tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991503440883797382024-03-14T01:24:41.623-07:00Cactus kneedle knittingRunningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-20386563451140275132009-10-20T10:18:00.003-07:002009-10-20T10:37:16.279-07:00Update and thinking about a challenge to myself and anyone who reads my blogAgain, it's been a few months since I last blog. Not much has changed. My foot is still very sore/problematic, and I've not been able to do much exercising of any kind. Bicycling is out, swimming is out. I have used the rec center for weight lifting a few times since school started, but the demands of my school work don't afford me enough free time to do that with any sort of regularity. I'm making an appointment with my Family Physician today to see if we can do another x-ray and discuss what other options I have for figuring this pain out. <br /><br />On other fronts, I have been thinking lately about undertaking a challenge for 2010. I've recently seen stories regarding the demise of various manufacturing industries in the U.S. over the past several decades. I believe this has played a major part in our current economic/financial crisis. We've become such a service society that we just don't make anything anymore! With recent technological advances in internet and cell phone usage, many of those services are no longer needed. And really, couldn't we actually do those things for ourselves all along?<br />So, I think I am going to undertake a "Made in the U.S.A" challenge for 2010. I'm going to attempt to only purchase items made in this country. And I'm not going to stock up on items, and then just not buy anything in 2010 - that doesn't serve my underlying purpose which is to create a demand for U.S.A made manufactured items. This would akin to those useless campaigns going around when gas prices were so high, advising people to not buy gas on such-and-such date. Instead people filled up the day before, or just bought gas a day later. It doesn't work because the overall demand was still the same. Now, if people had not driven, or driven less, on such-and-such a date, and created a lower demand overall, that would make a difference (which it did in the summer of 2008, when demand dropped just 2% I believe). <br />So I'm on the hunt currently, to find products that are made in the USA. This includes food too! So much of our food is actually imported (fruits and veggies for example). <br /><br />Did you know that in 1963, when Kennedy was elected, more than 96% of all clothes sold in the US were made in the US?<br />By 1985, that number had dropped to 80%.<br />By 1995, that number had dropped to 50%.<br />Now, in 2009, only 5% of clothing sold in the US is made here.<br />Seems we all want jobs back in the US, but we're not willing to pay the fair price for the items to be manufactured here. I think it's time to invest in my country.<br /><br />Maybe you'd like to join me in this challenge??Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-35360704322131104202009-08-14T17:50:00.000-07:002009-08-14T17:51:23.462-07:00Shop linkOK, for some reason the link to my shop just will not post in the last post. So here it is:<br /><br />http://www.geckoyarns.etsy.comRunningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-38247492589681224902009-08-11T18:35:00.004-07:002009-08-14T17:50:09.764-07:00It's a Groove thangIt's been more than 6 months since I last posted, I can hardly believe that much time has gone by! <br />I think at some point in one of my last posts I mentioned getting back into a regular training routine with my racewalking. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Not for any significant reason other than I just couldn't get a decent workout schedule going before some change or disruption derailed my efforts. This is not to say I didn't work out at all, I did, just not with any regularity. Then in mid-June, I injured my foot and it's really been derailed since then. <br />After several weeks of not doing any exercising at all, I went out for a 3 mile walk (no racewalking, just walking) this past Saturday. My foot was a bit sore and stiff afterwards, but not the significant pain I was feeling in June and early July. I'm hoping whatever was the issue (likely tendonitis) is now on its way out.<br />So, again... I'm hoping to get back into the groove that should be my normal life but hasn't been my normal life since about a year ago.<br />Tomorrow, my kids head back to school, and in 1.5 weeks, I head back to class as well. This year I will be attending ASU every morning for one class each day. That affords me quite a bit of time to utilize the FREE recreation center there (read: really ginormous workout facilities including a heated pool). If I don't successfully get myself back into a groove now, I'm not sure what I would need to do it. <br />I'm still resting the foot for at least another week before test driving it again. I really want it to be healed, fully healed before taking on a more vigorous training schedule. Nothing kills my motivation more than starting to feel better and stronger, and then have an injury reappear and make me go easier in my workouts.<br /><br />On other fronts, I started spinning in February and that has become another hobby along with my knitting. I don't really spend more time with these activities, rather, I spend less time knitting and more time spinning now. <br /><br />But the most exciting news is that I finally opened my Etsy shop!!! In June, I finally starting dyeing the many skeins of yarn I have and opened my retail space.<br />You can find my creations at:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.geckoyarns.etsy.com"></a><br /><br />Here is a sampling of some current listings:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccKHKAsI5-ypWVa_sa3GFKA50HKrmmeFP4IkhVOaNb5ImoSXUqtdj3vMVWkw98Yes3GUlnmvyKZo3THoihJCRSzxMoBv66hLE5De14wXScyKGVsymh3BIgPMNwNbzv4F7MiWzQRVPIIU/s1600-h/avatargecko.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccKHKAsI5-ypWVa_sa3GFKA50HKrmmeFP4IkhVOaNb5ImoSXUqtdj3vMVWkw98Yes3GUlnmvyKZo3THoihJCRSzxMoBv66hLE5De14wXScyKGVsymh3BIgPMNwNbzv4F7MiWzQRVPIIU/s320/avatargecko.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368888385680500898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXbXOwP8vjMQZ1j5SC0bxR_am61z2fm1HBURmtsT3Z0txnyFYFxIsbQvQaTdHrYSszEuznsxy7Obmc6r2gYgcteIeAYE-CHeti5TIMRW5XZF_mvzk2WwbLFwLjziQyeJpCrWeXC9rg6Y/s1600-h/geckoetsy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXbXOwP8vjMQZ1j5SC0bxR_am61z2fm1HBURmtsT3Z0txnyFYFxIsbQvQaTdHrYSszEuznsxy7Obmc6r2gYgcteIeAYE-CHeti5TIMRW5XZF_mvzk2WwbLFwLjziQyeJpCrWeXC9rg6Y/s320/geckoetsy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368888373069286274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5H92-PbZ-jMtrXfpNMnEPcaqFdk06iBw9DLxrLtZOsej1wZjASlhg_6QQmgBKvplelGgr8wtrZR_J98-whQ7EqigylOCq_vyOhETdVOSYjeEEoyUAJSqu8VJA3FlfLJy4Iu_I0IDjw0/s1600-h/avatargecko.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5H92-PbZ-jMtrXfpNMnEPcaqFdk06iBw9DLxrLtZOsej1wZjASlhg_6QQmgBKvplelGgr8wtrZR_J98-whQ7EqigylOCq_vyOhETdVOSYjeEEoyUAJSqu8VJA3FlfLJy4Iu_I0IDjw0/s320/avatargecko.