Podcast #4

Check out podcast #4!!
Download Here or visit my podcast website.

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Ghosts at Blogger

I had this nice post all prepared about my visit to the chocolate lounge yesterday (see below), but when I uploaded the picture to blogger, there now appears to be children ice skating to the side of my photo. Are they ghost children? Is this a Halloween prank?

Original Post:

Yesterday, Prince E and I went to Ethel's Chocolate Lounge and indulged in the fondue for two. The picture below was taken with my camera phone, so that is the reason for the poor quality and off-centeredness. I also took a picture of the array of food they gave us for dipping, but forgot to save it! We had bananas, strawberries, graham crackers,marshmallows, and pretzels. It was very yummy indeed.

Why we have to keep watching The Lion King

Simba in control of the remote.

I survived the hallway of killer clowns!!!

Last night, Prince E, along with our friends R and RussianLllama, went to the Statesville Haunted Prison and the City of the Dead in Crest Hill, Illinois. It was pretty scary, although not nearly as scary as the haunted corn maze we went to in Fennville, Michigan a few weeks ago. All day I was dreading the part of the prison with the clowns, but it wasn't too bad. Although I had my eyes closed most of the time. Luckily it was a short hallway. They had some pretty cool effects throughout the prison (lights, noises, spinning walls) that made it a fun time. I don't think it was worth the hefty $25 admission fee, but I am happy that we went.

Oh and at the city of the dead, one girl dead person kept following me around and I didn't like that. She had her face right next to mine. Luckily I didn't have any bad dreams about her or the clowns.

The secret to running motivation is....RUNNING!

I don't know why I forget this every time. I let myself lapse and don't run for about a week and then I can't remember why I like run. But EVERY TIME, without fail, once I get my butt out there and run I have the same epiphany, "Oh, yeah. That's it! Why haven't I been running again?"

It is difficult to remember the sensations of running: what make it special, meaningful, enjoyable; when you stop doing it for a while. But all it takes is about two minutes of a slow jog to remember why I love this so much.

I just wish I could remember this feeling when I get in another one of my slumps.

Some pics from the run:

Podcast #3

Click here to download podcast #3 or go here to listen on my podcast page.

If you're allergic to cats...

Try this virtual cat!

Move your mouse around and you can get him to purr, meow, and move his paw. Don't hold the mouse button down, just move the cursor.

What happened to the fall?

I feel like it went from summer to winter even faster than normal. We had about two weeks of fall temperatures (with a couple of summer temps days in the mix). For the last several days it has been cold. Cold enough in the morning to see my breath and cold enough in the afternoon to wonder why I keep leaving my gloves at home.

Yesterday Betty and I were supposed to go running after work. The weather had called for partly sunny, 55 degrees. There was no sun the entire day and it was more like 45. So we didn't go. I felt guilty. I haven't been running since the Pumpkins 5k. As I was riding the bus home, the sun came out. I contemplated running when I got home. As I entered my toasty warm apartment and saw my comfy couch sitting there, I knew I wasn't going anywhere. Sigh. It is going to be a long winter.

Podcast #2

Podcast #2 Now Available!

Have you ever???

As seen at Blonde Justice, Complex Kiki, and Golden Hind, among others:

Have you ever....
(To play, just cut & paste the list to your blog, and bold any of the ones that are true.)
smoked a cigarette
crashed a friend's car (I consider my parents my friends, so...)
stolen a car
been in love
been dumped
been fired
been in a fist fight
snuck out of your parent's house
had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
been arrested
gone on a blind date
lied to a friend
skipped school
seen someone die
had a crush on one of your internet friends
been to Canada
been to Mexico
been on a plane
purposely set a part of yourself on fire
eaten sushi
been jet-skiing
met someone in person from the internet
been moshing at a concert
taken pain killers
loved and missed someone
made a snow angel
had a tea party
flown a kite
built a sand castle
gone puddle jumping
played dress up
jumped in a pile of leaves
gone sledding
cheated while playing a game
been lonely
fallen asleep at work or school
used a fake id
watched a sun set
felt an earthquake
touched a snake
slept beneath the stars
been tickled
been robbed
been misunderstood
petted a reindeer/goat
won a contest
run a red light/stop sign
been suspended from school
been in a car accident
had braces
eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night
had deja vu
danced in the moonlight
liked the way you looked at least at one point in time
witnessed a crime
questioned your heart
been obsessed with post-it notes
squished barefoot through the mud
been lost
been on the opposite side of the country
swam in the ocean
felt like dying
cried yourself to sleep
played cops and robbers
recently colored with crayons
sung karaoke
paid for a meal with only coins
done something you told yourself you wouldn't
made prank phone calls
laughed until some kinda beverage came out of your nose
caught a snow flake on your tongue
danced in the rain
written a letter to Santa Claus
been kissed under the mistletoe
watched the sun rise with someone you care about
blown bubbles
made a bonfire on the beach
crashed a party
gone rollerskating
had a wish come true
worn pearls
jumped off a bridge
ate dog/cat food
told a complete stranger that you loved them
kissed a mirror
sang in the shower
had a dream you married someone
glued your hand to something
got your tongue stuck to something
kissed a fish or a frog
sat on a roof top
screamed at the top of your lungs
did a one handed cartwheel
talked on the phone for more the 6 hours
stayed up all night
not taken a shower for a week
picked and eaten an apple right off the tree
climbed a tree
had a tree house
admitted you are scared to watch scary movies alone
believed in ghosts
had more than 30 pairs of shoes at the same time
worn a really ugly outfit to school just to see what others would say
gone streaking
pushed into a pool/hottub with all your clothes on
been told you're hot by a complete stranger
broken a bone
been easily amused
caught a fish
caught a butterfly
laughed so hard you cried
cried so hard you laughed
laughed so hard you pee your pants
cheated on a test
had or do you currently have a Britney Spears CD
forgotten someone's name
french braided someone's hair
been kissed by someone you didn't like
gone skinny dipping in a pool /lake
been threatened to be kicked out of your house
been kicked out of your house

And now, um, presenting....

Unpublished Opinion: The Podcast!

I am currently hosting it at Podomatic until I figure out what I want to do on a more permanent basis. The method I used for my sample podcast was fine, until I realized I could only upload 5MB at a time. On Podomatic you can either listen to it right on their site, or download it to your computer/mp3 player.

Hope you enjoy the first episode. It is only about five minutes. I apologize for all the "ums" and pauses. Hopefully I will get better over time. I obviously write more fluidly than I speak. Oh and the sound isn't great either. I alternate between being too close and too far away from the microphone. But we have to start somewhere, right?

Podcasting?

Click here for Podcast#1: a test.

It doesn't really say anything. I just wanted to try out the microphone that Prince E lent me and see if I could get an audio file posted to my blog. Let me know if you are able to listen to it.

Choctoberfest!!

Today Prince E and I went to the Choctoberfest at Fox and Obel, a local specialty grocery store. Throughout the store they had free samples of various kind of chocolates that they sell at the store. My favorite was a "drinking chocolate." Super yummy. Below is the wonderful chocolate fountain that they had at the store.

My kind of kisses!

I went to Walgreen's today and saw a new product: Hershey's Kisses with peanut butter! They are very yummy. I was going to post a picture from their website, but I couldn't find it on there. They must be too new. I am so on the cutting-edge.

Steve Runner REALLY IS proud of me...

You may recall that I made a little joke in a previous entry that Steve Runner said he was proud of me, when really he was just speaking generally that he was proud of all the listeners. Well that has all changed!

In his October 9th podcast, he actually said he was proud of me! Little old Simba's Mom. Thanks Steve! And I appreciate the condolences on the state of Tigers' season, but I am sort of used to their even-worse-than-mediocre status.

I finally got around to listening to the episode this morning. Since my running has decreased lately, so has my podcast listening. I had listened to about half of it on my way home from work yesterday. Then this morning I got a comment on my blog from Rae, who said she heard Steve mention me. I immediately got out my Ipod and finished listening to the podcast.

I feel like a superstar. I also suddenly feel like I should go running...

Wicked Through and Through...

Today I went to see the musical Wicked (again). Ana Gasteyer plays Elphaba. She was great. She was much better than the actress that played Elphaba when I saw the show in May. She has a great voice, which we saw glimpses of when she played Bobbi Moughan-Culp on SNL and sang with Wil Ferrell. This is such a great musical and I highly recommend it. It is on permanent run in Chicago.

I had to snap at the man behind me who was rattling his Twizzlers wrapper. I tried to ignore it when the woman two seats over from him rattled the wrapper...but then she passed to the woman on her right; more rattling. By the time the man got his turn to grab some licorice, I was fed up. (It lasted through an entire song). So I turned around and hissed "Can you please stop rattling that!" I felt kind of bad, but it remained quiet the rest of the show.

Oh and below is a picture of me in my Tiger costume from the race.

Eye of the Tiger

I had fun dressing like a tiger. One little girl pointed at me and said to her mother, "Look mama. Silly." I was redeemed, though, when one little boy say "hey cool" and his little friend said "Hi!!"

