Run Down

I went out there yesterday and just decided to run.  Did the loop around the lake, 2.7 miles.  First run in a really long time.  Today, I looked at the rain and decided I didn't want to run in that.  So, walked down the stairs and out of the building for a walk and realized, I didn't even want to walk.  I did, but man, I'm really sore from yesterday's run.  Hopefully I'll still do another run soon.  It's the danger season with Halloween candy, Thanksgiving and Christmas treats all in the immediate future.  I need to run or else I'm gonna have even farther to go next year.  It's so tough.  I just need to get to my goal weight because then my available calories each day go up.  Then it might be easier to start tracking consistently again.

Rain!

I was awakened this morning at 4:30 by the blinds slamming into the window frame.  I got up and looked outside.  Wild wind was howling through the neighborhood.  And then the rain started.  I closed the window and then I grabbed my pillow and headed downstairs. We usually had a fan running in our room, so if I wanted to hear the wind and rain, I had to head to the basement where the comfy leather couch is.  I threw that window open.  It was glorious.  For a few seconds and then I passed out again, the rain and the wind just knocking me out.

I was tired this morning, but I'm excited for the return of the rain.

Not so much for the coming darkness that means I'm driving to and from work in the dark.

120: Rainstorm

Only seconds earlier, it seemed, the sky had been blue. But without warning, the clouds had rolled in, the sky darkening. He supposed he might have had warning, had he checked Accuweather. The sky was now a deep gray and the world seemed to have lost its color. It had gone from 3 pm to 8 pm in the blink of an eye. But not really. It was actually 3:01 pm now. The trees had been standing tall, but now they were starting to waver, buffeted by the strong inconsistent winds slapping them about. The air smelled different. It was cleaner, crisper. Colder, too. He could feel the cold move from one side to the other, as if the storm had an invisible wall slowly moving past him. And then with a flash of lighting and a thunderclap the shook the foundations of the house and the fillings in his teeth, the sky opened up and the rain came down. Within three seconds, he was drenched to the bone. He took two steps backwards into the house, then retreated into the kitchen to grab a hand-towel to use on his hands and face before sitting on the floor to watch the amazing force of nature that had enveloped his house.

(Note: Accuweather had been promising a thunderstorm at 4 today but 4 came and went and there was no storm. So sad. Another time, I guess. The sky did darken, but the clouds are mostly white and you can still see big patches of sky.)

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Somehow, I managed to get myself caught in two rainstorms today. TWO.

At lunchtime, I went out for a walk. It had been raining earlier, but now it was blue sky and sun. By the time I got to the lake, there was tiny little drops. Not even enough to stop reading my magazine. As I walked back, it picked up a tiny bit. I was mostly under tree cover, but all the sudden, there was a clearing and I realized, suddenly, that it was no longer light out. Clouds had rolled in quickly. By the time I came out of the treeline back by the ponds, it was raining pretty good. At that point, I needed to run. Halfway around the building. Maybe 1/5, 1/4 mile. I contemplated crouching under a picnic table or hiding in an alcove but I didn't nkow how long it was going to last, so I just kept running. I must have been out of breath for a good 15 minute. I was drenched for probably 3 hours.

After dinner, the skies were again blue and I thought it would be nice to take the kids for a quick walk around the block. We had made it most of the way when again it began and again, running was required.

Sun and Rain

Watching the finale of "Scrubs" - well, apparently now only the season finale now.  It's ok.  I guess there's still some time.

The sun was brilliant at lunchtime today.  Walked extra. 

By the drive home, it was raining pretty decent.  The iPod was spot on and played "All Will Be Forgotten" by Holly Brook and "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles.  I had the seat lowered and back, I wished I had abaseball cap to complete the chill.

Ok, Scrubs got better.  Makes you wonder why they are doing another season.  (Well, I know why, but almost seems like they shouldn't have.)

Wii 39

BMI - 28.9; 190.7 pounds; Wii Fit Age 30
10 yoga, 10 strength, 30 minutes free-step (3,867 steps)
Did about 45 minutes of walking and 40 minutes on the exercise bike.

Pour It On

The rain (and at times tiny hail) today has just been phenomenal. I don't remember when I last saw rain this hard. If you don't count every time it rains in Los Angeles.

When we flipped back to the live TV after watching something on the DVR, good ol' Graham Johnson was saying something about snow somewhere. We turned the TV off and checked Accuweather and fortunately it won't be here. It's far too late in the season for snow.

Rain Day

Woke up this morning at 5:30 am and again at 6 am and stayed awake until nearly 7.  Woke up again at 8:30.

Discovered it was raining, so our original plans were a no go.  A day without a plan and a house freshly cleaned because we're hosting our small group every Friday night.  Excellent.

Did some tidying in the kitchen, ran a lot of laundry, watched a lot of rain fall.  Played some SimCity.  Helped both kids get their showers/baths. 

Didn't do much of anything today.  Nice.

120 Seconds of Lit: Right Now

The room is dark, lit only by the glowing monitor.  Between the tapping of the keys, I pause.  An open window lets in the magical, fantastic, pleasing sound of rain.  Splits and splats as it falls on plants with big broad leaves.  The murmur of cars passing by on rain slicked roads filter and then just as quickly fade.  The air... it's so clean, so fresh. On a night like this, so dark outside that nothing is visible beyond the white frame of the window, it's nice to be indoors, safe, dry, warm.  I breathe in deeply and sigh.

Insane in the Big Rain

We had a little bit of snow on Saturday, we tried to drive to Everett but were forced to turn back because of the snow, including a rather dangerous trek through Seattle get from the 5N to the 5S, and then lots of rain Saturday night and Sunday. But drier Monday and much drier today.

Not so for other parts of the area. My parents had nine inches of snow by Sunday and then amazing rain.

The WSDOT put up this amazing slideshow of the flooding that have hit other nearby areas. Insane.

Fleeting Rain, Weekend

This weekend went by too quickly. There were periods of heavy rain and I had hoped to go down and clean up the garage during one of them, but I missed them. Mostly this afternoon working on the church website. Took waaay too long.

Unlike our last house, the garage is the only place where you can hear the rain against the roof. The house is incredibly well insulated and that's often a blessing, but I miss the sound of the rain. In the garage you can hear it quite well. And a previous owner decked it out with lots of lights, so it's a nice cheery place to be. Just usually there are cars in the way. But with my mother-in-law staying with us, her car is much smaller than Lori's and I left my car outside after filling up the tank. So it would have been perfect if only the church website hadn't proved such a bear to update.

But yeah, where did the weekend go? I got a lot of chores done, but lots of bigger chores remain undone, like a really tall wall that needs a second coat of paint and some ceilings that need to be touched up. By the time they got the ceilings, the sellers were a little less careful and some of the patching is in a slightly different shade of white that's only noticeable at certain times of day in certain kinds of light. But we budgeted for the paint last month and now it sits unopened, mocking me. Maybe I need to figure out when a good rain storm is coming and take a day off from work and stay home and do some bigger chores.

But now, the weekend rolls to a close. I owe people email (especially Allison, Melinda, Heather and Pastor Joe), I have some new graffiti sightings to post and the downstairs remains a modified mess.

I must get back to stuff, but one chore that occurs way too often (replacing light bulbs) was, as always, aided by an excellent Christmas present I received last year... a Keller Multi-Ladder. I really recommend this ladder. It's pretty sweet. I'd never seen one, but my dad gave it to me for Christmas. It was a huge and heavy package under the tree, but it's come in handy on a number of occasions... solid, sturdy, but folds up really compact.

