Shoebox Kitten!

My cat Natasha loves to make herself at home if a cozy shoebox happens to be lying around.

Q&A

Stolen from Lea's blog, just for fun:

1. What is your occupation? Sorry, can't say.
2. What color are your socks right now? Not wearing any
3. What are you listening to right now? A film - Crimes and Misdemeanors
4. What was the last thing that you ate? A cracker
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Dark blue
7. Who is the last person you talked to? Matt via text
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Very much so!
9. How old are you today? 27
10. Favorite drink? Irish tea with a splash of whole milk
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Red Wing hockey!
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes
13. Pets? Two cats - Natasha and Elena
14. Favorite food? Sushi
15. Last movie you watched? Currently watching: Crimes and Misdemeanors
16. Favorite Day of the year? Not sure...
17. What do you do to vent anger? Run
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My Little Pony :)
19. What is your favorite season? Spring or fall
20. Hugs or kisses? Both at the same time
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry
22. Do you want your friends to email you back? Huh?
23. Who is most likely to respond? I didn't really ask anyone to respond
24. Who is least likely to respond? See above
25. What ever happened to parents who gave a care? Don't understand the question.
26. When was the last time you cried? Can't remember... couple weeks ago?
27. What is on the floor of your closet? Some storage boxes
28. Favorite smells? Vanilla, sweat
29. Who inspires you? I have my muses :)
30. What are you afraid of? Grizzly bears
31. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheese or bbq burger
32. Favorite Car? I love Prowlers :)
33. Favorite cat breed? Just regular cats, whatever breed they are
34. Number of keys on your key ring? Seven
35. Years at your current job? 3.5
36. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
37. How many states have you live in? One (Michigan) and one District (Columbia)
38. Do you think you're funny? Yes, but I can't tell a joke to save my life
39. Favorite sounds? Irish music, de-corking a wine bottle
40. Last book you read? A Suspension of Mercy by Patricia Highsmith

NMoCaP

So I am slowly coming out of my weekend of seclusion. Not sure I accomplished everything I wanted to, but overall I had three days of peace, introspection, revision, and running (over 20 miles since Friday!).

Last Thursday I was invited to the opening of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. They did a really, really nice job with this museum and it's worth seeing. Here are some photos from the reception and museum tour:

McGruff the crime dog was waiting to greet people as they entered!


John Walsh was there and gave a really nice speech about the museum and the important sacrifices that law enforcement, prosecutors, and advocates make in their quest for justice:


The section on serial killers included such artifacts as the switchblade used by the Boston Stranger, a John Wayne Gacy self-portrait, and an envelope addressed by Charles Manson, including his signature in the return address space:


I tried to crack the safe but couldn't do it!


I discovered a secret tunnel in the jail cell:



America's Most Wanted will run their operations, including filming and call intake, from the museum:


At dinner later in Glover Park; I decide that I'm tired of having my picture taken.

Incommunicado

All,

I hope to be mostly incommunicado this weekend. I need a couple days to rest, exercise, and go within a little bit. I'm going to try to stay away from the PC, sweets, and other people as much as possible.

Once that's over, I will post a bit about the opening of the National Museum of Crime and Punishment that I had the honor to attend last night. Expect pictures!

PSA: Dating

Lately it seems like every third person in my life is trying to set me up on a date. Dating is the last thing I want to do right now, but it's really difficult to explain this because the inevitable comeback is, "What do you have to lose?"

Is it not enough that I just don't want to?

Please people, lay off for a second or two. Thanks.

La Vie avec Les Chats

This is what happens when I try to snag a few minutes to read National Geographic:

Progression

Good: A late dinner with friends and a very leisurely morning
Better: Running uphill with Matt biking behind, singing the "Rocky" theme song
Best: Finishing my run, hot and sweaty, letting cold air from the AC blast me in the face

Oops

I meant to go running after work today but fell asleep by accident. There's still plenty of daylight, but I'm in one of those post-nap fogs that feels awful and is really hard to shake. So I'm going to make some caffeinated tea and try not to beat myself up over it. I'll run tomorrow (easy), Saturday (long), and be back on my schedule Sunday morning when I go to yoga.

Official Time

So... I overestimated my 5k time a little. Official results are in, and I have an official time of 29:24, a little more than 30 seconds off what I estimated in my race report.

I'm happy about my pace, though, which averaged out to a 9:28 mile.

See the offical results here.

And... just for perspective... the male winner ran a 5:20 mile to finish in 16:33, and the female winner ran a 5:48 mile to finish in 18:01.

5k Race Report

This morning I ran the National Police Week 5k. It was raining when I woke up and the rain persisted through the entire race. Thankfully, it wasn't a soaking rain, so clothes and shoes mainly stayed dry.

The route began at the FBI Field Office and finished at the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial, following Independence Ave to the Capitol Building, turning north on 1st St NE, east on Constitution Ave NE, and south on 2nd St NE back to Independence to form a loop.


I already knew about the fairly steep hill between miles one and two, which was just another reason to obey my mantra of "Don't start too fast, don't start too fast, don't start too fast..."

Well... I didn't start too fast, but when all my hill training kicked and I started passing people on the incline, I got a bit cocky and picked up the pace. That resulted in a debilitating cramp just before the second mile marker, the kind where you just want to stop and double over and every inhale feels like an icepick stabbing you in the diaphragm. Yeah. But just then I noticed my support "team" (one loyal friend who braved the rain to cheer me on) and that was the boost I needed to take the pace down a notch and push through until the cramp abated, which it did just in time to turn north on 3rd St for the home stretch.

My official time won't be posted for another couple days (at least), but the clock as I crossed the finish said 30:15. I estimate that it took about 90 seconds to actually cross the starting line, which takes my time to about 28:45, which is exactly within the range I had hoped to finish.

I need to run a few more small races through my half-marathon training program, just to keep an eye on my pace and refine my strategy. Overall, I'm pleased with my performance and my time, especially given the conditions.

5k Eve

I'm running a race tomorrow! It's the National Police Week 5k and should be a lot of fun if the rain can hold out. My plan is to run easy, just a normal pace and see what happens. Since I don't run with a wathc, I don't know how fast (or slow) I am. So... I need to get a handle on that before official training starts in July.

Race report tomorrow afternoon!

Monday Evening

Today on a whim I signed up for a 5k race this Saturday. I think the race atmosphere will be energizing and it will be nice to know my official pace, since I don't run with a watch. But first, I need to pick up and break in a new pair of running shoes, so I'll do that tomorrow.

This is my only night to myself this whole week, and I'm spending it unfortunately watching a mediocre film, Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters. Not his best film, so I've stopped paying close attention and am cleaning up the kitchen, blogging, and browing a fashion magazine.

NHL playoffs resume on Thursday. I'm psyched.

Delinquent!

Okay, so I really haven't updated in a long time. There's kind of a lot going on in my personal life these days that isn't fit to be discussed in a public forum.

My half-marathon pre-training has hit a bit of a snag. I think I'm trying to do too much too soon. So I'm cutting back on my Saturday mileage - instead of doing 7-8 miles I'm going to stick with 5-6 and just try to build strength. I don't want to burn myself out... and acclimitizing to the warmer weather is proving to be a bit of a struggle.

I cooked dinner last night for a friend, and it turned out really well! I baked salmon with tomato, lemon, shallot, and thyme and served it over a bed of penne with a light cream sauce. The salad was baby spring greens with walnuts, cranberries, and goat cheese drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette. He brought an amazing bottle of Medoc. The meal was delicious, if I do say so myself.

This morning I'm going to have brunch with Mike and Christina! So sadly, Mike has moved down to Norfolk (Christina will be following soon), but he happens to be in town this weekend so I'm snagging a couple hours of his time. I know it's a great move forward for them, but it's sad for me that he's left.

The weather is PERFECT today so Matt and I are going to take advantage and go to the Zoo later this afternoon! We're both very fair, so I'm sure there will be much sunscreen invovled.

That's it for now! I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend.