Suprise!!

This is just a quick little post about a tiny little race, but I'm very excited about it and had to share. 

The race this morning was one of the free 5Ks that MWR hosts on base.  I was actually pretty excited about it.  The weather was gorgeous.  We'd had an unexpected cool front move through, so it was about 60 degrees, a bit cooler than usual for this time of year in TX.  60 degrees, sunny, light breeze - really couldn't ask for better conditions.  And running felt great - strong, powerful, comfortable.  How running is supposed to feel!

So, I run my race, and am chatting with Zach and a friend at the end of the race, and all 3 of us had run really good races.  His friend and I had both run PRs, and Zach had comfortably beaten his goal time (his PR was way back in high school and was crazy-fast).  I had dropped so much time off my old PR (which was, by the way, about 5 years old, but I hadn't run close to that in ages) that I was wondering if I'd set my watch wrong.  I go by my wristwatch on these races, as (being free) there aren't the big time clocks around the course and no chip-timing, so my own stopwatch is usually my most accurate time.  Hearing that the guys had both had unexpectedly great runs too, I was wondering if the course had been mis-measured.  You know, 3 miles instead of 3.1.  I simply felt too good to have been that much faster than usual!

So, we got home, pulled up LogYourRun and mapped out the course.  No, it really was a full 5K!  I had just dropped almost a minute and a half from my best time!  Apparently running in an area in almost perfect weather, without high winds and absurd dryness, will make a difference. No, I don't miss the desert! 

And my new PR makes me feel like a Runner!  I ran 26:47, which is about a 8:38 pace.  My old PR was 28:00, which is a 9:00 minute pace.  I seem to hang out around the 10:00 pace a lot, which isn't anything to sneeze at, but can be considered more of a Jog than a Run.  But now, my PR pace is under 9 minutes!  That would be right about a 2 hr half-marathon!  That's getting into Real Runner territory!!  I've been bouncing off the walls all day thinking about it.  So proud of myself  :)

And really, how often do you run a race so well, surprise yourself so solidly that you're more likely to believe that the course is inaccurate than that you ran so fast?

Haven't posted one of these in a while

But this one was worth sharing :)  The Nerd Test!

I scored much as I thought I would - high in the Science/Math, and History/Literature categories, and crazy-high on Sci-Fi/Comic.  I'm average in Technology/Computer dorkage (most of that knowledge is second-hand for me, so that's understandable).  And apparently I'm not as awkward as I think I am!  Or at least in comparison to other folk taking this test.

And as I final thought, I like my scoring title:  Cool Nerd Queen!

Friday Feline!

 

Tired kitty face-plant on the sofa!  Just in case you needed something fuzzy and funny today :)

Still a classic

"War On String May Be Unwinnable, Says Cat General."

This is one of my absolute favorite Onion headlines of, well, let's face it, of all time. We use it all the time as Scruffy charges around the house attaching his archnemesis, Boot Lace. And now I find it's available on a magnet!! Awesome, simply awesome!!

My dorkiness knows no bounds!

This time it's swimming dorkiness. I don't talk much about my swimming, because I don't race any more, but it's still a very large part of my life. I grew up around water (we're one of those families where you learn to swim about when you learn to walk) and competed through high school. I have competed, guarded, taught lessons, coached - you name it. If I'm around water, I'm a happy camper.

Anyways, when I did compete, I was a distance swimmer. Distance freestyle and butterfly. Yeah, the fun, masochistic events! Honestly, though, can't sprint worth beans. Kinda holds true in my running now! I have one speed, but can hold that speed for quite a long time :)

As I was searching for something else online the other day, I stumbled across this T-shirt. It's also available on other stuff - mugs, stickers, etc. - being a CafePress shop and all.

Yes, it's a reference to the SNL sketch a few years ago with Christopher Walken with his 'fever for more cowbell.' But it's also a hysterical shirt for me, swimming wise.

Distance swimmers have counters at the end of their lane to help them keep track of how far they've swum (hey, you try swimming 500 yards or 1650 yards at race pace and not losing count!). They also have an auditory signal for the swimmers as they start their last lap. In our area, a cowbell was rung near the lane of the lead swimmer in the heat as they started their final lap. Everyone could hear it, so you knew you were just about done when that cowbell rang, even if you weren't in first.