Silent Night

It's almost 11. My goal was to be in bed by 11, but I'm not sure I'll make it. I'm laying on the bed, but not sure I'll be in bed. My knees are bent and the keyboard is resting on my stomach and my legs. Outside, thunder and loud, loud rain. I can also hear the murmurings of neighbors outside enjoying the rain. Rachel is also laying on the bed, head on my chest. She has, to some degree, been insufferable tonight. Demanding every few minutes to go to the bathroom. Of course, at this stage for her, every request must be honored. I finally decided this was the only way to get her to quiet down was to let her lie here on the bed next to me. She had made her way to where she was lying all the way across me but now she's rolled off and... nope, she's back again, now laying on my wrists making typing difficult. And she's gone again. At least she's quiet. The rain is just coming down like crazy. With large windows on two sides of this room, the sound is just incredible. And there's that smell... the fresh chilled smell of rain. It's just amazing. The thunder is rolling across the sky and Rachel whispers that "Daddy, thunder is like a bass, bass drum." Now, it's almost impossible to hear individual rain, it's just a solid white noise. Lightning! This was the first I'd seen. Rachel, with her eyes closed, even sensed it. They had predicted rain for later tonight, first 1 and then later revising to 3, but I guess it came early. When I was in the middle of the house, I saw the lights flickering and knew it was coming. I can't even hear the neighbors anymore. This is so cool. Time to turn off the computer and just enjoy the rain.

Twitter Goes Down Too Much

It's raining outside. It sounds really cool. It doesn't seem like that's worthy of a full blogger post, but Twitter is down again. Actually, I'm standing in the kitchen on the laptop and using the desktop at the same time. Kinda weird. But I have the window open and there's a really refreshing breeze coming in. I have the lights off, the only light coming from the two computer monitors. Makes you forget all your real troubles for a little while. I guess I might as well just keep writing since I've started now.

I had a really challenging day. I think I mostly handled it well. It was a really rough day where people disconnected pulled the wrong strings. I dutifully went along with it, but my safety net was absent and the choices that were made were ones I wouldn't have made and in some cases, they were really communicated to me in a poor and haphazard manner that left a lot to be desired and caused me and those around me unnecessary work, in some cases, undoing something only to have to redo it. In the end, we pulled it off. At least today's part. Tomorrow we were going to have to do it all over again, but we argued that would really tick off our constituents and finally were able to get through to some cooler heads who agreed with us and offered to play safety net and stand up to the string pullers and explain to them that it was in their best interests not to do tomorrow what they wanted done tomorrow. We'll see it that holds, but I have every confidence that it will.

And now the child who won't go to bed is once again summoning me. No doubt for a get-out-of-bed-free fake claim of needing to use the bathroom. Such an evil ploy because they know you can't deny them because they might be tellng the truth.

Spring Has Sprung A Leak

Today, it's 8 or 9 degrees colder. It's partly sunny now, but rained really hard earlier today. I still haven't figured out how to get to the wall that I can see from my cube... if I could get to that wall and there wasn't someone in the cube, I could open the blinds. Not sure how long that'd last and if I'd get lost on the way back out and have to take up residence in that department.

Oh... I have a new cell phone number. Look for it at the bottom of my e-mails. My e-mail address is also semi-new, but the old one rolls into the new one.

Ok, so we threw all the tea in the harbor because we were getting taxed without representation, right? So is it at all ironic that whenever someone says "tea" you think of "Lipton" which is a Dutch brand?

Insane in the Wet Rain

Dang... that is a lot of rain. Cold rain. I walked again at lunch. The
umbrella may be the flaw in my plan. I think I need either a longer
umbrella or I need to wrap my shoes and pantlegs in plastic. Because the
coat kept me toasty dry but my pants below the knees and my socks are wet.
Chilly.

It was cool listening to the rain, it was so loud I could hear it even with
the music. The retaining ponds are almost entirely full now. A few more
house and they should start spilling over into the wetlands. Todd said
something about some record about to be set or something.

Your Blank Sucks

I think I've mentioned before that I asked Lori to pick up "Your Management
Sucks" from the library. Apparently the author likes to say things suck
because she ended up with "Your Marketing Sucks" instead. A really good
read. It challenged readers to really look at every dollar spent on
marketing, advertising, public relations, etc., and make sure that each one
of those dollars are resulting in more than a dollar in return. And that
if they're not, then they need to be eliminated or retooled. That's some
pretty hard-line thinking that would probably be hard to pull off in the
real world. But they do it for their clients and if someone comes to them
but doesn't want to go that extreme, there's a pretty good chance his
company won't take their business.

