Coming Soon...

This is Cadbury. He'll be coming to live with us on Saturday!

We're very excited, but a little sad, too. It makes it so final that Tid is really gone and not coming back. Stupid, I know.










He's a really fun guy who loves to play.

Cadbury sounds like a love and I know we're going to be great friends. Check this space for more info on Saturday!

Stay Tuned!

We may be getting a new bunny in the next few days! We're very excited and hope this turns out to be a good arrangement for everyone. I'll post more details once I'm sure if this will be happening. The bunny in question might not be ready for fame, so it's important to set expectations.

AND! The second print draft of my book arrived today! I'm looking forward to reading it. I'm a weirdo who actually likes the editing process. Hopefully I won't find many errors and then I can make it available for purchase, simultaneous with a web serialization.

Lots of cool stuff happening around here!

Catching Up

It was another busy week around here and I have a little catch-up to do.

For starters, I still don't have any pics from the Seventies party. I'm going to ask again on Monday and each following Monday until someone at the office ponies up. We've got a lot of things going on right now though, and the primary custodian of the photos is busy putting together our annual Benefits Fair, so I figured it wasn't a good time to be too persistent.

I've got my second print draft of Steal Tomorrow en route from Lulu with my fancy new front and back covers, so I'm looking forward to getting it this week and seeing how it looks. I'd like to begin posting the story before the end of August, but in the meantime I'm posting extra content on the blog, so check it out and feel free to subscribe to the email updates. The email is through Feedburner, not me, so don't be shy-- I only know how many subscribers I have, not who they are. I hit a dry patch with my writing after Tid went to the Bridge, but I'm doing better now and new content should be pretty consistent.

I didn't do too well with exercise this past week. Weather was a big part of the problem, since for two mornings in a row we had a rain band move in off Hurricane Dolly at the exact time I needed to get out the door. I have to start my workout by 6:00 am in order to be ready for work by 8:00, so things like wind-whipped horizontal rain at 6:00 really screw things up. On Thursday, though, I took an extra half hour at lunch and got in a short run, so I made up for one of those lost mornings, at least.

Dan and I reversed our usual order of things this weekend. We had a wedding to go to on Saturday, so I made it my cooking day and did my run this morning instead, followed up with Indian food and a nap.

I have no new recipes for this week-- sorry. Maybe next week.

I also still have not found my new bunny, although I'm starting to feel like I'm ready for a new long-eared pal. One can't force these things, though.

And finally, Tidbit's old pals at Furry Butts gave us this nice award:








The rules are as follows:

1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Since this award seems to have gone through all the bunny blogs, I'm going to hit up a few of my writing and fitness friends.

1. Tennessee Text Wrestling
2. West of Mars
3. Ingenious Title to Appear Here Later
4. Chumplet Writes
5. Cranky Fitness
6. MizFit
7. Running into the Sun

Here's where to pick up your Award. Play or not, as you choose.

Here's to a great week, everyone!

Weekend Recipe Wrap-up

Okay, I know I said I probably wouldn’t be trying any new recipes this weekend, but plans change and I gave this recipe for Quinoa-Spinach Bake a try.

It was quite easy and the results were delicious. I recommend washing the quinoa well and even soaking it in salt water for a few minutes to help remove the bitterness. Since ricotta tends to be a bit bland, don’t hesitate to spice this recipe up a bit with whatever suits your fancy. I just used salt and red pepper, but white pepper, extra garlic, or Indian spices would make a nice option, too.

The other new thing I tried this weekend was feta and ricotta in the rice balls recipe. I forgot that I was out of mozzarella when I was at the store, so I dumped in what cheese I had and all was well.

So here’s the day’s culinary count:

• Quinoa-Spinach Bake
  
• Rice Balls (with feta and ricotta)
  
• Steamed broccoli with lemon pepper
  
• Zucchini baked with cheddar and bread crumbs
  
• Granola bars. Again. They keep disappearing.
  

I’ll probably do some cookies or quick bread (carrot or banana) later in the week. Until then, happy eating!

A Run Too Far

As I always do, I carefully mapped a running route for today. I needed to take a couple of checks to the bank, so it had to be a route that would put me at the bank at or near 9:00. No problem, since I do this fairly regularly.

The run went okay at first. I did a loop around campus then headed out along the bayou, where I saw a flock of brown ducks—the first ducks I’ve ever seen on this bayou. Later, as I neared the end of the bayou portion of the run, I saw another duck, much larger, and with black and gray coloring. This duck was alone, but the egrets and cormorants didn’t seem bothered by its presence.

I finished the bayou section of my route and headed toward Rice University. From there, I went to my bank and got there a little too early. With ten minutes to kill, I refilled my water bottle at Whole Foods and went for a stroll around the block. Then I deposited my checks and headed toward River Oaks.

No sooner was I in River Oaks when I realized I needed a restroom. There wouldn’t be another one on my planned route for at least five miles, so I detoured to a church that I knew would be open. It took me off my route, so I figured I would make up the difference near the end of my run, cutting straight across Hermann Park instead of going around. By my mental calculations (made under the influence of heat and humidity) it would all work out about the same.

So when I got home much later than I expected, I chalked it up to the time spent waiting for the bank to open and having to make a pit stop. Also, there were a couple times I got a side stitch and had to walk. (I have no idea what that was about, since I don’t usually get stitches or cramps any more.) Anyway, everything added up in my mind, so I went on about the business of getting ready to have lunch with Dan.

Then tonight I got online to check my route and confirm my numbers. Twenty-two miles. Damn. That explains a few things.

I may start cutting back my Saturday mileage a little now that we’re in the worst of summer. It can be pretty hot by the time I finish, and the last two miles are in direct sunlight. There’s no safe alternative route home, either. But there’s another part of me that wants to just keep after this thing, since I’m pretty well acclimated and I hate building mileage. Maintaining is just so much easier.

I think this is the sort of thing only a runner can understand, but I try to keep my distance mileage high because I'm lazy. Too lazy to drop back and then go through the suffering of re-building.

Well, tomorrow is cooking day. I don't have anything new in my plans, but I could come up with something between now and then. Also, I made some more granola bars tonight. A certain spouse keeps eating them. I guess that's the sign of a good recipe when you can't keep the food around for long!

Seventies Party Report

Dan and I had a great time at the Seventies Party Thursday night. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since it was a work-related function for HR staff and their spouses from all of my university’s campuses. Our uber-boss had made it very clear that she wanted us there representing, and those kinds of pronouncements always make me a little twitchy, since there’s an underlying message that we don’t have anything we’d rather be doing with our time once we’ve left the office.

Anyway, I would’ve gone regardless since I’m the new kid and want to be seen as a team player. And the party was a blast. There were people already dancing when we got there, so while Dan settled in to talk to my boss’s husband (they both do tech support for the university), I hit the dance floor and stayed there most of the night. Dan surprised me by participating in the karaoke contest and I, my boss, and my boss’s boss were his backup dancers. We didn’t have time to choreograph our moves, but what the heck.

I went to a lot of parties and functions when I was in IT, but none were much fun. I thought all university staff were like that and didn’t give it much thought, but I’ve been proven wrong. I swear I’ll never look at HR people the same way after this. When I went to the Galveston conference last month, the attendees who were staying at the hotel would giggle and hint around at late-night antics, but I thought they were kidding. Nope. HR folks love a good party, and if there isn’t one they’ll make their own. Don’t let the stodgy, paper-pushing demeanor fool you!

They had some of the party photos in a slideshow during a break in today’s pan-HR workshop and I caught glimpses of some shots of Dan’s karaoke act and me in my hilariously awful wig and platforms. I suspect the photos will be available on the server by Monday or Tuesday and I’ll see if any are good enough to post.

Have a great weekend!

Recent Workouts
Sunday: 20 mile run
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 30 minute elliptical
Wednesday: 4.5 mile run
Thursday: 30 minute elliptical; lots of dancing
Friday: scheduled rest day

Groovy!

Dan and I are going to a Seventies Party tonight. I've got my platforms and feathered wig, and what's really scary is that I still knew exactly how to style those Farrah Fawcett wings!

Here's hoping the party is as groovy as this classic TidPic:

Gotcha Day Memories

In honor of what would've been Tidbit's fourth Gotcha Day, here are some photos of celebrations from other years.





























This was a bun who knew how to enjoy a party!













Thanks again to everyone who has left condolences either through this blog or via private email. It's funny to think that the scrawny Cinderella of the county shelter ended up with so many friends just by being her bunny self.

It doesn't take great noble deeds to make the world a nicer place.

Weekend Recipe Share

We're doing things kind of backwards this weekend. Dan had some things he needed to do today, so we switched Indian Food Day to Sunday, making Sunday my weekend long run day as well. Consequently, I have no outdoor adventures to share this evening.

