Howdy from Lubbock!

Well, here I am, in the thriving metropolis of Red Raider country! Lubbock, TX. Yeehaw! :-)

I'm here on a recruiting trip for work - trying to recruit the best and brightest. :-) While there's not a heck of a lot here, the students are pretty great and the job fair was fantastic. It wrapped up with an appreciation dinner at a swanky place downtown. Nice. And, our hotel is down the street from the Buddy Holly statue...too funny!

Hopefully, I'll get back to regular blogging soon. I still need to update on the awesome trip to NYC!

See ya!

Private

Well, here's the scoop. My boss wanted to meet with me yesterday afternoon to discuss how another meeting went this morning. (Yes, that's right, we meet to discuss meetings. LOL!) At the end of the meeting, he mentions this blog. Apparently, someone at work was bored enough to not only find my blog, but find this post in the archives. Then, they were bored enough to not only send the link to people in the office, but print it out and distribute it around. Yeah, if only I had that much time on my hands.

Part of me could care less. I know this is the internet. I wouldn't post anything that I thought could get me into trouble at work. I'm not THAT dumb. I don't think there was anything that terrible in that post. Surely, I am not the only 35 year old who has experienced discontent at work and has no clue what she wants to do when she "grows up"! However, my boss felt otherwise. First, why would I want to blog in the 1st place? Second, maybe someone at work would read that and think that I wasn't really happy here. He felt that I might have to do damage control over that post. All of the partners where I work are men, and trust me when I say that when it comes to gossiping, they are as bad if not worse than a bunch of high school girls. Some of them are extremely judgemental. I am sure I will get a lot of strange looks from many of them. I'm sure that a couple of them will mention this discovery to me (can we say - beating a dead horse?).

The other part of me is just annoyed that someone at work is childish enough to feel that my blog needed to be distributed in this manner. I *think* I have an idea of who this person is, and if my guess is correct, I am not surprised in the least. I haven't decided how I'm going to handle this. For now, I'll leave my blog as private. I e-mailed everyone I have saved as a contact in my e-mail account...which isn't everyone. I am horrible about updating my contact list! So, if I am forgetting anyone, I hope they e-mail me!

Toodles!

Back again!

Well, I'm back in H-town once again. I'll be uploading my pics from NYC later today. I'm busy catching up at work, so I'll have to post the details of my crazy, whirlwind weekend later.

Whew, I'm exhausted! Before I go, here's a little taste of the Big Apple, LOL!

Yes, it's the "Naked Cowboy". No, that is not me with him. ;-)

Slacker

At least in the blogging.

I have been super busy at work since returning from A&M! To top it off, my in-laws were here when I returned from A&M too. Right now, any free time at home is spent with the hubby and kiddo since I am heading to NYC on Thursday and have extended the trip through Sunday(mommy-guilt again!). Once the kiddo is asleep I am hitting the books (since I will be out seeing the sights during any free time in NYC instead of studying!).

I am still not running. The physical therapist said I could do some moderate walking at about 50% effort, and see how that feels first. So much for my dream of jogging through Central Park! Okay, I did do that in the NYC marathon. But, I'd like to do that when I am not dead tired from running 25 miles before hitting Central Park.

By the way, the PT guy happens to be quite a hottie...that seems to be the norm with PT guys for some reason (um, Lisa). LOL! I have to admit, I was not quite prepared for the deep tissue massage yesterday. It was only in the area of my pain...which happens to be my lower back and the right side of my butt. So yes, hottie PT guy was massaging my ass. Weird. And, I am so sore today from it. I going to recommend that he warn his patients in advance that after a butt massage, they will barely be able to sit down! (Jeeze, I can't wait to see what kind of keyword searches I am going to get with this post!)

I'll try to post again before I head to the big apple...of course, with no runs and no rides there won't be much to report on. :-)

Quick Pic

Here's a link to my pic from the Tour de Pink. I definitely need to relax my shoulders. LOL! Live and learn, right?

I'm baaaaaccccckkk!

My International Management class is going to begin in a few minutes, so there's not much time to post. The past 3 days have been an exhausting whirlwind of activity! I'll post more later.

Update

Just a quick update before I head off to my alma mater for the next few days for work. The PT appointment on Monday was a bit frustrating. I think the therapist was stumped as to what might be causing my lower back to hurt. So, after making me bend forward, bend backward, move my legs around and hop on the treadmill, he decided to work on my core stability; particularly around the area that hurts. Since I'm going to be out of town for the rest of the week, my next appointment is Monday of next week. Until then, I have been told that I cannot do any running or even "power" walking". So much for taking an early morning jog around campus. I hope the hotel I'm staying in has a stationary bike or that the rain stops long enough for me to swim a few laps!

