The best kind of vacation: The one with no plans

Before I give you a photo heavy post of what I did during a week off of work, I want to take a moment and send off my thoughts and prayers to all those on the East Coast whose lives are being impacted by the monster storm called Sandy.

As I sit here and the news of what's going on on the East Coast floods in, I'm almost dumbfounded. Never did I think I'd hear of NYC going dark, the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange under three feet of water or see a picture of a shark - yes a shark - swimming in front of a home's front porch in Brigatine, NJ. (Update: I admit, 12 hours after the storm was at its worst, I now know some of these things didn't happen - the NYSE didn't flood and that pic of the NJ shark? Suspect. But we can all agree this was a crazy storm that caused a ton of damage and some of the images and stories coming out where downright surreal.)

Once again, thoughts and prayers go out to you guys. And I hope you all stay safe.

Now. On to that week of vacation.

The Capitol at night.

My week started with a road trip to Madison, where I met up with my roommate from college. We met up Friday night and caught up over dinner at The Old Fashioned, this really great restaurant on the Capitol Square. Then it was time to head back to our hotel and get ready for Saturday.

Camp Randall. I love spending my Saturdays here.

It was time to head to Camp Randall to watch the Badgers! It was the Border Battle weekend, when Wisconsin and Minnesota battle it out on the gridiron for Paul Bunyan's axe. That axe is making a bit of a home in Madison, and guess, what, after the Badgers beat the Gophers 38-13, it's staying in Madison.

A couple of Badgers

It was great to be able to catch up with my old roommate and of course get the chance to watch the Badgers. But sadly, I wasn't able to stick around Madison for long after the game because I had to get back home to catch the second half of my cousin's wedding.

Hay ride through the woods

There was a trip to the apple orchard on Sunday where I indulged in a caramel apple with sprinkles and a hay ride followed by a drive around Lake Winnebago. It's been a long time since I took that drive and it was worth it.

The rest of the week off? There was a dentist appointment (no cavities!), a trip to sell some books I'll never read again at the used book store, some reading and I watched the entire fifth season of Gossip Girl (what, the library only let me have the DVDs for five days). Oh, I also ran a Halloween-themed 5K on Saturday (race report to come soon) and almost died watching the Badgers lose to Michigan State that afternoon. A death that was almost quickened due to hearing the Badger basketball team lost its projected starting point guard due to a torn ACL.

The rest of the time? I did a whole lot of nothing. And let me tell you, it was glorious.

Unfortunately it all came to an end today. Going back to work kind stunk. Sigh. When's my next day off?

Three Things Thursday

1. Countdown to running group reunion! In just over two weeks I get to see some of my favorite running buddies when we tackle Runaway to the Bay, a 55-mile relay from Oshkosh to Green Bay. So excited for this first-year event. Not only for the running aspect, but just getting to hang out with these girls, who I logged so many miles with last year.

2. I had an iPod failure on multiple runs this week. Monday night (when I decided to run in circles for 10 miles), I was all set to try out a new play list. See how the music matched up with the run, if I needed to move songs around, etc. Well, apparently I started with the wrong play list and didn't realize it until 4 miles into the run. Sigh. This is why I try to only have one play list loaded on the iPod Shuffle at a time. And then last night? I'm less than a mile into my run and the music fades to nothing. Nope, no transition between songs. I'm talking mid-song. The iPod was dead as a doornail. Guess I should listen the next time the Apple Lady says, "Battery low." At least I learned I can still (barely) run for 3 miles without tunes or a friend to talk to.

3. In non-running news, guess what happens when there's no new TV on, college basketball is limited to the weekends and you need something to entertain you on TV? You get sucked into a series that you're almost ashamed to admit you like. At least I did. And that's how I've managed to watch 2 entire seasons of Gossip Girl in the last 2.5 weeks. Can't. Tear. Myself. Away. I have Season 3 in my hands right now, and I've been good in terms of limiting how much I watch. I told myself I needed to do other things this week, like run and read this thing called a book. But I can assure you there will be more Gossip Girl viewing this weekend.