A pretty good time overall. I shaved over a minute over last year's time, but I was slower than at the 5k on Oct 2. I was disappointed by the small number of costumes. Well, I suppose it was the same number of people with costumes, but the overall participants doubled from last year. Alot more runners came than last year; I am guessing it was a combination of the nice weather and dri-fit participant shirt.

My favorite costumes:
* two little girls dressed as hula girls
* a big bottle of ketchup
* a couple dressed as a plug and a socket
* three young women dressed as runaway brides
* Betty was a skeleton; she scared me

The race was decent. I had forgotten how the course is poorly designed; we ran through narrow tunnels that created bottlenecks, pothole problems, etc. But overall the experience was fun because, well, I was dressed like a tiger. That makes any race more fun.

One year, 20 degrees

Today is the Pumpkins in the Park 5k. It starts at 4pm, so don't worry I am not missing it as I sit here typing. A year ago, it was my very first race ever. The weather could not be more different. Last year the high was 46, low 38 degrees (thanks Accuweather). What I really remember was the wind. I think it was about 20 mph, but I have been unable to verify. What is the weather today in Chicago?? Predicted 4pm temp: 67, with a "real feel" temp of 63.

This would be all fine and dandy, but I planned my costume to go with longsleeve black shirt and black pants. So I have had to re-work it.

It is also different in that at this time last year I was freaking out. Not that I don't still get a little nervous before each race, but I was ridiculous. I couldn't really eat anything...I kept pacing. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to finish.

So much has happened in this past year it is a little mind-boggling. I ran last year's race with two other women. In the past year, all three of us got engaged, one of the other women got married and ran in two half-marathons, I ran in a half-marathon, and all of us have run in several other 5ks.

As I look at the photos from that day, all three of us huddled together in the cold, I can't even remember myself there. I look so young, so wide-eyed, so excited about this new thing called running. I should remember her when I get in one of my running ruts.

Full race report to come (I am very disappointed that I wasn't actively blogging during the time of this race last year). I am excited to see everyone's costumes. Last year I got tripped by the "three blind mice" complete with canes and marveled at how "Dorothy" could run 5k carrying a basket.

Send out happy thoughts for Shore Turtle. He has his half-marathon on Sunday. I know he will do great!

I saw this one coming...

I was tagged by Shore Turtle:

1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or the closest one to it)
4. Post the text of your sentence in your blog along with these rules.
5. Tag five other people.

Since I am a rule-breaker by nature, I am putting the 7th line instead (because it is better):

"Maybe I need a new outfit or something."

(always true!!)

Shore Turtle already tagged basically all the people that I know read my blog, so I don't know who to tag :(

Also, I know other people have done this already. So if you are reading this and haven't done it already, please make me less sad and do this for me! :)

Wow, I thought 5k was longer than that...

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Below is a video that Prince E took when we were on a dune buggy ride in Saugatuck, Michigan for his birthday weekend. Enjoy! {Thanks to Tiggs and Shore Turtle for letting me know about You Tube.}



If it starts playing and the video is sputtering along, let it load all the way, then push play again. You need to watch it without any stops in order to appreciate the "weee" factor.

Thirsty Kitty

Simba is afraid of me!!!

Over the weekend, Prince E bought me tiger ears and a tiger tail to wear while I am running in this weekend's Pumpkins in the Park 5k. It is the first ever race I ran, but last time I didn't have a costume (I was too nervous to plan a costume!!)

Tonight I decided to try them on to see how they looked and whether I could be comfortable running in them. After seeing that it looked pretty cute in the bedroom mirror, I jogged out into the living room. I looked over at Simba and he was in that position cats get when they are scared: back all hunched up, head down. At first I didn't realize what was up with him and then I realized it was my costume!! Keep in mind, I wasn't wearing a mask or making any sudden moves towards him; I was just wearing ears and a tail. I immediately took them off, but it was a few moments before he came over. He smelled me and when he realized it was just me, he relaxed. Guess I will be putting the costume on during the ride to the race site!

I decided to take a photo of the offensive costume to show you. As I was setting up the shot, Simba came over to inspect the costume. He didn't seem so scared this time. I didn't even plan to have him in the picture, but apparently he wanted to be!!

Medals are for wearing...

I saw lots of people walking around downtown today that clearly ran the marathon yesterday. (some walking a little hobbled, not looking like "typical" tourists, wearing comfy shoes, many wearing marathon shirts or jackets). The thing I found strange that I did not see ONE person wearing their finisher's medal. I think I would wear mine for several days if I ever earned one; at least the day after the marathon! This city embraces this marathon so much that I would imagine someone wearing their medal would get at least 100 "congratulations" from strangers. Maybe they didn't want the attention? Maybe it isn't cool? I don't know. But I say to all the Chicago marathon finishers, and the other runners that did other marathons this weekend: wear your medal proudly! you deserve it!