Never Forget

Tour de Pink report

First of all, doctor's orders - do the 23-miler at most. She felt that 47 miles would be too long to be on the bike. Sigh.

The night before Tour de Pink, I made sure I had everything ready - gloves, gatorade, race number, spare tube, patch kit, etc. A ton of questions were racing through my head. What do I do with the bike if I have to pee? Does the number go on the front or back? What do I do with this sticker with my number on it? Do they have mile markers? Does someone call out splits? Blah, blah, blah.

I left way too early! I was out of the house a little after 5 am, because I couldn't remember how long it takes to drive to Prairie View A&M. I figured since this was my 1st organized ride, that I should get there early. Yeah, ummm, it only takes 45 minutes from my house. I was there waaaayyyyy too early. There were quite a few people already there and I admit that I felt a little intimidated by the crowd. All the folks with their spiffy cycling outfits and expensive bikes! That's what I love about running....you just need a good pair of shoes, some wicking-type clothes, some glide and you're set. :-) I unloaded my bike and then wished that I had found the port-a-cans first, because I already had to pee. But, I hung out until my friend arrived and made small talk with the couple in the car next to me in the meantime. They weren't sure about the bib either, so we asked a guy who looked like he knew what he was doing. Okay, bib on the back and sticker on the front of the helmet. Got it! Once my friend arrived and checked out her bike, we were off. She still needed to get her packet, so we headed over to packet pick up and then hit the port-a-cans. We found her friend and our other co-worker who were both riding the 63-miler. Before we knew it, the Star Spangled Banner was being sung and the first groups were off.

The ride started with the 100-milers and then the 81-milers first. My friends & co-workers were doing the 63-miler and they convinced me to start with them. Bad, I know! As we were waiting, the President of our company appeared to wish us luck! It was a nice gesture, but I couldn't help but think that my boss was seeing me in spandex and no make-up. Lovely. :-)

We finally began the ride! We started a little fast. Fast for me at least, but it felt like a great pace. The 1st rest stop was between 5 & 6 miles and at that point we had maintained an average pace of 17 mph. Other than the humidity and little bit of a headwind, I was loving the flat course and the pretty countryside (you know, cows, horses, etc.). A few minutes later, we reached the point where the 12 & 23 milers had to turn. I was afraid of being the 1st one to turn off, but was happy to see a few other early starter ahead of me. I ended up passing those few people pretty quickly and for a long, long stretch, I was all alone. For awhile I didn't see any signs and wondered if I was going the right way. Then, a few minutes later, I saw another sign and gave a sigh of relief. I was going the right way and there was a rest stop a mile ahead. Let me just say, the route was by no means hilly. However, there were several gentle, rolling slopes that were really starting to get old by this point. When I made it to the rest stop, I heard a round of applause and lots of cheering. Apparently, I was the 1st one to arrive at the stop and the volunteers were really excited! (I had to laugh, because I didn't arrive early because I was fast!)I grabbed an ice cold bandanna, a piece of banana and used the port-a-can (again) before heading off. Right before I left, a pack of about 8 people (including a kid who looked like he was 10..in full cycling gear, clipped in and all!) made it to the rest stop.

I headed off. I turned onto 1488, so I knew I was headed back to the campus. During this stretch on 1488, I realized that there was a short cut from the rest stop to 1488. Darn! Then, I was passed by super-cycler. Before I knew it, super-cycler was out of sight. The next thing I see is a lady who pulled into the rest stop with the pack...she took the short cut! Next, I saw a sign that says 5 miles. Woohoo, I was almost done and feeling pretty good. Then I see another one of those damn, non-hills. Did I mention there was a head wind? Not long after that, there's another sign - 3 miles! At that point, I passed the short-cut lady and made it back to the campus. About the time I am entering the campus, the pack of cyclists who were at the rest-stop zoom past (including the 10-year old!). Yep, I was left in the dust by a 10-year old!

I finished the 23 and felt great. According to my watch, I managed a time of 1:38, which amounts to a 14 mph pace. After I finished, I realized that everyone was still going. It took me a minute to realize they were heading to the parking lots to put up their bikes. LOL! So, I loaded up my bike and then headed to the post-ride party. It was too early for the lunch, so I just grabbed a couple of orange slices, a bottle of water and some cotton candy. I watched some of the entertainment for a minute and then headed home.

