Of Moose And Men
The Best Laid Plans Of Both Often Go Astray

While home at lunch, I went by the office, asked to swap out my pedestrian fob for one of the car gate radio fobs. Had to fill out a piece of paper, but they gave it to me, no charge. Was quite nice to be able to bike onto the property this evening without stopping. Go squeeky wheel.

Rest of the afternoon was slightly crazy, work-wise, but bearable. Got my monthly haircut (she went even shorter than usual, looks good), then biked back downtown to swim for an hour. Did not have to time to make soup as I’d hoped, but the ingredients will keep until tomorrow, post-gym (with no haircut to take up the extra time). Or perhaps until the weekend when I can take an afternoon to simmer it down nicely. Hmm…

I’m a tad worried about Mom’s memory.

She’s been paranoid for years now about getting alzheimer’s, which I think unlikely, but she has been showing signs of “chemo brain” as she calls it (a diminishment of mental capacities after chemo). The most notable thing is that she repeats anecdotes a couple of times within the same conversation. It’s not every conversation, but it’s enough that I’ve started noticing it. Now, I’m not one to talk but so much about repeating the same story to someone, but I at least separate my tellings by a day or so. Doing it in the same conversation is a bit different, like she’s losing short term memory. Will have to discretely mention it to Dad and see if he’s noticed it as well.

Hated, hated, hated driving. It’s loud, it’s boring, and I do not see how people do it on a regular basis. I am so glad I moved a mile and a quarter from work so I can walk or bike. Multi-hour commutes just blow my mind. That’s inhumane, IMNSHO. Didn’t help that the nimrod who rented the car before me smoked in it, using the center console as the ash tray (which the rental car place missed). The only good thing there was it allowed me to ID the sweet smell that occasionally comes out of my air units – I suspect now that the previous owner might have smoked. Not a biggie, it’s not come out in a while, but it was there when I first moved in and had to run the air units.

Speaking of the air units, I’ve asked the building operations guy if there would be issues with installing some programmable thermostats in my apartment. Tired of trying to remember to adjust the heat (which means it usually stays just a trifle cool).

Picked up oodles of veggies this evening to make soup tomorrow. And oatmeal. And other stuff. This after I was too lazy to change out of the shirt I biked home in this evening (I did switch out of the tights in favor of jeans). In this weather I don’t even break a sweat biking home (it’s <10 minutes to home – downhill), and this shirt’s comfortable, so what the heck. Did sit down and pay bills, which was needed, as well as arranging for some other errands I needed to get done. Productive evening, if not the most exciting.

I killed Firefox 2.0 from the iBook this morning. I had already beeen annoyed that I couldn’t close all the windows by hitting control-W as I could under 1.5 and earlier (it would close the last tab, but leave the window open with a blank tab), and that I couldn’t close the tabs by hitting the little ‘x’ button in the upper right corner any more (they put the x on each individual tab, which made them moving targets), but when it wouldn’t let me hold down the trackpad button and get the little function menu, that was the last straw. Thank you for your efforts, but you’re no longer desired. Glad I saved the installation file for 1.5.0.2. Blech.

Up early this morning to go run a turkey trot 5k run. Got to bed by 9:30, and was out like a light, so did get a good eight hours of sleep (for the first time since the weekend). I suspect a nap will be in order as well, but we’ll cross that bed when we get to it. No feasting plans today; I feel no desire to attempt to overeat.

And I’m definitely not making another tofurkey (haven’t tried an unturkey yet). As I put it to a friend of mine yesterday, because they pump it full of chemicals to make it taste better, your shit stinks like tofurkey for the next day and a half or so, and I really don’t need to be reminded of the meal for that long or in that way. Besides, I’m vegan because I don’t want to eat meat, so the idea of a big ole fake meat centerpiece to a meal is, well, kind of tacky to me.

Looks like the predicted rain is holding off this morning, which is good news for those of us running the race this morning.

Was going over my goals for this next year, athletics wise, and part of the exercise was to identify what I thought my three biggest weaknesses were. After some time thinking, I identified:

1. Consistency
2. Strength
3. Diet

Consistency is probably the killer for me. Most of the time I can motivate to do what I need to do, but if/when I fall off the wagon, it’s ugly. And it kills my training. So that’s a key thing to attack this year. Strength training I’m working on. Diet, on the other hand, is not so hot.

It’s not like I don’t get enough to eat, nor a good enough variety, nor do I lack of protein (if my nail and hair growth is any gauge, I get quite enough). I do need to eat a tad less fat, and fewer calories, more often. I suspect overeating may be an issue with the stomach problems I have as well – too many calories at once for my system to handle. In any case, there needs to be fewer calories vis-a-vis energy output. I’ve managed to stay at my current weight/fat level for the past two years, and I don’t want to be here. Certainly racing and training would be easier with a tad less fat on ye olde frame, so I’m going to have to knuckle under and actually get serious about it if I want to see any progress.

To say I was busy at work yesterday would be an understatement. Best way to explain how the day went: When I got to the end of the day, I picked up my thermos (the one I pack my good coffee in from home) to put it in my bag. It was still full. I’d never even had my coffee. And if you know me, you know that doesn’t happen; I always have my coffee. I’m sure I’ll make up for the caffeine consumption today, but, yeah, busy.

Am hopeful this upcoming holiday week will be a tad easier, and let me concentrate on two semi-big projects and get them out the door. That and time to do some research on the new vision and dental plans that the Feds are offering as a choice this year.

Today is about catching up on my games (there were weeds all over my town of Crobuzon in Animal Crossing:Wild World) and cleaning. The off-season is so thrilling. I did swim last night, so I’m not totally slacking, but it’s nice to lay off the exercise for a little bit.

I voted right after 9 this morning, was a breeze – most notable moment was being asked
if I wanted paper or electronic, when my response was, “Paper, paper, paper! None of that electronic crap for me, thanks.”

Biked over to the gym in the rain, worked out for a little over an hour (light weights, high reps – trying not to be too sore tomorrow). Biked home in the rain (wet, wet, wet out there!), stripped down inside, dried the bike chain, showered, started laundry, ran to the pharmacy and grocery store, back to switch laundry, have a salad and now I’m watching the news.

I have to say, I have mixed feelings about the Democratic gains they’re projecting. If the Dems pick up even one house, my professional life will get much, much busier because the Dems actually exercise oversight over the agencies, which means a ton of official letters coming in with requests for information. Whee. It’s a good thing that the Congress exercises their Constitutional prerogatives, but it’s been relatively quiet these first three years at my current Big Government Agency, which isn’t such a bad thing, personally (not not such a good thing, as a citizen).

Anyway, back to watch the elections and get the laundry out of the driers.

This is not the best of Mondays.

1. I have a classic case of “runner’s knee” thanks to yesterday’s run – nice little stabby pains in the left knee. Made walking to work oh-so-much-fun (and stairs? don’t get me started on how much fun stairs are right now). Also almost guarantees no race next Sunday for moi. This after making it through the entire training season for the race with no injuries. Ugh. Looks like the post-running season gets to start early.

2. On top of the stabby pains on the walk, I realized halfway to work that while I had made a nice, fresh carafe of coffee and put it in the thermos to take with me, said thermos was in fact still sitting on my kitchen counter. Which means I am doomed to at least one cup of the substandard “Starbucks” coffee they have downstairs (at least the Starbucks branded stuff is better than the regular swill, but it’s still not anywhere close to as good as I make it at home, nor to how an actual Starbucks establishment would make it).

Blah.

Had my monthly haircut this evening, so texted Brian and headed out to dinner with him and Jhim. Was good to see them both, and good to get out. I’ve been lying low here in SW DC, mainly because money is a tad tight right now, so eating in or eating cheap are the preferred modes for food. Simple food has also been my preference at home because of some stomach woes I’ve had on and off. My digestive system has never been the best, and every now and again it decides to really go off the deep end until I smack it down, which may be coming soon (don’t ask).

Picked up staples at Whole Paycheck on the way to the bus, which thankfully was running pretty well this evening; didn’t wait more than 10 minutes at either stop, and there’s something to be said for catching the bus that drops you right in front of your building. Had planned the trip, so was a good boy and used a cloth shopping bag from home rather than taking fresh bags from them. I wish store still gave you some discount for doing that (some used to give you a nickel or something per bag you brought in and used yourself rather than using theirs), but even without it was nicer to have a bag I knew wouldn’t rip open on the bus, and that I didn’t have to stuff more plastic bags into the recycling bin.

MG’s out of town for work, and we’ve been chatting on the phone in the evening. Sounds like he’s pretty busy there, but doing good work. Miss him, but the communication helps.

Oh, and don’t tell my parental units, but I’m to be an uncle again. My sister-in-law is about a week pregnant (confirmed with the doctor yesterday), so she’s due in June. This, mind you, while she was on the pill (and after she had her first child in March of this year). I did remind my brother that there were things he could do as well (condoms, anyone?), but was gentle in my reproach. At least he’s married to the woman this time (my older niece is the daughter of his HS girlfriend – oy). I’m happy for them, and will be happy to be an uncle again.

As the weather has cooled down I’ve been bitten with the baking bug. It happens most years at this time, but with a renewed focus on cooking at home, and the attendant reading of cookbooks, it’s come on bad this year. So I decided the next foray (after the first attempt to use the oven) would be muffins. Lemon poppyseed, using a recipe that I knew worked.

Blended the stuff up, almost forgot the egg replacer, but got it in before too late, popped it into the heated oven.

Unfortunately, like the last time, though I had carefully gotten the temperature up to the right place, it again zipped over the set temperature. Some slight burnt edges, and the flour was not quite the freshest (it’ll be replaced ASAP), but they did come out edible. Not perfect, but not a complete waste of time, either.

It’s almost like the oven refuses to cut off once it reaches the right temperature. Thankfully there’s a little light over the dial so I can tell when the heating element is on or off – that’s what clued me in that it was still going even though it had long since reached the right temp. Not sure what type of tweak it’ll take to fix that, will have to research the stove model and see if there’s any way to fix it without replacing the unit. Do need to get it fixed or figured out before I start making bread on the weekends again, though. Muffins are one thing, a week’s worth of bread is a whole other thing.

I have my first sports injury of the season – on my right foot “the little piggy that had none” got a lovely matched set of blisters that made the last 2-3 miles a very unpleasant walk home. Hopefully they’ll callus over and negate the need for any serious ugliness, but it was an obnoxious ending to a long run. Yay for weird toes (this particular toe smooshes down against the one next to it, such that it has a little wedge-shaped callus already, in front of where the new blisters appeared today).

Did myself a favor this time, ran out about 5-5.5 miles on the Mount Vernon trail, turned around and headed back into East Potomac Park to do three loops around Hains Point, mostly because there’s a ready source of water in Hains Point (three public bathrooms). I ended up filling up my fuel belt water bottles twice, and drained them all each time (8oz x 6 x 3 = 144 oz water). Was only down by a pound from my weight in the morning, so that wasn’t too bad.

The knees have had their usual soreness post-run, but with the freedom of sandals I was able to make it to the grocery store and back without pain. We’ll see how the piggy does in shoes tomorrow.

Simple dinner of black beans (canned, zapped), saffron rice (from a bag, stove top cooked) and fried potatoes (fresh, again stove top cooked) with MG this evening, which was quite nice, satisfying, and blessedly simple. Going to try and make crock pot oatmeal this evening with the kitchen timer I bought a while back. Am keeping my fingers crossed that it works; warm breakfast with minimal effort in the morning sounds oh-so-nice, and the durned crock pot ought to get some play at some point.