Closed For Maintenence

Hello everyone. You may or may not know that I have been doing a little maintenance around these parts. Let's call it "Fall Cleaning". I've been sorting and arranging and filing and organizing. It makes me feel better and it also looks better too! So, what am I talking about? Let me tell you.

First up, I reorganized my Reader. I had WAAYY too many subscriptions and I didn't have time to read them all. Also, many of them were people who were doing the 365 Project at the same time as I was, and their blogs have been inactive for some time. So I went from 161 subscriptions to...71. Yup. It took some time, but I finally got down to ZERO posts, without "marking all as read" (I think I still have "people I follow" who are not counted in the "subscription" count, but I am not sure.)

Secondly, I have been working on some label buttons and they still aren't quite what I wanted but here they are anyway. These are a few of my favorite things. If you are reading this in Reader, you can click out to see them on my left sidebar, for now. Or, if you click on them, it will take you to the appropriate topic. Tell me, do you think it is too busy over on that side?

I also created "Find Me Here" buttons, although I am not really sure how I feel about them either. I would rather have the logo from whatever site it is, but I am not savvy enough to do that, so I just made my own the only way I know how. Where do you guys find the P, the F, the envelope and the little bird?

To top it off, and to try to get rid of some of the busyness, I changed the background to a solid color. Is it TOO white?

I would appreciate any feedback, tips and comments!

Do you change your look often? Do you ever go through and "clean up"? How do you keep your blog looking fresh?

Women Run The Cities: Part I

Last weekend I went to visit a fellow blogger, Lisa, who lives in Minneapolis. We had a great time walking around the city, over the bridges, back over the bridges, under the bridges, over the river and through the woods.

I knew I would like Lisa (as if I had had any doubts) when she asked if I wanted an apple. When I said yes, she said, "let me grab the apple slicer". I was thinking, "Apple slicer? Isn't that called a KNIFE?" (this girl is batty, people) And then.... VOILA!

Awesome. The girl has gadgets. Everyone needs one of these! 

P.S. This is a Honeycrisp apple, which is native to MN. 

 Lisa, who had a bit of a cold, was still an awesome host. She took me all over the city. First we went to the Guthrie for a view of the Stone Arch Bridge. Good name, huh? I guess somebody just called it like they saw it!

Here we are. Yes we color coordinated on purpose! If you ever need someone who knows how to put the self timer on the camera and get a photo of practically nothing, I am your man. The stone arch bridge is somewhere behind that bannister.

We went to the farmers market, where they had lots of fun veggies. We also got to see a cooking demonstration while sitting in the sun (it was a chilly 44ish when we were outside) drinking coffee. Now THAT is my kind of day.

I had to get a scone from the best place in MN to buy pastries. This was what Lisa said many people had told her, but she didn't know firsthand, since she can't have gluten. Yum! I could have had one of each of these pastries!

And then we went and bought some bratwurst for lunch from Kramarczuk's.  We picked a jalapeno and cheese brat and a wild rice (MN specialty) brat. We cooked those up and served them with a salad and rosemary potatoes. Lisa made sure I didn't go hungry while staying with her.

I wanted to do this, which is to ride around the city drinking and pedaling. But we had other things to do. 

Like...take a walk next to the river. 

And eat Gelato.

We also spent time walking over the Stone Arch Bridge, taking photos, walking around downtown, drinking coffee, eating guacamole and browsing the bookstore. 

So yes, as you can see, we did the things I love most: walking, taking in the sights and, most importantly... EATING. Lisa must have named another half dozen restaurants that I will need to go to next time I come to visit. But there is always too little time and too much to do!

Lisa was a great host and we had a great time. Now I'm trying to convince her (and anyone else who wants) to come to San Francisco so I can return the favor. It sure is fun going to visit people and it's nice to have a local to show you around! 

I wasn't just there to stuff my face though. Tune in on Friday when I talk about the 10 mile race that we ran on Sunday!

