Litespeedgirl

Another one Bites the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0000

The highlight of any puppy's early days...that first sniff of marsh across East Beach Causeway, that first excited pacing in the sandy parking lot, that first glimpse of white sand and THE BIGGEST POOL I HAVE EVER SEEN (Browdie's words, not mine) that comprises the first trip to the beach.

We headed out with the little Hodges (and their young Golden, Max) to get the last of the light. Browdie took to it like a fish to - well.

He loved it.

He ran straight after Tilley then was caught up in the excitement of it all, including getting chatted up by one of those fellas on the skateboard/windsurfer apparrati (Browdie climbed right on the deck no problem).

Then it was time to hit the water, where Browdie tumbled right in to the surf line as Tilley and Max chased Ann Marie and Sam all over. Laika wandered around, happy as a clam and not minding wearing two leis as Tilley's had worked its way down to her waist like a tutu due to all the bodysurfing action.

Occasionally Browdie would get a little too much wave for his height (at his size, this didn't take much) and just shook it off like a pro.

Finally he decided he was a little waterlogged, salty, wet, and cool, and begged for Daddy to hold him until the last bit of pink light scooted out of the sky and we headed home for a rinse off in the pool.

Sea Island vs. Stipe

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:47:00 +0000

After months of careful preparation, planning, and great timing, I had successfully achieved R.E.M. nirvana with pit tickets to the Atlanta show.

Saturday, June 21.

Me. John. Front row. Stipe. 'Nuf said.

Then I checked the mail. Trouble.

Saturday, June 21 was also the same day as the fancy surprise party for my dear Aunt Bootsie and Uncle Allan for their 50th wedding anniversary at the Lodge at Sea Island.

F**************************k....

As already detailed herein, I made up for it in advance with DC and NC shows...and was happy to find a VERY nice fellow fan who traded for the tickets. He had seen R.E.M. about as many times as yours truly but never from that range. I told him it would change his life, and my heart felt happy about finding the right person for the tickets.

Particularly given the fact that my brother and his family were also coming down, I was all good with the change in plans and away we went. Despite the brief "challenge" Warren experienced with the roundabout (Big Ben, Parliament) we arrived at the Lodge relatively unscathed and in high spirits.

The night was most entertaining...it was great to see family and close family friends we don't normally get to see, and it was fun to get gussied up as well.

Not to mention the fun of kicking around the Lodge eating delicious snackies, drinking Pinot Grigio, and availing myself to the sea-shaped chocolates on the silver tray by the ladies' room. Repeatedly.

After lots of visiting and a great toast from Cindy, we opted to head over to Bootsie and Allan's house (via a brief but fairly hilarious stop at KFC with a moderately buzzed set of parents, siblings, and spouse, as well as mini mart stop for Warren, and a Starbucks stop for yours truly, the designated driver) for some post-party visiting.

Next time, Stipe. Sorry.

Click here for many more pictures

A Fool for the Pool

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:34:00 +0000

So just in case no one gets how eagerly Browdie clambered onto the float his very first time in the pool on SSI, here's a little video evidence.

Yes, we think he's going to like the water juuuuust fiiiiine.

The following video sums up pretty well Laika's mood on the island, in this case taken while car surfing on the way back from a morning romp on the beach:

Mayfield's Volunteer Browdie

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0000

I arrived at Immer Essen Farm at last to retrieve our boy. Out he came from the house and I couldn't believe how much he had grown up in four weeks! He scamped around in the grass a little bit before noticing me then was like HEY LADY I REMEMBER YOU!! and came over and greeted me excitedly. We played a little in the front yard while I talked to Cesmir and Greg, showing them Laika and Tilley's books to let them know that he would be off to grand adventures with us.

Cesmir gave me a very organized packet of all his records, papers, and then, much like a 4-pack of toilet paper at Target, she scanned him and rang him up. He had already been microchipped so she had to scan in the number to confirm that everything matched up with the papers we'll submit.

But it was kind of funny to have him scanned, and it beeped, then I wrote a check :).

I grabbed the kennel we had left back in May and he was like, hey, where is my house going? After a few goodbye hugs - just like that - we were off. We went the other way out from the farm to head south and we inadvertently came out behind Mayfield again, so I had to stop for a partial family portrait.

We drove onward to Atlanta and he mostly stayed in my lap or behind my shoulder (weirdo).

I finally had to stop at a Wendy's to get some form of food and go to the restroom...I knew I couldn't leave him alone in the car so I improvised and put a blanket down in a large canvas beach bag, and in he went with me. It's amazing how few people suspect that you are carrying a live corgi as a purse. It was nice in the restroom because I just hung the bag on the purse hook and he just snoozed. Just like a hammock, he remarked later.

Once back in Atlanta, I had to swing by work to pick up a few things before heading to SSI, so we had a few meet and greets, many of whom felt like they knew him already as they'd seen all the pics of him over the past few weeks.

Finally, it was time to go home for the big Meeting of the Girls. I kept him in the bag and Tilley clearly wondered where I had been, why I smelled like puppies, and why in particular the bag I was carrying smelled A LOT like a puppy. To her surprise, it WAS a puppy! She was very interested but a little tentative, or moreso that we thought she would be. Laika literally didn't see him for the first few minutes then was - as expected - relatively unaffected :).

By the end of the evening, though, Tilley and Browdie were already doing a little "let me follow you around", and by the next morning they were already playing tug with some woobies. Tilley remarked that having a little brother might end up being fun after all.

Friday morning it was time to push off for the island on Browdie's first big road trip. We got the truck all ready and we were off like a pack of corgis. Browdie mostly napped, as did Tilley (shocker). Seems like in addition to Corginess they also have autonarcolepsy in common. Laika of course paced until approximately Statesboro and finally sat down around Savannah. Once we hit Darien though, she caught wind of the marsh and was giddy and smiley. Going across the causeway Browdie was clueless but Tilley and Laika were as beside themselves as I was :).

We arrived at the house where Mom and Dad were a day ahead of us and unwound by the pool. John of course jumped in with his clothes on within the first ten minutes. Tilley proved her new aqua bravado with jumping onto her float without anyone asking her to or without anyone in the water. Pool deck, float pounce, swim to the stairs, repeat. John was hanging on the float and Browdie decided to check it out. And then jumped right on the float like he'd done it a thousand times. We're glad he's fearless about the water but hope that doesn't mean he will be too sassy to train :).

That night before bed, Tilley discovered that Browdie - despite his diminuitive size - is a "most worthy" adversary in the wrestling ring. He gave her a run for her money, and they took turns being the tough guy or the "help you've got me down" dog. Laika didn't mind as she was in the middle of her standard 2-day drive hangover recovery power nap.

A few videos to entertain:

My Magical Mayfield

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:34:00 +0000

For those of you who know me, you surely know of my near obsession (ok, outright obsession) with the Mayfield family of dairy products. In particular, some of you have witnessed my workplace dumpster scouring to reclaim an erroneously discarded tub of neapolitan ice cream lovingly driven from Tennessee to DC years ago. Others have seen a near death match occur when my brother and I are down to the last Brown Cow or Ice Cream Sandwich. Based in Athens, TN, the hallmark yellow jugs of milk and the friendly cow logo (one of my other hallmarks of a great brand: they haven't changed it) represent both a taste of home and a taste of the delicious.

