Getting ready

Getting ready for the marathon.  As I said (but am now proving by photo), I bought my shoes for race day and enough gu to train for some time.

This season has gone quickly, but mostly because it's been quick.  I've followed a more abbreviated training plan than usual, and I'm not expecting any great results.  A PR is out of the question (going for one would just be stupid and would result in a very painful 20 miles after that first 10k).  But I'm going to be happy with a solid run where I feel relatively strong for relatively long.  I don't have a right to expect anything more with a 15 week training season (that's 15 weeks total until the race, counting taper weeks), my current weight, and my current paces.  I might even be asking too much to hope for a solid run, but it will hopefully be possible if I pace smartly and the weather is on my side. 

It's in Washington state, so hopefully we'll get at least a 20 degree temperature break from my usual running weather to race day highs.  Since I run at the coolest part of the morning (usually about 5:00 or 6:00), it's usually only in the low 80s when I run, although I got a run in the low 70s once each of the last two weeks in Philly, which was a treat.  Just to offset that, I got in one evening run last week in the low 100s, which was the opposite of a treat.  But hopefully race day high will be in the low 60s, although I haven't actually looked at the weather.  Low 60s would feel amazing. 

The best part about this race I think will be that I'm driving after the race to Bend, Oregon, to stay with my brother and his family for a little while.  I'll be there for the eclipse, which will be special.  I'm going to have to work most days (I am taking a half-day of vacation though, for the day my husband arrives), but working in Bend near one of my sweetest nephews (Willard!  Age 2.4 when I'm there) and one of my sweetest nieces (Ava!  Age 0.7 when I'm there) beats working in Dallas!  And my folks will be coming out as well, and we'll have a fun weekend together celebrating my birthday and my niece's baptism.  I think my brother's in-laws are all coming too, so I think it will be a big crowd, which will be so fun.

We come back from Oregon on August 29 very early in the morning, then I've got a few weeks with a fair amount of work travel (more Philly, more Pensacola, and a trip I'm excited about to Denver), and then we'll split for our real vacation on September 29!  Woot, woot! 

Just keep swimming!  I've only got one really, really long run to do now, then one sweet weekend taper run.  I can totally manage that! 

Ewwww

I have no idea how I got distracted or what happened this morning, but I think I failed to thoroughly rinse the conditioner out of my hair.  It felt kind of goopy when I was combing it, and I probably should have just re-rinsed it then, but I forged ahead.  It doesn't look terrible I don't think, but it definitely seemed kind of heavy/yucky as I was drying it.


Oops. 


Maybe it's just indicative of the fact that I don't seem to know which end is up lately.  I'm finally recovering from whatever sinus infection or upper respiratory thing that I assume I got from my husband, and I'm actually in town all week this week, so I am kind of catching my breath, but it's just feeling like a beat down lately.  I'm quite content and things are going well in general (although I got my @ss kicked last week in Philly in court; to say we busted at the settlement conference is an understatement, they walked out after my opening offer, which they deemed "unreasonable").  Running is ticking along.  I bought my marathon shoes and tested them out for 8 miles this morning.  I only have a few more long runs -- a 16 with 4 at pace this weekend, and then I think a 22 the following weekend.  My husband is getting over the same cold thing.  He actually went back to the doctor over the weekend and got a steroid shot, which was the push he needed to turn the corner.  But between work and social stuff, plus running, it just feels like there's way too much go-go-go for me lately.  The end result of which is apparently unrinsed hair.  Oh well, no complaints.  We're local for the next couple weekends, which will be good (ignore the fact that I packed the calendar for this weekend...). 

Staple-less

Trader Joe's is out of steamed lentils for three straight weeks!!!  It's my standby dinner staple and I'm having trouble living without it.

I get in ruts with my eating.  I've eaten the same breakfast for years (smoothie) and for years before that, it was an English muffin and veggie breakfast sausage.  

Dinner is less of a rut, but my standby meal is lentils and pita chips.  

