Almost.

I've been back from Colorado for a week now, and I have yet to work out or run. I guess I underestimated how much a puppy would change my life. I assumed Tank would jump right in and be a big brother, thereby taking a lot of pressure off of me to keep the little squint amused, but nooooo.

Just kidding. I know it'll take a while for Tank to get used to having another dog around, especially after all this time alone, and especially after spending these last few years with elderly dogs who weren't in the best shape for rough housing. In the meantime, Curly Joe is terrorizing the cats. I don't think he's figured it out yet that they're cats and not actually puppies like himself. All it'll take is one or two smackchops and he'll learn his lesson, but so far none of the cats have gotten to that point.

I took Joe to the vet yesterday for lab work. I was worried about his kidneys because he seems to drink and pee a lot more than the average dog. Turns out his kidneys are fine. It's his liver that's messed up.

Now, I adopted this dog because he had health issues from being poisoned when he was three months old. He's been doing so well, I guess I fooled myself into thinking all of his issues had resolved themselves. No such luck. The vet thinks it could be one of three things:

1. Toxins from being poisoned.
2. Hepatitis infection.
3. Some sort of shunt problem.
   

She recommends that we do a clotting profile, and also take him in for an ultrasound/biopsy. I'm going to find out how much both of those will cost me and then do some planning. Right now, Joe appears to be in good health. He doesn't have heart worm and everything else came back normal. I need to call around and find a good puppy class to enroll him in. He's a smart little bugger. I already taught him how to sit, and he's pretty well potty trained. He hasn't figured out that if he has to pee, he should go to the front door, but when I take him outside, he does his business and waits for me to give him a treat. He's been really good about chewing, too. Sometimes he'll try to eat a catnip toy or a sock, but he hasn't eaten any wires or furniture or anything, preferring to chew on some of Tank and Luke's old Nylabones. He hasn't figured out "come" and "stay" yet, but that's fine. That's what classes are for.

As for running, I'm going to start on the elliptical and do strength training the rest of this week and hopefully get back on the track next week. I still need new shoes, but I've got the Yoga for Every Body DVD from the library, and it looks pretty doable. I think it will help. Also, my sister is looking at used pilates machines, so I can start doing that as well.

I just have to keep sending out the old resume because everything is pretty much at a standstill until I get some money in the bank.

I'm scared that I won't be able to do Week 2 at all next week. Must keep positive about running and Curly Joe. I do, however, hope something nasty happens to the sick fuck who poisoned this puppy. He more than deserves it.

Riding the storm out.

Okay, it's not so much a storm as it is a massive heat wave. We've got a Red Flag Warning going on over here, which basically means you can burst into flames if you're out in the sun too long. Just kidding. But not really.

I got up extra early this morning so I could walk the dogs before it got too hot. It was 80° at 7:30. Oyyyy. Now I'm at my mom's house. I had to get Freddie's thyroid meds. I'm cooling it for a few minutes before I head out again. A few weeks ago, my sister got one of those water coolers for the front hall; I'm going to swing by New Seasons and get a refill. We're going to be drinking a LOT of water this week.

Things should start cooling off by Sunday, which is good because there's no way in hot holy hell I'm going to attempt any sort of exercise in this heat. Call me a wimp, but it ain't gonna happen.

Colorado was a blast. LS&C are wonderful kids, and I really enjoyed meeting them. Curly Joe is quite a little spitfire. He’s coming along pretty well with the house training, and maybe a couple of years from now he’ll get over the excitement every time a cat walks past him.

He’s a good pup, full of spirit and curiosity. He's not old enough for the training yet (they have to be a year old), but I'm going to try and get Curly Joe certified as a therapy dog. When we're out walking, people flock to him. I shit you not. He has a gentle way with people, it's like he was born to be a therapy dog. I really want to do this so I can take him into nursing homes to visit with the elderly. I love old folks, and I miss my Gram. It would make her happy to know I was trying to help some old timers feel a little less lonely.