Ignoring your baby a good thing??

From MSNBC, the beliefs of the Scientology community regarding childbirth:

Tom and Katie are likely to follow the Church of Scientology's "silent birth" guidelines during delivery, which means no music and no talking during the birth, which also means no screaming during the pains of labor.


The doctrine also states that newborns cannot be poked or prodded for medical tests or even spoken to for the first seven days of their lives,believing that babies go through so much pain during the birth, they shouldn't have to experience any further discomfort or sensory experience that could return later in life to haunt them.

I guess I could get on board with the quiet part; I would find the cheerleading and chants of "push" to be rather annoying (although the mother should really be able to say/scream whatever she wants); but not talking to the baby for a week? I just don't get that. And can you feed the baby? Is that prodding? What about diaper changing?

Got Water?

Today Betty and I went for a run on our new favorite route: down Navy Pier and back and then through Olive Park. We met with unfortunate circumstances, however, once we reached the park.

I ran into the park, then stopped. Looked around. Looked to Betty and said, "Wasn't there a drinking fountain here?" We both looked around some more, but it was gone. We ran to the end of the park to the other drinking fountain...which was also NOT THERE.

The drinking fountains were missing. Now I had been preparing myself for the inevitable shutting off of the water at the drinking fountains along the lakefront, but I was not prepared for the fountains themselves to disappear.

Luckily it was only about 50 degrees so I was not sweating as much as I normally would be and not as thirsty. Below is a photo where the fountain should have been. Below that is a picture of some Chicago Police boats that were at the end of this little pier we ran down towards the end of our run. It is the home to the Chicago Police Department water division (or whatever it is called).

Do you think I'm a Ditz?

I think this is the second thing I have stolen from APL this week. I really need to be more original. Prince E took the quiz, too, and he was Marcie.


You are Sally!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

So You Think You Can Dance Finale

As I predicted last week, Nick won. I really wanted Melody to win, but I think both she and Jamile will have no problems finding work after this. And since she was friends with Nick before the competition, I am sure he will let her visit him at the NY apartment he won.

Of course the show was an hour long, when it could have been two minutes long, but what else do you expect from Fox? I could have done without the group dance, but really enjoyed seeing the hostess (who annoyed me all season) dance. She was actually very good. The best part was when she made a joke that you never see Ryan Seacrest do anything like that. It made me like her after all.

I really have no idea how many people watch this show, but I hope they have another season of it. I think that the voters were better at picking the best contestants than on American Idol. I think it is in part because early on the judges picked who the bottom dancers were and voters could only pick from the those. Of course Blake was probably a better dancer than Nick, but he was an ass and deserved to get kicked off anyway. Melissa was probably the only mistake the voters made, but obviously it was not a perfect system.

Tagged

I was tagged to do this by Kiki, so here I go:

Fifteen Years ago
I was in junior high.
I got into fights with my sister a lot.
I played violin in the junior high orchestra.

Ten Years Ago
I just starting freshman year in college.
I started becoming friends with Kiki after years of not so much.
I loved the buffet style of the cafeteria.
I began my obsession with Michigan sports.

Five Years Ago
I moved to Chicago.
I started law school.
I finally felt like a grown-up.
I was thinking I needed a cat.

One Year Ago
I had recently met Prince E.
I was incredibly happy.
I was starting to get nervous for my first 5k on Oct. 15

Yesterday
I wished it was still the weekend.
I watched Medium and got a little freaked out.
I dreamed that I went to a store to buy cookies and the lady that worked there tried to steal my wallet.

5 Albums I know all the words to (changed it from 5 songs, because I couldn't pick just 5)
Wicked Soundtrack
Hairspray Soundtrack
Avenue Q Soundtrack
Jem, Finally Woken
Randy Travis (all the albums)
Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP

5 Snacks
Very Vanilla Yogurt
Baby Spinach from the bag
Snickers
Natural Cheetos
Peanut Butter M&M's

5 Things I'd do with 100 million dollars
Give money to my family.
Go on an around the world trip with Prince E.
Buy a home in several different locations.
Create a charity foundation.
Pay off my friends' law school loans.

5 Places I'd run away to
My mom's house
Hawaii
Leiden
Ann Arbor
Seattle

Things I'd never wear
fur
Thong underwear
NY Yankees stuff

5 Favorite TV Shows
Over There
People's Court
Alias
Gilmore Girls
Medium

Current read
Conscious Bride, Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club, Lonely Planet Road Trip: California Highway 1.


