growing old

The Zootunes tickets went on sale today. I drove by the store that was selling them and I thought that I was watching a breadline in the former Soviet Union or that rice was available on the shelves again. It seriously looked like the line at Bell, Book and Candle when Stones tickets went on sale in 1981.
We usually go to a few Zootunes shows and mostly have a decent time. It is no longer cheap, but appeals to people with sprogs, because sprogs under 10 or some such get in for free. So if you are into mood, deep thoughts and grooving to the tunes, it isn't the scene for you. If you love watching kids run amok, a myriad of crocs colors and good weather then go.

Even with the kids, the line up and the fact we have to haul ass from work, walk the dog and find parking we still go. This year the line up was meh, but we still managed to find some crumblies to see. Emmylou Harris, Boz Scaggs and Josh Ritter (who knew) are on the plate. I believe that most of these dates do no interfere with tata 3 day training and if so, I'll just walk to the show.

I used to love live music - mc'ing little shows at clubs, going to see bands and really getting into the music. These days, its not just the same. I don't have the same stamina for sets that start at 9 pm and definitely not the stomach for that much beer. I look at festivals as an excellent excuse to read a book, work on my tan and listen to some decent music. I abhor paying more than 40 dollars to see a concert. I balk at the shows that I see that start at 75 bucks a head. I can't imagine paying that much to see anyone -- okay, I would pay up to 250 dollars to see Leonard Cohen and he would have to play for at least 90 minutes and stare directly at me for at least one song.

The funny thing is that the people I see going to those expensive shows are my cohort plus or minus some botox or a c-section or three. That is a lot of money - at least a few units of the b-juice in the forehead to see Dire Straits or the Michael (ugh) McDonald sing badly while sipping some plonk and checking in with the office on a Saturday nights on the blackberry.

I think I'll hold off for a few more years - wine, concerts at wineries and the b-juice, I'm just not ready to grow up that much.

nm minute by minute

sunday funnies

Flew to and from Boston, after dinner with some of my favorite people around in Seattle. I wish I could have made the night last longer and I wish to g-d in heaven I had more than one mangopolitan.

I'm trying to figure out if I really need to do these "stupid" runs to keep status.
This one had TH involved, so it was fun. I have to say the no change fee is worth some of the pain.

This week is a long one and a short one. I'm off to FAT for VAF.
I haven't been in FAT since 1981 and I'm thinking there are fewer fig groves than before.

Other than that, tata walking, parental controls, gardening and work (must finish short course description asap) are on the horizon for the next 70 hours.

nm on the loose

Accomplished today:
walked 10 plus miles
laughed a lot on said walk
showered twice
walked dog hither and yon
delivered said dog to lock down (to be retrieved tomorrow)
12 minute nap accomplished

Not accomplished:
planting anything
laundry

good thing tomorrow is coming up

off to bos, don't ask.

Currently in one day lockdown, my lawyers think they'll be able to post bail tomorrow.

ernest jail bird basset

week in review

hours worked: too many
days in the office before seven am: three
boxes freecycled: 100 or so
boxes to be freecycled: 40 or so
dog walks taken: 25
miles walked for the three day training: pathetically few
miles anticipated walked tomorrow and sunday: 18
miles flown this week to date:
miles flown by tomorrow night: 5048
plants purchased this week: seven
plants to be put in the ground this week: 25
number of trips planned to the dog kennel this week: 0
number of trips to the dog kennel: one
number of changes to my Greenland/Iceland/Denmark ticket I made this week: one
number of lurchers and hounds I am hoping to smooch in September because of the change: five

number of things I am going to do before I sign off here: one

nm list maker list hater

May day

Happy.

I'm happy to say that last month is over and this month is setting up to be pretty darn dandy.

Asparagus, apple blossoms, Alaska are all in the future.

I will also be back to regular blogging, especially now that chapter submission is over.

Woot.

I'll leave you with this.



Spend more time roaching, less complaining and sitting in front of this infernal machine or watching reruns on tv. Get out and take your dog for a walk.

