and suddently I didn't just need to walk, I wanted to walk. It was cold, and Banks was feisty and actually led me most of the way, all the way to I-35 on St. Ed's, around a cul-de-sac a couple of times, then around a big apartment complex, then to St. Ed's, where I discovered, after all this time, a great way to make the soccer field more interesting and challenging, by following a very narrow, very steep path up to the street above it, then coming back down the stairs and continuing around the loop. We did that three times.
I'm here to tell you it didn't work miracles. I deserve every bit of this discomfort.
I'm going to walk seven miles tomorrow, to make up for Thursday.
So we left on Thursday about 4:30pm. I was unhappy with my walk that day; I'd taken Banks on just a mile first thing in the morning, with the intention of doing the remaining four over lunch, but two work crises interrupted that walk, with the result being, once again, probably a total of three miles instead of five. Nothing could be done about it, so it was on to Houston.
And those steaks....oh my God, as good as anything I've ever had a Ruth's Chris, Three Forks or Austin Land and Cattle. And not only the steak, but some kind of potato/bacon/garlic concoction, which complemented the meat perfectly. I had thirds. On top of all that I had, oh, four or five glasses of wine, an excellent cabernet. And then pecan pie for dessert. These people love to cook, love to entertain, and do it effortlessly.
The downside of this? I am so constipated it is not even funny. As we drove back, I told Lynn it was shaping up to be one of those days where I was just going to have to skip the walk and do ten tomorrow. I was totally ready to do that, but I got home around 7:50, and suddently I didn't just need to walk, I wanted to walk. It was cold, and Banks was feisty and actually led me most of the way, all the way to I-35 on St. Ed's, around a cul-de-sac a couple of times, then around a big apartment complex, then to St. Ed's, where I discovered, after all this time, a great way to make the soccer field more interesting and challenging, by following a very narrow, very steep path up to the street above it, then coming back down the stairs and continuing around the loop. We did that three times.
I'm here to tell you it didn't work miracles. I deserve every bit of this discomfort.
I'm going to walk seven miles tomorrow, to make up for Thursday.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
zzzzzzzzzz
Oh, God, do you know how TIRED I am tonight? Normally I can't wait to blog, the day just doesn't seem complete without it, but about ten minutes ago, after I got back home with Banks, I stumbled back to my room, couldn't wait to go to bed (it's 8:20!), then remembered I hadn't blogged yet, and since I took off yesterday, I couldn't go two days without writing anything, so....
I didn't sleep well last night, and I think I sensed over the lunch hour that tonight could be a challenge, so I took a 1.2 mile walk -- I measured it later -- over lunch, then after dinner tonight (an ENORMOUS baked chicken breast that I shared with Banks, and white rice, both of which are now settled uncomfortably in my midsection) I waddled, uh, walked another 3.8 miles and here I am, bleary-eyed, almost too tired to take out my contacts, and dying to get to bed. I need to check the weather -- is there pollen, or cedar, or mold, or something out there?
Oh, but I have to tell you about Janette's birthday! We had dinner at Carmelo's, and every single dish was so fantastic, but man was it rich! Maybe that's what today is all about -- maybe the escargots, wine, lasagne, bread, and garlic are still in there and draining the life out of me. It was worth it. And for dessert, Janette wanted Bananas Foster, which I've never had before, but it was divine. I took a few pictures of the tableside presentation, but alas, missed the big flame. I have a new favorite dessert, and it doesn't contain a drop of chocolate.
I didn't sleep well last night, and I think I sensed over the lunch hour that tonight could be a challenge, so I took a 1.2 mile walk -- I measured it later -- over lunch, then after dinner tonight (an ENORMOUS baked chicken breast that I shared with Banks, and white rice, both of which are now settled uncomfortably in my midsection) I waddled, uh, walked another 3.8 miles and here I am, bleary-eyed, almost too tired to take out my contacts, and dying to get to bed. I need to check the weather -- is there pollen, or cedar, or mold, or something out there?
Oh, but I have to tell you about Janette's birthday! We had dinner at Carmelo's, and every single dish was so fantastic, but man was it rich! Maybe that's what today is all about -- maybe the escargots, wine, lasagne, bread, and garlic are still in there and draining the life out of me. It was worth it. And for dessert, Janette wanted Bananas Foster, which I've never had before, but it was divine. I took a few pictures of the tableside presentation, but alas, missed the big flame. I have a new favorite dessert, and it doesn't contain a drop of chocolate.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Look out, World....
