I felt fast today. I don't think I really was but I did my eight miles at marathon pace or better, so that is encouraging, particularly since I was fighting a headwind heading south on my usual 2-mile loop. Heading back north, with the wind at my back, I felt downright speedy. I love feeling like I'm going fast. I wish I could experience that more often. It was pretty cool when the "This is YOUR Speed" sign was up. Remember in "The Rookie" where Jimmy Morris (played by Dennis Quaid), throws his fast ball past one of those deals? Same thing. It's way fun. Except, of course, I ran by at maybe eight miles an hour and he was bringing the heat at something like 94.
Things that slow me down:
negative thoughts
the smell of food (particularly a problem in the PM when Pei Wei is ramping up on the south end and ZPizza on the north)
avoiding dog crap, baby carriages, and the old guy with his basset hound
cars driving the wrong direction on the one-way streets (I see this every single time I run)
cars not paying attention so I have to stop and make eye-contact before they mow me down at an intersection
trucks parked across the sidewalk because they are so huge they can't fit into the driveway
blue recycling bins on the sidewalk rather than on the street at the curb
kids on skateboards
bicycles riding the wrong way down the street on the sidewalk (hey, dumbass, there is a bike lane right there, how about using it?!)
landscaping crews with their friggin' leaf blowers - that shit goes everywhere and is very dusty
dumpster divers blowin' out of the alleys with their trucks full of crap
guys with shopping carts
daydreaming about the good food smells (I love ZPizza and Pei Wei!)
But - to optimize my speed, a, I need to decrease my mass, m, - between 15 and 20% body fat ought to do it, then I will get better results from a static application of force, F - at least that's how I've got it all figured out in my head.
Right now I'm first in my age group for the AZ Road Racers Grand Prix, and my last 10K I placed 2nd in my age group - earning a silver medal - but I really, really want to qualify for, and run, the Boston marathon. Five minutes and 25 seconds faster over 26 miles 385 yards is what I need to do to get 'er done. That's totally do-able.
So, work on m and cross-train to maximize F and I'm good to go! Maybe some new super sweet tights and other running swag would help, too! You never know!
I'm all in black - the only runner that looks cold. What's up with that?
Where did March go? No, really? Last thing I remember it was Home Tour and now I'm looking at April 1st looming in my headlights. This is good and tragic. Good, because eventually Steve and I will be on the same continent; tragic, because I had to get up extra early and finish the damn taxes and I have a work project that is seriously making me question my sanity and worse, still, the BevMo! five-cent sale is over!
Had a lovely blind wine tasting to Celebrate Andy's birthday. Diane and I had a great time planning the flight (red) and then sampling our selections while our guests attempted to determine which wine was which (with the winners earning fabulous prizes!). Since we knew which wine was which, we were able to avoid the "two buck chuck!" ha!
This is Buddy. I love Buddy! He is one of the coolest cats!
I spent about a week in Kingman, doing some water sampling. Stayed at the new Holiday Inn Express, which is quite nice. It was a good gig and on the drive up I saw the Oscar Meyer Wiener-mobile!
Driving through the desert. It was quite green and beautiful.
It's the Wiener-mobile! Not terribly aerodynamic but fun to look at.
Water in the Hassayampa. You don't see that very often!
Lady Banks in bloom. The yard smells incredible right now.
Meanwhile, at the antipode:
Steve took a holiday to Sydney. Contrary to popular belief, the roof is not designed to look like "sails" in the harbor; it is actually sections of a sphere.
The surf at Agnes Water. Lovely!
Those blurs are mozzies (mosquitoes), hovering around Steve's butt which is saturated in bug repellent. That part doesn't look very fun.
Not a terribly inspired post but ya gotta start somewhere!
I love it when it rains on a day that I actually don't have to get out of bed and go anywhere. It's perfect! Hot tea, a couple of phone calls. It's kind of gloomy and the sound of rain pattering on the roof is like music. The garden looks so green and the air is fresh. Had a nice soak in the tub and a bowl of oatmeal and am just hunkering down for the day. Ahhhh....
View out the bedroom window.
Under the Grapefruit Tree.
The pond is going wild!
Have to ask Mary the name of this plant. It's a cutting I got from her - a succulent - and the blooms are fantastic!
Last Friday I was frantically scurrying around getting ready for the Home Tour. This Friday, I went roller blading with Tracy with the added bonus of getting to watch her fall on her butt in what was, I must say, a classic, yet dignified manner: Down the ramp, hairpin turn, a little gravel, Tracy out of control but pretending she's doing the Giant Slalom or something (she has been watching the Olympics), them, bam! Right on her ass! Oh, yeah, who's laughing at who's wrist guards now, girlfriend!? Actually, she only bloodied one finger, although I've got a great idea for protective padded butt-wear (you heard about it here, first!)
