Living the Dream

It has been since when since I babbled? Monday... oh my...  


I suppose some have missed me?  Those who have have probably been inundated with stream of consciousness eMails, no? well ask me for my eMail and I'll blather at you incessantly...

Monday I was supposed to go to NYC to get my mid year performance review.  Yes, I realize it is SEPTEMBER....  I got half way to the train station when my boss called me to determine if I read the 10:30 p.m. eMail regarding the cancellation of Monday's meeting.  Well, no I last checked at 8:30 p.m. just when my connecting flight from Atlanta took off.  I figured if it hadn't been cancelled by 8:30 it would be ok...  apparently not.  So at 6:30 a.m. I turned around and headed back to the Groton, CT offices.  Remembering WHY when we moved here I lived East of the site, so I didn't have to drive into the sun to and from work.  Seriously, 7 years of that nonsense was enough for me living in Ann Arbor and commuting to Dearborn then Detroit.  

Figuring I got home at midnight, and up at 5:30 a.m. (I slept in).  4 hours of sleep had me, well, slightly on the goofy side. I left early 2 p.m..  Hubb/Dave, missed the message and the text and was surprised to see me!  I napped on the couch till 5:25 p.m. he woke me up to tell me we were going to Captain Scott's for dinner.  OK, sure...

Tuesday was a designated Groton, CT day.  All went normally, I got in 5 and some change at work.  So happy to be running outside.  




After work Ro and I met up with a new running group, TRALP - Tuesday Running And Libations Professionals, meet at the Mystic Harp and Hound at 5:30 and run River Road, miles of your choice. The whole loop is 7 miles.  Ro and I opted for 3 out and back.  9:20 mile... not bad, no wonder why I couldn't keep up my side of the conversation!!.  I was sucking some major wind and Ro did all the talking.  I need the 'speed work' so this was a perfect follow up to my 5 and change earlier in the day. 



Wednesday,  I got all the way to New Haven, this is an hours drive for me.   Todd, the platform dude, informed me the train was going as far as Stamford.  I asked when is the next train to Grand Central?  Todd said, none, Con Ed feeder line is out, no power,  you can go to Stamford and hope for a train or a bus ... hmmm.... I saw a few co-workers on the platform and decided, well guess I'm working in Groton, again...  back into the sun, OMG how much I don't miss that horror, and wow I really need to get a new windshield.  Being sans gym bag I planned on leaving a little early!

Left a message for Hubb/Dave, that I'd be home and let's go for a ride, I need some help with my tire pressure and this sqeaky grinding noise I'm hearing from my chain.  Based on the surprised look I got at 4 p.m. he had not checked messages, in fact he hadn't taken his phone from his hydration pack from Tuesday nights ride!!!

Tires were low.  I let more air out then I put in with the hand pump.  Dave got a good laugh out of that.  For each psst he said "That's 10 lbs."  Crap.  The floor pump was more helpful  100 psi in those skinny tires is wow, kinda scary, and tough to get in those last few pounds.  Any suggestions from the bikers out there? An easier way? Better floor pump?  Better hand pump? 

The squeaking noise was all the sand I've manage to pick up riding along the beach.  Dave lubed the chain and all seems better...

We did a nice easy 20, we both thought it was pretty easy, it was actually a nice effort, topping many of my 'segments' in Strava.    Huh.  I so missed my bike in the last two weeks, my last ride was 9/11.  Felt so freaking fantastic to ride again!!



Thursday, went on a walk at lunch time and a spin class.  Then the panic to get the house cleaned up for weekend guests.  That was thwarted by I'm not sure what, after dinner Dave and I had a few cocktails and started watching the 7th season of Entourage.  Amazing what you can check out of the library.   Don't judge, somethings you start you just need to finish.

Today (Friday) my aunt and uncle who live in LA were on this coast taking a fall cruise from NYC to Halifax.  I was so excited to spend the morning with them.  They were in port in Newport for the day.  It has been far too long since I've seen them.

Charlie, me, KJ,
Toes: I asked Dave what color I should get my toes done, yellow-orange... who knew there was yellow-orange nail polish...

I got to talk with my uncle (my mom's brother) about his athletics.  He is a biker, 7 times riding the San Fran to LA AIDS ride, 580 miles.  He said it was mostly down hill and you could really get cruising along.  HA!  SO modest.  I asked if he had ever done a tri.  Oh yes, he did one, a sprint.  His advice:  if you aren't planning on winning, take your time getting in the water, getting kicked, slapped, and punched in the water isn't fun, and he is a swimmer.  The bike was his favorite part, of course, and he said he nearly crawled across the finish line for the run.  He did it, one and done, and suggested going from sea level to 7,000 feet (his tri was in Big Bear, CA) wasn't really a good plan.  HA!  Excellent advice!

