One Thing I Forgot To Mention

Real quick story (I've been busy today at work after my 11 hours of sleep last night . . .feeling much better).

I forgot to mention the cutest thing that happened at my doctor's appointment on Monday.

Buttin and I took separate cars to the appointment (he was heading to Fantastic Fest). He lost his keys at the house and was running a little late. I was already in the waiting room. For my last appointment, we waited a good 30 minutes, but this time - I got in within 2 minutes.

I texted Buttin to let him know that I was already in the office, but to write to me when he was in the waiting room and I would come get him. Meanwhile, the doctor came in immediately and we chatted for a couple minutes (about how highlighting my hair is not recommended) and then he said, "Time to listen for the heartbeat".

Lumpy's little heartbeat was strong and I can only guess that his/her heart was right up by my tummy, because I heard it instantly. After hearing the heartbeat, we were basically done. I wrote to Buttin to let him know that the doctor was gone, we'd heard the heartbeat and I was just waiting for my flu shot.

Buttin arrived at the office about two minutes later. I went out to the waiting room to get him so he could wait with me to get my flu shot. I told Buttin all about my 5 minute appointment and after I told him I got to hear the heartbeat, he said, "But . . . I wanted to hear the heartbeat." To me, it was the cutest thing.

Cranky

I'm cranky.

I'm going to blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but I feel like at any moment I could cry (I almost did last night when my grilled cheese sandwich was served cold - I sent it back) or punch someone in the eye.

When I think about all the little things that are getting to me - I feel so stupid. For example, we had a birthday cookie cake yesterday for one of the misfits. Well, there was leftovers and I was really looking forward to eating some after lunch today. When I went to the fridge, no cookie cake. Seeing as it was HIS birthday cookie cake, he took it home last night (which is totally fine, sorta). Sadly, no cookie cake for me (or Lumpy). Pretty pathetic, huh?

I don't think I really wanted to get out of bed this morning. It was storming all morning, the animals had been fidgeting since about 4:30 and I just knew that my car would be flooded again (and it was). Even with all this, I did manage to get out of bed and get to the gym for my Team Tri class, but I had to drive Buttin's truck. I should have just worked out, gone back home and taken a nap.

Maybe I'm feeling a little blah because I got the flu shot yesterday. I should probably blame my grupooticus feelings on that rather than on Lumpy.

Another Appointment With Dr. Elephant

After all the fanfare and hoopla of Lumpy's first appointment, the second one was more just like, well, a regular doctor's appointment. It happened so quickly, Buttin didn't even make it in time.

I got weighed (I've gained 1.5 lbs in 5 weeks), got my blood pressure taken (112/68), talked to the doctor for all of about 3 minutes (he would have talked to me longer - I just didn't really have any questions) and got to hear Lumpy's heartbeat (yeah!). I've been very fortunate that I haven't really been sick or had any of the usual negative symptoms of pregnancy - so I always enjoy confirmation of Lumpy's existence. I was also supposed to get my flu shot today, but they ran out - I'm going to try to go later today. I guess they're very serious about us preggo ladies getting our flu shot!

My favorite part of the entire appointment happened when Dr. Elephant asked about my running. I told him I did my first 18-miler on Saturday. He looked at me and said in a very matter of fact tone, "Wow, and you're still gaining weight." Thanks, doc - good to know my weight gain is amazing.

My next appointment is October 30th and my MIL will get to join us!

Marathon Training - Weekly Update

This Week: 9/21 - 9/26

Total Miles Completed: 33.26

Average Pace: 12.50 min/mile

Very slow this week, but that's because I did 18 miles on Saturday! My first 18 miler - EVER. My first 12 miles were great, but then my legs got very tight - so I had to do some walk/jogging.

I also had a very special moment on Saturday. I put on my favorite pair of running shorts and they felt really strange. I thought, "certainly, I haven't gained so much weight as to make my shorts already too tight." I began my run (as usual) in the dark (I was on a very familiar trail) - I had gone about 2 miles, when I went to adjust my shorts and discovered my tie was in my back. I had put my shorts on backwards! Since there was no one in sight, I quickly removed my shorts and put them on correctly - ahh, sweet relief. It felt so much better - better till I got to mile 14.

This coming Saturday - my first 20 miler!