What did you do this weekend? Have you been to Minneapolis? Have you ever crossed the Mississippi on foot?

Marvelous Marin

If you have never been to the Marin Brewing Company in Larkspur, you need to hightail it down there right NOW and get yourself a Point Reyes Porter. If you have never been to Point Reyes, you should go there either before or after going for a beer. Your choice. It is a little sticky outie thing (a point, hence the name, I guess) about an hour north of San Francisco that has the cutest tiny little lighthouse on it. You can walk down to the lighthouse or you can go surfing or beach-combing nearby.  {Photo Credit} **If you are from the Bay Area, you are hopefully have fingers crossed with me that the Giants are kicking Diamondback booty! (or already did, depending on when you are reading this)**

If you are new here, welcome. What we do each Sunday (inspired by Kim's Grab a Beer and Look What I Did Last Week) is get comfy on the couch, get your favorite brewsky out of the fridge and check out what happened last week! You can join in by going to Kim's site and leaving your link there! Let's get started!

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As you may have already heard about my race recap post, my Dad came into town and we did some Missouri style sight seeing. This may be my new favorite barn. 

We took a hike at the Trail of Tears State Park. You walk along the Mississippi for a while and sometimes the bluffs are pretty huge! It's a lot different from the Mississippi that is near New Orleans!

Then we headed to the district fair. Where we ate copious amounts of fried foods in the name of carb loading.  And we saw things like this. Huh, camouflage is a good look for a pickup and is only enhanced by the addition of the hand-made sign on the back.

I found a new ride. Sweet, huh? I'm really loving the color and it handles like a dream. 

Then there was the race. This girl whupped my butt. Probably because she was more streamlined than I was. And had sportier glasses. Actually, this was before the race, where I said to my Dad, "huh, I bet she is from South Africa". So he, being the Dad that he is, goes up to her and says, "where are you from?" "South Africa," she says. "Can  you take a photo with my daughter?" Aw, DaaaAaad! Some things will never change. (PS she was a good sport and a very nice girl)

After the race, I ate a whole ramakin of cheese. And a strawberry shortcake. In the name of recovery.

A few wise words: 

And...last night I parked my car in the "red car" parking section. If you think you are smart and are going to take down my plate number and find me in rural MO, you are wrong. It's a rental and you may just be stalking an overweight, hairy, biker. But that would be funny. I shouldn't have told you. You would have had quite a surprise!

Well this was not a very exciting week in photos, but probably because work has been super busy! We are getting close to finishing up in our area and who knows where we will be off to next. A new hotel, a new running trail, a new set of coworkers, like I mentioned earlier this week. 

What about you? What did you do this week? Has your week been busy/slow? Boring/fun? Are you doing anything fun this weekend?

Also, I added a new thingy -- if you like this post, you can Stumble It. The icon is right at the bottom of the post (probably right below this line here).

Best Time Ever

You all know I was a little excited/nervous for my half marathon, which was on Sunday the 18th. However, as you all predicted, the day of the race went just fine. But let me back up a little.

My Dad came for the weekend to cheer me on and to run the 5k that was also happening on Sunday. On Saturday night, like any good, healthy runner, we had to carb load. At the fair. Yum (Okay, honestly, I had pasta for lunch too. But I did eat almost that entire funnel cake).

Then I got everything ready for the next day (the race was at 7:30 am). 

The next morning, we got up bright and early and went to the starting line. This guy was checking out my butt during the National Anthem. Don't you think? I think he was.

The race was good! I was trying to get under a 2 hour half, which comes out to about 9 minutes per mile. To do this, I set my Garmin so that the PACE was showing and I just made sure to keep it under 9. I didn't look at how many miles I had gone or what my total time was; I just kept making sure it was under 9 minutes/mile. So I did not try using the Yasso method, just the old tried and true.

