Tragedy is Upon Us...

Yes folks, you read correctly. We have been struck a major blow here in Speedy Creek. My automatic espresso machine has gone down. I have found a place in a city 5 hours away to 'have a look' at it. I just so happen to be going to said city this weekend so pray for us that a resolution can be found quickly. You can expect that the friends dropping by for coffee will sharply decline in the coming weeks so I am frantically trying to come up with a new lure. I will keep you posted...

Did my speedwork today plus an extra mile because I was so inspired by Britney Spears and Kylie Minouge. Way to go girls. I am seriously getting desperate with the music these days. I am hoping my new computer will be making it's appearance soon. Then I promise to cease all complaints about my music supply as I will be taking responsibility for my own happiness in that area. (But only in that area)

My little kid is getting ornery at the drop of that hat these days. I hope this weekend at Granny's will give me an opportunity to do some shopping. Here is my list of current obsessions:
Rock & Republic jeans
Black puffy coat (a bit late in the season, I know)
Chariot bike trailer
LuLu Lemon running hoodie
Margarita salt

That should do it.

Tomorrow is swimming, playgroup, groceries. I think I will make chicken enchiladas tomorrow for dinner. They take a while but my BBF Dean is worth it.
Ciao, R

The hockey game was a treat on Friday night. My little kid stayed quiet and happy for the first period then got a bit antsy. Before any major embarassment could ensue, we left.

Did my tempo run on Saturday morning and then spent the rest of the day and Sunday eating and generally mistreating my body. We went to a little party on Ssturday night and had a fun time chatting with some neighbors that we only see zooming past our house but have never met.

Sunday, today, was a total write off and now I am having guilt. It does happen to be the only day off from working out that I have had since last Sunday but I feel lazy. I also have not left the house and eaten much more than normal. I was hungry all day.

I am watching 'The Upside of Anger' and Joan Allen is amazing. She reminds me of my friend Iriss. Very poised, intelligent, beautiful and classy.

Tomorrow is back to work for us. Swimming, maybe a coffee with Shatsky and more little kid stuff. I think I bug her sometimes because I try to kiss her all day. She is so cute, can't help it.
Ciao,r

Wish Me Luck

I am taking my little kid to her first hockey game. It should be either entertaining or hell on earth. She had a 2.5 hour nap this afternoon so at least she will be ready for action. She might hate the noise but I need to try and get her there. Who knows? Maybe she will love it.

BBL. r

Success

Stocked up on candy at 7-11 before I picked up the little kid at daycare. We were in the car with no problems and at home with nary a whine. Now she is so hopped up on gummy coke bottles that she won't likely eat dinner until 7! That's okay though, I didn't want to go through another frenzy like yesterday. We will work on manners and obedience tomorrow.

Did my 10 miles today and it was.....long. My legs, hips and neck are sore already. What are the chances BFF Dean will give me a massage tonight? I would be on a half-hearted rub down if I were you. Some really old tunes got me though the miles though, thanks go out to the Backstreet Boys and Lauren Hill.

Tonight some TV watching and relaxing is in order. My poor BBF Dean has been working so hard lately, maybe he should get the massage.
Ciao, r

Canada Sucks

Way to go boys. Pfttttt.

Nice day off today. Went swimming and then picked up some groceries. Made a yummy Cajun Caesar salad for lunch and then watched the Canadians tank. Thank God for the women in these games, we are really responsible for most of the medals.

My little kid sure doesn't adjust well at home after daycare. She had a total meltdown again in the basement when we got home. I don't know what the deal is but it sure is frustrating. Maybe she is over stimulated or something. She is going again tomorrow so maybe I will try to head off a tantrum with some candy. Bribing is my specialty.

Tomorrow I hope to do a ten miler. I think it will be best to get it over with when I am alone so that I can play the music really loud and not bother everyone. Plus, it will be nice to have it over with rather than dreading it all day Friday. I have to do 5 anyway so what is another 5?

BFF Dean has some coupons for Teen burgers at A&W. Maybe we can have that for lunch on Friday? I don't know why I am excited about coupons because I don't even like Teen burgers. I like Mama burgers. I think I am just looking for an excuse to have a binge. If I can get onion rings too I am in for sure.

ciao, r

Hola

I didn't post yesterday because BFF* Dean was trying to clean up my computer and see if it runs any faster. I think it helped a bit but I may be getting a new one soon!
*best friend forever for those of you curious and in case you had made up your own version. One creative reader thought is was something quite off the mark.

