Wednesday, May 30, 2007

A towel would be nice

Mental note to self: It's no fun running when it's hot and humid, at least it's not when you're not used to it.

It wasn't very nice out today, with temperatures in the mid-80s and it was super sticky. I know I shouldn't complain since we only get warm weather for a few months a year. But really, does it have to feel like August when it isn't even June yet?

Even though it was humid, I decided to go for a run when I got home from work, because, hello, it's almost summer and I'm going to have to do it sooner or later. Not only was I still dealing with that whole lack of stamina thing, my legs kind of felt like lead today and the weather conditions were less than ideal. But I sucked it up and put one foot in front of the other for 2.1 miles. And then I got home and needed a towel since I was drenched in sweat.

My pace is still slower than what I was running pre-neck slicing, but I'm hoping within the next week or two to get back to where I was before in addition to finding my stamina again. My first test will be Saturday since I signed up for a local 5K (instead of ingesting the Lake Flies, I'll be running in the Lake Fly 5K). I should be able to finish without any major problems, but I'm sure my time will be slower than the Oshkosh 5K. But I'd be OK with that.

Monday, May 28, 2007

The hiatus is over

19 days.

That's how long it's been since I laced up my sneakers and headed out for a run. Granted it was a little difficult since I was doing that whole painful recovery thing from The Great Neck Slicing of 2007. So it's not like I voluntarily chose to take a 19 day hiatus from running.

But it's over now.

My doctor had told me I could start running again 2 weeks after my surgery. Friday was the 2 week mark. Mom, well, she would have liked to see me wait another week, but I was getting antsy. And besides, I had signed up to do a 5K on June 2 and I didn't want my first run post Neck Slicing to be something where I absolutely had to run 3 miles.

So I decided on the happy medium, about 2 1/2 weeks. I was going to try running yesterday, but my neck felt kind of achy, so I decided against it. Today, I didn't feel too bad when I got up. So I threw on some shorts and an T-shirt, laced up my sneakers and headed out.

I ended up going 2.1 miles. And surprisingly, it didn't hurt too much while I was running. I was just completely out of gas by the time I got home though. And showering? That sucked the last remaining energy I had. It was one of those days where I took a shower and then sat and rested for a few minutes after I finished drying off. It's like I had to get ready in stages, just like I did the first week after my surgery.

Now, a few hours after the run, my neck feels a bit achy, but I've regained some energy. I feel kind of good knowing that it wasn't necessarily the distance I had problems with. I wasn't getting those nasty cramps and my legs didn't feel like large blocks of lead. It was the stamina that I had problems with. And I knew that was going to be my problem before I even took my first step. Hopefully within the next week or two, I'll get all of my energy back and I'll be able to run farther without being completely wiped out afterwards.

I don't have big plans for the rest of the day, just sitting around and reading while I do a few loads laundry. Then I'm heading up to my parents' house for the annual Memorial Day cookout. Mmmmmm, burgers and dogs on the grill.

Friday, May 25, 2007

The strings have been cut

I've been living in The City on the Water since September and today, I cut the final tie I had to the 'burg.

Today, when I went to renew my cell phone contract, I ditched my number from the 'burg in favor of a local number. At first glance, the number may not seem all that different, after all, it's still the same area code. But no longer is it a phone number tied to the farm fields of Dodge County.

And of course I got a spiffy new phone. I took my time and browsed the selection, finally deciding on this. It's a similar style to the one I had and the Verizon folks tell me lots of folks are happy with it. So we'll see.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Stadium memories I remember vividly

I bleed Badger red.

During college, if you were looking for me on a fall Saturday, chances are you could find me in the student section at Camp Randall Stadium, cheering on the Badgers as they battled against a Big Ten foe on the grid iron.

While the academics certainly played a large role my in decision to attend the University of Wisconsin, I have to admit, the allure of Big Ten sports was also a large factor. I love sports. I love watching them as much as playing them. Camp Randall and the Kohl Center became my home away from my dorm room as I'd spend lots of Fridays and Saturday watching the Cardinal and Red square off against opponents on the football field, hockey rink or basketball court.

Knowing my love for the Badgers, a co-worker of mine loaned me a book he thought I'd enjoy, "The 25 Greatest Moments in Camp Randall History" by Mike Lucas, a writer for the Capital Times in Madison and radio analyst for UW sports.

The moments did not disappoint. In fact, you could have found my in the stands at Camp Randall during three of the top 25 moments and parked in front of the television during three more. There were also a few moments from the early 1990s that I remember pretty vividly as well, I mean seriously, who could forget the Camp Randall Stampede in 1993.

Anyway, a recap of the six moments that I remember most vividly:

Moment 18: Wisconsin 49, Minnesota 31 (November 23, 2002)
It was the fall of 2002, when I working down in Indiana, so my eyes were glued to a television. It was the home finale for the Badgers as they faced off against our rivals, the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, and a trip to a post-season bowl game was on the line. Anthony Davis rushed for 301 yards and five touchdowns as the Badgers reclaimed Paul Bunyan's Axe with a 49-31 win.

Moment 15: Wisconsin 27, Oregon 23 (September 9, 2000)
It was the second game of the season and Wisconsin was dealing with the aftermath of the Shoe Box Scandal, which broke hours before the season opener and resulted in 26 players being suspended for getting extra benefits not available to athletes at a shoe store in Black Earth, Wis. Running back Michael Bennett lead the Badgers with 290 yards and Jamar Fletcher picked off Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington three times. Good stuff to watch from the student section.

Moment 11: Wisconsin 31, Purdue 24 (October 10, 1998)
I should have been in the stands for this one, the first night game at Camp Randall Stadium in since 1995. But my brother forgot to consult the football schedule when picking a wedding date. Since I was a bridesmaid, I was forced to watch this Homecoming gem from the bar during the reception. I missed being a part of the debut of a Camp Randall tradition, when the student section goes wild during House of Pain's "Jump Around" between the third and fourth quarters, causing the upper deck to shudder. I missed Drew Brees complete 55 of 83 passes during the marathon 3 hour, 37 minute game. I missed my first Homecoming in Madison. And of course I missed a 31-24 victory.

Moment 8: Wisconsin 17, Ohio State 10 (October 11, 2003)
It was the first game Ohio State was playing on the road since winning the National Championship in January with a double overtime win against Miami. Backup quarterback Matt Schabert leads the Badgers to a win after QB Jim Sorgi was knocked out of the game in the third quarter after a Buckeye applied a choke hold while tackling Sorgi. Schabert connects with Lee Evans for a 79-yard touchdown pass with 5:20 remaining in the game to give the Badgers a 17-10 win.

Moment 3: Wisconsin 24, Penn State 3 (November 21, 1998)
It wasn't a last minute play that made this game so fabulous, it was the smell of roses and fireworks after time expired that made this one memorable. With Ohio State beating Michigan and the Badgers pulling out a victory over the Nittany Lions, Wisconsin earned an invite to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the second in school history and their first trip since 1993. I enjoyed this one from high up in the stands in Section P.

Moment 1: Wisconsin 41, Iowa 3 (November 13, 1999)
Roooooooooon Daaayynne. I only got to enjoy watching Dayne break tackles for two years, but he was enjoyable to watch and the crowd at Camp Randall went wild anytime the public address announcer spoke his name. On this November day, we celebrated Dayne's achievements as he broke the NCAA rushing record with a 31-yard run late in the first half. There was no pre-planned speech from the announcer, just a "Roooooooooooon Daayynne" as a sellout crowd of 79,404 roared and held up commemorative towels printed with Dayne's number 33. What seemed like a million flashbulbs went off throughout the stadium and I could feel the hairs on my arms stand on end. I still get chills thinking of the moment.

Lucas picked out 25 great moments and I remember those six the best. Some I remember witnessing from the student section at Camp Randall, others from the comfort of my recliner. But all were great.