My husband asked me if I could just steam my own.  I told him no, so please don't let anyone burst that bubble.
One of my friends gave me a recipe a few years ago that I'm addicted to.  Steamed lentils (cold), feta, raisins, red onion, lemon juice, olive oil, pepper.  Mix and eat with a spoon and/or pita chips.  I'm addicted. 
And I might be going into withdrawal soon.  I've emailed the store.  Let's hope they respond.  Or more importantly, let's hope they fix the issue! 

Lamb Jam Log-jam

FYI, there were protestors at Lamb Jam in San Fran!  Lots of them according to my husband.


I asked my husband if he thought it to be at all ironic or amusing that if I were more of an activist type, this is the kind of event that I'd be more than happy to protest as a vegetarian and lover particularly of cute animals.  He ignored my question. 

Transfer

So I was hoping to magically transfer my husband's cold to me so that he would be better for the weekend.  That plan didn't work.


Instead of taking some of the sinusitis symptoms (or whatever it is) off my husband so he could enjoy his weekend away, I just got the symptoms myself and he still has it.  So we're both down for the count.  He's toughing it out and trying to enjoy Lamb Jam.  I'm laying low.  Did some volunteer work with a friend this afternoon, and hoping to be able to hammer out a slow 20 miler tomorrow morning.  We shall see...  I feel awful.  My throat hurts to swallow, so I'm barely drinking any water.  That's not going to mix well with 80 degrees and 90% humidity! 


In other news, my search for a car dealership that does NOT steal all the coins out of my car continues.  I took my new car in for service the first time on Friday, picked it up on Saturday.  I did an exact count of the coins in the armrest when I dropped it off -- 4 quarters, 2 dimes, 1 nickel.  It was the first thing I checked when I picked it up.  1 quarter, 2 dimes, 1 nickel. 


People are such $hitheads.  I'm beyond irritated.  I even told my customer service advisor that the reason I drove all the way to the dealership in Plano was because the Dallas one had stolen change from my car.  I didn't tell them it happened again because it just wasn't worth it (and of course, my customer service rep was off today). 


Seriously, who does that???? 

Sicko sympathy

My husband has some kind of cold/flu/upper respiratory illness happening right now and I'm so miserable for him.  I wish more than anything he could transfer it to me for a 5 day spell.  This weekend, he's had long standing plans to go to San Fran on a guys trip.  He leaves Friday night and will come back Monday.  I actually have a late flight out on Monday for work that week, so hopefully we'll get to cross paths in the airport for about 30 minutes after he lands and before I board.  But anyway, he has been so excited about this trip for so long.  It feels so unfair that he'd get sick right before it. 


When we first started dating, he spent a lot more time dealing with the general public and I felt like he used to get all kinds of illnesses, and often transfer them to me.  It felt like once a year, we'd both get a horrible upper respiratory infection (usually him first, then I'd be a few days behind).  But since he changed jobs a few years ago, he spends more time at his desk and deals with fewer people (though still way more than me).  And since then, we both seem to get sick very rarely.  I've actually never taken a sick day in more than 6? years at my job (though that's misleading, because I have been sick, just never too sick to be unable to work from home).  But I haven't even had a sniffle in ages, and he really hasn't either.  The timing sucks for him. 


In San Fran, the primary plan is to attend this event called Lamb Jam.  Tickets were actually way more expensive than I'd ever have guessed, and are already purchased.  It's 100% not my thing.  From what I understand, it's a music festival put on my our nation's lamb farmers, and a bunch of chefs come from all over and cook dishes featuring lamb.  Exactly the kind of place I do not belong as a vegetarian!  I'm also not really a music festival person.  I'm sure they're fine, but it's not even close to the top of my list of things to do in the Bay Area. 


My husband will gladly eat vegetarian things, but he will also readily add meat to something I make -- usually chicken or tuna.  He's never been a big eater of beef or pork.  But unfortunately for my animal-loving self, he loves "the weird meats" the most -- rabbit, lamb, stuff like that.  And he's also way more musical than me.  Lamb Jam is right up his alley! 


He's been so excited about this weekend, he's even made up a song about it that he has been singing at least every other day for more than a month, sometimes many times per day.  Technically, I suppose I might be exaggerating to call it a song -- it's really just melodic repetition of the phrase "Lamb Jam."  But he gets so excited about it when he sings it. 


