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March 29, 2005

Our Hero

Matty was invited to hang out at her cousins' river house this weekend for Easter. And because she is girl who loves to swim and roll around in weird things on the ground we *knew* she was going to have a great time out there. And she did. Except for the part where her German Shepherd cousin tried to kill her.

Matty and Benny the German Shepherd have only met one other time, when they were both on leashes, and it was a pretty tense and scary experience. Benny flunked out of Air Force traning because he wasn't aggressive enough - with people. He's a gorgeous dog, and amazingly sweet when there are no other animals around. Sometime around 6:15 on Sunday morning they met again, without leashes, when they were accidentally let outside at the same time. I didn't see any of it and had to rely on Andy's account, but apparently Matty had gone completely submissive, lying on her back, and Benny had her by the neck and was shaking her. I could hear her cries in the bathroom where I'd just gotten out of the shower, and it nearly made *me* cry, especially since I wasn't in any position to run out there and do anything about it.

When Andy first got to them he mistook the mud that covered her one side with blood, and he thought she was a goner. And here's the unbelieveable part: HE PRIED THE SHEPHERD'S JAWS OFF OF HER WITH HIS BARE HANDS. In his church clothes.

She was my dog when we met. She was six months old by the time we started dating. He didn't have a dog growing up. He complains regularly about her hair all over the house, her stinky breath, and her poop all over the back yard, but there's no doubt anymore that he loves her. He can protest all he wants, but we know the truth.

He's our hero.

Posted by jenandmats at 7:25 AM | Comments (1)

March 26, 2005

Exposition

I ran seven hilly miles this morning. I think I'm going to be sore. Aside from the trail at Town Lake, there are a few routes through town which are a staple in nearly every Austin runner's schedule. Exposition is one of them. It's only 7 miles, which always seems like a good place to start doing long runs. Only ... Exposition is really hilly. It's hillier than the 10-mile version of the same loop. So while it always seems like a good idea when you're starting out with everyone, you inevitably start cursing your pre-run self once you head into the hills. In fact, there's a water stop at the very bottom of the biggest hill, so you have a nice break to sit and contemplate your earlier decision to run this route. Fortunately, we got a bit of a cold front this morning so I didn't have to contend with humidity (which reared its ugly head earlier this week) in addition to my sorry-ass running legs. But I made it!

I wore my Brooks Axiom this morning, which I really like, *except* that they're really slappy on asphalt and concrete. In Houston during the half I was gradually passed by a woman wearing a pair, and I could hear her coming a full 20-30 seconds before she caught up to me. When she was right behind me I actually asked over my shoulder if she was wearing them. We both commented about how our friends give us a hard time about how loud they are. But they seem to be really good shoes otherwise.

Yesterday Andy and I had a really good Good Friday. It was so nice to have a day off and our weather was gorgeous, so we sat outside at breakfast and then headed to the sporting goods store to purchase a baseball (we couldn't believe we didn't already have one) and spent a little while in the street in front of the house playing catch. Then we had lunch with a friend out on the lake, and had a mojito and reclined on the deck. After that we headed to the driving range where I hit a few really good shots, but had to settle mostly for worm-burners. Those few good shots I hit, though, felt soooo cool and made me desperately want more. But usually after a good one I can't hit another good one to save my life until I resign myself to a series of crappy shots, and then another good one will find me when it feels like it. It's a mean little game.

We had a beer after the driving range and then Andy headed downtown to watch Duke and Michigan State and Kentucky and Utah. He's *such* a big fan and had never actually been to a tournament game, so he was downright giddy. Until Duke lost, that is.

I rounded out my day with a short nap and then an easy 4-miles around the trail - both of which were *very* nice. I've been seeing the mayor down at the trail a lot, and it's a little weird because I know so many people down there and I recognize his face, so my first reaction is that I know him, and he gets a more hearty "hi" than he should, given that we're complete strangers. I assume he gets that a lot, although I never really see other people saying hi or talking to him down there. Our governor, on the other hand, is a different story - he says hi to everyone, so I'm usually not shy about saying hi when I see him at races or on the trail.

Right after the run I had a guy say "nice run" to me and my response was "thanks." But I didn't remember seeing him during the run, so I'm not sure how he could have made that assessment. Maybe he was actually just commenting that it was a nice evening for a run, in which case my response was inappropriate. Or maybe it was just that it was Friday night and he didn't got nobody and he was lookin' for someone to talk to. Oh well. (Hi Andy.)

