A is for...

Army!

Was thinking so long about what to do for A, and then this one smacked me in the face (well, really, I tripped over the boots Zach left in the hallway...)

I grew up a Navy brat. Wasn't planning to marry back into the military. Shows you how well plans go, right? We'd been dating exactly a year when Zach reported. So, here we are, nearly 3 years later, still together, and stationed at a tiny post in the middle of nowhere, while I am still learning a whole new set of acronyms (why does each branch have their own alphabet soup!?!?!) It's an interesting place, really, because there's no supporting civilian community. I've never lived somewhere like this; the bases Dad was stationed at were always near/in cities. It's very different to be totally dependent on the Army options, MWR, AAFES, etc. for your entire life (well, at least your entire life in a 45-minute radius).

We don't know where this job'll take us, but no one entering the military really does. You just make the best of wherever you're stationed, whatever his job assignment is at the time. (And in the case of this post, secretly hope that you'll get someplace nicer for your next duty station!)


(And before you say that the picture isn't army-related at all, look at his sweatshirt. The picture itself was taken when I visited him in Monterey 'bout a year and a half ago. We were driving down Hwy 1 to Big Sur for some hiking.)

A goal

Another case of publicizing my goals, to make it harder to back out :)

I have registered for a marathon. My first.

I know, I'm a little crazy.

It'll be a challenge, obviously, and I'm definitely apprehensive about it, but I think it will be good for me in the long run. I'm writing all this out, to remind myself why I'm doing this. So, here goes:

• I'd like to say I've done at least one marathon. I do half marathons regularly, and I'd like to say I've tackled the big distance at least once. Might never do it again, but I'd like to say I've done it at least once. One of those lifetime goals, I think!
• I didn't like running out here last summer (seriously, who likes running in the desert in summer?) So, maybe training for 5 months until a race on May 31 will get the workout schedule ingrained in me enough that when the weather heats up and work gets crazy again I'll be able to keep with it over those months. At least, I'm hoping so! I felt very fat and out of shape at the end of last summer (when it was finally cool enough to have rational thought again), because I hadn't been doing much active. I don't want to repeat that this summer, so having some races on my schedule will help me get through that.
  
• It will be good for marking time here on post. This is not anywhere near the top 100 places I would like to live, and having another way to mark time passing will be good for me. Things always sneak up faster when you stay busy, or when you don't feel prepared for them. This marathon will probably involve both of those :) I'll see time pass as I mark off runs on my training plan, and the end of May will sneak up quickly because no matter how much I train, I'll still feel a bit unprepared for my first!

I've chosen the San Diego Rock & Roll for my first marathon. I've done the VB R&R Half twice now (my 3rd will be this year) and the AZ R&R this year. I like them. They are big races, I know, with the downsides that come with that (lines at the portojohns, crowded parking, etc), but they are typically well run. I think it'll be a good race to start with. There's plenty going on along the course, so I'll have lots to keep me distracted - bands, cheering squads, scenic courses, lots of bystanders cheering... lots to help those miles pass by. Plus, I've never been to San Diego, and it's only about 4 hrs away from here. Figure if I'm gonna do this race, I should do it now while I'm close, right?

Even better, I've found a friend on post who's doing it too, so I won't be suffering through on my own. Well, I don't know if we're the same pace running, so I might be suffering through the miles on my own, but at least the before and after won't be all alone :)

Wish me luck!

So, what else did we do in AZ?

Besides the race, we were very busy touristing, too, and some fun pictures to show for it!

When Mom flew into town, she spent the week before-hand with me and Zach on post, and then the two of us drove over to Phoenix for the AZ Rock & Roll. In Phoenix, we met up with Ms. Donna, Mom's running buddy, who was doing the half too. We had a couple days to play tourist, and then a big race to cap off the long weekend. Zach had to stay home, since he had to work, unfortunately, but it is what it is. We'll just have to make another trip over to Phoenix if he wants to see it too :)

I've already mentioned what we did in Vegas, and the race itself (the whole reason we went over to Phoenix), but we got to play tourist a little too. Phoenix is a really neat town! Well, the greater Phoenix area (we saw some of Tempe and Scottsdale too). So much to see and do - a real city! Been a while since I was able to do some of these things. Food, for example. As a friend says, the dining options on post are pretty much equivalent to a small food court. Ethnic foods, especially good ones, you have to drive a ways to find. In Phoenix, Mom and Ms. Donna let me choose the menu. We had Chinese, great pasta, and Greek. The Greek place was AWESOME! If you're in Tempe, be sure to check out My Big Fat Greek Restaurant on Mill St, near the university. Wonderful food! And they had this incredible desert that Mom and Ms Donna loved - baklava cheesecake. I'm not a big cheesecake fan, so my opinion's not worth much on the subject, but the two of them were gushing about it. It looked like it was a cheesecake with lots of swirls of honey and nuts and spices running through it. Apparently it was fantastic, and I missed out - though, I have to say my regular ol' baklava wasn't too shabby ;)