Okay, let me hurry up and recreate yesterday’s walk before it’s
gone forever. We did it early, about
8:30ish, I think. This time I brought
Banks and nothing else, didn’t want to listen to music or a Fresh Air or This
American Life podcast, just wanted to keep all distracting noise out of my head
while I meditated on the car issue. It’s
funny how that process works – I don’t start out thinking, I’ve got to solve
this problem, and I’ll use the next hour and a half to come up with a bunch of
solutions. I just start walking, let my
mind wander where it wanders, and it DOES wander, freely and creatively, and
when I came back, I had no less than six pretty decent ideas. It was the most unfocused and freewheeling
walk we’ve taken in months, following no particular routes that we’ve blazed
before, and maybe that’s part of my “process.”
Could someone please come up with a new phrase for “thinking outside the
box,” which I think matches the metaphor I’m struggling to articulate here.
This morning I also didn’t take my phone, but only because
it was dead, but who needed musical or talk support when the weather was sunny
and cold and fabulous? Banks and I
walked took two separate trails through the woods, then down to Stacy Park, and
when we got back it was exactly 1.5 hours.
I’ve got the day off and here’s my first order of business. Jackson, Banks and I are going back to those
woods, and I’m going to have Jackson snap some pictures of me and Banks for
match.com. Isn’t that what they say you’re
supposed to do? Show yourself in
different settings so potential dates see the different sides of you? Outdoorsy, sexy, social, zany, contemplative…..I
think I’ll wait to get a few photos of myself in New Orleans over Thanksgiving
to really round things out. Look out,
world.
Skyfall, the new James Bond movie I saw last night, was
GREAT! Even if you’re not normally an
action movie fan, which I’m not, it’s a blast from start to finish – it was
just under 2 ½ hours, and while I usually get fidgety at about two hours, I was
never bored, and was even disappointed when it was over. Even more fun, just as we were entering the
theater, Dan Rather was coming out.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Decisions, decisions
You didn't think I'd let that three-mile walk on Thursday suffice, did you? Friday at 4:30, I left the office in my T-shirt and shorts, and went to the trail. I walked two hours. Then this morning, with Banks, I walked 1:45, and I figure I'm back up to speed.
I spent a disheartening couple of hours today worrying myself to death over my car. It's nine years old, and I love it -- it's one of the earliest Priuses -- and I've always bragged that "I never have to do anything to it except change the oil!" Which is mostly true, but time is catching up with me. A couple of days ago I had the heart-stopping sensation of feeling it start to die when I was caught in stop-and-go traffic. Oh My God, I thought! That's exactly what happened a few years ago when I had to replace the (small) battery. But then I looked at the little plastic reminder at the top left of my windshield. Yikes. I'm supposed to have the oil changed every 5,000 miles, and it's been almost 8,000. For eight years, I've never fallen behind on regular oild changes, but since starting my walk and my blog, this is the second time I've forgotten about it. For months. I think I'm beginning to understand what people mean when they tell me they simply could never find the time to walk five miles every day. Yes you could, I insist. If I can find the time, anyone can find the time. But I also think it takes a lot of mental energy; I focus so much on doing it, figuring out when to do it, and what I"m going to write about, that I guess other things just fall by the wayside. Like routine car maintenance.
So the mechanic handed me the sad news that on top of the $30-ish for the oil change, I need $800 worth of two new tires, struts (what are struts?), an alignment.....help me, Jesus. I'm at that place where we all get eventually with our cars: Do you pour significant amounts of money into it, or cut your losses and get a new one? I'm still mulling that one over. I'm going to wait til after Thanksgiving to make any final decisions.
A cold front is moving in even as I write, and I can't wait to do my walk tomorrow. It's going to be a quiet night with just me, Banks and the book we've chosen for Book Club: A Terrible Splender.
I spent a disheartening couple of hours today worrying myself to death over my car. It's nine years old, and I love it -- it's one of the earliest Priuses -- and I've always bragged that "I never have to do anything to it except change the oil!" Which is mostly true, but time is catching up with me. A couple of days ago I had the heart-stopping sensation of feeling it start to die when I was caught in stop-and-go traffic. Oh My God, I thought! That's exactly what happened a few years ago when I had to replace the (small) battery. But then I looked at the little plastic reminder at the top left of my windshield. Yikes. I'm supposed to have the oil changed every 5,000 miles, and it's been almost 8,000. For eight years, I've never fallen behind on regular oild changes, but since starting my walk and my blog, this is the second time I've forgotten about it. For months. I think I'm beginning to understand what people mean when they tell me they simply could never find the time to walk five miles every day. Yes you could, I insist. If I can find the time, anyone can find the time. But I also think it takes a lot of mental energy; I focus so much on doing it, figuring out when to do it, and what I"m going to write about, that I guess other things just fall by the wayside. Like routine car maintenance.
