November 2005 Archives
I backseated another sim this morning, with George. After only 4 sims as backseat, I feel like I am starting to get the hang of this flight controller thing. Of course I still have a ton to learn before I start working sims myself and even more to learn before I get certified, but after only four sims I'm already so much better at following along and picking up on the important information and thinking ahead to what needs to be checked. I've decided to make it my crusade to learn and understand all the OMS prop cases, since nobody else seems to. :)
Then after a quick "ARD lunch" I headed over to sit in on a meeting about a malfunctioning/dying thing they want to jettison off the station to replaced replaced with a working version of the thing. All I have to say is: we need to think harder before deciding to toss things out into oblivion. They don't just disappear. They do end up landing somewhere, eventually.
Last night I shrugged off running on my own and instead did 3 miles with Rich and Philip. They are getting back into the swing of things and take it pretty slow, so we did the 3 miles in 37:31, or 12:30/mile. My average heart rate was only 165 and I didn't have to work too hard (as evidenced by the fact that I blabbed basically the entire time).
But (and this is a big but) my legs didn't hurt at all! Well, just a twinge, but basically not at all! Perhaps I need to do these nice, relaxing runs more often. Not only do they result in less pain, but they make me remember that running can be enjoyable.
I had a great time. The weather was cool, the company was good, and I just enjoyed the feeling of jogging. Maybe there's a reason for my lack of running inspiration of late. Maybe I've simply been pushing myself too hard in a misguided attempt to suddenly recover the type of speed I've only had after months of regular workouts.
Tonight's supposed to be speedwork too, so it'll make up for my leisurely pace last night.
I guess I waited too long to decide what class I want to take next semester -- Drawing for Non-Art Majors is full for both the Monday 7-10 class and the Thursday 4-7 class. I'll be taking Web Design after all it appears.
Yesterday I learned a new word from, of all things, a fortune cookie. "You are a filial, kind and trustworthy." A filial? What the heck is that?
Main Entry: filial
Function: adjective
1. Of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter: filial respect.
2. Having or assuming the relationship of child or offspring to parent.
3. Genetics. Of or relating to a generation or the sequence of generations following the parental generation.
Ok, I still don't get it. The word is an adjective. It's like saying "you are a happy" or "you are a purple."
Anyway. Last night's graphic design class was mostly work time, so I took my laptop with me and worked on my technical illustration. I decided to do a T-38 (the astronaut training jet) after starting and then abandoning illustrations of both my camera and the Wienermobile. The camera was boring, and the Wienermobile wasn't quite detailed enough to be a good subject. So last Friday I took a couple photos of the T-38s they have on display outside Space Center Houston and have been working on that ever since.
I've got almost all of the pieces of the drawing in place except the cockpit. Once I've finished all the pieces, I'll have to work on the shading. The shading is the hard part for me, so I've been putting it off. But of course the shading is what really makes an Illustrator drawing look real.
Cari copied the Firefly TV soundtrack for me and I've been listening to it for the past day. It's pretty good, with my major complaint being that all the pieces are too short. That's the downside of a TV soundtrack, I suppose -- everything is in short bits to match the quick scene changes, and I just find myself wanting each of the pieces to last at least a couple minutes longer. Cari's CD had 8 extra tracks that didn't come with the version I downloaded, including the great snippet full of violins and oboes in the background of "Out of Gas" when Mal is walking through the ship alone, closing all the doors. It puts a lump in my throat. Stupid TV show. Stupid, awesome TV show.
I just noticed that Dooce changed her header for the holiday season. Extra special bonus points with me if you can tell me what "cuddly as a cactus, charming as an eel" refers to. (Yes, I know what it's from. Do you?)
And Rachel just created one of the best descriptions of me that I've ever read: a "rocket scientist friend who has alligators as next door neighbors!" That alligator was cool/freaky. I keep on sneaking glances out my window expecting to see him again.
And finally, to cap off this meandering entry, Sean started a blog!
I saw Rent last week on opening night with Becca and Jen. I just couldn't wait to see how they'd adapted it to film, and I was reasonably satisfied. Thoughts:
+ The opening scared me. "Rent" is such a chaotic song, and even leaving out some of the bit parts (such as Joanne's bit on the phone) didn't calm it down much. The filmed version was still chaotic, and made me worried that the entire movie was going to move too fast. I did like the end of it though, with the flaming posters and screenplays littering the air like some crazy ticker tape parade. Visually pleasing.
+ Fortunately things settled down after the "Rent" number. I didn't immediately like the altered timeline, but after some thought, I've decided that it made a little more sense when the events are spread out over a few days instead of everything through the Life Cafe taking place on Christmas Eve (like in the stage version).
+ Hearing the transitions (such as the answering machine messages) spoken instead of sung was both good (i.e more sensical) and disconcerting. It was hard to hear the words spoken without hearing the tune inside my head. Actually, it was hard to watch the whole movie without bursting into song myself.
+ Which brings me to a side note. I sing along with music all the time. In the car, at home, wherever. Now I admit that the majority of my singing is done when I'm alone, because while I can carry a tune, I'm not exactly Pavarotti. But point is -- I sing all the time. I've recently come to the realization that not everyone does this. Why? Well, I do a lot of people-watching when I'm stuck in traffic, and if other people sang in their cars half as much as I do, I would see a lot of mouths moving. But I never see that. Perhaps I'm strange. I love to sing along.
+ Back to Rent though. "La Vie Boheme" was awesome on film. It's one of my favorite scenes on stage as well (with all the action and coordinated dancing) and I'm glad it retained all the silliness and energy in the film. And randomly, I noticed during this song that Mark is really skinny.
