That's what I'm calling it, anyway.
My house sits near the bottom of a pretty steep ridge that leads to another ridge. So I got a two-fer today. The car is kaput, so I walked 1.5 miles downhill with the boys (carrying a couple of card tables for Will's semi-formal) to the bus stop. Made it to the stop with a few seconds to spare. Then it was time for me to run back up the hill. It wasn't too bad -- maybe a 500-foot increase over the 1.5 miles.
Got home and grabbed the bike and a backpack to go into town for mail, banking, staples and handling of vehicle burial details. The hill that leads to town (the other way) ain't so easy -- maybe a 750-foot increase over 0.5 miles. I got about a tenth of a mile up it and walked up.
Sigh. I know it's a rough hill, but I should still have a big "L" on the back of my jersey.
On a brighter note, Will and I got out yesterday and planted the garden. A bit late, but I'll hope for a warm fall. Seems that's been happening a bit lately. We planted corn, potatoes, strawberry bushes, carrots, onions, beans, cucumbers, basil, thyme and tomatoes. Covered everything with straw and watered. It's supposed to rain most of the rest of the week, which may help me out a bit. Will and I had a good laugh when he started talking about what he wants to wear to his semi-formal. I suggested he take off about a pound of dirt, first.
And duck eggs, we got duck eggs. Three in two days. Of course, that's from five hens. They could do better, but I don't think Muscovy ducks are well-known for laying. The turkeys are pretty funny, too -- especially the male, which is fanning and puffing like no one's business. The little peeps don't seem to be too intimidated by anyone, so far. And the Arucana in the brooder appears to be healing nicely. I'll keep it there another week or so, just to be safe.
I'm going to have to figure out what to do about the car. I'd like to get a truck, but we'll see what I can afford. I'm also going to have to get something for John, who turns 16 in October (Cue the theme from whatever horror flick does it for you). Any and all recommendations accepted.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
A Bad Scare. And, Not Exactly Walton's Mountain
I'm exhausted.
Ran 4.25 miles this morning, swam 0.5 miles. Came home and got about two hours into work when John, who'd stayed home sick, came up to the loft and curled up next to the window.
"I feel bad," he said.
"What's wrong, buddy?"
"My chest hurts."
Understand, John is not a whiner. Far from it. And having had a little chest episode in New York a few years ago (the doctor called me a "meshuganah goy" and offered to call an ambulance), it caught my attention.
An hour later, he was hooked up to an EKG. Talk about experiences you'd rather have your son avoid.
The good news is, it was probably just a monster case of indigestion. The EKG didn't turn up anything, we were sent home with Prilosec and Maalox, and he wanted to go for a hike in the afternoon.
Still ...
We came home and found a chicken being pecked by the others, so we put it back in the brooder. It was bleeding pretty badly, but seemed much better (if somewhat lonely) tonight. Hopefully, it'll be able to go back to the coop in another week or so.
I had to do some financial stuff in Brattleboro later in the afternoon and ran by the grocery store. Take it from me: Do not rely upon Price Chopper to help you. With anything. Their corporate credo, apparently, is, "Well, I don't know about that!" and "We can't do that." I very rarely do this, but I gave the store manager my discount card and told him to send it back when he got a clue. I've only done that once before (Border's) when I was shopping and a manager told me I'd have to leave my books -- I had three -- at the counter if I wanted to keep shopping. So I said no, I didn't want to keep shopping, and certainly not at a Border's.
But I digress and will stop here. Except to say that the Rite-Aid people on Putney Road rock. They are friendly, understanding, and could stop nuclear proliferation in Iran if given half a chance.
It's a bit of a free association, but my Price Chopper experience made me agree with Cindy Sheehan on one thing: We are a nation of idiots who care more about who wins on "American Idol" than how many kids died in Iraq. And mind you, I'm not sure I agree with Cindy Sheehan on much at all.
So.
I headed back from Brattleboro and picked up John's prescription at the Rite-Aid. Lisa called, and the woman who was giving away the ducks really needed us to pick them up quickly. So we got in the car and headed to Putney with a crate in the back of the car.
It was a good thing we had a big crate because there were more than the three or four ducks she'd talked about. There were eight Muscovy ducks -- three males and five females. Lisa wrestled them to the ground (another Very Good Thing) and we admired the woman's turkeys. The tom is a Bourbon, and the hen is a Bourbon-Red cross. She said the hen was laying and brooding. We ooed and aahed, so she gave them to us, too.
The crate will fit eight Muscovy ducks and one turkey hen just fine, but the tom was another story. Understand, this guy is huge -- about 40 pounds. Looks like a damn ostrich. Seems calm, but who knew at the time? And there was no way he was fitting in the crate. So he rode about 30 miles in Lisa's lap. She did ask me how many wives would let a 40-pound turkey ride in their lap for 45 minutes. I didn't have a good estimate.
We put the ducks and turkeys in the outer cage. The dogs -- Cleo in particular -- just about went nuts. I'm sure they've never seen birds that large. Put some roosts on sawhorses to hold them. Put out more grain (we'll have to get whole corn tomorrow)and introduced them to the collies. I think the collies may secretly be scared of them. Very secretly, though.
So the short story is, I worked out, worked at the day job, had the living crap scared out of me by my oldest son, developed a deep loathing for Price Chopper and appreciation of Rite-Aid, acquired eight ducks and two turkeys to accompany my 40 chickens.
It's not exactly Walton's Mountain.
Ran 4.25 miles this morning, swam 0.5 miles. Came home and got about two hours into work when John, who'd stayed home sick, came up to the loft and curled up next to the window.
"I feel bad," he said.
"What's wrong, buddy?"
"My chest hurts."
Understand, John is not a whiner. Far from it. And having had a little chest episode in New York a few years ago (the doctor called me a "meshuganah goy" and offered to call an ambulance), it caught my attention.
An hour later, he was hooked up to an EKG. Talk about experiences you'd rather have your son avoid.
The good news is, it was probably just a monster case of indigestion. The EKG didn't turn up anything, we were sent home with Prilosec and Maalox, and he wanted to go for a hike in the afternoon.
Still ...
We came home and found a chicken being pecked by the others, so we put it back in the brooder. It was bleeding pretty badly, but seemed much better (if somewhat lonely) tonight. Hopefully, it'll be able to go back to the coop in another week or so.
I had to do some financial stuff in Brattleboro later in the afternoon and ran by the grocery store. Take it from me: Do not rely upon Price Chopper to help you. With anything. Their corporate credo, apparently, is, "Well, I don't know about that!" and "We can't do that." I very rarely do this, but I gave the store manager my discount card and told him to send it back when he got a clue. I've only done that once before (Border's) when I was shopping and a manager told me I'd have to leave my books -- I had three -- at the counter if I wanted to keep shopping. So I said no, I didn't want to keep shopping, and certainly not at a Border's.
But I digress and will stop here. Except to say that the Rite-Aid people on Putney Road rock. They are friendly, understanding, and could stop nuclear proliferation in Iran if given half a chance.
It's a bit of a free association, but my Price Chopper experience made me agree with Cindy Sheehan on one thing: We are a nation of idiots who care more about who wins on "American Idol" than how many kids died in Iraq. And mind you, I'm not sure I agree with Cindy Sheehan on much at all.
So.
I headed back from Brattleboro and picked up John's prescription at the Rite-Aid. Lisa called, and the woman who was giving away the ducks really needed us to pick them up quickly. So we got in the car and headed to Putney with a crate in the back of the car.
It was a good thing we had a big crate because there were more than the three or four ducks she'd talked about. There were eight Muscovy ducks -- three males and five females. Lisa wrestled them to the ground (another Very Good Thing) and we admired the woman's turkeys. The tom is a Bourbon, and the hen is a Bourbon-Red cross. She said the hen was laying and brooding. We ooed and aahed, so she gave them to us, too.
The crate will fit eight Muscovy ducks and one turkey hen just fine, but the tom was another story. Understand, this guy is huge -- about 40 pounds. Looks like a damn ostrich. Seems calm, but who knew at the time? And there was no way he was fitting in the crate. So he rode about 30 miles in Lisa's lap. She did ask me how many wives would let a 40-pound turkey ride in their lap for 45 minutes. I didn't have a good estimate.
We put the ducks and turkeys in the outer cage. The dogs -- Cleo in particular -- just about went nuts. I'm sure they've never seen birds that large. Put some roosts on sawhorses to hold them. Put out more grain (we'll have to get whole corn tomorrow)and introduced them to the collies. I think the collies may secretly be scared of them. Very secretly, though.
So the short story is, I worked out, worked at the day job, had the living crap scared out of me by my oldest son, developed a deep loathing for Price Chopper and appreciation of Rite-Aid, acquired eight ducks and two turkeys to accompany my 40 chickens.
It's not exactly Walton's Mountain.
A Story That Deserves Its Own Post
Man clad in underwear pins leopard
By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer Tue May 29, 6:03 PM ET
JERUSALEM - A man clad only in underwear and a T-shirt wrestled a wild leopard to the floor and pinned it for 20 minutes after the cat leapt through a window of his home and hopped into bed with his sleeping family.
