Goodbye, July!

Good grief, where did the month go? This summer has gone by so ridiculously fast. It's been a great summer though so that makes it all ok I suppose. I'm debating whether or not to quit everything (school AND work) to become a stay at home mom! It would be great until the savings disappeared!! I feel so bad leaving Brinkley in the mornings! He's doing really good with the crate training though. Last night he didn't even whine when it was time for bed. He was one tired puppy! We went to play with all of his cousins last night at the folks' house. There was lots of good food and family fun to celebrate some birthdays and an anniversary. Spice cake AND chocolate creme pie made up my dessert! Hmmm, maybe my mom can make Boston Creme Pie!?!? No, I haven't entirely given up on that! It's a food that even the thought of it makes my mouth water!

Anywho, Brinkley and I have had some good first days with only one pottie accident, which was entirely my fault because I wasn't paying attention. He loves all of his toys and Milo is even warming up to him a bit. He's three days for three now on spilling his entire water dish all over the carpet, so it's location will change very soon! He apparently likes empty dishes more than full ones. I'll post some Brinkley photos when I get the time...or maybe I'll just have him do it!

Bark! (translation = hello!)

Hello everyone! Brinkley Miles is the name! Brink for short. My mom told me that I'd be famous. She said she was posting my pictures all over this thing called the internet. I don't know what that is but she said people sure thought I was cute. I told her that I was handsome, not cute...that's for girl pups! Yuck! My mom came to visit on Sunday. She says that we'll finally be going home this Sunday. I can't wait to go home. She probably has lots of stuff that I can chew on. She even has a cat named Milo that I can chase around and harass. That will be loads of fun. Gosh, is it Sunday yet? I sure wish I knew what days were.

~Brinkley

That's how it ends?? Really?

After blazing through 759 pages to find out the fate of Harry Potter, I was slightly disappointed. While I'm not going to go into the details because I know there are people out there that would kill me if I told them things before they had the chance to find out for themselves, I'll just say that for all of the hype and the build-up to Harry and Voldemort's final match-up, the Potter story ended with a fizzle rather than a bang, in my opinion. Maybe it's because I've only been finished with the book for less than 24 hours and I'm still a tad bitter about some of the directions taken - namely the overly sappy and unnecessary Epilogue. *sigh* I will miss Harry Potter. And maybe one day upon a repeat reading, I'll think this book provided a rightful and fitting end to the story of the boy wizard that captured my imagination for as long as it did.

I'm no longer a patient person!

At least for the next 9 days, I'm no longer a patient person! I've spent all of 45 minutes with my future son and I'm hooked. The time is creeping by slower than it did when I was waiting for my much anticipated Washington D.C. vacation. I have everything a dog could possibly need - squeaky toys, chew toys, bouncy toys, soft toys, toys that look like lobsters, toys for teething. I have treats, food, cute dishes, leashes, and a bed. Most importantly, I have love!! Cheesy, yes! But I'm TOTALLY okay with that because I'm finally getting a dog! Woohoo! Sure, it's not a beagle named Copper or a golden retriever named Simon, but there's a quote on my friend's myspace page that says, "Sometimes on the road to your dream, you get lost and find a better one." That's not to imply the only dream I have in life is owning a beagle named Copper, etc., but sometimes the best things in life just fall into place. Sure, I'd been thinking about getting a dog (for like 2 years now), but it was this little guy that finally made me cave and say, yeah, I'm ready and I don't care what other people are telling me I should or shouldn't do. Even though he doesn't have a name yet, I know we'll be just fine. I may lose some shoes and other various belongings along the way but that's what makes it all the more fun!! If only it could be the 29th already!!

Springside Sage: Wisdom not included.

I've finally painted my bathroom after only 18 months of indecision! Springside Sage was the color of choice. Unfortunately it didn't come with additional sage for the mind. I could have used that wisdom last night when I decided to start painting at 9:30. While I was certainly proud of myself for accomplishing the task, now that it's the day after and I'm running on only a few hours of sleep, I think the painting should have waited. Once again, I vote for mandatory naps!

While painting, I watched (mostly listened to) Sweet Home Alabama. It's another favorite movie of mine that I can never get enough of. I like all of the South/Civil War jokes that are made throughout the movie. Maybe I can use the movie as "research" next semester when we talk about how the civil war is still the most prominent thing that drives southern culture and collective memory. Repeat viewings would be absolutely necessary!

*sigh*

Phil Collins is stalking me!

It's on the radio right now. For reals - second time this morning.

You cant hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
Just trust in a good time
No matter how long it takes...

That's just freaky.

"You Can't Hurry Love"

"Oh! You just have to wait. Love don't come easy. It's a game of give and take..."

All day long, over and over in my head, this song kept repeating itself. It's one of those days. I said the heck with my run for the evening so that I could watch Runaway Bride. It's one of those feel good movies that gets better each time I watch it. It has some of the best lines and the chemistry between Gere and Roberts is so much fun to watch. All of the characters are hilarious. It's like the Stars Hollow of the big screen. Living in an oddball small town like Hail, Maryland would be so much fun. Guaranteed smiles everyday knowing that you could listen to "Wake up with Flem" on the radio and visit Curl Up & Dye for your daily fix of quirkiness!

Just the whole idea of "getting your ducks in a row" and not turning in your running shoes until you find the one person that causes you to suddenly forget how to climb a fence is pretty heart warming. And I needed that today.

All Dirt 5k Race Report

If there ever is a chance of me winning some type of running award, it will probably be for this race. I'm not sure the total number of 5k participants because runners were mixed in with the dualthoners but there weren't many. Maybe the women ahead of me were older; maybe there were only 3 runners total for the female 20-29 age group; maybe I really was the only one on the trail?? At times it certainly seemed like it after everyone left me in the dust, zooming up the side of the mountain at the start of the race.

The trail was fun! It was about a foot wide and had various switchbacks between ravines and over creeks. It was fun dodging rocks and running through the tall grasses. The trail provided a great view of the lake and much more pleasing smells than suburbia!

For a brief moment, I know with absolute certainty, I was last. Then the runners ahead of me started dropping like flies. I've seen a shirt that reads, "Is it rude to count out loud as you pass people?"...or something like that. After seeing the look on their faces as a slowly trudged pass, I can confidently answer yes to the question now. The pack dwindled as the 5k'ers went one way and all others went another way. Towards the end, I passed one more runner. It was an uphill finish which was very hard! I was breathing incredibly hard and the people towards the end weren't cheering or anything unlike with the Firecracker 5k. There were very few spectators. Most people standing around were part of the Dualthalon or the team relay so there wasn't much hoo-rah at the end. The clock read 35:00-ish but I'm waiting to see the posted results. Maybe enough flies dropped that I can pull a top 3 or 5 finish. LOL - I'll take it however I can get it!

Bleh, I say.

My "To Do" list seems to be growing faster than I can take care of anything on it. That's not so great considering that I have under 4 weeks now until the responsibilities of school get piled on top of everything. Bleh, I say. I love school. It's one thing I know that I'm good at. But I could really use a vacation before it all begins. A real vacation - not one to PoDunk, America or one that gets cut short because someone close to me has a heart attack. Yeah, I know it's not going to happen. Bleh, I say. Being pulled in 20 directions isn't fun. There are only so many hours in the day and lately it seems, other than sleeping, the time I get running is about my only "me" time. I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm just saying "Bleh." I like the variety that my chaotic schedule provides, I just wish I could just stop the clock every once in a while.

I Don't Like Mondays

Mondays usually don't faze me. Maybe it's because Monday really isn't my Monday because of my screwy schedule. Sunday has been my Monday for a while now. Yesterday, however, was most definitely a Monday in every way possible. And just like everything else in my life, I can relate my craptastic Monday to something on The West Wing. Yes, I'm that obsessed. Good television can do that to a person.

The Season 4 opener has a musical montage at the end set to a song called, "I don't like Mondays." And in grand Sorkin fashion, the gloomy song is juxtaposed to one of the most loved President Bartlett speeches in which he says, "The streets of heaven are too crowded with Angels tonight..." after a pipe bomb killed 44 people on the Kennison State campus. It always makes me think of Sam saying, "Oratory should raise your heart rate. Oratory should blow the doors off the place." Yeah, it should. Too bad there's not much of that around these days. Anywho, crappy Mondays always remind me of the montage. The clip below only covers the speech, the montage is longer...