Since I have no photos of Tracy falling on her butt, I'll show you the garden. I know, I know, next time I WILL have the camera with me, I promise!
What a great couple of days! The weather was perfect - maybe even a little on the warm side - but sunny and bright. My friends really came through - I mean I have the most awesome pals EVER! My single biggest regret is that Steve wasn't here to share it all! Nonetheless, it was a highlight for me!
The festivities started with the Pre-Party on Saturday. Mary and I were allowed to bring two guests only, so we invited Tracy and Mary B. We were greeted with wine and a fantastic assortment of cheeses and fresh fruit. So we mingled, imbibed and then headed out at 4 to start our tour of the ten homes that were to be on tour. We walked to the first three then loaded into the trolleys.
Mary, Tracy and Mary
Our Transportation
I am amazed at the love and hard work that the homeowners pour into their abodes. So much creativity. I've picked a few photos of things that just struck a chord with me.
This is an outdoor shower. Eventually, the bougainvillea will provide complete privacy (and a poke in one's backside, if they aren't careful!)
I love the ivy painted around the window and the Old World look of the wall.
The fireplace grate was stunning!
This guy was adorable! Doesn't he look kind of sad?
I really like this painting on the stucco-covered fence.
This is ceramic floor tile in a "basket weave" pattern. I just love it.
This is a lamp with another fantastic pattern.
A great use for an old library card catalog.
Beautiful Artwork in Skip Redpath's Studio.
I love this!
Tracy and I enjoying some champagne at one of the homes. Love the siding painted in "stripes" on the neighbor's garage.
Mary and a unique gate (love the fringe purse, Mar!)
Dinner and Desert and a T-shirt!
Fast Forward to the Next Day:
Now, I've been working towards this day, weather I was truly conscious of it or not, for twelve years. Ironically, when Steve and I first moved here (twelve years ago), Tracy came by house as a representative of the Tour Committee at that time and said something to the effect of, "Maybe when you're done decorating!" Ha! (She swears she doesn't remember this, but girlfriend, you scarred me for life! Or at least lit a major fire under my butt!)
So, Tracy was in charge of the front door, "Welcome to the North Side!" Mary B was in the kitchen telling people to "Watch for elevation changes which can be shocking," and other stuff like, "they made all the furniture in the bedroom." Which is actually true. Ha!
Patrick escaped his new puppies for a couple of hours and stood by the back door to catch anyone that tripped walking out. Mary J. was with her adorable teardrop trailer and answering graciously only about a zillion times, "No, I am not a 'Sister of the Fly.'"
Julie and I hung out in the garden to answer questions about plants, wildlife, and I'd get the occasionally strange query such as, "Where did you get the puzzle-shaped magnets on your fridge?"
Jim and Jerri came by in the afternoon to relieve Tracy and Mary B. (And Jerri made these fabulous cookies that use cake mix - I think she got some sort of cookbook with like 1,001 uses for cake mix.) Anne, from across the street, popped in for a bit to relieve Mary J. for a quick pee break.
Matt and Denise were ROCK STARS! Not only did they let us use their bathroom (Amen!) but they cooked up brats, and had a total spread with roasted peppers, buns, sauerkraut, the WORKS - so we'd slip next door and grab a bite and it was FANTASTIC! OMG!
And the guests: Wonderful. Everyone seems to see something different. By the end of the day I was absolutely wiped out but it was so cool to see the different things that people zero in on. Some loved the garden, some the trailer, some the magnets... got a lot of comments on how I'd painted "vines" along the cracks on the patio. Lot of interest in the wildlife habitat. Lot of folks asked why we paint citrus tree trunks white (protects them from the sun and insects). Just a very very wonderful experience. Everyone was very respectful and not a drop of anything was spilled anywhere (except for the mustard I managed to plop in my own lap when I was eating my brat and Pete was thinking HE wanted to have some of THAT! ha!)
Tracy - Greeter Extraordinaire!
This is just my favorite room.
The kitchen.
Mary (far right) and her Trailer.
People waiting in line!
Peeps in the Garden. Julie is in the jeans, white shirt, far right.
Mary Lynn enjoying the garden.
The hat Matt put on the tree beside the fence! Ha!
Coming into the Home Stretch (Julie looks tired!)
I've got a LOT more pictures but I'll save those for another day! After the last guest had departed, we regrouped and met up at Tracy's for potluck. Grilled salmon (excellent). I managed to pick up seven-layer dip at Safeway and brought a bottle of champagne (oh, yeah!).
Hooray! Jerri, Julie, Mary B, Mary J., Me, Tracy
At potluck: Tracy's sister - Kathy, Tracy, Mary J, Julie with Lola, Mary B, Jerri, and Jim.
i am an earth and environmental scientist living and loving in the southwestern desert. i share my space with my geologist spouse, two felines, desert tortoises, and some very tiny fish.
