Karma in action

I was delighted to for the first time be offered a seat on the very crowded Tube today -- so thanks to the woman who relinquished her seat, as I was feeling especially tired this morning, and the carriage was incredibly stuffy.

And Earl would be happy to see karma working -- another seat opened up the next stop, and she was able to sit back down again.

McCain gets Barack-Rolled

Too too funny*




*of course, more relevant if you are actually familiar with Rick rolling... um, Mom, Dad - you hip with the kids on this one?

Welcome Hugo

They say when a couple gets a dog, a baby's not long after.

Well, we've got the baby on the way -- so seemed only right to get that dog in quickly.

Therefore we wish a warm Planet Wulfagar welcome to Hugo, our new, charmingly sweet, full-size Dalmatian. And fortunately for us and our lease, Hugo is extremely well behaved. House AND outdoor trained, doesn't need any exercise, and doesn't bark. Not even a little whine or whimper.

Amazingly well brought up by his previous owners? Or maybe perhaps not entirely real? Could it be perhaps he was won at a local fun fair via 3 carefully aimed baseball throws by Ashley, which knocked all 6 cans off a shelf?

We'll never tell! (though if you come for a visit, you'll probably find out the truth for yourself...)

We did it!

So, Sunday dawned gray, and as predicted, rainy. However, the intrepid walkers made their way boldly to the park known as Hyde, prepared to do battle against the elements and crowds alike. And lo, upon arrival, the heavens cleared (well, at least the rain stopped), a clear sign that theirs was a worthy fight.

Ok, enough hyperbole. Suffice it to say, Verity and I and little one-month-old Jessica and littler minus-four-month-old Stashley made it around the very tight 5k Challenge course of the with 14,998 others (including a few Olympians and someone who looked a lot like the Queen) in a respectable time of 56:38 (pushing a pram in a crowd of thousands is *not* easy -- so well done to Verity for her talent in spotting gaps to zip ahead into). So at least we scraped in under an hour, and have a more than achievable target to beat for next year.

And we managed to enjoy a lovely chat along the way, while gathering sponsorship for a great charity. So thanks to those who donated -- and for those who didn't... now that you know I actually did the race, there's still time to contribute! ;-)

'Bliss'-ful outing

The weather forecast today? Rain, with showers and a little precipitation. Same as it's been all week and it seems all summer. (frankly I'm not sure what those little yellow lines indicate -- I do not expect any sunshine!)

Activity today? Participation in the Adidas 5k Women's Challenge. Why oh why did they ever move this run from July to September?? (not that July guarantees sun any more than September does, but it just sounds sunnier). If it weren't for the facts that...

1) I've already collected sponsorship for this, for an excellent charity, Bliss (still time to donate, even after I've run!)

2) I'm committed to entering with a good friend -- and her 1-month old baby. If *she* can do this race in the rain pushing a baby in a pram, ONE MONTH after giving birth, I can certainly do it in the rain, carrying a baby in my insides (much easier, doesn't cry yet, nothing extra to push, no diaper bag needed)

3) This is the last race of the season, and I love road races, despite my decreasing speed. And given various travel conflicts and baby protection, I've only done one other race this summer, so I can't pass on this one.

4) And finally, I've been doing this race since it started in the summer of '98, so this is my 11th Women's Challenge (those silly women, you'd think they would've cracked it by now) -- so I can't let a little rain stop me now. Plus, if I walk this one it'll give me a time to shoot for next year.

...I might be tempted to stay home!

How many calories??

The Economist* has finally written about yet another New York law to help (?) consumers avoid obesity and associated public health ills. After banning trans-fats, this January saw the introduction of mandatory calorie counts on all menu items. And it works. When I was in New York last summer, I thought I'd treat myself to a muffin. Now, I've never been one to kid myself that a blueberry muffin would be a healthy item. But 522 calories?? 522???

Er, one biscotti, please.

*Yes, it does appear that the only media I consume is the Economist and NPR podcasts... note to self: must branch out.

Productive Sunday afternoon

I definitely miss Ashley while he's away in Cinci this week (boo-hoo), but I certainly get more done around the house! (not sure if that's a good thing...)

This Sunday afternoon, with grey skies and rain thundering on the windows, was a perfect time to finally tackle my boxes/drawers/bags of myriad needlework projects in various states of completion. I'm happy to say that after some ruthless pruning I've consolidated from 4 large boxes to 3 smaller ones, mostly by tossing random leftover thread / packaging / etc. from completed kits.

I had little pangs every time I threw another handful into the trash bag -- but seriously, if I was really really going to come up with some clever use for them, I would've by now. And it's not like I don't have plenty of properly labelled, well organised floss and other equipment handy, y'know, for when inspiration strikes.

And for posterity, I've saved the photo from any kits I've completed & pasted them into a scrapbook. Er, portfolio -- that sounds a bit more professional.

Now on to that stack of old magazines!