Happy New Year

Ah, I love the new year. It means, well for one thing, that pesky Christmas season it over. And it also feels like such a fresh start. Everything feels so new and possible in the new year. I'm not big on resolutions, but there is always lurking in the back of my head the thought that things will be better in the coming year. Maybe, I'll be a more tolerant and cheerful person. Maybe I'll date a man who actually wants to commit to a relationship. Maybe my job will shift to include only the fun stuff and the tedious boring stuff will go away. Maybe I'll be able to do a muscle up in crossfit. I do realize that usually the new year turns out to be exactly like the old year (it is only a day different), but there is always that glimmer of possibility. I always get excited for the new year to start. The hope never dies.

I do have a New Year blog goal. Actually it's not so much a goal, but a test. I want to try and blog every day for the month of January, just to see what I come up with. Maybe it will be like that person you see every day and you have so much to say to them. I will have so much to blog if I'm just in the pattern. The next couple days will be blogging from the windy city!!

Happy New Year everyone, may all your glimmers come true.

Love, Otto, Daisy and Roberta

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

So I thought I would give those non Seattlelites (or post Seattlelites) a quick glimpse of what it is currently like to walk in Seattle. I am still unable to extricate the car, so I have been walking everywhere. It wasn't so bad when the snow was new and crisp and sticky, but now that it is melting things are getting messy. One walks very gingerly on the once packed snow, now solid ice that is the sidewalk. Only to get to an intersection and encounter six inches deep slush and water. If you're really lucky, a snow plow will have passed by leaving huge ridges of snow in the middle of the road. And, if you're really really lucky you'll be at a corner in which the snow plow has decided to deposit an entire mountain of snow, making it impossible to actually walk from the road to the sidewalk.

And of course there is walking with Otto, who thinks the only thing more exciting than smells emerging from a week of snow, is the three weeks of garbage sitting on the curbs.

Slush, water, slushy water, and a dog ear.

More intersection action.


Ridges of snow mid-street, try crossing there.

Mountains of snow on the corner, yes there is a sidewalk on the other side of that mountain.

Obligatory Otto shot.

Not sure when garbage pick up is happening, snow last week, Christmas this week, New Year next week......?

Chilblains

The nice thing about having a blog is that you can babble on about anything. Sure your readership may dwindle, but you don't know if people are avoiding you and you don't have to see the looks of utter boredom caused by your very presence. I have no idea what/who my readership is, so I will feel free just to prattle on at length about whatever I chose. Today, in honor of this festive season and because I can't get to my holiday party due to snow, we're going to talk about my toes. Actually, we're not going to talk about all my toes, just the second smallest one on the left foot.

Those of you who talk to me regularly (and are still with me here right now) may remember my going on at great length about my toe last winter. Last winter I was sure I had broken my toe. It was swollen and red and hurt like a mother. There were times I could barely walk. I had to buy all new socks. It got so bad that it hurt too much to wear socks with a seam across the toe, so I had to buy socks with individual toes and no seams. Fancy dress shoes, forget about it (so you can just imagine the effect on my social life). I almost went to the doctor, but I was pretty sure that if it was broken they could do nothing and would charge me $300. So I saved my pennies and suffered in, well certainly not silence.

Then at some point springish, I noticed I hadn't felt it for a while, I was healed!!

Healed that is, until the snow and cold snap hit. In the last couple weeks I have realized it's coming back. And now I'm sure it's not broken.

So, not to end this exciting story without a complete conclusion, I'll tell you what I've found. Since it seemed to be cold related, I googled frostbite and toes and quickly found 'chilblains'. Chilblains are basically ulcers of the extremities that occur in cold weather. Smokers get them, people with diabetes, old folks, people with poor circulation and me. The picture look much like my toe. There isn't much you can do about them, except maybe move to Arizona (something that is sounding very tempting at the moment) and rubbing them with lotion. And I'm here to tell you that the lotion thing is pretty effective. And charming too! After a walk or bus ride to work in the snow, I pop off my shoes and socks at my desk and sit there rubbing my toes. I am sure it is winning me some serious brownie points at work. Maybe I'll get promoted!

So, if you're still with me, Merry Merry Christmas. And if you're still with me, you're a true fan.

Thanks for listening. Maybe tomorrow you can read me ranting about snow removal and bus snow schedules in Seattle, ie the lack thereof (okay, I don't think I have any fans willing to sit through that 10 hour rant, probably not even my mom!)

Early morning laugh

Thought i should add the original Monkey Boy.

Not quite sure what Megan was??

I just think this is the best picture ever!

Okay, I'm supposed to be hauling my tired ass to work (yes that would be walking, probably 10 inches of snow on Beacon Hill at this point, buses and driving are a thing of my past). Anyhow, I just saw these photos and just had to post them. This was Halloween some year. I was Monkey Boy . Monkey Boy is a character Eben created for the Snowboard connection. It's a monkey riding a snow board with boxers on his head, carrying a cup of coffee and something else in his other hand. I think it was my favorite costume ever! Oh, I know, there was a cowboy hat in his other hand.