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368888363017911890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCQz9Y2Dz7dYwGUzkzTNfsEBFPsnDq50Y3nEeGX6w76_c7aUxJwj37CNFs02Bs4FW_eJNCQZytK-XPwqrD2CJ4wL7wJ_4iuEUcFMoml0TOXMB78HbG6Gz-PZjVuhvt8JIT7xGnWUBm8s/s1600-h/bekesetsy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCQz9Y2Dz7dYwGUzkzTNfsEBFPsnDq50Y3nEeGX6w76_c7aUxJwj37CNFs02Bs4FW_eJNCQZytK-XPwqrD2CJ4wL7wJ_4iuEUcFMoml0TOXMB78HbG6Gz-PZjVuhvt8JIT7xGnWUBm8s/s320/bekesetsy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368888355815836946" /></a><br /><br />My next update to my shop should be on or around 8/20/09 (that's next week). I hope you will take a look!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-11747315803199601412009-01-18T18:36:00.001-07:002009-01-18T18:38:04.482-07:00Check it out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjclnQv0UZXKUbgDMzOzF6gTcNcT80BYSp7NzELDJ-cYb_l5R7WbZKe6mU8DsNcfnV0qTWkl_cbIZkXkI0RlTK6hp5kUPf7tVFbtgJAoFg0rhwz2rc_RgIDesI0r7qkmSYOWNdU4GcKr0/s1600-h/Check+it+out.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjclnQv0UZXKUbgDMzOzF6gTcNcT80BYSp7NzELDJ-cYb_l5R7WbZKe6mU8DsNcfnV0qTWkl_cbIZkXkI0RlTK6hp5kUPf7tVFbtgJAoFg0rhwz2rc_RgIDesI0r7qkmSYOWNdU4GcKr0/s320/Check+it+out.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292813090298483154" /></a>Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-1537518736878732872009-01-17T13:20:00.004-07:002009-01-17T13:40:21.136-07:00Catching my breath<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fjM3Sh8_cuidXSf5TzUad765ew-CizhyL7jGFqyP-C_RKp3Pc_Eqe9jeuW9CzrkNet5sHL4cDrI3GAEzyDKtMNaGpA-G8yMRqOJparyEirrc21vDeNgo3mclLREMJD27vCHMalRGrFg/s1600-h/all.most.DONE..JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fjM3Sh8_cuidXSf5TzUad765ew-CizhyL7jGFqyP-C_RKp3Pc_Eqe9jeuW9CzrkNet5sHL4cDrI3GAEzyDKtMNaGpA-G8yMRqOJparyEirrc21vDeNgo3mclLREMJD27vCHMalRGrFg/s320/all.most.DONE..JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292360668761708642" /></a><br /><br /><br />As you can see in the photo above, the kitchen is reaching its final stages of completion. As I type this, the granite guys are furiously working on getting all the granite in, complete with sink and my cooktop installed! <br /><br />This week has been totally crazy! It started last weekend when the Eagles beat the Giants, and everyone realized that the NFC game would be played here in Arizona. Of course, my oldest son, who is a HA-UGE football fan, insisted we have to get tickets. Then a friend of ours from Denver, a HA-UGE Eagles fan, also decided he had to get tickets and wanted to know if he could stay with us. No problem. Ha. We did manage to score 4 tickets to the game and luckily, our friend brought another friend who happens to have an aunt who lives here in Mesa, so they could stay with her. I was more than happy to loan out a place somewhere on a free space of floor to him and his friend, but really, it's pretty messed up in every room of my house, including the guest house right now, so that worked out well. I spent the better part of the 1st half of the week hunting down tickets and then traveling around town to go get them. Then my stepbrother came on Wednesday with his crew to install the tile in my entire house. It took 3 days. Yes, 3 days for a crew of 4 guys, who worked from 7am to 6:30pm each day, with only 1/2 hour lunch. Almost 800 sf of tile, plus toekicks, top of the cabinets, and an entryway pattern I designed myself in about 20 minutes. It wasn't overly intricate, but did require a fair amount of cutting, as well as a different colored tile. It turned out really nice if I do say so myself (pats self on back). I feel like I'm running a marathon though with everything going on. Today is the first day in a week I feel like I can stop and catch my breath a little.<br /><br />I did manage to get in a couple of workouts this week, nothing exciting enough to write about. I'm exhausted every day from the work going on around here. I'm ready for it to be done. Done.done.done.<br /><br />Not much more to go now. After today, we need to paint all the baseboards and casings and get those installed, and do some cleanup painting in the living, dining, and family rooms. And the racewalking clinic is in 13 days. <br /><br />Time to sprint again...<br /><br />Onward.Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-1056964214648846142009-01-05T19:20:00.002-07:002009-01-05T19:47:53.922-07:00Happy New Year... even if a bit belated..Yes, happy New Year to everyone! We rung in 2009 at home watching TV, spiriting outdoors right at midnight to see and hear all the fireworks going off. I also got my traditional phone call from my brother in California, and we once again joked how he was 'so last year' because he's one time zone away. <br /><br />So with a new year comes resolutions and all that. I decided that 2009 I will be refocusing my life on my physical fitness and specifically racewalking. It has always been a sort-of goal of mine to race in the National 5k in Tennessee held in October. However, I'd like to be in really good shape before even thinking about signing up for it. Even in the best of shape, I'd still likely come in last or darned near close to it, so I'd like to make the experience as least humiliating as possible. At least if I'm in really good shape, I can feel that I really did my all for that caliber of an event.<br /><br />Today I hopped on my treadmill -- finally cleared off after a month of storing stuff on it from the kitchen remodel, which is still underway -- and did an easy 3 miles. I kept an even pace throughout the entire workout, no changes whatsoever. It felt great, no aches or pains, and didn't feel laborious at all. Tomorrow I'm planning on heading over to the Y in the morning for a weight workout. I think it's been exactly a year since I was there last. My last experience there was quite a doozy. I watched a woman on the treadmill in front of me lose her footing, have her feet fly out from under her and watched her land on her face. Then she rolled down the still moving belt of the treadmill, unconscious, before going into a full blown seizure, stopped breathing and starting turning blue. Thankfully, she was revived and was conscious and sitting up by the time I left the place. I was, and still am, very shaken by those images. Shortly after that lovely incident I came down with Valley Fever and the rest of my year was blown.