I'm running again. It isn't much, but it's running.
We've moved Sadie upstairs into Grace's room. No furniture moved, no freshly painted walls or designer motif from Pottery Barn for the one year old. It simply means that Sadie no longer sleeps in the basement. Her downstairs crib sits empty; her crib in Grace's room gets more action.
We moved her upstairs so I could be more disciplined. As a father of seven, trying to make a decent living, I've decided that part of the solution needs to involve waking earlier. And running when I wake. Actually, the running is necessary else I would never wake earlier.
This running....it's downstairs on the treadmill. While watching tv or a movie. With subtitles turned on so that the noise doesn't wake the sleeping. Yes, for the past two mornings, it's been me, my shorts, water bottle, shoes and "Runaway Bride." I've decided to let my hair grow and look like Richard Gere.
Tomorrow, I'll start "Europa, Europa." I'll soon be sporting a short cropped Hilter Jungend hair style.
One advantage to running right now: I'm showering twice a day and my hair is soft.
I'm also tracking the temperatures. Looking for the first stretch of cold that will justify stepping out onto the St. Croix River. Last year, I just waited until the snowmobile tracks appeared. This year, I'd like to be out first. Don't worry, I enjoy living, and my new long hair, far too much to be foolish.
We went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. We had a late start, so my patience was already pretty thin.
I was looking for some specific pieces as we strolled around on the third floor.
We found a few.
We were followed the entire time. By museum staff.
We were not just followed. I could feel their breath on my neck.
It made the Institute not so fun.
Delta is offering free Wi-fi until Christmas, so, always eager to get the good deal, I bought a ticket to Denver, then on to Phoenix to join the family at Marty's parents' for Thanksgiving.
Being online while in-flight provides for many great opportunities and several challenges.
First, the challenges:
• do I really need to use Google's Chrome as my browser? Turns out the answer is "no." That makes me happy.
• I've succeeded in spilling the crumbs from a free pretzel bag onto the keyboard of my Mac.
• I adeptly spilled stale coffee on my iPhone. Thank goodness it was not GOOD coffee that I wasted.
• I had hoped to take a nap during this flight. Now I feel compelled to be "productive."
The Benefits:
• I was able to go through all my email. Turned out to be only 2.
• I am able to research what all the fancy possibilities are associated with the Google Mobile App, like orkut.com. Well, now I know that if I ever find myself in need of strong social networking connections in India or Brazil, I've got the capability on my phone!! Whew. I can sleep well tonight.
I couldn't leave with Marth and the kids on Thursday because of several commitments, all of which were better than I had anticipated. On Thursday, I was allowed to go to the gate with the family. This was critical as all seven kids carried their own backpack and pulled a carry-on. Well, okay, Sadie didn't. Plus, there were three car seats to bring along. We were quite a sight.
Thursday evening was a donor "thank you" reception for HOPE Adoption & Family Services, held at the Grain Belt Brewhouse and hosted by RSP Architects. I moderated and said a few words at the end. I met some incredible folks, all with big hearts and great stories about the impact of adoption(s) in their lives.
Friday had me in a Ramsey County courtroom for a small civil trial. Opposing party didn't show, but the judge had us "run through the motions" to get everything on the record. We won, which is not terribly difficult when the other party doesn't show and was really quite a scoundrel.
Friday night was the St. Croix Concert Series' first concert of the season. You can get to their website from my website. My law practice supports the Series. It is a great contribution to life in the valley. Piers Lane performed works from Chopin. I'm not a big Chopin fan. His works are not soothing and are extremely "busy" to the ears. However, Piers was absolutely incredible. He is a piano genius, and quite likable to boot.
Afterward, there was a donor's reception at The Dock Cafe, where I met some very nice people.
Saturday was a superb day. A complex mixture of relaxation and intense activity. Got much done around the house; started with most important things and worked through my list.
Emma and Grace, sorry. Painting the last part of your door and getting your mirror up did not make the cut-off. We'll do them when we get back.
Yummy stuff too! I had some left-over Korean food.
Mirror of Korea - great place for bi bim bop.
Everything was covered in ice this morning. As I loaded my suitcase, I had to slowly work my way down the Suburban, holding whatever I could, to avoid sliding down the driveway.
It was a pleasant reminder that the St. Croix River will soon be frozen.
It's been nearly a month since my last post.
It's been nearly a month since my last run.
I was piercingly reminded of that last night as Twix wrapper number seven fell in shreds to the floor. I must add that they were the mini-Twix wrappers.
My need to run is most crushing when:
1. something hurts,
2. the mid section looks and feels a little, or a lot, too big,
3. the moon is full and the spirit moves, and
4. I need time to get out, not think, think, and feel alive.
The outsides of my knees hurt. They don't hurt when I run. I think it's because the patella glides in the proper place while running because of the shoe supports.
The mid section is too big. Last night's raiding of the children's candy bags did not help!
No full moon until November 21.
It is probably time to get out to think, not think and feel alive.
Saturday is the annual Black Dog 50, a 50 mile run through western WI.
I can not wait! It's a day filled with beauty, outdoors, trees, leaves, trail, dirt, hills, roots, sweat, sun, wind, rivers, streams, and lots of good time with running friends.
Am I prepared? Nope. Does it matter? Not really.
It's strange; at this stage in my running life, I can (knock on wood) run 50 miles a lot more easily than 5.
I think this could sound proud, but it really isn't. Most of the ultra runners I know could say the same thing and not be saying it boastfully.
I've developed a mindset to running that is so completely different than when I was running marathons. It's a mindset of enjoyment first, appreciation second, priorities third, endurance fourth and speed way, way, way down the list. It's an attitude that enables one to think at mile 5:
"Well, the day is young, the run is young. I will experience incredible things throughout the day that will change me, even if ever so slightly. But I know that when I'm done, I will be more appreciative of family, friends, and my health. I need to run right now in such a way that I don't short-change the potential experiences that I will experience in 5 hours or in 9 hours. Enjoy. Take it in. Don't run without experiencing as much as possible right now."
So, how am I preparing? I'm doing sit ups this week. I'll eat some spaghetti on Friday. I'll make my run checklist. I'll buy food and supplies on Friday sometime, including lots of Coke. And I'l try to go to bed early.
Can you join us? Can you join us for a section of the run? Please join us: you can do more than you think you can!
Elia Kazan. "A Letter to Elia," by Martin Scorsese. Fascinating show tonight on PBS. I was enthralled.
East of Eden is one of my all time favorite books. The movie was not.
But after watching about 10 minutes of "A Letter to Elia," I'm ready to try watching it again. I also now want to watch "Wild River" by Elia Kazan.
It's funny how interacting with a good show makes me terribly interested in its topic.
