Jim Croce - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown



2-21-02  Happy Birthday Matthew & Carson.  Nine years ago today, early in the morning.  So early that Bob couldn't even go to Bob Evans for breakfast.  I joked with the anesthesiologist, while we waited for Bob, that he had probably tried to go there for coffee.  Unfortunately, there is very little that I remember from that day.  I remember trying to convince the on-call doctor that it was time and these babies were not waiting a few more weeks.  I remember the joke with the anesthesiologist.  I remember them wheeling the babies past me.  I remember telling Dr. Ruedrich, in the recovery area that it was like Thanksgiving dinner, all that preparation and then it is over so quickly.  I think I went to see my babies later that day, but I am not sure.  I know I ended up getting very sick, I think the second night.  I ended up with an NG tube into my stomach for three days, consuming nothing but ice chips.  One nice nurse would sneak Popsicles to me but I really wasn't supposed to have even that.  Well, its one way to drop your maternity weight quickly!

I ran three miles today.  It was cold and wet this morning so I waited until afternoon.  It was 46 by the time I went out but the wind had really picked up.  I hate running in the wind.  When I am getting ready to run and I can hear the wind chimes out on my deck, I dread it.  Normally I love the sound of the chimes but not when I am getting ready to run.  This was my first run since Saturday's 9 miler.  I was supposed to cross train on Sunday but Mom and Dad were here and Mom and I went shopping.  I wonder, does that count for x-train?  I actually thought I'd cross train on Monday.  It was President's Day, no school and no work.  That just didn't work out though.  Had to do some more shopping in the morning, then had to take the cat to the vet , then the boys had a Social Studies project.  We had to go buy poster board and print lots of picture of Mozambique and Senegal.  Then the new beds were delivered for Matthew and Carson.  It just didn't stop all day long.

While I was running today, I wondered if Matthew and Carson would still want me to read their annual Dr. Seuss Birthday story.  Maybe they are too old?  After they got home, with no prompting from me, Matthew went and got the book and asked me if I would read it to them  So cool!!

So we'll go to the top of the toppest blue space, the Official Katroo Birthday Sounding-Off Place!  Come on! Open your mouth and sound off at the sky!  Shout loud at the top of your voice "I AM I! ME!  I am I!  And I may not know why But I know that I like it. Three cheers! I AM I!"

Seems like there are more police officers patrolling.  A family was robbed around midnight Saturday after pulling in to their garage.  The neighborhood is about 1 mile from here. In fact, I ran through there last week.  Our neighborhood communications lady sent a Sheriff's Alert out to all of us today describing the incident.  It said that after this family pulled in to their garage, before they even got out of the car, a thin white man walked up to the car and pulled out a small hand gun.  Later in the alert, they gave a description of the suspect, saying that he was 5'10" - 6'0" and 240 lbs.  I don't think so.  I replied to Suzanne and asked her to get some clarity on the description from the Sheriff's office.  6 feet tall and 240 lbs is not what I would describe as skinny.  Anyway, I saw patrol cars a couple of times on a short 3 mile run.

My run felt a little harder than 3 mile runs have before.  My lower legs really felt tired and didn't warm up until I had finished 2 miles.  Now that I think back, I didn't stretch, so maybe that was part of the problem.  Anyway, it is done!  Week 5 is off and running!  This is Feather island, so named by my boys because they find so many goose feathers there.  (probably lots of goose poop too, but thankfully they didn't name it Poop Island).

Today is Fat Tuesday.  King Cake in New Orleans, Paczki in Detroit or in any city where someone might be from Detroit or have friends from Detroit that told them to get Paczki.  Boy they were yummy, but I only had two quarters.  I bought lemon and strawberry, had a bite of each.  Bob didn't like them, Carson said there was too much fruit (he doesn't like fruit) and Matthew would have eaten the whole box!

Well the South side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware
Of a man named Leroy Brown

Now Leroy more than trouble
You see he stand 'bout six foot four
All the downtown ladies call him Treetop Lover
All the men just call him Sir

This is a very fun song.  It always reminds me of my brother Chris.  I remember going to Hawaii to help him out while Melissa was in France with her parents and sisters.  Emma was still in preschool and I think Natalie was in her first year at Punahou (they are both in college now!).  I was pleasantly surprised to find that Chris had a pretty good collection of music, this album being part of it.