Kentucky, or bust!

woooooooooo, goin' to Kentucky for Rivers' wedding! i hope i become a southern belle over the weekend.
pics of the pretty pink dress are sure to be posted.

good luck with the marathon, rachelh! run like the wind...

murray’s butt

my poor puppy's butt itches so bad it's raw in some areas...and the hair is all wet " sticking up...we gotta get him to a vet, i think....but none of us have time. we got the flea " tick stuff, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

tomorrow i will make time. it's not cool to see him so miserable. if anyone has a good website recommending vets, please let me know. :-(
(can you see my pouty lip?)

my nephew & Boof Bonser

In my mom's email this morning:
Jakson is a big fan of Boof. He plays baseball and repeats his name several times. He pretend swings, runs bases, and then says homerun. He slides into base sometimes. He and Tim are partners watching the game on t.v. He is quite a kid!

my boys

And they're in the play-offs. Excellent.
Now I really need them to take the division so they come to Oakland to play the A's. I'd like to see 'em again this year in person, and I'm too poo' to fly to Mpls.

Gardy, Justin, Joe, Torii, Nathan...excellent work!

throwing parties can be stressful

the pressure of seeing who will make it, who can't and who doesn't want to, sucks. i just want everybody to be there to meet each other and have a super great time! and i want people to like me - i confess. if people come to my party, they like me.

go burglars!

evil joke heard on a tv show

If girls with big boobs work at Hooters, where do girls with one leg work?
IHOP
(Two and a Half Men)

racing: lessons learned

i ran a 10k this morning and learned a couple valuable lessons that i will carry forward into my half-marathon on october 29:
- do not start near the front of the pack with the 8-minute-mile runners. i am slower than that and it's disheartening to watch several people pass me by. it'd be better to start near the back " pass a bunch of people up.
- bring my ipod. i'm used to running races with others, which provides distraction " entertainment. racing alone requires an ipod.

Dip Heaven!

Chili's came out with a new menu supplement - the Triple Dipper Dinner! you get to pick three dippable items to make a meal.
As a lover of dipping my food, I am pleased.

thursday tv

grey's anatomy was a bit of a let-down...all this hype " waiting, and i get a transitional show. no less, it's gonna be a great season! i can feel it.

the rest of thursday tv is at home on my tivo. hopefully this weekend i'll have time to watch it. otherwise, i'll be studying like mad, trying to catch up in my classes. dang school.

Murray’s greeting

tonight i walked into my house and Murray came running at me from the kitchen full speed ahead...it was awesome! it was like i was his favorite person in the whole wide world at that moment. now i know why parents dig it when their kids greet them with hugs and kisses...that's gotta be even more awesome.

of course, i then took murray for a quick stroll around the neighborhood to make him even happier. he sniffed every bush " skittered all around me.

i'm quite fond of Murray

Molly Ringwald

we went to see Sweet Charity last night, and i've gotta say Molly Ringwald is surely no Christina Applegate. it was a fun script with great dancing " singing...except for Molly. good ol' Molly seemed to force every move.

Vespa Gang

these guys followed us through Phoenix...it was impressive. a bunch of dudes in their leathers, riding their vespas.

ever feel like you’ve taken on too much in life?

i thought i was past this...but i ain't.

i'm currently trying to balance work, school, training for a half-marathon, travel and friends. this morning i realized i'm getting it all done...but not at 100%. this drives me nuts, but i need to learn to accept the B's, and a little walking during a half-marathon, and less time with friends...

ah, growing pains.

62 Odd Questions

stolen from someone's blog:

