Weather change

I'm not sure what happened to the weather.  It looks like we might get a respite from the over 100 degree days we have come to accept as the regular temperatures we have had the past month...month and a half.  My weather widget is telling me it is a mere 58 degrees right now.  It is only supposed to reach 90 for a high.  That is a huge difference from the 100 to 105 degree days we have come to know and love.  It's almost winter weather!  It's an entire 10 to 15 degrees less than our current normal!
We had a cooler evening last week.  It wasn't nearly the cool temperature we are having now but everyone was sitting outdoors (not just me) and talking about how it felt so nice and cool.  It actually did feel cool even though it must have been all of 92 degrees.
So is everything just a comparative perception?  If we build ourselves up to be able to handle more than we ever thought, do we appreciate that we really need less to make a difference?  Is it just being made to take notice when we realize we are able to get through tough situations and appreciate going through it all when the toughness has past?  I am looking forward to having a week of 90 degree highs.  I would have accepted the 100 degree days if that what was going to happen but can appreciate the weather difference.  Or is it just being made to take notice of surviving the difficult, to appreciate even a mild change for the better?
Wait...I'm only talking about the weather, right?
TT   

Labor Day

Woo-wee! What a day! After all the activities from yesterday I awoke late. Very late for me. It was probably close to 7:45am. By the time I had coffee and wrote a bit it was even later, like after 10:00. At that point I had to decide about my run. I needed to shake the cobwebs from my brain or was that just the effects of a few too many Heinekens the night before? Either way, the weather was so perfectly gorgeous outside I ate a banana and decided to go out for at least 4 miles - no matter the cause of my fuzzy headedness.
It really was a beautiful morning. The temperature somehow, someway, decided to stay a nice 79 degrees even well after 10:00am. There was a wind blowing and I don't think I broke a sweat until mile three which is extremely unusal for me. I reached mile four and didn't feel like stopping yet. I went ahead and made it a full seven miles. Not too shabby considering the fuzzy head and all.
About the time I had showered and cleaned up, I got a call from Dante. He wanted to get together to talk cookie pricing and product costs. We knew we needed to get accurate costs to see if our pricing was in line so he came over and we went out together to purchase more packaging supplies and ingredients. We came back home with receipts in hand and spreadsheets before us. We converted everything into measurable amounts, figured formulas to calculate different factors and came up with costs for all six cookie varieties, with and without different packaging. It was well past 5:30 when we finished but it turned out to be a very productive day.
Then I needed to clean up the kitchen, write up a few checks to go out for Jay's shop and well, write a bit more. So now it's half past 8:00pm and I am shutting down to go read for a while. I can't say I didn't get a lot done and I feel pretty good about it all. Woo-wee!
They don't call it labor day for nuthin'!
TT

Manhattan Clam Chowder

When a pregnant woman has a craving you try your best to get her what she wants.  At least I thought I would try to help out.  Sonny (my oldest son) and Selma got married early this year and yes - she is five months pregnant.  (Congratulations!  We are all so happy)!  Selma and I had exchanged a few e-mails earlier in the week about her wanting seafood and her and Sonny finding a new seafood restaurant that was good but it didn't have the soup she had been wanting.  She said Sonny was going to try to make it this weekend and we should get together.
It turned out the conversation was never settled and there were a string of confusing conversations between everyone in the family that sounded like some silly 30 minute comedy show on television.  I mentioned it to Jay, he mentioned it to Dante, Dante talked to me, Dante talked to Sonny, Sonny called Jay, Dante called me and we finally got together yesterday here at our house.  Jay told me Selma wanted Manhattan Clam Chowder.  That seemed to be the soup she was craving.  Okay, I thought.  I've done that before.  So I actually found some great Cherry Stone Clams!  I got 2 cups of water to boil and added them in for a 4-5 minute steam bath.  I might have left them a tinge too long but they were fully opened when I fished them out of the pot.

I left the water in the pot to settle while I got my vegetables cut. I crisped some bacon pieces in a pan and set aside.

After adding about a tablespoon of the bacon drippings into the tall saucepan I added the crisp bacon and the onions, then garlic. After 1-2 minutes I added the celery and carrots and let them sweat for about 5 minutes. Then I added the potatoes and poured in all the water from the steamed clams into the tall saucepan. I left a small amount of liquid at the bottom where some grit had settled. I added oregano and bay leaves and let the potatoes cook. I went back and minced my clams (not too small) and added them into the pot once the potatoes were ready.

At this point the soup was pretty much done. I covered the saucepan and let the flavors meld while I cut up a bagette, brushed it with olive oil and grilled it for some crunch. They made the perfect dipping tool for the Manhattan Clam Chower.

Everyone seemed to like it.

Then the questions was asked of Selma, "Is this the soup you were craving?" She admitted it wasn't. There was a different seafood soup she was thinking about that had shrimp and fish and scallops and octopus... I don't have a recipe for that one! So, in any case, it got us all together and as far as the soup cravings, we all decided we would wait to take on another soup when it was much, much less than 100 degrees outside.

The meal and the great company went on from there.  And as far as a pregnant womans cravings I tried to help out!  It's not my fault the rumour mill didn't get me the accurate information!      

