Springtime is on its Way

After months of dreary rain and even - snow! - in London, I am finally starting to see signs that springtime is on its way. When the calendar wanes from February toward March, I know that there are just a few more weeks to the season change. Sure, we'll have more rain. But it will be a warm rain.

The blessing of buds on trees and the bulbs starting to sprout in gardens lifts my spirits on daily walks through the City.

The promise of new life and new hope. No wonder springtime is my favorite time of year.

Monday Morning Headache

I crawled out of bed reluctantly today. I was aware of my Monday morning headache before I even sat up. Now I'm here in the office just trying to keep my head up and get through the day. I hate Mondays. It is overcast and dreary at the moment, which doesn't help my mood. My head hurt too much for me to go for my morning run and I hit the snooze button one too many times.
I wonder how many other people suffer from the Monday morning headache or the Sunday evening stomachache. I remember reading once that Monday morning is the most common time to have a heart attack. The constant stress of our busy lives cannot be denied and the end of the weekend is something we all seem to dread.

On the bright side, I know this is simply a stress headache, and not a migraine or the start of new daily persistent headache. A couple of Aleve and it will ease up. Tomorrow I will wake up with out it.

In an attempt to distract myself from my Monday morning headache and cheer myself up a bit, I found this old Garfield episode.

Garfield's Monday Misery



Have you ever had a Monday morning headache? Stomachache maybe? A panic attack over the reality of another work week? I know that I am not alone in my dislike for Mondays!

Gotta Run

Some people in the 70s thought it was just a craze, but now you can see people everywhere out running. I live about 8 blocks from Central Park. Not only do I love to get my exercise in by running through the area (never after dark, of course), but it is a tremendous people-watching opportunity! As I am currently training for the New York City Marathon, I have gotten more diligent about my runs. Less than a month to go now, and I'm off to complete 26.2 miles! Um.... with about 100,000 other runners.

Adam is quite supportive of my goal, although I don't picture him out running - he is too busy on the computer. I've half joked with him that he should fly to New York and cheer me on. So far, he hasn't bitten. Maybe if I let him "borrow" my Apple Macbook during the run. HA!

So, I'm following a marathon training program recommended by Hal Higdon. Generally, I go out 3 times a week during the work week for 45-60 minutes (about 6-8 miles). On the weekends, I go for a long run - anywhere from 12-22 miles, depending on the week. My last long run before the marathon is next weekend. After that, I need to tail down before November 2! I have a friend on the West Coast that is running her first marathon this weekend. We're going to compare notes after her finish at the Portland Marathon.

As I cruise through Central Park, I imagine myself crossing the finish line of the marathon. My iPod is my constant companion, and I love to distract myself from the monotony of long miles by classifying the other road warriors that I pass. Here's my tally from yesterday:

Moms working off post-baby weight: 9
Men working out for a new girlfriend: 3
Anorexic/exercise bulimics: 4
Someone who just lost his job: 1
'Roid users: 2 (maybe 3)
True competitors: 6
Trying to stop smoking: 2

Of course, I classify myself as a "true competitor." We'll see what next month brings...

Gary Larson's The Far Side - Classic American Funnies

Eve here again... I have been communicating with Adam recently and the topic of American versus British humor (or is it humour?) came up. While I am a big fan of Monty Python, I generally find jokes from the U.K. to be pretty dry and even boring. So, I told Adam about my favorite cartoon here in the states: Gary Larson's The Far Side. While Mr. Larson is no longer publishing these hilarious drawings, The Far Side had a long, 14-year run in newspapers that featured his single-pane funnies. Like any good fan, I've done my research. Gary Larson grew up in Washington State and started publishing The Far Side in the early-1980s. Larson's scientific background can be seen in many of his cartoons which often poke fun at silly scientists, as well as animals (cows and chickens are a big favorite), married people, and stupidity in general. That may be why I love Gary Larson's work so much.... stupid people drive me nuts!

There are hundreds upon hundreds of Larson cartoons in publication, and you can also find books and other products (my favorite is a day-by-day calendar). I'm going to get The Far Side Gallery and send it over to Adam as a thank you gift for all the help he's giving me with my online promotion. I hope he gets a good laugh! Gary Larson's jokes definitely cross cultural lines ....

I'm NOT a PC

Hello again - its me, Eve. I introduced myself back in July and told you about my infatuation with Adam. He is still dreaming about a MacBook, and I am still enjoying my writing and online publishing with a little piece of Apple heaven. Do I sound like I'm gloating? hope not. It's just that I've been so happy with my purchase of a MacBook notebook earlier this year. Things are so much faster and easier - and fun with my Mac!

I hope I don't sound like a commercial, but the features of the Macbook are nothing short of amazing. My Apple is so fast with its Intel Core 2 Duo processors, and has a ton of memory (2GB is standard!) I love the built in AirPort Extreme, allowing me to get wi-fi connected in so many places. I am sitting in a coffee shop right now, enjoying a strong cup while I blog away... When I'm not writing, I use my Macbook to edit photos with its amazing iPhoto applications. With a few clicks here and there, I can adjust exposure, straighten out a crooked shot and deepen colors. I feel like a professional! Oh, and don't get me started about the ease of uploading new songs to my iPod. When I'm not writing or blogging, you'll find me running - my favorite form of exercise. Its hard to log the miles without some energizing tunes.

As an author at Wikipedia, I am finding it much easier to publish articles ("wikkies") with my new Mac than with my old PC. Finding and uploading photos and videos is so slick. With the speed and memory of the Macbook, I have been able to download lots of new plug-ins for my ISP (thanks for all the tips, Adam!), which help with promotion of my articles. But maybe I like the Mac OS X Leopard the best. I can search across all applications on my laptop at once. Much slicker than Windows Vista. Lots of cool features with Leopard make my time using my Mac "wildly" productive (please excuse the pun).

Finally, there is the cool factor. Macs just rule! Looking around the coffee shop, I see several envious patrons eyeing my laptop. Not to mention poor Adam across the pond in London! I'd better get back to doing my "real" work now... I'll post more about my awesome Macbook later!