It's one of those little things that sticks with you, too. One of my first long races in VB ended on the Boardwalk for the last few miles (the Shamrock, if you care) and as I turned the corner onto the Boardwalk, it was about mile 11 in the half marathon. Some spectator was there at the corner cheering for the runners and ringing a cowbell (one of the sponsors had been handing them out at the race expo). Hearing that noise, I had a very strong thought, "Almost done!" I had to think hard why I was thinking that so strongly, and realized it was connected to the noise of the bell! And this was several years after I'd stopped competing swimming! I still laugh at myself for that one :)

So what do distance swimmers want? More cowbell!

For you Anne!

Gotta love LOLCats! Yes, the grammar and spelling gets irritating sometimes, but the fact remains, they find some funny kitty pictures :)

How about yours?

Honestly, though, I don't know if Scruffers if bright enough to plot. I think it's more likely that we'll be taken out by the 20-lb doofus as he charges at our ankles in an attempt to beat us to the closet where we keep his kibble. I don't know why he doesn't learn that tripping us up doesn't get his food to him any faster. I'm just glad we don't live in a 2-story house right now, where he would charge past us on the staircase.

Then again, he might decide that we've had him on his diet too long and seek his revenge. Sorry, Scruffers, we know you're big, but 17 pounds is where you should be and we're gonna keep you there, not at 20! Portion control!

If you have concerns about your own furbeast, there is also a handy list of signs to consider too, before you take the quiz. :)

PS

While in the theater for Sherlock Holmes, we of course had previews beforehand, including one for the new Clash of the Titans. There were shots of the Kraken, of course, as one of the major special effects of the movie. These shots were at the end of the trailer we saw, as an obviously big focus. So the theater goes dark at the end of that preview before the next begins, and a guy a few rows ahead of me pipes up "Did you see the size of that desert tortoise!?"

For those of you not living in the desert, the desert tortoise is an endangered species in this area, and we hear a LOT about them. After the coyote, it's the mascot critter for this area. If you watch the trailer all the way through, at about 2:05, the Kraken does look very turtle-y. You know, right before he roars :)

Oh, and it doesn't look like the little mechanical owl will be back for this Clash. A shame ;)

In all honesty, I am trying to keep an open mind about this one. The original (though playing VERY fast and loose with the mythology) was a classic, campy bit of fun. As was Jason and the Argonauts, while I'm on the subject. We'll see if Hollywood can keep it fun without getting lost in the special effects.

Knitting Badges!

In case you hadn't noticed the new additions at the bottom of my page here, they are knitting badges, courtesy of Cast On. Check them out here to see what you've earned! There are some I hope I'll never earn (the divorce ones, for example) but they're still fun to play with!

So far, I have earned (the descriptions come from the Cast On site):

The Proselytize Knitting Badge - A requirement for all Knitting Scouts, the recipient must do his or her bit to present knitting in a positive light, whilst at the same time avoiding all references to “hipness”, grandmothers, and yoga.

As it says, a requirement for all! I KIP regularly (our knitting group meets at Starbucks), I talk up knitting when I can, and the only time I reference yoga is in jest or when talking about the knitted yoga bag set I made :)

The Inordinately Fond of Novelty Yarn Badge - In which the recipient professes an arguably unhealthy affinity for yarn with slubs, sparkles, spangles, fur, feathery bits, and an unconscionable proportion of man-made fibre. Recipient makes no apology for the preference.

This is one that I have earned, but with a disclaimer. Whilst I make no apology for my preference for ribbon yarns, ladder yarns, yarns with metallic-y bits, and lightly feathery yarns (think Tiffany from Lion Brand), there are definitely novelty yarns that I cannot stand. Fun Fur and similar variations I just about refuse to work with. Fancy Fur was, I think, the worse of them, though it was always a tear for me. They had some absolutely gorgeous colorways (the ones I really liked were black yarn and black fur with colored slubs - looked like stained glass colors) but I hated the texture. Also, just because I like my novelty yarns doesn't mean I will avoid a nice alpaca. Just sayin'. I am an equal opportunity knitter; there are just some eccentric novelty yarns in my stash too. :)

The “MacGyver” Badge (Level One) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a non-knitting tool in a knitting-related scenario. For instance, recipient has used paper clips as stitch markers, or successfully whittled and then utilized bamboo skewers as dpns.

