A couple week catch up - I had ONE job

April 15, 2019 - April 21, 2019

Monday (5) - Hills with Ro were on the agenda.  Usually, a Wednesday thing but today was my Mon-Wednes-day because I'm off Thur, so Wed would be my Friday so Monday was my Wednesday.  Ha ha.  We

I see you have cheese.  I like cheese.  - Jax

Sucks you can't stream the Boston Marathon anymore.  I tracked a few runners.  I was surprised when it stopped telling me about Leslie's status.  Sorry!  Well, at least that is over with and you can stick to what you love, trails!

The new mattress arrived, we did one of those foam buy it online.  It comes in a box you could fit a 5-year-old in, for a king-sized mattress.  Dave got that all setup and said the unfolding process was pretty cool.

Tuesday (2 + butt and gut) - Data point of one:  No complaints on the new mattress, it's like sleeping in a hug without having to deal with someone breathing on you!

OMG this NE Porter was AMAZING!
Seriously AMAZING!

My morning was spent listening to the worlds longest annual meeting.  Glad I didn't think I'd have time for a quick bike ride at lunch and pack all that gear only to find out I have 60 minutes all in for a workout and to grab lunch.

Peppy walk and then butt and gut stuff and back to my desk for more sitting.  Ugh.

Wednesday (3 + 22) - Enjoyed a run walk in the sun, so nice it came back after being gone a few days.  Met up with Charlotte to bike Tour de Farms, she was a little hesitant with hills. I wouldn't call that a hilly ride, but some do (Mikey) there is one "big" one on Chester Maine but otherwise it gently rolls, or at least that's what I think and we are all entitled to our own opinions, even if they are wrong!

These tiny booboos from my last mountain bike crash hurt!  So tiny yet, ouchy!

Thursday (745) - Drove out to MI to see family.

Friday (0) - Uninspired/rainy/gray/MI

Sunshine - the anthesis of her name.
She lets me use HER room when I visit my parents.

Saturday (0) - Keeping the Zero Streak alive!

HS Track
I think I was a JR.

Sunday (16) - Got out for a muddy gravel grind on the back roads.  It had rained for at least the previous week.   It was a nice muddy ride!  sure I stymied a few farm dogs not used to seeing bicycles.  The seat on Barney is NOT meant for being sat in that long, it is a mountain bike after all, NOT a gravel grinder set up for endless miles in the saddle.

The Great MI Stone Wall

Knitting:

I've been piddling around with hats trying to decide what my next project will be.  I decided I'd finish up the last of the sock wool and make socks.  I forget so much even reviewing my knitting notes, in this case, the notes for each person I knit socks for.  The pair I finished up on Sunday will make a nice Father's day present, not their original recipient, but these things happen.  My gauge was off 2 stitches to the inch because I used a new to me knitting method. I knitted these one sock on one circular method, just to get used to knitting that way.  Why make myself miserable trying a new method complicating it by doing two socks at a time.  I did like it much better than two circulars to knit a tube.  The socks may not match row to row as they would knitting the pair together, however one or two rows off won't make that much of a difference.

It is hard to photograph socks.
I should find my sock blocker and use that.

The second pair I started both toe up socks on one circular needle, to see how it goes to knit two socks on one circular.  The toe is the clunkiest part with two socks on two circulars, not so much with two on one circular!  Pshew!!  I'm nearly done with the toes on this latest pair and we shall see if I'll be expanding my collection with 40"+ needles.  I do very much love the new Addi needle with the extra pointy points and supple cord.  My birthday is soon, I could splurge on some new needles... hmmmmm

The toes are done!

On a different note, I did finally figure out the correct way to pick up the wraps for the heels.  You Tube is such a wonderful thing, not only can you watch videos of Scots chasing cheese rounds down hills the kinetic learner can also learn how to do something correctly by watching it.

I"m not sure about the color, kinda cammo-ish.
I love this yarn though.

Books:

I spent a lot of time in the car in the last two weeks and got through quite a few books.

In Progress:

"The Grapes of Wrath"
by John Steinbeck 

I may stop before it gets too depressing.  Or not, it's been 30 years since I read it last.

