Wednesday, December 31, 2008

First Words of 2009

Marty: (as she tries to get ready for bed): Our son steals chapstick.
Me: What does he do with them?
Marty: He doesn't bring them back.

It's Time To Start Running

I've taken a running break these past few months. It's been good. I've missed running.
It seems like it's time to start up again, though. This year, I'd like to run a little differently than last.

Last year, Pete and I ran just over 26.2 miles every Monday morning. Pete often ran on other days as time allowed. I did not. For me, it was a great way to balance running, family and school.

I ran several more ultra races in 2008 than in 2007. I also attempted two 100 milers. One was Leadville where I again made it to Winfield. This year was faster, but the thought of going back up over Hope Pass defeated me again.

The other was during the Twin Cities Marathon weekend in which we did a 50 miler the day before, I ran from my house to St. Paul in the wee hours of the morning before the marathon, and then ran the marathon. The problem was that it rained during the marathon, I got too cold, and dropped at mile 13.

This year, I would like to:
• run more night runs. Start at 10pm and get back home around 4am.
• run a little more on the road so I'm not limited to finding trails.
• run more 50K and 50 mile races. Marty reminds me that immediately after Leadville I had better judgment than currently. After Leadville I emphatically stated that I need to complete a non-altitude 100 miler before attempting Leadville again. I'm not as emphatic these days. You see, the Leadville registration came in the mail this week! And...my loving wife actually brought it into the house rather than throwing it in the trash before I could see it.

New Year's Eve & Saturday Night Live

We're watching the New Year's Eve celebration in NY. Well, we're watching it here at midnight. We honestly thought it was a Saturday Night Live skit.

Dick Clark has a good excuse - a stroke earlier in 2008.
Kelly Pickler - eyelashes look like they were frozen or that a ski slope's snow making machine got off course and blew into her face.
Taylor Swift - scarecrow with hair.
Ryan Seacrest - seems to have a vocabulary of one word: incredible. Maybe he's just trying to convince us.
The Jonas Brothers - they were holding some modicum of normalcy.
Lionel Ritchie - anytime Lionel Ritchie is in anything, one must automatically assume it's a spoof. Why not just have Al Sharpton up there?

We had to switch channels to something more intelligent. We're now watching a computer generated Eval Knieval son, Robbie, jumping a computer generated ramp on a computer generated motorcycle over a computer generated volcano in a computer generated Las Vegas.

We've just been told not to try this at home. Hmmm... We've also been advised that if he falls in the volcano, it will "sear his equipment and his lungs." I really have to wonder what "equipment."

Okay. Whew. He made it. Oh good. The REPLAY.

Marty must be drunk. She just changed back to the New Year's Eve Saturday Night Live skit.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Even Dads get Sick

I went in to the office yesterday and felt good. Thought I'd escape this sickness. Marty called at 4:30 and said we might need to take Zeke to Children's Hosp. He wasn't taking food or liquid and was listless. I came home, we planned a way to get Marty and Zeke to the hosp, and then he started eating and drinking. About this time, I started having diarrhea. Zeke got better, I got worse. I visited the bathroom every 20 minutes from 6 to midnight, then every 40 minutes until 3am. Then came stomach pains like I've never known. Started throwing up at 3am. AFTERWARD, it felt so good.

Diarrhea every 40 minutes until 5am. Stomach aches again but no throw up.

I'm up now, and have drank a full glass of ice water (forget peace on earth, ice water is all I wanted last night).
Levi is still pretty listless, Marty is tired but felling much better, Emma work up this morning and said she was starving and ate a bowl of cereal. I'm gong to stick with liquids for most of the day.

It's so nice to feel good.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Twitter

If you also use Twitter, please "follow" my Twittering: https://twitter.com/stcroixlaw.
I'm only asking you to do so so that I have some one to "follow."
Thanks

Twitter Test

Being a complete tech idiot, I went ahead and created a Twitter account.
This is simply a test to see if this blog automatically bridges to the new Twitter site.
Bridges and Buckets...that's my life!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Another One Bites the....

Levi just woke from a dead sleep to commence a violent display of projectile vomiting into.... his blankets. I'm so glad we saved one bucket from overuse.

Marty just came into the kitchen to announce that she woke up in time to add a hash mark to her bucket. Thank goodness tomorrow is trash pick-up day.

Not Enough Buckets

Beginning Monday night, our lives have been dominated by buckets. Yes, buckets.
Not necessarily your 5 gallon bucket, which is a real man's bucket, but "bucket" in terms of "anything that will hold liquid or a curdled, thickened bodily fluid.

Like this one...
Eli's Bucket
Zeke began throwing up Monday night; about every 45 minutes until midnight, then about every other hour. By Tuesday afternoon, he'd thrown up every solid and liquid he'd taken in. (In case you were wondering, a two year old's throw up is as cute as an adult's.)

Marty and I took him to the hospital. I literally thank God for Zofran because it would otherwise have been a night of IVs. A two year old bucket looks like a large, plastic sock. We found out that it makes for a great hand puppet. Zeke has slowly been coming back around today.

When Emma arrived home from YEAH, she took over. We got her a bucket (trash can). In fact, she's probably on course to beat Zeke's record of 17. Then Eli joined. He got a bucket, a.k.a. trash can. Then Marty joined. Bigger "bucket." Just before everyone got into bed, Levi complained of a stomach ache. Another bucket. I sat with him from 9 - 9:40 while he cried, moaned and screamed but never threw up. Finally, lest she be left out, Grace decided she needed a "bucket." Grace has never been sick a day in her life and is not really sick right now.

So, that leaves just me...and no extra "buckets!" If it comes to it, I'll empty the corn for the deer that is kept in a real 5 gallon bucket.