After 36 years, you think I would have taken advantage of the free tours, ice cream bar, and/or gift shop. But today was to be the first. I was on track to go pick up Browdie but needed to kill some time beforehand, so all the stars were aligned. As giddy as (ok, giddier than) one of the many schoolkids there with their groups, I approached to register to inquire about the tour. I had just missed it, and the next one wasn't for an hour; well after I was to pick up our new puppy. I instead spent the next half an hour shopping - so much so that when I took my (admittedly embarrassingly laden) shopping basket to the front I jokingly said...do you give volume discounts?

After a nice chat about how I was raised on Mayfield but was then without it in DC for 13 years, I finally signed my slip and was about to be on my way. As she handed me my receipt, she smiled and said, I gave you my employee 20% discount.

What a happy place! To celebrate, I wandered over to the ice cream bar for none other than the classic favorite, that perfect combination, the trifecta of ice creams...neapolitan. Turns out because they give it as the sample on the tour, THEY DON'T SELL IT BY THE SCOOP! Denied. I picked a backup new flavor of low(er) fat Banana Pudding and had that as my lunch. Perfection!

On the Road Again...Back to the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:14:00 +0000

It was nice to be in DC again to connect with clients and friends. I'm looking forward to having JoMarie on the ground in DC - several clients were really excited about getting her in the team fold. I also managed to score a fantastic green leather handbag from a street vendor for $30. My client scored some cool shades.

I am not terribly pleased to report that there was really no working out on this trip at all - I really horribly missed not being able to hoof it through Rock Creek so avoided it altogether.

Despite having brought my bike along just in case, the trip was generally spent in a fairly low key way. Amelia met us for dinner at the delish Tandoori Nights and we enjoyed the chat papri and trusted our server to make most of the selections.

We then headed for a late nite Sex and the City viewing where there was much laughter and many tears. We also got to hear about Amelia's fabulous trip to the East - fascinating and wonderful.

One night we went to the local Los Tios - fabulous food and friendly folks and about a block away from JoMarie's....followed up with custard from the Del Ray Dreamery (I still refuse to call it the Dairy Godmother, its new name). Another nite we had a great girls' dinner at Amelia's house and some very needed girl time.

We also had some late nite wedding crafting that shall remain a secret for at least another week :). We also had fun one afternoon checking out the new (to me) creekfront dog park in Shirlington where Tilley, Erah, and Sorella had a blast (as did we).

What's great about these trips is they are part memory lane, part memories of fun times with friends, and part creating new memories with friends. Back to the Future, one might say.

And to top it off? A personal record of of 9:15 with only two stops :) on the trip. And, a sighting of Doc and Marty themselves...see photo at left. :)

Our Nation's Capital

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Apparently I *AM* too old for this shite ;). While attempting to be cogent for my client meetings (which I think I did successfully) I felt pretty strung out and held it together on a steady drip of caffeine.

I headed back to JoMarie's to let the dogs out after my meetings at about 4 and had :25 spare minutes. I could either do wireframe revisions or take a catnap.

In a very wise move, I took the catnap. Because that night, it was time for more R.E.M. :)

We headed out to Merriweather Post Pavilion and I remarked to Jome that the last time I was there was to in fact see R.E.M. with one of my early days match.com dates - a really nice guy but one that just didn't take off.

We met a really nice lady originally from near London who was there alone so we walked in together and talked of some great bands.

At security, we saw signs saying no professional cameras with detachable lenses. I convinced the guys between batting eyelashes that while my lenses were removable I was no pro photographer, and in we went.

We headed among the 20,000 or so fans to our seats. As the couple at the end of our row stood to let us scoot in I noticed something.

The guy looked familiar, but like someone I hadn't seen in a long time. You guessed it. The guy I saw R.E.M. with here all those years ago.

As I was reeling from those odds, on down the row were the ex-boyfriend of one of our best friends. On a date with?

A woman who used to be on the board of an organization I used to work for. To anyone who hasn't lived there to understand just how small a city DC can be, I hope these examples help you get the concept.

For those that care here are more photos. For those that care, the setlist:

1. Finest Worksong
2. Living Well Is the Best Revenge
3. Bad Day
4. What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
5. Drive
6. Ignoreland
7. Man-Sized Wreath
8. Little America (WHUP I think we're lost-no longer the former J* I think we're lost)
9. Hollow Man
10. Walk Unafraid
11. Houston
12. Electrolite
13. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville
14. Pop Song 89
15. Horse to Water
16. The One I Love
17. Driver 8 (ahh yes, gem)
18. Until The Day Is Done
19. Let Me In (chillbumps-classic Stipe melodic bliss)
20. These Days (gem; many things in common, name 3)
21. Orange Crush (would have loved Inside Out here instead, but alas)
22. I'm Gonna DJ

23. Supernatural Superserious (made me think of my niece Claire)
24. Losing My Religion
25. Mr. Richards
26. Fall On Me (and the crowd goes wild, sigh)
27. Man On The Moon

Everybody Here...Comes From Somewhere

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:00:00 +0000

After months of waiting and my cat-like reflexes on the online fanclub ticket presale, it was R.E.M. week. I say R.E.M. "week" because there were multiple shows involved but also because for me, such an event carries several days of pre-and post- day excitement that stirs up 22 years of memories, about a dozen times seeing the boys live, and the various and sundry Athens shows/events/run-ins that still turn me rosy with nostalgic glee.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to use my pit - yes, that's front row - tickets to the Atlanta show due to a family event conflict, I opted to see both the Raleigh NC and Washington DC shows.

Tilley and I left Atlanta at 10ish on Tuesday and headed towards DC for some client meetings, stopping in Raleigh to meet up with some friends of a coworker. After a quick unload of a few items from the truck and then tucking Tilley into her travel crate in Laurie's apartment, we were off to the show.

The tickets - and my call to the venue - both said no cameras but I say when in doubt, try :). We were parked moderately close so I opted to do so and if needed head back to stash the camera in the car. Security was a snap though, they just verified that my camera wasn't video and in I went, with a Nikon sporting an 18-55 lens, a 70-300 lens....and a camera with only one bar of battery juice left.

S H I I I I I I I T !

As I was starting to think about how I could ration out about 20 pictures over 3 hours I had a eureka moment - I had stuck my battery charger in the front of my camelbak at the last second.

HalleleLUJAH.

I found an outlet, and charged her up again right there on the grounds. We made our way to our seats which were like 5th row but only one row behind an area for special needs guests, so we had a great view of the stage. There were two folks there with cerebral palsy, one of whom had a therapy dog (a golden) who slept through the entire show. Tilley was livid later saying how that dog clearly didn't appreciate having front row seats.

The National and Modest Mouse opened up, and were both quite good. I was probably a little antsy and didn't give them my full attention as I think I hadn't really done the math on the fact that a 6:30 start time is more like a 9:00 main act start time, and I had both an antsy corgi and another 4.5 hour drive in front of me.

At last the wait was over, and it was time.

The boys burst out on stage with Harborcoat, an old classic (and harbinger of others to come that nite) after which Stipe did his standard welcome....Good evening....and they continued to deliver with tons of old faves and amusing but brief commentary from Stipe, including almost after every song, "fuck, it's hot" - it was conservatively 105 in the ampitheatre and I was neither wearing a full suit nor dancing like a cat as he was. I made lots of friends in my row with some serious fans who gave me emails for my pics - always great to meet a fellow rabid fan.