Parents were here and so they baby-sat while I ran to the pool and picked up some lunch items. Even with no encumbrances (little kid) I still only managed to get in 1200m. I thought I could do a mile but my new goggles were really hurting my head! I tightened them up and for the first half they were good but then the pressure started. My goggle face lasted half the day as usual. I guess I have a funny shaped head or eye sockets or something.

Today I was scheduled to do my speed work. Ouchie Momma! It was very hard today. The plan was 1 mile warm up - went very nice, 4x1600m sprints - holy moly this was hard. My hammy's felt like they were going to snap and roll up into my butt. My legs burned almost from the start. Took a 2 min walk in between and that seemed like 20 seconds. Wrapped it up with a 1 mile cool down which made me feel like I was floating. I got in a bath, lunch and a few mins of me time before the little kid woke up so it was a very productive morning.

After that things came to a grinding halt. The afternoon dragged for.. like...ever. I really can't wait for it to warm up so we can go for longer walks after her nap. I hate being boxed up like a recluse. Part of my problem is that going to the mall or even for coffee at McD's seems so hard lately. My kid is sort of ornery at times and I have to present everything is such a way that she thinks it is her idea. And, it is never her idea to leave the fun and get strapped into a carseat. I will take some of the blame too though, up until last month she has been so good and easy so I am rebelling I suppose. Let's see who can outwit who. It is a new game called Survivor: Parenthood.

A potential goldmine of a business idea has also come to a halt, but hopefully it isn't dead yet. I was really excited about it too. Why is our government run by such fukwits?

Ciao, r

Weekend

My parents arrived today and brought the little kid tons of gifts. Mostly clothes and little things. She is very excitied and saying all sorts of new things. She likes to dance and show off, it is quite cute. She was very tired and went to bed right after they left to go watch the hockey game. I am very tired myself. I got in my long run this afternoon. I think 8 miles is the longest I have run on a treadmill. It gets really boring, especially when my music sucks, have I mentioned that lately?

So now that the run is over I will take tomorrow off and relax. Made a spinach & gouda Strata for breakfast tomorrow. I am not sure how that will go over as I have never tried it before. What could be bad about cheese & eggs baked with bread cubes? Probably fry up a mess o'bacon too!

Off to finish my book club selection. So far so good.

Ciao, r

Now it's Cold

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday because my computer is frustratingly slow of late. I am not sure why, maybe I need to do a scan or something? All I know is I would like a new one! And, I might be able to weasel one out of BFF Dean since he loves new gadgets more than anyone. I would promise to learn how to download music and put it on both our Ipods! Promise! He can have new tunes to listen to in his truck while driving all over the country to go scouting in April and May, wouldn't that be nice? A girl can dream.
Yesterday we went swimming and the rest of the day was fairly uneventful. I have bought the little kid some ice cream sandwiches which she sits quietly and eats while I eat my dinner. I think everyone is happy with the arrangement.
I also bid on a Burberry jacket on Ebay last night but I am so leary of the counterfeit goods that I am glad I lost out. I think everything must be fake on there now. I tried a while ago to get a pink Balenciaga purse and I actually won by default be decided not to purchase (I was given the option) because I can't believe that you can get a new authentic Balenciaga for $275.

Today is a day off for me. I am going to clean, then do my tempo run - 5 miles - and then go pick up a few things around town. I will pick up my little kid at 4 and we are on our own for dinner again tonight. BFF Dean was home at 2:30 AM last night and then the little kid insisted on seeing him at 7:30 this morning. I should have told her he was at work but I didn't know if lying was fair in this instance. Probably fair to Dean though. She doesn't understand 'sleeping' yet I guess.

The cold weather has finally arrived here. I think this is the coldest it has been all winter here. At least the wind is not blowing too bad but with the windchill it is a brisk -38.

Update @ 7pm
On my own tonight so just ate horrendous left overs. I hate all leftovers except Thai. Not that I have eaten that in a while though. I just heard through a very reliable source that it might be close to -50 with the wind chill in the morning. I think that will mean swimming is cancelled but we will see. I think my BIL is coming to town tomorrow so we will probably head over to have a visit with him in the afternoon.

I enjoyed my day off until it was time to pick up my little kid. She cries when she see's me walk in the door. Ouchie. I suppose I shouldn't take it personally but it makes me upset when I have to bribe her to get in the car with me. She went to bed early because she didn't nap again.