The Zoo in Phoenix is INCREDIBLE!! So big! We spent close to 7 hours there - pretty much the entire day Saturday - and still didn't see it all. I think Mom read somewhere that they have almost 16 miles of trails through the whole park. Pretty impressive! I was really impressed by their conservation and breeding work - the bio major in me coming out, I guess. They had several species where they specifically mentioned the breeding counts that the Phoenix Zoo had produced, or mentioned that such-and-such a species was extinct in the wild that they were working on breeding efforts with. Even their logo is based on a species which they had been instrumental in reintroducing into the wild. (If you're curious, it's the oryx, a type of antelope that was nearly wiped off the Arabian peninsula). And, on a less intellectual level, the zoo was fun too! In the day, there were camel rides (we splurged!). Very lumbering, swaying sort of critter to ride.

And at night, the Zoo lights up! Through the holiday season, they decorate a portion of the park for ZooLights. Lots of music playing, and some very impressive light displays. A lot of fun. And we lucked out - the weekend we were there was the last night of the season, and free with a canned good donation! Perfect timing! As a bit of post-race silliness, we picked up some light-up bunny ears for ourselves. Actually made it very easy for us to find each other in the dark - we were the taller ears running around!

It's interesting, after living in the Mojave desert for nearly a year, being able to see some differences in the desert Phoenix is in (the Sonoran). It's a richer desert, I think it the best way to describe it. Having that river flowing there helps :) There's a lot more plant life - nothing like the redwoods or the forests back East, of course, but definitely more plants than near Post. And it's redder, too - the desert around here is every shade of brown instead.

One of the highlights of our visit was the Desert Botanical Gardens. I know, you're thinking "Oh boy, how many species of cactus can I see in one place?" But they've got a really cool temporary exhibit with artwork from Dale Chihuly, the glasswork artist. We were lucky - our ticket time was for the late afternoon, which made for PERFECT lighting through the glass pieces. Some were just glowing - beautiful!

I'd never been to AZ before, though we did drive through on our move out here. It was just a really fun weekend, and especially after being sick over New Year's, it was a really good way to start the year, shake off a little of the frustrations of being cooped up on post too long. Made me realize again how important it is to get off post on a very regular basis! I guess between that and seeing family and friends from home again, the trip to AZ turned out to have more meaning than I thought :)

Girls' Weekend in Vegas!

Yay for family visits! Obviously, Mom came out here for the Phoenix Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon. She and Miss Donna both came out here, actually, and we all met up to go run our little legs off and see Phoenix (none of us had ever been before). But more on that later (Phoenix, obviously, as I've already mentioned the race).

First up, Mom flew into Vegas, which she'd also never been to before. So, I went over to meet her, and we spent a day there before coming back here to post. Had a very busy 24 hours, then back here to collapse. Fun time though! Both of us agreed that Vegas is an eccentric place, different from our own family brand of eccentricity, but still a good trip. As she put it, it wouldn't be a specific destination for her travels, but since I'm living only about 3 hrs out now, it was a good reason to visit. :)

We saw the Blue Man Group on Saturday night. Was SO COOL! Almost missed it too, between flight delays (snow in Newark was bad flying out) and the hotel losing our reservation (free upgrade, though) and so forth. But we made it! Mom squeaked in by the skin of her teeth, just as the show started. :) Awesome, awesome show. I think the original Blue Man cast had to have been a couple drum corps guys - cool drum pieces and tricks (paint on the drum head), quirky humor, and some downright juvenile antics (marshmallows were involved). Yup, sounds like the guys I knew in the drum line! We were in the 3rd row too!! The Poncho section :) Yes, ponchos were provided for those in the front several rows, as there was quite a bit of paint (and other things) splashing about. We didn't get any paint on us, as we were over at the side, but from the 3rd row where we were, we could see SO much, right down to facial expressions. Awesome seats :) After the show the Blue Men and the drummers came out to meet the audience. I got pictures with 2 of them, and one signed my ticket when I asked! Well, by "signing," I mean that he kissed it, so it has Blue Man blue paint on it :)

On Sunday, we visited the Titanic and BODIES exhibits that Zach and I had seen in the summer. Mom hadn't seen them yet, and I was totally willing to go again :) Both are really interesting, and if you get the chance, you should go. I know BODIES travels, or has similar exhibits that do - it's the exhibit with the preserved human specimens. Goes through all the body's major systems (skeletal, muscular, etc) with preserved samples. Very interesting, especially as a science major! The Titanic exhibit doesn't travel much (I believe it's going to be housed at the Luxor for the next few years) but it's pretty interesting too. Several recreated portions of the ship, and lots of artifacts that have been recovered. I wish it had a little more about what went wrong (why so many people perished - lack of lifeboats, radio mis-communication, etc) and about the recovery efforts, but it was still a well-done exhibit. Did a good job of personalizing the passengers, bringing in stories from the crew and from passengers throughout the different classes. Made it more personal than just 1500 victims - very effective. Both are very well done exhibits, and if you get a chance to go, they are worth the ticket price.

I made sure to take her to the Bellagio too. The Bellagio gardens are updated seasonally, and unfortunately they were mid-update when we visited on Sunday. It looks like it will be a Chinese New Year theme now. The fountains were running as usual, though :)

We saw some of the Vegas wildlife too, and not the lounge lizard type. The Flamingo has a wildlife preserve inside, with lots of koi and water birds and of course flamingos. Very nice free exhibit :) Has a Bugsy Siegel memorial in the central gardens too. Had to stop - I grew up watching History channel specials on old-time gangsters and serial killers (Mom says we grew up warped as a result, but I think we turned out OK!) Besides, it's an interesting memorial that talks about a person like Bugsy, knowing what sort of criminal he was. For example - his suite of rooms at the first Flamingo had 1 entrance and 5 exits, in case he needed to escape someone. And now you know!

The MGM Grand has a lion exhibit, also free. I knew that they had a lion exhibit in the hotel, but didn't learn til we went that they really have about 30 lions 'on staff' at the MGM Grand. The lions live on a ranch just outside Vegas, and rotate in shifts at the hotel. The lions will come in for ~5 1/2 hour shifts in the hotel's habitat area, usually one or two at a time. As a result, each lion has only 1 or 2 shifts at the hotel in a week. Most of the time, they're relaxing at the ranch. The lions are raised to be comfortable around people, and have specific trainers they work with. We lucked out and got there at dinnertime. A trainer was in the habitat, and walking the lion around the enclosure. She'd put ground horsemeat (lion snacks) on the rocks or glass walls of the enclosure, so the lion progressed slowly around the area, having his snacks. Gave lots of opportunities for some very neat pictures!

So, yes, very busy day, and a very good one. I still think that I wouldn't ever make a special long (cross-country, for example) trip to come visit Vegas (aside from conventions or some other specific purpose) but since I only live a few hours away right now, I think I'll continue to take advantage of the shows and exhibits from time to time. Besides, I'll have to go back eventually to keep Zach company at the Blue Man Group when he sees it ;)

Soooo sore....

But not as sore as I thought I'd be, happily!

Why should I be sore, you ask? Rock & Roll! And no, not a concert (though bands were involved). AZ Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon was this weekend. Part of why Mom came out to visit when she did - a destination race for us, both touristing and running :) And a lot of both we did, too! We each did the half-marathon (there was a full this past weekend, too) but 13.1 miles is still a long way to run!

I didn't get a PR (personal best time on an event - not sure exactly what it stands for - personal record?) but considering how little I ran over the summer, I'm still happy with how I did. This was a chance to prove to myself that I wasn't totally out of shape, and give myself some motivation to get back in the swing of things, work-out wise. I was about a minute off my best race pace, but I was still a good ways under my worst time, so I was pleased. My 5K split was actually pretty close to my normal 5K training time (my standard 10-minute metronome mile, as Zach laughs), and I had an 11 minute pace going until about mile 8 or 9. After that I had to mix some walking bouts in, but I was still able to run the whole last mile, so I finished strong at least. The walking bouts were thrown in because my knees and feet were feeling it, not my breathing or muscles as much (not that they weren't feeling it, but they weren't bad enough to slow to a walk). That did make me happy, because I could've had to slow down because my legs were aching too badly, or my breathing was not in shape. Made me feel slightly more in shape than I thought I was :)

Review: Beowulf

Another library rental. Which brings me to the point - why can't people take care of things that aren't theirs??? Our library does decently in their selection considering the population of the area it serves (very small post). Yet the idiots who rent seem insistent on beating up on the discs (both CDs and DVDs). We rented a CSI season the other day that had 2 episodes (of the 4 on the disc) that would skip ahead 10 minutes at a time - in one episode you missed a death and the discovery of another body! 10 minutes is a lot in a 45 minutes show!! It's as if they reason, "it's not mine, so it doesn't matter" Seriously folks!! Minor rant brought up by several scratches on this disc too...

