Sisters

3-31-12  My sister and best friend, Kai, came down from Michigan to run my 15 miler with me.  She got here last night, just in time for the tornado warning!  I sent everyone to the basement and then continued to fix dinner.  Poor Carson was so scared.  He always gets scared during storms.

We had a great time.  It was so much different having a friend to run with.  It was faster and easier.  I had such an easy time running the whole way.  I did get tired as we reached 10-11-12 miles, but not so much that I needed to stop or walk more or anything.  In fact Kai said I kept a pretty constant pace the whole run.  WooHoo.

We left about 8:15 this morning.  About 3 miles in to our run we reached the Antrim Lake area and they had it set up like race day.  Music blaring, Gu, Gatorade and water.  Probably sooner than we needed any of that, but why pass it by?  We had so much fun, just kept running and before you knew it, the whole thing was over!!

Well, what do you know!!??  It is lunch time.  We went to the Rusty Bucket , both of us in search of a great burger, after all we have earned them.  Kai got the Patty Melt and I went all out and got the "Elvis Velveeta Burger".  I have never been so hungry.  I needed the food fast.  I wanted to change out of my wet sweaty clothes, but told Kai, i needed to order first.  I didn't want anything to slow down my process towards getting food!!!

I didn't listen to any music today because I was with my sister.  I told Kai tonight that I didn't know how I would name my "post" for today.  Then it came to me and I said "Sisters"!  That was a no brainer!

Sisters:

Sisters, sisters
There were never such devoted sisters,
Never had to have a chaperone, No sir,
I'm there to keep my eye on her
Caring, sharing
Every little thing that we are wearing
When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome
She wore the dress, and I stayed home
All kinds of weather, we stick together
The same in the rain or sun
Two different faces, but in tight places
We think and we act as one
Those who've seen us
Know that not a thing could come between us
Many men have tried to split us up, but no one can
Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister
And Lord help the sister, who comes between me and my man
Sister and me and John
I know deep inside your heart that you will feel the best intention
Sister you will know
You understand that in the far I'll always be you, the men will come and go
All kinds of weather, we stick together
The same in the rain or sun
Three different faces, but in tight places
We think and we act as one
Those who've seen us
Know that not a thing could come between us
Many men have tried to split us up, but no one can
Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister
And Lord help the sister, who comes between me and my man

So, all of this is pretty goofy.  I don't think Kai and I ever had to fight over a man, ha-ha.  But I can say that nothing has ever come between us.  I have so many friends that have sibling issues, and that is so sad, but we don't.  Not between Kai and me, nor between any of my siblings.  We have the best family ever!  Thank you Mom and Dad, you must have had something to do with that!!!

Santana - Smooth

3-28-12  I made all kinds of bad choices today!  First, when I got home from work, rushing to go out for a run, I saw that my neighbors trashcans were in the middle of the street.  Their dog was outside, but maybe they were not hone.  I parked my car in the drive way and ran across the street and grabbed their trash cans.  As I went across the street, I stepped on the edge of the brick drive and turned my ankle.  Crap!  So much for being the nice guy!  Maybe they need to secure their trash cans.
Then I was trying to decide where to run.  It was very windy.  First, I shouldn't have gone outside at all.  But then if I was going to go out, I shouldn't have picked a route where I went East, running with the wind so that I had to run straight in to the wind coming home.  I even thought about that on my drive home, but sure enough, I picked a route that took me 2 miles away from home running with the wind.  I thought I was going to die coming home.  I swear I wanted to just sit down in the middle of the road.  When I got home finally and turned on the news, they said we had 35 mph winds.  Think about that.  Think about being in a convertible, driving 35 mph.  Its pretty windy.  Now think about trying to propel yourself forward with out the help of the car engine straight in to the 35 mph wind.  Not a good choice Pam!

I ran through the Lakes of Powell to Murphy Parkway.  When I moved to Ohio, the area in which I live now, was considered a drive out in the country.  There was a place called Murphy's Party Barn.  You could rent the party barn and haev parties.  It was popular in the fall and winter where you could also have hay rides and bonfires.  It is now a housing development and that is where I was running today.
I was suppose to run 7 miles today, according to my plan.  As you increase your long runs on the weekend, your total mileage during the week is suppose to increaase so that it is close to being equivalent to what you will run on the weekend.  My run this weekend is 15 miles so I am supposed to run 15 miles between Tuesday, Wednesday and Thrusday runs.  Not sure if I will make it because I haev a busy day on thursday.
My run was not smooth at all, but I do love Santana's song "Smooth".

Man it's a hot one
Like seven inches from the midday sun
Well I hear you whisper and the words melt everyone
But you stay so cool
My mu equita my Spanish Harlem Mona Lisa
You're my reason for reason
The step in my groove
Yea

And if you say, "This life ain't good enough"

I would give my world to lift you up
I could change my life to better suit your mood
'Cause you're so smooth

And it's just like the ocean under the moon
Well it's the same as the emotion that I get from you
You got the kind of lovin' that can be so smooth, yeah
Gimme your heart, make it real
Or else forget about it

The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want

3-27-12 It was very cold this morning.  We had a frost overnight and it was 30 degrees when I ran.  We should have covered plants.  Our hydrangea had a lot of foliage and it is frozen now.  I hope that it just grows new leaves. I had to run early because Carson has soccer practice after school so I cannot run tonight.  Bob and I are splitting the practices so I take Carson on Tuesday and Bob takes him on Thursday.  Matthew goes along and plays at the park.  Running was a bit hard today, just stiff from the long run on Sunday.  Just the usual, nothing new.  I took a picture of myself, pretty bad, but it is what it is.  Me.

Lots of beautiful trees along the way.  I love this time of year.  It leaves us so quickly though.  Strong wind and a good rain and the blooms are all on the ground.








 I have moved to a new office at Easton.  I inquired about having the movers pack my stuff and transport it to my new office, about 6 miles further away from home.  I found out that I'd have to schedule it and it would be about 3-4 weeks before they would come to move me.  I didn't want to wait so I packed everything today in shopping bags, loaded it on a cart and wheeled it out to the car.  Moving Beverly Hillbillies style!

I love the Rolling Stones.  I have several favorite songs of theirs but this one, You Can't always Get What You Want, certainly is a classic and all time favorite.  The song features the London Bach Choir at the beginning and at points through the song.  It is said that the song is about a chance encounter that Mick had while standing in line at the pharmacy waiting to fill a prescription, when a chap named Jimmy complained that he couldn't get his favorite soda that day, favorite flavour, cherry red.  Thus the lyric, you can't always get what you want.  True or urban legend, no one knows.

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
I said to him

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you just might find
You get what you need

10,000 Maniacs - Jack Kerouac

3-25-12 Half Marathon!  woo hoo!  The actual running part wasn't that hard.  I did get tired towards the end and was glad to be done.  But when I was done, my Reynaud's in my hands was really bad and I had bad chills.  The chills were partly due to being in sweaty clothes and the temperature wasn't all that war m outside, about 55 degrees when I finished, no sun.  All four fingers on both hands were numb from the middle knuckle to the finger tips and yellow/white in color while the rest of my hands were a strange purple color.  It took almost a half an hour to get them back to normal.

I got a late start today because I had to go to church for the ministry fair.  Not a single person stopped at our table to ask any questions, oh well.  Not a particularly exciting topic.  Most people at the early 7:30 mass do not have children int he school and aren't interested in this.

Before I could start my run, I needed to go to Dick's and buy a hydration belt.  When I ran 12 miles a couple of weeks ago, I went the whole distance with no water and felt the difference.  dick's didn't open until 10:00 so it was around 11:00 before I got going.  I ran the Olentangy Trail.  I felt really good the whole way.  Just tired the last 3-4 miles, but never in any pain and never feeling like I wouldn't make it.

