Pink Elephant

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I can't think of a better way to distribute Halloween candy than in a pink elephant.


runnings

Kowalski's Boo Bash

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Unknowingly, I quickly stopped at Kowalski’s for milk and candy tonight. Apparently the Kowalski’s on Hennepin was hosting their Boo Bash at that time. Yes, the kids in their costumes gallivanting through the store were cute, but the parking lot was far from cute. As it took me 10 minutes to exit a 40-spot parking lot, I set my annoyances aside and reminded myself it is almost Halloween and the kids were oblivious to the parking jam. Community events are good, even when you’re in a hurry.

runnings
Since this cold that took my voice is in my chest, I haven't been able to run lately. It's driving me a little nuts. Despite the wheezing, I may get out there for a short distance soon.

Flapper as a Toga

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The Halloween party I went to this weekend was toga themed. We were all to come in a toga, but make it into any costume we wanted. I attempted a flapper.



runnings

No Voice

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I haven’t had a voice beyond a croak since Tuesday (no… not because I was screaming at Babs). As someone who likes to talk, this has been very frustrating. I don’t think I’ve ever lost my voice like this before, especially due to a cold. I can get some noise out, but I can’t talk loud enough to be heard over something like, say, bar noise. I’ll tell you though, I tried. I’d like to think I came off as charming even without my conversation abilities…

runnings
Like I said, I've been browing for races. I'm thinking Big Sur Half and maybe Clearwater Half. We'll see.

Wonderful Babs

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Babs was incredible. Before seeing the show, I was happy to have tickets and thrilled my mom could go, but afterwards I’m just as thrilled I could go. I’ve always known her music, but not until she walked out onto stage and I was 15 rows away from her (ok – give or take a few feet…) did I have the reaction of “Omg… it’s Barbra Streisand!!!”. Her singing was strong and as amazing as I remember it when my mom played her records as we cleaned the house on Saturdays. Even though we could see the teleprompter, she was natural and broke away from the script occasionally. She even frequently acknowledged the hoots and hollers from fans. One of her comments I enjoyed was when she stated that there have been many rumors about her, such as the one where she walked into a room and fired all the musicians on the left. She said if any one knew her, and if she did fire anyone, it would have been everyone on the right. Go get ‘em Babs.

runnings

What to Wear to See Barbara Streisand

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Apparently I need to put some consideration into what I wear to see Barbara Streisand tomorrow. I hadn’t really thought about it, but according to this article, this is a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity I should dress up for. I won’t go as far as a formal dress, but the suggestion of boots, a nice skirt and sweater sounds nice:
"I'd love to see a girl in a great pair of boots, a fashionable skirt, a longer coat and sweater," suggests Twin Cities fashion producer Grant Whittaker. "We live in a society that's so ridden with bad self-esteem, getting dressed up makes you feel good."
Although, I usually dress nicely for work even though our dress is casual and many of my coworkers dress as you would expect developers to -- jeans or shorts, t-shirts or sweat shirts. But does this article imply I usually feel good or I am dressing up to feel good?

runnings
I cancelled my physical therapy appointment. I really have nothing to show her right now so I'd rather get running again and have something to work with if my knee gets bad. My referral only lasts for 60 days though so I'd better get back at it.

Tickets to Barbara

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I have in my hands 2 comp tickets to Barbara Streisand on Tuesday. I grew up to my mother playing Barbara and I've watched Hello Dolly countless times (especially since I played Dolly in high school). I called up my mother yesterday to see if she can make it Tuesday and of course she is making it work. Wow... how exciting! Not only do I think this is one of those rare chances to see an incredible artist, but the fact that my mom gets to go too makes it even better.

runnings
I seem to be coming down with something that includes a sore throat so I haven't run for a few days. Instead of a run today, I started researching places to go to next year to run a race. I want to run something like a 10 mile or half marathon in another city. First step though, get over the cold before the show Tuesday.