Thirty Second Movie Reviews - Fantastic Fest Day 4

Krabat

Interesting, dark fantasy film. I found the story enjoyable, if a little long.


Duress

Slap me in the face thriller. I felt like a totally cocky movie watcher - I thought I knew where it was going and then wham-o something quite surprising.

Thirty Second Movie Reviews - Fantastic Fest Day 2 &3

Robo Geisha - Secret Screening #1

Really should have been more fun - it's about a Geisha who can turn into a robot and fight evil. Not fun, pretty boring & disappointing.


The Men Who Stare At Goats - Secret Screening #2

This movie is supposedly based on a real division of the U.S. Army. It's pretty hilarious and it has George Clooney, so how could it be bad?


Under The Mountain

This movie also should have been more fun, but was kind of boring. It's based on a children's story about aliens that live under mountains and are plotting to destroy Earth. I found myself daydreaming.

Yatterman

Asian super hero movie/comedy. I was entertained, but not excited.

Fetus Friday - Week 13. Also, 3 Months Till Christmas

I'm just entering week 13.

Here's a little baby bump picture (or Taco Bell and gas bump):

Baby Center says this about Lumpy's 13th week of development:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now.

Lumpy is now almost three inches long and it's comforting to know that if Lumpy commits a crime (like stealing pickles), he/she can be fingerprinted and identified. I know, I'm a dork.

My cravings have started to come on a little stronger. Two nights ago all I wanted was tomatoes and pickles. We didn't have either in the house, so yesterday morning I ate pickles and tomatoes for breakfast. Also, last night at the movies I asked if they could just bring me a plate of pickles - and they did (they have fried pickles on the menu, but I just wanted plain ole pickles). I have no real desire for sweets (although that doesn't keep me from eating them), all I really want is salt, salt and more salt.

We have our next doctor's appointment on Monday. I'm really just hoping I haven't gained 15 lbs.

In other awesome news - it's 3 MONTHS TILL CHRISTMAS! This fact was very comforting last night when we got home from a super scary movie and QVC was having their countdown to Christmas, will all sorts of Christmas items to buy. Christmas makes everything better - including all the images in my head.

Forty-Five Second Movie Review - Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity

HOLY PEE IN MY PANTS BATMAN! This low, low budget movie is so good and so scary that it deserves 15 extra seconds. It's a slow, steady build of fright and 75% of the action takes place in a bedroom, which made it all the more difficult for me to sleep in my bed last night (more like this morning - didn't get home till 2:15 AM). I couldn't even watch the last 10 minutes, but I heard EVERYTHING and Buttin told me exactly what happened. This movie experience was made all the more frightening for me because I HAVE NEVER seen Buttin this giddy/scared/goose-bumpy after a movie, EVER! He's not supposed to be freaked out - I AM! He's not supposed to say things like, "Well, what makes this movie so scary is that I could easily put myself in this situation. I'm never going to be in a dark cave (like in The Decent) or in the woods (like The Blair Witch Project), but I'm always in my bedroom." Thanks Buttin, that was very reassuring. Be prepared dear MIL, I have a feeling that come Christmastime or next Spring you will be watching this awesomely scary movie!

P.S. I think it goes without saying, this film is not for Liz.

Thirty Second Movie Review - Solomon Kane

Solomon Kane

My first movie of Fantastic Fest wasn't that bad. For a fantasy film - I was entertained. It's no Lord of the Rings - but hey, what is?

Lumpy?

So, in reading some of the baby message boards -I found a cute little website called Morph Thing - it takes pictures and blends them. It can create a (just for fun) picture of what your baby might look like.

Here's Lumpy (maybe):

Not Feeling Great

I don't know what it is, but I haven't been feeling wonderful the last couple days. I don't think it has anything to do with Lumpy, but just a general blah feeling mixed with a headache.

The strange thing is both this morning and yesterday morning - I woke up feeling great and had really good workouts (yesterday a run & today my team tri class). It wasn't until after my shower that I started to feel icky.

I've been taking Tylenol (since that's all I can really take), but I really don't want to take too much - I'm afraid of rebound headaches. I sure hope I feel better this afternoon - I have two movies to see tonight and the plan is for me to be awake till 2:00 AM - we'll see how that goes.

