Heffers Run the RnR

Hefferblog has moved!

Thu, 8 May 2008 18:20:43 -0700

Are you thinking...”what is wrong with Alice...no new entries...WHAT’S UP WITH THAT???”

Well..Hefferblog has moved...

It’s new location is:

http://hefferblog.blogspot.com/

Make sure you bookmark it!

This site will be up for awhile as I migrate all of the past blog entries (and your fabulous comments) to the new site...

Alice

Absoludedly Habe Heab Cholds

Sat, 3 May 2008 15:35:46 -0700

I have a cold.

Pretty bad one too...which was inevitable after handling, shuffling, sorting, and (eeeewwwww) TOUCHING 1700 answer documents (multiple times). I try not to think about the number of germs and viruses I’ve had on my hands these past three weeks....although I don’t really have to think about it cuz, I’m living the result of it.

So I have a pretty bad cold....you know the kind where the head pounds, the nose runs, the chest wracks with the occasional fits of sneezing and coughing.

Despite this, at 5:25 this morning, I was fairly convinced that I could still run 16 miles with ya’all. At 5:28, after five loud and messy sneezes in a row, Mike told me to stop being crazy and to go back to bed and get better.

“No, I think I can do this.” I said.

“You should get better.” he said.

So, at 5:30, I called Betty... Her comment (half asleep) “Are you in front of my house?” (Clearly, I woke her up)

Me: “No, it’s only 5:30. I’m not going to run today. I’m sick.”

Betty: “OK, oh good, I thought I’d slept through the alarm.”

(By the way, Betty told me this week that my role in the group is to include adverbs to the ongoing commentary...to which I said, “absolutely!”)

I can’t remember what else we said to each at that point because I’m pretty sure I fell back asleep.

So I have no funny stories about running for you today. You all will have to fill us in on the running adventures this morning. I’m sad that I wasn’t there but I’m determined to do the Race for Literacy in the morning...

20 miles next week! Whee!!!! Definitely!

The tag goes in the front...I mean the back...

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:26:28 -0700

Just some helpful advise for those who have difficulty getting dressed. Unlike Edith’s earlier attempt to woo a guy with her creative sweatshirt wearing, Tuesday night, Betty’s challenge was getting her shorts on the right way (as opposed to that one time, on the wall, at Saints...when it was just a matter of getting her shorts back on...oh, wait, was I not supposed to tell that story?).

For future reference people, the tag goes in the back, and the shorts tie in the front...but it sure was fun watching Betty change shorts on the field while Paul encouraged the Kinks by telling us how much he loves us...and Alberta shouted “who’s got a camera? who’s got a camera?”

After that, running the 7 800s was a piece of cake...

In other running news this week...Edith went to her first Team in Training meeting (penance for not knowing how to spell my name) Tuesday night instead of the track workout. She needs to raise $3,300, so she’ll be hitting us all up soon for support...it goes to a good cause and all (the one about curing cancer...not just allowing Edith to run in the NIke Women’s 1/2). She’s going to just look fabulous in all that purple. I’m sure she’ll get more date requests that way.

In non-running/testing news and other rants...you all know what Spanx are, right? If not, it is this decades answer to the girdle...and I will admit to having worn one (and looking great in it)...For some reason, they have been a reoccurring topic of conversation in this term’s Literacy meetings. I think it’s mostly because the men in the group are amazed that women wear a product called Spanx.

I did get one science teacher to blush the other day when I informed him that there were also “full body Spanx.”

These science teachers...they have the dirtiest minds...I was talking about a girdle for pete’s sake!

16 miles on Saturday! Another 4.9 on Sunday for those of us who are doing the Race for Literacy.

Here’s Saturday’s route. It’s similar to one I did a few weeks ago...a really nice run to La Jolla and back...mostly flat...at least there’s nothing like Point Loma Nazarene!

Have a great week!

Alice

Flashbacks

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:07:52 -0700

I love all the random crap I see on the road when I’m running around San Diego County. It keeps me entertained. Last week, I ran past a used condom.. It was on the last, long stretch of bike path coming into Buccaneer Beach (I also thought about writing headed into Buccaneer Beach...coming, headed... it’s funny either way). The odd thing about spotting a used condom there (as opposed to ALL THE OTHER PLACES one might expect to see a used condom lying on the side of the road), is that this particular stretch of road had houses on one side and the train tracks on the other.

