Candy corn it is!

Would you rather have...

candy corn for teeth 75% 6 votes
aluminum foil for skin 25% 2 votes

8 votes total

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Think about it - candy corn for teeth; you're stranded on a deserted island and you're hungry. Can't find food. JUST EAT YOUR TEETH! If you had aluminum foil for skin, you be cooking alive on deserted island. Not so yummy.

Mile by Mile

Random thoughts about the race:

Main point of panic and concern: Would I miss the 6:10 AM start time? I had to get up at 4 AM and walk 6 blocks to the Metrorail station. There was ONE train scheduled to leave Dadeland at 4:30 and hitting every stop along the way. If you missed it, you wouldn't make the start; by that time it would be too late to drive into downtown, find a place to park and make it to the starting line. I made it, and even met a new friend. Sheila lives a few blocks from me and we stuck together, as it was our first ever race.

Starting line: At 6 AM, it was raining. I mean, RAINING. I MEAN - Tropical Storm Ernesto had NOTHING on the rain that fell yesterday morning at 6 AM as we were all waiting in the "cattle chutes" for the start. I even yelled out, "I didn't sign up for a triathalon; please don't make me swim to the start!" It broke some of the tension for some of the 12,000 people who happened to be in earshot.

Once we started, the thought of "I can't believe I'm actually doing this" hit me. There were SO many people and it was still SO dark that you really didn't get a sense of things. The first mile was up the Macarthur Causeway to Miami Beach, so you could see all of the cruise ships lit up and in port. At the end of the first mile, I felt a little winded, then realized I was pushing a 12 minute pace; a little faster than what I was used to. I knew if I didn't pull back, I'd be in trouble.

Sheila and I were having a great time, running 5/1 minute sets and talking during the walks. I actually saw some of my training group and some of my students and their parents along the way. Running down Ocean Drive and through the Deco District was awesome. The Miami Beach HS Band drumline was out playing some rocking cadences around mile 6. I told them I was writing a letter to their principal - it was SO cool that they were out so early on a Sunday morning!

I ran with my fuel belt and stayed really hydrated. SO hydrated that I did need a pit stop by mile 7. Due to the line, that stop took about 5 minutes, which was JUST enough time to get a little stiff. I had trouble getting my pace back after that, and by mile 8, Sheila had jumped ahead a bit and we lost each other. I wasn't worried as I love to run alone, but was sad that we hadn't had a chance to exchange phone numbers yet. I figured we'd catch up later, though.

By mile 9, my right knee was a little sore. One spectator had a sign that said "Pain is weakness leaving the body." I told her mine had set up camp and refused to go. She laughed; I laughed; I kept going.

Mile 10 was when I really started watching my intervals. I started getting really sore and tired and began thinking, "I'll run 1 more set, then maybe walk the rest." I knew that no matter what, I could probably run 5 more minutes. Amazingly, at the end of the 1 minute walk, I would think, "OK, just ONE more."

By mile 12, I knew I was going to make it, even if I had to walk or crawl. Spectators were saying "just one more turn to the right, and then you round the corner and then you're there!." As I got back to Biscayne Blvd, I was actually running parallel to the home stretch and was euphoric. But then I found it was a FAKE OUT! I had to take a right and go around a few more blocks before ending up in that home stretch.

I did actually walk most of the very last set, once I realized I was going to come in over 3 hours. If I'd had a chance of crossing in less than 3 hours, I would have pushed just a little more, but I saw the clock as I passed the Finish line before the fake out.

Once I finally turned into the home stretch, though, I picked it back up. Lots people were there cheering and seeing our school cross country coach on the sidelines saying "Great job!" almost made me sprint to the finish. I say almost because my legs would have nothing of the sort. Sheila was even there waiting for me - she'd finished about 20 minutes earlier!

Then I was across the line. There were people handing me a medal, food and water, saying "Congratulations!". That's when I realized it: I DID IT! At that moment, I was pondering whether I would ever want to do this again.

I started looking for the next race today!

I DID IT!

I ran the Half Marathon yesterday....official time was 3 hours, 10 minutes and 24 seconds. There is a whole narrative that needs to follow, but I'm on my way to lunch right now. My body is in recovery (mostly my thighs!) so I must go feed it!

I'm not fat!

Croutons or chowder?