5 Greatest joys...
Prince E
Simba
My family
Running
Baking

5 Favorite toys...
Stand mixer
I-pod
Digital camera
Cordless Drill
Garmin Forerunner 301

People I'm tagging to do this

I don't like to make people do things they don't want, but if you are on my blogroll and haven't done this before, I would love to hear what you have to say!

No one asked me...

When I was in the 6th grade, I had to write a report for gym class. It had to be about a sport or an athlete. There was never really any question that I would be writing about my favorite athlete, Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell. He had been my favorite since about the 2nd grade, when the Tigers won the World Series. I borrowed my brother's Sports Illustrated cover to include with the report. It showed Alan with the brand new car he got for being World Series MVP.

Nothing made me happier than seeing Alan and second baseman Lou Whitaker turning a double play. I was so excited when I saw a little exhibit about them at the baseball hall of fame. Alan played with the Tigers for 20 years. Only two other Tigers have done that: Ty Cobb and Al Kaline. He is synonymous with Detroit baseball.

When I was in college, Alan finally retired. I cried. Even though I knew it was time. It marked a change in my life, when I no longer had a favorite player. I still haven't had one since.

I managed to see Alan a few times on ESPN when he coached with the San Diego Padres. If I knew they were on TV, I would switch on the game, just to catch a glimpse of my old friend. I could never get used to seeing him in a different uniform.

Then, a few years ago, came the happy news I was hoping for. Alan Trammell was named as the manager of the Tigers. He was back in his old uniform. He was back on the right team. But the team struggled. Injuries, mediocre players, an owner who only recently learned that he owns two teams (and not just the Red Wings) and should start opening his wallet occasionally; all these things added up to a team that never finished a season at .500, and certainly never made the playoffs.

Then, today, I received a "breaking news" e-mail from the Tigers, which had the subject "Trammell relieved of his managerial duties." "Relieved of." As though they are doing him a favor. Sad beyond words for him, especially because I know he is not to blame for all of the team's struggles. But there has to be a fall-guy.

The Tigers have offered him some office job. Part of me hopes he rejects it and tries to keep managing, because he will always be a player and not the business type. But, the other part of me doesn't want him to wear anything but the Olde English D. I suppose that is just the 8-year old in me being selfish.

Yeah, but they were fast 9-year olds.

Today was the Morton Arboretum Fall Color 5k. It was a good race and the course, which followed the paved path that winds around many acres of trees, was very pretty. At least it was when I reminded myself to pay attention to my surroundings. I mean, how often do I get to run through an arboretum? Unfortunately, most of the trees were still green. So much for the "fall color" part of the race. The path was nice and shady, which helped keep me cool. It was very hilly though. I think the first 1/2 mile was all going uphill. There was one really fun downhill which I enjoyed. There were lots of kids in this race. I got beaten by four or five nine-year olds. Below is a photo that I took pre-race, as well as the race on Google Earth. I think I came very close to my PR, but it was a non-chip race and I started Garmina a little too early to get my exact time. Garmina registered 3.2 miles total. I tried to calculate what my time was for 3.1, but I can't say for sure what my actual time was. Oh, well, I am very happy with my performance, given my recent slack-off in running. One other thing: the volunteers at the Morton Arboretum were the nicest, most helpful volunteers I have ever come in contact with. Just thought I would mention that.

You call yourself a wolverine??

I am the saddest of wolverines today, despite Michigan's triumph over the evil Sparties. You see, well, I missed it. Now, it wasn't a case of me saying, "they aren't going to win, I won't watch." The problem was that I could have sworn (and still believe) that I read that the starting time was 3:30 eastern time. Sigh. It was really noon.

While I enjoyed my trip to the new IKEA in Bolingbrook, Illinois, I would have postponed the trip (or hurried back much sooner) had I known that the game started much earlier.

So, while they won, I almost feel like it didn't happen...because I didn't see it. Because I have seen ALL of their triumphs in the last I don't know how many years. Yes, I realize that this makes me sound like I believe the world revolves around me, but really for many years my life revolved around the wolverines. So for me to make such a colossal blunder is really inexcusable. I only hope my family is still speaking to me after reading this...

Grand Theft Nano

Today we stopped at Best Buy, just to look around. I had seen the Ipod Nano at the Apple store yesterday and wanted to show Prince E how cute it was and why I now just have to have one. I saw the display and excitedly ran over to it. Thinking that it would be attached to the display by a cord, which would allow me to pick it up, I grabbed it and yanked. And then the alarm sounded. We jumped back. They turned off the alarm and I said "I guess there is no touching, huh?" The Best Buy dudes just kind of looked at me like I was a moron. It was still cute just to look at, though.