Quick Takes Friday

1) My run today did involve a woolly mammoth (see yesterday's post). I thought several times "I'm chasing a mammoth, I'm chasing a mammoth." And it paid off (that and my nasty mood). Here are some happy stats:

Wednesday: total distance - 3.2 miles
total time - 39:10
fastest pace - 9:22
average pace - 12:15

Today: total distance - 3.2 miles
total time - 36:23 - I shaved off almost 3 minutes!!! Woo hoo! Take that, mammoth!
fastest pace - 7:39, which about killed me, but now I have a record to beat
average pace - 11:21 - THIS is the number I really want to lower

But the most important thing is that I set out to beat my Wednesday time, and I did it!

I wonder if wearing animal skins and carrying a spear would help me further this motivating visualization of chasing a mammoth.

2) I get to go see "Dr. Amazing" later today. I have been working daily on my abs according to his prescription. Big questions for this appointment - 1) Will I get another massage? and 2) How much longer 'til I have that six-pack?

3) Last night just before bed, Kevin said, "Tomorrow we're ordering..." and in a split second I thought, "PIZZA! I don't have to cook! And how sweet of him to initiate that." I ended his sentence in my imagination with: "Pizza. I just got paid and you deserve it, you A-1 homemaker, you!"

Here is how the sentence ended in actuality: "...breakfast burritos at work. I'm getting one with SAUSAGE!!!" (He was very excited.)

4) A week ago, I did these quick takes a la this great blog and now I have a new friend to show for it. She recognized the Priest I mentioned in one of my "takes" and then we e-mailed and met at the park today. It's a new world we live in where friendships materialize out of cyberspace. But I'll take friendship wherever it comes from. And, Vicki - I so enjoyed meeting you! I'll echo Father Phil's words: Praise Jesus! There are no coincidences.

5) Once upon a time (today) I took my dear sweet children to the park. My zoomy one year-old was enjoying many sprints around the grassy field. From about 20 yards away, I saw him bend to pick up what I thought was a leaf. It went in his mouth, and usually he spits stuff like that right out. He didn't. I ran over and it turned out to be a piece of apple.

Acceptable scenario: A nice, well-sanitized child with no communicable diseases was enjoying the apple and dropped a small piece in the grass hours before John found it. In fact, the sprinklers had bathed any remaining saliva off of it.

My scenario: This particular apple fell from a diseased tree miles from the park. A mangy, diseased bird snatched the apple from the ground in its gnarly beak and carried it toward a perch, dropping it once on dog poop but retrieving it. Before the bird could finish eating, it dropped dead and the apple fell to the ground where a rabid dog scooped it up and batted it across the field with a boogery snout. That's where John picked it up minutes later and enjoyed his discovery.