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.

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.

We're on the road - We're all set to go - Tell us when!

'Cause the Rocky Mountain way
Is better than the way we had

I haven't run since the 24th and I'm all panicky about it. Last week I wasn't feeling well, this week I haven't had the time. Sis and I are leaving for Colorado tomorrow morning. We'll be back sometime Monday, and Tuesday I hope to be back out on the track.

Good news! I've got a lead on a good (but boring) job; it's in Portland and would be a bit of a drive for me, so I may end up moving back into my sister's house. The upside to that is, my sister works from home and would be there to keep an eye on Curly Joe and Tank while I'm gone all day. I don't know much about the job (got an inside tip from a friend) except that it involves phones and pays very well. I fucking hate talking on the phone, but I'm desperate enough to not give a shit as long as I'm getting a steady paycheck. Hopefully they'll have some nice benefits (medical) because my shit's all fucked up. The only downside to this job (that I can see) is paying out the arse at the gas station every week and not having time to work out as much as I'm used to.

Oh, well. I'll work out a new schedule, if I get the job, and still find time to run three days a week and get my dogs walked every day.

Speaking of dogs, I'm so excited!!!! Apparently, Curly Joe is about six months old but still small enough to tuck under your arm or hide in your jacket. This morning, Meathead was lounging in his doggy bed and Tank came over and started pawing his face. Meathead wasn't having any of it, though. Who can blame him? He had a rough week (barium series at the vet on Monday). Still, I felt bad for Tank, wanting to play so badly but not having an able-bodied dog to oblige him. Sis's friend said that Curly Joe wants to play with the other dogs, but he's really shy. Hopefully a week at our house will bring him out of his shell and he and Tank will be BFFs in no time.

So you won't be hearing from me until next week. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July. It's my least favorite holiday because it scares the shit out of the animals. Back before everyone went deaf, we had to sedate them on the 4th because they were so freaked out by the noise. Everybody except Tank, that is. That dog isn't afraid of anything. He hates water and car rides, sure, but he can deal with it.

Game still off.

Another day of Not Running. It's 96°F out right now, so there's no way in hell I'm running around a track for a half hour. Instead, Sis and I have brought the dogs up here so we could put the A/C unit in the kitchen window. We can sweat it out at her house, but I've got my 64-year old mother to worry about up here. There was no way we were letting her go without A/C. And it nearly killed us getting it set up. At least we got some exercise, right?

So instead of doing anything that requires a lot of movement, my sister and I are planning our trip to Colorado. She's on my mom's computer in the dining room, and I'm on my Mac in the office. Basically, she's booking the hotels and I'm booking the Fun Stuff. First of all, and I hadn't realized this until now, the Mork and Mindy house is actually IN Boulder! So we're absolutely going to see that. Second of all, we're going to eat the HELL out of this place. I've promised my friend Katie that I'll eat a chili cheez dog and a milkshake for her. The sacrifice I make for the people I love.

I'm so incredibly excited about this trip. Sis's friends are getting a dog-friendly room at our hotel, too, that way we can run back and forth with Curly Joe. Heehee. I can't wait!

In running news, I was tipped off to this. I guess that, on November 11th, a bunch of people across the globe are going to run together. Isn’t that nice? Here’s what someone posted at the Ct5k forums:

Steve Runner from the Phedippidations Podcast organises an annual event called the “Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon Challenge, and Kick the Couch 5k”. This year it’s being held on October 11 / 12. The way it works is that you sign up for the event, and then run it on the nominated weekend somewhere in your local area, and post your results back to the website. I thought it would be great if a number of us enter the event...and run it at exactly the same time where ever possible. This way you know that when you’re running, a fellow C25K member will be running along with you.

To try and make the time of day as reasonable as possible for most members, the following is what I suggest our start times should be:

West Coast USA: Sat 11/10/2008 2:00 PM
East Coast USA: Sat 11/10/2008 5:00 PM
United Kingdom: Sat 11/10/2008 10:00 PM
Western Australia: Sun 12/10/2008 5:00 AM
East Coast Australia: Sun 12/10/2008 7:00 AM

To find out your starting time if you’re in a timezone other than the ones listed, click here. In the date field, select October 11 2008, for Location 1 select United States New York, for Location 2 select your own location. Then click Submit. Next scroll down to the New York time of Sat 28/06/2008 5:00 PM* . Your local time will be displayed next to it...that’s your start time.

To signup, go to the Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon Challenge, and Kick the Couch 5k website. It’s totally free. Also click on the Teams Link, and join the C25Kcom team I have setup.

Committing to an event is great motivation to keep training! Let us know if you’re going to take part by posting a reply here.

Exciting, no?

Ok. It is now 99°F. Time to go water the garden. And myself.

See you Tuesday, hopefully. I still feel like crap.

Today is my dad's birthday. He would have been 67 years old. Happy Birthday, Dad.

I've got a tombstone hand and a graveyard mind

Didn't run today. Sick. Don't worry, there's good news: The pain in my ribs isn't so bad it makes me want to die, and the Red Wings won again. I hope the Mule is back to his kick ass, non-concussed self by Monday, though.

Gonna go make some soup and watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Ah, Juicy Fruit.

Penalty for icing

It alternated between snowing and hailing all day, so I stayed in and watched the Capitals cream the Flyers on NBC. I believe I’m at least 73% responsible for the win because I was wearing a red shirt and rubbed my cat’s Buddha-sized stomach for luck before the game started. I'll be rooting for the Red Wings tomorrow, but my red shirt is strictly for Caps games only.



It’s supposed to snow again tomorrow, but I’m going to be prepared for a break in the weather. I’m not kicking myself for missing one run this week. My broken left armpit feels much better, but now I’m having spasms in my back. I’ve had a constant, nagging pain on the right side of my back for a couple of weeks now. I attribute it to sleeping on an old futon mattress (and maybe also because of when I got t-boned on my way to work five years ago), and am hoping that once I get my bed moved up here, the pain will go away. It’s just that these past couple of days the pain has been pretty bad.

My mom is upset that she gained weight, so I’ve promised her that next week I’ll start taking her swimming again. I’m looking forward to it more now that I’ve got a new bathing suit. The old one I had was too big on me from the weight I lost last year and my boobs were in constant danger of making a break for it whenever I got into the pool. GRIM! The new one fits properly. It’s ugly as sin, but I don’t care. I just need something to swim in.

I bought the latest Discover magazine today because an article caught my eye: Visit Hog Hell.

Pigs really are dirty -- but only because humans make them that way. Hog farmers crowd animals, dose them with antibiotics, and spray out their drug-tainted feces, wreaking havoc on fields, streams -- and you. ....In the US, hogs produce more than 119 million tons of waste a year.

The Discovery Channel’s website also has an interesting (though short) article on how what you eat affects the environment.

Next time you find yourself standing in the grocery store, agonizing over whether your green conscience permits you to buy the garlic shipped in from China, relax. You’ll do more to reduce the greenhouse gas impact of your diet by taking the ground beef out of your cart .....shifting roughly a quarter of the 240 red meat calories the average American eats a day to chicken, grains or fruits and vegetables would have the same effect as going completely local.

You can’t argue with science. You can, however, bare-knuckle box it if it insults your mom.