I had to wonder, how did a used condom get there? Did someone toss it out of the train? A quickie in a car on the side of the road? Couldn’t whoever have used it, just hung onto it until a proper trash receptacle was located (like the one around the corner at Buccaneer Beach for example)?...

In truth, it wasn’t the first used condom I’ve run past recently. I’ve seen three. I ran past one in the parking lot was near Carlsbad Beach, and the other on Ocean Front Walk. Both of these I could sorta understand how they got there because one was near a parking lot and the other was near the beach...and there’s lots of high school and college kids around, and well...you know those crazy kids will do it anywhere! But still. It would never occur to me to just leave something like that lying around. First there’s the wildlife issue (what if a bird or some other small mammal ingested it?). Then there’s the whole, “Don’t Litter” thing that I grew up with. Then there’s just the eeewwww factor... and forcing someone else to have to look at the leftovers.

I have LOTS of time to ponder these things right now.

For example, you won’t be surprised to learn that I spotted a water pipe (yeah, yeah, yeah...go ahead and start with the comments about how would Alice EVER know what it was to begin with, blah, blah, blah) today as I was running through Ocean Beach, It was cracked and broken...just lying there in the middle of the road. But like I said, we were running through OB, so I wasn’t particularly surprised to see it. I just sort of thought something like “oh yeah, we’re in OB. I would EXPECT to see a water pipe lying in the street.

But again...I had to wonder, was it cracked and broken because a car ran over it? Or was it already broken and someone who wanted to use it, got frustrated because it wouldn’t work, and in their frustration, just tossed it out into the street?

I understand that kind of frustration. I’m going to have to apologize to a certain Academic Advisor (no, not Mejia, one of the other ones...the one who is MALE) because I sorta had a temper tantrum over his insistence that he needed to alphabetize some answer documents that I thought needed to go directly into Math teacher boxes (don’t laugh, it’s true) ...it’s a long story which I won’t go into here...but Clarence, Madge, Wilma, and Maccu Piccu (who all graciously stayed after school yesterday to help with the great answer document sort...and who I love for it, and for whom I will host a post-testing bash during which Mike, the pool boy, will bring us food and beverages...as soon as I tell him about it...) ANYWAY...They were all there to observe and be entertained by my minor melt-down, and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. I haven’t pitched a public fit like that in QUITE A WHILE because I’m trying to be so friggin’ professional at work and all...

But I digress, back to the water pipe, maybe someone was moving, and it dropped out of a moving box, or a backpack, or a purse (it was a pretty small water pipe after all) and that’s how it got into the middle of Cable Street in OB.

Again, when you’re aiming to run 18 miles, you have PLENTY of time to contemplate these important, earth shattering questions....like how do condoms and water pipes end up on city streets?

One more thing, unlike the condom, it was the first water pipe I’ve seen.

Clearly, I need to look up once in awhile.

But I was looking up today, and I wasn’t expecting to see some woman put her car in REVERSE and back down the hill in front of Point Loma Nazarene College because she’d missed a right turn by, oh I don’t know, about 10 feet. That was pretty exciting. She was very polite however and waved at a couple of us who were running by. (LIke backing down a city street to make a right turn is a completely NORMAL and EXPECTED thing to do). I waved back, while trying really hard to not give her my famous WTF are you doing? look...

Me? I’d have gone to the end of the block and turned around and then made a LEFT turn...I’m just like that. I don’t like going in reverse down city streets. Call me old fashioned, or I don’t know, SAFE...

As for the rest of the run, I stopped paying attention to what I was seeing in the road because it was so darn HOT and I was out of water...and thank goodness I ran with water this morning, or I would have DIED. So, even though I stopped paying attention to random objects on the roadways, I had several flashbacks to keep me entertained (nice transition from the water pipe story, dontcha think?). Most of these occurred as I ran down Harbor Blvd. specifically, in front of the airport, because not only did part of today’s route follow the same path as the AFC 1/2 Marathon that Betty, BBJ, and I ran last August, but it was also the same FREAKING HOT TEMPERATURE, as that day, which, of course, really sucked.

On the other hand, I was pretty happy to not have to run through the AVIS parking lot this time. because that sun reflecting off of all the fronts of all those cars certainly COOLS THINGS OFF...Nonetheless...missed Betty completely this morning!

Oh yeah, we all ran far and I’m proud of us all. BBJ ran 20 miles; Kim ran 18; I ran about 16.5. I lost track of Alberta. I’m guessing that she ran straight back to her car after 18 because she was in a hurry to get back to La Mesa to help some seniors with their Senior Projects. I never saw her again after Sunset Cliffs and running UP into Point Loma Nazarene College (HAAAAATE Hills!). But I did have visual confirmation that she was there (and there are photos this time!)

UPDATE: My eye looks pretty good today. We’ll see what working with math teachers does to it this week.

Take care and have a good week everyone! Next week it looks like we’re running from H. Point to La Jolla and back.

Alice

No running - just whining about testing in the gym

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:12:09 -0700

So, today, we tested almost 300 students in the gym...almost four hours...two different science tests...three different grade levels... fed some of them pizza...and got most of them out of the gym in time for lunch...with no major mishaps...

Well, except I owe a blanket apology to several test proctors who I pretty much growled at...including the social worker who had a group of three kids at the front of the room (I’m not sure, but I think they may have been late arrivals, or we were trying to locate their answer documents, or there was some other issue...About which I didn’t really care, I just wanted their behinds in a chair...and I couldn’t understand why they were STANDING UP at the front of the room!!!)...so I nearly bit her head off with a snarly “WHAT ARE ALL THESE KIDS DOING UP HERE” (glare at the social worker) “YOU NEED TO GET THEM TO SIT DOWN!...

Ooops....

Of course there was also another test proctor who asked me, no less than three times, if students could get out their phones and iPods when they were done testing (NO...NO....NO).

And why is it that some test proctors feel it necessary to converse with students (these same students who we are trying to keep quiet) as they finish testing.

Is it over yet? I’m getting cranky...

Can you believe that I’m the buffer???

Do It Yourself

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:56:23 -0700

No pictures of us running this week, not even a pretty picture of us enjoying our yummy breakfast at Honey’s in Encinitas (left iPoo2 in the car), but DO have pix of TEST BOOKLETS. I dream about TEST BOOKLETS and ANSWER DOCUMENTS and for some ludicrous reason, I have pictures of one teacher’s really organized set of TEST BOOKLETS...Don’t ask.

I’m pretty sure that the affidavit we all signed about test security said nothing about posting PICTURES of test booklets on the Internet...

So, after a ridiculous week of paper-chase nonsense, BBJ, Betty, Kim, Alberta (or so I heard, but I never saw her) and I ran the Buccaneer Beach run on Saturday. We loved that it was cool and overcast. It was a really pretty run from Oceanside, to the Carlsbad State Beach and back and then a little farther into Oceanside...which I didn’t like so much because I crossed BBJ’s path for a second time and he was FINISHED RUNNING!

Just so that you know, the Rockin’ and Runnin’ website says that it was 11.98 miles to the turnaround point and back, but when I map it on MapMyRun, I get 12.2...so I’ll take my measurement. I think I only went about 14 miles this weekend, BUT I learned about the value of using Gu every hour whether I think I need it or not.

By the way, Alberta and Betty will be happy to know that according to MMR, it’s about .8 miles from the turn around to Ponce Lane...so you can add 1.6 miles to your run :-)

I was glad to hear that Alberta showed up. The last time I saw her at Wong’s the night before she said she was going home to eat dinner and then go to bed and watch the “Do it Yourself” network. (Really...she said that, in a bar, in front of several Heffers...and me)

When I didn’t see her in the morning, I was worried :-)

BBJ learned plenty at breakfast about why women’s public restroom habits (e.g. the ability to hold a squat position in a bathroom stall) will help them in recovering from 26.2. We do have those quad muscles built up you know...Also we shared first-poo after childbirth stories (an emotional experience) ...Not sure now that BBJ will continue to brunch with us...

Next week we’re back at Hospitality Point. The route map is posted, but here it is for your convenience. There’s a better copy on the RnR website

It looks like we’ll get to see lots of San Diego Bay...I’m going the 18 mile route (blue) and NOT the 20 mile route...which takes us up 6th Avenue (remember the AFC 1/2 people...Yes, it’s THAT 6th Avenue!)

Wow...18 miles. That’s far... I’ll be bringing lots of Gu

Alice

Nothin’ But Photos...Low Tide Run/Walk

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:05:21 -0700

Kim’s penance for running back on the beach? No pretty photos of her...

As for the rest of us–Don’t we look like we’re having fun?

BBJ
Makin’ his way to the next water station. I swear he’s listening to the lyrics...
or
He’s wondering what Wilma bought at “The Slumber Party...”

