random tidbits

I’m in the midst of packing for my Outer Banks vacation and giving myself a pedicure … but I had to take a break to jot down a few things!

(OK, waiting for that first coat of nail polish to dry.)

Tomorrow evening is my company’s mid-year meeting, and afterwards we’re going on a three-hour boat cruise. They always open a tab at a bar in town once we’re off the boat, so it’s going to be a late night.

Saturday morning, we’re hitting the road! We’ll only have dial-up Internet access from the beach house, so I may not have the patience to post much. We’ll see!

Anyway, a couple of thoughts before I go …

  • The other day I was driving, and noticed a single yellow flip-flop in the middle of the road. It was somewhat near a crosswalk, so it is understandable how someone might lose a flip-flop while sprinting to cross before the light changes.

    But how do you explain the black pump I’ve been driving by daily by the highway off ramp? Or the sneaker that inevitably appears every so often alongside any highway?

(Second coat done!)

  • running pantslessI’ve had this race shirt for a couple years. It’s not from our running club, but it’s a nearby county and I’ve been running it since 2005.

    It’s heavy cotton, so it is not a good running shirt, but I wear it often for yard work or pajamas.

    Anyway, it wasn’t until I was folding laundry this week (and comparing it to the 2006 shirt) that I realized this woman is running without pants!

    (Kind of unrelated … but, there is a guy who runs through Annapolis early mornings in a Speedo!)

All right, my feet should be good to go now! (well, after I scrape all the extra polish off my toes!)

ready for the beach!

See you from the beach!

i thought i hated trail running

I think it’s because I almost never train on trails, and when there are cross-country segments in races it slows me down.

Not that I’m fast or anything … I just like maintaining or improving my pace!

Lately, we’ve been hitting the trails to help some of my friends train. They’re running a cross-country half marathon in September. Since it is five days after my Rock and Roll Half Marathon, I’m going to pass on that race … but I’ve gone along for the ride (er, run)!

This weekend, we took a trip to a wildlife refuge to try the trails. We did a shorter loop as a warm-up while waiting for some friends (they went to the wrong entrance of the park). It was a partially-shady, gravelly road.

After joining our friends, we took another trail, this one was a dirt path for foot traffic only. It was narrow and winding, and we really had to watch for tree roots!

(Also, I was in the front and kept running through spider webs. Eww!)

Still, it was shady and felt a lot cooler “inside” the forest, and was actually quite fun. Hills and spiders and all!

We did need to add some more mileage (on the harsher gravel roads), but it was still a great run!

underwater

Today over at Superhero Journal, Andrea (maker of the fabulous Superhero necklaces) posted a photo assignment along with the announcement she was thinking about posting a new creative photo assignment each Monday.

Sounds like fun!

Assignment #1: Photograph someone in a glass of water

My first subject was my cat Joey, but it’s hard to keep a cat’s nose paws out of a glass of water. I ended up having to hold the glass.

joey

Next attempt: self portrait. I like how I’m also reflected in the stem of the glass!

self portrait

for the first time since november 18, 2005 …

… I have set foot inside of a movie theater.

The movie so momentous to get us to fork over $30 for tickets, popcorn and soda?

Why, The Simpson’s Movie, of course!

Worth every penny!

Oh, this would be me:

http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/content/walkcycle/town.swf?aid=202376

Spider Pig, Spider Pig.
Does whatever a Spider Pig does.
Can he swing from a web?
No he can’t, he’s a pig!
Look out … he is a Spider Pig!

sometimes, things are exactly as they seem

This afternoon, I stopped in Panera Bread to pick up some lunch*. I noticed several men wearing identical green golf shirts and khakis.

I wasn’t familiar with the logo on the shirt, but it seemed like a tech company. I hoped they were at a conference or presentation, and it wasn’t a coincidence that they all wore the free shirt their office handed out on the same day!

On the way out, I overheard part of a conversation between two of the men:

We should find someplace to sit down and configure the firewall …

Yup. Tech guys.

*Pick Two: 1/2 Mediterranean Veggie sandwich, no onion, 1/2 Strawberry Poppyseed salad, no chicken, in case you’re interested …