As promised, les photos from the scanner wars

Serious pre race strategy being discussed here. The Safeway gal was
my nemesis for the cat 4 contest, I beat her out for the free frame!

Hmmm.

I don't remember ever having a look like this. It's like someone else impersonating me.

New Years 1998 maybe? My cousin Larry was getting married and
there was a huge snow storm and I was sick as a dog, but looking good!

Pre Eight Limbs, Phyfe teaching yoga on Olin Place. I certainly appear to be enjoying myself.

All you can say to this is AHHhhhhh. I guess Suzanne got the hat
for her birthday and I was dressed up, maybe just because.

Going free style

I have nothing much to post except to say that I have serious cabin fever. We have lots and lots of snow on the ground and for some reason I didn't think to park one of the cars up on the top of my hill, giving me at least the option of at least thinking about driving somewhere, anywhere. However, I am about to head out to a party and I am so excited. (I actually had two parties tonight, but one is too far away given that it's snowing again.) Can I mention that it is very hard to look beautiful and sexy when one has to gear up for 20 degree weather and snow. Hats are hair killers!

In other exciting news. So, there is a serious facebook phenomena taking place at the moment. Everyone seems to be posting pictures of days gone by, high school, college, scary grunge photos. It's seems to be a growing trend. One person called it scanner wars. It's not just one group, cycling friend, high school friends, other people's high school friends, 90s grunge friends. Everybody is doing it.

And I'd have to say it's bringing back all kinds of memories. The current one is Steve Van Liew. He was the heartthrob of 5th grade. He was the one you couldn't really have a crush on, because everyone did and you just knew you were way too dorky for him to even look your way. His hair feathered perfectly and he always had that really cool goody comb in the back pocket of his wide legged saturday's star jeans. I just saw a picture of him on face book, he's a singer in a band which seems about perfect. My brother has been going crazy with the scanner. I might upload a few pictures here for you all to enjoy. But that will be something to wait for until another day, it is going to take some focus. Of which I have none at the moment.

Oh, and happy birthday Luca Erbeck. Congrats on picking such great parents and a pretty cool brother.

Seattlelites and snow, part 2

Yesterday I dissed Seattlelites and their (over) reaction to the snow. Today we will explore the whys of such terror. There is really just one word, hills. These pictures were taken as I walked to and from work, as the buses were on their regular s(no)w schedule. Above my house in the snow picture. That was this morning, I'm guessing 8 inches on Beacon Hill by the end of the day.

That's a lot of snow.

12th Avenue Bridge

I5/I90 from 12th Ave Bridge

Boren was tough!

Neon pants there in the background was writing down insurance info.

More Boren, not sure why anyone was even trying.

Very very large truck moving very slowly with a fleet of cars behind.

Ah, this is the stress free way to go!

Seattlelites and snow

We had a snow storm in Seattle today. It was a pretty big deal. I'd say probably 50% of the corporate work force for my company did not show up for work today or 'worked' from home. One of my employees was three hours late because he had to take him 80 year old mother to the doctor because she was too scared to drive. I had a meeting and a training class canceled because attendance was going to be so low. All the buses had chains on them and were running a little late. Seattle public schools started out this morning on a two hour late schedule, but then ended up not opening at all because the snow was so bad. It was all anyone talked about the entire day - bus drivers, people on the street, NPR, co workers, friends. No one had any other topics.

Me, I spent the entire day obsessively checking the weather, wondering if I was going to be able to make it to crossfit or if I should just save myself the stress of driving in the inclement weather and just work out at home. Up until 6.30 (when I actually left my house) I was still checking the weather on about 4 different sites. It was quite a day.




Of course, there has not been one single snow flake in the city of Seattle the entire day.

12 Day of Crossfit

It's hard to look pretty when you're crossfitting.

So for the last week or so I've been very excited for the '12 Days of Crossfit' workout. Essentially it's a workout that goes just like the song. On the first day of Christmas that lucky lover got one partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas the lucky lover got two turtle doves and another partridge in a pear tree. By the twelfth day the possibly not so lucky lover was feeling a little overwhelmed, what with everything she'd gotten the first eleven days and then all the new stuff.

So it was like that for us. First round, a 100 meter run. Second round, two bear crawls and a 100 meter run. By round twelve we were all feeling a little overwelmed, what with having already done 11 rounds and then completing........

12 rolling pistols (This crazy thing where you roll on your back and then stand up on one leg)
11 pull ups
10 squat thrusts
9 ring dips (okay, I cheated and did regular dips)
8 hanging legs raises
7 Kettle bell swings
6 knees to chest
5 Dive bomber pushups
4 Clean and Jerks
3 second hand stand
2 bear crawls
100 meter run.