In random baby news - I found two recent things in the news that I don't want happening to me:

1. Woman gets pregnant, while already pregnant! The babies were conceived only 3 weeks a part, but still - no thank you.
   
2. Woman gives birth to 19.2lb baby! Of course he was born via c-section, but holy cow baby! Again, no thank you.

I don't know if it's just because I'm pregnant (and noticing it more), but there seem to be a ton of stories about weird pregnancy happenings. I hope that everything with Lumpy is nice, boring and totally un-newsworthly!

Cooler Weather Running

Things I got used to while running in the summer:

1. Creating puddles of sweat (like a Hansel and Gretel trail) behind me;
2. People holding their noses and pointing as I ran (slowly jogged) by;
3. Running at a slower than snails pace and being exhausted;
4. Washing (or Febreezing) my ipod holder in the shower on a weekly basis (it was stinky);
5. Turning an unnatural shade of red; and
6. Promising to never, EVER complain about cold weather again.

Things I enjoyed about running in the low 60's this morning:

1. Generating only a moderate amount of sweat;
2. Having my hair blow slightly in the breeze (instead of being plastered to my head with sweat);
3. Drinking a normal amount of water (unlike the usual buffalo amount I have to carry); and
   
4. Being able to wave at other runners (before I didn't have the energy to lift up my arm);

I did 8.7 miles this morning, with 8 Yassos in the middle. All of my Yassos were around 5:00 ( a couple under, but most 5 seconds over). It's going back up into the 90s later this week, but I'm looking forward to many, many cooler runs in the coming months.

The First Day Of Fall

This morning I woke up, got ready for my Team Tri class and headed out to my car, which is now an indoor pool again. Needless to say, I didn't go to class.

I was actually pretty proud of myself - instead of going back to sleep, I became a little cleaning and organizing fool for two hours before I started to get ready to go to work. I blame the fall, rainy weather for this very unique urge. I got out the Halloween stuff and started to decorate (just a little, nothing compared to Christmas), threw away a few things (don't want to end up like Hoarders) and did a couple loads of laundry (at 5:30 in the morning!).

I really should have stayed at home, because when I took my poor Bubba car in to the auto repair place (that did the repairs after the accident) they blamed the auto glass people. The auto glass people are going to look at in on Thursday, so in the meantime I have a lovely pool of sludge water in my car.

Oh well! I'm excited that it's fall. This is my favorite season (unless you count Christmas as a season) and I can't wait for slightly cooler weather.

Thirty Second Movie Review - The Informant!

The Informant!

Meh . . . I wanted this movie to be so much more fun. It was a little fun, but mostly just sad. I was also a little bored, but that may have had more to do with not having eaten any dinner prior to the movie. Lesson learned.

Like Christmas For Buttin

Fantastic Fest starts this week.

This is one week out of the year where Buttin turns into a little kid at Christmastime.

Fantastic Fest is a week long movie festival celebrating all things horror, gory, supernatural, science fictiony and otherwise just plain strange.

Buttin has been planning his movie watching schedule for the last couple of months. To watch him describe some of these movies is akin to listening to a child describe their favorite toy - he gets giddy and excited and is strangely proud of his membership in this very odd little club of movie-watchers.

I must admit that I too enjoy watching many of these movies, although some of the worst movies I've seen in my life have come from this festival ("The Birthday" comes to mind). I know it must seem that I do a lot of little "Thirty Second Movie Reviews", but be prepared, there will be lots more to come in the next week.

Thirty Second Movie Review - Jennifer's Body

Jennifer's Body

This was a much better and entertaining than it had any right to be. Not quite a horror movie, not quite a teen comedy - but totally fun!

Marathon Training - Weekly Update

This Week: 9/14 - 9/21

Total Miles Completed: 19.68

Average Pace: 12.40 min/mile

This was my week to ease off on the mileage. I dropped a little lower than I expected, due to a horrible headache on Monday (which meant no running).

Yesterday I did a nice, relaxing 12 miles. I don't think under any circumstance could you get me to describe 12 miles as nice or relaxing - even as recently as six months ago. I went to the trails and there were still a few mushy and treacherous parts from all the rain last weekend. I had to be a little careful (and slow) until it became completely light out.

On Wednesday, I did a little over 7.5 miles. I did 7 Yassos - all were around 5:00 minutes. Even with running for 5 minutes and then walking for about 5 minutes, my average pace was still 12:11 min/mile. I love that I go faster on the day when I walk. I can only deduce from this phenomenon that my body enjoys walking and will allow me to run faster if I just give it a little time to walk. I might try something like this for my long run next week (not Yassos, but more of a run 9 minutes/walk 1 minute) and see how it goes.

