Season change

Friend S with excellent Chicago-based photographer M, hiding behind sign at Obama speech party.

Does anyone still check this little blog anymore? Maybe I've filtered out some of you anonymous readers who never comment (AHEM!) by being so lax on the posting. I promise to get better. Maybe someday I will even get regular about it...

Lois running like a bat outta hell in my parents' sloping backyard. She loves it there!

I've been working - as soon as the tri was over it was back to work after taking those 4 days off, and then to Iowa for my mom's 60th birthday party, and then back to work for the (evil) busiest week of the fall. I have six of these busiest weeks a year, and they are not so pretty. Lots of phone calling which disrupts my normal web surfing and emailing. No, really, just lots of long hours, fires to put out and people to disappoint inadvertently. But: I do look forward to autumn, my favorite season, and have been responding strongly to the cooler weather!

Fog rolling onto the Mississippi early last Saturday morning - the breathtaking view from my parents' place.

I've already baked brownies twice, baked a cake (not impressed by the trader joe's vanilla cake mix, by the way), ordered take-out Chinese food for the first time in months, bought a duvet cover, rummaged for my knitting, and started actually reading a non-triathlon book, Middlesex (finally, I know). It's fun to be in hibernation mode again. And have a little more time to indulge the settling in thing.

Bike ride with stepfather (in crazy yellow bike wear) down to the south end of the path on the day of the Air & Water show in Chicago - the firetrucks (and hot firemen) hang out all along the lakefront and watch for trouble.

Since the triathlon's over, I have to do two things: 1-clean, and 2-get myself into some sort of self-directed exercise regimen. Taking the 13 days off since the event was NOT good - I feel giant, sluggish, and sore. I attempted to find time to run in Iowa over labor day wknd, but every time I had my running stuff on, some table needed wiping down or setting or an errand needed to be run. It was hard (but fun!) being one of the four people at the house who knew about the surprise and the 30+ other people secretly in town waiting to ambush my mom and her twin.

That's my aunt K totally surprised (looks fake but the tears are about to burst out) at her 60th birthday party. Big props to my stepfather who engineered the whole weekend.

Other things about the weekend were that I got to see a lot of the great kids in my family, who I love, and - I got in a huge fight (well, one of those nonspeaking things that may last forever) with my brother, who said that I should "put Lois to sleep," totally seriously, with great conviction and bilious anger. She was barking and harmlessly nipped at my cousin's boys who were getting on her nerves. My brother had been a dick to me all weekend, but that was the final straw, and I asked my aunt to take me and pooch home instead of riding in his car as I had on the way down. Sad part is that he and his wife are expecting twins this winter, and honestly, his issues with anger toward my innocent DOG do *not* bode well for fatherhood. Plus, they just lost their best babysitter!

My jerk brother (doesn't he just *look* jerky?) with my awesome second cousin. Note shirt.

SO, anyway, I ran this morning with the Saturday 8am running group from the running store - a super-slow 3 miles with Lois. It was good to get back on the horse, but I do suck. I also had a massage last night at the physical therapy place - that was the present to myself I'd been looking forward to after finishing the triathlon. It was great. I also took my very favorite dance class on Tuesday—West African Dance—for the first time in over a year, and that was awesome. I hope to add pilates to this mix and keep up the running as long as I can into the fall, then switch back to all swimming as it gets cold. I want to get faster and more comfortable with running for longer distances if I'm gonna do the international distance next year. Then, I'll have to look for a gym again, because I recently read that the drug I take for my thyroid can cause bone density loss, and weight training (something I've successfully avoided doing for 38 years) is the #1 thing I can do to combat it.

Perfect day for a family brunch/gathering in a small town overlooking the river...really perfect.

I'm boring. I know. I have so so so many more pictures to post but it's not so easy for me with my short attention span, so these will have to do.

Gravel...

This is a baby deer I saw just before finishing the eventful Labor Day bike trip. It was a really sweet ending to a not-terrible-but-still-sorta-foiled plan.

