Slow month for me - some strange lethargy overcame my brain and it actually hurts to think. I believe that is due to high pollen count this month. But there have been some interesting revelations however:
- I am capable of running 8-10 miles at a time and my knee caps don't burst and shatter to pieces as expected
- Big dogs suck: after being scared by a big undisciplined Rottweiler, Maya keeps having nightmares about wolves in her room
- As mentioned elsewhere previously, my graduate studies have begun to interfere with my wine-drinking time and I don't like it
- Judging by the intensity of recent tantrums, terrible threes promise to be far more terrible than terrible twos
- I have to get up even earlier on Saturday mornings to have some resemblance of sanity and inner peace for the weekend (it gives me alone time)
- I love doing nails with my girls on rainy Sunday afternoon
- Maya thinks that Sonya came out of her belly, to which Sonya laughed and said that it's silly since Maya's belly is small
- I get dizzy and nauseous spinning at zaiki-speed on the tire swing (Husband thinks it's funny)
- Sonya likes playing "bird soccer" at the park
- April showers, apparently, bring not only May flowers but a ridiculous allergy attacks
I believe that is all for now :) Mulling a post about Romney vs Rosen but it's old news by now. LAZY!!!!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
More on dogs and dog owners
I'm a pretty chill (albeit sarcastic) person with almost no violent tendencies (unless someone cuts me off in traffic), but this weekend I found myself fantasizing about using a hammer to bash in the head of a living, breathing thing:
The weather was gorgeous. Friday afternoon Husband and I decided to walk over to pick up zaiki from the babysitter, since it's only 5 minutes away. Zaiki love walking home instead of driving, (a rarity among American children, I'm beginning to realize), so I try to foster that love for bypedal-izm by walking with them as much as I can. It's a nice little walk except that the most direct route takes us by the house with a huge and mean Rottweiler that barks and snarls at you when you walk by, not even close to the fence. Just being in the line of sight of that thing is all it takes to send it into a drool-filled snarl fit. Barking and snarling is all well and good, that's what dogs do, but the problem is the the fence in the yard is pretty flimsy, short, with gaps under it and the dog is usually left unattended. Zaiki are afraid of it (justifiably) and so am I. It was a matter of time when it got out.
So this Friday the dog wasn't there on the way to pick the kids up and we thought it was safe to walk back the same way. Unfortunately, it was there. Sonya and I were meandering a few feet behind and saw the dog duck under the fence and lunge at Kevin and the little Maya. I picked Sonya up and ran. Kevin was fighting off the creature with his knife, Maya was screaming when the owner came out and grabbed the snarling, growling beast.
It was horrible. The only weapon I had were my bare hands and they were holding Sonya. What could I do? I comforted Maya and carried her all the way home. Now for the past three days she's been saying she is afraid of "big wolves", won't leave my side and fell asleep curled up on my chest, shaking and crying.
I had contemplated taking my .38, going over and blasting that dog to hell. Only:
1. I may miss
2. I'll go to jail and, as a consequence,
3. My children will be left motherless
So we did the next best thing and called animal control. Twice as of today, but I'll keep at it.
The best (worst, really) part was the dog owner's reaction. If my dog attacked a small child on the street, I would not limit my involvement by shrugging shoulders, saying "sorry, it got out" and walking away. I would at least check to see how that child was doing and my apologies would be more sincere. What an asshole.
My suspicions from before that only uncouth ugly filth would own such a vicious and mean creature (and would let it run loose) were confirmed.
I am very angry at the injustice. We teach our children that all actions have consequences, that bad deeds always go punished, but in this case, there are no repercussions for the owners. I know life is full of disappointments, that zaiki will have their share of tears and fears, but I still feel that, as their mother, I have an obligation to protect them as much as I can, because they still can't fight their battles. They are so little...It's my job to make sure that justice is restored. In this case, I can't. And it makes me feel sad, helpless and angry. Have I mentioned I'm angry? And next time I'm walking past that house I'm carrying a hammer.
