Move over Martha!

It was a relatively productive day here at the homestead. I brought home the bacon and fried it up in a pan!

I kicked some ass at work managing projects and people and managing not to yell too loudly at a particularly dimwitted individual.

I worked out at lunch, came home and did laundry, cleaned floors, washed dishes, brushed and walked a herd of dogs, played with the neighbor kids plus lots more stuff too.

Then . . . I picked some wild blueberries from the vines in the backyard and baked them into muffins! Whole wheat double berry muffins! That actually tasted pretty good even though they are kind of healthy!

Exhibit 1: Fresh Blackberries

Exhibit 2: Add some Blueberries

Exhibit 3: Sidetracked by a dog in a shirt

Exhibit 4: Muffin-tastic!

Where everybody knows your name

Several years ago an acquaintance of mine and I decided to run a marathon. Neither of us had ever run more than a mile - and the last time either of us had done that was high school. It seemed like a lofty goal and we both figured "How hard can it be?" We were wrong . . . and we were right.

Many times during those first few months I asked myself what the hell I had been thinking as gasped for breath and fought the urge to curl up on the side of the road and wait for the buzzards to get me. As the weeks went by it got easier and my acquaintance became a good friend.

We survived. We raised money for charity. We made a bunch of new friends. Since that first marathon we have gone on to run several others, but that's a story for another day.

Our little group is not the stero-typical running group. We may not really look like runners. Most of us aren't super lean or super fast. We tend to slack off at times and are quick to cut a run short if we just aren't feeling it that day. We pick races based on how good the t-shirt is and how much swag we get.

One thing that we don't slack on is our post run routine. For years we have met in the same place on Wednesday nights at 6:45 pm. We run 3, 4, or 5 miles depending on the weather, training schedules, or general mood. Afterwards . . . we do not pass go, we do not collect $200, we go directly across the street to New York Pizza and Pasta for food and adult beverage.

We have been going there since the week it opened. We were one of the very first group photos that was hung on the wall and we were put in a place of prominence. (Since then, we have been bumped to the corner in favor of all sorts of local celebrities.) They welcome us warmly, rearrange their tables for us, and happily eat our extra birthday cake.

It's great to have a place where you are a regular, and it's great to have a group of friends that you can exercise with and then go put all those calories back with. Good times.

A little trip down memory lane

This weekend I will be heading back to the town where I went to college for a sorority reunion. I haven't been there since the day I moved away many years ago. I have kept in touch with a few girls off and on, and thanks to the miracle that is Facebook I am now in touch with several more. There has been quite a buzz since we haven't been together in years.

I dug out my old scrapbooks to take a little trip down memory lane. There were several recurring themes. Lots of good times. Lots of bows. Lots of hair. Very big hair. Cute Boys. Lack of sunscreen. Road trips. Laughter. Questionable fashion choices.

Strangely, there was no evidence of libraries, vegetables, or early morning jogs.

A whole lot of booze and tanning bed rays must have damaged my brain, because I really don't remember a lot of the details. Pretty sad really, but not too unusual for me. Friends often recall things that happened even recently that I just can't remember.

The Rock Star gives me a hard time rather often because I am constantly forgetting things that happened or we talked about. Just this week he noticed a scuff on my bumper and on the doorway to the garage. He asked me if I hit something, and of course I said no. Then I started thinking that maybe I did - I just can't quite remember. How do you forget driving into a wall?

Part of the problem is that often I don't think that I am really paying attention or living in the moment. That certainly needs to change. It is said that to fight off dementia and Alzheimers people should keep their brains active with crosswords, puzzles, reading etc.

I better do something, because at this rate, by the time I am 50 I will be shuffling around the neighborhood in my bathrobe looking for our cat that died 6 years ago and trying to remember which house is mine.

Round and Round

A few weeks ago I had my first experience with roller derby.

A friend has been part of the derby league in Dallas for years. For years, we have told her we would come watch. And we really meant it, but we never seemed to get there. She had to threaten to retire to finally get our butts in gear.

I just have to say . . . roller derby is awesome! Rowdy crowd, witty names, fast-pace, cheap beer = hell of a way to spend the evening.

The names and numbers are great: Jackie O'NiceAss, June Carter Crash, Smashley Simpson, Nitro-Jen, Rink Panther, Filmore Pain, Strawberry Deathcake. I want to join just to get a cool name.

Most of the crowd seemed to be regulars. Luckily for our group they print the rules in the program and members of the crowd are happy to explain the nuances of the game (match? bout?). Before long we actually understood what was happening and were cheering along.

The energy was fabulous. These women are loud and proud and the stands are full of boyfriends, husbands, girlfriends, children, parents and friends who are proud to support them. Who doesn't want to spend time with strong, empowered, confident women? As Martha would say, It's a good thing.

Hopefully the movie Whip It will make it even more popular. More people should enjoy the derby.