Chris Cain in Indianapolis

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Several people made the suggestion to hit The Slippery Noodle so last night my coworker and I made our way to this blues bar in downtown Indianapolis. We saw one of the most entertaining blues performers I've seen (granted, I'm not well versed in blues...). Not only does Chris Cain create great music, but he has a face of putty. His facial expressions mimicked his music. Sometimes he had a thoughtful look and would look out into the audience observing people’s reactions. The next beat he’d have a big, open-mouthed grin that showed how much fun it all was. His mop of curly grey hair bounced around until it became damp with sweat at which point it did more of a flapping thing than bouncing. We did take a chance to chat with him and I asked if he ever made his way to Minneapolis. He said he had just been to Famous Dave’s. I’ll be keeping an eye out for him again and will be sure and make it out as I believe the reason I'm so excited about him is because I saw him live.

runnings
I convinced myself to get out for a run yesterday by telling myself I needed to try an outdoor run in Indianapolis and also because I'm not having any knee issues. I found a lake (well, maybe more a pond) behind the hotel and made a few laps around it. I'm still not sure what to do about my physical therapy appointment Monday if I'm not having any issues at the moment. I rested my knee too well.

Training In Indiana

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I’m in Indianapolis this week for some training for work. I made the mistake of letting my friend in Fort Wayne know I was in his state via text message last night. He promptly phoned me and asked me how long I had known I would be making the trip and why I hadn’t let him know. I had figured the 2.5 or 3 hours it would be from Fort Wayne would be too far to consider. Apparently I was wrong, but the only chance for him to make the drive was last night. Well, perhaps I’ll have to consider another trip to Indiana.

runnings
I have given my knee a good rest and got in a 4 mile run at the gym by the hotel last night. I wasn't thrilled with the gym (I miss my gym...), but it served its purpose. My knee didn't act up either. I'm starting to think I need to run more or I won't have anything to report to a physical therapist next week.

Success in the Kitchen

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A few indicators of a successful kitchen at the bazaar:

• All the chili was sold
• None of the cinnamon buns burned and they even looked and tasted good
• A vegetarian made an exception for our chili
• The coffee pot that burst into flames didn’t damage anything or hurt anyone
• The helpers had a good time. Even Pastor Jack:

runnings

Getting the Kitchen Ready

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I took the day off to get the kitchen in order for our church bazaar tomorrow. This has been quite a task, but I think things are in as much order as they can be right now (we'll see how the 6am baking of cinnamon rolls goes tomorrow though...). I'm not sure I actually needed the day off to finish things, but it kept me relaxed. While I was over at the church this afternoon there were several ladies and a few men getting their areas of the bazaar ready. I was probably the youngest, but there was a wide range of ages of people working together, conversing and relaxing. It really was an enjoyable afternoon. Especially the cake someone brought in to share.

runnings
I have unintentionally rested my knee the rest of the week. It is just about normal so I need to get back into a routine. I'll keep my physical therapy appointment though. It has taken me about 2 weeks to get in. As a friend of mine pointed out, I'm sure it could have to do with all the 10 mile or marathon runners that waited until after the race like me.

Bleeding the Radiators

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Since it was a crisp 52 degrees in my place this morning my neighbors and I decided it was time to turn on the heat (apparently we skipped fall). My building has one boiler and one thermostat. I like the charm of the radiators and the heat isn't as drying as forced air, but it seems to be a bit of a science to balance the heat with such a method. Last winter I had days where I was suffering with 80 degrees while my upstairs neighbor was finally comfortable around 70 degrees. At other times I was around 70 and they were in the mid 50s. We found various reasons for this crazy temperature spread and this year we hope we start things right. After a little bleeding party, all the radiators are bled and the boiler is on. Lets see what temperature we get this time.

runnings

Photo With The Officer

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When attending a wedding that you know you'll have a few beers at, it is always a good idea to have a photo taken with the officer on duty at the location of the reception.

runnings
Reasons to run today:

• It might snow tomorrow
• It was a beautiful fall day
• I’m stressed at work
• Apart from the 10 mile, I haven’t run for 2 weeks
• I need the down time
• My knee status really hasn’t changed in a week

With my new found affinity for Velcro around my knees I figured I could go for a much needed run today. I kept it short and don’t feel any negative repercussions from the run -- only a slight feeling of satisfaction and relief.

