29 October, 2009

Today is my Friday

Yay! I'm taking Friday off this week -- tomorrow -- to make good and sure Mr. M gets to the airport on time. If I could, I'd walk him to the plane and see that he actually gets on it, but no ... we're not allowed to do that any more. So I will get him to the curb and trust that he gets on that plane. And then .... ahhhhhhh .... nine days of Shelley time. And to celebrate, tonight we're going to Maximillians for dinner. That cute little French restaurant in the market. I love that place. Unfortunately it's going to be dark and we won't be able to enjoy the view, but the food is SO good.

Yesterday was my half yearly dental cleaning and check up where I got the fabulous news that I need to have a crown. I know it's better to take care of these things before a) the tooth breaks or b) one is writhing in pain, but I sure hate them. It's the 2 1/2 hours in the chair that gets to me. I don't like being numb. I always think ... what would happen if it stayed that way? Silly, I know.

Today is a 60 minute run at lunchtime and it's raining now, and cold. I don't mind too much, actually. I like running in the rain. I just hope I have another great run like Tuesday.

Yesterday at noon knitting I just ripped out the Pomatomous fingerless mitts. I realized that the reason I don't knit on them any time but on Wednesdays is that it's a fiddle-y pattern and the combination of yarn and needles makes it nearly impossible to do. Fingerless mitts should be easy -- TV knitting. So I'm going to start over and do an easier pattern. I meant to work on the angora sweater last night but I never got around to picking it up. Maybe tonight after we get back from the restaurant, since I don't have to get up early tomorrow.

28 October, 2009

A super run

I had SUCH a great run yesterday! I wasn't sure that I'd even be able to finish but it was like I had wings on my feet. That's what a nice long recovery does for me. I'm a bit nervous about this weekend run, having missed last week. Even though the run last week was long, it was on a nice flat route. This coming 12.5 miles is, I believe, on part of the marathon course and it quite hilly. I don't like running hills. It makes my Achilles hurt.

I worked for a bit on the angora sweater last night, after going through the new Interweave Knits Weekend Knits magazine. Lots of nice things in there but all of the sweaters are pieced! Why why why??? I have too many projects lined up right now anyway. Plus I promised my sister I would knit her a coat and she's quite keen on that happening right now, so no more new projects until I get a few things finished.

Wednesday -- noon knitting day. I brought the fingerless mitts again. Seems like I only knit on those when I bring them to work. I could knock those out in a good day or two if I concentrated. It's just that it's not TV knitting so I've got to take up a weekend day, when I would much rather knit on the Frost Flowers Stole. So -- again, not enough time, is there?

27 October, 2009

It's cold today

It is definitely autumn. Cold and dark. It's also a running day so I didn't ride my bike in and I'm thankful for that. I'm a bit nervous about going out running since I've been off for an entire week. I'll just take it easy. I'm sure I'll be fine. This weekend we're scheduled to run 11 miles, and then the following week 12.5 which is basically the half marathon. I mean, if you can run 12.5 miles what's one more? I must get myself some new running shoes this week. I think I'll do that after I take Mr. M to the airport Friday afternoon. I can stop on my way home. Then I'll have them for the long run this weekend. I have found that my foot hurts after about 5 or 6 miles and the trainer showed me how my shoes are most likely causing that by being a bit too rigid and not letting my foot roll in more.

It was a busy day yesterday and I was tired when I got home. I was going to work on my angora sweater but I got a new catalog in the mail. You know how sometimes it's just nice to sit with a cocktail and look at new clothes and shoes. No? You don't do that??? That was my evening. Maybe tonight I'll work on that sweater. I have the perfect skirt for it.