Oh let me also mention he is a cancer survivor, non-hodgking lymphoma (6 years remission) and low grade prostate.  And he is a writer, I totally forgot to ask if he had written any stories lately.  Funny how genes work, isn't it?  

He volunteered his marathon experiences, prefaced by saying his favorite distance is a 10K and he hated 5Ks unless he ran a 10K first then the 5K.  Marathon the first,  he over trained and ended up with knots in the muscles on TOP of his shins.  Krikies.  He did the second, and the last, to start and not finish in excruciating pain.  

My aunt said, you two are just crazy, and that's why I love you both.

Lots of video of their latest grandchild, OMG she is a DOLL, my cousin is a redhead married to a Japanese woman, OMG a redheaded Asian girl, Koa, so cute you want to eat her up!!!  She is just reaching her first year.

Hopefully the dog sitter Dave and I are interviewing will work out and we can use their beach house,  I think the LA marathon is in March?  Hmmmm.... 

And there you go... at least I feel caught up.  20 miler in the a.m. may turn in to a 15 miler... I am so not as focused on training for this marathon as I was last year.  Then again there are far better distractions (family) this year compared to last! 

Sincerely, 
Beth, kinda lacking focus, however for a good reason, family!!

Dallas 9/19 - 9/22

I have become a serial over-committer in my advancing age.  I'm also finding I'm less and less bashful, mostly, although all of a sudden there are times I feel like running and hiding.

A friend sent me a link to the National Lung Cancer Partnership ("NLCP") Lung Cancer Advocacy Summit ("Summit"), you needed to write several essays to apply for this 4 day summit in Dallas in September, over a weekend I have a 20 mile run scheduled.  I wasn't so sure, competing priorities being top of my mind, I'm gone all but one weekend in October; however I am passionately curious (to bastardize an Albert Einstein quote) and I really want to be a better advocate and this would supply me the tools for my tool kit (sorry for the corporate speak, if it quacks like a duck, it's a duck) .  So let's just do this.  I answered the questions from my heart, I forgot to make a copy of what I submitted so I have no idea the words used in my actual submission.  We were to submit by June 22nd, I submitted on the 21st and we would know in a month.  I got the acceptance letter!  I was thrilled and then I was terrified.  What have I done?  How do I balance everything, do I have the vacation time, does Dave/Hubb have out of town plans for that weekend, what sort of commitment is this going to be going forward (seriously, no organization is going to spend 4 days educating and entertaining you and expect nothing in return, even a non-profit, especially a non-profit)...

Nicole introduced me to a woman who lost her mother to Lung Cancer, on her 30th birthday, what a horrible present...  Sally will be 'celebrating' her 33rd birthday in November.  I cannot even imagine.  First, being in my 30's and loosing my mother (my mother lost her mother when she was 31).  Second, on her birthday, it was bad enough my youngest brother's birthday was preempted by my mother's diagnosis, and the only way I can remember the year my middle brother was married was the same year as my mother's diagnosis.  Third, do we really need a third?  Probably in some grammar book we do?  Or is that just in outlining?  Sally was accepted also and right on top of making plane reservations and sending them to me and just keeping me informed on all the logistics.  I managed to book the wrong airport, and fortunately Delta was wonderfully accommodating when I explained I booked Dallas Ft Worth and I should have booked Dallas Love Field.  Doh!!!

It was a ridiculously early flight, like the first one out of Providence last Thursday.  I'm not a great flyer, more I just find it all annoying, having to pull my hair out of its pony tail through security and getting my licence critiqued.  I've changed a lot in the last 6 years since the damn thing was printed, seriously that IS me...  My passport?  Oh that expired years ago, I don't fly internationally anymore... and then just the people, so many people, all stopping in the middle of the hallway to do what I have no idea.   See annoying.  The first flight out was a good plan on Sally's part!

So we got in early, enough time for me to hit the treadmill for 6 miles.  OMG... that wasn't fun.   And not fun for First, being on the treadmill and I've never managed more than 3.  Second, the guy next to me, after I got off the treadmill, said "I wouldn't want to compete against you in a foot race." on the treadmill next to me.  Oh really?  Gimme a break pal, I thought pickups just happened in the hotel bar because really, not buying it.  And y'all saw my Strava input...  right...  whatever...  Dave/Hubb got a kick out of that, he said, didn't he smell you? Because, really you stink, really really stink.   Honesty is of the utmost importance, but really, THAT honest?  LOL  Third, oh do I really have to say it...

Thursday night was the meet and greet.  98 advocates telling their connection to Lung Cancer.  17 are Lung Cancer survivors, from months and one at 18 years.   My curiosity is always how were they diagnosed, what were their symptoms.  My mother';s was a relentless and intensifying pain in her back.

