We're running a half marathon this weekend. I'm not planning on really racing it rather I'm just planning on running the miles and enjoying the crowd. I walked from work to the expo this afternoon to pick up my race packet stuff and checked out how around downtown the San Jose Symphony has these square tiles put up on light posts and they each have a button; when you press the button it emits a clip of the symphony playing certain selections.They're up as part of the symphony's 10th anniversary. We walked past three or four and could only recognize one "tune"; ha! Maybe I should actually go to the symphony.
It's Friday!
Mikey's taking the LSAT tomorrow morning; wish him good luck!
It's Friday! We're simultaneously watching Jeopardy and a re-aring of the Chelsea/Valencia game from earlier this week. It's Friday!
I don't have to chaperone a dance tonight...what a shame.
***disclaimer*** This is kind of an obnoxiously long post about newspaper columns...but I LOVE this stuff so cheers to you if you're patient with my ramblings! ***disclaimer*** I went to a high school alumni thing tonight which was nice and made to seem even nicer compared to the destruction over at the Trader Joe's that I needed to stop at on my way home. I swear, this specific location is the absolute worst that I've ever been to and is always either 1} packed or b} completely picked over. I try to avoid this particular TJ's but it was on my way home and there were a few necessities {bananas...I'm very picky about my breakfasts}. I braved the parking lot which could be described, at best, as perilous. My visit didn't take too much time and as I was wrangling my way out of the concrete jungle, a car drove past me. There appeared to be a slumped over passenger, which is kind of normal, if one thinks about it; it was around 6:45 and on a Thursday night I imagine there are many tired passengers out in the world at this time, especially in this dreadful parking lot. I then realized, it was a dummy. Like a ventriloquist's dummy. A really creepy one with red hair. Oh I about died. Gladly I note that wonders certainly don't cease. Unfortunately, this all happened over about 25 seconds so a picture was just not possible and I was by no means about to follow the car and wait until the driver went into one of the businesses to take a creepy/stalker-like picture of their ventriloquist alone in their car. What I was going to blog about before I needed to get out the above information is the police blotter today. It's been a while since I checked it out and I was not disappointed when I pulled it up this afternoon.
"...-possibly an animal-..." is what gets me about this. I'm pretty sure that the entries in the blotter are taken directly from police reports and I'm not dissing police officers here, please don't think so, but I LOVE the brevity of these statements. I'm left to wonder here, what kind of animal? What types of noises? Bells and whistles? Mere rustling? Regarding the first entry here; what caring friends! Then when I read down to the next one about the male who refused to discuss his stab wounds I was curious if it was the same gentleman who was listed in the first occurrence. Perhaps the friends weren't so considerate after all if he really didn't want to chat about it all.
I also am not trying trying to make light of drug problems but what I would like to know regarding the last statement is how exactly the needle was in his clothing? I picture a needle stuck through a suit coat lapel kind of like a boutonniere. Also, how exactly did he break the law? There are so many possibilities especially considering that he broke the law while riding his bike. Another aspect of our San Jose Mercury newspaper that I enjoy is Mr. Roadshow. People write to Mr. Roadshow with their questions regarding Bay Area driving {road conditions, problematic intersections, Prius-related issues, etc.} and he researches their concerns and then answers; kind of like Dear Abby but for local drivers and all about very quotidian car-related/driving matters. Most of the concerns are not very technical in nature and he is super informative and it's local sooooo...I love him and his column. Apparently many others do as well, which is no surprise, but what I think is neat is that his popularity is nation-wide. Anyway, though I'm a fan I'm not that thorough of an admirer and I did not know that he will post in his column what vanity plates that he or others have seen and gather reader guesses as to the meaning. Ideally, the owner of the vanity plate will read his column and before the next publishing when Mr. Roadshow posts all of the guesses the owner will write in revealing the mystery; he'll put this at the end of the column. I especially enjoyed this recent discussion.
I love Mr. Roadshow's responses to the predictions! The guesses continue...
This one included some brief profanity {at the very top} so I blurred it out. After I laughed out loud. We've so far gone from oral contraceptive to Canada to learning to fly to opposing immigration reform...
and we arrive at baseball! The Red Socks, to be specific. The thing is, though, that this is a California license plate and not a Massachusetts set. Hmmmmm...
Sorry, Becs, about the dig on your Twins.
I was digging through other vanity plate conjectures and came across a concern from this week. I guess that not all people love this process. I cannot even fathom why not. Opinions on this topic run strong though. Take a look.
Mr. R-S sure is good about taking criticism! But why the complaints? I think this is UH-MAY-ZINE since I always wonder what those plates mean.
Oh he is so clever!
