Friday Five Randomness

It's Friday and this Friday's Five contains random snippets from our lives.

1. I encountered a fellow runner Thursday morning while I was out walking. We only know each other very casually through some mutual friends, but we pass each other frequently while running. She came upon me and slowed down enough to inquire “Not running?”, to which I replied “No - injury”. She threw up her hands and declared “Oh, I HATE injuries” and proceeded to provide encouragement like “Oh, you’ll be back before you know it…. Take your time to get healed up properly“. And that is what I love about the running community.
2. The Girl turned 18 this week. Eighteen. Which means (in Illinois), she can legally purchase cigarettes and lottery tickets! She is no longer bound to the various driver’s restrictions (number of people in the car and curfew). But she still struggles with reading a map and navigating unfamiliar areas.

3. Our cat, Louie gave us a scare Wednesday evening, when we thought he had been let outside and was nowhere to be found. We searched high and low, even enlisting the help of neighbor friends. At 9pm, I figured he was going to be out all night long (and I was not going to get any sleep worrying about him) when he sauntered up from the basement, looking groggy. We had searched the basement previously, so who know where he goes and hides himself! I swear, his stealth mojo is super strong.



So Cute, Such a Troublemaker

4. I had an unexpected trip to Chicago - I had to drive to O’Hare early Tuesday morning to pick up Scott and the Boy after their flight home was canceled Monday night. What craziness - there were storms in the area that impacted flights leaving O'Hare for a couple hours, but the little puddle jumper from here to ORD simply goes back and forth, so I'm not sure why it got canceled. With their flight canceled they were left stranded - there were no available hotel rooms, no rental cars and not even a guarantee of getting on a Tuesday flight.
5. I don't like celery, but my friend, Jill, left me with a bunch of celery sticks. I don't like throwing perfectly good food away, so I did some research and learned that celery can be used in fruit smoothies. The best part - you can't even tell it's there.

Can't Taste The Celery in the Final Product

I'm looking forward to the weekend! I will probably drive back up to Chicagoland with my friend and our boys to celebrate one of her boy's birthdays. Hope you have a great Friday and weekend!

Shared with Five on Friday

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Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

My daughter, a senior in High school, applied to four colleges. She’s been accepted to three so far, and the last school (University of Illinois) is expected to release their decision letters / notifications today. Based on her grades and test scores, we assume she’ll be accepted there (but you never know!). Then starts the decision making process. Scott and I would prefer she stay local, but not because we expect to ever see her during the semester. With her horse, Caesar, it makes sense for her to be close by. But it’s not our decision to make.

I am seriously considering entering the New York City Marathon Lottery. This is not a guaranteed race entry – lottery entrants will be picked via the lottery which occurs on March 3. It is estimated that less than 20% of the lottery applications are selected for the race. This is the same process I took last year when I entered to run the Chicago Marathon. The main difference is the percentage picked – for Chicago, 40% of the lottery entrants were selected. I have until Sunday, February 15 to decide!

We decided to book a family trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Scott and I planned to go to the island on our honeymoon nearly 23 years ago, but Hurricane Iniki changed our plans - this hurricane hit Kauai the day before we got married. We spent our honeymoon exploring Maui instead. We always said we would return to see what we missed and we'll get our chance this summer.

I was scheduled for an early workday start on Tuesday morning and I decided to take my phone with me into the plant after I caught pink steam rising above one of the buildings. I think it ended up being a good decision.



The most pressing decision of the weekend will be.... how to spend our President's Day Monday holiday! It's Chinese New Year, so I will be making dumplings. It's going to be great.

Are you off for President's Day? Regardless, I hope you have a great weekend!

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Thinking Out Loud

No reference to Ed Sheeran's latest hit, even though it's on repeat in my head. And I don't really like the song that much, other than the melody (lovely) and his live performance at Sunday night's Grammy Awards (awesome). My reason for not liking the song is that it is destined to be the upcoming wedding season's cliche. It's the same reason I didn't like Sara Bareilles' I Choose You.

But I AM Thinking Out Loud this evening, trying to type something coherent while the cat vies for my attention by walking on the keyboard. So why does he ignore me when I'm doing nothing on the couch? Cats....

I have an obsession with rain, I love the sound of it even if it's not real rain:

The video clip is snow melting off a park shelter, falling like rain off the perforated roof. These are the crazy things I am attracted to after a long run (probably because I'm not thinking too clearly).

Which reminded me of the time this past summer, after the morning's run, I was cooling down in my backyard with some yoga stretches when the storm-threatened sky released the rain. It fell slowly at first - you know - those fat drops that dot the concrete - before accelerating into a curtain of water. I merely continued my stretches in the rain, then realized I was being watched - the people who moved into friend Kellie's house were peering out at me, "that crazy woman doing yoga in the rain". I make a great first impression....

Thinking about the Grammy's, I admire and secretly covet Madonna's legs. I guess it's no longer a secret now...

I'm a tiny bit jealous of all the snow Massachusetts has received, although I'm not sure if I would like it in reality. Six feet of snow sounds like fun. In reality, it's probably too overwhelming.

Some recent remnants of snow in the front yard:


So, no snow here and we had a true taste of spring this past weekend - so much so that I washed the car with the garden hose and hosed down the garage floor. Dare I say, maybe the ground hog was wrong? Is it Opposite day?

Aren't you glad I decided to Think Out Loud?

Yeah, don't answer that....

Edited to add - this link takes you to a video of Ed Sheeran's Grammys performance of Thinking Out Loud, also featuring John Mayer on the guitar. US Weekly Magazine Online - Ed Sheeran Video

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The Friday Five - Smiles

Five things from this past week that made me smile

1. The fact that my kids completely demolished the pasta dish I made on Wednesday night – pasta with roasted red pepper sauce, artichoke hearts and grilled chicken. In the past, such a combination would have elicited complaints and general “food drama”.
2. Discernibly longer days, ie glimpses of the sunrise at 6:30am and daylight past 5pm! Here's proof - a photo taken at 6:30, on the cusp of daybreak:

Winter Morning

3. Serendipitous radio play of two songs from The Soundtrack of my Life – Father Figure by George Michael and Sweet Sensation by INXS. Felt like I was in college again
4. Hubby, who just started going to yoga class with me, mentioning he wants to go early so we can “get a good spot”. Hey, maybe I’ve converted him to this yoga thing.
5. My daughter’s tweet about me: “Mom yelling downstairs: ‘Louie what outfit should I wear?’ (louie is our cat)”.

Yeah, Creeping on my Daughter

I want to clarify that this tweet isn’t 100% true. The exact quote was ‘Louie, what YOGA outfit should I wear?’

Seriously, don’t we all ask our pets what we should wear? After all, they don’t judge, give unconditional approval…

... and make the best post-run napping partners.

Hope you have a great Super Bowl Weekend!

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The Rut

Confession time – I’m in a photography and blogging rut. I’m just not “into” it. I guess I should qualify the photography comment – I’m in a “formal” photography rut, ie, I’ve been neglecting my “big camera”. Looking at my flickr stream, it’s been over a month since I’ve uploaded anything from my DSLR. There are photos on my camera card I haven’t uploaded – photos from before Christmas.

I’m just not into it (gah, I never thought it would be this way). I need inspiration – normally found in something pretty and glittery outside (hello, where is this winter’s snow? Why does the North east get all the fun?). And I’m tired of my usual standby of flowers in winter.

I obviously need a kick in the butt, maybe a photography challenge. Maybe I just need to get outside at sunset (which, unfortunately, falls during dinner prep time). Maybe I need to drive to the local park and see what is revealed to me.

Or, I could be satisfied with what I’ve been capturing on my iPhone. After two months with the iPhone 6, I think I've gotten used to the new camera. I tend to take photos while I’m out running, but I’ve snapped a few randomly here and there:




Or, I can trust that this lull will soon pass, that I will find inspiration again.

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The Friday Five

Five things I'm thinking about this Friday

• It's our 22nd wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary, Scott!

Not the best photo of the two of us, but the latest one I had on my phone - taken in June.

• Since it's almost the middle of September, I really need to update my blog header! Maybe I'll work on that this weekend (instead of cleaning up the yard - wait, I really need to weed the garden, even though that 5 foot high thistle must really look impressive from the street).

• It feels like Fall outside and I am not complaining - I'm breaking out some cozy leggings and boots for the football game tonight.

• It's exactly one month until the Chicago Marathon. Those little aches and pains in my knee and ankles are calling out to me a little more. I've been mitigating / managing with increased stretching, foam rolling, strength exercises and acupuncture. Yes, I started acupuncture sessions in late July as a part of my "three pronged attack" on my ankle injury [The other two prongs - seeing a foot doctor who prescribed deep tissue massage and a physical therapy assessment]. A running friend recommended a local, very affordable acupuncturist and after the results I've seen, I am sold on the treatment. Here is some background on the practice of acupuncture:

The technique of acupuncture involves placing hair-thin needles in various pressure points (called acupoints) throughout the body. Stimulating these points is believed to promote the body's natural healing capabilities and enhance its function.

• This week's excitement - yesterday, I took my son to the Doctor's office / clinic to have blood drawn to check for Varicella (Chicken Pox) immunity. The state of Illinois requires all incoming high school freshmen to have their Varicella vaccine / booster. My son was exposed to the chickenpox when he was 18 months old at daycare. We opted to give him the Varicella vaccine when we learned he had been exposed in an attempt to lessen / prevent the illness. He did break out into a half dozen small blisters, a very mild case. Because of this, a booster shot is not needed.
  I don't, however, have documentation of the confirmed case of the chickenpox, so a blood test is needed to satisfy the State requirement.
This was my son's first time having his blood drawn, and during the process, he passed out! The "Nurse Alert" was sounded in the clinic, and I watched as three nurses, one EMT and an administrator descended upon my son. I wasn't too freaked out as I have personally passed out at least three times (once after a weight lifting session in High school, once in a store and the third time during immunizations I had before traveling to China - I blogged about it here. Scott passed out after having blood drawn at work and in the same clinic as today's episode. I guess it runs in the family. I am thankful for the nurses' quick and thorough response. He won't be too keen to donate to the blood drive, though.

What's happening on your Friday?

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Taper Week Randomness

Definition of Taper - In the context of sports, tapering refers to the practice of reducing exercise in the days just before an important competition. Tapering is customary in many endurance sports, such as the marathon. For many athletes, a significant period of tapering is essential for optimal performance --Wikipedia

In reality, my taper started two weeks ago, but this week has such little activity scheduled that I hope I'll remember how to run come Saturday! In reality, I have a two mile run scheduled this morning, so I guess that will refresh my memory.

Here are My Taper week's Random Thoughts / Events:
1. It's really hard (for me) to run just two miles.
2. I awoke Tuesday morning at 2:30 and could.not.go.back.to.sleep. So I finished off the running book I've been reading, appropriately, the Mile Markers book - a book on running. These quotes really spoke to me:

I will give less energy to dread. I will trust my training. I will do my best not to be afraid.

If you stopped yourself every single time you were about to say, "I have to" and changed it to "I get to," it might change your entire experience.

3. This showed up in Tuesday's fortune cookie:

Are the fortune cookie gods telling me something?

4. I arranged a nice dinner out with friends Tuesday night - I don't remember the last time we all got together. I love them all - they fill me up and encourage me so.


I'll be leaving work today at noon to pick up my Race Packet. Then, hopefully, a good night's rest before tomorrow.
Wishing you all a wonderful Friday!

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Stuff with Pictures Thrown In

This is going to be one of those disjointed, free wheeling posts with photos thrown in. Just so you're duly warned up front....

I've started to document the food I prepare for dinner, as in creating recipes of my family's favorite dishes. I typically don't measure anything and create meals based on photographs, recipes I've read but not printed out - I "wing" a lot of it. Recipes I've started to document include Lemon Shrimp with Pasta, Secret Ingredient Meatballs / Hamburgers, Veggie Burgers, Teriyaki chicken, and Black Bean Salsa.

Because I'm talking about food right now, here are some photos I took in February when I made Chinese dumplings for Book Club.



A college friend posted the recipe for Chinese Egg Tarts (Dan Ta) on Facebook. I need to make them - maybe this weekend.

Outside, plentiful rain is falling, mixed with thunder, lightning and wind. It’s a dark cloud day that makes you want to crawl in bed. It's warmer than last week when I took this photo during a morning run:

I ran two 6 mile loops that morning, with the first loop around sunrise. The rising sun transformed the cold, frosty, slightly misty landscape into a golden, glittery scene right before my eyes. It was pretty, albeit still cold. For the first time, I had to run with music in the background (I used my iPhone speakers). I normally eschew such stimuli, but I was SO bored running by myself. This has me thinking about my race strategy - I think I may need music to get me through the last 6 miles. Or I'll have to find a stranger to talk to.

My daughter competed in her first horse show last weekend. She entered the Dressage and Jumping events in the Starter Novice division. I learned a couple things that day - one, to rely upon the scheduled event times instead of waiting for my daughter to text me her event was coming up. I caught her Dressage ride, but missed her two jumping runs. Two, stick around for the show results - yes, I know, that's a no brainer, and I should have known better. She took home a first place ribbon for the jumping event and I missed it. Cue bad mom music, if there is such a thing.



During our visit to the Art Institute, we happened upon the staging of a future exhibit. I found it utterly fascinating - the workers had design drawings they were working from, several tripod set up with level cross hairs beamed on to the walls to guide them in the set up.



I finally used the Panoramic functionality on my iPhone. It was perfect for this rendering of the Chicago Skyline in the Bean


Finally, a cat photo, because you can't have a rambling blog post without something cat related.


Hope you have a great Friday! I've already gone to yoga class, will go to work and after work I get to pick up a case of wine, buy some art coloring pencils, pick up a library book before making dinner and sending myself to bed early in preparation for a 20+ mile run Saturday morning. I'm tired just thinking about it....

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End of March Randomness - Like a Lion

The winds are howling tonight as we enter the last days of March. I think it came in like a Lion and will leave that way, too, hopefully ushering in warmer days. It's been a long winter and a cold start to Spring. I know I sound like a broken record when I say I am tired of the cold and the snow.

Here's the Random Start of my weekend:
1. It's Friday and I'm taking a day off from work to head to Chicago with friends. We plan to visit the Art Institute, maybe experience the glass ledge at the Skydeck, and of course do a little shopping.

2. I'm presently reading two books. I've been making my way slowly through the epic "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts. It is so complex and lush, I find I can only read it in spurts, so I added in some lighter reading as a counterbalance. The lighter book is "Mile Markers: The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run" by Kristen Armstrong. Both books are thoroughly enjoyable in completely different ways.

3. My son and I caught the movie, "Divergent" in the theatre last weekend. I thought it was better than the book (which I found so predictable, I merely skimmed the 2nd half).

4. I finally ordered replacement blinds for two of our bedrooms. The guest bedroom's blinds have never worked properly - when guests visit (usually my mother in law), I hang a bed sheet over the window. Yeah, we're classy.... I imagine she won't know what to say the next time she visits!

5. Sugar free cake mix is nasty. We bought it by mistake. Next time I'll read the label more carefully.

This week's random photo - Since my friend was so happy to see his photo from Costa Rica in my Spring Break post, I'm featuring another one he took


Have a great weekend!

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The Calendar Claims Spring Has Sprung

Yesterday, in fact heralded in the coldest start of Spring I can recall since moving to the mid west.
Of course, that's not saying much, as I can hardly remember what I did yesterday.

Even with the cold mornings, I can feel Spring's emergence - somehow, the air feels different - not as cold and biting. There's a bit of warmth permeating its way in.

It's Friday and time for some random stuff from my week:

1. March Madness has started - and change can be difficult for those entering the office pool (which I run). I sent out an email detailing the change that the bracket deadline had moved up from the normal, Thursday tip off time of 11:00 CST to midnight, 11 hours earlier. I've learned who the procrastinators are in the office, and yes, they are all managers. They also don't read their email messages thoroughly....

2. It was a good week for Hubby - he executed a successful meeting on Wednesday with our company's CEO during our annual Safety Day Event.

3. Spring Break has started and the mass exodus from town has started. Most of my friends are escaping to warmer climes. Lucky me, I get to stay in town...

4. The song, The Call, by Regina Spektor is stuck in my head.

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
'Til it was a battle cry
I'll come back when you call me
No need to say goodbye

The best part of this song comes after the second verse - with french horns leading the way, the orchestra builds and replaces the traditional bridge.

5. I found a great collection of Running Quotes. Some of my favorites:

The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other,… but to be with each other. -Christopher McDougall

I run because it’s so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can’t. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you’re capable of so much more than you thought. -Arthur Blank

Another pair of "bookend" iPhone photos taken yesterday. I call them bookend photos as one was taken at sunrise and the other at sunset.

Along Thursday's Run, at mile 5. No wind means a rare reflection on the waters.

At sunset, the biggest ball of fire sunk slowly into the earth. I happened to be driving directly into it.

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My Random Friday

1. I finally upgraded my Lightroom software from Version 4 to Version 5 and applied all the subsequent V5 patches. I was reluctant to upgrade due to speed / performance issues with my current PC. I am happy to report the upgraded version runs faster than the old one. Of course, I expect Adobe to announce Version 6 any day now.

2. I have a serious problem buying new workout clothes and gear. Granted, I am running in all sorts of terrible conditions (that's my excuse on the running purchases - there's no excuse for the new yoga stuff I've bought!) but I really need to curb the purchases. Of course, warmer weather is right around the corner....

3. I am officially registered to run the local marathon. Just six months ago, I resigned myself that I might not ever achieve this goal and was at peace with that - after all, there is so much more to life than just a race. Of course, now that is six weeks away, I will be unhappy if it slips out of my grasp.

4. I put it all into perspective and I realize I am extremely blessed. A co-worker's wife was recently diagnosed with a wide spread cancer. This radiant, 40 year young mother of two beautiful girls is starting the fight of her life - and she is fighting with such a positive outlook, you can't help but admire her strength. If you would pray or send good thoughts to Erika K, I know she will feel them.

5. Today's foggy start was perfect for my early commute to work. Next week, we'll see the sunrise one hour later and I'll miss that view during the morning's run, but it will come again in time.

Today's Random Photo - Today's foggy sunrise - with this photo I discovered one of my photo editing apps has a watermark function - a serendipitous find!

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The End of February - Random Five

My Five Random Things for the End of February

1. I ran a total of 117 miles in February. I think that is a record high for me, and all my runs were completed outside. I'm lucky to have several groups of people to run with, because I would never be able to gut it out alone.
2. Looks like March will enter in like a Lion. Lots of snow predicted for Sunday, then more frigid temperatures.
3. The Girl Scout Cookies I bought have been duly scarfed down by my teenaged children. I guess if I want some, I'll need to hide the box.
4. I received a service advisory from Nikon this week concerning the D600 DSLR (the camera I use). In this advisory, Nikon partially acknowledges the issue with spots on the camera sensor, claiming the spots are caused by "dust" (eye-roll here - the most likely culprit is lubricant). Even though my camera was repaired in September, I plan to recheck the quality of my images for sensor spots. If you own a D600, Nikon will service and repair (replacing the shutter mechanism) for free, even if the warranty has expired.
5. Friday's are really nice. There's morning yoga class (today's featured a killer sunrise), no child transport responsibilities (early band practice carpool) and I get to wear jeans to work (my self imposed casual Friday - in all honesty, I could wear jeans every day of the week - I choose to limit it to Fridays).

This week's random photo. We're starting to encounter daylight during the morning runs. I'll enjoy it for one more week before we're hit with a time change and plunged back into morning darkness.

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Random Thoughts This Friday

1. I'm kicking myself because I chose not to take a photograph this week - a beautiful run into the sunrise. I can still see it in my mind's eye. Next time, I won't hesitate.

2. Even if the air temperature is above freezing, that doesn't mean there isn't ice on the ground. On Wednesday, I slipped and fell on the ice for the second time this winter. Then I hit a patch of black ice on the way to work and nearly hit another car. Thankful the snow is really melting away now.

3. I read somewhere "you can't train a cat". So true - no matter how many times I squirt the cat with water from the spray bottle, he keeps jumping up on the kitchen table. The cat also likes to eat butter and cheese and I'm not quite diligent about covering that stuff up when it is out.

4. The Amaryllis I bought four years has sent up its annual bud. If I remember to water it, it might actually bloom this year (last year was a bit of a disaster - I didn't keep up with watering it and the cat knocked the flower stem down before it had any chance).

5. Our Book Club will be discussing The Husband's Secret on Saturday - I am hosting and I am sure there will be a good discussion. I [actually] read the book, enjoyed it and then thought about the secrets I've withheld from my family (plenty with the kids) and husband (I'm sure there may be one or two).

And this week's random photo - snapped as I took an alternate route to work this week. Sometimes change gives you a new perspective.

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Busy Week Randomness

I'm finishing up a busy work week - I ran a training session for 15 people, which included 9 out of town visitors. Here are my random observations from the week.

1. Who knew standing in front of a group for 6 hours and talking could be so exhausting? While I didn't talk for 6 hours straight, it felt like 8 hours. And I have presented this same training class before - the last time was in 2008. Maybe I'm just getting old.

2. Every opportunity to travel is an opportunity to experience new things - make the most out of it. Three of the attendees traveled here from Tampico, Mexico. I'm sure the flat prairie of Illinois has never made their "must visit" list. But these three embraced the opportunity. Always smiling, they didn't complain about the cold and windy conditions. They had never seen snow before. That is, until Tuesday, when it started falling from the sky. All three ran outside and took photos in the snow. I watched as one of them built a snowman in the parking lot. Even though the big storm caused a disturbance to the session, I'm glad our visitors got to experience something special that they won't soon forget.

3. Meeting face to face reaps benefits that can't be measured in bottom line dollars. Travel dollars in our industry are hard to come by at the individual contributor / engineering level. I was floored when two team members were given approval to travel here from Europe. While we've talked and "met" over numerous teleconferences over the years, it was great to finally meet in person.

4. A last minute change in plans doesn't always spell disaster. I'll admit to being a bit of a control freak - I like to have things well planned. When Tuesday's snow storm became eminent, we had to change plans and reschedule Wednesday's session. It all worked out in the end, perhaps for the better.

5. Running in freshly fallen snow rocks. I've probably mentioned that before, but I got a reminder of that experience on Wednesday morning.

This week's photo - a hotel atrium - we moved our training session to this location due to the storm. It was much nicer than the 70's era conference room we were originally scheduled to use.

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Friday's Random Post

1. Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! It's now the year of the Horse. And not just any Horse, but the Wood Horse. I was born in the year of the Fire Goat and because the Wood element "nurtures" the Fire element, I am expected to "have a good year". Yeah, we'll see....

2. It's currently snowing. Again. There's a rumor that my area will see a significant snowfall Tuesday night.

3. I'm running a 4 day training session next week for work and have 9 people flying in this weekend to attend. The potential snowfall on Tuesday could make things very interesting.

4. Seahawks or Broncos? We are partial to horses around here (and it IS the year of the Horse), and hubby is a big Peyton Manning fan, so Broncos it is.

5. I'm really just into Superbowl Sunday because of the commercials and fun socializing at my friend's house.

Random Photo to go with today's post:

Last Saturday morning's run through (you guessed it) fresh snow. The actual scene was prettier than my capture - there's something magical about the golden sun on sparkly snow.

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Cold, Random Thoughts on this Cold, Cold Friday

1. I normally don’t complain about my personal comfort at work, but earlier this week I had the maintenance manager walk into my office, which was about 10 degrees colder than the hallway. When the wind blows from the south, it passes right through the 50 year old window by my desk and as a result, my office is very cold. My work colleagues literally stand in the hallway to talk to me because they can feel the temperature differential the moment they take a step in.

My actions spawned a flurry of activity – plastic sheeting was placed over the window (only slightly effective, but better than nothing), the HVAC folks were brought in (the air supply damper to my office was essentially closed), measurements taken for a new window, and thermostat control changes were made. Lesson learned - sometimes you just have to ask.

Even so, today, the wind is yet again blowing from the south. My office was 56 degF, even with a portable heater running below the desk, so I relocated to a temporary office across the hall. I can’t even imagine what it will be like next week.

2. The local schools decided to cancel school yesterday due to the cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills. Thing is, it’s just as cold today and yup, they are back in school. I wonder what will happen next week as it is forecasted to be even colder? I bet they won’t cancel school again.

3. My friend, Jill, is hosting a recipe exchange on Sunday. I think I will bring a cheesy bacon-leek pasta dish and (for something completely different) cold marinated tofu.

4. My daughter has declared she wants to pursue Equine Studies in college. While I don’t know what one does with such a degree, I’m glad she has chosen something she has a great passion for and we can get focused on the college search.

5. Last Sunday’s morning run was cold but picturesque – I was able to enjoy a beautiful sunrise, fresh snow covered trails along a babbling stream and two great blue herons. This reminds me of a quote from that Walter Mitty Movie. The photographer, waiting to photograph a snow leopard states “Beautiful things don't ask for attention”. I’ll add my two cents and include “Sometime you have to seek them out.”

Heading out for a Cold Run

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Random Friday

Since it's Friday and I haven't posted anything since last Friday, I think it's time for some Random Fun.

1. My mother celebrated another birthday, but she doesn't look older at all. My sister sent her a red fleece half zip and I sent her red tulips. We did not coordinate this together, so I call it serendipity.

Forever Young, photo taken by my Dad, using his iPad

2. If you are reading this blog because of its (purported) photographic subject matter, you need to catch The Secret Life of Walter Mitty while is it's still showing in the theatres. I now want to travel to Greenland, just because of this movie.

The projection server room at the new-fangled cinema in town.

3. I signed up with the local marathon training group. I have not signed up for any race, just the training. We'll see how it goes before I commit to a race.

From last week's Saturday run - the snow started to fall as I finished up.

4. I read this article that was shared by a friend on Facebook - The Trouble with Bright Girls. It's worth a read but I won't go into my thoughts on it right now. They would be too deep for a Friday!

5. I learned planes are no longer requiring passengers to turn off their electronic devices during take off and landing. I'm looking forward to my next plane ride so I can take photos out the window using the big camera. No more sneaking my iPhone to take photos like this one:

Arrival into Nassau, Bahamas

I guess it's too late for me to go with my friends to the Bahamas in February. Dang, I could use a break from the cold and snow....

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First Week of January's Randomness

It's my first Random Five Friday post - after reading all the random stuff from my blog friends, I thought, eh, what the heck, I'll join in....

1. The pond heater and pump survived the polar vortex. From Monday through Wednesday, I wasn't so sure about it all - the pond was completely frozen, and I wasn't about to go check things out.

2. It's a Spa Day today, with friend, Jill.

3. Even though I took a vacation day from work and could have slept in until past 7, I still hauled myself out of bed this morning at 4:40 to work out. Yes, I have been called insane.

4. The horses weathered Sunday's storm and subsequent bitter cold. I was so concerned about them - sure they were sheltered on 3 sides, but it was SO cold. You can't help but think about the animals in such severe weather.

5. Cats make the best blankets.



Enjoy your Friday!

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Friday Ramblings

Yeah, I haven't been very consistent in this space recently. Perhaps it's due to a bit of apathy, lack of a computer (daughter has been using my laptop for her schoolwork and it is squirreled up in her room most of the time), or the fact that I've discovered HGTV's Property Brothers and The Big Bang Theory. Maybe it's because since the time change, all I want to do after 6pm is go to sleep because it feels like 9pm as soon as it gets dark.

So today, I'm posting a random bunch of photos - some taken recently, some not.

Recent:




Not:


Recent:

Yes, it was cold outside!

Not:

I've been working on a Blurb Photo book featuring our family trip to Bar Harbor, Maine. It's been fun looking back at the photos.

Wishing you a nice Friday!

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Looking Out

looking out from the inside
looking out from the branches
i see you, but what do you see?



does anything look "off" in this photo?
it was taken on Mother's Day,
yes, the branches are bare,
when all should be green....

while i'm certain the tree is dead,
i'm glad i at least got to see
the bird looking out,
not looking at me
and so we're going to pick out another tree
from the local nursery

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