Pic Of The Day - 05.06.14 - Let The Spinning Wheel Spin

On Tuesday morning I got this wild idea in my head that I wanted to go to spin class.  So at lunch I started gathering my things and I couldn't find my shoes.  I had just about talked myself out of going when I found them.

I showed up for the 5:30p rhythm ride class with Kelli but it was Brice. Fifteen minutes into class I was sweating like a whore in church. I didn't think I was going to be able to finish class but I did.  And then the leg cramps started.

LIVESTRONG Day

Yesterday I suggested that you wear something yellow today because it is LIVESTRONG Day. This is a day that the Lance Armstrong Foundation has designated to bring awareness to the war on cancer.

Well, I dug out my RUNSTRONG singlet and my LIVESTRONG bracelet and headed to Memorial Park for a 3 mile jaunt. I have one word, "OUCH!" Even though my shirt says, RUNSTRONG, I wasn't. You see...

Last night I went to a spin class. I had not been to a class in well over a month. 10 minutes into the class, I was dripping with sweat. By the time it was over, I was drenched.

This morning, my quads reminded me that I gave them a workout and they were telling me that they needed a rest but trudged on. People with walkers and canes were passing me but I was committed to doing three miles this morning.

So here I am in my wet shirt:

And here is a pic of my hairy arm and skinny wrist:

As I mentioned earlier this week, I decided to not post everyday what I am doing in regard to physical fitness. So here is a recap for the week.

• Sunday: 3 walks with The Calvinator totaling 43 minutes; weight workout (abs, chest, arms)


• Monday: 3 walks with The Calvinator totaling 48 minutes; 3 mile at Memorial Park.


• Tuesday: 3 walks with The Calvinator totaling 46 minutes; 35 minute treadmill run (flat, incline and decline); 60 minute spin class


• Wednesday: 2 walks with The Calvinator totaling 24 minutes; 30 minutes on elliptical machine (cross-training mode)


• Thursday: 4 walks with The Calvinator totaling 49 minutes; 3 mile run at Memorial Park; 60 minute spin class


• Friday: 3 walks with The Calvinator totaling 46 minutes


• Saturday: 3 walks with The Calvinator totaling 46 minutes; 3 mile run at Memorial Park (note: Today's run should have been 5-6 miles but my allergies have been bothering me and I just wasn't up to it. I spent most of the day on the couch and didn't even go to the gym. It what I call a Louis Armstrong Day: You can't blow it out if you ain't got it in you.)

Marathon recap and other news

OK. So in yesterday's post I mentioned several things that I need to follow-up with and I still have a few comments to make.

I mentioned that the Scotland/Roy hoopla gang was waiting for Todd at Shepherd & Memorial. We were standing on the bridge that separates River Oaks from NoRO. I also mentioned that my battery died before Todd got to us.

Everyday Italian sent me these photos.

here we are waiting.

here we are getting ready for todd.

todd is in the red shirt.

todd's friend mark came in from san antonio to help todd get through the last few miles.

having run several marathons, i can honestly say that it helps to have people along

the way helping you. whether it is to have supplies for you or to run with you.

ok. the dude has run 23 miles and he is smiling????

close up of todd smiling and getting ready for the allen parkway death march. little did he know! :-)
photo credit (previous 6 photos): Ben Montalbano

I took a photo of my finisher shirt. My finisher medal. And my lucky duck socks. About the socks...I'm not sure if they are still manufactured. I have three pair and I only wear them for runs like the 1/2 marathon, a marathon, a 20k, 25k, etc. Don't always pull them out for the short fun runs. I'm not superstitious but I'm just saying...

A few more thoughts & comments:

