A New World Order

Here is some comic (maybe) relief:

Doug and I have a new company line: "good girls get good stuff and bad girls get bad stuff." A little harsh, perhaps, but we had some distressing news from the school this week. Apparently, Annika spit at some of the other students and told one girl that she was not her friend and that she hated her. This is in addition to the numerous temper-tantrums, screaming and general acting-out that we've had going on around here. I had attributed the bad behavior to Dagny's new-found mobility and cuteness. It could also just be fatigue because Annika is trying to give up her afternoon naps.

Anyway, the new plan is for Annika to go to bed earlier (8/8:15pm) and receive immediate punishments for deviations from appropriate conduct. No warnings, no counting, no repeating directions - it's actually a lot easier for me. More difficult, however, is rewarding the good conduct because it's hard to find good conduct to reward.

We kicked off the new world order with a dinner at Hachi-Hachi (not its real name) last night because Annika said that she was nice to all of the other kids at school yesterday. It was very big fun and they even had a cool Japanese soft drink with a marble in it. Good girls get good stuff. This morning, however, Annika disappeared while Dagny was finishing her breakfast and I was cleaning the kitchen. She lost track of time while playing with her toys and peed in her clothes before she made it to the potty. Therefore, she had to skip dance class, was not allowed to wear a leotard and we did errands instead. Bad girls get bad stuff. Annika changed her clothes like I asked, and followed directions until we got to the library so she got to pick out some books. Good girls get good stuff. (That one was a stretch, but I needed something good to even out the bad).

If lunch goes well, we will roll out the replacement sugar cookies and bake them. If not, punishment city.

In other news, I ran 5 miles on Sunday and again yesterday. Whoo hoo! I've realized that I won't be able to make my goal time in the half-marathon, but I think I'll be able to run the whole thing. Unfortunately, in mile 3 yesterday I allowed my frustration with something at work get the best of me and ran entirely too fast (which isn't really fast, but apparently any increase in speed puts extra stress on my knee) and now the knee is sore. No running today or tomorrow. Maybe on Friday.

You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

This fall, Doug promised Annika that I would help her make pumpkin pie. Real pumpkin pie. Out of actual pumpkins.

I've never done such a thing. All of my mother's pies started with a nice can of pumpkin. So, I googled and came up with this recipe. It was a little vague on the pumpkin-cooking instructions and seemed to recommend steaming. We bought some pie pumpkins, which sat on my table for several weeks before I mustered the courage to cook them. Since butternut and acorn squash look like pumpkins, I decided to roast/bake the pumpkins as if they were one of those squashes. Just so you know, pumpkin doesn't take nearly as long to roast as butternut or acorn squash. After thirty minutes, I peeked in the oven and my pumpkins halves were collapsed (and therefore, done). Also, the recipe said that one pumpkin would yield about 3 cups of puree, which would be enough to make one pie. I cooked two pumpkins and yielded 3 cups of puree, but it made enough batter for two pies.

Anyway, once I had pureed the pumpkin, I showed it to Annika. "Ick," she said. "That stinks." On that auspicious beginning, we finished making the pies and baked them. Doug picked up whipping cream in a can at Trader Joes and we served Annika her pie with the magical topping - green sprinkles. Delightful. Seriously, those were some really good pies.

Today, on the other hand, I tried to make sugar cookies. It was a very easy recipe, out of the Southern Living Cookies cookbook. The dough tasted funny, like I didn't have enough vanilla or sugar but I put it in the fridge as instructed anyway, hoping that the cool would improve the taste. Usually sugar cookie dough is pretty tasty. Later, when I began to make the oatmeal raisin cookies I promised to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, I couldn't find the butter I set out to soften. It was nowhere. Finally, I looked in the trash can. Four butter wrappers were in there. Were they the two from the sugar cookies and two from the muffins I baked for Annika's class snack yesterday or had I put four in the sugar cookies? I just tasted the dough - definitely too buttery. I'll let you know if we bother to salvage the dough.

The moral - don't cook while on the phone and feeding the kids at the same time.

Not the Same

We watch the Tom and Jerry show a lot. It is on Boomerang. Annika loves Tom and Jerry.

