and yet, another running post

Here is some additional advice (and inspiration...the beefcake) for people who will take up running as part of their new year's resolution.

This advice comes from DEVELOP YOUR RUNNING STRATEGY: How to apply time-tested running rules to your own training by Dagny Scott-Barrios. An explanation of each point can be found at Runners World magazine.

1. Do the minimal training needed for optimal results

2. Be consistent


3. Balance hard efforts with rest

4. Expect peaks and plateaus

5. Practice patience

In other news...

The headache stayed with me for the better part of Saturday. AttyHou, Everyday Italian and I went to a post-Christmas party last night. The party season is in full swing and will continue until Ash Wednesday (Feb. 6, 2008).

I did make it to the gym this morning. Mr. Popular was there. I've never written about Mr. Popular. Mr. Popular is very nice looking, young, great smile and knows everybody. Greets everybody with a handshake, hug and/or kiss.

Today Mr. Popular was acting a bit odd. You see, we were the area with the treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, etc. We both had on our iPods but he was getting way into his music. Eyes shut. Lips moving. Head swinging back and forth. It was a bit distracting and yet I had to stare.

The weather is awesome here in The Bayou City. Probably low 60s and not a cloud in the sky. I'm outside right now while The Calvinator is running around the yard. He can't be left unsupervised because he has a nasty habit of squeezing through AttyHou's fence and getting stuck in the azaleas.

EDIT: While I was blogging I lost track of Calvin's whereabouts. I heard the azaleas rustle. I saw a squirrel scamper up AttyHou's tree. I saw Calvin try to climb the tree! So I had to get the key to the gate but this time he figured out how to get out of the azaleas and was running around AttyHou's yard. UGH!

It will be off to church for the 500p Mass, get The Calvinator walked and then time for The Amazing Race! I missed it last week but Joe & Eric told me that the Goth couple came in last but didn't get eliminated. Can't wait to see what happens tonight1!!!

PS The second photo is of London Preppy. If only I had his discipline! ...and his looks.

EDIT: London Preppy has a new version of the photo on his blog. I need to learn how to use PhotoShop and enhance my image.

Forgot to tell you

It has been pointed out to me by several readers that I left out some information about Ryan Barry. Ryan is currently dating Reichen Lehmkuhl.Reichen first came on the radar during Season 4 of The Amazing Race when he and his then partner Chip Arndt won the race around the world.

Reichen is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as a Captain in the Air Force. In addition to being a reality star, actor, model, and jewelry designer, is an ex-boyfriend of Lance Bass.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 7.2

This song has been on my mind. So I figured I would share it with you and you can hum it all day. Enjoy!

The other day while I was working on a project, which I FINALLY finished today, I was watching Annie. I *heart* Annie.

I first saw the stage production back in 1979 or 1980 or so. It was a touring production that had a run at the Texas State Fair. I fell in love with the show.So. Saturday The Calvinator kept looking at me 'cause he wanted to go for a walk. I kept telling him that we had to wait for Sandy to find Annie. Plus, one of my favorite songs is NYC and he finds her right after that song.

So. The song is playing and I'm singing and The Calvinator is huffing. The song ends, Sandy comes running around the corner and barks and it startles The Calvinator and he runs to look out his window 'cause he thinks there is a dog outside when it is really on the telly. LOL

The weather in H-town has been bizarre. This morning when I woke up to take The Calvinator for his walk, it was 70 degrees but as we were walking the temp started to drop but it didn't drop much. However, 26 miles to the north of me it was about 25 degrees cooler. Then later it looked like the front had stalled over NoRO. Part of The Calvinator's noon stroll was sunny and the other part was cloudy. The air conditioner kicks on but then it kicks off. I definitely broke a sweat this morning when I was running.

All I know is that I'm glad I didn't run the 30K in Sugar Land yesterday (talk about a monotonous death march) and I'm glad I didn't do the Jingle Bell Run yesterday afternoon with the temps in the low 80s.