+ The reprise of "I'll Cover You" is always moving, but WOW. The film version gave me goose bumps. The finale also gave me goosebumps. So there were some things that did work better on film.
+ "What You Own" is arguably my favorite song from the musical, and I wasn't totally satisfied with its treatment. I guess what I like about the song, and the staging on Broadway, is how Mark and Roger play off each other. Separating them until the end of the song weakened that, although for the first time I realized that they were probably always supposed to be in different places during this song.
+ They abbreviated "Goodbye Love," and I really missed the part where Mark and Roger argue with each other. "But who Mark are you?? Mark has got his work, they say Mark lives for his work, and Mark's in love with his work, Mark hides in his work!"
+ I was pleasantly surprised at Rosario Dawson's singing ability, and Tracie Thoms (the only other cast member that didn't originate her role) was great. The synching of the soundtrack and acting could have been better though, for all characters. Clearly the actors recorded their parts in a studio and not while they were actually acting the parts, and I'm ok with that, but there were places where the lip synching was a bit too obvious. Overall, the sound was much more polished and smooth than the stage soundtrack. I haven't decided which I prefer, though I did buy the movie soundtrack to give it a chance.
+ Overall I liked it. I want to see it again to see how it stands up to a second viewing. I have a feeling that I might like it better the second time now that I know what to expect.
Today I hit the Seabrook trails for my scheduled "long" run of 5 miles. I ended up going 5.25 -- running this route from the pool out to Pine Gully Park, and then back. I ran it in 59:09 for a pace of 11:16/mile. Average heart rate was 180. I must admit, I didn't feel great. My stomach was rumbling in a rather unpleasant way, not from hunger but just from discomfort I think.
At that pace, the run should have been easier than it was; it was very windy down here today. Fortunately the wind worked with me for most of the run out, but most of my last two miles were run into a fierce gusting headwind. I ran the "out" part in under 30 minutes and the "back" part in between 30 and 31 minutes. Not too much of a difference at first glance, until I mention that I walked for 3 minutes of the faster first half and only 2 minutes of the slower second half. Wind sucks. Though I did think about how much harder it would be battling that wind on my bike... whew!
Yes, my legs still hurt, but no, not quite as bad. I took some Advil about an hour before I ran, so maybe that helped. And perhaps the gravel and dirt surface of the trails helped as well. I'm sure my legs are happy to get off the concrete every once in a while.
For my scheduled half hour of cross-training today, I hit the elliptical machine for the first time in over a month. I did a 28-minute interval program with 5 minutes of cooldown. I have to admit that I didn't work very hard; my average heart rate was only 160. But it was nice to get a workout without worrying about how much my legs might or might not hurt.
I slept until 1:00 today. One o'clock!! I don't think I've slept that late since college, and I must say -- it felt good. Of course I'm now sitting here at midnight wide awake, but hey. It felt gooooood.
My brother Brian used to make us laugh because, unlike most kids, he would put himself to bed. Most kids will fight to stay up as late as possible, but not Brian. When he was tired, he went to bed. No fanfare either -- most of the time we'd just look up and ask "where's Brian?" We'd find him sound asleep in bed. I think he still does it even today. He's tired, so he goes to bed.
I, on the other hand, have always had the opposite problem. Hell, half the time I'm up late for no good reason, just messing around on the computer or watching junk on TV. There are nights that I don't get to bed until after midnight, only to have to get up for work the next day. Why was I up late? Who knows! No reason.
So a part of me feels that by sleeping until 1:00 today, I was just making up for months of going to bed too late. The gloomy weather and constant rain only helped. I woke up once at 9:30 to the sound of driving rain and had to get up close the window. But I was dead to the world until afternoon.
And it felt good.
The day after Thanksgiving dawned gray and cold. Actually make that gray and warm. And humid. And by dawn, I mean 10:30 a.m. when I finally got out of bed.
I went in to work for half an hour to check my sims and pick up my console handbook so that I could fulfill the other 3.5 hours I put down on my timecard by reading at home, instead of in the extremely empty office. Reading is boring. But, it must be done.
I did brave some of the holiday shopping traffic to get a few errands done. After lunch with Becca I headed to Office Depot for some oh-so-exciting mailing supplies, then couldn't resist a trip to browse the aisles at DSW. I am always disappointed by DSW and their incredible lack of size 11 shoes. They must have 500 pairs of shoes, and I'm lucky if I find one pair that both fits and isn't hideous. Today I got lucky and found a new pair of sneakers. Why couldn't I have feet that are one tiny size smaller? Size 10s are everywhere, but size 11... sigh.
After my afternoon of reading I headed back out again to hit the post office before it closed and then head to Walmart to pick up some photos. Walmart wasn't nearly as crazy as I'd expected, thankfully.
I hate that it gets dark so early. It's not even 6:00 but it feels so much later. I'm looking forward to two more relaxing days before the holiday season really hits.
Here I am sitting at home totally minding my own business and waiting for my sweet potatoes to finish cooking so I can go to Becca's. I casually glance out the window, and then do a double take, and then gasp out loud and run for my camera, because:
OH MY GOD THERE IS TOTALLY A 10-FOOT ALLIGATOR SITTING ON THE EDGE OF THE BAYOU ACROSS FROM MY APARTMENT!!
I went out to take a picture and one of my neighbors was out on his balcony inspecting it through binoculars. I've lived along this bayou for three and a half years and never seen one. I suppose I knew they were there, but I think I liked it better when I hadn't seen one. There is an alligator that lives near me. That is slightly unsettling.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Rich and I ran the Turkey Trot this morning up by the Galleria. I've run this race every year that I've lived in Houston (which is also every year since I started running, since I started running about six months before I moved here). Today was my 4th Uptown Turkey Trot. In 2002 and 2003 I ran the 5K, and last year they added the 10K. I did the 10K last year and repeated it today.