Afterwards, I had a beer with Dad. Because beer is a really good post workout fuel.

And then we went and did the most important thing, rewarded ourselves with a huge meal, complete with cheeses and a huge desert! 

It was a great race! I am so glad my Dad could come. It sure is nice to have some company, moral support, a cheerleader and a photographer! He even jumped in at the very end and ran the last tenth of a mile with me!

In case you are interested, below is the pace (blue) and elevation (green) graph. It was really hilly and I had to stop and pee around mile 3, but otherwise I kept under a 9 minute pace the whole time.

And the numbers: 

Miles: 13.1

Race Time: 1:52:36

Average Pace: 8:37

Which is 7 minutes faster than my goal had been overall!!

 And 10 minutes faster than I have ever run a half, which makes this:

A NEW PR!

How was your weekend? Did you run any races? What races do you have coming up? How do you reward yourself after doing something tiring?

Make sure to link up with Jill for Fitness Friday! 

3:12 White Balance

Welcome to Week Three of 12 Weeks To Better Photos! This week our task was to learn about White Balance. Even with a point and shoot, this is a fun experiment to try! The button should look like this one on the left, the little plus and minus in a box. Don't forget to go to Kate's page where you can link up after you've tried this experiment! HERE is the pdf for week three. It's also not too late to try weeks one and two as well! The links will be up until the end of the 12 week course!

source

Here are the common WB settings (missing from this list is Auto and Custom, which is different for each camera). In case you were wondering, Florescent is office or warehouse type lighting. Tungsten is the normal yellow bulbs you use at home. I think the others are self explanatory. 

Our task this week was to try all the different settings to see what the differences were. We were also tasked to learn how to set and use our custom setting (which is not on the above menu) which you have to do using a white piece of paper (so your camera knows what "white" should look like in the current light).

The question to answer was: What can I do to combat color cast in indoor photos? 

The subject once again was, you guessed it, Papa P. But today for you penguin lovers out there, we have a surprise guest... MAMA P (I know you were wondering about Papa, but don't let the top hat and bow tie fool you)!! Here they are, in all their penguin glory, in 5 settings: Custom, Auto, Tungsten, Florescent and Sunny.

Notice they are each a little different in coloring. Some are more yellowish, some more bluish. Actually, since Papa and Mama are dark and the chair behind them is dark, this is not a great example. I just wanted to introduce you to Mama. Here is a better example. My white shirt has a better contrast.

So now you see. Sunny is a little too yellow; tungsten is more blue and florescent is more pink. Custom is supposed to balance out the white, but I may have set it wrong, becuase I still prefer Auto. I definitely need more practice. This is a good experiment though becuase even though I did not show my face, it too would be...yellowish, bluish or pinkish. And nobody wants that. It is important to have the right White Balance, or you may look jaundiced, sad or drunk.

Which one do you think is the "truest white"? Have you experimented with White Balance? Do you have a favorite photo you'd like to share? Put your answers and the link in the comments below!

Join us next Thursday for Week Four: Flash.

Getting Over The Hump

Everybody likes new music, right? And everybody likes FREE STUFF! No? Huh, well I do. If you like alternative music, I just found out that Urban Outfitters gives away 5 free songs every Monday (you can still download last Monday's songs) and a full album every couple of months.

HERE is the latest album (25 songs). I already downloaded it to make sure it was legit before suggesting it to anyone else. It is! HERE is the previous album (25 songs). This is a great way to test out new bands!! And I like this music! All you need is iTunes.

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I have a post over at Women Rockin the Road today about 10 Beautiful Places in The World. Above is a sneak peek. You want to go over there and take a look. They are Beautiful. Some you may know, and some may be new to you. You may have a recommendation for me! You can tell me "where to go" either in the comments here or on WRTR!

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Do you have any travel stories? Do you want to write a guest post? Email me if you do! We are looking for writers! 

