5K, PA and the Season Finale of House

A go on the treadmill tonight proved the inevitable--I will not be able to run in this Sunday's Dexter-Ann Arbor 5K... Running only re-strained the muscle that I strained during the 2-Day. Happily, my knee seems to have recovered. I will walk the 5K, check out the Taste of Ann Arbor and with any luck, find another 5K once I'm completely healed. Perhaps it will be a good challenge once I move.

Oh, yes, "the move." I believe I have now told everyone, officially, that I will be moving to Philadelphia this September. I was at the office there last week for a meeting (or 20) and managed to also find time to look at some apartments and get the low-down on microbrews of the area from the bartender who felt that was the most important information on a relo to the area. Others were far more helpful.

I remember when I first started watching House, I watched because I can't help but oogle Omar Epps... now with the season finale aired (sorry if you TiVo and haven't watched yet), but the House team has all been fired or quit. The suggestion here is no more Omar Epps... but after a few years, I'd much rather Hugh Laurie... not entirely attractive physically, his character is entirely sexy--brash and intelligent... what more does one really need? Did I mention he rides a motorcycle? If only he gets a tattoo in the next season...

Taking Politics to the Woodshed... or the Kitchen

Under normal circumstances, I would not implore anyone to listen to NPR... not because I don't think it worthwhile, quite the opposite actually, but the thing is, they are going to air tonight on All Things Considered, a mayoral debate that took place in the kitchen of the late Hunter S Thompson last night. You can read Anita Thompson's post, along with the questions from the debate at the Owl Farm Blog.... but I think this will be well worth tuning in for. If you cannot, because it is a holiday weekend and you need to drink or attend a BBQ, I then suggest you download it from iTunes... Note to Life of Dave: iTunes is the current heart of the nation and like crack has infiltrated the very essence of life in the United States and, from my limited understanding, abroad as well, I encourage you to hop on the bandwagon--it is an orgy of sound and visual not seen since MTV debuted with Video Killed the Radio Star.

On the orgy note, my glass of wine is depleting rapidly and I believe there is something cooking in my own kitchen.

Mahalo.

Politics via feline behaviour

There is no question that when it comes to my cats, Calvin is bourgeois through and through. He even looks French, with his little goatee... all he needs is a beret. Bowie, now we all know that Bowie is a throughbred Commie cat. Two brothers, seemingly at political odds, and yet, they cuddle together in the condo at least 4-5 times a week. The other two, well, who knows? What I do know is that Jake and Bowie are at constant odds iver territory and Vinnie is like the Swiss--hiding in the closet half the time. I think the main point we can take away from this that the Cold War was not about Communism and the Iraqi war is not about terrorism. So really, we are no further than when I started this post.

Throngs of Men

Whew... seems like a lot to update here this fine Sunday morning in the throes of a Heminway Weekend (See, SK, I CAN spell it with only one M when I want to!).

For the uniniatiated... Hemingway Weekend occurs on the Memorial Day weekend. I began this last year while working to finish The View from 29. It was insanely productive and beneficial to me. Not only writing wise, but it really sets the stage to purge the need to binge drink from my system for a good while.

Now, Hemingway and I are not what you would call symbiotic when it comes to writing style, content, or methods of dying. BUT, he would get up and write until noon and then drink the rest of the day... or something along those lines. It really is brilliant and while I cannot imagine doing it everyday (hence, I'm not an alcoholic) for a weekend, it works. Hemingway, however, was a major influence on Hunter S. Thompson, who as many of you know, is a huge influence on me. So I sit here in my overly sized, stained Hunter tee with the Gonzo Power Fist and the quote: It never got weird enough for me. Locked into a weekend of excess, which probably not entirely coincidentally, would be how Hunter would have wanted it... locked in with beer and multiple bottles of wine for Sangria... Mojitos were the launch of the weekend... there are Twizzlers and a myraud assortment of other candy and cupcakes, caffiene... Not quite the drug assortment my mentor would have collected for a binge weekend, but we all do what works best for us.