I was walkin’ up the hell...I mean hill
at Torrey Pines until I saw the camera...then I started running (Seriously!)

I mean, how cruel is that--to be taking photos at the top of a hill?Remember...It’s not the destination...
Little does Betty know that she’ll spend the week practicing the alphabet!

ELSIE
Seriously considering the merits of NOT running next week, so that she can pick out tile and fixtures for the house...hmmm.

Oh yeah, I am supposed to post a story from Tuesday’s track practice...something about running for the barn, rolling in the hay, or riding horses (or maybe all three!) as well as an assortment of horse-related comments (all of which Elsie and Betty pondered at length as they ran our 800s), but I can’t remember any of it... I’m sure they’ll fill us in though...

Hasta

Bones & Leather Nipples

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 09:18:19 -0700

Clearly a challenging day...

It’s early and we’re cold Kim, Betty & Elsie before the 80-degree heat and the run/wog/walk up the hill at Torrey Pines).I didn’t tell anyone this story yesterday...but you know me, I can’t help but sharing all my embarrassing running stories with you on the Internet (even those I won’t tell you in person).

Who knew the first challenge would come before we even started running!

Betty and I had to visit the rest room before the run and were confronted with EXTREME MISFORTUNE...No TP in the ladies room (Trust me, Betty asked everyone who was in a stall)...GRRRR and momentary PANIC since clearly Betty and I were in the restroom for a similar purpose... and both of us desperately needed TP.

NOT good.
But I am a VERY resourceful girl!

Did ya’all notice how I went back to the restroom before we started running?

Did ya’all notice how I took the route map we were all examining with me?

Did ya’all notice (Alberta did) how I didn’t have the map with me when I came out of the restroom?

For BBJ & Edith, let me give you the math: No TP + printed map = TP

Sorry ‘bout that Alberta, my excuse that I “threw it away” was only partially accurate...”flushed it” would have been more so. Aren’t you happy now to know the real reason you didn’t know that the route back to La Jolla Shores was a couple miles farther than the route from La Jolla Shores? (For future reference, I do have Kleenex in my car...a tidbit of information I neglected to remember yesterday morning).

I was gonna tell Alberta about my cleverness when she was telling me about the old guy who was sharing his potty stories with her during the run...but I figured you’d heard enough for the day.
Doesn’t Kim look fabulous? Last week’s train run
What I HAAAAATED about yesterday’s run:

HAAAAAATE HILLS (both up and especially down)
HAAAAAATE no TP in the restroom
HAAAAAATE rock climbing when I want to be running (and the effect that rock climbing had on my quads).
HAAAAAATE running in sand (sorry...but I do).
HAAAAAATE 80 degree heat at 8 o’clock in the morning.
HAAAAAATE the never-ending hill at the Torrey Pines State Park (I just noticed that Toiled Paper and Torrey Pines start with the same letters...hee hee.)
HAAAAAATE that Kim was smart enough to run back on the beach and I wasn’t.
HAAAAAATE that I left my water belt at Water Station 1...then really needing it through the state park.
HAAAAAATE that I essentially stopped running after 7 miles and walked the rest of the way.
HAAAAAATE Saucony Hurricane running shoes which I am completely blaming for my weak performance this week (but am now the owner of a pretty new pair of New Balance shoes after going to Road Runner Sports this morning, trying on and making the fitting guy watch me run in four different pairs of shoes).

Clearly, Alberta has not nursed a child... Also, I’m pretty sure that is Boob-Guy in the distanceWhat I LOOOOOVED about yesterday’s run:

“Where is the fucking beach?”
Boob-guy - who continued to check out every woman’s breasts, especially when we were soaking our tired legs in the ocean. He certainly got an eyeful of my headlights there.
Betty and I noticed that you could really tell which women had nursed and who hadn’t. As we left the beach, Betty noted, “yeah, when I’m dead and buried, if archeologists dig me up in 100 years, the only thing they’ll find will be my bones and leather nipples.” (If you’ve nursed a kid or two, this makes sense...in any event, we could certainly tell which women had nursed or not when we were in the ocean)...so could Boob-guy
BBJ wondered if he’d crossed the line with his last Blog Comment, about a kid’s hand warmer creating “camel toes. Then he shared with us that he didn’t know what item Wilma bought at a neighbor’s “slumber party.” (There is no line BBJ...and if there were, Wilma crosses it all the time anyway...I know she reads this...let’s see if she’ll post a comment now).
Speaking of the Slumber party, the line “Get the Towel!”
The whole discussion in World Famous about what women wear and whether or not we want guys looking at our boobs (Duh...of course we do!).
Face wipes
Mimosas (Two bottles worth!) & yummy breakfast at WF (Hooray!)
Notorious B.I.G (Juicy), Super hyphie (Keak da Sneak), and Digital Underground (Kiss you Back) song lyrics, which BBJ gave me (he says he doesn’t listen to the lyrics, and being a literacy person, of course I do! The whole time I was listening I was thinking...WTF did they just say?)
BBJ’s breakfast treat (Thank-you, again... I love that you’re running with me ...or at least by me).