Tank doesn’t really know what to make of him yet, but sometime soon, he’s going to kick Curly’s ass, and Curly is going to LOVE. IT. Now that I’ve gotten a good look at him, I’m positive Curly Joe is a Corgi/JRT mix. Probably some German Shepherd, too. He’s got a Corgi face, Terrier legs and the GSD Stink Eye:


That right there is the exact same look Luke used to give me right before he had a meltdown. The message conveyed went a little something like this: "I love you and I don’t want to do this, but in a few seconds I’m going to go postal.”

It was one of the many reasons why I loved that dog so much. He was a ton of love stuffed into 95 pounds of scary.

Here is Curly Joe trying to help Tank overcome his carsickness.



Here is yours truly enjoying a (totally vegan) VG Dog from VG Burgers in Boulder, Colorado. It had the works: sauerkraut, onions, relish and mustard. I asked for no ketchup (because ketchup on hot dogs is blasphemy) and got some “cheese” on it instead. Sooooooooooo goooooooooooood.





The bad news is, VG Burgers is the only vegan restaurant in the entire state of Colorado. The good news is, the owner told me they are going to be opening up a couple of stores in the Pacific Northwest. It’s an expensive meal, but I’ll shell out the dough to walk into a joint and enjoy a vegan hot dog and milk shake. Oh, yes. I totally will.

Anyway, Colorado was a blast. Took lots of pictures, but I haven’t finished updating my travel journal yet. I am lazy have ADD.


Look for more running blogs next week, when the temperature goes back to normal. Sheesh.

The road so far.

As you can see, I haven’t run at all this week. Too frazzled, too busy, too overwhelmed. Too full of excuses. I’ll be back next week, though. I promise.

Sis and I are leaving for Colorado tomorrow, so I decided to create a separate travel journal so I don’t clog this thing up with non-running blather. Check it out. We’ll have my sister’s laptop, so I’ll probably be updating pretty frequently. There’s a link in the sidebar if you want to keep checking back.

I finished Hockey in Portland the other day (you know, when I was busy not running) and was delighted to read that Mark Messier’s father, Doug, used to play for the Portland Buckaroos. Know who else used to play for them? The oldest rookie in the NHL: Connie Madigan. Some of us know him from Slap Shot. He played Ross “Mad Dog” Madison of the Syracuse Bulldogs.

In other news, it was 11 years ago today that I was reunited with (most of) my birth family. My sister and I drove up to our uncle's house in Michigan and met (for the second time, I guess you could say) our birth mother, grandparents, and our uncle and his wife and two little boys. Here is a picture from that day: me, my birth grandfather, my birth mother and my twin sister:


I’m just barely five foot one, and I had to lean over to hug her (and my grandmother). Crazy! Also crazy: we have the exact same handwriting, and she used to be a vet tech, just like me. We met the rest of the family (our aunts and all the cousins) in Florida the summer of 2000.

Ok, here’s me signing off. I’ve still got a lot to do. By this time Saturday, I’ll have a puppy! (Here’s a picture his foster mom sent me yesterday):

Week 3, Day 24

I'm so lame, I don't even feel like updating. I ran today. At least there's that. I got up early and took my mom and sister to this street festival and we (hopefully) got into the Guinness Book of World Records for largest group of people playing the kazoo. There were somewhere around 5,300 of us there, all kazooing "Do Re Me." Got to see Portland Taiko, too.

Afterwards, I dropped my sister off at her house and then went to get a hummus wrap at the pub. I went home and bummed around for a couple of hours, did some laundry, pulled some weeds, took some photographs, then finally decided to head down to the track.

I'm still having calf pain, and I have to admit, I'm feeling really discouraged these days. I even did some pre-run yoga poses before I left, but I don’t think they did much to help.

Anyway, it was 68°F and breezy, so I was really comfortable out there. Recovery was good, but my calves are still so stiff after the runs. I'm just really fed up and frustrated.

The tentative good news is, there may be a job opening at my friend's work. Hopefully she can put in a good word for me and I can finally land myself a job. If so, I'm going to the Portland Running Co. for a GOOD pair of running shoes. Custom-fit.