In other weekend news, UT beat TT last night! In other disgusting news, last night around 8:30 (as I was planning to go to bed) I discovered that Cartman had thrown up his body weight in water on my side of the bed - disgusting! I slept on the couch last night and Buttin joined me at 3:00 AM when he returned home from the game and playing downtown.

He Looks Happy

Buttin eventually decided to wear a Red Raiders t-shirt, but I find this picture hilarious. Hook'em Horns!

The Almost Ours Kitty

All together now . . . Awe . . . .

Around 5:00 this evening Buttin walked through the door carrying this precious little flea ball. He found it while outside visiting our neighbor. Our neighbor said that he didn't think his neighbor had a kitten. For an hour and a half he was our new animal rescue.

During the course of that hour and a half, he drank milk from a shot glass:Ate both cat and dog food:



Used Buttin as a chew toy:


And took lots of cute pictures.

He also manged to take the stinkiest poop ever created (I should know - I'm Cartman's mom). Buttin had to clean it up since he did manage to go in the litter box, which I guess was a positive. We also gave him a name, Mini - as in "Mini Mouse", because he looks like a mini version of Mouser.

I found some little fleas on him, so I gave him a quick flea treatment - but he was in need of a bath and some toys. We took him for a car ride to Petsmart. We carefully picked out a flea spray, flea drops and a toy. Just as we were checking out we got a call from our neighbor, Mini already had a home.

I was a little sad, but the truth is I don't think our four other fur babies were really that upset. We really didn't need another cat.

I took Mini back to his home (and that's where I found out Mini really was a boy). They apparently just let him stay outside, so I still might see Mini frequently (cats apparently love our house). As I walked away, Mini followed me for a few steps . . .sniff . . . sniff.

Fetus Friday - Week 12

Well it's the start of Week 12.

Baby center says this about Lumpy's development:

His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

OK - so I wonder, where does Lumpy's pee-pee go when he/she goes pee-pee? Does it funnel into my bladder? Am I going to have to pee even more than I already do?

It also says this about me:

You may already be into maternity clothes, especially if this isn't your first pregnancy. If you're still fairly small and not yet ready for maternity clothes, you've no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you're more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.

I'm noticing a general roundness every where and although I'm not in maternity clothes - I am loving my elastic shorts. I just like to think of it as being prepared to go for a run at a moment's notice.

The Slide

I joined a "Team Tri" class at my gym, Lifetime Fitness, as something to do on the days that I'm not running. It's not a very serious triathlon class - but it's good for cross training and breaks up my usual routine of just running (jogging).

As a class, we rarely swim, but today we did! I love/hate swimming. I love it because out of the three (running, biking & swimming) it's the one I'm most proficient at and I hate it because I used to be pretty good and now it hurts to just do 500 yards.

Today (I'm not kidding) we spent no less than 20 minutes going down the gigantic water slides. Me and three other women (two of whom were wearing swimsuits with ruffly skirts) giddily climbed the stairs and anxiously awaited our turn. I'm telling myself that this slide routine was a good workout - here's how I figure:

1. Leg workout - going up the (at least 1.5 flights) stairs.
2. Core workout - keeping my balance as I went up the winding stairs and for keeping my torpedo like position as I flew down the slide.
3. Arm workout - pushing myself out of the water to go back to the slide.
4. Mental workout - telling myself I could go down the slide again and this time do a PR.

OK, so maybe I'm stretching on a few of these - but it certainly was fun. We also swam for about 20 minutes and then did about 20 minutes of bouncing around in the pool, doing push ups and getting water in our noses.

Oh Yeah & Buttin Loves UT

A couple quick things . . .

First of all, Hogwarts is opening in Spring 2010 in Orlando.
I cannot wait! I'd be the first in line if I wasn't going to be so pregnant. I think my mother and I should do the Disney Marathon in 2011 and take a little trip to Universal Studios and visit Hogwarts as our reward. This will give me something to train for (and dream about) after Lumpy is born.

Second thing . . . UT is playing Texas Tech this weekend. I went to UT and Buttin went to Texas Tech. It wouldn't be a stretch to say most of the misfits are fans of UT. In honor of the big day, some of our misfits decorated his truck.