I finished that last night and am now reading "Waiting For Your Cat to
Bark?" which explores the idea that consumers are no longer pavlovian dogs
salivating at each new advertisment, seeking to please, to be social and do
what advertisers want like good little dogs, but that most people have now
evolved into cats... aloof, uninterested and only after what's in it for
them, and how marketing must adapt to continue to advertise to these types
of people. Lori is an amazing "cat" in this regard... we can listen to an
ad on the radio and I'll say something about the ad and she won't even have
heard it. I'm getting pretty good at glazing over when viewing websites
and our DVR helps us avoid commercials.

It rained hard all night long. The water retention ponds at work are
nearly full. It should be interesting to see what happens when they reach
capacity. I know they'll overflow into a neighboring wetlands, but it
should be interesting to see if the walking path becomes impassable. I
enjoyed walking this morning. I was toasty and dry in my new coat and my
really old busted up umbrella, my iPod kept nicely dry inside but still
workable from the pocket or the outside of the jacket. It turns out that
my socks and the backs of my legs did get a little wet. I'll have to
figure out how to avoid that in the future (bring a change of clothes
beyond just shoes?)

When I first got up this morning and went into the bathroom, the window was
open just a crack. Cold crisp air and the sound of rain assailed me and
for a moment I was thrown back in time to a very wet weekend at a church
camp. I've mentioned it before, but it's just interesting how your mind
can warp time and space.

Now, I'm sitting here in the office, several things all going at once and
wishing I had brought my glasses. I don't really need them, everything
looks fine, but I'm feeling a little bit lazy today and it's a little dark
in here. Fortunately my cube has undermount lighting I can turn on and I
can turn to the right and see out windows. I love this new cube. I love
having a window view.

Smells Like Rain

Danged Weather.com... I've been watching all day as it's moved predictions of rain from 3 pm to 4 pm to 6 pm to 10 pm to 4 am two days from now. The clouds rolled it and it smelled all fresh like rain, but apparently no rain.

...and it's still raining

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
I'M WITH YOU
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
I'M WITH YOU
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Here Comes the Rain Again...

Today is shaping up to be a great day. I drove by myself today in my own car (usually we carpool in Lori's car, and when we would drive separately, I'd still have to take Lori's car since it has the carseat and my work is closer to Rachel's ex-daycare.). I got to drive fast on some empty roads, too.

And it was pouring down rain. Since it was raining and I was driving by myself, there was no point in even going near the freeways or nearby parallel streets, so I stayed south, venturing into San Marino. San Marino is designed to frustrate drivers so that non-residents won't go into the neighborhood unless they have a reason to. But with my brand new GPS, I had a reason to. I had it direct me to a Starbucks I'd never been to. Parked next to a Bentley, got out and strode to the Starbucks in the pouring rain wearing my trench coat (don't get to wear it much down here) and ordered myself a Venti Marble Mocha Macciato, a new drink I'd never tried before but really like. Back into the car, the classical music up, being a little bummed that on our last trip up I had discovered that Seattle's classical station was gone. I didn't think about it long because it was more fast driving on empty roads and fun confusing the GPS and making not going where it was telling me to, so it'd have to re-route me.

Get to work, get my favorite doughnut from the Friday doughnut box, sit down at my desk and go online to look for music only to discover that I mis-remembered the station in Seattle where the classical music was, and that it was still on the air and that it actually streams on the internet.

So here I sit, on my last day of work, in a very quiet office, with my Starbucks, my doughnut and some Seattle music while it pours outside. Yesterday I paid off all the credit cards and today I'll pay off Lori's car. Later today they're having what sounds like is a big production for my surprise going away party.

Yes, it's going to be a great day. (I saw a little thing the other day I liked... it said 'Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.')

