Still a Stooge

I'm still Curly, that is.

But, I just thought perhaps my blogosphere persona could use a bit of an update. This was prompted by the fact that I woke up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding and drenched in sweat, worrying that my bloggy buddies thought of me as Susanna as in Oh, Susanna, and not Susanna as in Iguana.

We can't have that.

I believe I've posted this before, but for newer pals, this is my campaign poster from 9th grade, still hanging in my room (I won, by the way...).

And the practicing the flute in a bathing suit pic has gotten lots of mileage, but I figured it might be time to move on.

I didn't really panic in the middle of the night, by the way...that was a joke.

Moving on, moving on...

I had a totally awesome time at Greyhound's Dog Pound. He and his family are all completely great (he and Mrs. Greyhound are amazing parents), and I can't wait to see them again.

They rescued 2 puppies from the Hurricane Katrina efforts; how much cooler could you possibly be?
Superpounce is clearly adorable, and is definitely a talented young flutist.

All in all, they treated me like a queen; you can bet that I'll be staying there for the Texas 101 race!

My trip to Austin was foiled, so I'm back in Lafayette. No harm done though...I'm planning on spending New Year's Eve with my parents, and I'm looking forward to it.

I finally signed up for the New Year's Day Triathlon (since I'll be at home instead of in Austin), and convinced my parents to join me. My plan was to get in a 2200 yard swim, an 11 mile bike, and an 8 mile run. Unfortunately, I just found out that my pool closes for the holiday at 1PM tomorrow. So, I'll have to do the swim tomorrow and the bike and run on the actual day. It's cheating a bit, I know, but sometimes there isn't much of a choice, eh?

Once again, Happy New Year. See y'all on the flip side!

heading out the door!

I'm going to Austin for New Year's Eve and on my way I'm stopping to see....

(since he already revealed the big secret)

TRIGREYHOUND!!!!

I'm stoked beyond belief. I almost emailed to ask if I could come yesterday (a day early) because I'm so excited.

Happy New Year, everyone.

I need to go to finishing school...

I went on a run today, as per usual.

I did a nice warm up, did a pretty fast 5K, and then was calmly finishing my cool down...

And then I fell off the road. Or...

I must have kind of fallen onto the road because my knee is all scraped up and bloody. But, I don't even care about that.

What I do care about is the ankle that gave out and caused me to fall. It's the same stupid ankle I've now twisted 3 times this year. This is not good. It's all swollen again (it looks like I have a golf ball stuck in the side of my foot), and I know pushing off the side of the pool will not be a possibility. Grrr...

But really, more worrisome is the fact that I keep twisting the damn thing, so it's just getting weaker and therefore easier to twist...vicious cycle, I tell you. A cycle that does not bode well for my running future.

On the bright side, I think I'll still be able to run (carefully!) this weekend, so I shouldn't lose any workouts this time around. (A very good thing because I've got exciting company for some kick-ass workouts over the next 48 hours.) And aside from the pushing off the pool thing, I think swimming would actually be good for it.

That, and a lot of Aleve.

I need to be more careful. I need to learn how to run without falling.

I've got a genius idea. You ready?

Next time, I'll try looking at the road.

I wish there was some way I could stick my tongue out at myself, because that's what I would be doing right now.

There's Something About Training...

It just makes ya feel good.

Today, the plan was 6 easy miles. I got out there and felt tight...and tired...and whiny.

And so I ran faster.

And see...there are these race markings all over my neighborhood from a 5K/10K race that I missed by 2 days. I was obsessing about my jury and final in New Jersey and people here were racing past the very house I grew up in. Not fair.

But, the markings are still there. They're spray painted, so they'll probably be there for a while. I bet you're starting to see what idea sprouted in this little brain of mine...

I jogged to the start (.7m) and then raced the 10K.

Okay, here's some honesty. I wasn't really racing. It's pretty much impossible (for me anyway) to run at race pace without the adrenaline and excitement of an actual race...not to mention the course support races tend to provide...

But, I did run much faster than usual. I ran faster than I had planned. I went from feeling like crap to feeling pretty damn good and finishing the last .2 of the 6.2 in 1 minute and 35 seconds. I averaged an 8:45 pace throughout. For an off day, that's some kind of kick ass pace for me.