From the NLCP website link

Lots of pains in the back, a few facial pain, and some, NOTHING, the Lung Cancer was diagnosed as part of a different test, one for a chest x-ray as a part of a screen for TB before a volunteer assignment, another chest x-ray because of a suspicion of swine flu, another a different chest x-ray due to other familial cardiovascular problems.... this disease doesn't make itself known easily and when it is in later stages.  

Most of those with loved ones with Lung Cancer, no longer had them in their lives.  I am one of the very.  I don't really enjoy being special like that, nor do I want to be one of the majority... tough stuff to deal with.

Oh, most important, if you have lungs you can get Lung Cancer.  Smoking status doesn't matter, this stuff doesn't care, 50% of newly diagnosed Lung Cancer is in never or non-smokers.  Yeah, never ever ever in their WHOLE life smoked 15%.  Scary eh?  Touch one, smoke (legal or not) and you jump in to the non-smoker category...

Ok enough lecture, but doesn't it make you think?  I'm hoping it does.  No one deserves this disease, it doesn't care if you smoked or not or even if you gave it up years ago, it simply doesn't.   Smokers deserving this disease or bringing it on themselves is a HUGE hurdle to over come.  Anyone remember the 80's and AIDS only being a gay man's or a drug addicts disease?  Not so much anymore.  

Many of you are runners, we use our lungs hard and daily and expect a lot from them.  My mother was a runner late in life, and ran till a few years before diagnosis. I as well as my father are sure her excellent health was key to her survival, her body was strong enough to heal from all the poisons used to kill the cancer.

The second and third days were full days of discussions, learning sessions, and a lab tour of some of the cutting edge research the NLCP grants fund!  Very cool.  I have a lot to process.

The fourth day was action planning, with what you have learned what are going to be your actions over the next year.  I am focusing on Education and Awareness.  One of the things my mother mentioned, and it never sank in, was there just wasn't any Lung Cancer information at her cancer center.  She goes to a Cancer Support group in Ann Arbor, MI, this is associated with the University of Michigan, one of the top cancer centers in the US... If they are lacking in materials, I am sure other places are to!  And don't worry I'll get back to posting about my running!  

That was my time in Dallas, by the numbers:  16 miles on the treadmill. 28 hours in meetings. 98 new friends (ok maybe not really but close).  Not too shabby and worth all the time I spent there and will spend in the future as a Lung Cancer advocate (oh, I should update my LinkedIN profile!!).

Sincerely,
Beth, getting back to posting about her other passion, running, soon... hoping to run outside tomorrow... and what am I training for? Marine Corps Marathon with the Lung Cancer Alliance's Team Lung Love!!  And why am I doing this?  To double Lung Cancer survival by 2022!

Liebster Award

Today I was nominated to receive the Liebster Blogging Award by Missy at Missyspublicjunk, I've seen this around the blogosphere and not really sure what it was so what does one do?  They read the nominators blog post and the blogs nominated then the blog post of the person that nominated them and the blogs they nominated and so on and you tell two friends and they tell two friends.  I was going to write about what I've been up to here in Dallas.  I spent the afternoon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center listening to Lung Cancer researchers talk about their research.   My thought was to enlighten you on my learning about DNA reproduction via the miraculous PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) process discovered by the very wacky LSD indulging Biochemist PhD Kary Mullis, who after wining the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, gave it all up (except the LSD) to pursue a surfing career.  (Some of the "facts" maybe slightly misrepresented)  And other equally notable and impressive progress in the research on finding a cure for and early detection of Lung Cancer.  Another day, perhaps?

Ok so this Liebster Award, it is given to undiscovered blogs, giving them the opportunity to be recognized and discovered!  How cool is that?  I really love why Missy nominated me. Someday's that is my favorite part of writing the blog.

I've been following Missy's running and writing career.  I was there cheering her on through her training runs and her races.  Her style is great, she loves quotes, and finds just the right ones to go with her blog post which can range from running to relationships to acting.  The diversity is great, I never know what I am going to see!

The requirements for the award:

1. Link back to the author who nominated you.  (done)
2. Answer the questions presented by the author who nominated you.  (done)
3. Nominate up to ten other authors for the award. (done, with hesitation, I'm not always big on attention and never know how other people will react to it)
4. Ask ten questions of those you nominate. (done)

The Nominees are:

1. Running While Mommy - Witnessing and encouraging Nicole as she blooms into a distance runner has been a joy!
2. Muddy's Miles - An entertaining recap of the miles he runs during the week and the trials and tribulations of the trail and other stuff.  And seriously check out my blogroll, I'd of put them all up here but really not sure if that would go over like a fart in a space suit or what...    
3. Wanderlust - I just started following Debra on her journey to 26.2 and have been enjoying her honesty.
4. Ransack the Rack - Fashion blog by a very pragmatic and practical woman, also a little sarcastic.

