The Numbers Game

a short while back, i was watching television with hi-def and the news channels were going on about how it was only 60 days until election day. and i said, wow, that means my marathon is even sooner. and hi-def says, yeah about a month sooner. well, i have been following my training schedule, taking it one week at a time but never really thinking too much about how many days left of training i have or how many other numbers are involved in all of this so:

20 - number of miles of my longest run, which i completed last weekend when i had 3 weeks left to go before the marathon. 20 miles is also the furthest i have ever run in my entire life. it is also a shorter distance than the marathon.
19 - the average age of a soldier in the vietnam war. it's a number that is stuck in my head, thanks to paul hardcastle
14 - number of days left until the marathon. that is also 2 weeks. that is also 8 training runs and 4 cross-training sessions.
7 - number of months i shall have spent training when the marathon comes around.
5 - pairs of shoes i have gone through since i began training.
3 - ice baths that i have taken after a long run. yes, that's me, a bath and enough ice to cover my legs, for 20 minutes.
2 - number of feet that are completely shot and as ugly as sin, due to the thorough beating they have taken over the last 6 and a half months. my apologies to them. 2 is also the number of knees that have miraculously supported me thus far. my greatest gratitude to them.

26.2 - miles that i am to run in chicago, in order to complete the marathon.
42.195 - for the metric, kilometres that i am to run in chicago. my mother's farm is 20 km out of town and i used to be able to take a nap when we drove from the farm into town - that is less than half the distance of the marathon. just so my mom

1 - post race speech i wish i could give, so i could thank the many many people who have supported and encouraged me. so i could thank the random strangers in the park and at the running track who gave me the thumbs up, wished me well and urged me to "keep going, you're looking good" when i was about to give up. to my aunt who was impressed even when i ran just 3 miles. to hi-def who complimented me endlessly, calling me a "beast" and a "machine" and, seriously, what more could a girl ask for? to my mom who told me i could do it and i know she's not lying to be kind because she has always laughed at my art. oh i could go on but i am pretty sure they are going to give that speech time to the marathon winners.

but, you know, i could always sneak up, tackle the news guy and grab the mic. i'm sure i'll get at least a thank you or two out before they catch me.

Truth, Lies and Internet...

It has been a while, i guess i must run faster than i thought, but finally someone caught up. Prettylyf caught me and tagged and so, ahem, here goes:

1. What’s worse - Physical or Mental cheating?
i think they are both equally awful and dishonest.


2. Is it easier to forgive or forget?
easier to forget. i'm all - ooooh i don't like that person, i can't remember why but, oooh i don't like them.


3. Can men and women be ” Just Friends?”
well, a friend is never "just" a friend. but, most definitely men and women can be friends and it would probably make the world a better place if we could be.



4. Dating co-workers?
oh, no, too messy.



5. All expenses paid vacation to anywhere?
that's difficult. can i say world tour? or ten-nation tour?


6. On the way to the electric chair - What’s your last meal?
inner-body anti-electric insulation.



7. Water parks are…?
lots of fun on a hot day with friends



8. When you are “In Love” do you notice other people?
notice how? as in, there you are in front of me, i better step to the side before i trip over you?



9. Is flirting cheating?
yep.


10. Would you rather have 1 great friend or 5 pals?
1 great friend


11. If someone called you a bitch would you be offended?
it would depend on what they meant. i would probably just have a sore hand from bopping them on the head. i keed! i keed!...


12. Are you ok with your significant other being friends with an ex?
i am not sure. best friends? hmmmm...


13. Would you live with someone without marrying them?
i think i would.


14. Favorite sport?
basketball.

15. Is toilet paper hung over or under?
under

16. Do you squeeze toothpaste from the middle or end of the tube?
i try to do the end. sometimes i do middle but i really try to focus on the end.

17. How do you feel about tanning booths?
they are not necessary and probably quite dangerous.


18. Friends with benefits?
not for me, thanks.


19. Do you believe in angels?
i haven't thought about that lately. i am thinking i don't not believe.


20. Would you rather take pictures or be in pictures?
i seem to always be taking them. does that mean that is what i prefer or that i travel with people who don't have cameras?


21. Have you ever flirted with someone you had no interest in?
Does in jest count? i think they knew it was completely a joke.