Here's the set list in full:

RALEIGH, NC June 10 2008

1. Harborcoat (with the traditional Stipe "Good evening!" greeting)
2. Living Well
3. Bad Day (personal new fave that gives me flashbacks to seeing them the nite before the 2004 elections)
4. Kenneth (as in what's the frequency)
5. 1,000,000 ("Hey you people on the lawn, check this shit out") - I couldn't believe they played this fab gem
6. Man-Sized Wreath
7. Welcome To The Occupation
8. Accelerate
9. 7 Chinese Brothers
10. Hollow Man
11. Imitation of Life
12. Houston ("This is about the way the Bush administration F*d up the Katrina situation")
13. Electrolite ("This is a west-coast song")
14. Walk Unafraid (another personal new fave)
15. The One I Love
16. Final Straw
17. Find The River (this is my song. there were tears.)
18. Let Me In (Stipe's voice on this is beyond description)
19. Horse To Water
20. Auctioneer/Another Engine (again with the gems!!)
21. Orange Crush
22. I'm Gonna DJ

After the show and a moderate cluster*** of a wait to get out, I got back and traded my concertgoers for a corgi and we were on our way to DC. at 12:05. I debated my ability to pull it out and make it all the way but the truth was once I got to 95 I figured, why not.

So I put in my workout mix and on we went, arriving safely at about 4:15 am, just in time for some light chit chat with JoMarie in time to get up at 7 for some meetings. Am I too old for this? Apparently not.

Full (well admittedly, an edited set from the original several hundred I took) set of photos here on Picasa: Check 'em out!

Atlanta's Finest Revenge

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Fri, 30 May 2008 01:48:00 +0000

I was so excited for JoMarie to come visit us in Atlanta...she was planning on coming down for a Red Cross training and the weekend.

We would get to spend Tues nite, Weds nite, Thurs nite, and then from Friday afternoon on through Sunday together - wahhoooo! Seriously needed girl time.

But then. Just after she arrived. Macon. Tornadoes!

As a soldier for disaster fundraising for the Red Cross, JoMarie often responds to disaster needs from the DC office.

When the tornadoes hit central Georgia it just so happened that she was a mere 100 miles away...so she got assigned to go there to support on the ground fundraising instead of to the training.

SO, Wednesday morning she headed out and didn't come back till the wee hours of the morning on Friday.

BOOOOO!

The good news is she got to go with us to CANINE CAPERS Tuesday night to get to see Tilley in action (see video for a sneak peek!).

Then she was gone. Snif.

On Saturday, we headed into the gritty city to Piedmont Park for Atlanta's Finest 5k. Put on by our clients the Atlanta Police Foundation and sponsored by longtime clients Boardwalk Consulting, Northridge sent a contingent of racers and volunteers.

Among us were me and JoMarie, Tilley (up for anything, always), and my coworker Holly who was doing her first 5k with us. Tilley's race was first. She was actually registered as Tilley Hodgeski as a 2 year old (no where on the form did it say "check here to confirm you are a human", so what the hell).

We got her checked in and we all got race numbers in order :). JoMarie ran with me and Tilley, and Holly's son Connor did the 5k as well.

Tilley and Connor both went out fast, and Connor walked a little so JoMarie and I stuck with him either just ahead or in back to make sure he was cool.

As we rounded the final turn Tilley said "all bets are off!" and I dropped her leash and let her finish on her own. She was given a finisher's ribbon and an Atlanta Police badge by a very nice volunteer whom she showered with kisses "thanks for the ribbon, lady!".

Then it was our turn. We left Tilley and Connor with Amy and the rest of the Northridge crew and headed out, running, then walking, and alternating throughout the course. Holly kept a great pace and my knee was mostly ok until the last mile - and then it hurt like a mofo. Sigh. Not that I expected less but oh well. We finished in fine form and then hung out for a while in the sunshine and I did a little work with Tilley on obedience.

On the way out, we asked the po-lice if we could get a pic near their bike and, because of course he did, he offered for JoMarie and I to git on it :). When a cop asks if you want to sit on his bike? You say YES.

We headed back north with a very sleepy Connor and Tilley in the back seat. We rallied with John and headed out for lunch then the girls - all of the girls - including Laika, Tilley, and Erah, went shopping for canine couture and spent way too much time...and money, but had a great time. JoMarie was still wiped from work and having all of 3h of sleep...so I kept plying her with caffeine all day, which worked well through a fabulous dinner at Rice Thai in Roswell and into TV and girl time that night. We also had a few secret missions related to a certain upcoming wedding that will remain unpublished at this time ;).

On Sunday we headed out on an adventure for shoes which was unfruitful...but Tilley made LOTS of friends. We clinched the night with a little takeout from Mr. Taco and yes - more Sex and the City in preparation for the movie release next week. Monday after a quick stop at the office, JoMarie and Erah were on their way back to DC. WAHH!

We had a GREAT time even though our visit was shorter than originally expected. I was glad she was able to support the fine folks in Macon and to do her duty for the Red Cross. But it was a disappointment.

SO, to make sure it doesn't happen on a future visit, I hired her to work for us as our on the ground nonprofit gal in DC.

SNAP! Nobody puts Baby in a corner!!

:D

Video of Tilley moving from the tunnel to the a-frame then over the jump:

Memory-ial Day at the Cabin

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:33:00 +0000

Twas a quiet Memorial Day. Despite the "vintage" jetski at my cousin's on the point, despite the sounds of various layers of Hodges/Fullam/Seifert/Ingvalson children, despite the sounds of amour between Tilley and her cousin dog Max, there was an odd kind of quiet.

My girls were missing!

When I stopped to think about it, it occurred to me that there have been few years (if any) that I didn't bring at least a handful of chicks along for the ride. Oftentimes this was at great logistical and petrol expense, with sometimes multiple vehicles caravanning down from DC.

There was the year we all toured the Litespeed bike factory (complete with riding around on a $1000 titanium tricycle). There was the year that Cathy and I taught Sheila and Mark from Ireland how to fish. There was the year that Cameron was -um -invented. There was the year Jessica discovered strawberry salsa. There was the year I bought my tri bike. There were the many years that inbetween getting sun we swam, biked, ran, or talked about triathlon. There was the year Dad busted JoMarie and her date. There was the year Dad busted me and MY date, flown into DC from CA and then driven all night to TN. There were the years that Amelia got back to her Southern roots. There were even the years when Sarah and Tina and Gina came from Campus Green Vote, and Pam from the NMP days.

Nostalgia aside, this year was about family. We hadn't seen Warren and Susan and Sam and AnnMarie and Max since Thanksgiving, so we were excited to get some serious hang time in despite John needing to do some studying as well.

We ended up scooting out of town early from Atlanta which put us headed to Chattanooga around lunchtime. I called ahead to my friend and high school love Connor who we picked up and headed to Sticky Fingers rib shack. Connor, meeting my high school dating requirement of being a McCallie boy, said as we pulled in the parking lot that the place was pretty good even if it is owned by a bunch of Baylor boys. School rivals in Chattanooga are lifelong, I tell ya. After we hung out with Connor and dropped him back to work, we stopped by to see his mom and did a little shopping. It was great to catch up with both of them and now Connor no longer has the excuse of not having my Atlanta address for letter writing. True to form, a letter arrived not three days later.