However, the OK violence on Tom and Jerry does not seem to translate into acceptability for other genres of mayhem. Not when you are 3 1/2.

We had the great idea (NOT) of watching "Home Alone" last night. Not only did it take forever for the madcap escapades to begin, when Macauley Caulkin's character finally started giving the Wet Bandits the business, Annika began to cry. Screaming and crying.

Let that be a lesson to you. It will be a while before we watch "A Christmas Story."

Killing Me Softly

Why, oh why, do I ever second guess my gut instincts?

In an ongoing matter in which we are trying to get governmental approval, I sent the third requested addition to our file to them WITHOUT using certified mail, return receipt requested. The agency responsible for this approval does not allow the use of UPS or FedEx so I had been sending everything by certified mail from the Post Office. It costs $5 a pop, but it gives me proof that they got what I sent.

Except this last thing. I was in a hurry because that day was one of my office days and I thought that it was more important to get it sent than to wait another day. How wrong I was.

I got the letter today which says that they still haven't received what I sent and also requests another new item. Sigh. I knew that I should have sent it certified and that I also should have picked up some certified mail forms while I was at the post office on Tuesday. I talked myself out of it with the idea that I wouldn't be needing them anytime soon. Anyone who has ever tried to corral a kid while trying to fill out those darn forms understands how much those would have helped me.

Oh, and - my kids are sick. Dagny has an unidentified virus that the doctor charged me $40 to say was a cold and Annika has an ear infection that caused her to barf in my car on Wednesday.

Boobs

So, I frequently check out the scary photos on this site and it makes me wonder - if celebrities make their livings by looking good, have stylists to help them look good, and spend seemingly unlimited time and funds to spend in the pursuit of looking good, then why do their plastic surgeries look so bad?

Is it that they are not giving enough thought or investigation to their surgeon or the viability of the planned procedures? Or is it that plastic surgery just doesn't work very well?

I don't know.

I do know that there was a whole thread on a running board that I frequent in which one lady was asking for advice on how long recovery would take and if breast implants would impede her running. You'd be surprised how many women and how few men were in favor of the implants. Personally, I thought that boobs were a hindrance when I had them (during breastfeeding) so I don't see what the big deal is. Foundation garments have come a long way - there are even some with implants sewn inside. Everyone is different, though. The boob lady probably thinks I am a weirdo because I'm still running from the fat self.

Speaking of which: I ran 4 miles on Sunday. In a row! It's a new world record. I'm still following Doug's advice and aiming for 10 minute miles, which seems to be helping the knee. I have faster miles in me, but they will have to wait. Doug kept the girls so that I could run around the path at the elementary school in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and I had a marvelous time despite the first mile that was 9 minutes (oops) and forgetting my headphones. I listened to the gravel and leaves crunching under my feet and practiced my work presentation while I ran. Multitasking is good.

Good Luck Nat!

As I jumped over to The Negative Split to check on Nat, I was sad to see no new post. However, I remembered that this is her marathon weekend. Good Luck Nat - you are going to kick ass at the OBX Marathon!

When I grow up, I want to be like Nat - smart, svelte, stylish, grounded and really really fast. : )

Booty-licious

I was going to include this in the "in other news" section of the previous post, but decided it was too long.

Dagny and I went for a run today at the park during Annika's dance class. We had just enough time to do the 5K loop. My knees troubled me at several points during the run so I had to walk more than three times. I attribute this to one of several things: (1) it was cold, (2) I forgot my knee brace, (3) I ran yesterday, (4) no warm-up, (5) my first time on hills since the doctor visit, or (6) running too fast. Or, maybe my knee just isn't better - but I really really don't like that option so I can't put it on the list of possibilities.

Just about everyone that I've ever seen at the park is nice. I used to run there while Annika was in school before I had Dagny. The other walkers/runners wave, laugh, slap hands and generally enjoy themselves. This is a good place to run - very uplifting.