So the mechanic handed me the sad news that on top of the $30-ish for the oil change, I need $800 worth of two new tires, struts (what are struts?), an alignment.....help me, Jesus. I'm at that place where we all get eventually with our cars: Do you pour significant amounts of money into it, or cut your losses and get a new one? I'm still mulling that one over. I'm going to wait til after Thanksgiving to make any final decisions.
A cold front is moving in even as I write, and I can't wait to do my walk tomorrow. It's going to be a quiet night with just me, Banks and the book we've chosen for Book Club: A Terrible Splender.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Pagliacci and Me
I know I fell short of my five yesterday, I'm just not sure how much. I had two early morning commitments, and didn't have time to walk before work, and then had the opera right after work, so had no choice but to do it over lunch. Only problem is, I'd forgotten my gear, so I just struck out towards downtown in my work clothes. My consignment-store Pradas are very comfortable, but apparently are not designed for five mile walks; they started cutting into the area just below my toes, so I veered into the library on Guadalupe, made a point of climbing all the stairs they had, ducked into the bathroom, and stuffed some toilet paper into my shoes as a buffer. I looked ridiculous, the toilet paper didn't help, and I gave up after another mile or so. Since I'd forgotten to look at the clock when I left (I was seriously off my game yesterday) I don't know how far I went but it was closer to three than five, I'd wager.
Who cares? The opera was incredible, the most enjoyable one I've ever gone to. Part of that was that we had great seats. My friend Matt got the second ticket (compliments of Janette), and it was open seating in the mezzanine. I got there at 6:00, weedled my way into the ushers' circle, told them how desperately I wanted the front row and made a few friends. When it was time to open the doors at about 6:45, one of them gave us the nod, we gulped down the last of our wine, went to the appropriate door and raced to front row center. The music was beautiful, I loved the scenery, and it was just so much fun watching Janette as the innkeeper; she was part of the chorus, but was onstage most of the time, and just has this effervescence, this presence.
Janette had told me that there were not going to be any backstage visits, but one of the ushers -- my new best friends -- told me that there had been a last-minute decision to allow visitors backstage, and gave detailed instructions as to how to get to the dressing rooms. So we went backstage, and not only hung out with Janette, but met all of the principals -- Nedda, Canio, Tonio and Silvio! "Silvio" speculated about what he'd do if someone stabbed his wife -- he hoped he'd be a little more heroic than his character -- and showed us pictures of his adorable five-month-old son.
A fun and magical night, and I decided that dress rehearsals are tons more fun than actual performances. Can't wait til April -- Janette has already promised me tickets to Faust!
Who cares? The opera was incredible, the most enjoyable one I've ever gone to. Part of that was that we had great seats. My friend Matt got the second ticket (compliments of Janette), and it was open seating in the mezzanine. I got there at 6:00, weedled my way into the ushers' circle, told them how desperately I wanted the front row and made a few friends. When it was time to open the doors at about 6:45, one of them gave us the nod, we gulped down the last of our wine, went to the appropriate door and raced to front row center. The music was beautiful, I loved the scenery, and it was just so much fun watching Janette as the innkeeper; she was part of the chorus, but was onstage most of the time, and just has this effervescence, this presence.
Janette had told me that there were not going to be any backstage visits, but one of the ushers -- my new best friends -- told me that there had been a last-minute decision to allow visitors backstage, and gave detailed instructions as to how to get to the dressing rooms. So we went backstage, and not only hung out with Janette, but met all of the principals -- Nedda, Canio, Tonio and Silvio! "Silvio" speculated about what he'd do if someone stabbed his wife -- he hoped he'd be a little more heroic than his character -- and showed us pictures of his adorable five-month-old son.
A fun and magical night, and I decided that dress rehearsals are tons more fun than actual performances. Can't wait til April -- Janette has already promised me tickets to Faust!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Indulge
Are there certain foods that you cannot keep in your house? Foods that you know you can't resist? The two that really stand out for me are 1) ice cream, and 2) saltine crackers. Those rectangular boxes with four rectangular "sleeves" filled with probably 50 crackers each? I will sit and eat them mindlessly until they're all gone. They are flour and water, for God's sake! They have no taste whatsoever! But I can't stop eating them. Ice cream, of course, is self-explanatory. I will bring it home as a special treat for Jackson and me, but only in pint size (which we share) or better yet, in those individual little servings.