My run was good. A little tough to start but I have finally realized that warming up at a slow pace for a few mins isn't a bad thing. I am so obsessed with beating my time that warm ups become an obstacle. I feel good tonight and so I am ready to up my mileage next week. The good news is I get to eat a bit more since I have lost a few pounds.

Last note: I have received some bad/conflicting news regarding Glycolic acid. It seems that some people are of the opinion that people over 30 with dry skin should not use the stuff. That it will actually cause the skin to age more rapidly. But, this news came from someone who was trying to sell me some of her products so I will do further investigation.

Ciao, r

Happy V Day

Day off was very relaxing and productive. Got groceries and did my speedwork. I put in 45 mins and it was so easy (not the sprint part) but I felt great the whole time. This rarely happens so I will consider it to be an improvment.
I will let off a mini-rant about the state of shopping here. Speedy Creek is the equivalent of noodle hell. I went to 3 different stores today to get noodles for my spicy chicken stir-fry. My MIL made this recipe which was very close to the Hunan Kung-Pao chicken from Earls. However, when I try to replicate it here, I can't seem to get it right. It's not bad but it wouldn't fool anyone in a taste test. I secretly think she went to Earls and got a bunch of take out....

We are sitting down to watch Mr & Mrs Smith - the movie that started it all.

Ciao, r

More TV= Less Hockey

Missed swimming this morning. I strongly suspected that the temp. would not be warm enough for me after Fridays debacle so that combined with us all sleeping in caused me to cancel. Instead we went to McDonald's for a playdate with the Shatsky's. Was very pleasant until the end when my little kid didn't want to put her shoes or coat on. Things went from bad to worse when we got home when she refused to come upstairs for half an hour.
But, we had pizza for lunch!
This afternoon we watched some crazy crashes during the Olympics. Why do people insist on careening around on ice? If it's not skates it sleds or skis. Crazy peeps.

Dinner Special: Halibut Tacos. Yum-me.

The little kid went to bed fine, but it is getting a little more difficult these days. She seems to think we are doing fun things while she is in in bed.

Tonight we are watching '24.' We haven't been fans before this year so I decided to get BFF Dean hooked on another show. This has 2 purposes. Firstly, any show that he loves means less hockey watching. Secondly, cerebral, fast-paced shows often make me look smart since I have to explain certain aspects of programs. This is where TiVo is critical. However, I must say that I think Keifer Sutherland is a little twerp in real life. Ever since Julia left him at the alter he hasn't been the same.

What was your reaction when you heard that Dick Cheney shot a man on the weekend? I thought "here is a man that shouldn't have a gun." Don't you think that sudden loud explosions might be shocking to a man with a serious heart condition. If not that, then what about the excitement of actually shooting an animal? Doesn't adrenaline sound dangerous? Glad to hear that the guy he shot is going to be okay.


Tomorrow is a day off. I am planning to do my speed work, get groceries, clean the guest room & bathroom for my parents visit next weekend. That is all but surprisingly that will take all day to accomplish. I bought Amanda a Valentine gift since my little kid loves her so much.

Ciao, R

Jam-Packed Fun

It was supposed to be +10 today. Maybe it was but with the wind I had no desire to take the little kid out for some fresh air. I am such a lazy mom sometimes.

We all went for breakfast this morning with the McIntyre's. I love going out for breakfast but so far haven't found a really favorite place here yet. A couple are so-so, a couple are terrible and one is fine but the owner is a major grouch. Both times we have been there we have noticed that all he does is cruise the room with a scowl on his raisin face. Other than that is was nice to see the McIntyres since they are so busy. Their daughter didn't make a peep all during breakfast while ours jumped all over the place. I think lunches & breakfast dates will take place at McDonalds from now on. I hear the recently closed Burger King is reopening in a couple months so that will add another play yard to my repetoire. I kind of like Burger King better than McDonalds anyway. Now that the new Wal Mart is complete BK and the new Staples will be the talk of Speedy Creek for the next few months. Sure can't call this a boring place- nosiree.

The rest of the day was pretty mellow. Just watching the Olympics and trying to teach some shapes and colors again.

Yesterday I didn't update because my day was so jam-packed with excitement I hardly had a spare second. Made a trip to the Shatzke's for a visit which came to a tearful end when I caused my little kid to trip and fall. She hit her head quite hard and it took quite a while to get her feeling better. The walk home was very slow and whiney.

