Grounded

Somehow I hurt my knee. I don't know how I did it, I just know it hurts. I've gotten a nice shot in my knee (btw when they say "this wont really hurt" they're lying), have some lovely pills to take and I can't excercise for a week.

I am a bit pouty about that, okay a lot pouty. But what else is there to do but to suck it up and do what the doctor tells me to do.

Decorating Blues

Its that time of year again. The days get shorter, the weather gets colder, the leaves turn colors. And Target puts up its Christmas decorations.

...

Yes that's right, 2 weeks into September and I'm struggling to find Halloween decor for my yard and my house. What is wrong with these people? Lowes has friggin Christmas trees up already. I started shopping for Halloween even earlier this year. I am so not happy about this.

The good news is that the happiest place on earth opens tomorrow. That's right. The Spirit Halloween store! I'm all tingly with joy over this, so very sad. I love that store, they have the coolest stuff.

If you can't tell, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Not in a slasher movie kind of way. More in a Nightmare Before Christmas kind of way. When stuff goes up I'll take some pictures. Right now I'm putting up "fall" stuff. October 1 it gives way to Halloween.

Reading & Running

Oh and biking, and the elliptical machine. That constitutes my life lately. I read tax books, tax web pages and tax questions. I read running books. I read running web pages.

I have a new workout schedule. on Mon, Wed, Friday I go to the gym and do an anything but running aerobic workout. Tue, Thur, Sun I run/walk.

I am planning house decor settup for the coming holidays. I have a plan for fall harvest/halloween in my head. Just need to decide when its time to pull the holiday decoration trigger. I am going to a few stores today to do some looking/shopping.

I live such an exciting life eh?

Penguins

It seems I am a Penguin. What is a Penguin?

"In the running lexicon, the word "Penguin" has come to mean a person who runs more for the joy of running than for recognition and public rewards. Some of us are perpetual Penguins. We are consumed by the pleasure of movement.

Other Penguins find their joy in the challenge of reaching their own potential, whatever that is. For some it has meant running the Boston Marathon, the only U.S. marathon that has qualifying standards. For others, it has meant finding an independence and freedom in their daily runs that expands their limits."

-John Bingham
http://www.johnbingham.com/index.html

So knowing all of this I begin a training schedule today that should have me up to running a 5k by my birthday.

lolcats

more animals

Todays 5K

Will write more later, need to get a few things before the storm hits tomorrow.

Here's my very first race number and T-Shirt. For everyone interested, I did not finish last. I finished at the same pace I've done all week.

Walking and Seeing Pt 2

I have computer glasses. I can read with them also. Its just a little strange, I have to sort of close my eyes to shift from looking at the monitor and looking down. Its going to take some getting used to but at least I'm no longer dizzy and sick.

Two days till the Marine 911 race. I don't feel right about calling it a race since most people will be running and I will be walking. I just don't want to finish last. That'd suck.

Kitchen

I didn't really redo the kitchen so much as made it more efficient. Well the paint too.



The fridge is new. I really didn't think it through because the freezer is very small.



I saw this island in a magazine and said "ah ha! That's what I'm looking for" and I ordered it. It came in many many pieces. My mother helped me assemble it. I love it. I've already gotten a great deal of use from it, I expect to get more now that fall is coming.

Living Room

For those that didn't see the house before everything got changed, all the walls were pink, the floors were meh and I had hand me down living room furniture.

So we start with the loveseat. Its up against the railing for the stairs.



Here is the main couch. The blinds behind it are all new, the old ones were this dark heavy green. The couch did not come with the dogs, Misha is the blonde one, Sophie is the one that looks like she knows she's doing something wrong.



The old ceiling was also pink. It was nasty and too high to be of any true use. This is not that great of a picture but hey, you want a better view come to the house.



You can see the pass through for the kitchen. It would be a great place for family photos if a) I had some (subtle hint eh?) and b) Milo didn't keep knocking things to the floor.



This is the view from the loveseat to the other side of the living room. Yes its a very long living room. Yes its a very large TV. Its actually a really, really nice TV.



So you see I have the long living room. Since this is a high ranch the space came from somewhere. I have a tiny kitchen. I got rid of the table that was in the kitchen and got this table and stuck it under the TV. Its turned out to be much better than having the table in the kitchen.

Front Entry

This is from the inside looking down at the front door. Nothing that special, I just spent a bit on the blinds so look at them and say "ooohh" "ahhh" or fake it at least.

This now is basically the front entry to the house. You enter the front door, go up 4 stars and tada, you're at the table.

Just an up close view of some of the items on the table.

Walking and Seeing

In a moment of cloudy judgment I decided that I'd like to do the Marine 911 5k run/walk this Saturday. I walk on the treadmill at the gym so how much worse could this really be? Right? Right.

So today I went to the Brookhaven Ecology Center to walk their track. Its 1.2 miles around and I needed to complete 3 laps to make sure I could walk the 5k for this Saturday.

So I head out on the trail and people are blowing past me. No biggie I'm not running or riding I'm walking. Then the woman on the phone passes me. Hmm, annoying but not much of a concern. Then a pregnant woman goes flying past me. Yeah like showing pregnant. Come on now that's just sad.

At about a half mile I thought to myself "Self, this is so not going to work. I'm really not in any shape to consider doing this. I should just stop after the first time around". At the 1 mile mark the trail is covered in shade and my perspective changed and I figured what the hell I'll go around again.

Second lap I decided that my work appropriate play list was not helping my pace and I switched to my gym playlist. Oh what a genius idea. I owe the Beastie Boys and Linkin Park more than they will ever know. My pace picked up and I was cruising at the end of lap 2. 2.4 miles, I felt so cool. And then...

I got lapped by a couple who were in their 70s. Oh come on who were they trying to impress with their speedy walking. That kind of behavior is what leads to broken hips. Or blisters. Or probably just the ability to be very active in later years.

I did the third lap without really noticing that I finished the second. I was too distracted by the older couple. I hit the 5k mark at about an hour. I finished the last half mile with little incident. Except for the moment that I got to lap someone! So what if she was 5 years old. It was my moment and no one is going to steal it from me.

I came home and I sat down and tried to study for my Enrolled Agents exam and I still cannot see bupkis and I'm so dizzy and queasy from trying to read that I'm about to toss my 2 pairs of useless glasses out the window. I don't much care who or how my eyes get fixed, but I can't continue this way.