I saw both Cassie and Manny, but only during the race (and I missed Jen entirely -- such is life when the race draws more than a thousand people). I first saw Cassie right around mile 2 as she returned to the course from what looked like a port-o-potty break. ;) She jumped back into the race about 50 feet ahead of me. Then I saw both of them just after they'd passed the turnaround, and just before I reached it. Manny was a minute or two ahead of Cassie, who was a minute or two ahead of me.
Overall I had a good race, finishing in ~1:06:30 plus or minus a few seconds (I didn't start my watch exactly right). This is almost the exact same time I clocked in this race last year! Average heart rate was 189. My legs didn't bother me too horribly, though they were definitely tight and warranted a few walking breaks. More troublesome is the fact that now, an hour after finishing, my left Achilles is in some pain. It didn't start hurting until after the run. Hope it will be ok.
I love doing the Turkey Trot, and it's become a bit of a tradition for me. My only complaint is the course structure -- because both races finish finish in the same spot, and because the 5K started almost 20 minutes after the 10K, I had to run the last 2 miles while weaving my way around walkers, who had stretched across both lanes. I actually ran from mile 4.5 to 5.5 on the sidewalk; it was a bit removed from the road and thus was clear. Other 10K runners had the same idea. The race really needs some cones or volunteers stationed along the last mile and a half to encourage walkers to stay to one side of the road so that runners can get through. I doubt the walkers slowed me down by more than 20-30 seconds, but it was annoying.
Now that I've burned off my 600 calories for the day, it's time to replace them with lots of turkey, sweet potatoes, and pie! Mmmmm. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
It wasn't as cold as I'd expected last night when I went for a run after work, squeezing it in before the sun went down. I'd only brought a long-sleeve shirt so I was a bit warmer than I would have liked to be, but the run went ok anyway. I did 3 miles in 33:24 for an average of 11:08/mile. Average heart rate was 177. I did the first mile in 11:10, followed by a 2-minute walking break for the ol' burnin' legs, and then ran the rest of the way. The second mile (with walk break) was almost exactly 12:00, with the last mile being something like 10:14!
The good news is that while my legs hurt, they didn't hurt quite as much. And by the time I got to the third mile, they weren't bothering me too much. We're talking shades of pain here, but hey, slightly less pain is better than same old, same old! The most interesting thing to me is the last mile -- 10:14. And I felt pretty good, like I could have done another ~10:30 mile without a problem. I'm choosing to interpret this in a very positive way, just for the sake of my running motivation -- my cardio system seems to be recovering from the summer's lack of running and revving back into shape, but my legs just haven't caught up yet!!
The third mile is probably also the cause of the leg stiffness and slight soreness I had this morning when I got up. At least I know I was working hard! Today is more or less a day off, and tomorrow morning I'm running the Turkey Trot 10K. It'll be the first 10K I've done since my part of the 20K relay a month ago, so hopefully I can at least replicate that performance.
As my graphic design class comes to a close (our final project is a technical illustration; I'm trying to decide whether I want to draw my camera -- boring and unoriginal -- or something else; suggestions?) I'm trying to decide what class to take next semester. My options are two undergraduate classes, Photography I and Drawing for Non-Art Majors, and one graduate class, Web Design.
I'm allowed to take two undergraduate classes, so I'm leaning towards one of those. The web design class, though tempting, is basically a Dreamweaver class in the same way that my graphic design class has really been more of an Adobe Illustrator class. While I've enjoyed my graphic design class immensely and will certainly use all the Illustrator skills I've picked up, I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't cover more, well, graphic design. Nothing has been theoretical; everything has been applied. Then again, the name of the program is Applied Graphic Design so I suppose I should have expected as much.
Anyway, my point is that while I didn't know Illustrator before, I do know Dreamweaver fairly well. It's all self-taught, and there are certainly capabilities in the software that I'm unfamiliar with or don't even know about. But...I hesitate to take a class where at least the first half will cover things I already know. It'd be with the same professor, and he offered to make it into more of an independent study such that I do some work above and beyond what the rest of the class covers to challenge me. But I'm unsure.
So that leaves the other two. Drawing for Non-Art Majors and Photography. Either one would be good for me, I think. I haven't had a drawing class in years but taking one would certainly help with any graphic design stuff I do. And as much photography as I've been doing lately, I've never officially taken a class and I'm sure there would be things to learn.
Decisions, decisions.
In other news, I have stayed up far too late the past couple nights and I am tired. Hooray for it being a short week.
Final version. Thanks for all the comments. I saw the logo that another girl in my class created, and it was good but verrry similar to the three that have been used in the past and were given to us as examples. So when the powers that be make their decision, I guess they'll be deciding whether to stick with what they've done in the past or try something different. I'm the different option.
I'm looking for feedback on an extra credit project for my graphic design class. The idea is to design a logo for the local Dragon Boat Festival, and it's actually a competition. The winning design will be printed on brochures and t-shirts and such. The parameters are fairly limiting -- it has to be able to be reduced to a single color, which means even if I put all sorts of colors in, I'd lose them in printing.
Comments? Suggestions? I don't have too much more time to work with it, but as is my tendency with stuff like this, I'm feeling like something is missing. Here are a couple slightly different versions.