• I'm don't mean to complain but I had to pass a BUNCH of walkers during the first 3 miles. I KNOW I was in the slow corral and maybe if I hadn't gone to the port-a-potty I could have moved further up the corral. It is what it is.
• I saw two funny t-shirts. A man was wearing one that had on the back: "It is rude to count out loud the number of people that you pass." As I ran past him, I said, "Funny t-shirt." He started to laugh. There was a lady that had a sign on her back that said, "My Indian name is Drinks Beer While Running."
• My music selection was a bit out of the ordinary for the beginning of the run. I had recently upload Mood Food by Moodswings. Realizing that I was going to have some difficulty for the first few miles, I started listening to Rainsong then Spiritual High (Part 1), Spiritual High (State of Independence) and Spiritual High (Part 3). I repeated those songs and then when the crowd starting moving at a pace that I liked I switched to my real running music. My pace picked up just as Rapper's Delight started playing on the nano. About the time that I was heading south on Montrose at Allen Parkway, the first wave of the green group was running toward us and making the turn onto Allen Parkway. Justin Timberlake started singing What Goes Around Comes Around. I thought that was a bit an odd coincidence. And just about the time that I was mentally losing it, Heather Small started singing Proud. This is a song that has been used on The Biggest Loser. The first verse and the chorus are always uplifting when I'm getting tired from running:

I look into the window of my mind

Reflections of the fears I know I've left behind

I step out of the ordinary

I can feel my soul ascending

I am on my way

Can't stop me now

And you can do the same

What have you done today to make you feel proud?

It's never too late to try

What have you done today to make you feel proud?

You could be so many people

If you make that break for freedom

What have you done today to make you feel proud?

• One more comment about the spectators. Will Rogers said something to the effect, "Not everyone can be a hero. Someone has to stand on the side and cheer." Knowing that many spectators got up early on Sunday and braved the chill and stayed and cheered for people they don't know, I'd say they are the heroes.

OK. Time for a shout out to a few people. For the marathon (26.2 miles):

• runnerOne finish time: 3:13:50
• Richard Peoples finish time: 2:52:05
• Lisa Foronda finish time: 3:58:57
• fellow blogger Running For Gold finish time: 3:02:59
• Danny Kennedy finish time: 4:26:15
• Todd Arenz finish time: 5:12:20
• Tim Chafin finish time: 4:47:49

for the 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles):

• Monica Kennedy finish time: 2:49:18
• fellow blogger June Bug finish time: 2:24:__
• Chris Casey finish time: 1:56:33
• str8 up with a twist: 2:20:25

And how can I not mention the overall winners? For the marathon:

• (M) David Cheruiyot finish time: 2:12:32 (three time winner)
• (F) Dire Tune: 2:24:40 (two time winner and course record)

For the 1/2 marathon:

• (M) James Carney finish time: 1:02:21
• (F) Kate O'Neill finish time: 1:11:57

In other news...

My quads were very sore yesterday morning. By late afternoon, I was feeling much better. I went to LeFittes yesterday for a lite workout. Only did some abs, back chest and arms.

I didn't feel like running this morning so this evening I did a spin class. Worked up a good sweat and was STARVING when I got home.

Speaking of coming home...

I got home I had a family matter to address. In a previous post, I mentioned that something was going on in Ft. Worth.

My mother has been having some health issues and today she went to see a neurologist. She has Parkinson's Disease.

Prior to today, the face of Parkinson's Disease was Janet Reno and Michael J. Fox. It now has an all too familiar face.

It's sort of good news/bad news. At least we now know what has been causing the health problems. I don't know much about the disease so I guess I will spend some time doing some research. She was very pleased with the doctor. The doc is going to start her out on some mild meds.

That's it for today. Check back on Wednesday afternoon. I might have a funny surprise for you. ;-)

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 6.1

<---- <---- <---- <---- To the left To the left hmmm To the left To the left (singing like Beyonce)
You will notice that to the left is a small graphic and the website for World AIDS Day Houston. (EDIT: OK...as the posting has moved down, the graphic is no longer to the left to the left. You can locate it under the masthead on the left.)

This is something I've been helping with since this past summer. I hope that you will take a moment to peruse the website and find an event or two to put on your calendar.

The face of HIV/AIDS may have changed a bit but it is still with us. We want to remind people that it is still with us in Houston/Harris County.

My Left Leg
Met up with runnerOne this morning. We ran 3 miles at a fast clip...well, fast for me. I mentioned to him the voodoo doll, ice pickesque pain I've been having in my left leg. He said he thinks it is sciatica. So I looked up the definition and he and Everyday Italian could be correct.

Of course I'm not going to follow the remedy because I was a bit insulted when I read this:

It may happen as a result of the general wear and tear of aging...

Screw it. I'll just walk around and yelp.

Spinning
I didn't go to spin class this evening because of the general wear and tear of aging. Why make it worse? I did do some weights this evening but nothing for the lower torso.