Today I scared the crap out of a couple who were walking their dogs because I yelled "wheeeee!" as we turned the corner to go up the big hill past the lake. These walkers were not expecting sound effects during their route, so I apologized as we passed them on the way up the hill. They didn't mind since I had the cute Dagny bundled into the stroller. I got about 1-1.5 miles before the knee started complaining. Knowing that if I ignore the complaining I will come up lame and have to limp rather than speed-walk, I dropped down to the walk at several times during the rest of the run. I was either walking really fast or my running was very fast because I finished the 5K in about 32 minutes which was the pace I was aiming for. Doug has thoughtfully set the virtual training assistant on my Garmin to pace me for 10 minute miles. He also reminds me to go slow before I go out the door.

Anyway, as we were on the home stretch, coming up the sidewalk hill past the elementary school, I had to walk AGAIN. I probably let out a groan as I shifted into walking gear. It really hurts my feelings to have to walk. As I motored up the hill, a young man who was run/walking with his wife and baby came trotting down the hill. As they ran past me (going the other way), he said "this hill is called butt-cheek-hill." I chirped "it sure is," with a smile and continued on my way. Inside, however, I was cursing and screaming about how I could kick that hill's behind if it weren't for my stupid knee. Stupid knee.

Etc, Etc

Here is a photo of Annika and Dagny on our way to the neighborhood playgroup Halloween party. Note the difficulty we are having in keeping Dagny still. Annika is Belle (from "Beauty and the Beast," in case you are not Disney-rrific) and Dagny is a puppy. She adores this costume and carries it around like a stuffed animal, giving it kisses. We had to cut Annika's dress off after the party because we discovered during the many games of chase that it tripped her up - even with her running shoes on.

As you can see, the other photos are from Rome. I am standing on the step at the church at the top of the Spanish Steps. We bought the giant bottles of water before we realized that you can drink (and everyone does drink) the water out of the fountains located all over town. The only explanation we heard, and we heard it several times, was "it is good - it comes from the mountains." It was good, and cold too.

I chose this photo because I thought I looked good (which is saying a lot because I'm not so photogenic), except I've just noticed that my legs blend into the pillars supporting the railing on either side of me. It just goes to show you that I'm still haunted by my fat self that I feel the need to explain that my ass is not as large as all that.

The last photo is of the pope at the Wednesday Papal Audience in St Peter's square. We are standing on rickety plastic chairs with our backs to the basilica so you can see the beautiful fountain in the center and some of the columns from the "arms" leading up to it. Pope Benedict is doing laps of the square in the pope-mobile (minus the plexiglass). As you might imagine, everyone was pretty excited to see him and there was a lot of jockeying for position as we tried to track his progress on the giant video screens that flanked the steps of the basilica.

Plans, Interrupted

I had planned to run in a race this morning. Virginia and I agreed that we would run in the William's Run in Alpharetta today to try for Peachtree Road Race qualifying times. Unfortunately, my knee had other ideas.

Plan B: I was going to run in the 5K race and cheer Virginia on in the 10K. My mom was going to take care of the girls and maybe even watch the race. But, alas, my sitter for the evening's dinner club got invited to homecoming and had to bail on me.

Plan C: Mom was going to keep the girls for the dinner party, but didn't want them for the whole day. Fine, we emailed the race organizers to see if they needed some volunteers. If we couldn't run, at least we could be supportive. They didn't need volunteers so we were free to spectate. Talked several friends into running also so we had plenty to cheer for. Annika had a fever all day yesterday and it was cold as balls this morning. When I went to wake her she asked if she could please sleep longer. No race for us.

Camille ran her first 5K and came in second in her age group. Natalie won her age group. I'm certain that Virginia got her qualifying time. We baked pumpkins and made pumpkin pie. Annika has eaten nothing all day. I exploded condensed milk into my hair so I have to shower again before taking Annika to her friend's birthday party. That exploding milk (due entirely to my own stupidity in forcing the can open when it clearly didn't want to open) necessitated mopping the floor also, so a shower would really be a good thing.

The good news is that I have two very nice smelling pumpkin pies on my counter and there is still time for a shower after wrapping the birthday present. And, I ran 3 miles this morning without having to walk. That's 9 miles this week, which is nothing compared to my marathon-training friends but is a huge improvement over the crappy run/walking I've been doing. No wildlife this week except for some bunnies and the crazy newspaper guy who tried to run me over this morning.

