Monthly Archives: November 2008

It has been nearly a month since I left FHI to work full time on Sparkleize.

How do my days go now? I decide for myself what each day will bring. Nothing stands in my way of doing the things I like to do. Mostly, my days consist of running, doing yoga or lifting weights at the YMCA, blogging, Sparkleizing, and buzzing around town doing errands.

I feel more productive than before. This morning I did some very satisfying light handy work – thanks to my ever-increasing prowess with the electric drill – and folded a mountain of laundry. The garbage is on the curb, the bills are paid, and the dishwasher is running. I feel a new kind of satisfaction and sense of mindfulness with each daily activity, even with the most mundane of tasks.

I am also totally looking forward to being a mom. I want my priorities to change, my paradigm to shift. I’m always imagining what I’ll teach our kid and how we’ll interact when we pick her up from school or when we’re all getting ready for bed. Clinton and I are excited about establishing new family traditions and experiencing that messy, (and often) delightful kind of chaos that comes with having a child at home.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

In our 14-member Fartleker gang this weekend, we had six marathoners and four half marathoners, plus four of the best marathon spectators on Earth!

Here’s part of the gang at Mamma Zu Italian restaurant the night before the marathon:

Early morning darkness before the race:

A picture of our disposable timing chips:

30 minutes to start time and getting a bit nervous now. Here are the four marathoner ladies (two marathoner men not included):

10 minutes to start time. Posing for the “Ready, set, go!” The six Fartleker marathoners – Hadley, Catja, Ken, Crystal, Pat and Peter:

A good luck hug:

Besides our own Fartleker signs, my favorite ones I saw along the course were, “If you haven’t puked yet, you probably won’t!” and “Your feet hurt because you’re kicking so much ass!”

Here’s the BEST SPECTATING TEAM ON EARTH – Rachel, Clinton, and Leslie:

Crystal at mile 6. Piece of cake!

Crystal at mile 13. No problem at all!

Crystal at mile 19. Still doing great, but getting just a teeny bit tired now.

Crystal at mile 25.5 [Exhaustion + happy to be near the end + overload of endorphins = Elation and choking up with emotion, making it hard to breathe!] Only 0.7 miles to go. Bring it on home, baby!

Fartleker victory! Shown here are our 4 half marathoners and 4 full marathoners – Kay, Rochelle, Pat, Julia, Kitty, Crystal, Catja and Hadley.

Time for a shower, lots of pizza with friends, then the Discovery channel and Chinese food in bed!

Disappointment.

Dear Library,

I’m trying to read through and comprehend the Web pages on your site related to downloading e-books. Many, many pages and they are confusing.

Do I understand correctly that if I have a Mac and an iPhone, I cannot utilize the downloadables from the Durham County Library System? I certainly hope not! Please tell me I’m wrong.

Thank you,
Crystal

—

Dear Crystal,

Unfortunately, this is true. The issue is with Apple and their proprietary software. Agreements have to be made between Apple, our downloadable vendor, Overdrive, and the individual publishers in order for us to have access to titles in the iTunes format.

Also, the software used by Overdrive is not currently available for use by Macs. We have been told that there will be a Mac version soon. Once that is available, you will be able to listen to titles on your Mac or burn (select titles) to a CD.

Library Webmaster
Durham County Library

You have not truly lived until you have experienced the colors of the North Carolina countryside in early November.

Yesterday I went on a long bike ride through the Orange County dairy lands. I average 14 mph on long, hilly rides like these, so I was a bit slower than the rest in the group, and it was just me and my thoughts for 40 beautiful miles. That suited me just fine.

It was sunny 55-degree day. Red and yellow leaves swirled around my wheels. The scenery was way better than TV. I passed tired old tractors and barns full of straw bales and sleeping baby cows; fields with rounds of hay shaped like jelly rolls; donkeys and goats; rocking chairs on sagging porches. The wind was cold, but for all the hills my quads were in a perpetual (a delightful!) state of burn. Gourmet peanuts and a Clif Bar kept me going. I pedaled and pedaled until the shadows stretched over the road. Finishing the ride alone was a quiet victory.

Afterward, sushi never tasted so good!

I have been wanting an Obama yard sign for the past year and finally got one today, the day before the election. For the first time I own a house and a piece of land in the USA, and now there is something I really want to stand up for. Yes, I am a land owner, taxpayer and voter, and I advertise my political opinions right there in my front yard. I felt a lot of patriotism and personal pride when I stuck those little metal sign rods into my flowerbed today.