George W.
So this morning I was trolling around NoRO and I noticed a bevy of cops. They were frickin' everywhere! They were on Memorial, Shepherd, Allen Pkwy, and even at the bottom of my little NoRO hill. And one point I could hear a helicopter circling.

So I called Everyday Italian and he told me he thought George W. was in town but it still didn't make any sense because Air Force One lands at Ellington Field which is south of the city.

Turns out George W. was doing something downtown and then was going to a fundraiser at someone's mansion in RO (River Oaks). It was for Senator Cornyn who is gonna have some 'splainin' to do when it comes to why he didn't vote for the insurance for children. So yep, he's gonna need a war chest.

From RO, George W. was going to San Antonio. Shouldn't he be in the White House dealing with Pakistan? What a frickin' mess that is!

You know...I didn't vote for him when he was running for Governor of Texas and I didn't vote for him when he was running for President so you can't blame me for putting him in office.

You'd Better Work
I had been wavering about going to see RuPaul this weekend. Yes. RuPaul.

Well it's not just about RuPaul. Ru will be at The Houston Black Tie Dinner. I just couldn't get excited about going this year but I decided on Wednesday to suck it up and buy a ticket and I took my tux to the cleaners.

(The last time I wore the tux was in New Orleans during Mardi Gras at the Orpheus Ball. I'm sure a few cocktails were spilled on it that night as I tried to catch beads with one hand and sipped my adult beverage from the cup in the other hand.)

I usually drink a bit too much at The Houston Black Tie Dinner and I'm a bit concerned because I think I'm supposed to be talking on the radio at 100A on Sunday morning.

I'm afraid this is going to rank up there with Don't Drink and Dress; Don't Drink and Dial; Don't Drink and Blog; Don't Drink and Talk On The Radio.

So that's it for now. More later.

How the rest of the day played out

OK. The day got better even though I have a rash that has developed on my left middle finger. You might recall that this is the finger that I think I broke at a pool party back in June. I think I know what has caused this rash.

Anywho. I went to LeFittes for the 430p spin class and to my pleasant(?) surprise Connie was the instructor. There's something about her classes that I like(?). Within 10 minutes I was sweating and let's just say that I was quite wet when the 60 minutes was over.

Connie's move to America's Finest City has been delayed until after Christmas so we'll have her for a few more months.

AttyHou had some items that needed to be taken to Legacy's Resale Store so we loaded up The Cal Mobile and did the delivery. Time for a reminder: If you're cleaning out your closets, need to get rid of some furniture or household goods, give them to Legacy. If you need directions or hours of operation, let me know.

I got home in time to watch Ugly Betty. I thoroughly enjoyed tonight's episode. I have never seen Wicked (I've memorized the Original Cast Recording and have read about the musical) but I really like the way that they worked the storyline into the musical. I'm just wondering what will develop between Henry & Betty and what will happen with Marc and his bf(?). I was really hoping that Betty would tell off Daniel when he called her stupid and was upset about her lying to him. UH....bottle, kettle, cauldron?

My calves are twitching a bit so I guess I should down some Gatorade and eat a banana. And I have come to the conclusion (again) that running, spinning, workouts, etc. are good mood elevators.

Later.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 5.1

Real quick. The discussion about the Chicago Marathon fiasco continues. I just read this on Dean Karnazes's blog. Dean is an ultra-runner which means he runs distances that I can't even fathom.

I wonder if the Chicago Race Director has read Dean's advice. "#4: Pour water on your head..."

AttyHou is still waiting for Mike Downey to reply to him. Mike is the columnist that made some inappropriate remarks. AttyHou was supposed to be there to run Chicago but hadn't trained so he didn't go. AttyHou has run Chicago before. He is also a former resident of The Windy City so he was more offended than I was by Mike Downey's remarks.

In other news:

I made it to Spin Class yesterday. Not sure what was wrong. I just didn't have my groove going. I broke a sweat and was wet when I left but it was not like previous sessions.

Since it had been a few months, maybe subconsciously I was holding back? Not sure.

In case you forgot, the art festival is going on this weekend. The weather should be fab-u. So I'll probably head downtown and stroll around.

