Run, Gaslight run!

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody [1080p]

2009-11-24T16:49:00.001-06:00

Viva Freddy Mercury

Holy cow- my state rep emailed me back!

2009-04-15T16:45:00.004-05:00

I mean, my letter was about beer, (big shock), and I'm sure it's a form from her website, bit still.
Perhaps I'm easily impressed.

P.O. BOX 30099
HOUSTON, TX 77249-0099
6515 IRVINGTON BLVD.
(713) 691-6912
FAX (713) 691-3363

P.O. BOX 2910
AUSTIN, TX 78768-2910
CAPITOL 4N.7
(512) 463-0620
FAX (512) 463-0894

JESSICA FARRAR
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
DISTRICT 148

April 15, 2009

Ms. Gas Light
Houston , TX

Dear Ms. Light:
I want to thank you for your correspondence regarding your support for House Bill 2094, relating to authorizing certain brewers and manufacturers to sell beer and ale to ultimate consumers. I am always happy to hear from constituents from District 148, and I appreciate the time and effort you have made to make your voice heard. Rest assured that I will take into account your concerns and comments as I continue working here in Austin through this Legislative Session.

As you can imagine, Session is a hectic time and things develop at a rapid pace. If you would like to keep up with what is happening here in Austin , please visit www.house.state.tx.us. This website allows you to track all of the legislation that has been filed this Session, as well as the work being done in the committees and on the House floor.

Again, thank you for your time and interest. Please do not hesitate to contact my office should you have any questions or comments regarding this or any other matter in the future.

Sincerely,
Jessica Farrar
District 148

Please Vote

2009-03-08T09:44:00.003-05:00

If anyone is still watching, I have a favor to ask.

The favor is actually for my friend Anita, but she's in Singapore right now and doesn't have a blog, so here is her request:

Thomas’ PE teacher is going for a job in the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia. He was 50 top listed from 350,000 candidates. The top voted person gets a wild card for the interview along with their top ten candidates. His name is Greg. When you click on his name, you will see a You-Tube video of him. Look at it and see it and vote. Can you believe he has such a cool teacher? Where were those types of teachers when I was growing up?

Thanks all. And if you think you can get anyone else to vote, that would be awesome too!

http://islandreefjob.com/#/Greg

Anita

Anyhoo, unless your kid's PE teacher is competing also, help a dude out.

Interview you

2009-02-21T11:59:00.002-06:00

This interview meme was graciously provided by Jamoosh at one of my favorite, yet neglected, blogs to read, Das Mixture. OK, J, I'v rested for a month, so now I guess I'll get with the program.

If you want to play along:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Question one:

1. What is the most rewarding thing about your current career choice?

What? No reward has been offered...

It's tempting to go with the obvious, the "making a difference in a single child's life makes it worth the heartache" kind of answer, which is true. Between helping my adolescent Engllish language learners master reading and writing to coaching milers to victory, I get to see kids succeed in ways they previously didn't think possible.

But seriously, for those who really know me, you know I speak the truth when I say... it's the entertainment value. Yep, the little boogers shove the boredom of what a nine-to-five existence can be. It's the reason I left the riveting insurance industry, and it's what keeps me "collecting" teaching certifications in any areas where I think I could function.

2. If you could spend a month eating in any country, what would be the country, and why?

Hmm. Seeing as how I hav actually only visited three other countries, Mexico, Costa Rica and Dominica, none of which exactly boast amazing cuisine, that's a toughie.

With my penchant for all things noodly, you might think Italy, but unless I want to spend a month in a white-flour pasta coma, that's not the brightest idea.

Since sushi is my second favorite thing to consume, Japan might be anohter logical choice. After indulging in ahi for thirty consecutive days, my mercury levels with rival Jeremy Pivens to the point that I might be able to rent myself out as a thermometer.

With nothing but triite literature to go on, I'm gonna say France because French Women Don't get Fat, right? I fancy myslf a cook with some panache, but my knowledge and skills of sauces are lacking so a month at Le Cordon Bleu would please the husband to no end. While there I could also take the sommellier course, to assist in the pairings, non?