It took me 31 minutes 35 seconds. It is possible I was the fastest woman of the day, but I did cheat on a few exercise (like the regular dips) so it might not count.

I will post pictures. So come back and check them out!

Question of the day.

Well, the real question is why on earth Otto decided 6:05 was the time I needed to get out of bed on my day off, but I'll move to weightier matters.

Here is what I have been thinking/wondering. Gas prices are obviously insanely low (dipping below $1.80 here in Seattle). And at the same time governments are having huge budget shortfalls. So, let's mix and match here, add some emergency taxes to gas and pay for the shortfalls. Let's see $.20 per gallon to the city of Seattle, $.20 per gallon to King County, $.30 per gallon to the state of Washington. Gas would be $2.50 per gallon, still what we consumers would consider extra cheap, it would be better for the environment, and lots of extra money to the government.

Perfect idea, huh?

The Big Three

No, I am not about to blog about the car companies who are currently begging our elected officials for billions of tax payer dollars. I am going to talk about food. Those of you paying close (or not so close) attention know that I haven't eaten wheat or dairy for a good bit of time now, three months maybe? Well, it doesn't seem to have fully solved the problem. My stomach is still acting up. So, in my doctor's appointment Monday we decided to see what soy is doing to my stomach.

So now it's no wheat, no dairy, no soy.

A week ago I would have thought that was not possible. But Saturday I ran into an old friend I haven't seen since high school. As we were catching up I learned that she does not eat wheat, soy, or dairy or meat (I don't eat meat) and hasn't for 10 years! And she looked happy, healthy, well fed, and she just had a movie accepted at Sundance (I'm sure that's a result of the diet)! So there is hope. Perhaps I can do this. I may not have a social life, but I don't have much of one anyhow, so that's not a problem.

Maybe I need to eat some meat. I cannot really imagine, nor do I have any interest in eating meat, but it seems like getting a little (or a lot of) protein in my body is a good thing. Then I can keep doing pullups and running fast. If I can just figure out how to cook it.

I start tomorrow. We'll see. All this hard work , something had better start clicking soon. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get into Sundance.

Otto pulls a Clayton

Clayton, aka Satan.

Maybe if I look really cute, she won't get mad at me.

I don't feel well.

So Clayton, the dog I owned before Otto, was a bad dog. Clayton didn't try to be bad on purpose but an extraordinary amount of energy combined with an insatiable appetite made it virtually impossible for him to control his urges.

A few examples...... Back in the day Volunteer Park had a dog 'off-leash' area that wasn't fully enclosed. Clayton viewed a trip there, not as a chance to play with other dogs, but as license to patrol the perimeter of the entire park scouting for squirrels. I would hang out embarrassed, not quite sure how to answer the 'which dog is yours' question - since mine was no where to be found.

Then there was the time I had a broken collar bone and Clayton decided to use my weakness to his advantage when a cat appeared. He sailed into someone's back yard and I got to stand there like an idiot as the owner came out and we both watched my dog chase her cat back and forth along the fence.

There were the morning walks to the Madrona Woods when Clayton would torture this poor homeless guy (ie steal his food). One time he disappeared for about 10 minutes as I called and called. When he finally showed up he had a can of rotten beef stew lodged onto his nose.

And finally, there were the countless countless times he ate god know what and spend the night waking me up to go outside and relieve himself. One time he ate an entire (grocery store size) plastic bag full of chicken bones (ate the bag and bones). Some how he managed to throw that up.

Anyhow, Otto's not like that. Otto is an angel. My friend Jabu calls Otto an alien because she says he is too good to be a dog. I walk Otto off leash around my neighborhood every morning. I take him up to cougar mountain and he runs right behind me, not even leaving the trail. He's a good dog.

However, today Otto and I went walking on this closed/dead end road on the green space. It's about a block long section that is kind of secluded and I take him there so he can run a bit. Tonight he headed off into the green space and I figured he'd just go sniff a little and pee then catch up. So I kept walking. However, he never appeared...... So I went back to where I'd last seen him and started calling and whistling - nothing (Otto is good, he can be called off food, cats, though maybe not squirels). Anyhow, nothing no tags jangling, no Otto. So this green space area has some trail looking sections, so I was thinking homeless people probably hang out there. I had these visions of Otto being held hostage by a colony of homeless people. I wanted to go find him, but it was dark and scary and deserted. Also, cars kept driving down this empty road which was making me really nervous. Anyhow, after about 15 minutes of this, Otto, of course, appears, licking his lips, smelling like food and looking quite proud of himself - JUST LIKE CLAYTON.

Now, two hours later, Otto is beginning to look a little ill and keeps acting like it's my fault he isn't feeling well. 15 minutes is a long time to eat crap. It could be a long night!