Paperclips are what I tend to rely on. They have regularly served as stitch markers, and occasionally (but more frequently than I should admit) when unfolded, as cable needles. I also keep a letter opener in my bag instead of a yarn cutter (Bonus: it's one of the ones where you can put in pictures or business cards, so my MIL put in pictures of my bunny - the letter opener was a present in my stocking the Christmas before last - love it!).

The “MacGyver” Badge (Level Two) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a knitting tool in a non-knitting-related scenario. For instance, recipient has used a strand of Regia Bamboo to slice cheese, or repaired a small appliance with a metal knitting needle.

No cheese slicing here. But, have used metal knitting needles in non knitting circumstances! Hair sticks, from time to time (the wooden ones work better). And did actually have to pop a key off my keyboard with one. Old keyboard, key got stuck. Long story short, the knitting needle was the only thing tiny enough for slip under there and pop it up. Not incredibly creative, but definitely non-knitting use. Oh, and I don't know if it counts, but Zach likes using knitting needles as kitty toys (I'm trying to stop both him and Scruffy from continuing this habit).

The I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess Badge - The recipient is a whiz at substituting yarns and calculating gauge, can space increases and decreases evenly and is fully comfortable with the basic math encountered in all knitting projects.

Regularly substitute yarns, with the gauge changes that come with that. I think there are few projects that I've actually done with the recommended yarn, and several that I changed yarn weight altogether (my Shetland Shorty was one).

The Knitting Whilst Under the Influence Badge - This applies to both actual knitting under the influence, as well as achieving moments of stunning intellectual clarity about ones knitting under the influence. Presumes talking about knitting whilst under the influence a given.

Haven't had epiphany moments yet whilst KUI, but have definitely had my influenced knitting nights too. Besides Anne (remember B this year?), our knitting group will participate sometimes too (we had a White Russian night one Knit Night before Christmas). Just remember - there are projects that you should NOT work on while under the influence, particularly anything with lace, difficult yarn (think mohair or Fun Fur), or complicated shaping. You'll just pay for it in the morning!

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!

Hark upon the Gale!

For those who missed the big game because they were watching such unimportant games last week as VA Tech vs. Alabama (love you, hon!), W&M beat our (academic) rivals UVA in the first football game of the season. Go Tribe! Mom sent this to me from our favorite sports writer's column in the paper back home (The Virginian Pilot):

"Even if it upsets the NCAA logo police, W&M’s win over UVA puts a feather in the Tribe’s cap – maybe 2."

I miss you, Bob Molinaro! No such writing out here :(

Yup, yup...

I have no life :)

In case there are any other Neopets fans out there, (and for people like Zach who enjoy chuckling at me), we did well in the Cup. Shenkuu took second overall. We were ranked 4th going into the finals, beat the 1st place team to move to finals, and then lost to Krawk Island in the final match.

Yes, the Pirates did beat the Ninjas.

Cracks Zach up no end.

Still, I had fun. And as summer is the busiest time of the year for me at work, and July is certainly the worst month, I have appreciated a month of silly computer games :)

And of course, as a die-hard Cubs fan, I am used to the mindset of "There's always next year!" Bring it on AC V!

Silly kitten pictures :)

Yes, I know - been ages since I've posted. But, work has finally sort-of calmed down. At least enough, I can start catching up on posts :)

For today, silly pet pictures :)

For those of you familiar with the comic strip Rose is Rose, you will of course know the character Peekaboo, the household cat. There is a running idea in the comic strip of Peekaboo treating family members with "sit-in-things therapy." Peekaboo gets into boxes, pots (complete with lid on head), etc., always with the mindset of relieving tension of the family members.

Well, I don't know if it's intentional or not, but Scruffers likes pulling the same sort of play. We're always finding him in new and unusual nooks and crannies. And while we're guffawing at where he's squeezed himself into this time, he just looks at us like, "What? You have a problem with this?"

So, to provide a smile for all of you, here's our massive 16-lb nutcase finding all sorts of unusual napping spots, such as....