AttyHou called last night and gave me a fab-u idea for a Halloween costume. I found some of the items today. We're invited to a party next Friday so that gives me time to embellish the costume.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

News You May Have Missed

I heard two stories today that are rather disturbing. The first one involves a mother who set her children on fire. This took place in Haltom City, TX, which happens to be the suburb of Ft. Worth where I grew up.

I sent Helen an e-mail today to find out what she knew about it and it turns out it happened two blocks from Joe & Helen! Joe & Helen heard the sirens, etc. but didn't go to investigate what was happening down the street. (I wonder where I got my Gladys Kravitz gene?)

If you want to read more about the story, here is the link to Houston Chronicle.

The second story is something that I have witnessed. A study was done about hand washing. It concludes that 1/3 of men do not wash their hands after going to the bathroom.

I have noticed this at LeFittes. I've seen guys go to the urinal, shake it and then leave without ever going to wash their hands and THEN they go back to the gym floor!

Now, I will admit there have been times that I haven't washed my hands but it only happens when I'm running and have to use a Port-O-Potty and there isn't any place to wash your hands or there isn't any hand sanitizer available. In an instance like that it is what it is because there is no choice.

In fact, I think I've become a bit obsessive/compulsive about washing my hands ever since I took possession of Calvin a few years ago. I feel like I am constantly washing my hands and I go through rolls of paper towels like there's no tomorrow.

And speaking of paper towels....I went to buy some today and there was a double pack of Brawny Paper Towels with the Brawny Man on the packaging. However, the double pack had Mary Engelbreit designs on them. Isn't this sort of a contradiction?

Here's the Brawny Man:

And here's the Mary Engelbreit design:

As it turns out, it was cheaper to buy two single rolls with no design than it was to buy the contradictory double pack.

Now this third story is actually kind of funny because I know how frustrated the guy must have been. I ran across this from Kenneth In The 212.

I can totally relate to the attacker's frustration! In fact, I haven't been to spin class in awhile and the last time I was there a guy in front of me was grunting and swearing and shaking his head and stopping when it got too difficult. Dude. You control the tension on the bike! Adjust it!!!

(from NYPost.com):

GYM VICTIM IS WHEELY ANGRY
'SPIN ATTACKER' DODGES FELONY

By LAURA ITALIANO

September 18, 2007 -- He's not doing much "whooping" now.

A Manhattan hedge-fund manager whose loud grunting and cheering during an Upper East Side spin class allegedly led a fed-up broker on the bike nearby to nearly break his neck is furious that prosecutors aren't treating the assault as a felony.

"This wasn't just a playground fall where Stewy fell down and went boo hoo," angry victim Stuart Sugarman said when told that his alleged attacker was charged yesterday with a mere misdemeanor.

"The reality is I spent two weeks in Lenox Hill [Hospital], including a week in ICU and six hours in surgery," Sugarman complained. "My life has been altered, possibly permanently. This is not a misdemeanor."

Sugarman, 48, a fund manager and investment banker at Sunrise Financial Group, admits that he noisily war-whooped, groaned and shouted, "You go, girl!" during his last spin workout Aug. 15 at an Equinox gym on East 85th Street. That, he says, didn't give broker Christopher Carter, who was three bikes over, the right to repeatedly yell, "Shut the f- - - up!" and then leap off his Schwinn and come charging at him.

The grunting Sugarman is accusing the allegedly berserk broker - both men top 200 pounds - of tilting Sugarman's stationary bike's front wheel up a yard off the floor and flipping the bike and Sugarman into a wall.

Sugarman suffered a concussion from the bike's falling on top of him, along with damage to six discs in the vertebrae of his neck. His surgeon, he said, tells him he was "one click away from a wheelchair."

"The guy had a spinal-cord contusion with major surgery to his neck involving the use of cadaver tissue and multiple metal plates and screws," said Sugarman's lawyer, Samuel Davis.

The criminal complaint lodged yesterday against Carter, 44, of Maxim Investments Group, only accuses him of causing "sustained lower-back pain" and "substantial pain" but makes no mention of the serious physical injury needed to characterize an assault as a felony.

Prosecutors declined to comment on the case. Carter's lawyer, Michael Farkas, said only that his client "did not commit any criminal acts."