Anyhoo: Beowulf. For clarification, this is the most recent version, all CG. Yeah, the one with Angelina Jolie.

The story centers on the epic poem of Beowulf, a hero who rids a town of the troll plaguing them, and then deals with its vengeful mother. There's also a lot of guilt and soul-searching and such, as the mother monster is a temptress, prepared to be the proverbial devil in the bargain.

I never read Beowulf in school. It's part of the 8th grade curriculum in the school district where I grew up, but my 8th grade teacher flat out said he didn't like it, so we would read something else. Instead, we had an intro unit on Shakespeare and read Hamlet. I still thank him for it :) As a result, I only knew the plot synopsis from Bulfinches' and Edith Hamilton's mythology texts. What that means for you? No rant like in my review from Troy! :)

I can't say much about the acting in this, as it's all CG. I mean, the voice acting is good, and they have some good talent in the cast (Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn...) but despite all the sensors and so forth they used on the faces in the filming process, the characters just don't have much facial expression. At least not as much as they could. One review I read described it as having 'too many layers of pancake makeup' on. The queen's character (Robin Wright Penn) was especially blank, facially. And it's not like this is a total action movie - there's a lot of guilt and recriminations and questioning of decisions by the characters, so there's plenty of opportunity for more in the faces. Even traditionally animated movies have more facial expression in their characters than the ones in this movie. But, I guess the technology isn't there yet. It just made it harder to get into the story somehow. Can't relate to the characters as easily, I guess. I really don't know why they didn't do a blend of real and CG - maybe budget, maybe "let's see what we can do" Either way, it's a visually appealing film without any depth, even though the story provides lots of opportunities to get into the characters.

The most interesting, engaging part of the whole DVD was in the extras, on how they filmed it all. Very well done, actually. Be sure to watch.

The writing did have some interesting points. I like Neil Gaman's work, personally, and he's good about those dunique bits in unusual scripts. Just has an interesting way of looking at the world ("The Sandman," anyone?) For example, this is all based on an Old English poem, which is practically a foreign language to us today. The writers found ways to incorporate some of the Old English into the script. Grendel and his mother especially speak in Old English. It's a nice touch that gives them a little more of that other-worldly feel. Still, I'm sure that Hollywood took some serious liberties with the story, too. We all already know my feelings on that :)

One point that I reeeeeally didn't like - especially at the beginning, they seriously overuse the strobe effect. Be forewarned. Grendel first appears with a lot of flickering blue light, creating a strobe effect all over the town's feast hall. Good long fight scene introducing the monster in that flickering scene. Then, you head to the seas to meet Beowulf, who's sailing into town in the midst of a lightning storm. Zach was really bothered by all the flashing for so long, and I at first was just annoyed, but started to get a headache from it all. Got really obnoxious flickering that much for that long. I can't imagine dealing with all that in a theater.

Also, they overused some of the tricks you can do with CG camera angles. The whole looking-down-the-arrow-as-it-flies and so forth. Not badly done at any one point, but it got a little old for me.

Overall: 2 of 5. I didn't hate it, but it just never drew me in. The fight scenes were well done, but some of the lighting and camera work just made your head hurt. At times it felt like it was done more "to see if we can" more than anything else. Still don't see why this couldn't have been a blend of real and CG work.

Silliness, Pure and Simple!

So, Bernat makes this glow-in-the-dark yarn. Check it out! Freakin' glow-in-the-dark yarn!! Most excellent!

Had to find a use for it, of course. What did I decide to do? Ear-bands for runners!

I picked Nakiska from Knitty. A really cute little cabled ear-warmer that uses up almost exactly 1 ball of the glow in the dark yarn. I have made 2 already, all but the final weaving in of ends, and have 1 more to make. It's a wonderful little pattern - highly recommended!! It's a simple cabled pattern, very easy to remember, but is so cute when it's all done! So, if any friends or family members want to request one in the future, I'd love to make more ;)

I'm making 3 right now, for me, Mom and a family friend (also Mom's running buddy). None of us are particularly fast, but very determined, and so we keep on. But, sometimes, particularly in the winter when it gets dark at 4:30, before you're even home from work, and you finally get home, and it's colder and very dark, but you still want/need to go for a run and just can't face the treadmill... well, you need a little encouragement. Answer: glow-in-the-dark ear-warmers!! Here's Mom modeling hers (though, the ends do still need the weaving in). It's really exciting to make something that someone is obviously excited about - Mom keeps laughing like a little kid, imagining wearing it running through the neighborhood. A reaction like that just warms the heart :)

I would definitely use this yarn again. Not the most sensual, softest or easiest yarn to work with, and tends to split as you're using it, but it glows in the dark. Beat that!