[1] What is your middle name? Marie
[2] What color is your mailbox: black
[3] Last time you kissed someone:oops...last saturday
[4] Have you ever hit a deer? close, but not quite
[5] Do you have to drive over a bridge to get home? nah
[6] Who checks the mail in your house? whoever gets home first
[7] How many TVs are in your house? three
[8] Do you know anyone with the same ring tone as you? nope, but some teenybopper out there does
[9] What do you do first in the morning? run or shower
[10] What brand is your printer? none
[11] Do you enjoy fighting with people? despise it
[12] Is your hair naturally straight or curly? straight with some wave
[13] Who was your kindergarten teacher? Mrs Hautala
[14] Are you taller than your mother? yup
[15] Do you have a favorite word? awesome
[16] Are you good? do my best
[17] What do you do to get over a broken heart? cry " talk " keep livin' life
[18] Do you have a deep dark secret? prolly
[19] Drink of choice: water
[20] Do you use colored pens? PURPLE
[21] Does anything on your body hurt? not right now
[22] Do you often cry during movies? nah
[23] Do you hate your life? not at all!
[24] Number of pets: one
[25] Are there any animals that scare you? bugs
[26] Do you get mad easily? only when tired
[27] Can't wait for? to be done with this MBA
[28] What is your biggest pet peeve? leaving spit on the top of the soda can when sharing
[29] Favorite song: right now, Break Stuff
[31] Weather outside: 80 " sunny every day
[32] Most attractive quality about you: positive spirit
[33] You're in the mood for? a run
[34] Do any of your friends have kids? yup
[35] If you could have a threesome with any 2 celebrities, who? ummmm...Matthew M " Josh H
[36] Do you have any friends? sure
[37] Do you have any mean friends? not really...not really, truly mean-spirited
[38] What is the ugliest color in your opinion? puke green
[39] Have you ever liked someone who all your friends couldn't stand? yup
[40] Have you ever felt like driving off a cliff? nope
[41] Have you ever been fired from a job? nope, but i wasn't asked back to work at the book store
[42] What year was your house built? 1939 (but i rent)
[43] When was the last time you slept in someone else’s bed? last night
[44] What brand are the pant/jeans you're wearing? briefly stated
[45] How tall are you? 5'8"
[46] What is the closest green object? dove soap
[47] What is on your feet? those pedicure things dividing my toes
[48] Do you always wear underwear? yup
[49] Do you want to have kids? prolly
[50] Who is the last person who you would expect to be gay? my dad
[51] Do you know how to draw? nope
[52] What’s your mother's middle name? Kay
[53] Stupidest movie you ever saw: Ever? Kill Bill
[54] Do you collect comic books? nah
[55] Do you look like your dad? yup
[56] Do you have any TV shows on DVD? huh, i don't
[57] Are you wearing make up? eye shadow, liner " mascara...or what's left of it
[58] Do you have a tattoo? two/three
[59] You win the lottery and you: pay off my debt
[60] How many pairs of underwear do you have? millions. i hate laundry.
[61] Are you hungry at the moment? nope
[62] Favorite movie of all time: Top Gun

cool proposal

cara " i hit the Diamondbacks game yesterday afternoon...and we got there a bit early. fortunately, we were just in time to see some blonde chick throw the first pitch of the game. suddenly, the catcher stood up " took his helmet off...and was her boyfriend who was serving in Iraq! she ran up " hugged him...then he pointed to the megatron. of course, it said, "will you marry me, ashley?" he got down on one knee " proposed. she was all excited " accepted, of course (loads of pressure). everyone cheered " went crazy. then his buds in Iraq were on the megatron congratulating them, their families were up in the stands holding up a "congrats, tony " ashley" sign, and several congratulations from different people went across the megatron. it was quite impressive.

i've decided it's ok to propose as long as you're involved in the game some how...on the field...on the ice...something. not just in the stands with a big sign on the megatron. that's lame.

i *heart* phoenix

i understand i came after the heat broke, so i've been spoiled...but it's awesome here! 90-95 " sunny every day. everyone has a pool and there's no better way to finish a run than with a jump into a pool. and it feels a bit midwestern...more real, less status-driven than the bay area. i like the middle of the country.

it's been fabulous to see cara. good times with a good friend. and i got to see heather " steve, who i met at s&b's wedding a month ago.

i ran 7 miles this morning. that's the max i've ever run in my life, so i'm pretty proud. it felt pretty great and my legs are only a little sore. i still can't imagine running 13, but i've got at least 6 weeks left...

here's to a great weekend in a fun new city!

fall tv

i'm watching the first episode of Men in Trees, and i'm pretty sure i love it. and i'm pretty sure i'll be moving to alaska in the future...maybe.

my favorite card

If I were a scientist working in a big lab, I'd shout "Eureka!" every so often just to boost morale.

bobbleheads

Joe Nathan has been moved to the front of the pack next to a little Torii Hunter. Go Twins!
(my cube is slowly becoming nothin' but Twins Territory)

Cudd

for reasons beyond his recent studlyness, Michael Cuddyer is my favorite Twins player. he also does a ton of community service, but i can't find the article to post right now...