Sis and I are leaving for Colorado this Friday; at least I'll be able to get in two (what I assume will be hellish) runs before we go. We get back Monday night. I plan on running the following Tuesday, but I guess it all depends on how well Curly Joe is settling in.

Reg, my "new" camera is still working nicely. I took it along on one of our walks the other day. Here's Tank tracking something in the neighbor's pasture.

Tired and hungry. See you Tuesday. (It's supposed to be 94° that day, so if I don't run in the morning, it's gym time).

Week 3, Day 23

Hey, tonight
Gonna be tonight
Don’t you know I’m flyin’
Tonight, tonight

Better late than never.

I overslept this morning; a sure sign that I’d gotten my period. Fed the animals, washed down a wildberry waffle with a glass of soymilk and headed up to my mom’s. Dropped her off at her Thursday Thing, came back here and decided it was too hot to run. I waited and waited and waited and finally at around 7:00, it dipped down to 75°F and I decided it was time to hit the track.

This probably would have been my best Week 3 run so far, if it weren’t for my goddamn calf muscles. They’re still killing me. Maybe I need new shoes? Too bad. That’ll have to wait.

So ... that’s pretty much all I have to say about today’s tonight’s run. I’m in a bad mood and don’t feel like writing much. I will say this, though: Since I started the Couch-to-5k program nearly one year ago, I have gone 71 miles. I won’t say I’ve run 71 miles because not all of it was running, but it is still a huge accomplishment. That’s a lot of movement for a fat chick with arthritis.

I forget if I’ve mentioned it and I’m too lazy to go back and check, but my sister and I are leaving for Colorado a week from tomorrow. I have half a mind to buy this album to listen to on the drive because it is some of the weirdest, funniest shit I’ve heard in a long time. The Mustard Battle, Dear Uncle and The Swimming Pool are three of my favorites. I’m no somniloquist, but I did once walk into my parents' room in a dead sleep and try to sell them Girl Scout cookies. My mom said I was quite insistent and became very angry when she said she didn’t want any.

I’ll see you on Saturday. I’ll probably have a late run then, too, because I’m taking my mom to a street fair in the morning. We (and about 5,000 others) are going to try and get in the Guinness Book for the most number of people playing the kazoo.

Week 3, Day 22

This ain’t the garden of eden
There ain’t no angels above
And things ain’t like what they used to be
And this ain’t the summer of love

Good day, and welcome to Day 22. Took Mom swimming this morning. Scarfed down a Clif protein bar on the way to the pool. After swimming, I ran some errands, came home, had a big spinach salad with peppers, radishes and Bragg’s, waited about 20 minutes and then headed down to the track.

There was a gaggle of pre-teens loafing around the fence where I stretch, each of them decked out in a black hoodie (hoods engaged). They left after I’d done my warm up, so ... yay. The weather was good for running: 61°F, overcast and a little windy. As much as people complain about all the rain in the Pacific Northwest, it’s nice to get a break from the summer heat every once in a while. It was pouring while I was swimming, but perfectly dry while I ran.

As for the run, it went pretty well. The second half was murder on my calves again, but at least my lungs are holding out. I didn’t have time to workout yesterday because I had an eye appointment. The good news is, my left eye hasn’t gotten any worse. The better news is, my right eye actually got better. Are you ready for this?

My right eye is -5.50
My left eye is -4.25

I had made an appointment for my sister as well, and she went ahead of me. When it was my turn in the chair and the doctor started the exam, she said, “You’re the twin with the bad eyes.” I laughed and said something about my reputation preceding me, and she told me that my sister had been her best patient all day: her prescription hasn’t changed at all.

Bitch.

You know how they make you stand on the line and put the black thing over your eye and read the eye chart? When I took my glasses off, the tech asked me which line I could read the clearest and I said, ”It’s all a blur. I know the top one is an E, but it’s always an E so that doesn’t count.” She laughed. Thank you, I’ll be here all week. Other than being completely blind, by eyes are totally healthy. I attribute that to my not wearing contact lenses in three years and also from not wearing my glasses 100% of the time. I take them off to exercise/run/swim.