The weather was gorgeous. Friday afternoon Husband and I decided to walk over to pick up zaiki from the babysitter, since it's only 5 minutes away. Zaiki love walking home instead of driving, (a rarity among American children, I'm beginning to realize), so I try to foster that love for bypedal-izm by walking with them as much as I can. It's a nice little walk except that the most direct route takes us by the house with a huge and mean Rottweiler that barks and snarls at you when you walk by, not even close to the fence. Just being in the line of sight of that thing is all it takes to send it into a drool-filled snarl fit. Barking and snarling is all well and good, that's what dogs do, but the problem is the the fence in the yard is pretty flimsy, short, with gaps under it and the dog is usually left unattended. Zaiki are afraid of it (justifiably) and so am I. It was a matter of time when it got out.
So this Friday the dog wasn't there on the way to pick the kids up and we thought it was safe to walk back the same way. Unfortunately, it was there. Sonya and I were meandering a few feet behind and saw the dog duck under the fence and lunge at Kevin and the little Maya. I picked Sonya up and ran. Kevin was fighting off the creature with his knife, Maya was screaming when the owner came out and grabbed the snarling, growling beast.
It was horrible. The only weapon I had were my bare hands and they were holding Sonya. What could I do? I comforted Maya and carried her all the way home. Now for the past three days she's been saying she is afraid of "big wolves", won't leave my side and fell asleep curled up on my chest, shaking and crying.
I had contemplated taking my .38, going over and blasting that dog to hell. Only:
1. I may miss
2. I'll go to jail and, as a consequence,
3. My children will be left motherless
So we did the next best thing and called animal control. Twice as of today, but I'll keep at it.
The best (worst, really) part was the dog owner's reaction. If my dog attacked a small child on the street, I would not limit my involvement by shrugging shoulders, saying "sorry, it got out" and walking away. I would at least check to see how that child was doing and my apologies would be more sincere. What an asshole.
My suspicions from before that only uncouth ugly filth would own such a vicious and mean creature (and would let it run loose) were confirmed.
I am very angry at the injustice. We teach our children that all actions have consequences, that bad deeds always go punished, but in this case, there are no repercussions for the owners. I know life is full of disappointments, that zaiki will have their share of tears and fears, but I still feel that, as their mother, I have an obligation to protect them as much as I can, because they still can't fight their battles. They are so little...It's my job to make sure that justice is restored. In this case, I can't. And it makes me feel sad, helpless and angry. Have I mentioned I'm angry? And next time I'm walking past that house I'm carrying a hammer.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
zaiki and co.: Training time!!!
zaiki and co.: Training time!!!: I'm mulling an idea in my head to sign up for another race - half-marathon this time, something to soothe my bruised ego after doing worse t...
Training time!!!
I'm mulling an idea in my head to sign up for another race - half-marathon this time, something to soothe my bruised ego after doing worse then hoped for in a St.Patty's Day 5K. Also to lose some weight before the summer.
Recent trip to the doctor forced me to face my nemesis - the scale, and of course showed some unwanted poundage. Not much, but enough to send me into the spiral of self-hatitude. Too many damn super-tasty oatmeal cookies over the winter. I guess it's obvious that if you eat half of the cookie dough BEFORE you bake it, some of the butter-brown sugar-chocolate chip-oatmeal goodness will inevitably end up on your hips and butt. DUH!
So I've begun my training. It's hard this time, I don't bounce back as quickly as I did. But I'm doing ok so far. Keeping it nice and slow, but consistent, doing some hill work, doing some long runs. :)
I like long runs - it's great thinking time, and with Gogol Bordello in my iPod, I can run forever. I love their music. My iPod has an eclectic mix of Queen, Beatles, Dropkick Murphies, Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello with occasional cropping of Adele, Mika, and other rather obscure pop stars. Oh, and LMFAO (oh however you spell it).
But Eugene Hutz is my man. I LOVE LOVE him. If Kevin and I never met I'd marry Hutz. Seriously. Of course there's a small creepy fact that he looks a lot like my brother, but we won't go there. :) I've logged so many miles with him whispering (well, screaming really) in my ear, seen him in concert and think he is a wonderful creative being, abet self-destructive. Zaiki like his music too. How can you not?