Run, Worm, Run!

The Firecracker 5k was just a jog in the park - literally! I'm happy, no...I'm ecstatic! When the alarm went off this morning I wasn't too thrilled but I got to moving and then I got excited. There were way more people at the race this year than a few years back when I went to watch. The newspaper said they were expecting 800 or more. There were definitely more of us than that.

I was quite a ways back in the pack when the race started. It's a fun start, it just kind of goes down a hill and you kind of curve off onto the road by the lake. After one trip around the lake, it's back down the same road with the start line and back down the hill and then out for a wider loop around the park and golf course.

I didn't have any major problems along the way. I just settled in at my pace and tried to not let all the crazy people bug me. I did grab a water at the 2 mile marker. Water up the nose wasn't very fun, but it did clear the sinuses, which helped! I was beginning to notice the heat on the last stretch back to the lake. There wasn't as much shade then. I started to speed up a bit but probably not as soon as I should have or as hard as I should have. The last 500 yard stretch up the hill to the finish was fun. There were a lot of people hollering and stuff so that's always a good time.

I didn't hit my watch right away so when I did later down the chute it was 34:20. Not too shabby. That doesn't include the 30 seconds or so it took to actually get past the start line at the beginning. The official time will probably around 35:00. I'll take it! They have another race on the same course in August that I'll shoot for. I'll try to improve my time now that I've actually run the course!!

Now I can just kick back and take the rest of the day easy! The history geek in me really wishes that I owned 1776 The Musical so that I could jam out to some, "Vote for Independency!" Ah well, bring on the fireworks!!

My boys are back!

Yes, my boys. Hanson. The pinnacle of my fangirl geekiness is my hidden fascination with these boys. Successfully putting their "mmmBop" days behind them, they are releasing their fourth album The Walk on July 24th. That makes me happy. I can proudly admit that I wasn't a fan during the long-haired "mmmBop" days but discovered them when they hit their rock like stage a few albums later. I think the last CD that I actually purchased was their last one.

I'm enjoying their Underneath Live DVD at the moment - great stuff. It seems I'm much more comfortable airing my oddities these days and I can guarantee that if they ever come within the state lines again for a show, I'm SO there. I'm seriously debating whether or not to buy the shirt from their website that says, "Hanson - Freshly Squeezed Rock 'N' Roll." I love me some cheese!

iWantOne!

I just said no to Furbies. I refused to participate in Beanie Baby mania. I even managed to avoid the Tickle Me Elmo. I'm not so sure however that I'll be able to avoid the iPhone craze. I was playing around on the Apple site (bad, Worm) and I've decided that I need an iPhone. Yes mom, just like a need another hole in my head! When I read about the plan through my carrier Cingular, er, I mean AT&T (talk about a company with an identity crisis!) I didn't realize it came with the unlimited data thing. Spiff! If only the phone itself didn't have that $499 price tag. I figure by the time my phone is up for renewal, the price will have dropped a tad and I'll get some type of discount for renewing, again. Just imagine - I could blog from anywhere, anytime. What's that?? You're willing to donate to the cause! Perfect! Simply address all checks to Worm, One Door Shy Of the Nuthouse, Colorado!

I Ain't Quittin' You!

I've seen Brokeback Mountain. I've also seen what seems to be the hundreds of spoofs of the infamous, "I wish I knew how to quit you" line. None of them top Owen Wilson's perfectly delivered "I Ain't Quittin' You!" line in Night at the Museum. I have no idea why I didn't expect it coming though. After watching the little sparticus man Octavius yell, "Save yourself" and cowboy Owen yell his Brokeback line, I'm not sure any other response would have been as hilarious. I laughed loud enough that it scared my cat right off the back of the couch. It was a fun movie. If I ever work for a museum, I'd love for that to happen to me! It would be even better if I could pick just what in the museum came to life! While I'd love to play fetch with Rex and wander about with Teddy Roosevelt, hanging out with Neanderthals wouldn't be much fun - I get enough of that in real life!