friday musings

just some random things you may or may not know about me that I that i wanted to share.

-the first coffee drink i got turned on to was a Mocha. i drank Mochas sporadically in 1988. It wasn’t until mid-late 1989 that i started drinking regular coffee. now, i can’t remember the last time I had a Mocha.

-the only “condiment” in my fridge is salad dressing (which i don’t even use). haven’t bought a jar of mayonnaise or mustard in years. don’t use either.

-i like to go out and just shoot some hoops by myself. it’s very calming, invigorating, fun, and challenging. in my dreams, i was a star point guard shelling out lots of assists and nailing 3 pointers.

-i love that i know a few small business owners in my area. i like to go visit them at their jobs and of course, do business with them.

-i like reading right before i go to bed. what’s weird is that i like to read crime novels right before going to sleep.

-i also do the crossword before going to sleep. crossword puzzle, then read.

-i only use raw sugar in my coffee and i get super bugged when coffee shops only carry the raw sugar in a big container, not little packets. the sugar in the big container NEVER COMES OUT.

-i abhor spending money to park my car anywhere. i feel this is one of the biggest ripoffs ever.

-sometimes i wish i could find my father. sometimes i wonder why he didn’t find me

-i’m not sure what to believe about the death penalty

p.s. the picture was taken today. i bought a basketball and went to shoot some hoops.

twenty-eleven

I’ve been thinking about what races, what adventures I will undergo in 2011. At this point, I have no firm decisions yet. What I AM super clear about is that I want to have more adventures! I want to go to experience new places, new terrain. It’s pretty fun just thinking about the endless possibilities. I’m also considering running 2 races i have previously run; the Mercedes Benz Half-Marathon in Feb. Why? This has got to be one of my favorite races. I love the cool/cold weather. I love the varied route and it’s not too many people. They also give out cool long-sleeve t-shirts and nice medals. The other race I am considering again is the LA Marathon in March. Why? To put it simply, because my one and only race there in 2010 SUCKED. I was not feeling good going into the race and I did not have fun at all. So, i kinda want to erase that memory. Or…I might just let it go and move on…we’ll see. I love going to LA and Santa Monica.

I’d also like to get out and do more races on trails…just craving more nature.

I’m considering a big race in June. I’ll keep you posted. Not sure on this yet. Just brainstorming. I want to run in states i’ve never been too before like Utah, Montana, etc…longing to see more open and beautiful space. I feel like there is so much I haven’t seen. The clock is ticking…

My next race will be the Las Vegas Half Marathon on Dec 5th. How’s that for some nature?? LOL

If you know me, you know I go to Vegas at least once a year and I have not been in about 2 years. I dig it. Love to gamble. Love the bigness and craziness of it. Looking forward to running on some flat land and hanging with friends.

Stay tuned for the rest. CHEERS!

Carpe Diem Memento Mori

I recently met a new friend. We met via twitter and thru crazy and fun peeps following Venice Web Series. She was someone who had caught wind of my 40 mile run gig and supported me through her cheering tweets and through buying a “Hanging with my Peeps” shirt for the charity, “My Stuff Bags Foundation”. I only chatted with her a little via twitter but I knew she was someone I would just click with…you know how you just know that, right?

We got a chance to meet last weekend when I went to Dallas. Kera & I met up with some other peeps for dinner; Emery & I saw one another & gave each other a BIG HUG. A good hugger she is…which is massively important in my world! We both wore our “Hanging with my Peeps shirt”.

The next day, Kera, Emery & I went to the Dallas Arboretum. At one point we found ourselves at the rear of the huge place. We were on a grassy hilly area with White Rock Lake in the background. No clouds in the blue, blue, sky, 70 degrees…it was so perfect. As we are standing there, Emery says, “let’s run down the hill and back.” Without hesitation, “I’m in”. It was such a brilliant, spontaneous offer, how could i not say YES. We ran down the (very) steep hill

turned around and ran back up.

Kera was taking pictures of our moment. As we were running uphill, I was trying to open my arms as wide as I could and it was a little challenging cuz gravity wanted its way too.

As we came closer and closer to Kera at the top, we grabbed hands and held them up high in victory, in friendship, in seizing the freakin’ moment!!

E.L: you are a sweet, tender, special soul. It’s my pleasure to have met you and look forward to living in more moments with ya!

CARPE DIEM MEMENTO MORI : seize the day, remember you are mortal!

Dallas X 2

As my life would have it, I have spent the past 2 weekends in Dallas, Texas. This was only the second time I have ever actually stayed in Dallas or surrounding area. The last time was way back in 2002 as I drove from SF to Atlanta and stayed in Plano, not far from Dallas. That was a visit that was strictly due to traveling across the country, but these last 2 trips were squarely on purpose and with GOOD purpose.