"Mr. Sugarman is clearly taking advantage of the criminal-justice system to build some civil lawsuit," he said. Sugarman has yet to file a suit.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

I haven't heard anything else about the break in yesterday. I will tell you that I didn't sleep well last night. Before I went to bed I told The Calvinator that he was on duty. He was asleep by 1030p.

He woke up at 545A when I did. We both heard a noise in the backyard and it frightened the sh_t out of me. He started barking and I was up turning on lights and looking out windows. It may have been one of my critters making their last run before the sun came up.

Since I was awake, I took him for his morning stroll. Including myself, I counted 7 people walking their dogs and five people going to work between 610A and 630A. Once again, why would anyone attempt a burglary at that hour of the morning?

After we finished our stroll, I went to Memorial Park for a 4 mile run.

Have You Ever....

...done something but really don't remember doing it?

I went running this morning. Did a three mile jaunt around Memorial Park this morning but I really don't remember much about the run. I do remember that my knees were really bothering me. I actually started feeling some knee pain during yesterday's spin class at LeFittes.






It's been a roll of the dice as to who is going to be teaching. Connie was on the schedule but the past few times I've been expecting her there has been a substitute. I know she will be leaving soon for America's Finest City so that is prolly why the schedule has been a bit cattywampus.

Anywho...it was a typical Connie spin class. Sweat. Swearing. Grunting.

...really wanted a specific type of food?

I had a meeting tonight at Legacy. It was short and productive meeting. When we finished I ran an errand and even though I wasn't hungry at the time I kept thinking about green beans from Pronto Cucina on Montrose Blvd.

Ran the errand, chatted on the phone with Joe & Helen and by then I had worked up a hunger for green beans. Now it was not only green beans but I wanted the roasted chicken breast and garlic mashed potatoes. So my happy @ss trotted over to Pronto Cucina. BTW...it was good food.

...just felt really irritated?

I don't know what my problem was today. I don't have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) but I couldn't finish anything I started. (Well I did read the paper.) And the thought of having to deal with a couple of people today was really working my nerves. And then I found out some really odd news about someone that I thought could be trusted.

Don't worry. I'm fine. Maybe it is the alignment of the planets and the stars and the moon and Hurricane Dean being in our hemisphere. Speaking of Dean, here is a satellite image.

That's it bois & gurrls. I need to get ready for Top Chef.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 3.0

I didn't get a good night's rest last night. The Calvinator woke me up around 200A when he went running from the bedroom to the front of the house barking. It only lasted a few seconds but it was enough to wake me up.

THEN I had this awful dream about snakes and dog poop. I was living in a library and my bedroom was painted green. There was a huge sculpture of a snake that went around the room and the head of the snake was hanging from the ceiling. It was a piece of art titled Garden Of Eden.

There was a librarian position open and I was going to be interviewing people. However, applicants kept arriving early and would walk into my bedroom and find me sleeping and see the snake and leave.

(In my dream) I finally get out of bed and walk through the rest of the library to get to the kitchen but sorta have to walk outside. There are dead snakes and dog poop everywhere. I was very frustrated and decided that I wanted to move but the place that I wanted to move to had just been leased to Donatella Versace.

That is the point that I finally woke up (around 445A). I woke up The Calvinator and took him for a walk...it was already 80 degrees outside.

Running & Spinning

I did a 3 mile run yesterday morning at the park because I planned on going spinning later in the day. Well, later in the day arrived and I decided that I didn't want to spin. I just wasn't in the mood for a hard workout from Connie. So I did some weights instead.

I may do a spin class on Thursday.

I did a 4 mile run this morning at the park before I took The Calvinator to doggy daycare.

I'm at the point where I need to decide if I'm going to the Houston marathon in January or the 1/2 marathon. If it is the marathon, then I need to start bumping up the mileage. Anyone care to weigh in on the decision? Remember...a marathon is 26.2 and a 1/2 is only 13.1 miles. I have done several of both.

I have come to the conclusion...

Last night I went to Connie's 530p spin class at LeFittes. To my surprise the Spin Doctor walked in to teach the 630P class. I thought he had already left for America's Finest City. Turns out, last night was going to be his last class. Good luck to you Spin Doctor!

I woke up this morning feeling like a truck had run over me and then backed up and ran over me again.

