tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40305182009-02-21T01:30:09.670-08:00In which small things are accomplished, and wherein this accretion leads to revelation and revolution.Megannoreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-40214509646643784672008-06-30T18:20:00.000-07:002008-06-30T18:29:36.248-07:00

I've been reading "The Noonday Demon", a book about depression. He has some wonderful, lyrical descriptions about the physical, visceral experience of sadness. One interesting thing the author notes is that depression follows a circadian pattern: deeper at night and in the morning, and lifting somewhat during the day. I don't know why reading that one little nugget was such a comfort for me,

Megannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-24021429256008446632008-06-03T15:11:00.000-07:002008-06-03T15:33:43.749-07:00

I stopped writing here because I stopped running. I thought about starting another blog, but I still like the idea of "escape velocity", so I'm just going to continue here, but I won't be writing about running!But "escape velocity" is still very appropriate. I quit my social services job last August, went to a four-month non-fiction writing workshop, and came home full of creative zeal and

Megannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1140819587327424152006-02-24T14:16:00.000-08:002006-02-24T14:19:47.340-08:00

Megannoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1140450524941903682006-02-20T07:29:00.000-08:002006-02-20T07:57:35.296-08:00

Just my luck, I got to run my very first half-marathon on one of the coldest days of the year. It hovered below freezing for the entirety of my time on the course. People had frost on their hats.Having said all that, I must say the run was also probably the most pleasant run I've ever had. The course, billed as the fastest course in the United States, was either flat or downhill most of the way

Megannoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1139010599587460512006-02-03T14:28:00.000-08:002006-02-03T17:14:10.800-08:00

I've been feeling homely lately. Most of my clothes are a few years old, showing signs of fraying or are permanently stretched out of shape. It doesn't help that I've gained about 10 pounds lately, despite 6 months of fairly consistent adherence to a running program.It has recently come to my attention that the vast majority of my wardrobe falls into one of two categories: office clothes and

Megannoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1137970498456636232006-01-22T14:54:00.000-08:002006-01-22T14:56:32.286-08:00

Saturday was my longest training run on the schedule – 13 miles, practically a half-marathon, minus a measly 0.1 mile.On the way in the pre-dawn to the starting site, my stomach flipped a few times with nerves while my mind ticked off potential pitfalls. Should I have switched out my shoes by now? Did I eat enough breakfast and should I tweak my standard meal (honey nut cheerios, soy milk, toast,

Megannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1137646922233835012006-01-18T21:00:00.000-08:002006-01-18T21:06:06.943-08:00

I’m writing this entry about my job plans a little earlier than expected due to a curve-ball I got at work today.My department director called me in unexpectedly to ask if I would take on a special project, of indeterminate length with indeterminate duties. I would receive a temporary pay increase of 10% as long as the special assignment lasts. The job description is vague, but it entails things

Megannoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1137458040485213362006-01-16T16:32:00.000-08:002006-01-16T16:48:22.406-08:00

Big Brother was making some rumbles at work, and I got spooked and stopped my blog reading and writing. But now I’ve got a home computer set up, and so I’m back, though I fear having the Internet at home may cause me to develop a raging Ebay or porn addiction. I am, oddly enough, much more productive at work latey.Here’s a random recap of the past few months:I took an Amtrak trip to Dallas for

Megannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1132266639593933622005-11-17T14:21:00.000-08:002005-11-17T17:05:08.010-08:00

I didn't set any land-speed records this weekend during my 5k, but I did do something new this race: I pushed and picked off people in front of me, one by one by one, throughout the whole thing. It was great fun to train my sights on someone in front of me and slowly gain on them and then finally kick right by them. The fact that I was able to push past people and not feel exhausted by the effort

Megannoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1131393226213300352005-11-07T11:03:00.000-08:002005-11-07T12:26:05.413-08:00

Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos is a pretty big celebration locally, marked by several days-worth of events. I went to a mass and an altares/ofrendas exhibit in honor of the dead last week, and ran into the group I used to dance with, dressed up for their annual show: This weekend was the 3rd Coast Scooter Rally, and I joined in on one of the rides along the Mission Trail. I met lots of

Megannoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1129828243143784012005-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:002005-10-20T10:24:30.483-07:00

This week, my running schedule spiraled away from me. By Wednesday I hadn't yet tackled my first of three scheduled weekday runs.I can blame it on a slumber party this weekend with my niece and nephew, which left me so exhausted that I've existed in a catatonic state for the last few days, lying near motionless on the couch after work surrounded by the detritus of the natural phenomenon known as

Megannoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1129307689937886462005-10-14T09:30:00.000-07:002005-10-14T09:41:45.300-07:00

The past few weeks I've been swooning over some of the bikes I've considered as replacements for my kidnapped, long-lost and lamented bike. What I'm looking for is a super-bike, one that I can use for all of the following: daily commuting, completing century rides and other longer-distance recreational rides in relative comfort, hauling groceries and library books, riding on bumpy and pot-holed

Megannoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1126140752554962662005-09-07T17:39:00.000-07:002005-09-07T17:57:33.286-07:00

I'm going to be blogging less for the next few weeks. Since I work as a caseworker for the city I and all my coworkers have been staffing one of the four shelters set up here for Katrina evacuees. I've been working the overnight shift this whole week.I was out of town last weekend when the buses and planes started arriving and my agency began the intake process of registering all the evacuees and

Megannoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1125514649166593832005-08-31T11:52:00.000-07:002005-08-31T12:00:45.566-07:00

This weekend someone stole my bicycle and then also took the time to steal the mirrors off my moped and let some air out of the tires. Obviously, god wants me to ride the bus more often.Here are two scenarios of what I imagine the thief or thieves were thinking:"Well, this cool bike that some idiot didn't lock up has some actual street value, so that's going to put some cash in my pocket. Hmmm.

Megannoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1124291540673804532005-08-17T07:55:00.000-07:002005-08-17T08:32:26.313-07:00

Piggybacking on my last post, here is a brief recap of another core city ride Rainey and I did this weekend:The ride started with a quick jaunt to the farmer's market, where we both bought zinnia bouquets and Texas peaches. We followed that up with a ride downtown to hang out for a bit at a coffeeshop and to buy some earrings.And then, I easily talked Rainey into riding deep into the South side

Megannoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1123772787423116882005-08-11T06:51:00.000-07:002005-08-11T08:41:06.163-07:00

My friend Rainey is like my patron Saint of exercise. Without her calling me up asking me out for swims or walks or bike rides, I don't think I'd have gotten exercise at all this summer. She doesn't seem to realize that it's hot, dammit and therefore sitting on my butt is justifiable. She's always emailing me at work, a few hours before quitting time, making biking or swimming sound like the

Megannoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1123190586865746162005-08-04T14:09:00.000-07:002005-08-04T14:31:53.830-07:00

I only just saw the Dove ads a few weeks ago. Since then, I've read a few blog entries, articles and commentaries on them.I saw the first ad in an Oprah magazine I scanned in line at the grocery store. I didn't realize it was an ad, and thought the magazine was running an article on body image. My heart actually lifted in my chest looking at the picture of these women posing in their underwear, I

Megannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1121803225282475912005-07-19T11:37:00.000-07:002005-07-20T05:59:04.760-07:00

Let us recap the past 16 months of my personal transportation history, a history brought about by a bonehead crash into a telephone pole. Since that ignominious demise of my car, the following have been my stalwart and faithful steeds on the road to car-free adventure.BusBikeBi-pedalismOh, how well I have (mostly) loved these three and the things I have learned from them. Such as, I am a

Megannoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1121197484494743992005-07-12T12:30:00.000-07:002005-07-12T12:46:31.440-07:00

The 5K I ran this weekend was an all-female race, which I appreciate. It made me wonder, though. Are there any all-male 5K races? And if so, where?I rode my bike to the race start, about 3 miles from my house. I figured it was a good way to warm up my legs. The race start was in a city park and the route wound through one of the wealthier neighborhoods in town. The park itself has always creeped

Megannoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1120849985200359152005-07-08T11:56:00.000-07:002005-07-08T12:13:05.206-07:00

This whole week I've been wanting to post an entry. But I haven't been running, and I've already cluttered up the last few posts with non-running related entries, so I was feeling guilty for not actually, you know, writing about running. It was a condundrum. How to solve it?Aha! I had a brilliant idea. Maybe if I signed up for a race, I'd have a legitimate reason to post an entry. But what if it

Megannoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1119986796644578762005-06-28T12:13:00.000-07:002005-06-28T13:29:10.310-07:00

I've been feeling angry lately. This weekend, while running errands downtown, I was nearly bowled over by a feeling of hate for the people around me. I hated the crowds, I hated the tourists, I hated the consumers with their shopping bags, I hated the women in their coordinating outfits, I hated all the couples canoodling together. I was just pissed off and feeling out of place.Which is weird,

Megannoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1119624828185188442005-06-24T07:21:00.000-07:002005-06-24T07:53:48.190-07:00

This week I've run twice, each time for an hour. If someone had told me a few months ago that I'd be running voluntarily for an hour at a time I'd have called them crazy. Specifically, I might have said "you're smoking crack!"So there's something going on with my right heel. Whenever I walk I have the sensation of a mild snapping, like someone's lightly flicking my heel with a rubber band.

Megannoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1119029396261620582005-06-17T09:46:00.000-07:002005-06-17T10:29:56.270-07:00

I haven't run much in the last two weeks, partly due to the heat but also due to a falling out of sorts with my running coach. Some of you may recall that I had sneaking suspicions of a quid pro quo motive on his behalf back when we started running.These suspicions were fueled by several dinner outings after our running sessions (dinners for which he insisted on paying), lots of hugs that

Megannoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1118684747549928982005-06-13T10:19:00.000-07:002005-06-13T13:30:07.906-07:00

I hiked to the highest point in Texas (the Guadalupe Peak) on Saturday, and today (Monday) I am still hobbling around and feeling like a pretzel, which is I suppose what happens when one kicks one's own ass. As promised, here are some photos. For those of you who are numerically inclined, the hike was 8.5 miles, the path gained 3000 feet in elevation, and the total hiking time was about 5 hours

Megannoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4030518.post-1118160963123920742005-06-07T08:29:00.000-07:002005-06-07T10:46:55.893-07:00

I've read some great race reports in the last few days. Go read all about Lara's determination, VJ's marathon triumph, Dietgirl's very first race ever, and Lynne's seriously kick-ass adventure race.I ran my own 5K this weekend. I wanted to do it because the route featured some inner-city murals. I ran with my camera, but it turns out it's pretty hard to run and take pictures, so I only got one

Megannoreply@blogger.com6