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Speaking of email, it helps me to respond to your comments if you have yours enabled. I am lazy today so in lieu of doing a tutorial, I will direct you to Kim's site, where she shows you step by step how to do this.

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Next up this week: 

Thursday - Week 3 of 12 Weeks To Better Photos - White Balance

Friday - Fitness Friday - Race Recap and Tips on Carb Loading, Carnival Style

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Now, I have a tiny rant. I am not much of a ranter, so this couldn't be a whole post. If I were Jess or Kim, I would be able to Rock this rant, but I am not. I would be better at making a list about rants, than actually making a rant. Is that what you do to a rant, you make it?

Do you guys comment on people's blogs (a lot sometimes) and never, ever have them respond? Am I the only one who does this? I was just wondering. Because there are a couple blogs where I liked the premise of the blog and I commented a few times a week for a while, and these people never comment on my blog, which I can handle. If you don't like it, I am cool with that. But these people also never even respond with a thanks or a how-do-you-do, not via comments, not via discus, not via email. NADA. And all of a sudden the other day, I thought, wait, WHY am I wasting my time when there are other bloggers and blogs (not to mention IRL folks) who I like better? 

Am I being unreasonable? Do you normally comment multiple times and never, ever, EVER get anything back? If so, do you keep on keeping on or do you drop the person already?

This actually happened to me in real life. I used to send out a bunch (I mean A BUNCH) of handmade Christmas cards every year. They would take me FOREVER to make. And I would write a note on the inside of each one and I would HAND address the envelope (and I do believe, lick the stamp!) And then I wouldn't hear back from people at all. Not a phone call, not an email, not a text, not a letter. NADA. Even the next time they saw me, there was no, "hey, thanks for the card" or "hey thanks for thinking of me". NOTHING. So lately I have been keeping track (yes, I am anal) of who says thank you, who gives something (even just an acknowledgement) back! Screw this giveth and not recieveth. I can only giveth so much to people who are "too busy" for a simple "thank you". Especially when I am busy too and I took time out of my busy day to think of them, to do something for them, to interact with them!

I know I don't always respond to every one, and I don't always respond right away, but I try to respond as much as possible, which I hope means that I am not missing someone completely!

What do you guys think? I know everyone is busy. Should I chalk it up to that? Or are these people just plain rude?

(whoa, okay, not such a "tiny" rant after all)

**whew, I do feel better though**

Where My Heart Is

The most beautiful city I've ever been to is San Francisco. I have traveled the world and seen many different cities which are also great, but San Francisco has a beauty that cannot be rivaled. I know I am bias and partial to the city that is not only in my state, but is where I lived for several years. I remember first trying to find an apartment in the city. I had been living in Sacramento and working for Nordstrom when I got a promotion to manager in downtown San Francisco. For a while I drove back and forth every day. On a good day, that could be under two hours; on a bad day the drive was sometimes almost 4. Each way.

Getting an apartment was not easy. This was at the tail end of the dot com era. Young, smart kids with money were lined up, and I mean LINED UP to pay cash on the spot for an apartment. Not only would they pay the asking price; they would pay more, lots more. There were bidding wars for rentals. You had to fill out your application, print out your credit score, have your deposit in hand and then BID extraordinary amounts of money in order to get a 300 SF room in this wonderful city.

I got lucky. A friend of a friend of a friend was moving out and I could take over her lease. It would be easy and cheap ("city" cheap, that is). I didn't know the new roommate. I didn't know if he was messy or clean, nice or mean, taken or single. I didn't care. He could have been an axe murderer; at least the rent was cheap.

I spent the next several years exploring. All the different nooks and crannies, each with a different world, were there for my pleasure. You could walk from Mexico to China within minutes. You could taste all the food, experience the culture, all within steps of your own back door. You could see the water from many different vantage points. You could take a walk along the ocean and stare at the Golden Gate bridge. It was never hot and never cold. It was perfect.