I'm glad to know that the vanity plate explanations are not going away. CYWICY folks {tomorrow, most likely!}! xoxo, natty ♥
I fell victim today. The couch-monster got me. I sat down for only a few minutes. Then Guinness jumped on my lap and I felt like I shouldn't get up and disturb him. I leaned back to read something we got in the mail and then I got drowsy; I couldn't get up since the dog was so comfortable...the monster won. Oh well...I'm "ok" with a Tuesday afternoon nap ☺. xoxo, natty ♥
Some Mondays it's hard for me to find inspiration but today was not one of those Mondays. I feel as though everywhere I looked today I saw something that tickled my fancy or made me smile. I'll save one thing for Wordless Wednesday™ and list some here...here's your oxymoron for the week: happy Monday! Beware...this post reflects my loquacious side.
What made my day lovely: 1. This scruffy face when I got home...he is always SO happy to see me no matter how rushed I was at work or if I don't get in my run for the day; a dog really is the best investment, monetary and emotional, since what we get in return is tenfold times infinity of what we put in.
Plus, his ears are, like, really soft and I like to hold on to one while we watch TV. And he smells like dog ♥♥♥. 2. This round & curled-up dachshund shaped dent that I find all over the place;
often in any blanket left laying around and also on our bed but the funniest-to-me spot is in a pile of laundry {clean or other wise [not that there ever is not clean laundry draped about the house]}. This pile is was actually clean and had been headed for folding when it got moved to the floor this morning for some reason.
The dent was there when I got home from work today. 3. These odoriferous {in a delightful way} roses my grandmother left in the kitchen. She's always doing this with flowers from around her lovely garden. These smelled especially rosy.
4. Olives as an appetizer...noms!
With Trader Joe's boxed wine...a nice accompaniment for those olives! Plus it's a mere $10 for the equivalent of four bottles...nice! 5. Free podcasts.
My personal favorite is This American Life and the one from this past week was a doozy about private investigator moms.
Read more about it HERE and get yourself subscribed to the free podcast; the best deal in town! Here's to a good week y'all! xoxo, natty ♥
Happy Fall y'all! Actually it's more like "boo"! I deep down love decorating and themed things. Oh heck, I don't want to kid anyone, it's not a secret - I totally love that stuff. However, we don't have our own place yet nor do we have the budget of the Trumps. Blogs, though, are free thus the new snazziness. I am really drawn to a homey type of decor...kind of shabby chic but definitely not cluttered or junky chic; I so love to experiment with all sorts or kitschiness and therefore I totally enjoy playing around with all of the hundreds of blog options available. I might not teach second graders but I sure as heck can decorate my blog as though it were a classroom for 8 year-olds; yay! Anyway, here's my Halloween look. I totally love this day since it's a chance to get dressed up and have fun but there's not a whole lot of commitment involved {no formal dinner}. I'll roll out an autumnal look after the scary day. Today I toyed around with the blog workings, got in a run {much shorter than yesterday's}, thought about the grading I would like to catch up on and then went to a neighborhood party. It was a nice and overcast day, kind of muggy with beautiful clouds and a neat change from our recent heat wave, though I still love me some warmth. Good week to you all ☺. xoxo, natty ♥
A while ago my good friend Becs talked about a goal. She and I went to a small liberal arts college and it was a wonderful experience. It was, however, not a very traditional experience athletics and "big-school" wise. Rebecca had read a book about sororities {which we did not have} and became inspired to be more knowledgeable regarding the typical university experience since it was something we did not have. Her inspiration, since she's a sports fan, manifested in an interesting challenge. The idea is to research and follow/become a fan of a large college football team. Becs chose the South Eastern Conference {SEC} for reasons that you can read about HERE. When I read her blog post about this I kind of freaked out because I had been very secretly fascinated by the south and a certain SEC team for a few years and I was excited to share in this experience. It all started with random blog hopping; I had stumbled across some southern womens' blogs and was charmed by their big hair bows and dedication to SEC football. I was drawn to a team that has a live mascot, which I love. This creature is one of my favorites because I think they resemble English Bull Terriers, the dog I grew up with.
I decided that I would copy Becs in following a team this season. There was no question, obviously, since I was already enamored of this team's mascot. So, an Arkansas Razorback Hog fan I am. Here is Tusk. He's actually a legacy, so forgive me; here is Tusk IV.