<br /><br />So tomorrow, it's back to the Y for a full weight workout. I expect to feel quite sore on Wednesday. I've decided on a workout schedule for this semester which should work out pretty well. MWFSu are racewalking/running days. TTh will be weight training days. Today I also discovered something fantastic! There is a full blown gym/rec center at ASU, with a swimming pool, available to me, FOR FREE!!! Since I am a student, I am automatically a member! Hot diggety! So after my class on T/Th ends at 10:15am, I'll simply walk down to the rec center, on campus, do my workout, shower there, and come home. They also have personal trainers (for a fee) and a massage therapist (also for a fee, albeit a very affordable one of $45/hr). I cannot begin to express how awesome this is for me! I can go workout, and not have to always go to the Y. <br /><br />New also for 2009: stop procrastinating, or better yet, stop waiting for others to do things to start something myself. I've always been a rather impatient person. The world has always gone in slow motion for me. To me, it seems to take people F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get things done. So, I've learned to be patient, bite my tongue and not express my frustration over waiting, and not try to do everything myself. However, this has also led to some situations where, indeed, it would have been far better to take the reigns myself and just 'do it'. I'm finding that while I'm still able to hold my tongue, I feel more resentment towards people than I ever have in the past. So, for this year, I'm going to not be quite so patient, and learn to express my frustration in constructive ways. This might end up hurting some people's feelings, but I'm just tired of being patient ALL THE TIME. It's time for me to consider my own needs as important (not always more important, just important), and it's ok to 'light a fire' under someone else sometimes. This will also not leave any room for excuses for not getting something done, another bad habit I noticed I've started to get into.<br /><br />For 2009: Enjoy what I enjoy, more often. Meaning, spend time on things that I like to do and wish to pursue. Photography, gardening, my degree, knitting, racewalking, traveling, skiing. All things that I haven't really been able to delve into as much as I'd have liked to in many years. These are the things I enjoy spending my time on and improving. Often life is unbalanced the other way: too much leisure, not enough focusing on responsibilities. For me, it's been the other way around and it's time to change that.<br /><br />Onward, to a great 2009!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-35355203946421349292008-12-29T08:38:00.004-07:002008-12-29T08:57:25.110-07:00Week in rewindChristmas week has come and gone, and I'm feeling relieved and melancholic about that. I love the holidays, but the stress, especially this year, can get to me. I had a really great Christmas and got way more than I expected. One thing I did get was a brand new camera! Yay! Finally, no more sucky pictures. So here are a few pictures from this week:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg537FSC6vwTt3wSTKSeCWPzU4JSK8C7-zdUaR-GWXGX3XLkEk_FRafSK3kmXi-VICOi_0Rhx_1MMfTIzvjpZL-5Jr1aCgWfAJgAHOhOxP3w1Uc0SMGzdIOlYm0YVRF8v8PulvrxRl9LtY/s1600-h/PICT0049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg537FSC6vwTt3wSTKSeCWPzU4JSK8C7-zdUaR-GWXGX3XLkEk_FRafSK3kmXi-VICOi_0Rhx_1MMfTIzvjpZL-5Jr1aCgWfAJgAHOhOxP3w1Uc0SMGzdIOlYm0YVRF8v8PulvrxRl9LtY/s320/PICT0049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285239520625627266" /></a><br />Our stockings were all hung by the fire...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5hOh0hyphenhyphenVRukDxEeWgUX6cDOit0YcFNOFYSaxWkmeJhAorjWug9HMLsKeGzSPsRQotq4fqKZgaFD5ugRjD-t07SRHBtFcl7oosfd6iiGYzBJz05kWquTbZKUfxgA_Jdjszs_tKpQPAMg/s1600-h/PICT0046.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5hOh0hyphenhyphenVRukDxEeWgUX6cDOit0YcFNOFYSaxWkmeJhAorjWug9HMLsKeGzSPsRQotq4fqKZgaFD5ugRjD-t07SRHBtFcl7oosfd6iiGYzBJz05kWquTbZKUfxgA_Jdjszs_tKpQPAMg/s320/PICT0046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285239513546335346" border="0"></a><br />Christmas Eve dinner in our empty shell of a kitchen, trying to be as normal as possible! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCh1hgUH_SdqdvXzmbvLkCR1CSq6zUZV_wGmMDNPpDSZAjWt60VarJbrwDAtkIvTxmOyq-E-n6WmITAcOSB-5cJp-8b-4tFyQgauyLljOip-tocRc_L5hcIxJdGjOyazKgZdPXIqgf7DM/s1600-h/DSC_0001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCh1hgUH_SdqdvXzmbvLkCR1CSq6zUZV_wGmMDNPpDSZAjWt60VarJbrwDAtkIvTxmOyq-E-n6WmITAcOSB-5cJp-8b-4tFyQgauyLljOip-tocRc_L5hcIxJdGjOyazKgZdPXIqgf7DM/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285239508436322994" border="0"></a><br />Our Christmas tree in the family room.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjmj2uH96F-PULvwuPmqxFG3Ghyphenhyphen5CuC3KOT-2tpBni5Zzh3FsIPUOduXA9KGqzh1opag_CI8s8CXbWrvLfS7UHFa1VVwQ2uwnW9gZXMor2lHRfQJjT0HU4j7TV_S60SViAcRgZgz6Yc8/s1600-h/Copy+of+Smoke+on+the+water1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjmj2uH96F-PULvwuPmqxFG3Ghyphenhyphen5CuC3KOT-2tpBni5Zzh3FsIPUOduXA9KGqzh1opag_CI8s8CXbWrvLfS7UHFa1VVwQ2uwnW9gZXMor2lHRfQJjT0HU4j7TV_S60SViAcRgZgz6Yc8/s320/Copy+of+Smoke+on+the+water1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285239496514454306" border="0"></a><br />Capturing the water vapor coming off the pool one very cold morning (we had below freezing temps)!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqxd7LfwfG66JczXA2M1thxg9RS38V3HvgeDEoqyq70j7ox8RJGOsiGLzW3jC09K3uybrsPmlQC0hRHfmpTX_yp7qtJLRbQA199OGeU3AJ6d1Hx-O5l6IcCr77GN3XXINuhLBc3g_psg/s1600-h/Copy+of+DSC_0006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqxd7LfwfG66JczXA2M1thxg9RS38V3HvgeDEoqyq70j7ox8RJGOsiGLzW3jC09K3uybrsPmlQC0hRHfmpTX_yp7qtJLRbQA199OGeU3AJ6d1Hx-O5l6IcCr77GN3XXINuhLBc3g_psg/s320/Copy+of+DSC_0006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285239494686585202" border="0"></a> Fun with my new camera, a Nikon D80.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwbY0T5y2cIGvcYCRAkXZacRTYS_m1TVeE5NeWCu1eaum4ETrylmvN7ppwKnXZbSINou-yec6RQsZi92p14JA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />That's me racewalking at the track yesterday. Filming is courtesy of my 10yo son and his new video camera!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-80162156833454718012008-12-21T15:18:00.003-07:002008-12-21T15:37:28.623-07:005 miles at the trackOK, I didn't make it out to walk the other day. I swear it's a conspiracy! Almost every day in the past 1.5 weeks, I have gotten up and dressed to workout. And then, BAM! Something major comes up, especially with the remodel, that totally derails my plans.<br /><br />Not today. I got up a bit later than usual, but specifically planned ahead of time with all the work I completed yesterday, to get out there this morning. Geez, you wouldn't think it would take me 12 days to get in a decent workout!<br />It was a beautiful morning to be out there too. Sunny and very crisp/cool. I decided to head over to the high school track so I could easily take off my extra layers and mitts and not worry about carrying it all for miles. I popped in my iPod, and round and round I went. Five miles, very easy, in the beautiful Solstice morning. I finished in just a touch over an hour. With the way this year has been for working out, I'm surprised I'm still in decent enough shape to do that! Honestly, it hasn't been a great year for staying in shape (and unfortunately, the scale reflects that fact). I'm hoping that since this giant remodeling job will finally be complete (it's been more than 2 years in the making), and so long as I stay healthy (chances of contracting Valley Fever a 3rd time are truly remote), I'm really hoping racewalking and staying fit in general become the primary focus of my life once again. This morning's workout felt so good, so so good. I really didn't want to stop but, alas, things in life need to get done still and I needed to get on those things today as well. That won't ever change, but I'd like to think that I could squeeze in decent workouts more than once every 12 days!!