I’m looking forward to next week’s run...It looks a lot like the train run route (lots of time on Carlsbad Blvd... Flat and on a hard surface. (Behave yourselves!)

I’ll bring the TP--just in case)

Alice

“We can hear you in there...”

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 12:57:29 -0700

I LOVE this ad this from New Balance (Edith sent me the link)...There are several, including one where a guy is breaking up with running, but I liked this one too...could relate to the giving up partying to run (although I’m not sure I’ve gained a 1/2 step on anything or anyone).

We still don’t know who is hanging “do not disturb” type New Balance signs on Cheryl’s fence... (there was one about being hot and sweaty from running) But that’s another story...

Edith made a new friend Nick (below) ...a random guy who we accosted and then asked to take our picture) so we returned the favor and told him it was going on the blog...

I learned that maybe the problem I thought I was having with my shoes, wasn’t really my shoes at all. It was me (big surprise) and the fact that I probably hadn’t laced my shoes tight enough...which I did last night and my legs/feet hurt a lot less today.

Here’s my list of things that have made me happy in the last two days:

Five of us at track practice on a Tuesday night.
Both Betty and Elsie are running on Saturday.
The guy who was checking out every woman’s breasts (spotted at Track practice last night).
Betty’s description of a certain fellow administrator who continues to use Doug’s office restroom during admin meetings, even though he knows that everyone can hear him...just so that he doesn’t miss a minute-detail...and how Betty’s planning on seeking her revenge (it involves going into the same restroom and grunting). “You know, we can hear you in there....”
Whatever Betty, Elsie and I were talking about in the car on the way to track practice last night. I can’t remember what it was, but I know that I almost crashed the car because it made me laugh. (I think it was the pee-story from #4...as well as some other continued reminiscing about running and tripping over the crappy streets in Leukadia).
There’s another Heffer in charge of something around here (because we don’t do enough of that!) Congrats Julie!
Because I was up to my ears in test documents, and because we were on a different Wednesday schedule, and because I was in the library and not in my office where Judy reminds me every Wednesday to go to advisory, I did completely forget to go to advisory today until Lisa called to tell me that my advisees were wondering where I was...On this of all days, when they were supposed to turn in their Senior Project Proposals.
My advisees were completely freaking out when I wasn’t there and were looking for me all over campus.
Clarence showed me this from WeCovet (you have to read the post...) It involves something about a Muff - see the picture to the right (now you’re curious, aren’t you)
I sent Mona an email today in which I wrote, “You’ll get to look at your box and check out what’s inside” and she was so flustered by her billions of seniors that she didn’t even notice.
Panspermia

BBJ burned me a copy of some of his playlist, only the songs were titled “Track 1, Track 2, Track 3,” etc...not that I actually know the songs on most of his playlist, but he followed through and has sent me the song-list (hooray)!

We love BBJ and I’m happy to have new tunes to run to.

I really didn’t have anything else to write about...but I did want to post a couple photos from last night. Since Edith’s new friend is way too young for her, I went back and found Elsie’s Cougar Watch sign again.

Have fun in Hawaii.

Alice

Hair-Whips and Frolicking on the Train

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 17:04:12 -0700

Where to start...where to start....

You’d think running 16 miles would garner enough information to be enough to consume an entire post...but to be honest, it’s really boring...and OH MY LORD my legs, feet, and butt ache today. Actually, I want to thank the crew for showing up...it was so much more fun (for me) to have someone to run with and more importantly to have breakfast with afterward (we found the Hideaway Cafe!)

