I'm Tired

Didn't sleep well last night. It's warm in here, and I'm tired. And our office water tastes like fluoride. Ugh.

It is hard to muster up much anything interesting. I would kill for some chippies right now. I would l love something salty.

I just want to go home.

Remembering Grandpa Charlie

Yesterday Grandpa Charlie would have turned 96 years old! 96! Like I did for Grandpa Joe, here are some wonderful memories I have of him.

1. He was the biggest movie buff. Discount or new or old flicks. I used to like going to Universal Mall with him and getting lunch and seeing a movie.
2. He was always so well-dressed, so careful with his appearance. Always classy.
3. Sweet and low in his Napa wine!!!!
4. It's Holy Week, and I am sure he is praying with us now. He was such a good, strong Catholic, such a man of faith.
5. He was a man of service, from Meals on Wheels to being an Usher to all of his work with the St. Mark's Seniors Club. Always thought of others.
6. He was a card shark! He had wonderful friends like the Parols and I loved how they would get together for cards.
7. He was a "ladies man" in his old age, with all of the senior ladies liking the fact he could still drive! He'd pull up to mom & dad's and hang out for a while and then drive home.
8. He liked to travel, to Vegas or Up North or his bus trips to Holland, Michigan. I'm sure he would have traveled more if he could have.
9. He persevered through what must have been a rough childhood, but he never complained.
10. He was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. His example of taking care of grandma is something all men should emulate. I will never forget his dedication and love for her, his absolute devotion and his character. He was a wonderful role model. I miss him every day.

Oldness

I ran across this link about "culture that makes you feel old." I think I felt old when most of the commentators mentioned their ages and they were all born after me!

The ones that made me feel oldest were the ones born in 1994...when I graduated from high school.

I think I try to stay up on some aspects of pop culture, at least music, though not the kind of Joe Jonas/Miley Cyrus drek that would compare to the worst of the NKOTB/N'Sync drivel of years past.

But movies and TV shows and whatever is on MTV makes me feel old. So is realizing that most of the young 'uns in the office don't remember the Reagan Administration. Or that the high school class of 2010 was born in 1992! Abby Deveraux on Days should be graduating from high school, LOL!

I don't feel old so much as feel more conscious that I'm not regarded as a young 20 something anymore. I'm a parental age. I remember when mom & dad were my age. They had three kids. I started kindergarten when dad was 34, and I am still trying to figure out the entire children thing. I have friends married to men in their 40s, and that it isn't old. I have friends who are almost 40. Not old either. And friends on facebook at least who have teenagers. Teenagers.

The Beloit Mindset list for the class of 2013 makes me feel, and so does the fact that it started four years after I graduated from college. There you have it.

N'Awlins

Back to New Orleans on this Palm Sunday. Tired so quick weekend overview:

Dinner on Friday at Red Fish Grill. I took advantage of their Lenten Special for:

Garlic Shrimp
Jumbo Gulf shrimp marinated in garlic, then seared, and served with a fire-roasted corn relish, seasonal baby greens tossed with a fresh basil-Dijon vinaigrette

Louisiana Seafood Crepes
Delicate crepes filled with hickory grilled Gulf shrimp, lump crabmeat, fresh Breaux Bridge crawfish tails and oyster mushrooms, served with a light shrimp-infused sauce finished with cream

It was okay, shrimp better than the crepes.

Dinner last night was at Arnaud's.

Started with Shrimp Arnaud: Gulf shrimp marinated in our famous tangy Creole Remoulade Sauce. Good but did not blow me away.

Then turtle soup. Very good.

FILET MIGNON AU POIVRE: Seared pepper-studded center-cut filet with classic French Brandy Cream Sauce: Good, huge!

And baked alaska for dessert.

Good times, good food and friends. Happy to be home!

Recent Reads

I'm still slowing plodding my way through John Yoo's book on Executive Power, and I need to finish that before beginning my Lincoln bio. However, I did finish a paperback read of Empire of Wealth recently. It was a fast read, full of interesting info, and it definitely helped fill my historical vibe of the late 20th century. I decided to pick up The Tycoons at Borders today for some plane reading. Very interested in that!

Off to New Orleans!

Songs from the Years of Life...