But last night was the election, and I had to have some kind of dessert, so I tried out a new one -- a peanut butter and chocolate concoction by Reeses. It was decadent and delicious. Most of it got eaten, but there was a healthy serving of it left at the end of the night. So what do you think I had for breakfast this morning? A big mug of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream! Set off beautifully by a handful of pistachio nuts! What a way to start the day!
But there is a happy ending to this story. As I sat in my recliner, stupefied by sugar, digesting the election results AND my ridiculous "breakfast," I realized all was not lost. Not yet, anyway. I grabbed Banks, the leash and a plastic bag, and headed over to St. Ed's. The morning (6:20) was beautifully clear and cold, cold enough that I kept my Old Navy fleece hoodie on the whole time. It was the best walk I've had in ages. I walked fast, kept seeking out hills and charging up them. I'd find a building with a steep set of stairs, and go up and down them. Banks couldn't figure out what was going on. I'd had two big cups of coffee, and they came calling pretty quickly. I ducked into the woods and did my business. Then we did a few circles around the soccer field where the girls' team was practicing, and headed home.
Well, I wasn't finished yet. On the way to work, I stopped at McDonald's and had a greasy and disgusting(ly delicious) sausage biscuit with egg. And another large coffee. Who knows what horrors lunchtime may hold?
But here's the thing -- I don't feel defeated, or like a screw-up, and I don't hate myself. I'm actually in a great mood. I'll do better tomorrow. Today was a setback. You gotta give in to it sometimes. It's okay to be human, with everything self-destructive, noble, funny, pathetic, inspiring and mediocre that comes along with it. It's just one of those days.
Banks presented me with an irresistable photo op this morning after our walk. He's the mirror image of the dog in the framed photo above him.
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But last night was the election, and I had to have some kind of dessert, so I tried out a new one -- a peanut butter and chocolate concoction by Reeses. It was decadent and delicious. Most of it got eaten, but there was a healthy serving of it left at the end of the night. So what do you think I had for breakfast this morning? A big mug of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream! Set off beautifully by a handful of pistachio nuts! What a way to start the day!
But there is a happy ending to this story. As I sat in my recliner, stupefied by sugar, digesting the election results AND my ridiculous "breakfast," I realized all was not lost. Not yet, anyway. I grabbed Banks, the leash and a plastic bag, and headed over to St. Ed's. The morning (6:20) was beautifully clear and cold, cold enough that I kept my Old Navy fleece hoodie on the whole time. It was the best walk I've had in ages. I walked fast, kept seeking out hills and charging up them. I'd find a building with a steep set of stairs, and go up and down them. Banks couldn't figure out what was going on. I'd had two big cups of coffee, and they came calling pretty quickly. I ducked into the woods and did my business. Then we did a few circles around the soccer field where the girls' team was practicing, and headed home.
Well, I wasn't finished yet. On the way to work, I stopped at McDonald's and had a greasy and disgusting(ly delicious) sausage biscuit with egg. And another large coffee. Who knows what horrors lunchtime may hold?
But here's the thing -- I don't feel defeated, or like a screw-up, and I don't hate myself. I'm actually in a great mood. I'll do better tomorrow. Today was a setback. You gotta give in to it sometimes. It's okay to be human, with everything self-destructive, noble, funny, pathetic, inspiring and mediocre that comes along with it. It's just one of those days.
Banks presented me with an irresistable photo op this morning after our walk. He's the mirror image of the dog in the framed photo above him.
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Marketing
What a great feeling, to look at the clock while sipping that first cup of coffee, knowing my walk is completed and now all I have to worry about is who will be the leader of the free world.
I guess I'm still on regular, not DST, because I was wide awake at 4:00am. Since I'm having a small election-night gathering tonight, and didn't want to host it sweaty, I jumped out of bed, and Banks and I were out the door by 4:15. We were a block in when I realized I'd forgotten a poop bag, but kept going -- all the way down Congress, west on Cesar Chavez, and back up the hill, but this time on South 1st. We had a kind of funny/cute encounter on So. Congress -- a homeless guy was taking a whiz against one of the buildings, and as Banks and I got closer -- close enough to hear AND see what was going on -- he said "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" I assured him it was fine and my virtue remained intact. But just by the tone of his voice, I could tell he was a "gentleman" -- how on earth did it end like this for him?