Guess what is on Oprah on Wednesday? My favorite things. That show makes me sick (only because it makes me jealous). The audience gets all of this free stuff and schmucks like me get nothing from Oprah. Bah humbug!

Who watched The Amazing Race last night? OMG! I couldn't stop laughing at what was happening right before they reached Phil. OK. So they're getting ready to get on the mat and for no reason one of the locals (dressed in Croatian attire) shoots off a hand cannon. LOL Of course of the six teams, someone on each team screams. LOL It made no sense to ignite the noise maker. And then to hear someone scream. LOL

The other funny part was Jennifer's meltdown. It made no sense.

“You’re the meanest person I’ve ever met sometimes,” Jennifer told Nate during one of their many fights, not elaborating on what he is other times. They had a meltdown while paddling a boat, and she said, “I’m never going to be with you ever again.” -transcript is from Reality Blurred

OK. That's about it for right now.

The Calvinator

This is the face of innocence. Uh huh...sure.

The other day I let Calvin out before we went for a stroll. While I was getting things together he was running around outside.

When I went to get him I couldn't find him but I could hear him. I walked around the house and didn't see him. I could still hear his tags jingling.

All of a sudden I see AttyHou and Everyday Italian's azaleas moving (and the wind wasn't blowing). When, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a miniature sleigh...oh wait, guess I have Christmas on my mind.

So all of a sudden he appears and is staring at me from the other side of the fence and he is making no effort to squeeze back through. I tried pulling him back through and he was digging in his paws and being stubborn. I tried again; nothing happened.

So I had to call Everyday Italian and tell him I was coming into the yard. When The Calvinator heard the gate open he made his way through the azaleas and had twigs and leaves all over him.

No more unsupervised play outside for The Calvinator.

So the next day I decide to take him on a short ride to the post office. On our way back I decided to use the drive-thru at the Starbucks on Shepherd and W. Gray. A grande Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream sounded good. After all, it is the holiday season and we're having warm weather.

I receive my beverage and place it in the cup holder. I'm trying to exit the parking lot and enter the traffic on Shepherd. Just as I'm doing this, out of the corner of my eye I see him sticking his tongue into the oversized opening on my beverage and he is helping himself to the whipped cream. I told him to stop. He looked at me with a snout covered in whipped cream.

I must say that with The Calvinator around there is never a dull moment.

In other news...

Tonight at Mass there was a guest priest. He was a bit on the enthusiastic-dramatic side of things. It took me awhile to remember who he was. At first I thought it was Mario Cantone.

Then I realized he had been here a couple of years ago. There's not a polite way to say this but it was all about him at the end of the sermon. I won't go into detail but I thought he was going to start singing There's No Business Like Show Business in his best Ethel Merman voice. So after that comment...I'm driving the bus to Hell and I'm selling tickets to anyone who wants to join me.

Once again, karma reared its head on The Amazing Race. The blondes (who U-turned a couple last week and the couple ended up getting eliminated) got eliminated tonight. HA!

Best line from Desperate Housewives tonight: If you're taking me somewhere that I can't wear a boa, then I don't want to go. -Gabrielle Solis to Carlos Solis when they are talking about leaving Wisteria Lane.

It is quite balmy here in the Bayou City. Temps are in the 70s and it rained earlier. Here it is Dec. 2 and I have the air conditioner running.

Saturday's run didn't go as planned. I woke up not feeling like I could run. So I waited until about 915a before I went over to the park. I figured a 3 mile run was better than nothing so I did 6 miles.

I watched a special on NBC yesterday afternoon. They did profiles on some people who competed in the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.

I've always been amazed at people who can complete that triathlon. One of the male competitors was blind (he was tethered to another competitor). Another male competitor was a double amputee. One guy almost died after a auto accident. All three of these guys completed the triathlon which consisted of a 2.4 mile, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. There were other people who were profiled but these three really stuck in my mind. I was a bit teary-eyed at the end of the show. The human spirit is amazing.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 6.2

This is an enhanced version of T 'n T for Sunday November 25, 2007.

