While it’s still technically summer, we’ve had a bunch of cooler days in Boston, and I’ve been taking advantage of them when I can, running near dark, priming the soon-to-be-office, and talking the dog for long walks around the neighborhood. It’s been nice riding home, too. Instead of the brutal, sticky, too-hot commute, I’ve had breezy, pleasant rides most of the time.

I’m getting ready for a few other things too, both personally and professionally. It’s a good time in my life, and I’m looking forward to September, and REALLY looking forward to October with its big race and big steps (more on this later), and when things settle down a little. November will bring even cooler running and quiet times, settling into planning mode for 2011, time with friends and family, and prepping for my class at RISD.

While autumn is technically a season of moving into dormancy, for me it’s a rebirth of sorts. It always has been. And this year, it really does feel, even now, prematurely, like a new beginning. And that’s just swell.

On Sunday, Maureen and I rode to the food truck festival, which was, in my opinion, a little disappointing. Not because the idea of a whole slew of food trucks in one parking lot isn’t completely awesome (because it is), but because by the time we arrived, many of the trucks were out of food. One of the trucks ran out as we were standing in line. We got in a different line. Then that truck ran out of food 2 people after us. At least there was the ice cream truck. Soft serve cones on a hot day hit the spot.

Anyway, we were late getting there and late riding home, and I had to stop by the pharmacy near my house before they closed, so Maureen ended up driving me there and home, and I left my bike at her house. While she was driving me to the pharmacy, she went a totally different way than I’d ever been, and I was intrigued. So after work today, I went over there to get my bike (via the train) and then rode that new way home.

It was amazing! And somehow flatter! This street was quiet and wide, with ample room for cars on both sides, traffic and bikes. There was no need for a bike lane. The houses were stately and grand. The trees were leafy and provided plenty of shade. People were out walking their dogs. And there was a traffic light at the end that made it easy to turn left. It was lovely. How had I never traveled that way before? This is going to be part of my new route for sure.

I only wish I could ride tomorrow. I might have to pick up a cat that I am hopefully adopting from the MSPCA, and I will need my car to get her home. Jackie and I found her, declawed and completely emaciated, across from Vee Vee on Saturday night. She was so, so friendly, and very sweet. She was perfect in the car, in the house, and Bo was so excited about having a cat around (he LOVES cats, even if they hate him). I took her down to MSPCA/Angel Memorial to see if she was microchipped and to have them check her out. They weren’t too optimistic about her health, and they think that she is pretty old. I ended up leaving her there so that they could assess her health, get some fluids and food into her, and see if she was adoptable. If she was adoptable, I said that I would be interested in taking her.

When I called today, she seemed to be doing okay, but they hadn’t examined her yet because she was somewhat aggressive and stressed there. When I said that I would definitely adopt her if she was well enough to be placed, they said that they would tranquilize her for an exam, do what they needed to do, and then get back to me about her condition tomorrow. The fact that she’s old doesn’t bother me. I just want to do whatever is the most humane thing if she is physically suffering. So, I could very well have a cat in my life again by tomorrow evening. Or not. If I do, I just want to give her a good home for whatever time she has left. Maybe she’ll have taken the long way home, too.

Had a great trip up to Burlington with Jill and a really fun time racing Vermont City Marathon as a 5-person relay team. What a fun, well-organized event. I will definitely run the race again, either as a large team, or as a 2-person team (each runner does a half marathon, which is kind of a cool way to race that distance). My teammates – some of whom I hadn’t met before Saturday – were lovely, as were their spouses & kids, and I especially enjoyed talking with Kim’s husband Nick, who is an avid cyclist.

I ran my leg in about 57 minutes, which felt good. I was a little disappointed in myself because I felt like I could have gone faster, but I made the dumb mistake of standing around for 3 hours before my leg (a half hour before the start + the 2.5 before I actually ran) and my feet and legs were pretty tired just from that. It took a full mile to work the stiffness out. And I sweated off most of my sunscreen and ended up with a pretty bad sunburn on my back and shoulders from hanging around at the finish area & then waiting for the bus to take us back to the hotel. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

With all the driving, my weekend has been pretty much all about Vermont, but I did manage to clean out a closet, put the guest room back together after having the floors refinished last week, and get most of the donations consolidated in the attic where they will be for another week or so before I can arrange to have them picked up. I just have to do a few more things and then I think I am done working for the day, and will be ready for a beer. :)

I’m leaving for Vermont today and will run the Vermont City Marathon as part of a relay team tomorrow. Our team is a little laissez-faire in that no one knows when we’re going to dinner tonight, what leg of the race we’re running, etc. And I’m okay with that. Surprisingly.

