Zoom Zoom

I ran the BolderBoulder 10K race on Memorial Day and did pretty darn well (if I do say so myself). It was my first 10K (previous races were 5K and previous runs were 4.5 miles), so I had no idea how I'd do. Turned out it was pretty easy to stay on pace and finish strong. Below are my times:

First Mile - 10:37 (minutes:seconds)
Second Mile - 11:22
Third Mile - 11:42 (this is the mile where I made a pit stop)
Fourth Mile - 11:14
Fifth Mile - 10:39
Sixth Mile - 10:32
Total time (10K = 6.21371 mi) - 1:07:54

Not bad, eh? That's about my goal, 10 minute miles with 30 seconds of walking each mile.

It was a lot of fun, too. The Squeeze and I camped out the night before near the start so we wouldn't have to deal with waking up early and the traffic. It was very spontaneous and adventurous. :)

Buying Organic

In honor of my parents' visit over the weekend, here's a really well written article about buying organic produce:
Organics: Are They Worth It?

And don't miss the companion article that can be used to decide when it's better to buy organic:
Organic Produce: Most & Least Commonly Contaminated

In Honor of the Rain, A Quote

For after all, the best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It Doesn't Help That It's Raining

Sorry I've been on such an introspective bent lately. I'm trying to understand the world and my place in it. I'm trying to understand why I, a lovely, kind, and dynamic being, am not allowed to have what I want. I'm sure the Universe is working the way it's supposed to, but I'm pissed because it's not working the way I want it to. Positive thinking, while a great comfort most of the time, is not a miracle worker.

I suppose it's fitting that it's raining buckets here. Normally, that's something I enjoy immensely, but right now it's just reinforcing the mood.

[scowl]

An Informal Poll: Affection

Here's a question (OK, a bunch of questions) for you...

How do you express affection? Do you do it often with a few folks or with many people? Why? Do you not do it much at all? Why not?

I ask these questions because I've been thinking about the subject myself and am realizing how important it is to me. However, I don't think everyone can (or even should) do it the same as I do.

I only show affection to a few people, but for those few I try to do it on a regular basis (even if I'm irritated with them). I do it sometimes with words, but more often with body language (hugs, a touch on the arm, etc.) and actions (helping them with a task, for example).
Why I do it is more complicated. I do it because I know I need it and want to do unto others as I would have done unto me. I need it, so I give it, because it makes me happy and I assume it will make those I care about happy. I put that word, "need," in italics because it expresses how important I realize it is to me. Disturbingly important, actually. As someone who subscribes to some Zen philosophies about attachment and desire, having this sort of anxious grip is worrisome. It is a vulnerability. On the other hand, recognizing and embracing one's vulnerabilities is one of the lessons of being human, isn't it?

How would you answer the questions above? There are no right or wrong answers.

Construction Art

I was in a creative mood last time I was photographing the project. The first was hard to get -- I had to set the timer for 1.5 seconds (which is why it's blurry) to get enough light. The second is better and was easy to get.

Reading as Entertainment: A Revelation

On occasion, I accompany The Squeeze up to his cabin in the mountains. It's a little under 2 hours to drive, one way. Knowing that neither of us are talented enough to find conversational material for that length of time, I took a book (John Scalzi's Old Man's War) I really liked and thought he would like and offered to read aloud. I read the first few chapters that day, some on the way up and some on the way back. He liked it enough that he asked to borrow the book. He then read it during our vacation to Honduras. Then, he looked up John Scalzi on Amazon and bought the rest of his works. AND he bought a couple other books that Amazon recommended that were similar to Scalzi's work. I have to admit to being a bit surprised by the swiftness of his conversion from someone who (he joked) had read only 6 books in his lifetime, to this. I mentioned my surprise to him and he pointed out that he has yet to read them, so it's only potential at this point, but the effort made to obtain the books has been made, so I count it to the good. A new reader! Happy day!

Building Progress

I just realized that I haven't posted a picture of the building I'm worked on in a long while. As you can see here, we are forming the slab of the seventh level. It's extremely complicated since it has a pool and it's where the big parking base transitions to the thinner residential tower.

Obviously Sensitive

Does everyone assume that they are somewhere in the middle of the bell curve on most things, or is it just me? For example, I think I'm probably slightly higher than average on intelligence, average on looks, average fitness/weight, etc. Statistically speaking, I'm more likely to be correct in this assumption than not.
However, I've noticed that it makes me susceptible to misunderstanding teasing that is (according to the teaser) "obviously" not true. My brother can attest to this tendency.
For example, I asked The Squeeze if I were high maintainance (stupid question, like asking "am I fat?"). He said yes. I was hurt by this, because I don't think I am. I told him the next day that I was hurt. He said: I thought you knew I was kidding. You are so obviously not high maintainance. You are the opposite.
Oh.
It isn't like this is a new thing. He likes to tease me that I'm Type A personality and a "typical" first born. I don't fall for those, 'cause I know I'm not.
I accept responsibility for my over-reaction and have to remember that I have a sensitivity there with the whole "maintainance" issue.
But why do some things seem obvious to others, and not to me?

The Ol' Stirrings

There's nothing like reading a really good writer's work to stir up the old writing passions again. I'm currently reading Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things, a collection of short stories and poems. Though they are not exactly what I would write, being a bit creepier and less tidy than my own work, there is a finess in the craft and a vividness in the imagination that I would hope to find in my own. I wish writing were easier, but alas, like most other worthwhile things in life, it takes work.
Incidentally, I also replaced my Firefly DVDs at last. That was a short-lived TV series that was popularized after the fact by DVDs and then resurrected as a movie, Serenity. Again, there's some interesting wordplay and vivid imagination.

Since I haven't been able to work writing fiction back into my schedule (yet), I am compromising by intending to write something for the blog every day. I'm telling you folks so I have some accountability. Let's see how long this lasts, shall we?