On October 23rd, as I sat in my house watching game 6 of the NLCS between San Francisco & Philadelphia, I knew there was a chance I would have to decide if I wanted to take a stab at acquiring World Series tix to one of the games on Texas. Going to San Francisco was out of the question as plane tickets were sky high. No pun intended. As I watched the Giants celebrate their NL Pennant win, I anxiously and nervously sat at the computer searching sites to find tickets to Game 1 in TX on Oct 30th. I looked & looked and finally found some that looked within my financial means. My heart was racing with excitement and then thinking, “Oh my god…should I do it, should I do it??” I texted 2 friends and their immediate answers were “YES.” I already knew the answer myself, but it was one of those times you just had to get affirmation from someone else, you know? I mean, c’mon…a chance to see the San Francisco Giants in the World Series? How could I pass it up?
With a click of a few buttons and a lot of jumping and screaming around my house, I had purchased the game & plane tickets.
Fast Forward to game day >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Kera & I made our way to the game at the beautiful Rangers Ballpark at Arlington.

We were both bursting with excitement although I was more like in awe and Kera was like a little kid. So awesome. The energy in the ballpark was beyond words. And that was BEFORE the game began. It was a serious SEA of RED and NAVY BLUE…mostly red…it seemed like everywhere I turned, people were wearing a Rangers Red Jersey or Red T-shirt.

Sprinkled in between the massive red/blue fan base were specks of Orange and Black. Actually, many more SF Gaints fan than I would have thought. When I say any of them, we exchanged hi-fives and I even got a picture with some serious fans.

Before the game began, I thought, “it doesn’t matter who wins this game, i’m just happy to be here.” And that was true…for the moment. I was happy for the fans of Dallas who have waited a loooong time for their team to come around. I was happy for the Rangers who were a spectacular team all season long and most deserving of being AL East Champs.
Well, my thought of “it doesn’t matter..” quickly vanished as soon as the Rangers took a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning. When you are sitting in the oppositions house and are behind and all kinds of fans are madly screaming and waving their damn rally towels, you sure as hell want YOUR team to start winning.

My competitiveness took over and I was seriously hoping for a strong comeback from the Orange/Black. Kera was all in Ranger Red and rooting for her home team. We were both in a little quandry, i think, because we both wanted each others team to win….

When the Rangers went up 3-0, the ballpark was nothing short of THUNDEROUS. The noise level was unbelievable and even though SFG was losing, how could I still not be happy for those fans??
I don’t think I have ever been anywhere as loud. On the flip side, when the giants scored their second run to close the gap at 4-2 in the 8th inning, I don’t think i have ever heard a place so packed full of people get so eerily quiet within seconds. That run would be SF’s last gasp for THAT evening. Thank goodness we were still up 2 games to 1.

As we exited the ballpark via the circular ramp, fans were going nuts…hootin’ and hollerin’ the way good texas fans can. And you know what, i was truly happy for them. Kera and I were part of history. First World Series win, EVER, in Ranger Stadium. Pretty damn cool.

My second trip to Dallas took place this past weekend. This trip had already been on the books to go see Kera & friends. I stayed at the Hotel Palomar in Dallas and it was more than a perfect place to stay. Wonderful service, spacious rooms & L’Occitane products in the bathroom. What more does one need? (they are part of Kimpton Hotels)

We met up some other Dallas peeps on Friday night and that was a blast. Fun, laughter and good times. Good peeps! Saturday, we had no agenda, but we knew we wanted to hang more with Emery. She suggested the Dallas Arboretum. It was a prefect suggestion because I NEVER GO TO PLACES LIKE THIS. WHY? I HAVE NO IDEA. They were having some kind of Pumpkin Festival and I felt like I was in some kind of movie like the Wizard of Oz or something but Pumpkin Land. It was awesome and beautiful!

Kera's Pic

Weather in Dallas this weekend was spectacular. Clear, blue skies. No clouds in sight. Low 70’s. Ran on both Saturday and Sunday from Hotel and around the SMU area. Gorgeous neighborhood/homes. Peaceful and calm and FLAT. Yee-Haw! While running on Sunday, I came across women and a few men walking their 3rd day of the 3-Day breast cancer walk. AWESOME. I was inspired. I cheered them on and gave some hi-five’s to some of the lady. Saw a couple of funny signs: SAVE THE JUGS and TEXAS HOOTERS & HONEYS.

Back to back great weekends in Big D.

Oh, and in case you have not heard. What happened after SF lost the game to Texas? They went on to win 2 more games and became….CHAMPIONS

Wow. What a year! Congratulations, Giants!