Yesterday was productive; an entire chapter complete. It's been so long since I completed an entire chapter--perhaps a year--that I almost feel like framing it for all to see. It isn't brilliance by any stretch of the imagination; and I'm not trying to be the next Faulkner or Eggers. I'm experiementing--not with style, but with genre: chick lit entertwines with Basic Instinct, if you will.

You are probably wondering why on earth this posting is entitled: Throngs of Men... and I'm getting there. It was a teaser, I admit. But last night, a friend and I stopped by Aubrees in Depot Town (Ypsilanti). Admittedly, I've only ever eaten lunch there, but the sangria was running low in my system and they have the Bell's Lager currently on tap... as we were sitting at the bar, I noticed a continuous streaming of men walking to the upstairs. I've never been upstairs, but I assume that it is another part of the bar... but at one point, I looked at my friend and said there were throngs of men going upstairs and why were we sitting at the bar downstairs. I think I also mentioned in the car that I would title the next post here Throngs of Men. The men were young, early 20s, but like my mom says, you just get two. That is some wise advice.

Yo! Bartender!

Have two words ever gotten anyone in so much trouble as those? Heh, maybe that's just my family.

So, generally speaking, I feel that most of what I need to buy can be acquired through a visit to Target. And yet, today, I found myself standing in the magazine aisle, after checking the book aisle for a "bartenders guide" as I decided I wanted to include the making of Mojitos into my Hemingway Weekend... And I found myself thinking, after I was at a loss as to a source for the ingredients (not that I totally forgot, but I knew I would forget something if I didn't look), why the hell don't that make a magazine for occassional binge drinkers? Seems like a reasonal target market... it could be seasonal: the winter Christmas holiday with survival techniques for your office party; the Summer 4th of July special, complete with the latest in summer drinking faire; the fall edition, highlighting the techniques to get you from Labor Day to Thanskgiving and the Valentines to Memorial Day Survival guide. It MAKES SENSE!!

Checking the Cattle Prod

So, I was curious--which we all know is never a good thing... and went to tsa.gov to check and make certain that what I had heard was true--and it was, in fact, true that shoes with gel inserts are prohibited unless in your checked luggage. Checked luggage? Feh, not on short trips. But while perusing the list, I did notice that my cattle prods, throwing stars, sabers and "gel type foods" greater than 3 ounces need to be checked. Sadly, tear gas is not allowed at all. What is the world coming to when I can't even check a gallon of gas... I mean what the hell? Here I am, a good American and can't bring a gallon of gas with me at all.

Ok, and now that I've stopped laughing hysterically....

I did make it through security TWICE this week without my liquid lip gloss securely packaged in my quart sized ziplock baggie. Fortunately, it did not impact the flights I was on in any way, but it was a dangerous risk, and one not caught by TSA. Imagine the scandal if that lip gloss had leaked?! Good god, can you imagine the meyhem that would have ensued and the terror caused because my Clinique Kissy Fit was not secured confined by the top notch technology of ZipLock?

But, I and many others, were not Kissy Fitted and arrived safely, if not a bit haggard from Philadelphia this evening; and many more continued onward to San Francisco--where they will, undoubtedly, be Kissy Fitted upon arrival.

Adventures in Gardening

Yesterday was my first official day for gardening. I finished my fence, which isn't keeping much out, I have to admit and started cleaning out the weeds that permeated the plot. After four hours, I decided I was done for the day, I had gouged a hole in my skin from something had worked up the dirt and cleaned out a ton of weeds from nearly half the area and planted my tomatoes, peppers, carrots, spinach and peas.

In my adventure yesterday I learned the following:
(1) a kneeling pad or long pants are really necessary.
(2) spiders find your gardens, too.
(3) when wearing a tank top and bending over, do an occasional check to make sure your girls haven't "fallen out" of you shirt.
(4) the "community" part of community gardening also means random, unsolicited advice from random passerbyers in the park.