Recent trip to the doctor forced me to face my nemesis - the scale, and of course showed some unwanted poundage. Not much, but enough to send me into the spiral of self-hatitude. Too many damn super-tasty oatmeal cookies over the winter. I guess it's obvious that if you eat half of the cookie dough BEFORE you bake it, some of the butter-brown sugar-chocolate chip-oatmeal goodness will inevitably end up on your hips and butt. DUH!
So I've begun my training. It's hard this time, I don't bounce back as quickly as I did. But I'm doing ok so far. Keeping it nice and slow, but consistent, doing some hill work, doing some long runs. :)
I like long runs - it's great thinking time, and with Gogol Bordello in my iPod, I can run forever. I love their music. My iPod has an eclectic mix of Queen, Beatles, Dropkick Murphies, Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello with occasional cropping of Adele, Mika, and other rather obscure pop stars. Oh, and LMFAO (oh however you spell it).
But Eugene Hutz is my man. I LOVE LOVE him. If Kevin and I never met I'd marry Hutz. Seriously. Of course there's a small creepy fact that he looks a lot like my brother, but we won't go there. :) I've logged so many miles with him whispering (well, screaming really) in my ear, seen him in concert and think he is a wonderful creative being, abet self-destructive. Zaiki like his music too. How can you not?
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
More food stuff, but this is important
Asking for your participation. This is what the petition below is about:
Beef slaughterers on the industrial scale Beef producers, in an effort to save money and find a way to use all of the cow and not waste any deliciousness, have been grinding up all the yummy meat left over after butchering, dousing it in ammonia to sterilize it, freezing and packaging it, and then adding it to a wonderful burger you can purchase in such fine dining establishments as McDonalds, Taco Bell, etc. Sounds disgusting to you, I hope. So disgusting, in fact, that the said dining establishments stopped using it in their so called burgers after the public outcry.
Oh, did I mention that USDA approved this "pink slime", as it's called, as safe? Of course, what could be harmful about ammonia-treated cow entrails? Yum.
Now, that the major fast food corps are not using it, what would you think is the best possible placement for the horrible ammonia-treated pseudomeat?
The "pink slime" is coming to a school cafeteria near you!!! Yes, US school lunch programs just bought this filler to feed our children at schools across the country.
I object. So do the other 200 K plus people, who CARE about what their children are given to eat and who are asking USDA Secretary to stop feeding "pink slime" to our children. Please, sign the petition.
Oh, did I mention that USDA approved this "pink slime", as it's called, as safe? Of course, what could be harmful about ammonia-treated cow entrails? Yum.
Now, that the major fast food corps are not using it, what would you think is the best possible placement for the horrible ammonia-treated pseudomeat?
The "pink slime" is coming to a school cafeteria near you!!! Yes, US school lunch programs just bought this filler to feed our children at schools across the country.
I object. So do the other 200 K plus people, who CARE about what their children are given to eat and who are asking USDA Secretary to stop feeding "pink slime" to our children. Please, sign the petition.
Monday, March 12, 2012
zaiki and co.: Running and aging, or don't shoot the old(er) hors...
zaiki and co.: Running and aging, or don't shoot the old(er) hors...: Spring is in the air. Kinda. And it could only mean one thing - let the season of races begin. This past weekend I participated in the obl...
Running and aging, or don't shoot the old(er) horse
Spring is in the air. Kinda. And it could only mean one thing - let the season of races begin.
This past weekend I participated in the obligatory, hilly, and vomit-inducing St. Patty's Day 5K. Obligatory - because my friends and I run it every year and I feel guilty if I don't sign up (I missed last one due to post-surgery recovery), hilly - there is a big freaking hill smack middle of it to squash any hopes of PR for me, and vomit-inducing - well, it's because I run it much faster than my normal pace and inevitably end up dry heaving after.
