Kill the Car

I was driving home from work on Tuesday.

Chug...Chug...Clank...Clank...Whir Whir Whir...

*BEEEEEP* Check Alternator!

*BEEEEEP* Airbag no worky!

*BEEEEEP* Power steering is for sissies!

*BEEeeeeee...

Car. Is. Dead.

(No Battery Power = No Hazard Flashers. Safety third!)

On the highway.

During a snowstorm.

While wearing a dress and tights and heels.

(Do you know what's cold? Being stuck in a car that has no heat while wearing a dress and tights.)

Needless to say, Miss Puff-N-Chug is back in the hospital. She needs a new water pump, $erpentine belt, power $teering pump...

Is it ethical to euthanize a car??

Couch Potato

Turns out, No Running = No Blogging.

And when I say No Running, I mean NO RUNNING. I got the new Garmin for Christmas, and thought that would kickstart my motivation.

Turns out? Not so much. I ran on December 26th...and then on January 10th...and then on...

Oh, right. NEVER AGAIN.

And it's February. A brand new month. So I think I need a brand new plan. A fun plan. An easy plan.

So I am going to do...

(drumroll)

(...)

(...)

(...)

A couch to 5k plan.

Yes, really.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I could totally bust out a 5k right now.

(And by "totally" I mean "maybe")

I wouldn't be PRing or anything crazy, but I could carry my out-of-shape ass across 3.1 miles.

Right?

RIGHT??

So maybe I couldn't. I guess it's a good thing that week one starts a little something like this:

Walk 4:30
Run :30
Repeat 7 times

Oh yeah, baby. I'm going back to basics. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to run for 30 seconds. :)

I think some new running shoes are in order.

Preciousss

I got the ultimate triathlon gift for Christmas.

No, not a tri bike.

I revise my statement.

I got the almost ultimate triathlon gift for Christmas.

The Garmin Forerunner 310XT.



I've been doodling "Allison and Forerunner 310XT" surrounded by puffy hearts on my trapper keeper ever since.

Because I am in looooooove.

I opened it at Christmas and immediately put it on. It didn't matter that I wasn't running. I tracked my family's game of Cranium.

I wore it to bed. Resting heart rate is important, yo.

I wore it the next day. Gray and orange went really well with my red sweater. I wouldn't take it off. I couldn't take it off. Which is how my new Garmin got named.

My PRECIOUSSS.

Then...I wore it for a run. The first thing I noticed? IT VIBRATES. When you turn it on. At each mile. No need to annoy your running partners with beeping.

And it tracks your heart rate with a graph!

And it's pretty! I love the orange and gray.

And it lets you switch from one sport to the next by simply hitting the lap button. Switching from family gaming to sleeping to running (the Christmas triathlon) was a breeze. :)

Meow-y Christmas

You know you have too much time on your hands when...your pets buy each other Christmas presents.

(My God, am I really going to admit to the Interwebs that I am "that girl"??)

(Yes)

Roxie only had one thing on her Christmas list this year. A jet pack.

Akos doesn't have that kind of cash, but he's a thoughtful dog, so he got her some rubbery catnip filled mice. And a Jonas Brothers Christmas card.

Roxie thinks Kevin is sooooo dreamy.



Akos wanted peanut butter...but Roxie got him a bag of Chocolate. Dark Chocolate.

She's meeting with her therapist this weekend to discuss her anger issues and her passive aggressive tendencies.

Happy Holidays!

More Car Drama

It was Friday. I was in a great mood...I was having a great hair day and it was the day of my team's "holiday lunch" at work.

I left my apartment and went to the parking lot to drive to work, and...

...(pause for dramatic effect)...

My car was gone.

Towed.

(No wonder my remote starter didn't work)

When my windshield was repaired, they didn't save my parking pass.

Faaaak.

So I called my apartment manager and explained the situation. They were very sympathetic because I had left a message with my them the day the glass was replaced to get a new permit, but they never got back to me.

So yes, my car was towed and I had to go to a sketchy neighborhood to get it back...but at least I didn't have to PAY to get it back. Towing is expensive, yo.

I hear bad things come in threes. I better check my to make sure my AAA hasn't expired. :)

Kiss My Glass

It was 2pm and Ryan and I were making cookies.

(Molasses sandwich cookies with cinnamon icing, in case you were curious.)

(And they are FREAKING DELICIOUS, might I add.)

My phone rang. It was the St. Paul police department. Someone had broken into my car.

AT 2PM IN THE AFTERNOON. That's broad daylight, for those of you keeping track at home.

Luckily, someone had witnessed the crime and immediately called the police.

Unluckily, the three bastards broke my passenger window, rooted through my car, and stole my GPS.


My passenger seat. Anyone want a ride?

Luckily, I have insurance so I only had to shell out $100 to get the window replaced.

Unluckily, the GPS wasn't covered.


Check out my sweet new GPS. In some circles it's called PAPER.

But I am safe. My car is fine. The window is fixed.

The silver lining to this cloudy story? My car is the cleanest it has ever been. When the window was fixed, they vacuumed out all the shards of glass...along with the sand, dirt, stray Cheetos and Starburst wrappers. Score!!

Race Recap: Monster Half Marathon 2009

So to finish out the month of October, I did a half marathon. On Halloween.

In Costume.

Emily and I went as Sexy Chippendale's Dancers.



With emphasis on the sexy.

I had been sick and sleep deprived all week and only ran once since the Des Moines marathon...Emily was injured...so we just ran for fun. I took my chip off my shoe so "officially" I DNFed...I just didn't want such a shitty time to be recorded for all of history.

But we had a great time. We enjoyed the hell out of the course, and got a lot of comments on our kickass costumes.

I even made $3 - an adoring fan tucked some cash into my pants. :)

And the race medal doubles as a belt buckle. Yes, really.



Monster half marathon: A SUCCESS.

After the race, Ryan and I carved a kickass jack-o-lantern...



Pumpkin carving: A SUCCESS.

And then we handed out candy to Trick-or-Treaters.

Halloween 2009: A SUCCESS.