Wordless Weekends - Happy Easter and Happy Passover

Tales of fundraising

As I've mentioned, I'm once again raising money for Bolder Options.  One of the ways this happens is the annual phone-a-thon where a whole bunch of Bolder volunteers get lists of people who've donated in the past.  We call past donors and thank them for their support, we also ask if they'd like to make a donation this year.  I'm much nicer to people who call asking me for money after having done this job.

Here's a couple conversations from tonight:

Me: Hi, is this (name)?
Them: Yes.
Me: Hi, I'm a volunteer from Bolder Options.  I'm calling because it's our annual phone a thon and it looks like you've supported us in the past so we wanted to say thanks.
Them: Uh....
Me: It looks like maybe someone else in your house may have made the donation.
Them: No, it couldn't have been anyone else.
Me: It looks like (name of another person) was your original contact from Bolder Options.
Them: Oh.  That was someone my husband knew.  He's my ex-husband now.
Me: Oh.  Well, let me update our database so we don't call you again.

You'd think that'd be the most awkward conversation I had tonight but no.  The coup de gras was this one:

Me: Hi, is this (name)?
Lady: No.
Me: Oh, sorry I was trying to reach (name of lady) or (name of dude).
Lady: Well (name of dude) isn't home right now and (name of lady) died.
Me: ...

Awkward.  Party of 1.  It took me a full five minutes to recover from that one.

Wake up! Run!

Instead of High Intensity Water Running, I hit the pavement this morning.  I think I have a renewed energy for running following the Kansas experience.

I did the seven mile loop around Hiawatha and Harriet.  I was slightly alarmed not to see the eagles or their nest, but it was dark so I'm hoping everything is okay.  Sunrise was amazing.  My pace for most of the run was similarly amazing to me. 

Work was less amazing.  Although I spent an impressively long time on a credentialing application that was ultimately impossible to complete.  (I have been defeated.)

I spent most of the evening calling people and asking for donations for Bolder Options which is one of my favorite non-profit organizations in town.  If I know you, you're on my list to call.  Please have your checkbook ready.  If I don't know you, give anyways and tell them I sent you!

I was going to hit everyone with a theme song for the day.  Looking at iTunes just made me realize I need some new tunes for a new running playlist.  In the mean time, some favorites for the past month:

• Pitbull - Give Me Everything.  I love the beginning.
• Taio Cruz - Higher, maybe my newest find.
• Fort Minor - Believe Me.  I guess that this is where we've come to!
• Jorge Quintero - 300 Violin Orchestra for those times when I feel like a badass.
• Macy Gray - Kissed It.  Feels like my theme song at the moment.

Holy Kansas Batman!

This weekend was my annual pilgrimage to Kansas for friends, beer, and running.  In that order.

Friday was the day of driving.

• Weather: Tough to say because we were in the car.  It was sunny.  Kansas is hot and required A/C in the car.
• Events: Driving.  Lots of driving.  The night ended with a bottle of wine which was great.
• Theme song: Sex-O-Matic Venus Freak - Macy Gray.  This is a weird song to listen to in the car with another person.  Just saying.

Iowa: the most boring drive in the world

At least the clouds were interesting

Ending the day right!

Saturday was the day of hanging out, packet pick up and a great basketball game.

• Weather: The thermometer said 86* around 2pm which means it got even hotter later in the day.  I was sweaty and gross all day.  I hadn't even run yet.
• Events: Two trips to downtown Lawrence, and this basketball game squeezed in between them.
• Theme song: Burnin Up - Jonas Brothers for obvious reasons.

Walking in to downtown Lawrence - note the pitchfork in the photo

Practicing with the baton

Everyone in Jayhawks gear for the Final Four game against Ohio State

Mayhem in the streets when Jayhawks beat Ohio State for a trip to the 'ship!

Sunday in which I melt run. 

• Weather: Hotter than fire.  I think the heat index was around 100*.  That shit hurt.
• Events: We ran this thing.  I had leg five (new for me this year) and leg nine (somehow more horrible and less horrible than last year at the same time).
• Theme song: Game On - Pitbull.  Although nothing really helped.

Heading to Kansas City

The race starts at a brewery.  Win!

Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City, also the starting line

Everyone practicing with the baton

 

Someone thought it would be hilarious to turn my horns upside down. 

Beth thinks this is her new ride.  I wish too.

Preparing to run.  Every bit as hot as it looks.

 

Leg Nine: Welcome to hell

Dying at the end of my leg.  It was so hot.

Heading to the finish line along the levy.

Holy crap!  We survived.

 

Monday in which I drive home.

• Weather: Started out in the 70s in the morning in Kansas.  Finished in the 70s in the evening in Minnesota.  A/C was required, but not on full blast.
• Events: Just a lot of driving.
• Theme song: Macy Gray feat Velvet Revolver - Kissed It because it finally woke us up.

There are no pictures from the trip home since I was driving.  Enjoy these instead.

  

Wordless Weekends - Jayhawks Final Four

In honor of the impending NCAA Championship game...

Finding the lucky shirt!

Everyone in costume!