3. Describe yourself using one of the following running distances: 5K, 10K, 15K, 13.1 Miles, 26.2 Miles

I'm going to go with the big daddy on this one, Chuck. The marathon, the 26.2.

In every aspect of my life with the exception of running, I'm what you might call a late bloomer. I didn't hit 50 lbs until 5th grade. Mostly a wiry tomboy until about 16, and then not far off. To finish college I took...well, let's say that for about 4 years I majored in Delta Zeta/Sigma Chi little sister. And as for the years...I'd been legal to drink for quite some time before I brought home the sheepskin.

I met Grind when I was over thirty, and we didn't marry until we were 37, just after moving into the first "owned" house I'd live in since I was in second grade. Even after finally graduating from UH when I was hummmana-mumma, I didn't delve into education until I was thirty-five.

The marathon, much like life, or my life anyway, requires a person un-averse work and rest, perseverance, patience, and an appreciation of carbohydrates. You have to want it for wanting it, even though time-consuming and uncomfortable.

Oh, and although the thrill is there after the first finish, the longer you've been running them, the less worked up you get, and there are plenty of fabulous milestones along the way.

4. Your task is to take an out-of-towner out for three meals in Houston: breakfast, lunch and dinner. What restaurants do you choose, and why?

First off, not all in the same day, 'kay?

Breakfast:

First, we must run 11-12 miles, no exceptions. Okay, maybe biking for 2.5-three hours would be an exception, but that's it. Quick shower.

Next, we go to either Catalina Coffee or Bright and Early (both on Washington) for a latte or a Cafe Mexicano, respectively.

Coffee in hand, drive either down Washington to Los Dos Amigos or to La Mexicana in Montrose for Mexican breakfast. Los Dos has tasty chilaquiles plates for 3.95 and a friendly staff. For a more leisurely breakfast, sit under the palapa deck at La Mex. Be indulgent, have a frozen margarita with your breakfast chips. The huevos con jamon with ranchero sauce and a side of Mexican rice will refuel your system from the long run and prepare you fully for your upcoming nap.

Lunch- again, pick a nationality.

You want sushi? The Blue Fish on Richmond. Tasty bites of fish bits AND AFAIK, they are the only sushi place to serve St Arnold Amber. Gotta have spicy tuna and spicy salmon hand rolls .

You want Thai? Vieng Thai on Longpoint between Sliber and Antoine. Rob Walsh contends it's one of Houston's as most authentic, and since Ubon of Thai Gourmet passed way, I must agree. It's all fab: curries, salads, Thai coconut soup and my favorite, PadKee Mao noodles. Mmmmm.

Wanna sandwich? Pedal down to Onion Creekk on White Oak Drive. The bartender knows which beer I'll want, and have the turkey on Ciabatta.

Or we can go to Star Pizza. You decide.

Dinner. I even consulted the husband on this one as I was having difficulty nailing anything down.

Sure, Vic and Anthony's is nice, if you're into meat. Anything Pappas is always quality, but enormous and not really a "Houston" style of cooking. Maggiano's rocks, but they're a chain. I used to love Backstreet Cafe, but we haven't been there in years.

Why, you ask?

Because we make better dinner at home! Between the two of us, we can make pasta dishes, gumbo, any style of fish, seared venison back strap, steamed veggies, habanero brownies, salads, pilafs...all paired with amazing wines, and that's just from what we have in the fridge and freezer RIGHT NOW!

So, candlelit dinner at Casa Gaslight.

5. You currently live in a 100 year-old home. What is the best thing and the worst thing about your house?

Best: the wrap around porch. It's about 9 feet deep, with a view of the Houston skyline to the south or the sunset to the west. Nice Alpine glow on the buildings.

Worst: C-o-l-d. Between the wooden floors and pier & beam construction, I wear fuzzy slippers alot. Of course I say that, but I felt differently after visiting my sister in December. She lives in a nice, new house, an darnit if you have no idea of the temperature outside when you're indoors. That's just freaky!

Grind would probably say the constant stream of projects, but I don't think he really believes that nearly very homeowners we know spends continual time planning home improvements, regardless of the the age of their home.

Since I know you're on the edge of your seat:

2009-02-01T10:51:00.004-06:00

The answers, with why I chose them:

Bull Durham - What's not to like? Susan Sarradon as loosely-moraled baseball groupie, from back when Kevin Costner was likeable. (BTW-spellcheck wants me to delete that e and I just don't want to) I loved the way should could wear a head scarf and look so very cool.
My Cousin Vinny- Great cast of New Yorker characters plopped down in Alabama. Great lines including "magic grits" and the "My biological clock is going tick-tick tick (with stilettoed-heel stomp) " from the firlfrind. However, I never thought the coupling of Marisa Tomei and Joe Pesci was very believable.
Stripes- Very funny. I'm a sucker for Bill Murray's timing and delivery. I tell people that my first year teaching, entirely as a substitute, was like his movie "Groundhog Day". Every day I go in prepared and energetic, just like Bill Murray wanting to sleep with Andie McDowell, and the next day (with different kids) they remember none of it.
I am Legend For some reason this movie really struck me as profound. The good Doctor's sense of survival, guilt, personal responsibility and loneliness. Very sad, and I will never listen to Bob Marley's "Don't Worry...'Bout a Thing" the same way again.
The Shawshank Redemption A story of hope, again with great characters. I never thought I was a TIm Robbins fan, but here he is in two of my favorites.
Top Gun Pretty cheesy, but I was twenty years old when it came out. I think Maverick and Goose's relationship was quite cool; I wish such companionship for all my man friends.
An American Werewolf in London Not exactly a clssic, but I saw this on one of my first dates, and I absolutley adored David McNaughton (the I'm a Pepper" guy). Unfortunatly for him , I nver saw that he did anything else.
American Flyers Great cycling move. Watched it again with my college friends the night before my first MS 150.
Coal Miner's Daughter This was on cable the year we had it, the summer after 9th grade, adn I thin Amy & watched it a dozen times. It was during the summer before I moved to Houston as was "Urban Cowboy"-tell me I wasn't terrifed about the surprise move that August of 1981.
Moonstruck Don't know. Just liked it-and Cher looked really beautiful, which I hadn't thought since her "I got you Babe" days.
Little Big Man Dustin Hoffman's the best. It was a real debate as to which of his movies to include.
Gladiator I never expected to like this movie, but I was mesmerized by watching a natural leader like Maximus in action.
Shakespeare in Love Again, unexpectedly, I loved this movie, probably because of the contrived yet amusing refrences to his other works
Cool Hand Luke Paul Newman as an asnrchist? Really? Me-ow.
Remember the Titans My favorite kid-friendly movie. I find an excuse to show this at some point every year. And even I'm supposed to be grading papers, I still watch and cry at appropriate times. Even if I show it in 3 consecutive class periods. Sad, I know.

Waste an hour! Waste two ! revised

2009-01-25T11:12:00.008-06:00

Movie meme, taken from the Briantolgist

Pick 15 of your favorite movies.
Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
Post them here for everyone to guess.
NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search or other search functions.

Feel free to answer in the comments, all both of you.

Well, I believe in the soul, the small of a woman's back, the hanging curve ball, high fiber, good scotch, that the novels of Susan Sontag are self-indulgent, overrated crap.I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. I believe in the sweet spot, soft-core pornography, opening your presents Christmas morning rather than Christmas Eve and I believe in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days.
Well, I guess the laws of physics cease to exist on top of your stove. . Were these magic grits? Did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?
So we're all dogfaces, we're all very, very different, but there is one thing that we all have in common: we were all stupid enough to enlist in the Army. We're mutants. There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us - we're soldiers. But we're American soldiers! We've been kicking ass for 200 years! We're 10 and 1!
It's just... I was saving that bacon!
I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams.
Too close for missles, I'm switching to guns
“He’s a Jew.”(one nurse to another)

“How do you know?”

“ I’ve had a look.”

“You sound half-human.”

I am half-human.”

She can't be dead, Doo! We're goin' shopping! Who am I gonna talk to now?
Aw, ma, I love him awful.
After my religion period, I took up with a swindler: Allardyce Merriwhether. After Mrs. Pendrake his honesty was downright refreshing. AND Indians think everything is alive...White men believe everything is dead.
Today I saw a slave become more powerful than the Emperor of Rome.
I know something of a woman in a man's profession. Yes, by God, I do know about that.
[watching sexy girl wash a car] My Lord, whatever I done, don't strike me blind for another couple of minutes.
'I think this is a very good time for prayer and reflection.." "Coach, I'm hurt. I'm not dead."