We arrived at the cabin with the girls late afternoon and hung out with Mom and Dad and did some visiting. Let me explain the Cabin for a second. Located on Watts Bar Lake, my grandfather purchased a lot and my great uncles did the same. Now "the hill" is still all family two generations, with the addition of the Hicks at the turnoff who are now as close as family. It pleases me to no end when Tilley waddles off our dock and heads over to the other dock "for just a little visit with my cousins" just as I did as a little kid, just as our grandparents did, just as our parents do, and now as my cousins' kids do.

Late that nite, the Little Hodges arrived, I heard Tilley bark at Max then I got up to greet tha gang briefly. Tilley lamented Max (a Golden) was "no longer my size, wtf!". The weekend was peppered with Tilley chasing Max, Max chasing Tilley, sometimes involving one or more of my brothers' kids Sam and AnnMarie, and sometimes a cousin from across the way. We spent some good time doing water training with Max - and now of course Tilley wants to go duck hunting with Uncle Warren :) John also got in some adjustments on my cousin Wayne and his pals when they came over to assist with hooking up the wireless router. We also got some quality time in with my cousin Alex and a brief hi with his sister Christina. Must get back for another visit soon!!

CORGIS! CORGIS! CORGIS!

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:52:00 +0000

As part of our Memorial Day pilgrimage to the cabin for some sun and family time with Mom, Dad, Warren, Susan, Sam, Ann Marie, and Max...not to mention a multitude of cousins on "the hill" as per the multi-generational tradition...John and I had a little side trip planned.

It was time to go meet Browdie, the new puppy. BROWD (sounds like the past tense of the word brow as in eyebrow) is the Welsh word for brother, fitting because he'll be a little brother to Tilley and Laika and also shares a bday with my brother :).

We headed over across the dam past the massive and historically controversial Watts Bar nuclear reactor towards Athens and Sweetwater. Home to Mayfield Dairy, the Lost Sea, and our newest-to-be member of the family.

We crossed over I-75 and ducked in and around turns on country roads that felt (to me) like home; it was nice to see an area that looked like it hadn't changed much in the past years.

Honeysuckle was so thick on the vine you could smell it in the air driving along as we passed little farms, a multitude of cows, and yes, even an alpaca farm (Jess, I did not stop to herd them).

We turned up the gravel lane and headed up the hill to the house and were greeted by the fine folks at Immer Essen farm. I knew already that I liked these people from our chats on the phone and email, but really liked them once we met them. I can sum it up by saying this... anyone who raises corgis overlooking the Smoky Mountains, is a self-proclaimed militant vegetarian, and is a Buddhist who can comfortably quote Monty Python and the Princess Bride is alright with us.

We headed over to the little pen with an open travel crate full of little puppies pretty much sacked out on top of one another happily. One brave soul came over, the others in the corner of the pen or the crate itself couldn't be bothered. After a while our hostess headed over and un-sandwiched our boy from the pile and brought him over. As expected, even cuter in person :). He was pretty friendly with us but still pretty young and distracted. He took a little interest in the small toy I'd brought along, but was quickly on to the next thing such as my purse, shoe, or the cuff of my jeans leg. He was fine being held but didn't seem to want to get up near my face just yet.

Then we headed over to the outdoor day runs to meet Llewy, the dad. He was such a bundle of HURRAH - so friendly and energetic. He enjoyed the Zuke's mini treats I had along :). We then went along to meet some of the other corgis just for fun, including the highlight of the pen with the 8 and 12 week litters, where I was happily assaulted by many paws and puppy tongues. Just corgis. Everywhere. John and I later shared that we both seperately wished we had asked to go in and just lay there and let them have their way with us. Corgis!!

Next, we headed over to meet Faith, the mom. They are at 4 weeks so are starting to spend part of the day away from mom. She was such a sweetie....very friendly and happy. A good size too, much like Tilley in terms of confirmation. She enjoyed the backrub from me, lamenting "these puppies are killin me".

Then it was back to the puppy pen for us for more time with Browdie. I did a little putting him on his back on my lap and he was just fine, playing with my hand and my LiveSTRONG bracelet. He also nuzzled up to my neck and then proceeded to give a few glorious puppy flavored kisses to my nose.

Eventually it was time to leave his travel crate behind and say goodbye until 4 weeks from now when we whisk him away to start his new life. The good news is at least he didn't issue a verbal moan of discontent when he saw us like Tilley did the first time when we picked her up at the airport. She's since retracted her initial disappointment and regrets her initial comment. A few videos to get your cute fix on for the day:

Our Little Growing Family

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:45:00 +0000

Well it's time. Time to grow by one, time to shake things up, time to tip the scales a little.

They say there's never REALLY a good time, and no one is EVER really TRULY ready, so why not go for it.

That's right. We're getting a baby!

Another corgi, that is. Here's the thing. The only really good time to do it is when John is off in June so that we can be on St. Simons for the new arrival for intensive potty training and beach indoctrination. As fate would have it, I found a breeder near Mom and Dad in TN that had a litter on the way that if all went well, the timing would be perfection.

All went well, and the mom (Faith) delivered her puppies on April 20, my brother Warren's birthday. After 6 puppies, came one more, a little tri (mostly black with some white and tan) boy. Our boy :)

The working name is Brodey (spelling TBD)...from the Welsh word for "brother", Browd.

Tilley is beside herself with excitement and can't wait for (her words) "my puppy". Laika is indifferent but tolerant as usual and is optimistic that this may translate into longer naptimes.

Contemplating A New Kind of Training

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:09:00 +0000

So with still little progress on The Knee...and let's be honest, a lack of motivation to do much else...I thought maybe it's time to give a little something back to my training partner. That one who stood beside me and asked no questions when I opted to go out when it was 38 and raining, or 60 and sunny, or 32 with snow on the ground. That one who waited in the car for me to finish the Emerald Pointe Triathlon. That one who's been running all her little life.

Tilley.

I had always thought Dog Agility looked kinda cool, and knew Tilley could run, but hadn't really looked into it. What better time to look into it than now? I found a place not too far from us, Canine Capers, that holds classes and what not. We decided (Tilley, always up for anything) to go check them out during a Saturday when they were holding course run-throughs.

The facility was all indoor and very nice. As we walked in, I noticed a group of humans walking the course pacing it out and practicing their signals and thought holy shit this is serious business. It was very quiet. People were very focused. Even the dogs looked serious.

The place had rubberized flooring and all kinds of jumps and obstacles, with dogs and owners very obediently waiting their turn. Tilley was all sniffing but relatively sane by my side.

Then the shit hit the fan.

A dog started on course and man! Barking, thundering through the tunnels, banging the teeter totter, going through the poles, and Tilley is like. W. T. F. ? She got really barky and spooky and whiney and wanted to be held, and this went on and off for a while. She finally settled on sitting on the bench next to me. At one point mid afternoon I took her out for some potty/play time outside, and we head back in and she pauses and looks at me like "um yeah if we don't go back in there that's ok with me".

After a little more time and meeting some of the friendlier dogs/owners, she settled down. We left and I got the impression it would be okay to bring her back, so we enrolled in the Tuesday class for intro to agility. I hope it goes well because like John said, if this turns out to be just like the ballet lessons, and the piano lessons, and the art classes where she quickly lost interest, we're done.