Pay It Forward

On Tuesday night, when I left for Reef and then Cyclone Anaya's, I took my little notebook with me because it had some phone numbers in there that I might need. In that notebook were notes from various meetings as well as all of my physical activities and a grocery list. You get the picture.

So I get to Ft. Worth and I can't find the notebook that I thought was in The Cal Mobile. And of course one of the phone numbers that I needed while I was in Ft. Worth was in there! UGH.

I get back to Houston and look all over The Cal Mobile again. No sign of it. I look in some bags from Target (from Tuesday); not there. UGH! Yesterday I even said a prayer to St. Anthony who is the patron saint of lost causes.

So this morning I get a phone call from Elaine. Elaine was one of the ladies who worked at Tropical Depression #46. I haven't talked to Elaine in about a month so I'm thinking, "How nice to hear from her."

Sidebar: If you live in Houston and if you ever need dependable help at a party, hire Elaine.

So Elaine starts to ask me if I've lost a notebook and I tell her that I'm going nuts trying to find it. She got a phone call from a guy named Tony who found her phone number in there and note about September 15 (which happened to be the day of Tropical Depression #46). He called her on Wednesday but until today she couldn't remember where she was on on September 15 and then it clicked.

So after a nice chat with Elaine (BTW...she is also looking for a job. She has experience with medical records and she also has cared for people who are home bound.) I call Tony. I introduce myself and mention Elaine's name and then it clicks with him who I am.

He said he was on his way to work on Wednesday and saw a notebook in the street on Brazos. He thought it might be important so he went back around and picked it up.

I'm going to get it from him in a few days.

So, a gold star to Tony and a gold star to Elaine. It is a nice reminder that there are some good people in this world. And I hope that one day, someone does them a big favor too.

I've commented on here about paying it forward. And it goes with that saying that I will misquote and I can't remember who said it, "The good that you do is the good that you will receive in return."

Grande Sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce Latte non-fat with no whip and with an extra pump and an extra shot

That's my new other favorite drink at the office these days.

It is actually much better if you don't do sugar-free and if you do whole milk and whipped cream.

Anywho. This morning I'm at the office at my big desk reading the paper, just minding my own business and a lady walks up to the table and lets out a scream of glee. Scared the sh_t outta me. Wait it gets better.

It's not me that she is happy to see. It is someone behind me. OK. That's cool BUT she throws her purse down on the other chair at my desk, puts her coffee down RIGHT in front of me, and lays down some sort of a plastic bag on MY NEWSPAPER and walks off!

Never acknowledges that I'm sitting there. She doesn't ask if she can lay claim to my big desk. She just does it.

Eventually she comes back to gather her belongings which I have rearranged, except for the purse, and still doesn't acknowledge me.

If it hadn't have been for the phone call from Elaine which happened after this incident at the office, I'd probably still be seething over it.

Oh. So on my way out of the office, I accidentally kicked her table. LOL I swear it was an accident!

Nanook Of The North

What are the chances of me hearing that name twice within less of 24 hours? LOL

So yesterday while I was working on cards, Unzipped comes on. I've seen this frockumentary umpteen times. I could watch it another umpteen times. Every time I watch it I still get excited when Isaac shows his collection.

In the movie he refers to Nanook Of The North for his inspiration. OK. So that was yesterday afternoon.
This morning as I'm leaving LeFittes I run into Cruise Director Tom. (Haven't seen him in awhile and he always makes me laugh because he usually has some good gossip about something.) We comment about the cold to the bone wet weather and he looks at the sweater I'm wearing and says, "You're all bundled up like Nanook Of The North." Go figure.

I've never watched the movie so I guess now it is time to do so.

Post-Thanksgiving/Holiday Party

So this afternoon I made my way up the road to the annual party given by Scott & Micheal and Steven & Grant. Can't remember why but last year I didn't attend.