Just to be playful, I'm tagging Jamoosh, Joe, June & Jonathan.

Sidelined

2009-01-19T16:21:00.004-06:00

Other than being bummed, I'm fine. I mean, my foot/leg thingy is sore, but I made a prophylactic (I love to say that -it totally freaks people out) move to avoid further injury by not even starting the race.

These are obviously our very cool bibs that we did not get to wear day...okay so I guess we could still wear them around the house, but that does seem a little stupid.

Anyway, the foot has been askew for 4 weeks, and then got worse 2 weeks ago. It took me a week to get into see Sanders fort ART. I ran 11ish last weekend and iced the foot afterward. It was achy, but debilitating like to week before. I had aggressive massage on my lower leg on Wednesday and rested all week. LaErica helped with a XC meet I hosted at our school on Tuesday and noticed me limping as I ran back and forth across the field during every race to coach my kids.

It felt okay and I jogged 25 minutes with my team on Friday. Achy at firs,t then fine. I was at 80% in favor of running.

Saturday a.m. I went to do my glycogen depletion run- an easy 1/2 mile warm up and drills, then 3 minutes hard. The burning activated at 2.5 minutes and was searing after three. I walked home knowing the verdict. Big sigh.

SO...I managed to snag a cushy volunteer job, escorting the Elite half-marathoners down to the start line. We watched to finish over by the press stand, and I maintained composure. We were allegedly supposed to escort them back up, but none of them wanted to be "escorted". I think that's more for the marathoners as 26.2 pretty much beats you up.

This is from in front of the start line during the Star Spangled Banner...look at all the skinny folks.

Happy Birthday to Grind!

2009-01-16T16:02:00.002-06:00

Here's Grind with his birthday presents, the Larousse Gastronomique" and some "magic beans" from Starbucks.

He took a birthday call from mom and we headed to the St Arnold Scavenger Hunt HH to attempt to win a kegerator. We did not.

We did, however go for a lovely dinner of British food at Feast Brit and Krusty. The boys signed up for the 9-course sampler...and 2 hours later, we could go home!

Our home turf XC meet, Tuesday.

2009-01-15T06:54:00.002-06:00

Me, explaining the concept of drafting to my 8th graders.

My superstar, OJ. He won easily by 11 seconds.

One of my seventh-graders. She works hard, takes coaching, and thrives with the extra attention.

Look at all those ribbons!
Big thanks to La' and Fraser for coming to campus to help me.

Things are looking grim for Sunday

2009-01-14T13:57:00.003-06:00

The foot thing, aggravated on Monday when I did warm up drills with my students, has taken a turn for the worse. Instead of getting stronger after rest and strength exercises, it feels weaker.
Don't get me wrong, I can probably run and feel fine. For a while. After Monday's incident, if I take a step a little bit wrong (to the inside, I suppose), I get a searing pain below my ankle (medial side) and just over the back of my instep. Like a shooting, "Holy Crap I've sprained my ankle!!" kind of pain.

So tonight, I'm going for a massage. If it feels stronger on Friday, I'll run 2 miles. If I make even one misstep with searing pain, I'm bagging the marathon.

No hometown PR
No helping the Roadrunners in team comp.
No Runner of the Season ranking (makes me wish I'd run the 30K!)
No awesome post-race hot-tubbing because I'll be too bummed to want to be at a marathon party. (maybe I'll get over that one)

If I run the two miles and feel great, I'll probably still run the marathon with my house key, keeping the option of stopping in the Woodland Heights and riding my bike back to get my car. Because let's face it, if big things are going to go wrong in the marathon, you usually have some indication by mile four.

I'd say I'm 80/20 in favor of NOT running at this moment. I can't be too bummed...this fall's training made me stronger, and I have three distance PRs within 7 weeks.

I'd say I peaked at the proper time, wouldn't you?

Turkey dinner

2009-01-10T12:20:00.001-06:00

For Thankgivign this year, our friends treated us to a fablous British dinner.