Same as above without the bulbous nose:
Same as the first but with no snake-ish tongue:
My training schedule for the weekend dictated 3 miles (plus soccer) yesterday, and 4 miles today. I'd planned to run after soccer and Harry Potter yesterday, but we were short a girl on the field and I played the whole game and I was wiped out. So I skipped my run, but this afternoon I did 4.5 miles following this route through Nassau Bay.
Nassau Bay is a great neighborhood (town?) to run through when I get the chance. I could (and have) actually run there straight from my apartment, but it makes me nervous to do so since it involves a very busy half-mile stretch of Nasa Parkway where there are no sidewalks. Houston is horribly lacking in sidewalks.
Anyway, Nassau Bay is pretty, with lots of trees and lovely houses and lakes and quiet streets with little vehicular traffic and lots of foot and bike traffic. I can run and people watch at the same time.
Today I did 4.5 miles in 50:27 for an 11:13/mile pace. Average heart rate was 176. I took two 2-minute walking breaks in the first two miles for my stupid, stupid legs. The following is an example of how my mental state progresses during a run like today's:
"Ok...start off easy...maybe today my legs won't hurt...maybe... Uh oh. There's a twinge. Yep, they're starting to hurt. Ok, well maybe today it won't be so bad....maybe.... Ok, it's bad. OW OW OW. What is wrong with my freaking legs?? I hate running! Why am I even bothering?? I'm so pathetic. I'm going to have to retire from running at the ripe old age of 27 because my damn legs can't handle it. I can't believe I signed up for the half marathon. I must be crazy. OW OW OW."
Obviously this is not a good state of mind, and it leaves me tired, frustrated, and wondering why I'm even bothering to try to run at all. By mile 3 today I was doing decently again and my legs had stopped their screaming, but the fact remains that while my legs continue to hurt, I have begun to dread running. I don't look forward to it anymore. I don't get excited about it. I just don't want to go.
Sigh.
In other news, I saw Cassie and Manny at this morning's Tulane School of Medicine 10K. They both had great races with Cassie finishing right at an hour and Manny a couple minutes ahead. I was at the finish line taking photos and wondered why they didn't finish together -- usually they do. After the race Cassie told me she'd had to stop to throw up!! (She's been sick all week.) But she seemed ok afterwards.
The race was well done from what I could tell, and the combination of Sunday morning timing and the 10K distance drew some top-notch runners including Sean Wade and Luis Armenteros (who finished 1-2 bang-bang).
It's a weekend of movies! Last night we saw Serenity at the dollar theater. (The dollar theater is actually $1.50. False advertising!) Then this afternoon we braved the crowds of kiddies and tweens to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. A few short thoughts...
+ Snape is woefully underused. I love Snape. I love how Alan Rickman plays him. I want more Snape. The few moments where he has a role, however, are fabulous.
+ Rupert Grint (Ron) is starting to look older than his character. The other two are still ok, but Ron looked older than 14.
+ Fleur wasn't quite how I pictured her. She was smart and beautiful, but she didn't...flounce...enough. She needed more flounce. More ooh la la.
+ The movie also needed more CRAZY GARY OLDMAN! Poor Sirius Black, limited to just a scene in the fire. I know he's not in the book much. Still sad though. I love Sirius.
+ I'm going to start walking around sighing like the girls from Beauxbatons (when they enter the school). It looks like fun.
+ While the boys are all getting, well, uglier or at least more awkward-looking, Hermione is turning into a total babe.
+ I like how Hogwarts keeps on randomly growing, and having new buildings added. There was some sort of aqueduct now. And the owl house was different. And some waterfall. Wherever Hogwarts supposedly is, it's beautiful and I want to live there.
+ My biggest complaint about the movie is something that, sadly, probably won't improve in the remaining films -- it's that there is just too much story to cram into a 2.5 hour movie. Everything feels rushed. Everything happens so fast. The movie jumps from plot point to plot point with little time to think.
+ The exception to the rush, thankfully, is the final scene. Voldemort (and Ralph Fiennes) is suitably creepy, and the pace slows down enough that you truly get to enjoy (though "enjoy" is probably the wrong word) the graveyard showdown.
As Cassie mentioned in the comments, pics from last weekend's 8.4K are available for viewing at Karen's site. (2658 running next to me in a couple is Cassie!)
Yesterday I had that pre-cold feeling. You know, the feeling that you are about to get a cold. Stuffy nose. Itchy eyes. Tingle in the back of your throat. I debated whether to press ahead with my planned 3-mile run, and in the end I did. It turned out to be a good thing, as it actually made me feel better for the rest of the evening. Of course today I'm back to pre-cold.
I ran the 3 miles in 33:46. The first mile was 11:00, second was 12:00 with 2 minutes of walking, third was 10:46 with 1 minute walking. Average heart rate was 174, max was 188. My legs hurt (hence the walking breaks to get them to reduce their screaming to a dull roar), but what's new?
Last night I did my second speed workout ever. (The first was a fluke that hadn't thus far been repeated.) There are a couple high school tracks around here that I could use, but the trail out at the Gilruth is actually very well-suited to 400-meter repeats. It is marked every quarter mile (i.e. every ~400 meters) and winds out along the back fence for a mile before hitting a fairly straight section where I can do the repeats by going back-and-forth before running the mile back to the parking lot as a cooldown.
So I headed out in the chill (The cold front finally came through! I am wearing a sweater today! A sweater! YESSSS!) to do a warmup mile in 11 minutes. My Achilles/shins started to hurt around the half-mile point and continued through my first 400 bit.
I ran the first 400 repeat straight out of the mile warmup (no pause) and did it in 2:05. My legs were still hurting. From there I walked the 400 meters back to my starting point at which point the pain had gone away and stayed away for the rest of the evening, returning only slightly when I did my mile cooldown back to the car.