<br /><br />Well, off to finish the last of the Christmas gifts that I'm knitting. A pair of socks for my brother in Regia Superwash Wool. The pattern is called Retro Rib socks. Easy enough pattern to memorize, but more purling than anything else, and I'm not a big purl fan. I'll be glad to be done with this pattern.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRioC3ZuweSqv2Bhy4P9jHGlvOVRDInN6vqzY4R84IyBAV4tBIwQFsWzAHHCKhWH_cClPWCl-wo5VH8F1y_0BBQxpUIWlQTYHTBSIzxdw6kP94bR-89mr7W4AqMETlYu7Yp8MlUczyqGs/s1600-h/Csabs+xmas+socks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRioC3ZuweSqv2Bhy4P9jHGlvOVRDInN6vqzY4R84IyBAV4tBIwQFsWzAHHCKhWH_cClPWCl-wo5VH8F1y_0BBQxpUIWlQTYHTBSIzxdw6kP94bR-89mr7W4AqMETlYu7Yp8MlUczyqGs/s320/Csabs+xmas+socks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282374993213748802" border="0" /></a><br />Here are some other gifts I knitted this year for the holidays:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdEnCG9gU_qCiWfVVg3jOxbKoA8fOLODIX06Ib2sndQfpFWGaCjDKrNL6b6hvO8l_pLKib0jEOz4ruGteKqJeELLQ_3932sTd2X4CRoCMycmvy_mStoyu_TON3_svM8HilMf9aKCy6LU/s1600-h/Faith's+socks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGdEnCG9gU_qCiWfVVg3jOxbKoA8fOLODIX06Ib2sndQfpFWGaCjDKrNL6b6hvO8l_pLKib0jEOz4ruGteKqJeELLQ_3932sTd2X4CRoCMycmvy_mStoyu_TON3_svM8HilMf9aKCy6LU/s320/Faith's+socks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282374996763536146" border="0" /></a>These are socks for my SIL. The pattern is called Nutkins, and they are knit in Prism Sock yarns, colorway Mojave. Great yarn!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwH416wZtURaDzVH2HJwt-qQkpueViWT4PPHPMiQB8sYU4puztBsN91Y43ReUP8QLcT7C7wCBXK8ECjwsWuLDyl4rZsbiGZLH0khr2BtWhDWk_YaWVtj0l3yqV17WW8Ue28FqsjGQK6k/s1600-h/Mom's+scarflet+and+mitts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwH416wZtURaDzVH2HJwt-qQkpueViWT4PPHPMiQB8sYU4puztBsN91Y43ReUP8QLcT7C7wCBXK8ECjwsWuLDyl4rZsbiGZLH0khr2BtWhDWk_YaWVtj0l3yqV17WW8Ue28FqsjGQK6k/s320/Mom's+scarflet+and+mitts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282374998066568610" border="0" /></a><br />This is my mom's Linen Stitch Scarflet and matching fingerless mitts in Malabrigo Yarn, colorway Col China. The buttons are hand made lead-free pewter made by Roosterick on Etsy. <br /><br />Happy Holidays to everyone!!!<br /><br />Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-47014554587979583632008-12-18T08:38:00.003-07:002008-12-18T08:48:05.341-07:00An Eco Note<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sMg8UX0QE8v3m3NoGKlmc4XqUPsdQ5Z8iJpg8V-dhDQNufEpknI8JEo6IoZAKcCzg-C3M4yCTg_KxGDwhrxRjqsJv2-bJPIg2D-unvE-pGhFaqJeinRpney1JTBfCgWgkg40k2CRwbA/s1600-h/Rain+water+harvesting.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sMg8UX0QE8v3m3NoGKlmc4XqUPsdQ5Z8iJpg8V-dhDQNufEpknI8JEo6IoZAKcCzg-C3M4yCTg_KxGDwhrxRjqsJv2-bJPIg2D-unvE-pGhFaqJeinRpney1JTBfCgWgkg40k2CRwbA/s320/Rain+water+harvesting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281156914802877650" border="0" /></a><br />Two other things rocked for me yesterday as well.<br /><br />1. Our city now accepts all plastics #1-7! Due to the remodel we have had to resort to disposable plates and cups (just no room to store enough for the 4 of us). With the change in the acceptable plastics, we can now recycle all the cups and plates. Big high 5 for the City of Mesa!<br /><br />2. The rain this morning refilled our rain barrels to capacity. We now have about 200 gallons of rainwater. Above photo is from this morning's storm. After about 5 minutes, this 55 gallon barrel was refilled (it was about 1/2 empty) and I had to close off the gutter. I wish I had more rain barrels!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-49230523901762494992008-12-18T06:38:00.003-07:002008-12-18T06:59:33.480-07:00A banner dayYesterday was quite the day here. All sorts of new stuff came in! I finally got my main computer back a little more than a week ago, all fresh and ready to go. They did have to remove absolutely everything, and reboot it all from scratch. Thank goodness I saved all of my files. So to really make it run better, I also bought a new RAM card, and a new wireless router. Installed the new router yesterday and, yay, the laptop now gets a nice strong, consistent signal out to the guesthouse. Considering we still have a couple of weeks to go on the kitchen remodel, and my older son seems to really like being out there, it was time to upgrade the router to accommodate that need.<br /><br />But the really big stuff that happened yesterday was the installation of our new kitchen window and the sliding glass door!!! No more plywood boards at night! Take a look --<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NI0sr3AMoLnHPkG4GVLOfUVXVy8nRVffDeAGJraJgfv4qmkEUWMLiJzGSMCmLa3Hnn8EoSezGFkujKii9W-4Hr4-bZivS3oJM8yupquodubgR9uOJ2Msvn7aYZgt7wS4JZMG9JWCJGw/s1600-h/Kitchen+door+installed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NI0sr3AMoLnHPkG4GVLOfUVXVy8nRVffDeAGJraJgfv4qmkEUWMLiJzGSMCmLa3Hnn8EoSezGFkujKii9W-4Hr4-bZivS3oJM8yupquodubgR9uOJ2Msvn7aYZgt7wS4JZMG9JWCJGw/s320/Kitchen+door+installed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281127154297766434" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvRQOBfCsqhAcQZDGhJEXfRTaNrUPpEt01_sO4w-RslDwVfqB2JhdbWlnSmeqVPgJJLnUSUU4pXmKjjfM9XO3Mj4Dh0TsNOc3wUnHB1GFFynke2MRjlJHWw6qQGigjcQKnwGj4Lq07IA/s1600-h/new+kitchen+window.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvRQOBfCsqhAcQZDGhJEXfRTaNrUPpEt01_sO4w-RslDwVfqB2JhdbWlnSmeqVPgJJLnUSUU4pXmKjjfM9XO3Mj4Dh0TsNOc3wUnHB1GFFynke2MRjlJHWw6qQGigjcQKnwGj4Lq07IA/s320/new+kitchen+window.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281127156568203666" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see in the window, there is a passthrough so I can now hand things out to those outside directly from the kitchen. <br /><br />It has been raining here for the past few days, and in fact, is raining hard right now as I type this. I haven't had much opportunity to work out at all for a week between the kitchen stuff, studying for my final exam (which was on Monday), playing catch-up with all the things I needed to do, and getting ready for Christmas. On top of all of that, I've been working on the upcoming racewalking clinic that I'm hosting at the end of January. So far, participant interest has been pretty high and registrations are coming in. I expect that after New Year's and then again after the Rock n' Roll marathon, there will be a bit of a surge in registrations as in previous years. It will be lots of fun to have all those participants at my home, and I'll certainly enjoy entertaining in my new kitchen!<br /><br />OK, off to get the kids ready for school and me, ready to workout. Rain or no rain, I'm walkin'!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-84078241789340271642008-12-11T16:56:00.003-07:002008-12-11T17:11:36.407-07:00Couple of updates on the houseHere are some pics of some of the new and nifty stuff happening with the remodel.