I did too much this weekend, and now I am sick. Maybe it's allergies; I have heard there is something treacherous in the air but I'm not sure — this is really bad. I can't talk or go for a full 10 minutes without coughing, blowing my nose, or sneezing, and I've got that pretty watery eyes, dry lips, and always about to drool thing going on, too. Looking lovely is especially easy today with my trademark chin cold sore. Nice.

On Friday, I ran, swam, and worked for a few hours (we technically had the day off, but that never works for me). Then at night, I went to see Anders Parker (used to call himself Varnaline) in an early show at Schubas (very few people attended - I felt bad) but it was a good show. I got in free but I bought his last CD, so: no guilt. And the record is lovely.


Next, I went to the late birthday celebration for E., above, who had some deal at the bar where we had gone a coupla months ago for a play and karaoke. It was fun - his friends are super nice, and the place was odd in a good way, but I quickly hit my three-drink limit (I forgot the name of the delicious drink I had - it tasted like a Jolly Rancher) and headed for home on my bike. On the way, S. called from the Abbey pub where she was hanging with a visiting friend (the one I wanted to make out with after Pitchfork) but he was really busy, and no one was talking to each other, so I watched the end of the Stereo Total show (and loved it! WHY have I never seen them live before?!) and then left. I was zonked. Lois needed a walk.

The next morning, I went to the farmer's market and then had my last, fabulous swim at the park district pool until September 24. They're closing for cleaning, and I'm hoping I survive... I'll have to figure out an interim plan.

Then it was time for the Lynda Barry "Writing the Unthinkable" workshop, which was SO. KICK. ASS.! It's my second time doing it, and this time was just as mind-blowing in different and the same ways as the first. It is amazing. I encourage every single person who might happen upon this crazy blog to TAKE THE WORKSHOP when it comes to your town. You will not be sorry. It will be held again in Chicago in January, and you can sleep on my couch for it.


That night, Hedley and Lois got together at the park for a while, and then I went to see M.'s new place and was struck by a) his excellent taste and b) the fact that I haven't seen him in a really long time and I was actually nervous and awkward around him. I was only there for 2 minutes, to drop off a little housewarming basket, but it felt just filled with weirdness. I don't know him super well in real life, I guess. And he is really handsome. It might be hard to be friends with someone so hot. Then, P. (in town from New York for a wedding! Yea!) and I had dinner and caught up. It was SO great. It's fine to talk on the phone and email, but there is nothing like the in-person hangout with an old friend.

The next day was day 2 of the workshop, so in the morning I took Lois for a LONG walk and made a blueberry pie for R.'s barbecue that night. That was fun, but mellow. I had to bathe Lois (always a pain in the ass) because she rolled in somethin' stinky, but now she is super soft.

At the barbecue, R. and L., above, and I planned our 37-mile bike ride the next day, along the North Branch Trail of the Chicago River to the Botanic Garden. The picture above is after our picnic when we got there. Don't they look great? Below, at the garden, R. talks to his girlfriend the mallard at the waterfall. I don't know what they were saying.


Well, the ride itself was great even though the dumb forest preserve decided to tear up the paved path for about 1/3 of the mileage - so we rode a lot on bad gravel (which terrifies me from a childhood trauma). One point was totally impassable, so we had to reroute on the street. But we made it. The tragedy came on the way back, after our Ice Cream truck stop (thank god), when I heard "Fssssssssst!" and L. shouted from behind me, "Poptart! You're FLAT!" and that was it. She and I walked about 3 or 4 miles (but who's counting) and R. rode ahead to get the car and we met at about 7 miles in and drove home. I guess my fear of gravel is somewhat vindicated, but jeez. Next time I gotta pack the right equipment.


Remarkably, it was still fun. R. and L. are great, and we made a good team. I love the picture of R., below, because he's known to not always be a Happy Boy. I think he was yesterday.