Home Sick

Ugh, what a way to spend a four day weekend: sick. On Wednesday morning I woke up with a slightly sore throat, but it went away quickly. Thursday morning, however, I woke up feeling as though the back of my throat were raw and bloody. The part of the throat that you feel when you swallow, that's what hurt. Friday the coughing started in. Here it is Sunday, I'm feeling marginally better, although I have to wonder how much of that is due to the diet of cold and mucus pills I've been eating every 4 hours. And the real kicker is that I have (had?) work to do this weekend, work that's due tomorrow, that I won't be ready to turn in. Grrr....

Things I Love

- Sitting by a fire (that I made myself, thank you very much) with my Bulldog curled up on my feet

- Looking through old pictures and laughing

- New Yawk (the Loon loves it, too - see?)

And finally...the Loon!

SantaFe Railroad

Some pictures from my trip to San Diego in February (I know, so late!):

Hallows Eve 2006

Recently, I found some long-lost pictures that I thought I'd share. Here is "Devil in a Blue Dress" from last year: And here is Kern, Anne, and Baby Drake:

Gift of Life

The Bloodmobile came to work today! I've never donated in it before, and it was waaay more fun than at the main branch. The techs were singing and joking around, and all the donors were having a little competition to see who could fill their bags fastest. I'm not sure if we had any choice in how fast we filled the bags. The record was 3 minutes 13 seconds! Wow. I filled my bag in 4:45 which they said was still plenty fast. They said I had great veins. And my hematocrit, which has been low in the past (causing me to be turned away from donating) was at 39%!

It must be the ski at lunch with Ingrid. That was really spectacular. We hopped on the trail across the street from work and skate skiied to Westchester Lagoon. It was sunny and empty of people and the snow is just right, except there isn't enough snow to fill the tunnels yet so we had to take our skis off quite a bit. A lovely mid-day jaunt!

Swimming

I'm on week one of The Fitness Routine. I figured that I could stick to a regular fitness routine for the last months of 2007 and then evaluate what is needed for the new year. So Monday and Wednesday I'm at the erg room, and Tuesday and Thursday mornings I'm at the pool. My intention is to do pilates on Tuesday and Thursday evenings as well, but with family in town that has proven too much a glitch in the evening schedule.

Swimming Tuesday morning was a huge chore. I don't think I'd been in a pool since May. I don't think there's anything quite like swimming to make one feel like a heavy barge. But today was much better; I swam a 500-yard piece without stopping. It is important for me to remember that when I first began swimming, that was fairly impossible. I remember not being able to swim 50 yards without stopping at the end of the lane. So, progress is relative.

I'm also on a bit of a buckle-down period at work (as evidenced by the fact that I am blogging at work). I've been tasked with a writing assingment for a fast-tracked EIS, and this is really my chance to respond well to the pressure. So, that said, I'm signing off.

Oh, one more thing: it's been snowing and it's absolutely beautiful outside. I will take some pictures soon, I promise.

Dr. Aloha

Not sure I want to write about Dr. Aloha just yet. Not sure if ever. But we're looking at December 1 for a memorial service. Only cried once today. Lost count of how many times yesterday. I'm having a bit of a hard time merging the idea of what happened from the fact that it was a person that I knew. Both are sad. I feel like I start to feel "okay" about the idea of what happened and then I remember who specifically it was, and I lose that "okay" feeling. Friends and family have been wonderful and I'm trying to take this as an opportunity to tell everyone that I love them and care about them.

Drat, that makes two times today.

Old Picture, New Floor

Not sure if I shared this picture of our new floor downstairs (and new paint on the walls). Many thanks to pals who helped us install it.