22. Ever kissed a random person and then walked away?
hahaha. no. but i think it would be an interesting thing to watch.


23. Would you buy bootleg merchandise?
Oh yes.


24. What color looks best on you?
i am thinking black. but i also look good in certain shades of red.


25. If you could play any sport professionally what would it be?
basketball or tennis or just be the ref in aussie rules rugby.


26. Ever break up with someone and regret it?
nope


27. Are you a jealous person?
don't think so


28. Would you ever have plastic surgery?
it's too late for me now. i have grown used to the me that is.


29. When do you want to get married?
i can tell you when my mother wants me to get married!


30. Who has the sexiest accents?
hmmmm, what about italian americans from North Jersey?


31. Next concert you’re attending?
i have no plans

32. Favorite song?
what i love depends on how i feel at any given moments. i have so many songs i love.


33. Favorite movie?-
the usual suspects. recently though i laughed until i cried at tropic thunder


34. What’s your occupation?
controller - whatever that means. maybe like ms jackson i'm in control!

35. What’s your sign?
Scorpio


36. Are you a beach, country or city person
beach and city. i would love to split my life between the two


37. Best vacation spot you’ve been to?
victoria falls!

38. Have you ever had a “secret affair?”
nope


39. If you could own a non-traditional pet which would it be?
turtle. or a huge tortoise.


40. Favorite show as a child?
nothing comes to mind. i loved the looney tunes and voltron


41. Where do you spend most of your money?
RENT


42. Are you currently working at a job that you hate?
i actually am enjoying my new job, in as much as one can enjoy work.


43. Have you ever been so heart broken that you called in sick to work?
i am of the "work so hard you can't think about your personal life" school of thought

44. Favorite summer drink?
i love seltzer water all the time.


45. Can you change a car tire?
i think i could. i have never had to.


46. Favorite cologne / perfume?
i love a whole range of armani perfumes, particularly code and sensi


48. Would you consider yourself adventurous?
yes indeedy


49. What is your My Space profile song?
the flinstones theme song, i think. i haven't updated it since maybe sometime last year.


50. Favorite concert attended?
most recently sharon jones. she's amazing!


51. Would you date an already attached man / woman?
that's like being a second wife. i'm too selfish for that.


52. Would you sing Karaoke in front of co-workers?
absolutely.


53. Can you shoot pool?
i can't get that stick arm coordination thing down.


54. Do you like your siblings’ significant others?
i don't know any of them - globalisation has scattered us around the world.


55. Can you drive a stick?
absolutely. i got my licence driving stick.


56. Did you wear white at your wedding?
the wedding? i don't remember the wedding. did i oversleep? did i miss it? did i sleep walk and do it in pyjamas??


57. Have you ever sat and hoped for a phone call?
oh almost every day.


58. Ever skip school and spend the day at the beach?
i never went to school near a beach. and my dad would have killed me had i ever played hookey.


59. Favorite TV show/s?
Law & Order - all three of them, House, CSI

60. What do you think about gay marriage?
i think marriage is marriage and any consenting adults who want to go that route should do as they wish.

61. what are you waiting for at the movies?
i think i might go and see the new ricky gervais movie.

62. What is your favorite holiday?
i kinda hate holidays. not being with family has turned me off. i do love my birthday, wherever i am.

63. Describe your fighting style: drunken master or angry monkey?
drunken monkey! now i have to go and find some old kung fu movie.

64. Piercing?
in ears. the others have closed now.

65. Tattoos?
i am waiting until i'm 72

66. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
amazon.com - then i could get whatever i wanted, right?

67. Thongs?
NEVER! it's like having a wedgie all the time. those things are instruments of torture!

68. Write 2 truths and 1 lie
-high fructose corn syrup is the devil
-the movie is always better than the book
-all we need is love

and to those of you who happen upon this i say - TAG! YOU'RE IT!!!!