Ironman Wisconsin Spectating Report

When you hear Ironman, it's not surprising to hear people say it was hard. But have you ever tried spectating at one? Dude. It was hard. Like, by the time my friend Jeff crossed the finish line, it almost felt like I had done an Ironman. Or something close.
But even though it was hard and tiring, it was so much fun. And I got so much out of it. An amazing day. I saw the pros who almost seemed to float through the 140.6 miles without breaking a sweat. The middle of the packers who looked strong throughout, even though you could tell they were hurting at times. And towards the end of the day as the daylight turned into dark and each and every step hurt, you could see the determination in people's faces. Because after all of the hard work they put in, they were going travel 140.6 miles and dang it, they were going to hear the announcer say, "(Name here), you are an Ironman" as they crossed the finish line.

Inspiring stuff. Just what I needed going into race week.

My Ironman spectating started off on Saturday. After running a 9-mile run, my last long run of the training cycle, I headed out with Peggy for Madison. We met up with our friends Jeff, Silvia, Myriah and Josh and scoped out the Monona Terrace area to get the scoop on the best places to watch the swim and logistically how to catch Jeff (who would be trying to finish his 10th Ironman) as he was coming out of the water and minutes later going out on the bike.

Of course after figuring that out, we needed food. So we all headed over to the Glass Nickel for pizza. And of course there were some last minute pointers on bike and run viewing as well as maybe some scheming about future triathlons in our futures. One which could possibly involve a tandem bike. Don't ask.

Race day dawned. Peggy and I loaded up my car and set off for Madison. Once down at the Terrace, we met up with Silvia and Jeff's dog Flecka. It was a mass of people. Everywhere you looked. People. Cameras. Athletes in wetsuits. The energy was amazing. Especially considering it wasn't even 7 a.m.

Soon the cannon was shot and the athletes were off. I wish I could have seen the swim start from the top level of the terrace, but still. Watching from lake level, you could still kind of get a picture of the washing machine like churn that 2,800 athletes produce.

We made a quick pit stop on the Capitol Square for food and caffeine, caught a little bit of the 9/11 observance and headed back to the terrace just in time to spread out and watch for Jeff as he came out of the water and took off on his bike.

Then it was time to head out into the area west of Madison to catch the bike. We went out to Timber Lane, which is about 3/4 of the way through the 40-mile loop that athletes bike twice. It's also home to a monster of a climb.

The atmosphere out there? Tour de France-like. People lining both sides of the street. People running uphill, shouting words of encouragement, as their Ironman in the making tackled the incline. And yes. There was even a group of guys dressed up in costume - one may have been wearing a pink feather boa and a coconut bra - that cheered triathletes on.

We saw Jeff come by twice, he looked good both times, and then headed back to downtown Madison to grab out bikes and start spectating the run.

Of our group, I was the most familiar with Madison since I went to school there, so it was left up to me to figure out the best places to catch Jeff on the run. Looking at the map, I found a couple spots that would allow us to see him on a few occasions. We headed out to the Memorial Union where we could see him at miles 6 and 7ish, then headed over by Camp Randall where we'd see him around mile 10ish. Next it was to the Capitol Square where we could see him at 12.6ish and then about 13.5ish.

The second loop we added in a few extra stops at Jeff's request. He was starting to struggle a little bit, but still looked good. There was an extra stop out by the Natatorium (not sure on miles, maybe 17), back to the Union (miles 19/20), Camp Randall (probably close to 23) and then the Kohl Center (Mile 25). We biked alongside him for about half of the final mile, encouraging him. And, dude. The guy picked up the speed in that final mile. He was keeping his eye on the clock and really wanted to hit that 13 hour mark. Midway through the mile he told us to go and meet him at the finish line.

We did. Ditched our bikes and ran to the finish line area. And somehow managed to miss him. D'oh! But we met up with our Ironman friend - and other friends - afterwards.

Overall it was an amazing experience. To see the triathletes. And the crowd support. And the grit and determination that the athletes had. All of that was worth the walking. And the biking. And the standing on the side of a hill for hours in the blazing hot sun.

Because I went get to Mile 11 on Sunday and I'm starting to struggle and just wish that I was finished, I'm going to look back. Those Ironmen struggled. It hurt. They could have pulled off to the side of the road as they were biking up Timber Lane - for the second time - and just threw in the towel. But they didn't.

They kept going. Because they wanted it. And in most cases, they got it.

So congrats to all the Ironmen out there who tackled Ironman Wisconsin. I'm thankful I got to see it. And to Jeff - thanks for letting me be a small part of your 10th Ironman finish!

