Annual

Every woman gets to do it. That “once a year” visit to have your girly parts looked at.

Yesterday at my annual, I realized as I was disrobing that my socks were worn to the nubbin and hole laden on the right foot. I couldn’t figure out which was going to be better for my OB to look at while I was hang’n out in the stirrups, my hole filled sticky old socks or my nasty yellow callous filled raw feet.

I’m just going to believe that she didn’t notice my choice at all because she was so enraptured with my beautiful nether regions.

Firsts

KP and I were on our way to meet my parents for lunch. We decided to eat at a burger joint. To get there I drove down an old time Main Street. As I was sitting at a red light I was looking at all the old stores and restaurants and my eyes landed on Hoagies Family Style Restaurant.

Hoagies is one of those old fashioned diners with the original metal stools and the old time waitresses with 1950 style aprons and a cook named Mel sweating in the kitchen. As I sat at the light and saw the restaurant, I was flooded with a memory so strongly that it passed before my eyes like a quick time movie.

I was a freshman in college and home on a random break, it was still cold and we both had jackets on. My dad and I were sitting in a back booth waiting to order. The waitress showed up, he ordered coffee and so did I…my very first virgin cup. I had never drunk coffee before. As the cup landed in front of me and a bit splashed over the side I started questioning my dad on how to drink it, with milk or sugar or black and what the big deal was about coffee anyway and why he drank it everyday and how can it even taste good when it smells so rank.

And on that cold day, we sat at Hoagies eating flapjacks, drinking coffee and talking about that amazing cup of joe. I never thought in a million years that habit would stick.

Do you remember your first cup?

Can we just go back to last Wednesday?

Last Thursday my dad went in to see his doctor for back pain he had been having for several months.

His doctor took x-rays.

His doctor took one look at those x-rays, walked down to see a radiologist for a brief consult and then sent my dad for a bone scan the very next day.

On Saturday morning his doctor called to tell him how sorry he was that his life was going to change forever.

My dad’s doctor informed him that he has metastasized prostate cancer in his bones, from shoulders to femur to be exact.

After a full week of tests and consults and prodding and probing we now know that there is no cure for this. But there is treatment. And if the treatment works, hopefully we can spend a few more precious years together.

First sign of spring in Minne

Today I spotted the first flip flop of the season.

That’s what I love about Minnesotans. Still snow on the ground but it has hit 45 degrees.

GET THOSE FLIP FLOPS ON!

Morning run

How freakishly perceptive

Yesterday PJ saw CT walk off the bus. Immediately she said, “Ooooohhh, he’s so sad…oh no, he’s so sad” and ran to the door to open it up for him.

I thought to myself, he looks just like he always does when he gets off the bus.

When he walked through the door, he burst into tears.

Where do your razors go?

I have the world’s ugliest feet. My toes are all misaligned due to too many years on the balance beam during those formative toe years. They are always cold, which gives them this dead sort of bluish hue. And for some reason I have more dead skin on my feet than I’m sure anyone else on the planet.

In order to cure one of my problems, I like to take a razor to the calluses. This normally works just fine; however, one must be cautious and careful when doing this type of procedure at home.

Yesterday, I found myself with too much time in a hot shower. After doing all the normal things one does in a shower, I went after my toe calluses. After shearing most of the dead skin off I went for one last swipe and somehow dug that razor right into perfectly sweet soft flesh. The double bladed wound is only a little smaller than a dime but damn if that thing wouldn’t stop bleeding.

Did you know that if you are wearing flip flops and your foot is bleeding it throws the blood in an amazing picturesque array all over the floor?

I only needed to walk about 25 feet to my locker.

Sled dog

Artful conversation

CT and PJ were sitting at the kitchen table this afternoon making little figures out of clay. As they sat and sculpted they also chatted and the following is what I overheard:

CT: PJ, why are you always so mean?

PJ: I was born mean.

Looking down the barrel

A month or so ago I signed up to do a ½ Ironman this summer. I have been feeling particularly laid back about how this is all going to pan out.

I’ve done races before. It’s just the next progression in the rung. Of course I can do it, what’s the big deal?

Well, training starts this Sunday and now the butterflies have officially made their way into the pit of my stomach. The past four months have been easy breezy runs with Jen and nothing else. I’ve deserved it, right? Why continue swimming, biking and lifting? I so needed that break!

I guess we’ll see just how good of a break it was. Here is what the first week of the 5:00 am, 18 week training schedule looks like:

Sunday: 30 minute bike, 45 minute swim
Monday: off (LOVE THAT!)
Tuesday: 30 minute run, 45 minute swim
Wednesday: 1 ½ hour bike
Thursday: 30 minute run
Friday: 50 minute bike
Saturday: 55 minute run

After writing that out it doesn’t seem so bad. Well, to be honest, the 5:00 am still does.