I Learned Shut Up

The way a child acquires language is a mystery to me. I always thought that the spoken words would be only a little behind the receptive words but apparently I am wrong. Dagny can say about three words: "uh-oh", "Deddy" (teddy or Daddy, depending), "Ah-ya" (Annika). She also appears to understand the word "no" though she doesn't obey it.

As I was dressing Annika for bed last night and putting on her lotion, Dagny was getting in the way (and the lotion) and was holding one of Annika's shoes. So, I asked her "could you please put Annika's shoes in the closet". She moved in that direction, so I repeated myself - more than three times because it was keeping her out of the lotion. But she did it. She put the shoes in the closet. We clapped and praised her and exchanged high-fives. The child is one - I had no idea she actually understood what I was saying when I said "yes, that is your shoe" "shoes go on your feet" "Annika's shoe" or some other inanity during diaper changing, dressing or preparations to leave the house.

Which makes it all the worse that I told her to shut up yesterday morning. She was screaming, as she is wont to do in the post-dressing, pre-breakfast moments and I was trying to get Annika's breakfast together because she was starving (see previous post about not eating any dinner). At the same time, I was trying to get her bottle made and I lost my marbles, just a little bit. I promised myself I wouldn't be like this - this screaming freak-out mother. I'd like to blame it on the working or on the messy kitchen or on the too much to worry about, but really it's just that I'm not doing such a good job sometimes. This morning was much better, by the way, no screaming from anyone.

But that doesn't negate the fact that I told my sweet child to shut up. And Annika saw it. I confessed to Doug as I was relating the shoes in the closet tale and his eyes grew large with horror (and this is a man who says "fuck" in front of the kids). Better to say fuck in front of them than to say the bad stuff TO THEM.

Just so you know I'm not a big plagarist, I'm continuing the song lyric/title/play on either of these as the title of each of my posts. I Learned Shut Up is the title of a 5*8 album. They are the first band I ever saw in college, at the Downstairs, opening up for Roosevelt and they are the least appreciated really great band I've ever heard. They are still in heavy rotation on our i-pods.

Orchids Eat Proscuitto

My sister calls Annika "the orchid" because she seems to exist on air alone. The child doesn't eat. We beg, we plead, we cajole - nothing. I threw out the entire lunch (hummus, cheese and apple slices) that I packed for her yesterday, she ate none of dinner (delicious pork chops from Rachael Ray cookbook and brussel sprouts) last night and she admitted to eating one bite of the granola bar and yogurt that I sent for lunch today.

However, Doug is making pizza a la Romana for dinner tonight. He went to Trader Joe's (which has recently opened near us) and bought some lovely proscuitto and mozzarella. He was slicing it up in preparation for dinner and brought some down for us to taste. I was doing some work in the basement and Annika was watching Sesame Street. Anyway, she brought me a bite (as instructed by her dad) and proceeded to eat THE WHOLE PLATE of meat and cheese. Then, she joined Doug upstairs for more. Who knew the proscuitto would be so popular?

Dagny ate the heck out of the pork chop AND brussel sprouts. She will eat anything and whenever she puts anything in her mouth, she says "umm". Clearly this child takes after me.

In other news, back on the running train after a week off. I ran 2 miles in front of our house (painfully boring) and walked another one because my knee was giving me twinges. The stupid exercises that I'm doing to strengthen my muscles and limber my IT band came in very handy in Italy, though, because most of the potties were the "sit without touching" variety and I was able to hover with ease.

Return

We are back.

Doug and I went to Rome last week to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Dagny stayed with my folks, Annika stayed with Doug's folks and our friend Christa took care of Annie. All on the homefront was uneventful except that Annie peed on her bed twice and ran out of food. She didn't ACTUALLY run out of food because I had food - it's just that no one knew where it was and I forgot to tell them. Luckily Aunt Katie bought some from the vet and brought it to Christa.