Spectating report to come

Guys. Spectating at Ironman Wisconsin? Hard. But so much fun!

And while I've (mostly) recovered, you'll have to wait a couple of more days for the full spectating report and what I thought. Mostly because my computer is being stupid. Seriously. Almost 5 minutes to load a web page? I don't even want to think how long it will take to upload photos.

But I'll leave you with this.

Because Ironmen? They're not too bad on the eyes.

September could be a pretty good month

 Source

How is it already September?

Not that I'm complaining. Because I'm kind of looking forward to the cooler fall temperatures - if they ever decide to show up and stick around - and I've got some pretty cool things planned for the month.

But first I have to mention my Badgers.

Did anyone see that game last night? Bucky was on fire! Or I guess maybe his arms were on fire. See at Wisconsin we've got a tradition. Everytime the Badgers score during the football game, Bucky Badger does that number of pushups on a board that's being held up by the male cheerleaders. On a low scoring night it's not really a problem.

Source

But when the Badgers beat UNLV 51-17? That's a lot of pushups. In fact, last night Bucky did 233 pushups. His arms must have been burning. And while watching last night I decided I'm going to keep track of how many pushups Bucky does this year. Could be interesting.

So now that I've addressed the Badgers (who looked pretty amazing in their victory and I'm pretty stoked to watch our new QB Russell Wilson this season), I can move on to other exciting things I've got planned for September.

It starts this weekend. Sunday night I'm heading down to my old stomping grounds, the 'Burg, to hang out with Amanda, a friend of mine. On Monday we're heading over to Randolph, this little village near her house, for Run for the Paws, a local 5K and corn carnival. I did the 5K with her two years ago and am pretty excited to make a return appearance. The first time I did it was a small little race and I actually placed in my age group! Looking forward to seeing what I can do this year.

Next weekend? It's going to be pretty cool. My friend Peggy (who just started a blog, stop by and say hi!) and I are heading down to Madison to cheer on Jeff, a friend of ours and fellow Tough Mudder teammate, as he tackles Ironman Wisconsin. Even though I went to school in Madison, I never got to experience an Ironman since the event was first staged the fall after I graduated. So I'm super excited to spectate and cheer on all the athletes. Should be a pretty inspiring weekend and it comes at a great time because....

The next weekend is the Fox Cities Half Marathon. My 'A' race for the fall. I'm pretty sure there will be more written about this race as race day gets closer.

So a pretty busy month. And that's only the first three weekends! I'm ready!

Three Things Thursday

1. The UPS and FedEx man were my friends this week. See I did a little bit of online shopping last week when I was on vacation. I figured since I didn't spend much money by actually going places - other than Packers training camp and Family Night - I could justify a few purchases. And really, they were things I needed. Running related things. First up was a new Moving Comfort Charity sports bra. It's my absolute favorite sports bra for long runs. And for some reason I wasn't thinking a few weeks ago and wore it during Tough Mudder. Um, none of my clothes - including the sports bra - survived Tough Mudder. So a replacement was needed. And since I got a deal, I also ordered a tube of strawberry lemonade Nuun. And today the FedEx man brought me my package of clearance goodies from Brooks - two pairs of Epiphany stretch shorts II (in black and a blue color), a hat and this tank. Can't wait to go for a run and try out the goodies!

2. Let's talk about football for a moment. The Badgers open the season in 21 days against UNLV at Camp Randall Stadium. Excited! And the Packers, well their first pre-season game is Saturday but honestly the pre-season doesn't count. The real NFL fun starts on Sept. 8 when the New Orleans Saints visit Lambeau Field. That's only 28 days away. Not that I'm counting. Yes. I'm a bit excited for football season to start.

3. I almost was able to get in a run while at work today. Too bad my photographer wanted nothing to do with it. I got sent out to a barn fire in the county that I live in. The road the barn is on is a fairly narrow road to begin with and when you bring in fire trucks from five surrounding communities to fight the fully engulfed fire, it makes it a tight squeeze. So law enforcement closed down the road and wouldn't let anyone - even me - in. And of course due to its location, it was almost impossible to see the barn and flames from where they had the road blocked. We could have taken a jaunt on the Wiouwash Trail, which runs right alongside the barn, and my photographer could have gotten the shot she needed. But she didn't want to walk the mile or so from the trail head to near the property. Sigh. So late night at the office chasing down the barn fire meant I didn't run. Even though I had the chance while on the job.

