Awake

I keep coming up with plenty of blog fodder, but I no longer have the luxury of the extra time I once had.  There are few gaps of free time, and what ever free time I do have is spent sleeping at night.  I  kind of like sleeping at some point during my week.

While I wasn't sleeping, I actually got off of work on time to attend another Runner's World shoe test distribution.  I showed up late and was at the back of the line, just sort  of keeping my fingers crossed that a shoe in my size would be left just for me.  By the time I made my way to the front, there were no size 7s at all, just 8s and 9s.  Just as I was getting ready to leave, someone brings back a pair of 7s that were too small for her.  It turns out that shoe happened to be a neutral cushioned shoe.  Score!  I came away with a pair of Reebok (Premier) Zigblades.

These funky looking shoes are comfortable and are quite the conversation starters,  however, the soft insole makes my foot slide around a bit, contributing to blisters.  This shoe did not have the extra eyelet at the top, which would have helped to make the shoe more stable.  I've run about 40 miles in these shoes, and it was on my 7 mile run where blisters became an issue.  This is an almost perfect shoe.  If they could keep the comfort  and address the slipery-ness , then they'd have something pretty special.  I'm also not big on the white vinyl as a design element, as well as the hot pink.  If I were to buy a pair of these shoes, I would go for a black pair, or something less obvious. These shoes scream "look at me!!!"

A short while back, Nitmos posted a picture of his computer space, you know, the place where all the magic happens, and invited others to do the same.  I did no prepping or cleaning.  I just kept it the way it looks right now, which is not as clean as I'd like, but cleaner than I've seen it in a while.

Not very magical bills to be paid, sitting before me...

That's Shep.  He's a Happy Meal toy that I've adopted, and he lives on the top of my computer screen.  If he were a Hotwheels toy, he'd be under the cushions of the sofa, along with several marbles, a half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and my husband's cell phone.

Found this fortune in a cookie right before a big race, probably one of the races I did during the year after major surgery.  I stuck it to the monitor frame and it has been there ever since. I know, it's cheesy, but it gave my psyche a boost.

Then there's this one. There's so many way to interpret this fortune. I've used this on my Facebook profile page.

The computer area is in somewhat of a wide hall area between the kitchen and the designated garage area, which is now a bedroom. It's not the best place for a computer area, but it's the only place that seems logical right now, until money falls from the sky and we can afford a second story master bedroom suite addition, and a designated office space with room for a decent desk and my artwork.

Cookies.  I was craving cookies in a big way, but there were no cookies in the house.  I was considering baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies, but I have piles upon piles of laundry to get through first  Suddenly, the doorbell rings.  It's four Brownie Girl Scouts, a mom,  and a little red wagon full of boxes of cookies.  You JUST cant say no to four adorable 3rd graders, their mom and a wagon full of boxes of cookies. I bought 5 boxes.

Craving crisis averted.  The Dulce de Leche cookies took care of the craving.  The Thin Mints are in the freezer for later.The Samoas , Lemon Creams, and Trefoils might last through the week, provided I hide them. I have a distinct feeling that these cookies won't make it past Wednesday, February 2.

Wednesday's Song:
Free - Seal

PEACE

I'm OK

The computer is up and running! I'm not sure what was wrong, but my husband ran some tests last night and this morning, and it hasn't shut off yet, and it's been longer than 3 minutes.

Speaking of up and running, now I get to figure out a few things, like Lucy. I can post links direct from Garmin, but I'm still working on posting pictures of maps and such. I am not very techy, and I know a lot of this is probably elementary to most people, but I've learned my computer skillz on the sly. ("Hey, what does this button do?") It will take me a while to get it together, but once I do, those maps and such will be everywhere. Yes, a computer course is in my near future and is on my list of things to do in 2010, right next to acquiring full time employment. Any how, here's a link of this morning's run from the Garmin site:

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Crown Point

I'm ready as I'll ever be for the Las Vegas RNRHM, sore foot included. Oh yeah, I have plantar fasciitis. Go me. It's not that bad, just a minor annoyance. I thought it was just the toe, but the toe ache is a a part of it all. Going for a PR is no longer in my mind, but I know I can go the distance, and thank goodness it isn't a whole marathon. Bryan has worked on my foot a few times and I've been icing it, rolling over a frozen bottle of water, wearing comfy shoes, and taking naproxen. I can't do ibuprofen - my lips swell up bigger than Angelina Jolie's - really - and it does nothing for me in that respect. I plan on taking a couple of weeks off from running after Las Vegas.

I haven't looked at my Google Reader yet, but I'm guessing it's rather full. It may take me a while to catch up on everyone's happenings, not unless I hit "mark as read" for everything and just start from scratch. I'll try not to do that.

By the way, we had some pretty good rain the day after Thanksgiving. We just need a little more.

Friday's song:
A Day Without Rain - Enya - Planet Ynnep Running


PEACE

A Day Without Rain

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

No 5k Turkey Trots.
I thought about, but with my toe still sensitive and Las Vegas looming, it was better to sleep in this year.

No computer.
I'm stealing a few moments on my son's computer just to catch up on a few e-mails and blog reading. Sorry about not visiting your blog and commenting. I miss my daily does of catching up with everyone. My computer is rebooting every 3 minutes with an error message. We just shut it off and hope that our daughter's computer tech-y boyfriend can fix it.

No Black Friday Sales.
I worked too many years in retail where I had to open or close on Black Friday. I avoid the malls on Black Friday unless I absolutely need something.

No Rain.
It has been well over 100 days without measurable precipitation. Normally, a sunny day is a good thing, but it's so dry and the threat of fire is looming. Rumor has it that we might see rain over the weekend. I hope so.

However...
I am thankful that I was able to spend the holiday with my family, and that, in spite of things way beyond our control, we are happy. You just can't buy a day like that.

Tuesday's song:
Lost and Found - Taking Back Sunday - Run-DMZ

PEACE