We've both been getting killed at work lately, and he's been super stressed.  Summer is always a rough season in his job, and for some reason, this summer is particularly bad.  Lots of really hard stuff for him to deal with.  I'm trying to convince him to talk to a professional about it, because it's really getting to him sometimes, to the point where he has been having trouble sleeping, and this week, he's had an upset stomach. 


Not clear yet if the insomnia and upset stomach are related to all this nasal/coughing stuff he's got going on.  I'd guess not, but who knows.  Anyway, to add to not being able to sleep because of work stuff, for the last few nights, he's been waking up coughing horribly.  Tuesday night, he was actually coughing so hard and suddenly stopped that I jumped up from bed and was tearing through the bathroom to find towels, I was so convinced he'd just puked all over.  He was practically crying after the coughing spell and was very confused when I came rushing over with towels and was trying to figure out where/what to mop up in the dark. 


So he went to the doctor yesterday.  He managed to avoid the chest xray and got meds (cough stuff, z-pack, prednisone, nebulizer meds), so hopefully those will kick in today and his long-anticipated trip won't be a miserable mess.  Fingers crossed for him! 

Deleted Scenes

Dirty Dancing is probably the movie I have watched more than any other.  Pretty Woman is second.  And whatever is next is way, way, way down the list.  I can't even begin to guess how many times I have seen Dirty Dancing.  Actually sitting down and watching it, maybe only 10-20 times?  But having it on in the background of life or work?  More like multiple times per year, probably every year since about 1995 or so?  Let's just say, if I see that it's on TV, it's hard for me to NOT turn it on. 


I wouldn't say it's my favorite movie, and it's probably not even in my top 5, but I love it in a very special way.  I of course own it, and I own the Italian dubbed version -- Balli Proibiti.  I've even watch the version with the directors' commentary -- lots of discussion about where scenes were filmed (most of the scenes were split between two states).  As an aside, one of the most interesting parts of the directors' commentary was discussing the translation of the phrase "a real MD" into the French version of the film. 


Anyway, the movie came out when I was 12, I think I saw it when I was 13.  And I remember very clearly that I didn't understand what "knocked up" meant.  I asked the friend I was watching the movie with to repeat the phrase 3 times, and then I faked that I had heard and understood.  My other clear memory of the movie is Patrick Swayze stealing my heart, and learning who the first woman in the Cabinet was. 


I feel like I know the movie by heart.  In terms of movie quotes used in every day conversation, mine are about 80% Dirty Dancing, about 18% Pretty Woman, and about 2% other.  And since my husband is pretty awesome (and is often doing his own work or travel planning or random internet browsing while I do the same and have Dirty Dancing on in the background), he is pretty darn good at quoting it too. 


So yesterday, my husband was running errands, and I was laying on the couch at home.  Recovering from 18 miles that morning (it was so insanely hot I really thought I might melt, summer has officially arrived in Dallas).  Just starting to do some work after taking all day Saturday off (super super busy at work these days).  And I was looking for something to put on TV in the background.  Saw Dirty Dancing, automatically chose it.


And the movie was going along like normal, when all of a sudden, I snapped my head toward the TV. 


Deleted scenes!!!!!


Words I do not know!!!!


This has happened a couple times before, but usually, if a deleted scene is included, it's one specific scene, occasionally two.  This one had about 9 of them! 


For the benefit of anyone else who loves and/or knows this movie, here they are:


1.  When Baby is getting ready to walk to the staff quarters (before she gets her watermelon), she sees Johnny in the woods making out with Vivian.


2.  When Baby is about to go to the Shelldrake and she is asking Lisa to cover for her, it's the usual line, "just tell Mommy and Daddy I have a terrible headache, and I'm in bed, and check on me once."  Lisa says she doesn't have to just do anything -- same, same -- then Lisa says no!  She says she will talk to Mommy and Daddy, they should know Baby's been coming and going at all hours and there's something fishy about it!  Baby then says that she will tell their parents that Lisa didn't stay with her as instructed while their parents were at a wedding in Washington.  Lisa is appalled because she did, but Baby threatens to lie and knows that she will be believed. 


