Dodging the Raindrops

By Friday evening, I’d had plenty of time to recover from Skogg’s.  I was looking forward to some speed-work, down at Duniway track, led by Red Lizard running coach, Rick Lovett.  We meet there at 6:15pm Tuesdays and Fridays, rain or shine.

That’s the idea, anyway.

As the grey day turned into a wet and windy night, I felt my motivation… not-so-much going out the window…as going to bed and hiding under the blankets.  Fortunately, I’d gotten some buddies to commit to practice.  And we were not going to let each other down!  I arrived at Becky Jean’s place, where we basically decided to bag it, before changing our minds again and heading out the door.

I laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny?”  She asked.

“I can’t believe we are doing this.”  Neither of us would be running (in this weather) on our own.

When we got to the field, there was Coach Rick, hiding out in his car.  A lone runner was circling the track in the dark rain, which was coming down hard and fast.  He was one of us.

Jack came into focus as he finished his lap.  I remembered him from last week, his first day with the Lizards.  He’s young and speedy.  We joined him for a mile warmup around the track, and some chit-chat.

“I’m so glad you guys are here,” said Jack, happy to have someone to suffer with.  ”I was just curled up in my car in the fetal position, reading the bible.”  He was serious!

“You must’ve been praying to God,” I said between giggles, “because we almost didn’t make it.”

Getting Ripped with Skogg Systems

When Facebook told me that Daniel Baldwin wanted to be my friend, I was like, “Yeah, right.”  I told him, I’m not interested unless he wants to be friends in real life.  And if he wants to hang in real life, it probably means working out, because that’s just about all I’m up to these days.  So!  He invited me to Skogg Gym in the Pearl, where we could merrily get our sweat on.

I arrived at 10:15am, entered the building, and checked out the schedule of classes.  Next up was Level 4.  For Warriors only!  Couldn’t help but smile…

Inside the gym, I found a guy behind a desk, who seemed to think I had wandered in by accident.

“I’m meeting my friend here,” I said.

“For what?  And who is your friend?”

“Daniel… to work out.”

Ah yes.  He didn’t seem too thrilled to meet me, but he was polite.  I excused myself to the locker room, where I peeled off my sweats.  (Surely they would see my muscles and realize I could handle it?!)  When I emerged, there was Mr. Skogg himself.  He wanted me to understand that people can NOT just walk in off the street and do a Level 4 – Warrior class.  Especially if they don’t have experience with kettle bells!

Maybe it was a slow day.  Obviously, they love Daniel (who is indeed, charming).  The man from behind the counter said he didn’t mind giving me some special attention.  So, they elected to let me stay.

The Skogg System works because, with proper form and technique, it fires up your entire body.  Using the appropriate sized kettle bell, one improves their strength AND endurance, in an engaging, fast-paced workout.  A physical test is required before graduating to each, more advanced level.  Although I was a guest in the Warrior class, I was by no means working out alone.  Ray made sure I learned the movements, helping me target the proper muscle groups and showed me how not to hit myself in the face with a kettle bell.  By the end of the session, I had worked up a nice sweat and was hungry for more.  Giving lots of thanks, I tucked a copy of their weekly schedule into my pocket.

Let’s just say… I’ll be back.

Holding My Cards (in the Dating Game)

Blogging is cathartic.  Therapeutic for me, because it’s a place to organize thoughts, feelings and ideas.  Hopefully it’s amusing or informative on some level for you.  Last week, when I described my recent bout of emotional hiccups with a gal-pal, it seemed to strike a close-yet-clandestine chord, across my web of virtual relations.  Clearly, some of us enjoy reading about topics that many people are  more hesitant to discuss.

There are lots of reasons why society may frown upon us.  In many cases, public shaming equals unregulated enforcement of cultural norms and rules.  Don’t steal.  Wear a helmet.  Vote.  At least a few of these regulations make sense.

Others, I’m not so sure about.  For example, where does one begin – or end – in self-censorship?  Is it taboo to talk about lame dates on the internet?  Because that’s the topic that keeps bubbling up this week.  Heck, I broke one rule last time… let’s go for a streak!

How to Be a Good Gal-Pal

Gal-pals are important.  Female bonding is one of the most essential factors in finding and maintaining true happiness.  We can’t expect most dudes to understand the depths and extent of our emotional needs, because we are hardwired differently.

I treasure my gal-pals.  A good guy friend of mine, who never fails to give me a full-bellied laugh, entertained us both for a solid ten minutes, while he made fun of my collection of girlfriends.  He imagined a fancy glass case, with shelves of trophies.  He pretended he was me, playing with them like they were barbies.  Stroking them.  Talking to them.  Rearranging them on the shelves…

HA!

Seriously, just had to pause for a moment to laugh out loud.  I love that guy!

But it’s sort of true.  My gal-pals are babes and I do adore them.  Yet unfortunately, some have quirks that make me feel like I would rather stay home than take them out to play.

Don’t Miss Portland’s Urban Iditarod

So what?  Registration for this years Urban Iditarod filled in 8 minutes.  You gonna let that stop you?!

It goes down Saturday, Feb. 25th.  Be there or you’re square!

Here’s a taste of last years schenanigans:

Matters of Splattery Goodness

Safe Driver Spots a Hottie

Took Wednesday off from working out, because I felt a cold coming on.  I also had a strong urge to paint.  A friend asked me to make a picture of a stock exchange, but I’d been stumped for inspiration.  I studied images of Leroy Neiman’s artistic depiction of stock exchange floors, to get an idea of how such a thing could ever be… beautiful.

After a quick search, I had a file full of images to chose from.  The Tokyo Stock Exchange.  The London Stock Exchange.  Lots of pictures of the NYSE.  But I found two images from the stock exchange in Kuwait City, that captured my attention.  One of them, a closeup of several faces in apparent jubilee, was shot when trading was suspended (an unprecedented act, during the “financial crunch” of ’08) as investors panicked over huge losses.  Conceptually morphing the images into one, I got to work painting.

When evening came, I had to attend a safe driving class at Legacy.  I allowed plenty of time to get there early, most of which was spent being lost on the way.  (Don’t ask me how this can happen in my own town – it’s embarrassing.)  With just enough time to hit the loo as I arrived, I thought about a strategic plan…  How to best increase my odds of getting a seat by a hot guy.