I got nothin' but this...

I really don't have anything to write about today, but my goal is to write at least twice a week, so this'll be a short blog (Really. It will. I promise...)

BTW my colleagues at work laugh at my utter (ha ha) inability to write a brief, succinct email...in fact, at work the HEFFERS and others regularly harass me about the prolific-ness of my emails. Madge actually banned me from sending out any all-staff emails unless they were REALLY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPORTANT, due to this problem I have with being concise... But I can't help it, I'm just compelled to make sure that I've CLEARLY AND THOROUGHLY explained what I'm trying to say. And then I try to anticipate what others may be thinking so I try to explain myself even further ...and these efforts require a large number of carefully chosen words...

I think that's why I started using the ellipsis (...) to show that I actually do have more to say on any given issue, but I'm stopping myself. I do this because I realize that others may not be so interested in reading EVERY LITTLE TANGENT that I honestly believe is related to whatever I am thinking at this moment.

Wait, was that another tangent on a tangent...oh dear...

Oh yeah, running. I wanted to write about running.

Betty and I ran on Tuesday w/the track club. We did a trail run along the 163 (yuk, dirt, trails, and hills...my FAVORITES)...the worst part of the run was that I had to pee the whole time. (Note to self...running on bumpy, rocky, tree-root revealing, dirt trails with a full bladder = pain & VERY slow speed). I considered stopping and relieving myself behind a bush...then I remembered that I was also next to a freeway (which may have been no big deal...after all during the Rock and Roll Marathon, there were TONS of people peeing alongside the same freeway), but I chickened out. I might have done it if there were fewer people around. In addition to the roughly 70 track-club runners going back and forth on this little trail, there were a surprisingly large number of other people who were out walking their dogs on this little back trail in Balboa Park. (see map and the little white line next to the Cabrillo Fwy...that's part of the trail, the part that's not covered in trees).

Who Knew? Until last week, I didn't even know there were trails there, and I've lived here for 20 years! Of course, since I'm not particularly enamored of trail-running, I suspect there are LOTS of trails in San Diego County that I don't know about.

Also, I didn't really want to deviate from the trail as there frequently seem to be reports of women, especially, being attacked and I think this is the area that the reports MUST be referring to.

I didn't get a run in yesterday because I was leading the second day of a two-day teacher workshop (summer work - yuk), and then Walter and I decided to take DramaGirl and Turbo to a Padre's game last night in order to take advantage of dollar hot dogs and sodas ($1.00 off beer...which makes the $8.00 beer cost $7.00, which isn't much of a bargain). Since the Pads are such a crappy team right now, we were pretty much expecting to be able to walk up to the ticket office and buy reasonable seats. Unfortunately, last night was also something called "Unused Ticket Night," so the ticket lines were LONNNNGGGG, and Walter hates two things...standing in lines and crowds... So, we ended up going to Tin Fish to get some fish tacos (best in San Diego, I swear), and to listen to the Jimmy Buffett lookalike and cover-singer.

THEN we took the kids to see Hancock (a better movie than I thought it was going to be, but I had pretty low expectations going in). But here's the thing, maybe it's a sign of a really bad economy but we were the ONLY ONES in the theater! I tried to take a photo, but it was too dark and all I had was my no-flash included iPhone camera, so here's the best shot I have of Turbo in the middle of a bunch of empty seats (I promise).

I wonder, do they show the movie if no one is in the theater to watch?

DramaGirl and Turbo were thrilled to be able to lie all over the seats, to stand up in the middle of the movie, to move to another seat, and to talk throughout without getting shushed by their loving mother who is only trying to teach them good movie going manners...

So, I'm off to do a little run with Dread now (it's too hot outside, and I won't be able to run later today when it cools off). After Tuesday's run, my legs still feel like led. The track club has an 8-mile race this weekend, but I don't think I'm going to run it. First, I need to run for 2 hours this weekend in preparing for the AFC 1/2 and even as slow as I run, I think I can finish 8 miles in well under 2 hours...also the 8-miler includes the rock-covered, root-filled dirt trails we've run this week and last, and I just don't want to get hurt. I could completely see myself falling, or twisting an ankle, or completely burning out my legs on the dirt trails and hills, so I think Betty and I are going to run at Mission Bay tomorrow (since she has to work all weekend) where all is flat and paved.

So, that's it for now. I'm off to see Dread...and after watching Runner Susan's leg-torture videos this morning, I'm considering uncovering and dusting off the free weights in the garage.

OK, OK...was that a short enough blog? Ha! I didn't think so...