We had a fabulous time on the vacation. We walked miles and miles every day, stopped at everything that looked neat, drank too much wine, ate lots of delicious food and generally enjoyed ourselves. We even got to see the pope. I don't know if I would recommend the pope visit, especially for a non-Catholic, because it took the whole morning (and we arrived only 30 minutes early and left after the homily - it was not a Mass) but it was certainly interesting. Nuns jockeying for position and grammies standing on folding chairs - like a rock concert. We lost one of our credit cards, but the bank quickly cancelled it so it was not a big deal. We walked an additional 3-4 miles that night going back to get it at the restaurant (where we had apparently not left it) but that was OK because it enabled us to process that second bottle of wine better so as not to be hung over the next day.

I can't put the photos up because the cord that connects the camera to the computer is missing but Rome was lovely. It is just amazing that you can see so much history in one place. A good trip. Doug was (as usual) the master trip-planner. He arranged the travel, the hotel, the food, made reservations for stuff. I got to be the sidekick. It was lovely. : )

Cool Stuff

So, I've not been able to run much. In fact, I'm reduced to running laps back and forth in front of my house where the road is flat. I don't know how far it is, but less than 1/3 of a mile. Thank goodness for the i-pod or I would be bored stiff. Here is the cool stuff:

1. I've learned that all of my neighbors get up at 5:45/5:50am. The first school bus comes at 7, so that makes sense, but it was really interesting to see the lights come on one by one within minutes of each other.

2. When I run in Doug's time slot, I see NO CARS and at least 4 other runners. How cool is that?

3. Last week, I saw a coyote. There have been rumors about coyotes in our area and we've heard them howling, but while I was walking on my warm-up, one trotted right across the road. They are not as big as you'd think and definitely not interested in me.

4. I also saw a giant white rabbit one morning. He also had some brownish/blackish patches and ran across the road in front of me. Doug thinks he is an escaped pet because our neighbors saw him the following evening.

5. Unrelated to running, we saw a horned owl this week. He was in a tree by the lake and had caught something for dinner. Unfortunately, we scared him away but he was really neat.

6. Also unrelated, Annika LOVES to fish. The fish in our creek like proscuitto, not bread, and some are pretty big. We throw them back in - just so you know.

7. I can do 3 miles of the "flats" without a lot of pain. I have the soreness, but not enough to stop running - which is a HUGE relief. Those leg exercises that the doctor gave me suck.

In other news, Dagny turned one, started walking and can say "Dada" (meaning Daddy or dog) and "Ah-na" (meaning Annika). She is very demanding and wants to know where Annika is at all times. Annika is not thrilled with this development - she is more pleased when we can play outside while Dagny naps. There is a possibility that I might start to work more hours in the new year. It's still just a discussion, but we shall see. . .

Good Intentions

Today I was going to finally find the cord and upload photos to the computer and write a nice post. Unfortunately, I managed to fritter my time away with the following:

1. pushups/situps but no running
2. email checking and check writing
3. breakfast
4. shower and dressing
5. making breakfast for girls
6. taking out of garbage/recycling
7. diaper changing
8. bank depositing
9. grocery shopping
10. grocery putting away
11. emergency agreement for a guy at work
12. annoying emails from a jerk at work (not the same person)
13. making lunch
14. online billpay (which is not updated and better as promised by our bank)
15. eating lunch
16. cleaning up lunch
17. diaper changing and new outfit application
18. returning of bins to the garage
19. shopping errand for my folks
20. driveby of their house
21. visit with Doug before he golfs
22. putting Dagny down for her nap (this was the appointed time for photos or at least butt-sitting)
23. making cookies with Annika
24. making cool flan cake that Anna wrote about last week
25. freaking out when Annika touched her mouth to the raw whole eggs
26. further freaking out when Annika licked her lips during freakout #1
27. two phone calls with sister-in-law
28. clean-up after Annika peed in her pants
29. putting Annika down for her nap (no story)
30. kitchen cleaning from baking endeavors
31. sighing at the mess that I forgot was made in the office while I was doing #10

Guess I'll clean up that mess now and get some photos done later. The cooking extravaganza and inviting of sister-in-law's family for dinner is an example of what Doug calls my "putzing". I've noticed this tendency when I'm worring about getting something gone - I add other things to the list so as to make myself as upset and crazy as possible. Examples: cleaning out Annika's dresser and mailing snapfish photos (old ones) to friends while I tried to pack for the beach trip.