Overall, I had a great time. I hated that I couldn't ride further, so hopefully next year I can train for the 63 or the 81-miler. I have to admit that riding 20 leisurely miles on our regular trail seems much easier to me than riding 23 out on the open road, so next time I train for a ride I will be sure to find some local organized rides for training purposes. How is it different from running? I kind of feel like this ride was the equivalent of a 10K. Not far enough to be really difficult with some training, but far enough to wear you out if you give it some effort. The support along the way was great. The rest stops were amazing with all the food - trail mix, cookies, cold bandanna, snow cones, fruit, etc. However, I'll admit that I miss the spectators and crowds of races. I am looking forward to the next ride....maybe the Tour de Donut in November? Now, that's my kind of ride!

Plans?

Since I have no workout to report, I thought I would give any Houstonians out there some ideas for weekend fun. Yes, that's right, I was being a slacker yesterday! :-) I am riding the Tour de Pink on Sunday, so I'll have a full report about that on Monday.

First, the Dominic Walsh Dance Company performs at the Miller Outdoor Theatre this weekend. Dominic Walsh was a prominent dancer at the Houston Ballet for many years and was one of my favorites. He's an amazing dancer (plus, he has the most amazing quads!). You can see his company perform tonight and tomorrow for FREE! The show begins at 8 pm. You can always sit on the hill, but if you want seats in the covered area just head over to Miller the day of the show between 11:30 and 1:00 pm to get reserved seating.

Next, is the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance's monthly tour. This month the group is touring historic Rusk Avenue. According to the e-mail I received, "Tour participants will learn about the U.S. Post Office and Custom House (1911), pictured here, Texaco’s former headquarters (1915) and architect Joseph Finger’s Texas State Hotel (1926), now restored as the Good Brick Award-winning Club Quarters. Docents will also relate the story of the World War II-era Aragon Ballroom." Tickets will be sold from 5:30 to 6 p.m. under the arcade of the Texas Co. Building, San Jacinto at Rusk. Admission is $10 for adults, children under 11 are free.

Feel like a road trip? Head to Caldwell to Czech out Annual Kolache Festival. Yummy! Find more details here.

Check out the new and improved Texans take on the Chiefs at Reliant Stadium. The team is looking good, well, better. Kickoff is at noon.

Finally, see our very own MLS Champions, the Houston Dynamo, take on Real Salt Lake. Saturday is fan appreciation day! The first 5,000 fans will receive all kinds of cool freebies, such as a free Kick Magazine, a Dynamo Gameday Guide, a Commemorative Team Poster, Sierra Mist Cheer Stix amd Dynamo-Amigo Replica Jersey T-Shirts! Music and fun begin at 5:30 pm. The game starts at 7:30 pm.

Oh, and The Buzz just announced the line-up for Buzzfest XX. Holy Jesus, it sounds like an awesome show! Headliners are The Smashing Pumpkins (woohoo!!), Fuel, Sum 41, Alter Bridge, Evans Blue, Evanescence, and Chris Cornell. Finger Eleven and The Bravery are just two of the side-stage bands. The show is Monday, October 8th and tickets go on sale next Saturday. And yes, Billy Corgan now has hair. :-)

Have an awesome weekend!

Bor-ing!

Jeeze, I feel like my workout reports just keep getting more and more boring. Afterall, what's so exciting about a 30 minute treadmill run? Nothing! The back is still bothering me, but it wasn't too bad last night. I have my 1st PT appointment on Monday.

Honestly, I really don't know how I am going to fit in the PT! I'm going to Texas A&M (WHOOP!) next week from Wednesday through Friday for college recruiting. I'm excited about possibly getting in an early morning jog through campus...it's been forever since I've been back. And, I just found out yesterday that I am going to NYC for work the following week for 2 days (possibly longer if I can find a reasonably priced hotel there and extend the trip..is that an even realistic?). Then, the week after that, I'm off to Tech for a couple of days for more college recruiting. Thank God the month of October looks a little less hectic! I have a 2 day trip to LSU and that's it! But being away from the hubby and kiddo is tough...not to mention that the hubby has to use his PTO, since he works nights.

Somehow, I have to make sure I stay on top of the school stuff during all this. Looks like the housework will be the 1st to be neglected, followed by running....and neglecting the workouts makes me one grumpy girl. :-) By the way Barbara, I am actually enjoying Finance class so far! (I can't believe I typed that!)

Losers, flashers, costumes and demo crews...

Nothing really exciting to report about my run yesterday. I managed to get in 25 minutes on the ol' dreadmill...blah, blah. The good thing is that it gave me an opportunity to watch The Biggest Loser. Am I the only one who loves that show? I watch those folks losing all that weight and wonder why I can't seem to lose those last pesky 6 lbs!