Water washed out my plans

Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching and summer's just around the corner. I can almost smell the burgers grilling. I admit, I'm antsy for the summer fun to begin.

And tonight, a summer staple here in The City on the Water began, Waterfest.

I was planning on heading down to enjoy the festivities, music and fun with friends. But it seems like Mother Nature had other plans. Mainly storms featuring sporadic downpours.

I could have braved the showers, because really, what's a little water, but I decided not to. Even thought it could have been a good time, I really didn't want to stand outside in the rain and risk getting sick, not when I'm still dealing with the aftermath of The Great Neck Slicing of 2007.

So instead of jamming to the tunes down by the river, I'll be chilling out here at my apartment. But I'll make sure to make it a point to show up for next week's Waterfest fun.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The pages aren't turning

I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but it's almost the end of the month and I've only finished one book.

One.

Uno.

Five minus four.

This isn't good.

There are pages left for me to read in entertaining Michael Perry essays and I still have a few more great moments from Camp Randall Stadium to read about. And don't even get me started on Harry and his adventures at Hogwarts. I've finished three, but now the three longest years are sitting staring me in the face and according to the calendar, the release date for final book is creeping up way faster than I thought.

I'm going to blame my lack of reading on The Great Neck Slicing of 2007, because it's kind of pointless to read when your drugged up on morphine or Tylenol with codeine (good stuff) because inevitably, you read three or four pages, fall asleep and promptly forget everything you just read. At least that's what happened to me.

But the recovery? I'm well on my way to recovery and not taking any sleep inducing drugs. So falling asleep and forgetting what I just read shouldn't be a problem anymore. I can read again people! Last night I did a good chunk of reading. I've only got the four greatest moments left to read about. Hopefully I'll finish them soon, maybe even tonight. Then it's just another 100 or so pages of the Michael Perry essays, which I highly recommend by the way, and then I can give Harry some more undivided attention.

Now, it's off to read about moment 4.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The shoes are calling my name

It was beautiful outside today. Sunny, temperatures in the low 80s, a nice breeze. And I got to leave the office before 5.

Sounds like a perfect day for a run.

Except I can't.

Remember, that whole neck slicing thing? I still have another 4 days before my doctor says I can lace up my sneakers and head out for a run.

But then I got home, sat outside and read a book for a while. And then it hit me. I knew it would happen, but I don't think I realized how much an 8 1/2 hour day of non-stop running between the courthouse and the office would drain me out, two days after I returned to work.

So it may have been beautiful outside and maybe I could hear my running shoes calling my name, but it's probably a good thing I couldn't run today. Otherwise I would have gone to bed tonight and never woken up.

Monday, May 21, 2007

I was never a contestant, but I would have liked to "Come on Down!"

Remember last week, when I was recovering? And it seems like all I did was sleep and watch TV?

That recovery gave me the chance to catch up with an old TV friend, Bob Barker and "The Price is Right." I remember watching it on days when I was sick and stayed home from school. I always like Plinko - which seemed to take no skill whatsoever - and the mountain climber game - where you could lose immediately if you really had no clue how much that blender cost.

But I hadn't had the chance to watch "The Price is Right" for a few years. I turned it on last week though. The games were the same, maybe a little more snazzy looking, but still the same. And Bob looked the same and still reminded me to "have your pets spayed and neutered."

It felt like a journey to the past. Me, sacked out on the couch with my mom taking care of me. Only instead of the flu, I was nursing a gash on my neck and instead of being 8, I was 27. But it was a nice trip back to childhood.

The only bad thing about it, seeing Bob Barker reminded me that at the end of this season, Bob's calling it quits. And I for one can't imagine "The Price is Right" without Bob Barker. It's like peanut butter without jelly or Sonny without Cher. "The Price is Right" without Bob Barker is more like "The Price is Wrong."