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyH5aChabLJSi2JOIAZO_3ufyMQEUy9TubJMII3vVHHxJsC8d6S1H4wYQ8LVJuuKxah96AOgYN1klLJmPTi0PZxIFkOdwPg9WKXY47SxEolrK2oPxfuGK9Lu7dbcPH2RWIXd60ffE_2rI/s1600-h/solatube+pantry.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyH5aChabLJSi2JOIAZO_3ufyMQEUy9TubJMII3vVHHxJsC8d6S1H4wYQ8LVJuuKxah96AOgYN1klLJmPTi0PZxIFkOdwPg9WKXY47SxEolrK2oPxfuGK9Lu7dbcPH2RWIXd60ffE_2rI/s320/solatube+pantry.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278686752401965026" border="0" /></a>This is the Solatube in the pantry. It will also have a light in the tube for nighttime use, however, in this picture, that is pure sunlight alone that you see. These are a bit pricey but are great for enclosed rooms like our pantry, and they are really nice looking!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5sYOSF3ZVsqoM7ns-cyjObm-PbhfJ6bPZ4TlrkxITODTtAjjE4i5YC3hD4zIDEKKpSnbyCbkcsAh229EucSFJKaAEerjkw9OiuKWw2gXx4B7uUeVoiW-NsSAYn4Qmj7r84nNtpZmk1M/s1600-h/New+hall+closet.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5sYOSF3ZVsqoM7ns-cyjObm-PbhfJ6bPZ4TlrkxITODTtAjjE4i5YC3hD4zIDEKKpSnbyCbkcsAh229EucSFJKaAEerjkw9OiuKWw2gXx4B7uUeVoiW-NsSAYn4Qmj7r84nNtpZmk1M/s320/New+hall+closet.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278689077016592722" border="0" /></a>This is the new closet opening, now near the front door rather than around the corner in the hallway. Finally, a normally functioning coat closet that you can actually get into!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-84534760639181727202008-12-04T23:05:00.004-07:002008-12-21T19:12:52.271-07:00Brushing the dust off<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Hg0uLkMD6mV0zPMdWUYXEZCQFL5_R6m87KXlKqj4_bV4XlO5WILoIgLImZ5xRx82KjNcU5oRKQWoRiRcA02ImlOZdyJg7YD3YgdYUqVCEyDKTxdxRq3m0KW8Y0eSLIqlLSSXF1z-Ps/s1600-h/after+kitchen+12-1-08.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276187580189852306" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-Hg0uLkMD6mV0zPMdWUYXEZCQFL5_R6m87KXlKqj4_bV4XlO5WILoIgLImZ5xRx82KjNcU5oRKQWoRiRcA02ImlOZdyJg7YD3YgdYUqVCEyDKTxdxRq3m0KW8Y0eSLIqlLSSXF1z-Ps/s320/after+kitchen+12-1-08.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TfwZDRRgDJ-2CtgS0tuMG27EFah30kKTLnK5YzZY2jhqjg2fysGGkd2zzruEZfm2Z-1SqVcg7043gDYlhEqd_XYhaa4Ar6QOrJKa4UFd9d2vYkfuoNgG8l7hP3G71RxdZWflQSHYi9g/s1600-h/Copy+of+door-to-be+12-1-08.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276187407829637746" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TfwZDRRgDJ-2CtgS0tuMG27EFah30kKTLnK5YzZY2jhqjg2fysGGkd2zzruEZfm2Z-1SqVcg7043gDYlhEqd_XYhaa4Ar6QOrJKa4UFd9d2vYkfuoNgG8l7hP3G71RxdZWflQSHYi9g/s320/Copy+of+door-to-be+12-1-08.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Hello everyone! It's been a while and I still haven't gotten the main computer back, but I've managed to steal a few hours on the laptop. Things have been busy here at the Kneedle house!<br /><br />After spending fruitless hours attempting to clean up the computer, we've had to resign to the fact that it was rather hopeless. So, I managed to save all of my important files from it, and it's been sent to the cleaners to be cleared of everything. And yes, I do mean everything, including the operating system. I was, thankfully, wise enough to save all of the disks that came with it back when I bought it, which included a complete re-boot disk that I've never had to open. So long as that goes well, I should have a running computer of my own again within a week. If things don't go well, I'll be buying a whole new computer. Either way I should be back to blogging regularly within another 2 weeks or so. Yay!</div><div></div><br /><div>On other notes, we've also been extraordinarily busy now that, at long last, the kitchen remodel has begun! They started this past Monday, and it will be a month or so by the time it's all done. Please take a look-see at my Flickr page for the dramatic pictures. It really is something to behold -- especially the large hole in my wall leading to the backyard! We have been relegated to preparing and eating our meals in the (dust-free) guesthouse. I'm not complaining at all, I can't imagine trying to live completely in the house while all of this is going on. So my daily routine, aside from school work and trying to get in decent workouts, include covering up everything that I can with sheets and tarps to keep the dust accumulation to a minimum. And then dusting off the dust every day so we can function in the few rooms of the house that aren't completely mangled. </div><div></div><br /><div>Other than that, workouts and knitting still consume a large part of my day. I've managed to keep a regular, albeit still very light, workout schedule. Time to ramp things up and beef up the weekly mileage, and add in some speed workouts. </div><br /><div></div><div>Knitting wise, I recently worked up a linen stitch scarflet for my mom for Christmas,with matching fingerless mitts in mmmmmmmmalabrigo. This yarn is sooo yummy! I've also picked back up some Retro Rib socks I started in July. I'm almost to the heel flap on sock #2!! Yay, and not a minute too soon as these are destined to be my brother's Christmas present. I've yet to start the legwarmers for my nephew, perhaps this weekend if I finish off those socks.</div><br /><div></div><div>Well that's it for now. Hope you enjoy some pics until I can blog again in a week or so!</div><div></div><div></div></div>Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-33420111305240264372008-11-24T18:35:00.002-07:002008-11-24T18:37:10.374-07:00The crashMy main computer has become infected with a virus and I've been relegated to the son's laptop, when I can wrench it out of his hands! Not really, but I will have little time to blog until we get a new 'puter up and running that doesn't need to be shared by everyone in the house.<br /><br />Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone (in the US)! I'll be back as soon as I can.Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-14267916900642740942008-11-11T05:34:00.002-07:002008-11-11T05:43:56.260-07:00Veteran's DayHappy Veteran's Day! Enjoy the day off if you have it, and let's not forget to thank our veterans! Thank you!<br /><br />It's been a whirlwind week for me. First the elections last Tuesday, and then trying to continue in the groove that is life. <br /><br />I managed to get a couple of decent workouts last week, one of which I already posted about at the track at the University. I also made it out one morning for a quick but good run one morning. This run, in fairly cold temps (around 49) worked out my lungs a bit. By the time I was finished, I was wheezing pretty heavily and coughing a lot. BUT, that completely went away within a few hours, which is great news. I'll try to work in another workout like that later this week. I suspect results will be the same for a while, but I'm looking for improvements over time. Went out for an easy 3 miles yesterday at the track again. It was a bright, sunny, but windy, kinda cold morning, even at 9am. And still, no one else using the track the whole time I was there. Weird.