26 October, 2009

Taking another run at it

Okay so .... here it is Monday and I'm going to give the week another try. Do over. I lost an entire week. I did manage to do a few things but most of the week is a blur. I had to come into the office on Friday to do a couple things I cannot do from home. Truly, I would not have been able to do it on Thursday. I didn't do much on the weekend either. Mr. M worked all day Saturday and I washed the puppy and did some knitting (finally). It's funny - when I'm sick I just can't knit, which is a shame considering all the spare time one has when one is not working. hah ... aaaaanyway .. I got the sleeves on holders and the fronts joined on the white angora sweater I'm making. I am using the Simple Knitted Bodice as a jumping off point. Rather than do the lace under the bust line I'm going to do some ribbing and then make it plain after that, and do some flared sleeves and then a ruffle around the low neckline. I think it'll be cute.

My sister wants a coat and I believe I've found the perfect pattern for it. Chunky yarn so it won't take forever to make. And something that's washable as well. I'm not keen on using yarn with acrylic in it, but I might have to bend my rules a bit here and do it for the sake of washability.

I'm going to be very busy this week. I've got tons of work to do here, plus I've got to start running again tomorrow since I missed a whole week of training, obviously. I couldn't run yesterday after being sick all week. It does explain why my run the previous Sunday was so hard though, doesn't it? I was coming down with that flu. I am hoping that after a week of rest I will be very strong tomorrow. It is nice after a week off that nothing hurts! I had gotten used to that. No wonder I'm so crabby all the time.

Mr. M is heading off to Arizona for ten days on Friday and I've got to get him to the airport so I figured I'd just take a vacation day. Then it'll be just little Tinkerbell and me rattling around in that big house. I'll most likely have rehearsal on Saturday evening -- I hope, anyway. I don't want to have to deal with Trick-or-Treat so if I am home I'll just turn off the lights and hang out upstairs.

22 October, 2009

Where did the week go?

I'll tell you where ..... nowhere. I've got some bug -- I really don't think it's the swine flu because I don't have any of the upper respiratory systems associated with it. Just a little cough, but major major body aches and a headache that has been with me since Tuesday morning. I haven't been knitting. Just doing a little readiing from time to time in between naps. I truly expected to feel much better than I do today. I have work to do! So I am propped up in bed with my laptop. At least I have a view here.

20 October, 2009

Probably a mistake

I woke up at 4 am. I ached all over but just figured it was that Sunday run through the trails catching up with me. I tried and tried to get back to sleep but finally gave up and got ready for work. But I realized while I was getting ready that I didn't feel very well, and that perhaps the aches were more than sore muscles. Sure enough, I'm sitting here now at work and feeling terrible. I had a cup of tea hoping it would make me feel better but .... not. I'm going to get a few things together here and head back home.

Fingers crossed this is nothing more than a little 24 hour bug.

19 October, 2009

Stolen day

Friday was indeed intense, but I managed to solve my programming program and got it up and running for the students again. Alas, Sunday evening I got yet another little problem pointed out but hopefully I can get that handled today.

I managed to get Tinkerbell a walk on Friday afternoon when it was simply raining and not pouring. And Friday evening was quiet with pizza left overs and knitting while Mr. M was out working. I did not get a phone call from Doug, the band leader, leading me to believe that we would not be getting together Saturday. Fine with me.

It rained hard all Friday night and Saturday it was so dark and stormy! I had to run a few errands -- Tink was out of food and I needed groceries as well. It was just nasty and wet out there! I did give Tink a walk when I got back, a little before noon, because she needed a bath. And guess who called around 12:30? Right -- Doug. I didn't pick up the phone. At that point, after noon, I was all set to have a little Shelley time, so I ignored his call, washed Tink and settled in the comfy chair for some knitting on the Frost Flowers Stole. I got over 3 hours in on it while doing laundry. I am making progress, slowly but surely. Doug tried again around 3 o'clock but again I didn't pick up. I did try to call him on Sunday but there was no answer. I've got to try again today. I need to make it clear to him that I cannot be called mere hours before he wants to get together. I have such little free time these days then when there is even the possibility of a few hours to myself I latch onto it.