I started out running on a mulch covered trail that runs parallel to the paved trail.  It was soft and kind of nice for a awhile.  the I started to realize that it was getting even softer and starting to feel like running on the beach which is actually a lot more work for your legs.  I was also starting to get bits of wood in my shoes, also not good.  I moved back over to the paved trail.

When I was about 5.5 miles in to my run a guy came up to me and asked if I was taking pictures of things along my run.  I told him yes, that I was training for a marathon, writing a blog and running my first half marathon today.  He ran with me for a mile.  His name is Ismail and he is from Hamburg, Germany.  He is 52 and training for his 5th marathon.  He is running in April in Hamburg.  the route goes right past his mother's house and he will be spending time there with his mother and sisters.  He was such a nice guy, gave me his tips on training and having fun while doing it.  He said that I was doing the right thing, just having fun with it and not worrying about my time.  He said, whatever you do on the race day will be your personal best, so just have fun.  He also told me to get the movie "Spirit of the Marathon".  I'll have to check in to that.  At 6.75 miles I said goodbye to Ismail because I had to turn around.  I like having company, but not so much that i wanted to keep going and turn this in to a run any longer than 13.1 miles.

I really had fun today.  When you run that many miles, you  have a tendency to start passing people that you have seen before.  Lots more hellos and one goofy young couple that were running towards Ismail and me, waving and then wanting to high five us.  Ismail said, friends of yours?  I said no, thought they were friends of your.  Nope.  I passed them again a few miles later going the other direction and this time I was the one that raised my hand to high five them.  LOL!

More little critters along my path today.  This time a cute little frog.  Just had to stop and take his picture.

I always like when I pass the halfway mark.  It is all down hill from there.  You have to have mental milestones to keep you going.  this picture was taken around 9 miles into the run.  Everything is so green.  Much different than when I first ran this trail 3 weeks ago. 

Just when I am really tired, two guys go sprinting by with full size backpacks on their backs.  As if a backpack wasn't enough, one guy had a big metal padlock hanging off of his.  Talk about feeling every bit of my 55 years old!  Ha-Ha!  Just then, I round the corner and see this!  Ha, I am not tired enough yet, let's stop and do some pull-ups.   I don't think so!  This was at the 11 mile marker and I was getting excited about being done.    Next milestone was to pass under the bridge at 270 which would be just about 1 mile to the finish line.  I had to stop and take a picture there too.  By the way, in case anyone is thinking I could improve my time by not stopping so much to take pictures, well it just wouldn't be fun and this is about fun for me, not setting records.  Besides, I take the pictures when I do my 1 minute walks during the run.

So now my half way point is done.  I guess I am really going to do this!  Today I listened to what I will call "Songs from SI".  When Bank One and Chase merged, I spent a lot of time working on the system conversions.  We first went through a process of evaluating the systems that Chase had vs. the systems that Bank One had and made decisions about which would be the surviving systems for everything from deposits to loans to safe deposit box billing systems and so on.  The system that Chase had used for their retail checking accounts was called "SI".  We spent about a year or so preparing for and then converting all of the Chase accounts off that system and on to the Bank One legacy system.  I have a friend that I work with, Tom, who loves music as much as I do and during the long days sitting in command centers we would talk about what music we liked, as well as many other things.  It all started one day with a conversation about Humble Pie, that it was one of the first concerts that I had ever been to.  Tom is at least 10 years younger than me and was impressed that I had gone to the that concert.  At the end of the conversion, Tom made a CD for me and titled it "Songs from SI".  I listened to that today.  Thanks for the entertainment Tom.  The CD has all female artists like, Alanis Morissette, Carole King, Joan Osborne, Melissa Etheridge, Natalie Merchant, Tracy Chapman, Sara McLachlan, etc.  I have always loved the song by Natalie Merchant (from 10,000 maniacs) called Hey Jack Kerouac.  Here is part of the song:

This is Jack

Hey Jack Kerouac, I think of your mother
and the tears she cried, she cried for none other
than her little boy lost in our little world that hated
and that dared to drag him down. Her little boy courageous
who chose his words from mouths of babes got lost in the wood.
Hip flask slinging madman, steaming cafe flirts,
they all spoke through you.

Natalie Merchant

One other song that I listened to at the start of my run, had me laughing so hard.  It is a song by Alanis Morisette called, You Oughta Know.  There is a part that made me think of a story that my Dad shared with all off us, years ago, about a conversation that he had with my Mother.  For anyone that reads this, if you have heard the story, you will know what I am referencing, otherwise, just enjoy the lyrics (chorus only):

Chorus:

And I'm here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It's not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know

Jerky Boys - Sol Rosenberg and the Optometrist

I took this mid flight as the bird flew
past me.  He has a big worm in his beak.

3-24-12  I was supposed to run yesterday but we got severe storms again in the late afternoon when I got off work.  I am running the half marathon tomorrow, Sunday.  I decided to do a short, easy run today rather than go 3 days without running.  I ran 4 miles this morning, it was 55 degrees and such a nice change from the last few days of hot weather.   It was really nice and no more back pain.  My kitchen is a mess and I really should sweep and mop the floor but it usually takes me a couple of hours and then my back hurts.  I figure that the floor dirt won't go away and will still be there for me to clean it tomorrow or later int he week. I am really anxious to get through tomorrow, big milestone and I want to feel good.  Gotta do everything I can to ensure that!

I have to go to church for the 7:30 mass.  They have this ministry fair after each mass today and tomorrow.  Every group that possibly tries to get volunteers, sets up a table and the parishioners walk through after church.  There are sign-up sheets for the different groups/committee, choir, greeters, finance committees, school board, home & school (PTA), coaching opportunities, etc.  When I signed up, didn't realize I would be running.  at least I got the early mass so I run run later in the morning.

Today I listened to the Jerky Boys.  Jeff made this CD for me years ago.  The calls were made by ringing up unsuspecting recipients, or in response to classified advertisements placed in local New York based newspapers.  They are pretty funny , a bit crude, but a fun change for a run.  I laughed a lot which probably looks odd when you are running alone, oh well.  The one below is a favorite of mine.  Sol Rosenberg is a middle aged, whiny, paranoid jew from New York. 

Sol: Hello, I bought glasses there, my name is Sol Rosenberg.
Optometrist: Yes?
Sol: And my eyes are going crazy.
Optometrist: Okay. Let me pull your file. Hold on..
Sol: Okay, thank you
Optometrist: Hello, did you go to the Empire State Building?
Sol: I went to the Empire State Building and I can't see so good...
Optometrist: Would you like to come see us?
Sol: I went to the observatory and, because of these glasses, I can't see, Goddamn it.
Optometrist: Okay, would you like to come in and see us?
Sol: Sure. Okay
Optometrist: We're at 30 East 60th Street.
Sol: 35 78th Street, Ok.
Optometrist: No, no..30..three zero
Sol: okay
Optometrist: East 60th Street.
Sol: Alright. And should I bring all my glasses with me?
Optometrist: Do you need an examination?— Mr. Rosenberg, do you need an examination?
Sol: Okay.
Optometrist: Do you need an examination?
Sol: Alright.
Optometrist: Yeah, alright. Do you need an appointment?
Sol: Right. And I'll bring all my shoes and my glasses with me... so I have them.
Optometrist: Mr. Rosenberg?
Sol: Sure.
Optometrist: Do you need...do you want to see the opthamologist?
Sol: Right.
Optometrist: Do you need an appointment?
Sol: I'm sorry.
Optometrist: Do you need an appointment?
Sol: Okay.
Optometrist: Okay, hold on, I'll have my girl make an appointment for you to see the doctor. Okay, do you have the address?
Sol: Fantastic then.
Optometrist: Do you have the address?
Sol: Yeah.
Optometrist: What's the... what room?
Sol: I don't know...you say 35-8-7?
Optometrist: No. 30 East 60 th Street
Sol: 30 East 50 th Street Okay. Thank you.
Optometrist: Do you need an appointment? hold on.....