I did make it to the appointment with my back and spine specialist. Oh what a fun visit! Nothing like wearing a lovely hospital gown with the back open, so you can bend over with your arse in someone's face. Ugh, I could NEVER be a doctor! At least I had on decent undies. I would have died if I had been wearing, um, well, anything too skimpy. Apparently, my hips are not too bad as far as the alignment is concerned. She said there was something up with my lumbar region, but felt it had something to do with my muscles in the area not letting my hip function properly. Gotta love it when the doc is moving your leg all around saying, "Hmmm, that feels weird" and "Wow, this is messed up". I dunno...a lot of it sounded pretty Greek to me. But, I am going to do some physical therapy. I know it's necessary, but seriously, who has time to go to PT 3x per week? Oh yeah, let me fit that in between work, school, working out, making the kiddo's lunch, housework, eating and sleeping. Oh hey, forget the eating and sleeping...who needs that?

Last night, the kiddo and I looked at Halloween costumes on-line. Last week, every time I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween, she'd exclaim, "A PUMPKIN!" Last night, every time she saw a costume that caught her eye she'd exclaim, "I want to be A PRINCESS!", "I want to be DORA!", "I want to be A CLOWN!", "I want to be PABLO!", "I want to be CINDERELLA!", "I want to be SNOW WHITE!", "I want to be (whatever she just happens to be looking at!)". So now, I have no idea what she wants to be...I should have just gone with the pumpkin. :-)

Finally, here are the pics of the River Oaks Shopping Center demo yesterday....(borrowed from the saveourlandmarks.org website):

Running Stats - treadmill, 25 minutes

Bitter

Ugh, first Astroworld and now this. Once again, we are proving that we are a city that doesn't care about it's past. Can I just say, that I really hate Weingarten Realty Investors?

The River Oaks Shopping Center was built in 1937 and is a prime example of Art Moderne (similar to Art Deco, but emphasizes horizontal lines rather than vertical). The River Oaks Shopping Center is/was known for being the oldest shopping center in Texas and the second oldest shopping center in the nation. I don't know what's going to happen to the rest of the center, but hopefully someone will come to their senses and not destroy that too!

If you want to help save some of Houston's landmarks, check out this link.

Okay, I'll get off my little soapbox now.

Long Weekend

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend!

Saturday, as you know, I had classes. My Marketing Prof decided to have class after all, so I had class all day. But, now I don't have any classes this weekend! Woohoo!

Sunday, I met my friend at the park for a morning bike ride. She was planning to do 40, but with my back issues, I decided to just do 20. The weather was awesome! It was humid, but the temp was a cool 74 degrees. As we started our ride, it actually felt cold! Well, anything compared to the 100 degree "feels like" temps we're used to riding in would feel cold. :-) So, the ride was fun. It actually turned out to be about 21 miles. It wasn't the fastest ride I've done, but it was a good effort. After playgroup, the SIL offered to watch the kiddo and take her to the pool. It gave the hubby and I a chance to have a nice, relaxing, toddler-free lunch and look at houses again. I am having the same issues as last time...I like several parts of several different floor plans, but not one builder offers everything I want! Grrrrr....

Yesterday, the kiddo slept in until 7 am! We grabbed some breakfast and headed to the park. I ran/walked 30 minutes. Actually it was more walk than run. My back was really bothering me yesterday and walking seemed to hurt less. (Usually, it's the opposite.) Next, we headed to the playground. The kiddo was having a great time and had only been there about 15 minutes when we met the Spawn of Satan. Really.

The kiddo climbed up to the top of the "fort" to slide down the corkscrew slide. I'm not sure why, but she decided to lay on her back and slide. Well, I was standing a little way behind her and a little boy (SofS) ran past me to the same slide. I was just about to tell the kiddo to hurry because the boy wanted to slide too, when he raised his foot high into the air and brought it down on her head! I saw what was about to happen, but I couldn't move fast enough. The kiddo screamed and went down the slide. I ran down the little steps to get her. I felt so bad! And, I wanted to drop kick that little SofS right off the top of the slide! Seriously.

The boy's Mom didn't see everything. She just saw that her son was there and heard the kiddo scream. She asked me what happened and I showed her exactly what he did. When she went to get him, he would not come to her. She had to chase him around the playground for a few minutes! My anger at the boy subsided when I saw how mortified she was that her son had done such a thing. The mom was very apologetic. She made the boy come apologize. The poor Kiddo had a big goose egg on the back of her head, where it hit the slide. Needless to say, she was ready to go home after that. (Usually, I have to drag her or bribe her to leave the playground!) Later, the hubby played with the kiddo while I went to a movie. I finally got to see Hairspray! Last night, my parents took us out to Benihana. Yum!

So that's the weekend recap. This afternoon, I'm heading to the doctor...hopefully, she'll be able to help me out with the back issues!

Workout Stats

Riding - 21 miles, 1 hr 37 minutes

Running - outdoors, 30 minutes