Another three

Yesterday I ran another three miles during my lunch break. This time I ran solo, at the track near my home, and only walked about ten steps of it.

Goodness, is running any distance on a track BORING. It was nearly empty so I ran part of it clockwise instead of the traditional counter-clockwise, but it only helped alleviate the boredom a little. But mostly I just kept plugging, and finished at a slow and steady 13:30 pace.

So now what? I guess I learn how to do it better. The first  mile and a bit was brutal - I just wanted to STOP - but I pushed through it and was reasonably okay the rest of the time. My knees were tight yesterday and today as well, so my exercise today was 30 minutes of swimming which seems a good alternative.

Tomorrow, assuming my knees are okay, I think I will return to the track but do intervals - what, specifically, I don't know. Perhaps running fast on the straights, trotting the rounded ends, and alternating running and walking laps? I'm totally making this up as I go.

Tonight I'll be spending time with friends as it's the third anniversary of my friend's husband's death. I will be really appreciative of life and fitness and being with good people. I will also marvel a bit at how much has changed in three years - it was one of the nudges I needed to move back to Portland, but I sure wish he was still alive!

lazy sunday goodness

Work has been crazy and I haven't gotten much done on the home front lately. However I'm having a lovely productive Sunday so far!

I cleaned the bathroom sink (makes the whole room look better!), finally started some applesauce I've been meaning to make for ages (good thing apples keep so well in the fridge), and made waffles.

Ten billion years ago (or, 15ish) I lived in Boston for a few years. In the summer of 1995 my roommate and I rented a car and did a road trip that included landing in Rangeley, Maine - four hours north of Boston with a population of about a thousand people. I have no idea how we chose that town, nor even how long we were there nor what we did on our visit. The only thing I know for sure is that we went to a place called Blueberry Hill, and I bought a batter bowl almost identical to the one in the picture.

I say "almost identical" because the original was the only thing of all my possessions that broke when I moved cross-country from Boston to Portland. I traveled by train, so most of my stuff got shipped later, and my only casualty was that bowl.

Well, I was both enterprising and rather fond of that bowl. I wrote a letter to the hotel we'd stayed at in Rangeley, and asked them to forward an enclosed letter to Blueberry Hill (since this was pre-internet and I didn't know where it was, exactly). In the letter to Blueberry Hill I guess I enclosed a blank check, I really don't remember - but I asked them to please please please mail me another batter bowl. And they did, and I made waffle batter in it this very morning. And wow, were they tasty!

Road trip, weekend culture edition!

I lived in Portland, Oregon for ten years, and only made it to Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival a couple of times - at a guess, the first time was probably 1999. I drove from Portland to Oakland to visit a friend, flew to Southern California to meet up with family, and flew back to the SF area with my younger brother along for the ride. I don't know how long we stayed in the Bay Area - I'm guessing overnight at most. I remember we met my friend Carol for dim sum at a highly-regarded restaurant in the Financial District. Reader: I can hold a grudge. I refuse to link to that restaurant because they were outrageously expensive: $75 for dim sum for three, during a workday! In 1999! Hmf.

The Elizabethan Theatre in Ashland

Anyway, my brother and I drove from the Bay Area northward. I don't remember our route, but here's what I recall: we drove on small roads, past a "city" with a population well under 100; we camped overnight somewhere along the way, but we could hear traffic going by so it wasn't that rustic, we wound up in Ashland and met my friend and his wife, mom, and grandmother for a play - I can't remember its name, but it's some comedy of manners where a relative? or theater critic? gets injured and has to stay with a family far longer than he is welcome (it was NOT in the theater pictured above) (ooooh I remembered: The Man Who Came to Dinner! .. go me and my freaky memory); on our way back to the hotel after the play we accidentally got on I-5 south and couldn't turn around for ages; the next night we all stayed in a yurt in the Valley of the Rogue campground, wheelchair-bound granny and all! On the way back to Portland my brother and I did the drive-through Wildlife Safari which was actually super awesome.

I may be conflating trips, but that's how I remember it!

My second time going to Ashland was 2004, I think - it was the layover day for Cycle Oregon. I think it was pretty late in the week; I remember marveling at the technology of running water, after too-many days of porta-potties. I know I saw a play but haven't the foggiest idea what it was.

So, in ten years, I displayed not-much dedication to attending a very cool event. It runs from February to October - so it's not like I couldn't fit it in. But the thing is, you can't do Ashland on a whim - rooms book up and plays sell out, and I never felt motivated to organize something.

But then, I moved away from Portland to the Bay Area - just far enough that it's not an easy drive to go visit. However! Ashland is just about smack in the middle of the two areas (slightly closer to Portland). So, since the summer of 2007 I've been bringing friends from California and meeting friends from Portland. This year we even have a Seattleite joining us!

I picked the weekend in January, we bought tickets in February, and I knew this day would arrive eventually. I have no idea what I'm seeing, but our annual picnic in Lithia Park will definitely occur. And I'll have two days out of the office, four days in some real summer weather, and it's going to be great! Yay, vacation!

Photo Lottery

I learned about this blog-meme from Shopaholly:

1. Open the first (oldest) photo folder in your computer library
2. Scroll to the 10th photo
3. Post the photo and the story behind it

Right now I only have access to my Flickr photo stream, which I started in the summer of 2006, just before I moved from Oregon to California. Here is the photo that was the tenth one added to my photostream:

I was driving from Portland to Richland, Washington, to visit my old boss before I moved away (which sounds odd, but seemed like the thing to do at the time - she was super awesome, and it was a good excuse to see a different part of the region before I left). The country is gorgeous, and I drove along the mighty Columbia River for much of it.

It was a four-hour drive, which drives home how freaking huge this country is:

It also makes me realize what an upgrade it was to go from that old camera to my newer one!