iRobot

What is that soft humming sound in the background? Is that a remote controlled airplane? No. Hmmm, Wow – your house, your house looks so clean, and vibrant. Did you just vacuum and sweep? You did! Oh you sort of did? How does that work?

iClean…. Barely… I mean it does… I’m getting lazy though.

Well, wonder no more. I’ve done it. I feel like a Japanese business man, coming home to find my house clean, my toilet warmed, my laundry pressed. I bought a robot.

It doesn’t have a name yet. We’re still getting to know each other. Our personalities. Our likes and dislikes (it likes pet hair and dirt. But hates when it can’t find its home to rest and recharge). I think something like … R2D2 or maybe just the generic Roomba name it came with is a little too predictable. Perhaps my robot will be named Harold or Inspector. He’s no Jetson’s Rosie, but he does the job, and he does the job well!

If you’ve ever watched Arrested Development you might be familiar with the earlier generation of this robot. A Robot is seemingly a luxury for the rich, who typically have maids to do this sort of thing anyway. But a friend of mine introduced me to a site called Woot: www.woot.com/. Their moto is: “One day, One Deal”. They sell refurbished or discounted technology equipment. And this little site allowed me to adopt my new best friend. Biff. No – too bulky of a name. Jerry, Ruben, Roo? Well, whatever we call him… I’m delighted that he’s mine.

Is it wrong that I like to watch him sleep (sweep)? Such a sweet 'lil guy.

Camping for Independence

Whoo – hooo – the long holiday weekend and the only thing on the agenda is a great camping trip with our friends. So, we pack up the car (and by pack I meant stuff into every crevice of our 1995 Ford Explorer) and head up to Gross Reservoir just up the canyon. We’d been warned that one must have a 4 wheel drive vehicle with SUV clearance in order to get to the camp site – but little did I realize that you REALLY needed a 4 wheel drive vehicle with clearance – I’ve never been on safari, but I have been on the Disneyland Indian Jones’ Ride, and this scared me a whole lot more than the ride at Disneyland (that includes the giant boulder of doom and snake that can turn you to stone). To make matters slightly more treacherous was the fact that it was raining on our way through this dirt road (if it can be called a road) and the occasional slippage added to the suspense of possibly rolling down the sheer drop offs on the way to our campsite. Yes, I realize it may seem like I’m exaggerating, but really I thought when Michelle told me about the road that SHE was exaggerating. It was scary enough that I let out occasional “yipes” – and Steve was laughing like a maniac, having more fun than he has ever had in his life. (That’s a quote by the way).

We finally arrive at the campsite – as noted by the large American Flag flying out front the road. As AJ stated, “I’ve never been so happy to see the American Flag!” Just about as soon as we pull up, the rain subsides and we absorb the breathtaking views of our camp site. We found later that locals call it the “peninsula”; a beautiful little piece of land cradled by the pristine waters of the reservoir. It had the shape of a mini-Florida hanging out in the mountain lake.

We set up camp and were lucky enough to have delicious hot dogs and bratwurst waiting for us courtesy of Kirsten and James who had traveled up earlier in the afternoon to claim the epic spot. We all settle in to dinner around a magnificent camp fire. Friday morning we awoke to one of the most gorgeous days on record. Light fluffy clouds sprinkled the aqua sky, the smell of fresh rain still lingering in the mountain air. Steve and I headed out for a ride in the boat (also courtesy of Kirsten and James) with the dogs swimming around on the shore. After a wonderful breakfast of bacon and bagel sandwiches, A.J., Kirsten and I took the dogs for a long meandering walk on the “road” and found a deer leg lying all by itself. Kirsten’s dog decided it was just the cologne he needed and proceeded to roll all over it. Thankfully none of the dogs wanted the leg as a treat – and it was left as a reminder to all - pack the food up for the night – lest we become the next meal for whatever had taken 95% of this little animal. The rest of the day was like any other day of camping. Lots of sitting around by the fire, eating snacks, reading, fishing. The dogs would play (and there would be some attempted humping – apparently Delilah is quite the little heart breaker… Lety’s dog “Blue” would not leave her alone!) Steve, Michelle and Alex all caught beautiful fish. Michelle’s was the largest Rainbow Trout of the bunch. And, the fish that Steve caught was delicious that night for dinner.