You'll never guess what you may come across.



Three gnomes where once there was one.

I need a life, but frankly, I'm happy with the marginally pathetic one I have.

nm once, twice, three times a lady

still here

Just overwhelmed.

282 boxes/pieces of parental gack.
Work is throwing me for a bunch of loops.
Spring comes and goes.


more later.

nm

First it was sunny, then there were some tulips, some talk and some roaching in the sun. Next there was a party, with lots of talk, laughs and a few tears. Then there was an early morning drive to the tulips and 13.1 miles of walking and talking. At the end of that there was a few bananas and a nap before we got on a ferry.

One race down, a lifetime of them to follow.

On our way to Boston for a meeting or three.

nm

I had something witty to discuss today, but I just lost it.

Hmm.

Week 24 of 3 day training is done. 15 miles completed and I'm pretty happy. Found a group on the West side that meets once a week for long walks. I'm completely and utterly pleased with meeting them and getting to walk with them along with my tata training walks (ttw). Snacks, coffee stops and good company and a level of accountability that will get me to a level of conditioning to complete the 3 day in good stead.

Today I was moved to tears when R&L donated again on my behalf to get me to my minimum to participate. Six weeks into fundraising I'm there and I can't believe the support I'm getting. I walked on air today when thinking of how they motivated to do the 3 day and how much love an support they and all my friends are giving me.

Next week, P,C and I will be doing the Whidbey half marathon. No one will be PRing here, but it'll be fun. Any half marathon that has organic chocolate milk, hot dogs and amazing support along the way (gummy bears at mile 12 are crucial) is a happy place for me.

Man, I sound sappy, but I'm completely sincere.

This is a long week for me -- manuscript deadlines, software upgrades, upcoming travel and big goings on here are going to suck up every moment I have. I'll be relieved when its all over.

nm who just couldn't get it together to write you a letter

Dear spring

Please return. We miss you.
The ppatch is plowed and staked for the short season. Rhubarb, broccoli and leeks are all looking good in the year round garden. However hail, fits of rain, leaden skies don't have me leaping for my frog boots and felcos.

This time of year usually has me itching to not come inside until dusk, this evening the dog turned right back in after hearing the lashings of rain and is currently curled up underneath the duvet.

People, it is 8pm.

Spring, return to me.

Nm

dear ernest,

I love you all the time, but I loved you the most in the winter when you decide that 8:00 pm is the appropriate going to bed time. It gave me two hours (give or take) or me time. Now that the days are longer, you have taken to going to bed later and later. While this works well for you, I seem to have lost my me time.

When can I get it back?

smooches,

nm who jumped forward and is not falling back anytime soon

Dear Mayor Nickels,

Nice try.

I don't know about the rest of the chumps in the city, but I know that every paper bag
that I get from the grocery store gets used for composting, garbage and recycling.

Thank you also very much for penalizing those of us who already recycle/compost most of our
waste stream.

nm bagging the canvas in the 98105

Dear editors,

Thank you so much for accepting my book chapter proposal in December 2007. Then May 2008 seemed so far away, here it is, April 1st and I haven't done squat towards my chapter short of discussing that I need to get going.

I know that your job as a book editor is not to micromanage me or hold my hand, but how about some encouraging words that should sent out around March 10th asking how I was doing? That would have been helpful or at least guilt tripping. I anticipate a few sleepless nights between now and April 12th, my own deadline for putting the pedal to the metal so to speak.

At least you were kind enough to provide the authors with a nice template that the publisher likes to use. Thank goodness chapter is so much fun to write -- in my now quite copious spare time learning our beloved model, reviewing geospatial policy and working towards my goal of finding my own way in the world of my group, the one I have been part of for nearly three god damned years.

Well, off we go, to think dream of natural hazards.... and mitigation

Sincerely,

nm lead author chapter 5 - real life applications

The end

It has been a month of nonstop blogging in honor of NaBloPoMo. Sorry I could not get any more exotic than France, bit I tried.

I will be participating next month only because the theme of "the letter" intrigues me.

I will leave you with these questions to ponder--

Why do our animals insist on following us into the bathroom?

Do the flight attendants make coffee with the packet of coffee they use to freshen the lav?

Why does the spinster daughter get called before the bachelor son in times of emergency?

Nm who was an old lady that lived in a shoe

Sunday blahs

I woke up in foul mood which made my 796 minute walk with the dog at 6:30 am a bit more irritating than usual. I have not a clue of what is causing these outbursts of foulness but they have got to stop. Yes I have considered the shooting range but I'm not keen on driving to the burbs on Sunday mornings.

This week I am working on figuring out what is causing such angst -- can't blame the internet, the stockmarket, troop surge and Wynona Judd for this.

Nm caffeine free taking deep cleansing breaths

Night night

In the recent lights out hour I took the best nap I have had in years.

Nice.

the syndrome

For the last few years I have been plagued with I thought was hip pain. Seriously. Bad stuff for
someone so young. Massage, acupuncture, PT, xrays, brain examination has come back with various and sundry types of explanations, but still, this nagging pain and discomfort. Oddly activity helps, being sedentary makes it worse.

The last few months it has really gotten to be a drag. I finally dragged my arse into the orthopedist who poked and prodded me and declared me to be a healthy person without any sort of spine, hip, lumbar issues and was flummoxed as to what was wrong with me, because it wasn't something she could fix. I guess this is good in that all fingers, toes, symmetry kind of way. I mentioned something my massage therapist had said and she check that out. Voila -- he was right - I had the syndrome -- piriformis syndrome. Basically, I have irritation of my sciatic nerve and it runs near my piriformis muscle group and this causes "deep glutteal pain." I cannot write this without cringing.

My ass hurts and it affects my leg and it makes me cranky.

The last few weeks I have been dealing with a godsend of a PT (thanks J!) who is working to help me get over this and been fitted with orthotics in my running shoes. I can't say that I'm excited, "the syndrome" may be with me for a long time, better I suppose than a ACL tear, definitely not as sexy. I don't get crutches and I still spend time in meetings getting really antsy because its just not fun to sit down and feel your leg throb after about 15 minutes.

I'm still on track for my half in a few, my 3 day (pimping here) and to keep things active.

Just next time you see me, don't ask how my ass has been. K?

nm

Is it okay to have a ham and challah sandwich?

hump! day!

Today was really no better work wise than yesterday, but I digress.

I spent part of my alloted luncheon time that I would have spent with Ernest with my parents in their new garden. My father pruned back some perennials and my mom planted some onion starts and chives. We decided that they needed some persian leeks and some sprouting broccoli. These are needs that are easily tended to. I like those the best.

My mom pronounced that they have a new policy chez M, the new PQE rules. For my mom that is no pressure, no questioning and no explanations. My mom figures that the less micromanaging and questioning that people do of her actions, the sooner she'll get back to normal and life will too.

I think as we get older and set in our ways and realize that the love/lust of our lives has just as many ways that are set in stone that much energy is expended on pronouncing our irritation at the unbending of wills or second guessing each other's motives. Maybe I need realize that sometimes things need to be done without this level of analysis and that TH, my colleagues and even my parents may have reasons for their decisions.

An aside, TH could be superTH today. We returned from dinner tonight to hear a bleeping of an alarm in the 'hood. Turns out our neighbor M across the way left a pot on the burner and left the house. We managed to secure a key and turned things off. TH and our other neighbor aired out the house with box fans and are hoping she returns home soon. Another disaster averted because TH decided to check it out instead of shrugging her shoulders and saying that someone else can deal with it.

nm bending to only ernest's will

falling down on the job

Today I attempted to battle linux, software installation and attempting to find a license file for a software product that apparently bundles the software authorizations with the dvds they send users who are evaluating the products.

Two of us banged our heads on the wall trying to figure out why we could not find out where to request licensing information, the answer was buried three levels down in the documentation.

Kiss my grits.

Tomorrow, stay tuned while I kill our data management system due to my inability to read the documentation.

kill -9 nm