Thank goodness yesterday the rain had stopped, because we were doing 8 miles in the trails at Cougar Mountain. It was brutal, to say the least. I was figuring it would take me 2 hours to do it but wasn't taking into account the terrain, which was hilly and slippery and full of roots and rocks. It actually took more like 2:20 and I was wiped out. I did manage to run a good bit, but going down the hills really hurt my knees so I ended up walking about the last 2 miles with another woman. At least I didn't get lost like last time we ran trails. I was very uncomfortable though - I was so afraid I was going to twist my ankle or trip, which I did a number of times but didn't fall. It was a long drive out there as well and we didn't meet up until noon so I wasn't home until after 3. Oh ... and to make matters worse I didn't eat enough breakfast so I had less than zero energy. I wasn't really very hungry when I got up so I just had half an orange and half a bagel with a little lox. Not nearly enough. Oh well, live and learn. Next Saturday it's 9.5 miles around Greenlake which at least will be flat. I'm going to get new shoes this week so my foot won't hurt (fingers crossed).

16 October, 2009

Working in my PJs

Oh I love working from home! And I chose the perfect day, too. It is just nasty outside. Raining and blowing and chilly. I was hoping for a light day but as luck would have it ...... it's shaping up to be a rather intense day. I have been working on a program for one of the teachers. He needed an application for the students to enter questions into a data bank and also upload images for the questions if they needed. I had an application that I had been working on that I re-purposed for him and we finally got it ready to go and up on the web site yesterday afternoon. I hadn't even made it to the parking garage yesterday when I got an email saying it wasn't working properly. I have it set up so that when a student chooses a category for which to write a question, all of the questions that have been previously written for that category are listed so that they can avoid duplication. For some reason that was not working for all of the categories. I unlinked the application and now today I have to figure out why. It could be as simple as a misspelling somewhere or ..... ????

I had a SUPER awesome 45 minute run yesterday. Completely makes up for that terrible one on Tuesday. I sure hope it's not a muddy mess for our 8 miles this Sunday. I was going to get new shoes this weekend but I am thinking I'll wait until after that run, even though once I hit 5 miles my foot has been hurting.

Mr. M had a couple of guys over for a business dinner meeting last night so I just watched a little TV and knit on the TV knitting project, another Simple Knitted Bodice with as-yet-undecided modifications. I went up to bed to read at about 9 and fell asleep before 10. Unfortunately I woke up at 1:30 am and my mind went straight to the programming problem. Not good. One hour later I was still awake and took my iPhone out of the cradle and read email and played word games until I felt sleepy. For some reason I cannot make myself get out of bed when I have insomnia. But you know what? I am going to try that next time. I can go downstairs, turn on the fireplace and maybe read or knit for a while. I'll bet that would put me back to sleep faster than tossing and turning. I'll try it next time.

And now ....... another cup of coffee and on to the program puzzle.

15 October, 2009

It's that the way it goes?

Two days ago, right after I finally registered to run and paid my money (which is non-refundable, by the way) I changed and went out for my usual Tuesday "easy" run. Feeling a bit cocky after running 5 miles on Sunday without any trouble, I took off. One mile into the run my knees and thighs were hurting so badly I had to stop! My legs felt like they were made of lead. NOT good. I wasn't unusually winded or anything like that, it was just white hot pain. I got back to work, popped a couple of Naproxen and iced my knees and ankles that evening. Now I know that I should not be taking Naproxen any more until after I am done with the hard training. (But that's another story). I am a bit concerned but in retrospect I believe it was the fact that I was wearing super high heels that day that caused the major problem. No more high high heels until I'm done with training. There is too much stress on my knees and no amount of stretching is going to make that go away. I hope. We will find out in a couple hours. I have to go 45 minutes today. At least it's not raining.

Things are calming down a bit here at work. I have a fun programming project to work on. That makes the time zoom by, especially if it's all working well. I have another hard part to iron out and maybe I'll start on that this afternoon.