This just begs the question: what about my running style causes this pain? It doesn't happen when I'm running fast, as in speedwork or soccer games. Thus I am forced to think that the pain has something to do with the fact that I am a plodder. A slow runner.
(Note to Cassie -- thanks for the email. I know I do a weird turn thing with my right leg, and I think that has something to do with the overuse injury still happening in my knee. The thing about the Achilles/shin pain is that it occurs equally in both legs. Strange.)
Anyway. Enough with me whining about my hurting legs. After the 2:05 repeat, the rest went as follows: 1:50, 1:50, 1:51, 1:53. Each was followed by a ~4-minute walk of the 400 meters back to my starting point. As I progress, I plan to start jogging those recoveries, I think.
My only question, and I'm sure the HRBers will chime in, is whether I'm doing my repeats too fast. Since I'm really a 10:00 miler at best (and currently more like a 10:45 miler), I think my 400-meter repeat time should be something like 2:15. I tried to look it up but can't find a working pace calculator at the moment.
Anyway, then I did a 10:45 mile to cool down. Total distance for the workout was 4.5 miles, total time was 52:16, average heart rate 167, max heart rate 228. I am a freak of nature -- according to theory, my heart should have exploded. Or something.
This morning my JPL counterpart and I gave our presentation to a huge room full of probably 200 people, including the Deputy Director of JSC and the Director of JPL along with many other managers and space policy movers and shakers. It was both the largest group I think I've ever spoken to, as well as the most distinguished. And I'm happy to say that it went really, really well!
I got many compliments on the presentation (people always say I speak well, but I rarely believe them) and I think our ideas were well-received. Now we shall see if we actually get funding for any of them, and if our collaborative efforts will continue...
After a hectic beginning of this week with the conference and visiting JPLers occupying my schedule, the next two days look to calm down nicely. I've set myself a goal of getting some significant reading done in my flight controller training, since according to the schedule I'll be sitting in the hot seat before the year is out. Exciting! But a bit scary as well. At this point, I could only do the job if someone were sitting right behind me telling me what to say. Which is probably how my first few sims will go! But that's how I learn, I guess.
3 miles, 34:46 = 11:35/mile
Average heart rate = 171
My training schedule said Tuesday called for 3 easy miles. And from the pace listed above, it certainly seems like the run should have been easy. Alas, it wasn't. The leg pain came back. Again. Annoyingly again.
At least the weather was good! I ran about half an hour after the long-awaited cold front blew through in a torrent of rain and lightning. It was still pretty windy outside, but the rain had stopped and the temperature had fallen to a lovely 62 degrees. With the slow pace, I never felt tired. I just felt pain.
And that's what I've got to fix, somehow. Is it possible that I have slight Achilles tendonitis? That's where the pain always begins, before migrating around to the front of my ankles as well. After getting new shoes a week and a half ago, I had two runs where my legs felt decent (including Sunday's 8.4K). But last night...not so good.
Maybe it's a strength thing. My next idea is to look up some exercises or stretches that will strengthen my ankles.
Randomly, the Chronicle had a story today about bats living under a bridge here in town, just after I presented my 4th project in graphic design class last night -- two pages of a children's book I made up about Bernard the Bat! Here are my two pages:
I'm not entirely satisfied with them -- just feel like something is missing -- but I guess they are decent.
This morning I had the chance to meet Dr. Griffin, the recently appointed NASA Administrator. He's been on the job for about 6 months now and is starting to really gather steam. He was in town to give the keynote address to open the American Astronautical Society conference that's happening today and tomorrow. I'm participating as a member of a joint JSC-JPL team that got together to talk about collaboration and the future. (Remember one of those trips to JPL in October? Yeah, this is the outcome of that.)
Anyway, this morning our JSC-JPL team of about 30 people sat down in a little room and chatted with Dr. Griffin, or Mike, as he prefers to be called. It was an interesting and enlightening conversation. We had the opportunity to ask real questions, and we had the opportunity to listen to him give real answers. I won't pretend that he was entirely forthcoming -- surely he is saavy enough to know how to correctly tailor his words to his audience -- but I think he was honest and forthright, and told us what he really thought. And I loved it. I love when people cut the crap and just say what they think.
I suppose we all have a tendency to tiptoe around managerial types because they are in the position of authority, and they have the ability to hire and fire. But really, what purpose does it serve? If you always beat around the bush because you're too scared to ask someone the real question, how can you ever expect to accomplish anything, or learn what you really want to know?
After all our work with the JPL folks talking about ideas for future collaboration, I wanted to know what the Administrator plans to do to facilitate it. Other people wanted to know what is to be done about our current lack of innovation. What are we going to do when we get back to the Moon that we didn't do during Apollo? How do we help NASA gain enough momentum that we don't get the rug pulled out from under us each time the Presidency or Congress changes hands?
So we asked Mike. And he answered. And he thought out loud. And he even vented a bit. I love it when people vent, makes them seem more real, and frustrated about the same things you are. Feels like you get their real opinion that way.
Some people were offended by some of his comments. I guess I probably could have been offended too, but I was too happy about hearing someone in a position of authority sound honest in his assessments of what's possible, and truthful in his ideas of what's not. At lunch, I told Gavin that if only I could have a pep talk from Mike every morning, maybe I could get excited about the space program again.
Our session is tomorrow morning. I get to speak in a room that will hold at least 300 people. It certainly won't be full, but I think it may be the largest room I've ever spoken in. Slightly intimidating, but not too bad.
I had a thoroughly enjoyable long Veteran's Day weekend with Carter visiting, but alas, he is now winging his way back to Atlanta until another three years pass and I convince him again that Texas is worth visiting. Or at least that I am worth visiting. ;)
When he arrived on Thursday night his suitcase threw up all over my living room floor. It sort of annoyed me all weekend, his stuff everywhere. Of course, now I am sort of annoyed that his stuff is not everywhere. Such is life. I love having visitors.
In between hockey games, multiple episodes of Firefly, and miscellaneous athletic activities (running and soccer), we relaxed and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. Or, rather, Carter enjoyed the warm weather while I complained about the humidity. Yesterday was HOT. After the 8.4K race in the morning, and getting a bit overheated there, I didn't cool down all freaking day.
This tends to happen to me after hot races -- I just seem to stay hot all day. I was hot at the race. I was hot sitting at Starbucks afterwards while waiting for Carter to get out of the morning service at Lakewood Church (I know, random). I was hot when we went flying with Becca (granted, the plane has no air, but still). I was hot playing soccer, even though I barely ran at all because the other team was so bad. I was hot when I went to bed last night and had to trade in my standard t-shirt for a tank top. When I woke up this morning, after turning the a/c down to 70 degrees but still wearing afore-mentioned tank top, I was finally cold. Ahhhhhh, glorious cold.
And yep, you heard it, yesterday Becca took Carter and me flying and there are photos in the gallery. It was fun, and we didn't die. :)
When the alarm went off at 5:25 this morning I almost rolled over and went back to sleep. I really didn't feel like driving downtown to run the Fleet Feet 8.4K. But Carter spurred me out of bed saying that yes, I did want to run, and off we went.
It was pretty hot and humid (note to the weather gods: I know it's Houston, but come on, it's November! Make it cooler already!) The race started off pretty well as I managed to keep myself going a bit slower than the sub-10:00 I started off with at the Marine Corps 8K two weeks ago. I passed through mile 1 in 10:20 and mile 2 in 20:40. I was trying to keep Jon in my sights as he slowly pulled away. Jessica was already long gone with her speedy self, and Holden and Buzz were still chillin' back at the start line waiting for the 25K to begin.
So I started with two consistent 10:20 miles...but unfortunately I knew that was probably too fast for me. I watched the lead runners (including Sam, who I finally met in person after the race) head back on the other side of the street and stopped to walk at the first water station just past mile 2 and that's when I turned to see Cassie running up from behind me. If Cassie's behind me, I was definitely going too fast -- because Cassie's faster than me! :)
She had a good pace going though, so we ran together for a while. As we made the turn to start the back half of the race and head back towards downtown, the first 25K runners started to pass us (they'd started 15 minutes after the 8.4K). Geez are those guys fast. Amazing.
Cassie and I passed through 3 miles in 31:30 and continued along together until ~3.5 miles when I finally needed another walk break. As I told everyone after the race, if it'd been a 5K it would've been my fastest time in months! ;)
Mile 4 was pretty rough, as I finally started to pay for going out a bit fast on a hot and humid day. I stopped several times to walk in 30-second spurts before finally running in the last 3/4 of a mile. I finished the 5.2-mile course in 56:07 for an average pace of 10:48/mile.
So after averaging 10:30 through 3 miles, I must've average more like 11:10 miles for the final 2.2. I felt pretty crappy at the finish line, and even a little nauseous, but that quickly went away. I wish I'd been able to keep up with Cassie (she finished 3 minutes ahead of me), but c'est la vie. I'm pretty happy with my run overall though, despite my pace being slightly slower than I did two weeks ago in DC. (Then again, the weather was much better for running in DC!)
All in all, it was a good race and I enjoyed seeing everyone. It's so cool that I know so many people in the running community now -- it really makes races even more fun. Up next for me is the Uptown Turkey Trot 10K on Thanksgiving, though next weekend I think I will be taking photos at the Tulane Med School 10K.
Last night I went to Walmart to pick up some photos only to find that the photo center had already closed for the night and all the photos were locked up. Boo. I consoled myself by picking up a $12 sewing machine and new socks. This is why Walmart is so successful, people. Where else can you get photos, socks, and a sewing machine?
I used my $12 sewing machine to make a bag for my headset. (Backstory -- flight controllers communicate with each other via headsets, little things that sit over your ear. When you get one, it comes with the headset and earpiece in a cheap little nylon bag. When I got mine, the bag was already falling apart, with half of the drawstring "tube" having come unstitched, and I didn't expect it to last very long.) It is very cool, even if the construction is rather shoddy due to, oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that I used a sewing machine that cost $12. The fabric is blue with shiny silver stars. It's from a piece of fabric I've had hanging around since I don't know when. I finally found a use for it.
I also went to the grocery store for the first time in a while, so I have food again just in time for Carter's visit. I'm glad he decided to come if for no other reason than it motivated me to finally clean up my apartment and restock the refrigerator. What are friends for? Heh.
I have a comfortably full weekend planned while he's in town. Tomorrow we are sleeping in. Well, I am sleeping in, and I don't really care what Carter thinks because I am a sleepy girl after this crazy week! Tomorrow afternoon we're going flying with Becca and I'm hoping to get some good aerial photos of Texas countryside. And not die. (Sorry, just had to say that to tease Becca.)
Sunday I'm running the 8.4K (one lap of the bigger event, which is the 25K). I have been horrible about running this week -- surprise, surprise -- but I am committed to the 8.4K. I also laid out a schedule the other day to get me through the nine weeks between now and the half marathon. It's go-time. If I want to run the half marathon on January 15, I have to start getting serious about training now. Houston Running Bloggers, I want you to start gently prodding me! I've put my proposed schedule online; it's basically a 9-week training program taken from Runner's World.