I do have recipes, though!

First up is this nice granola bar recipe. My favorite non-HFCS granola bars are well over $4/box now, so I'm experimenting with making my own. I made these bars for the first time last week, but I made them too thick and although they were delicious, they were more like thick, chewy brownies. Nice, but not what I was after. So this weekend, I used a bigger pan and flattened them out nice and thin, and they turned out perfect-- firm, but not break-your-teeth hard. Chewy, but not like mutant Rice Krispies bars.

If you make these, you'll want to be sure the granola mix is a big sticky thing that you could, if you so chose, put into the baking dish in one big ball. You may need to keep adding peanut butter, syrup, or honey to accomplish this. So start out with the recipe as it is written, then add oats if it's too wet, peanut butter if it's too dry and sweet, and syrup or honey if it's too dry and not sweet enough. Pay close attention to the directions in the recipe link regarding scoring the granola bars near the end of the cooking process. Once they're cool, you'll have a dickens of a time making them break up in a pretty way, so follow the instructions!

The second recipe I want to call your attention to is for crackers. I don't know about anyone else out there, but I always thought crackers were one of those things that required a factory and elves. But I'm seeing some really ridiculous prices for them these days, often $3.50 and higher per box for good organic crackers without HFCS or hydrogenated oils. Finding a good cracker recipe online was a revelation because they're just stupidly easy to make.

For my first attempt, I used whole wheat flour and added five-pepper pesto and parmesan for my flavoring. They came out great, but I did have a problem with the center not getting crunchy before the edges started burning. I recommend either baking these crackers in strips, or taking them out when they're done enough to hold together well, breaking them up, and putting them back in the oven for a few more minutes. I suppose one could also put the finished product in a food dehydrator. Here in the Land of Humidity, one is often tempted to do that with things. My next batch of crackers will probably be simpler, maybe just parmesan and black pepper. One other thing that isn't mentioned in the recipe but would be nice, is a sprinkling of sea salt over the tops.

And that's it for new recipes! Have a tasty weekend!

Monday Bunday: Memories

Thanks to everyone for their condolences and Tid tributes. She did indeed live the life of royalty around here.










She was my resident optimist. Always perky, always certain that something really good was right around the corner.










She loved to make new friends...










and considered Pixel her true pal.












She was more adventurous than her feline friend and was quick to explore her new home, confused as to why he wouldn’t join her. She slept right outside his carrier until he decided to make his appearance, lending her support and encouragement to what she must’ve thought was a big scaredy-cat.












Tidbit was always a sport about my travels...










and a supporter of my accomplishments.












She shared my interests...











and sometimes followed me around like a little dog.










She even went to the office with me, where she worked hard...










and made quite an impression.










Tidbit couldn't resist a good party...












and we had a great four years together, celebrating...










and sharing a lot of love.










I want to thank Tidbit’s friends at Animal Avian Hospital for caring for her and for staying open late for us on Saturday so we could be with her. Dr. Jordan and his techs were incredibly kind and it wasn’t until we were on our way home that we realized they stayed nearly three hours beyond their Saturday closing time to monitor her situation, call us, and let us do what had to be done.

If anyone would like to make a charitable donation in Tidbit’s memory, this was one of her favorites: Best Friends. You can also donate to her doctor's veterinary school, or to the local charity of your choice. If you’re not into charity or are currently going through hard times, just do something nice for someone. It’s important to add to the balance of good in the world so the negative won’t overwhelm us.

Dan, Pix, and I are doing fine. We would’ve preferred a different outcome, but we’re glad Tid isn’t suffering or having to keep going to the vet, which was stressful for her. I'll continue with this blog, even though I originally set it up for her as much as for me. I'll also continue to post "Classic Tid Pics" from time to time. Keep us on your blog reader, and hug a bunny, if you've got one (and if it will let you)!

In Memoriam

July 15 2004 - July 5 2008

I’m sad to report that Tidbit went to the Bridge today.

After her illness in May, she had a good month with us here at home, always happy, following us around, playing with her toys and eating like a horse. Then on Tuesday she was of her feed again, so I took her to the vet on Wednesday. Dan took her again on Thursday, since she resisted our efforts to medicate her.