On Christmas, we served gumbo, venison shank, and grilled redfish.

I want some TURKEY, dammit! I'm totally deprived of turkey sandwiches, rice & gravy and tryptophan hangovers.

Solution: head to Whole Foods and get your turkey on.

Grind seems pleased.

Meeker Handprint Merlot

Even took out the Vera Wang

Chrismas with the uber-nieces

2009-01-09T06:43:00.002-06:00

The little one's eyes are really that big...but her lips aren't. After the photo we discovered she's "tried" momma's lipstick. Too funny.

The taller one is a cross country runner Pulled off a 6:45 mile in one of her races! Can't you see how proud her auntie is?

PS They don't make very many running clothes that tiny.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-31T22:43:00.001-06:00

Which to marathoners in Houston means, "Which awesome holiday party did you have to leave early so you could hobble thru your long run with some respectability?"

For Gaslight in 2008, thankfully, none! The hash Christmas Party? Way fun! Roadrunner party? Danced the night away! Christmas at my house? And my birthday? Totally fine! That has to be the best thing EVER about running a fall marathon-your long runs do NOT freak you out. Why? I've done my long run, so put that in your pipe and smoke it-I'm still recovering!

Let's just see how that translates into my performance on January 18, 2009, but I'm not sure how much a ballbusting December would have helped, really. But anyhoo, my point being, i was left in peace to enjoy my holiday season.

Prior to my departure to Charlotte, (miss me??)I did join my fellow roadrunners last Saturday for John's annual Loooong Run. Blasphemy, some may say, to put off hugging the uber-niecelettes until after one. Last.Twenty-one. Miler. But you gotta do what you gotta do, right? It's not going to run itself!

I do not have to remind my fellow Houstonians of the weather on said Saturday morning: 72 degrees. Yes, we swam our last long run. I spent some quality time with Simon as we plodded through the Tanglewood subdivision. (note: I LIKE Tanglewood! Nice place! So pretty! A little Stepfordish, perhaps, but golly a nice layout.)

Ahem. My last six at marathon pace was a little off, but hey, if it's 72 degrees on 1/18, we'll set off for a 3:30 and LIKE it, right? Maybe. I might still try for 3:20, but let's not be silly. What was my point? basically we made it 21 miles, I was able to speed up at the end, the biscuits were fluffy and the hot tub was bubbly. In an uncharacteristic brush with restraint, I declined adult beverages in favor of returning home to finish packing.

And you know what I forgot?? Guess.

No really, guess.

My damn driver's license. In case you ever place your state ID into a tiny, beaded bag for a party and neglect to have it at the airport, they WILL let you on the plane with 3 other "validish" IDs. I think the saving grace was my Debit card with a photo, my Costco card with photos (have I mentioned lately how much I love Costco? More love!) and my checkbook. Yes, I had a wallet full of cards and a checkbook, but no TDL. And they give you a minor bagcheck and bonus patdown for free!

Roadrunner Holiday Party

2008-12-25T07:19:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks back, but produced some festive photos, no?

I think this was our best club Christmas party in years!

Partygoers reveling in holiday cheer

We had the usual "meet the members" blackout bingo:

Eddie handing our gift certificates to "winners"

I think some members were disappointed by the heavy hors d'ouvres instead of a dinner buffet, but this kept everyone mingling.

A new addition was a dejJay, (groundbreaking, I know) which everyone enjoyed.

The secret to a great cocktail party? Not too many chairs!
Lana and I trying to not look our age

Um, oh, hi..

2008-12-23T17:40:00.004-06:00

remember me?

I have a barrage of excuses for not updating, including but not limited to:

extreme busyness with actual school business, i.e. planning an editorial study, creating novel tests and grading compositions (you're jealous..I can tell already)
daily cross country practice, including two this week (watch me push the munchkins)
a freaking cross country MEET the night before grades are due (and waiting for an hour for parents to show)
training, for that thing, what was it? ...yes, the Houston Marathon.
preparing for the Drips arrival, (houseguests living n Bahrain) They are plenty low-maintenance, but I did have to straighten up. A little.
Many, many, holiday parties. I know, poor me, harriette socialite.