Being okay with taking things as they come is something I’ve been working on a lot over the last year. After my world collapsed in late 2008 (and continued into 2009), I’ve embraced that idea that there is very little in this life that we control, and that even the control you have only gets you so far, or brings you so much solace (i.e., not enough, really). So, I’m trying to be flexible and adaptable, and embrace change. Or, at least, try to always be looking for that silver lining.

One of the other things I’ve been working on is simplification. Today I spent some time going through my closets, pulling out clothing I haven’t worn in a while, things that don’t fit well, or things that I simply no longer like. I already have a sizable pile, and that’s not even including all the shoes, of which there are many that are sure to go. There is quite a bit of professional clothing that I plan on donating to one of the programs here that helps homeless women in transition, and the rest will go elsewhere. While it feels good to give things away to those who can use them, it also seems like such a waste to have purchased these items in the first place.

The same goes for the big bag full of yarn that I plan on giving to Jill today. I have so much yarn that I’ve purchsed for projects, only to abandon them or find that I didn’t really have the skills or time to make them. Jill’s been knitting a lot, so I know that she can use the yarn and would really appreciate it, but again, I have probably $150 of it that I’m giving to her, which means that I didn’t really need to spend that in the first place. *sigh*

But, you know, I’m letting it go, and trying to be more mindful of what I purchase in the future. And speaking of that, I’m thinking about starting to keep an illustrated journal of my day-to-day life, including what I buy (if anything). There are a few blogs that are centered around similar ideas, but this this isn’t something I’m planning on blogging about. I just want to have a paper record of my year, and also work on brushing up on my extremely rusty drawing skills, such as they are. Ironically, the first thing I will need to do is buy a Moleskin notebook in which to journal.

Anyway, I’m off to Vermont with my running gear and my giant bag of yarn. Happy Memorial Day weekend!

I woke up today hoping that my cold wouldn’t have gotten any worse overnight. Instead, it felt like someone punched me in the face and ear, repeatedly. Joy.

I went back to bed for a while, but lying there just made the pain worse so I got up and tried to start my day. Soon I discovered that were out of juice, cold medicine, Nyquil, tissues, and canned soup. I bundled myself up (in spite of the warm temps) and actually drove down to the store.  I never drive to the store when I’m getting just a few things. Never. But today I felt sh*tty enough to do just that.

The good thing about the grocery store on a weekday morning is that there’s usually no one there; a few SAHMs, a few blue hairs, and me. The bad thing about the grocery store on a weekday morning is that the cashiers are really slow and it takes forever to get out of there. I’m not usually in a hurry, but today I was sick and just wanted to purchase my tissues and soup fixin’s and be on my way, you know? Sigh and woe.

I watched some bad morning TV and blew my nose 800 times, and then decided to make my soup. Now, this soup is, hands down, my favorite thing to have when I’m sick. Maybe because it’s spicy. Maybe it’s the garlic. Maybe it’s all the vitamin C. Maybe because it has goat cheese in it, which is maybe the perfect garnish of all time.  Heidi’s Vegetarian Tortilla Soup recipe is the one I use, with the following changes:

• Roast four, whole Italian peppers along with the tomatoes. Peel when cool, remove the seeds, and chop them up.
• Use a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, and only 4 cups of broth.
• More garlic. Double it.
• Add half of the roasted peppers before blending the soup.
• Add the rest of the peppers and half a bag of spinach (chopped) after the soup is blended.
• If you feel like it, add some beans, too. Cannellini or red kidney beans are a good choice.

That’s it! And you don’t even really need the tortillas (even though they’re delicious). Guaranteed to clear sinuses and make you feel a little better, which is all you really want when you’re sick. Well, except for a hot toddy. We all want that, right?

Every year, following Labor Day, I embark on a long list of projects that generally fall into the category of nesting. This autumn is no different. After Labor Day I knit, use the oven, and paint rooms. It’s my way.

Rob is away this week and I am trying to get things done so that when he returns he’ll be greeted with a clean and clutter-free house, and maybe even a freshly painted Man Zone, which could really use some help. I’d also like to do some work on my long-neglected site, and finish that scarf I’ve been “working on” for ages.

It’s annoying and difficult to be at work when your personal to-do list is a mile long. Remember when I had a 4 day work week? That was the best. Seriously, some days I would kill to be back on that schedule, and today is one of them. If I had Friday off, I could totally get a jump start on painting, run long, bake bread, and maybe even start knitting socks! Ooh!

And speaking of knitting, I passed a knitting store on my way home from the chiropractor today. I’d never noticed it before. Maybe on Saturday I’ll bike over there and check it out, after I’m finished painting.