She was doing a little better Thursday, even playing with her toys, so we decided to not leave her at the vet and to try to medicate her at home on Friday. As (bad) luck would have it, she started showing new symptoms that required a trip to the emergency pet hospital. They saw nothing so wrong that she couldn’t go home, and I had already left a message for her regular vet to expect us on Saturday morning. She spent most of last night in her favorite spot by my computer chair, but it was clear things weren't right with her.

Dan took her in this morning and they still had her under observation for her cluster of seemingly unrelated symptoms when things started to go very wrong. It seems she suffered a stroke or other type of deep rupture inside her brain.

Luckily we were only a few blocks away when we got the call and as soon as I saw her, I knew what the only right decision must be. I could’ve spent thousands of dollars and put her through hell to put off my own pain for a few weeks or months, but that’s not what love is about. She died in my arms while I petted her and told her it was okay to quit fighting.

If you never read the story of how I got her, it’s here. She cheated death four years ago when the shelter workers forgot to euthanize her on schedule, but you can’t cheat death forever. I still can’t believe it was less than a week ago that she was doing little binky dances for us in the living room and stomping her foot when I wasn’t quick enough with her breakfast. Nature gives prey animals a pretty unpleasant part in the food chain, they are also blessed with a quick exit when things go too badly wrong.















For now, I have her corner under the watchful care of a friend, until I’m ready to welcome a new bunny into my home. I always seem to end up with the strays and sad cases, so I’ll know when it’s the right time and the right bunny.

As for all her pals on the 7-bunny-7, Tidbit regrets that she won’t be flying home with them. She’s found her happy hay place where no one is ever late with breakfast. She will be missed.

Happy Fourth!

Tidbit isn't up for a photo shoot this morning, so I offer this Classic Tid Pic for your enjoyment. I also have a holiday-themed flash fiction piece on my writing blog if you're looking for something to read before the potato salad is ready and the fireworks start going off.

Have a great day, friends, and whether you're American or not, take a moment to be grateful for the freedoms we so often take for granted.

Sunday Culinary Update

Today was a typical busy Sunday in the kitchen.

New and Notable:

• I tweaked my usual banana bread recipe by adding ¼ cup of hazelnut flour and a cup of chopped hazelnuts to make hazelnut-banana bread. It’s pretty tasty, too.
• I tried a new recipe for banana cookies. They came out a little dry and not as banana-y as I would’ve expected. I think the problem was that I didn’t use enough bananas. The recipe called for 2 ¼ cups of mashed bananas and I only had two bananas left after making banana bread. They were large bananas, but I didn’t bother to measure how much I had after mashing them because what was I going to do? Go back to the store? Not likely. So the result was something closer to ordinary chocolate chip cookies. Okay, but not unique.

The rest of the week’s menu:

• Rice balls
• Curried yellow squash and onions
• Curried chickpeas with spinach and tomato
• Steamed rice (brown and jasmine blend)

If it seems like a small menu this week, it is. I still have a loaf of pumpkin bread from last week and I have the banana bread I made today, and they’ll make nice snacks for me. Dan will snack on the carrot blondies and banana-chocolate chip cookies.

It’s a short work week for us, and probably for most folks here in the US. Last year I spent a good part of July 4th working and I’m oh-so-glad not to have that on my horizon this year!

And finally, Tidbit is off on a virtual vacation to visit the Oxbow Hay Company this week, courtesy of the fine folks at 7-bunny-7. Her bag is packed and we're looking forward to her tales of adventure!

Have a great week, everyone!

Recent Workouts
Today: 1 hr, 45 minute spin
Yesterday: 21 mile run
Friday: scheduled rest day
Thursday: 35 minute elliptical
Wednesday: 45 minute spin
Tuesday: 6 mile run
Monday: 30 minute elliptical

Saturday Run Report

I decided to be adventurous today and run the Brays Bayou trail from my home to Hillcroft, which is 10.6 miles and roughly halfway to my parents’ house on the west side of town.

It was cool when I started out, but very humid. It’s a strange feeling to be covered in sweat yet not hot, but that’s Houston for you. Although most of the Brays Bayou trail is unshaded, this isn’t a problem in the early morning when the low angle of the sun and the fact that much of the trail in the Med Center is below street level work in one’s favor, creating shade. There were a lot of cyclists on the trail and a number of runners and dog-walkers in certain popular sections, so I felt safe even though once I was past Buffalo Speedway I was in unfamiliar territory and wasn’t sure how safe the trail would be to my turnaround point.

Some stretches of the trail have water fountains at well-spaced intervals, but there were places where you could easily run several miles without finding water, so it’s a good thing to always take some along. Here’s the most unusual water fountain I saw today.













By the time I reached my turnaround, the sun was fully out and I had begun to realize that running a straight out and back route of this length presented some psychological challenges. The route as a whole was no longer than most of my Saturday morning runs, but running looped routes close to home puts you in a very different mental space from being more than ten miles from home with only your own feet to get you back. And did I mention it was very hot out by now?

I spent much of the way back fighting my own brain, which was at least a distraction from the heat. Once I got to the Med Center I was in need of some cold water, not the outdoor water fountains which run cool at best and are often hot in the summer. I went up to street level and went into the nearest medical facility, figuring they’re in the business of caring for people so of course they’ll let me use a water fountain. Not only that, but the very kind folks at Texas Orthopedic offered me a cup of ice in their lunch room. Maybe I looked pathetic. I hope not.

Refreshed, I finished my run with no difficulties and was greeted by my lovely Tid when I got home. Sure, I was hot and stinky and my calves wanted to cramp up, but when someone like this runs out into the hall to say hello, you just have to take a minute for an ear rub, right?















I’m making carrot cookies tonight. Dan and I decided that we like the way they came out last weekend when I doubled the recipe and made it moister by adding applesauce. The end result is actually more like carrot blondies than carrot cookies, so maybe that’s what I should call them.

Sunday Doings

I got a late start on my cooking today because I had to take some pictures to use on my Steal Tomorrow fiction blog. For those of you who only visit this blog, check it out. I’m posting preview content while I clean up the draft and I hope to start posting the story itself later this summer. There will be an option to download the story as a pdf and to buy a print version as well. There is also an email subscription option in the sidebar, which sends new posts directly to your email. I and a few of my friends have tried it and it's pretty nifty.

But for now, it was just one more thing I had to do. I got my pictures, then came home and started cooking.

I started by putting some rice in the rice cooker, then got out the leftover rice from last week and made a banana/rice dish, based on the Apple Cinnamon Rice dish from last week. I used two overripe bananas and I skipped the butter just to see what would happen. It tasted great-- you can’t even tell there was supposed to be butter in the recipe, so I saved a few empty calories there.

Next I made some curried zucchini and yellow squash, but forgot I wanted yellow onions in there, too. Not a big deal, but I was a little annoyed with myself. I had extra of both the zucchini and yellow squash, so it went in the dehydrator to use when it’s out of season.

As an aside to the commenter who asked about the dried spinach, I dehydrated it last spring when locally grown organic spinach was at a good price. I’m finding that I like it better than fresh spinach for including in recipes because there’s no tedious chopping involved. Just crumble it into whatever it is you’re cooking!

After the squash was done, I started mixing the ingredients for rice balls, which Dan asked me to make again. I got a little more aggressive with the flavors this time, adding some cheddar to the mix, more spinach, and more pepper.

While the rice balls cooked, I made chickpeas with pumpkin-curry sauce. I’ve done this before and it’s a nice way to use the excess canned pumpkin when I do pumpkin bread. The canned pumpkin goes into a saucepan with drained chickpeas, cubed cooked potatoes, spinach, and a generous addition of curry, coriander, cumin, white pepper, garlic, and whatever else strikes my fancy. Heat and stir just enough that everything blends together, then set it aside to cool for mid-week dinners.

The pumpkin bread needed an hour for baking, so since it was late in the afternoon and I needed to work out, I mixed all the dry ingredients and staged everything else for quick prep later. After my spin workout, I blended everything together, put the two loaves in the oven, and by the time I had showered and had dinner, the pumpkin loaves were done.

Summary:

Today's Cooking
Plain Rice
Banana Rice
Curry Zucchini and Yellow Squash
Chickpeas in Pumpkin Curry
Rice Balls
Pumpkin Bread

Today's Workout
90 minute spin

Not bad for a day’s work!

Have a great week, everyone!

Work, Running, and Cookies!

I’m enjoying the new job, although projects seem to be piling up at a rapid rate. I feel like I should be able to get through them faster, but I still spend a lot of time hunting around the computer files for the right templates, the right databases, the right reports, etc. It’s the sort of problem that will resolve itself in another few weeks, but in the meantime I keep having to remind myself that it’s okay to be slow. I’ve spent 2.5 of my first 10 days in training and conferences, so I need to back off some of my expectations for myself.