That's what I call a good weekend

That was a good weekend folks.

I started it out by helping my friend Jess celebrate her birthday on Friday night. I met up with her and some other peeps for a few drinks after I got done having dinner with my parents. Once we met up there were a few drinks consumed, some boys that were watched and many, many outfits that others were wearing that we critiqued. And it all ended with me staying up WAY past my bedtime. I can't remember the last time I was up until 2 a.m. And normally it wouldn't have been a problem but....

I had plans to go spectate at the High Cliff Triathlon on Saturday morning. And my initial plan was to get up at 6 a.m. so I could bike over to the race site (about 6 miles away) and avoid the traffic headaches. Well when my alarm went off four hours after falling asleep I decided to turn the alarm off for another hour. Well 7 o'clock came and went and I never woke up until 8:15 when a friend of mine called asking me where I was in the park. Oops!

After a quick shower I was off. After waiting for traffic control to allow me to park, I got to the park and met up with my friends. We were there to cheer on a friend's husband, who was doing his first 70.3. Obviously I missed the swim and he was somewhere out on the 56 mile bike course by the time I got there. Overall it was a great time cheering, not only for our friend's husband, but all of the other athletes who were out there tackling the 70.3 miles. And everyone was SO appreciative of the cheers they were hearing. Oh, and my friend's husband? He rocked his first 70.3, finishing in 5:40.

This is an event I've done the last two years (well, the sprint distance, not the 70.3) and I swear, the moment I got caught in traffic waiting for bikers to clear the intersection I was immediately wondering why I wasn't out there competing. And those questions in my mind ramped up once I made it into the park and throughout the day. But at the beginning of the year I made a decision (a hard decision) to take the year off triathlons and instead focus on the running. A decision I'm happy with. But still. That tri bug lingers a bit. Maybe I'll throw an unexpected tri onto the calendar later this summer. Maybe.

After heading home, I later met up with my friend Peggy and we went for a nice 15-mile bike ride and then had a good evening chatting on the patio with a few drinks. It was enjoyable getting a chance to hang with Peggy while we weren't logging running miles.

And today? Well today there was supposed to be a longish run (in the 7-8 mile range). But when I woke up it was pouring. And it continued to rain. Pretty much all day. And I just didn't have it in me to get on the treadmill and pound out the miles. So I didn't run.

But that will probably be the last unplanned rest day for a while. Because tomorrow? Training for the Fox Cities Half Marathon starts. And the training plan I got from the coach? A little frightening. More on that tomorrow.

Three Things Thursday

1. Day No. 3 of the Furlough brought a trip up to Lambeau Field. I had to stock up on a bit of Green Bay Packers gear. Because did you hear? We're going to the Super Bowl :) I opted not to get a shirt, I figured I'd save that purchase for a Super Bowl Champions shirt, but I did pick up one of the NFC Championship hats that the players were sporting in the locker room, some green and gold beads in preparation for a Super Bowl viewing party and a copy of the Super Bowl program. My Mom and I then had lunch up at Curly's Pub, our seats looked out at the players' parking lot and we could watch as the players were coming out of practice and going home for the day. No sign of Clay Matthews though - he was probably inside finishing up details for that Suave hair products endorsement deal he inked.

Non-Packer related, but we just managed to miss the craziness that comes when the highway is shut down due to President Obama's motorcade traveling through the area on his way to the airport.

2. Talk about a productive day so far. Not only have I gotten in a short swim while helping out my sister-in-law, I also had a run date with Jess. During the run it became very clear to me that I don't run with other people regularly. Because we don't get together very often, run dates with Jess require gossip. And gossip? Requires lots of talking. And that makes running hard. But it was so worth it. Of course the fresh one inch of snow we ran through was also making things a bit tough, but overall it was a good run. And I'm thinking it might be time to invest in some Yak Trax.

3. Now I've got a few hours to kill before heading out to the Oshkosh Half Marathon kickoff event. You can't really go wrong learning about core strength, raffle prizes, changes in the course (seriously, the event's in its fifth year and I think the course has never been the same) and reduced registration fees? Sign me up!

Weekend wrap-up

I've determined weekends need to be longer. Oh, and Mother Nature needs to stop it with the heat and humidity.