Now, I have to worry, will I recognize these plants as they start to sprout, or will I think they are merely more weeds come to ravage my efforts. And I have to wonder, as it hurts to type today--are weeds really so bad and wouldn't they make a tasty salad if left to flourish?

To be continued...

Bringing down the woodshed

This week at work proved to be the reincarnation of the Woodshed; a phrase so out of date that I would suppose most would look on in puzzlement as to what the hell a woodshed is. Nonetheless, it has been quite the phrase about the office... people being threatened to be taken behind the woodshed and given a good what fer... it's meyhem! Meyhem that somehow I've been pulled into--threatening my dad with the woodshed (to no avail--it was not even recognized--instead he told me about the nice Ash he had in his woodshed). And now, I've encouraged several of my friends to test it out in their offices--see if it picks up spark there, too. Somehow, I doubt the zeal and sincerity of the woodshed will be felt in other offices the way in which has been adopted in ours... yet, it doesn't hurt to experiement a little; unless, of course, someone gets taken behind the woodshed.

On the Road: Catskills

On Wednesday evening, I arrived in Kingston, NY. It was dark and all I really cared about at that point was eating my dinner (I had picked up a white slice) and checking into my hotel... and not in that order. By Thursday morning, I just wanted a nice, quiet little place to have some coffee and breakfast. After driving through Woodstock, I ended up in Kingston at a quaint little diner; the kind that have individual juke boxes on the tables. It was the kind of place that you felt compelled to order the "special" from the menu and if you decided you didn't want the juice that customarily came with it, they deducted it from the price. Of course, I found myself amused by the conversation at the next table: all the natural supplements that they used for their various ailments...

As it turns out, I wasn't feeling that well, and there were thunderstorms called for the area, so the hiking I'd planned on was nixed. I was just fine with that. I spent a good part of the afternoon walking around historic Kingston and then Woodstock. They are artists communities and quite. There was a definate dynamic between "old hippie" in these communities and the new "revolution." First, there was the strikingly thin 16ish girl with more piercings than seemed possible for her tiny frame to hold who got out of a car and gave me a very menacing glare before smiling and complimenting my tank. Then, there was the guy standing barefoot on the side of the road, hitchhiking... from the looks of it, he'd been there since 1969. I have to say, it has been a LONG time since I've seen anyone hitch hike. Generally, it was weird... Woodstock capitalizes on the music festival that beared its name, even though the festival was eventually held in Bethel. Still, it was a nice time.

Thursday evening found me tired, not feeling great still and in bed reading early. It also found me no longer able to handle eating in restuarants, and I stopped by the local grocery to get some cereal, soy milk and strawberries. It was much better! Friday would find me heading home.

On the Road: NYC

It felt good to be back there after five years. My visit may have only been a very brief few hours, but I managed to visit two friends that were not department stores and more than a couple shopping favorites to purchase a few dresses and tops. The trip took me to an old area of Brooklyn I haven't been in nearly 10 years... and a lot of memories as I walked the sidewalk of 7th Avenue in Park Slope.

I had parked in Newark and decided to take the PATH into the city. It is actually less expensive and far more convenient a timesaver. Of course, it is cramming oneself on a train with many, many others for whom deoderant is optional. Still, a much nicer journey. The PATH train destination was the World Trade Center... there was an audible gasp from several on the train who apparently didn't understand what a stop at the World Trade Center station would mean--in that the train platform ends inside the former WTC and you see the very large hole that is left and the workers there within. I did know this, but even I have to admit, it is quite a sight coming out of the darkness of the tunnel into the brightness of the hole. I only decided on the WTC stop, rather than midtown as Century 21 is right there, and there is some good shopping there.

What is interesting, is that I write this, I am listening to an interview with Salman Rushdie and having just finished Infidel by Ayann Hirsi Ali over the weekend, in retrospect, thinking about the gaping hole that still remains, not just in south Manhattan, but in so many lives. Maybe it is best left as a hole--an irreparable scar on the face of the earth.