Willy Porter

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Over the past weekend several friends of mine and I went to The Cedar to hear Willy Porter. Not only is he an incredible guitarist (I can tell and I don't even play guitar), but his talent extends to his song writing and stage presence. He makes you feel like he is genuinely happy to be performing and creating music for an audience he still appreciates and doesn't take for granted. His stage banter is entertaining (although his keyboardist's banter was plain odd...) and his improv is invigorating. He has a charming side-to-side head motion he does when he seems to really be into his music.

My prior experiences with Willy were when he was touring solo but this time it was with his band (including the slightly crazy keyboardist, complete with frizzy Art Garfunkel hair). Previously I was always amazed when he took topics from the audience (including Meerkats) and make up a song on the spot. This time he didn’t take audience topics, but he did make up a song that left me smiling and wondering how he kept the whole thing flowing.

Oh, and I should mention another positive thing about Willy is he is from Wisconsin. I wonder how much he likes cheese.

runnings
I couldn't resist another 10 mile photo. Again, great photo, not so attractive. However, it does show I was pretty happy to have completed the race.

Jo's Music

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My friend Jo is a talented guitarist and vocalist. Last weekend she and her friend Mary played at J&S Bean Factory in St. Paul. Several friends of mine always try to go to her gigs and last week the room was filled. Not only does Jo's music provide an opportunity for a variety of people to gather, but she also provides warm and soothing music to do so by.

runnings
I'm still giving my knee a rest as promised, but I really believe my knee was better this past week after a 10 mile than the previous week.

The Dairy State

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Over the weekend I read the article in the NY Times about California being poised to overtake Wisconsin in cheese production. California moved in with 2.14 billion pounds of cheese production last year compared to Wisconsin’s 2.4 billion pounds. Over 10 years ago California surpassed Wisconsin in milk production. I actually think the last time I had a permanent address in Wisconsin, the state was still on top of California in both milk and cheese production so I’ll always identify Wisconsin as the Dairy State. Apparently so will a lot of Wisconsinites:

“Cheese really is part of our identity,” said Terese Allen, a former president of the Culinary History Enthusiasts of Wisconsin who writes about the state’s culinary folklore. “Cheese is the perfect illustration of the Wisconsin personality — casual, fun people who like to make fun of things, including ourselves.”

And who else has Master Cheesemakers?

“Wisconsin boasts the nation’s only “Master Cheesemaker” certification, for its most accomplished veteran makers (there were 47 as of April) and one of the earliest cheese-making education programs, at the University of Wisconsin.”

Each trip back to my parents I always try to stop at the dairy near my hometown for some cheese. I’ve even taken to bringing cheese and cheese curds back for a few friends.

Cheese as a state’s identity, master cheesemakers, and supplying friends with cheese -- such cheese passion alone should help hold the title of Dairy State.

runnings

TC 10 Mile Photos

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runnings
A couple friends showed up to the 10-mile Sunday armed with cameras. Great photos, but running is not a pretty sport.

Shortcut to the Capital

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runnings
I think I can call the TC 10 Mile another successful run. This Shortcut to the Capital is almost enough inspiration for the full TC Marathon. The course is scenic (but of course we already knew it was scenic here) but challenging and the people along the way are a great inspiration. I had a few friends show up, but even people I didn’t know were cheering for everyone. With around 5000 people running, one of my favorite things was to be running down a hill and see people fill the road ahead of me as far as I could see. I imagine the marathon is even more spectacular in its people. Maybe I’m content with half marathons and less. I’m not sure. I do know at a few hills I was having a hard time imagining hitting them after 20 miles versus 4. I ran the course in 1:27:24 and considering the knee and hills I’m happy. Now I plan to rest for a few weeks for my knee and then decide what to train for next.