But anyway. It was a busy weekend. Dinner with the parents on Friday night, followed up by refreshing - although a bit windy - 13.1-mile bike ride around the airport grounds on Saturday afternoon.  The evening was spent watching the wolves eat their dinner, catching up with the baby baboon and realizing goats have really freaky eyes at the Menominee Park zoo, dinner and a movie. It was a good night (The Last Exorcism, I recommend waiting for it to come out on DVD).

And today was draft day - deciding which NFL players would be lucky enough to call themselves a member of Crime and Grime for the 2010 fantasy football season. There are some returnees from last year's championship team - Peyton and Eli Manning and Dallas Clark - along with some new additions - Wes Welker, Miles Austin and (representing the Green and Gold) Ryan Grant and Donald Driver. Should be a good year.

Anyone notice that a run is missing? There were plans to do an 8- or 9-miler, but I wasn't planning on having enough time to do it Saturday. And today? It was just too dang hot. So the long run has been pushed to Monday. Again. But I have a plan this time. Instead of 8 or 9 miles of the treadmill to nowhere? I'm heading over to the other YMCA in town tomorrow after work. I'm planning on doing a good chunk of the run on the running track (where 10 or 11 laps equals a mile) and finishing out the remaining miles on the treadmill. I think it's a good compromise. Instead of running to nowhere for that many miles, I'll be running in circles. But it'll be better than running outdoors when the mercury has hit 90 and it's humid. Plus when I do make my way to the treadmill? There will be the U.S. Open to watch. Watching tennis while running? Sounds like a deal to me!

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Three Things Thursday: AirVenture edition

1. It's been a busy week writing about airplanes for me. I got the chance to write about the B-17 Flying Fortress the other day. And as part of my reporting duties found myself crawling through one of the World War II bombers. Let's just it was a tight squeeze, so I can only imagine what it was like for the crews that flew on the bomber. I also spent some time learning about the DC-3/C-47. And I had the chance to meet and talk with some members of a Canadian reality television show - Ice Pilots NWT. The Buffalo Airways crew seemed pretty cool and I would totally love to see the show, too bad it's only shown in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. While the crew is here at AirVenture this week, they've also brought their film crew along and yes, me and my photographer found ourselves signing a release form since apparently I was recorded while conducting my interview. So for any of you Canadians, watch for the second season episode where the Buffalo Airways crew goes to AirVenture. If you see a girl sporting a red Wisconsin visor, wearing a blue tank and capris. That's me.

2. It's inevitable. With so many planes coming into Oshkosh during AirVenture (the control tower is dubbed the world's busiest control tower during the week-long event), there's bound to be a crash of some sort. Most of the time we're lucky and nobody is killed, although during two of the previous three AirVenture's I've covered there have been fatal crashes. This year? NASCAR owner Jack Roush crashed his plane while landing on Tuesday. He survived, but was taken to a local hospital, underwent surgery and has now been transferred to the Mayo Clinic. Go here to see pictures, but I warn you, a few are kind of graphic.

3. I've got one more shift out at AirVenture tomorrow. But I'm going back Saturday just for fun - to look at the stuff I want to look at and take pictures. And of course the big air show is Saturday. And this year? They're adding a second air show. At night. Followed by fireworks. I'm looking forward to it.

Catching up and looking ahead

It was a busy week. And while some workouts got tossed out the window, overall it was a good week.

Got some time in at the pool on Monday and followed that up with 4.5 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday. Then I managed to avoid workouts for the next three days. There were a few dinners with friends, an early morning jaunt to drop a friend off at the airport and trip to The 'burg to see "New Moon" with an old friend. So not very workout-friendly, but I managed.

So by the time Saturday rolled around and it was mid-50s and sunny, I couldn't avoid it any longer. My running shoes were calling my name. I laced them up and headed out. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go, I was thinking maybe 3 miles. But I got to the turn around point and the next chunk of road was just calling my name. So instead of turning around, I kept going straight. By this point it was starting to get dusky, passing cars had their headlights on and the sunglasses I was wearing? Not really necessary. It was peaceful though. And enjoyable to run in. The run ended up being 4.5 miles. It felt good. I kept a nice steady pace and finished it off in about 45 minutes.

I should have ran today, but I didn't. Instead there was a trip to Scheel's to replace my malfunctioning, broken goggles before swim class tomorrow and a visit with my parents. And there was football to watch.