The bathtub

The kitchen cabinet

A cardboard box

A sleeping pad roll, as Zach was trying to pack for a training trip

A shoebox (his "pouting box" as we call it - he sits in it when we won't let him sit in our laps)

The newly-delivered recycling bin, now officially kitten approved.

Just some fuzzy silliness to brighten your day :)

Silly things you learn when you live with someone

So, actually living with Zach now that we're married, I'm learning all these silly little things about him that I didn't know before. Lots of little quirks, one of which is actually rubbing off on me:

He doesn't use even numbers on the microwave - no times end in 0 or 5.

32 seconds, fine. 46 seconds, fine. 1:02, just ducky. 1:00, nooooo.

It started as a running joke with two roommates in college. Something about commie spiders, and they'll come and get you if you use round numbers on the microwave. I don't know how it began - honestly, haven't really quite totally understood the story and the commie spiders' origins - they remain shrouded in mystery, as far as I'm concerned. At any rate, it grew and grew, and now here he is, out of college for several years, and still punches in 32 seconds on the microwave.

At any rate, I'm finding myself punching in unusual numbers on the microwave now. The silly things that rub off on one when you actually live with them.... (sigh)

Is this what it's like in a small town?

So, I live on a small post. I'm sure all of you lovely readers realize this by now :)

I'm still getting used to it. Most notably, at the commissary (grocery store on post). I grew up in a big city (well, massively sprawling suburbia), and even where I lived in SC wasn't a big city by any stretch of the imagination, but it was significantly bigger than here. I have yet to get used to going to the grocery store and running into people I know. Every time. I don't think I've had a commissary run yet where I haven't run into someone I know, even if it's only a nodding acquaintanceship.

Last week was a fun commissary run, honestly. Zach and I went last week for a grocery run, and ran into about 15 people I recognized. Seemed like every aisle we walked up, there was someone else we recognized! Several people from both our work places, and a couple coworkers of mine.

As if running into the entirety of the people on post I know wasn't enough, what really made it absolutely ridiculous was the makeover I received from one coworker's 4 yr old. She had just come back from a weekend at her grandmother's, and was well supplied with Kid's Makeup. I commented on her purple nails, and that opened the floodgate :) I ended up having my nails done there in the produce aisle, along with a generous amount of glitter gel spread on my forehead. I luckily escaped the bright pink lipstick, though! It was a very silly interlude in my shopping trip, and if nothing else, let my coworker have a few minutes of supervised 4-yr-old time, to finish her conversation and grab the cucumbers she wanted :) I would've taken a picture of my marvelous manicure, but it was the kid's stuff that peels right off. It had all flaked off by the time I went to bed that night. Oh, well...

Avast, ye scurvy dogs!

Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

For more information about this wonderful(ly silly) holiday, check out Wikipedia or the original Talk Like a Pirate website. :)

And here is my own little pirate. And his lorikeet. Apparently they were fresh out of parrots. ;)

A cure for what ails ya'

So, today had some ridiculousness (wouldn't be a day at work if it didn't). Really, it was a simple problem that got blown out of proportion when we couldn't get any one to answer our questions. The one department around here which could have answered our questions easily, was involved in a big afternoon to-do (training, I think), leaving no one in the office to answer the phone with innocent questions (like ours). So, what could have been solved simply with one phone call, became a 11/2 hour ordeal of phone calls and run-around through people who didn't know much, as we tried to get some answers.

And oh, yeah, had a migraine today too, which all of the above nonsense didn't help.

Enter Anne to the rescue! An e-mail of nonsense stuff she's found, including the cutest little guys ever: baby bats! in blankets! Definitely cheered me up no end :)

These poor little guys were orphaned when a poisonous tick outbreak occurred in their colony. They were rescued, but needed to be kept warm, since baby bats cling to their mother and have her body warmth until they are old enough to survive on their own. So, they got bundled up by the rescue workers, to keep they nice and toasty. I particularly love the faces on the two in the middle of the top picture in that article :)

Fruit bats are really important ecologically (yes, the bio background is coming out here!) They important for pollination, like birds or insects. And as a caver, bats are naturally wonderful critters anyway, and fruit bats like these are actually really intelligent (besides being cute!) I've heard them described as about the intelligence level of a cat... Of course, watching Scruffy attack the shadows on the wall, I'm not sure how bright that actually is any more... ;)

So, the new cat...

is totally insane. I realize as I say this that cats, by nature, are a little nutty, but Scruffy is truly ridiculous. As if one insane pet wasn't enough :)

You doubt me? Well, let me provide evidence...