Hank Stuever, a writer with the Washingtonpost.com, takes a good look at "The Price is Right" and Bob Barker. Take a few minutes to read it, Stuever obviously knows his Price is Right and I bet he wouldn't lose on his first attempt at the mountain climber game.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Tomorrow I go back to the world of work

It took me a bit longer to recover from The Great Neck Slicing of 2007 than I had originally planned. I had intended to go back last Tuesday, but after the doctor's decided to remove a golf ball from my neck, plans changed a bit since it hurt more and I could barely stay awake for more than 3 hours at a time. However, after a little over a week off from work, I'm heading back tomorrow.

And the gash will be in plain view.

That's right. No bandage, no tape. Nothing. Just the gash. Which, honestly doesn't look too bad, at least that's what everybody keeps telling me. Mom said if people didn't know it was there, they wouldn't even notice it. I don't think I would go that far, but I do have to agree, it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would.

So it's back to work for me. I'm a little worried though. Yesterday was the first day that I didn't take a nap in over a week and I struggled. I'm worried that I'm just going to be exhausted by noon and not be able to finish my day. But I'll take it easy, finish my stuff and hopefully I won't have to go chase any fires or murders.

Once the clock strikes quitting time, I know I can just come home, change into pajamas and relax for the rest of the evening.

All thanks to Mom.

She came came back to The City on the Water with me today. We did my grocery shopping and made dinner. In the process, before she left, she made sure there was not a piece of garbage left in my house, a piece of dirty clothing or a dirty dish. All because she said she wants to make sure all I have to do this week is go to work and rest.

Aww. My mom's sweet.

This makes me feel old

I can handle hearing about little kids I used to babysit for graduating from high school.

I can even handle hearing my 5-year-old niece tell me I'm old.

But this past week, I felt old merely because of a local TV station's "Athlete of the Week." Back between my freshman and sophomore years in college, I freelanced for a local, community newspaper. It was a weekly paper that focused on the different areas in Appleton. Anyway, the first assignment I got was to write this story about this 10-year-old Little League player who had hit something like 12 home runs during his Little League season.

It was the first story that I was ever paid to write.

Apparently that Little League player has grown up, drawn the attention of Division I college and Major League Baseball scouts.

And now I feel old.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

The great neck slicing of 2007

Well, I survived the great neck slicing of 2007.

And let me tell you, it was quite painful. Mostly due to the fact that the thing they took out of my neck, yeah, it was the size of a GOLF BALL! A golf ball people, that's kind of big. And how is it possible that I never felt that?

So here's the abbreviated version of what I've done the last week:

FRIDAY: I woke up and was hungry and thirsty, mostly because I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight. Mom takes me to the hospital and I'm freaking out big time. I mean, did I forget to mention that they were going to be slicing my neck open? They stick an IV in my hand, give me a goofy blue bonnet thing to wear on my head and wheel me off to the operating room. The last thing I remember is the somewhat socially-inept anesthesiology saying "I'm going to give you some medicine now and you're going to start to feel a little drowsy..."

Three hours later: I'm groggy and am waking up in a strange room with strangers all around me. I vaguely remember calling for my Mom, who appears minutes later with my Dad. I don't remember much of this room other than begin really hot. They wheel me up to an actual hospital room, where the anesthesia doesn't agree with me and I throw up...twice. The rest of the night is somewhat more clear, but painful. Because remember, I had a golf ball removed. I remember watching TV and talking a walk to see the helicopter landing pad.

During the night: It's really hard to sleep when you have nurses coming in every hour or so to get your blood pressure and temperature. And the little Asian nurse, who demanded I spell my name and give her my birth date at 2 a.m. before she'd give me more pain medication? What would she do if I didn't know it? Leave me writhing in pain?

SATURDAY: I got my first look at my wound today when the doctor took off the big bandage today. It's kind of nasty looking. And large. I bet ya it's 3 inches long and goes across a good portion of my neck. But then I remember, golf ball. I got the OK to leave the hospital at 9:30. By 11 a.m. I was at my parents' house, taking nap number 1 of the day. Some friends and family visited and I slept. It hurt. Mom let me sleep at my apartment for the night.

SUNDAY: More sleeping and pain.

