Busy, busy, busy

The weather has been great, temps in the 40s at 5 am. I've been getting out early most mornings (later in the day on weekends) for a run, feeling pretty good while I'm out there. I'm in the long-term, base mileage phase right now, looking ahead to next summer/fall.

I've been pretty busy lately, a lot of work, lots going on at home. My wife is now working a split shift, which makes it easier for her to put in a full 8 hours, and gives her some time during the day to go to doctor's appointments, take care of her father etc. She works 9-2 and 7:30-10:30 now. She asked if she could work the split shift three days a week, but was told that it was every day, take it or leave it. So Friday nights are now shot.

My daughter's report card came home last week. Entirely Bs and As, with the comment "late work hinders performance." In other words, if she would hand in the homework on time, she would have better grades. Arrrgh. Just like her father.

My siblings and I will soon have to start "helping" my parents clean out their cellar. They've lived in the same house for 40 years, and have accumulated quite a bit of crap during that time. In the past, attempts to clean the cellar have been dismal failures which resulted only in moving the crap around. Now my mother's eyesight is failing, and she soon will be unable to drive. She wants to be able to walk to the grocery store and to Mass, both of which would be difficult, if not impossible, in their present location. In addition, at their present location, they have almost half an acre of grass which needs to be tended from April to October, and my father isn't getting any younger. A smaller lot and a smaller house would probably be best for them both. They're looking in their area and also in our neighborhood. There are some areas in our town where they would be able to walk to Mass and to the store. If they wanted to go to a Kosher grocery, there's one just around the corner from the church, about a quarter mile away.

Nice Morning

It was beautiful this morning--about 55 degrees, although a little damp. I broke out the tights last week, and I was wearing them today, but I should have been in shorts, it was so nice. There's a group run at the local Fleet Feet next Friday (the 24th) at 7 am --they're calling it the Black Friday Fun Run. It's a day off from work for me, but 7 am on a day off may be difficult, and it will be my 24th wedding anniversary. I don't know what we'll be doing that night.

Whoops, gotta go. I have to catch my bus before too long. Maybe I'll be able to get some computer time later.

been gone

I've been away quite a while—it's been almost a month since I last signed on. Between my wife's recovery, a nagging Achilles Tendon injury and several other things that have been happening over the last month, my running has tapered off, but not stopped completely. Now comes the long winter training season. This (November-December) is actually the toughest part of the year for me. The sun comes up after I get to work, the sun goes down before I get home. The darkness combined with the almost constant overcast makes me tired all the time. I'm considering running in a new year's day race this year (or next year) I've never done that, and it would be a good way to start the year.

I saw my doctor recently. My migraine came back three times over the summer, when I usually get one every 18 months or two years. I thought that with the sudden increase in the frequency, it might be a good thing to see a doctor about it. There's nothing unusual, probably just stress. On the other hand, I did test high for cholesterol. Just a little bit high in the LDL.

Whenever my kids have schoolwork troubles—problems doing their homework or whatever, I call my parents and apologize for what I did to them. Over the summer, when I was putting in 30 miles in a bad week, I've got high blood cholesterol. It must be hereditary. I think maybe somebody owes me an apology now.