The Hogs had been doing well up until today but lost badly to Alabama {the Crimson Tide}. I think that's "OK" since the Tide is ranked #3 and the Hogs are #14, but I'm still a bit bummed. My heart is warmed when I read about the tradition and enthusiasm involved in the team. I feel, too, as though I can safely assume that it's not just Arkansas that is so supportive of their team. I think the whole SEC is like this as well as many other big schools in the US {Pac 10 [11 12], etc.}. It really is SUPER different from our college athletics experience and my high school one as well. It's not that we did not have sports but neither of my alma maters are large and though the athletics were well supported, our size alone dictated that there was a fair amount of balance on campus regarding extra-curriculars; sports and drama and art and everything else was prevalent and not in a money-making/business-y/"it's life" sort of way that it is at larger institutions. Don't get me wrong, please; I'm not touting one over the other at all...I'm just intrigued by what I myself did not experience. Anyway, I'm really excited to be a fan. I love that lots of Hog fans didn't even go to the university. I love that there are about a bajillion apparel options in Razorback themes {red...with a hog}, including dresses and bikinis! All is available at Hog Heaven online or the actual Hog Heaven in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Part of the plan is to actually attend a game next season and Becs' team {Tennessee} and my Hogs will actually meet...hopefully we make this a reunion of sorts though I'm already worried about where we will sit since I can guarantee that I will want to deck myself out in red and also sit with Becs who will be draped in orange and I don't think that the two colors will mix...if you catch my drift. We can figure that out in 2012. Until then...I, today and most Saturdays through the end of college football season, exclaim our official hog call..."WOO PIG SOOIE"! xoxo, natty ♥
I'm chaperoning the first dance of the year tonight. Every teacher, just about, is asked to chaperon one mixer a year and I generally choose the first one. I like to front load my obligations and it's fun to see how excited the kiddos are at the first one. I even remember how much fun it was for little old moi way back when. What's not fun, though, is being on my feet in a loud and sweaty gym for several hours on a Friday night {or any night, at that} so I high tailed it home after work and am laying low until I need to leave; i.e. I am more horizontal than vertical and hope to stay this way for a few hours. I was also able to to sneak out and meet Mr. Mike at the farmers' market for a lunch of Thai BBQ {me} and gyros {he}...yum! It was super super hot and remains so which is partly what makes the prospect of several hundred teenagers getting their groove on so blech {no offense if you're a teen; this could actually apply to any group of people getting jiggy on a hot day in a school gym}...anyway. Happy Friday to y'all! xoxo, natty ♥
I work with wonderful people. Many of those wonderful people happen to be wonderful mommies so I hear quite a bit of talk regarding things that involve little ones. One topic of which I am very fond is literature. I had a few favorites myself growing up {"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and the entire Little House series to name just a few} and love to hear what's circulating around with the youngins. A certain coworker with a Norwegian husband {and two bilingual adorables at home} told us about a funny story that their family first read in Dutch {it's a long story} and she brought in the Norwegian version that their little girls KNOW. I fell in LOVE. As many a reader knows, I am fond of four-legged creatures I don't discriminating against those two-leggers out there either {Kanga and Roo, I'm talking to YOU!}. It should come as no big surprise, then, that this little tome charmed my pants off {figuratively} and made my day - it boasts a mole as he who suffers the fate mentioned in my title today. Since moles can't see so well the protagonist goes on to ask the other animals if it was their defecation. It's so not as gross as I'm making it sound. Alas, Mikey and I don't speak Norwegian and probably won't learn by the time our own little two-legged love-bugs come along. However...the book comes in English!!!!! I searched it and found the book on Amazon, which is great. Buy your own HERE. I also stumbled upon a video of it being read. Yea! It's your lucky day my faithful few one readers. For your enjoyment...
"D.C." stands for "Darn Cat" which is the title character/protagonist from one of my all time favorite movies, Disney's {and Hayley Mills'} "That Darn Cat" {1965}. This movie is a close second to Desilu's production of "Yours, Mine and Ours" {1968} with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, Disney's {and Ms. Mills', yet again} "The Parent Trap" {1961}and {Disney; what else?} "The Three Lives of Thomasina" {1964}. What can I say...I was born in the wrong decade. I actually think there are like at least three other in which I belong. Anyway. Tonight, after a yum-o dinner of mac & cheese {with Gruyere & boxed wine, y'all; we're high class folk here!} Mike and I ventured out for a walk with the doggie since Indian Summer has been gracing us with her dear presence and it's very pleasant out. Within two houses I noticed that our cat Flora was following us. Flora will do this but usually stops by the corner. Recently, though, she's taken to going further, like when my friend Rebecca was here and tonight. I get nervous, though, since I don't want her to get lost or run over so we had to walk up and down our street on both sides so that the kitty-kat could walk along with us {in the gutter, actually, she doesn't want people to associate herself with such low brow people} and not get hurt or lost. So much for our cool-factor; our walks are dictated by a cat. Over and out. xoxo, natty ♥
Happy Monday y'all. Or, as my aunt taught me last week, Oh Hell It's Monday {OHIM}. But let's look at the bright side of things!