In running news, I visited the Orthopaedist yesterday. They x-rayed me and examined but concluded (as I already had) that my knee problems are due to the IT band. It's good that nothing is badly wrong, and they gave me exercises to do and a plan for still doing my race. Obviously, I won't be in top form, but it is better than quitting.

New Shoes

We went to the sale at Coggins today and got new shoes for both girls. Annika is our little Imelda - she digs shoes. It was Dagny's very first pair of shoes, since she is preparing to walk any day now. Very funny, though, that her feet are nearly as wide as they are long.

I'm sorry for the lack of posting. The endorphin shortage is really getting me down, so I haven't had anything nice to say.

A Damn Lie

So, all of the weight loss magazines and advice columns say that walking burns just as many calories per mile as running but it takes longer since you aren't going as fast. They are liars. Liars, liars, liars.

Since I hurt my knee, I've been run/walking or just walking instead of running. Keep in mind that I am walking as fast as I possibly can and running when my knee doesn't hurt. Regardless, according to my Garmin, I burned approximately 225 calories (one darn cookie) when running 3.25 miles at an 8.5/9 minute per mile pace. For the same route at an 11.5 minute per mile pace, I burned only 60 calories (one starburst). Yes, Garmin might be wrong - and he probably is, a little.

However, in my completely non-scientific and un-controlled experiment of one, I've noticed the same thing. When running the 9-12 miles per week, I can eat whatever I want (within reason), consume multiple beers and snack on nuts several times daily and still lose weight. While walking, I've cut down on the beer and limited the nuts, but now I'm gaining. I'm not so worried about the weight - big deal. If I would resist the snacks and eat more fruits/veggies, I wouldn't gain anything but what a disservice this hype does to those who are really trying to lose! It makes me hate the dieting "know-it-alls" as much as I hate the childbirth ones. Bastards.

Oh, and - the endorphins. Not being produced so much with the walking, as you may have noticed.

Some Things You Can't Photograph

Some things cannot be photographed, especially if your camera doesn't capture motion very well. What? That camera was supposed to be better at capturing subjects in motion? Guess I'll have to read the instructions again!

I tried to take pictures of Annika preparing "Hachi Hachi" for us last night. First, she set up with the window behind her (back lighting = bad), second, she moves really fast and lastly, I can't find the cord that hooks the camera to the computer. It's been that long since I uploaded photos. oops. There was a lot of set-up as she took two trips from the basement with her plastic shopping cart and returned to get the pinchers, the tea set and various other items. This was good because it gave Doug and me time to finish making dinner.

There is a local restaurant called Hachi Hachi which specializes in Japanese steakhouse cuisine - spinning egg, clanking spatulas, volcano, fire, the whole nine yards. We don't actually go there as there is a good place around the corner called Sake Steakhouse. However, the name Hachi Hachi is very catchy so that is what Annika calls it. On Saturday during the UGA game, Annika decided that she would make Hachi Hachi for Doug and our friend Virginia. She removed the following from her pretend kitchen: plastic spatulas, a knife, egg, "cookie", tongs - she calls them "pinchers", plates, cups, ketchup bottle and Dagny's stacking rings. She proceeded to cook the entire meal with her ingredients - she spun the egg, squirted the ketchup to make fire, stacked the rings to make the volcano, and tapped her spatulas on the table the whole time.

I learned of this extravaganza when she came upstairs to get some shrimp. We don't own shrimp, real or pretend, so I tried to give her some of Dagny's interlocking rings. No dice. Rings are not like shrimp AT ALL. After she melted down, Doug came upstairs and explained the situation and retrieved the tupperware full of leftover popcorn. Eureka!

Annika ran downstairs and completed her cooking with the "shrimp" and threw it into everyone's mouth with her spatulas. Annie appreciated all of that nice popcorn on the floor.

A Whole New Era

So, Dagny might be going to school (mother's morning out) next week. I have to ask them some questions about it at the open house this week and we may have to wait until after Christmas, but that will be fine. I had thought that she was too young because she still naps twice a day.

Well, I was wrong. Yesterday, Dagny skipped her afternoon nap and possibly also her morning nap and was FINE. She chirped at us and played with her toys on the kitchen floor while we made dinner and was perfectly happy until she got hungry. She put all of the toys into a box, shutting the lid in between each addition and then took them all out and began again.

Today, I skipped the morning nap in favor of a trip to Camille's pool. My theory was that if we were going to skip a nap, it was better to skip the morning one. We were in the car during prime napping time, but Dagny didn't sleep. She got a bit tired at the pool and promptly crashed in her carseat when we left at 1:30, but that was at 1:30 and after swimming. Right now, she is playing on the floor next to me (I brought the box down here - she is putting Annika's paper dolls inside) after having only slept for 2 hours. It's hard to believe that she is already becoming a little person, old enough to play independently and go to "school". Amazing.

Sorry, no photos - Doug has the camera in his car so I've not taken any pictures since the sticker incident.

Better Than You

When I was in school, Doug and I noticed that every group of people (club, sports team, group of students) we encountered seemed to want to have another group of people to look down on, to be "better than." The folks who weren't going into the corporate world thought they were more virtuous than those who were "greedy money-grubbers" while those who were doing the corporate thing felt superior because they were getting jobs with more prestige and benefits. The exercisers felt superior to the couch potatoes while the non-exercises felt superior to the shallow and vain. The liberals felt they were smarter and kinder to others than the conservatives while the conservatives felt that they were more smarter (funny how they both thought that!) and more realistic than the liberals. It's a difficult fight for us (big us, not just me and Doug) not to seek out ways in which we can deem ourselves superior. I fight this in my daily life - it's hard not to sweat the "idiots" when I am foiled again by the other drivers or the lazy behind who must have the closest parking place or at the post office or the shipping place.

Anyway, I know I fight this tendency and yesterday I heard a comment about "Sunday Catholics". Now, we've all heard or made the snippy comments about the only-on-the-holidays-church-goers, but I've never heard anyone look down on the folks who show up "only" every Sunday. It just goes to show you that EVERYONE fights the urge to deem themselves the "good one". Maybe we'd all be a little happier if we tried to find the goodness in everyone else instead of searching for the chinks in their armor that we could use to deem them less than us.

However, all of this niceness is ignored if you are in front of me on my run because I have to beat you. I might think nice things about you after I pass you or while failing to pass you, though. : )

Gross Dog Story

This story is gross. You have been warned.

So, Doug and I went out for a fun evening on Saturday to the Hsu's dine-around with a group of our buddies. We visited Silk, Hsu's and Pacific Rim. The food was delicious and we met some neat folks and I had a great time despite being the designated driver. There was much pre-date prep to do (during which I burned the skin off of my bikini area, but that is another story), but I was dressed, primped and ready to go when Doug left to pick up our babysitter. I went around the house laying out jammies, turning on movies and picking dinner items . . . until I got to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, I discovered that Annie had pooped all over the floor. Apparently she had some kind of distress and walked during her pooping so there was poop everywhere. SIGH. I grabbed a roll of paper towels and the Clorox wipes and got busy. After I picked up the first (and biggest) pile of poop, I noticed what appeared to be a booger in it. That is not unusual for Annie, but then I noticed that the booger was moving - verrrrrryyy slooooowwwwwly, but moving. Shudder - that's right folks, tapeworm.

Imagine my joy to realize that the dog has been dropping tapeworm segments for who knows how long (maybe not too long since they allegedly examined her poop at the vet on Tuesday) and Dagny has been crawling all over the floor putting anything and everything in her mouth. UGH! And the vet was closed - not to reopen until Monday! Plus, the cleaning up of the poop, the disinfecting and the mopping. By the time Doug got home, I was sweaty and had to return upstairs to de-stink. Horrible.

Annie has had her medicine now, and is hopefully worm-free. Luckily I am up-close-and-personal with Dagny's poop a lot so I will know if she has any worms on board so we can kill them.

In other news, I have recovered enough from my knee injury to run uphill so I've been doing the loop running uphill and walking downhill (40 minutes, approx 12.5 minute miles). My half marathon training is all shot to heck, but at least I can run SOME of the way. I'm going to the running shoe store today with my birthday coupon to see if some new shoes will help me.