Sunday, December 27, 2009
Too funny!
This is just one of those videos that's spreading through the net, and I'm just doing my little part to help it spread. So, for those knitters, other fiber folk, people who like sheep, dogs or those creative types who have too much time on their hands, enjoy!
Z is for...
Zzyzx Springs!
So, yes, not much for this Z, but c'mon - it's one cool Z, though!
Yes, there really is such a place! It's really a tiny place, part of the Mojave National Park. It used to be a health resort and spa community, since there was a natural spring there. They actually made up the word for the place name, to be "the last word in health spas." Zach and I visited back in February. There's not much there on Zzyzx Road now - it's mostly used for research. CSU campuses combined to turn the old springs resort into a desert research facility. Now, unless you're doing research (they do offer weekend classes, as well as students doing research regularly) Zzyzx is really a side note to the Mojave NP itself. Still, if they wanted to, it would make a very interesting exhibit, focusing on the years and years it was used as a resort.
So, yes, not much for this Z, but c'mon - it's one cool Z, though!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!
PS - I don't know who took the above picture, as I found it on photobucket, but I really liked it, very simple and striking, so had to post it here too. If I ever find out who took it and edited it, I will share, because they definitely deserve the credit!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Y is for...
Yuletide Cheer!
We have a Christmas tree this year!!!
Now I'm sure there are people out there who are "Wow. A tree. Big Deal" but there are several reasons why I'm excited. The biggest one is that we didn't have one last year. Zach was in training the first 2 1/2 weeks of December last year, so I was on my own here for the majority of the Christmas season. And I really mean on my own - work was quiet (being seasonal and all), Zach was out of town, the rest of the family was on the other side of the country...
Add to that, that it was only our first Christmas together, so we didn't already have established the decorations, traditions and assorted stuff and nonsense for the holiday season.
Yeah, December was rough for me last year. I kinda had to drag ourselves into the holiday spirit.
So, this year we're doing much better! With work craziness, presents still need to be mailed out and I'm not doing Christmas cards this year (sorry for the belated Christmas boxes, everyone!) but we have a tree and ornaments and a few decorations up, and I feel much better about the holiday season.
We have a little table-top tree, which was an saga in itself to find. We were looking for a little 3 foot tree (or thereabouts - really just nothing too big, as we don't have the space for it or the ornaments to fill it yet). We ended up with a 4.5 ft tree. At each store I went to, the 3 foot trees were these little columnar, Charlie-Brown-tree looking things. A 3 ft tall tree that is only 18 inches across doesn't really have the necessary triangular Christmas tree shape. These were purely decoration only, the type to accent a hallway or a stair landing or a front porch, not substitute for a 6 ft full-size tree for a relatively newlywed couple. So, 4.5 ft it was! That was the smallest tree that they had that actually looked like a proper Christmas tree.
Scruffy has, so far, not tried knocking it over. He keeps wanting to hop up on the dining table and just stare at the tree, so we have to keep shooing him off. We don't want his 16 pounds of stubborn fur to decide to rub up on it and mark it as his own and end up knocking the whole thing off the table. Silly kitty. So, knock on wood that he will just stare at it and not try the rubbing. That would be a mess I don't want to deal with!
Side note: DISASTER! I CANNOT FIND MY ADVENT BEAR!!!!! This is our favorite Advent calendar from when we were kids - Anne and I would race in the mornings to see who got to move the bear first. I think it got put in the wrong box (i.e., not one of our Christmas boxes) when we moved, and since we didn't use it last year, I don't remember where he is! I will be turning the apartment inside out soon as I put the Christmas decorations away, because that is part of the Christmas tradition. It just is not Christmas until the Bear finds Christmas!
We have a Christmas tree this year!!!
Now I'm sure there are people out there who are "Wow. A tree. Big Deal" but there are several reasons why I'm excited. The biggest one is that we didn't have one last year. Zach was in training the first 2 1/2 weeks of December last year, so I was on my own here for the majority of the Christmas season. And I really mean on my own - work was quiet (being seasonal and all), Zach was out of town, the rest of the family was on the other side of the country...
Add to that, that it was only our first Christmas together, so we didn't already have established the decorations, traditions and assorted stuff and nonsense for the holiday season.
Yeah, December was rough for me last year. I kinda had to drag ourselves into the holiday spirit.
So, this year we're doing much better! With work craziness, presents still need to be mailed out and I'm not doing Christmas cards this year (sorry for the belated Christmas boxes, everyone!) but we have a tree and ornaments and a few decorations up, and I feel much better about the holiday season.