After such a trying experience Tilley was glad to go to Garden Ridge to do a little shopping...she stayed in the cart the entire time and as it filled slipped further and further into a nap hole. People would admire and coo as they passed the cart filled with porch pillows, a dogbed, and about 50 hawaiian leis (the girls needed a fresh wardrobe), and a corgi and go "oooohhhh!". I simply smiled and whispered "Corgis, Aisle 4".

Long Time, No Hear

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:35:00 +0000

So it's been a quiet few weeks for you readers. The focus of my time seems to have shifted abruptly from training to work...partly due to injury, partly due to necessity and timing.

I've spent the past few weeks doing some isometric exercises and the prognosis is marginal. I didn't try it last weekend but the weekend prior (after a whole week and a half off) I tried a little :10 elliptical then a little treadmill. I was elated that the latter was going well, until about 8 minutes in when I felt the knee twinge. I stopped at :10 (my intent) but was bummed that it didn't go longer. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing ab work and swimming...then immersed myself in work...and travel for work.

I headed down to New Orleans for the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) conference. I was excited to be going for several reasons. The first, admittedly, was for the chance to network and get some good exposure for Northridge. I'd gotten onto a panel of a friend and former client, Mark at Sea Change on fundraising usability, and was excited for that as well as the general high school reunion feel the conference promised. I had the chance to connect with all kinds of dear old friends and former coworkers, clients, and partners.

Finally, I was excited because Dad was riding with me as my stowaway, and we always have grand adventures. While it's tempting to go through the highlights of the conference and our road trip, I think the best way to summarize it is a la a race report...by the numbers.

- Number of travel partners: 1 (Grandy! My Dad is a watercolor artist and is always out to get some inspiring shots for his subjects, and snapped up my "free spare bed and ride down" offer in a heartbeat)
- Number of miles driven: 978 (not counting the 20 mile side trip to Bayou LaBatre nor the miles Dad drove during the day to shoot photos)
- Number of miles walked downtown to dinners at night and shopping: 978 (ok, not really)
- Number of people attending our fundraising usability session: About 75, not bad!
- Number of former coworkers I ran into: 9 (Niemi, Cohen, Leta, Voelker, Stines, Ferraro, Herron, Labieniec, Cervino)
- Number of longtime clients and friends met in person for first time: 1 (Jed Miller!)
- Number of fans of this blog talked to: 1 (Peter at Convio)
- Times I got to run or swim: 0
- Number of hours I was awake Wednesday between the drive down, the meeting en route, and staying up late to compile the group's presentation: 20.5
- Number of flat tires: 1 (poor Grandy, on his first morning excursion)
- Number of times Grandy used the phrase regarding Crayfish "suck the head" then giggled: 14
- Number of great meals had: 3 (dinner at La Marigny Brasserie with Liz and Bridget from RedEngine Digital (one of our partners), dinner at Amelie with Liz and Dad, brunch at the Court of Two Sisters with Dad and Kristin)
- Number of "bonus attendees" at the evening reception both days at the conference: 1 (Grandy, duh, free food!)
- Number of near panic attacks: 2 (bridge across Lake Pontchartrain, whee for me!)
- Number of feet high the waves were on said lake on the way into town: 3.5, with whitecaps
- Number of tall bridges I surprised myself by driving over: 2 (somewhere in Alabama)
- Miles per hour the wind was blowing as we drove from Mobile towards NOLA: 40
- Times I was glad I wasn't on a plane in that shit: 40
- Times I wished that drive was over: 40
- Number of feather boas purchased: 1 (for Laika)
- Number of stuffed Armadillos purchased: 1 (for Tilley)
- Number of masks purchased collectively: 5 (mine plus all the grandkids)
- Number of shrimp boats in Bayou LaBatre: countless
- Number in trees, as was the case post Katrina: 0 that we saw
- Number or random trinkets for desk acquired: 4 (snow globe for the line-up, piece of driftwood and 2 oyster shells from Bayou LaBatre)
- Number of times I was glad that Grandy is my Grandy: 94
- Number of times I missed John: 24
- Number of times I missed the girls and thought how much they would enjoy the myriad of smells along the streets of the French Quarter: 11
- Number of times I was *so* proud to be representing Northridge and no one else: 147

Second Best Thing to a Run

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:47:00 +0000

THE RUNNING STORE!

If you can't running, go talk to people about running.

In my quest to simultaneously control AND distract myself from my recent conundrum and quasi-rest, what better field trip than the Big Peach Running Store? These people are phenomenal. John and I went in, me carrying my limp, 215-mile broken Nimbus's and a pathetic look on my face. She immediately knew how to help.

We went through a battery of questions, walking, trotting on the treadmill (good news: no knee pain, though the running without a sports bra and using my hands instead was comedic...but apparently pretty common). I even got to go on the special scale that tells where your weight is on your feet - and boy is my body protecting that left side. Check out the foot scans they printed for me! The one at left is barefoot, the one at right is standing on my orthotics....goes to show what orthotics do to even out your weight and impact for the foot.

After a Saucony and a Brooks (purple! damn!) candidate were rejected, I went back to the Asics. The short story is that I am textbook stick straight on the right side, no pronation (rolling at the ankle) whatsoever, and a little pronation on the left. I run in a cushioned ride, with neutral stability...and agreed with her comment that too much stability would throw off my OTHER leg. I have been there too, before (circa 2001, thanyouverymuch).

So after about an hour of this fun, including a new sock purchase (total ruse, they had clean ones to try on with), I got into a discussion about my leaky nubbins. For my Fuel Belt...they always leak or come out completely. I was eyeing a pack of green replacement nubbins, and commented too bad they didn't have a multicolor pack, and my new friend the manager of the store dug behind the counter and gave me as a get well present (I kid you not!) FOUR count them FOUR nubbins of my choosing. I got one of each :).

I think there's something to be said for nice people who make you feel better when you're down. Hats off to Big Peach!

The Wheels on the Bus Go...clang clANG CLANG

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 02:53:00 +0000

It was bound to happen, eventually.

Ideally, it would have been oh, I don't know...back in December or so. But two weeks out from the Shamrock Half Marathon is a fine time, according to fate.

After taking an easy recovery week from the 10k, you know, just to be safe, I was ready to try for a 2:10 run on Saturday. I knew it would be difficult, so planned on starting WITH Tilley then dealing with the aftermath on the second leg. I planned to do about 6 miles with her, then see how far I could get after that.

Twas not to be.

We headed out to run out Riverside and not a measley 29 minutes in, it began. That recently-all-too-familiar feeling of a large freshwater barracuda hook wrapping in - around - and through the outside of my left knee. Or perhaps the barracuda's teeth themselves. Ever optimistic, I told myself that this was just from my time off and that a good warmup and a few stretches would solve this, as it mostly had in the past.

Wrong. Dead wrong.

After a stretch at :30...at :40....at :50...I knew I would have to hang it up. I decided to end the run through the woods on Riverside at an hour on the nose....and 1.75 miles from home. After a consultation call with Jome and Rich, and then with John, I opted to walk home to "stretch it out"...I felt marginally better (physically, not emotionally)...and then started walking up the hill to the apartment.

Holyshit.

I could barely walk up the incline....having my left leg at a 10-20 degree angle was almost too much to bear. About ten minutes later (normally a 3 minute walk, tops), I was gimping up the stairs and gave John the full rundown.