Yesterday at noon knitting I did a few more rows on the Pomatomous fingerless mitts. The pattern is finally showing up. It's a rather fiddle-y pattern and I'm regretting it somewhat, although the finished product is going to be quite nice so I will just keep plugging away. I would dearly love to spend a few hours on the Frost Flowers Stole this weekend, but as usual my weekend is jammed. If we don't rehearse Friday night then I can maybe do a bit then if I'm not too tired. I probably will be. It is SO complicated that I have to be on top of it every second. My guess is that we'll rehearse on Saturday and what with having to take Mr. M down to the hotel at noon for a gala, then the football game starting at 12:30 .... that's not going to leave me any quality knitting time. Just TV knitting when one is watching football. Which leaves Sunday. Ah Sunday -- which is pretty much eaten up with my run. We are going to meet up at Cougar Mountain at noon for an 8 mile run on the trails. My best guess is that it's going to take the major portion of 2 hours for me to run 8 miles. I'll be luck to be home by 3. Well maybe then after I get cleaned up I can take a couple hours. I certainly won't want to do anything strenuous.

13 October, 2009

No backing out now!

It's official. I just registered to run the Seattle Half Marathon on November 29. I've been doing fine with my training runs so I am feeling confident that I can do this. This Sunday our training run is 8 miles, and I've already done 6 1/2 and last Sunday was 5 and that was no sweat. Well .... I mean it wasn't easy mind you, but I wasn't gasping and crying at the end of it.

So now this means that I am seriously starting my fund raising campaign because I am running this not only as a personal goal but to help support Gilda's Club. This is a wonderful organization run entirely by volunteers and contributions, started by the brother of Gilda Radner (who died of ovarian cancer). You can read more about Gilda's Club by clicking that link. You can also contribute to support my fund raising effort by clicking on the "Support an Athlete" on that page, or you can conveniently click from this blog -- look to the right.

Thank you thank you thank you!
And now I'm going to change and do my little run.

12 October, 2009

It flew by

As I predicted, it was a SUPER busy weekend. It started out Friday with a rehearsal. I was just exhausted but it was better to get it out of the way. Then by the time I got home at around 10:30 I was wired so I ended up having some wine and watching TV until Mr. M got home, around midnight.

Saturday it was gorgeous outside - as it was all weekend, actually. I had so many errands to run and chores to do. I got Tink washed, did a little shopping, hair, nails and grocery shopping. I didn't get home until after 5. Thankfully the Husky football game didn't start until 7 or so. I set it to record and we went out to dinner. I saw the photo exhibit of my old high school Anthropology teacher. Lovely photos. We had a great Italian meal and then went home and watched the football game. Huskies won. It was a very exciting game.

And Sunday was another huge day. We had our 11 am training run. This time 5 miles. Next Sunday it will be 8+ ... Anyway, after I got home from the run I just had to get out into the garden and clean out the vegetable beds. The weather is supposed to turn in a couple days and that was really my only opportunity. By the time I finished with that and had a shower it was after 2 pm and I hadn't had anything to eat since a very small breakfast at 9:30. I shouldn't have waited so long because I was feeling terrible! I thought I was coming down with something - headache, nausea - but in retrospect I think it was just that I had gotten too dehydrated and tired. I felt fine by around 6. Especially since the Seahawks were beating the tar out of the Jags. Another great football game!

And now it's Monday and the start of another huge week. Thankfully I haven't gotten sick like I usually do at some time during the Anatomy course. Today is the final, tomorrow starts Histology. Hopefully things will start to slow down later this week.

I started another project yesterday evening. I needed a TV knitting project and I also need a white sweater for a particular blue skirt I have. With some white Angora Soft that I've had in my stash for a couple years I started another Simple Knitted Bodice. The one I had made in black I accidentally put into the dryer(!!) so it's way too short now plus it never really fit me that well. I will not do the lace on this one and perhaps put a ruffle around that deep neckline.

09 October, 2009

Oh what fun!!