"This kind of thing doesn't happen every day," said 49-year-old Arthur Du Mosch, a nature guide. "I don't know why I did it. I wasn't thinking, I just acted."
By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Writer Tue May 29, 6:03 PM ET
JERUSALEM - A man clad only in underwear and a T-shirt wrestled a wild leopard to the floor and pinned it for 20 minutes after the cat leapt through a window of his home and hopped into bed with his sleeping family.
"This kind of thing doesn't happen every day," said 49-year-old Arthur Du Mosch, a nature guide. "I don't know why I did it. I wasn't thinking, I just acted."
Monday, May 28, 2007
Cross-Training
Didn't swim, bike or run this weekend. Not a bit.
Still lost a pound.
Woke up this morning and went to work on the chicken coop with a vengeance. Strung netting over the top, swept out the coop, filled the feeders, built a close-able gangplank from the indoor coop outside and swept out some hay. Then I got the chickens out of the bathroom.
They were freaked out, to put it mildly.
One screamed like a banshee. Another keeled over and was dead a few hours later. After about an hour, though, they settled in and foraged in the weeds. We had to put them inside the coop after a bit because it was getting windy and they were kind of fluffy.
The dogs also were a bit freaked out.
Stink spent the better part of an hour circling the coop. You could see the thought-bubble:
"I would kill for opposable thumbs right now ..."
Pepper was a bit more circumspect. And Cleo, the Great Pyr, looked through the window at the chickens in the coop and took up a guard position. Bless her.
I started some seven-grain bread -- no hand-ground wheat, I was in a bit of a hurry -- and planted four blueberry bushes. Then I got serious. Dug out about 150 square feet of dirt and started hoeing. Will came out and helped. Bless him.
By the time we were finished, I was pretty filthy and sore. Took a shower which helped a little. Finished my bread, which helped some more. And made some twice-baked potatoes with cheese and salmon stuffing, which really helped.
I'll work out tomorrow, at some point. I'll also plant seeds. My tomatoes are looking pretty dead, but there may be hope yet. We'll see. I've still got corn, cucumber, potato, green bean, carrot and onion seed.
Outrages, we got outrages:
*** Not a lot of doubt in my mind that there's a link between vaccines and autism. The thimerosal link in particular is pretty intriguing. But the people recommending drugs used for chemical castration as a cure? Sounds pretty nuts to me. The case goes to federal court tomorrow, and I'm worried that it could kill research for a long, long time because the plaintiffs would appear to be -- excuse my French -- such fucking loons.
*** Good Salon story on the bee die-off. I've been thinking about getting a hive, but it's probably too late in the season.
*** Has anyone looked at Google Hot Trends? Scary stuff:
Kinda makes me feel like the guy who discovered porn in the French cave drawings ...
Much work to do tomorrow, including fetching eight Muscovy ducks tomorrow night. Woman's moving and doesn't want to haul them with her.
Still lost a pound.
Woke up this morning and went to work on the chicken coop with a vengeance. Strung netting over the top, swept out the coop, filled the feeders, built a close-able gangplank from the indoor coop outside and swept out some hay. Then I got the chickens out of the bathroom.
They were freaked out, to put it mildly.
One screamed like a banshee. Another keeled over and was dead a few hours later. After about an hour, though, they settled in and foraged in the weeds. We had to put them inside the coop after a bit because it was getting windy and they were kind of fluffy.
The dogs also were a bit freaked out.
Stink spent the better part of an hour circling the coop. You could see the thought-bubble:
"I would kill for opposable thumbs right now ..."
Pepper was a bit more circumspect. And Cleo, the Great Pyr, looked through the window at the chickens in the coop and took up a guard position. Bless her.
I started some seven-grain bread -- no hand-ground wheat, I was in a bit of a hurry -- and planted four blueberry bushes. Then I got serious. Dug out about 150 square feet of dirt and started hoeing. Will came out and helped. Bless him.
By the time we were finished, I was pretty filthy and sore. Took a shower which helped a little. Finished my bread, which helped some more. And made some twice-baked potatoes with cheese and salmon stuffing, which really helped.
I'll work out tomorrow, at some point. I'll also plant seeds. My tomatoes are looking pretty dead, but there may be hope yet. We'll see. I've still got corn, cucumber, potato, green bean, carrot and onion seed.
Outrages, we got outrages:
*** Not a lot of doubt in my mind that there's a link between vaccines and autism. The thimerosal link in particular is pretty intriguing. But the people recommending drugs used for chemical castration as a cure? Sounds pretty nuts to me. The case goes to federal court tomorrow, and I'm worried that it could kill research for a long, long time because the plaintiffs would appear to be -- excuse my French -- such fucking loons.
*** Good Salon story on the bee die-off. I've been thinking about getting a hive, but it's probably too late in the season.
*** Has anyone looked at Google Hot Trends? Scary stuff:
Kinda makes me feel like the guy who discovered porn in the French cave drawings ...
Much work to do tomorrow, including fetching eight Muscovy ducks tomorrow night. Woman's moving and doesn't want to haul them with her.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Chicken Taj, Native Help and Sodium Benzoate
Now that's an eclectic header.
Got to sleep a little late last night, so I drove into town for the bike repair workshop instead of riding. So much for my 36-mile bike ride plan. Still worthwhile, though. Learned quite a bit about bike adjustment and repair.
After a quick stop at the grocery, I went home and started banging on the coop again. These things always take longer than you think they will. I had to adjust one of the fences, bury some more chicken wire, hang a feeder and watering stand, staple wire around the inside of the coop, put fresh hay in the coop and lower the door just a bit. Took me four or five hours; by the time I finished, it started raining. Ack.
The good news is, I've just got to put netting over the top of the coop tomorrow, and they're good to go outside. My trees seem to have survived the night -- I planted some maples, dogwood, birch and spruce around the coop.
Not sure what I'll do for training tomorrow. I'll probably run in the morning and swim. Will just have to hope that the tourists don't swarm the pool. Thought about a long bike ride, but they'll all be leaving town at the same time, so that's probably not a great plan.
I also have to bake some bread. Not want to. Have to.
Miscellanea du jour:
*** The NYT has a story on Maine and other states offering tuition waivers to Natives. I think it's a great idea, just fantastic. Of course, it's limited to "recognized" tribes. And it's a bit late for me, but maybe not for John and Will.
*** Re the above, I know: Entitled, much? Check out Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee on HBO (which justified a Sopranos postponement). I still can't get through Dee Brown's original book in one sitting without losing my temper. Maybe more people will order it and get a clue. A tuition waiver is a small gesture.
*** Grim news on the medical front. Sodium benzoate. So now my Diet Coke causes Parkinson's and all kinds of fun degenerative diesases. Who knew? I'm doomed.
Much, much, much to do tomorrow. Run, swim, netting, tilling, baking. If I get half of it done, I'm ahead of the game.
Got to sleep a little late last night, so I drove into town for the bike repair workshop instead of riding. So much for my 36-mile bike ride plan. Still worthwhile, though. Learned quite a bit about bike adjustment and repair.
After a quick stop at the grocery, I went home and started banging on the coop again. These things always take longer than you think they will. I had to adjust one of the fences, bury some more chicken wire, hang a feeder and watering stand, staple wire around the inside of the coop, put fresh hay in the coop and lower the door just a bit. Took me four or five hours; by the time I finished, it started raining. Ack.
The good news is, I've just got to put netting over the top of the coop tomorrow, and they're good to go outside. My trees seem to have survived the night -- I planted some maples, dogwood, birch and spruce around the coop.
Not sure what I'll do for training tomorrow. I'll probably run in the morning and swim. Will just have to hope that the tourists don't swarm the pool. Thought about a long bike ride, but they'll all be leaving town at the same time, so that's probably not a great plan.
I also have to bake some bread. Not want to. Have to.
Miscellanea du jour:
*** The NYT has a story on Maine and other states offering tuition waivers to Natives. I think it's a great idea, just fantastic. Of course, it's limited to "recognized" tribes. And it's a bit late for me, but maybe not for John and Will.
*** Re the above, I know: Entitled, much? Check out Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee on HBO (which justified a Sopranos postponement). I still can't get through Dee Brown's original book in one sitting without losing my temper. Maybe more people will order it and get a clue. A tuition waiver is a small gesture.
*** Grim news on the medical front. Sodium benzoate. So now my Diet Coke causes Parkinson's and all kinds of fun degenerative diesases. Who knew? I'm doomed.
Much, much, much to do tomorrow. Run, swim, netting, tilling, baking. If I get half of it done, I'm ahead of the game.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Oink.
I'm stuffed.
Wheeled the grill out and cooked a couple of huge salmon steaks, barbecue corn and baked potatoes, rubbed in olive oil and sea salt. Finished it off with a bown of local peppermint stick ice cream.
Burp.
And I didn't work out today. Meant to swim 1.5 miles, but I got going early on the chicken coop, and it was such a gorgeous day that I couldn't pull myself away. It's just about done; I might have them outside as early as tomorrow night. Just have to straighten some framing, put a foot of chicken wire underneath the covered section of the coop, and cover it with netting.
