Saturday, July 18, 2009

Desperate

Ahhhhh...home. I love being home.

Oakland was? Well, aside from meeting JoLynn (the highlight of the week, BY A LANDSLIDE), it was Oakland...which is really the armpit of the Bay Area (no offense, but it is... There are some FABULOUS places in the bay area...Marin, SF, Napa, Garin, but Oakland? Not-so-much).

Not sure what that thing is, but doesn't it look like the pool is giving me the finger? Likewise, I'm sure...

For example, the Inn* was near the Oakland Police Headquarters (BTW...a landmark NOT mentioned as a highlight on the Inn website). I would walk right by it on my way to the conference site (about a mile walk). Yesterday morning, apparently, there was a strange suitcase left outside it, so the bomb squad came and blew it (the suitcase, not the Police Headquarters) up.

Some of the conference attendees discovered this as they were walking to the conference and let's just say that my new friends from Mississippi and Michigan were quite surprised by this.

Me? Not so much...

I was, however, somewhat surprised by the shop that was offering a special on "Gold Teeth." $25.00 off!** Yes, you too can get a nice new gold grill at a discount...I think it's a sure sign that the economy is suffering in the East Bay...discounts on Gold Teeth, not something you see everyday.

You know...I was bummed that I didn't take a photo of the place...but it's been reviewed on YELP, so I guess I didn't need to...

I did run about 2.5 miles on Thursday night...sorta around the block and then I discovered a path that ran alongside the bay. It was a pretty nice (if not somewhat deserted) path. Doesn't anyone in Oakland run/walk/ride? Odd...in San Diego, a path like that would be PACKED at 6pm. I tried to abide by my PT's edict to run 1 mile/walk .5/run .5, but I didn't have my Garmin with me, and let's just say that I preferred running through Oakland, so I probably did something more like run 1.5/walk .2/run .8.

Flew home yesterday afternoon. So. Happy. To. Be. Home.

This morning I had some, slight intention of joining the SDTC run, and I thought I'd do some running/walking with the group (or at least run for a little bit, then help man some aid stations), but I was SO EFFING TIRED, I slept in.

Feeling lazy, I decided to swim. Last week I bought a swim belt...the kind that you attach to something, then you can swim without turning laps...more boring than a treadmill I have to say.

Mine's got a blue belt...so it's prettier...but that doesn't make it any less BORRRRRING!

I managed a 25 minute swim before I quit...more from absolute boredom than anything else. That and I'm annoyed that I'm only getting sound from one side of my H20 Audio Headphones (GAH!).

Then, I stretched, did my squats, lunges, crab-crawl w/band across the house a few times... Since my foot was feeling pretty good, I decided to take a short run on the 'mill before my next PT appointment on Monday. I ran 2 miles, walked two minutes, then ran about . half mile. Then, because I'm being a a very good girl, I stopped.

So, that's my day...not much else going on...loads of laundry to do. Walter took the kids camping this weekend (don't cry for me, I'm not much of a camper. I don't even do shabby "Inn" rooms very well, can you imagine me with all those bugs, and dirt, and all...GAH!), so I'm desperately seeking entertainment for the evening, but I think most of the herd is out of town or otherwise engaged, so it may be just me and another load of papers I need to grade before Monday.

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Oh...and I got rid of the comment-luv, comment thingy I was trying out...It was way more trouble than it was worth...
________________
* Oh yes...I'm linking to this place. If any of you ever HAVE to go to Oakland, do yourself a favor and don't stay there. My FB page is full of comments about whoever was staying in the room above me and WTF they were doing up there...GAH!

** I am completely bummed that I didn't stop to take a picture, but again, I didn't stop for much when I was walking...

18 comments:

  1. I hope that you didn't swim in that pool. You should've called the bomb squad to blow up that giant finger too. :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like such a lovely place to visit...not!

    Where are you swimming with that belt? Do you have a pool of your own that you're using it with or somewhere else? I'm wondering what you attached it to...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Come on Cindi, spill --did you attach it to the giant finger? :) {That picture cracks me up!}

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOL...that's pretty funny. I wouldn't go near the pool in the Inn. It was scary. Although you can see from the picture, some brave guy was swimming in it when I took the picture. I swim in my home pool...which isn't really long enough to be a lap pool. I attach the belt to the base of the diving board.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That belt contraption DOES look like hell - much like a suckmill or bike trainer. Ouch. C'mon, you didn't get you a new gold greeeillll? You would look hawt.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Too late now, but be very careful when you run on bike paths in unfamiliar cities, especially cities that sell gold grills at a discount. I once found what appeared to be a cool bike path in downtown San Jose and it led to some dangerous people. I later found out that's why no one was on it.

    We miss you on Saturdays. We really, really do.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yay, I can comment!
    $25 for a grill-what has this economy turned into?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Well, now I know exactly where to go for my gold grill!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well, at least you get some quiet time this weekend!

    That shop is sooo, well, sooo Oakland! I am still chucking. Where's Leon Spinks when we need him?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh you so win, Oakland is WAAAAY worse than West Sacramento.

    I agree next lame ass education conference we MUST join forces. Maybe we can get matching grills?

    ReplyDelete
  12. That swim belt looks kind of S&M to me ... scary.

    Sorry your trip to Oakland sucked. I guess it makes you appreciate home?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm sorry, sister, but you and Walter should try out that "swimming" leash, because to my (admittedly perverted) eye it looks like some kind of low-grade S&M bondage device!

    "OOO, whud ya bring me from Oakland, dear?"

    "Tonight ... you shall have your pain. AND CALL ME MISTRESS!1!"

    Hahahahahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ooo girl. You should have gotten yo self a grill. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I can't imagine that swim thing.

    LOL at Grills and the economy!

    ReplyDelete
  16. OMG! some bling for teef. hilarious.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oakland should be a great town. It is very conveniently located, it's on the water, it has great parks (really!) and yet it is a cesspool of poverty, drugs and danger. So sad.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Damn, that swim belt looks like torture. Or, at least, something I saw in a movie once...

    ReplyDelete