<br /><br />I have another exam on Friday, so I'll be busy prepping for that for most of this week. I've thankfully been able to knit a bit more regularly again, as I continue to plug along on my MIL's socks. I'm on the foot portion of sock #1, and since it's all stockinette in the round, it's going very quickly. My Bunko Bucket Bag was a hit at bunko, it even got stolen from the original giftee, which is such a compliment to me!<br /><br />Today, my kiddos are home from school for Veteran's Day, but it's not really a true vacation day since we all have lots to do. We will however, attempt to catch the city's parade.<br /><br />Have a great week everyone!<br /><br />Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-27065874048245590652008-11-04T23:01:00.001-07:002008-11-04T23:03:35.068-07:00I Votedfor 'That One', that won! Congratulations to President-Elect Obama, and to Senator McCain for, by far, the most exciting election in my lifetime.Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-82856458944139623712008-11-03T13:55:00.003-07:002008-11-03T14:06:57.114-07:00A couple of workoutsI'm loving this extra free time! I was able to get a bunch of stuff done this weekend that I'd been putting off for a while (mostly cleaning, nothing exciting unfortunately), and still had time to study and knit!<br /><br />But first, to get to the title of my post. I went out last Thursday again for a double header workout. First, I ran 2 miles before getting the kiddos off to school, then after they were gone, went out again for 3 miles racewalking, this time no backpack! I didn't workout over the weekend, but, this morning I did go to the track at ASU that I mentioned in my previous post. It was (and has been for the past several days) a bit warmer than it should be for this time of year, but I plodded out 3 miles in the morning sunshine. The track is made of some material I have not seen before. It doesn't look new so I don't think it's some latest and greatest material. It reminded me of Berber carpeting! Blobs of rubber rather than a uniform looking surface. It was smooth and worked fine for my workout, I'm just rather curious as to what it was! Surprisingly, I had the track all to myself for most of my workout. There were a couple of ASU track girls there doing 100m sprints when I arrived, but they departed right after I got there. Then there was no one. I thought this really odd since ASU is one of the biggest (if not the biggest in terms of student population) universities in the country. How could there be no one else out of a student body of like 70k that would be working out?? Maybe they all take the scenic route along the lake? Probably.<br />Anyway, again, my times were not great, averaging right around 12mpm. I think I'll start adding in speed work next week as my legs aren't fazed by these 3 or 5 milers. It's time to test out the lungs again, something I haven't done since before getting ill last January. I'm still very susceptible to having lung problems due to the Valley Fever, so I plan on taking on speed work cautiously. I'll let you know how it goes.<br /><br />On a final note, don't forget to VOTE tomorrow!!!!<br /><br />Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-8222649267247657512008-10-29T18:15:00.002-07:002008-10-29T18:22:25.809-07:00Some promised pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdjjKxKd036kHEsRj7p4HY3rGhIK1SGZ6Zwo1o1V1pFVBZMUaklvRQ7tknENgrtSt5aIRTU-E_cxtk185wJyNMsRKEGOCj5bi3qHQhBig2fRUW70cFr0F32gnHHUICqCOZyLG4_qX9Uw/s1600-h/tomato+plant+10-29-08.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdjjKxKd036kHEsRj7p4HY3rGhIK1SGZ6Zwo1o1V1pFVBZMUaklvRQ7tknENgrtSt5aIRTU-E_cxtk185wJyNMsRKEGOCj5bi3qHQhBig2fRUW70cFr0F32gnHHUICqCOZyLG4_qX9Uw/s320/tomato+plant+10-29-08.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262750209601543730" border="0" /></a>My lone tomato plant, which has some flowers (yay! soon to be tomatoes hopefully). Too small to see unfortunately.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzHpglnTgTgQGiv06PZuqakrUWW1zFFqhpt9_8k2PF3A9S0Ny9sj8xW-Xm4H5eg9Dz6ykZdUpK2f_tHgOmzJTxLY9UpAuXyUjCVwFmiBC3WknDvKMKD8WDU19sxC6yV08glGwpTnN8rE/s1600-h/Broccoli+and+lone+okra.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglzHpglnTgTgQGiv06PZuqakrUWW1zFFqhpt9_8k2PF3A9S0Ny9sj8xW-Xm4H5eg9Dz6ykZdUpK2f_tHgOmzJTxLY9UpAuXyUjCVwFmiBC3WknDvKMKD8WDU19sxC6yV08glGwpTnN8rE/s320/Broccoli+and+lone+okra.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262750200743389666" border="0" /></a>My lone okra plant and several broccoli plants.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrec9qsrM_DSWtHvep44DgXJQoMzh47S59qinl3dP4O1ucyqrBM-xh9Ql1eNPcgKKojJjkZHxYbxpzENtIVW0LaVH84wggHM16f18ymuBCyptE_i0WB-9lcrGxRbjyCYnSrH4aACPhwj4/s1600-h/Bunko+Bucket+Bag.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrec9qsrM_DSWtHvep44DgXJQoMzh47S59qinl3dP4O1ucyqrBM-xh9Ql1eNPcgKKojJjkZHxYbxpzENtIVW0LaVH84wggHM16f18ymuBCyptE_i0WB-9lcrGxRbjyCYnSrH4aACPhwj4/s320/Bunko+Bucket+Bag.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262750194050014146" border="0" /></a>My Bunko Bucket Bag!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-62350670224301406872008-10-28T10:34:00.004-07:002008-10-28T12:25:46.115-07:00I'm Back!!!!Whew! That was a really awful week. And, after all that studying for organic Chemistry, I <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> only managed a 'D' on that exam, so I've dropped that class. I'm still going strong in Analytical Chemistry, so that will be my only class for this semester. Not sure why I couldn't wrap my brain around the reactions, but I tried. When the test was put in front of me, I just blanked out.<br /><br />As predicted, I didn't workout or knit for that week plus. However, since deciding to drop the class on Sunday, I immediately got back into myself and picked up yarn and got busy. So, in one day, I crocheted up a bucket bag purse, which I fulled yesterday, for our monthly bunko gift swap. Once a month, a group of neighborhood girls and I get together for some fun playing bunko, enjoying a few alcoholic beverages, and gossip. At the end of the night we have a white elephant gift exchange based on a predetermined theme. This coming up month the theme is purses, so what better purse can I give than a one-of-a-kind creation of my own! I'll try to post a picture later today. I used Brown Sheep Burly Spun yarn in a multi colored colorway called 'Strawberry Patch', with a plain red border on the top. It looks pretty darned good, was very fast with a 'P' sized crochet hook, and fulled up quickly and firmly. I almost hate giving it away!<br /><br />I'm also working on a pair of plain stockinette socks for my mother-in-law. She asked for some several weeks ago when she saw me working on something else. I'm knitting these up with Panda Cotton sock yarn, in a pink colorway (sorry, don't remember the name of it right now). Then, my sister-in-law has asked me to knit up some leg warmers for my new nephew, which I'm happy to oblige on that request (who am I to turn down a request to knit someone something -- that'd be sacrilige)!