Tag Archives: weather

Oh No! I’m Late!!

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… for Motivational Music Monday, that is!  Sheesh, what were you thinking?!

But first, a small update…

Snow… it won’t stop.  This happened last Monday:

And this happened the Monday before that:

I’m really kind of done with winter.  Even our red-tailed hawk at work has been none too impressed… she’s looking a bit cranky these days:

However… cold weather and all, James kicked ass at his race last weekend; the sun even came out for a couple of hours while he ran (he was so lucky to have sun)!  It seems I barely had enough time to get to the finish line before he crossed.  I see him work incredibly hard to get his speed up, and while he didn’t PR, he was close to it.  He’s not convinced he’ll PR in Reno because of the course and elevation (Reno is where our next big race is), but I disagree with him.  I think he has a good chance in spite of the course and elevation.

Okay… now onto MMM…

Are you familiar with Erasure?  They aren’t as big in the US as they have been in the UK.  I was surprised to learn that from 1986 to 2007, they achieved 24 consecutive top 40 hits in the UK. As well, 34 of their 45 singles and EPs have made the UK Top 40, with 17 of them climbing into the top 10 in the UK.  The only song of theirs to chart in France was “Oh L’Amour.”  To date, they have sold over 25 million albums worldwide.

All that being said, I am familiar with only two of their songs, the following being my favorite. This is one that has stood the test of time for me, so it ranks way up there.  It has a constant beat so it’s super great to run to.  If you don’t know it, take a listen.  You may have just found your new favorite song to run to.

So tell me…

  • Have you heard of Erasure?
  • If so, what’s your favorite song by them?
  • Do you have a favorite song this week that James needs to add to his MMM list?

We’re heading to a new area for long-run Sunday and hoping to meet up with a fellow blogger. I will let you know how/if that goes.  Regardless… we’re going to have new territory and a new trail to explore.  I’m actually looking forward to it, because it won’t be snowing!! Happy Sunday my friends!

Thinking Out Loud Thursday

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I’m kind of in the mood to babble about nothing in particular, so I’m linking up with Amanda from Running With Spoons for TOLT.  Thanks Amanda for the creative outlet!!

thinking-out-loud.jpg1.  Winter Munchies.  Ella at Instinctive Fails talks about how animals fatten themselves up for the winter, so maybe humans do too?  I’ve decided I’m going to adopt that theory to explain my winter weight gain.  Think about it… our ancestors probably did have to bulk up to stay warm in the winter just as animals do.  So it would make perfect sense that our bodies instinctively store fat for the winter.  Well, it sounds good anyway. It has absolutely nothing to do with the extra cookies or fudge or egg nog that I treat myself to during the holidays… it’s really just pure instinct.  Necessary for survival.  During the holidays.

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2.  Pinterest.  Yes, I’m older and not so social media savvy, but I just don’t get it!  I want to understand it, I really do, but right now I just can’t wrap my head around it.  What is the purpose?  What does one do on Pinterest?  It sounds like something Microsoft came up with before it released Windows 8 so everyone could get used to the idea of “pinning” things.  Or did Microsoft copy Pinterest?  Ooooo, conspiracy theory perhaps?  I should probably consult my 11-year-old and figure out how to use Pinterest.  No, actually, I think I need to watch a YouTube video on the ins and outs of Pinterest.  Is there a book out there called Pinterest for Dummies?

3.  I’ve noticed quite a few people have created the illusion of snow falling on their blogs.  May I just say this is a super cool feature!  I would love to have snow falling all over my blog during the holidays and winter months.  But why didn’t I get the memo on how to make the snow fall?  Can anyone tell me how this is done?

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4.  And speaking of snow falling, I hope no one is trying to get to Seattle via I-90.  I’m of the understanding that parts of the pass are closed.  For weeks I heard how mild our winter was going to be because we had such a hot summer and El Nino is going to last until 2016, blah, blah, blah, but noooo, we’ve had one storm system after another come in and practically drown us.  Did you hear that the governor of Washington has declared a state of emergency because of all our rain?  We haven’t got snow where I live, only rain (#thankful), but it makes for some pretty awful training runs, whether they’re on the trail or on the treadmill.  I’m so sick of running on the treadmill.  Ugh.  Ohhh wellll… suck it up, buttercup. You’ve still got a few weeks of training left.

5.  Meep.  He’s a cat.  To the Nth degree.  I don’t have much to say about him other than I really just wanted to share some silly pictures of him that I’ve taken recently.  (shameless plug, I know)

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Step awayyy from the tree…

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He probably had done something wrong which is why he’s showing me his tummy… or just stretching, he’s probably really just stretching… he sooo needs to be messed with…

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6.  And finally, the above is just a small sampling of how I’ve been preparing myself for winter survival.  And the holidays.  Yeah, I’m definitely going to say it’s total instinct.

I’ve babbled enough for today.  Do you have anything to babble about?  How does your body prepare for survival through the winter?  Got snow?  On your blog?  Got a cat that you love to mess with?

 

Just Another Day in the Pacific Northwest

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A rainstorm with wind gusts up to 115 mph hit western Washington yesterday, knocking down trees and power lines.  It left over 300,000 without power for many hours, some still without.  At least 3 deaths were reported from fallen trees, one even as far as Spokane (on the eastern side of the state) as they got hit too.  Rivers throughout the Puget Sound flooded, causing even more damage.

James takes the train into Seattle, and his 1-hour commute home turned into a 4-hour nightmare. They had to evacuate the train half-way due to a fallen tree on the tracks.  All the passengers then had to walk to the nearest bus stop where the winds were whipping around them, all while watching trees fall down on transponders which then caused the transponders to explode.  Not my idea of a fun night.

Today is the calm after the storm… no wind, no rain.  Nothing but a huge mess to clean up.  Our power came back on after 18 hours, just in time before my fish froze to death (my oto/sucker fish turned completely white).  School was cancelled, and I minimally went into work.  I love living among a whole bunch of trees; however, when the wind blows, they can be quite lethal.

Needless to say… I did not get my 3-mile run done yesterday, but I did manage to cross-train on Monday… 😉

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This power pole snapped in half. The wires from it now stand only about 8 feet off the ground.

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Typical storm debris and fallen branches.

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The ground is saturated. Hence, an uprooted tree from the wind.

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Another uprooted tree… this one was huge…

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These people are lucky this tree wasn’t closer to their house.

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More fallen trees and debris in the road.

The next weather system is due to hit the Oregon coast and southern Washington.  Brace yourselves people… when they say be prepared, then be prepared, because they aren’t kidding.