Yesterday I took a deep breath and emailed Pam LeBlanc from the Austin-American Statesman. Every Monday she writes a column on fitness, spotlighting one sport/exercise/discipline every week, and also includes a short blurb called "Fit Folks" which, in 100 words or less, describes what the contributor does to stay in shape. I wrote a paragraph about Banks and me and our walk, and included a link to the blog. She seemed to like it, wrote back and said she'd be happy to use it, but that it usually takes 4-6 weeks. I emailed her back, ballsily, to explain that my blog ended on Dec. 31, I was hoping to publicize it, and was there any way I could jump the line? SHE wrote back that it wouldn't be fair to the other contributors who were all anxiously waiting to see their own stories in print, and besides, what's the point of publicizing a blog that's about to end? Pam! The thing won't be "about to end" if you publish it next week, and besides, don't you realize the whole point of all this is to gain readership for my blog??? She was very sweet and very polite but it is what it is. So keep any eye out for "Fit Folks" over the next few week.
I guess I'm still on regular, not DST, because I was wide awake at 4:00am. Since I'm having a small election-night gathering tonight, and didn't want to host it sweaty, I jumped out of bed, and Banks and I were out the door by 4:15. We were a block in when I realized I'd forgotten a poop bag, but kept going -- all the way down Congress, west on Cesar Chavez, and back up the hill, but this time on South 1st. We had a kind of funny/cute encounter on So. Congress -- a homeless guy was taking a whiz against one of the buildings, and as Banks and I got closer -- close enough to hear AND see what was going on -- he said "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" I assured him it was fine and my virtue remained intact. But just by the tone of his voice, I could tell he was a "gentleman" -- how on earth did it end like this for him?
Yesterday I took a deep breath and emailed Pam LeBlanc from the Austin-American Statesman. Every Monday she writes a column on fitness, spotlighting one sport/exercise/discipline every week, and also includes a short blurb called "Fit Folks" which, in 100 words or less, describes what the contributor does to stay in shape. I wrote a paragraph about Banks and me and our walk, and included a link to the blog. She seemed to like it, wrote back and said she'd be happy to use it, but that it usually takes 4-6 weeks. I emailed her back, ballsily, to explain that my blog ended on Dec. 31, I was hoping to publicize it, and was there any way I could jump the line? SHE wrote back that it wouldn't be fair to the other contributors who were all anxiously waiting to see their own stories in print, and besides, what's the point of publicizing a blog that's about to end? Pam! The thing won't be "about to end" if you publish it next week, and besides, don't you realize the whole point of all this is to gain readership for my blog??? She was very sweet and very polite but it is what it is. So keep any eye out for "Fit Folks" over the next few week.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
25 hours
I'm glad that I totally forgot today starts Daylight Savings Time, because otherwise, I probably would have been lulled into a sense of "I've got all day and then some." It was probably about 63 degrees when I left the house at what I thought was 8:30am, but was actually 7:30, and so beautiful and clear outside that I scrapped my original plan to go Bankless so I could get a better workout. We walked down St. Ed's Drive, took a left into the woods, planning to come out on the other side, but um, I swear someone has tinkered with the trails in there, and I got kind of lost, so we just backtracked, came back onto St. Ed's, I dropped him off at home, and THEN took my "me first" walk for the remaining 45 minutes. I didn't do the hills this time, but there are some little sloping places around the park,and without Banks to slow me down, I can really get some momentum going.
As I watched the other early morning walkers with their dogs, something occurred to me. Banks does not have the same kind of walk experience that other dogs do. Their owners stroll, carry a cup of coffee, indulge their dogs' every sniff and search impulse, stop and chat with other walkers along the way. With his long extended leash, Banks gets a little leeway, but for the most part, I march right along, breaking stride only when Banks has to pee or poop. I wonder how many times during a walk I yank impatiently on his collar. Poor Banks. Yes, he's in fabulous shape -- that dog is pure, sleek muscle -- but talk about "smelling the roses!" Or not. Come January 1, with a new fitness plan in place (which continues to evade me), my walks -- at least the ones with Banks -- are going to be more relaxed affairs, soul-nourishing and social, rather than so focused on accomplishment. Also shorter.