I guess the inside also has a blow up UT seat and some UT binkies on the dashboard (apparently, these are not for Lumpy - these are for Buttin when he starts crying after the big loss).

Buttin is lucky - he has some friends that are currently graduate students at UT so he gets to go to the game. The BEST part is, he is getting in with a student ticket, so he MUST wear a UT shirt. He'll be sitting in the student section, but I'm sure he'll take off his UT shirt and proudly display his Texas Tech shirt. It's a good thing too - I don't want him crying all over my shirt.

Hoarders Is Depressing

Last Saturday, Buttin and I went to Dim Sum with our friends Ben & Ann. We had a great time, but as I mentioned in Saturday's post, Lumpy wasn't really feeling the salt and pepper shrimp (my favorite).

During our conversation (most of which was consumed by Lumpy & Connor - Ben & Ann's baby) we started talking about one of Ben's new favorite shows - Hoarders (on A&E). As soon as we got home, Buttin started to record episodes.

Initially, I didn't want to watch this show. The idea of seeing people living in absolute filth, getting upset about someone throwing away their expired sour cream was not really appealing. I don't really enjoy seeing people at their worst unless I'm guaranteed a happy ending. Well, I've watched about two episodes now and for the most part, my initial thoughts were correct - this show is depressing. One of the most depressing parts about the show is that even when their house gets cleaned (some people don't even make it to this point), they're still left with a pretty junky house. Years of accumulated filth doesn't do a lot of good for carpet, walls, furniture, etc. I'm sure the house still smells really bad even after all the trash (and some of this "trash" is rotting pumpkins and cat skeletons - so not your typical stuff) has been removed.

In order to make this show better, I think the Hoarders show producers should pay for new paint, new flooring and maybe some new furniture. It would certainly make me happier when I watch it.

The show did make me a little self-conscious about all of my Christmas hoarding. I do tend to collect bows, boxes, paper and decorations a little more than the average person, but it's nothing like the people on this show - so I'm safe for now. After watching one episode, Buttin promptly cleaned up the kitchen so if this show is good for anything - it's good to keep Buttin and I aware of any bad habits.

What's Grosser Than Gross?

Stepping into your car with this waiting for you:

It's a good thing we have a cleaning division, because I had to get a water extraction for my car this morning. I also had to disinfect my feet (as I was wearing flip flops).

Here's another photo of the back seat:***QUICK UPDATE*** I realize that I didn't explain HOW the water got into my car. The truth is, I do not know. I check my windows and they were completely up. My only thought is that everything wasn't completely sealed from when Bubba got repaired after the accident.

Marathon Training - Weekly Update

This Week: 9/6 - 9/13

Total Miles Completed: 32.15

Average Pace : A little faster - 12.34 min/mile

I managed a pretty decent 16.2 mile long run this morning (a Sunday!). It has been raining like crazy the last couple of days, so I thought it best to stay on the streets and not venture out to the trails. I had to stop at a gas station around mile 11 for some water and a potty break. I did manage to lube (with deodorant) my front side up enough to get only a very small number of rubby-ouchies; however, my back is another story. I still haven't quite figured out how to get the deodorant on the middle part of my back by myself. Good thing I'll have my mom to help me the morning of the marathon. I also thought with all the extra deodorant on my body - it would help with my stinkiness, but alas, I still smelt like an unwashed hobo when I got home.

Also during this week, I managed to do 6 Yasso 800s during my Wednesday run - each 800 was between 4:50 - 5:10. My mileage would have been two higher, but I had to cut my Friday tempo run short by two miles - I had to head back home to go poop (even though I had already gone twice that morning - I know more information than most people want to know).

Thirty Second Movie Review - 9

9

As far as post-apocalyptic sac people cartoon movies go - this is the best one ever! This movie is not at all for children (or Liz), but for those willing to brave some truly terrifying machine monsters, you'll be treated to a spectacular story and visuals.

Rain Delay & Lumpy's Dislikes

This is the first Saturday EVER (at least a year) that I have been unable to do my long run. I woke up this morning, with a new route planned and ready to run. However, the weather wanted me to go back to sleep. I know that we need the rain, but I also know that I need the training. I'm going to try to do my long run tomorrow morning. They (the running know-it-alls) say it's actually better to do your long run on the same day of the week that you would do your race (i.e. Sundays), but I just love sleeping in and eating donut tops on Sunday mornings. Hopefully, I'll be able to do it tomorrow.

In other news, I don't think Lumpy likes Asian food. This is sad because Buttin and I really like Asian food. A couple weeks ago we ate sushi (I ate the cooked stuff only) and then I felt kind of sickly. Every Thursday, we typically eat Vietnamese food, but a week or so ago after eating it - I felt ill. Today we went to Dim Sum with our good friends Ben and Ann (they just had a little boy) and it tasted so good to me, but all the wonderful Dim Sum came out the other side in a matter of minutes. My stomach is still feeling gassy five hours later.

I'm guessing this means that Lumpy only wants Mexican (Taco Bell) and Italian (fried cheese) food - so I'm going to make lasagna tonight (if my gas ever goes down) and see how it goes.

And It Just Keeps Get'in Classier

Hallelujah - we have rain today & lots of it!

However, the rain has made our already very classy office, even swankier.

Here is the leaking ceiling in my office. I have a feeling that some of the stains are raccoon pee, plus I'm sure we have lots of wonderful creatures (both alive and dead) in my ceiling. This means that means what's coming out of the ceiling is a lovely combination of raccoon pee, roach droppings and decaying animal juices.

Here is my ceiling:

Here is one of the containers that is currently collecting all the fine liquid dripping from my poor office.

I'm happy for the rain - I just hope I don't come to work on Monday with disgusting animal bits in my office.

Fetus Friday - Week 11

Before I begin, I've noticed that lots of blogs have cute little themes for certain days of the week. This is my attempt at a cute little theme (although I do provide a training recap on Sundays).

I am just at the beginning of Week 11 and Lumpy just entered the fetus stage in Week 10 (hence why I can now have a cute theme for my Friday - Embryo Friday just doesn't have the same ring).

According to Baby Center, Lumpy is now the size of a fig (just over 1.5 inches long). My favorite part of the description is, "She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet." If Lumpy is anything like Buttin and me - I don't think any he/she will ever move effortlessly or look like they're doing ballet. It's a funny thought though - actually I picture Lumpy moving a little bit more spazzy-like, like me - when I'm running.

In addition to fried cheese, Lumpy also enjoys Taco Bell. Before a month ago, I don't think I'd eaten Taco Bell in years - but in the past couple of weeks, I've had it about 4 times. I now have wonderful Taco Bell burps - I blame Lumpy, but it may have more to do with the two other women in the office who are craving Taco Bell (I wonder what their excuse is??). Don't worry moms - Lumpy also likes fruit and veggies, so I'm eating plenty of those too.

Telling Family & Friends

**Originally written on 8/5**

Today we began to tell family and friends about Lumpy's late-March/early-April arrival.

We started planning last week and I'm honestly surprised that we've been able to keep it a secret this long. I don't think I've stubbed my toe without telling my mom five minutes later.

Here are the - "breaking the news" stories.

Buttin's Mom (Marsha) - I think we were most excited to tell her. We had flowers delivered to her office early Wednesday (8/5) morning. The florist called me after they were delivered (it's a small town) and she said it was the most fun thing she's ever done. Marsha called the office about 5 minutes later. She told Barbie "I'm the Grandma! I'm the Grandma!". Thankfully, Barbie just thought she was my grandmother.

Buttin's Grandma/Marsha's Mom (Nana) - We sent her some little rice crispy treats in a box set to arrive sometime during Wednesday afternoon (from editbles inc.); however, Marsha waited all of about 5 minutes after receiving her flowers to drive to Nana's house to tell her the news.

My Grandma (Bubie) - We sent her some rice crispy treats in a box set to arrive sometime on Wednesday afternoon. Bubie lives in Las Vegas - so I thought she'd be the last one to receive her box. Apparently, UPS delivers to her house early, so she actually got her treats BEFORE my parents received theirs (see below)

My Mom & Dad - My mom and dad were also set to receive some little rice crispy treats in a box set to arrive sometime on Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, they were the last people to get their treats. They actually didn't find out from our little special delivery - they found out from Bubie! Bubie emailed my mom and that's how they found out!

Redistribution Of Weight

My body is not a socialist, it's a republican. Allow me to explain. As a result of Lumpy, it's redistributing all my weight to areas that were already well-endowed with padding (so to speak).

