Getting The Run-Around

My sister Suzanne and I registered for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon taking place in Phoenix, AZ on January 17, 2010 and training is well underway! Long-distance running somewhat "runs" in my family. Two of my sisters and I ran cross-country in high school. I remember my Dad running marathons growing up and going for 2-3 hour runs on Sundays even in the dead of Illinois winters. Dad trained people to run marathons and helped coach my cross-country and track teams.

January will be my third time running this particular race and I don't remember the training being this hard on my body the last time around. Ray keeps saying that this is what happens when you get older and to get used to it, but I don't want to buy into any of that. I talked to my Dad about all of my aches and pains last weekend and he recommended the first thing I do is buy a new pair of running shoes.

After a tough 5-mile run yesterday, I headed to Sportspectrum in Shreveport to check out their selection. They had a HUGE wall of shoes to choose from and the picture above only shows a fraction. It was really cool; they had me stand on a pad that measured how I distribute my weight on my feet, watched me walk, and recommended the type of shoes that would be best for me. I tried on several pairs, but none of them felt quite right. They were out of my size of the pair that I was certain would have been "The One." Apparently, this is the time of year that manufacturers release the new models of shoes. Due to this, the store will not be receiving another shipment of this particular model.

I'm torn! Do I locate the pair online that I think will work and hope for the best, or wait for the new models to arrive in a few weeks and try them on before buying?

Where A Kid Can Be A Kid!

I was brought back in time on Friday night to a wonderful part of my childhood. My inaugural trip to the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport was to see "The Rock-afire Explosion," a documentary about the animatronic robots that played in Showbiz Pizza Place from 1980-1991. If you recall, The Rock-afire Explosion were different characters, from a dog to a gorilla, who performed music and even told jokes during shows on three stages.

The official press release says: “The Rock-afire Explosion” is the story of a small-town car salesman, a struggling inventor, and an animatronic rock band, that quickly becomes an eccentric portrait of childhood memories, broken dreams, and the resilience of the human spirit.

The documentary featured Chris Thrash, a die-hard fan and "preservationist" of The Rock-afire Explosion. He saved his money for years, working multiple jobs to purchase an original Rock-afire Explosion show to have at his home! Yes, this guy is very kooky but fun loving. It also featured Aaron Fechter, creator of The Rock-afire Explosion, as well as some of the remaining Rock-afire Explosion fan base. Two of the people featured in the documentary drove into town to attend the special two-night screening! Billy Bob, the Showbiz mascot bear who interacted with kids, was even there to great people who came to the screening. The DVD is set to be released on September 29, 2009. If you have fond memories of going to Showbiz Pizza Place, I recommened addidng this gem to your Netflix queue.

Do you remember Showbiz Pizza Place? I grew up going to Showbiz as a kid and it was A MILLION times better than what Chuck E. Cheese is now (the two companies merged in 1991-92). Thinking back now, I can give some credit to Showbiz for getting good grades -- they gave kids free tokens for each "A" earned on a report card. My mom would take me & my sisters there the weekend we received our report cards so that we could celebrate and play. My mom reminded me today that my dad would celebrate his birthday at Showbiz because he knew it would make his kids happy! Great memories and I am thankful that they were brought back to life through this documentary.

Seriously! I Mean, Seriously?!?!

My number one, biggest pet peeve is when someone does not follow through on a promise or service. Period. Today I was very disappointed and found myself quite upset when I drove nearly 40 minutes to attend my Sunday afternoon yoga class, waited in my car approximately 25 minutes, just to find out that the instructor would not be showing up. The problem was not that class was canceled, but that she failed to let myself and the other 7 people who showed up know that she would not be coming!

You see, I really enjoy this particular class and have been scheduling my entire Sunday around it. Between the drive there, the 75 minute class, and the drive home, it is almost a three hour commitment. Ray has been gracious enough to go grocery shopping while I attend class so that we can spend as much time together on our day off.

Needless to say, I was fuming on the 40 minute drive back home...not very Zen. I sent the instructor a very nice email (since I knew that I'd be seeing her next week) as soon as I got home expressing my disappointment and let her know how committed I am to her class. The e-mail explained my personal situation clearly and recommended that perhaps she prepare a communications strategy so that this wouldn't happen again.

The other issue is that this is a second time occurrence for me. The first was about 6 months ago and the result is that I stopped going to class - I just missed it so much that decided to give another go at it. I'm not sure what is so difficult about sending an e-mail to her approximately 20 students saying if class is canceled? I'm still not sure why that would be so difficult.

I had to find the good in this situation, otherwise it would've ruined my day. I guess the upside was that I ended up getting in a run this afternoon, albeit in the rain, but it felt great nonetheless!

How Young is Too Young?

It is amazing how many kids have their own cell phone these days. What shocks me are the young kids with smart phones. I was at a boutique yesterday and there was a girl, probably 15 years old, who was texting friends on her iPhone the entire time she and her mom were shopping. The store owner said, "my high school son would be so jealous if he saw you have an iPhone." Mom spoke up quickly and said that her daughter paid for the phone herself and is responsible to pay for the monthly insurance plan. At least this is learning responsibility and has to work for things.

What really got me was today during lunch at the Olive Garden. There was a kid, no older than 9 years of age, who was texting on his iPhone! This was clearly his own personal phone, which prompted a conversation about how much things have changed since when I was growing up (yes, this talk made me feel old!). As this was being discussed, I looked a couple tables down and there was a two-year-old child talking on a cell phone!!! No joke. I about fell out of my chair laughing. I mean seriously, isn't that a bit young? Stephanie, do either of your kids have a cell phone?

Why Women Stay Single

Thanks for sending me this video, Lesley. Classic!!!

Monday Night Sushi Club

A wonderful new sushi joint just opened a couple of weeks ago in North Bossier, just a few miles from my house. The sushi and rolls are out of this world. Check out the name - Avocado California Roll & Sushi - it's a mouthful. The first couple of times we dined there the service was really - I MEAN REALLY - slow, taking about two hours to finish dinner. But the food is so incredible that we had to go back for more. I have had sushi all over the globe and I'm putting my stamp of approval on this gem as the best I've found!

This restaurant was founded in Wylie, Texas, and there are currently ten locations. Alexander, the founder, greeted us last week and even showed us that he has a roll named in his honor. How cool is that? The menu is like no other Japanese restaurant I've been to either. There are pictures accompanying each of the dishes...genius. So often I won't try something new because I don't know what I'm getting myself into. This takes all of the guess work out of it. However, it looks like someone needs to go through and spell check the menu - check out item #19 below.

Last Monday, four of us (Ray, Steve - pictured below, and "Sugar") met up for a sushi dinner. Yes, the service was slow yet again - but the food is beyond...I mean it's BEYOND! We decided to make it a Monday night event. It was great having something to look forward to throughout the first day of the work week. I am very happy to report that the service has picked up quite a bit and only took an hour - in and out. We all really hope this place will make it here.

Next Monday = same time, same place.

New Guilty Pleasure

A few weeks ago, some ladies at work turned me on to "Whatever, Martha!" I find the show to be quite hysterical. In case you are in the dark, as I have been for the last year, these half-hour episodes feature co-hosts Alexis Stewart (Martha Stewart's daughter) and friend Jennifer Koppelman Hutt (who happens to be the daughter of the chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia) . The premise is that the co-hosts watch old, archive episodes of Martha Stewart's show and critique, mock and provide commentary of what they watch. They make fun of Martha's clothes, rip into her guests, and mix in sexual innuendos whenever the opportunity presets itself. It seems that nothing is off limits to what they joke about. They also attempt to make some of the crafts or meals during real-time while watching the show. I've read that Martha created the show after watching reruns of “Mystery Science Theater 3000." Genius if you ask me! If you are intrigued and have a DVR or TiVo - record a few episodes and check it out for yourself. Apparently they also have a radio show on Sirus Satellite Radio. Here's a sample of the show below, what do you think?