MONDAY: I slept, watched TV and took pain medication. I even sat outside for a bit.

TUESDAY: I actually got dressed in real clothes, granted it was for all of 2 hours, when I went out to dinner with my parents. It was also the first "real" meal I'd eaten since Thursday. Otherwise, I slept and watched TV.

WEDNESDAY: I tried to drive. It didn't work so well. While I was feeling a bit better, it was still really hard and painful to turn my neck. And if I would have to make a sudden movement, yeah, not fun. The high point of the day: I only took one nap.

TODAY: Mom and I came to Oshkosh. Her washer is on the fritz, so she's doing laundry and I'm putzing. Although a nap could be in my near future.

I've worn nothing but sweats and tank tops for the past week and make up? Yeah, haven't worn any of that either. My hair's been back in a pony tail for a week, only because it hurts to do anything else with it. And books? Those things I love? Even though I was fully stocked with good stuff to read during my recovery (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire along with the book of Michael Perry essays I was in the middle of reading), I've hardly turned a page. I did manage to read one short essay yesterday, so hopefully I'll be able to read a few more pages later today.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

What I have is a "To Do List" with nothing crossed off

There are so many things I should be doing right now.

Things like clean off my breakfast bar, throw away the old newspapers, fold my towels that are piled up on the couch, clean up the kitchen, finish cleaning my bathroom. In general, get rid of the clutter that I live with.

In other words, I need to tidy up. Normally I do it on the weekends. But it's going to be a bit different this weekend. See Mom is coming. And under normal circumstances, I wouldn't mind if there's a bit of a mess, she's cool and understands. But this won't be normal circumstances. See, Mom is coming to take care of me, after they slice open my neck.

Yes, you read that right. My neck is being sliced open.

They doctors are removing something that decided to grow on my thyroid. And to be honest, I'm freaking out a tiny bit. I mean, they're slicing my neck open! One little slip and BAM! I could be friends with Nearly Headless Nick at Hogwarts.

So Mom is coming to take care of me. Actually, I'm staying with my parents, but when it comes to sleep, we're coming back to The City on the Water, because my bed is just so much more comfortable than the one at my parents' house. Thankfully, it's only a 30 minute drive.

But since she's coming and sleeping here, that means my apartment has to be at least in somewhat decent shape. I'm not a messy person, it's just the mail from the week has been piling up on the breakfast bar and some stuff needs to be put away.

By no means would it take long if I just quit blogging and did it. Or just did it when I got home from work instead of deciding to go for a 4.4 mile run.

Maybe I'll suck it up and spend the next 15 minutes or so straightening up. The sooner I do it, the sooner it will be done.

Monday, May 7, 2007

What time is it? I'm not sure, my watch doesn't work

Remember how I talked about liking to keep track of stuff? The number of books I read, how many times I've gone to the YMCA or how many miles I've run so far this year?

Well, keeping with that running thing...I also like to know how long it takes me to run those miles. Meaning, I need a watch.

I have a watch. It's a really nice silver, stainless steel Fossil watch with a blue face. I used part of the money I got from my high school graduation to buy it. And I've worn it everyday since and feel completely naked when I forget to put it on.

But it doesn't do well as a timer.

So last weekend I was at Target and I took a quick swing through their watch department. After looking at my options, I bought this one. It was exactly what I was looking for. It had a timer, was kind of sporty and best of all, was only $9.99.

I got it home, set the time and tried it out on my run. It worked perfectly. The next day, I noticed it was 15 minutes slow, but it was just the time. I didn't buy the watch to tell me what time of day it was. I bought for the timer function. So it didn't worry me too badly. A few days later, it was slow by like 5 hours. Again, not too worried.

After what happened today, I'm officially worried.

I had no display. There were no numbers. The LCD display was blank. And since the display was blank, the timer, not functioning. Meaning I had to guesstimate how long it took me to run the 4 miles today based on what songs my MP3 player played during my run (thankfully, I chose to listen to the Fall Out Boy CD).

