So, they won't be playing against each other unless the stars align, but the Cubs and the Rockies are playing in the post season. For the Rockies, it starts with a one game play-off tomorrow (Monday) night. They've never been near the play-offs before. Go Rockies! Go Cubs!
So I looked at this morning's paper (which did not include the results of yesterday's baseball games) and realized that if the Cubs held on (which seemed likely), and if the Rockies held on and the stars were aligned (which seemed unlikely, but the Rockies were on an 11 game winning streak) then the Cubs would be facing the Rockies in the first series of the play-offs.
I had never envisioned this scenario. It scared me. I have no idea who I would cheer for. I felt paralyzed. Why hadn't I considered this before?
I always thought I had my priorities clearly ranked: Rockies, Cubs, Royals, Mariners and whatever home team I happen to be at, in that order. But Rockies-Cubs in the play-offs? Ack! Home for 30 years vs. family home? Two underdogs! What would I do?
Which leads to a long list of irrational fears-- I'm worried that someday I'll need to do something heroic to save someone and be physically unable to because of some stench. I spent the year I was 19 mentally explaining to Bruce Hornsby how I couldn't date him, so I would have the wording prepared in case the need ever arose. Jennifer needs shoes in which she can outrun psycopaths. What unlikely scenarios are you ready for? Or not?
I just received an e-mail from Alex(andra), a knitting group member before any of us were knitters, a founder of stats at the Replay, and a super-cool graduate of the Kindscher-Foster "Labs" now doing environmental consulting in San Fransisco. Alex first illustrated for me that "hip" "fit" "crafty"and "nerdy" were entirely compatible.
Anyway, Alex was recently diagnosed with fairly advanced breast cancer, which will require dramatic surgery and chemo, at a minimum.
I also received messages from friends of Alex who are compiling happy wishes for Alex. One is crocheting an afghan from fragments of yarn from her friends and the other is making a box of cards. I'll be happy to forward the details to anyone who wants to contribute.
In the meantime, please send healing thoughts and prayers her way and do something relaxing for yourself.
. . .and my students laughed!
While I inadvertently say funny things way to often, and occasionally talk about things that I know are funny (like barnacle penis length), I don't recall ever just embedding a joke into a large lecture power point and having students laugh spontaneously and heartily. I think it made my day even more than electroshocking fish.
One slide was an image of a liger, the next slide, in boring power point fashion, had the liger image on one side and bullet points on the other.
The computer programming majors laughed by far the hardest.
I am harassment officer of the week. Let us know how you are doing with your goals! I must admit I only started on Friday (after loosing the 1st pedometer, vacation, being sick, etc.). But now I am measuring various walks with the dogs, and see how easy it is to walk 2000 steps on one our short walks. I seem to walk about 7000 steps a day without much effort, so a longer dog walk is an easy way to bump up to the 10,000 goal.
Update - I just read the older posts, and think my pedometer's overestimating the steps, so I moved it and will redo the dog walk tonight.
Sally's Sister is going to ask next week whether or not you met your fitness goal and Jenny will be asking the week after.
You know how mean they are. Or how nice they are and how they want only the best for you and you'd hate to disappoint them-- whatever works for you. Either way, consider yourself motivated.
Here's a picture from Nova Scotia. This is the view from the back porch of the house we rented in Lunenburg...
I wish I was still there now :)
Tomorrow I leave for my grandma's house to help her pack up her house (and after 50 years of living in the same house, it is quite a job). She's moving down to Arlington to be close the some of us, which is wonderful. But she's also moving from her 4 bedroom house into a one bedroom apartment. It will be quite an adjustment.
Abby's swimming, Molly's sea kayaking and T.T. is hiking in Pima Canyon. Meanwhile I'm walking up and down the stairs in my school building and Irene is walking to and from the train and around the lab. How was your fitness week last week?
For about 6 years now, I've gotten most of my news from the New York Times website. Until recently, there was a subscription fee to access certain parts of the site - the archives, and many of the opinion pieces. Effective at midnight tonight, it's all free. Apparently, the projected advertising revenues from increased site traffic outweighed the income from subscription fees.