In general though, the work is pleasant and straightforward. I’m nobody’s boss, but I do make decisions and have a lot of autonomy. And I get to go home for lunch! I wouldn’t have thought it would be such a big factor in my personal happiness, but it is. I can eat, get caught up on housework, play around on the computer, or even take a nap. There's no putting a price tag on something like that.

I’m going to have to do some schedule-juggling with regard to my workouts, and I’m still debating the best way to do this. I might experiment with working 8:30-5:30 on some days so I can do a longer workout in the morning. One thing is for sure—I’m sleeping more and feel a lot more rested, now that I don’t spend most of my home time working, leaving me to cram all my “me” time into the hours after midnight. I’m getting too old for that!

Today’s long run was a fun one. I explored the Brays Bayou trail a little farther, enjoying the fish and waterfowl along the way and making mental notes about safety and the availability of water and restrooms. I feel pretty good about this new route and will go farther next week to see where it takes me. I had a strong run overall and felt pretty good, except for my hip bothering me in the last few miles. So annoying.

At Dan’s request, I baked some carrot cookies tonight. I’ve had problems with this recipe being dry in the past, but tonight I added applesauce at the end, blending it in until the cookie dough was no longer crumbly. Also, I doubled the recipe and cooked it in a 9 x 13 pan. The end result was a thicker cookie that held together much better, although I still could’ve made it a little more moist. I’ve got plenty of carrots, so I’ll try again soon.

Finally, Tidbit wishes good luck to all the racers at Ironman Coeur d’Alene tomorrow. You can do it!















Recent Workouts:
Monday: 30 minute elliptical
Tuesday: 4.5 mile run
Wednesday: 40 minute spin
Thursday: 30 minute elliptical
Friday: scheduled rest day
Saturday: 20 mile run

Weekend Recipe Share

I’ve got two new recipes for you today. I had more leftover rice this weekend than usual, so I wanted to do something new with it. Here are the two recipes I tried:

Rice Balls. Okay, it needs a better name, but it’s basically cheese, rice and spices, baked in balls or little cakes like crab cakes. I added extra garlic, red pepper flakes and crumbled dry spinach to mine and they’re very tasty. They go great with a side of steamed or sautéed summer vegetables!

Cinnamon Apple Rice. This tasty baked rice dish is similar in consistency to bread pudding, so if you like bread pudding, you’ll love this. I used a Granny Smith and a Golden Delicious for the apples, and I added a little ginger, since it’s hard to go wrong with ginger and apples. Delish!

Other Weekend Cooking:

• Steamed rice
  
• Chickpea and potato curry
  
• Curry zucchini and yellow squash
  
• Dehydrated zucchini and yellow squash (to store for when they aren’t in season)

Happy Eating, Friends!

This n’ That

I think I’m going to like my new job. Everyone is very nice, and although I’m sure the quirks will show up soon enough, I don’t have a sense that the culture encourages blaming, dumping, and complaining—all of which were typical in my last department. I also haven’t seen a lot of crisis-oriented behavior. In my last job, everything was a crisis, but now even things that are, aren’t, somehow.

They keep me busy though, and I can already see I’ll have a lot to do. It’s great to be able to be useful from the beginning. All instructions are well-documented and people are very nice about sitting with me while I do things for the first time, even though so far nothing I’ve been given is much different from what I’ve done before. I update database files, do compensation analyses for new hires and reclassifications, create positions and job descriptions, and create ad hoc reports on salary matters. The work itself is easy and the instinct about which of my customers are priorities, problem children, etc, will follow in due time.

One cool thing is that I’m just five minutes from home (as opposed to 15 before), so I can walk home for lunch. Everyone at my new job takes an hour for lunch, which in my last job was something only the lower-level staff had time for. Here, everyone goes to lunch and expects me to do the same. So I’ve been going home for an hour during the day and it’s very nice. I can start a load of laundry, read blogs, have something to eat and work on a creative project before heading back and finishing the day.

The only thing I don’t like is that a lot of things seem to happen in the last hour of the day, so I’m considering how to best arrange my work hours so this isn’t a problem. I figure I’ll give 8-5 another week and then discuss with my boss. Maybe I’ll ask to work 8:30-5:30 or even 9-6.

And did I mention that I’m totally loving not being a manager? I loved my staff in my last two management positions, and unless they’re all liars, they liked me too. But management takes a lot out of me, and it’s a nice treat to be responsible only to people above me and to no one below.

Just think—all this, and I get paid more than I did before! Have I been missing the boat, or what?