I'm sure the answer is fairly simple. Buy a new battery. But is a battery going to cost just as much as the watch? Because if so, that defeats the purpose of my cheap watch. And of course I've already thrown away the receipt and it's probably in the landfill somewhere north of town, so it's not like I can return it.

Figures. My cheap watch will turn out to be more expensive since I will either have to find a replacement battery or buy a replacement watch.

I haven't run in these parts before

Even though I couldn't see the clouds of Lake Flies swarming in the air, I wasn't about to take a chance of inhaling more of them though.

So instead of running in my neighborhood, I came home, threw on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts and headed out to some paths I haven't run before. I trekked all the way across town to the Wiouwash Trail, a trail that I've been wanting to explore for a while.

I parked my car at one of the parking lots and off I went. I headed north on the trail and was running along side Lake Butte des Mortes. I went north for about two miles, passing the lake, running through a wooded area until I got to a highway interchange. At that point, I thought it was a good idea to turn around and head back towards the car since it was starting to get late.

Even though I was running alongside the lake, I didn't have to do battle with those nasty Lake Flies since they were no where to be found. But that doesn't mean there weren't any bugs. It was getting close to dusk, so there were all of these tiny little bugs flying around. They weren't too bad. They just kind of kept pelting me as I was running. I don't think I inhaled any of them, but they were so tiny, even if I had it wouldn't have been the end of the world, unlike the Lake Flies.

It was a good 4-mile run. I enjoyed the trail a bunch. There's a part of it that starts closer to town that I want to try, but I thought I'd leave that for another day. Maybe in a few weeks I can combine the two chunks for a nice long run.

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Time to find some new running routes

I've run into a problem.

As much as I like running in my neighborhood, well aside from the cars that feel the need to drive 55 miles an hour while I'm running on this tiny gravel shoulder, I think I need to relocate for a few weeks.

See, the Lake Flies have arrived here in the City on the Water.

It's not like I didn't know they were coming. Every year, around Mother's Day they appear. And they swarm. And buzz. And cling. They're just not fun. And since my neighborhood is right on the lake, there's no escaping them.

Today, during my extra-long dinner break, I went running. I took the usual 3.25 mile route I take. Up the highway of death, through a neighborhood and across the highway into another neighborhood that's right on the lake.

As I'm running along the street, not only are my shoes kicking up grass clippings, but I'm also disturbing the Lake Flies, which happened to be congregating on the street. So I'm running along, flailing my arms as I try to ward off the flying creatures.

I can totally handle ingesting a few bugs along the way every so often, it helps me out in getting my protein since I don't eat a lot of meat. But I draw the line at inhaling Lake Flies. These things are huge. And they have these furry little antenna things sprouting off their heads. Not fun to inhale.

So it might be time to try out some other running routes here in the city. Routes where there are less Lake Flies to swarm me as I run.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Spin-offs aren't my thing, but this might be OK

I haven't wanted to talk about it for a while because I wasn't sure what to think about it.

The Grey's Anatomy spin-off.

Why take away Addison and put her on a spin-off, a Grey's Anatomy wanna be?

But after watching tonight, I think the spin-off has some potential. If anything, it has eye candy. I mean, who can complain about watching Taye Diggs and that alternative medicine dude (whose name is on the tip of my tongue, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is or where --- wait, he was on that Summerland show, the one with Uncle Jesse's wife Rebecca from Full House).

But the spin-off, I guess I'll give it a chance.

Where were these 24 hours ago?

I'm slightly annoyed.

Remember yesterday, my day off? The day where I didn't do a whole lot, but did manage to make a trip to the library? A trip that was mostly to return some items, but also wander around a bit, looking for something that caught my eye?

And I wandered. And picked up two DVDs (In Her Shoes and Ladder 49) and a book (Off Main Street: Barnstormers, Prophets & Gatemouth's Gator by Michael Perry). And then I brought them home, with the intention of watching the movies sometime this week and reading the book after I get done with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Now the fine folks at the library decide to send me not one, but two e-mails informing me that some items I had put holds on are now in. In fact, one of them was there yesterday. It just conveniently showed up after I left the library with my loot.

So now I have to go back to the library. And it's not like it's on the other side of town, because honestly, it's two blocks from where I work.

That's not why I'm annoyed.

It's the fact that I have to go back, without anything to trade them for. And that means my pile is going to grow. And that's a lot of return dates to remember. One date for the two DVDs I picked up yesterday, a date for a CD I already had checked out, a date for the book I picked up and now I'll end up with with two more due dates for the two items that are waiting there for me.

That's a lot to remember.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

The winged creatures and I get along just fine

I didn't drag myself out of bed this morning until 10 a.m. In my defense, it was my day off and I wasn't really sleeping until 10. I was awake around 8:30, but kind of dozed on and off until 10, when I decided I really should get up and do something.

I got up, had some peanut butter toast and then decided to spend some time reading about Harry's adventures during his third year at Hogwarts. At one point, I looked up, noticed it was nice and sunny outside and decided that even though I was enjoying Harry's adventures, I needed to be productive.

So I got up, threw on some sweats and laced up my running shoes. I went over to the park and I ran. It was a bit breezy, but lucky for me, I was running into the wind on my way out and therefore had the wind at my back on the second part of the run.

It was a nice 4.4 mile run through the trails at the park, along the lake. Even though it was about 12:30 or so, there weren't a whole lot of people there, meaning I didn't have to run around a bunch of walkers, bikers or other runners. It was just me, the sea gulls and the geese. And a class or two of school kids. But mostly just me and the winged creatures.

At one point, I was almost done with my run. I could see my car, that's how close to the end I was. Up until this point, me and the winged creatures were getting along fine. But then I had to pass two older gentlemen who were walking, so I edged over, closer to the grass. And I think I freaked this big old goose out. Cause all of a sudden he made this motion like he was going to lunge at me. And that wouldn't have been good. You would have read about it the next day in the paper: "Runner attacked by goose." Lucky for me, the goose was just getting up enough power to launch himself into the air so he could avoid me and the walkers. Apparently he'd had enough of people invading his space, cause he flew away and landed in the water.

But other than the encounter with the goose, the run was good. I felt good and I made pretty good time. By no means am I the fastest runner on earth, but the past few days my pace has been faster and I think that's a good thing.

Now, it's time to go catch up with my friends from Grey's Anatomy.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

A mid-week's break plans

The work week's only two days old and already I get a break. Well, mostly because I'm the weekend reporter. But still, a day off all to myself with no obligations. I can do whatever I want. So here's what I'm tentatively planning to do:

* A trip to the library. I have to return some stuff and I just might browse to see if anything else catches my eye.

* I think I might go and run in the park again. It's not supposed to be as windy as it was on Sunday, so maybe I'll actually be able to finish the entire 4-mile loop without having to turn around because it felt like I was running into a cement wall.

* I need to catch up with our friends on Grey's Anatomy. I missed last week's episode due to a birthday party. And of course I have to be caught up before Thursday night.

* I'll probably read a bit.

* And maybe waste some time putzing around on my computer. Or playing Roller Coaster Tycoon, a game I recently rediscovered.

Of course, this could all change the moment I get up and decide I want to do something completely different. But at this moment, that's what I'm guessing I'll probably do.

My monthly page recount

April's finished and I'm happy to announce that in the closing hours of the month, I also finished "A Confederacy of Dunces," a book that I struggled through for most of the month. Now that I'm finished with it, I think I know what my problem with it was. It had no point. There was no plot. And I didn't like that.

But it's done with. And so is April. So it's time for the monthly recap of what I've read.

In April I read 4 books and a total of 1,333 pages. That brings it to a total of 21 books and 7,138 pages read. Four months into the year, I'm halfway to my goal of 40 books for the year, not too bad.

Here's what I read this month:
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

I think it's time to head back to Hogwarts for a bit. Later on tonight, I'll start reading about Harry's third year at Hogwarts in Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban.