100 calories

I had an excellent run on Friday. I increased the distance by a half mile and still felt great when I got back to the office. The last little bit was a mental challenge to keep running and not slow to a walk but I did it. Yahoo!

I did something different on both of these runs than my norm. You see, I'm not a great first-thing-in-the-morning breakfast person. On weekdays I usually have a cup of English Breakfast tea with smidge of half 'n half and honey. Then I'll add a newton (fig or raspberry) so I can take my vitamins. This is all between 4:30 and 5:00 AM. I am then good to go until about 8 AM when I have my Food for Life muffin smeared with peanut butter and apple butter.

I read something in my Health Magazine (thanks Mom!) recently that got me to thinking maybe I should have something more to eat before heading out. On Wednesday I tested the theory by eating half of a "power" bar (about 100 calories) 20-30 minutes before I left to run. What a difference. I had energy for the whole thing and felt super when I was finished. I think I've stumbled onto something here. It seems to help physically and mentally.

The other thing is good music. The better my selection of tunes as I move, the better my motivation to keep going. I love my Shuffle for this purpose. It's been a great investment for my running attire. I wonder how I'll do next weekend without it...

from my spam box

At work I usually scan my SPAM box at least once a day to make sure I'm not missing any real email. I'm always surprised that there is at least one or two a day that end up there. No idea why especially when they are from a source I've received email from in the past. This is one of those cases where it's not for me to figure out.

Occasionally, a spammer will introduce something lyrical sounding in their randomly generated subject lines. I've heard of people producing poetry using these subject lines as their jumping off point. I saw one the other day that I liked. I'm pretty sure I'm not interpreting it the way they intended. I read an invitation to step up and live my life larger.

Without further ado, my day's inspiration:

"life is too short to be small"

(What did you think of when you read it?)

running check-in

I had a great run yesterday. It was the first time I was able to run my chosen course without pausing to walk. When I go out tomorrow, I will add some distance to my course. I am building up to 5 k (3 mi.) because I have signed up to do the final Blue Mountain All Women's Run on October 6. This is an event I have wanted to do for a few years now. A couple of years ago, I even thought I'd be in shape to run the 10 k. Alas, my training went by the wayside and now I'll be happy to finish the 5 k without falling over in a heap at the end.

I wanted to post a really cool map of my course that I created in Google Maps but now I'm feeling kind of squicky about it. If friends or family want to see it, email me and I'll send you the link.

men in camo

Yesterday Tiika and I went to Crazy Canyon for a hike in the forest. When we arrived I heard a lot of whooping and hollering from the woods above the parking lot. At first I thought, "Those folfers are having one heck of a time today!" but then realized the noise wasn't coming from the direction of the folf course. I remembered the last time we were up there we ran into some cross country runners training so I thought perhaps they were psyching up for a meet. Either way, I shrugged my shoulders and we were off.

I was huffing and puffing up the hill and not really noticing anything too far off the trail until all of a sudden I realized Tiika had stopped and was watching some movement in the woods to the right of us. I looked more closely and listened, it was a crew of men in camo running a training exercise, complete with guns. Aha, we'd found our whooping and hollering friends. It freaked me out a just a bit to see them wandering about with those rifles. Some of them noticed us passing by but didn't say anything. I had to call Tiika away because she looked about ready to launch at them or at least let loose with one of her hound dog howls.

We continued on the trail until Tiika paused again to sniff at something on the ground. It was a camo man lying on the ground behind some bushes. I jumped. He said something to me about hiding or a secret. I'm not really sure and I wasn't going to ask him to repeat himself. I whistled for Tiika and kept on walking without looking at her, hoping she hadn't just given him and his location away to his buddies walking the forest above looking for him. She trotted toward me and he commented, "Good looking dog." I said thanks and we kept on moving.

After about 40 minutes, we were on the last stretch of our hike and heading down to the parking lot. I heard the same whooping and hollering coming from below as when we arrived. It was the camo men gathering to head out. As we arrived at the end of the trail, I saw the last guy get in a truck and then a government van pull away. I'm not sure if it was ROTC or National Guard or Army but it was official, whatever they were doing up there.

So, what did you do last night?

how did he do it?

Oh dear husband of mine.

On Thursday, I received a sweet card in the mail from Rob. While I didn't expect it, it fit in the timeline of events. It was mailed from Wenatchee, WA on Tuesday, the day before he crossed the border. It reminded me, in the very best way, of when we were long distance dating and I found a card in my mailbox nearly every day.

Imagine my surprise when I got the mail yesterday and found another card! This one also postmarked Wenatchee, WA but the date was Thursday, a full day after he started his class. How the heck did he make that happen? Who does he know in Wenatchee?

Well, however he made this happen, I'm delighted. It was a lovely find in the mailbox. Totally unexpected and put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. I hope he is getting everything he desired from his retreat. I am missing him and yet, he is right beside me every day. Maybe that's why Tiika is still looking for him now and again.

hmm, the brain is ticking

I'm surprised I can't be heard from even 600 miles away. I just had an invigorating conversation with a cartographic colleague. He is strongly urging me to attend a particular conference mid-October to do some networking in person. Not that he doesn't think I can't sell myself (my skills, that is) via a clever package and phone conversation, it's just that nothing works like face-to-face. His pitch was strong enough that I am seriously considering it. It wouldn't be cheap between airfare and conference fees. (I think something can be worked out in the accommodations area.) St. Louis is a little far to drive by myself. It would be better if I had some frequent flier miles to use...anyone got some they'd be willing to part with? ;-)

one concert or two?

I've had a minor dilemma to mull over this weekend. I am currently holding a ticket to two major concerts coming here: Elton John and James Taylor. When it was just Elton John, I could sort of justify the cost. It was just one ticket (it happens this Friday while Rob is still in Canada). It would be a lot of fun, great social event, yada yada. And it's only once in a while these opportunities work out.

And then I discovered James Taylor was also coming to town. I have been wanting to see him in concert for over 10 years. It just hasn't ever worked out for one reason or another. This time isn't quite perfect either. As luck would have it, Rob is out of town again* when JT is here. And yet, I still really wanted to go so I made arrangements to go with some friends of ours and picked up tickets last week.

Now my dilemma. It simply seems too extravagant to go to both concerts. Especially since I just got signed up for ArtFest. I could probably buy most, if not all, of my ArtFest supplies for the cost of the EJ ticket.

I bought an EJ cd on Saturday that came with a dvd of some concert footage to help me decide if it was worth it. I found that while the concert looked good, I wasn't all that drawn in. On the other hand, when I put in my JT concert dvd, I am moved as much as the first time I watched it five years ago.

I'm bummed at the idea of missing a great friend event on Friday night but I think my decision has been made.

*Yes, unbelievable as it sounds, Rob will be out of town that weekend, too. He *never* goes on solo trips and leaves me at home. Amazing coincidence these two events should occur while he's gone. I did get to talk to him about the JT concert. He was disappointed he would miss it but encouraged me to go anyway.

Where's my Pop?

Rob left yesterday morning for his 10-day meditation retreat. He's been looking forward to it for months. I'm really glad he's doing it for himself.

Prior to his leaving, I mused about how Miss Tiika would take his absence. Last night as I watched a movie (Thelma & Louise) she lay curled at my feet on the couch. Every time she heard a car door slam outside she raised her head, perked her ears and listened for his steps on the porch. Alas, the pup was disappointed every time. She went to bed as normal.

When she got up this morning she dashed to our bedroom to give her good morning wishes to Pop as is her habit. She quickly returned. Then it was potty time followed by another check in the bedroom. After we came in from our jaunt down the street, she cruised down the hall once again.

This evening she doesn't seem to be listening as intently and is more focused on what I'm having for dinner. A very good sign that she's not concerned. I'm sure she'll be delighted when he returns (as will I) but seems to have quickly adjusted to it being all Mama, all the time.

six years ago

Aww, aren't they cute?? Six years ago on Saturday (9.15), Rob and I were married in a ceremony of our creation. A friend of mom's captured this image while we were sitting at the head table. It remains one of my favorites. It was a beautiful day (who knew after the less-than-pleasant rehearsal the day before?). We still have conversations that begin, "Remember at the wedding when..."

This is us in a self portrait taken on Monday night at our new favorite pizza joint in town, Biga Pizza. (We had the Sicilian with the salad special in case you're wondering...with beer we brought in since they don't currently have a liquor license.)

I think we had the camera with us on our "day about town" for our anniversary but never remembered to take a picture. This year's celebration was pretty low key. We mostly focused on having the day together, doing what we wanted in the moment. No splashy gifts (except one sweet token from Rob to me) just heartfelt letters and cards exchanged. Quite nice, actually.

a little bit crafty

I've not been too productive in my arts and crafts making projects lately. I've got a few ideas perking and probably a half a dozen pages languishing. Next week. I think I'll work on them next week.

In the meantime, I finished my Moleskine journal that I was using so needed to find a new one. I discovered a stash of journals I bought quite some time ago so there was no need to buy new one. Only problem was that I had become addicted to a couple of the features on my Moleskine: the pocket in the back and the elastic to keep it closed.

Never fear. I have the skill. I modified one of the journals that has been collecting dust on my shelves from earlier bargain hunting episodes.


I attached the button onto the front cover so I would have a place to run the elastic through. On the Moleskin, the elastic ends were glued under the pocket and I didn't trust my gluing skills to make that happen. I think it works well with the button. It is also set up so that when the elastic is loosened, the button slides away from the cover so I can open the journal all the way and write on the left-hand page without a button bump. However, for the first half of the journal I will have to navigate around a small hole I punched through the pages while making holes to sew the button on. No biggie. Maybe it will become a mark of interest on some pages.

The pocket is fabric attached to some wrapping paper (recognize it Mandy A.?) with gel medium to give it body and strength. The journal itself doesn't have too many pages so it doesn't have to be bulletproof. Oh, I also put little pleats of fabric on the sides so I can put more stuff in the pocket.

Not too bad, huh? I am pretty impressed with myself. I took a $2.50 journal and spiffed it up nicely to suit my needs.

gondola in idaho

Did you know there was a gondola in Idaho? Not only that but it is the longest one in the world. On our last "escape the smoke" weekend we ended up spending the day in Kellogg, ID at the top of Silver Mountain Ski Resort, home to the longest gondola ride in the world. Imagine that.

It took about 20 minutes to reach the top. I got a bit nauseous along the way. The really awesome part? They let us bring Tiika with us. (We wouldn't have gone if she wasn't allowed. It was too hot to leave her behind.) She was a little bothered by the ride but overall was her usual traveler trooper self.

In spite of our intention of getting out of the smoke, we still had to deal with a bit of smoky haze as you can see here.

We spent time on top chillin' (an hour, maybe two? I don't remember). Rob went on to ride a chairlift farther up. I declined going since I was still feeling woozy. It wasn't Tiika friendly anyway so only one of us could go at a time. I snacked on some french fries and doodled in my journal. I should have brought my iPod. There is a playground at the top and it was being well-used by what felt like a huge crowd of kids.

Just before we went back down into town so we could head home, Rob and Tiika shared an apple. I love how delicate she can be with her mouth.

That wraps it up for tonight. I still have pictures from our August trip I'd like to post. I need to sort them and prepare them for the web before that can happen. Things are a bit intense at work right now so I don't have a lot of desire to sit in front of the computer when I get home. Who knows when they'll appear. Not I.

.ttfn.

ticket karma

I am pretty psyched, in spite of the lousy ticket sales set-up, I ended up with a ticket for the Elton John concert at the end of the month. Yes, that's right, the Rocket Man is coming to Missoula!!! My co-worker was able to score a group of us tickets on the floor, in the 19th row. And it's on a Friday night. Woohoo!

Tonight we are going to our favorite brewery, Bayern, for their Oktoberfest braut, German potato salad and accordion music. It's cheap eats and we usually run into folks we know including my college adviser and her husband.

Ciao for now.

nearly balanced

First, the smoke status. It seems to be mostly gone at this point. Yesterday was a nearly perfect end of summer day. Warm and breezy with only just a slight haze of smoke. This morning feels crisp and clear. Ahhh...

Second, I tangled with the checkbook last night. It is finally balanced, well, within $3.00. There was a time I would have chased down the $3.00. Not last night. It is good enough. Yippee!!

And third, I am starting a two week free membership at a women's only gym similar to Curves this morning. It seems like a good idea but I the place feels kind of creepy to me. I'm going for my first work out this morning at 7:00. We'll see how it goes.

Ciao for now.

smoky again

Rob just poked his head outside. Apparently it's smoky out there again. The relief from the other day's rain has come to an end. We'll evaluate again in just a bit but it looks like we might be heading for the hills to camp for the night and just lay around breathing clean air. Maybe I'll bring my running shoes and go for a jog since I haven't been out since last Monday.

new music

I recently was having a bummer of a day. In perusing a couple of art blogs in an attempt to cheer myself up, I came across some music recommendations. I listened to clips on iTunes and took the plunge. I'm glad I did, it has been a nice addition to my music library. In addition, I think it fits in well with my art-making playlist.

The first is a duo called The Weepies. Here is the iTunes* link to give their album a listen:





The female half of the duo is Deb Talan. I really, really like her voice. I hear shades of Shawn Colvin, Natalie Merchant and sometimes Sarah McLachlan. This is the solo album of hers I chose:





I couldn't tell you which songs on either of the albums are my favorites yet. I haven't listened to them enough. I just know I liked how soothing they felt to me. I hope you might enjoy them a bit, too. If you listen, tell me what you think.


*From what I understand about this link, if you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, it will lead you to the page where you can download it. If you have it installed, it will ask to open iTunes.

book: eating heaven

I recently finished reading this book, eating heaven, by Jennie Shortridge. I really enjoyed it. It was another one of those bargain books at Barnes & Noble. The story is about a woman and her relationship with food, her family and loving. I highly recommend it and would love to talk with anyone who's read it.

pouring bummer

At yesterday's festival we worked our shift then wandered around. This is different than how it's been for us the last four years of volunteer pouring. We are usually having so much fun that we stay for as long as they'll have us. It seems the pool of volunteers has changed. It has gotten younger and more, I want to say arrogant, but maybe they are just different. Anyway, we poured and then walked away with our free beers to check out the other activities. It was pleasant. I had cramps and my back hurt so didn't feel like participating too much. We ran into our friends Tim and Sue and Sue's mom, had a quick chat with them. After that we went to Sean Kelly's for dinner and home to Tiika.

The coolest part of the day was that a co-worker of mine won their contest that had him signing away the title of his car in exchange for a cool commuting bike and trailer. He has agreed to go car-free for the next year. A big deal even for a crazy biker like him. Way to go! If they post a story on the site, I'll put a link here.

ttfn

it rained!

Woohoo, it rained last night! I think we both slept through it but noticed the difference it made right off when we let Tiika out for her morning rituals. Feels great to have the smoke down. Especially since we are signed up to pour beer at the Tour de Fat this afternoon put on by the makers of Fat Tire ale, New Belgium Brewing. We've done it for four years now. It's always been a good time.

I've got more to write but I hear Rob rustling about in the kitchen preparing to make us breakfast. I promised to make him a french press of coffee so I better get on it.

Catch y'all later.