<br /><br />I finally got out this morning for a workout after my 10 day + hiatus. Boy, did it feel wonderful! I thought I would be much slower, but actually I finished the 2 miles in under 12mpm pace, which I thought was pretty darned good. And if I had had more time, I could've gone further. After taking the kiddo to school I did another walk to the store to mail off a few Netflix movies that needed to be returned, and pick up a few items we needed. While I didn't racewalk there or back, I kept my pace at under 15mpm both ways to at least feel a bit more like a workout. It's a bit hard to racewalk with a backpack when there's a water bottle, and a bottle of mustard careening back and forth slamming into each of your kidneys. Yeah. Not cool. So I got in a total of 4.75 miles this morning, and it felt great!!!<br /><br />I also discovered about a week ago, that the track at the university is located right next to the parking lot where I park. How convenient! Now that it's getting light a lot later in the morning, and I don't have my OChem class anymore, I can still arrive at the school the same time I did before, and get in a workout before my AChem class! Score! I just hope my classmates don't mind the post-workout 'ripeness' that I may exude. Maybe I'll take some deodorant with me to cover things up a bit.....<br /><br />I mentioned briefly in a previous post my interest in gardening. Well, here in the desert Southwest, we garden a bit differently than the rest of the world. Nothing grows here in the summer (except okra I'm happy to have discovered), so pretty much most gardening is bassackwards compared to everywhere else. I finally ripped out my okra plants (I think 14 pints of okra pickles is enough, thankyou), and recently planted broccoli plants, a tomato plant, tomato from seed, peas, lettuce, carrots, parsnips, and a jalapeno plant. The broccoli and tomato plant are doing well (even have flowers on the tomato plant already), and the lettuce, carrots and parsnips have all sprouted. The tomato from seed and the jalapeno plant did not :(. So I've replanted some more seed, in containers this time, so I can move them around more to get more sunlight. The peas -- well, they sprouted. But, as soon as they sprouted, it seems, the birds dug up the sprout and took off with the seed!!!! GRRRRRR!!! I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> not happy about this. I've replanted some this morning, in containers, and in the garden straight, and am trying out some measures to deter them. However, if any of you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!<br /><br />OK, so that's what's been going on around here. Hoping that with my time now incredibly freed up, I should be posting more often.<br /><br />Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-21431757252529091102008-10-19T13:23:00.002-07:002008-10-19T13:26:08.351-07:00Coming up for airI'm buried in my chemistry books as I have 2 exams this week. Despite studying all week long, I'm still feeling very unprepared. While I'm not totally in the dark in trying to understand everything, I've not had the 'lightbulb' moment yet, when it all seems to mesh together. Oh well. <br /><br />Anyway, due to the exams, I doubt I will have anything else to post regarding workouts or knitting this week. It is literally that bad!! So hopefully I'll have something fun to write for you next weekend!<br /><br />Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-1230305701822673352008-10-14T17:02:00.002-07:002008-10-14T17:06:03.788-07:00Tuesday workoutYahoo! I managed to get out this morning and do my normal 3 mile route. Kept an average 12mpm pace throughout other than the warmup and cooldown, each about .15 miles. My times are still not great, but have not built in any speedwork yet, still trying to get consistent weekly mileage down. I'm loving this Fall weather in the morning! It was nice to get out after taking the kidlet to school, rather than waking up in the dark just to workout before the kids were off to school. Up until this week, it was way too warm to get in a decent workout after about 8am, so I had to do it before rather than after taking him in.<br /><br />Yay for Fall!!<br /><br />Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-26515139918101918822008-10-12T11:23:00.002-07:002008-10-12T11:28:05.373-07:00First Fall workoutWoke up this morning to find the temperature hovering at 50F!! Finally, Fall has arrived in the desert Southwest, even if only for a few days (we're expecting 90's again later this week). I got myself out there and completed a slow easy racewalking/walking workout of 5.15 miles. I was very slow, on purpose, as workouts have been inconsistent despite my best efforts to get back into a groove. I haven't done more than 3 miles since I don't know when, but this morning was the perfect weather. Surprisingly, I only saw 1 runner and 2 walkers out there this morning. Thankfully, no loose dogs today.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and my new shoes finally arrived about 2 weeks ago!<br /><br />Off to study and decorate the house today for Halloween. Maybe I'll bake an apple pie today as well.<br /><br />Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-82005414021468653772008-10-11T15:57:00.004-07:002008-10-11T16:15:41.789-07:00Rock the Vote? How about just...voting. A few people who read my blog and know me have asked why I do not put anything political on my blog. A fair inquiry considering that the election is the hot subject of the day, coupled with the market, and the fact that I'm actually a very politically active person (at least when it comes to voting and the elections). I have purposely avoided even hinting at my political leanings in this blog. I'd like to think that I share enough of my interests already, and adding politics into this blog might turn people off, plain and simple.<br /><br />I'm not going to change that with this post. But, with the elections just a little more than 3 weeks away, I thought I would put out a request to everyone regarding a few things in this election.<br /><br />1. Be sure you are registered. If you're not and can still do so in your state, get it done.<br />2. Read about the candidates relative to your ballot. While the presidential election is the most known, really, your local politics - state representative, school board members, judges, propositions) - will have a far more reaching and immediate effect on your everyday life than who's sitting in the Oval Office. Prepare to spend some time going over those things, as they often take a bit of digging to find out the information you may need to make your decision.<br />3. If you're going to go to the polls, rather than complete an early ballot, be sure you know the rules. Most states prohibit wearing any shirts, buttons etc., that endorse any candidate or particular party. And while being decked out in your most flamboyant blue or red dress might get around that rule, it might be construed as being influential, and then you don't get to vote. If you want to show that kind of support for your candidate, then change, after you vote of course, into that eye-popping ensemble, stand at the required distance from the actual polls, and sing ballads about your candidate, if that suits your fancy.<br />4. Most important, VOTE! Don't want to hang out in the lines? Then request an early ballot. Here in Arizona, you can request an early ballot as late as Oct. 24th I believe. Check your states election board website for info for your area. Often you can request it right online, so it's really easy. Filling out an early ballot also allows you all the time you need to research all those local items that I mentioned above.