But anyway, no, I cannot take Friday off, as much as I would like to, because RTB is next week and I’ll be off both Thursday and Friday for that. I am tired though, and being a grown up is full of woe. And sighing. Sigh and woe. ;)

This week has been busy and I’ve been tired every day, or so it seems. Sleeping in that boot (for my PF) has been difficult now that it’s cooled off and we’ve piled blankets on the bed again, and getting through the night with it on has been less and less frequent. That said, last night was fine and I woke up without foot pain today. Hooray!

The cold that I had last week seems to have made it fully out of my system and my runs this week have been good. I just wish there were more of them. I’m going to run 4 tonight after work, 3 in the morning (as a makeshift double in prep for RTB) and then go for 8 or 9 on Sunday or Monday.

I’m getting nervous about RTB, given that I’ve been hurt and every run has felt like a long, slow, struggle. I mean, it’s OK and I’m going to do my best, but I’m still feeling anxious and worried that I won’t meet my team’s expectations. This is why I’ve never been much of a team sport person, honestly. The only solution is to keep on running and try to focus when the day finaly arrives, and to smile a lot and have fun. Now that I can manage just fine.

After my run today, I pretty much did nothing and it has been righteous. I baked bread, straightened up the house after last night’s get together with Mark & Leslie, and started watching movies that I downloaded from Netflix to Rob’s Xbox. I ended up watching Mean Girls (kind of funny), Jesus Camp (scary and not the Christianity I grew up with), and Helvetica (for design nerds).

Tomorrow I go to the chiropractor for my foot and then head into our new offices in East Cambridge. I’ll run some doubles this week, make some meals, and get together with David’s girlfriend who is in town for a mini vacation. It’s not very exciting, but it’s my life and I’m feeling happy right now. It’s been a good weekend.

An open letter to the person who stole my new tent:

Hi, person of no shame, it’s Annalisa, and I gotta say, you have some balls. I mean, to come up onto my porch in the middle of the day and swipe my package? Really? That’s low. How did you even know that the contents of the box were of any value to you? And if not, I really would have appreciated it if you had just left the opened box on the porch and went on your way.

You know, I was really hoping to have my new tent by the weekend to test it out, and so that I could seam-seal it before our trip, but thanks to you, not only may I have to wait to do that, but I also may have to go out and buy an inferior tent if this doesn’t get resolved with the seller, and fast.

I really think it’s awful that you walked up onto my porch and stole that box. Either I’m out the money, or the seller of the tent is, and either way that’s really rotten. I’ve managed to go 36 years of my life without stealing anything, and it really chaps my ass when things like this happen. Honestly, what the hell is the matter with you?

I hope you get eaten by a bear in that tent. And vaffanculo, dickweed.

Sincerely,
Annalisa

Daniel, who is one of the coolest guys I know, hosted a lunchtime meeting where he showed us his photos from Nepal and told us all about the trip. It was only an hour, but I could have listened to him all day. I had about 20 more questions to ask, but didn’t feel like bothering everyone else with my nerdy queries about pack weight and the like.

I’m just really impressed with how he went about training for the trip, sleeping in an oxygen tent, doing a ton of hiking in preparation, and for having that adventurous spirit that I so admire. But like I said, Daniel is very cool, and he’s also a very driven and independent guy.

When I saw his pictures of Mt. Everest, I started to tear up, imagining how it must have felt to have traveled so far and hiked for so long to get there, how excited he must have been, that feeling of achievement that he must have felt. And I was proud of him, you know? I know it’s completely sappy, but I honestly wanted to hug him and say congratulations, but he’s my coworker and that would be weird. :)

In some ways, though, it’s a lot like completing a marathon (or, in my case, a half).

Afterward, I told him about how I wanted to go to Africa and climb Kilimanjaro before I turn 40, and then I thought about how that is only 3.5 years away, and there was a sigh heard round the world.

But that begs the question, what is stopping me? Money, time off from work, fear, I guess. I love camping and backpacking, but it’s something I never do anymore. Every year I talk about going out into the woods for a weekend or two and it never seems to happen. It’s depressing and stupid, honestly.

That said, we are planning a camping trip to Maine in a few weeks. Our friends are really the driving factors here, and I’m hoping that Rob will enjoy it enough so that we can do more camping trips. Given that we’ve scrapped our plans to go to Glacier this year, postponing it to next summer, I feel like I need to get out of the city and hang out in the woods with Bo and Rob as often as possible.

I’m off to San Francisco for a few days (just a very, very short work trip), and we’ll see about doing some hiking with Bo next weekend, even if it’s just down to Stonybrook reservation or out to Medfield for some swimming and flatter trails.