I'm somewhere in the middle of week 10. So far I've gained about 3 pounds (I'm quite sure 2.9 of those pounds are made up of fried cheese, which are now lodged somewhere in my butt or thighs). However, clothes that I could wear comfortably six months ago (when I was about 7 pounds heavier than I am right now) are now very tight. Any weight from certain parts of my body has been reallocated to my hips, butt, boobs and tummy. For example, I swear that 8 weeks ago my forearms and feet were chunkier, but now that weight has moved to my butt. I really didn't think I needed any extra weight in that area of my body, but apparently Lumpy decided differently.

I Don't Get It

Today the President will address school children. The full text of the speech is available online.

What I do not get are some of the parents and pundits who are outraged that the President wants to speak to school aged children. Are they aware that he wants to talk with the children about doing well in school, not about how awesome the Muslim religion is or gun control or gay rights?

I just do not understand why EVERYTHING has to be a fight. This seems so benign to me. I think George W. Bush has been the worse President in my lifetime (so far), but if he wanted to talk to Lumpy about the benefits of education and how you can be whatever you want to be - I would have been just fine with that message. I think children need to hear that message from as many people as possible and who better to hear it from than the President, even if you do not agree with all his philosophies?

When did everyone become so disagreeable? I honestly think that if the President said, "Puppies are cute" - the Right would revolt and organize puppy bans. The kitten lobby would donate crap loads of money to the Right and the nation would be divided into puppy state/kitty state. (I think the example could also be used in the reverse, just to be fair.) Do you really want to be on the side the disagrees with encouraging children to work hard and stay in school?

Thirty Second Book Review - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

I have been listening to this book for the last couple of weeks while running. The story is not at all what I expected, but I still really enjoyed it. If you're looking for a flight of fancy book about a boy and his dogs, this book is not for you. If you want a thoughtful look at the many relationships that make up a life (including human and animal) with a somewhat ambiguous ending - then you'll like it and recommend it.

Marathon Training - Weekly Update

This Week: 8/31 - 9/5

Total Miles Completed: 31.12

Average Pace : I got slower (around 12:50 min/mile)

I did a little over 15 miles for my long run yesterday. I felt just fine except the bottom of my left foot started to hurt. I think it's time to look for some new shoes.

I seem to have found a good combination of foods for the long run. A poptart pre-run, gummy bears and chocolate gu during the run. Hopefully, I can maintain this eating strategy for 26.2 miles.

No Upside Rule

Buttin is a very wonderful, calm and rationale human being.

I can sometimes be proned to irrational, uncalm and unwonderful behavior and I don't think all these Lumpy hormones are helping (this poor kid is getting blamed for everything already).

So, Buttin has this rule about when you want to do something out of anger (or any other extreme emotion). First - ask yourself the question, "Does what I'm about to do have an upside?". Good examples often come in the form of family members or close friends doing something relatively harmless that still gets on your nerves. If you snap at them or tell them to leave you alone - who does it really make happy? No one. Your friend ends up feeling very badly and then you end up feeling like you overreacted. See - so there's no upside, understand?

So far this morning, I've used some restraint. I do not know if I'm in a "No Upside Rule" situation or if this issue actually calls for action (I know what my friend Liz would say).

This morning, the very first call I got was from a rude, unhappy and borderline abusive customer. She was very irate at the cost of a water extraction (one that had poo-poo over the entire apartment). She was also very rude to Barbie yesterday. We used to do business with this particular customer months ago, but thankfully she stopped calling because she was hateful back then.

We have a relatively good relationship with the management company (i.e. her bosses) and I'm VERY tempted to write them a very nice letter explaining that no one but me is allowed to abuse the misfits. We are always very eager to help nice customers, but apparently no one ever taught this woman (I call her Mushroom - I've actually met her and she smells like pork rinds and farts and is shaped like a mushroom) that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. I do not think that I'd include the part about how I call her mushroom in my letter.

So - I'm not sure if I should send the letter or not. It would certainly make me feel better (for a least a little while), but I do not want to damage a relationship. At the same time, I really feel like someone should know that she is rude to vendors and I can't imagine how she treats residents. Oh what to do . . .

The Hole Experience

I know that I'm a horrible speller, but I don't mean - the WHOLE experience, I really mean the Hole Experience. Allow me to explain.