Pair that with the fact that half the time it has been effing cold, which means the inside of my 90-year-old house remains frigid much of the time, making it very unpleasant to type. So there.

OK, I'll Play...

2008-12-09T06:22:00.002-06:00

4th folder, 4th photo.

Ironically, it's the same (or similar) to the photo at the bottom of my blog's front page. See?

2005 was the Year of the Conference...sigh. I miss 2005. First, Parker (former principal) send a group of teachers to a Service Learning Conference in Long Beach, CA.

Sat in the front row (dork) to hear Erin Gruwell (Freesome Writers' Diary) as the keynote speaker, and met the women from Kids Consortium in one the breakout sessions. They were so dynamic, I began jonesing to attend their summer conference in Bethel, Maine. Lo and behold, Parker approved my request. I flew into Connecticutt and spent a few days with High Maintenence, then drove north to Bethel, which is ski area about 2 hours NE of Portland. The photo is of a water park taken from a bridge (yes, I parked and walked to it) over the Bethel River.

The Summer Consortium was great-workshops on how to plan and execute service-learning projects with students, interesting speakers, great people. I think I was the only teacher from outside the Northeast, much less from Texas!

The research shows great things about how this type of work increases kids' "assets" and empathy. Texas, however, does not have a required service component in secondary education..your best best is plan a unit in elementary when you have the kids all day. Unless you can weave the project into current cirriculuum, teacher buy-in is unlikely.

Remember the Middle School Summit last month? The kids at Pin Oak take a SL class, which as far as I can see, might be a decent reason to work for HISD. (I don't).

I must say, hearing this made my day.

2008-12-07T17:08:00.003-06:00

"Mr. Buck Fought Back"
By PEGGY O'HARE and ANITA HASSAN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Dec. 6, 2008, 7:24PM

Officials said the deer, named Mr. Buck, was a favorite of schoolchildren at Bear Creek Pioneers Park.

Officers arrested a 23-year-old man in the decapitation of Mr. Buck, a beloved deer at Bear Creek Pioneers Park's wildlife sanctuary who authorities have since learned fought back as he was attacked last month.

Brandon Eugene Gregory was arrested at his apartment late Friday by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officers and Harris County Precinct 5 deputies. He is charged with taking a wildlife resource without landowner consent — a state jail felony offense. His bond is set at $5,000.

Mr. Buck's severed head was recovered in a white chest freezer at Gregory's apartment in the 13300 block of West Road, said Sgt. Johnny Longoria with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Special Investigations Unit at a press conference at Beer Creek Park Saturday afternoon.

Along with the tools used in the slaying, Longoria said authorities also recovered the bodies of two additional improperly tagged deer on the apartment patio that had been taken from an adjoining county.

The November killing and mutilation of Mr. Buck shocked animal lovers across the Houston area. The 8- to 10-point buck was comfortable around people and let park visitors scratch his chin.

A park ranger found the white-tailed deer's headless carcass in a pool of blood Nov. 25.

Authorities have since learned Mr. Buck did not go down without a fight.

During a confession, Gregory told authorities he jumped the fence that night. When he was about 15 feet from Mr. Buck, the deer lowered his head and charged toward him, Longoria said.

The deer then knocked Gregory to the ground, pinning the man in the upper leg with his antlers, Longoria said. Gregory allegedly pulled Mr. Buck towards his body with his left hand and used his other hand to fatally stab the deer with a knife, Longoria said.

"It sounds like self-defense, but he (Gregory) shouldn't have been in there in the first place," Longoria said.

Gregory told authorities he used the knife-and-bone saw to sever Mr. Buck's head, before using bolt cutters to cut the chain-link fence to flee the scene, Longoria said.

He told authorities he would have taken the deer's entire body, but his injuries, which he described as being deep enough to fit half his pinky finger through, were too severe.

After all the publicity the case garnered, Gregory told authorities he was did not go to a hospital for fear he would be caught, Longoria said.

Gregory could not be reached for comment Saturday. His girlfriend, who answered the door at his northwest Harris County apartment, became tearful and said she could not talk to the media.

Longoria said Gregory did not give much of a reason for the killing, except that he had a great admiration for the deer's antlers and that he wanted to see exactly how tame Mr. Buck was.