Today was long run day, and it was a mixed bag. I was less than enthused about the run and my body was in sluggish agreement that this was not one of my better ideas. Nevertheless, I started my pre-plotted route while my brain and body argued about the matter until I decided to try a new-to-me trail that follows Brays Bayou through the Med Center and to points southwest of town. It’s a route that has been popular with cyclists and runners for a long time, but this was my first time to follow it as far as I did. I like it and I plan to explore it further and add it to my regular routes.

The distraction of a new running route helped a lot and I finished my twenty miles without any more than the usual problems of a long run in summer. I don’t feel completely acclimated yet to the heat, but I will be soon. And I told Dan that when he buys a sprinkler for the front lawn, he can turn it on for me while I’m out running on Saturdays so I can cool off before coming in. I reminded him that such a plan would be to his advantage, since I would come in the house smelling better. We’ll see now if he gets the sprinkler.

Recent Baking:
Thursday: Banana-Blueberry bread (made with the last of my Pagosa Springs blueberries)
Saturday: Carrot-Apple bread

Recent Workouts:
Monday: missed workout—got home too late from conference
Tuesday: 4 mile run, ten minute elliptical
Wednesday: 3 mile run
Thursday: 30 minute spin
Friday: scheduled rest day
Saturday: 20 mile run

The Conference

My first two days back at work have been at a conference in Galveston. On the whole, it was pretty good. I got to meet my peers from other state universities, I heard some good speakers, got some very useful handouts I wish I’d had years ago, and I got to hang out at a nice hotel.

My only big frustration was Monday afternoon, when out last session was supposed to end at 4:00, then at 4:15, and ended up not ending until nearly 5:00. I had planned to go for a run along the seawall, but the late end to the day nixed that idea, since I still had to drive home and do various household things. Then I thought maybe I could do it today, since we would end at noon. But once we were finished with the conference, one of my new bosses wanted to take us all out for lunch, and even though I ate light, a storm was moving in by the time we were done so I had to head straight home.

No running on the seawall for me. Bummer. With Galveston an hour away, I won’t be running the seawall anytime soon, unless I’m down there for some other reason in the near future.

Tomorrow is the big day—the day I actually get to move into my new office and start seeing what kind of work they have for me. My boss is excited because she says this is the first time she’s brought someone in who didn’t require training. I’m just relieved I’ll soon have keys, an office, and projects. This has been a nice interlude, but it’s time to get back to work!

Return to Normalcy

It’s great to be home and getting settled again. Even though this was my easiest vacation yet in terms of quickly being able to find the stuff I needed and always having my own pillow, it’s still fantastic to be home.

Tidbit is doing great. She still wasn’t 100% before we left, but she’s there now! When we brought her home Thursday, she went exploring just like she used to, she did some binkies for us and this morning she came bopping down the hall soon after I got up to run. She poked her head in the bedroom door like she used to, with that look on her face like, “Where’s my breakfast, biped?” Every time I get on the computer, she settles at my feet like a little dog. It’s so great to have her back!

The only thing I need now is for my work situation to stabilize. Although my new boss said I could move some things into my office on Friday if I wanted, I had a lot of errands to catch up on, so I didn’t take her up on it. And with the conference on Monday and Tuesday, it looks like I’ll be “homeless” until Wednesday. It’s a very strange feeling to have no office and no university keys. I realize it makes me rather dull, but I am very work-oriented and this sort of thing leaves me unsettled. But I already have a meeting to go to—on Friday. So I really do have a job. Just not an office, keys, a computer, or anything else that makes it feel real. But this will be remedied soon. I’m trying to remember to enjoy this little interlude of being employed but with no responsibilities, since it’s likely the last I can expect before retirement.

I went for a long run this morning, and let’s just say I wasn’t in Pagosa Springs any more! I didn’t miss the hills much, but I started out the door with temps and humidity in the high 80s and was dripping before I’d finished the first mile. I did eighteen miles—a little short of what I would’ve liked, but my body was craving the dry air of the west and my heat tolerance was a little off. I suppose it didn’t help that it was 90 when I got home, with a heat index of 97. Pretty brutal when the humidity keeps your sweat from cooling you. I’ll get my tolerance back quickly, though. The conditions around here are never fun, but one can learn to tolerate them.

But overall, it’s nice to be back, especially with my two furry friends so healthy and happy.

Be it ever so humid, there’s no place like home!