I know for a fact that the program will have to be fluid, with some runs happening on Wednesday instead of Thursday and that type of thing. But hopefully I can stick reasonably close to the schedule and distance and get it done. I don't have any illusions of finishing the half as well as I did two years ago (2:15) since I haven't been as committed to it. But I do plan to finish under 2:30.
Well mine's not nearly as fun as Becca's (I want to take over the world with evil robots too!) but ah well. Being good at anything ain't so bad either. ;)
| Your Birthdate: March 26 |
 Your strength: Your attention to detail Your weakness: You can be a little too proud of your successes Your power color: Turquoise Your power symbol: Arrow pointing up Your power month: August |
Last night I backseated my first real sim. I'm starting to train for a backroom flight control position -- ARD Support, or Abort Region Determinator -- and the first few weeks involve a lot of reading, and as much backseating as possible. Last night was a certification sim for one of the front room guys, so the cases were crazy. Multiple engine failures, helium leaks, launch holds, you name it. This morning Rich and Marc, the two experienced ARDs, expressed incredulity at the fact that I still even want to train for it after watching last night's sim.
My response? "Why would I be scared? I didn't know what the hell was going on -- I couldn't follow it closely enough to be scared!"
They laughed.
Two more quick ideas.
So I now have an old non-functioning DSL modem. Anyone know what I can do with it? Can I just toss it in the trash? Can it be recycled?
Most of the time I am really, really bad at returning email. I procrastinate. I put it off. It's just something my friends accept, or at least learn to live with.
In the middle of the whole Hurricane Rita evacuation, I got an email from my old high school friend Amanda making sure I was ok. I wrote her back to assure her that I was fine and in a safe place. After the city repopulated, I got an email from my friend Cayce, who had talked to Amanda and was now jokingly jealous that I had -- gasp -- actually emailed someone.
I got lazy and never responded to Cayce's email, of course.
I just got home and had another email from her. Subject line: "I'm pregnant. NOW will you email me back??"
"Ha, ha," I thought. "Yeah right. Though that would would be a clever way to get me to respond..."
I opened the email.
Cayce is pregnant!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Cayce and Dave are gonna have a kid!
Another idea for a Houston Running Bloggers logo. (The first is the old idea, the second is the new one.)
I have at least one more idea that I want to try tonight...
Also, I added a list of the upcoming races I plan to run in the sidebar. :)
Yet again, the weekend was too short.
On Friday afternoon I stopped by On The Run to pick up my packet for the 10K on Saturday morning. As I waited (the store was very crowded), I overheard the race director mention to someone else that they didn't have anyone to take photos. I couldn't help myself and piped up: "I take photos. I could do it for you."
And that's how I ended up taking photos Saturday morning instead of running the 10K like I'd planned. However, before anyone tsk-tsks me about ditching yet another run, I should point out that I wore running clothes and shoes and once the race was over, I ran the course on my own! I only did one loop, so I only did a 5K instead of the planned 10K, but that was more because I didn't have enough time for the whole six miles. It was a tough 5K. The sun was beating down, and it was icky humid. I ran it in a "leisurely" 35:36, and chased the truck picking up cones at the end.
OH! One thing was different -- I wore my new running shoes that I'd gotten Friday afternoon at the store. I looked back at my running notes and realized I hadn't had new shoes since February. Yikes! So I got re-sized and tried on four different shoes. After a couple years of running in the Mizuno Alchemy, I decided to shake things up and bought a pair of Brooks. They feel lighter on my feet than my old Alchemys, and while I still had leg pain during my Saturday run, it wasn't as bad. Hurrah.
It was hot this weekend. I know, I know, it is odd for me to be saying it was hot when it was "only" 85 degrees out. But last night after soccer, my hair was wet enough that I felt like I'd taken a shower. And when it's November, and you just had a week of glorious coolness after a long, sticky summer....well, a return of heat and humidity is unwelcome. I had to turn my air conditioning on for a bit just to de-humidify. Sigh.
Yesterday we went to see Wicked at the Hobby Center. Jen had been anxiously awaiting the day for months, and I had to laugh as she bounced in her seat as the lights went down. As for me, well, I thought it was pretty good. I hadn't listened to any of the music before, and some of it didn't interest me. But there were three or four good songs, and the story was interesting. The first act was far superior to the second, I think just because it's funnier. I was very impressed with the two lead actresses -- they were very good singers and they were "only" the understudies. (Sunday afternoon is understudy afternoon, apparently.)
Just before the musical, however, I discovered some very sad news. My point-n-shoot camera has finally bitten the dust. Died. Kaput. I opened the cover and no lens popped out. I tried to look at the photos and nothing. I changed the battery and tried again. Nothing. I shook it. And that's when I heard the tiny rattle of something loose inside. Sadness. Of course I'd been expecting the thing to die for months. It's been dropped many times, and a few months ago the zoom started acting flaky. Putting the battery in required a quick shove-and-shut-battery-compartment-door or else it'd pop back out again. The case is all dented and scratched. But it lasted through all that...only to die randomly on a Sunday.
Of course the silver lining is that now I get to buy a new camera. Hee hee.
I have a ton of things to get done this week before Carter comes to visit on Thursday including, in no particular order, grocery shopping, cleaning, and my next graphic design project (the children's book illustration). I'm also backseating two sims this week, which knocks out a good portion of Tuesday and Thurdsay evening. But I get Friday off work! Thank you, veterans.
Last night in softball I totally made a Lance Berkman-esque play. Or Albert Pujols-esque. Or Paul Konerko-esque. Oh, just pick your favorite first baseman.
Anyway, I totally scooped up the ball on the bounce as it was on its way back up and make the third out and saved a couple runs. I was so excited I couldn't even pretend to be nonchalant. I cheered for myself. Yay me.
In the bottom half of the inning we didn't score and therefore lost the game by 2 runs, but hey -- I made a good play. It made up for my crappy hitting. Afterwards I went to the batting cages with Jason and Debbie, where I hit ever so much better, as usual. Sigh.
I was at work until 7:30, just before the softball game, since I got in so late after waiting for the DSL man. There was something very peaceful about the office for the last couple hours, after everyone else had gone home and as the sky faded to black outside my window. It was quiet, and I just sat contentedly listening to my music. I often feel very unproductive in the mornings, but on the few occasions where I stay late, I always get a lot done. It's not that I'm not a morning person. I think it's just that my "peak productivity" time of day is late afternoon and early evening. Unfortunately for my work, I'm usually headed home by then!
I'll be running the Through the Brooks 10K tomorrow morning down here in Clear Lake. Anyone else out there planning to do it? If not, you at least have to run on Sunday -- it's World Run Day!
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way."
- Goethe
Turns out that all those "your computer needs ventilation" comments are actually true. My internet connection was fine; the modem was kaput. I had the modem underneath my wireless router, and it got hot, and that may be the reason it conked out. So I get to pay $159, $99 for a new modem and $59 for the guy to take 5 minutes to set it up, which I probably could have done myself. Sigh.
I am feeling too stupid for today's technology.
I went for another run last night. Same as Tuesday -- same route, same time, same pace, same pain. Grr. I made a conscious effort to start off at a slower pace (which means that I finished at a faster pace) to see if that helped "ease" my legs into it. They still hurt a lot, but may have hurt less than the night before. I'm not sure. It may have just felt that was because I wasn't in quite as foul a mood as I had been on Tuesday. Either way, I was forced to walk only twice instead of five times. So that's good. 3 miles, 35:03, average heart rate of 173.
La la la. My DSL connection is out -- first time I've had a problem with it in 3.5 years -- and so I'm at home waiting for the DSL fairy to come fix it. Anytime between 8 and noon. I hate waiting for service people. They better come today.
I could only get one weak and intermittant non-secured wireless signal in my living room, so last night I pulled the ultimate act of laziness -- I lugged the laptop into my bedroom, propped myself up against a pillow and turned it on to see if the unsecured signal would be any stronger in there. It is. I sat in bed and checked my email. And now I sit on the bed looking out the window at the sunshine and checking email again. This is nice. Someday maybe I can work from home.
We saw Cari's friend Will on Friday night for dinner in Washington. He works from home. I was jealous.
I didn't realize how much I relied on my internet connection until it went out. Feels like I'm missing an arm, or a leg, or something else vital. I'm sure I lived a perfectly fine life before internet, right? I just don't understand why it went out. They said there are problems on my line, but I haven't added anything new or changed anything. Perhaps there are little bugs that ate through my internet. Stupid bugs.
Some beautiful photos are on display at the BBC News site to vote on for favorite of the year.
Last night I felt completely ambivalent about running, but since I'd brought my clothes to work I went ahead to the Gilruth to do 3 miles on the newly repaved trails.
I'm in a rather unfortunate place with my running right now. My right knee continues to ache, not getting any worse but also not getting any better. Add to that a wicked burning sensation in my ankles and legs that lasts for at least the first mile and a half. Put those two together and I am not a happy runner. GAAAAAH. It shouldn't be that painful to run. And I don't know why it is. And it makes me not want to run anymore.
With ample walking breaks to attempt to ease the burning, I did 3 miles in 35:00, or 11:40/mile. My average heart rate was only 172 -- that is low for me, which indicates how much walking I really did. A bunch.
I want to run again, and I want it to be fun again, and I want it to be not painful again. At the moment, it is neither fun nor painless and that frustrates me immensely.
I'm calling the orthopedic doc again today. I want to go back about my knee, and perhaps he can give me advice about the burning ankles as well. And I'm gonna try another short run tonight. I have a full calendar of races I plan to do between now and Christmas, and I want to be able to do them and still feel good.
Tracy was back at work yesterday after being gone for two months of maternity leave. I found out today, as she talked about how expensive it is to get nice photos of her new daughter, that her husband Arthur reads my blog. I've never met Arthur, but according to Tracy he is blog-addicted.
Hi Arthur!
Last night I added a few albums to my photo gallery, including snapshots from the second of my two trips to JPL and from this past weekend's trip to Washington DC. Be warned -- neither gallery is all that interesting. But the photos are there. Oh, and the DC photos consist of exactly two things: the Air and Space Museum and the Mall. If you don't like airplanes and spacecraft, you won't like my pictures!
I doubt there was much trick-or-treating going on in Houston last night. As I left work around 5:30 it started to pour down rain, in wind-blown sheets, and there was lightning everywhere. This continued at least through 7:00, when I went to class. By the time I got out at 9:00 it had stopped, so hopefully some kiddies got to go out later.
Our next assignment for class is to come up with a story for a children's book (any age group) and illustrate a page from it. Not a cover or title page, but one of the inner pages. I have a few ideas swirling around my head including re-illustrating a page of a story I wrote when I was in 3rd grade about a goose that couldn't fly (Mom is mailing me the book I wrote and illustrated then), writing a new story about Bernard the Bat who lives in Carlsbad Caverns and illustrating the bats flying out of the cave, and writing an educational story about the next Mars rover and illustrating it comic book-style.
After last night's storm it is beautiful outside today. Wish I were outside instead of in here...