There are several things that could be making me feel this way:

1. I need a new mattress
2. I think my allergies are acting up
3. I went running yesterday morning
4. I did an hour of weights and situps yesterday afternoon
5. I did 60 minutes of spinning
6. I just ain't as young as I used to be

Needless to say, I didn't go running this morning.

I think it is definitely a combo of 3 + 4 + 5 + 6. Hmmm. That equals 18 and I haven't seen 18 in years! That is my conclusion...I'm getting old. :-)

The Calvinator is at doggy daycare today which is why I scheduled the delivery of the mattress for today. Now I get to wait around for the delivery within a 6 hour window...that part is annoying.

PS RunnerOne is still out there running. I just checked the website and he is almost finished.

One ringy dingy. Two ringy dingy.

Today was a full day of running errands and being on the phone. And then at some point I got bit by another tsetse fly and had to take nap. OR...it could be that I went running yesterday and then spinning and then running again this morning...oh and throw in some weights in there. Speaking of spinning...there's talk on the street that The Spin Doctor is leaving The Bayou City and heading to America's Finest City.

The Calvinator went to doggy daycare. When he is away, I try to get as much done so that I don't have to keep running back and forth to walk him.

After my 3 mile run this morning and on my way to the office, JLo from the RDU called. We had not talked in awhile. She works at my former place of employment and we love to dish about the Gayken. (Have you noticed that he looks like Reba McIntire? Sorta like that Michael Jackson-Diana Ross thing.)

Later on I talked with Eric from Barefoot Wine . They're donating wine for the Krewe's event on Saturday evening. Which then prompted some followup phone calls to Blaine in the 008.

Got a phone call from Cowtown Robb but the call dropped so that was the end of the conversation. :-( That was followed by Sugar Land Stuart calling me asking if I had watched Singing Bee (which I'm watching right now)? I think I received a backhanded compliment when he said that if was showtunes, I would win. Hmmmm.
In between all of this I was helping Kaye Sedilla get things together for Sunday's Miss Mint Julep which is a benefit for Legacy Community Health Services. I'm sure glad she only comes to town once a year.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 2.1

Daddy's Day Out

Due to the July 4th holiday, doggy daycare was closed so we rescheduled for today. The Calvinator was so excited to get away from me today and I must say the feeling is mutual. He tried to maul me Wednesday night. (Maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration?) Not sure what set him off. Maybe it was because I left him alone and went to two parties? I honestly thought he broke the skin...it hurt.

Karoake Spin Class

Due to inclement weather and a bit too much to drink on Wednesday, I didn’t feel too bad about missing my run. I decided to go to Connie’s spin class at LeFittes on Thursday afternoon. I was actually sorta dreading it but I was ready to give it my all. Connie wasn’t there. *sigh of relief* Jerry was the instructor. I have seen Jerry teach aerobic classes and ab crunch classes…didn’t know he could spin.


Even though I was a gruntin’ and a groanin’ through part of the class, he had me laughing. He was singing along to some of the songs. Sorta like Karaoke Spin Class. I talked to him after class and we laughed about doing a class where you pass the microphone around and have people sing along. LOL I’d be able to do it but would prolly pass out from lack of oxygen.

The Weekend

Any big plans for the weekend?


I have a b’day party to attend on Saturday evening. Several guys who have birthdays in July throw a joint bash. It has become an annual event on the party circuit.

Sunday is the 30th Anniversary of Christmas In July. Once again, Romeo says this is his last performance. Uh huh…sure.


St. Louis Lynne (SLL) is scheduled to make an appearance in The Bayou City this weekend. Haven't seen her in a few months so hopefully I'll be able to see her for a bit.

And of course, I’ll get a run in on Saturday morning and get some workouts at LeFittes.

Scotland @ Roy Sculpture Garden

The bois next door have acquired a piece of art for the front yard. Adds a bit of class to life in NoRO. It took 4 of us to get it off of the truck. Everyone has an opinion about which angle to display it....friends and neighbors all weighed in with their thoughts last night. As soon as it finds it permanent home, I'll post a pic.


It is actually quite nice. It is a stainless steel abstract piece that was created in 1969 by George Cutts. Due to the acquisition, I ended up with a relocated Sago Palm.

Frida Kahlo

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Frida Kahlo.
(from ArtCyclopedia) Born July 6, 1907 in the town of Coyoacán in Mexico, Frida Kahlo survived many difficult events in her life, including contracting polio as a child, a long recovery from a serious car accident, two failed marriages, and several miscarriages.


