Rules

Ollie is a creature of habit.

To the point of annoyance.

I typically turn in around 10. Sundays nights, a bit later.

I got caught up in multiple chats on FB and work IM and around 11, Ollie started to get fidgety and snorty.

I asked him if he wanted to go seepy seep.

This question lead to a full-on meltdown. He ran around the house as if his bum were on fire, and then jumped on my lap
And got all up in my grill.

Turns out, sneak had not eaten the Busy Bone I gave him earlier and had instead stashed it in his bed.

Oh, I rectified that right quick. He doesn't get treats when I'm not around, as I fear he'll choke. Watchful mama am I.

So I distracted him with a toy and snatched up that treat. He then went berserker trying to dig it out of his bed.

He's pouting now.

Not a good night to be a spoiled dog in my house.

Crackly head, sniffle, Ironman

My doggie had a loose tooth, and a crackly head.

Turns out the loose tooth was a minor thing, and the crackly head was subcutaneous emphysema which means that air got under his skin from some tiny hole somewhere on his head.

The vet, who is the nicest man, brought in some shiny pliers and in about three seconds had that tooth out. Very little bleeding, and Ollie was good as new.

Very small fee as well. Had been prepared to shell out much more.

A while after we got home, Ollie was acting low and bothered, hanging his head off of the couch. I called the vet at 7:55, and he said if I could be there in five, he'd give me a couple pain pills for him. Again, how cool is my vet?? Super cool. Ollie is resting now, hopefully not in any pain.

On the sickee front, I'm feeling better today. Still coughing some, and wheezy and stuffy, but overall don't feel like a truck rolled over me.

Ready to hit the gym tomorrow and bust out Jeremy's workout, and am going to bed early so I can fit everything in tomorrow.

Also, I have a new tri buddy and am learning much in the way of nutrition, gear, training, etc. Always glad to have the support and the insight, especially from a seasoned racer. My swimming is sub-par, I need all the help I can get. Lol

So these things....my dog being okay, me feeling better, workout help...are enough to make this girl happy.

Deciding to be happy, to find the good in almost any situation, takes little effort. And the end result is darn fine.

Betta

Slept in, which I'm quite certain isnaiding in my recovery. My cough has dissipated a bit, and the fever took a hike. Made it to the gym and got through the new routine from my coach.

Took Ollie for another slow 1-miler, and saw a neighbor running with his doggie, a little bigger than Ollie. Welcome to the Small Dog Running Club, buddy...always room for one more. :-)

Missing out on mucho fun this weekend - the Alpine Shop is having its paddling event, with deep discounts on gear and fun films. And the Tri Club had a bike trainer session that my buddy went to...pics look like fun was had by all. Bah.

Ah well...spring is around the corner. I'll rally soon.

Who are you?

Every night, since the end of last April, before I go to sleep I make it a point to remember something good about my life from that day, and to think something I look forward to upon waking up.

I'm thankful.

I've been thinking about this lately - the good things.  When work or life gets crazy, I also think about what I could be faced with, which makes me even more grateful.

I am not:

-facing another night of cold and hunger, not knowing when my next meal or warm bed will be

-working in an oven-hot, windowless factory, bent over machinery, my fingers and back cramped while I make toys that sell for $15.00, and my hourly wage is $.15

-a woman on her first, second or third marriage who's husband is unfaithful which makes her take it out on her kids

-battling a life-threatening illness

-alone

I am:

-thankful to have a warm place to call my home

-blessed to have a wonderful boss, a rewarding job and the opportunity to work towards better health for hundreds of thousands of people

-overjoyed to have real love in my life

-amazed and grateful to be as healthy as I am and dont' take it for granted any longer

-lucky to have the most wonderful dog on the planet as my best buddy

And, much like this next clip....

I'm also just a girl......

standing in front of a boy....

asking him to love her. ;-)



Bwahahahaa.....such a crappy movie I couldn't resist. The post was getting way to serious.

Pee Lattes

Due to my kray-kray work schedule, I am limited to only one yoga class a week.

I've found a mat pilates class at the gym that I can fit on once a week, so I'm gonna give it a whirl.