A post on Monitor Mix asked about songs you related to at a certain age. She cited Jack & Diane's line about "hold on to 16 as long as you can" as one example. Another reader cited the Circle Game (gosh, what a great song!). Others mentioned several of the songs that cited 17 or songs from Sinatra or John Mayer or Janis Ian that mentioned certain years. Someone mentioned Pete Townshend's line in "Slit Skirts":

I was just thirty-four years old and I was still wandering in a haze
I was wondering why everyone I met seemed like they were lost in a maze

Five For Fighting's 100 years really had meaning for me this past year:

I'm 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I'm a 'they'
A kid on the way, babe
A family on my mind

With every new (weekly?) pregnancy announcement or milestone or baby born, I think about these words and the passage of time. Different things on my mine, different goals to reach.

15 there's still time for you
22 I feel her too
33 you're on your way
Every day's a new day

RIP: WOXY

So upset at the news that WOXY is suspending live broadcasts. I had thought something was wrong with my computer at first, then I learned the sad truth.

I really hope some wise smart investor decides to step in. I'd donate if there was a pledge drive. It was such a fantastic station, playing the best mix of music, and it certainly has introduced me to some great tunes. I really am sad about this--I listened to it all of the time at work!!

I'm just going to have to work harder to discover new tunes. Sigh.

Ageless

I was flipping through Allure today at CVS and the issue this month focused on aging. One piece focused on how 36 seemed to be an "ideal" age...not too young or old, when a woman still feels at the prime of her beauty. The piece pointed out that Heidi Klum, Penelope Cruz, several other were all turning 36 and of course gorgeous.

You inevitably compare yourself to others your age...for me it's Reese Witherspoon or Keri Russell or Milla Jovovich or Candace Cameron Bure or Isla Fisher or Rashida Jones or Ali Larter or Michelle Monaghan or Alison Sweeney or any number of other gorgeous actors and models born then. I don't like look that bad in comparison, do I???

But it also reminds me of the brouhaha surrounding Giselle Bundchen's recent Vogue cover, where she talks about weight gain in pregnancy and it not being a big deal, at least to her.

It reminded me of running in the race; the only person you compete against is yourself. You shouldn't be worried that a supermodel barely gained weight, or a model can appear size 2 long after she's had three kids.

But it's still hard not to compare, or worry when you're on the wrong side of 36. Not there yet. Will be soon enough.

Repeal It

I've refrained from commenting on how very, very bad health care reform legislation is. It's bad. It's wasteful, costly, and a giant entitlement that is never going away. It's going to cost lots of Dems their jobs, even the somewhat decent ones like Stupak, who basically betrayed the pro-life cause. It forces Americans to buy health insurance even if they do not want it.

I hope it's Obama and Pelosi and Reid's legacy. Reid will lose his job over it. I hope that Americans will keep voicing their concerns and protest.

It's a bad piece of legislation. Period.

Sunday

Nice day. Shopped at Tyson's. Ate frozen yogurt. Hung out with the husband. Cooked lamb.

Nice day.

I finished!

13.1 and Done!

My stats:

2232nd place of 6249 (top 36%)
143/656 in my age group (top 22%)
807/3402 of overall women (top 24%)
10K 53:54
Pace through 10K 8:41
Overall time: 1:55:30
Average per mile: 8:49

Since this was a competitive race, I am very happy.

I might sign up for the Army Ten Miler and maybe a 10K.

But then I am done. 

Tomorrow

It'll be 13.1.

I can do it....

Last Run

I did a final four miler tonight in anticipation of the half. I maintained a nice, comfortable, even with a cold, pace of 9 minutes/mile.

I have to remember steadiness and not to get off to too quick of a start. And not freak.

I have to figure out my music. I have to figure out my hydration....probably walk through water stations and load up on gatorade.

And I have to enjoy myself. And remember why I am doing it.

Obama the Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Great read from Robert Kagan about how America's relationship is rapidly deteriorating with its allies.

Israelis shouldn't feel that they have been singled out. In Britain, people are talking about the end of the "special relationship" with America and worrying that Obama has no great regard for the British, despite their ongoing sacrifices in Afghanistan. In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy has openly criticized Obama for months (and is finally being rewarded with a private dinner, presumably to mend fences). In Eastern and Central Europe, there has been fear since the administration canceled long-planned missile defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic that the United States may no longer be a reliable guarantor of security. Among top E.U. officials there is consternation that neither the president nor even his Cabinet seems to have time for the European Union's new president, Herman Van Rompuy, who, while less than scintillating, is nevertheless the chosen representative of the post-Lisbon Treaty continent. Europeans in general, while still fond of Obama, have concluded that he is not so fond of them -- despite his six trips to Europe -- and is more of an Asian president.