I got a year’s supply of disposable contact lenses. I rarely wear them, but it’s nice to have them just the same. Because my right eye changed, I decided to get new lenses for my old frames. Except when they took them from me, they said they were so worn out that I’d have to sign a waiver. If the glasses broke during the “re-lensing,” I would have to come back in and get another pair. So I picked out a new pair and kept my old ones as a spare. Which kills me because I love my glasses. The new frames suck, but they were the closest I could get to my old ones.

Anyway, the point is, while I swam and ran, I had my contacts in and was amazed at how well I could see.

Not much else has been going on. Oh, except that I’m out of my fucking mind and had no idea what week it was. I thought we were going to Colorado this week, but it’s next week. I’ve had my dates all screwed up, which makes me think I really should call someone about getting this ADD diagnosed.

Sunday my sister and I went to cheer on our friend Rene, who is on a gay softball team. They did a double header, but we only caught the second one, which they won. This Sunday we’re meeting up with Rene again, this time for Sister Bingo. It's the first Sunday of every month. July was 50’s Bingo, which is the one I was really looking forward to. That and Pajama Bingo. August is Beach Bingo, and I won’t be wearing a bathing suit.

I've been walking Tank a lot lately; about two miles every evening. The other night we walked pretty late. It was mostly dark, so I didn't know there was a skunk in the ditch until Tank ran at it. Thankfully, he didn't get sprayed, though it wouldn't have mattered to me if he did. I can't smell a damn thing. Not even skunk.

I have a massive headache and I still have to shower and go to the vet to pick up some fluids for Spooky.

See you Thursday.

Delay of game. Two minutes.

From morning to night I stayed out of sight
Didn’t recognize I’d become
No more than alive, I’d barely survive
In a word...overrun

Hi. I haven’t run since Tuesday. I’m not sick or hurt, I just haven’t had the time. My sister and I took our mom swimming on Thursday (and saw a bald eagle on the way to the pool) and that’s the last time I had any peace. Nothing bad; I’ve just been really busy and kind of stressed. I had time to go to the library today, where I killed an hour waiting for my film to be developed. I’m happy to report that Reg (my “new” Nikkormat FTn) works perfectly. Here are some shots from the test roll (Fujifilm, ISO 100):

Ocho on the prowl


My sister (grubbygirl)


Very, very sad Tank

Needless to say, I’m incredibly happy with the results. The mercury battery it came with still has a bit of life left in it, so I can hold off on buying a(n expensive) replacement. When I picked up the film, I bought a cheap pack of b&w film (ISO 400). My sister and I are leaving for Colorado next week (and this time we may actually get there), so I’ll need to stock up on some color film as well. I just can't even tell you how happy I am with the Nikkormat. I've missed analog photography so much. I feel like I was just reunited with a long lost friend.

Tank is still depressed and lonely, despite the fact that Sis and I walk him at least two miles every evening. I don’t know what else to do for him other than get him a dog, and a week from Monday, I’ll have done just that.

Anyway, I had that hour to kill before my film was ready (someday I’ll have my own darkroom), so I went to the library. I had a couple of things on hold, but I strolled around for a while and snagged a couple other items, too:

• The Division Bell - Pink Floyd (I lost my copy in the move)
  
• Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
  
• The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas (10 whole CDs!!!! That’s eight hours of radio drama, bitches. One of Sis's friends recommended this to me, and I jumped all over it once I found out they had it at the library.)
  
• Who’s On First? - Abbott and Costello (How could I not already have this?)
  

I also checked out The Last Unicorn, by PeterS. Beagle and The Station Agent. Sis hasn’t seen it yet, and we both love Peter Dinklage. We watched Penelope last night and he was great in it. (If you haven’t seen him in Death at a Funeral, go rent it.)

The movie itself was cute, but the “guess which instrument I play” scene was horrendous.

In closing, I’ve got Nikkormat photos up at my Flickr and will definitely see you on Tuesday with a regular run entry.