I love me some stretching. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but whatevs - I'm in.

I busted out 15 miles on the mag trainer tonight. My dog Ollie hung out on the bed and watched me in between dozing off. He's such a sweet soul.

Looking forward to the Go! training kicking off this weekend. Hoping for decent weather.

Update

-Ran just over 6 miles. Not the 8 I'd had in mind but I'm happy, and tired, just the same. 12:26 pace - I blame it on the breeze and new route. :-) Really not concerned at all about pace/speed/winning. My big win is just finishing and LOVING it. I dream about running. Seriously. It's getting weird...

-Since there will be hoardes of chilluns at my door tomorrow night begging for wrapped & branded sugar, I plan on doing a short bike tomorrow morning. Short is the key word...dislike biking in the dark, but it cannot get any safer than New Town.

-I have many friends in NYC who I'm praying for right now. No word in a while, so assuming their power is out and they're conserving batteries. Looks like a disaster area. NYC is resilient, as are its inhabitants. Still, sending good thoughts.

-My heat is working again...H to the Y! Minor fix, not "user error" so I'm a happy girl.

- Special shout out to my fellow LU alum Kari Shea Stopp and her lovely Charlotte Stopp for rescuing two wayward mutts. I'm happy to know people with such huge, warm hearts.

- Big team meeting tomorrow. Anticipating some potential shake-ups, due to growth and some folks leaving/repositioning. Not worried, but curious to see in what way we'll be growing and moving.

- SO looking forward to the Spits/Off! show this Thursday. Decent venue, lots of friends going. Bunch of old, crusty punkers we are. Life is good.

- I still reach for the phone to call my grandma. Not every day, but at least a couple times a week. Wonder if this will ever go away? Part of me hopes it won't. It's a bittersweet reminder...

- My dog is in dire need of a haircut. He's got what I can his "homeless man" look. Case in point, the pic above.

Weekend randomness

Good weekend, overall. Canoodled, met up with friends, family time, good workouts.

Waking up early Saturday morning for my workout and bombarded with news of the latest mass shooting wasn't shocking, but it left me sad and fired up.

I could rant here but I'll refrain. What I will say is that I'm very sad for the victim and friends/families involved, including the shooter's friends and family. These people are in for a long recovery. Hopefully they get the help they need.

So, I finished The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler (which is the pen name of the husband-wife writing team of Alexander and Alexandra Ahndoril). A great book - superb in style and story. It has a psychological bent that I really dug. I have the next one, The Nightmare, on reserve. If you're looking for something similar to the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, check it out.

In other news, I'm off fast food forever - and this includes chain restaurants like the OG, Yum and The Lob. Not just because I'd read this article a while back, but because my bod just feels better eating a pretty strict regime of whole foods - egg whites, fresh spinach and broccoli, edamame, gala apples, turkey breast, cod and brown rice. May sound boring, but it's fuel and it's tasty and that's it.

Whenever I throw something processed or deep fried into my diet my innards have a freak out. Now, I do allow myself to splurge once in awhile and get some local pizza from Dewey's, a medium-rare steak, a frothy brew from a local proprietor or even a chai latte from Kaldi's. But, fast food is off the list.

Do I miss it? Heck ya. I believe McDonalds has a secret ingredient called "mind control" which is why they up to, what, 800 Gazillion Served?

It's a wonder I kept eating it after working at Hardees during my high school days...scary stuff, man. The Burger King shoe-lettuce story is TAME compared to some of the things I could tell you.

I will say this - having had the experience of working in fast food during my formative years was an experience I think everyone growing up should have. It's like a crash-course in wilderness survival, psychology 101 and UFC training all wrapped up in a big, greezy bow. You're never the same afterwards, but you're a better person for getting through it. :-)

And in further news, my dog is such a dude. I had a pretty uneventful day planned (rare and lovely) so after my workout I decided to take him to the riverfront park to explore. It was dang hot, not a soul in sight, so we stayed for about 10 minutes and then hightailed it back to the car. Got him an ice cream cone from Rally's and he was pretty set for the day.