Missy's Questions:

1. How old were you when you first realized that you were a writer?   I guess I never really thought of my self as a writer until a friend introduced me to NANO in 2010, I was 43.  The first foray in to writing a novel in a month was well, challenging, and oh so very rewarding!  It was at a time in my life when I was in a lay off wave and really trying to figure out what I was going to do about a job and try and do the best I could with the job I had.  That gave me a creative release to tell a story and escape my reality. Trying to figure out what the topic will be for 2013!
2. If you had to choose one person in your life who was your biggest inspiration - good or bad - who would that person be?  On the good side I really need to say all the women in my family.  I come from a long line of tough and strong women, on my maternal and my paternal side.  I think in particular I will pick my great-grandmother Lizzie.  Oh mom, don't roll your eyes, you know we were both named for her because she didn't take any crap from anyone and was strong woman.   I only know Lizzie from the stories I've heard from her grandchildren, what I was able to gleen from the wife of a 2nd cousin, and the stories I've dug up in the newspaper.  In current times no one would think twice about the decisions she made - divorcing and raising her sons on her own, beating up a mugger, or even trying to drive over an opening draw bridge because she was in a hurry.   
3. What do you consider your biggest vice?  Eating sweets, I'd love to have a nice rich sweet chocolate creamy dessert with every meal, but I don't want an ass the size of Texas as a result, been there done that, not going back, TYVM.
4. Your biggest virtue?  Being dependable.  I'll never forget seeing my Aunt Sally at my Uncle Bob's funeral.  I drove out from RI to OH for it.  Sally just said, through her tear stained face "Old dependable Beth.  Thank you for being here."  Oh crap now I'm getting all misty.  
5. What do you consider to be your biggest passion (non-human passion, that is.  If you're a parent, the standard answer is your children, I get it.  But I mean, what is your biggest passion)? My biggest passion, I really think I have two running and Lung Cancer advocacy.  The two do dovetail together as I run both for fun and to raise money for Lung Cancer research and resources.  Cancer has been in my life since I was 4, it has just always been there.  Running came later in life, my Jr year of HS I joined the track team, and promptly fractured my foot during our first meet, ending what may have been a brilliant sprinting career, ha!
6. What's your favorite quote? And why?  This is a tough one, I like so many for so many different reasons.  I'll pick:  "Sweet are the uses of adversity, which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head; and this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in every thing." -- Duke Senior, As You Like It Act 2, scene 1, 12–17 , William Shakespeare  I like this because Caroline Ingalls used to say it and if I could have grown up to be Laura Ingalls Wilder I'd of been a happy girl.  As I grew up and began to appreciate Shakespeare I really like this sentiment, we have to embrace what we don't favor and learn to find the good in it.  Shakespeare can be left a bit up to interpretation though...
7. What's your favorite book? And why? Little House on in the Big Woods, this was the first book I remember getting for my library.  I read it and re-read it through my childhood and in my adulthood.  The series was a gift from my favorite Aunt and it is something I will treasure for ever.  The stories, while I realize a work of fiction and romanticized Laura's life, were really a joy to me from the first time I read it till the millionth time I read it.
8. What's your fondest childhood memory? Hmm... this is a tough one, I'm one that remembers trauma before all else.  My memories of the two weeks of the summer I used to spend with my paternal grandparents.  Scouting the Rocky River for crayfish shells, feeding the carp at Pymatuning lake, fried baloney sandwiches, and chocolate milk made by shaking Nestle Quick with milk in a jar.  
9. Have you ever been published?  Do you want to be?  I have been.  In 2000, I wrote an article on "Outsourcing Analytic Testing" For American Pharmaceutical magazine (I have a copy in my files, I think that was the name of the publication)  I managed to escape having to actually present my article at a conference!!   PSHEW!!!  I'll pass on being published if it is technical writing and if I am under threat to present!
10. How often do you write?  Do you wish you had time to write more, or do you feel like you spend too much time writing as it is?  I write at least 5 times a week, some blog entries get published, others do not, some times I get the bug to write a story and will spend sometime getting my thoughts on paper, or rather on the computer because my handwriting is atrocious, even worse than a doctors!  Sometimes I'd like to write more and most times I'd like to spend more time editing, but then I'd can pencil f*ck something to death and it is no longer in my "authentic voice".

My Questions:

1. If you could be any vegetable what would you be and why?
2. Who is your hero or heroine and why?
3. What is your favorite quote and why?
4. What is the best piece of advice you have ever gotten and why?
5. Why did you start your blog?
6. What memory makes you smile and why?
7. If you could meet anyone living or dead who would it be and why?
8. Where's Waldo?
9. If you could be, and stay, any age what would it be and why?
10. If you had three wishes what would they be and why?

Sincerely, 

Beth who is thrilled to be nominated and terrified of nominating bloggers.  I really need to call my therapist...