The Thrill of a Word Cloud

Hey, cool! I had a word cloud made at Snapshirts. It analyzed all of the words I've used in my posts and gave emphasis to the ones I've used more often.

Now, what's up with "lexicographer"?

Numb is Good, You See

I just completed another training run; 2 miles today. I feel especially proud because I didn't stop at all. As a gal who's always been a natural sprinter, I feel like it's a big achievement for me. I've been a sporadic runner since I was a kid; Mom or Dad would enter all three of us in a fun run or 5K and we'd practice running at the park a few times before the big event. Those were the days!

In the past few years, I would try to stick with running (because I wanted to run so badly) but always increased my mileage too quickly, resulting in a wacky knee pain. This time around, I'm taking it slow; increasing by .25 of a mile every week and not sweating the days when circumstances keep me from my planned jog.

Today's run felt amazing because A) my dog was happy- as evidenced by the tail that never stopped wagging- and B) my body didn't hurt at all. I used to feel pain in my legs and lungs all the time when I ran. Lately it feels neutral when I'm out there; I feel as if I could just keep going forever.

I feel as if I would be capable of anything if I could just conquer this half-marathon.

iPod go boom

I have bad news about my cute pink iPod, which I've not even had for a whole year. I'm pretty sure it's dead, with no hope of recovery.

I dropped it on the pavement as I was walking out to my car Saturday... I slipped on a patch of ice and momentarily lost my grip.

I've tried resetting it and doing other variations of the remedies listed in the iPod user's manual. However, all my iPod wants to do is charge... nothing more. I can't connect it or look at music, and of course, listening to music is out of the question.

I'm so sad that it's gone... and yet, it feels incredibly silly to say it. It's just that... well, I listened to it all the time! In my car, while running, during my side job in my friend's home office.

The motto? Hold on to your mp3 players. They're obviously not made to last!

Changes to My Site + the Panda Book

I've made a few changes to the site this morning on this wonderful SNOW DAY! First, I added a "subscribe to this blog" feature. I also changed the order in which my side bar items appear, and added a "recent comments" section. Let me know if you have any problems with these new features. They should make life easier for my few but faithful readers.

I'm thinking about punctuation a lot lately. One of my favorite nerd books is "Eats, Shoots & Leaves," which deals a lot with the rules of punctuation and how people break them. It was so fun the first time, I might need a refresher course soon.

Pause For a Spelling Story

I recently learned that I have been misspelling "judgment" for all of my life. (I was adding an "e", like many people do.) Interestingly enough, I felt momentarily superior to the woman sitting next to me in a meeting today, who had spelled it incorrectly.

Running Steps

As previously announced, Rob and I are training for a half-marathon race in June. We snapped this photo on Saturday, just before starting our very first training run together. Wow, running is so much more fun when you have good conversation to keep you going. We set out with the goal to run for a half hour, enjoyed some neat scenery on this little trail, and ended up getting back an hour later. You might want to call us "runners" from now on! The good news is that we have 21 weeks to train. The first step is the St. Patty's Day 5K, which will be pretty simple, then we up our miles over the next 13 weeks for the Run the Rockies Half-Marathon. We're using Hal Higden's training plan, thanks to the expertise of Rob's veteran half-marathoning sister, Melissa. I'm feeling surprisingly excited by the thought of running 13 miles! Having these little details scheduled in makes me feel like it's all very possible and within our grasp now.

The Daredevil that Runs in My Blood

I realized that it's been a while since I last posted; I guess I just forgot to do it! I have a photo for the blogosphere, though it's a little late, which was taken on Christmas Eve with my family.

The fam was gathered in the pasture saying hello to my mom's horses. All was calm as we held out to them the traditional Christmas apples and Christmas carrots. My brother Luke, e'er the adventurous one, said, "What do you think would happen if I took a running leap onto Luca's back?" I piped up, "I'll get a picture if you do it!" (famous last words).

Now, vital information here is that these horses are living the good life out on the farm. They get ridden a few times a week, but other than that, it's all eat sleep and poop for them. Luca had just finished eagerly munching on his treats, and was not expecting an adult male to jump on his back; hence, the alarmed look in this photo.
Can you tell which direction Luca ran off in, the second after this photo was snapped? Yeah, right at me... After a moment or two when he had picked up some speed, Luke bailed and landed on his butt. After that, the horse would not come near us for fear of a second go-'round.

Hey, World!

My brother has a blog now! My family has always agreed that he's a naturally good writer, with quirky ways of making the ordinary sound hilariously funny. I can't wait to read more as he continues to post. Read Mark's musings at Leapkick to judge for yourself.

Happy New Year!

Goals. I'm setting two goals (because I'm not that into resolutions) this year; one for the challenge and the other for the fun.

1. I will run a half-marathon race. In addition to the health benefits, I want to be back on a running schedule that has an end goal attached. Rob has volunteered to train with me and run the race, which adds even more incentive. Sorry Rob, now I've put it on the Internet and you are officially trapped! Starting today, I'm on the plan toward a 5K, a 10K, then a 1/2 marathon in June. I'm considering the Steamboat Half Marathon or the Run the Rockies Half Marathon.

2. I will roast my own coffee beans at home. This has been a dream for quite a while now, but I'm ready to do it this year. Amazon carries the Freshroast Plus 8 Coffee Roaster and the I-Roast; not sure which model to purchase, though. As a coffee aficionado, I feel it is my duty to venture out into this uncharted territory, especially when I've heard that it will knock my socks off. As if I need another reason to stay constantly caffeinated...

Happy New Year to all!