After a brief exam and a ton of questions, he told me it's a condition that basically has the overdeveloped muscles of my outside and back of the leg competing with my wimpy inner muscles in the fight to control my kneecap. In this corner, the Abductors! Heavily trained, they are the favorite. In this corner, the Adductors! (hissing from the crowd) The gritty underdogs of the leg...once strong from years of horseback riding...now? Not so much.

As predicted, the Abductors are winning and my patella scoots unnaturaly to the outside. You know, about 1200 fricking times per mile. So for Saturday's lovely route by the nice trout fishermen and the bikers, for example, that's 36,632 times where my femur and patella got jiggy....at my expense. And let's not let our old friend the IT band off the hook...responsibility also goes up the line from my knee along the IT band allllllll the way to my Pal, Piriformis...which is oft to sit like a hard, bitter crabapple inside my glutes. You know the drill, piriformis tightens, IT band draws up, abductors pull, adductors can't resist, patella slides over. That old chestnut.

So where does that leave me?

I spent a day in the mental shitter - realizing this may botch my plans to go race with JoMarie and Amelia. I got deeper by realizing that the plan to do an Olympic Tri in a matter of 7 weeks is a stretch. But then I stopped the mental panic and thought, enough. Let's give it a week and see what the outcome is...the good news is with rest, ice, and some strengthening work this is fixable.

Let's just hope it's in time.

Race Report: Super Dolphin Day: St. Simons Island, GA

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:04:00 +0000

I retreated this weekend to St. Simons to participate in the 30th running of the Dolphins. The Super Dolphin Day Races, that is. Sponsored by the local elementary school, where else can you do a race that features a pasta dinner sitting at elementary school lunch tables, and the tee shirt features the tagline “Faster than a Speeding Mullet”?

Now let me be extremely clear. I have NOT been doing any speedwork. At. All. In fact, I’ve only had one real tempo run of just over 4 miles a few weeks ago and even that netted out to be a blistering 10:52 pace. So suffice to say, expectations were low and unknown. My primary goal was to not go out too fast and get discombobulated, but rather just run a sound race and not totally beat my legs up.

Dad and I went to the pre-registration and pasta dinner Friday night, where I was informed that Tilley could NOT register, despite the fact that the posted rules had no mention of no dogs. iPods? Sure. Strollers? Absolutely. Weaving 6 year olds all over the course? But of course. Dogs? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Which really sucks…I was really looking forward to this moment: “….and for the 10K, in the 1-8 female age group….Tilley Hodgeski!” And then watch the crowd go apeshit when a corgi wearing her own race number and ChampionChip waddles up to the table to get her medal and her picture taken with the Super Dolphin. Sigh.

After enjoying our feast, we did our best to drive the course even though the start was rather ambiguous, so we drove it in reverse. I wasn’t sure if they would have mile markers and I wanted to get a handle on my pace in some way at least at the 1 and 3 mile marks.

After a night of fitful sleep as the last of the southeastern storms (that I drove through Friday) expired themselves along the coast, I rose at 6am for a half bowl of oatmeal and a hot shower. I always shower before a race, since it both loosens me up and relaxes me. By 6:45 I was out the door, leaving a seriously confused and mildly irritated Tilley behind. I left a note for Dad with my approximate times on the course and directions to the finish line with instructions to bring Tilley. Turns out it was for not; and the only on-course race shot of me would be a quasi-sasquatch shot at the top of this post proffered by the race photographers. Order yours now ;).

It was a pretty tame turnout, and felt pretty low key. I warmed up a little and wandered over to the start line…which as it turns out wasn’t chipped, so even though it was a chip timed race, we had a gun start. So my time is probably about 4 seconds longer than true. And yes, every second counts :).

I sized up the competition…there were some SERIOUS runners there, most of them women about my age. There were a few token wife/girlfriend running with serious runner male types, and a few token overdressed runners (it was 61 degrees). With little fanfare, we were off. As usual, everyone burst out like a shot and I just kept it steady to get into a rhythm. Before I knew it, we were at the first mile maker with a nice person calling out times. 10:20. Right on.

After a little weaving through the back neighborhoods in the village, we struck out on Mallery up towards East Beach. The course was great; it really gets in a lot of the island from village to marsh to sound to ocean. A lot of people ran on the sidewalks, but probably 70% of us stayed on the road. I would say 80% raced with music. I train with music, but find racing with it both a distraction as well as not being terribly safe. I had a little cat and mouse re-catching some folks who had passed me, and one guy who had the heaviest feet EVER and insisted on staying (what felt like) two feet off my left elbow (the one moment where I wished for not music, but maybe earplugs). As a reward for not clocking the guy, I arrived at the three mile mark to hear “THIRTY”. 10:00 minute miles. PERFECT.

I think I was worried about losing it somewhere between 4 and 5.5 miles, because I must have slowed down to try to leave too much in the tank. I also hit a brutal headwind for probably the last 1.5 miles of the race which didn’t help….but overall I felt good, in control, and nothing was falling off (sadly, including my 6 spare pounds of PMS water).

I finished under the clock at 1:04:50, so 1:04:46. I wandered around aimlessly (repeat: Grandy stood me up!) and made a few friends including a woman who lives on Jekyll and two women who did the race as a run-walk, they are just starting to race. They are patients and big fans of Dr. Berg and were *so* nice. I regret not going to breakfast with them; I waited for the results since in all the past years only 2-4 women were in my age group. Turns out, this year there were nine. And I was ninth place. Breakfast would have been a much better call :)

Ouch! The age group brass finishes were like well under an hour. The truth is, I think I deserve a medal – I ran the race exactly as I had planned, and did better than I thought. If I had come across anywhere south of 11:30 minute miles I would not have been surprised, so I feel really good about the effort. Even better was the fact that I totally could have run longer….granted not at race pace, but it makes me feel like the Shamrock half won’t be a complete joke. Plus I will have my sidekicks with me which inevitably will make it much more entertaining than just high fiving the volunteer kids on the route (which ain’t bad fun either).

I went home to retrieve Tilley and Grandy for a quick breakfast at Dressner’s then a walk around the village. They were just then giving out awards so Tilley got in her requisite “CAN I PET YOUR DOG” time with strangers. And?

Our picture with the Super Dolphin.

Underwater Surprises

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 03:46:00 +0000

So I can tell you there's a bevy of things you don't want to see underwater when you are swimming in it. Typical things come to mind including -- but not limited to -- alligators, snakes, large snapping turtles, and the like.

Fortunately, most swim training takes place in a pool, where you won't see anything scary.

Right? Wrong.

Over the past years I have been privvy to some scary things, and some scary stories as well. Not to mention the downright weird.

- Bandaids. Both popular and frequent. You get over these pretty easily because hey, it's a pool. Chlorine will kill anything, right?

- Children. Now I love kids, but my gym has the same water system for the lap pool and the zero-depth-entry kiddie pool, full of little potentially incontinent ones and their swim diapers. There's been more than one time that the word E. Coli has passed through my brain over and over. And over.

- Poop. I love this true story: from a dear relative - who was hurriedly escorting her daughter ("Mommy, I have to poop! I think there is some in my bathingsuit") from a poolside party to the bathroom. The child (you know who you are) danced by the trash can before being whisked away to the potty. Upon arrival, she no longer had to go. Miracle. There was no evidence in the swimsuit. Walking back to the party, the mom saw It by the trashcan. As the careful Mom knelt to trap and trash It, the child sqealed "OOOOO! MOOMMMY! POOOOOOOP!" The mother simply said: "Be. Quiet. It's. Yours." Classic.

- Corn. Ahh, yes, corn, the summer BBQ pleaser. But let me tell you...seeing a kernel of corn that looks - I think the word I used to describe it to my friends was "tired" - is *almost* enough to make you end a long swim workout before it ever starts. Again I say to you: E. Coli.

- Nuts. No, not another food item. Sadly. A friend of mine (names are held back to preserve the victimized) saw a guy do a flip turn. He went one way, his speedo went another, and the contents of his speedo were suspended - and exposed - in full view of my traumatized but amused friend.

- Copulation. Unbelievably, this same friend was at a very popular, very nice facility doing her swim workout when she noticed some commotion at the end of the lap lane adjacent which was the open swim area. She thought it was wrestling at first, then she noticed it was a couple. Rhytmically wrestling. Repeatedly. I am not kidding.

- Pink Speckled Speedos. Black speedos are the preferred training fashion for the male triathlete. Ones that are speckled with swirls of pink and yellow are not advised. Especially if they are on your ex boyfriend. Again. I am not kidding.

- An Entire Troop of Fully Clothed Boy Scouts. No really! This was tonight. I was doing laps and noticed about a baker's dozen of 10 year oldish boys on the pool deck with a few adult men. On the next lap, one of the men was in the water. On the next lap, a man and one boy. In khakis and a button down. On the next lap, all of them. This was almost too much to comprehend. What? A dare? A birthday? AS IF it could get more weird, they began undressing. Underwater. I may remind you that I am breathing on the right side so I am only getting a glimpse every few yards. Am I awake? Is this real? FINALLY I see as I do a length of kickboard drills - I mean come on, I had to see what was going on - they were learning how to tie off pant legs to make impromptu life vests. THANK GAWD...apparently they were boy scouts working on a survival badge (the much-sought "What to Do if You are Dropped Into a Pool at Lifetime Fitness While Wearing Khakis and a Buttondown" Badge). If that's required for making Eagle Scout, things have changed since my brother went through in the 70s.

Occasionally there are the moments that make it worthwhile. Seeing a fit athlete next to you...especially if you are married to him. Spending a day at the outdoor pool with your friends, taking turns doing swim workouts. Having a 7 year old boy ask your husband as you swim off: "Is she Olympic"?

And yes. Those moments are worth even the tired corn and boy scouts. So long as they are not on the same day.

The Long Run

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:06:00 +0000

It's been a long few weeks - in a good way. After recovering from The Cold I turned it back on in the training department in a big way. All in all, over the past two weeks I have gone from feeling that a half ironman in June was a joke...to feeling like it's really doable. The swim is still an issue; my goal there is to get to a place where I can have it be - in the words of Coach Alan - a "non-event". Then, I just focus on the bike and the run.

So in addition to some really good bike trainer workouts, the run is coming along well. Last weekend after missing the prior weekend's long run I put in a 1:30 run for just over 8 miles...I was geared up for 1:40 this Sunday and was alarmed to hear from JoMarie and Amelia that this weekend's scheduled run (for them in DC, for me here in ATL) was 1:50...a whole :20 longer than last week.

Now, :20 isn't long in a vacuum, but daaaaamn long on top of 1:30. Plus, last weekend the last :10 of the run was....rather hellish. Lots of stopping and stretching. SO. Off I went. I headed out to the right along the river and ran to the Chattahoochee Nature Center, and went the half mile around the boardwalk. I tacked on a little bit more to the left then headed back to my :55 rendezvous with a man, a dog, and a bag.

Right on time, I met John who had Tilley in tow, and a bag containing the following: a second Carb-boom, a second water flask, lip balm, a spare long sleeved shirt, and a ziploc bag full of wet wipes. After a quick stretch and goods exchange and dog pickup, off we went in the opposite direction.

Only ten minutes in....trouble. Left side, lower knee...stop and stretch. Repeat every 10 minutes. One last stretch was had once we came off the gravel trail behind the sand company. Then the last :20 of the run...it was actually okay. It was a stable discomfort but no longer a chronic nor worsening feel. We got back to the apartment and Tilley tried to put on the brakes....but we had 9 minutes left. Up to the boathouse again, turnaround, and back. The. Last. Four. Minutes. Took. Forever. But we did it...! 1:50:08 and 9.6 miles. And yes, I *am* counting.

Hope For a Change

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 01:55:00 +0000

Today is Super Tuesday and voting in Georgia for the Presidential Primary. I love Election Day; to me it feels like a Holiday and Game Day and Race Day and my Birthday all rolled into one.

Yes, I am a supreme geek.

On my 2 mile drive to work I saw two - count them, two - groups of enthusiastic supporters for my candidate (I mailed my ballot weeks ago to St. Simons). I honked, flashed lights, waved, they waved back and cheered WOO HOOOOs.

It made me spontaneously cry, and I am not kidding.

Because no matter what happens...no matter who I vote for...no matter who anyone votes for...in a few months...there is one truth.

One truth which I cling to.

One truth that now serves as my light out of this tunnel.

In a few months we will have elected a new President of these United States.

And this gives me hope and a lightness of heart that I haven't felt since I went to bed on the couch very very late on November 7, 2000. I awoke at 3am to a very, very changed world. The gravity of that moment has continued to gain weight on my heart since then. I am ready to shed it!

Sick as a...well...what else?

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:33:00 +0000

So I pride myself on staying well as much as I can (control). I am not too Niles Crane-ish (or Warren Hodges-ish, for those of you who know and love my brother) about it, but I am generally packed to the gills with Emergen-C pretty much from September to April. Anytime anyone in the office even coughs, I grab one out of the drawer and fire it up.

So training was going along swimmingly well (well, except for the swimming), and I topped off the tank Thursday night with a nice little tempo run. 50 minutes total, and at a good clip, I felt good. It was right before dusk and we even managed to pass some high school rowers out for their cardio. Times were good. That all wrapped up at about 7pm.

By the time I had stretched, eaten, and showered, I knew. My body had That Feeling. Friday morning I went into work optimisitcally, jacked up on water, Emergen-C, and Esberitox. I met Dad at lunch to do a quick run to Blick and to get his (amazing, fabulous, no I am not just incredibly biased)watercolors that I am in charge of dropping off for the upcoming Spotlight on Art show mid-February here in Atlanta. By 1pm I was ready to throw in the towel; my head was clogged, my throat hurt, and I felt like I was on another planet. Once I set up a meeting in Outlook for some coworkers without a subject line I said, that's it, I am going home.

I did a quick change into jammies and then hit the couch. And then, the gift. The gift from Granny...a Little House on the Prairie back-to-back twofer. YES! For any of you who know me well, you know that Little House is my preferred tool for convalescence. Two episodes and then a 2 hour nap later, I was well on my way to at least not being taken down fully.

Saturday I got up and thought, okay. Working out is out, cleaning is out, thinking is out. What's something I can do that I would never take the time to do otherwise?

I took the girls to the spa, a place called That Dirty Dog. It's one of those drop-them-off or rent-our-tubs facilities, and let me tell you....the latter sure beats the gawdawful wet and fur mess that is left behind by bathing the girls. Tilley is a fast drier but Laika - honestly - could be leveraged to be some sort of water-retaining device for the drought-stricken Atlanta area if we could just figure out how to get the water back out of her pelt.

Tilley went first, then wanted to sit in the tub with Laika "to be there for her". Then it was dryer time. Laika enjoyed being on the table with the collar clip a la Best in Show, but Tilley took a while to get used to the hot beast attacking her fur. Though she did put up an impressive defense. We got home and the girls enjoyed their ice cream from the spa, and I was...back on the couch for another day and a half.

Since I couldn't work out any other body part without getting tired, I decided to focus on my fingers. So I knitted. Knat? At any rate, I did knit. I finished a scarf for my sister and started a second and I have to say...cathartic and addictive. My friend Amelia in DC turned me on to it and even took me to a knitting store near her house to stock up. It's a perfect (12th) hobby because it satisfies my ADD need to be productive while relaxing (I am my father's daughter, it's true).

The other thing I like about it is that you can pick it up and do it for 2 hours, or for 2 minutes, and still make progress. It seems like everything else I do (other than reading at bedtime) is a big "to do" and involves the committment of laarrrge blocks of time.

By Monday morning I was pretty normal excepting needing to stay on Claritin to keep things cleared up. I will say this...you know you are getting old when you do get sick on a weekend (once you get over losing many days of working out) you think, well, hey, at least I didn't have to miss 2 days of work.

Snowdog!

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Who knew when we moved South we would still get snow? I'd like to think of it as one of the benefits of increasing global climate instability. While I do not miss lingering cold I do miss the snow...and was pleased when not once but TWICE last week Atlanta was graced with white stuff.

The first night, I was the first to make it home to let the girls out. They were eager as usual to go out...but as I told Tilley, you are so excited and you don't even know why. I told her her head might pop off when she got outside to see what was going on. She didn't notice all that much in the parking lot, until we got to the road leading down to the park and she looked at the 2 or so inches of snow and her eyes bugged out like, what the hell! She quickened her pace and between the two of them I felt like I was being led down the Iditarod course by a whole team of huskies...not just one corgi and one aged corgi mix.

When we got to the playground, I unclipped their leashes and...EXPLOSION! Laika skipped around and Tilley took off like a shot. She stuck her nose in it, caught snowflakes on her tongue, and rolled in it. I threw snowballs for her to catch and it was much fun. John got home about an hour later and it was starting to rain, so went out for a quick jaunt as the snow started to fade.

On Saturday, MORE! They were calling for 1-2 then 2-4 and things were really promising while we were at the Chiropractors. We headed home after a quick stop for a new pair of cushy wool socks at Performance, and I got ready to head out with Tilley on a run. I was on target to do something over 7 miles, so arranged for John to come pick up Miss Tilley at about 40 minutes in. I am always skeptical of my layering ability and sure enough spent the first half mile going oohhhhhh crap I am going to freeze. The snow and cold were combining to sting my face, the roads were wet, and it was windy. We pressed on and sure enough we both warmed up. I looked down at first and Tilley was all squinty into the snow....but grinning ear to ear! We headed along the road (versus taking the trail behind the park since NO ONE was out) towards Riverside drive. I was shocked to see only one other runner and two walkers the whole time we were out. Atlanta is such a running town, but when it's sloppy weather, people HIDE. No running. No grocery stores. Restaurants close. It's hilarious.

We ran along the river and enjoyed snowy views and snowy geese, and Tilley had a blast part of the way offleash chasing snowballs she was kicking up by running with her nose in the grass. We headed down Old Riverside and a friendly toot of the horn behind us brought John; I had him pull ahead a few minutes until we got to the bend back on Riverside. I had a Carb-boom at 52 minutes in, and a quick kiss, and Tilley got into the warm car. I was tempted...but pressed on home alone in the cold. John said later that Tilley was standing up looking out the back of the car going WE CAN'T LEAVE MOM! I had my phone in the event that it went badly but by the time I got into a groove again, I was fine. I traced back the little set of footprints and pawprints back towards the apartment (with a quick stop by the Trout Unlimited sign - a client!) and all was well...until about the last :10 when I had to stop and stretch because everything, and I mean everything, tightened up. I made it back to the gate and ran just a few seconds past it to hit an even 1:36 and a shade over 7.4 miles. That's the longest I have run since...September 2004. On to next weekend's long run!

Muddy Buddies

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:26:00 +0000

Back in DC from New York, it was time to get another Rock Creek run in with JoMarie, Amelia... and Pazzo and Tilley.

It was late afternoon on Sunday and the temperature was dropping fast.

DC had enjoyed a good bit of rain recently (this is a foreign concept to me, living in Atlanta) and so we headed off into the woods with some skepticism.

Sure enough, we got to the narrow banks above the creek and it was a slogfest.

I delicately made my way acros by finding the tiniest bits o plant and roots to give me confidence to not slide down the bank into the creek.

Jome followed behind and said wow, that was worse than it looked from the other side.

Nannygoat Jenkins skipped right over. I think she must have a spare set of feet or something.

We had a great 6.25 mile run from The Mill through the woods up Beach Drive and back down Beach Drive, complete with singing to one another everything from Eye of the Tiger to a dance remix of Holdin' Out for a Hero.
Luckily most people had the good sense to be home and warm by then...but that wouldn't have stopped us from singing out loud.

Leaving New York Isn't Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:58:00 +0000

My Birthday Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Litespeedgirl) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Let me just say, I'm sorry. I am a relatively normal and otherwise sane person most of the time....but when it comes to Laika in particular, I have a soft spot.

No...I know that she doesn't REALLY know it's her birthday and of course No...I know she didn't really ASK to go to New York for her birthday.

But after we moved to St. Simons and I would sit up late at night and watch Sex and the City, she would sit up with me. And watch. We bonded.

I could identify with SATC as I missed my own girl family so badly some days that it was hard to describe. DC and New York seemed so far away back then, so it seemed to be the right thing to do.

So if I say for her 18th birthday that my girl's going to New York, then for her 18th birthday, then my girl's a-going to New York.

KnowwhatI'mtalkinabout??

Fortunately....

... John is exceptionally tolerant of this kind of behavior either out of sheer desperation, quiet submission, or just the fact that he loves me.

It's number three, and one of the many ways I know I found him for a reason.

So after breakfast, it was time for Laika's big moment.

We found just the right handsome cab...a nice emerald green one (the fellow was from the Emerald Isle, as it turned out), and we were off.

Laika sported her birthday boa and tiara, and took in her moments of glory.

At least in my mind. And that little dog did smile.

People cooed, I smiled, and even John enjoyed giving her the extra attention.

After all, if he had gotten a bebe when he got her, the child would be going to college now :).

Plus really: It's fun to see the world through your own eyes, but isn't it grand to see it through the eyes of those you love, be they man or beast?

After the carriage ride, I told John (who had understandably begged for me to not have her wear the boa on the walk to the park) in a very Carrie voice, you go on to the hotel, I'm a walkin my dog down 5th Avenue for her Birthday.

We had a quick photo shoot at the Plaza Fountain and we were off. A few poses at Bergdorf's, a few poses in front of the Trump tower, a few stops with passersby who admired her and wanted to pet her (including a few strangers who took her picture), and many birthday wishes from those who inquired.

She was so sassy. She was so City.

She was my Birthday Girl.