I know I haven’t been posting a lot recently.  I’ll have to remember that the next time I decide to do NaNoWriMo.  I feel like I’ve used all my words up on my novel!

Our lovely quidditch team captains asked us what we’re thankful for and what makes us smile.  And since Thanksgiving is coming up, I thought I would share with all my friends and family.

I’m thankful for:

• the family and friends I have.  I don’t think I would be the person I was if it weren’t for them.
• all the new little babies that have been born this year – Sterling, Lucy, Andrew and Simon.  I’m so happy that you’re all healthy and happy little eating, sleeping and poopin’ machines
• the time that I got to spend with grandparents.  I know the teenage years I might not have cared to much for spending time with the family, but looking back on it, I’m glad for that time.
• my ability to laugh even when you just think you can’t laugh.
• my health.
• chocolate

Now for the things that make me smile:

• chocolate
• Jimbo when he’s annoyed with Kink and all he can do is lift his head up and sigh
• the movie Amelie
• knitting
• swimming
• cute little baby pictures from friend’s kids
• Saturday Night Live – actually I’m smiling and laughing

I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but writing recently.  Unfortunately none of it on my blog.  So I’m sorry for that.  But the novel is coming along swimmingly.  Or at the very least, it’s going.  It’s been fun and tough and I’m really enjoying it.  I’m amazed at what happens when I sit down and just start typing.  It’s difficult in the beginning, but once i get going, it’s like someone turned the faucet on.  I’m a little behind because we’re halfway thru the month and I’m at a little over 20,ooo words.  But I’m feeling confident that it will get done.  Now if I could just believe that I’ve got the next Bridget Jone’s Diary (a light hearted chick lit book that can be optioned out for movie deals) I’d be even happier.

Why yes, Brooklyn Tweed aka Jared Flood was and still is here in Seattle.  At least for a few more days anyways.  I was fortunate enough to be able to see him speak thanks to the Seattle Knitters Guild.  He was great.  Just the nicest, coolest guy.  I wish I had a ton more money and time because I would love to be able to knit up all of his patterns.  Actually at this point I would love to have the time and the patience to whip up the Hemlock Ring blanket or Seneca.  Maybe even Girasole.  I’m so glad I went!  I’ll try and write more later, but I’m completely exhausted for some reason, so I think that’s a sign that I should hit the hay!

This weekend we had a long run on Sunday.  I was really looking forward to it.  And about 2/ 2 1/2 miles into our 10 mile run, I had some serious knee pain.  I tried to walk it out and massage it out.  But nothing worked.  So today I went to the doctor.  It turns out that I’ve got what’s known as patellofemoral syndrome.  Which means that I need to do some rehab on it.  I’ve got a few exercises to do to strengthen the muscles around the knee.  But this means that I can’t do the race.  I was real upset yesterday.  Not because I was going to have to pull out of the race, but because I was actually enjoying running.  It was like therapy but without having to pay at the end of the hour.  Running helps me clear my head.  It also helps me sleep.  I’ve never slept better.  So now I’ll be switching back to more swimming and less running for the next 6 weeks.

At the end of the 6 weeks, I think I’ll definitely be signing up for a barefoot running clinic.  I know it’s not the shoes that screwed up my knee, but it would be nice to start fresh and incorporate a little barefoot running into my training.  I guess I’ll have to pick another half marathon sometime in the future.  Maybe I can find one that’s super cheap and has absolutely no hills

I guess that this leaves more time for NaNoWriMo.  So far I’m at 14k words.  It’s going pretty well.  I’m hoping that I don’t burn out.  I’ve been writing about 1900 words a night.

Tonight at training we did a little fartlek training.  Fartlek, while fun to say (and allows for several unbelievably bad jokes and puns) is a type of training where you vary the pace significantly during your workout.  So for us it was, we’d sprint or run hard for half a lap and then take it easy on the second half of the lap.  We did this around 10 to 15 laps.  I lost count so it could have been less.  I’ve been taking it easy because my knee has been feeling a bit stiff.  And we did all this in nasty weather.  It was super windy and raining so bad it hurt.  When we were getting ready to finish up, we saw this huge blueish green light that we all assumed that it was lightning.  It wasn’t.  After the flash, we looked around and the entire area around us was dark.   It was a transformer that blew.  And it didn’t just blow once it flashed 3 times.  We were at the Seattle Pacific University track.  So that meant that all those colleges kids that were diligently writing term papers, probably lost it all.  At that point I was happy I wasn’t them…

Tonight I’m taking a break from NaNoWriMo.  In four days I’ve written 7871 words so far.

And as for Where in the World is Winnie, I’m going to have to say she headed to Mexico City first and then from there she headed to Antofagasta, Chile and after that she took off to somewhere in Brazil… But I don’t know where yet…

I don’t think I’ve ever written this much before in my life.  In two days I’ve got a word count of 3973!  Only 46,027 words left.  What the heck… I’ll try and knock that out this weekend.  Yeah, probably not.  But I am having fun with this and it’s definitely pushing my creative limits.  Hell after this, I’m gonna write a stand up comedy routine.  That’s right Mom… get ready.  All our family secrets will be dragged out of the closet (I’m talking to you, Dad’s boyfriend) and made fun of for all to laugh at.

But honestly, I think this month will be filled with running, writing and reading.  I see very little knitting in November.  It seems like it will only happen on Tuesday evenings.  Unless I skip out to go to a NaNoWriMo write in.