"If he wanted to see how tame he was, he should have just come up to the fence and fed him like everyone else," Longoria said.

Turkey Day musings

2008-11-28T18:56:00.002-06:00

So Tuesday at track I finally get to speak with Jon after SA. We modify the workout for my non-recovered self, and I ask him if it's a really bad idea to run a turkey trot. He thinks for a moment and says. "No, just don't be disappointed. You might do well, but if you don't, don't be disappointed."

Not a screaming vote of confidence, but I'll take it. I mean, it's not an in-town holiday unless I have a number pinned to my belly, right?

I sponsored one of my xc kids for the 5k (mean...hey! you showed up for practice on Wednesday, you win...a 5K entry!) and he seemed pretty pleased with the entire ordeal. I even ran into one of my old high school running mates...who was talking with Schroeder. Another round of "It's a Small World", please?
Anyhoo:
lap 1, 6:39
Mile 2 6:52
mile 3 6:53 (see a trend yet?)
mile 4 7:04 (repeat after me, "I will not be disappointed...")
mile 5 6:58 (maybe I can recover?)
mile 6 (+.2) 7:34 (maybe not!)

And you know what? It was fine. If it weren't 11 days after my marathon, I could have run faster, I'm sure of it. I just have to keep the extra lbs off until the Bayou City Classic!

Explianing myself

2008-11-25T06:37:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I received this email from my pal Jen:

This Week at Sammy's......Spazmatics are Here Tuesday!!!

with a note from Paige, another lady in the group elaborating:

Anyone up for some disco and dancing?

And before involving the entire group in an unplanned fracas, I felt I should say:

While I am not officially banned from Sammy's, the overly enthusiastic crowd nearly inspired me into a fistfight last time I was there...yeah, maybe I should stick to track.

To which Paige then replied...

I’m speechless but certainly have questions…

Apparently that is a real conversation starter, because Jen added:

GASLIGHT! You crack me up...what the? Yes, storytime!!

So here it is, for those of you who missed it the first time:

It had to do with "personal space" and a young woman who did not have any respect for mine. Best I can recount more than a year later, it seems she wanted to stand where I was...so her solution was to move closer and closer to me, continuing until we were nearly spooning. I sort of "made myself big", standing firmly with cross country elbows. So continued to jostle against me, which was irritating.
Thankfully she was only about 90 lbs and 5 feet tall, so she sort of "bounced off", but clearly not my type, as I prefer blondes. (that's a JOKE) I let her know that my pals and I had sort of, "staked out" this area.
Having known to be enthusiastic on occasion myself, a simple, "oops, my bad" would have been fine. But NOOOOOOOOO....she thought it best to try and engage me in a conversations (sorry, already too irritated for mediatation) about how I know KNOW that since I was at SAMMY'S I should EXPECT for it to be crowded. And for it to suck, too, apparently.
So, given her sage advice, I have stayed away. See? I can learn from my sistakes, and she's not that much of an imbecile after all. The evening is referenced is this blog post here.

Saint Arnold scavenger hunt and Run Chugga Lugga

2008-11-23T10:28:00.006-06:00

Grind and I managed to combine the two events:

Who knew there was a Sean Connery tribute wall?

Awesome campy art piece, great beer selection...and somehow they manage to recreate that unmistakable aroma of New Orleans. It's just magical.

But my arms ARE inside the gondola!

Secret Santa

Gaslight getting a drink. So thirsty from pub crawling!

Sing like you don't need the money

2008-11-21T06:39:00.008-06:00

After we abandoned the Cult concert, Miriam, Whitney and I made our way to the Riverwalk in search of margaritas and a snack. We settled on Republic of Texas because it was shiny, but mainly because it was open at 10:15 on a Sunday. Ah, well.

They did, however, have karaoke. Miriam reasoned that I had to commemorate my PR with a song, and wanting to milk this for all its worth, I agreed.

Now don't I look self-satisfied?
I must have poured over that gigantic binder for 15 minutes...I'm pretty sure the girls thought I was stalling. Here's the thing: I'm quite clear that while I can carry a tune, I have, in no form or fashion any vocal quality or singing talent to speak of. In karaoke, this is a bit of a problem, but not a complete disaster. I choose songs that involve a bit more "camp", where no one actually expects for me to sound good.