Every time I hear that it cracks me up.  "okay and I'll bring all my shoes and glasses with me"  shoes?? to the optometrist?  Oh My!

Willie Nelson - On the Road Again

3-21-12  Second day in a row of record breaking temperatures.  It was 84 yesterday and it was 85 today.  I am not used to running in the heat and it really makes a difference.  I ran 4 miles again today and was really beat.   am feeling stressed about running a half marathon.  I think part of the problem is that I have not trained enough.  The other issue is that mentally, a half marathon sounds lots bigger than 12 miles, which I did a couple of weeks ago.

My back feels better, yeah!!!  I have a rental car now.  they tried to give me a Ford Fiesta.  I told the lady NO.  I told her that if I had been in a Ford fiesta when I was rear ended, that I was pretty sure my children in the back seat would have been seriously injured.  I told her there was no way I would put my kids in that car.  She said I'd have to pay $7 more per day, fine I said.  I gave her my credit card.   Bob talked to our agent the next day and that charge will be totally covered.

Hot weather!  Yikes, never realized what a difference that makes in your training.  In the past, I always wanted summer type weather to run in.  That is not really what I want.   Snow is pretty fun, actually lots of fun.  Wind is awful.  Hot is miserable.  Rain sucks.  Hail is out of the question.   Light mist is tolerable.  Sunshine is lovely.  Clouds are my fiend on a hot day. I am on my way to the half marathon.  I am anxious and I am excited.  Anxious because this just sounds big.  I am not sure I am ready.  Excited because I am excited.  This is a big deal.  I never thought I'd ever do a marathon.  I never even though I'd get half way there.  Now I am about to do exactly that!!!  OMG can I do it??

On The Road Again....Way back when, my big brother Mike got married.  He married Megan and they moved to Ohio.  I cried my eyes out the night of his wedding because I felt like I was losing my best friend.  I loved him more than anything.  I went to visit many times at their home in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.  I think before that they had a house in Southfield, Michigan.  Anyway, I always thinks of Mike when I hear Willie Nelson.  Especially, On the Road Again!!!  I don't know if brothers ever really understand how much their sisters love and admire them.  Jeff, Mike and Chris will always be my idols, each in different ways.

Willie Nelson's parents both abandoned him and he was raised by his grandparents. His grandfather bought him as guitar at age 6.   They lived on a cotton farm.  Willie didn't like picking cotton, so, starting at age thirteen and continuing through high school, he earned money by singing in local dance halls, taverns, and honky tonks.

On the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way and our way

Is on the road again
I just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way and our way

Is on the road again
Just can't wait to get on the road again
The life I love is making music with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again
And I can't wait to get on the road again

Joe Cocker - She Came in through the Bathroom Window

3-20-12  It is the first day of spring, yeah!  We have broken an all time record for a high temperature in Columbus Ohio today and they expect we will do the same the next couple of days.  February 14, 34 days ago, I was running in a couple inches of snow.  Today, I ran in a skort and a t-shirt.  This is so out of the norm!!! 

Just a sampling of the attorney letters that
 I received 2 business days after the accident

I still feel a little sore.  I do think I am getting better and I hope I don't have any lingering issues from the auto accident.  It is pretty funny though.  I started getting phone calls on Monday from chiropractors.  I mentioned when the police took the report from me that my back hurt a lot.  Oh My! I guess them is fighting words for chiropractors, or at least the kind that my husband has no respect for.  Then Monday, I got 5 letters in the US mail from attorneys, wanting to take on my case to sue someone!  Its an ambulance chaser frenzy!!!  Today I found out that my damage exceeded the property damage limit on Ricky's policy.  My insurance company is going to repair my car, pay for my rental and then through subrogation,  they will work to recoup expenses for the claim from Safe Auto (Ricky's company).  At least I have good insurance.