1. We're hitting a heat wave this week; this might not be so marvelous considering that I'm running lots o' miles. Come the middle of January, though, I'll be pining for these warm days so I'll take what I can ☺. 2. I have to chaperone the first mixer of the year this Friday. I'm actually not excited about being in a adolescently-sweaty gym until 11:30 on my Friday night but I'm trying to not dread it so much so here it falls at número dos. 3. We've been married for over TWO weeks! 4. My lunch for tomorrow is already made. 5. Seinfeld is on T.V. as I type; a montage of their classic moments, at that...win! xoxo, natty ♥
In these here parts, especially the past few years, September is our Summer. It actually gets warm in this month {warm = 80s and maybe 90s [Fahrenheit, y'all, remember]}. It cooled down a bit this past week but today through the next week or so is all about the upper 80s; woot! Except...I'm working now and just get to look at the beautiful warmth from my classroom windows while wearing a sweater or two since our building has major thermostat issues. Anyway, I am looking forward to some warm evenings, one of my favorite things, and a food truck get together in downtown later today. Happy week-end! xoxo, natty ♥ P.S. Yes, I do have a thing for weather and temperature; call me crazy...I dare you!
Today we ran 16 miles. Mr. Mike and I went to the big city to get in our long run since it's more interesting than where we live. I hadn't particularly been looking forward to these 16 miles since...it's a freaking long amount of time! Mikey is great company but, still, it's 16 miles. I decided to take along my camera to get pictures of various parts of the route and keep myself entertained; fun! I got in most of the pictures while still running; I didn't want to hold us up too much. They aren't too blurry though; yea! Here's where we started.
The ran began at Dog Beach and then through the Marina district.
This view is one of my San Francisco favorites {the dome, not the grass}.
These unsuspecting dog owners had two large and fluffy creatures that I couldn't resist. I was totally discrete, mind you.
There was a family kite flying festival on the Marina green as well. I really enjoyed the scuba diver kite with the shark following him.
The rock was in plain view all day.
It was super clear and just beautiful in the city {no fog} and we ran and ran through that gorgeousness.
Aquatic Park right by Ghirardelli Square and Fisherman's Square was hosting a swim meet of sorts. I thanked my lucky stars that I'm a runner and not an open, COLD water swimmer.
We ran in the other direction towards Crissy Field, past Dog Beach again, and up to Fort Point {which I still haven't visited}.
At Fort Point there is a plaque of two copper hand prints. There's a really neat story about these hands that you can read about HERE. There's also a set of paw prints too. We {and other runners} high-five these hands when we get to this turn-around; it gives us energy!
These funny schnauzers maybe did the paws too; I didn't see but I certainly loved them.
We then made our way up and over the golden gate; super windy-ness!
It was a beautiful day and we topped it all off with a repeat of last Saturday's sandwich love. I'm not linking up to information about these handy-dandy places we visited today; I think all of those links are actually on the post about our SF run with Becs {another fabulous day ♥} which you can check out HERE. Happy Saturday! xoxo, natty ♥
I have this weird quirk; I love to crunch leaves by stepping on them. I adore this, actually. I've always enjoyed said act. Luckily, we live on a prime leaf-stomping street. Those are sycamore trees. They're awesome; the size is impressive, they can provide nice shade in hot weather {not that it ever graces us with it's presence} and the best/crunchiest leaves rain down on us.
The leaves start to bud in late April. I drive home everyday and when I turn into the street at this time of year, I start furiously looking up when I round the corner. When the buds finally make their appearance the trees develop this beautiful, ethereal if you will, light green hue. It's hard to focus on any of the baby leaves since they're so high up there which causes the trees to look as though they're glowing light neon green. I love that.
The leaves then become a BEAUTIFUL rich almost Kelly green in late May and early June. Then our California sun takes it's toll and the leaves begin to brown ever so slightly. Around this time of year, the weird little mummified leaves start to fall. I'm not quite sure what it is; it could be a mold and I annually rejoice over something that's bad for these trees. Whatever it is, though, it makes the leaves delightfully "crunchy". With these crunchers, it's extremely satisfying to step down on one. I can feel the give and the sound is nicely crackly. I think this is weird behavior but I'm willing to come out of this closet, so to speak; maybe there are others like me out in the world. Here's what the funny whitey stage looks like.
And here's the act itself. The pathetic thing, I readily admit, is that I've injured myself in my endeavor. I was running and took an errant step in an effort to "get a leaf"; I landed funny and rolled my ankle. It wasn't severe by any means but it was enough to make me think about how stupid it would be to get really hurt this way. But it certainly didn't stop me. xoxo, natty ♥
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