As I watched the other early morning walkers with their dogs, something occurred to me. Banks does not have the same kind of walk experience that other dogs do. Their owners stroll, carry a cup of coffee, indulge their dogs' every sniff and search impulse, stop and chat with other walkers along the way. With his long extended leash, Banks gets a little leeway, but for the most part, I march right along, breaking stride only when Banks has to pee or poop. I wonder how many times during a walk I yank impatiently on his collar. Poor Banks. Yes, he's in fabulous shape -- that dog is pure, sleek muscle -- but talk about "smelling the roses!" Or not. Come January 1, with a new fitness plan in place (which continues to evade me), my walks -- at least the ones with Banks -- are going to be more relaxed affairs, soul-nourishing and social, rather than so focused on accomplishment. Also shorter.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Artsy Walk
Thas has been one quiet Saturday. Shortly after 9:00, I returned my rental car -- always a tedious task, for some reason -- and upon returning, grabbed Banks and went straight out for our walk. It was too hot to do anything really adventurous, so we did the "turn right at Live Oak, left on Travis Heights all the way to Riverside, then weave in and out of the neighborhoods and see the fabulous and overpriced cottages I'll never be able to afford to live in" route. We serendipitously happened upon the Travis Heights Art Trail, and that was very cool -- random houses along they way occupied by various artists, most of whom had their paintings, sculptures, etc., set up right out in their yards.
I was so revved up for Janette's long-planned birthday party tonight, and it got abruptly cancelled yesterday. We were all going to meet at Brian's house, take the train downtown, have dinner and a couple of bottles of wine at Carmelo's, take the train back to Brian's, rent an Italian-themed movie, and have an old-fashioned slumber party. Best of all, Brian's houseguest Sam, who's attending cosmetology school, was going to give us all facials and do our hair! But Janette came down with strep, and since she's in Austin Lyric Opera's season opener next weekend, needs to put every ounce of energy into getting better. At least I scored two comped tickets to Thursday night's dress rehearsal (Pagliacci -- Janette's the keeper of the tavern).
I had bad sleep for much of last week, so today I allowed myself a three-hour nap late in the afternoon. Jackson poked his head in the door and I made the weird comment, probably half asleep, that I was "sleeping off a bad knee." I didn't even realize until I said it that it was true! You know how when you're fighting a cold, or have a headache, nothing works better than a few hours sleep? I just had this sense that while I was sleeping deeply, healing power was surging through my left knee, which right now feels better than it has in a long time.
I was so revved up for Janette's long-planned birthday party tonight, and it got abruptly cancelled yesterday. We were all going to meet at Brian's house, take the train downtown, have dinner and a couple of bottles of wine at Carmelo's, take the train back to Brian's, rent an Italian-themed movie, and have an old-fashioned slumber party. Best of all, Brian's houseguest Sam, who's attending cosmetology school, was going to give us all facials and do our hair! But Janette came down with strep, and since she's in Austin Lyric Opera's season opener next weekend, needs to put every ounce of energy into getting better. At least I scored two comped tickets to Thursday night's dress rehearsal (Pagliacci -- Janette's the keeper of the tavern).
I had bad sleep for much of last week, so today I allowed myself a three-hour nap late in the afternoon. Jackson poked his head in the door and I made the weird comment, probably half asleep, that I was "sleeping off a bad knee." I didn't even realize until I said it that it was true! You know how when you're fighting a cold, or have a headache, nothing works better than a few hours sleep? I just had this sense that while I was sleeping deeply, healing power was surging through my left knee, which right now feels better than it has in a long time.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Literati
Well, this must be some sort of record -- three posts within 12 hours. I went back and re-read my "lost" post from Halloween night, and learned that I HAD in fact taken Banks that night. It was a couple nights earlier that I had called Jackson to take him out during the day. Proof once again that these hundreds of walks now bleed together to the point that they're undistinguishable unless something unusual happens, or unless I write about it the same day.
I have work in Brenham tonight, and a lunchtime commitment, so no time like the present to complete my five. I started waking up around 3:00 and slept on and off til just after 4:00, gave up, and prodded Banks out of bed. What a strange morning! When I first went outside it felt kind of cold, and I wondered if I needed a light jacket, but since I always eventually heat up, I didn't bother. The wind blew intermittently, and it was a cool/cold wind, but the standing weather was warm and muggy! So I never actually worked up a sweat, just returned home kind of sticky. I was going to go to St. Ed's this morning, but at the right turn, Banks pulled me straight, towards Stacy Park, and I gave in. I just took one steep hill today, all the way to South Congress, and then took that almost to the bridge and back.