So I considered today a rest day.

And I might need it.

Tomorrow kicks off the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge, a challenge put together by Amanda over at Run to the Finish. I'll start off the challenge with a swim session in the morning and might even sneak in a run after work. And Tuesday I'll be scampering after Santa in the Santa Scamper, a one-mile run before the Appleton Christmas Parade. And let's not forget about the 5-mile Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning and a possible season-ending 5K on Sunday.

Should be a good week.

Runs, swims and bullet points

It feels like a bullet point kind of day.

So bullet points you get.

• Had to burn vacation time at work, so I just enjoyed a four-day weekend full of gorgeous weather. There was apartment cleaning and a 4-mile run on Thursday and shopping, dinner and catch-up time with friends on Friday.
• Saturday means college football. So I listened to the Badgers beat up Michigan and then snuck in a 3-miler before it got dark or decided to start raining. Run went OK, but legs felt a little dead.
• More football on Sunday, the NFL variety.
• Today it was not only back to work, but back to the pool. After missing last week's swim class, 5 a.m. came really early. And it sounds crazy, but I could totally tell I took a week off of swimming. Legs just weren't feeling it. Luckily it was mostly drills today. Not so lucky? Those drills all focused on the arms, which means my legs were doing the brunt of the work. Dead legs post swim mean no run today.
• Had a bit of an equipment malfunction midway through swim class. Goggles? Busted. Mental note: Make trip to store to get new goggles before next week.
• The rest of the week looks a little crazy with post-work plans. Right now the plan is to hit the YMCA for a run Tuesday after work and force myself to get up early Wednesday for a run. Will take Thursday off, but might have to do the early morning thing again on Friday. I could just opt out of a run, but I've been in a groove lately, don't want to mess it up.

And that's all I've got. Next time hopefully I won't have to resort to bullet points.

Furlough, it's nice to see you again

Well hello Furlough. It's been a while since I've seen you.

Today begins my second week-long furlough. You know, those things that have become the cool thing for companies to do. It's like they pull you into a room, tell you you're getting an extra week of vacation. But we're not going to pay you.

In other words, a forced, unpaid vacation.

This will be Furlough No. 2 for me. I had one back in February. I traveled a bit during that furlough. Made a trip across the state to La Crosse to see a friend. Another trip down to Milwaukee to see an old college roommate.

This time around? I'm staying put in the City on the Water. Although I'll probably make the half-hour trip north to my parents' house and High Cliff State Park a couple of times.

Which means I should have plenty of time to accomplish the few goals I have for my week off.

During this furlough, I will:

• Ride my bike. Maybe tackle that 31-mile route I did last weekend for the Strong Kids Ride. And this time have my camera with me.


• Run. I've been neglecting my running shoes lately. And there ideas swirling around in my head.


• Swim. Might even do an open water swim in Lake Winnebago in preparation for the High Cliff Triathlon. Which is in two weeks. Two weeks people! That's quick.


• Catch up with Jack Bauer and see how he ended up saving the world this season. Jack's probably pretty ticked off at me since I stopped watching 24 after probably Hour No. 10 since I got so far behind. But the DVDs of season 7 went on sale the day after the season finale and I got a great deal. And for the past week, Jack's been sitting on my end table. Just waiting for me to pop in the first DVD.


• The not so fun task of cleaning my apartment. But it needs to be done.

So that's the list. Add in some reading. Some relaxing. And a possible trip to the zoo with The Rugrats. Should be a good week off. And it all kicks off tonight when I head to see Grease at the performing arts center with my parents.

I only have energy for bullet points

It's the end of a fabulous 3-day weekend featuring gorgeous weather and lots of fun things to do. And because all of the excitement has left me dead tired. I'm giving you bullet points.

• For starters. I love monkeys. So when I heard the local zoo here was having a baby baboon as one of its exhibits this year, I knew I had to see him. So when the zoo opened Saturday, a friend and I went over to check out the Baby Baboon. And he was adorable. And very hard to photograph since he obviously didn't know how to sit still for more than 2 seconds. I tried. And I will be going back to check in on the Baby Baboon.

• After checking out the Baby Baboon and having a very up close encounter with a large tortoise, who apparently gets to roam around the zoo grounds, we took my friend's puggle over to the dog park and got to check out the doggies. It was the first time I've been a dog park. Very fun. Kind of makes me want a dog.
• I snuck in a 14-mile bike ride before I took a road trip to Madison on Sunday. A friend and I had tickets to see Jason Mraz play. Good times. Well worth the trip down. The Plain White T's opened and were really good. And Jason Mraz? Amazing. If I hadn't left my camera in the car, I might have had some pictures to share with you since our seats were pretty close. But my camera? It was hanging out in my backseat underneath my fleece.
• Since I knew last night would be a late night, I took a day of vacation today. I took another 14-mile bike ride this morning before heading to Appleton to hang out with my Mom and The Rugrats. We played outside. Walked over to school to pick up my niece (and I think the walk justifies me missing the run I had planned for this afternoon since I was pulling the wagon with the two boys. A wagon ride that featured many, many hills). And then spent the rest of the afternoon at the park. Spent the entire day outside. I'm not sure if they were exhausted. But I am.
• And on a random note. Today the odometer in my car flipped over to 100,000 miles. Just 18 days shy of its 7th birthday.

Hopefully I'll return to non-bullet point posts next time.

Five days of nothing

Take a couple of days of vacation, add in a weekend and toss in an extra day off to account for an upcoming Saturday shift this weekend and what did I have? Five days to do whatever I wanted. And what did I do?

Well, nothing too, too exciting. But it was an enjoyable five days to myself.

Thursday there was sleeping late, lounging around my apartment and then dinner with a friend at O'Charley's. I thought about hitting the YMCA, but decided against it.

Friday I did some errands during the day and then hung out with a bunch of 6- and 7-year-olds at a Halloween party at The Rugrats' house. All of the kids had a good time, even The Hellion (my youngest nephew), who demanded that all the "scary men" be taken down. He's only 2, I guess he doesn't quite get the whole scary Halloween concept yet.

I listened to the Badgers suck it up on Saturday. Seriously. What happened to this team? I can't remember the last time they started 0-4 in the Big Ten. At this point, even that "gimmie" game against Cal Poly on Nov. 22 doesn't look like so much of a "gimmie." More like a "must win" in order to get to a bowl game. Maybe things will turn around this weekend when Illinois comes to Camp Randall. A Badger can hope, can't she?

After the Badgers disappointed me, Mom and I went to the apple orchard, had a delicious caramel apple, looked at the crafts and then got some yummy treats. The two chocolate muffins? They're mine. Mom opted for the pumpkin and blueberry variety. And the mini-apple pie? We shared it.

Sunday was spent with the family, celebrating my youngest cousin's first birthday and then watching the Packers beat up on the Colts. Again, Aaron Rodgers looked good, bum shoulder and all. And Brett Favre? You're not doing yourself any favors pulling this kind of stuff.

And today? My final day of a super-extended vacation? I didn't do much. Did some errands. Paid some bills and putzed around. I thought about heading over to the YMCA, but decided not to. After all, it's vacation. The YMCA will be there when I head back to work.

Tomorrow. Ugh.

Today calls for bullet-points

It's late, it's Sunday and I'm tired. Too tired to form coherent thoughts. Therefore, you get a bullet-point post.

• I went to my class reunion this weekend. 10 years. I can't believe it. Friday night we went to our school's homecoming football game. About 25 of us showed up and it was fun. Afterwards I went with three other classmates for a drink and catching up. Good times. Saturday was the big kid social gathering at a downtown bar. Lots of fun. I saw people I hadn't seen in 10 years. Most people looked the same and we remembered each other. But then there were also those who I talked to that neither of us had a clue who the other was, even though we were both wearing name tags. Oh well. A good time was had by all who came. And, I even won a door prize. A CD full of 90s R&B hits, some of which just might be added to the playlist on my iPod that I use at the YMCA. Brings back good memories.
• I made the mistake of wearing a new pair of boots to the reunion. Word to the wise, don't do this. I don't think you're supposed to wear new shoes, stand in them for 7 hours and walk about two miles between bars. I think the blisters I have on the bottom of my feet prove that. Ouch.
• I sat outside in the garage today to watch the Packer game. Even though it was only in the upper 50s and there was a bit of a wind. See our cable company and the local FOX affiliate aren't getting along. Meaning the channel isn't on cable. So my Dad rigged up the small TV in the garage with rabbit ears. It was the only way I could watch Green Bay lose. And it was cold.
• And let's not even talk about the Badgers. Really? Another last minute loss? And the Brewers? Let's not go there either. Although congrats on at least making it to the post-season this year. It was a good season.