We have a little table-top tree, which was an saga in itself to find. We were looking for a little 3 foot tree (or thereabouts - really just nothing too big, as we don't have the space for it or the ornaments to fill it yet). We ended up with a 4.5 ft tree. At each store I went to, the 3 foot trees were these little columnar, Charlie-Brown-tree looking things. A 3 ft tall tree that is only 18 inches across doesn't really have the necessary triangular Christmas tree shape. These were purely decoration only, the type to accent a hallway or a stair landing or a front porch, not substitute for a 6 ft full-size tree for a relatively newlywed couple. So, 4.5 ft it was! That was the smallest tree that they had that actually looked like a proper Christmas tree.
Scruffy has, so far, not tried knocking it over. He keeps wanting to hop up on the dining table and just stare at the tree, so we have to keep shooing him off. We don't want his 16 pounds of stubborn fur to decide to rub up on it and mark it as his own and end up knocking the whole thing off the table. Silly kitty. So, knock on wood that he will just stare at it and not try the rubbing. That would be a mess I don't want to deal with!
Side note: DISASTER! I CANNOT FIND MY ADVENT BEAR!!!!! This is our favorite Advent calendar from when we were kids - Anne and I would race in the mornings to see who got to move the bear first. I think it got put in the wrong box (i.e., not one of our Christmas boxes) when we moved, and since we didn't use it last year, I don't remember where he is! I will be turning the apartment inside out soon as I put the Christmas decorations away, because that is part of the Christmas tradition. It just is not Christmas until the Bear finds Christmas!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
X is for...
XX!
As in 20!
Yes, I am a classics dork. But I am a classics dork who has hit a weight-loss landmark! Reached 20 pounds weight loss last week, though I waited til today to take the picture, as it's Zach's unit's Christmas ball, and I get to dress up in Slinky Black Dress (the full-length formal equivalent to Little Black Dress).
So, yes, since beginning Weight Watchers again in February (I rather fell off the wagon when I moved in with Zach) I have lost 20 pounds and I think that puts me at my slimmest since... well, I don't remember when - high school at least! Woohoo!
Even better, when we had a formal ball coming up, it means I can send for a formal dress or two from home (i.e. back with Mom) and can fit into this black one that was Anne's! Now for those that don't know us personally, I've always been the stocky, athletic build, while Anne's the slimmer, taller one. So it's very exciting to be able to fit into one of her old dresses! Not that she couldn't fit into it now - even with my weight loss, I'm still a few pounds heavier than she is - but that I can wear it too. Very proud of myself!
I still have about 8 pounds left to my goal. I'm aiming for the mid-point of my healthy BMI range. That way as I age or stress or whatever, I can gain or lose a few pounds without passing out of my healthy weight range. I'm in my weight range now, but only by about 6 pounds. I figure if I'm at the mid-point weight, I have a bit more cushion if I say, get stressed and eat too many Christmas cookies :)
Yes, I am a classics dork. But I am a classics dork who has hit a weight-loss landmark! Reached 20 pounds weight loss last week, though I waited til today to take the picture, as it's Zach's unit's Christmas ball, and I get to dress up in Slinky Black Dress (the full-length formal equivalent to Little Black Dress).
So, yes, since beginning Weight Watchers again in February (I rather fell off the wagon when I moved in with Zach) I have lost 20 pounds and I think that puts me at my slimmest since... well, I don't remember when - high school at least! Woohoo!
Even better, when we had a formal ball coming up, it means I can send for a formal dress or two from home (i.e. back with Mom) and can fit into this black one that was Anne's! Now for those that don't know us personally, I've always been the stocky, athletic build, while Anne's the slimmer, taller one. So it's very exciting to be able to fit into one of her old dresses! Not that she couldn't fit into it now - even with my weight loss, I'm still a few pounds heavier than she is - but that I can wear it too. Very proud of myself!
I still have about 8 pounds left to my goal. I'm aiming for the mid-point of my healthy BMI range. That way as I age or stress or whatever, I can gain or lose a few pounds without passing out of my healthy weight range. I'm in my weight range now, but only by about 6 pounds. I figure if I'm at the mid-point weight, I have a bit more cushion if I say, get stressed and eat too many Christmas cookies :)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Frustrations
Well, I was supposed to be in Vegas this weekend. Back in the summer, Zach and I had planned to be in Vegas for a pair of races that I wanted to run, and that he may or may not do with me. Instead, we are here, him on duty and me working, both at the office and at the house. I think it's for the best that I stayed here, but that doesn't make it any easier :\
The Las Vegas Santa Run is a 5K run each year in Vegas to benefit a local assisted living shelter for mentally handicapped adults. It's also Vegas' entry into the Guinness Book category for largest gathering of Santas. There's also a city in Australia, one in Italy, and a few in the UK who enter each year - those are the ones I remember off the top of my head, at any rate. So, had we entered, we'd have been Guinness Book participants, run a fun 5K, helped a local charity, and earned our own Santa Suit (part of your race registration!). Totally worth it!