We went to the mall as a family and wow! were we lucky. First of all, I got a new pair of goggles and a swim cap 25% off and then we saw a few rounds of an arm wrestling competition. A sight to be hold actually.

I ran my long run (6.25 miles, 60 mins) The first 40 were kind of hard and then I seemed to finally get settled. It isn't a good sign when 2/3rds of the run is uninspired. Sock's held up good though, but my toe is a bit sore. I guess that is my lot in life; a sore toe. By the time our sitter arrived for date night my hips were aching so bad I wanted to cancel our plans. I am glad I didn't though we had a nice dinner (lobster!) and BBF Dean gave me a nice gift which I wasn't expecting. We were home 2 hours later and watched a wretched movie before bed.

Tonight I am a bachelor so I made a chopped salad again and am settling in to watch Desperate Housewives. I hope it is better than it has been the last couple weeks. I think I am sick of Eva Longoria and Teri Hatcher in every publication and award show. For dessert I am finishing my little bag of sour soothers.

I also did a glycolic peel today. It is my 4th at 40%. After I am done this bottle I think I will order the 50% and maybe the 70% for my chest. I have some sun damage there and it is supposed to really help that. Love it!

That is it for now.
Ciao, r

Brrrrr.

Today I reached a new personal high. Upon waking this morning my first thought was -
'I am not going swimming today. I am so tired.' Half an hour later, coffee already ingested, my thoughts were more along the lines of 'maybe we will go if my little kid finishes her breakfast soon.' Fifteen minutes later I was scurrying out the door thinking, 'I can't wait to swim!'
First battle won.
Then I jumped in the pool only to have my inspirational mood squashed in an instant. The pool was cold. I will admit to being rather skittish of cold things..ice cream hurts my teeth, my feet almost always have socks, my bath water is so hot you could poach a salmon in it, but this pool was honestly chilly. Even so, I managed to put in 1000m (200m short but under such difficult circumstances who can blame me?) Second battle won.

The rest of the day was smooth sailing. Made a wicked-good chicken taco salad for lunch and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Very impressive. I haven't been that excited for the games to start but I am now. I love watching the Olympics. They really bring out the maniacal biathlon, skeleton and luge fan in me. It would be extra special if the Olympics inspired the radical Muslims to put a hiatus on the violent riots in the Middle East and SE Asia. If they put as much energy into promoting peace as they do in perpetuating violence I doubt another bullet would be spent in the name of Mohammed.

Tomorrow night is date night with BBF Dean. We will probably go to Speedy Creek's finest dining establishment and then maybe a movie (or "show" for the natives) depending on what is playing. I also have to fit in my long run sometime tomorrow and will give the injinji's another try.

Here are a few of my current obsessions-
Finding a dress to wear to Jana's wedding in July. As Feather Queen it will need to be perfect and appropriate for warm weather yet not too fleshy as a portion of it will take place in a house of God.
Getting my little kid to recognize the primary colors. She isn't really as enthusiastic as I hoped she would be at this point. She does know what a circle is though. I would hate for her to be pedagogically delayed.
Looking at jewelry I will never have online.

Ciao, r

Tasty Thursday

Thursdays are really one of my all time favorite days. I am not sure why exactly but I strongly suspect that is has something to do with the emergence of 'must see TV' in the early 90's. Plus it is my day off and the little kid is probably bossing the other kids around at daycare today.

First up - review of the Grammy's last night. I must say although I really don't care for Madge, she was pretty good last night as the opening act. She shared the stage with the animated Gorrilaz and they were pretty cool. Madge does not look a day over 40 from the neck up but her bod is another thing. She is amazing, defiantly puts the pups like Mooriah (mooooo) and Xtina Aguillera (saggy at 26?) to shame. It's called Yoga girls - check it out. And speaking of Mooriah, what the heck was she wearing on her head? She apparently uses Andre Leon Tally (stylist to God and Vogue) but she needs to seriously clear out her hanger-ons and get some new peeps to pick out her clothes. And Mooriah, you are not supposed to wear a 6 when you are so clearly in the double digits. I am on the fence about Kanye West. I like his music but he seems like such a loser. Nice gloves, they looked like they came from the OJ Simpson trial.

After dropping of little kid I picked up a few groceries for the chopped salad and dinner. I also picked up a small ham (breakfast protein) and didn't happen to look at the price. I noticed after coming home that the thing (2lbs) was $23! Yikes, the ham is going back. This is one of those little details I warned about.