(and i've got a little wager going on this A's/Twins series...if we sweep, Neal's wearin' my SuperFox Twins jersey on Thursday or Friday)

constant internal struggle…yeah, i’m a Christian

last week i started reading Romans and i'm totally digging it. i'd forgotten how much it defines my Faith. i feel like i'm the queen of internal struggles, often arguing " disappointed in myself, and Romans covers it...and i found this discussion on it, too. good stuff.

i should also say that i find the internal struggle worth it...i think everyone does it, to a certain extent...and God loves me through the struggle...so being a Christian doesn't put an extra layer of guilt on me, as it may seem. that's all me.

Brief Summary

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Take the quiz:
Which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle are You?

Michelangelo
Awe YAH! You're the party dude! You enjoy goofing off and pulling pranks! Life's a beach! People NEED you in order to lighten up! Happiness isn't a destination, it's simply a way of life! You like games, sports, and many different activities involving showing off your athletic skills! Does annoying your sisters and brothers count? Ehehe! You enjoy being the center of attention, the star of the show, and the known joker of the group! Gotta make 'em laugh!

Quizzes by myYearbook.com -- the World's Biggest Yearbook!

text notifications

i caved in. i paid $4 to receive text messages on my phone with updates on the Twins. september is going to kill me...but gooooooooooooooooo Twins!

some reporters…

i have to believe there are some smart ones out there, but these idiots who get beat up, kidnapped or have their camera-man continue taping in the middle of chaos are ridiculous. the media just takes most things too far, blowing them out of proportion.

maybe i should start a new, positive news show. unfortunately, it probably won't make any money or last very long.

Class Reunion, part 2

ok, i sound more bitter about high school " my home town than i should. i forwarded the update to a HS friend who's overseas and he reminded me of some of the great memories he has of the place. this made me realize that i could come up with a lengthy list myself.

and there are several people i would love to spend an evening with to catch up.

Class Reunion

I just received an email that gave me an overview of my HS class reunion last weekend. for some reason, it threw me for a loop...but it's exactly what i should have expected. i've had a theory about the popular kids in HS, and this email confirmed it.

here goes: within a couple years after graduation, almost everyone goes away to college. it's a fresh start. the popular kids are suddenly treated a little differently (fairly) and hate it. the less popular kids are suddenly treated differently (fairly) and love it. the popular kids eventually end up back home, where it's comfortable.
[note: i don't think this is just a small town syndrome, but it may be]
[note2: this may be a motivated/unmotivated thing vs popular/unpopular...that's debatable]

it also seems easy to fall back into history...sounds like the cliques all reformed " made it through the weekend together.

i'm thankful i didn't make the effort to be there. i'll see just about everybody at the bar over Christmas break.

Murray, the Protector

He barks! Somethin' startled Murray enough to bark at 5am this morning...it's truly bittersweet. It's bitter that someone/thing was close enough to my house to startle Murray, but sweet that we now know he'll alert us when something's not right.

He's so dang friendly " happy all the time, we weren't sure what he'd do. I feel much safer.

if you pray…

...start praying now for me " Financial Management. i think it's worse than accounting...and i'm not sure this prof is gonna curve like 'accounting-dude' did.

oy vey. midterm is oct 11 " final is dec 13.

great white shark

sonja, jen " i took a last-minute trip to Monterey today to see their new great white shark. he's only been there a couple days, so we didn't get to see much of him in the million gallon tank, but we caught a couple glimpses. and we became student members, so we can go back whenever we want.

i dig that i live close to these types of things.

diversity in my life

i had a few peeps over to bbq on sunday nite - white, asian " indian...christian, buddhist, hindu, jewish, catholic, agnostic " maybe atheist.

that's just plain cool. maybe next time i'll even bring up God.

mood & sleep

i've been waking up in a really good mood the past couple days and i think i finally figured out why...i haven't really touched alcohol for a couple weeks, i've eaten at home more, i've been running on a consistent basis and i've been getting enough sleep (my body's requirement is less with all this exercise).

i'm blogging in hopes that i remember that exercise " eating right does more than help me lose weight.