She used these experiences, combined with strong Mexican and Native American cultural influences, to create highly personal paintings. Kahlo used personal symbolism mixed with Surrealism to express her suffering through her work. A viewer might classify her paintings as Surrealism or Magic Realism, but she considered her art to be realistic.


Kahlo died July 13, 1954 of pulmonary embolism.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 1.3

Surprise

I went to spin class yesterday. In anticipation of Connie being the instructor I wasn't feeling too guilty about not going running in the morning. I needed to rest up 'cause there's no way that woman is going to get the best of me!

Guess who's back in town? The Spin Doctor! He came Waltzing Matilda into LeFittes. Turns out he had just returned from Down Under. According to the Spin Doctor, the drought in Oz ended the day he got there. He taught a good class. His style is different from Connie's but both of them will give you a good workout. (My new measurement tool is the amount of sweat that has puddled by the end of the class.)

Koo-koo-ka-choo

I woke up this morning singing Lemonheads rendition of Mrs. Robinson. It's been a few hours and I still can't get it out of my head! Especially the intro: "deet da deet da deety...."

Hey batta batta batta!

Congratulations to Houston Astros Craig Biggio on becoming the 27th player to reach the 3,000-Hit Fraternity. The Killer B reached this milestone last night in front of an SRO crowd at Minute Maid Park. Biggio is in good company. He joins Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Rod Carew...just to name a few.

James Nielsen: Chronicle

"That just goes to show you what kind of guy he is," Bagwell said. "He was kind of thinking about a whole different bunch of things. When you play with somebody for 15 years, there's a lot of emotions and all kinds of stuff."

Mark your calendars

July 14 The Art of Costuming is a party at Bering & James Art Gallery being put on by the Krewe of Olympus. Guests will have the opportunity to get up close and personal and look at the detailing on some of the magnificent costumes created by Krewe members. This event is to thank our underwriters and to sign up new underwriters. There is no cost to attend.

July 15 Str8 Up With A Twist has personally talked with the one and only Kaye Sedilla! Kaye has confirmed that she will appear at the Miss Mint Julep Contest on July 15 at Rich's-Houston. The event is a benefit for Legacy.

A summary of the conversation will appear in a future posting. Kaye has only granted one interview this year and that was to Str8 Up With A Twist. Matt Lauer from the Today Show personally called Kaye asking for an exclusive. Kaye reports that Mr. Lauer was extremely disappointed when she turned down his request. Kaye started singing You Can't Always Get What You Want.

Gimme a beat!

I went to the 530P spin class yesterday. I was drenched in sweat by the time it was over. Connie was the instructor again and she showed no mercy. 30 minutes into the class and 3 people left. They couldn't keep up. 10 minutes later, a couple of more people were outta there.

I would love to have joined them during their departure but I have my pride! Plus, I had good rhythm going with some of my classmates. If you've never been into a spin studio, the cyclists face a mirrored wall so everybody can see each other.

Last night's class was a rhythm class which means you keep cadence with the beat. Good thing I have some sense of rhythm. :-) All I could think of was playing in the band in high school and Mr. Roberts saying to tap your foot to keep the beat. It also helps that I know how to play the guitar. Oh...and don't forget that I won a disco dance contest my senior year in high school.

OK...so there are some people that couldn't keep the beat. I would have felt sorry for them but I was doing everything I could just to keep up.

By the time we finished, I noticed that the guy to right and the guy to the left had pools of sweat around their cycles. I looked down and let's just say, it wasn't pretty. We definitely were nasty boys. At the end of class, Connie said the room smelled like a locker room.

RunnerOne showed me no mercy this morning. Let's just say that right now my legs are tired and my metabolism is revved up. Did somebody say "lunchtime"?

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 1.0

When I last spoke of the weather, I said that it was going to rain on Monday and Tuesday. Well it rained somewhere in Houston but not on me.

Guess I shouldn't have been feeling so cocky 'cause I got my due about 230A or so this morning.

OMG! The house was shaking and it was lit up in that electric blue-white light that only comes with lightning.