I bought some new running skirts a few weeks ago. At the time I thought it was a little silly to be buying them because it felt like it would be a month or more before I'd wear something that short outdoors.  Silly me!  What the heck did I know?  It is the first day of spring and it was 82 degrees today.  I actually don't like that for running.  Much too warm.  I prefer about 50- 60 degrees , sunshine and no wind.  Can I order that up?

I ran 3.75 miles today.  I wouldn't say it was bad, but I wouldn't say it was good.  I think my lack of running the last couple of weeks has hurt me.  I ran in my neighborhood in a very hilly area which doesn't help.  so, I had hills, I had 80 degree weather and I still had a sore back.  Maybe 3.75 miles was a good accomplishment for me today given the other contributing factors.  I plan to run 5 miles tomorrow.  I think I'll run along the river where it is flat and pretty shady.  I expect that 5 miles will be pretty easy doing it that way.
These are pictures of my peony 

March 17

March 20

plants that grow so rapidly, it always amazes me.  I have never captured the progression on film so I think I will this spring.




Early in my blogging, I mentioned a Joe Cocker song.  I included a picture of him that is really what I remember of Joe Cocker from my high school and college days, not very attractive.  About a year ago, I read an article about him.  He lives in Colorado in a small town in the mountains, Crawford, in the Gunnison area.  He hangs with the locals.  It sounded like they weren't too keen on him in the beginning, worried that his presence would bring chaos to their town.  Now he plays snooker with the guys in town and he has been very well accepted. I love that.  Here he is gardening, hardly the hard core drug and alcohol guy that he once was.

She came in through the bathroom window
Protected by a silver spoon
But now she sucks her thumb and wanders
By the banks of her own lagoon

Didn't anybody tell her?
Didn't anybody see?
Sunday's on the phone to Monday,
Tuesday's on the phone to me

She said she'd always been a dancer
She worked at 15 clubs a day
And though she thought I knew the answer
Well I knew but I could not say.

And so I quit the police department
And got myself a steady job
And though she tried her best to help me
She could steal but she could not rob.

Didn't anybody tell her?
Didn't anybody see?
Sunday's on the phone to Monday,
Tuesday's on the phone to me
Oh yeah.

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Guy



It may be time to go home!

3-17-12  Happy St. Patrick's day! I was supposed to run a half marathon today.  I did not do that.  Yesterday afternoon, I quit working early and was setting out to run a few errands.   I needed to get thyroid medication for Iris and the boys needed new shoes.  The medical facility that compounds the thyroid meds closes at 5PM.  It was 3:40 and knowing how long my boys can take to make a decision, I thought we should get Iris' meds before that facility closed at 5pm. Kohl's and Target are open until late into the evening.  We were on 270 heading east toward the 23 / 270 interchange.  The cars in front of me came to a complete stop and so did I.  As I sat there, I glanced in my rear view mirror and  saw that a car was coming at me and was not going to stop.   I screamed at the boys to "hold on".  The impact was huge and scared the hell out of them.  They both started crying and then so did I.  The car behind us, hit us like they were going full speed.  It pushed me in to the car in front of me.  As a result, I have major damage to the front and the rear end of my car.  My hands were shaking so much that even when the officer came and asked me to write a description of what happened, (30 minutes later) I had a hard tine writing.   All in all, we were there on the highway, in the center lane, for about 90 minutes, then they moved us to the berm.  The car that hit me could not drive and we had to all wait until a tow truck came and hauled his car away and the police office could move out of the middle of the highway too.  Poor Carson had to pee.  He had an idea that he could find some empty bottle and pee in it.  I wouldn't let him.  Then he wanted to get out of the car and pee on the side of the road, durIng rush hour on a major, very busy highway.  I told him no to that idea too!   We ended up sitting in the car for almost 2 hours.



taken 3/17, see how fast peonies grow,
will show again in a couple of days!



What to do???  I wasn't at all sure what I would do about running.  I hurt my back, and it feels pretty bad.I have decided that I cannot run a half marathon today.  I need to do a short run today and then take it easy and build back up.  I did run  3 miles this afternoon.  It felt good, felt like the right amount and I am glad that I did just that.  Nothing more.  I will run the half marathon this coming weekend.  I ran into this long skinny snake on my run, not sure what kind it was.  I have never seen a snake around my neighborhood before.    He did not look like a garter snake which is the only kind that I am familiar with.     

As I was getting close to home a storm was rolling in.  Perfect time to get home and inside. 



Leaving work, before the rain, hail and scariness started

I am finishing writing this on Sunday.  Today I had to work all day in the command Center for Mortgage Banking to support the validation of release code that was deployed overnight.  At about 5pm, as we were wrapping up for the day, I got a message that the tornado sirens were going off.  We could not hear them in the building and could not see outside.  We decided to all get out of there and go to our respective homes. The building we were in was a one story, no basement, feels like a trailer type of building.  I got on the freeway and the skies opened up.  I had on the local radio station and they were saying to NOT go in the direction that I was heading!  They said it was very dangerous and serious and to get off the highway, specifically the highway and area that i was in.  Right then the skies changed.  It started to hail, there was lightning everywhere and I felt like I was enveloped in thick, dark gray.  I couldn't see anything and for the first time EVER, I was scared of a storm. (I LOVE STORMS) I pulled over and called Bob.  He told me they were in the basement and that I should get off the highway and go in a store or something, anything that looked sturdy.  I drove slowly to the next exit, Cleveland Avenue.  There is a large Chase facility on that road, about a half mile from the exit.  I drove straight there and ran in to the building.  I showed the guards my ID badge and asked if I could stay with them.  I sat in the guard station until the storm had passed.  They had a live feed from some national weather station, so I had the best information about the storm you could have.  I eventually made it home safely.  This has not been my weekend for driving on 270, or for cars in general.

Four years ago, at Christmas, Kai brought the movie "Once" over to Mom's for us to watch.  I loved the movie and Kai ended up buying it for me for my birthday.  The following song is such a funny scene in the movie, probably doesn't do itself justice by just sharing the lyrics here.   But I wanted to anyway.  And what a great song/movie to talk about on St. Patrick's day, an Irish rock star!

Ten years ago, I fell in love
with an average girl, she took my heart
but she went and screwed some guy that she knew
and now I'm in Dublin with a broken heart
Oh broken hearted hoover fixer sucker guy
Oh broken hearted hoover fixer sucker, sucker guy
One day I'll go there and win her once again
but until then, I'm just a sucker of a guy.

After I got hooked on this movie and music, it also played kind of an important role in my cancer endeavor.  Last week marked my four year anniversary of my surgery for breast cancer.   There is a song where Glen Hansard really screams and belts out the tune.  The day before my surgery.  I went to Macy's to get some comfortable lounge wear, as advised by my surgeon.  Didn't want any binding clothes post surgery.  I had done such a good job of holding myself together in the number of days between suspecting that I had cancer, getting a diagnosis and heading to the hospital.  So, leaving Macy's with purchases in hand.  Can't find car.  Get mad.  Get upset.  Sit down on curb and lose it, start crying.  Get up.  Go back in store.  Wrong entrance/exit.  Needed West exit, not South exit.  Find car.  Cry some more.  Start car.  Turn on stereo.  Glen Hansard, screaming song.  Comfort. 

I found that playing his song at full volume and screaming along with him felt so much better than crying.  I'll never forget that song.  I listened to his album on my whole run Saturday and here it is...

so

if you ever want something
and your call comes
then I'll come running
to fight
and I'll be at your door
when there's nothing
worth running for

when your mind's made up

when your mind's made up

there's no point trying to change it

when your mind's made up

when your mind's made up

there's no point trying to stop it

you see

you're just like everyone

when the shit falls

all you want to do is run

away

and hide all by yourself

when it's far from

there's nothing else