Anyway, the trip found me in Times Square. And, as I informed Kevyn, if there is only one person on the face of the earth that could get me to willingly go, without complaint, to Times Square, it is him. He laughed and assured me that he, too, hates Times Square. This I knew. We both hated it when I lived there oh so many years ago. But, as the Conde Nast office is located there, so was he. I joined him on a commute to Chelsea as he went to a meeting with his new employer and I did some shopping and lunch.

The rest of the day was spent with my friend in Brooklyn... before heading back on the train, to the PATH to my car in Newark... then it was on the way to the Catskills.

On the Road: Tysons Corner and Baltimore

Monday found me awake early and racked with pain. I stretched. Then, I stretched some more. Packed my car and headed out in rush hour traffic toward Tysons Corner, which I learned is something like the 6th largest mall. And perhaps my perspective on what is large is sadly and permanently disturbed because after walking all three levels, some more than once, even in what turned out to be very severe knee pain--I kept thinking... is this it?

And yes, I had severe knee pain. I thought I was going to have to call my doctors office and get an appointment for right when I got back. Fortunately, the mall had a CVS (yes, and I still didn't find it that big) and I bought a package of Aleve (even though it is on my no-no list), a Caramello bar and a bottle of Propel. I hobbled (literally) over to a bench and popped the Aleve, ate half the candy bar (cause if nothing else, chocolate always makes things better) and rested for a few minutes. And it was only a few minutes as a woman with three children under the age of 4 sat down on the bench next to mine. Shortly thereafter, I decided it was time to go... I made it back to my car and headed out toward Baltimore.

Usually, Google Maps is very good... and it wasn't that the directions I had were wrong. It seems that Google has other, more official, names for the roads than what the State of Maryland chooses to use. I continued for 20-30 miles on a road hoping that what it was called on the signs was, in fact, what Google had in mind. Turns out that it was, but I've encountered this a few times... and don't even get me started on NJ...

I got into Baltimore and my knee was feeling much better if not still swollen. I haven't consulted Internet MD... but I believe it is officially called fucked up tendons, in which case, I don't know if stretching really helped or not. But the Aleve did. I checked into the hotel, and proceeded across the street to the market for a stock of water when I noticed the nail place. More than a mani-pedi, I just wanted to soak my feet while sitting in a massage chair. The repaired manicure was just a bonus.

After a quick shower, my friend picked me up at the hotel and we headed to dinner. We got to the Greel place she'd picked out to find out that they were closed on Mondays. After much cussing about how a restuarant could be closed on a Monday, we popped a little further down the street to a bar/restuarant that was perfect. The Trolley Stop was just the right amount of dive for a place to also eat. A salad and two Corona's later, I was finally feeling human, if not also very buzzed. It was time to call it another night, Tuesday found me on the road early to Atlantic City.

On the Road: District of Columbia, pt. 2

Sunday morning, somewhere about 5 a.m. tents started rustling and walkers and crew were coming alive in the VERY crisp Maryland morning. We had camped the night at Sligo Middle School in pop tents that were very close together so once one person decided to get up, it quickly spurred the entire soccer field housing us.

The route opened at 7:30; however, it was nearly 8:30 before I and most of my team hit the 13.1 mile route back to the Kennedy Center. Body stiffness and cold quickly left and the day turned out to be bright and sunny. Along the route, I met so many people and shared the last 5-6 miles into the Kennedy Center with a couple of first time walkers who actually walked the same pace as I did... we lamented that we didn't meet up the day before. We three arrived at the Kennedy Center just after 12:30... doing the "Rocky Run" up the stairs. You would think that after all that running a flight of stairs would be impossible, but it wasn't--it was liberating and triumphant. There was music, dancing, and quite possibly the most significant feature--a real bathroom!!

I ended up leaving the Kennedy Center just after 1 p.m. Closing ceremonies were not until 3:30 and I very much needed to KEEP MOVING. So I headed back toward the Metro to Arlington with my gear bag and picked up my car and headed to my hotel for the night. I got another much needed shower after an incident at the hotel in getting a shower curtain in my room (seems housekeeping forgot to reinstall one).