I had dinner atop the new Whole Foods at twilight overlooking downtown and then came home and vegged the rest of the night away watching A&E's Biography on the Bee Gees. Seriously.

In my perfect world there would be more days like that.

Posted by jenandmats at 1:53 PM | Comments (1)

March 22, 2005

Lebanon

In this Sunday's NY Times Style Magazine there's an article about Beirut - written by a young female writer who went there in January. The article focuses on the club scene, and the writer had me dancing on the tables with her. I guess it doesn't hurt that Java is playing some funky dance-type music this morning and the subtle thumping as I was reading helped set the scene.

My parents were planning to go to Beirut in June to attend the centennial of my dad's high school alma mater, the American Community School in Beirut (when I was in high school he let me wear a sweatshirt to school from ACS - I distinctly remember one kid asking me if it was a joke. He couldn't believe there *was* such a thing.) I seriously considered the idea of going, too - Beirut stories are as much a part of my childhood as anything else. Any gathering that included my dad's family included stories of Beirut. I think for a lot of families there's one specific time or place that really emphasizes who they are as a family, and for my dad's family it was Beirut in the mid-60s (for our nuclear family it's probably Guam in the mid-80s, although my youngest brother would protest that he was too little to really appreciate it. But then again, maybe that's who he'll always be in my head when I think of us as a family - a bratty little kid in o.p shorts.)

Once I started kicking the idea around seriously I did a few internet searches and came up with some gorgeous pictures of Lebanon - in a way I guess it could be considered a miniature California: mountains, desert, ocean. But not cold, grey, rough Pacific Ocean; beautiful blue Mediterranean Ocean. I could tell Andy was going to be a hard sell, though: not long after I floated the idea by him he sent me an email with the distances from Beirut to the Gaza Strip and Fallujah. For him, the word Beirut is a one-word summary of the struggles in the Middle East during our lifetime. As long as we have been able to understand the evening news we have heard the word Beirut associated with death and violence and bombs. As much as I associate Beirut with fond memories of my dad's family telling stories I associate Beirut with my dad collapsing into his leather chair after work saying "Lay it on me, Walter" and Walter's nightly stories of fighting and bombs.

So the plans for the trip have been scuttled. And we're going to Cancun (again) instead. Well, maybe not instead; we probably would have gone again anyway. Maybe we can come up with an another interesting - but safe - vacation.

RUNNING - oh yeah, that. I've been going three mornings a week and then on Saturday mornings. I haven't gone over 5 miles, though. I've been starting off with the walk-run thing and then finishing up with strides. It's kinda sad how the strides wear me out! But our mornings have been gorgeous and I usually see my friends at some point, so I feel like it's a nice, relaxed balance. I still don't know when or if I'll get the itch to train for anything.

Good grief I've had too much coffee - or more accurately, I've had too strong coffee. I've only had two teeny-tiny Java cups, but I've acquired a taste for the stronger stuff and it's giving me the jitters. Any stressful situation when I get to work and I just might explode ...

Posted by jenandmats at 7:49 AM

March 16, 2005

What's next? Legwarmers?

Things have finally quieted down a little at work and I left during daylight today for the first time in months.

My running routine hasn't really resumed its normal course. I'm in limbo with it all right now - I feel like if I make an effort to get in shape now I'll be in excellent shape in June or so ... and what good does it do to be fast then? It's so hot and muggy you can't run fast even if you're in the shape of your life. And if you do decide to race you've got your choice of a 5K, a 5K or ... a 5K (unless Steve does his trail running series again. Even then, though, I think I'd rather enjoy a trail run than race it.) I'm just not really motivated to train hard without a goal. In fact, I've really been liking mixing the walking and running. This morning I did a walk-run mix for about three miles and then added some strides at the end.

What's worse ... I've been toying with the idea of trying out some of the classes at the gym. Seriously. "Body Pump," anyone? Lifting weights has never really thrilled me so I thought it might be a fun way to get in some strength training. I haven't tried it out yet. On Sunday I attended a "Body Flow" class, which was a mix of yoga and pilates and Tai Chi to some really distracting pop music (including Mary J. Blige and Elton John. The instructor repeated the "message" of each song by whispering it emphatically in her microphone -i.e. "No more drama!" - a la Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn's SNL Sweeny Sisters' cheesy-melodramatic lounge act. I had to concentrate very hard on not giggling.) Tomorrow I'm going to try another yoga class. I finally bought my own mat; during the body flow class I found it a little hard to relax while lying on a mat that countless other half-dressed sweaty people had used.