Would you rather....

die in an avalanche of croutons 50% 2 votes
drown in a giant bowl of New England clam chowder 50% 2 votes

4 votes total

Down the Drain

Dearest tenant,

Just wanted to let you know that I wish you would have told me that the toilet in the back apartment was running so that I could have fixed it. I just got my quarterly water bill. It is usually around $100. This quarter was $738, which I now have to pay. I'm really pretty angry, because the problem could have been solved with a $3 flapper, had you simply let me know. I'm not really sure why you are so pissed off at me and the world that you had to leave without so much as a phone call, e-mail or note. You didn't even bother to take the Christmas gifts and cards I left for you on the kitchen counter before I left on vacation.

I hope that you can remember that 16 months ago, you were homeless and unemployed. Because I gave you a place to live RENT FREE for 6 months, you were able to get yourself back on your feet. I even took you on a trip to Chicago for Christmas last year because I thought you needed a little vacation.

Last week I sent you a note to ask you where I should send your W-2 from Ferrey's. You didn't even bother to respond. If you need it, call them. I'm throwing it away.

You are in a much better position now than you were 16 months ago, but I'm feeling pretty used, abused and confused. You really make me question whether I'm too generous or just an idiot. I will tell you that I will think twice before I help another human being again. You taught me that.

Best of luck to you. I hope you find whatever you're looking for.

Blue Monday

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > HEALTH > MENTAL HEALTH
'Blue Monday' Means It's All Smooth Sailing for 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007

Good morning, and take comfort in knowing things likely can't get any worse.

Researchers in England, citing unpaid holiday bills, rotten weather and people's realization that they likely won't live up to their New Year's resolutions, say Jan. 22 is the unhappiest day of 2007.

Cliff Arnall, a Cardiff University psychologist, devised the depressing formula.

His equation takes into account six factors: weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our New Year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling a need to take action.

Taken together, they calculate to equal "Blue Monday."

Arnall said that by understanding the main factors for depression, we can prevent becoming unhappy next year.

"Use the day as a springboard for a higher quality life," he told the London Daily Mail. "For example, keeping Christmas spending to a strict budget next year will make you less depressed in the last week of January.

"Also, decide on changing behavior, such as giving up smoking, eating better, exercising more and getting that new job," he said.

It also might be a good idea to be extra careful while driving.

A British insurance company reports that nearly half of all drivers suffer from seasonal symptoms such as depression and lethargy in January, which impact their driving ability.

All is not doom and gloom, however, as a survey of 85 percent of people in Britain expect to be happier in the future than they are now, a psychological study for Standard Life Bank found.

Scots were the most optimistic, followed by people in the South West, while people from London and the West Midlands had the least positive outlook on life, researchers discovered.

People responding to the survey said they hoped to make themselves happier by clearing their debts, paying off their mortgage and achieving financial security.

Those who listed things they were looking forward to were plans to reduce their working hours or retire to improve their quality of life.

For the 15 percent of pessimists and those who feel very depressed, the Samaritans organization urged people not to bottle it up but to get in touch with professional counselors who can help you resolve conflicts.

Their brains aren't quite developed!

Interesting thing happened yesterday - One of my 6th graders came to me after school and handed me a note with $10. He said he was supposed to give it to one of my band officers, Nani. Nani had gotten the idea that it would a great idea to buy me an iPod. Mostly because I have been telling the kids all year, "If you REALLY loved me, I'd have an iPod by now." The problem is, it's supposed to be a surprise presentation at the concert tonight. Now, don't get me wrong - I had a pretty good feeling it was going to happen, since:
1. Nani asked me what kind of iPod I would want IF I were to have one.
2. Nani's mom asked me for a copy of all the parent contact information.
3. Nani asked if he could have 5 minutes at the concert to make a presentation.

Still, when Not-quite-getting-the-hint 6th grader says "I was supposed to give this to Nani. He was collecting money to buy you an iPod and I forgot to give it to him." what do you do? At first, I said NOTHING, hoping NQGTH would simply hand me the note and walk away quietly. But he kept talking and spilled it all. Right there on my desk. A big, fat invisible mess. So now I have to act surprised and hope Nani doesn't found out I know.

I'll let you know how that goes tonight!

Would you rather...

Poll results...you people are SICK!

Would you rather have...

Votes
Parmesan cheese dandruff 100% 5 votes
bubble wrap acne 0% 0 votes

5 votes total

Wicked busy!