Yesterday after work I had to stop at Macy's to pick up some Clinique stuff. I had had the foresight to pop a couple discount cards into my bag just in case I felt like shopping. Guess what? I DID feel like shopping! I have been needing some new work clothes for so long and now that the weather is changing and I can't wear my summer clothes it is really very apparent that my wardrobe needs new blood. So I just started findings things I liked and went to work in the dressing room. As luck would have it, most of the clothes were just right! I bought a brown skirt with flirty pleats, three tops, a most awesome dress and, my favorite, a long-ish brown coat-type thing and matching leggings. I wear a black tunic (also new) with silver metal beads and short, high heeled boots with it. When I got home with my booty I gave a little fashion show and then went to town on my closet, throwing out the old worn and unwearable stuff and moving the summer things to the guest closet. I'll have to go through that as well, but not now. At least my work closet is sorted and color coordinated and everything is clean and wearable. Now I'm going to have to do the same for my dressers and my shoes. Baby steps.

That didn't leave any time for knitting but no matter. I am just happy to have that done! Tonight Mr. M is working and I am rehearsing so that my weekend is free! Tomorrow I've got a hair appointment at 1 but before that I hope to get in the garden and clean out my vegetable beds, at least. I'd also like to plant some bulbs but that might have to wait to next week. I also need to bathe Tinkerbell and get a mani-pedi. Out to dinner and maybe a movie on Saturday night and Sunday will be running and groceries and chores. Somewhere in there I'm also going to have to fit in two football games and some knitting. I am kind of wishing I hadn't started those arm warmers because now I have no TV knitting. Both projects I have on the needles are not conducive to TV or moving watching. Oh well ... guess I'll just have to cast on something else.

07 October, 2009

I'm getting faster!

I had a great run yesterday. After running 6.5 miles on Sunday, running for a mere 30 minutes didn't seem much of a chore, so I started out at a pretty good pace. And I managed to keep it up for most of the run. I ended up going at least 1/4 mile further in 30 minutes than I usually do. And my foot was fine. I am going to need to get some new shoes here pretty soon. Those longer runs - over 5 miles - are harder on my feet, obviously.

It was Tinkerbell's annual exam time yesterday so I didn't get finished with chores until 6:30. I was pretty tired so we didn't do much. I ate some YUMMY ribs made by my friend's husband who indeed makes the best ribs I've ever had, bar none. I'm afraid to ask for the recipe because I might just go on an all rib diet if I knew how to do it. Got caught up on a couple TV shows I had recorded and headed up to bed early. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, which is what I love. It was actually a decent night's sleep. Tink woke me up snoring, but it was nearly time for the alarm to go off anyway.

I haven't done any knitting the past couple nights, but I brought my newest project in today for Wednesday noon knitting. I cast on a pair of Fingerless Pomatomus Gloves on Saturday. I had found a couple balls of lavender sock yarn at Weaving Works in the clearance bin. I had one ball in green that I used for a pair of socks and loved the yarn -- it's kind of stretchy. I can't remember the name of it though and I threw away the ball bands. Anyway I am just about ready to start the pattern part and thought they'd be a good project to bring to work - small and portable, like socks. [It is just killing me that I can't remember the name of that yarn!!!]

05 October, 2009

A well deserved rest

I had such a nice weekend. Saturday was wonderful, even though I did have to resort to telling a lie to get an entire day to myself. Doug, the bandleader, called Friday evening but I didn't pick up the phone. Saturday morning I had to run out to get some gas in the car before I took Mr. M downtown and while I was out I called him and told him I was sick with a sore throat and couldn't rehearse that evening. I know .... I should have just told him I wanted the night off but I did it anyway.

Got Mr. M down to the hotel in plenty of time to get myself out to the spa. In fact I was early, which was a good thing because there was a convention going on at the convention center which, coincidentally, shares a parking lot with not only the spa but a Chuck-E-Cheese, a fabric store and a bunch of other businesses. There were no spots. The spa had a sign saying parking arranged at the front desk so on my 3rd cruise around I drove up there and as luck would have it someone was leaving, so I followed her and took her spot.