Happy St. Patty's Day tomorrow!

Posted by jenandmats at 7:38 PM | Comments (2)

March 13, 2005

Session milestone

We've got a week until we've finished 70 of our 140 days, but Friday marked a big milestone in the 79th session of the legislature - as of 6pm they could file no more new bills (with limited exception.) So now the chaos is somewhat contained. We know what we're dealing with (ha! right.)

So most of us will get a break this weekend. And what a weekend it's been so far: although yesterday was a little on the windy side we've had temperatures in the 70s and 80s and clear blue skies. Perfect for the music festival this week and possibly perfect for the kite festival this afternoon. I doubt we'll hit the kite festival this year. I had a good time last year but I couldn't really sit and enjoy it - after watching several enormous Erector-set kites come crashing down I was convinced I was going to get smacked in the head, which made me a little tense. My brother suggested I wear a helmet to this year's event so I could relax.

I walked-ran the four-mile loop yesterday morning. I'm starting to like the walk-run method a lot - especially as a way to start out a run. It gives the body a little time to adjust and work out its little kinks. And it's the little kinks that often hamper my enjoyment of a run. Near the end and tried to be social with a woman I was leapfrogging. She didn't appreciate it. I guess I've had enough good experiences running with random people on the trail that it's made me less shy about talking with people (plus I hate pretending that I don't notice when people are surging around me or not letting me pass.) Still, it's a little uncomfortable when someone's *not* receptive to it. Then you're stuck running near someone you know you've pissed off, which is worse than pretending you don't notice that the person was playing off of you.

After breakfast yesterday Andy and I walked down to the new Whole Foods headquarters. Andy, ever the pragmatist, was appreciative of the offerings, but not overly impressed. He needs nothing more than a Cooking Light subscription and our ratty HEB to inspire him and keep him feeding us healthily and creatively. I, on the other hand, found the place definitely inspiring. I hate our ratty HEB and avoid going there if I can. Maybe I'm a sucker for the marketing, but it really doesn't matter how you get your inspiration, does it? (I mean, as long as you can afford it, of course.) It made me even more determined to make cooking part of my post-session world.

Last night we watched Talk to Her, a P. Almodovar movie that had gotten nothing but rave reviews. I'm sure I'm missing something - I can't figure out why it's so highly regarded. Maybe I'm just not good with subtlety (actually I *know* I'm not good with subtlety.)

I think this weather is worthy of reading the paper outside in the swing! Happy Sunday.

Posted by jenandmats at 8:48 AM

March 8, 2005

Old is going to suck

I ran three miles this morning. It was my first weekly run since mid-January or so. We're now getting into the time of year where the mornings are perfect for being outside. I need gloves and I'm not uncomfortable in long-sleeves but can get away with short-sleeves. And it's lighter finally.

So I'd like to report that I had a fabulous run this morning, but I didn't really. I felt like my hips and lower back had been completely ossified. My hip flexors, in particular, were more like hip binders. When I'm tense at work I tend to cross my legs and hunch over. And I've been doing a lot of that lately. I've been trying to be good about keeping my stretching before bed routine, but I guess it hasn't been enough. I felt like an old lady. It made for an uncomfortable and slow three miles!

But afterward was still the same awesome feeling. Stretching on the bridge helped loosen me up a little, too. I love the tingly feeling I get after I run. Even if the run itself is sub-par!

We had a big deadline at 5pm yesterday, so hopefully I'll get a little breather this morning. Ha.

I picked up a flier at the Texas Rowing Center on my run this morning. For a while now I've thought it'd be fun to stage a mini-regatta with our friends for my birthday. I just don't know how far-fetched that is. Is it something that any old Joe Schmoe can do or does it require training to even get the boat to move? Would we be a danger to ourselves or others? My brother was a coxswain at Davis and we have a friend who competed in the Olympic Trials for rowing (I don't have any idea, though, what event or boat it was in. No matter. If we do this thing he's going to be on my team. He's about 6.5 feet tall and not built like a runner, though. Would that mean that our boat would be sunk in the back with me up in the air in the front?) Heather will know ... Heather?

Posted by jenandmats at 7:55 AM | Comments (2)

March 7, 2005

Fired for Blogging

There's an AP article in today's Statesman about people getting fired for talking about work on their blogs. One was a Delta flight attendant who posted a picture of herself in her uniform with her bra showing. I guess that's not necessarily "talking" about work, but she got fired for it anyway.

I don't have much to say about work today except that I did it all weekend. Just like getting used to running twice a day in Austin summer heat, after a while working 'round the clock doesn't seem so bad anymore. In a way, it's an efficient use of my time. Andy goes out of town and in the course of a week I earn enough comp time for another week off when he's not travelling. I spend less time commuting per work hour. I spend less time getting into the groove in the mornings; I mean, I just left 10 hours ago and didn't do anything in between except sleep and maybe throw the ball for the dog. I almost said I spend less time "unwinding" from work per work hour, but if I'm running I generally don't do that anyway! I go run instead. I've been spending less time watching crappy tv ...

I thought of another thing I'd do in my ideal world. I've been thinking I'd like to learn to play guitar (doesn't *everybody* think that at some point in their lives?) My friend Maria's husband is a musician; maybe I could con him into some lessons ...

Back to work.

Posted by jenandmats at 7:36 AM | Comments (2)

March 1, 2005

In your perfect world?

We're about a week and a half from the bill filing deadline today. We will all work straight through until then. This weekend is part of the regular workweek for us - and "regular" is a term I use loosely; regular for us now is considerably more than an 8-hour day. For the most part there's a tremendous feeling of teamwork, and when it's all said and done there's a real sense of camaraderie and accomplishment (there are, of course, exceptions to this rule; certain instances particular to certain people that involve definite feelings of antagonism. No group is perfect.) And I enjoy writing - I really enjoy trying to make something complicated simple and clear and organized. I'm definitely better at that kind of writing than I am the creative kind. So I really like my job.

Ideally, though, I'd like to do less of it. I'd rather have fewer bills to draft and feel like I had more time to do it. The bills we draft that get filed have our initials on them, and it can be embarrassing sometimes to have your initials on something you know you didn't have enough time to do well out there for all the world to see.

Ideally I'd work maybe 20 hours a week on my own terms. I'd go in when I felt like it and finish things when I'm done with them.

Pretty soon the nature of our work will become a little different: flashes of really intense work at odd hours or long stints on the house floor with flashes of intensity. But there will be lots of time to sit around and think. Sitting on the house floor staring out into space - um, I mean, listening intently to riveting debate - or sitting in my office waiting for documents to go through or people to call me with information. So I'm going to have plenty of time to come up with my ideal life. And then when session is over I may actually have enough comp time to live my ideal life. So I need to figure out what that is.

I think my ideal running schedule would be meeting the girls in the morning for an easy 4 and then meeting a workout crowd in the afternoon twice a week or so.

And I want to try golf again. Wendy and I took a series of lessons last summer and I think I could really enjoy it (although I can see how it might drive an impatient person like myself to the brink of insanity.)

And pjm's posts on geocaching have piqued my interest in that; I saw last week that UT informal classes have an intro class (I'm aware that may be dorky, but at least I know it's there.)

And then I'd like to go hang out with my brother in San Francisco for a while. Hopefully by the end of session he'll have moved into the house that his friends are fixing up that's right near Golden Gate Park - y'know ... one of those houses you naturally associate with SF, like the one at the start of that show with the Olsen Twins? And while I'm there I'm going to hit one of those trail runs that Liz talks about.

And maybe I won't run with the girls *every* morning; maybe some of the mornings we'll row on the lake instead (there's a gang of UT rowers at the table next to me - the same table that Andy Roddick was sitting at just Monday.)

And I need to learn to be a better cook.

And I want to read all my reading matierials - my NY Times each Sunday and the magazine each week; my Newsweeks and my Texas Monthlys.

And I'm going to get my money's worth from Netflix.

I saw last night that there's a subject line on the RunTex forum about the Running New Year; it's a string talking about the idea I wrote about back in January - that post-marathon is my new year. Unfortunately with session here I really can't get started on these things until June. So I have a loooooong time to come up with more resolutions.

Posted by jenandmats at 7:41 AM