3.  After the love scene in Johnny's room, they cut to a scene of Lisa and Baby walking, and Baby is telling Lisa that she wouldn't have really lied.  Lisa says she used to think Baby was weird, she walks funny, and she's better than Lisa.  Then back to the usual scene at the breakfast table where Jake announces they're going to leave early, before the final show.


4.  After the breakfast table, Lisa's contemplating which song to sing.  It cuts to Baby going to Penny's cabin.  But as she's walking up, her dad is walking out of Penny's cabin, telling her to finish taking the pills until they're all gone, even if she feels better.  Baby hides until her dad walks off, then walks up to Penny's cabin, back to the usual movie.


5.  When it's raining, just before the Acapulco line, Lisa is standing in the mirror and complaining about how frizzy her hair is, she says she's a frizzball, her mom says it's not that bad, she still looks pretty.  Then back to the line about remind me not to take my honeymoon here.  Then -- best deleted scene ever -- it cuts to Baby and her dad working on a puzzle.  (That's visible in the real movie, but there's no dialogue between them.)  Baby gets a piece and says, "I am a genius, a jigsaw genius."  Her dad says, "and where do you think you get it from?" 
-I'm not sure how I feel about this scene.  I love jigsaw puzzles a way lot and I told my husband that my new Dirty Dancing quote will be "I am a genius, a jigsaw genius," and told him what the appropriate response to that is.  But it doesn't fit the movie real well.  There's supposed to be distance and strain between Baby and her dad, not jokes about how proud he is of her jigsaw skills.  As much as I love the "jigsaw genius" phrase, I'm glad they cut this.


6.  Immediately following the jigsaw genius part (so maybe technically a continuation of the same scene, but I was so into the jigsaw genius line, I'm counting it as separate), Lisa finds a lipstick smooshed into a towel among her make-up.  Mrs. Houseman asks Lisa what happened.  Lisa says "it must have been that stupid, stupid maid," and wonders what she was doing in Lisa's drawer in the first place.  Her mom says maybe she was trying to straighten it up.  Lisa says she should report the maid.  Her mom says, "Lisa, you wouldn't want someone to lose their job over this," and Lisa says it's her only iridescent beige, "she should lose her job."  Baby tells Lisa to shut up and calls her a spoiled brat, and says "I did it."  Lisa questions Baby, and Baby insists she did it.  Lisa says "of course you didn't, what would you be doing with a lipstick?"  Dr. Houseman jumps in and says that if Baby says it's true, it's true, because Baby doesn't lie.  Then Baby goes off to join charades -- just like in the real movie.


7.  When Baby and Johnny are walking and Johnny's telling her about being offered the union job, they see Dr. Houseman walk out of the dining room with his arms around Lisa and Robbie.  Baby and Johnny duck down.  Exact same scene as usual.  But there's dialogue!  We hear Lisa saying that she's been thinking, "when Vietnam falls, is China next?" 


8.  Baby confesses to management that she knows Johnny didn't steal the wallets because she was with him in his room.  Then we see Baby standing on their cabin's porch and her mom comes out.  Baby says her mom doesn't understand.  Marjorie says that she knows, she really knows.  When she was Baby's age, she was in love with someone else, before Baby's father.  And when it ended, it hurt so bad she thought she'd die of it.  But she didn't, and she didn't wreck everyone else's lives in the process either.  Then cut back to the real movie, Dr. Houseman sitting and looking out over the water while the loons are calling.


9.  Johnny goes to say goodbye to Dr. Houseman, "I guess that's what you would see."  Same as normal.  Then Johnny is packing up his car, putting stuff in the trunk and Penny is there, standing with him.  She wants to go with him, she just wants 5 minutes to pack.  Johnny tells her to stay and keep the gig.  Penny says Johnny is always saying that this place is like a dinosaur, Tito gave her a new record and she and Johnny can learn a new tango routine.  Johnny tells Penny she's the best.  She calls him an @sshole and tells him not to make her cry as they hug goodbye.  He tells her that he'll see her in a few weeks.  Then he's closing the trunk alone -- when Baby comes up in the real movie. 


So I'm sure no one else in the whole world will find this interesting, but wow, I was amazed!