Oct 10
2007

That which does not kill you…

I’ve been feeling kinda ‘eh’ the past few days, dealing with some stomachy-flu-ish virus thingy that seems to be rampaging through the populace around here. Saturday found me laid out on the couch under two blankets and on a heating pad and STILL feeling chilled to the bone as my temp wandered around in the area of 101. I haven’t really felt fevered since then, but I’ve been having unpleasant bouts of stomach pain. No nausea or anything like that, just very annoying pain. On the plus side, it’s really killed my appetite. On the negative side, well, obviously it hurts, and it’s also kinda kicking my workouts to the wayside.

So, this morning I thought that I was feeling enough better that I could try to get out and run. I groggily cheerfully hopped out of bed and laced up my new running shoes (which are only new in the sense that this particular pair is new. I was insanely lucky and found the exact brand/model/size of my worn-out running shoes which I liked very much but were ready to be retired.) I donned the rest of my running attire (including the entire running-bra combo that my particular physique requires), and drove to my usual running route. I started running, and instantly got hit with a stitch in my side. I told myself that I would at least run a mile and see if it got better. Over that mile the stitch gradually increased to take on the esteemed position of The Worst Frickin’ Stitch I Have Ever Had In My Life. At about 1.1 miles I stumbled to a gasping halt, clutching at the spot on my side which housed a dozen or so phantom ice picks embedded in my flesh.

At this point a smarter lesser person would have perhaps turned around and returned to the wheeled vehicle and gone home, perhaps to rest and try again another day. But no, I slugged it out in a walk for a half mile, then started running again, determined to be a stubborn bitch conquer the distance. Fortunately the sensation of icepicks receded to merely ‘vicegrips’ after another mile or so, and I actually managed to tough out for 3.7 miles. It was easily the most painful and horrible run I have ever done, and it sucked doubly because the weather this morning was awesomely cool and non-humid, and had I not been in agony it could have easily been the most wonderful run I had ever done.

Yeah, right. I. Hate. Running.

On the other hand, I’m finally below the weight I was at when married Jack!

***

I have also discovered that Honeycrisp apples are the Best Apples Evah.

Just sayin’.

Oct 4
2007

Saying goodbye to Lisa

I admit that I had a few precious minutes of bawling this morning after reading the comics.

You can see why here.

Last night I read some articles about the evolution of that storyline and the reaction that it’s generated. Apparently some people are upset because “comic strips are supposed to be funny.” I guess I see that sort of thing in a different light, perhaps because I’m used to the concept of graphic novels, which are most assuredly not always meant to be funny even though they might look like “comic” books. Most of my favorite comic strips in the newspaper are essentially serialized graphic novels that offer up their storylines 3 panels at a time. I still like reading the funny ones too, but I appreciate the fact that comics as a whole have been able to evolve into something where there’s the potential to have more depth and interest beyond a two-second guffaw. I can’t help but compare it to the evolution of science fiction over the last half century, where it’s gone from ray guns and bug-eyed monsters, to explorations and extrapolations of the human condition.

The artist took a risk taking on this sort of topic, and I’m grateful for it. Even if it did make me cry.

Oct 2
2007

Here come the drums

Big Things might be happening on the House Sale front, so keep fingers crossed that a precarious chain of buyers and sellers will be willing to exchange large sums of money at approximately the same time.

The weather here has entered that wonderful cool-and-less-humid phase which makes living in Louisiana very much worth enduring the summer for. I went out at my usual insanely early hour this morning to run, and was delighted to find that I was almost cold. It was perfect running weather, and I cranked out 3.7 miles without misery.

I also recently added Rogue Trader’s Voodoo Child to my MP3 player, which is a really fantastic song for running. HUGE bonus points to the first person who can say why that song would be extra-cool to an uber sf-geek like me.

(Okay, you really have to be a nerd to know that one without major googling.)

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