We played lots of ladder ball, horse shoes, the guys invented a golf game – and later we played Home run derby, which is basically just slow pitch, and if you get a home run you get a point. Very fun game! The wiffle-ball is key in this game though to avoid having to run too far. A bit of excitement came when, while making dinner, we heard a loud “boom”!! directly up the hill from us. I looked up and we couldn’t figure out, but some vehicle was on its side. I screamed up “Hello!!! Are You hurt? Do you need help” – and sure enough there was no answer. So Steve bolted up the “road” with AJ and her cousin close behind. Alex ran to get the car and head up in case they needed extra help. Turns out this dumb ass was riding his ATV drunk and flipped it on the “road”. AJ’s cousin (Nick) goes to give him some water from the water bottle that was on the ATV and the whole thing was alcohol. But the guy wasn’t dead – or dying, so I guess there is a lesson to be learned here. Some minor bleeding from the head and probably a broken collar bone, and I would say this guy was pretty lucky. Alex drove to his camp and got his people… who later we learned did indeed have to get him to the hospital. Oh the excitement!

That night a few of our other friends surprisingly showed up at around 8pm (although we can’t know for sure, since no one wore a watch or had any concept of time over the weekend). We enjoyed another evening of campfire, good friends and great times. Oh, and the dogs has a blast. I’m glad I got Delilah this awesome glow in the dark collar – for a black dog at night is not so easy to find (artistic rendering of the collar below).
Oh I love long weekends. Hope everyone had a happy 4th of July – I know we did!

The views from our camp.

On our hike we found some amazing wild flowers and sights.

Wedding Weekends...

Falling in love – again. Its wedding season, and I believe every year there are more and more weddings to go to. Is this part of growing up, or something to do with the population boom? This past weekend Steve and I were lucky to be a part of Fred and Kassi’s wedding. Fred is Steve’s childhood buddy, and as best man in our wedding and Steve in theirs (tit for tat), Steve had the honor of not only giving a speech, but also reading during the wedding. It’s a little ironic I guess, but my friend Mara told me (at her wedding earlier this year); weddings are usually more sentimental and meaningful to the people who are already married. When you get down to the vows, and the readings and the speeches… it all means a little bit more when you can put them into context with your own experience and relationship. That is definitely true – but it was something else about this wedding that made me realize how lucky I am. I think in the day to day rituals of life, you see your partner in a certain way. I see Steve on the couch, or mowing the lawn, or going off to work. I see him at soccer games, playing with the dog, or going out to eat. When you see something new and interesting that little part of your brain goes “oh yeah, I forgot about that… he really is great!”. Steve gave a wonderful reading and speech – pausing at the right moments, smiling at the crowd. When I confessed that I was impressed with his articulation Steve simply said “um, yeah – I was the “reader” in high school ‘cause I’m so great at it.” (back to typical Steve – I guess the star can only burn so bright for so long). I don’t know if it’s the season, or the weddings, or perhaps its just settling into the routine of an old married couple (we’ve started playing games of Scrabble at night, and I’ve quickly become out-matched- Steve got 87 points off the word Booze the other night!) but whatever it is, I realize how very lucky I am to have someone so funny and caring in my life. Oh, and the other really fun thing about the wedding this weekend – they had a photo-booth. I highly recommend this to anyone thinking about it. Photo-booths rule!

The old High-school gang at Mara and Eric's wedding.

26.2 Marathoning Miles

Everyone runs [walks, crawls, jogs, suffers through] a marathon for a different reason. For some it’s the purple shit. The masses that raise money for a cause greater than themselves… Some run for time, or glory, or money (um, not me). For some the run is to prove – I am capable, I can do this. Guess which runner I am? I AM capable. I did it! On May 31st for about 5 hours I ran 26.2 miles in San Diego, California. I got to finally cross “run a marathon” off my list. But crossing it off hasn’t taken future marathons off the radar. I haven’t resigned myself to gym classes or yoga and soccer as my only outlet. Quite the contrary, running a marathon has instead made me more determined. I’m hooked!