It did make me realize that I'm going to have to bust my (sadly ever increasing due to home cooked food) gut for my supposed 5.6m at an 8:02 pace in New Orleans on January 7, but I do believe that with the next two weeks of consistent speed work, I'll get there...or I'll be close. And either way is fine...these are just goals, not life and death sentences, eh?

I ended the day with the .7m jog home and felt like the superhero I sometimes I pretend I am.

And I realized (yes, once again), that I really love this stuff. I love that I can do it and that so recently I couldn't do it and I love being outside and I love how it makes me feel afterwards and even if sometimes it hurts and I'm cursing up a storm I even love the pain and I love every minute of it.

There's just something about training...

Check it out!

I added a link on the right sidebar (under Practice Room) to listen to the music I've recently been practicing.

Right now it's linked to the first movement of the duet by Kochlin my mom and I recorded.

Once my minidisc recorder arrives (ordered for my Hanukkah present, day 6--should be in mid-next week), I'll be able to record myself and change the music frequently.

The second pic (I need more cowbell!) will link to a list of all the music uploaded at any time.

Pretty cool, eh? I love the multi-media world! How amazing is it that we can share anything with anyone anywhere in literal seconds? Sometimes it just boggles my mind...

More importantly though, Merry Christmas to everyone!

the drawback (?) of the south...

There are no hills.

Like...none.

Zero.

As in...I was considering using my friend's 20 foot inclined driveway for my hill training.

And my other option was up and down the anthill in our neighbor's front yard.

And then I realized that maybe that wouldn't work.

So, ever the resourceful one, I went to our health club and did intervals on the treadmill instead.

4.617m in 40:04, with the fastest interval being at a 6:58mile. The work out was 10 minutes of warm up, 20 minutes of intervals, and then 10 minutes of cool down. The intervals were 10x40seconds fast, with the fast increasing in sets of 5, and the slow in-between being an 8:49min/m for 1:20 each time.

It was hard, but it felt good. And I can't believe I didn't do any of this earlier this year.

But here's my reasoning about that...

I think my body took a lot longer than I had originally thought to recover from IronMan France. I started training again just a week and a half later and expected to be fine. And really, I think I'm just now actually alright.

Lesson learned: Sometimes I think I'm invincible. And sometimes I am. But in general...I guess I'm not.

But that's okay. Being human isn't so bad either.

A Work (forever) in Progress

1. Qualify for Boston.
2. Compete at Kona.
3. Live in Israel for over a month.
4. Have an orchestral job.
5. Have a college teaching job.
6. Publish writing.
7. Publish photographs.
8. Move to Vermont for an entire summer.
9. Live in New York.
10. Run a marathon with dad.
11. Get mom a new flute case.
12. Live with sister.
13. Live in Paris.
14. Fall in love and get married.
15. Have kids (adopt?).
16. Pay off credit card.
17. Learn to dance.
18. Learn to cook.
19. Learn to sew.
20. Make websites for other people.
21. Live in New Orleans.
22. Make a bookshelf.
23. Get Laser eye surgery.
24. Drive as fast as possible.
25. Ride a motorcycle.
26. Read every book by Steinbeck.
27. Meet and converse with a movie star/famous person.
28. Record own CD.
29. Win age group in a road race.
30. Hike in Nepal.
31. Stay up all 24 hours of birthday.
32. Forget birthday.
33. Learn to improvise on flute.
34. Learn to play cello or french horn or oboe.
35. Concentrate on having nice handwriting for a month and see if it sticks.
36. Refresh piano skills.
37. Do a cycle-cross race.
38. Do an ultra-marathon.
39. Go to temple every Friday night for 6 months.
40. Change the fortune in someone's cookie.
41. Have a dinner party for 20 or more people.
42. Invent something.
43. Go back to Louisiana for Festival International.
44. Live in a loft.
45. Go on a wine tasting tour.
46. Do Ride the Rockies or Pedal the Peaks. (go on a cycling tour)
47. Overflow the washing machine and play with the soap suds.
48. Skinny dip in the daylight.
49. Learn another language fluently (French and/or Hebrew).
50. Read a book a week for a year.
51. Study Latin.
52. Join a book club.
53. Have a hybrid/electric car.
54. Have a library room in my house.
55. Design my own house.
56.

Ha!

A day late, but I did my long run!

Now, to get out of bed today...

In the Christmas party coat room (sometimes life just cracks me up)

Cajun Ruffage

At the corner of Congress and Ambassador Caffrey (I forgot this stuff exists)

Surprise Me.

Bob Hope: The British-born comedian and entertainer who became an American icon performed for 11 American presidents, and maintained his keen sense of humour until his death in 2003, aged 100. One of his daughters reports that on his death bed, when asked where he wanted to be buried, he replied: “Surprise me.”

link to the article

A Stolen List

This isn't my list (stolen from bbieberitz), but I think it's almost more interesting that way. These might not be the things I would choose, but it's kind of nice to see how much I have actually done in any given list. And better yet, now I'm thinking about what would be on my own...

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa.
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer.
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured an ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played Dungeons & Dragons for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a sting-ray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Para-sailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
151. Finished a marathon
152. Finished a Half Ironman

Taking the Plunge

I went swimming! I still have yet to be on a bike since France, so I can't call myself a triathlete yet, but I'm definitely getting there.

I did 2200 in the indoor pool (because the rain is clearly never going to stop). I didn't time the intervals, but I finished the workout in 45-50 minutes.

Our health club here in Lafayette has this new thing called the 'Cold Plunge', which is just what it sounds like--a hot tub shaped pool with the water temperature set at about 50 degrees. It's rejuvenating, I was told.

Yeah. Here's what I think:

It was cold. You're supposed to go in for 10-15 minutes to get the 'full effect'. I lasted for about 5 and then ran to the tub which is actually hot. That was rejuvenating.

Regardless, it was great to get in the water again...and avoiding my 15m run wasn't so bad either.

I will do it though. Tomorrow, no excuses.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to get out the door.

I was going to do my long run yesterday. But, it got to be noon and I was still in my pajamas and I decided to put it off until today.

And now I'm still in bed. It's raining. I don't want to go out and run 15m. And so, I've already convinced myself that waiting until tomorrow is definitely the right thing to do.

If it stops raining, I'll go today. I promise.

I've lost my motivation. help...

Festival Of Lights

I've been initiated.

I'm officially back in the south; I'm once again a Southern girl.

I went to get my hair cut this morning (because it hadn't been cut since August and was disgustingly long--way, WAY past the point of pretty)...and as per usual, they straightened it.

I don't mind. A couple times a year, I even kind of enjoy it. (Okay, I admit it...I actually made sure I got my run finished before my haircut so I wouldn't feel obligated to run later and ruin the stylist's hard work.)

But, it definitely doesn't feel like me.

Straight hair with oh-so-perfect curls at the end? Not the usual, I must say. This curly haired girl tends more towards the out-of-control-mop-top thing.

But like I said, once in a while it's fun to pretend, to act as someone you're not.
And so today? Today, I'm a Cajun-southern-belle who just happened to get her hair cut. Not such a bad thing to be, actually.

And...

I got my Wildflower plane ticket ($38!!).
And my Mardi Gras Marathon plane ticket (free, curtosy of mother-dearest).
And signed up for Texas OneOOne (credit card took a beating on this one).

It's going to be a fun year.

No Needles, PLEASE!

I had a dentist appointment this morning.

I thought I was just doing the routine cleaning thing.

I was tricked.

I got there and they started talking about shots in my mouth and where they were going to drill. Then they had me sign some kind of release form.

I've never had a cavity before. I hate needles.

I threw a tantrum, complete with panicked text messages to my mom (she called the front desk, wondering what was going on).

In preparation, I had novacaine, headphones (I chose the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack), laughing gas, paraphin treatment on my hands, and several magazines to look through. Oprah was especially helpful.

Then the dentist got there, took one look at me and started laughing. She said she just needed to repair some sealants and that shots wouldn't be necessary.

Crisis averted. (Dentist assistants are the devil.)

By then, though, I was high as a kite from the nitrous oxide...and sitting there with novacaine-treated q-tips sticking out of my mouth, looking like a walrus at a spa. And I couldn't stop laughing.

At least I can still say I've never had a cavity...

Views from Above

PS—My exam went really well (I think—knock on wood so that I don't jinx myself...), and my jury was alright although not quite what I wanted or even expected. All of the faculty gave me A's, but I didn’t feel like I played as well as I could have, as well as I had been. I wasn’t nervous; I was just having an off day. I knew it as soon as I played my first note in the practice room.

Everyone left nice comments and no one said anything bad except my teacher, who just said I didn’t quite have as much ‘presence’ as I normally do…which I knew. The good news is that everyone commented that I had good pitch, and since pitch used to be a total kicking and screaming nemesis of mine, that made me feel good. One problem conquered!

PPS—Since I'm sure some are wondering...I managed not to fall despite the high heels. However, they were so freaking uncomfortable that I'm never going to wear them again anyhow. I'd much rather be able to actually walk without wincing. And, I'm not so sure the clumping noise I make when I walk around in high heels is all that attractive anyhow...

Update: It turns out the flight I was originally on was delayed and didn't get in until the same time the flight I was on did. So, I got a free ticket for absolutely nothing! Yeah! (I was right about the movies, but I avoided boredom by doing crossword and Sudoku puzzles for 3 hours and then sleeping for the rest of the flight. So, I actually prevented Alzheimers in the process of earning my free flight...can't ask for much more than that, eh?)

Oh, and in this country? There is still a lot of empty space. Even though it certainly doesn't feel like it when you're trapped on the New Jersey Turnpike, here's some solid evidence. Title pics:

(with no disrespect) The Last Supper

The easiest $300 I ever made…

I know some people are in the practice of being bumped to later flights whenever possible, but I usually decide that arriving at my location in some sort of timely manner is more important to me than the offered ticket…

I think this attitude stems from the fact that my parents still usually pay for most of my plane flights, especially when I’m going home for the holidays or for an audition or something of that sort.

But…these days they don’t just shell out whenever I have the urge to fly across the country to compete in a triathlon*…and why should they? I’m 25 years old and I’m choosing to take these trips—it’s definitely not obligatory.

So, when the announcement came across the Snoopy-like loudspeaker that Continental was offering $300 in flight coupons in exchange for postponing your trip an hour, the first thought that ran through my head was ‘WILDFLOWER!!’, and I ran up to the counter like some kind of crazed maniac. (I woke up at 4am to get to this flight, so I was actually feeling a little crazy in general…sleep deprivation and I are not the best of friends.)

Did you know they make you fill out an application in order to get bumped? I didn’t. So, after filling out the ridiculously numerous forms (and having flashbacks to the college application process), I turned in my papers and waited anxiously for the results.

And then, lo and behold, I was accepted! And so now I wait patiently for the next flight. My only hesitation is that this plane looks a bit smaller…if it doesn’t have movies I’ll be bummed. But even if that ends up being the case, it’s certainly worth it.

WILDFLOWER, HERE I COME!

I think I’ll make this the norm from now on. I’ll make each flight pay for the next one. I’ll never buy another airline ticket again. Now I just need to sign up for more races so that I have places to go…

*A bit of a correction—my mom did (very generously) give me her frequent flyer miles to get to Nice for IronMan France...

Hot Tea with Soy Milk?

Yuck.

But, I have to say it's better than hot tea with sour milk, soy or non-soy.

So there you have it. One day and counting til break.

An exam in 40 minutes...and then a jury in 4 hours and 40 minutes and then I'M DONE!!!! Packing and cleaning and partying and flying HOME!!!!!

(Can you tell I'm excited about the end of the semester?)

Only one thing I'm worried about...nope, not my exam...and not my performance at my jury...

It's my shoes...they have high heels. And me and high heels? Let's just say we aren't the best of friends.

I just don't want to fall when I walk on stage to play my jury.

Or, if I happen to make it onto the stage without incident, I'll be playing and be all 'into the music' and then BOOM I'll trip over myself while I'm playing.

Maybe I should change my shoes. It's just that they look so good...

Salinas

The Hours

I know I've just gone post-crazy...

But, just one more thing.

Why is it that the negative sticks in our heads and swirls around and corrodes our beings, when there is just as much (if not more!) positive out there?

Here's the thing:

I raced the Philadelphia marathon. I finished in 4:18. Not the best time in the world, but I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of. I'll get faster; I'm getting faster. But even if I wasn't...I finished a marathon, that's pretty cool in and of itself, right?

