Regretfully I Return

I apologize for the lapse in posts. It's been a hectic couple of weeks - okay, month. The last time I posted, April 12, was when things started going downhill a bit. I know many bloggers write more when they are under stress. But I don't. I hunker down and wait until the clouds part a bit. So much has gone on I almost don't know where to begin with an update. But here's a David Letterman top ten (twelve) rundown of what happened over the past month or so to cause my unexplained silence-on-the-line:
 
1. A few months ago, under doctor's supervision, I stopped taking my medication for tachycardia. I went in for a checkup with my cardiologist on April 12 (the last day I posted...) and I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. Not dangerously high, but high for me, and I could definitely feel it. My doctor thought it may be a rebound effect from weaning off the medication. Freakout #1.
 
2. A few days later, at a follow-up with my GP, my tachycardia started up again. Full blown palpitations, high blood pressure, etc. Doctor put me back on Metoprolol. Freakout #2.
 
3. Stopped running and training completely because I was worried about the high blood pressure. Truth be told: I think I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. Six years working on a morgue TV show will do that to you. I was deathly afraid that I was going to stroke out on a run. But also, I just wasn't feeling great. I felt like you do when you're trying to blow up a balloon. My feeling unwell culminated with a three-day headache and a trip to the emergency room. Freakout #3.
 
4. Re-sodded the back yard. Took us two weekends working like day laborers and $700 bucks of grass, but got it done.
 
5. Working on possible new documentary. More on that later.
 
6. Made it into the Producers Guild. Yay!
 
7. Made it into the Academy. Yay!
 
8. Busted my knee editing. Don't ask. Was hobbled for two days and worried I had deep vein thrombosis. See #3 above. Freakout #4.
 
9. Writing a new web series with hubby.
 
10. Pitching a short doc series for a non-profit on PTSD.
 
11. Our beloved neighbor passed away.
 
12. My cousin graduated from USC and my family was in town.
 
Whew.
 
So, long and short of it: I'm back, I'm healthy, I started running again, I have a new lawn, and a bunch of projects in the works. Oh, and Fast N Loud will be premiering its second season in just a few weeks. Whoop!
 
Thanks for hanging in there with me.
 
And by the way: did anyone listen to this marvelous report this morning on NPR? It's about older single women living together ala Golden Girls. What a fabulous idea. As the daughter of a single mother who is now in her sixties and living alone, I totally love this concept.
 
Hasta la vista for now,
g
 

Posted with Blogsy

Intervals

 

 
Today was my sprint day and I decided to try something different: run on a track. Burroughs High School in beautiful downtown Burbank (wink) has a beautiful, brand-new stadium with a state-of-the-art track. It's open to the public from 6:15 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and then from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. After six is a little late for me, but I figured I'd give it a try.
 
My workout was a 5 minute warm-up run, followed by 10X400m with 200m walks in-between, then a 3 minute cool down. On Strava, my run totaled out to 3.7 miles. My pace on the 400's ranged from about 2:11-2:33, which is blazing fast for me. So I feel good that I pushed myself - and without hurting myself. Although, I think I like hurting myself on the track. I'm going to keep doing the intervals at the stadium. I like running faster on hard ground than on the treadmill.
 
Next up: long run on Sunday. 5.5 miles, or 8.85 km. I may need a Bloody Mary after that one. Is a Bloody Mary low carb?
 
Have a great weekend!
 

Posted with Blogsy

It's Monday and I'm Broken

How I spent my weekend.

 
The weekend was a blur of mulching the garden, seeding the yard, sanding & painting patio furniture, sewing slipcovers, food shopping, cleaning and cooking. I'm broken. And now, it's Monday.
 
But on the bright side, this is really really really funny:
 
reasonsmysoniscrying
 
 
 

Posted with Blogsy

Worst Scam Ever.

Just got this in my email. Worst scam ever. I don't know what's better: the spacing problems, the spelling errors, or the fact that the sender's alleged name is in parens. The scam is based on a story out of the UK in like 2010. I'm calling the cell number listed and leaving harassing messages.
 
Please feel free to do the same.
 
 
 
Peace be unto you

This is a personal email directed to you, Let me formally introduce myself to you, my name is (Mr. Allen Large). I and my dear wife Violet won a Jackpot Lottery of

$11.3 million in July 2010 and have voluntarily decided to donate the sum of $200,000.00USD to you as part of our own charity project to improve the lives of some

individuals all over the world.

We registered a package containing a valid international cashier's check of $200,000.00USD for you with FedEx office in Abuja Nigeria last week during our charity

mission to Nigeria as we do not know when we would return to Canada but have paid $364 for all charges except the administration chargesof $130 since we do not have
your postal address for addressing. The charges are a bit high because we registered the package under first class delivery.

Note: FedEx Will not deliver in C.O.D or Deduct out of the money the payment need to come from your end before check to your address.

Kindly contact FedEx with your postal address, full names, and direct mobile number and inquire from them how you can remit the balance $130 for administration to
enable them effect the delivery of the package to you immediately.

CONTACT FEDEX NOW WITH THE BELOW INFO:
=====================================
Authorized FedEx Center.Abuja Nigeria
Dispatch Officer: Mr. Carson Peter
Direct E-mail:fedex_manager@manager.in.th
Phone: +234-7087133581
=====================================
Read the reason why we are giving out the funds through the web link below
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/15795402

God bless you.
Kind Regards,
Mr/Mrs. Allen Violet Large.
Personal number: +1-425-409-0730
Canada.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Intervals and the Mystery of the Men's Locker Room

Today was my interval day on the Jeff Galloway Easy 5K app I'm using. The run went like this:
 
3 minute warmup, 4 minute run easy pace (11:00)
8 X 400 intervals @ 9:00 pace with 200 meter walk between each set
3 minute cool down
 
Total distance: 4 miles
Total time: 50 minutes
 
But here's my problem with intervals: even though I feel like I'm running as fast as Tirunesh Dibaba, when I see myself in the mirror (the row of treadmills I run on face a huge wall of them), I still look like an old lady.
 
Harrumph.
 
One other observation today: I've noticed that the gang of old men who meets every morning at the Y to shoot the shit all file into the men's locker room before heading to the workout room. All of them. Every single one. We all trudge up the stairwell together at 5:30 a.m. - the moment the Y doors open - and one by one all of the men peel off on the second floor and enter the men's locker room. But all of the women - including me - continue trudging up to the cardio room on the third floor. Ten or fifteen minutes later, the fellows saunter in and hit the ellipticals and recumbent bikes.
 
I'm dying to know what they all do in there. I really am. A couple of them carry big empty jugs with them. Like empty milk containers. One of them is always wearing jeans and I never see him with a gym bag or anything else. In fact, once he enters the men's locker room, I never see him again at all. He's a nice enough guy. He showed me the back seat of his pick-up truck this morning. That doesn't sound good, does it? It was at my request, though. My husband and I are looking for a new vehicle and we're sizing up the back seat capacities of potential trucks. His is a 4-door king cab, but it looked too small to fit three kids comfortably. So anyway, back to the question: What are the men doing in the locker room? And what could they be doing with empty jugs? Are they filling them with water at the sink? I asked one of the ladies this morning - the one who wears a John McEnroe sweatband on her head - what she thought the men did in the locker room and she told me she didn't want to know and she didn't want to entertain those kinds of thoughts. But she agreed with me: it's damn strange. Ha! I'm afraid my curiosity might get the better of me and one morning I might just file into the locker room with them.
 
Have a great Friday and weekend. Sunday is my long run. I plan to do it outside.
 
See ya on the street!
 

Posted with Blogsy