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.