I realize that maybe no one besides me will care, but I figured I would mention it anyway, just in case any of you are occasional NYTimes readers, or have a penchant for looking up old news articles.
Here's some pics from my trip last week with my summer housemate. The car broke down 24 mi. east of Limon on Sat. - we got towed by George from Alaska and his toy poodle Betsy. Then a 'friend' in Denver drove the 87 miles to take us and the camping gear to the Denver airport to rent a Jeep! The 'friend' is really a friend of my best friend - I had met him once at her wedding 11 years ago. Stayed in his posh apt. in downtown Denver, and invited him to horseback ride with us Monday. But his car broke down, so after setting up camp in Rocky Mt Natl Park Sunday night, we drove the 80 miles back to Denver to pick him up & he camped with us. Then Mon. after the ride it poured so we drove him home, got showers, and he gave us rumba lessons. Then set up camp late Mon. night - heard someone outside the tent during the night - elk! Tues. park, Wed. drive to Santa Fe and stop at Sand Dunes, Friday 17 hour day back to Limon to get my car, to airport to return rental, then on to Lawrence. Never did hike in the mountains - a jaunt up to 12,005 ft. from 11,700 ruined us for the day!
Hello!
I wanted to mention that I heard on the news last week that the William-Jewell men's soccer team was ranked #1 in their division - go cardinals!
Also, the women's world cup started this week in China and the US is off to a good start, they tied with Korea and beat Sweden in the round-robin portion of the tournament. They play Nigeria in a few days - go US!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Cheryl
How's everyone doing, anyway? I'd love to hear a little about what's going on if you have time?
How did the first week of the fitness challenge go? Swim well? Lots of steps? On-going pedometer woes?
Whatever the status, you need to comment (if only "made goal" or "didn't make goal") and keep in mind that we will ask again next week, so don't be idle.
Hi everyone,
Been hiking and taking pictures. I put together some of the best ones from my trips to Pima Canyon (over 200 pictures). I thought I'd post a link here for those of you who want to see them. The first ones are from late March and they progress through yesterday (my most recent trip to Pima). I'm a total Pima Canyon junkie. You can see the season change as you go. In March there was some rain and the ocotillos got leaves. April through July were quite dry and all the ocotillos lost their leaves. Then we had a lot of rain in the July/August monsoon season and you can see the desert got quite lush. Every week it seems like new types of flowers appear.
Here's the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/alclarkee/PimaHighlightsMarchToSept07Picasa?authkey=pMWtMbnXOR8
Enjoy!
To prompt discussion of prions (and reading of the case study in the text) in my 101 class, I told my students that I lived in Scotland 1994-1995 and ate beef and am indefinitely not allowed to give blood because of this. I asked them to answer 1) why living in Scotland has anything to do with giving blood 2) If not being allowed to give blood is a good policy and 3) why or why not.
As I read the responses, I am learning that: It is "more than likely" that I have mad cow disease*, that I could have contracted "who knows what" while living it Scotland (which is apparently rife with communicable diseases), that the policy is bad because "lots of people eat lots of things in other countries" and that the policy is good: "You should not be allowed to give blood if you have mad cow disease".
Alas, some key points are being missed.
*1 confirmed case [ever] in the US- we need to cover a little more probability
Highlight* of an otherwise exhausting day was flipping open my new Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment to see a piece "containing much wisdom" (or something of the like) written by one of our very own gorgeous biologist knitters. Way to go, Erin!
The other highlight was when one of the "cap guys" in Ecology (mostly mustached foresters who chew, don't know why they have to be there, and don't say anything) asked about climate change and salt pumps in the Atlantic. Not that it was all that relevant to the main topic, but it was an ecology question from someone who doesn't normally respond. Hoo-ray!
Mark your goals, set out your walking shoes, swimsuit, hiking boots, bike shorts, dance shoes . . . and go!
Monday the GBK Fitness Challenge begins.
We're still taking suggestions for prizes, by the way.