The Asians, however, are not so sure. Relations with Japan are rocky, mostly because of the actions of the new government in Tokyo but partly because of a perception that the United States can't be counted on for the long term. In India, there are worries that the burgeoning strategic partnership forged in the Bush years has been demoted in the interest of better relations with China. Although the Obama administration promised to demonstrate that the United States "is back" in Asia after the alleged neglect of the Bush years, it has not yet convinced allies that they are the focus of American attention.

U.S. officials have any number of explanations for these concerns: that they are based on misunderstandings, the product of minor errors in execution, simply Bush's fault. By now, however, a moderately self-reflective administration might be asking why so many allies, everywhere, are worried.

This may be the one great innovation of Obama foreign policy. While displaying more continuity than discontinuity in his policies toward Afghanistan, Iraq and the war against terrorism, and garnering as a result considerable bipartisan support for those policies, Obama appears to be departing from a 60-year-old American grand strategy when it comes to allies. The old strategy rested on a global network of formal military and political alliances, mostly though not exclusively with fellow democracies. The idea, Averell Harriman explained in 1947, was to create "a balance of power preponderantly in favor of the free countries." Under Bill Clinton, and the two Bushes, relations with Europe and Japan, and later India, were deepened and strengthened.

This administration pays lip-service to "multilateralism," but it is a multilateralism of accommodating autocratic rivals, not of solidifying relations with longtime democratic allies. Rather than strengthening the democratic foundation of the new "international architecture" -- the G-20 world -- the administration's posture is increasingly one of neutrality, at best, between allies and adversaries, and between democrats and autocrats. Israel is not the only unhappy ally, therefore; it's just the most vulnerable.

Powerful stuff.

Five Random Thoughts

1. WHY do I always get a cold before a long race? OK, it's only happened twice, but I've been sick twice this entire winter and this is what happens!! ARGH!

2. Just about to say I'm excited about the new Frightened Rabbits album and a song is playing now on WOXY! One of these days I need to hit up SXSW.

3. Not excited about Posto tonight. Rather would head home.

4. Great weather expected Saturday for the half. Phew, one less thing to worry about.

5. Go ahead Nancy, deem that bill passed. Because the rule of law technically doesn't matter, right Mr. Law Professor? "Insuring 30 million uninsured Americans is far more important than the procedural rule that is followed in getting it done." Yup. That is far more important.

Ugh: Cold

The last cold I remember having was before the Army Ten Miler. I am not letting this minor distraction interfere with my week of prep for the half. I will not!!!!

Just going to do a few 5Ks after work. Nothing crazy. Nothing remarkable. I have plans tomorrow so that will be a night off. And with the daylight savings time (I am alone excited about this, I think!), I will be able to get home at 6:30ish for that run. No more rushing to the gym. This really marks the stretch of the best six months or so of the year: longer daylight means outdoor running which means a little more time in the evening. And if I can drag myself out of bed at least one morning per week, then all the better.

Now let me feel better!

Forty

I was very pleased with my time in today's St. Patrick's Day 8K. I finished 169th out of 2382 female runners, and 33rd out of 495 runners in my age group (would have kicked ass if I were twelve months older, like 14th!). That puts my firmly in the top 6-7% of runners. Yeah, I think. I feel like crap now, stuffed, but am happy. I seriously felt faint at the end. While I don't need to be running 5 minute kilometers or running 8:03/mph (seriously, that is faster than my intervals. I didn't even think I could go that fast.

I am proud of myself, but next Saturday is the real test....how am I ever going to finish 13 miles? I will be happy with very deliberate 9 minute miles, or even ten minutes. I just want to finish!

PR 5K: 25:13...how did I run the last almost two miles so fast?!?

Remember Me Controversy

I am not sure if I'd see this, but I've been somewhat intrigued by the controversy surrounding the movie Remember Me. Basically, the protagonist dies in a "surprise" ending on 9/11. Some viewers are outraged, finding the twist exploitative. Others find it moving, an honorable tribute to those victims who really perished in the attack.

I find it somewhere in the middle. I'm guessing it is a rather insipid movie, but I don't think 9/11 should not be addressed. It's already been 8 1/2 years. But it's only been 8 1/2 years.

Anyone who is old enough to remember that day will never forget it. But glossing over it in the new or in the theater isn't going to make it less memorable, or more remarkable. It was a horrific day, and reminding people--including teenage girls too young to really remember--is so important.

American Idol: Jumped the Shark

This piece pretty much sums up yesterday's sad, sad eliminations. Seriously, that Katie "Seven Year Old" chickie instead of Lilly? Ugh. And Alex Lambert was so sweet and earnest. Ugh, it'll be a long, long season.