Book club was so much fun last night! We met at Mozart's to discuss "Gone Girl." None of us liked it much -- the second half was so implausible -- and a couple of the women hated it, but it was still invigorating to discuss what we liked, what we didn't, the writing style, the author's (lack of) ear for dialogue, etc. We all agreed that the book was wildly overpraised, and decided it might make more sense to pick a book that's been around a few years at least, that the critics/public have gained a little perspective on. And we also decided that each month, one of us will pick the book, but only after presenting four or five possibilities to the rest of the group, who will then make the final decision. Next month is Lynn's turn, and she had some great options we're all going to do a little research on before settling on the winner. We also drew names for a gift exchange for our next meeting -- something from Half Price Books that we think suits the person whose name we drew. I LOVE BEING IN A BOOK CLUB!
No Ryan Gosling sighting that night, but one of our members, Susan, who lives right near South Congress, has seen him a couple of times. The trailers are usually set up around the Deaf School (Ryan participated in some sort of race or other activity there!) She thinks the movie he's shooting must be about food, because they keep shooting scenes at eateries (Perla's and another restaurant on South Congress that I can't remember, and at the fried chicken food trailer -- the Electric Chicken, I think it's called). Once she was talking to one of the set people, and Ryan and Natalie Portman got out of a Mercedes van and walked right past her, smiling and friendly. Ryan sightings are tweeted and web sites set up to track his movements. Movies are shot here all the time, and movie stars and famous musicians are part of the landscape here, but there's just something about Ryan .....
I have work in Brenham tonight, and a lunchtime commitment, so no time like the present to complete my five. I started waking up around 3:00 and slept on and off til just after 4:00, gave up, and prodded Banks out of bed. What a strange morning! When I first went outside it felt kind of cold, and I wondered if I needed a light jacket, but since I always eventually heat up, I didn't bother. The wind blew intermittently, and it was a cool/cold wind, but the standing weather was warm and muggy! So I never actually worked up a sweat, just returned home kind of sticky. I was going to go to St. Ed's this morning, but at the right turn, Banks pulled me straight, towards Stacy Park, and I gave in. I just took one steep hill today, all the way to South Congress, and then took that almost to the bridge and back.
Book club was so much fun last night! We met at Mozart's to discuss "Gone Girl." None of us liked it much -- the second half was so implausible -- and a couple of the women hated it, but it was still invigorating to discuss what we liked, what we didn't, the writing style, the author's (lack of) ear for dialogue, etc. We all agreed that the book was wildly overpraised, and decided it might make more sense to pick a book that's been around a few years at least, that the critics/public have gained a little perspective on. And we also decided that each month, one of us will pick the book, but only after presenting four or five possibilities to the rest of the group, who will then make the final decision. Next month is Lynn's turn, and she had some great options we're all going to do a little research on before settling on the winner. We also drew names for a gift exchange for our next meeting -- something from Half Price Books that we think suits the person whose name we drew. I LOVE BEING IN A BOOK CLUB!
No Ryan Gosling sighting that night, but one of our members, Susan, who lives right near South Congress, has seen him a couple of times. The trailers are usually set up around the Deaf School (Ryan participated in some sort of race or other activity there!) She thinks the movie he's shooting must be about food, because they keep shooting scenes at eateries (Perla's and another restaurant on South Congress that I can't remember, and at the fried chicken food trailer -- the Electric Chicken, I think it's called). Once she was talking to one of the set people, and Ryan and Natalie Portman got out of a Mercedes van and walked right past her, smiling and friendly. Ryan sightings are tweeted and web sites set up to track his movements. Movies are shot here all the time, and movie stars and famous musicians are part of the landscape here, but there's just something about Ryan .....
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Wet Blanket
NOTE: THIS is the lost blog from 10/31!
Whatever is the Halloween version of the Grinch, that's what I am tonight. After a full day of celebrating at work (costumes, trick-or-treating, big potluck -- oh, we're a fun bunch -- I could not face another piece, let along bag, of candy. So at 7:10, when it was starting to get dark and you could see the kids starting out, I turned out the lights and took Banks on our walk. Believe me, I had some serious calories to work off. We started out at Stacy Park, just because I wanted to get some hill work in, but spent a fair amount of time on South Congress, because I thought there would be some fun action there. Alas, no....I guess all the revelers were on 6th St. There was lots of traffic, but no one walking around in costumes.
Wasn't this megastorm, Sandy, kind of anticlimactic? I mean, I suppose it lived up to its hype, probably beyond, as far as damage goes, but since loss of life was minimal as compared with, say, Katrina, it just didn't get everyone talking like I would have expected. All the talk was before it hit, and then it hit, and now it's.....over.
Happy birthday, Jackson! Of course you were born on Halloween. On what other day would you possibly have made your arrival on planet earth?
