Lately it's pretty much all Giants all the time around here. Sorry. In a week, we will have won and you won't have to hear about them for...5 more months. Actually there are a few other things going on in my six minute mind these days.
- (Spoiler Alert: Mom, don't read this part) Last night after work I went running out on the trails and it got dark a little earlier than I thought it would. I think it was partly due to the cloud cover and also due to the tree cover. So I was just finishing up my run up the last hill when I saw two pairs of eyes. You know how they reflect in the dark? Two pairs, maybe a foot or two off the ground, but it was hard to tell, as I was going up a hill. I clapped and shouted and made a fool of myself and at first I thought they were coming toward me (and I had a moment of "huh, what the heck am I going to do now?") but then they retreated. Up the hill. Where I needed to go. To go back around the other way, I would have had to go about 5 miles. To go up the hill, I would be back at the parking lot in about .2 miles. So I flapped my arms and clapped my hands some more and they finally went into the bushes. I took advantage of that to get the heck out of there! I could hear them in the bushes and for the entire rest of the way I kept checking behind me to make sure they weren't chasing me.
It was probably just a couple of deer.
Lesson learned. Maybe trail runs should be done a little bit earlier in the day.
- My friend's cat died on Tuesday. I went to the animal emergency room with her and we were there until late at night. I don't really know how to deal with with grief or with emotions. I can deal with death, but I have a hard time dealing with the people who are dealing with death. I am the person who is reliable and durable and good at things that are black and white like math, but I am not really good at the grey things, the emotional things and the feelings. What do you say or do? Do you just BE there? Because that I can do, but I am not sure if it's better to talk about other things to take her mind off of it or to talk about it or to let her talk about it or...what!! I feel so inadequate. It's a problem I don't know how to fix.
- Okay I have to throw one Giants thing in here. It is just me, or does Timmy look like that kid from Dazed and Confused?
Do you think they look alike? Or not? It'd be a lot cooler if you did (if you can name who said that you get a golden star!)
Have you ever had to frighten off a wilddeer animal in the dark? How are you with grieving friends? Has anyone ever said that you look just like someone else?
- (Spoiler Alert: Mom, don't read this part) Last night after work I went running out on the trails and it got dark a little earlier than I thought it would. I think it was partly due to the cloud cover and also due to the tree cover. So I was just finishing up my run up the last hill when I saw two pairs of eyes. You know how they reflect in the dark? Two pairs, maybe a foot or two off the ground, but it was hard to tell, as I was going up a hill. I clapped and shouted and made a fool of myself and at first I thought they were coming toward me (and I had a moment of "huh, what the heck am I going to do now?") but then they retreated. Up the hill. Where I needed to go. To go back around the other way, I would have had to go about 5 miles. To go up the hill, I would be back at the parking lot in about .2 miles. So I flapped my arms and clapped my hands some more and they finally went into the bushes. I took advantage of that to get the heck out of there! I could hear them in the bushes and for the entire rest of the way I kept checking behind me to make sure they weren't chasing me.
It was probably just a couple of deer.
Lesson learned. Maybe trail runs should be done a little bit earlier in the day.
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| Mountain lion in Tilden Park. Photo by Jim Hale (source) |
- My friend's cat died on Tuesday. I went to the animal emergency room with her and we were there until late at night. I don't really know how to deal with with grief or with emotions. I can deal with death, but I have a hard time dealing with the people who are dealing with death. I am the person who is reliable and durable and good at things that are black and white like math, but I am not really good at the grey things, the emotional things and the feelings. What do you say or do? Do you just BE there? Because that I can do, but I am not sure if it's better to talk about other things to take her mind off of it or to talk about it or to let her talk about it or...what!! I feel so inadequate. It's a problem I don't know how to fix.
- Okay I have to throw one Giants thing in here. It is just me, or does Timmy look like that kid from Dazed and Confused?
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| Timmy (source) |
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| Mitch Kramer (source) |
Do you think they look alike? Or not? It'd be a lot cooler if you did (if you can name who said that you get a golden star!)
Have you ever had to frighten off a wild
Wow he DOES look just like the kid from Dazed & Confused! That's kind of crazy.
ReplyDeleteI definitely fear mtn lions. I have a summer rental in Breckenridge, CO and my sister was visiting. She got up at dawn and sat outside to drink her coffee (I was still asleep) later that day she told me "I smelled thing really bad - like a dead animal and heard some rustling around and so I walked around looking for it and never saw anything". I'm like "TRISHA - that was a mtn lion - they stash their prey and return to eat it that's why they smell like dead animals. If that happens again - go inside immediately!"
ReplyDeleteA friend dealing with grief is a tough one. I volunteer for the police dept as a Victim Advocate and one of our "jobs" is death notifications. Every person responds differently. Some want a hug, some don't want to be touched, some want to talk, some want to be alone, some want someone there and don't want to talk, some people yell at you... The best thing you can do is be there and stay quiet until the person initiates conversion. It seems like once they start talking about what happened or remembering the deceased - it really helps them start processing the death. I'm sure you did the best you could and that's all you cane expect from yourself in a tough situation. hope that helps!
Oh my gosh, just thinking about you in the woods with those eyes looking at you freaked me out! Scary! So, I would say just being there to listen is the best think you can do to support your friend. Take your cues from them, if they want to talk, you can be there to listen. I'm sure she appreciated that you were there with her:)
ReplyDeleteI walk our dog pretty early in the mornings (5am) and it's always dark, no matter what time of year. Usually, we just see bunny rabbits and squirrels. But, when I was pregnant with Gavin, we saw a coyote up close and personal, twice in the same week. The first time, it was just hanging out on the baseball field at the school down the street from us. It sat up and watched us, but never approached. The second time, it (same one?) was running down the street just a block from our building. It freaked me out (mostly because I was less mobile during pregnancy and was afraid I'd have to run for my life), but thankfully those were the only two times we ran into wild beasts.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think helping friends grieve depends on your friend. Some people just want company. Other people want to be distracted. I'd probably ask what my friend wanted and try my best to accommodate after that.
OMG! I first thought you took the picture of the mountain lion.... holy creep!
ReplyDeleteAlso, Tim TOTALLY looks like the kid from Dazed and Confused!! ;)
Scary! Glad you're ok. Glad you're having fun with the World Series. I still can't root for your team.
ReplyDeleteAs far as grief goes, I think just being there is good. Obviously it's a really good friend since you went to the clinic with them, so whatever you do is probably good. I'd ask what your friend wants and keep checking in.
A dear ran in front of me when i was running one morning back when I lived in the burbs and it scared the heck out of me!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am so so on grief. I usually try to acknowledge it with a card or something like that and just try to be there for the person, like you said... it's tough, though!!
That's creepy! Do you run with pepper spray? I have a really small bottle I carry with me now as a just in case. My luck it would just piss the animal off and I'd get mauled even worse. ;)
ReplyDeleteI used to run at Henry Coe on the trails and was always afraid I'd see a big cat. I never did but I did see coyotes. Not at night though. :) I was too wimpy to run around dawn/dusk.
Go Giants! Wee! :)
Oh gosh! That is terrifying. There are lots of bear and cougar/mountain lion sightings around here and cougars freak me out SO MUCH. They are scary man and they will stalk you and "hunt" you where I don't think a bear would attack unless it felt like it had to. I'm glad you're OK and yes stay out of those trails in the dark you crazy girl!
ReplyDeleteMatthew McConaughey as David Wooderson! One of all time favorite movie lines. And Timmy and Mitch could be brothers.
ReplyDelete