Puddle Jumping in DC

I'm not coming down . . .

until you put away the mop!

Is it just a greeting card holiday?

Who was that St. Valentine guy anyway? Was he really a christian priest in the Roman Empire who was executed for performing marriages for draft-eligible young men against the emperors orders? Did he really fall in love with his jailor's daughter and send her letters signed "from your Valentine." Or, was this all just hyped up by the $7.5 billion per year greeting card industry and an excuse for Americans to eat an average of 24.6 pounds of candy per year?

I called my grandma anyway. It's not her fault that I'm cynical about consumerism and holidays.

Today was a day of mixed messages

On my way into the metro, a nice lady from Our Place, a local social work agency, gave me a little baggie with a heart shaped lollipop, some condoms, and educational material about sexually transmitted diseases and other health issues.

An economist on NPR this morning was discussing his research that determined that a marriage is equal to, on average, $100,000 worth of happiness per year.

On my way out of the metro, I was confronted with a wall of billboards from the Marriage Works people who promote that same message but want to deny that happiness to the 600,000 or so committed gay and lesbian couples in the U.S.

I wished for a camera phone - but just for a second -

because the fog over the tidal basin by the Jefferson Memorial at dusk this evening was just really cool.

If you read carefully, you'll notice that I compose blog entries while running. It makes sense since that's when I do some of my best (or at least most deluded) thinking. I've made several major life decisions while running.

Bug has got it pretty good

I stay home two days during the week to "study". Bug likes to distract me. This is how I cope - I turn the dining room table into an obstacle course/parrotlet playground to keep her occupied (sort of).

Objects from left to right.

• Kryptonite lock (that kryptonite still hasn't sent me a replacement for) box and Soy milk - for blocking access to laptop keyboard.
• Treat cup - for periodically holding edible things.
• Play stand with many toys
• Spoon - why not?
• TP roll - for exploring, chewing on, and providing little poopy clean up tissues.
• Koosh - for attacking, obviously.
• Bowl of pistachio shells (washed and dried) - for chewing on, throwing about, watching Jen pick up off the floor.
• Cage in the background - for retreating if the koosh gets too saucy.

• Grass mat - for chewing
• Pocket full of sunflower seeds - for infuriating birds who can't chew through them!
• Paper - for chewing
• Spinny toy - for ignoring, mostly.

Still, Jen's head is a pretty good place to be.

Now, that's more like it.

3:51 PM Partly Cloudy 56°F

Too many runners to count.

The President's supernova theory of government management.

Living in Washington, DC is a little different.

At 4pm today, half a dozen news trucks had already camped out along the mall (my running route) to secure their spots for the requisite live spot during the evening news and their post-"State of the Union" stand-up reports. Between Jefferson and Madison on 4th Street, I counted 28 police vehicles (16 cars, 8 bikes, and 4 motorcycles). By the time I ran past again, the mob of dark blue had more or less dispersed but the stragglers had been joined by another couple of news trucks.

Of the 5 years I've lived in DC, I think I've run on the mall before the president's State of the Union address three times. How odd.

Sometimes it's all just too much

Every once in a while, I use the fabulous invention, ebay, to get rid of stuff I'm no longer using - but then I have to ship it.

Wrapping packages involves bubble wrap, brown paper bags, crinkly paper, and packing tape. After about a half our of "helping" this morning, poor little Bug was so over stimulated that she needed to go back to her cage for a little time out.

Sitting on my knee chewing on my reading material is much more relaxing.

This evening was all about heat.

I took a yoga class and the instructor pumped up the heat. After about a half hour, my legs, more or less, melted. Good for flexibility but makes for a very wobblypose.

Every instructor is has his/her own style and I haven't taken too many classes with this one. It took me a couple of tries to figure out what, from here: , "place your hands on the earth, pivot your rear foot in, and swing your front foot high in the air" means. It looks basically like this: (only with the arm attached).

After that, I took a soak in the hot tub.
Then I took a cool shower.
Then I walked home in the cold.

The first day is the hardest

I spent far too much time yesterday examining my diet & excercise log and learned what the scale had basically already told me: calories consumed - calories burned = no net weight loss.

I also learned that, in the last two weeks, I consumed an average of about 400 calories per day from cookies, ice cream and chocolate! OMG! Now granted Mac has been stressed out and, when Mac is stressed out, he buys Ben & Jerry's . . . . still, this is not acceptable. Since we already know that you need to net -500 calories per day to loose 1 pound per week, all that running and stuff is good for my heart but, if I make up for it in chocolate, it does nothing for my waistline.

So starting today for a month (It's a short month): no cookies, no chocoate, no ice cream. My only exceptions are hot cocoa and any desert made by Alex (I'm not crazy).