As if Alex's exit wasn't bad enough, Lilly Scott's Tuesday night performance of "I Fall to Pieces" proved horrifically prophetic, as she too was eliminated Thursday--even though I'd always had her pegged as one to beat (an opinion that was unanimously shared by the judges). "I know there are people out there who want to jam with me," a visibly saddened Lilly mused. And she's right: Lilly, if you're reading this, I'll jam with you on your Moog and mandolin any time. You were robbed....

Siobhan Magnus, Crystal Bowersox, Casey James, and Michael Lynche: If you're reading this, I'm counting out you four to save the entire show now. You guys are my only hope, barring any last-minute reinstatement of the show's old Wild Card policy.

PC Obama

Love the breakdown of where our President's prize money is going. Every minority group out there, literally, and every major continent (sorry, Australia). Sheesh. I guess he could have pocketed the money, but his reputation as the world's greatest peacemaker (see: Beer Summit) transcends that. At least there aren't any environmental groups represented.

New Tunes

Been listening to some good new tunes lately. A favorite is the new Shout Out Louds album...fun, upbeat music. Good for running!

I discovered Emma Pollock on WOXY. Her Red Orange Green is super catchy.

I am a fan of Mumford & Sons. I have little Lion Man and The Cave on the ipod already. Reminds me a bit of Avett Brothers.

Free from All Songs Considered is Local Natives' Airplanes. I also have Sun Hands. More free tracks!!

Much more good stuff coming....new Goldfrapp, Josh Ritter, Val Emmich, the new Basia Bulat is out...oh so much good music. So little time. At least I am getting a good free sampling!

Downsizing Detroit

This piece talks about downsizing Detroit by converting some of the blighted parts into urban farms, growing vegetables and fruits instead of weeds in the open fields. I'm actually a fan of this, and I've written about it before. It makes no sense to fund city services to fund only a couple of occupied lots in acres and acres of abandoned property. It's one of the times I believe that eminent domain should absolutely be used--the city cannot support that large of a geographic area in which half its population has decided to abandon.

Here's more:

Now, a city of nearly 2 million in the 1950s has declined to less than half that number. On some blocks, only one or two occupied houses remain, surrounded by trash-strewn lots and vacant, burned-out homes. Scavengers have stripped anything of value from empty buildings. According to one recent estimate, Detroit has 33,500 empty houses and 91,000 vacant residential lots..

Faced with a $300 million budget deficit and a dwindling tax base, Mr. Bing says the city can't continue to pay for police patrols, fire protection and other services for all areas.

The current plan would demolish about 10,000 houses and empty buildings in three years and pump new investment into stronger neighborhoods. In the neighborhoods that would be cleared, the city would offer to relocate residents or buy them out. The city could use tax foreclosure to claim abandoned property and invoke eminent domain for those who refuse to leave, much as cities now do for freeway projects.

Valentine's Day

I saw Valentine's Day yesterday. It was a total chick flick, but very enjoyable. Sometimes you need that: a quiet movie, away from the blackberry, with a bowl of popcorn and a storyline you don't have to think much about. The formula for these kinds of films usually works: engaging, likable characters, pretty scenery, surprising connections, etc. Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher seemed particularly appealing: smiley, optimistic, good-looking, etc.

So many other movies yet to see...maybe I'll go see Shelter Island while Steve is traveling. Good way to spend a night alone!!

Remember Grandpa Joe

Today would have been Grandpa Joe's 102nd birthday. Here are ten things I will always remember about him.

1. He was a great golfer. I always was blown away by how far he could hit the golf balls up north!
2. Fantastic photographer. I always wondered what he would have thought about digital photography!
3. Such an animal lover. So gentle.
4. Knew more about cars than anyone.
5. McDonald's.
6. He was a great outdoorsman. He always could garden, find the hidden morel mushrooms, and hike even with limited eyesight.
7. He prized education. He loved to read, and I always thought he was one of the smarter people I knew.
8. He had a fantastic sense of adventure. I was too little to remember his roadtrips, but good for him!
9. He could walk to KMart. Very independent. Mom said when I was two, I could read the Kmart sign after a trip with him and dad.
10. So silly, but I remember those Saturday visits that Kevin would faithfully make and I'd try to. Trips to the fruit market, exploring his fantastic backyard with the cherry, pear, peach, grape, etc. fruit trees, getting a mint or a taste of something I should not have been drinking, and maybe getting some coins.

I miss him, and I'm so happy he has a namesake.

Another Long One

I did a second long run, probably the last before the half. Almost eleven miles. Whew. I am tired just thinking of it. It's been a beautiful day, temperature is normal! 50s! About time. I ran down to the Lincoln, to the Jefferson, to Pennsylvania & 13th NE. I am a bit sore and have a little blister, but not so bad. Running is all about mental, right?

Girls night tonight. I spent the afternoon running around with a myriad of errands, haircut and Target and mall and ironing board. I have a bit of a headache, but I need to rally!

Birthday Dinner

We went to Bistro Italiano last night for a quiet dinner. Pizza, shrimp & pasta, good stuff. It's a small neighborhoodly place near Schneider's with a small wine list and lots of homespun entrees. Good eating, yes. We didn't want to deal with the crowds elsewhere, and we were tired. It's okay--as a 34 year old "old lady" I'm very happy with that, and very happy with pizza with feta and spinach. Good stuff, indeed.

Mom & dad sent some workout clothes, and I have a couple of gift cards to spend. And I talked to Leigh Ann and got some more nice emails and facebooks. A few people I mysteriously did not hear from. Whatever, right? It still hurts a bit. Last year I mentioned the inevitable "let-down" feeling birthdays bring, even when you try your best to acknowledge others and insert subtle reminders, to keep all of this bday stuff on the radar. It's only human, I guess, to be happy with those nice acknowledgments while still feeling slighted by those who didn't take a minute of their day to remember. But yeah, I need to get over this. I'm very fortunate to have people remember and care just a bit.

Weekend ahead is looming...run, go out for girls night (is it bad I don't wanna??), shop (for an ironing board!!!), and oh yeah, a haircut! Yeah, my hair is so stringy and split-endy. Looking forward to that and my new purse and some shopping time!

Thirty Four

Well, I made it past 2:19 a.m. and the clock turned thirty-four. Been a quiet day thus far. I've gotten lots of facebook happy birthday wishes and fewer from around these parts. Lunch was sadly a disappointment (not going to Wasabi again!). Lesson one in being 34: stick with instincts, and don't try some new place for lunch that serves chicken. I should have known better and stuck to pasta and what I ultimate got, honey peanut chicken. I deserve a good lunch for my birthday, right?!?! I wanted pizza or pasta tonight but I really did want pizza...

I made sure that I did a good five mile run last night. I want to get up early tomorrow (we shall see!) and have a fantastic outdoor run on Saturday before getting my hair cut.

I am not sure if I have goals, per se, this year, but there are some things I want to happen by the time I turn 35. The biological clock is ticking, right?

Happy birthday to me.

The year past...

It's sort of New Year's Eve around here, and I'm feeling a bit old with about seven hours left til thirty-four. It's not a monumental age--I can't run for president yet!-- or the age where the biological clock really starts to rear its quite ugly head. But it's mid-thirties, very thirty-something, a good decade and a half since you've been a teenager. It's twenty years since you started high school--twenty years!!!--and finished grade school and seen half of those notorious facebook friends.

Thirty-three was good to me, mostly, for some reasons. The year was a blur with not much new or changing in my life. No weddings or new homes or new babies. I did run ten miles for the first time. But I'm not sure there were many other firsts.

Well, I will toast thirty-three tonight before I worry too much about thirty-four. We'll have 365 days together, after all!

Birthday Night at Morton's

We went to Morton's last night. We (got ID'd!) shared the dinner for two for $99...petite fillets, crab cake, Caesar salads, shrimp, and more dessert (chocolate cake, key lime pie, creme brulee, etc.) then we cared to eat. We shared a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Supery. Terrific. Then we opened up gifts--got a beautiful dress and cardigan from Ann Taylor, and Steve opened up his Seinfeld DVDs and Dave Matthews tickets. It was a nice night.

Now I'm (hopefully) off to Miami for 24 hours. Hopefully I can catch up on some reading!

The Week Ahead

1. Happy birthday Stevie!

2. Just got back from Philly, after a day there on Saturday. Cold, gloomy. Not my favorite city, not my least favorite city. Good seeing friends.

3. Miami tomorrow, though storminess awaits. Ugh. I'm not terribly excited to go, but it'll make the week go faster.

4. Working out will be tough this week. I lazily slept in this morning, though it was good to be in bed for 10 hours. I feel less exhausted.

5. I bought the new Shout Out Louds album. Great music. It's my favorite of the year, thus far, a bit over Spoon album. If I'm counting the Brandi Carlile EP, it's tight though.

6. Paul & Megan are in Hawaii. Jealous. They had some turbulence on the flight there, but luckily, the Chilean hurricane didn't affect them too much.

7. And oh yes, I'm about to turn thirty-four...Thankfully I have a few days left to ponder this!