Soaked to the Core

We've now had 31 inches since July 1, much of that in the past few days and weeks. We only need about 7 more inches to break the record. Of course, I don't know how old those statistics are.

What I do know is that today was a miserable day to install a hot water heater. But, that's what I did. It sat in a box for a year and a half and it was finally installed today. My friend (and boss) Fady helped me do it, but it took about 10 hours, at least five (?? I lost count) trips to Home Depot and despite being in a covered area outside, I got very soaked and very cold. The water is now back on in the house and by morning we may have warm water, but for now, it's only this blanket and laptop keeping me warm.

I wonder what it would be like to live somewhere where it rains all the time. I remember a lot of rain in Seattle, but I don't remember it ever being like this. Apparently, statistically, it usually isn't. I guess I would own some sort of coat that repelled water, to start. I do have to say that the rain sounds really neat outside right now, now that I'm happily back indoors and very quickly getting really exhausted. It is nice to have the hot water heater (I still need to fashion a new exhaust pipe) done, it seems to much more open in the garage without the large box taking up space. Despite the project taking way too long, I think he knew what he was doing and I don't think it will explode or leak all over and make our house moldy, so that's good.

Well, I feel like any second now I'm going to keel over and drop the laptop and I do have to work tomorrow, so I should go. Goodnight, all.

In a word, rain

In more words, it's raining. Pouring. There's a point in Douglas Adam's So Long and Thanks for All the Fish when a character ponders rain. This particular character drives a lorry for a living and has categorized all the types of rain and by his count, so far he's encountered 231 different kinds of rain. The point is actually all of chapter 2. This post is not really about him. Except to say that in Sleepless in Seattle Niles from Frasier says "It rains nine months a year in Seattle." I've lived there, I've lived here. And when we do something here, it's all or nothing. In Seattle, there are probably at least 231 different kinds of rain. It may take days to get the kind of overall volume that we can get down here in 30 minutes of rain. In L.A., there is but one. And when it rains here, there is no mercy.

Usually, that suits me fine. When I'm indoors and warm, I'm happy to watch the rain. I'm bummed when it rains at night and Lori's fan drowns out the rain, or when I'm at work and I can't see out the window from my desk. I really love the rain.

I love it even more now that I've moved from the San Fernando valley to the San Gabriel valley. I'm not sure why, but people out here don't seem to suck nearly as much at driving in the rain. When I first moved here, it was a big shock when it rained. One, brilliant people had built a major thoroughfare through a flood plain. Two, since it rains so infrequently, and when it does rain, it rains so hard, the rain has nowhere to go. It cannot seep into the ground, nor can it drain from the freeways fast enough. To make matters worse, all the dirt and grime and oil and stuff on the roads rises up to the top making a really slick surface. I have been at a complete stop on an offramp that sloped down and felt my car slide forward a few inches. Three, the rain seemed to scare those idiots. My five-minute drive on a normal day would suddenly take 45-60 minutes.

Over here, it doesn't seem to be as big a deal. People give adequate space, people start using their turn signals and headlights and they don't hit the brakes at the sight of a raindrop on their windshield. And all in all, it makes for a commute that isn't too bad. Although I did get a rolling warning from a yellow-slickered CHiP on a motorcycle the other morning...

But I find it interesting that people down here underappreciate Seattle because of the rain. But as I write this, I can imagine Seattlites cursing me. Shut up! We don't want the California people up here! Shut up!

Tonight I was a bastard. I parked the SUV on the ramp area of the grocery store in an attempt to get less wet as I loaded in all the groceries. I think it worked. Unloading was no fun, either. I'm now designing in my head some kind of tarp-like structure to divert the rain between the carport and the house away so that I can get less wet going to and from the car. The weirdest thing this house... you cannot get from the carport to the garage without getting soaked in the two foot gap between the two. You cannot get from the carport to the grocery unloading window without going under four feet of open air. The carport to the back door's awning is about four feet. And the back door's awning to the laundry room is another five feet. I feel like I'm going to be stringing up a lot of tarps.