The R&R Vegas Half and Full Marathons (I was going to do the half) are another part of the Rock & Roll series of races. Since we're only a few hours away, this was going to be my fall quarter motivational race. Remember, that's how I use the long races - about 1 a quarter, something long-term to keep me running. This would've been the one to keep me moving from Sept to Dec.
Yes, running both races would've been a busy weekend, but it would've been fun. And I've run more in a weekend. The Shamrock races in VB (my very first 1/2 marathon!) have a special award if you run the 8K on Saturday and then the half or full marathons on Sunday. It's called the Whale or Dolphin Challenge (yes, you can tell we're a beach town). You get a special certificate, and besides, it helps me to get out and stretch my legs a little on the day before a race (like walking all over Phoenix before the half in January!). Both years I ran the Shamrock, I did the Dolphin Challenge, and the second year I did the combo, I actually got my best time on the half! So, running a slow 5K in a Santa suit would've been a fun warm-up for the half the next day.
And any rate, it's not as crazy as the Disney World race combination. Their full and half marathons are on back to back days, instead of the same day, so running both earns you the Goofy Medal. 39.3 miles in a weekend is a little much for me right now, so more power too 'em! I'll stick with a 5 or 8K instead if I'm gonna do a back-to-back weekend.
Well, this fall did NOT go as planned. Lots of turn-over at work, lots of really long days for me, and as a result, I think I've run once this past month. Not good. Add to it that Zach's work has been crazy-busy as well (again, hit by moves and end up being short-staffed too) and then he gets put on duty this weekend and can't come anyway... well, it just didn't work out.
And I know that everyone over the course of their running careers will have races that they really want to go to but cannot for whatever reason. I know that if I tried to run this one, I'd probably hurt myself, and it's better in the long run to stay home with Zach (actually SEE my husband - crazy idea that!) and get stuff done around the apartment. I know that we made a good choice here, and it has been a productive weekend (Christmas boxes getting ready to go out!), but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.
Well, soon I'll be looking at 2010 and trying to plan out what races I want to use to motivate my lazy butt next year! That'll honestly probably have to wait til after we get orders, because after January, I've no idea where we'll be!! Hard to plan a race schedule that way :)
The Las Vegas Santa Run is a 5K run each year in Vegas to benefit a local assisted living shelter for mentally handicapped adults. It's also Vegas' entry into the Guinness Book category for largest gathering of Santas. There's also a city in Australia, one in Italy, and a few in the UK who enter each year - those are the ones I remember off the top of my head, at any rate. So, had we entered, we'd have been Guinness Book participants, run a fun 5K, helped a local charity, and earned our own Santa Suit (part of your race registration!). Totally worth it!
The R&R Vegas Half and Full Marathons (I was going to do the half) are another part of the Rock & Roll series of races. Since we're only a few hours away, this was going to be my fall quarter motivational race. Remember, that's how I use the long races - about 1 a quarter, something long-term to keep me running. This would've been the one to keep me moving from Sept to Dec.
Yes, running both races would've been a busy weekend, but it would've been fun. And I've run more in a weekend. The Shamrock races in VB (my very first 1/2 marathon!) have a special award if you run the 8K on Saturday and then the half or full marathons on Sunday. It's called the Whale or Dolphin Challenge (yes, you can tell we're a beach town). You get a special certificate, and besides, it helps me to get out and stretch my legs a little on the day before a race (like walking all over Phoenix before the half in January!). Both years I ran the Shamrock, I did the Dolphin Challenge, and the second year I did the combo, I actually got my best time on the half! So, running a slow 5K in a Santa suit would've been a fun warm-up for the half the next day.
And any rate, it's not as crazy as the Disney World race combination. Their full and half marathons are on back to back days, instead of the same day, so running both earns you the Goofy Medal. 39.3 miles in a weekend is a little much for me right now, so more power too 'em! I'll stick with a 5 or 8K instead if I'm gonna do a back-to-back weekend.
Well, this fall did NOT go as planned. Lots of turn-over at work, lots of really long days for me, and as a result, I think I've run once this past month. Not good. Add to it that Zach's work has been crazy-busy as well (again, hit by moves and end up being short-staffed too) and then he gets put on duty this weekend and can't come anyway... well, it just didn't work out.
And I know that everyone over the course of their running careers will have races that they really want to go to but cannot for whatever reason. I know that if I tried to run this one, I'd probably hurt myself, and it's better in the long run to stay home with Zach (actually SEE my husband - crazy idea that!) and get stuff done around the apartment. I know that we made a good choice here, and it has been a productive weekend (Christmas boxes getting ready to go out!), but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.
Well, soon I'll be looking at 2010 and trying to plan out what races I want to use to motivate my lazy butt next year! That'll honestly probably have to wait til after we get orders, because after January, I've no idea where we'll be!! Hard to plan a race schedule that way :)
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