Shirt #1

Shirt #2 - plus Jayhawks Sunglasses

Shirt #3 - finally found the lucky shirt

The end of the game was intense!

And then all hell broke loose on Massachusetts Street

It's a Party!

Goal for Monday: Be a Nice Person

So far, so good.  Hopefully.

I got up at 5:30am and tried to go for a run.  My iPod was momentarily on the fritz (I have no idea) so I came back in and did a Circuit routine in my house.  20 exercises, 90 seconds each.  Twice.



I headed out to buy gas and baked goods (one step towards my goal) and headed off to pick up my Pooky Bear.  The two of us headed out to Wilmar for a funeral of the dad of our best friend.  I was doing fine the whole funeral until I looked over at said friend and saw her hugging one of her aunties.



Pooky Bear and I headed back into the cities before the rest of the troops so we could enact what I've dubbed "Operation Casserole".  I headed over to the friend's house and did some cleaning and straightening she wasn't able to do before leaving town.  Trying to clean up cat hair is like trying to drain the Mississippi river with a bucket.  I dropped off the keys to another friend and then headed home.

 

Back at my place, I was inspired to continue cleaning.  I took out the trash, straightened, put away my clean clothes, vacuumed, scrubbed the bathroom (bonus if you can figure out when's the last time I did that), and did the kitchen and bathroom floors.  About the time I was too tired to move, I was also done cleaning.  

 

Wordless Weekends - Rainbows and Sunshine

Sun setting over Lake Nokomis

The Park Board took off the "Ice Not Safe" signs at Lake Nokomis

See the rainbow?

My biggest fear in life: being in one of these as it's falling over.

Total mistake.

At Baker's Wife after the run.

Downtown over Lake of the Isles

Clearly the Park Board hasn't made it to Lake of the Isles.

What has been seen - Amazing things for March

First off - it's green.  It's March and stuff is coming out and blooming.  That's just not right.

I woke up this morning and my running partner let me know she couldn't make it but offered a coffee date later.  I hit the gym instead (95% humidity and all) and then stopped at Caribou for the both of us.

Most of the rest of the day was spent on my couch.  I am so lazy.  I did manage to haul myself off my couch at the end of the day for a walk around the lake.  I'm glad I did because it was amazing.

Sun starting to set. 

Everything is green.  This is not normal.

 

Even the Magnolias are blooming.  (The white blossoms.)  Magnolias blooming.  In March.  In Minnesota.

Those two kids did not stay in the water long.  Swimming in March.  In Minnesota.

Towards the end of the walk I saw quite the rainbow.  It was easy to see but challenging to catch on camera.

Seen but not photographed:

• The dude walking his lizard.
• People in a canoe, chilling on the lake and soaking up the sunshine.
• The Eagle's nest.  It's still there but I haven't seen the eagles themselves in a while.
• Fishermen.  In March when there's normally ice on the lakes.

Thursday Night Done Club

I'm joining the Done Club.  Information on the original done club can be found here. 

Things DONE today that make me eligible for the club:

• Work - 9.5 hours of work, starting at 7:15am.  Serious.
• Friendship - Blasting a particular friend with text messages all day.  Hugs.
• More work. Oy - The eight pages of case notes from yesterday.  Included are the hit songs "Pre petition screening" and "This wound on my foot...".  Classic.
• Exercise - one hour of circuit and one hour of The United Nations Zumba.
• Cleaning - everything is "picked up and put away" and the kitchen floor is swept.  Dishwasher is also emptied.
• Laundry - 10 days worth of laundry, including taking the flanel sheets off the bed.  It's amazing how much room there is on my drying rack when I'm not trying to accommodate 50 pairs of wool socks.
• Running date for tomorrow - yeah!
• Find new music - My new favorite song. Probably not running appropriate but great for car rides.
• Blog.  Duh.

On the climate, wardrobe and activities of March 2012 - DON'T GET USED TO IT

March - in weather

Then:

• 2008 - Snowing, so much I apparently couldn't leave my house.
• Last year I'm fairly sure that winter parking rules were in effect.

Now:

• No snow emergencies all freaking winter.  We're calling it 10 days early.  Snow emergencies can't legally happen after April 1st.
• Ice off the lakes, everything is turning green and we set temperature records for like the last 10 days straight.  Win for us.

March - in activities

Then:

• Meeting my new neighbors.  In my pajamas and no bra.  Nice.
• Raising money for a marathon.  Had a blast.
• Passion Fruit are here.   Yum.

Now:

• Trying new exercises and classes something I never thought I'd do.
• Still running but finding new ways to do that as well.

March - in dress

Then:

• Still in a hat which I don't wear if it's above freezing  Just saying.

Now:

• I refer you to the title of this post.  That day was so hot.
•   See the footwear here for additional information.

March - in Muic

Then:

• I finally found Pandora.  I have a hot and cold relationship with Pandora.
• These were some of my new favorite songs.

Now:

• Some of my current favorite songs can be seen here, here, and here.  Yeah for Pitbull.

A note on the future - the average temperatures in April are in the 40's.  Oy.