A fun time was had by all. Many familiar faces and as always some new faces. Great conversation and many laughs. Embellishments to events and stories at the drop of a hat. For instance, I am now adding Hapsburg (EDIT: the correct spelling is Habsburg) to my name. Sort of a long story so just use your imagination.

I could have stayed another hour chatting and drinking but I left to go to the 500p Mass at St. Anne's because I thought it was the first Sunday of Advent only to find out it was the Feast of Christ The King which is the last Sunday of the year.

So I'm home now. The Calvinator has been walked and we're waiting for The Amazing Race!

World AIDS Day Dec. 1

www.worldaidsdayhouston.org

Spread the cheer

and no I don't mean the laundry detergent.

Yesterday I was feeling like I had a bad case of jet lag. Didn't get much sleep so I was up early and took The Calvinator down to the HMSA 25K course to watch the runners. I was really feeling for those people. You could see the sweat flying off of them and that was on the first loop. I've done that run before and it is an unforgiving three loops from downtown to Shepherd (@Memorial). Sort of like doing the Hokey Pokey "...and turn yourself around..."

It was way to warm of a morning to be running a 25K. It almost seemed like a Summer morning. Montrose RichardP was looking good. He ended up winning his age group. You geaux Montrose RichardP.

I finally took a 2.5 hour nap while I was watching a story about Jimmy Hoffa. When I awakened it was too late to go to the 500P Mass and I wasn't feeling so chipper. That all changed when I watched The Amazing Race (TAR).

Well let me get the unpleasantness out of the way. There is a father and daughter team who are competing and he is an @ss. He is VP/Sales for some company and I can't imagine what his employees must have to put up with. He was making his own daughter cry. He wouldn't shut up.

What got me laughing was the Detour. One team member had to pole vault across a drainage ditch to get the next clue and then vault back. OMG I was laughing so hard because a few of them were landing in the muck and would have to try again. My laughter turned to complete horror (not really but sorta) when the grandfather of the grandfather/grandson team stripped down to some over sized bikini brief underwear. LOL I'm sure the townspeople were thinking Crazy American right before they went blind from looking at him.

So laughing that hard perked me up a bit.

I had every intention of getting up and running this morning but well it didn't happen. And I resigned myself to the fact that I will become as big as a house.

However, this morning something really nice happened. I walked into the office to get my Iced Grande Sugar-free Gingerbread Non-fat Latte and one of the folks there said it was on the house! WHAT?!?! FREE?!?!

He said he wanted to spread the cheer and for me to spread the cheer today. So while I was sitting there drinking my Iced Grande Sugar-free Gingerbread Non-fat Latte he brought me a piece of Gingerbread. What does HE want I kept thinking? (I do have a cynical side.) So once again, he said he wanted me to have a good day and to spread the cheer. UGH. A double whammy of cheer I have to spread?

I took The Calvinator to the vet and when I got the bill I wasn't feeling so cheerful. Please start looking for me at the corner of Shepherd & Memorial (in the afternoons) and please put some quarters in my jar when I beg from you. I'll be dressed nice so that I don't frighten you.

Rather than make some snide remark about "This is the big one Elizabeth. I'm coming to see you." I took it in stride, thanked them, smiled, walked into the parking lot with Calvin and vomited. (OK, not really. Just trying to be dramatic.) While I didn't exactly spread some cheer at the vet's office I figured we were all better off by me not saying something about the cost of the visit.

So the best way for me to spread the cheer today is to make you laugh. This is a portion of an email that I received today from Kenny In Montrose (KIM). It had me LOL!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I walked into Kroger Saturday morning & the store was jam packed with employees and management (local & district). All were busily preparing for Santa's imminent arrival.

Everyone was wearing elf hats. Poinsettias flooding out of the floral shop, garland & wreaths were on all walls. Fake snow covered the Healthy Choice cooler. Jingle bells was blaring on the muzak, & I could hear live performers with hand bells.

The meat section was loaded with hams & turkeys. Employees were handing out gingerbread cookies & holiday beverages on almost every aisle. The floor to ceiling Christmas tree by the main entrance is grand. It's Christmas!

I felt awkward. How did Christmas just sneak up on me? I just posted Halloween pictures. Sure - my Walgreens has been celebrating Christmas since the 4th of July but no one pays attention to that. As I was leaving Kroger & the cashier wished me Merry Christmas, I was a little disoriented but once I stepped outside & saw that the entire shopping center is covered in Christmas decorations, I realized that it is November & that I am late.

So please allow me to wish you a belated Merry Christmas 2008 & also allow me to wish you a slightly early Merry Christmas 2009 (you can never be too early where Christmas in concerned.)

So in the spirit of the day, I guess I should say, "Don we now our gay apparel."

OH! Before I forget...the radio interview from the other morning is already on the station's website. It can be found at http://www.kpft.org/. Select Archives. It will ask if you want to register as a user (it is optional) and the look for After Hours 11/11/07. At the start of the show is some banter and announcements, followed by an interview with Shy Anne and then we're on.

If you can't run with the big dogs,

stay on the porch!

UGH. I'm worn out but I'm worn out from having fun so it isn't a bad thing.

I'm sitting here waiting for the season premiere of Amazing Race but it is delayed because football games ran late and now 60 Minutes is late and so it goes (oh...that's not 60 Minutes; that's Linda Ellerbee.)

Where to begin?

Let's start with Amazing Race. I *heart* Amazing Race. I am so sure I could win with AttyHou as my travel partner. Team Calvinator. However, as I pointed out to Running My Mass Off we wouldn't make for good television. I guess I could act and put on a show but that's not me. I'm definitely the geography nerd and the logical thinker and the travel logistics person. He's more of the athletic Let's bungee jump type of guy and the let's put the bicycle together and travel through Beijing kind of guy. So we'd make a good team...just not good television.

I must thank Amazing Race for increasing my knowledge of things I didn't know. For instance, I didn't know that you could climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge. So prior to traveling to Oz I made my reservation to do a climb of the bridge and it happened 5 years ago today!

I think my family had some concerns about me going to Oz but I think they were OK with it except for one thing. Helen wasn't too hip on me climbing that bridge. She told me not to do it and so I did.

When you climb the bridge you are really doing a gradual ascent once you clip yourself to the bridge. There's a whole bunch of things that happen before you get to that point though. You attend an orientation class. You take a breathalyzer. You don a Mini-Me looking outfit. And anything on your torso that could fly away has to be clipped to your Mini-Me costume (i.e. sunglasses).

So here's how it played out. We line up and start our walk to get into the bowels of the bridge which means we are climbing a few ladders and walking on some catwalks. The guy in front of me informs me that he has a fear of heights. Uh...

Well he's doing this because his bf wants him to do it. Everything is OK until we're on the catwalks and he can see the cars traveling underneath us.

Our tour guide was named Edward. He was very personable. It was his job to make sure we got to the top of the bridge without falling off and to make sure we had our pictures taken so that we could spend oodles of money when we turned in our Mini-Me costume.

Edward had a headset like Madonna ala Blonde Ambition Tour. And we had headsets so that we could hear him. I could not have ordered better weather for that day. Edward even commented about how far in the distance you could see.

So there is one photo in my collection that is my favorite from that day. The SYD skyline is behind me and right before Edward snaps the shutter I tell him that this bridge climb is the one thing Helen told me not to do. So Edward says, "This one's for mum!" And I start laughing.

Near my hotel was this odd little trailer that had people eating there all of the time! Cops. Firemen. EMTs. Club kids. Business people. Steve reminded me that it was one of the detours when Amazing Race was in SYD.

The contestants had to go to Harry's Cafe de Wheels and order a meat pie. They do something odd with the meat pies (picture a small pot pie filled with beef and gravy). They top them with mashed potatoes AND mashed peas. That was a bit odd.

Steve recognized the girl who was serving meat pies to the contestants. He asked if it was her and she sort of got an attitude (like she couldn't be bothered) and acknowledged that it was her.

So many stories to tell about that trip. All of them good...even though I almost got myself killed when I looked the wrong way before crossing a street because remember they drive on the wrong side. :-)

In other news...

I met a fellow blogger today. Running My Mass Off was at The Tasting Room for a Farmer's Market. It was a fun afternoon and it was fun to talk about our parallel lives...sort of parallel lives. She was impressed that I was able to blog early this morning after spending an evening drinking copious amounts of GOOD vodka.

I REALLY needed some wine this afternoon. Not quite hair of the dog but it helped. Add some laughter to that and it was a fun afternoon.

I briefly spoke with Neighbor Nina and AttyHou. I guess you could call it The Walking Wounded of Roy Street which proves a fun time was had by all last night.

Sydney

I promise not to spend TOO much time over the next few days reminiscing about my 2002 trip Down Under. I was there for about 8 days and part of that time I was there by myself.

A funny thing happened on the way to the hotel.

After spending 18 hours flying from LAX to SYD, going through customs, doing a quick currency exchange and being disoriented it was time to get in a taxi and meet up with Baron and Steve. They had been there for a few days and were leaving on the 3rd to go diving but would be returning after a few days.

The hotel was located in Woolloomooloo. Woolloomooloo is a neighborhood in Sydney and the hotel we were staying in wasn't one of the big ones so I sorta had to tell the taxi driver how to get there based on an email from Steve.

I couldn't EVEN say Woolloomooloo and try saying it with a Texas accent on top of it. The taxi driver couldn't figure out what I was trying to say. So I show him a piece of paper where I had spelled it out and he knew the neighborhood and then I said it was near the W Hotel and off we went...on the wrong side of the road with the driver on the wrong side of the car. Talk about a mind f__k.

Baron & Steve asked if I wanted to take a nap but you see it was only 1000A or so in the morning and I knew that if I took a nap that would be the end of it. So off we went for a quick orientation of Sydney. Opera House. Botanic Gardens. Starbucks. Sydney Harbor Bridge. Hyde Park. Starbucks. Circular Quay.

We had a big party to go to that night after dinner and lo and behold we got separated. UGH! I had NO idea where I was and with it being night time I couldn't find any landmarks to orient myself.

So here I am walking down some busy street and I'm tired, jet lagged, etc. and our cell phones aren't programmed for international calling and I can't get a taxi to save my life. So just about the time that I decide to start crying I run into three guys from Houston (yes, on a busy street in Sydney at night time) and they ask if I'm OK and I told them that no I wasn't.

I tell them that I'm lost and I've lost my friends and well they're no help. So one of them says, "Where is your hotel?" And of course I can't say Woolloomooloo. So after stumbling through Woolloomooloo in all of my smartness, I say, "It's near the water."

OK folks. Look at this partial aerial view of Sydney and then you'll understand why they started to laugh.

So I go into the lobby of small hotel hoping to be able to grab a cocktail and calm down because the tears are about to start flowing. No bar.

I then have the brilliant idea (and why I didn't think of it sooner) to grab a taxi and tell the driver to take to the W Hotel because EVERYBODY knows where that is.

So wouldn't you know it, I get in taxi and we're stuck in traffic AND we're heading in the wrong direction and he can't turn around and the meter is running. So he tells me to get out and go to the OTHER side of the street and grab another taxi. I finally hail another taxi and get this...in a matter of minutes we're at the W and I only have to walk 2 blocks.

Baron and Steve were sound asleep. They knew that eventually I'd make way to the hotel.

I figure I would have come in last on that episode of The Amazing Race. More on that later.

PS After that evening, I learned how to pronounce Woolloomooloo