This year, the run went pretty painfully - that hill nearly killed me and the muscles in my legs are still complaining pretty loudly two days later (I think going line-dancing that night didn't particularly help matters). The race was PACKED. I don't remember it being that crowded. 1358 people!! Wow. The course is really not designed for this number and the beginning was a huge clusterfuck (yes, it's my blog and I can curse if I choose to!): the road was so packed you couldn't even pass people, let along get up to speed quickly. Add wind and cold weather to that, and I was fucked. The crowd dispersed eventually and I was able to fall into my stride without risking tripping on someone and going ass over teakettle.
Every time I race, the first 5 minutes are spent silently asking myself "why?", as my body groans and moans. Once I get going it's all good, but the starting point is usually rough. This year was not an exception, and my shin was hurting pretty bad too. I didn't have as much momentum as I hoped for, but I beat my first post-baby 5K time by about a minute. So we are improving, but in 2008, I ran the same race and finished with 7.5 minute mile pace. Four years added about 40 seconds to that.
This year's ego boost was me beating a 13-year old boy to the finish line. Yes, yes, I did. And it made me happy. Because, you know, nothing says "I'm soo-o cool" more than passing teenage boys in a family-friendly race...Hey, at least I didn't elbow him.
As I get older, I'm noticing a definite shift toward slower pace, but my endurance is much-much higher than 4 years ago. 5Ks are the domain of younger people, in my opinion. I'll stick to 10Ks and half-marathons. This year, my goal is to finish 13.1 miles in May under 2 hours. Last year I finished in 2 hours 2 minutes, so I think shaving off about 2 minutes off of my time is doable. :)
The day was finished by watching a parade, cooking and then going out zaiki-free to line dance to Colorado Cafe, where I indulged myself by drinking club soda with lime and imagining I was a cowboy while trying not to trip on my own feet. Yee-ha. There's another sign of aging: I did not ride the mechanical bull at the joint unlike 4 years ago, when I'd be first in line. :)
This past weekend I participated in the obligatory, hilly, and vomit-inducing St. Patty's Day 5K. Obligatory - because my friends and I run it every year and I feel guilty if I don't sign up (I missed last one due to post-surgery recovery), hilly - there is a big freaking hill smack middle of it to squash any hopes of PR for me, and vomit-inducing - well, it's because I run it much faster than my normal pace and inevitably end up dry heaving after.
This year, the run went pretty painfully - that hill nearly killed me and the muscles in my legs are still complaining pretty loudly two days later (I think going line-dancing that night didn't particularly help matters). The race was PACKED. I don't remember it being that crowded. 1358 people!! Wow. The course is really not designed for this number and the beginning was a huge clusterfuck (yes, it's my blog and I can curse if I choose to!): the road was so packed you couldn't even pass people, let along get up to speed quickly. Add wind and cold weather to that, and I was fucked. The crowd dispersed eventually and I was able to fall into my stride without risking tripping on someone and going ass over teakettle.
Every time I race, the first 5 minutes are spent silently asking myself "why?", as my body groans and moans. Once I get going it's all good, but the starting point is usually rough. This year was not an exception, and my shin was hurting pretty bad too. I didn't have as much momentum as I hoped for, but I beat my first post-baby 5K time by about a minute. So we are improving, but in 2008, I ran the same race and finished with 7.5 minute mile pace. Four years added about 40 seconds to that.
This year's ego boost was me beating a 13-year old boy to the finish line. Yes, yes, I did. And it made me happy. Because, you know, nothing says "I'm soo-o cool" more than passing teenage boys in a family-friendly race...Hey, at least I didn't elbow him.
As I get older, I'm noticing a definite shift toward slower pace, but my endurance is much-much higher than 4 years ago. 5Ks are the domain of younger people, in my opinion. I'll stick to 10Ks and half-marathons. This year, my goal is to finish 13.1 miles in May under 2 hours. Last year I finished in 2 hours 2 minutes, so I think shaving off about 2 minutes off of my time is doable. :)
The day was finished by watching a parade, cooking and then going out zaiki-free to line dance to Colorado Cafe, where I indulged myself by drinking club soda with lime and imagining I was a cowboy while trying not to trip on my own feet. Yee-ha. There's another sign of aging: I did not ride the mechanical bull at the joint unlike 4 years ago, when I'd be first in line. :)
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