After the shower, I headed over to Pentagon City--which I learned was, in fact, a shopping center (and was nearby my hotel). I was meeting a friend for dinner and needed to keep moving as I was very stiff and sore. I walked around until it was time for dinner... the visit was brief, but very nice.

Back at the hotel, I was in bed early... on Monday, I was headed to Tysons Corner before driving up to Baltimore.

On the Road: District of Columbia, pt. 1

These posts are out of order... obviously... I am out of order, so it makes perfect sense. DC was the first leg of the Road Trip vacation. I arrived on Friday, registered for the walk and had a lovely evening dinnering and bar hopping with a friend I've not seen in some time. Given that Saturday and Sunday I was walking, I refrained from drinking anything stronger than Diet Coke. But do note, I very much wanted a beer!!

Turns out that four hours of sleep prior to getting up and walking a marathon is not completely adequate.

The Avon Walk brought in 3100 walkers and 600-700 crew members and volunteers and raised over $7.4 million dollars. Avon Foundation uses the monies raised to help the medically underserved get screenings and treatment for breast cancer. Monies are also donated to research, including a portion of the funds raised in DC going to John Hopkins for vaccination research and development.

The Opening Ceremonies started at 7 am at the Kennedy Center. We were there by 6:30... by 6:45 I had spilled coffee down the front of my white t-shirt. It was a trend that I would continue with for the duration of the walk. By 7:30 the route opened and we headed out, circling the Kennedy Center walking along the Potomac... and from there, I have no idea WHERE we were until about noon time when I hit the Maryland border. Saturday started out very strong... the first 21 miles were done in less than 6 hours. The last 5.2 miles took 2 hours and a lot of breaks. Somewhere around mile 22, I hit the wall. First, I felt it in my shoulders and quickly down into my feet. My legs immediately stiffened up and the arches of my feet ached (indeed, upon getting into camp, they were bruised). I wanted to cry; give up. It had turned cold, rainy and yet, with goosebumps and frozen fingers, I was sweating buckets. I called SK, who assured me I would be able to do it.

I kept going.

When I pulled into the last rest stop before camp, my fellow Ann Arbor-ite was there (she was on crew and is the mother of my Avon Foundation Walker Buddy)... she told me to stretch, rest, drink some Gatorade and try to warm up a little before moving on... there was only 1.7 miles to go. ONLY.

I stretched, had some water and kept going. It was so close. And yet, like 20 previous miles of the walk, nearly all uphill. Just before 4 p.m. I made it into camp... three women grabbed me, hugged me, threw things on my neck, there was a lot of cheering. It's all a blur now. All I knew for sure was that I was desperate for a shower... I could feel the street grime on my skin like sandpaper and had to get my shoes off my swollen feet. Before any of that, though, I had to set up my tent--my tentmate hadn't gotten in yet. I wasn't sure how I was going to manage it, it hurt to bend over at that moment... and then I heard a woman from near the gear trucks ask me--do you need some help with a tent? We called them tent angels... volunteers who came in for the day solely to help put up tents. Three of them descended on the tent and I had my gear bag and person in the tent in minutes... and was able to head over to the shower trucks.

For the unaware... they bring in semi-trucks that have 6-8 shower units in each... the water is hot and really quite lovely for a semi-truck--but after a day of porta-potties, no running water, rain, grime and sweating, it was the most divine thing imaginable. It might be hard to image being grateful for showering in a semi-truck, but you are--trust me.

About 5:30 a teammate and I were sitting at the dining tent table, waiting on other team members to come in when she looked at me and said, Nikki, you are turning purple. Indeed, I was. It seems between the cold and not eating enough during the walk causing my blood sugar to drop, I was no longer pink. But, after putting on another layer of clothes and eating some dinner, I returned to my usual coloring and started to feel more like human.

My team, the Solo Strutters, were made up of people who signed up for the walk alone. By the time of the walk, we had nearly 30 people join the DC walk team (the team spans all cities). Our team was the largest fundraising team with over $110K raised.

Shortly after the last walker got into camp at 8 p.m. when the route closed, many of us were cozied up in our sleeping bags... resting up for day 2.

On the Road: Atlantic City

It was shortly after noon today and I was a buzz with the smell of the Atlantic and being on the Boardwalk when I decided that the sunshine and the water and the being on vacation required me to have a beer. As I sat down to enjoy my Heineken, I noticed that Headline News was on at the bar; I also noticed 2 guys on their "lunch" break from the construction site nearby staring at the girls. Something about these guys drinking beer and then going back to operate heavy machinery didn't sit well, so I really just pretended they weren't there at all--it made the whole situation easier. But I digress. Headline News brought to my attention a Chicago Billboard ad that has peoples all in ado. It seems that some divorce attorneys are using sex to sell, or something. Personally, I thought it was hysterically funny--as did the two women sitting next to me at the bar. Others, apparently, find it less than funny... I wasn't sure though if it was truly funny or it was the beer... but no beer, much later in the day, I am still laughing. For your enjoyment:

God Help the Queen

In what has become White House custom, Bush made a slight gaffe. Queen Elizabeth (Lizzy, to those closest her) arrived in DC today, shortly after I departed, and was welcomed with much pomp and circumstance. Bush, in his welcome, screwed up the date of the bicentennial in which the Queen appeared, where he began 17 instead of 19 in the date of 1976. And, admittedly, of his screw ups, gaffes and other idiocies, this one was rather funny and kind of fitting--if one imagined the Queen had a sense of humor. Though, when it comes to age--sometimes there is no joking--it can be quite a sensitive subject.

Walk Press

A few really good articles on the Avon Walk...

...from the Washington Post...

...from WTOP radio (also contains a mention on my team and quote from our team leader)...

...from Annapolis Capital...

39+ Miles

The Walk is over... it was good... I am sore, tired and still processing the event. I will post more about the whole thing later, right now, I just want to say thanks to everyone for your well wishes.

Vacation Time

Just shortly before noontime, I was officially on vacation! I spent the afternoon finishing my packing, getting keys to people, having a lunch, washing my car... playing. Tomorrow morning, I head out toward DC... do the walk. Then it is Baltimore, Atlantic City, NYC and the Catskills. Niagara is now out. When I got home today, I checked my mail--no passport. The officials were doubtful that my drivers license alone would be problem-free at the border, and as I mailed off my birth certificate with my passport app... I decided I would stay 2 nights in the Catskills and just drive home from there. Just about an hour ago, my neighbor came knocking... my passport had, in fact, come--just to his mailbox. So, since I had already booked and pre-paid my room for two nights, I'm sticking with it. The passport will get enough use in June.

Believe it or not, I've been very preoccupied with my vacation, neglecting to ridicule the City of Ypsilanti's Council requesting that we all join in a national day of prayer today to help the city through its fiscal struggle. Or the envelope I got in the mail yesterday with decriptions all over the outside about how Jesus loves me... or some such thing.

Ok, gotta get from here... DC is awaiting its new "madam" I can pimp. LOL

No gas on May 15? Right.

Folks, STOP sending me these emails. I am not boycotting gas prices by not purchasing gas on May 15. The bottom line here is that gas is a natural resource that is in very limited supply—the earth can only make so much of it in any given timeframe and the United States is not privileged in its consumption.

How about this… on May 15—don't drive, instead, rely on public transportation and try burning some of the fat off the old ass by walking to the local store, try carpooling, try making only one trip in the car. In fact, give it a go for a good week…. We SHOULD pay more for gas—inconvenient as it may be, expensive as it may be, we abuse the resource significantly and pay less for it than any other country. The higher the price of gas, the more we have to think about what we really use, what we really consume and how much our lifestyles have devalued our resources.

I'm not saying I'm not guilty of excess, but at least I'm willing to admit I'm part of the problem and not blame others.