12 September

birthdays have always been big in my family. growing up, my parents tended to be too busy being revolutionaries and graduate students to take the time and energy to get worked up about holidays. but birthdays? oh, those were super special days - i mean, a birthday is your day and no one has the right to take that away from you, not even a revolutionary. and everyone was expected to treat another's birthday with the reverence it deserved.

like a lot of kids in this world, i did not have a wage earning job and so, when it came to birthdays, i was expected to use my skills and resources found around the house in order to come up with at least a card and hopefully a gift too.

i am sure i have shared with you my atrocious handwriting and rather frightening drawing ability - or rather, lack thereof. but a birthday is a birthday and you do what you can and you put your all into it. and so i would make the most hideous cards but i will say that they were full of love and frustration and lots of shadows where i had used my eraser over and over again, just trying to make things perfect.

so, when i was, i don't know, maybe about 10, i decided that black was my favourite colour - looking in my closet, one might argue that black still is my favourite colour. i knew that, whatever i did, it would have to incorporate black. and what i did was make my mother a personalised pin cushion. i dug through her sewing scraps and found a pink piece of hardy cottong fabric that was just the right size and then i went through her knitting basket and found some black yarn. i took my time and made a border around the pin cushion and stuffed it with other scraps. and finally, the piece de resistance, painstakingly embroidered her initials on each side of the cushion. i was so proud of myself!

i went home to visit and there it was still, next to the sewing machine. and boy is it an eyesore! i couldn't believe that she still had it and so i asked her why she hadn't gotten herself a prettier pin cushion. she looked at me as though i was crazy and said - well, you gave it to me as a birthday present. i like it.
i offered to replace it and she insisted that she liked it find and it still worked very well.
i don't know because i look at that thing and wonder - what the heck was i thinking?

ah mothers.

Oh What A Heart!!

so my friend from boston? she's is extremely generous. her heart is huge and she gets passionate about things. things she can do something about and things that sometimes overwhelm her. but if you have a problem and you need a friend? she's the one. i'm thinking word must have gotten around. maybe someone's been writing on bathroom walls "you need help? call 1-800-boston" or something. bathroom wall readers must have posted virtual notes online because boston gets email all the time. asking for help.

mostly those in need are in nigeria and their tales are almost all the same. they survived a coup or the military regime but somehow they and their money were separated. maybe it's in a swiss bank account, perhaps it is sitting in a trust in the cayman islands, or possibly in suitcases buried under a hammock in jamaica. but they really need boston's help and though they have never met, they know what a good person she is. they know how trustworthy and honest she is. they just know she is the one. help us and we'll show our appreciation by giving you millions of dollars. just a small token of appreciation. send us all your personal information and let us put mountains of money in your account and then keep a lot of it and just give us enough to live on. so, the other day, boston kindly wrote back to one:


dear dr johnson campbell

what a dear friend you are to think of me. yes , i did get your message from 3 months ago. wow, $500k sounds great. i could get a new condo. and maybe a new car. like one of those hybrid cars. they are really kind of pricey. i wish hyundai would make a hybrid. do you think they will? you know those japanese boys, they dont like to be left behind. what with the kia and all. but the kia's are not bad. not bad at all. there is that one that looks like a merc. i wonder how it drives. you know what i like about the japanese, they are tech people, so you know their cars are not always basic. but what if they come up with like a hummer hybrid. eeeish. that would be interesting. lol. a hybrid hummer. and then they can make all kinds of colors. like pink and purple. orange even.
maybe your secretay that Steve Douglas fellow, maybe he can call the japanese with these ideas. i bet we could make a boat load of money.
okay, well let me know how that goes. oh about that money, i think i'm kind of overloaded a bit with some money i got last year. so maybe u can hold onto it for me for a while. thanks.

Pretend That This Is Radio

i find myself once again travelling for work, so i have no means to upload photos (i'm working on getting my dream macbook!) on sunday i ran with the world! well at least that's what nike told me and who am i to argue with nike? so i ran and the world ran with me. for 10 km! how are you world? i myself am tired but super proud of myself. it was the quickest i have ever run 10km (though live video might make me look as though i was going in slow motion) and it was all for some very good causes - charity, community and an cool t-shirt. when i was in primary school, cross country was a 3km run (max 5km) - at 10 km, i must have run, at the very least, an entire continent.

and though i am scratching at the mosquito bites on my arms and grass bug bites on my ankles, it's totally worth it. you shoulda been there. maybe you were. a part of that sea of red that snaked around randall's island. or sao paolo. or johannesburg. and we'll know each other by the medals that double as cool wrist-wear. so you could be sitting on a plane irritated with the guy who's taking up more than half of the arm rest. then you'll look down, see the medal-cum-wristband and you'll be all, hey you ran the race too! then he'll throw his hands up in the air all excitedly and you can take that moment to reclaim arm rest. hah!