I don't need to tell you that San Francisco is pleasing to the eye, with it's hills and it's skyline, it's water and it's bridges and it's buildings like this and this. But I need to tell you that it is much more than just physical beauty that draws me to the city. It's the mish mosh of cultures and neighborhoods and languages and people. It's the traveling the world without even leaving one city. It's the cool, crisp fall weather (in summertime).

It's the life. And the life is beautiful.

(PS Some close second place cities: Seattle, Sydney, Shanghai, Paris, Venice, Istanbul)

What do you think the "Most Beautiful" city is? And why?

Ye Olde Hovel

Today is officially "Talk Like a Pirate Day". I'm not really good at accents though, so I will probably just write normally. I think my title is about the extent of my knowledge of Pirate Speak. Oh and, "aye matey" and "arrrrr". FACT: My local library has a language program and you can learn to talk like a pirate, this month only.

**Q-What's a pirate's favorite letter? A- Arrrrrr**

**Q-Where do pirates go for a drink? A- The bARRRRR**

(okay, that's all the bad jokes I have for today)

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If you know me, or have been reading for a while, you may already know that I pretty much live in a hotel. If you don't know me, let me quickly explain a little. I work a job that takes me to different places in the US, usually for a few months at a time. So, once we figure out where we will be, we move in to "our new home", whatever hotel is available in the city (or tiny town) that we will be working in. Usually this is anywhere from 90 - 350 days a year. 

Sounds great, right? Vacation, 350 days a year, you say? Where do I sign up? 

It is great sometimes. I don't have to pay for cable TV (although I rarely watch TV anyway), electricity or heat. I have a gym, a pool and sometimes a hot tub at my disposal. I don't have to wash my own sheets or clean my own toilet. These things can be good. Sometimes you get to stay in Five Star Hotels.

However, Hotel Living is not all it's cracked up to be. For example, sometimes you don't have a kitchen. When this happens, you end up cooking a lot of things in your coffee pot or microwave (which usually is not very healthy). Sometimes living in one room all the time kind of gets to you. You have people over, where do they hang out? On your bed. That can be kind of weird. 

Also, moving around a lot means you work with different people and live in different cities every 90 days or so. It is hard to make connections with people in 90 days. It is hard to establish a routine, to join a soccer team or a running club or even a gym. It is hard to eat healthy. Things are all done in "single servings", like Brad Pitt says in Fight Club. Single serving coffee, single serving shampoo, single serving friends. Just when you finally start to get to know your boss and how he operates, your coworkers and your surroundings, you move once again to somewhere else, to another hotel, where you have a different boss, new coworkers and have to figure out once again where the nearest grocery store is. 

I don't have much stuff. One suitcase. What fits in one suitcase? One pair of running shoes, flip flops and one nice pair of shoes. One dress. Two pairs of jeans and some shirts and sweaters. Each time I move, they move with me. I am a turtle, with my house clothes on my back.

Even though I don't have much stuff, it seems like a lot when you have to pack it all up. I work out of my room, so any time I want to go out of town for the weekend, I have to pack up my "office" as well as my suitcase, and leave it at the front desk or a co-worker's room while I am away. This makes weekend trips a little harder. 

This time I have a kitchenette, which makes it nice as far as eating healthy. But I also have to pack up food etc when I leave. So each time I am going to go somewhere, I try to "eat myself out of house and home", so to speak. I try not to buy anything new, only to use what I have. This makes for interesting meals. I think I mentioned before that I sometimes eat chili every day because I am cleaning out the fridge. Sometimes, even the backup food (ie non perishables) finally gets eaten. 

I also have to leave myself notes. I have had to buy at least three razors, since I tend to forget them in the shower. If I am leaving early in the morning, I get my coffee ready and then pack it away.

Oh, the joys of hotel living.

What do you do to prepare when you are going to be away for a while? Do you stay in hotels a lot? Do you like it? What's your favorite part of hotel living?