After tonight, the merry-go-round slows down for about a week, then it's off to the races again. Last week was just a little surreal; back to school on Monday, then off to the state music convention on Thursday. When it was all said and done on Saturday, I headed over to Orlando for some more Disney fun. After all, I'm now a card-carrying, annual pass holding, certified Disney princess. I even left the fake teeth in the car for most of the visit!

Coming back to work after almost a month (last week barely counted) has been a little stressful, especially considering I have a concert tonight. Who scheduled THAT? Oh, yeah. I did. I'm going to have to rethink this for next year.

Holiday poll results

Just in case you were interested.....

The BEST holiday tradition EVER is

snowball fights (real, NOT e-mail). 9% 1 vote
kissing under the mistletoe. 64% 7 votes
drinking eggnog. 9% 1 vote
playing Secret Santa. 0% 0 votes
decorating everything in sight. 18% 2 votes

11 votes total

---------------
Considering I voted about 3 times myself, you can figure out MY favorite tradition. Unfortunately, it didn't happen this year. Here's to a more productive 2007!

Rockin' and Rollin' in the New Year

New Year's Eve 2007 was absolutely AWESOME! Spent it in Orlando with the usual suspects, plus a few new gang members. Spent the evening at Wall Street in WALL-TO-WALL people; wicked loud and crazy, but definitely worth the excitement. The highlight was the 22 cent "Bubba" teeth that I kept slipping in before I smiled at people. It made my companions double over with laughter EVERY freakin' time, but that's because they said it looked so real on me. What can I say? I'm white trash, once-removed!

On the 1st, we went on a "floating casino to nowhere." Unlike my Vegas trip, I actually had a little fun with the slots there and ended up about $15 or so for the day until one of my trusted cohorts came running to find me. "Bing - we found Larry!" Oh, joy of joys! Larry the Lobster was with me on the boat. And I fed $5 to that little shell-monster in NO time flat. Crappy Crustacean!

On the 2nd, we went to Epcot and tried to drink our way around the world. It was busy, but we saw quite a bit. The cool thing is that Tia and I broke down and bought annual passes, since we go up to bother D so much! Now that I know where the key is, I may start commuting from Orlando. I think the highlight of the day (at least for me!) was waiting in line for "Soarin". The line took over an hour, but with the "Bubba Teeth" back in business, it was quite entertaining. We even watched a kid walk into the wall and fall over as he stared. Now THAT'S entertainment!

Weekly poll takes a Theme!

Since all of the 2007 calendars are on sale for 1/2 price AND since I have a squillion gift cards for Borders and Barnes and Noble (among other places), I decided to buy a "Page a Day" for my desk at school but more importantly, for Bing Blog fodder. I picked the one based on the game "Would You Rather...." TOTALLY awesome, and don't forget to vote early and often, like a South Florida election!

Back on line.....

OK, so now I'm back in school, which means back in the land of free internet connection. I tried to snag a few free waves over the last week while still on vacation, but my Airport card was mad at me for some reason. I thought it was going to take a trip to the Apple store, but I managed to smack it around a bit and it's all good to go, so we're back in business.

Thanks for your patience!

Travel blues....

The trip back from Jackson Hole last Friday was quite eventful. I was scheduled to fly from Jackson to Dallas to Chicago to Miami. When we were approaching Dallas, the weather was bad and we had to circle for awhile. Then the pilot came on to say "We're very low on fuel so we need to divert to Oklahoma City to refuel." So we did. Then we had to sit on the ground for about an hour. Luckily I had gotten bumped up to First Class (AND made Gold frequent flier status; I'm SO framing that boarding pass.) and had plenty of room.

To make a LONG day short; here are the highlights:
1. Once I got to Dallas, I booked a confirmed seat on a flight straight to Miami and put myself first on the stand-by list for on earlier one.
2. Both flights kept getting delayed. They were like two horses at a race track. One would be scheduled to leave first, then the other. I logged a bajillion miles going back and forth between the two gates checking on them.
3. At one gate, a flight to San Antonio boarded, then had to SIT there for 2 hours because of the weather.
4. At another gate, the plane was THERE but couldn't be boarded, as the jetway was closed due to lightning.
5. At one point, we had to evacuate to the bathrooms, as there was a tornado headed towards the airport.
6. My "confirmed seat" flight got cancelled.
7. I finally made it to Miami at 1 AM.
8. My luggage arrived yesterday (Monday).

My own private Everest

It snowed 4 feet on the mountain last night, so there was LOTS of fresh powder this morning. On the first run of the day, I followed Heide (the mother of Nani, the student who invited me out) through a deep run, in between the trees. I forgot to mention - Heide runs LOTS of marathons, skis a TON and is extremely fit.

So I followed and did well for a bit, but then crashed out. It was a VERY soft landing, but then I couldn't quite get my board turned over so that I could stand up again. I can only seem to manage from a face-down position - my arms are DYING from doing push-ups! So there I am, lying in the snow, feeling like Ralphie's little brother Randy in "A Christmas Story." Remember? He was all bundled up like a tick and then got knocked over as he was walking to school. He couldn't get up and just rolled around in the snow until his brother came to his rescue.

Only problem was, by that point I was alone. NOBODY around, and I'm stuck in the snow. At one point, my board jammed in the snow (which was very wet and sticky) about 6 inches and I had to take it off just to get it out. Then I sank up to my thighs in the powder and had to spend A LONG time trying to walk out of the situation. It was very tiring, and quite comical. Needless to say, I was spent when I finally got out and made the run down the mountain. I keep referring to the episode as "My own private Everest."

Merry Christmas from Wyoming

(picture to follow later)

Arrived in Jackson Hole last night. I managed to skip the Dallas segment and flew stand-by straight to Wyoming with the family I'm staying with, so we all went to a prime rib dinner at their friends for Christmas. It's 7:45 AM, and I just ran a few miles. I understand the moose are out, but it was too dark for me to see! Snowboarding today; pray that I don't hurt myself. I'll let you know how it goes.

Stay warm!

HOLD EVERYTHING!

I charted today's run here. Although it doesn't show the actual bike/run path, I went from the Congress Hotel across from Grant Park all the way up Lake Shore Drive (with a run to the end of Navy Pier and back as well) to the Fullerton exit, and then back again. It says the total mileage was 11.79 miles. I also used two other methods of estimating. One came in at 10.3 miles, the other 10.28. Would it be fair of me to say I ran 10.79, since that's the average of the 3?

And can I round it up to 11? PLEASE?!!

Running Cross-Country

In case you are keeping track (or care), here are some interesting points about my training:

Sept. 22 - 4 miles in Orlando
Sept. 29 - 5 miles in Miami
Oct. 6 - 6 miles in Cherry Valley, IL
Oct. 21 - 7 miles in Orlando
BLAH BLAH BLAH due to injury
Nov. 18 - 7 miles in Seattle
Nov. 24 - 6 miles in Ve-GASS
Dec. 1 - 8 miles in Orlando
Dec. 9 - 10 miles in Miami
Dec. 16 - 7 miles in Miami
Dec. 23 - 8 miles in Chicago today (I think. My pedometer seemed a little off. I'll have to check the distance online.)

I was supposed to do 10 today, so I'm a little mad.

I'll have to do a short run in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week, just to add to the list. Then 10 in Orlando for New Years, 11 in Miami, 12 in Tampa and then a short 7 in Miami. The marathon (13.1) is on Jan. 28th....I'm starting to doubt whether I'll make it! Keep sending good thoughts and prayers.

The Whirlwind Tour/Bad Travel Mojo

So I started my annual Christmas break tour. Some of my close friends laugh at the fact that I log more flights in the 2 week break from school than most of them do in an entire year. Of course, my married friends all say "You know, you can do that because you're single. If you were married and had a family, you wouldn't be able to." No freakin' kidding! And I'd trade it in a heartbeat if I could only find the right person. But I can't, so "stop hatin' and start celebratin' " That's what I'M sayin!

Anyway, this jaunt did NOT start well. The bad travel mojo is in high gear. My flight from Miami to Chicago was 4 hours late and then some lady fell getting off the train to downtown and we had to wait for someone to come and help her out. I missed a short meeting in Chicago AND the annual OPEN BAR at the convention hotel watering hole. DANG! (about the bar, NOT the meeting)

This year the convention is falling WAY too close to Christmas and it's very subdued. So much for 14,000 drunk band directors running around downtown. This year it's more like 100 or so mildly intoxicated ones. Which is probably a good thing. Makes it easier for me to behave. This place can be QUITE the hook-up if you are so connected AND inclined. I'm quite connected but not inclined. I actually called a friend of mine a "man whore" tonight because he was batting in my direction (he didn't make contact, so I don't call it hitting") while telling me of the previous night's escapades with woman from Denmark. He even had some of those cheesy photos booth pictures as proof.

Sorry, buddy....I'm not into "sloppy seconds". Better luck next year.