Your One True Beauty*

Sometimes I like to light a candle as I am getting ready in the morning, I find it relaxing and it masks the kitty litter odor.  This morning however, I was blow drying my hair a little too close to the candle.  You know how sometimes you could be blow drying your hair and it smells a little like burning? (no? maybe it's just my dryer).  So I smelled that, but it was stronger than usual and I thought, "oh great, I'm going to have to get a new blow dryer soon." Then I realized that the smell was too strong, and that lead to realizing I was too close to the candle.  I moved the candle and ran my fingers through my hair, little black flecks fell like snow to the ground....oops.  The good news - I can't really see on my head where the damage was done, but when I turn to the right I sure do smell it.

In other news - I have completed my third (and hopefully final) half marathon.  I almost didn't make it to the race at all.  I had woken up several times the night before because Mr. Cat was being a brat and kept trying to get out of my room (my roommates are allergic so he has to stay in my room).  I woke up at 7:12 and had to be downtown at 7:44 for my wave to begin.  I don't know how I did it, I grabbed my clothes, my running belt and bib, filled up my water bottle and ran out the door.  I knew from previous years that parking would be difficult.  I turned on Marshall Street and went to the first parking lot I saw.  $5 (which is actually better than the place I parked the first year).  I didn't think I had cash, but I figured I could go to an ATM afterwards and get some before leaving.  Wrong.  They wanted the cash then.  So I opened my wallet, not sure what I would find and thinking, "I'm going to miss this race!"  Inside my wallet - $4 I didn't know I had.  I gave them to the man and asked, "are quarters ok for the rest?" and he nodded.  So I unzipped the change part and there was....$.75.  So close! I gave him the quarters one by one as I dug them out.  Then I started looking through the car for the remaining 25 cents.  If the wallet could magically produce $4.75 that I didn't think I had, then certainly Diego could produce a quarter, or two dimes and nickel, or 25 pennies.  The parking lot guy took a chance on an unknown kid* and told me the $4.75 would be good enough. I parked, grabbed my stuff and pinned my bib while I ran towards where I thought the start line was.  I could see people already running so I knew I was heading in the right direction.  I found the line, but there was a barrier set up and I couldn't join the runners just yet, I had to keep walking until I found an opening, then I slipped in.  Not sure what wave I joined, just knowing I joined the right group of runners.  Then they announced my wave, I assumed it was the one just before the one I was standing in, but it turned out to be my wave.  Talk about cutting it close!



This turkey (to the left) most likely beat me...but I did pass him at least once

When I run I feel like the first mile is always the worst.  Something about thinking how far you have to go and the fact that you STILL haven't even gotten a mile in.  But it didn't feel like that this time.  I found a trio of girls who were running and talking and I figured if I could keep pace with talking/running girls then I was in pretty good shape.  They were running about a ten minute mile too win/win.  But something happened to them around mile 3 (I think they got distracted by the water station) and I spent the rest of the race looking for someone to creepily run behind.

I had a first on this run.  I used the port-a-potty.  I can't really say it's because I really needed it, though I had mentally convinced myself that I did, I think I was mostly in it for the break (there was a line).  I hate port-a-potties.  Hate is a strong word, mostly, I fear them.  I remember once when I was in Utah at a park and they had port-a-potties, I really had to use it because I was too afraid.  The worst part, I knew my fear was ridiculous.  I took several deep breaths, pep talked myself, jogged in place like an athlete trying to psych myself up.  I think I finally used it, but I got out of there as quickly as possible.

It wasn't so bad this time, though I never want to do that again.

I will admit - I walked a lot more this marathon, BUT I never got the broken toes feeling that I've gotten the last two years (and during my minimal training this year).  At the end they gave us a fleece blanket and a medal, but it was a nightmare getting to the food tent.  I think races should be like airports, if you aren't running you can be beyond a certain point.  I think people meeting friends and loved ones should have to wait beyond the food tent, because those of us who just made our bodies do something it now hates us for, would like to get a slice of Papa John's before our legs give out.  And that's just hard to do with all those extra people in the way. 

The worst was having to walk the mile back to the car.  A mile seems so small in comparisson but I was done, my body was done, and the walk back was all up hill.  I got home, sat in the shower for a long time, and dealt with stomach cramps the rest of the night (I think I was dehydrated - no longer sweating by mile 10 might have been the give away).  I'm serious this time - NO MORE!

Someday someone will walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else

Okay readers,

So I have a ton of little checklists and I LOVE checklists.  So I am working through everything and I've decided to do a Google Doc to get addresses.  So if you want a wedding announcement click on the link below and leave your info!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GtAyTG2FcdDMCOLunSaAS4JIJ96pY_j7wvRv4IXHWMY/viewform

What's that got to do with the price of eggs?*

January - 4

February - 3

March - 4

April -2

May - 3

June - 4
 July - 4

  August - 5

September - 9
October - 5

Total =43

Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson

Something about October got me into a historical mood.  This was just the first of several this month.  I really enjoyed the book, there were parts that were a bit gruesome but it was certainly interesting to learn the full story, I just don't know if it's ever been taught to me before.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning a little history.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When I started to read this book, I had just gone through a period when I had started and stopped several books because I found them too emo or lame and I actually worried that this one was headed in the same direction. I thought maybe she was writing to her mom or someone else that she had lost and that we were headed down some emotional remembrance.  But I stayed in there because it had been on my "to read" list so long I had forgotten why I put it there.  Excellent book.  I love how everything ties together and the foreshadowing is great. What can I say? I'm a sucker for twist and time travel.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This is another historical book.  NOT Historical Fiction, I almost said that but it would have been a lie.  I LOVED how this book was done.  Larson tells two stories in one and how these two events came together in history.  One story is of the World's Fair in Chicago and the other story is of the rise fall of serial killer H.H. Holmes; who built a mansion of a hotel for the World's Fair with the intent to trap and kill girls traveling alone, far away from home.  One chapter I was intrigued, learning what products and attractions made their debut in Chicago, or what things the fair didn't allow (and those things made it big later); the next chapter, I was horrified by the misdeeds of H.H. Holmes. A very interesting history lesson.

The Registry by Shannon Stoker

This was a pretty intriguing idea to me (which is why I bought the book) but sadly I don't love it and I learned at the end that it at least will have a sequel if not a trilogy but I don't think it impressed me enough for me to remember to buy the sequel when it comes out.  I get why I don't like the main character, she is exactly what she is supposed to be, but I found the main character's development unbelievable based on the rules of her world.  Overall, I did not find the other characters endearing either.  I like the main guy, and later on they come across a gay couple and I like them too.  But the bad guy - hated him (and not because I was supposed to).  He was supposedly evil, at least that was what I was continually told and somewhat shown, but not enough to convince me that he was so. Yes, he killed and threatened but it didn’t seem believable to me. My favorite characters were sadly ones that didn’t stick around for very long. Still, overall I think it was a quick, easy, enjoyable read

The Reservoir by John Milliken Thompson

I borrowed this one from the library - on my phone...so it took me a long time to finish it because I kept forgetting I had it on my phone!  This book is based in Richmond, VA (hometown yea!) so that is probably what got my attention at first.  I did not know until reading in the back of the book that this is based on an actual court case and that the author stuck to the facts as much as possible, but added filler where there was no information.  The book was great and I was close to crying near the end (which I hate to admit - but there it is). 

Overall - October was a good reading month.  Here's to 2 more months and 7 more books!