Whatever is the Halloween version of the Grinch, that's what I am tonight. After a full day of celebrating at work (costumes, trick-or-treating, big potluck -- oh, we're a fun bunch -- I could not face another piece, let along bag, of candy. So at 7:10, when it was starting to get dark and you could see the kids starting out, I turned out the lights and took Banks on our walk. Believe me, I had some serious calories to work off. We started out at Stacy Park, just because I wanted to get some hill work in, but spent a fair amount of time on South Congress, because I thought there would be some fun action there. Alas, no....I guess all the revelers were on 6th St. There was lots of traffic, but no one walking around in costumes.
Wasn't this megastorm, Sandy, kind of anticlimactic? I mean, I suppose it lived up to its hype, probably beyond, as far as damage goes, but since loss of life was minimal as compared with, say, Katrina, it just didn't get everyone talking like I would have expected. All the talk was before it hit, and then it hit, and now it's.....over.
Happy birthday, Jackson! Of course you were born on Halloween. On what other day would you possibly have made your arrival on planet earth?
What happened?
Okay, I walked last night and I blogged before I went to bed. Where the hell is it? It was nothing special -- I didn't take Banks, I called Jackson ahead of time to walk him, it was Halloween, I wanted to climb a few hills so I stayed close to Stacy Park but also ventured out into South Congress, because I was sure there would be a little wildness there, at least a FEW people in costume, but there were none, they all must've been on 6th St. WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT BLOG? In the past there have been a few times when I totally lost what I had typed, and then it ended up in the "Draft" box. Right now I can't even find the draft box. Aimee!!!!?????
Well, I'll find it and post it, but back to today. OMG, you would not have believed how much candy I (and everyone else in my office) ate yesterday. Today I woke up resolved to start November off on the right foot. My Egg McMuffin for breakfast, a spartan salad for lunch, and unfortunately a burrito from Chipotle for dinner, but I only ate about 2/3 of it -- the rest is in my office mini fridge. I'm hanging here after work because tonight is our second book club meeting, this time at 7:00 pm at Mozart's. I don't know how reliable Lynn's source is, but she claims that Ryan Gosling has been spotted at Mozart's innumerable times. We're hoping for the best.
So anyway, I came in early, worked through lunch, and earned the right to go to the gym at 3:30. This time I remembered to bring my knee brace. And once again, my knee, but mostly my upper -- way upper -- thigh/hip started aching any time I got over about 3.6, so I kept it there, but I did stretch myself a bit in that I jacked up the incline to 5 on two separate occasions without too much discomfort. This was probably the first time I've been to the gym in a month. What a waste of money this has turned out to be, but again, come January 1, I think I'll be using it a lot more, so I'm going to hang in there and keep having that $32 deducted out of my check.
Alone in the building, I shut my office door and laid down on my partially deflated tennis ball. Oh, God, it feels so good to put all that pressure right on the pinched nerve! You do that for a while, then when you've gotten to where you can stand the pain, you start shifting around a little bit, and working on the areas surrounding the nerve. Who needs a $60 massage, anyway?
Well, I'll find it and post it, but back to today. OMG, you would not have believed how much candy I (and everyone else in my office) ate yesterday. Today I woke up resolved to start November off on the right foot. My Egg McMuffin for breakfast, a spartan salad for lunch, and unfortunately a burrito from Chipotle for dinner, but I only ate about 2/3 of it -- the rest is in my office mini fridge. I'm hanging here after work because tonight is our second book club meeting, this time at 7:00 pm at Mozart's. I don't know how reliable Lynn's source is, but she claims that Ryan Gosling has been spotted at Mozart's innumerable times. We're hoping for the best.
So anyway, I came in early, worked through lunch, and earned the right to go to the gym at 3:30. This time I remembered to bring my knee brace. And once again, my knee, but mostly my upper -- way upper -- thigh/hip started aching any time I got over about 3.6, so I kept it there, but I did stretch myself a bit in that I jacked up the incline to 5 on two separate occasions without too much discomfort. This was probably the first time I've been to the gym in a month. What a waste of money this has turned out to be, but again, come January 1, I think I'll be using it a lot more, so I'm going to hang in there and keep having that $32 deducted out of my check.
Alone in the building, I shut my office door and laid down on my partially deflated tennis ball. Oh, God, it feels so good to put all that pressure right on the pinched nerve! You do that for a while, then when you've gotten to where you can stand the pain, you start shifting around a little bit, and working on the areas surrounding the nerve. Who needs a $60 massage, anyway?
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