Socks review - I love the injinji's. I ran my tempo run this morning and they didn't feel strange. They do look strange, like you are wearing gloves on your feet. BBF Dean was sure that my Freddy Flintstone toes wouldn't fit into the 'fingers' but they fit me just fine. I only ran 4 miles so it is hard to say if they really helped the toe problem or not but I will do a 10 miler in the next few weeks to test it out.

After I watch Days of our Lives (DOOL) I will head to the mall to return my ham and maybe order a couple books I have been wanting to read. Then my day off comes to an end. Looking forward to a nice dinner tonight and some good tv watching.
Ciao, r

MY BFF is Home

Welcome home to BFF Dean. This morning my little kid and I went swimming. She had fun and loves her personal babysitter Justin. I was able to get in 1200m in 34 mins. Or somewhere there abouts. I lost (misplaced) my heart rate monitor watch so I have to squint at the clock and subract minutes so the time could actually be closer to 40 mins if you factor in human error. I am sure my missing watch is living it in seclusion with my missing wedding rings. That part of my brain that disappeared while I was pregnant has not yet returned so not only am I a bad speller, I am now permanently forgetful and disorganized. Unfortunately Olive the dog has not been lost or misplaced.

I was also able to get in the run that was sidelined yesterday. I did the speed work portion of the training. 4x400m with a 2 mile jog after. BFF Dean arrived with the new injinji socks just as I was finishing up so I will post a review of them after tomorrow's tempo run. I hope these socks are the answer to my chronically sore toe.

Wednesday is garbage day here in Speedy Creek. I am pleased to report that it was actually picked up today. Usually it sits anywhere from 24-72 hours. Normally this isn't a problem for me. I do find it somewhat amusing to check from time to time to see if my cans are blowing* around in the school playground several blocks away. Other than that I don't think too much about the garbage.
*not sure if I mentioned this or not but the wind blows 20 hours a day here.

I have been craving a chop chop salad lately so tomorrow on my day off I will go get all the fixin's for that and do a few other errands. I am much more relaxed now that my tenants have paid the rent. I will also be cooking dinner tomorrow night for BBF, the first time in a long time. I had tacos on the menu but that somehow seems like a white trash dinner that we usually have when he has been home lots. So I will put a little more thought in on that.

Ciao, r

Is This Thing On?

Today my little kid was at daycare. I had big, brilliant plans to get loads of stuff done (typed with an English accent.) None of it happened as I had a moderate headache and so tomorrow will have to swim and run in the afternoon.
It is week 1 of the half marathon training program. I am trying a new 3 day a week plan in hopes to do less work and still have a decent time. Less miles will hopefully stave off the chronic tendonitis and aching hips while still being able to call myself a runner. My BFF Dean likes the opposite approach...run like hell every day unless something forces him to take a break. This method often results in extended breaks of 4-6 months in which he delves into his other favorite sport of Le Binge.
I am going to call it a day. I hope to have mastered the art of posting a blog soon. I want to add pictures of my little kid and maybe so atmosphere shots of Speedy Creek so that everyone has a feel for what I am dealing with here...
Ciao for now, R

Welcome to Speedy Creek

and to the world of Rebecca. I can assure that my posts will always be informative (but not in that "wow, I didn't know that" type of way) , occasionally short and rarely will they leave you wanting more. If that appeals then by all means add me to your fav's.

Topics covered will mostly be: dealing with picky, spoiled, amusing and sweet almost 2-year-olds; running, swimming & attempts at home pilates & yoga-aka the pursuit of the six-pak, is it possible at 35?; dogs who crap randomly throughout the house despite repeated warnings; new and proven methods of anti-aging; living in a place where healthy people think it is okay to park in handicapped spots if the wind is blowing at 20mph or more*; cooking & eating; pursuit of the perfect pair of jeans. Lucky me because that about covers my life at this point in time.
*that would be every day here in Speedy Creek.

Also, I will have guest bloggers* if they so happen to have the time. These guest spots may be rare since most of my acquaintances have a) full-time jobs b) children- plural c) both d) six-paks.
*names of innocent bloggers will be protected if they so wish. For example, Sheena Gatzke would become Zeena Shatsky and so on and so forth.

Note: punctuation and spelling are completely purposeful. I hope no one choses to comment about my spelling of rediculas. If petty errors bother you then I suggest your get back to your copy of the Calgary Sun. This blog is a grade 4 level. And, if you don't know who 'Fiddy' is then maybe we should call it a day right here.


Ciao for now! R