My dear friend Liz invited me to join the planning committee for The First Tee - More Than A Game Golf Tournament and Gala.

The First Tee is a national organization that teaches life skills to under privileged children through the game of golf. The Austin chapter focuses on children in east Austin. Since I've never played golf in my entire life - this is obviously a volunteer organization that's perfect for me! (I 'm just kidding, I'm actually very happy to help).

Well last night was the first meeting. I was certainly the baby of the group. Some of these people were very impressive and knew quite a few people. For example, one guy said that he could get Darryl (as in Darryl K. Royal) and Mack (as in Mack Brown) to play golf and have lunch with some people as a silent auction item. There were quite a few name droppers, but they were all very nice about it. No one seemed very impressed that I was once in the same hotel lobby as Wilmer Valderrama.

One of the sub-committees I am on (Liz is the chair) is the Hole Experience Committee. One of the cool things about this golf tournament is they have an experience for the golfers at each hole. As an example, last year they had a Tito's and Sweet Leaf hole - where golfers got to try some vodka and/or ice tea. I seriously doubt that Carpet Warehouse/Flooring Warehouse will be sponsoring a hole experience, but I thought it might be fun to come up with a few ideas.

• "Rub My Carpet" - at this hole experience we'll teach very rich golfers the difference between FHA-approved and sub-FHA carpet. It'll be fascinating.
• "Do Your Carpets Match Your Drapes?" - at this hole experience we'll teach rich people how to properly match their drapes with one of our many various choices of beige carpet.
  
• "Clean Your Carpet" - at this hole we'll allow my dog Cartman to pee (and other stuff) on large pieces of carpet and then show them how to clean it. I imagine this would be like one of those awesome infomercials.

Don't these sound like fun things that golfers would like to do during their hole experience? I'm not sure if anyone has ever been kicked of this volunteer committee, but I'm quite sure I'd be well on my way if I made these suggestions.

The Beginning Of The Month

As most of my three fans noticed, I posted nothing new yesterday.

Yesterday, you were treated to two previously unpublished posts (which should still be considered "new to you" by my definition), but no real new material regarding misfits, running or other life events.

Yesterday was also the first of the month. The first of the month is probably the most stressful day of the month for me and my grumpiness/moodiness is only intensified by Lumpy (I'm honestly not trying to blame the kiddo, but everything on the interweb says that I can). The first includes all sorts of bill paying, organizing and planning - and I would just prefer to take a nap or eat cookie dough. Although, I'm pretty sure most people would prefer to do just about anything to paying bills.

My first day of the month was made worse by the fact that I did not work out (I decided to sleep in) and while I got about an hour or so of extra sleep, I paid for it by feeling sluggish all day long. I made up for it this morning with a nice 8 mile run and it's amazing how much better I feel. I also ate two egg McMuffins (well, one whole one and the insides of another), so that may have something to do with my excellent feeling this morning.

Positive Blood Test

***Originally written on 7/29/09***

I got the blood test results this morning. It was positive!

We went to visit Ben & Ann and their newborn baby Connor last night. I think Buttin and I were both cooing a little more at baby Connor than we normally might have been considering what has been going on in the last couple of days.

I tried to make my first baby doctor visit this morning. It's already a pain in the butt & it's only just begun. I'm a new patient with this doctor, so I have to get all set up in their system. They don't make this easy.

In other news, I was only cutting back on my Splenda consumption for the last couple of days (it's been very difficult), but I guess now I really do need to quit. Although, I did just read an article that said Splenda was fine for all people (including pregnant ones) so long as you didn't ingest 2.2lbs of it per day. Shesh . . . if there really are people who can eat 2.2lbs of Splenda in a day, they must like it even more than I do - and that's saying something.

Doctor Visit

**Originally written 7/28/09** Contains some bodily function information - you've been warned.

I went to my regular doctor this morning for a blood test. I should have the results by tomorrow. I don't like getting my blood taken, but I guess it's something I'll have to get used to pretty quickly. I know it sounds so stupid, but this morning while taking my morning poop - I didn't want to push to hard for fear that Lumpy might come unstuck. Like I said, pretty stupid. However, I did read that constipation can be an early symptom of pregnancy - and that seems like the only one that I'm experiencing thus far. I'm trying to think positive thoughts and to not get stressed about work. I know stress is bad for moms and babies, I read it on the interweb.