My first try a few years ago? "The Rainbow Connection Song". In a Kermit the Frog voice.

So I chose "Let's do the time Warp Again".

Here I think I am Magenta, "seeing all".

"He had a pickup truck and the Devil's eyes!"

Now I'm Riff Raff, winding up for the chorus.
Look at the guy to the right at his table. he approached us earlier with a, "So, did you ladies run the marathon?" Miriam told him that I did (because I was engrossed in the binder, remember?) and then he asked my time. He got all flustered and weird after I told him..I think he was coming to brag about qualifying for Boston. :-)

This looks like it was a jump to the left...

...and a step to the right.

The margaritas were mediocre, but it was a good time. Just another one of the sacrifices a girl must make for performance art.

Blah

2008-11-20T08:03:00.004-06:00

Our first meet is today, so I'm a combination of excited and stressed-out. Kids that I "share" with band, orchestra and basketball don't have their uniforms and sweats yet, so this afternoon will be harried.

Morning commotion has me out-of-sorts, and on top of it all, progress report grades are due today. YAY!

Thanks to mom for sending the link to my R & R photos.

Vallejo - Just Another Day

2008-11-19T06:34:00.001-06:00

The opening band, Vallejo, was the big surprise. A range of sounds from metal and punk to sweet percussion and channeling Carlos Santana.

Head-bangin' Wednesday

2008-11-18T22:03:00.001-06:00

The idea of nonstop bands along a 26-mile course was a big part of the allure of a Rock n Roll marathon. The first 13.1 miles? Awesome. Those last, painful, lonely miles, were just that, lonely. The panorama was beautiful, don't get me wrong, but along the Mission Drive, the spectators were quite spares. Band....a mile of road....band....mile of road.

A couple of the bands on the backside weren't even set up when I went thru! Come on, people, it's not like I was first runner by! Anyway, our race numbers got us into the concert that night with headliner The Cult. Lou & Jessica were up by the stage, but for some reason I was more comfortable staying closer to my chair. The whole "standing" thing, and wanting to avoid the cloud of pot smoke looming above the crowd. I know, I'm old. A self-portrait of Miriam, Whitney et moi.

We didn't stay for the entire concert, but did hear "Rain" & "Firewoman"...my companions didn't know any of the music, so we abandoned the venue for the Riverwalk.

We were fairly close to the stage, but photos are tough.

SA marathon, the details

2008-11-18T12:57:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Anne's husband John, we arrived at the start in plenty of time. We found the port a potties, I located corral 1, and then I ask Doug where our bag drop is...

At the END of all of the corrals! Oh no!

I bustle through the crowd to find a group of UPS trucks..and I should have know that the setup would return post-race to haunt me.

At least the jog back was a nice warmup!

pace

mile 1 - 7:16

Mile 2 - 7:03 yikes!

mile 3 - 6:59 double yikes-here's when I let the pace group go

mile 4-7:12

mile 5 - 7:36 big hill, and trying to work my GU belt

mile 6- 6:48 There's the downhill!!

mile 7- 7:07

mile 8- 7:07 (I can only assume..dividing a 1414 total)

mile 9 - 7:06

mile 10 - 7:20

mile 11 - 7:20

mile 12 - 7:16

mile 13 - 7:15 (I hit the half in 1:34:15, 45 seconds cushion for a 3:10)

mile 14 - 7:18

mile 15 - 7:20

mile 16 - 7:25 (I'm seeing a trend I don't like here)

mile 17 - 7:33 (Jenn just joined me and is calmng my hyper, worried ass down)

mile 18 - 7:12 better!

mile 19 - 7:25 (hilly)

mile 20 - 7:29 There went that cushion!!

mile 21 - 7:32

mile 22 - 7:02 AC/Dc inspired!

mile 23 7:43 (I think this is when my hamstring barked at me)

mile 24 -7:26

mile 25 - 7:28

mile 26 - 7:08

.2 - 1:36

HUGE thanks to Jennifer, again. Those last miles, as always, were a bit rough.

There you have it; the breakdown of Gaslight!