And I got a million nice comments from everyone, my friends and family all supported me, and it made me feel great. I was proud.

But then this one anonymous jerk-off left a comment saying "4:18 in Philly? Did you walk the whole thing?", and now that's all I think about when I think of the race and my time. Yes, it's stupid.

So, Iron Pol...I guess that's where my degredation of my 10min/m came from. I know it's not slow (no, you can't walk a 9:52 mile); there's nothing wrong with it. But, I guess I just forgot for a little while that I should be proud of what I've accomplished and do my best to ignore the pundits--especially the stupid, mean ones...

Race Update

So, I don't think I'm going to race this weekend. I want to, but when I start thinking about the logistics of completing everything I need to get done, a mild panic attack starts rising up in my chest. So, in order to keep such things at bay, I'll take it easy this weekend and concentrate on finishing this semester with a (good) bang. I have a bunch of other races planned in the near future (see right sidebar for all the lurid details), so I'll be just fine race-wise.

Plus, the cost of races just really adds up. The NYRR race this weekend would have been $25 if I signed up yesterday ($35 now), but then you have to add transportation to and from NY (add at least $20), and then eating in the city the night before or morning of (add probably another $15-20), and then you've got a bill of around $75. I wish I could do that every weekend, but the truth of the matter is that I just simply can't. So, discretion--not such a bad thing to exercise, eh?

I do hate money though. I hate having to worry about it and I hate not having any...and I hate that I hate not having any because I wish I didn't care. Or, I wish I didn't have to care. But, such is our society, and there are really a lot of things that are good about the way we live. So, no complaining...just a little bit of wishful thinking. Maybe the classical musicians and teachers will be the sports-figures and movie stars of the future, but right now I'm just content with the fact that I like what I'm doing...

Oh. Okay, didn't mean to go on that rant. Back to the races--

I want to do that Texas OneoOne race that Shelley is doing, and I think I've convinced my mom to come with me. There's just a little bit of hesitation as schedules are firmed up. Here's to hoping that the thing doesn't close before I can register, because I think it's a perfect race for me. It would give me all summer of no-school freedom to train, and it's also pretty close to home.

So, that's the update. I'm excited about triathlon season and actually becoming a triathlete again. I've been runningrunningrunning and I really love running, but I miss that overall, complete fitness that you feel as a triathlete. And I guess I have to say that I miss swimming and biking too.

Here's a confession. I haven't been on a bike (spinning or otherwise) since Ironman France on June 25. And truthfully, I have only been in the pool 5 or so times. My head is hung low and my eyes are averted sideways. I'm ashamed.

The plan is to get back into the swing of the triathlete-thing during Christmas break...and then of course keep it up once school starts. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Just a little bit of discipline and self-confidence...

It's probably pretty obvious from the pictures...

But, I went to the beach last weekend.

My uncle has a place on the Delaware shore, couldn't use it last week, and was nice enough to offer it to me. So, no race on Saturday, but I had a perfect time there just relaxing by myself. Then (just when I was starting to get a little lonely), Phil came for a little while to drop Baruch off (he had to go out of town this week for a gig in Florida--poor guy, eh?).

There isn't much more to say other than that the weather was just perfect, and the place was beautiful. I ran around the little beach towns and took long walks along the beach, taking millions of pictures along the way. I felt pretty lucky to be there.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Holy Shmoly

When you do speed work, you get faster!

It's amazing...I spent all that time this fall in 10 min/m land, and now I'm back down to an easy(!) 9.

Plus, I did my 8 hills today and they were all significantly faster than 2 weeks ago (yep, same hill).

Pretty freaking cool.

I'm considering doing the New York Road Runners Hot Chocolate 10 miler, but I also have to visit some relatives this weekend and then Monday is final exam day, so I just have to make sure I don't make myself crazy with signing on for too much. On the other hand, the registration fee is $10 less if I sign up by 5 today. So, I've been staring at the registration page for the past half hour, unable to decide.

In any case, I'm damn pumped about the whole getting faster thing...I'll never be super-fast, but it's always nice to see improvement, ya know?

Eli, Eli, I pray that these things never end...

The sand and the sea,

The rush of the waters,

The crash of the heavens,

The prayer of the heart.

words by Hannah Senesh (1921-1944), Holocaust victim