First of all, the headline. When you all see me, you’ll notice that may hair is decidedly shorter than it was on Friday (cut off 8 inches...a real 8 inches, not 1/4” = 8” as Lloyd explained to the parents the other night...to which I giggled...Men always exaggerate that way...sorry BBJ). Anyway..one of the benefits of having shorter hair is that my long hair, when pulled up in a ponytail was really starting to bug me on these longer runs because it’d get all sweaty-wet, and then it’d start whipping the back of my neck...

Hence, I told the crew on the train that I needed to get rid of my “hair-whip.” Betty thought that was funny.

Then Paul told us that when we were done running that we could frolic in the ocean at Solana Beach, which led all of us to wonder about the last time we “frolicked” and about what...hmmmm

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the enormity of running 16 miles. For me, the first 12 (or so) were fine...the last four (or once we got to Leukadia and the freeking broken streets there) were the WORST! Alberta almost fell on her face because there was a STUPID barrier-thingy lying flat on the street that she didn’t see. I rolled my foot about 10 paces later and almost twisted my ankle. Uneven surfaces, road construction guys who won’t move out your way...the pack of Team in Training Cyclists roaring by at 150 mph (ok...I may be exaggerating, but I think I was in Leukadia when the team roared bay and it sorta freaked me out a little). I think we all agreed that Leukadia may be lovely, but it was a sucky place to run!

I was so happy to leave L, but then took a wrong turn and ended up with the pack of Paul-Groupies at the ladies room...which turned out to be down a huge hill...then we had to walk up (because it was a 45 degree incline...and even Paul wouldn’t run up it.) Then we missed the water station...GRRRR....

I am SO proud of Betty for running more than 14 miles (I mapped it....I picked you up at the south entrance to San Elijo, which is past the 14 mile marker...I also mapped my detour to the bathroom...which I think made my run longer...Mapquest says 16.32 miles...which makes me feel better about my 3 hours & 20 minutes... which includes the potty stop!). Heck I’m proud of all of us...16 miles is a freekin’ long way to run.

I told Edith this last night...(I drunk-called Edith to thank her for a nice email she sent me about my wanna-be field hockey playing daughter...in which she told me that she and TALL TIM ran 10.5 miles yesterday morning as well and that it was really hard (the run...not Tim))...ANYWAY, I’ve come to the conclusion that running with the track club makes it a heck of a lot easier to run these long distances...which is mostly mental (OK...It was physical too. I was so exhausted coming into Solana Beach, up that last hill, that I really just wanted to sit down and cry...but then Paul came up and convinced me to run up the hill with him...so I did.) In any event, I know that Edith was a little sad because running 10 miles seemed so difficult...and I just wanted to assure her that running with lots of other people makes it so much easier (for me). I don’t know why that is, but it has certainly worked for me. I hope you get to join us this weekend.

So, I’m proud of us and all...but I still want to ponder how Elvis continues to creep into the karma of this journey for me...really...he does...First of all, as you know the RnR has some running Elvi competition that they do, so a few weeks ago, there was this guy who was doing the marathon in his Elvis running suit. Then I got lost in Coronado a few weeks ago...but got through it because I happened to have Mike’s iPod with me and got to listen to Mojo Nixon singing “Elvis is Everywhere” (among other songs)...which made me laugh.

Then I ended up going to a fundraiser last night (yes...I went out last night...I’m a stud (see funny story about “stud” below...), but I was promised wine, so you know me, I went) ...Anyway, it was a really nice event and I wore HIGH HEELS! (yes, after running 16 freekin’ miles, I somehow managed to get my feet into 4” heels...don’t ask how, but I suspect the promise of wine helped.

The event was a casino night for Kuyamaay Elementary School, (Don’t ask how I ended up there...I know, I know, I don’t even go to fundraisers for the school where I work, or where MY kids go to school... again, I remind you, the wine...) but my sister-in-law is really involved in the school and invited us to go...and we’re good inlaws, and were promised wine, so we went.

Anyway, as we walk in, the first thing I notice is this guy running around in an orange Elvis suit (wig and all), and my first thought is: “What a dork!” followed by “I wonder what bet he lost that caused that...”

Then, a few minutes later, Elvis walks up to me and says something like “hey hotstuff” which makes me think,

“What an ass...”

Then I realize, it’s my brother-in-law, Richard...dressed up like Elvis...and selling raffle tickets (I so needed more wine).

OK...we’ve got 56 (or something like that...) Two months ago, I could barely run an hour...yesterday I ran for three. I figure I need to be able to run for about 5 to finish the marathon...Somehow it sounds doable now...I must be crazy.

Or seeing Elvis... Help me.

Alice