Anyway, I worked on the coop until about 8p. Going to keep my fingers crossed that I can wrap it up tomorrow, although I've got the bike repair workshop from 10a until noon.
Wheeled the grill out and cooked a couple of huge salmon steaks, barbecue corn and baked potatoes, rubbed in olive oil and sea salt. Finished it off with a bown of local peppermint stick ice cream.
Burp.
And I didn't work out today. Meant to swim 1.5 miles, but I got going early on the chicken coop, and it was such a gorgeous day that I couldn't pull myself away. It's just about done; I might have them outside as early as tomorrow night. Just have to straighten some framing, put a foot of chicken wire underneath the covered section of the coop, and cover it with netting.
Anyway, I worked on the coop until about 8p. Going to keep my fingers crossed that I can wrap it up tomorrow, although I've got the bike repair workshop from 10a until noon.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Freezing My Butt Off in May
It was hot today, close to 90.
Wasn't anywhere near 90 in the pool at 7:30a. More like, oh, 70.
Which seems like a reasonable temperature. Maybe I've just been spoiled rotten.
Anyway. I swam my mile, showered, and ran into Brattleboro to pick up my glasses. Took for-damn-ever to get there. The tourists were pouring over the border like ants. I ran by the bank, got some staples at the grocery, and stopped at the Agway for hay (chicken coop floor), a hoe, and chicken feed.
Knocked off from work an hour early and started working on the chicken coop. I was going to make some nice salmon for dinner, but I wound up working longer on the coop than planned, and got a bit distracted. It's getting there; I hope I can finish tomorrow and put the peeps in there on Sunday. I lost another one (a New Hampshire Red) today, so I know they're getting too big for the brooder.
Soooooooooo much to do this weekend. Must finish coop tomorrow. Have to till garden, probably Monday. Ton of cleaning to do; the house is looking pretty neglected. Bike repair workshop on Sunday, hopefully before the rain starts.
Oh, yeah. Swim. Bike. Run.
Wasn't anywhere near 90 in the pool at 7:30a. More like, oh, 70.
Which seems like a reasonable temperature. Maybe I've just been spoiled rotten.
Anyway. I swam my mile, showered, and ran into Brattleboro to pick up my glasses. Took for-damn-ever to get there. The tourists were pouring over the border like ants. I ran by the bank, got some staples at the grocery, and stopped at the Agway for hay (chicken coop floor), a hoe, and chicken feed.
Knocked off from work an hour early and started working on the chicken coop. I was going to make some nice salmon for dinner, but I wound up working longer on the coop than planned, and got a bit distracted. It's getting there; I hope I can finish tomorrow and put the peeps in there on Sunday. I lost another one (a New Hampshire Red) today, so I know they're getting too big for the brooder.
Soooooooooo much to do this weekend. Must finish coop tomorrow. Have to till garden, probably Monday. Ton of cleaning to do; the house is looking pretty neglected. Bike repair workshop on Sunday, hopefully before the rain starts.
Oh, yeah. Swim. Bike. Run.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Like A Scalded Cat
Yeesh.
I was late getting up this morning, so I had to drive the boys to school. They were mildly irritated. Then I ran into Keene to pick up a package at the Fed Ex center (it's the nearest one to me). They weren't open at 8:15a, so I went for a run, first at the Chesterfield Gorge. It wasn't so great; kind of limited, so I was only able to run a mile. Then I went to Starbucks to get a coffee but figured I'd run a few miles around town first. So I did about four, up and down Main Street -- very nice in a New England-y sort of way -- and then through the Ashuelot River Park, which had really great trails.
Hot as hell here. Supposed to get up to 85 or thereabouts.
The Fed Ex center didn't have my package at 9a, so I ran out and picked up some chicken coop parts and had spare car keys made. Also looked for a book for one of Will's games, but didn't have any luck there. Ran back to the Fed Ex place and picked up the package.
Made work-related calls pretty much throughout. Except the running.
Got back and the car and scooted into Brattleboro for groceries. My glasses still haven't been delivered, so I'll have to put that off for another day. Ran into Wilmington to pick up more groceries, again making calls the whole way. Stopped by the doctor's office to pick up a copy of a prescription and by the grocery store to get more food. Then to the bank and post office, then home.
By noon.
Made more calls, put an ailing Arucana in a box to (hopefully) recover; I'm dubious. Then off to the gym to shanghai their wireless, make yet more calls and do a quick 13.3 miles on the bike. Then home to make some more stovetop macaroni and cheese (one of the better Cooking Light recipes going).
And maybe sleep at some point.
***
So the Arucana didn't make it. Damn.
Made it to the gym, downloaded some files, and did my bike ride while talking to Barbara Kingsolver's publicist. Hurried back home in time for Lisa to get to her knitting group, then worked another three or so hours before knocking off for the day. Made plain ziti noodles for John, full-bore ziti for Will, and stovetop mac and cheese for myself.
Did all the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, did another load of laundry, folded clothes.
The pool is allegedly going to be open, so I may go for a quick swim tomorrow morning. But I've got a busy weekend ahead: Have to finish the chicken coop, till the garden, get a hoe and chicken feed, make it to a bike repair workshop in Bratt, pick up glasses, haul cans by the redemption center, and do some bank-type stuff.
Damn, I'm tired.
I was late getting up this morning, so I had to drive the boys to school. They were mildly irritated. Then I ran into Keene to pick up a package at the Fed Ex center (it's the nearest one to me). They weren't open at 8:15a, so I went for a run, first at the Chesterfield Gorge. It wasn't so great; kind of limited, so I was only able to run a mile. Then I went to Starbucks to get a coffee but figured I'd run a few miles around town first. So I did about four, up and down Main Street -- very nice in a New England-y sort of way -- and then through the Ashuelot River Park, which had really great trails.
Hot as hell here. Supposed to get up to 85 or thereabouts.
The Fed Ex center didn't have my package at 9a, so I ran out and picked up some chicken coop parts and had spare car keys made. Also looked for a book for one of Will's games, but didn't have any luck there. Ran back to the Fed Ex place and picked up the package.
Made work-related calls pretty much throughout. Except the running.
Got back and the car and scooted into Brattleboro for groceries. My glasses still haven't been delivered, so I'll have to put that off for another day. Ran into Wilmington to pick up more groceries, again making calls the whole way. Stopped by the doctor's office to pick up a copy of a prescription and by the grocery store to get more food. Then to the bank and post office, then home.
By noon.
Made more calls, put an ailing Arucana in a box to (hopefully) recover; I'm dubious. Then off to the gym to shanghai their wireless, make yet more calls and do a quick 13.3 miles on the bike. Then home to make some more stovetop macaroni and cheese (one of the better Cooking Light recipes going).
And maybe sleep at some point.
***
So the Arucana didn't make it. Damn.
Made it to the gym, downloaded some files, and did my bike ride while talking to Barbara Kingsolver's publicist. Hurried back home in time for Lisa to get to her knitting group, then worked another three or so hours before knocking off for the day. Made plain ziti noodles for John, full-bore ziti for Will, and stovetop mac and cheese for myself.
Did all the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, did another load of laundry, folded clothes.
The pool is allegedly going to be open, so I may go for a quick swim tomorrow morning. But I've got a busy weekend ahead: Have to finish the chicken coop, till the garden, get a hoe and chicken feed, make it to a bike repair workshop in Bratt, pick up glasses, haul cans by the redemption center, and do some bank-type stuff.
Damn, I'm tired.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Hey! Where'd Today Go?
So I got after things last night. Cooked steak and potatoes for the kids, and a recipe from Cooking Light (Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage). Washed dishes and more dishes. Did laundry. Folded clothes. Even got to bed more or less on time.
Did my usual Wednesday morning work: A 10-K run, followed by 13.3 miles on the bike. The 10-K went pretty fast, all things considered -- average pace was about 8:35/mile. All in all, I was pretty pleased with myself.
Got home, did some administrivia until about 1p, then drove to the Fed Ex service center (about 30 miles from the house) to pick up a check. Had to get it to my bank rather quickly, so I turned around with only three stops -- one to get a video game for Will, one to grab a coffee, and one to check and see if my glasses were ready yet. Made it to the bank about 15 minutes before closing. Whew.
Spent a couple of hours trying to download, since the gym has acquired a wireless connection. Haven't decided if it's worthless or not, though. It might be quicker just to get the feds to burn me a CD, since their web sites tend to be pretty FUBAR.
I'll have another busy day tomorrow -- back to the service center, back to the bank, more downloads, possibly a Home Depot run to pick up things to finish the coop, hopefully a run to the eye doctor's to pick up my glasses, and other crap.
Oh, and a run. Maybe a bike ride if I feel lucky.
Did my usual Wednesday morning work: A 10-K run, followed by 13.3 miles on the bike. The 10-K went pretty fast, all things considered -- average pace was about 8:35/mile. All in all, I was pretty pleased with myself.
Got home, did some administrivia until about 1p, then drove to the Fed Ex service center (about 30 miles from the house) to pick up a check. Had to get it to my bank rather quickly, so I turned around with only three stops -- one to get a video game for Will, one to grab a coffee, and one to check and see if my glasses were ready yet. Made it to the bank about 15 minutes before closing. Whew.
Spent a couple of hours trying to download, since the gym has acquired a wireless connection. Haven't decided if it's worthless or not, though. It might be quicker just to get the feds to burn me a CD, since their web sites tend to be pretty FUBAR.
I'll have another busy day tomorrow -- back to the service center, back to the bank, more downloads, possibly a Home Depot run to pick up things to finish the coop, hopefully a run to the eye doctor's to pick up my glasses, and other crap.
Oh, and a run. Maybe a bike ride if I feel lucky.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I Must Do This
At the risk of angering the Irony Gods, here's why I think I should sign up for the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth Half-Marathon:
I know. I'll be passed up the whole way by twentysomethings whose knees are made of rubber. And it's only a 600-foot drop, which in these parts ain't much. And pride goes before a fall, but only after you bust your ass. And there'll be hell to pay in Maine this October:
Etc.
But still ...
I know. I'll be passed up the whole way by twentysomethings whose knees are made of rubber. And it's only a 600-foot drop, which in these parts ain't much. And pride goes before a fall, but only after you bust your ass. And there'll be hell to pay in Maine this October:
Etc.
But still ...
Horrible, Evil Curs
Our border collies are becoming obnoxious in their old age. They bark at nothing, they lick everything, and they lie down in front of the stairs. They steal socks, crap all over the yard and get into trash. They're not sorry about any of this, but that's not the worst of it.
The worst of it has been their decision to jump on the bed every morning around 530a.
I wish I could be a Good Dog Owner and thank them for waking me up. Unfortunately, I don't like to get up at 530a. At best, I like to sleep until 545a or even 615a (actually, I often feel like sleeping until 11a or noon, but that just doesn't work so well).
Anyway, they generally jump off the bed about two minutes later after some licking on their part and some snarling on mine. Then they wait until I'm just about back to sleep and jump back on.
Because they're border collies, and they can do that.
They did it again this morning, so I got up around 545a and got the boys off to school. Came home, picked up my gym bag, and did a fairly leisurely 25-mile bike ride. I was still a bit sore, so I took a day off from running. The pool, of course, is closed until Friday.
Worked fairly hard this morning and stuck to the diet. I call this piece of art "Breakfast in Shadow":
Miscellanea du jour:
*** It's an odd thing that people would devote so much time and effort to cracking the encryption code for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs (09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0). I don't even have time for Netflix, and often have to put my Tivo viewing of "The Sopranos" off until Thursday. Sigh.
*** I'm still getting XM service. I hear not everyone else is getting it today. I had really high hopes for the Bob Edwards/PRI/APM/WBUR show, but it tends to just kind of turn into noise after a few hours. It's just not NPR.
*** Speaking of public radio, I really enjoy WAMC. It's a small miracle, considering that my first exposure to the station was an Alan Chartock-driven fundraiser. Chartock tends to be, well, a bit manic. But I got to meet him at a function where I was teaching a few years ago and later did an on-air interview with him. His stations really are the best of public radio, I think.
*** Chickens, bees ... now fish? The epidemiologists have got to come up with a better name than viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, though. Just doesn't quite have the ring of "bird flu" or even "colony collapse disorder." I think next year's home wildlife play involves beehives. Just in case.
*** Idly thinking about taking the boys to see Mark Breen this week. I don't catch his "Eye on the Sky" radio program nearly as much as I should. There's also a bike repair workshop in Brattleboro this weekend. And a half-marathon to benefit Dartmouth-Hitchcock Children's Hospital. If I decide to be a good person, I will go to all three ...
*** Added a new widget on the lower right-hand rail, courtesy of the Complete Running Network. And not just because they gave me a shout-out. Although -- take note -- I am a complete ho that way.
*** A fantastic issue of National Geographic this month, which I read on the bike. Quite a few of the stories are, meh. But the photos are, as always, incredible. It's my fourth-favorite magazine, which is saying a lot, given the competition (Runners World, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker). And it's $15 per year. Really. Just a few of the online photos make me want to take out another subscription.
Going to do a 10-K tomorrow while the weather's still gorgeous. Maybe eight miles if the dogs aren't bouncing on the bed early. Must also psych myself up to finish the chicken coop this weekend and till the garden. I think we've had our last frost of the year.
Hopefully.
The worst of it has been their decision to jump on the bed every morning around 530a.
I wish I could be a Good Dog Owner and thank them for waking me up. Unfortunately, I don't like to get up at 530a. At best, I like to sleep until 545a or even 615a (actually, I often feel like sleeping until 11a or noon, but that just doesn't work so well).
Anyway, they generally jump off the bed about two minutes later after some licking on their part and some snarling on mine. Then they wait until I'm just about back to sleep and jump back on.
Because they're border collies, and they can do that.
They did it again this morning, so I got up around 545a and got the boys off to school. Came home, picked up my gym bag, and did a fairly leisurely 25-mile bike ride. I was still a bit sore, so I took a day off from running. The pool, of course, is closed until Friday.
Worked fairly hard this morning and stuck to the diet. I call this piece of art "Breakfast in Shadow":
Miscellanea du jour:
*** It's an odd thing that people would devote so much time and effort to cracking the encryption code for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs (09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0). I don't even have time for Netflix, and often have to put my Tivo viewing of "The Sopranos" off until Thursday. Sigh.
*** I'm still getting XM service. I hear not everyone else is getting it today. I had really high hopes for the Bob Edwards/PRI/APM/WBUR show, but it tends to just kind of turn into noise after a few hours. It's just not NPR.
*** Speaking of public radio, I really enjoy WAMC. It's a small miracle, considering that my first exposure to the station was an Alan Chartock-driven fundraiser. Chartock tends to be, well, a bit manic. But I got to meet him at a function where I was teaching a few years ago and later did an on-air interview with him. His stations really are the best of public radio, I think.
*** Chickens, bees ... now fish? The epidemiologists have got to come up with a better name than viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, though. Just doesn't quite have the ring of "bird flu" or even "colony collapse disorder." I think next year's home wildlife play involves beehives. Just in case.
*** Idly thinking about taking the boys to see Mark Breen this week. I don't catch his "Eye on the Sky" radio program nearly as much as I should. There's also a bike repair workshop in Brattleboro this weekend. And a half-marathon to benefit Dartmouth-Hitchcock Children's Hospital. If I decide to be a good person, I will go to all three ...
*** Added a new widget on the lower right-hand rail, courtesy of the Complete Running Network. And not just because they gave me a shout-out. Although -- take note -- I am a complete ho that way.
*** A fantastic issue of National Geographic this month, which I read on the bike. Quite a few of the stories are, meh. But the photos are, as always, incredible. It's my fourth-favorite magazine, which is saying a lot, given the competition (Runners World, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker). And it's $15 per year. Really. Just a few of the online photos make me want to take out another subscription.
Going to do a 10-K tomorrow while the weather's still gorgeous. Maybe eight miles if the dogs aren't bouncing on the bed early. Must also psych myself up to finish the chicken coop this weekend and till the garden. I think we've had our last frost of the year.
Hopefully.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Dead Legs
Busy morning, so far.
Thank God for conscientious kids. By the time I'd dragged my sorry hide out of bed, I had 15 minutes to get ready to take the boys to the bus stop. John and Will were already up and ready for school, though. This would qualify as A Very Good Thing.
I dropped them off, then did a very sloooooow 4.2 miles on my usual route. It hurt. Wish I could put more of the whine into that last sentence, but you get the picture. I scooted down to the gym to ride the bike (pool is closed until Friday so the steps can be repainted -- they're worried about liability from slips) for an incredibly uninspired 13.2 miles. Read Rory Stewart's book again, The Places In Between, about his walk across Afghanistan after the US invasion. I wish I could say I had a little better feeling about the place after reading it again, but, eh. It sounds like a thoroughly unpleasant place, populated by thoroughly unpleasant people.
I'm guessing they don't think much of us, either.
Off to town in another hour to steal the Asian restaurant's wifi. Great download speeds, and I don't have to blow my fair access policy. Not as convenient as Celeste's place, but way faster. Lots of calls to make and things to do this week.
More later.
***
It's later.
Worked like a Roman orchard slave today. Spent a couple of hours downloading and eating at the Asian restaurant. They do kung pao well. They don't do mocha so well. Eh. Live and learn.
Came back home and plugged away on a couple of projects, almost finishing one and probably wrapping up another. Felt rather decent to clear some stuff off my desk.
Chickens were rather annoying today. I missed putting one of the Arucanas -- fast little buggers -- back into the brooder at noon. Found her peeping on top of the brooder around 3p. Opened the brooder to let her back with her little peep friends. Am I rewarded? I think not. Wound up with 18 chicks in various stages of flight and paranoia to track down.
Going to be chilly here tomorrow, expecting a bit of frost.
Outrages, we got outrages:
*** The Florida primary has been moved up to Jan. 29. Yeah. That's gonna help democracy out. Besides the fact that it's Florida -- a state I once fled screaming -- it's continuing the trend of locking up the nomination four years before the election. You wait. It'll happen.
*** The Floyd Landis thing just gets sadder and sadder.
*** Whatever happened to the whole "laptops in the classroom" idea? The NYT had a good story on more districts dropping the deal because it wasn't helping. I'm thinking, put a rule on the server that blocks MySpace and AIM, and you'll see some progress.
I'm off to make some One-Pot Pasta. Can't decide whether to run tomorrow or bike long. One or the other.
Thank God for conscientious kids. By the time I'd dragged my sorry hide out of bed, I had 15 minutes to get ready to take the boys to the bus stop. John and Will were already up and ready for school, though. This would qualify as A Very Good Thing.
I dropped them off, then did a very sloooooow 4.2 miles on my usual route. It hurt. Wish I could put more of the whine into that last sentence, but you get the picture. I scooted down to the gym to ride the bike (pool is closed until Friday so the steps can be repainted -- they're worried about liability from slips) for an incredibly uninspired 13.2 miles. Read Rory Stewart's book again, The Places In Between, about his walk across Afghanistan after the US invasion. I wish I could say I had a little better feeling about the place after reading it again, but, eh. It sounds like a thoroughly unpleasant place, populated by thoroughly unpleasant people.
I'm guessing they don't think much of us, either.
Off to town in another hour to steal the Asian restaurant's wifi. Great download speeds, and I don't have to blow my fair access policy. Not as convenient as Celeste's place, but way faster. Lots of calls to make and things to do this week.
More later.
***
It's later.
Worked like a Roman orchard slave today. Spent a couple of hours downloading and eating at the Asian restaurant. They do kung pao well. They don't do mocha so well. Eh. Live and learn.
Came back home and plugged away on a couple of projects, almost finishing one and probably wrapping up another. Felt rather decent to clear some stuff off my desk.
Chickens were rather annoying today. I missed putting one of the Arucanas -- fast little buggers -- back into the brooder at noon. Found her peeping on top of the brooder around 3p. Opened the brooder to let her back with her little peep friends. Am I rewarded? I think not. Wound up with 18 chicks in various stages of flight and paranoia to track down.
Going to be chilly here tomorrow, expecting a bit of frost.
Outrages, we got outrages:
*** The Florida primary has been moved up to Jan. 29. Yeah. That's gonna help democracy out. Besides the fact that it's Florida -- a state I once fled screaming -- it's continuing the trend of locking up the nomination four years before the election. You wait. It'll happen.
*** The Floyd Landis thing just gets sadder and sadder.
*** Whatever happened to the whole "laptops in the classroom" idea? The NYT had a good story on more districts dropping the deal because it wasn't helping. I'm thinking, put a rule on the server that blocks MySpace and AIM, and you'll see some progress.
I'm off to make some One-Pot Pasta. Can't decide whether to run tomorrow or bike long. One or the other.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
A Slow Day
So after yesterday's swim/bike, I was pretty tired. Got to bed around 9p and didn't move until 11a. Which kind of guilted me out a bit since I should've gotten up and gone for a swim before they drained the pool.
It was still raining, so I waited for a break. When it stopped for a few minutes, we got out and tied some of the coop together. It basically guaranteed that the rain would start again. Finished about two sections before it started raining again.
Waited a couple of hours and finally decided to get off my ass. Got a couple of miles up the road and decided to keep going. Got four miles up the road and figured I'd do another. Pulled up at five miles before I could overdo things. Rained a bit on the way back, but nothing too heavy.
Came home, threw a quick dinner together for the boys, did some laundry and changed light bulbs in John's room. Wrapped up just in time to catch "The Sopranos." Seems to be going out with quite the bang.
Miscellanea:
*** It's not a plague of locusts exactly, but Brood XII of cicadas does sound like an Outer Space invasion. Or a plague of locusts.
*** I want to be William Langewiesche when I grow up. Without the hard-to-spell name, though. But I'll take the new book, The Atomic Bazaar. I bet it's good.
*** I really don't like this idea of cutting the classics. Yeah, Atlas Shrugged went a bit long with the John Galt monologue. But isn't that part of the charm?
*** Very good book review by Bill McKibben in Christianity Today on Steve Laurence's book, Good Bread Is Back.
Gonna try running in the morning, maybe a bit of light biking. Other goal for the week: I need to do some cooking. Macaroni with salmon, multigrain bread, ziti and broiled salmon.
It was still raining, so I waited for a break. When it stopped for a few minutes, we got out and tied some of the coop together. It basically guaranteed that the rain would start again. Finished about two sections before it started raining again.
Waited a couple of hours and finally decided to get off my ass. Got a couple of miles up the road and decided to keep going. Got four miles up the road and figured I'd do another. Pulled up at five miles before I could overdo things. Rained a bit on the way back, but nothing too heavy.
Came home, threw a quick dinner together for the boys, did some laundry and changed light bulbs in John's room. Wrapped up just in time to catch "The Sopranos." Seems to be going out with quite the bang.
Miscellanea:
*** It's not a plague of locusts exactly, but Brood XII of cicadas does sound like an Outer Space invasion. Or a plague of locusts.
*** I want to be William Langewiesche when I grow up. Without the hard-to-spell name, though. But I'll take the new book, The Atomic Bazaar. I bet it's good.
*** I really don't like this idea of cutting the classics. Yeah, Atlas Shrugged went a bit long with the John Galt monologue. But isn't that part of the charm?
*** Very good book review by Bill McKibben in Christianity Today on Steve Laurence's book, Good Bread Is Back.
Gonna try running in the morning, maybe a bit of light biking. Other goal for the week: I need to do some cooking. Macaroni with salmon, multigrain bread, ziti and broiled salmon.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
A Day In Which I Start To Get Off My Butt
Maybe.
Got up around 6:30a, which is damn early for a weekend, and helped Lisa put together stuff for her Fiber-pallooza up the road. The nor'easter (although I hate using that phrase for anything that doesn't involve heavy snow) was rolling up the state, so it was raining like merry hell. This didn't exactly bode well for any attempt at selling fleece and yarn, but you can't really change the dates for these things, apparently.
We got everything labelled, packed, drove up the road, and set up shop. I excused myself to go to the gym around 1030a, where I swam 1.5 miles. And did not drown, not even once. It probably helped that I had the pool to myself. I diddled with the idea of doing an even two miles, but could see that turning into a problem, and the pool was kind of cold anyway, so I crawled out and biked my usual short 13.3 miles.
All in all, I was pretty pleased with myself. I should've run, but it was just raw outside.
Ran back home, stopping to get Pringles and ice cream for the boys and conveniently forgetting the milk. Did dishes, fed chickens, let dogs outside, threw clothes in laundry, and ran down to the internet cafe. I was going to do some more big downloads (work on a weekend? How'd that happen? Guilty as charged. It's an addiction, not a job) but Celeste was closing early.
So I blew down to the grocery store, this time remembering the milk, dog food, and a bunch of other crowd-pleasers, drove back by the house, unloaded, and ran back up the road to pick up Lisa.
She did pretty well, apparently. Not pretty well, like scoring a $2 million advance to spin fiber, but pretty damn well for a rainy, cold day. Did I mention most of the fiber people were outside? On porches or under tents? Ugh.
We were both cold, tired, and wet, so we stopped by a local Mexican food place. It wasn't good, but it wasn't vile (ricotta and half a can of tomato sauce do not belong in an enchilada). At least, not vile enough to walk out on. I was exhausted, so instead of coming straight home and cooking for the kids, I stopped and grabbed a couple of pizzas for them. They didn't seem to mind.
All in all, not a bad week. About 60 miles of biking, 15 miles of running, and 4 miles of swimming. Next week will be tough, since the pool is going to be closed through Thursday. I'll have to set aside time for a couple of long swims on Friday and Saturday. Which is fine, because I also need to get off my butt and do more running. This week wouldn't have been bad on the running front if I hadn't been dealing with the coop all Sunday.
Anyway.
A few other odds and ends:
*** Blogged yesterday about a particularly nasty piece on Murray Waas. I might have been overly critical. I don't think the personal crap (for lack of a better phrase) belongs in a story about a journalist. Or anyone else, for that matter.
*** Good NYT story on Khalid Khannouchi today. It's nice to see a well-written running story somewhere besides Runner's World.
*** My Rockets fired my second-favorite coach of all time (any Rockets fan knows that Rudy T was every Rockets fan's favorite coach of all time). Van Gundy didn't get the guys very far, but he was fun. And I started liking him in New York in 1999. He was getting the hell beat out of him in the tabloids. His Honda Civic got killed by an airplane's afterburners after a playoff loss. And everyone was asking him when he was going to get fired by the Knicks. Constantly. He finally lost it.
"It's New York," he screamed. "It always ends badly."
Got up around 6:30a, which is damn early for a weekend, and helped Lisa put together stuff for her Fiber-pallooza up the road. The nor'easter (although I hate using that phrase for anything that doesn't involve heavy snow) was rolling up the state, so it was raining like merry hell. This didn't exactly bode well for any attempt at selling fleece and yarn, but you can't really change the dates for these things, apparently.
We got everything labelled, packed, drove up the road, and set up shop. I excused myself to go to the gym around 1030a, where I swam 1.5 miles. And did not drown, not even once. It probably helped that I had the pool to myself. I diddled with the idea of doing an even two miles, but could see that turning into a problem, and the pool was kind of cold anyway, so I crawled out and biked my usual short 13.3 miles.
All in all, I was pretty pleased with myself. I should've run, but it was just raw outside.
Ran back home, stopping to get Pringles and ice cream for the boys and conveniently forgetting the milk. Did dishes, fed chickens, let dogs outside, threw clothes in laundry, and ran down to the internet cafe. I was going to do some more big downloads (work on a weekend? How'd that happen? Guilty as charged. It's an addiction, not a job) but Celeste was closing early.
So I blew down to the grocery store, this time remembering the milk, dog food, and a bunch of other crowd-pleasers, drove back by the house, unloaded, and ran back up the road to pick up Lisa.
She did pretty well, apparently. Not pretty well, like scoring a $2 million advance to spin fiber, but pretty damn well for a rainy, cold day. Did I mention most of the fiber people were outside? On porches or under tents? Ugh.
We were both cold, tired, and wet, so we stopped by a local Mexican food place. It wasn't good, but it wasn't vile (ricotta and half a can of tomato sauce do not belong in an enchilada). At least, not vile enough to walk out on. I was exhausted, so instead of coming straight home and cooking for the kids, I stopped and grabbed a couple of pizzas for them. They didn't seem to mind.
All in all, not a bad week. About 60 miles of biking, 15 miles of running, and 4 miles of swimming. Next week will be tough, since the pool is going to be closed through Thursday. I'll have to set aside time for a couple of long swims on Friday and Saturday. Which is fine, because I also need to get off my butt and do more running. This week wouldn't have been bad on the running front if I hadn't been dealing with the coop all Sunday.
Anyway.
A few other odds and ends:
*** Blogged yesterday about a particularly nasty piece on Murray Waas. I might have been overly critical. I don't think the personal crap (for lack of a better phrase) belongs in a story about a journalist. Or anyone else, for that matter.
*** Good NYT story on Khalid Khannouchi today. It's nice to see a well-written running story somewhere besides Runner's World.
*** My Rockets fired my second-favorite coach of all time (any Rockets fan knows that Rudy T was every Rockets fan's favorite coach of all time). Van Gundy didn't get the guys very far, but he was fun. And I started liking him in New York in 1999. He was getting the hell beat out of him in the tabloids. His Honda Civic got killed by an airplane's afterburners after a playoff loss. And everyone was asking him when he was going to get fired by the Knicks. Constantly. He finally lost it.
"It's New York," he screamed. "It always ends badly."
Friday, May 18, 2007
Dragging
Talked myself into running this morning -- did 4.2 miles at a slow pace. Legs were just dead, dead, dead. Compounded the error by going to the gym and biking 13.3. Would've helped if it had been nice and warm, but not so much this morning. It was a little below 40, and we're supposed to have a nor'easter blow in tonight. So it'll rain all weekend.
Truly, I didn't feel like I got crap done after that, although it wasn't as bad as it felt. I filed some paperwork and shuffled around some files. Our local internet cafe is open for a few days, so I headed down and did some major downloading, which kept me at work far longer than I'd expected.
With the storm coming in this weekend, I don't have any great plans. I'll probably bike and run tomorrow, and then swim and run long on Sunday. I'll have to get some serious swimming done, since the pool will be closed (again!) until Friday. Argh. If the weather clears up Sunday, I'll want to finish the chicken coop, too. The peeps are getting tired of the brooder.
Need to get a book in the mail to Dad, too. He and my older brother headed down to Austin today for the little brother's graduation (Yeah, I feel guilty about missing it). He's going to have some type of surgery, probably next week, then take the entire month of June off. I think it'll be good for him.
Speaking of things that are good, I've just got to get back on the diet train. I've been eating some junk the past few days, which may have something (or everything) to do with my dragging ass.
Tragic story in Salon today on autism.
Truly, I didn't feel like I got crap done after that, although it wasn't as bad as it felt. I filed some paperwork and shuffled around some files. Our local internet cafe is open for a few days, so I headed down and did some major downloading, which kept me at work far longer than I'd expected.
With the storm coming in this weekend, I don't have any great plans. I'll probably bike and run tomorrow, and then swim and run long on Sunday. I'll have to get some serious swimming done, since the pool will be closed (again!) until Friday. Argh. If the weather clears up Sunday, I'll want to finish the chicken coop, too. The peeps are getting tired of the brooder.
Need to get a book in the mail to Dad, too. He and my older brother headed down to Austin today for the little brother's graduation (Yeah, I feel guilty about missing it). He's going to have some type of surgery, probably next week, then take the entire month of June off. I think it'll be good for him.
Speaking of things that are good, I've just got to get back on the diet train. I've been eating some junk the past few days, which may have something (or everything) to do with my dragging ass.
Tragic story in Salon today on autism.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Trudging Along
Woke up early enough this morning to feel a little better, and in the ongoing attempt to break out of the 3-mile rut, went for a 10-K. Didn't go too badly, but my legs were just dead for some mysterious reason. I'm guessing I just didn't get enough carbs yesterday.
Came home, showered, and took John to the eye doctor's to see if we could get a pair of contacts in his eyes. Couldn't do it -- he just really has trouble. Kind of a shame, because I think he'd consent to a haircut if he didn't have glasses. Anyway. Sigh. Got a pair of glasses ordered for myself. Tired of going to bed/waking up and not being able to see anything.
Dropped John off at school, went by Staples to pick up supplies for Lisa's big fiber show, and am sitting at a Chinese restaurant with wireless, downloading huge bunches of data for a project that would bust my fair access policy beyond all reason.
Chinese restaurants with wireless. Wonders never cease.
More later.
*****
There's a bit more, but not much. Finished my downloads and zipped by the gym on the way home. Swam 0.75 miles in about 40 minutes. Wasn't pretty, but it was fairly efficient, at least for my pool. They're closing the pool again from Sunday through Friday, so I'll be suffering for pool time next week.
Other things:
*** Lauren Terrazanno, whose column I included in the blog about a month ago (she said she had two to three months left to live), died Tuesday. She was 39.
*** There's a potentially cool job opening in Beijing for a year. Maybe it was the shrimp kung pao I had at lunch today that got me thinking about it.
*** Our company's remote access program blows dead goats. It's been driving me nuts for, oh, about 10 years. But the last hour has been really maddening.
*** There's an absolutely vicious hit piece on Murray Waas in the Washington City Paper. Alas, it sounds like he's an investigative reporter. Who maybe believes his own hype.
*** It's rainy and kind of blah here. Hoping it'll clear up by the weekend so I can finish the chicken coop.
Back to making small rocks out of big ones ...
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
I Feel Better Now
Woke up this morning with a thumping headache and hurting stomach, so I slept in. Didn't run, didn't do nada all day but feel sorry for myself. Got tired of that late this afternoon and decided to take a hiatus from the day job.
Headache disappeared about 10 minutes into a bike ride, and the one-mile swim wasn't awful, either. Made me feel one hell of a lot better.
Headache disappeared about 10 minutes into a bike ride, and the one-mile swim wasn't awful, either. Made me feel one hell of a lot better.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Yawn.
Trying to get out of the 5K rut that I seem to have fallen into, so I made it 4.2 miles for an early run this morning. Hit the gym for a quick 0.5-mile swim after that. Although little was quick about it. That subsidence you may have felt around 8a was probably me, inhaling most of the water in northern New England.
Have done very little good today, although I'm making progress on fixing a laptop.
Windy as hell. Glad I got my run done early.
No great existential thoughts today.
Thank God.
Have done very little good today, although I'm making progress on fixing a laptop.
Windy as hell. Glad I got my run done early.
No great existential thoughts today.
Thank God.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Ouch
Had an OK morning. Took the boys to the bus, then went to the gym and did 21.5 miles on the bike, 0.25 miles in the pool, which has (finally) reopened. Legs are still a little sore from Saturday's 10-K, but no major complaints. My hands, however, are another story.
I slept a little late Sunday and got off my butt with the chicken coop. Dug a foot-long trench around a 50-foot perimeter for the frames. This normally isn't a problem if you have (a) soil or (b) heavy machinery. I didn't have either, so I had to break out the pickax in a few places to get rocks out. Also stapled wire to a few more frames, but hands were too raw to work the staple gun. Finished up around 8 pm.
Wah. Poor me.
Anyway, next weekend, I'll raise and brace the frames, build the door and try to get poultry netting over the top to keep the hawks and owls out. And speaking of birds: We bought a replacement hummingbird feeder this weekend, and they're already coming in to feed.
Which is a good question: Where do hummingbirds migrate in the winter? I'm guessing Florida or Mexico, kind of like half the people who live in our state. Signs of spring include apple blossoms, mud, and Florida license plates. Lot and lots of them.
Got new hiking boots today -- Columbia Frontier Peak GTX. They (allegedly) require little break-in time. Anyway, I'm thinking I'll hike the Long Trail with John in segments. He's hiking almost every day now that the weather's nice. Don't know if it'd be Will's thing or not.
Busy afternoon planned. Taking John to get glasses, Will to get some new clothes, and something else. Can't recall. It'll come to me. Gotta get plugging on the day job.
***
Worked on the day job. Kids got home around 3:30p, so I took John to get his glasses and Will to get some new clothes. Threw in a trip to the hardware store to get braces for the coop (needed that and copy paper!) and made a quick grocery run. John said he wants to hike the trail with me; Will, not so much. I think the concept lost its allure when I told them they'd have to carry their own backpacks.
Fun conversation with John in the car. He thinks he'd be better off living in New York because he wouldn't need a car; they're expensive and pollute and we're going to run out of oil one day. Told him the last place he wants to be is in a large city with 14 million people who've just woken up to find out they can't get food, water, air conditioning, heat, or Starbucks. He said in that case, he'd like a motorcycle.
Great job, Dad.
Currently trying to fix a busted-ass laptop. Damn. Get the Blue Screen of Death every time it starts with a registry error, which generally is not good news. Sigh. Should be entertaining trying to repair this particular electronic fiasco.
I hate computers.
(Except when they tell me neat things. Like, where hummingbirds go for the winter: Southern Mexico and northern Panama. It'd be nice to spend the winter there, but I think it would still suck to be a hummingbird.)
I slept a little late Sunday and got off my butt with the chicken coop. Dug a foot-long trench around a 50-foot perimeter for the frames. This normally isn't a problem if you have (a) soil or (b) heavy machinery. I didn't have either, so I had to break out the pickax in a few places to get rocks out. Also stapled wire to a few more frames, but hands were too raw to work the staple gun. Finished up around 8 pm.
Wah. Poor me.
Anyway, next weekend, I'll raise and brace the frames, build the door and try to get poultry netting over the top to keep the hawks and owls out. And speaking of birds: We bought a replacement hummingbird feeder this weekend, and they're already coming in to feed.
Which is a good question: Where do hummingbirds migrate in the winter? I'm guessing Florida or Mexico, kind of like half the people who live in our state. Signs of spring include apple blossoms, mud, and Florida license plates. Lot and lots of them.
Got new hiking boots today -- Columbia Frontier Peak GTX. They (allegedly) require little break-in time. Anyway, I'm thinking I'll hike the Long Trail with John in segments. He's hiking almost every day now that the weather's nice. Don't know if it'd be Will's thing or not.
Busy afternoon planned. Taking John to get glasses, Will to get some new clothes, and something else. Can't recall. It'll come to me. Gotta get plugging on the day job.
***
Worked on the day job. Kids got home around 3:30p, so I took John to get his glasses and Will to get some new clothes. Threw in a trip to the hardware store to get braces for the coop (needed that and copy paper!) and made a quick grocery run. John said he wants to hike the trail with me; Will, not so much. I think the concept lost its allure when I told them they'd have to carry their own backpacks.
Fun conversation with John in the car. He thinks he'd be better off living in New York because he wouldn't need a car; they're expensive and pollute and we're going to run out of oil one day. Told him the last place he wants to be is in a large city with 14 million people who've just woken up to find out they can't get food, water, air conditioning, heat, or Starbucks. He said in that case, he'd like a motorcycle.
Great job, Dad.
Currently trying to fix a busted-ass laptop. Damn. Get the Blue Screen of Death every time it starts with a registry error, which generally is not good news. Sigh. Should be entertaining trying to repair this particular electronic fiasco.
I hate computers.
(Except when they tell me neat things. Like, where hummingbirds go for the winter: Southern Mexico and northern Panama. It'd be nice to spend the winter there, but I think it would still suck to be a hummingbird.)
Saturday, May 12, 2007
One Small Race
So I've been slacking for a few days. Payback was this morning, in the form of a 10-K race that I thought would be fairly easy. Small crowd -- maybe 200 or so runners. Not heavily advertised -- no chips or any major sponsors. And starting in the mid-morning. I figured, eh, treat it as a fast run.
Ugh.
The first 1.5 miles weren't so bad. But at the third mile, we hit a hill and started going up. And up. And up. I passed a couple of kids in their 20s losing their lunch at various places along the hill. Went back and forth with one guy in his early 30s.
"You're a truck!" he said after I passed him going up a hill for the third or fourth time.
"A 1963 Dodge, I think."
He wound up beating me by about 10 seconds. All things considered, though, I didn't do too badly. I came in third in the 30-and-over group, which wasn't too shabby. The guy who came in first for the "older runners" category was in his 50s. So I was mildly pleased.
Going to work on the chicken coop today and see if I can't get back into the swing of things tomorrow. And not get cocky. Third place ain't bad, but I could've done better than 8:07/mile, even with hills that would've killed a mountain goat.
Ugh.
The first 1.5 miles weren't so bad. But at the third mile, we hit a hill and started going up. And up. And up. I passed a couple of kids in their 20s losing their lunch at various places along the hill. Went back and forth with one guy in his early 30s.
"You're a truck!" he said after I passed him going up a hill for the third or fourth time.
"A 1963 Dodge, I think."
He wound up beating me by about 10 seconds. All things considered, though, I didn't do too badly. I came in third in the 30-and-over group, which wasn't too shabby. The guy who came in first for the "older runners" category was in his 50s. So I was mildly pleased.
Going to work on the chicken coop today and see if I can't get back into the swing of things tomorrow. And not get cocky. Third place ain't bad, but I could've done better than 8:07/mile, even with hills that would've killed a mountain goat.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Mad Dogs and Englishmen
Glad I got my run done early. It's supposed to hit 81 degrees today. Maybe not so unusual for everyone else in the middle of May, but damn strange here. Another seasonal milestone -- ran in shorts and sleeveless today! Did a 10K to tune up for a race on Saturday, then biked 13.25 miles on the stationary.
In other news ...
*** Stepdaughter is being discharged from the Air Force. Just lost it during basic training. She'll appeal and see if she can't re-enlist at some point, but it ain't good.
*** Dad's having another surgery in late May. Sigh. This one's going to be tough. He's just been through too much. Brothers and I are trying to figure out who can stay with him and when.
*** On the good news front, the gas people are coming today to fix the Rinnai tankless water heater. Sucks to have to heat water in a stockpot in the oven or on the stove. Trust me.
Fuck you, TNT. I know drama.
I'll finish the peep expansion project later this week,. They're getting a bit testy, popping out of the brooder like quail when I water them. I'm also calling around to track down topsoil for the garden. My tomato plants are looking good and big, and the onions are taking off. The thyme, not so much. I think it might be a bit hot in the window for it.
Speaking of gardening, I purchased a new gardening tool. At least, that's how I hope to use it. We go through an awful lot of paper -- probably about half our trash. So Lisa had the Very Bright Idea of getting a shredder and using the paper as rabbit and ferrett litter, and possibly compost.
I'm sure the FBI will believe that explanation.
The leaves are just exploding on the trees this week, and the apple trees are in full bloom. I keep waiting for my sinuses to realize this and close immediately, but no problem so far. It's odd -- growing up in Houston, I never realized that it was possible for humans to breathe through their nose for most of the year.
Daylillies and tulips are starting to pop up, too:
Too much to do today, not enough time to get it all done.
In other news ...
*** Stepdaughter is being discharged from the Air Force. Just lost it during basic training. She'll appeal and see if she can't re-enlist at some point, but it ain't good.
*** Dad's having another surgery in late May. Sigh. This one's going to be tough. He's just been through too much. Brothers and I are trying to figure out who can stay with him and when.
*** On the good news front, the gas people are coming today to fix the Rinnai tankless water heater. Sucks to have to heat water in a stockpot in the oven or on the stove. Trust me.
Fuck you, TNT. I know drama.
I'll finish the peep expansion project later this week,. They're getting a bit testy, popping out of the brooder like quail when I water them. I'm also calling around to track down topsoil for the garden. My tomato plants are looking good and big, and the onions are taking off. The thyme, not so much. I think it might be a bit hot in the window for it.
Speaking of gardening, I purchased a new gardening tool. At least, that's how I hope to use it. We go through an awful lot of paper -- probably about half our trash. So Lisa had the Very Bright Idea of getting a shredder and using the paper as rabbit and ferrett litter, and possibly compost.
I'm sure the FBI will believe that explanation.
The leaves are just exploding on the trees this week, and the apple trees are in full bloom. I keep waiting for my sinuses to realize this and close immediately, but no problem so far. It's odd -- growing up in Houston, I never realized that it was possible for humans to breathe through their nose for most of the year.
Daylillies and tulips are starting to pop up, too:
Too much to do today, not enough time to get it all done.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Back in the Saddle
So to speak, anyway.
Ran a quick-ish 5K this morning (8:22/mile) and went to the gym, which has re-opened. Did a quick bike workout there and headed for home, since Lisa had some stomach crud last night and pool will be closed another week. Felt good to be back into exercise/diet mode, though. Had a PowerGel for pre-run breakfast, omelet and toast for brunch.
Lot of things needing attention. Have to go to New Hampshire later this afternoon for the day job, then pick up various coop parts. Motherboard needs replacing on laptop. Thank-you notes for New York conference need writing. John needs more algebra problems, and Will needs some new clothes. Have to take cans by recycling center, trash to transfer station and shirts to dry cleaners.
Ack! More later.
Ran a quick-ish 5K this morning (8:22/mile) and went to the gym, which has re-opened. Did a quick bike workout there and headed for home, since Lisa had some stomach crud last night and pool will be closed another week. Felt good to be back into exercise/diet mode, though. Had a PowerGel for pre-run breakfast, omelet and toast for brunch.
Lot of things needing attention. Have to go to New Hampshire later this afternoon for the day job, then pick up various coop parts. Motherboard needs replacing on laptop. Thank-you notes for New York conference need writing. John needs more algebra problems, and Will needs some new clothes. Have to take cans by recycling center, trash to transfer station and shirts to dry cleaners.
Ack! More later.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Back in Town
Got back into town around 1 am. Yawn. Needless to say, didn't quite make it up in time for the 10-K or anything else. Slept most of today.
New York wasn't awful. Didn't sleep well, and about the best exercise I got was a 10-K around Central Park with a 7:45/mile average. None too shabby. Then again, it was getting dark, and I was on the north end of the park, and didn't want to look like the weak gazelle in the bunch.
Got to spend some time with some interesting folks uptown at Columbia. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a riot, and Gene Roberts is still a legend.
Family possibly glad to see me return. The hot water heater (a Rinnai tankless) went down again and needs a new part. The chickens exploded like quail when I opened the brooder to feed and water them last night. And the dogs have been following me around. Only the cat is pissed. But I think that's normal.
The gym will be open tomorrow, so I may do a sprint tri. I'll do some repair work on the computer (my laptop motherboard blew while I was in New York) and work on some other things. Hoping to finish the chicken coop and start the garden beds by late this week.
And get back on my diet. Oh, yeah. Had a few hamburgers in New York. If you ever want to beat yourself up dietarily (is that even a word?), go here:
http://bignicksnyc.com/
The menu is about the size of a mail-order catalog. It's all good and all grease, as they say. So I'll be beating myself up over that for a while.
It is good to be home. We went to the grocery this afternoon and were loading up on food. Some woman started helping us, explaining that she likes to bag groceries and that's what she does at the co-op, which is where we were heading next. So we got into a brief discussion of spelt flour, seven-grain flour and grinding wheat for your own bread.
Happens to y'all in New York all the time, right?
New York wasn't awful. Didn't sleep well, and about the best exercise I got was a 10-K around Central Park with a 7:45/mile average. None too shabby. Then again, it was getting dark, and I was on the north end of the park, and didn't want to look like the weak gazelle in the bunch.
Got to spend some time with some interesting folks uptown at Columbia. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a riot, and Gene Roberts is still a legend.
Family possibly glad to see me return. The hot water heater (a Rinnai tankless) went down again and needs a new part. The chickens exploded like quail when I opened the brooder to feed and water them last night. And the dogs have been following me around. Only the cat is pissed. But I think that's normal.
The gym will be open tomorrow, so I may do a sprint tri. I'll do some repair work on the computer (my laptop motherboard blew while I was in New York) and work on some other things. Hoping to finish the chicken coop and start the garden beds by late this week.
And get back on my diet. Oh, yeah. Had a few hamburgers in New York. If you ever want to beat yourself up dietarily (is that even a word?), go here:
http://bignicksnyc.com/
The menu is about the size of a mail-order catalog. It's all good and all grease, as they say. So I'll be beating myself up over that for a while.
It is good to be home. We went to the grocery this afternoon and were loading up on food. Some woman started helping us, explaining that she likes to bag groceries and that's what she does at the co-op, which is where we were heading next. So we got into a brief discussion of spelt flour, seven-grain flour and grinding wheat for your own bread.
Happens to y'all in New York all the time, right?
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Feeling Vaguely Lifelike
Ran a 5K this morning to prove it. Didn't go fast, not at all. Just ran, and didn't even hack up more than half of one lung. It helps that it was a nice morning, in the high 30s. It's supposed to get up to 60 today, which'll be really nice.
(Of course, there's a 20 percent chance of snow on Thursday. Looks like I won't get my garden planted until mid-May, at the earliest.)
Having passed the snot along to my youngest, I felt appropriately guilty when he made a pretty brave effort at getting up this morning. Didn't take much to talk him into going back to bed, although he's a bit crabby about missing another school day.
Spent an hour going over algebra with John this afternoon, felt somewhat helpful. Gotta keep him rolling on this course while he's into it. Still can't get over his volunteering to do some school work on a weekend.
My peeps are going to require a little more patience. I almost stir-fried 46 of them last night. They got out of the brooder and did what free chickens generally do -- make a huge mess. I cleaned up, and then put some cardboard over the top of the brooder to keep them penned. They got the message. For once, they shut up and went to sleep. I think all they needed was a little darkness. But really, it was the first damn time in their two-week lives that they've shut up and slept at night.
Still, I desperately need to get off my butt and finish the coop annex. It'll give them an extra 120 square feet or so (in addition to the 24 square foot coop). It'll also give the bathroom back to Gray Kitten, who's starting to get a bit testy about the whole peep-peep-peeping sound coming from her former domain.
On things animal-related, I need to start taking the dogs out on my short runs. They're getting a bit round. Not much, but a bit. Rather like their owner feels after a week and a half of doing nothing.
I'm off to NYC tomorrow night for a three-day conference. If an honorarium weren't involved, I'd likely skip it. Unfortunately, you actually have to show up to get paid. And this conference, of course, is one of those deals that starts at 8 am and goes on ... and on ... and on ... and on ...
If I'm complaining about peep-peep-peeping, I'm thinking I'll be in a really good mood after two nights of nonstop horns and car alarms (urban crickets). I'll be lucky to get one run, much less two or three. And I'll be staying up near Columbia. I guess I might be able to run in the park, but I really, really don't like running in crowds.
Which is kind of a dumb thing to say and think, since I'm trying to remotivate myself here by signing up for some races. I'm doing a 10-K in Bennington on Sunday and a 10-K in Brattleboro one week from Saturday.
I'm guessing the number of people running in those two races -- combined -- will be roughly half the morning running crowd in Central Park. But that's just a guess.
Anyway, I think I'll wear this shirt running and hope people get the message:
(Of course, there's a 20 percent chance of snow on Thursday. Looks like I won't get my garden planted until mid-May, at the earliest.)
Having passed the snot along to my youngest, I felt appropriately guilty when he made a pretty brave effort at getting up this morning. Didn't take much to talk him into going back to bed, although he's a bit crabby about missing another school day.
Spent an hour going over algebra with John this afternoon, felt somewhat helpful. Gotta keep him rolling on this course while he's into it. Still can't get over his volunteering to do some school work on a weekend.
My peeps are going to require a little more patience. I almost stir-fried 46 of them last night. They got out of the brooder and did what free chickens generally do -- make a huge mess. I cleaned up, and then put some cardboard over the top of the brooder to keep them penned. They got the message. For once, they shut up and went to sleep. I think all they needed was a little darkness. But really, it was the first damn time in their two-week lives that they've shut up and slept at night.
Still, I desperately need to get off my butt and finish the coop annex. It'll give them an extra 120 square feet or so (in addition to the 24 square foot coop). It'll also give the bathroom back to Gray Kitten, who's starting to get a bit testy about the whole peep-peep-peeping sound coming from her former domain.
On things animal-related, I need to start taking the dogs out on my short runs. They're getting a bit round. Not much, but a bit. Rather like their owner feels after a week and a half of doing nothing.
I'm off to NYC tomorrow night for a three-day conference. If an honorarium weren't involved, I'd likely skip it. Unfortunately, you actually have to show up to get paid. And this conference, of course, is one of those deals that starts at 8 am and goes on ... and on ... and on ... and on ...
If I'm complaining about peep-peep-peeping, I'm thinking I'll be in a really good mood after two nights of nonstop horns and car alarms (urban crickets). I'll be lucky to get one run, much less two or three. And I'll be staying up near Columbia. I guess I might be able to run in the park, but I really, really don't like running in crowds.
Which is kind of a dumb thing to say and think, since I'm trying to remotivate myself here by signing up for some races. I'm doing a 10-K in Bennington on Sunday and a 10-K in Brattleboro one week from Saturday.
I'm guessing the number of people running in those two races -- combined -- will be roughly half the morning running crowd in Central Park. But that's just a guess.
Anyway, I think I'll wear this shirt running and hope people get the message:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
