Re-normalizing

So this past weekend was our biggest fundraising event for work. Starting, oh, about last Tuesday, we (meaning the three people in our office including me) began the huge task of lifting a lot of boxes, stuffing goody bags and registration packets, picking up large vehicles, picking up loads of groceries and supplies, and general running around. By the end of the weekend, I was so tired and delirious that nothing but sleep would satisfy me. But it really was worth it. The event is a huge bike tour (as in bicycles), and it is a lot of fun in spite of the work. I get to meet a lot of people, mostly professionals, that I might not otherwise get to meet, and some riders of the male persuasion don't even look half-bad in all that spandex.

Having said that, I have come to the conclusion that, at least for now, cycling is too expensive and complicated a sport for me. I love to ride bikes and I think I could get into it if I really tried, but for now I'll stick with running. All you need to run is a good pair of shoes and decent clothing. Oh and I can't run without my Ipod, but that's about it. Bicycles are expensive and so is the maintenance, not to mention all the fancy clothing and safety gear. I do want to get a hybrid bike for tooling around town though. There is a new group that has just formed - Jackson Bike Advocates - I am on their mailing list even though I do not own a bike right now. I am all for bike safety, bike lanes and more bike-friendliness all around. I am hoping that I will be able to bike to the grocery store and other local necessities when I move to Belhaven.

Oh yeah, did I mention I am moving to Belhaven?

It's been in the works for a while, and it just so happens a good friend of mine is moving out of her cute little place in December, which worked out great for me time-wise. So by Christmas I should be in my new home. It is right where I want to be in Belhaven, very close to where many of my friends live, and it has a screened porch!! That is the biggest draw to me. I can't wait to sit out on my porch with Sally and watch the neighbors go by, or just enjoy the fresh air. I won't know what to do with myself!

It will also be really nice to have a place I don't mind inviting people over to. Where I live now is so tiny and pretty ghetto - I am just about embarrassed to have people over here anymore because the neighborhood seems to be getting worse and worse. It's time for me to move on up, anyway. I have lived in tiny apartments for 6 years, and while the new place is not gargantuan, it is more spacious and definitely in a more desirable location. I will finally be able to call myself a Jacksonian for real!! I'm not thrilled to think about the car tag prices and such, but otherwise I'm ecstatic. I forsee a big house party after the first of the year!



Random interruption: there is a person that I come in contact with on a regular basis who looks just like Granny Squid from Squidbillies:


"How is it that a person can look like a squid?" you might ask. Well I have no idea, but she does. It took me a while to figure it out, but she is the spitting image of that elderly squid.




I am doing another 5K this weekend, and I hope my performance will be a tad bit better than the last one I ran! The weather is looking a lot cooler (but really, anything is cooler than 100), and although I am not quite running 3 miles comfortably yet, I am prepared for the walk breaks and just hope to finish with a tiny shred of dignity stuck to my shoe. Next weekend I am walking another 5K with Sally - this one is for ARF so I really wanted to bring the doggie out to play. After that I am taking a break from races for a bit to continue training. I wanted to do the St. Jude 5K in Memphis, but it is the same weekend that I will be moving, so I don't know that I can do both at the same time and still keep my sanity. It makes me sad because some of my friends that I have not seen in a long time were going to do it and it would be a chance to hang out with them. But I just don't see any other way to make it all happen.

Other than my apparent new obsession with running and work stuff, there isn't much time for anything else in my life. The BF gets his first paycheck soon and he's taking me to eat massive amounts of sushi, and I can't wait. The fair is in town and I hope to get my fill of greasy food by the end of this week, rain be damned. And I still have no idea what I will do for Halloween or what I will be, but I hope to spend at least part of it with my niece, as I have done the past couple of years. This year she will actually be able to walk around and get her own loot!

That's about it. I'm going to go try to catch up on my sleep, and hopefully it will stop feeling like midnight all the time in a few more days.