TT

New running shoes

I finally went out and did what I should have done many months ago.  I bought a new pair of running shoes.  Truthfully, I am soooo not sure why I put it off in the first place.  I certainly know better.  I knew I had an excess of over 600 miles on those old shoes when I usually replace them by the time they get between 300-500 miles.  And yet this time I let it go so long I've probably damaged a toenail and am mildly suffering through some foot soreness in the way of blisters and really, really bad callouses.  Really bad this time, yes.  Not my normal rough, tough skin on the bottoms of my feet kind of callouses but callouses on callouses. 
But no more.  That's done.  I can now retire my old Brooks Launch.  They served me well...

I can now look forward to slip-sliding away in my brand new updated Brooks Launch.  I didn't realize after trying on five different pairs of running shoes that I would prefer the Brooks yet again but they certainly felt the best on my feet.  They just wrapped around them like a hug.  Isn't that what everyone wants?  Okay, maybe hugging my feet aren't something anyone would want to do but Brooks doesn't seem to have a problem with it so I'm in good shape.  I will be in even better shape wearing these..

Just a little flashier on the colors but I have no control over that.  So, Brooks Launch it is!
Happy running!
TT

 

Not so puny

I have just now managed to crawl away from home.  Here it is already noon and I started out by slapping the pavement and going out for a 7 mile run.  I had hopes of possibly making it 9 but I became quite aware after I hit mile five that seven was the max I would be able to go today.  Ouch!  I wasn't kidding about needing new running shoes!  I had already bandaged two places on my feet and still I was feeling the effects of not having the proper running shoes.  I am getting blisters and as much as I hate to admit it I might just lose the toenail on my left big toe.  Yep.  It's slightly sensitive and it seems to be turning purple.  Not a good sign.  I've had this before but it's been a long time.  So no matter how I might want to put off buying new running shoes I really can't put it off any more. 
So then after the run I knew I needed to get myself something to eat since I have a tendency not to be hungry after a workout but will crash if I don't eat.  I have just finally managed to drag myself out of the house and get myself a small coffee and whole grain bagel at Panera Bread.  It seems to have helped because I admit I was feeling very puny.  I am taking advantage of their free wi-fi and hitting this keyboard as I munch away.  I've also put together the beginnings of a grocery list and should grab those few things before heading home again.  I know, I know.  The running shoes.  Maybe after the grocery store I will go ahead and make my way to the store and try on some new shoes.  Then I can pick up a running belt with a water flask.  I have been wanting to get one of those for a while now and I might as well make the time now. 
Oops.  That was the last of my bagel.  Guess I'm good to get going now!  Later.
TT
 

Hour early

What could be better than a Friday before a long weekend? How about leaving an hour early on a Friday before a long weekend. That is what I will be doing today. I will be able to get my three day weekend started an hour early and I am already looking forward to it. I know it isn't much but it can make a difference in a long, lonely day when most people have decided to take the entire day off. It can get rather lengthy but I will manage to cut that lengthiness a little shorter by doing this. I knew it would be a good idea.
I plan on hitting the gym right after I leave work. I am looking forward to that, too. Yes. I am actually looking forward to it. I had a slight calibration problem with my sensor yesterday. It didn't seem to be clocking my miles accurately. I knew something was way off when the treadmill stated I had ran 5.5 miles and the sensor only gave me credit for 4.3. I know they don't always agree but this was more than a mile difference - which in turn affected my recorded speed since it used the total time for less miles. Ah, the joys of nike+. I'll be using it again today and see if it doesn't straighten out. I don't seem to have this problem when I run outdoors. But maybe it's just time to replace the sensor. I could do that during my long weekend, couldn't I?
TT

Notice this

I have been going back and forth with Nike+ by email.  I am having a problem with the fact that they will send me a notification that a challenge I am in is ending soon.  That isn't the problem.  I have actually set up my preferences for it to do that.  It should be sending me a notification whenever a challenge is ending or I am getting close to the end of a goal I have set up.  That is the way the site is supposed to work.  I should be getting these notifications and I am getting notifications.
So you are asking, "what's the problem?"
Hopefully, you might be able to understand it better than the support person at Nike+.  I am getting notifications, yes, but they are NOT for challenges I am participating in.  Is that hard to understand?  Somehow, somewhere, something has been crossed and I have received notifications for two challenges I am NOT participating in and not the three challenges I AM participating in.  What happened to the notifications I should have received and why am I getting random notifications for others?  Sounds like there is a problem and that's why I contacted Nike+ support. 
I have been spending the past couple of mornings trying to get my nice, polite support person to stop trying to brush it off as if I didn't know what I was talking about and figure out why this is happening!  He finally sent me a note today saying...oh...I see two notifications you received for challenges you are not participating in!  Well, duh!  Isn't that what I told you in my very first e-mail?
So now I am needing to wait since he explained it would take some research and he didn't have an ETA on a resolution.  I'll give him a little time but he ain't getting off the hook that easy.  I know how to follow-up.  At least it hasn't affected my run stats.  How about 100.7 miles total in August? 
TT