Stopped:

"The Queen of the Tearling"
by Erika Johansen

I think I wasn't in the right frame of mind to start this sci fi, plus I kept hearing TEA not TEAR and thinking of Chinese tea plantations not an imaginary kingdom. 


"The New York Times: Footsteps"
by David Colacci

Not quite the right time for a series of short stories.

Finished:

"The Bat"
(Harry Hole #1)
by Jo Nesbø Don Bartlett (Translator)  Translated from Norwegian.

A Norwegian detective series, this book is set in Australia.  This made it difficult to follow, and the detective Harry Hole was also a bit of an enigma.  The mystery was further complicated by the author jumping around.  I've heard the series gets better, I will stick with it.  Possibly cutting out the middle 3 or 4 chapters may make the book make more sense.  It wasn't awful but it wasn't great.


"Frontier Grit: The Unlikely True Stories of Daring Pioneer Women"
by Marianne Monson

Some may call them the first social justice warriors, I wouldn't.

We can learn so much from the past, and apply it to the present. These 12 women either did jobs it was presumed only men could do, Charlie the Stagecoach driver was my top pick, or figured out how to make a life, and in some cases a fortune, while the men did only the work the men could do.  It came down to a need and mustering up the courage and the gumption to just get it done. Very entertaining read.

"The Forgotten Room"
(Jeremy Logan #4)
by Lincoln Child

I picked this up because it was on a Rhode Island reading list, and I really wanted to fill up my iPod with books. It is a mystery set in Newport, RI in an old mansion. Was this a suicide or murder in this old mansion, now used as a scientific 'think tank' with a very curious secret room. Very interesting, and the author leaves you guessing till the very end who done it!  Think I'll skip back and find books 1 - 3 in the detective series!

"God, War, and Providence: The Epic Struggle of Roger Williams and the Narragansett Indians against the Puritans of New England"
by James A. Warren

It started by covered the Great Swamp Battle.  On my list of places to check out has been the monument there.  I need to move that one up the list, after all it's only a few minutes away and I could ride my bike there or take my mountain bike and ride the surrounding trails.   It got a little fact and figure-ish but all in all very good, well written and researched.  One observation by Roger Williams still holding true today:  "Rhode Island is very localized."  This holds true today in a state measuring 37 x 48 miles having 47 separate school districts

April 22, 2019 - April 28, 2019

Monday (745) - Drove back to RI, why why why why does it always take two hours longer?

So much green in MI!

Tuesday (3 + 3) - Run walk at lunch to enjoy the weather and move my somewhat stiff body from 14 hours in the car.  My last trip my knees were all wonky and buckling, that did not happen this time.  So something is improving.

It doesn't go negative.

Took Jax and Dave out for a hike in Booooorrrrinnnggg  Bradford Preserve.  Well Dave was supposed to be in Philly recording tracks with Cedric playing the bass but that got moved, I balanced my time so I'd be able to take Jax on a quick hike before I left again to meet a friend for dinner.

The VIMEO video of a clip of the session with Cedric - Cedric Napoleon - Christopher DBG


Wednesday (5 +173 ) - Hills with Ro before she leaves again, they are off to FL.  Beautiful sunny breezy day perfect for short sleeves!  Ahhhh, now if it can only stay just like this.  And off to Short Hills NJ for the company stockholder meeting.

Thursday (173 and a 2-hour nap) - Good meeting. Longer than usual, well we do have a new CEO and the old CEO is now the Lead Independent Director so there was a bit of tug o'war.  The old CEO was generally a pretty jolly fellow, he was even more jolly!  It is amazing the transformation people go through when they retire.  Even at the most senior level of the company.  I saw it with my dad growing younger and calmer by the month, and most recently my friend Anita, she looked far past her age of 65 when she retired, now, 2 months out, 55 at the most!

Girl Peep, I gots two questions for ya:
1) where do you go?
2) can I have what you are eating?

It was nice to see many of my colleagues and my new boss in person as well as meet people I've only talked to on the phone or e-mailed with from the new assignment I added to my slate last year.  I think one of them was a bit stymied when I hugged her. Donna has been so awesome and patient and helpful, I couldn't help myself!

Friday (2) - Working from home was awesome today, I could productively balance work, laundry, and sleep. 

Always curious to see if Jax will use the stone bridge or go through the water.