He meows, but he trills more than he actually makes a 'meow' sound. No picture for that, but it's very interesting to listen to. He has all sorts of inflections in his little trills, too. Not a Siamese's full vocabulary, but his little noises can be begging, disgruntled, contented. When we gave him a bath today, it was mostly disgruntled, though! I keep thinking we should change his name to Trilby, but then I couldn't go around the house saying "Scruffy" in a funny voice :)

And I've never met a more affectionate, underfoot cat (I don't think he believes that hands have any other purpose than to pet the kitty). He has definitely made himself at home in the apartment in a very short time. He's only been here a few weeks, too! The funny thing is, he is a sprawler. When he makes himself at home on the couch or the desk chair or the floor in the doorway, he will SPRAWL, and I mean that in the full sense of the word. Head upside-down, all four feet pointing up in the air. It's really the most ridiculous thing to look at, but he seems so happy!

Then there is his penchant for lounging in unusual areas. Zach walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth, and found the cat stretched out in the bathtub. Apparently the house was too warm for one in a fur coat, and spreading out in the bathtub was a nice way to cool off. It was his look of "Yeah? What'd'ya want?" that really cracked us up, though.

Finally, the other night, we had Joey out and about (who, by the way, could probably take on this cat nearly 3x his size - feisty buns!) Anyway, Scruffy was very interested in Joey's cage. Smells of bunny and Timothy hay - very interesting smells, I suppose. So he decided to go inside to explore. And then settled in on Joey's shelf. The cat, fully 3 times the size of the bunny, was trying to make himself comfortable on the bunny's resting shelf. And it almost looked like he was succeeding, too!

So, yes, the cat is fitting in very well. He's very affectionate, almost to a fault, but he's definitely one of the nuttiest little guys under the sun! Makes for a very entertaining mix here, lemme tell you! :)

I is for...

Incorrigible imp!

Bunnies are notorious mischief makers. In the case above, if you can't tell, little Joey buns got to his food bucket. His pellets are stored in a latching plastic tub. Apparently I didn't latch it particularly well this particular evening, and as I was sitting reading in the library ('his' room), I heard this plastic ::clatter-clatter-clatter-CRASH::. Looking around the corner to where his food tub was, I saw this little face peering out over the edge and munching away happily. Somehow (I've no idea HOW) he'd managed to pop the top up off his food tub and hop in. And there he sat, happily munching away in the midst of enough pellets to last him for weeks. Once I finally stopped laughing and shooed him out of the tub, I made VERY sure to FIRMLY latch the tub when I closed it :)

But that was not his first bit of mischief!! Oh no, far from! He has certainly been known to snatch the stray baby carrot from an unguarded bag from time to time! And then there's the cage hopping, and the drr-trr destruction, and....

But I loves him!!!! :) How can you stay mad at that cute little face!!

Bunny Funnies!

Again, I've added my own comments in parentheses :)

Top 10 Rabbit Sounds

Sure, they don't make any noise...

10. The scoot and shuffle of a litterbox being moved from here to over there (bunny feng shui)

9. Shriek of "Argh!" by human roommate on discovering that the fresh cut flowers are now only a vase full of stems (like I recently discovered with my African violet!! - he knocked it off the shelf and ate all the leaves!)

8. "Crash-boom-bang" from landsliding books, papers and pens while investigating the top of the desk

7. Nasal grunt, accompanied by flailing fore paws, when being impolite to guests (or Zach or Amy - really whoever's around his food dish that "shouldn't" be)

6. Lips smacking bananas (or tomatoes!)

5. Snort of disgust on being offered a zucchini snack (squash is for pillows, not for snacks)

4. "Tooth purring"--the grind of contentment

3. Silence on the phone line because the cord has been chomped again (thankfully, Joey doesn't really go for wires... cardboard, paper, or little rubber pens grips are another story altogether)

2. Toenails that go "click-click" on the linoleum

And the number 1 sound produced by rabbits:

The "clackety-clack-clack" of the water bottle at three o'clock in the morning (sippa-sippa!)

Courtesy of the House Rabbit Society page