Since I’ve already written over 1950 words this evening, I’m going to close with my favorite news story of the past week, Judge Hecht is resigning as a superior court judge. He felt that, “in order to uphold the integrity of the court system of which I feel strongly about, I do not believe I have any choice but to resign.” And that he intends to “to keep fighting to reverse this injustice and reinstate my good name. But I will do that independently of attempting to remain on the bench under the current situation.”  I’m sorry, am I to understand that this vending machine soup loving, prominent cyst having, fat ass diabetic with a skin condition was still getting paid up until recently?  And am I also to deduce that he thinks he’s innocent?  I need to know, what’s is that parallel universe like?  Am I a super rich super model and Aaron Peirsol(he’s the one in the middle) is my husband?  Because if that’s the case, then count me in.  Just tell how to get there.

I spent about 3 hours this afternoon writing.  And I’m pretty sure it’s not good writing.  But that’s not the point of NaNoWriMo.  The point is to write.  Even if it’s bad.  Just write.  But I gotta say, it’s tiring.  I cranked out a whopping 1950 words today. I may revisit it and try for a little bit more.  I think writing during the week is going to be difficult.  So what ever extra I can do during the weekend, I think can only help me.

On a sad note, Judge Hecht was found guilty.  I wonder if there’s vending machine soup in the big house?

Sorry I haven’t posted in a bit.  My hard drive died Monday night and I took it in to be fixed on Tuesday.  I’m hoping and praying that it will be done today.  I’m starting NaNoWriMo on Sunday so I’d prefer to type instead of handwriting.

And now the quidditch homework – it’s a fill in the blank:

Hi Magpies!
Boy this has been a crazy week! I have been so busy and haven’t had much time to post! So, I thought I’d do a quickie to tell you about my plans for the weekend! Saturday, I am planning to knit like a fiend and eat lots of candy with Kink and Jimbo. If I have time, I might also do some laundry since I haven’t in a long time. Sunday will be spent running and writing and maybe some napping if I’m lucky!

I hope you all have a great weekend too!
And here’s the second half of the homework – Where in the World is Winnie?  I’m gonna take a shot in the dark, based on the clues… She’s at the home of the Appleby Arrows, Appleby village.  I’ve never been there but I hear it’s lovely this time of year

I was half watching the local news when a story caught my attention.  Now the story was not that unusual – a superior court judge in Tacoma (Judge Hecht) is accused of patronizing a prostitute and felony harassment.  I mean, can you name a judge that hasn’t been accused or these things?  It’s not so much what he’s accused of that caught my attention.  It was his defense and a few other comments he made while on the stand.

First, his defense.  He says he can’t have sex.  He even brought his doctor up on the witness stand to testify to this.  His doctor agreed with his “I can’t have sex defense” and added “diabetes, a chronic skin condition, obesity and erectile dysfunction, as far back as 2001.”  Nice doctor.  “Yeah, he can’t get it up.  And he’s a fat diabetic who can stop itching.  Would you want to sleep with him?  Apparently even he doesn’t want to sleep with himself.”  Now I know the doctor was a witness for the accused.  So he was probably told to lay it on thick.  But what the heck does the chronic skin condition have to do with getting a little lovin’ from a male prostitute?  I’m assuming he added that as the cherry on top of the sundae of his testimony.  But wait, there’s more from the doctor.  He even added that Judge Hecht had a “prominent cyst.”  Two words:  ewwwwwww and ewwwwww.  They showed Judge Hecht and I can safely say, that cyst wasn’t on his face. One more time Ewwwwwww.

They also brought a couple of antique dealers to testify.  Apparently Judge Hecht was a former antiques dealer.  Ok, I can see calling a few business associates to give a statement as to what kind of guy he is.  But at one point an antiques dealer by the name of, and I’m not making this up, Linda Lick, said that he used to frequent a now closed adult film theater.  Now I know what you’re thinking.  She screwed up and let the cat out of the bag.  Wait for it… the reason he liked to frequent the theater was for their vending machine soup.  Here’s the quote from the News Tribune, ““He loves the chicken soup at the vending machine,” Lick said, smiling. At the defense table, Hecht smiled, too.”

Where do I begin with that?  No one’s buying “the chicken soup in the vending machine is out of this world” story.  It’s call Cup-o-Soup.  You can get it any 7-11, quickie mart. And I’m pretty sure you can get it at  every rest stop in the continental United States. And if you think the only place you can get it, is in the vending machine at the local “whack shack,”  you should not be on the superior court.  I’m just saying, you’re judgment might be a bit cloudy.  I don’t like touching vending machines in general.  I can’t imagine what kind of “things” are living on a vending machine in a porn theater.  I wonder if the vending machine chicken noodle soup is what lead to his diabetes, a chronic skin condition, obesity and erectile dysfunction and perhaps even his prominent cyst.  Hell, that might not be a cyst.  It could be where he’s been hiding his soup since he can’t get it at the theater anymore.

Thank you God… thank you for this awesome story.  And I thought my life was bad.  I don’t have a vending machine soup addiction.

Today was our long run day.  We started with a quick 15 minute fitness assessment.  We had to run around the track at our normal run pace.  At the end of 15 minutes we recorded the number of laps we had. I had gone 5 laps ( 1 1/4 miles).  Then it was off for our 9 3/4 mile run.  I started strong and felt great.  By the time I got to around the 5 or 6 mile mark, I was starting to ache.  So I ended up doing a fair amount of run/walking for the last 3 miles or so.  But  I finished it.  I did it in about 2 hours.  So not bad for someone who doesn’t like to run.

I’m a little worried about my knee.  It’s a bit stiff and achy.  I took some advil and I hope that will calm it down at bit.  After all that pain, I really want to try some barefoot running and see if that helps.  I would definitely use it in my training.  I don’t know if I’ll ever run a full race barefoot, but I think you need to try everything out to see what works for you.   It can’t be all that bad if the NY Times is writing about it…