<br /><br />I believe one of the most precious rights afforded to us in this country is the right to vote. While it's tempting to do things that might tip the scale in our candidates favor, to do so to such a degree that you might cause someone else so much discomfort that they don't vote, is unpatriotic in my opinion. Think of how you might feel in a very (red/blue) state, and show up to the polls and everyone is decked out in the majority color, and you're not. How comfortable would you feel in this group of people? Probably not very, and this could make someone turn around and not vote at all. So let's rock the vote!<br /><br />Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-73574251998968925712008-10-11T09:15:00.003-07:002008-10-11T09:27:43.206-07:00A good week?????Indeed, it was a good week for me. Oh, not financially-wise -- we all know what's gone on with the stock market this week. We've lost a good 30% value on our retirement accounts as of right now. Good thing I have no intention of using that money any time soon.<br /><br />But in other aspects, life has been good. I managed to get in 2 really good walking workouts during this week, AND get out for 3 bike rides as well. I'm still behind in my school work, but I'm not as behind as I was a week ago. Knitting-wise, I finally (!) finished working on that cardigan. I wish I could say I actually finished it, but alas, they did not give me nearly enough yarn. I would need probably 2 more skeins for the size they had me knit up. Guess they need to update that pattern a bit. So, now I've started a pair of socks for my MIL, and have a request from my SIL to knit up some legwarmers for my incredibly, adorable nephew. Every time I see a picture of him, my heart just melts... he really is that cute! I wish I could see him in person before, ya know, he grows up! Hopefully soon!<br /><br />Oh, I wanted to share with all of you the wonderful hat I made with my friend Gherkin's homespun/handdyed most awesome yarn. Please check out her Etsy shop <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5351143">here .</a><br /><br />This is the pattern <a href="http://orangefishknits.blogspot.com/2007/01/lace-slant-hat.html">Slanted Lace Hat by OrangeKnits</a> , very easy pattern, even for a beginning knitter.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQub2z4Dy6aN8PbksjfgEuy99Z74a8Hg7YcozL0IObUfbkGnHtwuXe-3D6TEBKhYCFVsiOBOm7a4GDuNAp0ahgYZrGxX44ibNrQTcFzV3l3Em20vA_dnNSRA6KOHIsxHNWesKSgC-Js84/s1600-h/Gherkin+lace+slant+hat.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQub2z4Dy6aN8PbksjfgEuy99Z74a8Hg7YcozL0IObUfbkGnHtwuXe-3D6TEBKhYCFVsiOBOm7a4GDuNAp0ahgYZrGxX44ibNrQTcFzV3l3Em20vA_dnNSRA6KOHIsxHNWesKSgC-Js84/s320/Gherkin+lace+slant+hat.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255933443691364130" border="0" /></a>Onward!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-51702212613096210282008-10-06T13:37:00.003-07:002008-10-06T13:44:54.008-07:00Quick updateHaven't blogged much in the past 2 weeks as things here have been very busy. Haven't worked out much due to my heavy homework demands and (yay) actually starting on the demolition of our kitchen! We haven't done a whole lot, but have taken out a large cabinet and, after several unsuccessful attempts, have also starting ripping out the tile floor. We met with our contractor and the cabinet guy within the past week, and things are a-go! While demolition continues, we'll be waiting about 5 weeks for the cabinets to be completed and delivered. So if all goes well (I'm not holding my breath), I <span style="font-style: italic;">should </span>have a new kitchen by Thanksgiving. I'm thinking it will be more like Christmas, but that's ok.<br /><br />In the meantime, I did harvest the rest of my okra and pickled/canned those. Also, got some raspberries delivered from Utah and canned a bunch of that as well. Here are my treasures! These will taste great come wintertime.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiw8wa0RWeH2CJ06K4k2baKfAPCeKaL4j44E5jgKRGr0dbGsTeKW6gxg0VFaLmAbHL2hyBsrN6eeSoo1RuDVGN0XGiNdHECe54Bng-FUs9PNcU2LUlgDIr-3-9CUhZNbeswebaeZ03Tw/s1600-h/Canning+1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiw8wa0RWeH2CJ06K4k2baKfAPCeKaL4j44E5jgKRGr0dbGsTeKW6gxg0VFaLmAbHL2hyBsrN6eeSoo1RuDVGN0XGiNdHECe54Bng-FUs9PNcU2LUlgDIr-3-9CUhZNbeswebaeZ03Tw/s320/Canning+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254144256565599394" border="0" /></a>I think I have a total of 14 pints of okra pickles and 3 quarts plus 2 pints of canned raspberries in a light syrup. Yummy!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1099150344088379738.post-29160588793795804372008-09-23T08:55:00.004-07:002008-10-11T10:02:45.188-07:00Voting on the factsAh, it's that wonderful time again when we are bombarded with political ads from our presidential hopefuls about what they plan on doing and why the other guy sucks and you'd be an idiot to vote for him/her.<br />Actually, I really enjoy elections, having spent a good many years in the Washington DC area and even hobnobbing with some of our government's finest. Nowadays, I get to enjoy watching the catfights from 3000 miles away in my suburban Arizona home. Ah.. .the life.<br /><br />In this election, there seems to be more nasty smears/rumors/etc about the candidates than in years past. Some of the claims that have been made about this or that candidate have run the gamut from misquotations, to just flat out liar-liar-pants-on-fire falsehoods. I was equally surprised that people actually believed some of them, and/or had no idea how to check out the validity of the claim. So I thought I'd post the URL's to some fact checking sites around the internet for those (as few as you may be) who read my little blog.<br /><br />www.factcheck.org<br />www.snopes.com<br />www.politifact.com<br /><br />ETA: also check out www.taxpolicycenter.org to see a breakdown of each of their fiscal plans<br /><br />Now there are a few more, and you can find those links usually on one or more of the sites listed above. But really, they all pretty much say the same thing. I urge you to not only get out and vote, but vote intelligently!!! Check out the candidates website and actually READ what they say on the various issues. Check out claims that they make against each other, especially the negative stuff as it's often been manipulated to make themselves sound better.<br /><br />Anyway, hopefully by posting these here, someone somewhere can make a more educated, informed vote in this election year.<br /><br />As far as the rest of my life, this past week was spent buried in my Organic Chemistry books in preparation for an exam on Wednesday (as in tomorrow), so nothing really new to report on any front. Got in a few short workouts, and have not been able to knit very much (which means I'm still working on The Cardigan).<br /><br />Hope everyone has a good week!Runningstitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10998652435471937919noreply@blogger.com1