So, I finished and survived that one… now I need to do the next one faster! Sure, I went out and made a bunch of rookie mistakes. Things I knew I shouldn’t be doing but couldn’t stop because of the excitement and nerves of the day. First half too fast – weaving in and out of all these purple shirts and walkers in the middle of the road. Getting frustrated by a leg cramp on a hill at mile 18; thinking those last 6 miles after running 20 were the longest miles I’ve ever run. I bumped up my training by a month when I found out Seattle was sold out and parking was the disaster they said it was going to be, almost making me late to the start. Port-o-potty line does indeed cause me to miss the start! But these aren’t excuses for my time, just events and lessons to help me in my next race. October 18th in San Francisco! So the training begins again, and this time I’ll be a little smarter, a little more prepared and hopefully a little faster. But, like John Bingham, a contributor to Runner’s world wrote “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”

John Wayne and I before the big race at the OC Airport.

Also, a special shout out to AnGayle Vasiliou - who was

the best support crew over the Marathon weekend!

Flight of the Conchords - Red Rocks

May 16th, 2009 - Steve and I went to one of the best concerts of our lives. First of all it was at Red Rocks, which is this incredible geologically formed, open-air Amphitheatre. Its gorgeous with spectacular views, despite the hiking involved in getting there. The atmosphere is very laid back, and everyone is always super chill and in a great mood. Secondly, we went to see Flight of the Conchords. (Note the super cool concert poster by Guy Burwell!) Now, unless you watch the series on HBO, you’re probably not very familiar with the parody rock band from New Zealand. Brett and Jermaine are pretty funny themselves… but their songs are endearing, hilarious and a little tongue in cheek. If you get a chance to see them live, I highly recommend it. And if you don’t – check out this great rendition of “The Humans are Dead” from Red Rocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4yvhQXW6kU

The Concert Views at Red Rocks.

Bolder Boulder 2009

Another Bolder Boulder has come and gone. We weathered through the rain, the late nights and endless supply of alcohol to come out a little bit happier and healthier after reconnecting with those long lost friends. Although the group has changed over the years, and we’ve begun to age to the point that… 3 days of staying up late, getting up early and dancing the nights away take their toll – I think the general ambiance of the weekend remains the same. So, hurray for another great racing weekend. Hurray for the ability to drink a margarita while running a 10K and stopping at slip and slides and house parties. And even though the weekend was rainy and overcast – it’s always sunny in Boulder!

17 Miles

Oh the highs and lows of my marathon training. This past Saturday I ran the farthest distance I have ever run before… wait for it…. wait for it…oh shoot, the title already gave it away. I did my 17 mile training run. Not only that, but I did the whole thing averaging 9 min, 47 second miles… which means I might actually break the 5 hour marathon mark! I did it all before 10am too – which just made my weekend even that much more spectacular. There was a glow about me all day. While I walked the aisles of home depot, picking up fertilizer with my husband; “Oh, hi there – you look like you know something about planting tomatoes. Did you know that I ran 17 miles this morning?” At soccer on Sunday a team mate said “I’m a little slow, I ran 7 miles training for the Bolder Boulder yesterday.” To which I nonchalantly replied “Yeah, I know how you feel. I ran 17 miles yesterday.” (Casually stretching my quads), “I feel a little slow too” (sprinting off onto the field so fast I was just a blur). I think the best part about that training run was it was the first time I thought to myself “I can run a whole marathon”. And it was the first time there was no doubt in my mind that it could be done, and that I might not feel like dying afterwards.

Monday however, there was a slight glitch. I went to register for the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon on June 27th. The date and race I have been training for. It was full. No exceptions. I will admit it, I cried… I cried a lot while going over the glory and shame of the whole situation. I had come so far! I could do this! Why have the Running Gods damned me so?! But out of tragedy – triumph, or at the very least a Plan B was formed. I am now signed up and will be running the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon exactly 1 month earlier than my anticipated Seattle race. I am a little concerned about the timing. I won’t lie to you. Have I sabotaged myself with this little stunt? Maybe. But I think there are several key factors working in my favor here.

1. Many marathon training programs keep you at 18 miles for the longest distance. At 17.12… I feel pretty confident that I could easily have gone that extra mile.
2. Altitude, Altitude, Altitude. I train at over 5,000 feet on a regular basis. Sea Level is for Sissies as they say. I think that should give me a few more miles – EASILY!
3. Time is not a factor. I’m planning on running the Nike Women’s Marathon in October – so for my first 26.2 mile race… it’s all about finishing. And if I have to walk, so be it. The victory here is not the time, but the completion of the distance.

So, wish me luck. Come cheer me on if you’re around. I’m going to be waddling 26.2 miles on Sunday May 31st in San Diego. Here’s to training!!!