At one time, Jim and I lived much closer to Memorial Park. We were always getting hit by heavy storms. I'm not as close to the park but close enough and now I'm closer to the bayou. I'm beginning to think Mother Nature is upset that so much development is going on in NoRO and she is making us pay the price.

Without me even calling him, Calvin jumped on the bed with me to ride out the storm. I kept thinking we would lose power; we didn't. However, later on in the morning I would discover that the the office had lost power.

Because the rain continued for awhile, I had to delay Calvin's morning walk. I debated about going for a run. Ended up going and sure enough Yoga Boi was there. I will say that there is something very refreshing about running in a light rain when it is about 79 degrees.

After I dropped off Calvin at doggy daycare, I went to the office and that is when I realized I
would be a displaced worker. I went to one of the other locations and discovered that some of my office mates were there.

What are those birds? Lemmings? That's what I feel like some days.

So, I'm going to try and change my attitude about this weather. After all, on my way to the park this morning I did see a rainbow. What better way to start your day?

So rather than b!tch about the rain, I'll sing a ditty about the rain. I think I'll start with Viola Willis's dance version of Stormy Weather.

On a completely different thought, in my search for a substitute for The Spin Doctor, I went to a different spin class last night. I thought DIT was tough...Connie was much tougher than DIT.

Neighbor Nina (NN) had told me about her. Connie had been on vacation and came back with a vengeance. Last night my calves were twitching and my fingers were cramping so I loaded up on Gatorade and bananas.

Don't forget...tomorrow is June 21 which is the first day of Summer and the longest day of the year!

Big wheel keep on turnin'...

Thursday’s spin class at LeFittes was taught by substitute teacher Troy. This is the guy that I have nicknamed Drill Instructor Troy (DIT). DIT knows how to make a person sweat and he makes you “feel the burn.”

When DIT started the last song of the class, I started to grin because from the first three notes of the introduction, I knew it was Ike & Tina Turner’s Proud Mary. DIT looked at me and said, “I had to play this song.” As I’m spinning to the “big wheel keep on turnin'…”, I had a:

FLASHBACK

Picture this. New Orleans. August 25, 2001. 3:00A. Clover Grill on Bourbon Street. It is my last trip to The Big Easy before I turn 40 and Jim has joined me for my weekend get-away. We have walked every inch of The Quarter and are trying to make our way back to the apartment on Ursuline.

We stop at Clover Grill for a Cadillac Hubcap Cheeseburger and a Geaux Girl Waffle. Oh…did I mention we were over-served with adult beverages? We have to sit at the counter. I’m on the end, Jim is to my left and to his left is a man with no “teef.” Behind us is a table with two girls and a guy.

I notice that one of the girls is taking off her bra without taking off her dress. Jim is still talking to the man with no “teef.”
And then it happens. The opening notes to Ike & Tina Turner’s Proud Mary starts to play on the jukebox. I love the way Tina says, “Ya know, every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us nice and easy…”

Well, at some point during the intro, I have the bra on my head. Jim happens to turn to his right and just stares at me. Mr. Toothless doesn’t seem phased.

OK. So now the song is picking up. You know when the trumpets start to play and Tina lets loose. At that point Braless Girl assumes the role of Tina Turner, her friends jump up and I jump off the stool and we are now the Ikettes (me with the bra on my head.)

We are doing our best imitation of Tina & The Ikettes when I look out the window. There is a guy and girl looking in and he has the video camera rolling. Funny thing is…he doesn’t have the audio of what is happening inside. LOL The song ends and life goes on at Clover Grill.

I have romanticized what happened with the videotape. The couple looked German so I figure it ended up on some German tv show: Americans Do The Funniest Things or some bar in Berln figured out it was Proud Mary, added the audio and 6 years later is still showing it on comedy night.

I do remember Jim looking at me and laughing and saying, “I can’t believe you’re going to be 40.”

See what happens when my mind wanders during spin class?!

Ride a painted pony let the spinning wheel spin

The spin doctor has gone Down Under for a few months and things just ain't the same at LeFittes.

I went to spin class tonight and had another subsitute instructor. Like last week's fill in, he was OK. I didn't get the workout that I wanted but it is probably just as well. I'll get up tomorrow morning and go running before I ship The Calvinator out for the day. If yoga boi is there again, I'll do a posting about him.


I am sitting here cackling while I watch Kathy Griffin/Suck It.