I think that's it. Time for bed.

The end is getting closer

One more day.

Just one more eight hour shift and I'll be happy. Because then? It's three whole days.

To myself. No work. no deadlines. Nothing.

And let me tell you. After working eight days in a row, I'll savor every minute of those three days. I do have some plane though. Plans that involve my bike, a dragon boat and trip to my parents' house to check in and see how my Dad's doing. Oh and I'll sleep in too.

One more day...

Are you ready for some football?

Can you smell it in the air? It's football season.

And last night? I spent it sitting in Lambeau Field, watching the Green Bay Packers take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the pre-season opener. Granted, the Green and Gold didn't win, but it was exciting to watch. Because in case you didn't hear, it's a new era in Green Bay.

There's been a changing of the quarterback guard.

Aaron Rodgers took over the reins last night. And he didn't look too bad. Nine of 15 for 117 yards. A touchdown and an interception during his four series. Not bad. The rest of the game wasn't too bad either. I got to see some of the backups, see who might have a chance to shine this year.

Even though the Packers ended up losing 20-17, it was a fun night. Although it wasn't the super swanky luxury boxes, my seat was in the front row of one of the swanky indoor club seats. It wasn't outside in the Lambeau Field bleacher seats, but hey, I'm not complaining since they were the tickets of the free variety.

The only downside? I pulled into the driveway at 1 a.m. and the alarm went off a mere six hours later. Needless to say, it's been a long day and I think I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight.

*Photo credit: Post-Crescent photo by M.P. King*

Thankfully it's a weekend of the three-day variety

Even though today is Friday, my "weekend" kind of started yesterday when the girls and I headed down to Waterfest after work to catch some music.

It wasn't just any band though. It was the Gin Blossoms. Yes, the band that was popular in the 1990s when I was in middle or high school.

We only knew 5 or 6 of the songs the band played and for some reason whenever a song started, we thought it was either "Hey Jealousy," "Allison Road," or "Til I Hear It From You." Inevitably we'd hear a bit more and then realize we were wrong. But the show was fun. We laughed, had a few drinks and danced the night away.

Then I got home late and was faced with the harsh reality that I needed to be awake at at work in just over 6 hours. Ouch.

But I made it through the workday and promptly came home and took a nap. Because I was tired. And the rest of the weekend? It's going to be just as crazy.

First there's the annual trek to Alpine Valley to catch the Dave Matthews Band tomorrow. A little tailgating in the parking lots before staking out a spot on the lawn and dancing the night away to the tunes of Dave and the boys. Follow it all up with a post-concert cool down back in the lots while we wait for traffic to clear out a bit and the 12 lanes of cars converging into one is a bit more manageable.

So it'll be a long night. But I'll be working on just a few hours of sleep again Sunday when I head north to the Fox Valley for a family reunion.

Lucky for me I get to catch a few extra hours of sleep Monday morning since I have the day off. But it'll be a late night as I head to Lambeau Field to watch the Brett Favre-less Green Bay Packers take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the pre-season opener. I'm looking forward to the game. Club seats. Football. More tailgating. And did I mention it's my first game at Lambeau Field? It is. Going to work half-dead Tuesday should be worth it.

But to kick the weekend off? I'm going to sit myself down in my recliner and watch the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics. Because I'm a sports junkie. And these next 17 days will be heavenly. But that's a whole other post.

The Raptors have arrived!

The F-22 Raptors? They're here. And tomorrow I get to sit and chat with Raptor pilot Maj. Paul "Max" Moga. I'm excited. Although I had to promise my boss that I wouldn't try to hide in the jet and fly away.

I was supposed to do it today, but then I had a problem getting across the runway.

Because there was a plane crash. An amateur homebuilt airplane stalled in the air and crashed just before the runaway. And two people are dead. So I had to change my plans for the day.

But I did take time out to watch the air show when the Raptor flew. And it was cool. And it gave me chills. And I took a little video. But it really doesn't do the Raptor justice. It is so much cooler in real life. So if you ever get a chance to see the Raptor fly? Watch it. I promise you won't be disappointed.