Ahhhhh ... then I had a luxurious hour long soak in the hot tubs and visited the steam room as well. Next, the body scrub and finally a body moisturizing which was too decadent! Slathered all over, head to toe, with warm olive oil and other natural oils, and a facial that is ended by covering the face with a cucumber mixture that smelled very much like that sweet cucumber side dish one gets at Japanese restaurants. I walked out of there feeling like a million bucks and then .... my car wouldn't start. I was in such a rush I had left my lights on and drained the battery. Normally this would never happen but a couple days ago my dashboard lights went out and the fuse that runs them also runs the beeper for the lights. AAA was there in just a few minutes though, so it was no big deal.

I had the Husky football game taping and was looking forward to watching that. I settled in and finished up a bunch of knitting projects - socks and a neck warmer/hat - and watched the Huskies play valiantly against Notre Dame. They lost in overtime. Oh dear ... it was so sad. And right in the middle of the game my phone rings - my friend's husband who was watching the game live. I stopped him from telling me what was up but I knew then it wasn't good. I still watched it all but fast forwarded a lot. The Seahawks didn't do much better on Sunday - in fact they got beat up by the Colts.

Sunday was a 6.5 mile run - twice around the outside track at Greenlake. I did it all. My foot was pretty darned sore when I was done though and my Achilles is sore today. I iced both last night and I'll do it again this evening. It took me 1 hour and 22 minutes to run 6.5 miles. A half marathon is 13 and some tenths ... can't remember ... so basically I ran half of what I will be running on November 29. I could definitely have gone further if my foot hadn't started hurting so badly. I need to get another pair of shoes.

02 October, 2009

I thought I'd be sore today

After running for an hour, I was sure I'd be a bit sore today and I'm not! My Achilles is a little sore, but that's how it usually is anyway. I'm really happy about that.

I was awfully tired yesterday evening though, so I didn't do much of anything. Mr. M was up at his brother's open house for the business. I wanted to go -- it was a big party -- but it was all the way up near Mukilteo and would have taken at least an hour to get there during rush hour. Since it was slated to end at 7:30 it just wasn't worth it for me to go. Plus which, alone time has been all too rare lately. So Tink and I had a nice quiet evening and I turned in super early. I didn't even knit! [I know!!] But I have big plans for knitting this weekend. I am going to finish that last neck warmer/hat thing and also cast off the socks I have on the needles and then I'll wind the Noro sock yarn and start on a pair of fingerless mitts. On Sunday I'm going to spend a couple hours on the Frost Flowers Stole after my run.

I am SO looking forward to my perfect Saturday. I'm going to sleep in, take Mr. M to the Sheraton downtown, then I'm off to the spa for 3 hours of bliss. After that maybe I'll stop by Tuesday Morning, then home to watch the Husky/Notre Dame football game, which I will tape since it's supposed to start at 12:30. I have to think up some reason for not going to rehearsal -- that's the tough part. I'll think of something .....

01 October, 2009

A new record

I can't believe it did it, but this afternoon I ran for one hour. It's the first time I've done that. Unfortunately I didn't have my Garmin with me, but I know from running last Sunday that it was more than 4 miles. Probably very close to 5. The first 30 minutes were tough but actually the second 30 wasn't bad. I'm looking forward to Sunday when we're running 6.5 miles around Greenlake.

I got a nice little windfall yesterday. I overpaid somehow for that little surgery I had on my leg a few months ago. I got a check in the mail and today I made an appointment for some serious pampering on Saturday. I have to take Mr. M downtown in the morning for a gig, then I'm heading to the spa. Ahhhhhhhh AND I'm going to cancel rehearsal for Saturday. I feel like I haven't had a minute to relax or a minute to myself for weeks and weeks. Nobody but Tinkerbell and me all day long and all evening long. I am going to get pampered, do a little shopping, then walk the dog and knit and knit and knit ... oh, and watch football. I cannot wait.