Saturday (344 + 5) - A friend from HS, now living in Alabama, let me know she was going to be doing a Spartan Beast in Vernon NJ was that anywhere near me?    Yes and no.  There are a handful of women I would do anything for, she is one of them.  We may not be close like we once were but when she reaches out, about anything, I'm there. There are women I know I may never be close to again or may never have been close to but we shared something and because of that I would not hesitate to say yes if they asked for anything.  Well, money, that's a tough one to separate me from!

I drove out to see her tackle the first obstacle, getting to the start line, and then for the next six and a half hours, I managed to miss her at every opportunity!  When we talked I asked how long this was going to take her, 2.5 hours?  She said typically 3.5 - 4.  Ok, so when I finally figured out the course map and viewing points I kept in mind the first obstacle I could see.  Well the second, was the water and mud pits and a thing to climb up and over which was made more challenging by being wet and the people being wet.  I enjoyed watching that for two hours, then figured I must have missed her when I went to the porta potty.  I watched for a bit and still didn't see her so I ventured to the next viewing area, up the ski slope I hiked.  It was cold and windy.  They did close down the water obstacles because of the temperature. 

At this point, I talked with someone and they said: "You do know you can track your runner."  Well, son of a bitch, I got her tracked and found out I left the first obstacle about 15 minutes before she got there.  Well, son of a bitch.  I had no idea which obstacles were being tracked, at that point two.  Between the two I did a pace calculation and she should be just about at the last obstacle so up the ski hill I hiked for the third time.  Only to get to the top and get the ding ding ding Tammy Bender finished.  For fucks sake, I had ONE job!!!

I got back to the finish area found my friend muddy and happy and looking rather energized.  She was not expecting the hills.  I said but you are at a ski slope...  we laughed and gave each other a hard time like it had not been two years since the last time we saw each other only a few days.   For the most part, she enjoyed it got a little annoyed getting stuck in conga lines of people trudging up the hills.  The point of a Spartan is to be miserable. 

She made it over!

Don't know if I would spectate at one again, for Tammy, sure, anyone else I see regularly, sorry, probably no.  Navigating the Spartan website to find course and spectator information was difficult, and you have to pay to spectate, which I know, stupid, but... it is what it is but I kinda thought that would make it a little easier for spectators, fork over your 20 bucks and they give you some hints on how to enjoy the experience and see your runner.  Not so much...  I brought lots of layers, and I'm glad I did, it was mid 40's mostly cloudy and windy, I needed them! While they say not to bring in outside food, I wish I would have disobeyed and snuck some granola bars and a water bottle in my backpack. No one checked my bag.  Guess if there is a next time I'll know.

Hint:  Make sure you get the obstacle names in the picture!
I took a second picture of just the obstacle names - don't do that get it all in one frame!
Green was the Beast 13 miles
Purple (and the green) was the Ultra 32 miles
Orange was the kids

We shared a pizza and she went off to wash her muddy clothes in the laundry mat and I made my way back home, dreading what hand the CT traffic would deal me. Till the next time.

Sunday (4) - In an effort to shake loose some cobwebs I took Jax on an in town walk, that helped, a half an hour outside I felt better.  Being outside for so long yesterday did take a lot out of me.  Plus 6 hours of driving.   Jax was fairly good, only tried to take my arm off once, chasing a truck.  He is such a spaz.

Later in the afternoon, we took him on a hike in the drizzle, because a leash walk never cuts all the crazies!  A brief encounter with Jonny was a welcome distraction.  Jax was a well behaved off leash dog. Facebook produced a memory of when I used to hike this part of Sammy C's with Gizzy, so we set out to see if we could find it.  We did!  The tree on the right fell down, you can see it on the grond.  That's the spot!  So cool we found it!

4/28/2013
Gizmo (he was 12)
I miss that old curmudgeon.

4/28/2019
Jax 

That's pretty much that.  Driving, running, hiking, biking, sleeping, spectating, reading, knitting....  lots of doing.

Two weeks where I felt good 97% of the time, and the other 3% I took some acetaminophen or ibuprofen and felt better!

Sincerely,
Beth, seriously if someone is going to NE please bring me back a case of that Porter I'll be grateful! OK, fine, a six pack, I shouldn't be greedy.