Creature of Habit

On Tuesday, Rocky went nuts-O as I pulled on my jeans to go to class. Kinda cute at first, and then I had a moment of unfortunate self-discovery: I have managed to classically condition my dog to recognize that pants = leaving; no pants = home.

Of course, this wasn't much of a surprise. I have known for a long time that as soon as I come through the door, I shed clothes with the intensity of a Husky's fur in June, with shoes and belt being the first to go. (When I worked in DC, it was pantyhose.) This is not to say that these items would be left by the front door. On the contrary, many mornings, then and now, have been spent trying to track down said items because the night before, I would come home, get caught up doing something, realize I'd be much more comfortable without the belt/pantyhose/socks/pants, remove the offending item(s) and leave them right where I took them off. Of course, when I needed to put them on again (usually as I was running late for work or school the next day), I could never remember where I left them and would spend a few frantic minutes scrambling around the house trying to locate them.

Last week, I reached a new low of losing my favorite bra for a couple days. It turned up in my workout room (which says a lot about how much time I spend in there). My scanner is in that room, and I took the thing off while I was scanning a chapter to post online for a class I teach. (Really, nothing sucks the joy out of scanning documents like a harness of female oppression.)

Further evidence of my mindlessness in the home was the time I lost the TV remote in the refrigerator for a day. I went to the fridge with the remote in one hand and opened the door with the other. Needing a free hand to grab the grub, I simply put the remote down on the shelf rather than letting go of the door.

Oy.

Anyway, sometime between last fall and this month, my chronic belt-losing (usual suspect/locations: kitchen table, end table, computer room, master bathroom) evolved into pants-losing (usual locations: guest bathroom, under the coffee table). Since school started up again, my pants tend to be under the coffee table most.

Socks never used to present the same kind of problem because (a) I have lots of them, and (b) I tend to leave them in the exact same place: under my computer desk. When I run out of socks, I go fish them out from among the cords and wires and throw them in the wash. This, too has changed. I've begun finding them smashed between/under the couch cushions. Why? Because I sleep on the couch most nights and kick my socks off while snuggled under my blankie.

As if being a whirling dervish of clothes shedding weren't bad enough, Rocky's response to my putting on of pants alerted me to the concentration of shed clothing in and around the couch. This, coupled with the multi-day abandonment of my bra in the workout room is just a little too much for me to accept.

In my defense, in lieu of exercise and online activity, I have been super gung-ho about school for the first time since, well, undergrad (this is a HUGE deal).

Read: There is still a chance that I'm not a total loser, right? RIGHT?!?!

What Happens in the Kitchen...

...gets posted on the blog.

It started innocently enough as music to cook by but quickly degenerated into a full-body boogie-down...with my dog. Well, he was a good sport for about half a song and then took off. Eh, it was fun while it lasted. Maybe it's just because this is my first day back after two weeks with the flu, but I've decided to incorporate a Sunday night kitchen dance party into my weekly routine. Here's the playlist from the inaugural throwdown. To be clear, TLC is the cool-down.

I'm such a nerd.

Total time: 40:40

In Iowa the Sun Means Nothing

WHY is it 3 below right now?!!

When I said winter broke me, what I meant was it froze my pipes. That's right. I showered at the rec center on Monday and Tuesday and made a couple late night trips to the 24-hour grocery to go pee in the middle of the night.

Un-friggin'-believable.

$260 bones and an hour of pipe heating later, I am not as in love with Iowa as I once was. And who's to say they're not going to just freeze right back up? IT'S -3!!!

Until we get back to reasonable temperatures (which is the high 20s/low 30s to me these days--egads, what's become of me?!), I will be nervous that my next trip to the loo will be disastrous.

A Trip to the M.D.

I spent Sunday afternoon in Matt Damon therapy (aka: Bourne Ultimatum). It must've worked, because I managed to go for a 20-minute run last night. It felt good to get out, get moving. I'm a week behind on the marathon plan, but since it has a three-week taper, I'll just cut one and do the rest from the beginning.

Yesterday, Rocky was out on the deck while I mowed the lawn...and talked to him out loud about Dinah. My neighbors must think I'm nuts. In just under six weeks, I've become The Crazy Dog Lady of the trailer park.

Tomorrow, I'm headed to Colorado to spread some of Dinah's ashes with the person who gave her to me. I think it will bring some much-needed closure, but mostly I am looking forward to getting a hug from someone who knows me -- and knew her.

So, I'm still going to be spotty on blogging/commenting...I hope to be back to full power next week.

I. Don't. Like. This.

And neither does The Boots.

Last night, I had to go to the storm shelter.

Yup. The sirens were going off, the news had a call-in report that a funnel cloud touched down less than a mile from my house (the newscasters seemed pretty skeptical, but I wasn't going to push it).

Also, they said, "If you are in a mobile home, get out and to a safe place immediately."

Needless to say, it was another rough night.

Windows of Opportunity

Oy. What a night.

From Accuweather.com:
Another Night of Storms
7/17/2007 2:35 PM The storm system that hammered the central Plains on Monday will produce strong thunderstorms across the Upper Midwest tonight.

Hammered is a good way to put it. I was up 'til 1am with Boots and her thunderstorm anxiety. I don't know if the thunder here is louder, or if my strong, sturdy house with a foundation in New Mexico did a better job of muffling the sound than my confidence-shaking mobile home.

Either way, even I got a little ansty last night, getting through my first tornado watch (we had them in New Mexico, too, but I think they mean it here in Iowa).

Then I got in a little nap until 4am, when the storming started all over again.

Another nap from 11:30 until 1:30. I took advantage of the break in the storm to get Boots to the vet for some stronger medication (like Alprazolam). Benadryl just isn't going to cut it.

I also took advantage of the brief sun to sneak in a 12-mile bike ride.

Okay, that's not me.

But that's pretty much what my route looks like. Corn, corn, corn. I did the same loop as last Monday, only backwards. It smelled of wet poop (cow, dog, pig, who knows?) the WHOLE way.

A shower and another nap from 8-9.

The storms are supposed to start again at midnight tonight and go on until Friday morning.

So here's the thing: along with naps I snuck a bike ride into my day? I might turn this leaf over yet.

A New, Lemon-Scented Plan (Now with Voice of Reason!)

Alright, I'm finally back online. I arrived and got the keys on Saturday...and my dad and I have been working on this place from morning 'til night ever since. Okay, I admit I bought this place without actually seeing it in person. That's fine, I knew about the wacky 60s blue paint in the living room. But I had no idea it went all the way down the hallway and that both bathrooms were HGTV posters for what NOT to do. Good grief. Bad, bad taste. I'll post before and after pics once we've finished.

The worst of it all is that this lady did not clean anything when she moved out. This is what's really in my craw. I spent the first two days scrubbing (on top of the cleaning I did when I moved out, and two days of driving). If there was a real character named Mother Crap, I think she just sold me a mobile home.

Anywho...all of this moving business has put quite the damper on my training (like, none for a couple weeks). SO...I'm revamping the old goals (again):

1. No iron or half-iron anything this season. I just don't have enough time to prepare.
2. I've got a race on Sunday (holy crap!) I'll make this a benchmark and then see how much I can improve by Sept. 16, which is the last sprint of the season here (and sponsored by the University tri club).
3. Work all winter and next summer toward Ironman Wisconsin/Louisville.

All right...that's a brief update. Time to get back to work!