Challenge Day 2008 - Houston (reminder)

Don't forget!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is Challenge Day 2008. Exercise for at least 15 minutes and send in your results no later than Thursday, May 22.

For more information, click here.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

That is the battle cry for Mardi Gras. It means "Let the good times roll." My other favorite Mardi Gras battle cry is "Revel without a pause." Oh, and I cant' forget, "Show me your ____!" And there is, "Throw me somethin' mistah." And of course, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."Ah...Mardi Gras. Beads. Booze. Second lining. Pink eye. Po Boys. Costumes. Jambalaya. Hurricanes. Long Island Ice Tea. No sleep. Mardi Gras Mambo.

Oh crap! The way things have been going I thought Mardi Gras is just around the corner. It is actually 280 days away. You see...

To make Mardi Gras happen, lots of planning has to take place. I live hundreds of miles away from Ground Zero but even here in the Bayou City plans are underway for a festive 2009 Mardi Gras Season.

The weather yesterday was absolutely B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L and I was inside all afternoon attending two meetings planning for Mardi Gras. Krewe of Olympus and Mystery & Fantasy Mardi Gras Party both had meetings yesterday...back 2 back. OY!

Top that off with being a bit spent from the day before. You see...

I was up early on Saturday to do an airport run. The weather was bizarre. It felt like June Gloom in San Diego. So after the airport run I went for a jaunt at the park and then to the gym to get pumped up for a pool party. The problem with that is that the sun never came out so we stood around and had cocktails all afternoon. Hence, you will NOT be getting a swimsuit fashion show. It was fun to chat with people and meet new people but Str8 Up With A Twist needed a nap and didn't get one.

Ran home, took care of The Calvinator and then it was off to a May Fiesta followed by an outdoor cocktail party. I left around 1100p and I heard that the party went until 330a.

I got up on Sunday morning took care of The Calvinator and it was off to an early Mass...hangover and all. I REALLY tried to stay through the recessional song but I just couldn't do it. I had to get out of there. I'm impressed with myself that I even made it to church!

So you can see why I was a bit spent while watching the season finale of Desperate Housewives.

Back to the subject at hand. Mardi Gras is only 280 days away and I guess you can say that based on my activities this past weekend, I'm in training for Mardi Gras 2009 because honestly, to get through Mardi Gras festivities, you need more stamina than you do for running a marathon.

Overheard at a party (today)

"I found a hot wiener and stuck it between my bun."

A short post.

This post has been inspired by two other bloggers and something that was in the gift bag from the fave magazine party last week. This is the Show 'n Tell that I referred to yesterday.

Awhile back Running For Gold commented that he had received some hits to his blog from people looking for information about masculine running shorts. Click on his name and you can read what was said.

Then, Blog My Runs did a post about running in long shorts just like Lance Armstrong. I'm not sure that he was prepared for the number of comments that he received. I chimed in and stated why I wear short running shorts when I run.

Let's face it folks, I'm short. I'm 5'8". It seems like most guys are taller than me. For me to run in long shorts is very uncomfortable. Let me do some 'splaining.

I have tried to run in long shorts but the problem that I encounter is that there is way too much material flying around my knees. With all that material flying around it makes me feel like Sister Bertrille from The Flying Nun. With the proper wind gust, I could take flight. Plus, the long shorts make me look like I belong to some cult that doesn't allow you to show anything above the knee.

There are some square-cut running shorts that I have but those give me a wedgie in the front and the back. Talk about uncomfortable.

Now, I will say that I do wear the longer shorts sometimes when I'm walking The Calvinator or when I go to the gym to do weights. I don't wear them when I'm spinning because I'm afraid the extra material is going to get caught in the wheel plus the one time I wore a pair of long shorts I had a bunch of material flopping around my knees. And yes, I do wear biking shorts when I spin because they have the extra cushion in the ass.

So here are some photos of some of my shorts.

These are Calvinator walking shorts for first thing in the morning. I can throw them on with a t-shirt and off we go. They have pockets for the keys, poop bags, etc. They're also good cover-up shorts for the running shorts when I don't feel like walking into Kroger after a run and freezing off my kibbles and bit. See how far down on my leg they go!

They sort of remind me of Skorts. Remember those skirts/shorts that Units used to sell?

Next we have another pair of long shorts. It only has a small pocket; big enough for the nano. They're just a bit shorter than the previous pair. I wear these to workout in.

This is another pair that I workout in. They're just a bit shorter than the previous pair. Small inside key pocket.

I can run in these but they cause a wedgie in the front and the back so I normally wear them to the gym if I'm going to do an eliptical machine. Small inside key pocket.

This is the normal size shorts that I run in. OK. Compare them to the long shorts and you can see how short I am and why I like the shorter shorts. No wedgies. No extra material flying around my knees. Very comfortable. Small key pocket inside both.

I do have some wild patterned shorts and so to continue the fashion show, here ya go.

First is this pair. When I run in these I don't even feel them. They don't squish my love handles and the sweat runs right off of them so they don't get all wet and sticky. Funny thing. runnerOne has the same pair and one morning when we went running we showed up both wearing them. Talk about looking like a pair of Twinkies. OK...maybe a Ding Dong a Ho-Ho.

Then we have this pair. Wild but subtle.

And then we have these. I will only wear these at twilight or pre-dawn. It's hard to miss me in the dark. Uh...plus they become a bit transparent when they get wet with sweat.

I bought this pair several years ago and I have never worn them. I guess I was thinking that if I ever had to run in Iraq, they would come in handy. And, as of right now I have no plans to go to Iraq.

Now, back to what was in the gift bag from the party. There was a candle, some soap, some vodka and a pair of shorts(?). A VERY small pair of shorts. Just so you know how small they are, I put them against a pair of my short Puma shorts. Are you ready to see them?

I know of one or two people who MIGHT be able to wear these by their pool. I seriously doubt that I could get them past my calves.

So that is today's fashion show. I'm invited to the first pool party of the season tomorrow and I need to decide which pair of swimtrunks to wear. I have them in varying lengths. ;-)

" " -Marcel Marceau

Remember that saying, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." or was it, "If you don't have something nice to say, come and sit next to me."?

Makes me think of a card that I sold back in the '80s that said, "Some times I say the wrong thing just to have something to say." (And yes, I thought that one up myself and many people purchased it after they had an argument with their spouse/partner. My other favorite was a Father's Day card that I made that said, "To a man who works hard, plays hard and can still wake up hard." That was a big seller also.)

I actually do have some things to say and they're not very nice so I'm not going to say much of anything today.

I'm sort of in a self-censor mode. There is a bunch of stuff going on but if I put it out here I'll end up sounding like:

1) I'm looking for sympathy;
2) Chicken Little;
3) I'm a big drama queen.

I think part of it is that I've been feeling run down. I was fine on Monday morning when I went running and I was fine when I went to spin class and then I wasn't fine. I think I lost too many electrolytes and then kicked the metabolism into high gear and I feel like I can't eat enough this week and I don't want to eat a bunch so I've been feeling kind of weak. My blood sugar seems to be really low and I can gulp down a big thing of Gatorade without stopping.

Yesterday I went to Memorial Park for a 3 mile jaunt and I actually stood there for 15 minutes trying to decide what to do. So I walked 1 mile and ran the last 2 and was worn out.

Also, there is some weird energy floating around out there. Maybe it is the onset of the hot, humid weather that is causing this to happen.

Anywho...I'm working on a funny post (or at least I think it is funny) but it is sorta like a Show 'n Tell and I'm working on the pics (for the Show) so that I can tell.

Enough about me.

I do have a favor to ask. A longtime friend of mine and an avid reader of Str8 Up With A Twist has recently been (as in this week) diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The good news is that at least she knows the cause of her ailments. So just send some positive thoughts her way to help her make some adjustments to her life. Thanx.

And yes, this is probably one of the most unusual post I've written...up to this point.

Does Anyone Still Wear A Hat?

I'm sure by now you have seen these photos from the Sex And The City movie premiere in London.

You also know that I can usually associate a song with most circumstances. When I saw the pics I thought of Ladies Who Lunch and specifically this part of the song:

Here's to the ladies who lunch--
Everybody laugh.
Lounging in their caftans
And planning a brunch
On their own behalf.
Off to the gym,
Then to a fitting,
Claiming they're fat.
And looking grim,
'Cause they've been sitting
Choosing a hat.
Does anyone still wear a hat?
I'll drink to that.

And if you've never heard the song, here ya go




I got cable installed well after SATC went off the air but I have been able to catch up on almost every episode. I think one of my favorites is when Carrie is in the fashion show and falls down. LOL That's something I would do.

I don't go to the movies often but I will be going to see SATC when it hits Houston.

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: