Browsed by
Category: Uncategorized

race report: granddad half

race report: granddad half

Comments 0 Comment

for some reason, i think it’s a good idea to run two half marathons two weeks apart (and bring liz and doug along for the ride). now, the good news with that is that you’re trained already, so it should be easy. and given the horrible weather we had for the half two weeks prior, anything would be a cakewalk.

so, i left central mn, where we’ve been waiting for spring for 84 years, and right around maple grove, suddenly everything was GREEN. unbelievable!!! what was this miracle? axial tilt for the win! it was so verdant that i stopped at the great river road information center in prescott WI so i could admire the greenage on the river.

the drawback to the granddad half is that it starts at 7 a.m. in a spot nowhere near the finish line. so you have to be at the shuttle pickup at 5:45 a.m. what a racket! we made it there, coffee in hand, and headed to the start line, an unnervingly long distance from the finish.

as you can ascertain, the weather was much more pleasant.

and our pace started off great! we had a great first 7 miles. the incline was downhill and flat-ish, and we ran on a gravel path next to a train track through some very scenic marshland. heard some frogs, saw some green stuff, got passed by some very fast marathoners. (marathoners started an hour before we did.)

then quinn started having some knee and hip issues, and we ended up stopping and stretching and walking for a lot of the second half, which was ok because we made such great time in the first half that our final time was still under three hours (always the goal). also, it let me take a pause to smell some LILACS THAT WERE ALREADY IN BLOOM!!!!

😮

overall, the weather was much better, but it was very muggy. and given how much i like to sweat, i ended up having soaked-through shorts by mile 4. how fashionable.

after we finished up, we got our free beers and headed home as fast as possible so liz and doug could get craig to his soccer game. hannah stayed home with me while i took a shower and a short nap, then we met up with everyone to eat some food and a bloody mary (a tradition now).

i left about 2:15ish then stopped at my parents’ house AND jane’s house to say hi on my way home.

overall, race was good. liz and i thought from here on out we will only run 10k races, but i think we both know that isn’t true and we’ll likely sign up for another half next year. who knows what will happen!

an item of note: i’m going to knock on wood for this one, but my muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, etc. have all be really good this year, and i hope they hold up. i don’t know what i’ve been doing, but i’ll keep on doing it.

race report: earth day half

race report: earth day half

Comments 0 Comment

i thought complaining enough about last year’s half marathon weather would have appealed to the weather gods enough to give me excellent weather this year, but that was not the case! april is so fickle.

liz and doug came up for the annual earth day half marathon, and doug was definitely the best trained and most excited about running this morning. i guess the plus side to this race is that it has an 8:30 a.m. start, which is later than a lot of HM starts! anyway, some highlights:

  1. liz and i started off slow. too slow, we think. when you take off for a race with that many people, you have to consciously make an effort to not overdo it right away, and i think we overdid our overthinking.
  2. the first half of the race, we had a leapfrogger who was SUPER annoying. liz and i run, or try our best to run, the entire race, especially at the beginning. this means we go a little slower, but we have a consistent pace. many people at the back of the pack are walk-run-walk-run-walk-run, which is really annoying in a race this length. a woman would run past us, then stop to walk about 6 feet in front of us. she leapfrogged us probably 10 times. super annoying.
  3. our best mile was mile 7-8! usually it’s mile 4, but i guess we were still stuck in slow mode.
  4. the water stations on this course are FANTASTIC. they have one every 2 miles. usually it’s every 3 miles.
  5. the back half of the race, we were running straight into some godawful wind. 15mph wind this morning, and 30-ish degrees. it was not fun, and my lips were numb. when i tried to chew my mid-race fuel gummies, they were almost frozen, and my jaw was so cold i couldn’t chew them.
  6. but we had hot-hands thingies, which was really helpful. i held one up to my jaw so it could warm up to chew.
  7. why oh why is there a giant hill at mile 11? please, someone reverse the race so we can go down that hill instead of up.
  8. we finished sub-3 hours! which is all we ask for. we were walking a lot more toward the end, and i peer-pressured liz into running the last 3/4 mile or so.
  9. my SKIRT was super handy. i was still a little chilly, but not as cold as i could have been!
  10. this was the first time, i think, that i ran a HM with no braces, tape, wraps, or toe assists. in fact, my legs, knees, and feet have been surprisingly good feeling for a while now. *knock on wood*
  11. of course we went to a bar afterward and had greasy food and bloody marys.
  12. after we got back to my house, we promptly fell asleep for like, an hour. i didn’t even take a shower first. just zonked on out.
  13. i don’t know why, but after HMs, my muscles are just sore, which is really weird because i train faster and on similar terrain. i’m not sure if it’s because it was colder, or earlier, or what. but it usually happens in all conditions!
  14. and now to prepare for the next HM in two weeks!
    😑

ps: it’s almost 9 p.m., and the horizon still has a glimmer of gloaming on it!

a review for something long coming

a review for something long coming

Comments 0 Comment

no, not a review of my lack of writing blog posts, hahaha.

i finally bought an insulated running skirt! and it is the best thing ever.

for years i’ve been out running in 40º weather and layering like crazy, but whenever i’d come back, it would take me hours for my bum to warm up. i’d get home from a run, and my thighs, stomach, bum, and trunk in general was splotched red and colder than heck.

i did a little research because i always thought that the fat on your body was supposed to be a good insulator, but it seemed to be doing the complete opposite for me. turns out, there are no veins for circulation in fat! that explains a lot.

i’ve been looking at different ways to layer well, and i found some runner somewhere on the internet talking about running skirts, so i was on the lookout. i could’ve bought a cheapie, but i thought it’d be better to get something that would last.

cue winning some cash at pulltabs one night! we went to sierra (outdoor goods store) afterward, and i found the only smartwool insulated skirt in the place! and it was my size! i got it and have worn it a couple times so far this spring.

i give it 5/5 stars! i wear it over my running pants, and it keeps everything warm. plus it has pockets for my cough drops and phone!

so, if you suffer from cold-bum-itis on your runs or your winter outdoor activities and don’t want to don the snowpants, think about getting an insulated skirt. works wonders!

un-titled out

un-titled out

Comments 0 Comment

hey-o how is it february already?

ok, let’s talk about what the heck is going on with my blog and either a) retire before it turns into a completely dead blog or 2) suggest ways to get me writing again*. i couldn’t tell you why i have dwindled into a nothing sandwich for keeping up with this; i can’t even get myself around to doing a decent KABLAMO in november, which should be a reasonable ask of myself.

maybe i’ve gotten to the point after nearly 20 years (!!!) where i just have run out of material, LOL.

to be fair, i’ve really let go of much of anything social related. i post to instagram sparingly and twitter not even as much. if i can’t even microblog, i guess full on macroblogging is way too much to ask? or have i decided that my life is actually not that interesting and who would want to know more about it?

i wonder if there’s some connection to all the emails i write throughout the day – am i so burnt out from writing emails that i can’t bring myself to writing for fun? is this like when you don’t read for fun while you’re in college because you just can’t deal with reading anything after trying to figure out the symbolism behind 42 poems in a collection compiled by someone your prof knew from 1962?

(i have been reading a lot lately, if that means anything. but i’ve also been doomscrolling a lot as well, so i’m not sure what to make of anything.)

********

on another note, i’ve started training for the earth day half marathon in two and a half months. here’s hoping that it’s warmer than 25º and not windy! that was miserable.

i have integrated speed work into my weekly runs, which has actually made my weekend long runs reasonably “easy” (knock on wood). this is what they’ve been trying to tell me for years; i should have listened earlier! welp, it’s getting warmer out, so more good news on the running front. that’s all i’ve got for a run update!

 

*i also just renewed my hosting, so i feel like i need to keep this up for at least another year and get the most out of the money i spent.

florida: days 4-6

florida: days 4-6

Comments 0 Comment

as promised, another update on the mid-winter trip to florida.

as the days went on, there was a growing trend of who woke up first (usually kari and then me) and then where the stupid stormtrooper was. the star wars bedroom came with a 3.5′ storm trooper model that ended up in front of bedroom doors. after the second time it was in front of mine, i stuck it in my spare bed in hopes of quitting that game.

no such luck.

anyway, day 4

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE was the theme of the day. it was also a little bit of a lazy day. a few of us went to target early in the morning where we got some birthday swag so jane could dress up. then we headed to cocoa beach, about an hour straight east!

i could sit on the beach all day long and just listen to the surf.

the ocean wasn’t too chilly, and a few of us jjumped in. i waded in into about my knees at most, took a little walk, and picked up some shells. we camped out on a piece of sand for about a couple hours, taking in the sun. it wasn’t very busy at all and i could see how this place is packed in the summertime.

we drove back and made supper at the airbnb – tacos and guac – and hung out to relax.

it was on this day that jane and i were discussing how last time we went to universal, we regretted not going a second day and were seriously considering going the next day while the others went to disney hollywood to see star wars. then kari suggested that we just go on friday before we have to go to the airport, since we’d have the whole day and it closes about the time we’d have to get moving any way.

so that was how we decided to spend another day at universal, but at a different park – the one with hogsmeade and all the rides. excellent choice.

day 5

while the others packed up and headed out to another underwhelming day at disney, jane and i slept in. i had no desire to go from the start, and jane needed a day to be apart. so she spent the morning reading indoors and i spent the morning reading outside on the patio.

at some point, i said we needed to get some cuban food, so we headed out to find lunch.

that seafood salad was delicious and the sandwich rivaled the burrito in california that was as big has her head. there was a long line snaking almost out the door, and people of all types were there, so we knew it had to be good. we asked the lady in front of us what was good and took her recommendations! excellent choice.

then we took the long way back, passed a pirates cove mini golf course (we both hate mini golf but were intrigued) and then somehow inadvertently drove past the conference hotel where my work conference will be in two months! that was weird. but it made me excited for my conference!

then we checked out the lazy river and water park stuff at the place we were staying, which was just as cold as our pool, and paid an exorbitant amount for some drinks then sat in the sun.

the others came back and told the tale of the “rip-off” tower of terror ride that they stood too long in line for.

day 6 – last day

i guess the nice thing about a late-night flight is that you have the entire day to mess around? which is what we did! we packed up and got out of our airbnb by around 9, which was actually pretty good for us. it had been a decent stay for the price!

then off the universal day two – islands of adventure, which has loads of rides. there was also a nice jurassic park section that we took some time to check out, but most importantly, hogsmeade.

oh, it was so packed. but we got into the three broomsticks early and claimed a seat outside! it was great.

hogsmeade is different from daigon alley, including having owl post and the three broomsticks. there was filch’s emporium, which was a bigger shop than any at daigon alley. and of course the butterbeer and butterbeer ice cream! and hogwarts!!

jane and i walked through hogwarts to look at the castle with no intention of going on the ride, and let me tell you – that is the way to go! it was great. we got a little walking tour, saw some stuff, spent some time in the castle, and then didn’t get sick on a ride.

but guess who did? yep, liz got sick on the ride! afterward, she sat down in the three broomsticks and plopped her head on the table in perfect imitation of me in CA.

after some more rides and time checking out the shops on the citywalk, it was time to head to the airport. security took longer than MSP, but that was to be expected. we tried to get into a sitdown place to eat, but it was taking too long and we got some grab n go stuff instead. we were a subdued crowd that late at night, and getting on a jetplane to head home is always kind of a letdown.

i did score a giant toblerone from the duty-free shop, though. so i got that going for me.

our plane took off a bit late due to some taxi-ing problems, and so we ended up flying in a little bit later. alas! my shuttle was leaving at 12:25!! no fear though – the luggage came out of the carousel about 12:10, and mine was one of the first ones.

that shuttle back to st. cloud was totally worth it. i was able to just rest and snooze on the ride back, and then back to wintry reality when i had to scrape the ice off the windshield. ugh. but at least the truck started, and i ended up walking in the door around 2 a.m.

i promptly fell asleep!

and then a three-day weekend to recover! not too shabby!

FLORIDA: days 1-3

FLORIDA: days 1-3

Comments 0 Comment

i did no travelblogging from florida! do you know how hard it is to travelblog in a house with 8 other people? well, i could’ve made it work, but i was feeling the FOMO.

day 1:

we flew out of terminal 2 at MSP, which was a breeze. no line in the bag check and security took like 5 minutes. i ended up taking a shuttle from st. cloud to the airport, which i would definitely do again! it was especially nice because nate could have the car all week and i could park the truck at the shuttle place.

we flew out at 3ish and landed in florida at about 7:30 ET (jumped ahead an hour). then it was chaos while liz tried to find us at the rental car counter. but we connected (obviously) and got our two cars. jane’s license expired and so she wasn’t able to drive, which was ok. we didn’t do a ton of driving.

then to the pretty awesome for the price airbnb, which had a wonderful heated pool on the first night and no subsequent nights. #thankskim liz and i went grocery shopping at walmart at 10 p.m. then it was time to get to bed because the next day was disney!!

day 2:

so, consensus is that no one has to go back to disney. i mean, it was a good thing to go and check out magic kingdom, but it’s not worth the price to get in, in my opinion. after we got through parking, through security, and over the lake (talk about a rigamarole), the main street was full of shops with fancy-pants adult items, like crystal figurines and $200 canvas artwork and jewelry that i would be afraid to wear if i bought it.

i didn’t ride any rides, so i beat it after trying to be with everyone else, just so i could walk through the park and take a look at everything. i ended up finding gaston’s tavern, so i bought a coffee and a souvenir gaston mug and parked it in the corner. it wasn’t much longer when jane called and said “where are you i have to get out of here” and so she and i sat in the tavern for a bit, then took a walking tour of the park. we went up the swiss family robinson tree house (fun!) and then walked through the pirates shop, where we each bought pirate hats to wear for the day.

meanwhile, the other were in line for rides for hours!!! dumbo took two hours! unbelievable! after that, the kids and dudes took a break while the ladies went for fancy lunch in beast’s castle!! if we were able to do THAT without a park ticket, i would do that again. food was delicious, there was grey stuff (delicious – just ask the dishes), and we got a bottle of champagne. plus, jane got a free glass and some extra grey stuff because birthday. we were in the WEST WING which was spooky and thundery, and the beast made an appearance!

we visited gaston’s tavern again, then took a train ride!

then everyone else came back, and the park lit up for the night. there were fireworks and another ride, and jane, emily, and i decided to go check out the pirates of the carribbean ride while blues went shopping for his pirate hat.

we headed back across the lake right at closing time after jane, blues, and emily rode the teacups (i did not due to not wanting to get sick).

so, fun, but i don’t think i need to go back! there were no characters out (needed to stand in a line for a meet and greet), and there were SO.MANY.STROLLERS. omg.

day 3:

i woke up EXCITED for this day because i KNEW what universal held in store. the night before, liz was like, eh, if we don’t leave til noon, whatever, but jane and i got up and said LET’s GOOOO. (liz did say once she got into HP land that ok, she understood why we were antsy to get there.)

security was easier, and it was a faster trek from parking to the park.

jane and i recreated a few pics! then we booked it to HP!!

the main park has daigon alley as the HP park, which was actually pretty cool. it was PACKED though, as i would expect the actual daigon alley to be. it was hidden behind a brick wall right next to #12 grimmauld place and across from the knight bus. first things first: butterbeer!!! then, second things second: robes!

(this is actually real beer, which came after two glasses of butterbeer and with a plate of bangers and mash in the leaky cauldron.)

i bought a $300 gift card so i could get a free wand, and totally worth it. i got my robes, a shirt from borgin and burkes, gifts, socks, etc. plus my free wand!

jane and i sat in knockturn alley for a bit, as it was a little out of the way and dark and danky.

the lines to the rides were much faster than disney, and the kids and other adults went out and about to get on some rides outside of HP. meanwhile, jane and i wanted a quieter bar to sit at, so we ventured from HP and ended up at an irish bar with a pretty awesome musician. and some good drinks!

toward the end of the night, they went on the HP ride again, and i walked through with them all to check out gringotts bank. when it was time for them to get on the ride, i just headed to a side room and waited! that was nice that i didn’t need to go on the ride to see the stuff.

we headed out about 8 p.m. and got home at a reasonable hour! the girls swam in the cold pool and craig played with his fart gun (yes, fart gun). fun day 3!!

 

time for a break while i process that i’m not in warm, sunny florida anymore 🙁

20232023202320232023

20232023202320232023

Comments 0 Comment

already 2023 is off to a late start! hopefully my lateness in my “to-do” list isn’t a portent of the rest of the year. ah well, it’s an arbitrary day of the year anyway. let’s see what the big goals are for 2023.

  1. i am not going to list take more pictures in my to-do list anymore. or maybe i need to reframe what i consider pictures. i take a ton of pics on my phone, so maybe i need to stop thinking i need to get out the fancy cam. the best camera you have is the one you have with you.
  2. travel! i will hit the nail on the head with this one – i already have a trip planned for next week to orlando with my sisters. there will also be a week at the lake and hopefully something else! i want to get to a few more state parks this summer, too.
  3. figure out what to do my my yoga teacher certification. i don’t know if i start a youtube channel, talk to some studios in the area, or just start yoga in the park and see who shows up? we’ll see what i’m compelled to do.
  4. meditate more. when i was doing it regularly for my class, it was really easy to do it anytime, but that slipped away and i’d like to get back into doing it more regularly.
  5. keep on running. i’ve been slacking the past couple months, and i have to get back into it to get going for the earth day half in april. real training starts in february! and i don’t know if we’re doing ragnar this year 🙁 we may be trying something else, but the ragnar experience has declined. booo.
  6. just keep looking for opportunities. resolutions are bunk, as are to-do lists. (hold-up: lists aren’t bunk.) keep your eyes open and see what’s out there.
2022: what year in review

2022: what year in review

Comments 0 Comment

wow the end of the year crept up on me really quick! a mere three hours left of 2022 and i haven’t even gone over my yearly to-do list (which i like a lot better than a resolutions list).

the years just sort of haze into each other at this point, so i always wonder what year it is, what am i doing, and how did i get here anyway. there was good stuff that happened and interesting stuff, but at this point, was that 2022? 2022? 2021? what is time, anyway? but, we’ll do a little recap and see what’s going on!

first, a review of what my list of things to do:

  1. oh what the heck. take more pics. i’ve been sliding these past few years and have to figure out how to get the inspiration back.
  2. i have no trips planned for this year, so i have to figure out how to somewhere, whether it’s a few state parks or getting out of state. i do have a work conference in march, but that’s for work and just to denver (haha just to denver).
  3. i am already signed up for two races! i’ve got the earth day half on my calendar and ragnar trail is in september. i don’t know if i should try for two half marathons this year or what, or maybe a 10-mile race somewhere. we’ll see how training for the half goes: my feet have been really good lately but my knees have been buggered and i have to get that checked out. my form is probably awful.
  4. i want to replace my floors this year. slowly this house is coming out of the 90s and into at least the mid-2000s. i’ve replaced almost all the major appliances and the cupboards are painted. the floor is really just the grossest now, and it’s time to get something looking good in here.
  5. yoga: by the end of 2022, i should have my yoga teacher training under my belt! that will be a good accomplishment and i’m excited to see what i do with it (i have no idea LOL). i will also continue to strive toward daily practice!
  6. do something interesting with nate! that guy never takes time off and it’s time he does. hopefully we can combine it with #2 above!
  7. eat more cheese. (i mean, this one should be an easy goal.)
  8. continue to strive toward less plastic use. and less carbon use. and you know what else? i have to stop using amazon. jeff bezos could fix climate change today if he wanted to with all the money he’s hoarding but he doesn’t. ugh.
  9. support the great resignation. one thing we’ve learned during this pandemic is that the economy is more important than people. surprise! i want to do some more research on this and write a blog post on it. stay tuned.

1. not check. i did not take more pics. i did take phone pics, but i bet i pulled out my hefty cam maybe 5 times this year. i am slipping!

2. check! ooh, trips! well, let’s take a look. i did in fact go to denver, where i graduated from a leadership institute. then i went to the lake for a week in june. and in november, nate and i went to tuscon! that was sort of a last-minute (ish)decision as nate and i hadn’t been on a vacation since 2018 and i decided it was time to go somewhere.

3. check! i did TWO half marathons over the course of three weeks in late april and early may. the weather was ATROCIOUS for the april one – 26º with 15mph winds. ridiculous! the may one was better, weatherwise, but i can’t say that it was any easier. then ragnar in september, which may be our last ragnar. the experience has just gone downhill 🙁 and i have been slacking on the running front since i’ve had to come indoors for treadmill time. i suppose some february i’ll pick it up because it’ll be time to start training for the april half i already signed up for again!

4. CHECK!! NEW FLOORS!!! THEY’RE GORGEOUS!!!

5. check! i completed all my classes for yoga teacher training and am just waiting for my certificate so i can get certifed by the yoga alliance. i’ve already got some yoga sessions planned at work and will see where this takes me! i do not do a daily practice, but i bet i do yoga, on average, 4-5 days a week. it’s always something to work toward.

6. check! we went to tucson and nate had a good time. i don’t think i need to visit tucson again though. i’d much rather visit the grand canyon again or go to the pacific northwest or CA.

7. check. i mean, who can resist some cheese.

8. ugh, sort of check? every time i unwrap something encased in plastic i inwardly groan. i have been actively trying NOT to use amazon though. there are still some things i use the evil empire for, but if an item is available somewhere else, i try to get it somewhere else.

9. i totally did not do a blog post on the great resignation. i still support it though, and i think more people are realizing that this isn’t a matter of “no oNe wANts tO WoRK aNYmOrE” and more of a “hey there aren’t enough stinking workers”. doesn’t help that there are 400 of one franchise in a metro area. how many starbucks do we need? also, inflation sucks and pay your workers more.

items of note:

1. i got a promotion at work! i am now director of marketing and communications.

2. my poor nissan got hit by a deer 🙁 BOOOOOOO. but now i have a new car i guess. it’s super fancy

3. i THINK my student loan has been forgiven for public service – 10 years of consistent payments and working for the state government and POOF there goes $22k. i THINK. i HOPE. omg wouldn’t that just be the bees(‘?) knees.

4. i got a little bit more of my arm tattooed – some raspberries over my elbow area. next time her books open up, i’m going to request we figure out the rest of my arm!

5. i also got two more ear piercings in my upper ear. i think they’re cute!

top titles of 2022

top titles of 2022

Comments 0 Comment

it’s that time of year when i share the best books i’ve read this year. i’m currently ensconced in harry potter after a 6-year break, so that’s got me completely entranced and i almost forgot about getting my top books of the year up. i have a few books published this year on my to-be-read list that may have made it this year if i hadn’t taken it upon myself to read all the HP books (though they are a quick read).

bear and nightingale trilogy – katherine arden

my mom gave this trilogy by katherine arden a couple years ago, and i let it sit on my shelf for too long. when i was younger, i was a vociferous fantasy reader, but lately i have been letting that slide for more post-apocalyptic and contemporary fiction, so i wasn’t entirely excited about picking this up. then i was sorting through my stack of books and decided to finally pick it up.

arden’s writing is lyrical and light as she weaves the dark stories of russian fairy tales from the 1500s, combining the fantastical with historical moments. we follow vasilisa, who has magic in her blood, from her time as a girl to saving her country and people, befriending (or not) the russian stuff of myths along the way.

fairy tale – stephen king

well what would a best books list be without a stephen king book on it? how apropos that it was one of his fairy tales, entitled fairy tale. our hero is charlie, starting in contemporary times where charlie is a helpful high school student. he helps then befriends a reclusive neighbor who leaves him all his property when he dies. of course the neighbor has a secret, and charlie travels to another land where evil has spread and peace needs to be restored so the evil doesn’t spread into our world.

this is a thick book, but king’s stories are always a quick, interesting read for me. it’s another foray into the fantastical with a bit more of an edge and more concrete writing than the bear and nightingale books.

upgrade – blake crouch

everything i’ve read by blake crouch has been a four or five stars. his books keep you on the edge of your seat and involve plots that seem more than plausible in our world alongside some extreme science or math that i don’t want nor care to check if correct. it fits seamlessly into the story and adds to the plausibility of “oh boy, could this happen?” you think about when reading his stories.

upgrade is about enhancing the human genome for an upgrade – everything’s just a bit better. better concentration, intelligence, thinking ahead, physical strength, multitasking, reaction time, etc. logan is one of the first to receive the upgrade and we watch as he learns what’s happening and then figure out why it happened. then he learns about a bigger, more sinister plan, and then we see what he does to stop it

the emerald mile – kevin fedarko

usually when i read non-fiction, i stick to memoirs. i generally shy away from books that are heavy on geology or history that’s more generalized than personalized. but when i got this recommendation from my aunt rae, i thought i’d give it a try.

first, this book is DENSE. it’s 432 pages, but the type is a bit small and squished in there for ya. so i was a bit intimidated. no fear – fedarko manages to weave a great story of the fasted boat ride ever down the grand canyon in 1983. you’d think that this would be an easy tale to tell, but his setup is key. he tells us history and geology, telling us how the grand canyon used to be, how glen canyon used to be even better, the dams that were built to power and hydrate the southwest, and WHY the southwest. we hear about john wesley powell who documented his journey into the grand canyon pre-dam. we learn about different types of boats you can take on excursions in the canyon, why each works the way it does, and then the weather patterns and choices of the dam operators that led to and illegal boat run down the grand canyon. it was pretty fascinating seeing the confluence of events.

falling – tj newman

do you want to read a short fiction book? one that has short chapters that leave you hanging on every word? leading up to shocking sets of events so much that you gasp out loud? this is the beach read for you!

falling is a thriller by a flight attendant who had always wondered about the premise of what would happen if pilots’ families were held hostage – then needed to make a choice between their families and their flight. well, we get the fictional tale of that plight, and boy is it a doozy and entertaining!

in the weeds – tom vitale

this book about anthony bourdain’s life while giving snark and hope while eating with people around the world was written by one of the show’s producer/directors, tom vitale

i’ve read a few books about tony since his death, and none has come close to how enjoyable and emotional this book was. we get a behind the scenes look at tony’s life, and tom’s, as the show changed networks and traveled around the world. there are happy times, not happy times, dangerous times, easy times, hard times, and the hardest times. anyone who has watched any of tony bourdain’s shows should know what to expect in this book – just multiply it times 10 and you’ll have a good idea. this made me miss him even more.

winter skating

winter skating

Comments 0 Comment

we had a heavy snowfall the other day, the kind where the snow sticks to tree branches and piles onto pine boughs so that any lights you have on the tree glow through the snow ethereally. i saw a photo someone took of a creek winding through wooded banks, tree laden with piles of snow.

on the acreage that i grew up on, a small creek ran through the pasture, its banks steep in places, and it flooded the pasture every so often. but there was an area where it pooled into a wider, open spot, with oak trees guarding nearby. this tiny pool of creekwater is where we tried to ice skate every winter.

my dream was to own a pair of white figure skates, like the olympians wore as they skated over the smooth ice every four years. when we went to the ice rink, i was able to rent a pair, but i didn’t have a pair for the pool in the pasture. one year, after reading “the silver skates”, my aunt colette decided to get me a pair of “skates” in the traditional sense. it was a blade on a piece of wood that you strapped to your shoe. definitely not a white pair of figure skates, but it was something*.

so down to the pool my siblings and i went, one saturday afternoon. the ice was frozen and the snow minimal, so it would be good ice, but getting there was the real trick. you had to walk through a good portion of the pasture to get there, and the summertime brought out the best in growing season, so the grasses had grown tall, though they were dead and flattened slightly by the little snow we’d gotten. luckily, we didn’t have animals in the pasture in the wintertime.

through the grasses we traipsed, trying to stick to the semblance of tire ruts that may have been there at one point during the summer. once past the second gate in, tall oaks were there to greet us, and we maneuvered around the old junkpit where oodles of old, turn-of-the-century bottles still peeked up through the dirt.

i don’t remember if anyone else had skates (or whatever it was i had), but it was easy enough to take a sled out there and slide down the short hill onto the frozen creekbed, and if anything else, sliding around the ice on foam-soled winter boots wasn’t a bad option. i don’t know how long we would normally spend out there – it was cold, but we were having fun running around like maniacs.

the trip back from pasture snowtime was the worst. it was a long hike back to the house, especially with the excitement of skating past. up the short hill, past the junkpit, and through the tall grasses again, keeping to the side of the fence that ran alongside a field of small pine trees. when we got up to the main fence, it was just a hop, skip, and jump past the pumphouse and tall pines to get inside to the warmth. and sometimes there was hot chocolate.

*turns out, traditional scandinavian skates aren’t that great. in the next couple years, i got a pair of used white skates, and when we went down to the creek for a go around the frozen pool, i was so proud of myself for being able to turn around while skating. i wasn’t going to be an olympian any time soon, but it was something.